EFTA00149562.pdf

From: To: Subject: FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Tuesday, July 07, 2020 Date: Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:29:57 +0000 Importanc Normal e: Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. idritBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Epstein Associate Transferred To Federal Lockup In Brooklyn. PROTESTS • New Mexico Militia Was Involved In June Shooting Incident In Albuquerque. • Door Of Portland, Oregon Federal Courthouse Shattered, Fireworks Exploded Inside. • Phoenix Police Kill Man In Parked Car, Sparking Protests. • Trump Says Sports Franchises Considering Name Changes To Be "Politically Correct." • Meadows: Trump "The Only Thing That Stands Between A Mob And The American People." • Grassley: Congress Would "Probably" Override Trump Veto Of Plan To Rename Bases. • School Districts Canceling Contracts With Local Police Forces. • New York Woman Charged After Calling Police On Black Bird Watcher. • Douglass Statue Torn Down In Rochester. COUNTER-TERRORISM • Op-Ed: Developing A Framework To Rehabilitate And Reintegrate Child Returnees From ISIS. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Pompeo Called Before House Panel Over Russian Bounty Claims. • Grassley Calls For Any Action By Durham Before Election. • Jordan Seeks Former US Attorney's "Firsthand Recollection" Of Stone Sentencing. • Fitton: Judicial Watch Has Sued Over Access To Power's Unmasking Requests. • Hunter Biden Still Owns 100/0 Equity Stake In BHR Partners. • Pandemic Again Delays Sentencing Of Former Los Alamos Scientist With Ties To China. • West Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty To Sharing Classified Information With Russia. • GAO Says Security Clearance Issue Negates $105M NSA Deal. • Chechen Critic Of Kadyrov Assassinated In Austria. • Israel Expresses Concern As US Eliminates Satellite-Imaging Cap. • COVID-19 Pandemic Slows Disclosure Of Information To Defence Lawyers In RCMP Secrets Case. • Saudi Arabia Presses Canada To End Refuge For Ex-intelligence Officer. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Army Identifies Buried Remains As Those Of Missing Fort Hood Soldier. EFTA00149562 • Four Ex-Prison Guards Sentenced In Louisiana Inmate Beating. • Breonna Taylor's Family Claims She Was Given No Medical Aid After Shooting. • Soldier Pleads Not Guilty To Participating In Neo-Nazi Plot. • SNM Gang Member Charged With Racketeering After New Mexico Crime Spree. • Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty To Firearms Violation. • Report: FBI Agent Pursued Kentucky Murder Suspect For 10 Years. • Georgia Man Pleads Guilty To Making Threats Against Schools. • FBI Investigating Colorado Bank Robberies. • Wisconsin Man Facing Child Pornography Charges. • Maine Man Charged Over Child Pornography. • Continuing Charges: California Men Plead Guilty To Bank Robbery. • Illinois Man Charged With Attempted Murder. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • List Of PPP Recipients Includes Big Companies, Well-Connected Individuals. • Former Los Angeles Councilman Charged In Corruption Probe Due In Court Tuesday. • Former Vail, Colorado IT Director Faces Theft, Misconduct Charges. • Utah Woman Pleads Guilty To Money Laundering Scheme. CYBER DIVISION • FBI Arrests Alleged Nigerian Business Scammer. • UK Government Weighs Huawei Ban. • Johnson Adds CISA's Subpoena Power To Defense Authorization Act. • House Appropriations Committee Proposes Funding Hikes For DHS, CISA. • NSA And CISA Warn Of Massive Vulnerability For Popular Networking Device. • New Study Finds China Using Android Malware To Spy On Ethnic Minorities Worldwide. • Brazil's Hapvida Discloses Cyber Breach. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • FBI Warns Of Fake COVID-19 Antibody Tests. • Trump: New York City, Chicago Protecting Criminals. OTHER FBI NEWS • Federal Prosecutors Discussed "Burying" Evidence In New York Probe. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Media Reports: Trump's Criticism Of NASCAR, Wallace Part Of An Effort To Stoke Racial Tensions, Rally His Base. • Trump Slams Media For Allegedly Ignoring Declining COVID Death Rate. • US COVID Cases Near 3M, Death Toll Tops 132,000. • Trump Touts Study Showing Benefits Of Hydroxychloroquine. • Noem Flew With Trump After Being Seen Hugging Guilfoyle. • Meadows, McEnany: Trump Campaign Encourages New Hampshire Rally Crowd To Wear Masks. • Grassley To Skip GOP Convention "Because Of The Virus Situation." • Florida Health Officials Concerned About Crowds And Partiers. • New York City Allows Some Nonessential Services To Resume. • Some Hospitals Struggling To Contain Coronavirus Spread. • VP Prospect Bottoms Tests Positive For Coronavirus. • Broadway's Cordero Dies Of COVID-19 At Age 41. • McConnell Wants Liability Shield In Next Coronavirus Relief Package. • One In Five Renters Face Risk Of Eviction By End Of September. EFTA00149563 • Media Analyses: Judge's Ruling On Dakota Access Pipeline Is Blow To Trump. • Trump Says "Wall Is Moving Fast." • Trump Expected To Again File Paperwork To Rescind DACA. • Appeals Court Rules Administration's Asylum Ban Is Unlawful. • House Appropriations Democrats Seek Cuts To CBP And ICE. • Blackburn Bill Would Ban "Birth Tourism." • Maryland County Declined ICE Retainer Request On Rape Suspect. • Trudeau Will Not Attend White House USMCA Event With Trump And Lopez Obrador. • "Tell-All" Book By Trump's Niece To Be Released Early. • Meadows Says "A Number Of Executive Orders" Coming This Week. • Trump's Intelligence Briefer Discusses Her Process. • Unanimous Supreme Court Upholds Laws Forbidding "Faithless Electors." INTERNATIONAL NEWS • Altered WHO Timeline Indicates It Learned Of Coronavirus From Internet, Not Chinese Officials. • Johnson Warns Against Complacency As UK Reopens. • Signs Increasingly Point To Sabotage In Explosion At Iranian Nuclear Complex. • Pack: More Assertive Reporting Needed To Counter Foreign Disinformation. • Chinese Ambassador Blasts UK For Offering Citizenship To Hong Kong Residents. • UK Sanctions Russians, Saudis, Others Under New Magnitsky Powers. • Chechen Critic Of Kadyrov Assassinated In Austria. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Epstein Associate Transferred To Federal Lockup In Brooklyn. The CBS Evening NewsVI (7/6, story 7, 0:20, O'Donnell, 4.6M) reported, "Today, Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred to a lockup in Brooklyn, New York. That's a far cry from her million dollar estate in New Hampshire, where she was arrested last week. Maxwell is accused of recruiting girls as young as 14 to have sex with Epstein, who took his own life while awaiting trial. Maxwell has repeatedly denied the allegations." NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/6, story 10, 2:00, Holt, 6.4M) reported, "With roughly a dozen vehicles and a plane circling above, the FBI arrested Ghislaine Maxwell at her property in New Hampshire." NBC (Gosk) added, "Virginia Roberts Giuffre is one of several accusers who say Maxwell helped coordinate a sex trafficking ring of underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein and his friends. Allegations Maxwell has previously defined. Giuffre accuses Prince Andrew of raping her when she was 17 and that Maxwell helped arrange it. A source close to the prince's team tells NBC News they have communicated with the FBI twice in the last month, but got no response." ABC World News TonightVi (7/6, story 5, 1:50, Muir, 7.78M) reported, "Maxwell, the alleged partner in crime of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, today whisked from New Hampshire to this New York City jail to face charges for allegedly recruiting, grooming, and abusing teenage girls in the 1990s. Audrey Strauss, Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York: 'Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend, and groom minor victims for abuse." ABC (Pilgrim) aded, "The British socialite first appearing in court remotely last week." EFTA00149564  The New Hampshire Union Leader (7/6, Feely, 109K) reports, "In an email to the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed the transfer from the Merrimack County House of Corrections to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn took place Monday. `Yes, she is in BOP custody at MDC Brooklyn,' a BOP spokesman wrote. `We decline to comment further.' Fox News (7/6, Sorace, 27.59M) reports, "Prosecutors have asked a judge to schedule a Friday court appearance in Manhattan federal court for Maxwell. Prosecutors have said that due to Maxwell's wealth, international connections and possession of three passports, she `poses an extreme risk of flight.' The AP (7/6) reports, "In a letter to a judge on Sunday, prosecutors say they communicated with Maxwell's defense lawyer, Christian Everdell, who would like a Friday bail hearing after written arguments are submitted by both sides Thursday and Friday. She will also be arraigned at the hearing." The Washington Post (7/6, Jacobs, 14.2M) reports, "On Monday, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan wrote to attorneys on Maxwell's case asking if the high-profile defendant wished to waive her right to be present in court for her first appearance. While courts here are expected to hold more in-person proceedings as restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic are eased, many appearances continue to happen via video or phone conference. The letter said that should Maxwell decide to appear by video from the MDC, Thursday or next Tuesday are the soonest spots available." The Post adds, "Hours later, Maxwell's attorney Mark S. Cohen said in a court filing that she `has agreed to waive her physical presence' for her court appearance. He asked for Nathan to schedule the case for July 14 - the later of the slots the judge proposed." NBC News (7/6, 6.14M) reports on its website, "Maxwell was charged in a six-count indictment alleging that she enticed minors to engage in illegal sex acts with Epstein in the mid- 1990s - and later lied about it." Maxwell "had been living on a 156-acre property in the tiny New Hampshire town of Bradford. The 4,300-square foot timber frame house was purchased for a little more than $1 million late last year by an anonymized limited liability corporation, according to federal prosecutors. `More recently we learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims lived with the trauma inflicted on them years ago,' William Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBI in New York City, said last week." The New York Post (7/6, Steinbuch, 4.57M) reports, "The FBI agents who arrested Ghislaine Maxwell last week almost blew their cover when they lied to a neighbor who complained about noise from spy planes buzzing overheard, according to a report." The Post adds, "A local told the UK's Mirror that aircraft had been circling over the disgraced British socialite's 156-acre hideaway in New Hampshire beginning before dawn Thursday. `They were a nuisance. We began calling each other to find out what the noise was about. Finally one snapped and drove down to where the vehicles were lined up; the resident told the outlet. `He demanded to know who they were and they replied they were from the New England Aerial map society - it was totally fictitious. The problem the FBI had was that the guy is an expert in maps and geology. It's what he does for a living,' the local continued." Fox News (7/6, Nelson, 27.59M) reports, "Former federal prosecutor Francey Hakes on Monday predicted that Jeffrey Epstein's accused madam and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell will plead guilty and start cooperating soon. `Ghislaine Maxwell is maybe the last person left in the Jeffrey Epstein co-conspiracy that we know about,' Hakes told `Fox & Friends.' Hakes "said that Maxwell is looking at a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence and a life sentence maximum. Hakes said Maxwell will likely cooperate `soon; including by revealing names of others who were involved in the alleged sex trafficking ring." Hakes "doubted that Maxwell would refuse to cooperate, considering the possible penalties she's facing. `She has to do every day of that minimum 10 years and she's grown up a pampered, spoiled woman. There is no way that she would even consider going to jail for that length of time.' EFTA00149565  Fox News (7/6, Nolasco, 27.59M) reports, "Christina Oxenberg - a cousin to the British royal family - is grateful convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's gal pal Ghislaine Maxwell was finally arrested. 