WASHINGTON (AP) — Analysts at the Homeland Security Department’s intelligence arm found insufficient evidence that citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries included in President Donald Trump’s travel ban pose a terror threat to the United States.
A draft document obtained by The Associated Press concludes that citizenship is an “unlikely indicator” of terrorism threats to the United States and that few people from the countries Trump listed in his travel ban have carried out attacks or been involved in terrorism-related activities in the U.S. since Syria’s civil war started in 2011.
Trump cited terrorism concerns as the primary reason he signed the sweeping temporary travel ban in late January, which also halted the U.S. refugee program. A federal judge in Washington state blocked the government from carrying out the order earlier this month. Trump said Friday a new edict would be announced soon. The administration has been working on a new version that could withstand legal challenges.
Homeland Security spokeswoman Gillian Christensen on Friday did not dispute the report’s authenticity, but said it was not a final comprehensive review of the government’s intelligence.
“While DHS was asked to draft a comprehensive report on this issue, the document you’re referencing was commentary from a single intelligence source versus an official, robust document with thorough interagency sourcing,” Christensen said. “The … report does not include data from other intelligence community sources. It is incomplete.”
The Homeland Security report is based on unclassified information from Justice Department press releases on terrorism-related convictions and attackers killed in the act, State Department visa statistics, the 2016 Worldwide Threat Assessment from the U.S. intelligence community and the State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2015.
The three-page report challenges Trump’s core claims. It said that of 82 people the government determined were inspired by a foreign terrorist group to carry out or try to carry out an attack in the United States, just over half were U.S. citizens born in the United States. The others were from 26 countries, led by Pakistan, Somalia, Bangladesh, Cuba, Ethiopia, Iraq and Uzbekistan. Of these, only Somalia and Iraq were among the seven nations included in the ban.
Of the other five nations, one person each from Iran, Sudan and Yemen was also involved in those terrorism cases, but none from Syria. It did not say if any were Libyan.
The report also found that terrorist organizations in Iran, Libya, Somalia and Sudan are regionally focused, while groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen do pose a threat to the U.S.
The seven countries were included in a law President Barack Obama signed in 2015 that updated visa requirements for foreigners who had traveled to those countries.
Christensen said the countries were also selected in part because they lacked the ability to properly vet their citizens and don’t cooperate with U.S. efforts to screen people hoping to come to the U.S.
The report was prepared as part of an internal review Trump requested after his executive order was blocked by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It was drafted by staff of the Homeland Security Department’s Intelligence and Analysis branch at the direction of its acting leader, David Glawe.
White House spokesman Michael Short said this was not the full report that Trump had requested. He said he believes “the intel community is combining resources to put together a comprehensive report using all available sources, not just open sources, and which is driven by data, not politics.”
The intelligence document was circulated beyond Homeland Security.
The draft document reflects the tensions between the president’s political appointees and the civil servants tasked with carrying out Trump’s ambitious and aggressive agenda. Trump has repeatedly complained about leaks meant to undercut his policies and suggested he does not trust holdovers from the Obama administration.
Trump originally said the ban was necessary to overhaul the vetting system for both refugees and would-be foreign visitors, saying that terrorists may try to exploit weaknesses to gain access to the United States. The order sparked chaos, outrage and widespread protests, with travelers detained at airports and panicked families searching for relatives.
But several courts quickly intervened and the 9th Circuit ultimately upheld a ruling blocking the ban and challenged the administration’s claim that it was motivated by terrorism fears.
Trump’s ban temporarily barred citizens from the seven countries from coming to the United States for three months. The order also temporarily shut down the U.S. refugee program for four months and indefinitely banned anyone from Syria.
A senior administration official told the AP on Sunday that a draft of the revised order will target those same seven countries. The official would not be named discussing the document before it is made public.
In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee Friday, Trump reiterated his claims on terrorism.
“We are going to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country,” Trump said.
He said he singled out the seven countries because they had already been deemed a security concern by the Obama administration.
Protesters attacked by white supremacist… again
August 13th, 2017
Remember the assault by car in Minneapolis against Black Lives Matters protesters, the one where initially the police claimed the driver was the victim, and some media outlets reported it in that framing despite the readily available helicopter video of the entire incident!?!?!
