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Trey Gowdy on next steps for the Mueller report, Adam Schiff’s future

Trey Gowdy, former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Friday he has full confidence that Attorney General Bill Barr was able to read and write an accurate summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation report in a weekend.

A Justice Department official told Fox News this week that the Mueller report is more than 300 pages long.

“He summarized it, I’m quite certain he read it, he’s a really, really smart guy which is something that should give all of us confidence. Three hundred pages is not that much,” said Gowdy, who is also an attorney, on The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino.

Barr said Friday he plans to submit the full version of Mueller’s report to Congress by "mid-April, if not sooner," and will not give the White House a sneak peek.

BARR TO RELEASE MUELLER REPORT TO CONGRESS BY 'MID-APRIL, IF NOT SOONER;' WILL NOT TRANSMIT TO WHITE HOUSE FOR PRIVILEGE REVIEW

The timetable comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle – but especially Democrats – have been demanding that Barr release the full report. Barr submitted a four-page summary to congressional leaders last Sunday reporting Mueller did not find evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, while he did not reach a conclusion on whether President Trump obstructed justice.

Barr said the Justice Department and the special counsel are “well along in the process of identifying and redacting” sensitive material, including material that “by law cannot be made public,” “material the intelligence community identifies as potentially compromising sensitive sources and methods; material that could affect other ongoing matters, including those that the Special Counsel has referred to other Department offices; and information that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.”

Meanwhile, Republican House Intelligence Committee members are calling for Democratic Chairman Adam Schiff’s resignation.

The Republican committee members demanded that Schiff step down as chairman over the California Democrat’s repeated claims to have evidence of Trump-Russia collusion. In a letter, obtained by Fox News and signed by every Republican on the committee, the lawmakers slammed Schiff for his claims in the media that there was “more than circumstantial evidence” of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

They repeated their demand in person during a heated hearing on Thursday morning.

ADAM SCHIFF URGED TO STEP DOWN AS CHAIRMAN BY HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS 

The letter, which was sent to Schiff as he was confronted by those same Republicans, follows the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

“Your actions both past and present are incompatible with your duty as chairman of this committee,” the letter stated. “We have no faith in your ability to discharge your duties in a manner consistent with your constitutional responsibility and urge your immediate resignation as chairman of this committee.”

“Adam Schiff shouldn’t resign,” said Democratic congressman Ro Khanna of the House Oversight Committee on Fox & Friends Friday. “We have a separation of powers, that’s part of the Constitution. You have strong oversight.” Khanna encouraged everyone to “move on.”

Gowdy responded by listing the members of the Republican House Intelligence Committee. “These are not members of the bomb-throwing caucus and for them to say ‘Adam Schiff, we have lost confidence in your leadership,’ I’ll tell you I think what’s going to happen next, Dana, is the intelligence community is going to say ‘you know what Adam, you disregard the information that you’re provided, you prejudge the outcome of investigations, you had the president not just indicted but in jail, we’re going to stop sharing information with you,’” Gowdy said.

“’If you are the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and you can’t act in a reasonable way, we’re going to stop sharing information with you’ in which case Pelosi will have no choice but to replace Schiff.”

Schiff, a vocal critic of the president, has doubled down on his claim that Trump and his administration colluded with Russia, and he defended himself during Thursday’s hearing.

Schiff pointed to evidence of Russian hacking during the last presidential election and noted that members of Trump’s campaign and family took meetings with Russians.

“You might think that’s OK that they lied about the meeting,” Schiff said. “I don’t think that’s OK.”

Mueller’s determination that the investigation did not support claims of collusion were touted by President Trump as a “total exoneration.”

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Democrats, though, have sought more information about what Mueller may have found on the obstruction issue. While Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined the report could not support an obstruction case, Democrats challenged that conclusion as they wait to see the full report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News Politics

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Comedian Zelenskiy extends Ukraine presidential poll lead

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukrainian comic actor and candidate in the upcoming presidential election, takes part in a production process of Servant of the People series in Kiev
FILE PHOTO: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukrainian comic actor and candidate in the upcoming presidential election, takes part in a production process of Servant of the People series in Kiev, Ukraine March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

March 13, 2019

KIEV (Reuters) – Comic actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy has extended his lead in Ukraine’s presidential election race, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday.

