Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Foreign-Born Researchers At US Agencies Were Secretly Working For China And Recruiting Others, Senate Report Finds

Foreign-born researchers working for U.S. agencies were secretly on China’s payroll, signing side agreements to send sensitive research to that country as part of a recruitment operation called the Thousand Talents Plan, a Senate report found.
10,000 Chinese nationals in 2018 conducted research in the Department of Energy’s National Labs, and one even had colleagues write him letters of recommendation to the Communist Party-run recruitment program, the bipartisan report stated.
Agencies like NIH do not even track attempted foreign influence, the Department of State denies only 5% of suspicious visas, and the FBI shut down a key program, according to the report.

Foreign-born researchers working at U.S. agencies secretly joined China’s payroll, sending sensitive U.S.-funded research to the country while U.S. government agencies took almost no defensive measures against a major recruitment operation, a Senate investigation found.

Researchers linked to the Chinese government formed a Chinese cell within the Department of Energy, attained access to American genomic data, and recruited other U.S. researchers to join, the bipartisan report stated.

China’s Thousand Talents Plan (TTP) aims to get foreign governments to finance the communist power’s military and economy by buying off researchers who are doing work abroad. The experts apply to the program, and if approved by the Communist Party, they join China’s payroll and sign secret side agreements that the experts will share their research with that country, according to the investigation.

Some of the information captured by TTP had significant military value. For example, in 2016, Dr. Long Yu, a Chinese citizen and U.S. permanent resident working for a U.S. defense contractor, applied for Chinese talent plans and was arrested for attempting to give hundreds of gigabytes to China, including design info on military jet engines, according to the investigation.

“China wins twice. First, the American taxpayer funds China’s research and development. Second, China uses that research to improve its economic and military status,” Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who chairs the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said in a statement.

Sen. Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat whose staff co-wrote the report, said “there are serious consequences that come from giving a foreign government so much control over the vital research we rely on to...

President Trump Says Pelosi Is ‘Grossly Incompetent’ For Sitting On USMCA

During a cabinet meeting Tuesday, President Donald Trump attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her failure to pass the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). He chalked it up to a political ploy. However, the President made it clear that the Democratic efforts aren’t working.

“We have to get USMCA signed. Nancy Pelosi can’t get it off her desk. Just can’t do it. The Democrats want to have it, the unions want it, the farmers want it, the manufacturers want it,” Trump told reporters.

President Trump on @SpeakerPelosi: "The woman is grossly incompetent. All she wants to do is focus on impeachment."

Full video: https://t.co/BlQAnsnTbl pic.twitter.com/CmJJUng4F3
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 19, 2019

“I think the woman is grossly incompetent,” said Trump, regarding Pelosi. “And we’re having a problem because Mexico and Canada are calling saying ‘what’s going on’ and it’s sitting on her desk. She doesn’t need Democrats because Democrats are gonna vote for it all she has to do is put it up for a vote.”

Trump reiterated that although Pelosi continues to pledge her support for the agreement, she hasn’t put a pen to paper. He also shared that he’s been led to believe that she’s holding things up because ‘she doesn’t have the impeachment votes.’

“The woman is grossly incompetent. All she wants to do is focus on impeachment, which is just a little pipe dream she’s got and she can keep playing that game ,” Trump said.

This is now the second week of the public impeachment probe headed by House Intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-CA, who President Trump accused of heading a “kangaroo court.” Despite their efforts, President Trump said, Democrats are failing to make ‘political gains’ off of the impeachment process, citing his lead in the polls.

The USMCA will ‘modernize’ the North American Free Trade Agreement promising to...

"Shackled, Blindfolded and Hooded:" Ex-Hong Kong Consulate Worker Tortured By Chinese Agents

Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen who worked for the British Consulate-General Hong Kong, was arrested and tortured by Chinese agents for 15 days in August for his alleged involvement in supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, reported BBC News. Cheng told BBC he was "shackled, blindfolded, and hooded" and was beat into submission.

Chinese agents accused him of sparking political unrest in Hong Kong that has since led to the economic and social collapse of the city.

"They said I'm a state enemy and I'm a traitor, and also they asked whether the consulate instructed me to mingle with the protest", he told the BBC, adding that "They wanted to know what role the U.K. had in the Hong Kong protests – they asked what support, money, and equipment we were giving to the protesters.

"I told them I want to make it 100% clear, the U.K. didn't assign resources or help with the protests."

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab released a statement that his office, the British Consulate-General Hong Kong, was "shocked and appalled by the mistreatment" Cheng experienced during the 15-day detainment, which he was tortured. "I have made clear we expect the Chinese authorities to investigate and hold those responsible to account," Raab said.

