EFTA00137088.pdf

From To Subject: ./ - U rc airs ews ne mg urs ay, ovember 12, 2020 Importance: Normal Priority: Normal Sensitivity: None Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com <https://fbi.bulletinintelligence.com?d=2011128auth=i69ii0o3ns> . <https://fbi.bulletinintelligence.com?d=2011128cauth=i69ii0o3ns> TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 6:30 AM EST TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS Leading the News • In Senate Judiciary Hearing, McCabe Defends FBI's Investigation Of Trump Campaign. Operation LeGend • New Mexico To Receive $500K Crime-Fighting Grant. Counter-Terrorism • Woman Who Joined Islamic State Is Sentenced To More Than Six Years In Prison. • Final Missouri Defendant In Terror Funding Case Sentenced To Four Years In Prison. • Senate To Review Airport Security Bill November 18. • Austrian Chancellor's Cabinet Agrees On New Anti-Terror Measures. • Attack Targets French And Other Western Diplomats In Saudi Arabia. • Islamic State Increases Attacks In Mozambique. Counter-Intelligence • Facebook Takes Down Pages Tied To Steve Bannon For Spreading Misinformation. • Texas Lt. Gov. Offering $IM For Evidence Of Voter Fraud. • Current, Former DOJ Officials Stunned By AG Barr's Memo About Voter Fraud. • Internet Rife With Misinformation, Searches For Evidence Of Voter Fraud. • State Officials, Election Experts Say Election Was Run Smoothly. • Postal Worker Admits He Fabricated Claims Of Voter Irregularities. • Social Media Companies Took More Aggressive Approach To Public Discourse During Election. • House Democrats Direct Trump Administration To Preserve Investigation-Related Records. • ODNI Says It Will Transition To President-Elect After Ascertainment. • Chinese-Canadians Advocate For Hotline To Report Intimidation By Beijing. • NGA Official Among Federal Employees Making Career Transitions. • Vatican Report Reveals Cardinal Was Targeted By KGB As Asset. • Russia Says Now Deceased Spy Stole From White House, NATO For 32 Years. • Former Marine Imprisoned In Russian Prison Camp Interviewed By ABC. Criminal Investigations • FBI Arrests New York Man Who Allegedly Threatened Schumer, FBI. • Federal Prosecutors Fear Whitmer Kidnap Plotters Could Target Informants. • White Supremacist Group Distributes Recruitment Flyers In Texas. • Man Arrested For Pointing Laser At Police Helicopter. • Air Force Charges Major General With Sexual Assault. • Three Virginia MS-13 Gang Members Charged With Violent Crimes. EFTA00137088 • FBI Searches Colorado Home In Probe Of Missing Teen. • Former California Police Officer Agrees To Plead Guilty To Illegal Gun Purchases. • FBI Offers Reward For Information On Ohio Shooting Death. • US Charges Mississippi Man With Making Threats Online. • Nebraska Man Sentenced For Sending Threats To Ex-Wife, Her Mother In Cuba. • Investigation Of Conspiracy To Rob Drug Dealers Leads To Guilty Plea For Ohio Man. • FBI Searching For Suspect In Colorado Bank Robberies. • Michigan Man Facing Murder Charge. • Authorities Uncover Illegal Marijuana Growing Operation In California. • Arizona Navajo Nation Police Involved In Fatal Shooting. • Tennessee Air National Guard Member Charged With Sexual Exploitation Of Minor. • FBI Investigating 2019 Murder In New York State. • FBI Offers Reward For Information On 2017 Disappearance Of New York Woman. • Colorado Police Arrest Utah Woman For Kidnapping Baby. • Serial Bank Robber Arrested In Utah. • Kansas Man Pleads Guilty To Robbing Bank. Financial Crime & Corporate Scandals • FBI Arrests Cincinnati Councilman On Bribery Charges. • More Charges Expected Against Chicago Political Operative In Bribery Probe. • FBI Searches Home Of Corpus Christi, Texas Schools Official. • Former Honda Employee Sentenced For Embezzlement. • US Charges Five In Alleged Texas Bank Fraud Scheme. • Texas Man Sentenced For Defrauding Investors. • Former Georgia Tax Official Sentenced For Blackmail, Bribery. • Former Louisiana Financial Adviser Sentenced For Role In Fraud Scheme. • Texas AG Faces Calls For Resignation Amid New Allegations. Cyber Division • FBI, Spokane Police Probing Gonzaga University "Zoom-Bombing." • Dark Web Illegal Markets Exploiting Pandemic To Sell Goods, Identities, Fake Drugs. • TikTok's Parent Seeks More Time To Work Out Divestiture. • Bipartisan Congressional Allies Push To Reinstall White House Cyber Czar. Laboratory • FBI, Kansas City, Missouri Police Identify Suspect In 31-Year-Old Cold Case Murder. Other FBI News • Biden's Justice Department Expected To Ramp Up White-Collar Probes. • Plaintiffs In Epstein Case Miss Deadlines For Keeping Testimony Secret. • Sen. Whitehouse Criticizes FBI For Lack Of Transparency In Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Probe. • Ailing New York Mobster Wins Compassionate Release From Prison. Other Washington News • Media Analyses Cast Trump Legal Fight As Unlikely To Succeed. • Fauci Discusses Challenge Of Working Within Trump Administration. • Adams Urges Mask Use, Continued Caution In South Dakota Visit. • White House Political Director Tests Positive For COVID. • Modema's Vaccine Trial Ready To Analyze Shot's Effectiveness. • FDA Grants Emergency Approval To Eli Lilly Antibody Treatment. • COVID Cases Rise In Every State As New Daily Infections Hit New Record. • Cuomo Orders 10PM Closure Of Restaurants, Bars, And Gyms Statewide. • DeWine Warns Of New Restrictions If Ohio COVID Cases Continue To Rise. • Latest CDC Guidelines Say Masks Protect Wearers From Infection. • CDC Recommends Precautions For Thanksgiving Gatherings. • Study Of Marine Recruits Finds Symptom, Fever Screening Missed Most COVID Cases. • Veterans Receive Thousands Of Cards Amid Pandemic Isolation. • Hopes For Stimulus Deal This Year Are Diminishing. • Expiration Of Emergency Federal Jobless Aid Looms. EFTA00137089 • Media Analyses: Supreme Court Appears Likely To Uphold ACA Without Individual Mandate. • Tech Firms Involved In Suit Against Google Seek To Extend Protective Order Deadline. • Eta Expected To Make Landfall In Western Florida On Thursday. • Trump Installing "Loyalists" As Senior Defense Officials. • Fighting Among Republicans Come