But support for the 41-year-old, a political novice, remains far below the level need to secure outright victory in the March 31 ballot, and most voters still do not expect him to become president, the SOCIS survey showed.

The poll by the Kiev-based research body showed Zelenskiy on 20.7 percent of votes, with incumbent Petro Poroshenko second on 13.2 percent and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko third on 11 percent.

A total of 39 candidates have registered for the election. If no candidate wins 50 percent, the top two will face each other in a run-off on April 21.

SOCIS said it interviewed 2,000 voters in all regions, except in annexed Crimea, from March 5 to March 10.

It and other reputable pollsters have done little research on how a run-off might pan out. But SOCIS said 23.9 percent of those it questioned expected Poroshenko to be re-elected, while 19.3 percent favored Zelenskiy to win, and 13.2 percent Tymoshenko.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; editing by John Stonestreet)

Source: OANN

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Obama Praises Young Activists on Earth Day

Former President Barack Obama marked Earth Day on Monday with praise for young activists "stepping up to save the one planet we've got."

Obama tweeted:

"Young people all over the world are leading the way in the fight to protect our planet because they know their future depends on it. This Earth Day, I want to celebrate the courageous, committed young leaders who are stepping up to save the one planet we've got."

In particular, Obama lauded Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teen who helped fuel an interest in young people to fight climate change. 

"They're people like 16-year-old @GretaThunberg, whose protests at Swedish parliament sparked a movement," Obama wrote in a separate tweet. 

"Inspired by Greta's action, Fridays for Future brought together more than a million strikers on every continent last month to demand action on climate."

The former commander-in-chief's message was in contrast with that of President Donald Trump, whose Earth Day tweet stressed "historic economic and job growth," but made no mention of climate change.

"Environmental protection and economic prosperity go hand in hand," Trump said in a statement issued Monday. "A strong market economy is essential to protecting our critical natural resources and fostering a legacy of conservation."

Source: NewsMax America

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Ex-Croatia PM jailed after court ups his corruption sentence

A top Croatian court has increased to six years the corruption sentence against former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and ordered his immediate imprisonment.

Sanader was transferred to a Zagreb prison on Thursday evening after the court upheld prosecutors' appeal of the 2017 sentence of four and one-half years in prison for corruption in a 2009 property sale in Zagreb.

Sanader served as prime minister from 2003 to 2009. He is the highest-ranking official tried for corruption in Croatia.

The former premier has faced several corruption trials that are in various stages of proceedings. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that charges against him are political.

The court also ruled that Sanader must return over $2 million in gains from corruption.

Source: Fox News World

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Charles Payne: 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Gillibrand benefited from Trump tax reform

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York disclosed her 2018 tax returns on Wednesday and Fox Business host Charles Payne said the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate benefited from President Donald Trump's tax reform.

Gillibrand became the first 2020 presidential candidate to unveil her 2018 returns, which revealed how she fared following Trump’s 2017 tax overhaul. Gillibrand, who criticized Trump’s sweeping tax law in the past, reportedly got a significant tax cut.

Payne said what is “really interesting” is just what exactly the Democratic senator benefited from, calling it a “cautionary tale for Americans.”

“The alternative minimum tax,” he said. “She was able to write off $10,000 as she would have to pay on this tax,” Payne said on America’s Newsroom Thursday.

The alternative minimum tax (AMT) was designed to keep wealthy taxpayers from using loopholes to avoid paying taxes.

Payne talked about the history of the tax referencing an article which said about 154 families in America who paid no tax in the 1960s. “People lost their minds, how dare them not pay anything?” Payne said. The Fox Business host added the alternative minimum tax was created to get that money from the people who didn’t pay any taxes.

