A rather interesting New York Times article describes life in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) now that interim Director Mick Mulvaney is leading the agency. Actually, one of the more interesting aspects is how congressional defenders of the CFPB have claimed the workforce is non-partisan, yet for some mysterious reason the mostly Millenials are described as using coded messaging.

Keep in mind, these are presumably college educated young professionals:

New York Times […] Some employees, including a few of the bureau’s top officials, have welcomed their new leader. Others, pointing to Mr. Mulvaney’s earlier hostility toward the agency and its mission, are quietly resisting. One small group calls itself “Dumbledore’s Army,” according to two of the people who were familiar with their discussions. The name is a reference to a secret resistance force in the “Harry Potter” books.
An atmosphere of intense anxiety has taken hold, several employees said. In some cases, conversations between staff that used to take place by phone or text now happen almost exclusively in person or through encrypted messaging apps.

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Facing increased scrutiny for his financial settlements with harassment accusers, Democrat Representative John Conyers states he is retiring from congress.  According to lawyers speaking on behalf of Conyers, his retirement is effective immediately.
(Via CBS) [John Conyers (D-MI)] has announced Tuesday that he is retiring and has endorsed his son, John Conyers III to run for his seat. Conyers’ lawyer confirmed that the retirement is effective immediately.
“My legacy can’t be compromised or diminished in any way by what we’re going through now. This too shall pass,” said Conyers on a local Michigan radio station Tuesday morning.
He added, “I want you to know that my legacy will continue through my children. I have a great family here and especially in my oldest boy, John Conyers III who incidentally I endorsed to replace me in my seat in Congress.”
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What every media outlet will mention is that ABC has suspended veteran Fake News journalist Brian Ross for four weeks.  What few media outlets will mention is that veteran ABC journalist Brian Ross likely was seniority-scheduled to get the holidays’ off anyway. So meh…

(Via New York Post) ABC News reporter Brian Ross was suspended on Saturday for his botched report about Mike Flynn. “We deeply regret and apologize for the serious error we made yesterday,” ABC News said in a statement. “Effective immediately, Brian Ross will be suspended for four weeks without pay.”
The network explained that Ross’ original claim on Friday that Mike Flynn had been instructed to negotiate with Russian officials during the presidential campaign “had not been fully vetted” through their editorial process.

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Those who have traveled the deep weeds will know the Washington Post is the primary and historic defense media for the Intelligence Community (IC).  That backdrop is CRITICAL to understanding this story.

The Washington Post is quick to the presses ahead of congressional intelligence committees discovering the specific content of communication between the lead FBI agent on Robert Muellers team… that led to an Inspector General investigation… that led to Mueller firing the top FBI agent from the team.
Again, for EMPHASIS, this Washington Post report is specifically trying to get out ahead of the story to defend Mueller and the FBI.

FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok (above left box), was the deputy head of counterintelligence at the FBI.  He was the tip-of-the-spear in the Clinton email investigation assigned by James Comey.  FBI Agent Strzok was part of a very small special team, called the “skinny team”, tasked with investigating Hillary Clinton.  Agent Peter Strzok was one of the few people who actually interviewed Hillary Clinton.
Additionally, this year agent Peter Strzok was personally selected by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to be the TOP FBI AGENT in charge of the investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian collusion conspiracy.
However, as a direct outcome of an Inspector General investigation into Peter Strzok, it is just coming to light that text messages and written communication between Strzok and an FBI lawyer named Lisa Page will show a strong bias to clear Clinton and against Trump.
Behind the communication, Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page were having an affair.  Strzok and Page communicated with each other about their disdain and hatred for Donald Trump while they were key members of the Muller investigative team.
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ENOUGH !  Just Build It…

After two days of deliberations, jurors in San Francisco have found a Mexican national not guilty of murder in the killing of Kate Steinle.

Ms. Steinle was fatally shot in the back in 2015; she died in her fathers arms. A five time deported Mexican national named Jose Zarante admitted to the shooting, saying it was an accident.
Prior to the shooting, Mr. Zarante was arrested and released -despite a federal immigration hold request- due to San Francisco’s sanctuary city policy.
The verdict today is an abhorrent miscarriage of justice.