To Light Over CIA's Haspel. • Official Who Questions Harm Of Global Warming To Run Climate Program. • New Yorker Fires Toobin. International News • Developers Say Russian Vaccine Is 92% Effective. • Brazil's Health Agency Authorizes Resumption Of Vaccine Clinical Trials. • India Working To Develop COVID Vaccines For Developing World. • EC Proposes "European Health Union." • UK Becomes Fifth Country To Record More Than 50K COVID Deaths. • NYTimes Analysis: Egyptian President's Military Priority Brought To Light By Coronavirus. • Iran's Uranium Stockpile Now 12 Times Nuclear Deal Maximum. • Saudi King Calls For "Decisive Stance" Against Iran. • Senate-Passed Legislation Will Allow Cashe To Receive Medal Of Honor. • Axios Analysis: Pentagon Signals Intention To Withdraw Forces From Afghanistan. • US Embassy In Pakistan Apologizes For Anti-Trump Retweet. • O'Brien Warns China Of New Sanctions Over Hong Kong. • Pompeo To Announce Process For US To Declare Groups Anti-Semitic. • CIA, German Intelligence Used Swiss Company As Platform For Espionage Operation. • US Defense Bill Includes Sanctions Tied To Russia-Germany Natural Gas Pipeline. • Turkish Government: US Statement On Religious Freedom "Extremely Inappropriate." • Armenian Parliament Fails To Hold Scheduled Debate On PM's Resignation Over Nagomo-Karabakh Deal. • UN Officials Warn Of Coming Famine In Yemen. • Sudan Anticipates As Many As 200K Refugees From Ethiopia Conflict. • Vizcarra's Removal Could Halt Peru's Anti-Corruption Drive. • Suu Kyi's Party Dominates In Burmese Elections. • Longtime Bahrain PM Dies. • Top Envoy Signals EU Is Looking Forward To Working With A Biden Administration. The Big Picture • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. Washington's Schedule • Today's Events In Washington. Leading the News In Senate Judiciary Hearing, McCabe Defends FBI's Investigation Of Trump Campaign. The New York Times <https://vvwvv.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/us/politics/andrew-mccabe-russia-investigation- hearing.html> (11/10, Goldman, 18.61M) reports during a "contentious" hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, Republicans "rehashed unproven allegations of corruption and bias at the F.B.I." and "attack[ed] the bureau's former acting director Andrew G. McCabe." The hearing "was a recounting of perceived injustices that the president and his supporters have amplified over the investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign's ties to Russia." McCabe "repeatedly rejected Republican claims that the F.B.I.'s actions were politically motivated." He said in his opening statement, "Let me be very clear: We didn't open a case because we liked one candidate or didn't like the other one.... We didn't open a case because we intended to stage a coup or overthrow the government." The Times adds that McCabe "acknowledged serious F.B.I. mistakes in the [Carter] Page wiretap applications, one of which he signed. He said he would not have approved it knowing what he has learned since." EFTA00137090 The Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/mccabe-labels-trump-security- risk/2020/11/10/5e555524-236d-Ileb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html> (11/10, Zapotosky, 14.2M) says McCabe "reiterated...that the bureau had reason to believe in early 2017 that President Trump himself was a threat to national security, forcefully defending the bureau's investigation of the commander-in-chief and his presidential campaign as Republicans...sought to highlight mistakes he and others made." McCabe said, "It became pretty clear to us that he did not want us to continue investigating what the Russians had done.... We had many reasons at that point to believe that the president might himself pose a danger to national security and that he might have engaged in obstruction of justice, if the firing of the director and those other things were geared toward eliminating or stopping our investigation of Russian activity." USA Today <https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/10/we-did-our-job-ex-fbi-deputy-andrew- mccabe-defend-russia-inquiry/6231684002/> (11/10, Johnson, 10.31M) reports, "McCabe said investigators had reason to think that Trump `posed a danger to national security."' Investigators had become "'alarmed' at Trump's multiple interactions with then-Director James Comey, urging the FBI to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn's contacts with a Russian ambassador." Then, when "Trump later fired Comey, citing his management of the Russia investigation, authorities feared the president was actively seeking to obstruct the inquiry." The AP <https://www.usnews.corn/news/politics/articles/2020-11-10/gop-presses-ahead-after-election-with- russia-probe-review> (11/10, Tucker, Jalonick) reports, "President Donald Trump may have lost his bid for reelection, but that hasn't stopped Senate Republicans from pressing forward with their politically charged probe of the FBI's Russia investigation." Republicans have not lost the "determination to continue congressional investigations that have been cheered on by Trump, who tweeted an attack on McCabe just minutes after the hearing began." For Congressional Republicans, "the Russia probe and similar political inquiries in line with Trump's interests give them continued lines of attack if they keep control of the Senate with Democrat Joe Biden in the White House." The Hill <https://thehill.corn/homenews/administration/525358-mccabe-defends- investigating-trump-before-senate-committee-we-had> (11/10, Williams, 2.98M) reports that Trump allies "have long said that the Russia investigation was politically motivated and was used a chance to spy on the Trump campaign and his presidency." However, an "inspector general found that there was not political bias in launching the probe, but was critical of the FBI seeking surveillance of Page." The Washington Times <https://www.washingtontimes.corn/news/2020/nov/10/andrew-mccabe-i-did-nothing- wrong-and-was-wrongly-/> (11/10, Mordock, 492K) reports that Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said, "You all had a culture of corruption and cover up. This is a sad state of affairs and I'm pleased you are no longer part of the FBI." Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said, "General Flynn has been prosecuted for lying to the FBI. You lied to the FBI and you aren't being prosecuted." McCabe responded, "I was fired as the result of a deeply flawed and unfair IG investigation." Fox News <https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawmakers-grill-mccabe-russia-probe-fbi-carter-page-fisa> (11/10, Blitzer, 27.59M) reports that some lawmakers brought up "information that Hillary Clinton may have approved a plan to use allegations of Trump connections with Russia to distract from the investigation of her use of a private email system while in office as secretary of state." Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) "said it is not the business of the FBI to investigate campaign activities, just as the FBI did not look into President Trump's request to have Ukraine investigate Joe Biden." McCabe "defended the FBI employees by stating that he believes the information in the FISA package `reflects how they thought about the interview at the time,' but that 'they didn't think about it critically enough.'" Additional reporting and commentary is provided by the Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.corn/video/politics/mccabe-says-fbi-had-reason-to-believe-trump-might-pose-a- danger-to-national-security-in-2017/2020/11/10/e8819ac7-6462-4fdb-ac68-95887aed8f63_video.html> (11/10, I4.2M), the New York Times <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/us/politics/andrew-mccabe-russia- investigation-hearing.html> (11/10, Goldman, 18.61 M), the New York Post <https://nypost.corn/2020/11/10/mccabe-admits-he-wouldnt-have-signed-off-on-carter-page-warrant/> (11/10, Bowden, 4.57M), the Daily Caller <https://dailycaller.corn/2020/11/10/andrew-mccabe-fisa-carter-page/> (11/10, EFTA00137091 Ross, 716K), the Washington Times <https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/nov/10/andrew-mccabe- full-responsibility-fisa-warrant-errk (11/10, Mordock, 492K), Courthouse News <https://www.courthousenews.corn/former-fbi-no-2-defends-trump-russia-probe/> (11/10, Jones, 2K), and Fox News (1 <https://www.foxnews.corn/politics/brett-tolman-andrew-mccabe-disaster-senate-testimony> and 2 <https://www.foxnews.corn/opinion/russia-mccabe-fbi-senate-gregg-jarrett> ). Operation LeGend New Mexico To Receive $500K Crime-Fighting Grant. The Albuquerque (NM) Journal <https://www.abqjoumal.com/1517204/us-attorney-announces-500k-to-combat- violent-nm-crime.html> (11/11, 196K) reports, "The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded $500,000 to New Mexico to fight and prevent violent crime in Bemalillo County, U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson announced last week. `This funding helps to ensure that our efforts are sustainable over the long term,' Anderson said in a statement." The grant "is designed to assist continuing efforts of Operation Legend. Operation Legend, a coordinated initiative in which federal law enforcement agencies work with state and local law enforcement agencies, according to a news release. This most recent grant is part of more than $458 million in funding to support state, local and tribal law enforcement efforts in jurisdictions across the country." Counter-Terrorism Woman Who Joined Islamic State Is Sentenced To More Than Six Years In Prison. Voice of America <https://www.voanews.com/usa/american-mom-who-joined-sentenced-more-6-years-prison> (11/10, Seldin, 48K) reports, "The lone woman brought back to the United States and charged with supporting the Islamic State terror group will spend the next six and a half years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release." A federal judge "handed down the sentence Monday for 35-year-old Samantha ElHassani, more than five years after she took her children to join her husband and his brother in Syria. ElHassani, originally from Elkhart, Indiana, was eventually captured by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and was repatriated along with her four children in July 2018. She pleaded guilty to terrorism financing charges last year. `Today's sentence serves as a strong reminder that the FBI will never relent in ensuring those who abandon their country to support a violent terrorist organization, such as Ms. ElHassani did, will be held accountable,' FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said in a statement." Final Missouri Defendant In Terror Funding Case Sentenced To Four Years In Prison. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch <https://www.sthoday.corn/news/local/crime-and-courts/final-st-louis-defendant-in- terror-funding-case-gets-4-years-in-prison/article_lc42 fff1-2cad-569f-af61-c82 f24f61622.html> (11/10, Patrick, 685K) reports, "A St. Louis County woman was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison for helping supply money and equipment to a man who fought and died in Syria for the Islamic State." Sedina Hodzic "also will be deported back to Bosnia when she is released from prison." Hodzic "was one of five defendants from the St. Louis area and elsewhere indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in 2015. All have pleaded guilty and admitted helping Ramiz Hodzic, Sedina Hodzic's husband, send money, military uniforms, rifle scopes and other equipment to Abdullah Ramo Pazara and others overseas." Pazara, "who originally is from Bosnia like his co- defendants, lived in St. Louis County, became a U.S. citizen and then left in 2013 for Syria, where he rose to become an ISIS commander." EFTA00137092 KSDK-TV <https://vvwvv.ksdk.corn/article/news/crime/st-louis-cotmty-woman-sentenced-to-prison-for- providing-material-to-support-terrorists/63-cc1599e6-5294-4afd-a73a-534dfbdd00f6> St. Louis (11/11, Cole, 493K) reports, "According to court documents, from May 2013 to Feb. 5, 2015, Sedina Hodzic and her husband Ramiz Zijad Hodzic conspired with others to support the activities of Abdullah Ramo Pazara and others, including a conspiracy to commit outside the United States an act that