'Better late than never,' Oxenberg told Fox News. 'It's good she is arrested. Whatever she gets is what she deserves if justice prevails." Fox News adds, "According to the indictment, Maxwell, who lived for years with Epstein and was his frequent companion on trips around the world, facilitated his crimes and on some occasions joined him in sexually abusing the girls." Oxenberg "said there's one thing the press has gotten wrong about Maxwell. 'Jeffrey Epstein was not her boyfriend; Oxenberg claimed. 'He was her boss. She wanted to marry him but he was humoring her for being a faithful lapdog." The Hill (7/6, Coleman, 2.98M) also reports. PROTESTS New Mexico Militia Was Involved In June Shooting Incident In Albuquerque. The Albuquerque (NM) Journal (7/6, Reisen, 196K) reports from Wagon Wheel, New Mexico about "the New Mexico Civil Guard, the group that made international headlines for its heavily armed presence at an Albuquerque protest that culminated in a shooting last month." During the June 15 incident, "tensions rose between the Civil Guard and protesters who were trying to topple the statue of Juan de Ofiate near Albuquerque's Old Town before Steven Baca - a counterprotester - shot and critically injured Scott Williams after a scuffle." Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos "said police said not investigating the group but the city asked the FBI to determine whether the Civil Guard meets the federal definition to be classified as a hate group," while "Frank Fisher, an FBI spokesman, said the agency doesn't designate hate groups and will 'not confirm or deny' whether the agency is investigating the group." Door Of Portland, Oregon Federal Courthouse Shattered, Fireworks Exploded Inside. The Oregonian (7/6, Bernstein, 1M) reports, "A 19-year-old man accused of attempting to barricade the front door of the downtown courthouse in Portland late Thursday night faces allegations of creating a hazard and disorderly conduct on federal property and failing to obey a lawful order." The Oregonian adds, "A federal affidavit filed in court Monday described a 'wrestling match' between federal officers inside the courthouse and a handful of demonstrators who were tugging on the front glass door of the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse before it shattered, followed by fireworks detonated inside." Rowan M. Olsen, "one of three men in federal court Monday stemming from seven arrests outside the courthouse, is accused of pressing his body against the door to keep it shut in an attempt to prevent federal officers from leaving the building, according to the affidavit." Phoenix Police Kill Man In Parked Car, Sparking Protests. The New York Times (7/6, Romero, 18.61M) reports the "fatal shooting of a man in a parked car by Phoenix police officers over the weekend, captured on video in gruesome detail, is fueling a new round of protests against violent policing tactics." The video showed "several uniformed officers surrounding a parked car while pointing their guns at the man inside the vehicle." One of the officers "shouted at the man, threatening to shoot him," before the officers "unleashed a volley of gunfire." The Washington Post (7/6, Chiu, 14.2M) reports that after "bystander video of the fatal shooting went viral over the weekend," protesters marched "for hours through the streets of Phoenix on Sunday night," calling for "the release of the officers' body-cam footage." Trump Says Sports Franchises Considering Name Changes To Be "Politically Correct." EFTA00149566 The AP (7/6) reports that President Trump on Monday "mocked" the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians for considering name changes. Trump tweeted, "They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct. Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now!" Ben Tracy said on the CBS Evening NewsVi (7/6, story 5, 0:40, O'Donnell, 4.6M) that Trump's "race-based tweet followed a weekend in which the President launched a divisive defense of America's heritage, which he claims is under attack." The New York Post (7/6, Fredericks, 4.57M) says the tweet "came minutes after White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters she was unaware of Trump's position on the issue." The Washington Examiner (7/6, Leonardi, 448K) reports that Trump criticized then- President Barack Obama in 2013 "for weighing in on the issue after he urged the Washington Redskins to consider changing its name." Trump tweeted at the time, "President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them, not nonsense." The Washington Times (7/6, Paras, 492K) and the Daily Caller (7/6, Davis, 716K) provide similar coverage. Meadows: Trump "The Only Thing That Stands Between A Mob And The American People." Chief of Staff Meadows said on Fox News' Hannity (7/6, 535K) that the President is "the only thing that stands between a mob and the American people. First it's the statues. Then it's the businesses. Then it's their homes. Sadly, we have a loss of life and yet this President is willing and not only willing but has already put forth federal resources to make sure that we can restore law and order." Meadows added that Trump is "making sure that we have not only the Department of Justice but the Department of Homeland Security and others to make sure that our communities are safe. It is time that Joe Biden eventually condemns all of these people that are saying that we should defund the police. It's not enough to be against that policy. He needs to come out and say, you have to go the other way and support our law enforcement officers." Wolf: "Angry, Violent Mobs" Are "Taking Over" US Cities. Asked