His Little China Girl…
Yeah, you all remember that catchy and popular 1980’s David Bowie song about his Chinese love interest.
Well, it appears as if Rep. Eric Swalwell’s tryst with a Chinese spy has made the ‘Fartman’ the “butt” of many jokes. Pun was definitely intended. How could I resist?
It’s not every day that someone who unleashed one of the most massive farts on national TV is caught up in a Chinese spy affair.
Senator Ted Cruz had the best funny line of the week regarding Swalwell’s apparent affair with the Chinese spy “Fang Fang.” Hilarious! MUST-READ
Oh, and while just about every media outlet has refused to cover this huge story, in a “stroke” of genius (sarcasm) Swalwell has decided to tell CNN that he wants an investigation to be launch into President Trump. Swalwell is accusing the president of leaking the investigation in retaliation for him working to impeach Trump. READ MORE
In other non-Fart-related and Chinese spy news, Senator Marco Rubio held a Small Business hearing regarding the Paycheck Protection Program he helped craft. The program was a success, but Democrats, like everything COVID-related, have effectively killed it.
The program was successful, why not authorize and fund another round of it? READ MORE.
Rick Scott @SenRickScott-Now the Cuban regime is going after artists who are standing up against the dictatorship’s censorship and persecution. My heart goes out to the brave men and women of the @Mov_sanisidro who are fighting for democracy and freedom of expression in Cuba.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz @DWStweets- Every time you see a headline about rising cases or record deaths in Florida, remember that so much of this suffering could have been prevented if @GovRonDeSantis had listened to scientists and issued a mask mandate.
Ron DeSantis @GovRonDeSantis-Florida will receive 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine & we are prioritizing our most vulnerable residents & high-exposure health care personnel to receive the vaccine first. We are also mobilizing strike teams to supplement vaccination of long-term care residents.
Marco Rubio @marcorubio-A wave of hypocrisy is sweeping through the legacy media. They accused Trump of not putting doctors & scientists in charge of Covid but have no issue with a hyper-partisan who sued the Little Sisters of the Poor & wanted Pro-Life filmmakers in jail.
“Biden Contradicts Previous Accounts And Others On His Role About Bin Laden Raid” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – President-elect Joe Biden has a long history of recasting his accounts of the 2011 raid that killed al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, giving conflicting recounts that contradicts his original story that he advised President Obama “don’t go,” to overtime morphing his version of the accounts by saying now that he privately told Obama to “go ahead.” In a new documentary from CNN, “President in Waiting,” that aired over the weekend, Biden once again backtracked his original version of the story of the accounts he told the President privately regarding the May 2011 mission on raiding bin Laden hideaway. The former Vice President recalled the details of the decision-making process leading up to the raid of bin Laden compound, in which Biden is now claiming that he urged Obama to “follow your instinct” with moving forward on the raid. Biden began the accounts of Obama’s top advisers debating whether they had strong enough intelligence to launch the raid as bin Laden was hiding in a secret compound located on Pakistan’s sovereignty. “When it came time to go or not go, the president went around the room. I think there were 17 people around the table … and [he] said, ‘what do you think we should do?’” Biden said in the documentary. “Two said go, and one said don’t go, and I’m the last person in the room. And again, this is a place where I gotta reserve space for the president.”
“FL Democrats Furious Over Attorney General Moody’s push to overturn 2020 election” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – With the announcement that Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody had joined Florida to the amicus brief that presses/urges the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the Texas lawsuit against four battleground states that would block their certification of election day results, Florida Democrats voiced their disapproval and frustration. Florida Democrats are outright angry over Attorney General Moody and her decision. The electoral college is set to vote on finalizing the election results, but President Trump’s (R) efforts to contest the election results are still underway, as hte president is exhausting all of his legal remedies. In response to AG Moody’s announcement, Democratic leadership took to social media to share their thoughts on what the news means regarding election integrity. As the sole Democrat elected to state office, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) called the move “embarrassing,” accusing the Attorney General of not “acting in the interest of the people she was elected to serve.” The announcement also comes at a time when Republicans and Democrats still haven’t reached an agreement on a COVID-19 relief bill to help Americans that are currently facing financial hardship.