What the hell is wrong with people?
And white nationalist Scarcella’s shooting of Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis?
15 years in prison for gunman who shot 5 Jamar Clark protesters
And…
2 sentenced for aiding man who shot Black Lives Matter protesters at Fourth Precinct
Now it’s happened again, in Charlottesville, VA, and with much more horrific consequences. One person has died, 20 plus injured:
Man charged with murder for allegedly plowing into crowd
One dead as car strikes crowds amid protests of white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville; two police die in helicopter crash
Mayor Singer of Charlottesville made an impassioned speech urging the white nationalists, neo-Nazis to go home, and drawing the connection to the vitriolic Trump campaign that worked to normalize white nationalism and hate:
Charlottesville mayor on Trump: ‘Look at the campaign he ran’ – KIFI
“Look at the intentional courting both, on the one hand, of all these white supremacists, white nationalist groups like that, anti-Semitic groups,” Signer said. “And then look on the other hand, the repeated failure to step up, condemn, denounce, silence, you know, put to bed all those different efforts.”
However, Signer said the country would move ahead, and the problems went beyond what he saw in Trump.
“To be honest, this is not about Donald Trump,” Signer said, adding that the violence from white supremacists demonstrated that the country’s core democratic principles were eroding, but people had an opportunity to change for the better.
“People will react to the darkness with a whole lot more light,” he said.
tRump’s response missed the mark:
“… hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides…” WHAT? Yet again, it’s white nationalists, and this is his statement? tRump who encouraged violence at his campaign rallies, who welcomed Steve Bannon into his administration, who encouraged white nationalists, and who enjoyed the support of the likes of David Duke.
Charlottesville: Trump criticised over response to far-right
Speaking of David Duke, the voice of the KKK:
What a Jewish journalist saw in Charlottesville
From a white supremacist’s family:
Letter: Family denounces Tefft’s racist rhetoric and actions
My name is Pearce Tefft, and I am writing to all, with regards to my youngest son, Peter Tefft, an avowed white nationalist who has been featured in a number of local news stories over the last several months.
On Friday night, my son traveled to Charlottesville, Va., and was interviewed by a national news outlet while marching with reported white nationalists, who allegedly went on to kill a person.
I, along with all of his siblings and his entire family, wish to loudly repudiate my son’s vile, hateful and racist rhetoric and actions. We do not know specifically where he learned these beliefs. He did not learn them at home.
I have shared my home and hearth with friends and acquaintances of every race, gender and creed. I have taught all of my children that all men and women are created equal. That we must love each other all the same.
Evidently Peter has chosen to unlearn these lessons, much to my and his family’s heartbreak and distress. We have been silent up until now, but now we see that this was a mistake. It was the silence of good people that allowed the Nazis to flourish the first time around, and it is the silence of good people that is allowing them to flourish now.
Peter Tefft, my son, is not welcome at our family gatherings any longer. I pray my prodigal son will renounce his hateful beliefs and return home. Then and only then will I lay out the feast.
His hateful opinions are bringing hateful rhetoric to his siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews as well as his parents. Why must we be guilty by association? Again, none of his beliefs were learned at home. We do not, never have, and never will, accept his twisted worldview.
He once joked, “The thing about us fascists is, it’s not that we don’t believe in freedom of speech. You can say whatever you want. We’ll just throw you in an oven.”
Peter, you will have to shovel our bodies into the oven, too. Please son, renounce the hate, accept and love all.
Tefft lives in Fargo.
Tuesday, Resolution of Inquiry at House Judiciary Committee
February 27th, 2017
Contact each member of the House Judiciary Committee and ask them to pass House Resolution 111! What?!?! Why?!?!?! Because this is really important!!!
On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee takes up House Resolution 111, which requests from the Office of the Attorney General any and all documents related to tRump’s “financial practices” — the requests are specified in great detail, check it out:
Tell each member of the Judiciary Committee to vote YES on House Resolution 111. Call the Republicans at top of list:
- Here is the Downloadable Judiciary Committee Member List.
- Here is a Directory of Representatives where you can get their contact info.
