Not a Tick-Tock

All day long, even before the Mueller news broke, Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge has really been leaning-forward, giving insight into the pending Inspector General report by OIG Michael Horowitz. Herridge is one of those reporters who is careful not to get out in front of her skis.  Ms. Herridge is not a book-selling member of the tick-tock community of pundits.

We noted earlier how the specific emphasis of Ms. Herridge seemed to indicate the Horowitz report was closer to the surface of completion than previously thought.
Immediately after the Mueller news broke (around 5pm EST), Herridge filed her first live report providing details of the Mueller report.  Within that first report Herridge stated she was previously bound to “confidences” until the Mueller probe was complete.
In subsequent reporting we begin to see what those confidences are, and how they connect to her exclusive reporting on text messages between Andrew McCabe and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page.
Ms. Herridge is strongly emphasizing a few key points that need additional emphasis:
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Earlier today President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed the leaders of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Haiti, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia to their Mar-a-Lago home.  The intent of the meeting was to reaffirm the U.S. strong friendship with and commitment to these countries, and signal the importance of the Caribbean to the hemisphere.

[Transcript] – Mar-a-Lago – Palm Beach, Florida – 2:23 P.M. EDT
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. We’re honored to be with some terrific people that have been friends of mine — in many cases, friends of mine. They’ve done a wonderful job in their respective countries.
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With the Mueller Report completed; and with massive ‘splodey heads (beyond election night level) happening throughout leftist punditry and political analysts; there has been some last-gasp desperate clinging-to-hope speculation of looming “sealed indictments” that might exist in DC.
Unfortunately, Laura Jarrett (daughter of Valerie Jarrett) delivered the bad news to her colleagues on CNN.  After she spoke directly with a DOJ Official, and asked them if there was any possibility of sealed indictments existing/remaining. Alas, the answer was: “no, it’s over; everything is over; it’s done.“…   WATCH:

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Special Counsel Robert Mueller has completed his two-year-long investigation of Russian interference with the 2016 election, and submitted his report to Attorney General William Barr.
In a letter to congress (see below) AG Barr states: “I write to notify you pursuant to 28 C.F.R. 600.9(a)(3) that Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III has concluded his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters.”

A DOJ official says Justice let the White House know it had the report at roughly 4:35pm. The report was delivered earlier this afternoon, per Justice official. It delivered to Deputy Attorney General’s office and within minutes the Attorney General William Barr.

In a video spreading quickly on social media, a Seattle man is shown attempting to speak to the Seattle City Council. What comes next highlights how the ruling class view the electorate… WATCH:

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Fox News has published a small set of text messages between FBI Deputy Andrew McCabe and his DOJ Attorney Lisa Page.  The set of messages released come from the device(s) of Lisa Page and outlines that she must have shared with investigators the totality of her texting and not just messages between herself and FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok.

The aspect covered within the release speaks to a concern from Main Justice toward the FBI application of the FISA warrant used against Carter Page.  Specifically, concerns held by Stuart Evans, then the DOJ’s National Security Division deputy assistant attorney general, about the bias held by the FBI source, Christopher Steele.

FOX NEWS – Just nine days before the FBI applied for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to surveil a top Trump campaign aide, bureau officials were battling with a senior Justice Department official who had “continued concerns” about the “possible bias” of a source pivotal to the application, according to internal text messages obtained by Fox News.

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Yesterday the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions against two Chinese shipping firms for violating ongoing sanctions against North Korea [TREASURY HERE].
With USTR Robert Lighthizer and Secretary Mnuchin set to travel this weekend to Beijing for ongoing trade discussion, the sanction timing complicates the dance with the dragon. Subsequently President Trump sends the following tweet:

Slamming China with sanctions (over DPRK dragon activity) while Beijing is showing the Panda mask (during Beijing trade negotiations) is not wise. If the Panda mask drops during trade negotiations to reveal the Dragon face, then ok. However, the majority of the West, driven by a misunderstanding of the China-DPRK relationship, does not know how directly a manipulative Beijing controls Pyongyang.
Taking aggressive sanction action against China could backfire with Beijing ordering those around Chairman Kim to test a missile.
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Earlier this morning President Trump delivered remarks to the White House press pool as he departed for Mar-a-lago.   [Video and Transcript below]

[Transcript] – South Lawn – 9:45 A.M. EDT
Q Mr. President, do you expect the Mueller report to be submitted today?
THE PRESIDENT: I have no idea about the Mueller report.
I’m going to Florida. We have meetings with the five Caribbean leaders. That’ll be at Mar-a-Lago. We have a lot of other meetings set up for this weekend on trade. We have a lot of talks with China. And a lot of things are happening. We’ll be doing it from Florida. And a lot of very important things are happening.
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Shortly before the president signed an executive order on affirming first amendment rights on college campuses yesterday, President Trump sat down for an extensive interview with Maria Bartiromo.
The interview covers a wide range of topics with a primary focus on the U.S. economy, ongoing trade discussions and issues that impact the U.S. workforce. One of the granular issues that surfaces is a subject we discuss frequently, the value of the ‘chicken tax‘; the 25% tariff on imported trucks and SUV’s.   WATCH:

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