“Scott Reaffirms Stance on No Bail Outs for Blue States” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) took to the Senate floor this week to share his thoughts as to why he believes that lawmakers should reject any proposal “to bail out wasteful states, like New York and California, that want to use taxpayer money intended for coronavirus response to backfill their poorly-managed budgets and pension plans.” The former Governor of Florida has spent the better part of 2020 explaining why said proposals should be rejected, and on the Senate floor he provided a reaffirmation of his views, saying that lawmakers must respond to “the out of control spending that is threatening the future of our children and grandchildren.”
“Swalwell Falsely Accused Trump Jr. Of Meeting A ‘Russian spy’ While Allegedly Sleeping With A Chinese Spy” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) who recently was revealed to be a target of an accused Chinese spy and is believed to allegedly having a sexual relationship with had spent three years endlessly harping unfound claims that President Trump colluded with Russia Agents during the 2016 election, including falsely accusing the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. of meeting “with a Russian spy” last year. On Tuesday, Axios reported that a Chinese national named Fang Fang or Christine Fang was an operative for China’s Ministry of State Security, the country’s top intelligence organization, and targeted up-and-coming local politicians, including Swalwell. Fang reportedly helped fundraise for Swalwell’s 2014 campaign and even managed to install one intern in his office. During her brief four year mission in the states, Fang allegedly slept with at least two Midwestern mayors while pursuing a slew of local-level politicians across the country in a bid to infiltrate the US political system. The accused Chinese Mata Hari had sex with an Ohio mayor in a car, an incident that was caught on FBI electronic surveillance. U.S. officials so far only know of at least the two mayors that were in sexual relationships with Fang. According to a former intelligence official, the Chinese for years are using this method of sending females as spies to seduce and “sleep with lesser-known members of Congress and staffers” in a bid to infiltrate the U.S political system. “She was on a mission,” a US counter-intelligence official said of Fang where her plan was to maneuver herself into political circles, seducing unwitting potential up-and-coming heavy-hitters to get close to sensitive government intelligence. This occurred from 2011 until mid-2015 when the feds got wind of her sexual provocateur antics and vanished from the country.
“Florida Senate Dems Call Out Ashley Moody for Intervening in ‘Frivolous’ Texas Lawsuit on Trump’s Behalf” by Bay News’ Mitch Perry – Florida Senate Democrats blasted Attorney General Ashley Moody on Thursday for intervening in a lawsuit that seeks to delay the certification of the presidential electors in four battleground states that President Trump lost. Moody is one of 17 Republican attorneys general who are backing the case that was filed earlier this week in Texas. It’s calling on the Supreme Court to back the president in his latest legal campaign to reverse the results of the presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Trump by more than seven million votes and 74 electoral votes. She tweeted out her statement, announcing she had filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on Wednesday in which she wrote that the integrity and resolution of the 2020 election was of “paramount importance.” Moody said the court needed to weigh in on so that Americans could be assured that the election was “fairly reviewed and decided.” “We were disappointed to see that the attorney general’s resources and staff time would be devoted to filing an amicus brief on a case which is entire specious and frivolous and without any evidence whatsoever,” said Democratic Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer. “Our courts have considered every challenge by the Trump administration to this election. There’s absolutely no evidence supporting the claims being made by Rudy Giuliani and others, and it was quite disappointing to see our state joining in that frivolous request to get the Supreme Court to take up the case or cases that were rightly dismissed, because they have no factual basis underlying them whatsoever.”
“Grand jury: Florida’s mental health care system ‘a mess’” by Sun Sentinel’s Scott Tracis, Brittany Wallman, and Megan O’Matz – Florida’s broken mental health system has “urgent problems” and should be overhauled by a new commission with broad authority to investigate failures, a statewide grand jury says. In its third interim report, the grand jury, commissioned in 2019 to focus mostly on safety and security-related issues in the wake of the Parkland tragedy, also calls for major changes to school policing and reporting of school crimes. In one section that seems out of place with the rest of the findings, the grand jury takes aim at the slow progress of the Broward school district’s $800 million bond program, saying the district’s building department is “hijacking” construction. The report makes recommendations for the Legislature to consider during its upcoming session. A final report was supposed to come out this year, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is now expected in April. More than half of the report is devoted to “urgent problems” the grand jury sees with the state’s mental health system: it’s underfunded, and people with mental health issues face a “patchwork of interlocking, often-conflicting sources of care.” “To put it bluntly, our mental health care ‘system’ — if one can even call it that — is a mess,” the report says.