GILLIBRAND THE FIRST 2020 DEMOCRAT TO UNVEIL 2018 TAX RETURNS: SEE WHAT SHE MADE 

“Guess what? It was an index for inflation so the number was $200,000. Well, you can imagine decades later, millions and millions and millions of Americans getting slammed on AMT taxes because the initiative, really, was to take out the pitchforks and the torches and get those rich people not paying their fair share,” Payne said,

Gillibrand reported an adjusted gross income last year of just over $214,000, with nearly $168,000 coming from her Senate salary and most of the remainder from her book deal.

The senator paid $29,710 in federal taxes, for an effective tax rate of 13.6 percent.

The 2020 hopeful urged her rivals to follow in her footsteps and make their returns public, as Democrats continue to slam Trump for not releasing his returns during his 2016 presidential run.

SENATE PASSES TAX REFORM BILL: HERE'S HOW IT AFFECTS YOU 

“Join me in calling on every presidential candidate to disclose their taxes. This is what transparency and accountability is all about,” Gillibrand said in a video.

Presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, has promised to release 10 years of his tax returns but hasn’t done so yet. He said he will make the returns public “soon.”

Another White House contender, Sen. Elizabeth Warren highlighted that she has released the past decade of her tax returns and like Gillibrand, has urged the other candidates to do the same.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Massachusetts Democrat has yet to release her 2018 returns. Her campaign told Fox News she will, once she files her 2018 returns.

The tax filing season doesn’t end until April 15.

Trump broke with decades of tradition by not releasing his tax filings during his 2016 Republican presidential campaign. Trump argued he couldn't release his taxes because he was under an audit by the Internal Revenue Service, but being under audit is no legal bar to a candidate from disclosing taxes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News Politics

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OPEC struggles to keep Russia on board with oil cut, may offer shorter extension

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak attend a news conference at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh
FILE PHOTO: Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak attend a news conference at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser

March 28, 2019

By Rania El Gamal, Dmitry Zhdannikov and Olesya Astakhova

DUBAI/LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia is having a hard time convincing Russia to stay much longer in an OPEC-led pact cutting oil supply, and Moscow may agree only to a three-month extension, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told his Saudi counterpart Khalid al-Falih when the two met in Baku this month that he cannot guarantee an extension to the end of 2019, the sources said.

“Novak told Falih that he will extend in June but can only do it until the end of September as he is under too much pressure internally to end the cuts,” a source familiar with Russian oil policy said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other non-OPEC producers – an alliance known as OPEC+ – agreed in December to reduce oil supply by 1.2 million barrels per day from Jan. 1 for six months.

“We can extend for three months when we meet in June and then see if we need to extend later,” an OPEC source said.

“We really don’t know now, and we may not know until the last minute before we meet in June, whether the Russians will stay.”

The OPEC+ alliance was formed in 2017. Since its inception, oil prices have doubled to more than $60 per barrel – mainly as a result of a series of production cuts by its members.

Should Russia pull out of the latest agreement on cutting output, oil prices would drop.

Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members could be forced to consider continuing the cuts alone if Russia opted not to stay, the OPEC source said.

It was unclear whether Russia’s tough stance was a negotiation tactic or a real threat to quit the agreement as Novak faces mounting pressure from Russian oil companies that no longer want curbs on their production, the sources said.

Igor Sechin, head of Russian oil giant Rosneft and an ally of Vladimir Putin, told the Russian president that the deal with OPEC is a strategic threat and plays into the hands of the United States, Reuters reported in February.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump called for an OPEC production boost to lower oil prices.

There is no guarantee Putin will back Sechin’s view. The president sees the pact with OPEC as part of a bigger puzzle involving dialogue with OPEC’s de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, over Syria and other geopolitical issues.

But Russia knows Saudi Arabia wants oil at a minimum $70 a barrel for its budget requirements, while Moscow needs just $55 a barrel to balance its books, the sources said.

Moscow has always kept its cards close to its chest when it comes to extending supply agreements with OPEC, only to agree later to what Riyadh has advocated.

“Russia and Saudi Arabia are both bluffing now and are trying to play the same card that we saw in December,” a Russian industry source said.

“Novak is threatening to end the deal, but later he will ask Putin for permission to extend the cut.”

This month, OPEC and its allies scrapped a planned meeting in April. They will decide instead whether to extend output cuts in June, once the market has assessed the impact of new U.S. sanctions on Iran due in May.