on Fox News' Fox & Friends (7/6, 831K), about the killing of an eight-year-old girl by an anti-police protester in Atlanta, Acting DHS Secretary Wolf said, "From my perspective, this is no longer about peaceful protesting. This is about angry, violent criminal mobs taking over certain cities. ... I go back to Portland, where you have over five weeks every night of violent clashing and protesting targeting law enforcement officials. And it's very disturbing. It's a lack of political leadership in that city." Gingrich: Bad People Destroying Statues, Killing Children "And Trump Had The Guts To Say It." The Washington Times (7/6, Miller, 492K) reports former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Monday "lauded President Trump for having the 'guts' to call out the mobs that are destroying statues and spreading violence as anti-American." Said Gingrich on Fox News, "The people who are destroying these statues are bad people. The people killing these young girls are bad people. And Trump had the guts to say it." Grassley: Congress Would "Probably" Override Trump Veto Of Plan To Rename Bases. The Des Moines Register (7/6, Gruber-Miller, Behrmann, 404K) reports that Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) "said Monday that Congress would 'probably override' a veto if the president decided to veto a Congressional plan to rename military bases named after Confederate leaders." In a call with reporters, Grassley, a "staunch ally" of the President, said, "I would hope he wouldn't veto it just based on that. ... If it came to overriding a veto, we'd probably override the veto." The Register calls the comments "an unusual divergence from the president inside a Republican party that has typically stuck by him." EFTA00149567  House Democrats Include Language Ordering Removal Of Confederate Statues From Capitol In Spending Bill. The Washington Post (7/6, Sonmez, 14.2M) reports that House Democrats have included language in the fiscal year 2021 legislative branch funding bill "ordering the removal of Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol, setting the stage for a battle over the issue later this year." The measure "released Monday by the House Appropriations Committee includes a provision directing the Architect of the Capitol to remove statues or busts" that "represent figures who participated in the Confederate Army or government, as well as the statues of individuals with unambiguous records of racial intolerance." School Districts Canceling Contracts With Local Police Forces. The Washington Times (7/6, Vondracek, 492K) reports that as "local education officials cancel long-standing contracts with law enforcement amid calls for defunding police forces," some "members of the community wonder who will keep students safe." In Oakland, Denver and Milwaukee, school boards "have voted to end mutual aid agreements with local law enforcement agencies that provided work for police officers on campuses." Seattle School Superintendent Denise Juneau "said the presence of four armed security officers on school premises 'prohibits' many students and staff from feeling safe and welcome." However, "residents also are concerned that school safety could be reduced, particularly among children of color." New York Woman Charged After Calling Police On Black Bird Watcher. NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/6, story 9, 0:15, Holt, 6.78M) reported on "new fallout" from a "widely viewed video of a white woman calling 911 on a Black man in Central Park. Amy Cooper is now charged with filing a false report of telling police in May that a bird watcher threatened her life. If convicted, Cooper faces up to a year in jail." The CBS Evening NewsVi (7/6, story 11, 1:10, O'Donnell, 4.6M) reported "Manhattan's district attorney announcing Monday Cooper is being prosecuted for falsely reporting an incident and is to appear before a judge October 14. ... Cooper's lawyer says she will be found not guilty, and noted she already lost her job, home, and public life." The New York Times (7/6, Ransom, 18.61M), among other news outlets, also report on the charges filed against Cooper. Douglass Statue Torn Down In Rochester. The Washington Post (7/6, Brown, 14.2M) reports that a statue of "famous abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass was torn from its pedestal in Rochester, N.Y., on Sunday, the 168th anniversary of his famous speech 'What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?'" Rochester police said the statue was "removed from its base and was found about 50 feet away on the banks of the Genesee River." COUNTER-TERRORISM Op-Ed: Developing A Framework To Rehabilitate And Reintegrate Child Returnees From ISIS. In a commentary in Just Security (7/6), Nicholas Rasmussen and Ryan Goodman write on research surrounding child returnees from ISIS. They write, "Our aim was to build an evidence- based framework that could inform the rehabilitation and reintegration of child returnees from the so-called Islamic State. The paper describing this work was recently published in the Annals of Global Health." They contend, "Based on our analysis, we developed the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Intervention Framework (RRIF), which is the only known evidence-based framework for R&R of child returnees. The RRIF defines an approach that considers how five primary goals - promoting individual mental health and well-being, promoting family support, EFTA00149568 promoting educational success, promoting community support, and improving structural conditions and protecting public safety — can be pursued across five levels of social interaction. Achieving these goals at all five levels requires cooperation between national and local governments, civil society, and scholars collaborating across disciplines." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Pompeo Called Before House Panel Over Russian Bounty Claims. The Hill (7/6, Kelly, 2.98M) reports the House Foreign Affairs Committee "has invited Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to appear before a hearing on how the Trump Administration responded to reports that US intelligence was aware of Russia offering bounties to Taliban-backed fighters to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan." The hearing is set "to take place on Thursday." It is "titled 'Russian Bounties on US Troops: Why Hasn't the Administration Responded?" Pompeo is listed "as 'invited' to the hearing." The State Department and the House committee "did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he had confirmed he would attend." The other witness for the hearing is "expected to be Michael Morell, former acting director of the CIA in the Obama Administration." Daily Callen New York Times Reaches Too Far On Intelligence Leaks. The Daily_ Caller (7/6, Talcott, 716K) reports the New York Times published "a seemingly bombshell report June 26 claiming that President Trump had been briefed on intelligence about a Russian spy unit allegedly paying Taliban-linked militants to carry out attacks against US troops." The publication issued a second report days later "undercutting its original story - after the White House, the Pentagon, national security advisor Robert O'Brien and others denied it." In light of the NYTimes "softening its bombshell report, here's a look back at some of the other moments when the publication has stumbled while reporting on matters of US intelligence." Both stories by the NYTimes "cited unnamed officials." The second, however, "pointed out that it wasn't clear whether the president saw the report or if it was briefed to him orally." Grassley Calls For Any Action By Durham Before Election. The Washington Times (7/6, Mordock, 492K) reports Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) on Monday called for US Attorney John Durham "to speed up any planned prosecutions stemming out of his investigation into the Russian collusion probe, warning it'll be too late if he waits until after the presidential election." Grassley tweeted, "#CommonSense. IF NO PROSECUTIONS TIL AFTER ELECTIONS SAD SAD. The deep state is so deep that people get away with political crimes. Durham [should] be producing some fruit of his labor." The Washington Examiner (7/6, Dunleavy, 448K) reports Grassley "warned...that waiting until after November's contest might be too late." Fox News (7/6, Re, 27.59M) reports Barr "told Fox News last month that Americans be able to recognize 'some' of the names under investigation in Durham's probe, and that he is 'very troubled' by 'what has been called to' his attention so far." Among other issues, Durham is "reviewing whether federal agencies abused their surveillance powers to pursue figures associated with the Trump campaign." Jordan Seeks Former US Attorney's "Firsthand Recollection" Of Stone Sentencing. The Washington Examiner (7/6, Dunleavy, 448K) reports Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, "is seeking a 'firsthand recollection' from the former acting US attorney for the District of Columbia" about Roger Stone's sentencing. Jordan "sent a four-page letter...to Timothy Shea" in the wake of "claims from Democrats and Aaron Zelinsky, a prosecutor in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation...that the decision- making process, in walking back the sentencing recommendation, was motivated by politics." Jordan wrote, "The Chairman's personal animus seems to have clouded his view and prevents EFTA00149569 him from realizing the inherently unreliable nature of Mr. Zelinsky's double-hearsay statements. ... Because Mr. Zelinsky's remote appearance and the double-hearsay nature of his statements prevented a careful examination of the facts, we write to request your firsthand recollection of events surrounding Mr. Stone's sentencing ... because you were the senior official within the US Attorney's Office at the relevant time." Stone Asks Appeals Court To Delay His Prison Sentence. Politico (7/6, Gerstein, 4.29M) reports that Stone "is mounting a last-ditch bid to get a federal appeals court to put off the 40-month prison sentence he is facing." On Monday, Stone's attorneys asked the DC Circuit Court of Appeals "for an emergency stay of US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson's ruling last week putting Stone, 67, under house arrest at his Fort Lauderdale home and directing him to report to a federal prison camp by July 14." They "say an undisclosed medical condition he suffers from leaves him at greater risk of death if he catches coronavirus, that his chances of being infected behind bars are high, and that the prison complex in Jesup, Ga., where he is supposed to serve his term is now reporting a half-dozen cases of the virus among inmates and three among staff." Fitton: Judicial Watch Has Sued Over Access To Power's Unmasking Requests. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton writes on Breitbart (7/6, 673K) that his organization has filed a FOIA lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia "against the State Department over requests by [Obama Administration UN Ambassador Samantha) Power to unmask the identities of U.S. citizens whose names appear in intelligence reports concerning Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election." According to Fitton, in the final months of Obama's Administration, "his lieutenants were abusing the [unmasking) process as they frantically looked for dirt on the Trump campaign." Power, Fitton writes, was reportedly "one of the worst abusers." Fitton concludes that Obama used the "vast powers" of the US intelligence agencies "illegally to spy on political opponents. This can't be allowed to stand. And we aim to uncover the truth about this terrible corruption." Hunter Biden Still Owns 10% Equity Stake In BHR Partners. The Daily Caller (7/6, Kerr, 716K) reports that while the Chinese private equity firm BHR Partners "updated its business records on April 20 to remove Hunter Biden as a member of its board of directors," according to Chinese business records, Biden "continues to hold a 10% equity stake in BHR through his company, Skaneateles LLC, as of Friday, a position he