Their contact page may restrict it to constituents, but remember that when they’re on a committee, they’re representing US, not just their constituents. Maybe it will take phone calls, well worth your effort.
The Resolution is a step to hold tRump accountable, to disclose information about any criminal or counterintelligence investiation, any investment by foreign governments in tRump, tRump’s interests in businesses, profits from foreign governments use of his hotels or business holdings, Foreign Emoluments Clause, and about conflicts of interest.
This has been called the first step towards impeachment. I regard it as the first, and very necessary, step toward accountability. Turn up the heat. Call today, tonight, just do it!
Misconduct Complaint Against Kellyanne Conway
February 25th, 2017
Yes, it’s true, a Complaint has been filed with the D.C. Office on Disciplinary Council, Board on Professional Responsibility against tRump’s Kellyanne Conway:
Misconduct Complaint_Kellyanne Conway
It’s about time…
tRumped up threat from “7 countries”
February 24th, 2017
Department of Homeland Security Report says the “7 countries” pose little threat.
I’ve been reading “By Order of the President” about Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066, beginning internment of American Japanese, and the factors leading up to EO0966. With the stroke of a pen, and with no due process, Roosevelt enacted the will of racist fear-mongering, where official reports of those charged with evaluating the potential threat stated that there was no threat to the US from Japanese Americans.
With tRump’s signing of EO13769, a first step of the Muslim Ban, promised specifically as such in his campaign, and still specifically stated in writing on tRump’s campaign site (he leaves this up, what?!?), and the multiple restraining orders stopping enforcement of EO13769, I followed closely the Washington state and Minnesota challenges, and started digging into Constitutionality of such EOs. And when planning our vacation, I learned of Manzanar National Historic Site, and put it on the agenda. … sigh… it was awful… and it was good. The U.S. likes to pride itself on “openness” and “melting pot” but we are not. This is real. Japanese immigrants were prohibited by the Immigration Act of 1924 from becoming citizens! Japanese immigrants were prohibited from owning land in the U.S. 100,000+ Japanese Americans were rounded up like cattle, with little notice, were forced to sell at fire-sale prices or walk away from everything they owned but what they could carry, and were imprisoned for years. This history is something that should be specifically part of secondary education, something everyone should become familiar with.
And in reading “By Order of the President” by Greg Robinson, the similarities of how that was set up, framed, the events and campaigns prior to Roosevelt’s signing of EO9066 and Japanese internment; and how the Muslim Ban has been set up, framed, prior to EO13769, a step toward the Muslim Ban. Roosevelt’s administration charged agencies and individual staff with evaluating the potential risk and threat posed by Japanese Americans before and after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and consistently, the reports were that the Japanese Americans in Hawaii and the West Coast posed very little risk, they were deemed loyal to the U.S., and eager to demonstrate that loyalty, whether immigrants or first generation Americans. Roosevelt disregarded or downplayed the intelligence in those reports, and claimed a national security crisis and proceeded with internment. Now, tRump has a similar plan, one to ban Muslims, claiming a national security need. The federal courts issued restraining orders regarding both individual plaintiffs, and in Washington’s and Minnesota’s challenge of the Constitutionality of EO13769. and the federal Court of Appeals upheld the WA/MN restraining order, specifically noting that the government had not produced any evidence that this was a national security issue. The report released today is additional evidence that this is not a “national security” issue.