“Body cam footage shows raid on former Florida Covid data scientist's home” by CNN’s Casey Tolan and Curt Devine – Florida state police released body camera videos Thursday afternoon showing officers waiting before they entered the home of a former state data scientist and the testy confrontation that followed when she exited -- providing new context about a controversial police raid that has attracted national attention this week. Officers were serving a search warrant Monday morning at the home of Rebekah Jones, a coronavirus data scientist who was fired from the state and has accused Florida officials of covering up the extent of the pandemic. The state Department of Law Enforcement is investigating whether Jones illegally accessed a state messaging system to send her former colleagues a message urging them to speak out about coronavirus deaths. Jones, who has feuded with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for months, has denied sending the message. The two videos released by the department show that Jones didn't exit her Tallahassee home until about 23 minutes after officers first rang the doorbell, and 15 minutes after they first announced themselves as police. Jones has claimed authorities waited 13 minutes while she got dressed. Officers are seen calling Jones' cell phone to ask her to leave the house, while one holds a large hammer. "Police search warrant, open the door!" officers yell several times. "Make sure the whole block hears us," one agent tells his colleagues. As Jones exits her house, one officer with his gun drawn appears to point the weapon in her direction, although it's unclear whether anyone pointed a firearm six inches from Jones' face, as she has claimed in interviews with CNN. Officers are seen holding her by her back and her arms as she shouts at them not to point a gun at her children.
“Nine Florida Republican congressmen support lawsuit to overturn election results” by WFLA – Nine Florida Congressmen joined an amicus brief supporting a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn four state’s election results. The Hill’s Supreme Court reporter, John Kruzel, tweeted an image of the list of signatories. That list includes nine members of Florida’s Congressional Delegation, including Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Mario Diaz-Balart, Neal Dunn, Matt Gaetz, John Rutherford, Ross Spano, Michael Waltz, Dan Webster and Ted Yoho. Not listed on the amicus brief include two Tampa Bay Republicans; Greg Steube and Vern Buchanan. Earlier this week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced she is urging the Supreme Court of the United State to hear a Texas lawsuit that demands that the 62 total Electoral College votes in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin be invalidated. In those four states, Democrat Joe Biden won the presidential election following certifications and recounts affirming original results.
“Florida to receive nearly 180,000 initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine, DeSantis says” by Orlando Sentinel’s Katie Rice – Gov. Ron DeSantis' office on Thursday released an update to Florida's COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, specifying the numbers of vaccine doses allocated to the priority groups for vaccination. Gov. Ron DeSantis' office on Thursday released an update to Florida's COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, specifying the numbers of vaccine doses allocated to the priority groups for vaccination. Florida is expected to receive 179,400 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine sometime within the next week, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a video released Thursday evening updating the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan. The state has already planned to allocate those initial doses to predetermined at-risk groups, DeSantis said: 97,500 doses will arrive at statewide hospitals to vaccinate health care personnel at risk of COVID-19 exposure; 60,450 doses will be sent to CVS and Walgreens for distribution in long-term care facilities; and 21,450 doses will arrive at Florida Department of Health offices to be administered at additional long-term care facilities by strike teams. “Our top priority is residents of long-term care facilities. They are at the greatest risk,” DeSantis said. “... Also, a top priority is health care workers who are in high-risk and high-contact environments. And those initial two priorities will be the focus of the 179,000 doses that we have initially received from the federal government.” The updated distribution plans are in line with a preliminary plan released by DeSantis’ office last week. In the initial announcement, DeSantis said the state would prioritize the vaccinations of residents of long-term care facilities, health care workers in high-risk environments and people 65 and older alongside those with pre-existing medical conditions.