would constitute the offense of murder or maiming if committed in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Ramiz and Sedina Hodzic intended to and did provide support and resources to Pazara, according to court documents." KSDK-TV adds, "The support consisted of money, which was used by her co-conspirators to purchase supplies such as military uniforms, rifle scopes, combat boots, tactical gear, clothing, firearms accessories, range finders and other supplies useful to fighters engaged in combat in Syria and elsewhere." Senate To Review Airport Security Bill November 18. Bloomberg Government <https://about.bgov.comrnews/airport-security-bill-in-tsa-dhs-standoff-up-for-senate- review/> (11/10, Courtney) reports that on November 18, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will take up measure S.3730, which would "allow private Registered Traveler program companies to assume authority from TSA to screen airport passengers' identities." CLEAR is currently the sole participant in the TSA's Registered Traveler screening program. TSA Administrator David Pekoske wrote in a May letter to the Senate Commerce Committee that CLEAR's expanded role under the measure from allowing line-skipping to an airport vetting service was "a bridge too far." Austrian Chancellor's Cabinet Agrees On New Anti-Tenor Measures. The AP <https://wwvv.usnews.corrtrnews/world/articles/2020-11-11/austrian-cabinet-agrees-to-broad-new-anti- terror-measures> (11/11) reports, "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's Cabinet on Wednesday agreed on a wide range of anti-terrorism measures meant to plug perceived security flaws identified after a deadly attack" last week. New measures include keeping "individuals convicted of terror offenses behind bars for life, [the] electronic surveillance of people convicted of terror-related offenses upon release and criminalizing religiously motivated political extremism." The measures "will be brought before parliament in December for a vote." They "take a two-pronged approach, targeting both terror suspects and also the ideology that drives them." The New York Times <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/world/europe/austria-kurz-terrorism.html> (11/11, Eddy, 18.61M) reports that Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced new proposals that "would allow courts to extend the sentences of convicted terrorists and...establish a new criminal offense for people who `create the breeding ground' for terrorism" the week after "an Islamic State sympathizer killed four people in Vienna." The package comes "a day after [Kurz] held talks with President Emmanuel Macron of France and other European Union leaders to coordinate efforts across the bloc to crack down on Islamist terrorism," and is expected to be "put before Parliament for approval before the end of the year." Attack Targets French And Other Western Diplomats In Saudi Arabia. The New York Times <https://wwvv.nytimes.corn/2020/11/11/world/middleeast/saudi-france-attack.html> (11/11, Meheut, 18.61M) reports that on Wednesday, "an explosion wounded at least three people...in an attack on a ceremony organized by the French consulate to commemorate the end of World War I in a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia." An IED "struck the ceremony, attended by representatives of France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States, the French embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a statement." According to the Times, "The attack comes at a time of heightened tensions between France and a number of Muslim EFTA00137093 countries, after the republication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad by the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo." The Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.corn/world/middle_east/jeddah-cemetery-blast-armistice- saudi-france/2020/11/11/2572b6c8-240f-Ileb-9c4a-0dc624204814_stoiy.html> (11/11, McAuley, Fahim, 14.2M) says while "details of the incident remain unclear, it follows a knife attack on a security guard at the French Consulate in Jiddah late last month after France doubled down on defending caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, a stance that triggered protests and boycotts across the Muslim world." Islamic State Increases Attacks In Mozambique. The New York Times <https://vvww.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/world/middleeast/Mozambique-ISIS- beheading.html> (11/11, Walsh, 18.6IM) reports that Islamic State militants "armed with machetes" attacked 24 de Marco, a village in northern Mozambique, and "beheaded as many as 20 boys and men" in early November. The "atrocity...was just one episode in a brutal conflict unfolding" in the region as the insurgents have stepped up territory seizures, including the capture of the port of Mocimboa de Praia in August, and "brutal attacks on civilians that often involve beheadings." The success of the campaign "is also a sign of a worrisome trend" as the group's "influence wanes in the Middle East" and surges "in pockets of Africa" beyond Mozambique's borders. Counter-Intelligence Facebook Takes Down Pages Tied To Steve Bannon For Spreading Misinformation. The Washington Examiner <https://www.washingtonexaminer.corn/news/facebook-removes-bannon-tied-pages- for-spreading-misinformation-about-election> (11/10, Brest, 448K) reports, "Facebook took down a handful of pages tied to Steve Bannon because they were spreading misinformation about the election." The pages taken down "had accrued more than 2.4 million followers and pushed the 'Stop the steal' motto, which promotes unverified claims of mass voter fraud." A Facebook spokesperson said, "We've removed several clusters of activity for using inauthentic behavior tactics to artificially boost how many people saw their content." Bannon also was suspended from Twitter recently "after he said he'd like to see Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray beheaded during an episode of the podcast War Room: Pandemic." The Hill <https://thehill.com/policy/technology/525365-facebook-cracks-down-on-pages-linked-to-bannon> (11/10, Klar, 