The Associated Press released a report from Dept. of Homeland Security that shows that the “7 countries” that are subject of EO13769 have little terrorist risk. Here’s the primary document:
And here’s the AP article with background (it’s also in STrib):
DHS intel report disputes threat posed by travel ban nations
By VIVIAN SALAMA and ALICIA A. CALDWELL
51 minutes ago
tRump sycophant on the train
February 15th, 2017
Whew, what a long train ride. This was not exactly relaxing, and was an example of the extreme weather of climate change. There were two avalanches in Montana that shut down the rails, one, then tracks closed and reopened, then another, and tracks reopened the day before our train left (panic, looking at flights just in case), and then a mudslide that took out Amtrak service between Portland and Seattle and it’s still out, that affected both Coastal Starlight and Empire Builder, though they did get Empire Builder back in service in time for us to get to Portland. Then the Oroville dam, OMFG, 180,000+ people evacuated (and late yesterday, order just lifted for some). Horses evacuated too, people taking over county fair grounds, how on earth do you evacuate 180,000 people?!?!? And that meant that the Amtrak Coast Starlight couldn’t go through northern California past Redding, and had to go around the evacuation area, so it was to be a bus from 2:30 a.m. in Redding to 6:30 a.m. Sacramento, but that was delayed too as we sat on sometimes napping on a siding in the train until the busses of passengers arrived from the delayed northbound train at 6:30 a.m. We were lucky and got to go on the nearly vacant crew bus down to Sacramento, and from there back on the train to Paso Robles. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. More on that later…
On the train, over dinner, it’s luck of the draw for dining companions. One dinner on the Empire Builder, we were in the mountains where the avalanche was (dark, couldn’t see a thing). They seated us with a guy our age, and then a younger woman came in and joined us. Near the end of the meal (whew, good timing!) she said she’d seen this huge building in Chicago, and snapped a photo, and looked at it later and saw it was TRUMP! She said she was surprised and aghast! Wanted to do some photoshopping. Well, that opened the door, and the guy next to her, a recently retired intelligence service staff, boasted he was a Trump supporter and there was no excuse for all the violence (who’s being violent, 1 million women, NOT!) and he started going off on refugees, particularly Syrian, that the camps are ISIS infiltrated, and then how the courts were all wrong about the EO13769 because tRump’s Executive Order was about “national security” (doubt he’s even read the Executive Order or the Court Orders). The latter, he knows nothing about.
Blatant misstatements like that, despite our captive situation in the booth, AAARGH, I just can’t let slide. I brought up the challenged language of the EO pretty much verbatim, the sections challenged which gives priority on those who are minority religions in those seven predominately Muslim countries, so on its face is discriminatory and unconstitutional.
And of course there’s tRump’s repeated anti-Muslim campaign promises, and pledge to end Muslim immigration, which he leaves up on his website (I-N-T-E-N-T anyone?):
And then there’s the court order, held up by the Federal appellate panel that upholds the District Court Order granting the Restraining Order, where it was noted that even though specifically asked, the gov’t had provided no proof of any security basis, nothing, no evidence at all, and WA/MN had provided much evidence that it was religion based. The diner advocated for it to work its way through the legal system, but didn’t even acknowledge that 5 of 5 judges taking this on ruled against it, and this case is the general constitutional challenge, not plaintiff specific, and it IS in the legal system, losing at every turn. He of course did not acknowledge tRump’s vocal public dissing of the judge and the Order, and now the 3 judge appellate panel and their order — HELLO — we’re looking at a constitutional crisis (tRump’s choice to hang a portrait of “Pres. constitutional crisis” Andrew Jackson should be evidence too!).
But our dining companion is not a lawyer, and not a reader or curator of the facts or law of EO13769, just an “intelligence” worker if he’s going to raise it should be conversant of the Executive and Court Orders, who should know the backgrounds of those who have been terrorists in the U.S. (clue: not those 7 countries), and who should be well aware of the white U.S. citizen terrorists in our midst that tRump is removing from scrutiny by focusing only on those 7 countries and Muslims generally. This tRump devotee is one of so many who don’t care about facts. Expect that you will be challenged!
Then Flynn’s ejection happened, and I looked for our “intelligence” retiree yesterday to get his take (SNORT!) as I’ve been seeing rumblings of intelligence community revolt. One would think that as a former member of this “intelligence community” that Flynn’s (and others) Russian involvement would trigger significant concerns about his leader tRump. But as my ex would say, “Goes to show you don’t think.”
The tRump Regime is slowly coming apart, each day there’s something new. Access to ability to challenge these things in the courts takes immense resources that most of us don’t have. But each of us does have the ability to spend a little time every day to make more phone calls (202-456-1414, they answer now, but won’t take a message, forward to staff person, or open Comment line), send more emails, fill out more contact page forms, attend more Town Hall Meetings, and spread the word. Figure out your focus, what issues you know best, and get to it. It is having an impact.
Now, where is it that we apply to be “paid protesters?”