Open to All! - O'Reilly on the Brewing FBI Scandal, Dreamers, and Academy Award Predictions
By: Bill O'ReillyJanuary 23, 2018
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Sessions Announces DOJ Probe of Missing FBI Text Messages

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson raised an alarm over missing text messages between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Johnson sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Saturday voicing his concern. The period in question – December 14, 2016 to May 17, 2017 – includes several key moments in the FBI’s investigation into alleged Trump campaign-Russia collusion. 

Late Monday, Christopher Wray was joined by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes. The chairmen put out a joint statement saying, "The omission of text messages between December 2016 and May 2017, a critical gap encompassing the FBI’s Russia investigation, is ... concerning," 

In a cover letter accompanying the Friday delivery of the 384 pages of new text messages, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd explained that technical issues with the FBI's retention software prevented the bureau from capturing messages sent between the two employees, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page on their agency-issued phones from December 14, 2016 to May 17, 2017. 

On May 17, 2017, the final day that the pair's messages were not captured by the FBI's system, was also the day when Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein first appointed Mueller as special counsel. 

Boyd said that "misconfiguration issues related to rollouts, provisioning, and software upgrades that conflicted with the FBI's collection capabilities" prevented the bureau-issued Samsung 5 cellphones from capturing or storing text messages.

Peter Strzok and Lisa Page’s texting history, which Jeff Sessions said included over 50,000 messages outside of the uncollected period, is currently under review by the DOJ's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, who is conducting a separate probe of the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. 

In a statement Monday evening, Jeff Sessions said he has spoken with the inspector general "to ascertain what occurred" with the missing messages "and to determine if these records can be recovered in any other way." 

"We will leave no stone unturned to confirm with certainty why these text messages are not now available to be produced and will use every technology available to determine whether the missing messages are recoverable from another source. If any wrongdoing were to be found to have caused this gap, appropriate legal disciplinary action measures will be taken."

 

Claim: Page and Strzok Referenced FBI 'Secret Society' that Met the Day After the Election

Peter Strzok and Lisa Page spoke of a ‘secret society’ the day after President Trump's victory, according to two lawmakers with knowledge of the text messages. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, said Monday on Fox News Channel’s “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” that among the messages Strzok and Page exchanged are references to a ‘secret society’ within the Department of Justice and the FBI.

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), a House Judiciary Committee member, indicated that the existence of a ‘secret society’ within the government raises red flags that top officials were working against Trump. Ratcliffe said, “we learned today (Monday) about information that in the immediate aftermath of his election, there may have been a ‘secret society’ of folks within the Department of Justice and the FBI, to include Page and Strzok, working against him. I'm not saying that actually happened, but when folks speak in those terms, they need to come forward to explain the context.”

 

USCIS: 500 Criminal Ex-Dreamers Who Were Ordered Out of the Country are Still at Large in US

According to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) report, more than 500 Dreamers who lost their benefits due to criminal activity are still at large in the United States despite deportation orders.

According to USCIS, 2,127 had their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status revoked since 2013 for criminal convictions or gang activity. Here is the breakdown of action taken following the DACA terminations

  • Persons removed from the U.S.: 562
  • In ICE custody: 90
  • Released from ICE custody: 535
  • No record of removal, detention or release by ICE: 940

 

POLL: Majority of Americans Agree with Trump on DACA, Immigration

According to a new Harvard-Harris Poll, voters across both party lines appear to be in agreement with President Donald Trump’s immigration priorities. 

The poll, weighted to be broadly representative of the U.S. population, found that 65% of voters overall agreed with Trump’s position that any bill codifying Obama-era protections for illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children should be accompanied by funding for a wall, ending chain migration, and ending the diversity visa lottery program. 

The poll also asked voters, do you approve or disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as President of the United States? 44 percent of voters strongly or somewhat approve of Trump, while 56 percent strongly or somewhat disapprove. This poll seems logical and accurate. 

Do you think children who were brought here illegally by their parents should be given a pathway to U.S. citizenship? Given a pathway, 77 percent. Not entitled to it, 23 percent. 

Do you think border security is adequate or inadequate? Adequate, 39 percent. Inadequate, 61 percent. Interesting. 

Do you think we should have open borders? 21 percent want open borders, that's the far left. That's George Soros, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, that's what they are. 79 percent of voters want secure borders. That is an overwhelming number.

 

Trump: Democrats Have 'Come to Their Senses'

President Trump on Monday hailed the end of the three-day government shutdown and sought to draw a hard line with Democrats in immigration negotiations.  

“I am pleased that Democrats in Congress have come to their senses,” Trump said in a statement, which White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read to reporters at her daily briefing.  

As Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress scrambled over the weekend to end the shutdown, Trump was largely relegated to the sidelines. 

The president made no public appearances after his last-ditch attempt to work out a spending deal with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer(D-N.Y.) failed. 

Trump Travels to Davos this Week

President Trump will travel to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum as planned this week if the re-opening of the government goes as anticipated, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday. 

Trump is scheduled to depart “late this week” according to the White House Press office. He is currently scheduled to make a high-profile speech at the World Economic Forum (WEDF) on Friday at 1pm GMT on the fourth and final day of the conference. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin led the delegation of administration officials to Davos. 

The World Economic Forum’s multinational leaders this year ranges from chief executives like Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase to philanthropists like Bill Gates and policymakers like Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor.  

While the World Economic Forum always invites the president of the United States, it is rare for one to attend. Mr. Trump will be the first American president to travel to Davos since Bill Clinton did in 2000.

 

NFL Rejects Veterans Group's Super Bowl Ad Urging People to Stand for the Anthem

The National Football League has rejected a Super Bowl advertisement from American Veterans (AMVETS) urging people to stand for the national anthem. 

AMVETS had been invited by the NFL to place an ad in Super Bowl LII. AMVET's advertisement included a two-word message - "#PleaseStand."  

The same AMVETS advertisement was accepted by the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association for programs for their upcoming all-star games 

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy defended the league's decision to ban the American Veterans' advertisement noting that the game day program "is designed for fans to commemorate and celebrate the game, players, teams and the Super Bowl." 

"It's never been a place for advertising that could be considered by some as a political statement," McCarthy told Army Times. McCarthy said AMVETS was given a chance to amend their ad from “Please Stand” to other options, such as “Please Honor Our Veterans” or “Please Stand for Our Veterans. 

Joe Chenelly, the national director of American Veterans, known as AMVETS, said Monday that the group was “surprised and disappointed” when the NFL told him Friday the league had rejected the ad.

 

Mail Time!

  • Welcome to Florida! Love your new opening. Another great podcast. Scary what’s happening in our country. It seems to continue on this downward path no matter what the people want. Thanks for making things so clear.
  • Bill,
I just got Roku for Christmas and had it hooked up and I’m watching you on TV you look great. I have a question about Hollywood. How come they don’t realize when they insult the Donald Trump that they insult half of the country?
  • Do you think that there's a percentage of voting Democrats that if the economy continues to do well under Trump would secretly vote for him in 2020? 

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