Russia was among the countries that recommended cancelling the April meeting, OPEC sources said.

(Editing by Dale Hudson)

Source: OANN

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Brazil’s economy minister says trade with China will not be reduced

Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes talks during a seminar in Rio de Janeiro
FILE PHOTO: Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes talks during a seminar in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

March 18, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Brazil’s Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said on Monday that Brazil will not reduce its trade with China under the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Guedes and Bolsonaro are in the United States to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has fought a trade spat with China involving multiple rounds of tariffs.

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Naqvi Founder and Group Chief Executive of Abraaj Group attends the annual meeting of the WEF in Davos
FILE PHOTO: Arif Naqvi, Founder and Group Chief Executive of Abraaj Group attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Tom Arnold

LONDON (Reuters) – A London court case to extradite Arif Naqvi, founder of collapsed private equity firm Abraaj Group, to the United States on fraud charges was adjourned until May 24, a court official said on Friday.

Naqvi was remanded in custody until that date, the official said. A former managing partner of Dubai-based Abraaj, Sev Vettivetpillai, was released on conditional bail to appear again at Westminster Magistrates Court on June 12, the official said.

Under the U.S. charges, both men are accused of defrauding U.S. investors by inflating positions held by Abraaj in order to attract greater funds from them, causing them financial loss, the official said.

Vettivetpillai could not be reached for a comment.

Naqvi, in a statement released through a PR firm, has pleaded innocent.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Naqvi and his firm raised money for the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund, collecting more than $100 million over three years from U.S.-based charitable organizations and other U.S. investors.

Naqvi and Vettivetpillai were arrested in Britain earlier this month. Another executive, Mustafa Abdel-Wadood was arrested at a New York hotel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Griswold said at a hearing in Manhattan federal court on April 11.

Abdel-Wadood appeared at the Manhattan hearing and pleaded not guilty to securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy charges.

(Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: OANN

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Former Vice President Joe Biden announces his 2020 candidacy
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden announces his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in this still image taken from a video released April 25, 2019. BIDEN CAMPAIGN HANDOUT via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

April 26, 2019

By James Oliphant

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, in his first interview as a Democratic presidential candidate, said on Friday that he does not believe he treated law professor Anita Hill badly during the 1991 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Biden had joined the burgeoning 2020 Democratic field a day earlier.

Biden’s conduct during those hearings, when he was chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, became a renewed subject of controversy after the New York Times reported that Biden had called Hill earlier this month in the run-up to his presidential bid and that Hill was dissatisfied with Biden’s expression of regret.

Appearing on ABC’s “The View,” Biden largely defended his actions as a senator almost 30 years ago, saying he believed Hill’s allegations of sexual harassment levied at Thomas and tried to derail his confirmation.

Activists have long been unhappy that Hill was questioned in graphic detail by the all-white, all-male committee chaired by Biden.

“I’m sorry she was treated the way she was treated,” Biden said, but later, he asserted, “I don’t think I treated her badly. … How do you stop people from asking inflammatory questions?”

“There were a lot of mistakes made across the board and for those I apologize,” he said.

Biden praised Hill as “remarkable” and said she is “one of the reasons we have the #MeToo movement.”

Asked why he had not reached out to Hill earlier, Biden said he had previously publicly stated he had regrets about her treatment and that he “didn’t want to quote invade her space.”

That seemed to be a reference to another controversy that looms over Biden’s presidential run: allegations by several women that he made them uncomfortable by touching them at political events.

Biden also addressed that criticism, saying he was now more “cognizant” about a woman’s “private space.” But he maintained that he had been “trying to bring solace.”

He suggested he was still trying to sort out the guidelines for his conduct going forward.

“I should be able to read better,” he said. “I have to be more careful.”

Pressed by the show’s panel for an apology to his accusers, Biden would not entirely capitulate.

“So, I invaded your space,” he replied. “I mean, I’m sorry this happened. But I’m not sorry in a sense that I think I did anything that was intentionally designed to do anything wrong or be inappropriate.”