Hong Kong lawmakers have said Cheng's arrest is a prime example of the abuse of the legal system in China and why Hong Kongers have been protesting over the last five months to prevent the city from passing an extradition bill to China.
"Beijing is throwing down further signs of disrespect for the rule of law and taking a vindictive attitude toward Hong Kong citizens, particularly those with links to foreign countries," Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Centre for China Studies, who spoke with Bloomberg. "This might resonate very badly, poison the atmosphere and prevent a peaceful and rational solution to the confrontation between the protesters and the SAR government."
Cheng said secret agents identified him as the "mastermind behind the protests," which allegations he rejected; agents also threatened him with long-term jail time, causing him to consider suicide.

Raab said, "I summoned the Chinese Ambassador to express our outrage at the brutal and disgraceful treatment of Cheng, in violation of China's international obligations."

Cheng told BBC that it's too dangerous for him and his fiancee to return to...

Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell Farts On Live Television...

Watch Florida Rep. Joe Garcia Pick His Ear Wax And Try To Act Like He Is Not Eating It...

Biden Tolerated Traitors -- Trump Pardoned Heroes

By Daniel John Sobieski

As I’ve written repeatedly in this space, President Obama not only honored traitors at the White House but also pardoned those who would betray our nation’s secrets. Yet the Obama-Biden administration, while asking our young soldiers to make split-second life-and-death battlefield decisions hampered by absurd rules of engagement, had no qualms about zapping terrorists from the sky via drone-launched missiles, risking the lives of nearby civilians and killing an American citizen. During it all, Joe Biden was silent.

Biden hasn’t said much then or now about Obama’s pardon of the treasonous Chelsea Manning or Obama’s trading of five Taliban terrorists for the traitor Bowe Bergdahl, whose parents were welcomed to the Rose Garden and who was praised by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice a having “served with distinction” Manning betrayed our nation’s secrets and Biden was silent when he/she was pardoned. Bergdahl betrayed his fellow soldiers on the battlefield and Biden decried neither the trade nor Bergdahl’s subsequent lack of punishment.

Yet Biden took the time to condemn in a tweet President Trump’s pardon of three genuine American war heroes who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, our national security interests and Joe Biden’s big mouth.

Biden’s tweet prompted a damning response from former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik:

Former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik let him have it.

“You and your administration set free a traitor, a terrorist, and a member of the military that stole and leaked classified information. You allowed a US ambassador and three Americans to be slaughtered in Benghazi, and sold arms to Mexico, later used to kill a federal agent,” Kerik tweeted.

He continued, “Your comments concerning President Trump’s pardons demonstrates either your ignorance or just plain stupidity. Prosecutors in the Gallagher case were found by a US Navy judge to have engaged in unethical and criminal conduct. Witnesses lied!”

“Gallagher’s only conviction was taking a photo with the dead terrorist, as did 10 of his teammates, including his supervisor, yet none of them were charged!

Kerik concluded, “The fact that you would criticize the president for taking this action after you and your administration set free killers and traitors, demonstrates why you should never step foot in the oval office.”

In a statement released by the White House late Friday, President Trump ordered the full pardon of three American heroes, starting with former Army lieutenant Cliff Lawrence, who was serving a 19-year sentence after being found guilty of the murder of two civilians he believed were part of a group that had ambushed another unit.. A full pardon was also granted to...

Volker, Morrison Testimony Completely Vindicate Trump, Destroy Democratic Case For Impeachment

Former State Department Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker offered testimony before the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday that completely exonerated President Donald Trump in the Democrats’ partisan impeachment inquiry.

Volker, who resigned from his post at the end of September, told lawmakers there was no bribe, no extortion, and no quid pro quo involved with the administration’s dealings with Ukraine.

“Mr. Zeldin asked you in the deposition that in no way, shape or form in either readouts from the United States or Ukraine did you receive any indication whatsoever, or anything that resembled a quid pro quo, is that correct?” asked Republican counsel Stephen Castor during the hearing.

“That’s correct,” Volker said. “I was never involved in anything that I would consider to be bribery at all…or extortion.”

Former U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker tells Intelligence Committee he was never involved in bribery or extortion. pic.twitter.com/lLC7yqxmxe
— The Federalist (@FDRLST) November 19, 2019

Volker’s comments came after the testimony of former National Security Council Staffer Tim Morrison, the Trump administration’s top Russia advisor in the White House until his resignation before his private deposition last month.

Morrison testified there was no bribery tied to military aid with Ukraine, the basis for which the Democratic impeachment efforts are built upon.

“Did anyone ever ask you to bribe or extort anyone at any time during...