TV News LIES

FBI agent Peter Strzok on Wednesday said former President Trump and others “successfully chilled the FBI’s willingness to investigate anything” Trump-related, complicating later inquiries into the former president’s handling of classified document.

Strzok took to Twitter to comment on new reporting from The Washington Post indicating that FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors squabbled over how aggressively to criminally investigate Trump’s handling of classified documents, including whether to conduct a surprise search of his Florida residence.

“Trump, [Attorney General William] Barr, [special counsel John] Durham, and others successfully chilled the FBI’s willingness to investigate anything related to Trump. The FBI handled Trump with unprecedented kid gloves, afraid to follow the facts for fear of political blowback, delaying the investigation for months,” Strzok wrote in one tweet.

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An individual wearing a panda headpiece became known online as “#SeditionPanda” after being seen in footage of the riotous crowds marching toward the Capitol on Jan. 6.

According to an FBI agent’s statement included in the complaint, investigators identified Rumson as the individual sporting the panda costume based on footage of the headpiece both on and off throughout the riot.

The individual in the headpiece can allegedly be seen in footage entering the Capitol and roaming the interior halls. Investigators identified Rumson leaving the Capitol less than 15 minutes later without the panda costume.

The filing further alleges that Rumson was heard yelling “GET A RAM!” as he stood near the Senate wing door just before the door was breached for a second time.

Rumson was arrested in Florida on Monday, according to the records.

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A New York state appeals court on Tuesday upheld an order finding Donald Trump in civil contempt for having failed to comply with a subpoena from New York Attorney General Letitia James in her probe of his business practices.

In a 5-0 decision, the Appellate Division in Manhattan said James had established by "clear and convincing evidence" that Trump's response to the Dec. 1, 2021, subpoena was inadequate.

The court said Trump's claim that a diligent search had failed to uncover relevant documents in his possession, without explaining what steps were taken to ensure nothing would be lost or discarded, "prejudicially violated the lawful, clear mandate of the court, of which he had knowledge."

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Former President Donald Trump’s legal team turned over more documents with classified markings and a laptop belonging to an aide to federal prosecutors in recent months, multiple sources familiar with the investigation told CNN.

The Trump attorneys also handed over an empty folder marked “Classified Evening Briefing,” sources said.

The previously undisclosed handovers – from December and January – suggest the protracted effort by the Justice Department to repossess records from Trump’s presidency may not be done.

The Trump attorneys discovered the documents with classified markings in December, while searching through boxes at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence. The lawyers subsequently handed them over to the Justice Department.

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Ron Klain, President Joe Biden's White House chief of staff, plans to leave his post in the coming weeks, sources familiar with the matter said on Saturday, a major changing of the guard.

Klain has informed Biden of his plans, the sources said, confirming a New York Times story that said the long-serving aide would likely depart after the president's State of the Union address on Feb. 7.

Klain, 61, has a long history at the White House, having served as chief of staff to former Vice President Al Gore and to Biden when he was vice president under President Barack Obama.

His departure is coming as Biden prepares to declare his intention to seek a second four-year term in 2024, an announcement anticipated after the State of the Union address.

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A wide-ranging subpoena sent to Trump campaign officials last month shows new areas of investigative interest as part of the Justice Department’s extensive Jan. 6 criminal probe, according to a copy reviewed by The Washington Post, and lawyers say a grand jury focused on the day’s events and related fundraising has increased its activities in recent months.

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