Biden, 76, served as former President Barack Obama’s vice president for two terms. He is competing with 19 others for the Democratic presidential nomination and the chance to likely face President Donald Trump next year in the general election.

His first public event as a presidential candidate is scheduled for Monday in Pittsburgh.

(Reporting by James Oliphant; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: The logo of Tesla is seen in Taipei
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Tesla is seen in Taipei, Taiwan August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Noel Randewich

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Tesla Inc’s stock slumped over 4% on Friday to its lowest price in two years, rounding out a rough week that included worse-than-expected quarterly results and a pitch by Chief Executive Elon Musk on autonomous cars that failed to win over investors.

With investors betting Tesla will soon raise capital, the stock has fallen 13% for the week to its lowest level since January 2017, before the launch of the Model 3 sedan aimed at making the electric car maker profitable.

One positive development for Tesla: a U.S. District Court judge on Friday granted a request by Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commission for a second extension to resolve a dispute over Musk’s use of Twitter.

On Wednesday, Tesla posted a worse-than-expected loss of $702 million for the March quarter. Musk said Tesla would return to profit in the third quarter and that there was “some merit” to raising capital.

Musk is still battling to convince investors that demand for the Model 3, the company’s first car aimed at the mass consumer market, is “insanely” high, and that it can be delivered efficiently to customers around the world.

Tesla ended its first quarter with $2.2 billion, down from $3.7 billion in the prior quarter, and the company is planning expansions including a Shanghai factory, an upcoming Model Y SUV, and other projects.

(GRAPHIC: Tesla’s cash – https://tmsnrt.rs/2DyJjX6)

On Monday, Musk hosted a self-driving event, where he predicted Tesla would have over a million autonomous vehicles by next year. Some analysts perceived the presentation as a way to deflect attention from questions about demand, margin pressure, increasing competition and even Musk’s ongoing battle with U.S. regulators.

Tesla’s stock has now fallen 29 percent in 2019 and the company’s market capitalization has declined to $41 billion from $63 billion in mid-December.

(GRAPHIC: Tesla’s declining market cap – https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dwd62r)

Analysts now expect Tesla’s revenue to expand 19% in 2019, compared with 83% growth in 2018 and 68% growth in 2017, according to Refinitiv.

Following Tesla’s quarterly report, 12 analysts recommend selling the stock, while 11 recommend buying and eight are neutral. The median analyst price target is $275, up 16% from the stock’s current price of $236. Berenberg analyst Alexander Haissl has the most optimistic price target, at $500, while Cowen and Company’s Jeffrey Osborne has the lowest, at $160, according to Refinitiv.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Source: OANN

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Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said Friday that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s rare public criticism of the Obama administration was a “soft” way of accusing the previous administration of covering up Russia’s attempts at hacking the 2016 presidential election.

While speaking Thursday in New York at the Public Servants Dinner of the Armenian Bar Association, Rosenstein said that the Obama administration “chose not to publicize the full story about Russian computer hackers and social media trolls and how they relate to Russia’s broader strategy to undermine America.”

During an appearance on “America’s Newsroom” Friday morning, Huckabee called the comments an “unusually candid moment for Rosenstein.”

“I thought it was a soft way of him saying there was a cover-up,” Huckabee said. “They knew the Russians were attempting to influence the election and attempting to hack the election but they didn’t fully disclose that to the American people and certainly didn’t disclose it to the Trump campaign.

SWALWELL NOT CERTAIN TRUMP ISN’T A ‘RUSSIAN ASSET’

“Instead they tried to set a trap for them. It failed. The Trump team did not take the bait. And that’s the one conclusion that we can certainly come away with from the $35 million worth of investigation,” Huckabee continued.

Next week, Attorney General William Barr will testify before Congress and is expected to answer questions about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of President Trump, which found that there was not adequate evidence to conclude that President Trump and his administration colluded with Russia, though the president could not be exonerated in terms of the possibility that he obstructed justice.

Barr will testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee next Wednesday and to the House Judiciary Committee the following day.