(Via Fox News) Jurors have found Jose Ines Garcia Zarate not guilty of killing Kate Steinle on Pier 14 in San Francisco in July 2015 in the trial that sparked a national debate over illegal immigration.
Jurors reached the decision Thursday in the sixth day of deliberations after first receiving the case last week.

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Deep State Swamp Hits Back

The New York Times narrative engineers: Maggie Haberman, Peter Baker and Gardiner Harris are attempting to create division between President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in an entirely manufactured hit piece against the Trump administration.
According to their script, which again requires “anonymous or invisible sources“, the White House is considering a replacement for Secretary of State Tillerson.
Nonsense.

Beyond the customary pro-active contingency plans, that are always in place for succession planning amid top level leadership, the narrative as being distributed is 100% pure agenda-driven horsepucky.
The media agenda here is clear.  Secretary of State Rex is methodically downsizing the State Department and reversing the current mission of the agency away from interventionist globalism, and back toward common sense foreign policy.
The position of hundreds of pontificating sanctimonious career bureaucrats are being dissolved.  The Deep State is being deconstructed and the globalists are apoplectic.
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There’s a big con job just over the horizon.  All of the elements are there.  The timing, the platform, the personalities, the discussion topics, etc., it’s a familiar script.  CTH would like to direct attention to this interview which took place last night on Laura Ingraham’s new Fox News show.  Listen carefully to three elements:
♦On Tax Reform – on one side of Rubio’s ‘full-throated‘ mouth he wants higher taxes on corporations 22% -vs- 20%. In the almost the same breath, inside the same argument, he says “it’s not their (the government’s) money”.   Try to reconcile that.
♦On DACA – [Remember, three months ago President Trump gave congress six months to fix DACA]  Rubio says the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) program is not the “Dreamers”.  What? Yes it is. The childhood arrivals ARE the so-called ‘dreamers’.
♦However, much more importantly, listen to what is said on “chain migration“.  Ingraham asks if Rubio supports “chain migration”.   Rubio says no, then immediately says: “I’ve always agreed to limiting chain migration to immediate family members”. WHAT? That is chain migration.

OMB Director Mick Mulvaney is covering as ‘Acting Director‘ for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) until a permanent replacement is nominated by President Trump.  Democrats are apoplectic about their holy grail bureau being under oversight of Mr. Mulvaney.  As evidence of their angst they are supporting legal maneuvers to stop the Trump administration from carrying authority within the agency.
The Department of Justice, White House Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), agreed with President Trump’s authority to appoint an ‘acting director’.  The legal counsel within the CFPB also agreed that President Trump was well within his authority to appoint Mulvaney.   However, that didn’t stop bureau employee Leandra English from filing a personal lawsuit trying to stop Director Mulvaney and install herself as director.
A federal judge listened to the argument of CFPB employee Ms. English yesterday. Judge Tim Kelly did not make an immediate ruling.  Instead, the DOJ filed a response to the pleading (full pdf below), and Judge Kelly scheduled a hearing for 4:00pm today:
[scribd id=365766390 key=key-ZpJkp38yRIvQ8VJLcUwR mode=scroll]
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Representative Louis Gutierrez (D-IL) is a long-time Marxist in congress who is an open-border activist.  Representative Gutierrez has previously requested illegal aliens to cross the Southern U.S. border and target any border patrol official possible.
As a militant immigration activist Mr. Gutierrez has also supported MS-13 gang strikes in the U.S. and advocated for illegal aliens to register to vote to influence U.S. elections.  He generally keeps his most visible vitriol reserved for Spanish-speaking audiences.

Gutierrez surprised many people today with a report he will not seek reelection this year for his Chicago district. Gutierrez owns a home in Puerto Rico so there’s a possibility the opportunity for unaccountable federal recovery money flowing into PR might be too enticing to pass up. An opportunity exists to make millions from the inherent political corruption in the island.  Regardless, there’s also a financial lobbying angle available.

CHICAGO – Signaling the end to a quarter century career in Congress, Rep. Luis Gutierrez will announce Tuesday that he will not seek re-election, Democratic sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times.

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