“Florida could receive COVID-19 vaccine as soon as next week, DeSantis says” by WPBF’s Brandon Lopez – On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida could receive the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as next week. DeSantis made the announcement in a recorded video that was released before the Food and Drug Administration panel voted to approve the Pfizer vaccine. In the video, DeSantis said that Florida will receive 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. "We are working to get as much vaccine for our citizens as possible," said DeSantis. "But Florida will not, nor will any state, have enough to vaccinate everyone right off the bat." DeSantis said that the state has established priorities as to who will receive the vaccine first, which are long-term care residents and health care workers. The governor went on to explain how the first round of the vaccine will be distributed:
· 97,500 doses to Florida pilot hospitals.
· 60,450 doses to CVS and Walgreens for Florida long-term care facilities
· 21,450 doses to Florida Department of Health, Division of Emergency Management, Florida National Guard Strike Teams to supplement CVS and Walgreens outreach to long-term care facilities.
As vaccine supply increases, the governor said the state intends on getting it out to elderly residents, as well as those who have significant comorbidities that make them high risk for complications from COVID-19.
“Battleground states issue blistering rebukes to Texas' lawsuit to invalidate millions of votes” by CNN’s Ariane de Vogue and Paul LeBlanc – Each of the four battleground states targeted by a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn President Donald Trump's election defeat issued blistering briefs at the Supreme Court on Thursday, with Pennsylvania officials going so far as to call the effort a "seditious abuse of the judicial process." The court filings from Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin come a day after Trump asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton seeking to invalidate millions of votes in their states. The lawsuit amounts to an unprecedented request for legal intervention in an election despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud. "Texas's effort to get this Court to pick the next President has no basis in law or fact. The Court should not abide this seditious abuse of the judicial process, and should send a clear and unmistakable signal that such abuse must never be replicated," wrote Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. The Texas lawsuit, Shapiro said, rested on a "surreal alternate reality." It is unclear when the Supreme Court will act on the lawsuit. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel addressed the lawsuit with equally strong language, writing that "the election in Michigan is over. Texas comes as a stranger to this matter and should not be heard here."
“State Department watchdog steps down after Pompeo rails at report on investigation into wife's travel” by CNN’s Kylie Atwood and Nicole Gaouette – State Department acting Inspector General Matthew Klimow is leaving his post earlier than expected after just a few months on the job, he told colleagues in a memo, a source at the Office of the Inspector General told CNN on Thursday. Klimow announced his departure the same day Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's department offered a combative response to an inspector general report on an investigation into travel by the secretary's wife, Susan. The independent watchdog found that the majority of trips by Susan Pompeo over a two-year period had taken place without written approval from the State Department, despite the fact that her trips were considered official travel and paid for by US taxpayers. Klimow is now the third head of the State Department's Office of the Inspector General to leave early on Pompeo's watch. His departure is just the latest sign of friction between the top US diplomat and the independent watchdog assigned to look into waste, fraud and abuse at the agency. The Washington Post first reported Klimow's departure. Pompeo and his wife have generated a slew of inspector general investigations while at the State Department and the secretary has drawn scrutiny for asking President Donald Trump to fire an inspector general who was looking into his use of taxpayer resources at the oldest US Cabinet agency.
“US officials concerned about movements of Iranian-backed militias amid heightened tensions” by CNN’s Barbara Starr – Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have moved to a "heightened level of preparation" in recent days, raising fresh concerns they could be preparing to attack US troops or US diplomatic sites in Iraq, according to defense officials familiar with the latest intelligence. "It is worrisome," one official told CNN. "We have indications" of militia preparations, they added. The official declined to offer specific details due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence but said all the weapons "capability" needed by the groups is already in Iraq, noting the militias consistently maintain a stockpile of rockets and artillery. While there are no specific indications that any decision to attack has been made, the official said the preparations had been undertaken in recent days. The militias in Iraq have been carrying out missile attacks for the last few years but tensions are particularly high following the assassination of a senior Iranian nuclear scientist last month and ahead of the anniversary of the killing of a senior Iranian general by the US in Iraq last January. Iranian leadership is also likely to be on edge after it was reported last month that President Donald Trump had asked senior aides for options to strike Iranian nuclear sites. Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley were among the senior advisers who convinced the President not to pursue a military strike, according to The New York Times. The tensions also come as the US has reduced its diplomatic presence in Iraq and is in the middle of a drawdown to a force of 2,500 troops by January 5 that was ordered by Trump. The Trump administration policy is that if any militias were to attack and kill Americans, then the US would respond with some type of strike against militia sites.