maintains despite a pledge in December from his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, that none of his family members would 'be engaged in any foreign business' if he is elected president in November." Breitbart (7/6, Alic, 673K) provides similar coverage. Pandemic Again Delays Sentencing Of Former Los Alamos Scientist With Ties To China. The Aiken (SC) Standard (7/6, Demarest, 40K) reports, "The sentencing of a former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist has again been delayed by novel coronavirus concerns." According to the Standard, "The hearing for Turab Lookman, who in January pleaded guilty to lying about his involvement in a Chinese recruitment stratagem, the Thousand Talents Program, is now set for Aug. 26. Hearings had been scheduled for late April and, after that, late July." The Standard adds, "Lookman - years ago named a laboratory fellow, an illustrious title - was arrested by the FBI in May 2019. A federal grand jury indicted him on three counts of making false statements about his connection to foreign governments and the Thousand Talents Program." West Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty To Sharing Classified Information With Russia. The AP (7/6) reports Elizabeth Jo Shirley, who "worked on assignments with the National Security Agency while serving in the Air Force," had "planned to offer top-secret information EFTA00149570 from the National Security Agency to the Russian government." She "pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement to one count each of willful retention of national defense information and international parental kidnapping," and she "faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the national security charge and up to three years and a $250,000 fine on the kidnapping charge." The Martinsburg (WV) Journal (7/6, 51K) reports Shirley also "admitted to removing her child, of whom she was the non-custodial parent, to Mexico with the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of the custodial father's parental rights." WOWK-TV Charleston, WV (7/6, 21K) reports that following her arrest in Mexico in 2019, FBI agents "executed search warrants on numerous of Shirley's electronic devices, including devices she took to Mexico in July 2019 and devices the FBI seized from her Martinsburg storage unit in August 2019." They found classified documents as well as messages drafted for Russian government agents. Also reporting are Fox News (7/6, Betz, 27.59M), The Hill (7/6, Bowden, 2.98M), and Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail Media (7/6, 32K). GAO Says Security Clearance Issue Negates $105M NSA Deal. Law360 (7/6, Subscription Publication, 8K) reports the US Government Accountability Office has "sustained a protest over a $104.5 million NSA contract, finding in a decision released Monday that the contractor knew a proposed key employee lacked the required security clearance." The GAO "said in a June 15 decision, sustaining a protest by M.C. Dean, that PTSI Managed Services Inc. was obliged to tell the NSA that its proposed program manager had been denied the clearance he needed to work on the disputed physical security system maintenance, installation and distribution deal but didn't do so, meaning its proposal was technically unacceptable." Chechen Critic Of Kadyrov Assassinated In Austria. The Washington Post (7/6, Dixon, 14.2M) reports on a series of murders of "Chechen bloggers critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin's protege, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, or Chechen rebel veterans who fought for independence from Russia." The Post says "the latest victim" was "43-year-old Mamikhan Umarov, who posted frequent criticism of Kadyrov on YouTube," and "was gunned down" in Austria on Saturday. According to the Post, "The murder follows a long string of assassinations and attacks on Chechen exiles in Europe, Turkey and the Middle East since 2004, when a former acting leader of Chechnya, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, was assassinated in a car bomb attack in Doha, the capital of Qatar." Radio Free Europe (7/6, 9K) reports Austrian police are "investigating whether the murder of a Russian asylum seeker outside the capital of Vienna over the weekend was a political assassination." The police had earlier "said that a 43-year-old Russian man was shot dead on July 4 in a parking lot next to a shopping center in the Vienna suburb of Gerasdorf." Two men have been "detained in connection with the killing." Sources in the Chechen diaspora "have told RFE/RL that the man killed was Mamikhan Umarov, a former Chechen separatist and critic of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov." The Austrian regional intelligence and anti-terrorism body "are investigating the case." Roland Scherscher, the anti-terrorism agency's head, "said a political motive or an argument could be behind the killing." Israel Expresses Concern As US Eliminates Satellite-Imaging Cap. Reuters (7/6, Williams) reports an Israeli official "flagged a possible security risk on Monday following a US move to allow American providers to sell clearer satellite images of Israel and the Palestinian territories." Under a 1997 US regulation known as the Kyl-Bingaman Amendment, "satellite images of Israel and the Palestinian territories used in services like Google Earth could show items no smaller than 2 metres (6.56 ft) across." But the US Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs Office "said on June 25 it would allow enhanced resolutions of 0.4 metre." In a statement to Reuters, the agency "said 'a number of foreign EFTA00149571 sources' are already producing and disseminating sub-2 m. imagery of Israel." Amnon Harari, head of space programmes at Israel's Defence Ministry, "said he believed the move was designed to ease international competition for US commercial satellites, adding, 'I don't think they (Americans) asked us' in advance." COVID-19 Pandemic Slows Disclosure Of Information To Defence Lawyers In RCMP Secrets Case. The Globe and Mail (CAN) (7/6, 