TRUMP ASSESSES 2020 DEMS; TAKES SWIPES AT BIDEN, SANDERS; DISMISSES HARRIS, O’ROURKE; SAYS HE’S ROOTING FOR BUTTIGIEG 

“It is going to be a theater, an absolute show,” Huckabee said of the hearings. “Just like the Kavanaugh hearings were and like everything else is in Congress. We ought to close the curtain on them and can’t come back until after the election. They aren’t doing their job anyway. We aren’t paying them because they’re doing a wonderful service to the country and spare us the hypocrisy of thinking they’re interested in getting to the bottom of the facts,” he continued.

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Ultimately, Huckabee argued, if Americans “took their partisan hats off,” they would see that President Trump was exonerated by the investigation.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Sri Lanka's former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa greets his supporters after his return from the United States, in Katunayake
Sri Lanka’s former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa greets his supporters after his return from the United States, in Katunayake, Sri Lanka April 12, 2019. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

April 26, 2019

By Sanjeev Miglani and Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s former wartime defense chief, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, said on Friday he would run for president in elections this year and would stop the spread of Islamist extremism by rebuilding the intelligence service and surveilling citizens.

Gotabaya, as he is popularly known, is the younger brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the two led the country to a crushing defeat of separatist Tamil rebels a decade ago after a 26-year civil war.

More than 250 people were killed in bomb attacks on hotels and churches on Easter Sunday that the government has blamed on Islamist militants and that Islamic State has claimed responsibility for.

Gotabaya said the attacks could have been prevented if the island’s current government had not dismantled the intelligence network and extensive surveillance capabilities that he built up during the war and later on.

“Because the government was not prepared, that’s why you see a panic situation,” he said in an interview with Reuters.

Gotabaya said he would be a candidate “100 percent”, firming up months of speculation that he plans to run in the elections, which are due by December.

He was critical of the government’s response to the bombings. Since the attacks, the government has struggled to provide clear information about how they were staged, who was behind them and how serious the threat is from Islamic State to the country.

“Various people are blaming various people, not giving exactly the details as to what happened, even people expect the names, what organization did this, and how they came up to this level, that explanation was not given,” he said.

On Friday, President Maithripala Sirisena said the government led by premier Ranil Wickremesinghe should take responsibility for the attacks and that prior information warning of attacks was not shared with him.

Wickremesinghe said earlier he was not advised about warnings that came from India’s spy service either, presenting a picture of a government still in disarray since the two leaders fell out last October.

Gotabaya is facing lawsuits in the United States, where he is a dual citizen, over his role in the war and afterwards.

The South Africa-based International Truth and Justice Project, in partnership with U.S. law firm Hausfeld, filed a civil case in California this month against Gotabaya on behalf of a Tamil torture survivor.

In a separate case, Ahimsa Wickrematunga, the daughter of murdered investigative editor Lasantha Wickrematunga, filed a complaint for damages in the same U.S. District Court in California for allegedly instigating and authorizing the extrajudicial killing of her father.

Gotabaya said the cases were baseless and only a “little distraction” as he prepared for the election campaign. He said he had asked U.S. authorities to renounce his citizenship and that process was nearly done, clearing the way for his candidature.

‘DISMANTLE THE NETWORKS’

He said that if he won, his immediate focus would to be tackle the threat from radical Islam and to rebuild the security set-up.

“It’s a serious problem, you have to go deep into the groups, dismantle the networks,” he said, adding he would give the military a mandate to collect intelligence from the ground and to mount surveillance of groups turning to extremism.

Gotabaya said that a military intelligence cell he had set up in 2011 of 5,000 people, some of them with Arabic language skills and that was tracking the bent towards extremist ideology some of the Islamist groups were taking in eastern Sri Lanka was disbanded by the current government.

“They did not give priority to national security, there was a mix-up. They were talking about ethnic reconciliation, then they were talking about human rights issues, they were talking about individual freedoms,” he said.

President Sirisena’s government sought to forge reconciliation with minority Tamils and close the wounds of the war and launched investigations into allegations of rights abuse and torture against military officers.

Officials said many of these secret intelligence cells were disbanded because they faced allegations of abuse, including torture and extra judicial killings.

Muslims make up nearly 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s population of 22 million, which is predominantly Buddhist.

(Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Frances Kerry)

Source: OANN

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