“President Trump secures deal between Israel and Morocco in a Hanukkah miracle” by Fox News’ Ben Evansky – News of today’s historic announcement of normalization between Israel and Morocco brokered by the Trump administration – its fourth such deal with a Muslim nation in the last four months – was met with a lukewarm reaction by the United Nations and diplomats at the world body’s headquarters. Speaking at his daily briefing, the U.N. secretary general’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, who said he had only just learned of the announcement, responded to a reporter’s question by noting that he hoped, “This can also lead to positive developments in issues in the Middle East, notably between Israelis and Palestinians.” Reaction from U.N. diplomats seemed mostly muted on a day when the U.N. seemed more concerned with condemning Israel in the General Assembly than it seemed to be with the historic announcement made by President Trump and his team. According to U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based NGO that monitors the international agency, the world body was due to adopt half a dozen resolutions that condemn or single out Israel later today. The normalization was first announced by President Trump in a tweet noted that, “Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!" Trump also revealed that the U.S. had recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. When Spain left the territory in the '70s, it was annexed by Morocco and then followed a bloody guerilla war launched by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front that sought independence.
“China's extensive 'honey trap' spy network could involve thousands of ploys underway now, ex-operative says” by Fox News’ Hollie McKay – It is the stuff of a James Bond blockbuster: a young, attractive woman lures a rising political star into a romantic web, all the while collecting critical information to trickle back to her handler or big bosses back home. Axios revealed this week that more than six years ago Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., began a relationship with a woman suspected of being a Chinese espionage operative. He was alerted by federal investigators in 2015 and given a "defense briefing," which resulted in him breaking off ties to the suspect. However, Swalwell wouldn't be the first or last political figure to be "honey-trapped" – with multiple former intelligence officials surmising that such schemes carried out by Chinese spies have long played out on U.S. soil, and remain ongoing. "I can say with a high level of confidence that there are many more of these women out there," Daniel Hoffman, a retired CIA Senior Clandestine Services Officer, told Fox News. "China's MO is to flood the zone." While several current and former intelligence and security officials and experts interviewed by Fox News said that it was impossible to put a number on just how many honey trap scenarios might be in motion at present, one former defense and intelligence operative noted that it could be well into the hundreds – if not thousands. Such spies are assumed to be at top universities, known to speak perfect English, and routinely use social media platforms such as Linkedin and Facebook to connect with their prey. But it is not only about enmeshing big names – it is about having an eye for talent, and starting when one's star is about to begin rising.
“AOC knocks Joe Biden’s agenda as ‘a little hazy’” by Fox News’ Paul Best – President-elect Joe Biden has started to fill out key roles in his cabinet and staff before he takes office, but Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said this week that she'd like to see a more unified unit. "I think it'd be great to see a more cohesive vision across the entire cabinet," she told reporters at Capitol Hill Wednesday. "You know, you have an individual appointment here, and an individual appointment there, we can wrestle about whether they are bold enough or ambitious enough, especially given the uncertainty and what kind of Senate we're going to have." The New York Congresswoman said she's waiting to see how the rest of the cabinet shakes out. She told reporters, "I think one of the things I'm looking for when I see all of these picks put together is, what is the agenda? What is the overall vision going to be?" Other progressives haven't been as patient with the team Biden is assembling. Congressman-elect Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., told CNN Thursday that Biden's cabinet needs to move further to the left. “We need to make sure here that President-elect Joe Biden is picking as many progressives to his cabinet as possible,” Bowman said. “But when I hear names like Rahm Emanuel and Bruce Reed, you know, it makes my skin crawl." Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago who also worked in the Obama administration, has been floated as a good fit for U.S. trade representative or Secretary of Transportation.