1.04M) reports a federal prosecutor "says the disclosure of evidence to defence lawyers has 'slowed significantly' in the case of Cameron Jay Ortis, an RCMP member charged with revealing secrets." Crown lawyer John MacFarlane "said during a brief Ontario Superior Court hearing Monday the pace of disclosure had dropped off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has wreaked havoc with court cases and schedules." Ortis is "accused of Security of Information Act violations, breach of trust and a computer-related offense." The director general of the RCMP's national intelligence co-ordination centre "was arrested Sept. 12 for allegedly revealing secrets to an unnamed recipient and planning to give additional classified information to an unspecified foreign entity." Saudi Arabia Presses Canada To End Refuge For Ex-intelligence Officer. The Globe and Mail (CAN) (7/6, Fife, 1.04M) reports Saudi Arabia has been "pressing Canada to extradite a former top Saudi intelligence officer now living in Toronto." Saad Aljabri, who held a cabinet-rank intelligence post under deposed crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, "has been living in Toronto since a 2017 palace coup in Riyadh that left Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - known by his initials MBS - as the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia." Canadian sources "say the 61-year-old Mr. Aljabri has vast counterterrorism experience and a deep knowledge of some of Saudi Arabia's most sensitive information, including the foreign bank accounts and financial assets of senior members of the Saudi royal family." The Globe and Mail has "learned that the Saudis attempted to have Mr. Aljabri arrested by issuing a 'red notice' through Interpol in late 2017." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Army Identifies Buried Remains As Those Of Missing Fort Hood Soldier. The AP (7/6, Coronado) reports, "An Army commander confirmed Monday that dismembered remains found last week buried near Fort Hood belonged to a 20-year-old soldier who vanished more than two months ago from the Texas base." The AP adds, "Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, Fort Hood's senior commander, said during a news conference that the armed forces forensic examiner determined through DNA analysis that the remains belonged to Spc. Vanessa Guillen. A day earlier, an attorney for Gulllents family had said Army officials told the family at their Houston home that the remains were hers. 'We're now confronted with the aftermath of one of the most heinous acts I can imagine,' Efflandt said." Guillen, "who had been missing since April, was killed and dismembered by U.S. Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, a 20-year-old soldier from Calumet City, Illinois, took his own life last week, federal and military investigators have said." Suspect Appears In Court. ABC World News TonightVi (7/6, story 6, 1:45, Muir, 7.4M) reported, "Now, to the family of that Army soldier, Vanessa Guillen, who went missing from Ft. Hood, saying the Army has officially identified her remains now. And it comes as a suspect in the case appeared in federal court." ABC (Ramos) added, "Today, the suspect accused of helping the killer of Ft. Hood Army soldier Vanessa Guillen facing a judge in Texas. Cecily Aguilar charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Authorities alleging she admitted to helping her boyfriend, Aaron Robinson, dismember Gulllents body with a machete-type knife in April. After, she says, Robinson told her he'd bludgeoned Guillen with a hammer. She did not EFTA00149572 enter a plea. Aguilar allegedly telling the FBI she and Robinson went back to where they disposed of Guillen's body to 'continue the process of breaking down the remains.' Aguilar eventually cooperating with investigators, calling Robinson as they listened in. Robinson telling her, `Baby, they found pieces." ABC News (7/6, Pereira, Martinez, Deliso, 2.97M) reports, "Aguilar, 22, appeared via closed-circuit television in the Waco, Texas, courtroom to face conspiracy to tamper with evidence for her alleged role in the death of the 20-year-old soldier. The U.S. Attorney's office of the Western District of Texas said 20-year-old U.S. Army Specialist Aaron Robinson told Aguilar, who was his girlfriend, that he killed Guillen with a hammer on April 22 and transferred her body off the Army base, according to the criminal complaint. Aguilar is currently cooperating with the FBI." Four Ex-Prison Guards Sentenced In Louisiana Inmate Beating. The AP (7/6, McConnaughey) reports from New Orleans, "Four former officers at Louisiana's maximum-security prison have been sentenced for their parts in punching, kicking and stomping a handcuffed and shackled inmate and in plotting a cover-up." The AP adds, "The convicted ringleader, who yanked the inmate's leg chain to send him facedown onto concrete, got more than nine years. The lightest sentence was probation for a guard who stood by as others beat the inmate in January 2014 and then agreed to say he kneed the inmate to get him under control after the man spat on and fought with him. The inmate, identified in court papers by the initials J.S., had fractured ribs, a punctured lung and a dislocated shoulder." US District Judge John deGravelles sentenced Daniel Davis, 43, Scotty Kennedy, 52, John Sanders, 34, and James Savoy Jr., 42, on Thursday. Breonna Taylor's Family Claims She Was Given No Medical Aid After Shooting. The New York Times (7/6, Callimachi, 18.61M) reports from Louisville, Kentucky, "For up to six minutes after she was shot by police officers during a drug raid, Breonna Taylor, an emergency room technician, lay dying in her apartment but received no medical aid, her family claims in a new court filing." According to the limes, "The document also contends that the post-midnight raid on March 13 was motivated by the mayor's desire to clear a block in one of Louisville's most blighted neighborhoods for redevelopment. The court papers amend an earlier lawsuit against the three officers who fired into Ms. Taylor's apartment while executing a search warrant, seeking evidence against an ex-boyfriend who was a convicted drug dealer." City officials "called the claims a `gross mischaracterization,' while the coroner who performed the autopsy said the young woman's injuries would have been lethal even with intervention." The Daily Beast (7/6, 1.39M) reports that Taylor "died as a result of a politically-driven police operation 'to clear out' a Louisville street to make way for a multi-million gentrification plan, a lawsuit filed by the 26-year-old's family states." Taylor and her boyfriend "were asleep in their apartment on March 13 when three officers executed a 'no-knock' search warrant looking for a suspected drug dealer who lived in a different part of town. Taylor was shot eight times, spurring an FBI investigation. 