2.98M) also reports. Texas Lt. Gov. Offering $1 M For Evidence Of Voter Fraud. The Hill <https://thehill.corn/homenews/campaign/525444-republican-texas-lt-governor-offering-1-million-for- evidence-of-voter-fraud> (11/11, Williams, 2.98M) reports that Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is "offering up to $1 million from his campaign for anyone to come forward with evidence from anywhere in the country." Patrick wants to "incentivize, encourage and reward people to come forward and report voter fraud," he said. He added in a statement, "I support President Trump's efforts to identify voter fraud in the presidential election and his commitment to making sure that every legal vote is counted and every illegal vote is disqualified." Current, Former DOJ Officials Stunned By AG Barr's Memo About Voter Fraud. EFTA00137094 The Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/william-barr-trump-election- fraud/2020/11/10/ae2d1d5e-239d-Ileb-a688-5298ad5d580a_story.html> (11/10, Barrett, Zapotosky, 14.2M) reports that current and former DOJ officials "said Tuesday they were stunned and frustrated" by AG Barr's "move to loosen internal restrictions on how and when federal prosecutors investigate certain election-fraud cases before the results are certified." When Barr first proposed the move, "Criminal Division officials — including political leadership — had pushed back vigorously and thought they had dissuaded the attorney general from taking such a step." Richard Pilger, DOJ's head of the department's election crimes branch, "told colleagues he was stepping down from that job to a lesser position at the department, citing the new guidance, as others privately seethed." DOJ officials have "said they were unaware of any such cases amid the myriad allegations raised by the Trump campaign and the president's supporters." Opinion: Barr's Approach To Investigating Voter Fraud A "Terrible Idea." David Iglesias, former US Attorney for the District of New Mexico, writes in the Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/11/david-iglesias-barr-dangerous-voter-fraud- investigation/> (11/11, 14.2M) that AG Barr's letter opening the door "for federal prosecutors to launch criminal probes of election fraud" is a "terrible idea." The author says voter fraud "is a serious violation," but his office "had not prosecuted any voter fraud cases in over 10 years; that prosecution involved only two individuals." After Iglesias worked with DOJ's Public Integrity Section's Election Crimes, he "did not have a single case" he could "prove beyond a reasonable doubt." Under DOJ policy, "federal prosecutors...wait until the election had been concluded and certified to file voter fraud cases," because, "even assuming voter fraud exists, its minuscule numbers would not affect the outcome of the election." Internet Rife With Misinformation, Searches For Evidence Of Voter Fraud. USA Today <https://www.usatoday.corn/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/11/intemet-sleuths-trying-prove- dead-people-voted-michigan/6240527002/> (11/11, Nerbovig, 10.31M) reports, "Armchair internet sleuths, amplified by Donald Trump Jr. and the creator of the comic strip Dilbert, are trying to prove dead people voted in the 2020 election" by posting lists of voters who are at least 100 years old. Of the 14,000 registered voters whose names were posted on Pastebin, "some haven't been recorded as having cast a ballot, and at least one woman is alive." Michigan Secretary of State spokesperson Tracy Wimmer said, "Lists of unknown origin circulating on various social media channels do not constitute credible evidence." The Bipartisan Policy Center's director of the Elections Project, Matthew Weil, said, "The fact that there are internet sleuths looking into this, I don't understand what data they're going to use to begin with, but I know states go to a lot of effort to make sure their elections have integrity." NBC News <https://www.nbcnews.corn/techkech-news/misinformation-thousand-cuts-varied-rigged-election- claims-circulate-n1247476> (11/11, Zadrozny, 6.14M) reports that for Trump supporters searching for it, "proof of the president's claims that the 2020 election was 'stolen' is everywhere." For instance, in one video, a Colorado man "claiming to be a poll worker, dressed in a yellow vest, rips up Trump ballots (it was a TikTok prank)." Other evidence "of a so-called Democratic plot could be found in the numbers." Meanwhile, "no evidence of significant, widespread or even small-time voter fraud has been found." Still, the "years of groundwork laid by Trump and his supporters have blossomed into a flood of misleading — and importantly, fractured — claims of a rigged election." University of Washington postdoctoral fellow Joe Bak-Coleman said, "Instead of evidence, we're assaulted with a plethora of claims seeking to undermine faith in the election, ranging from confusing to clearly fabricated.... Individually, none of these claims could stand up to a moment's scrutiny, but collectively they're deafening, urging the average citizen to give up and accept the ambiguity." State Officials, Election Experts Say Election Was Run Smoothly. NBC News <https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/live-blog/2020-11-1 I -biden-harris-transition- EFTA00137095 nI247340/ncrd1247416> (11/11, 6.14M) reports, "The 2020 election unfolded smoothly across the country and without any widespread irregularities, according to state officials and election experts." The increase "in advance voting — 107 million people voting early in person and by mail — helped take pressure off Election Day operations." Ben Hovland, who serves on the Election Assistance Commission, said, "The 2020 general election was one of the smoothest and most well-run elections that we have ever seen, and that is remarkable considering all the challenges." University of Iowa computer scientist Doug Jones said, "The practical consequence of Trump's call to vigilance to prevent fraud was increased scrutiny from both sides, and this increased scrutiny seems to have worked.... Election officials have been more