“GOP Leaders See Bipartisan Group’s Covid-Aid Effort Falling Short” by WSJ’s Kristina Peterson and Andrew Duehren – Top Senate Republicans signaled Thursday they wouldn’t accept a bipartisan group’s efforts to craft a compromise on state and local governments and liability protections during the pandemic, undercutting the coalition’s attempt to break the months-long impasse over a coronavirus relief package. Democrats continued to throw their support behind the bipartisan group working on a $908 billion proposal, leaving in question whether they would be willing to support an aid bill without funding for states and localities. “My sense is that they’re not going to get there on the liability language,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R., S.D.) told reporters Thursday. “Even though they spent a lot of time trying to come up with sort of creative, innovative solutions to it, they’re just not going to be able to thread the needle.” Aides to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday night told the staff of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) that he didn’t see any possible path from the bipartisan group on those two contentious issues that would be acceptable to Republicans, according to a senior Democrat familiar with the conversations. Until this week, Mr. McConnell had said that any package that passes the Senate must include beefed-up legal protections for businesses, schools and other entities operating during the pandemic. On Tuesday, Mr. McConnell instead urged moving forward with a smaller relief package that omits both the liability provision that Republicans want, as well as state and local funding, a Democratic priority, saying they could potentially be addressed next year.
“Barr Worked to Keep Hunter Biden Probes From Public View During Election” by WSJ’s Sadie Gurman and Rebecca Davis O’Brien – Attorney General William Barr has known about a disparate set of investigations involving Hunter Biden’s business and financial dealings since at least this spring, a person familiar with the matter said, and worked to avoid their public disclosure during the heated election campaign. Republicans and President Trump have pressed Mr. Barr for months to pursue Mr. Biden, especially as his father, Joe Biden, gained momentum in his ultimately successful bid for president. Mr. Barr has staved off pressure from Republicans in Congress for information into the investigations, the person said, without elaborating on his actions. One investigation became public this week after federal investigators served a subpoena on Hunter Biden. The subpoena sought detailed financial information in connection with a criminal tax investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware, according to people familiar with the matter. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had also been looking at Hunter Biden’s business and financial dealings, as part of a broader criminal investigation that two people familiar with the matter described as an international financial investigation that had been going on for at least a year. Hunter Biden is implicated in that investigation but was never a specific target for criminal prosecution, the people said. They declined to provide details on the substance of the probe. The federal scrutiny dates back to 2018, the people familiar with the matter said. Neither the Delaware nor the Manhattan investigation implicates President-elect Mr. Biden, according to people familiar with the matter. Hunter Biden said in a public statement Wednesday that his lawyer advised him about the investigation into his “tax affairs” and said he had acted legally and appropriately. His lawyer, George Mesires, didn’t respond to questions on Thursday.
“Justices Rule for Muslim Men Who Sued FBI Agents After Being Placed on No-Fly List” by WSJ’s Jess Bravin – The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that federal agents can be sued for putting Muslim men on the no-fly list in alleged retaliation for their refusal to cooperate with counterterrorism investigations. The decision, a rare expansion of personal liability for law-enforcement misconduct, was one of four unanimous rulings the court issued Thursday, the first opinions it has announced since the start of its annual term in October. The court also found that there is no statute of limitations on when rape charges can be filed in the armed services, and that state regulation of pharmacy benefit managers isn’t superseded by federal law. The day’s fourth decision dismissed on procedural grounds a challenge to Delaware’s unique requirement for partisan balance on the state courts. The no-fly case brought together two sometimes different legal threads on the Supreme Court: a conservative push to expand protections for religious expression and the liberal interest in accountability for misconduct by law enforcement. Three Muslim men, a U.S. citizen and two permanent residents, alleged that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents pressured them to serve as informers on fellow Muslims. After they refused, the agents retaliated by placing them on the no-fly list, a secret roster of people U.S. authorities forbid from boarding commercial aircraft over terrorism concerns. Lead plaintiff Muhammad Tanvir is a lawful permanent resident whose wife and family remained in Pakistan. He said agents approached him in February 2007 at a store where he worked in Bronx, N.Y., to ask about an acquaintance.