'Breonna's home should never have had police there in the first place,' an amended lawsuit filed by Taylor's family in Jefferson Circuit Court Sunday states. 'When the layers are peeled back, the origin of Breonna's home being raided by police starts with a political need to clear out a street for a large real estate development project and finishes with a newly formed, rogue police unit violating all levels of policy, protocol, and policing standards." Family's Attorney Claims Police Lied About Search Time. The Louisville OM Courier-Journal (7/6, Duvall, 368K) reports, "Louisville Metro Police lied about the time of day they raided the home of a main suspect and arrested him in a narcotics investigation that led officers to Breonna Taylor's apartment the night she died, attorneys for her family claim in a new court filing." According to the Courier-Journal, "Court records indicate that LMPD officers executed two search warrants as a part of a broader narcotics investigation - one at Taylor's EFTA00149573 apartment and another at a suspected drug house 10 miles away - both at the same time: 12:40 a.m. March 13," but "Sam Aguiar, an attorney representing Taylor's family in a civil suit against the three officers who fired their weapons, says that police actually executed the warrant for Jamarcus Glover and arrested him around midnight — well before entering Taylor's apartment." Soldier Pleads Not Guilty To Participating In Neo-Nazi Plot. Army Times (7/6, Rempfer, 346K) reports Pvt. Ethan P. Melzer "pleaded not guilty Monday to charges from federal prosecutors that he shared sensitive information about his unit's upcoming deployment with a neo-Nazi group." The unsealed indictment "alleged that Melzer had admitted to his role in plotting a mass casualty attack against his fellow soldiers during a May 30 interview with military investigators." The indictment says Melzer "used an encrypted messaging application to contact members of an 'occult-based neo-Nazi' group known as the 'Order of the Nine Angles." Reuters (7/6, Stempel) reports that federal prosecutors "said Melzer admitted his role in plotting an attack in a voluntary May 30 interview with military investigators and the FBI." He "faces six charges, including conspiring to murder U.S. nationals and conspiring to murder U.S. military personnel, each of which carries a maximum life sentence, and providing material support to terrorists." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (7/6, 895K) reports that the alleged plot "was thwarted by the FBI and the U.S. Army in late May, according to the department, and the FBI arrested Melzer on June 10." Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss for the Southern District of New York said of Melzer, "Melzer allegedly attempted to orchestrate a murderous ambush on his own unit by unlawfully revealing its location, strength and armaments to a neo-Nazi, anarchist, white supremacist group." SNM Gang Member Charged With Racketeering After New Mexico Crime Spree. The Albuquerque (NM) Journal (7/7, Heild, 196K) reports, "A violent ex-con with the gang name Whiskers landed in Albuquerque just as a new mysterious virus was creeping into New Mexico and elsewhere." The Journal adds, "As residents were told to stay at home to prevent the spread of what became known as COVID-19, Tony 'Whiskers' Gauna allegedly took to the streets to commit a string of crimes." The "weekslong crime spree ended with Gauna's arrest on May 7 by Albuquerque police after he was found in possession of drugs and a stolen Ford truck," but "after his arrest, Gauna's alleged 19-year allegiance to the 'ultra violent' Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico prison gang as a drug smuggler and enforcer came to the attention of an FBI-led violent crime task force," and "based on his alleged membership and work for SNM, Gauna, 37, is now facing a federal racketeering conspiracy charge and five other counts." Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty To Firearms Violation. The New London (CT) Day (7/6, 109K) reports, "A 27-year-old Norwich man pleaded guilty on July 2 to a federal firearm offense stemming from an assault and shooting in New London last year, according to the office of U.S. Attorney John H. Durham." Federal prosecutors said that "on Sept. 14, 2019, Tremaine Dowdell and three associates assaulted a man outside of the H&T Mart on Ocean Avenue in New London. Surveillance video captured Dowdell removing a gun from his pants and firing a single shot toward the victim of the assault. The bullet missed the victim. When police arrived a short time later, officers found a .40 caliber cartridge casing at the location where Dowdell fired the gun." The Day adds, "Dowdell's criminal history includes state felony convictions for larceny, burglary and failure to appear in court offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition." Report: FBI Agent Pursued Kentucky Murder Suspect For 10 Years. EFTA00149574 The Hardin County (KY) News-Enterprise (7/6, News-Enterprise, 41K) reports former deceased FBI agent Tom Becker "followed a soldier, who once was stationed at Fort Knox, all the way to Texas where he was assigned" as part of his 10-year investigation into the 1974 murder of Cheryl Lynn Stro