careful, and election procedures have been followed more scrupulously than usual." Postal Worker Admits He Fabricated Claims Of Voter Irregularities. The Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/postal-worker-fabricated-ballot- pennsylvania/2020/11/10/99269a7c-2364-11eb-8599-406466adlb8e_stoty.html> (11/10, Boburg, Bogage, I4.2M) reports, "A Pennsylvania postal worker whose claims have been cited by top Republicans as potential evidence of widespread voting irregularities admitted" to USPS investigators "that he fabricated the allegations." The man's claim "that a postmaster in Erie, Pa., instructed postal workers to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day was cited by" Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in a letter to DOJ "calling for a federal investigation." AG Barr "subsequently authorized federal prosecutors to open probes into credible allegations of voting irregularities and fraud, a reversal of long-standing Justice Department policy." However, the man told USPS investigators "that the allegations were not true, and he signed an affidavit recanting his claims." Social Media Companies Took More Aggressive Approach To Public Discourse During Election. The Wall Street Journal <https://www.wsj.corn/articles/social-media-companies-took-an-aggressive-stance- during-the-election-will-it-continue-11605111540> (11/11, Glazer, Schechner, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter took a more aggressive stance toward policing political discourse during the 2020 election season. Now, it is unclear whether they will continue with that approach, and whether they should. Twitter's fact-checking labels are a sharp turn from the platform's approach to discourse four years ago. Facebook, like Twitter, has labeled President Trump's tweets, and has dismantled groups spreading misinformation because it "saw worrying calls for violence from some members." House Democrats Direct Trump Administration To Preserve Investigation-Related Records. NBC News <https://www.nbcnews.corn/politics/2020-election/live-blog/2020-11-10-biden-harris-transition- n1247204/ncrd1247267> (11/10, Shabad, Smith, 6.14M) reports that as President-elect Joe Biden outlines "more details of his transition plan," Democrats in the House "sent letters Tuesday to the White House and federal agencies directing them to preserve documents related to congressional subpoenas and investigations." Committee chairs wrote, "You are obligated to ensure that any information previously requested by Congress — and any other information that is required by law to be preserved — is saved and appropriately archived in a manner that is easily retrievable." The request involves "official business that were sent using both official and personal accounts or devices, including communications through text messaging, phone-based message applications, or encryption software," according to a press release. Analyses: Intelligence Officials Battle Trump's Declassification Efforts. In his column for The Washington Post <https://vvwvv.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-will-leave-the-question-is-how-much-damage-hell-do-to- national-security-before-then/2020/11/10/551d31a4-239d-lleb-a688-5298ad5d580a_story.html> (11/11, 14.2M), David Ignatius writes that "President Trump's senior military and intelligence officials have been warning him EFTA00137096 strongly against declassifying information about Russia that his advisers say would compromise sensitive collection methods and anger key allies." According to a senior congressional source, CIA Director Gina Haspel "last month argued strongly...against disclosing the information," as has Cyber Command Commander and NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone. The source "said a bipartisan group" of senators, National Security Advisor O'Brien, Chief of Staff Meadows, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, and AG Barr have shown support for Haspel, "though some fear that Trump may yet oust her," as former Defense Secretary Esper's support for Nakasone "may have played a role in Trump's surprise decision" to fire him. CNN <https://www.cnntotn/2020/11/11/politics/trump-russia-investigation-declassification-battle/index.html> (11/11, Cohen, Gangel, Perez, 83.I6M) reports that concerns over declassification "roared back this week in the wake of a flurry of personnel changes at the National Security Agency — and the Pentagon — as Trump installed political loyalists in key positions where they could help turn the tide in the behind-the-the scenes battle." CIA and NSA "career officials have strenuously objected to releasing certain information from the Russia interference assessment, arguing that it would seriously damage sources and methods," and citing "concerns about cherry- picking information to release and the politicization of their work." Furthermore, "current and former officials have maintained that if there were something revelatory in the documents that remain classified, it would have been included in either the unclassified House or Senate reports." Senate Republicans Prepare For More Post-Trump Investigations. CNN <https://www.cnn.corn/2020/11/10/politics/republican-congress-investigation-senate/index.html> (11/10, Herb, 83.I6M) reports that a "Republican-led Senate is poised to keep its investigative gaze on the FBI's handling of the 2016 election and Russia next year, and GOP senators are already discussing probes into the 2020 election, too." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) "said Monday that Senate Republicans should probe mail-in voting in the 2020 election, which Trump falsely claimed would be ripe with fraud for months leading up Election Day." Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) "said Monday that he expects his investigation into the FBI's Russia probe, Crossfire Hurricane, would move with him." Johnson has also "said that he would also consider investigating claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election." ODNI Says It Will Transition To President-Elect After Ascertainment. NBC News <https://www.nbcnews.corn/politics/national-security/biden-not-getting-intelligence-reports- because-trump-officials-won-t-n1247294> (11/10, Dilanian, Memoli, 6.14M) reports, "The Trump administration's unwillingness to acknowledge that former Vice President Joe Biden won the election has led to an unusual restriction on the flow of national security information to the president-elect." In a statement, ODNI "said it will not interface with the Biden transition" until GSA "decides it's clear who won, a process known as 'ascertainment.'" The statement said, "ODNI follows the statutory direction provided in the Presidential Transition Act, which requires ascertainment of the candidate by the administrator of GSA prior to supporting a potential presidential transition," adding the agency "would not have contact with any transition team until notified by the GSA administrator." The State Department "is not facilitating calls between Biden and foreign leaders." Chinese-Canadians Advocate For Hotline To Report Intimidation By Beijing. The Globe and Mail (CAN) <https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawa-urged-to-set-up-hotline- for-reporting-intimidation-harassment/> (11/11, 1.04M) reports, "Chinese-Canadian groups are urging the federal government to set up a dedicated national hotline where they can report intimidation or harassment by agents of the Chinese government." According to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, "Beijing is routinely using undercover state security officials and 'trusted agents,' or proxies, to target members of Canada's Chinese community." The government wants to "silence critics of President Xi Jinping and often includes threats of retribution against families back in China, CSIS said." EFTA00137097 The Globe and Mail (CAN) <https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-csis-warns-chinas-operation-fox- hunt-is-targeting-canadas-chineset> (11/10, 1.04M) reports that CSIS "says Beijing routinely uses undercover state security officials and `trusted agents,' or proxies, to target members of Canada's Chinese community in an effort to silence critics of President Xi Jinping, including threats of retribution against their families back in China." The agency "says these illegal activities in Canada are part of a global campaign of intimidation that constitutes a threat to this country's sovereignty and the safety of Canadians." A high-profile effort, called Operation Fox Hunt, is "directed by Beijing's Ministry of Public Security" and "has been under way since 2014." FBI Director Wray "said in July that Operation Fox Hunt's principal aim now is to suppress dissent among the Chinese diaspora. He called Fox Hunt nothing more than a sweeping bid by Mr. Xi to `target Chinese nationals who he sees as threats and who live outside China, around the world.'" NGA Official Among Federal Employees Making Career Transitions. With an "expected huge turnover in political appointees in January," Federal News Network <https://federalnewsnetworlc.corn/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2020/11/chilbert-to-be-cio-at-cfpb-sritapan- moves-to-dhs-cyber-shared-services-office/> (11/10, Miller, 220) highlights "some of the people on the move over the last few weeks across the federal community." The NGA's Chief Technology Officer, Mark Munsell, retired on November 9. Munsell "joined NGA's predecessor agency, the Defense Mapping Agency, in 1996, where he led the update of the agency's aeronautical production systems." Vatican Report Reveals Cardinal Was Targeted By KGB As Asset. NJ News <https://www.nj.com/news/2020/11/did-the-kgb-target-mccarrick-as-he-became-a-rising-figure-in-the- church.html> (11/10, Sherman, I.72M) reports, "long before he was made a cardinal, Theodore McCarrick was targeted by the Soviet Union as a possible intelligence asset, according to the long-awaited Vatican report released Tuesday." The report "offered unprecedented detail into the life and long-hidden allegations of sexual abuse by the now defrocked 90-year-old." However, investigators also "recounted one of the more bizarre episodes unrelated to the scandal that led to his downfall." McCarrick's rise in the church "attracted the attention of the KGB," which "led to an encounter with the Soviet Union's intelligence service." The report said the FBI "asked him to serve as a counterintelligence asset with respect to the activities of the KGB." Russia Says Now Deceased Spy Stole From White House, NATO For 32 Years. The New York Post <https://nypost.corn/2020/11/10/russia-reveals-spy-stole-from-white-house-nato-during- careed> (11/10, Moore, 4.57M) reports that the Kremlin is claiming Yuri Shevchenko "posed as an artist and stole secrets from the White House, FBI, CIA and NATO during a 32-year career that earned him the designation of `Hero of Russia."' The spy's life "as an undercover operative in Europe and the United States between 1969 and 2001, a period that included the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union." The Kremlin "announced his death at the age of 82 last Friday," and revealed details of his life. The spy "pilfered about 300 volumes of top-secret information from NATO," and was "assigned to control espionage operations in the West, involving presidential administrations, the CIA, FBI, State Department and NATO headquarters." Former Marine Imprisoned In Russian Prison Camp Interviewed By ABC. Former US Marine Paul Whelan spoke with ABC News <https://abcnews.go.corn/International/marine-paul- EFTA00137098 whelan-speaks-russian-prison-abc-news/story?id=74103250> (11/11, Reevell, 2.97M) "from prison, where he's serving a 16-year sentence on charges his family and U.S. officials say were fabricated in order to seize him as a political hostage." The interview is the "first time he's spoken extensively to a journalist since his arrest in Moscow in late December 2018." The former Marine "was detained and accused of espionage," and now "lives in a barracks at Correctional Colony-17, a crumbling former Gulag camp, originally built to hold prisoners during World War II." He said his cell mates know "that it's complete crap, and they laugh and say, `Well, yeah, this is what the FSB does. It's obviously political.' Criminal Investigations FBI Arrests New York Man Who Allegedly Threatened Schumer, FBI. The CBS Evening News <https://playvideo.bulletinintelligence.corn/812a707215e644b4b554317c1a62e326? pubid=fbi> (11/10, story 4, 0:25, O'Donnell, 4.4IM) reported 54-year-old Brian Maiorana was arrested Tuesday "in Staten Island New York, after allegedly posting extremist threats on social media. ... Maiorana is accused of threatening to throw pipe bombs at people celebrating Joe Biden's victory and blowing up the FBI building. Maiorana is charged with sending interstate threats. Investigators found a semiautomatic gun and ammunition at his home, and now he is in custody." The New York Times <https://vvww.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/nyregion/brian-maiorana-threat-fbi-schumer.html> (11/10, Feuer, 18.61 M) reports that on Sunday, Maiorana "took to social media" in a post "citing the anti- government novel `The Turner Diaries,' in which he threatened to "'blow up' an FBI building and made an anti- Semitic reference to `the Jew Senator from Jew York,' a veiled threat apparently directed at" Senate Minority Leader Schumer. The Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Maiorana "in an early morning raid Tuesday...at his house in Staten Island," and he was later charged "with making threatening interstate communications." The AP <https://www.usnews.cornMews/best-states/new-yorkfarticles/2020-11-10/ny-man-charged-for- threatening-people-celebrating-election> (11/10) reports, "Maiorana was ordered held without bail on Tuesday at a remote hearing in federal court in Brooklyn. Prosecutors told a judge the agents found a firearm in his Staten Island home that violated previous restrictions imposed on him as a registered sex offender. `Americans have a constitutional right to voice their opinions, but this office will not tolerate violence or threats of violence used to intimidate others with whom they disagree,' said acting U.S. Attorney Seth DuCharme said in a statement." USA Today <https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/11/11/nyc-man-brian-maiorana-threatened- election-violence-against-democrats/6247339002/> (11/11, Miller, 10.31M) reports that Maiorana "allegedly posted threats on social media before and after the election calling for violence, made anti-Semitic threats toward" Schumer "and called to `blow up the FBI building for real."Mr. Maiorana's online posts called for violence against our entire community — protestors, politicians, and law enforcement officers alike. His alleged threats are disturbing and far outside of acceptable norms, but they also violated federal law,' FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said in a statement." The Hill <https://thehill.corn/policy/national-security/525437-feds-charge-staten-island-man-over-threat-to- schumer-fbi> (11/10, Axelrod, 2.98M) reports, "Prosecutors said Maiorana had made threatening comments online since September, saying he would kill protesters, lawmakers and law enforcement officials, though they did not specify which social media platform he used. Among the posts was a call for people to `hit the streets while these scumbags are celebrating and start blowing them away,' referring to those cheering Biden's victory, and suggestions that the election had been `fraudulently stolen' from President Trump. In an earlier post, Maiorana hinted he would throw `pipe bombs' and `mobs,' a reference to protesters demonstrating against racial inequality." The Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.corn/nation/2020/11/11/maiorana-schumer-threats- EFTA00137099 democrats-newyorkl> (11/11, Elfrink, 14.2M) reports, "On Tuesday, federal agents arrested Maiorana at his home in Staten Island on charges of making threatening interstate communications. Although he's a convicted sex offender and is banned from owning guns, federal agents say they found evidence that Maiorana had bought gun parts and a crossbow. Maiorana's arrest comes amid an upswing in violent rhetoric on the right as Trump contests the election results and makes unfounded claims of fraud. Over the weekend, a police chief in Arkansas resigned after social media posts in his name called for Democrats to be killed, and last week, Trump's former chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon was banned from Twitter for calling for violence against federal officials." Federal Prosecutors Fear Whitmer Kidnap Plotters Could Target Informants. The Detroit News <https://www.detroitnews.corn/story/news/local/michigan/2020/11/10ffeds-move-protect- informants-whitmer-kidnapping-case/6240029002/> (11/10, Snell, 825K) reports, "Federal prosecutors asked a judge Tuesday to prevent men accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from leaking the identities of informants and undercover agents who infiltrated the alleged conspiracy." Federal prosecutors "fear the premature identification of informants and undercover agents could lead to witness tampering or worse. On Tuesday, they asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Berens to issue a protective order shielding evidence from anyone outside of the defense team, court officials and potential witnesses. `Such premature identification might reasonably be expected to lead to witness tampering, intimidation and/or retaliation,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler wrote in a court filing. `If not by the defendants themselves, by individuals or groups sympathetic to their perceived aims. In addition, pretrial dissemination of unadmitted evidence could taint the jury pool and create challenges to the selection of an unbiased venire (jury pool)."' White Supremacist Group Distributes Recruitment Flyers In Texas. The Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.corn/nation/2020/11/10/white-supremacist-flyers/> (11/10, Villegas Vargas, 14.2M) reports that "some residents in the San Antonio area woke up Sunday to find a smattering of anti-Black Lives Matter and white supremacist messages on their doorsteps" believed "to have been distributed by members of 1