Asst. FBI Director Andrew McCabe is testifying today behind closed doors to the House Intelligence Committee. Important to note how there have been no leaks; that’s the first indication of coordinated chaff and counter measures deployed by the UniParty enablers of the Deep State institutional government.
Bruce Ohr is scheduled tomorrow; again behind closed doors, this time in the Senate Intelligence Committee setting. Again, dueling intelligence hearings -between House and Senate- (on the same witnesses), indicates the UniParty apparatus has deployed Chaff and Countermeasures and is protecting the administrative state.

Promoting, well, actually the appropriate word is ‘deploying‘, the leveraged and controlled head of the House Oversight/Reform Committee is the tri-fecta in seeing the countermeasures deployed. [Prior: Issa, Chaffetz, now Roosterhead] The Chairman or Chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee is given the responsibility to deflect. In payment for services toward the cause of the UniParty the Chairman gets indulgences.
The oversight “Gang of Eight” appear to have taken over the process to ensure controls are in place. If we had not been watching this exact process play out for the past 8 years, we might not recognize the pattern. Alas, with Fast and Furious, IRS Targeting, Benghazi and more examples of UniParty wagon-circling, we would be naive not to notice the identical replay. The Hezbollah side-show is part of the ‘shiny thing’.
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As the House of Representatives votes on the final tax bill, the White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, delivers the press briefing for Tuesday December 19th.
UPDATE: Video Added
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The House and Senate are scheduled to vote today on the final draft of the reconciled House and Senate Tax Reform Bill. According to Paul Ryan and House Leadership the House of Representatives will call up the vote around 1:30pm EST this afternoon.
According to Senate Leader Mitch McConnell earlier today, the Senate will call up the vote later tonight. That could be very late tonight; the Senate is notorious for votes after midnight. Successful passage by the House and Senate would set up the possibility of President Trump signing the bill as early as tomorrow (Wednesday).
Livestream of House Vote below. [Each representative has three minutes for final debate and argument presentation] UPDATE: 2:30pm EST – House Bill Passes 227-203

Now the senate’s turn.
Post your Christmas stories, videos, pictures and memes here. Let’s have a little holiday fun!
In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.
This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.
President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP
Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †
Earlier today U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley defiantly exercised the United States’ veto power, shutting down a Security Council resolution that would “nullify” President Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
…”no nation on earth has the power to dictate where the US places its embassies.”
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[Full Transcript of Ambassador Haley Remarks] Thank you, Mr. President.
I have been the proud Representative of the United States at the United Nations for nearly a year now. This is the first time I have exercised the American right to veto a resolution in the Security Council. The exercise of the veto is not something the United States does often. We have not done it in more than six years. We do it with no joy, but we do it with no reluctance.
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Last Friday the New York Federal Reserve raised its estimate of U.S. GDP growth for the fourth quarter of 2017 to four percent. That’s officially the unattainable, impossible magic-wand-level of GDP growth all the ‘experts’ said was impossible. Why did they make that ‘unexpected upward’ re-re-re-revision? Because the underlying economic activity represents facts that cannot be denied. The economy is on-the-move.

…”Hold on to your economic britches peeps – throw dem ju-ju bones out the windows – grab hold of the young-un’s, squeeze em tight and introduce them to ‘capitalism unchained’. We are in uncharted MAGA territory now. Q4 will be well beyond 3.2% 3.8% 3.9% 4.0%… Well Beyond.”…
The actual economic activity noted in virtually every region in the U.S. is so strong the polling measures of economic optimism are reaching new records. Today, as an example, for the first time in their 11 year CNBC All-American Economic Survey more than half of all Americans responding to the questions rate the economy as good or excellent. Additionally, nearly 41 percent of Americans say they expect the economy to be better a year from now. These represent the most optimistic results CNBC has ever recorded.
We would be remiss if we didn’t note a specific choice of words used to describe the economic conditions being measured:
…”We’re not measuring a marginal change in the economy, we’re measuring a different economy.”…
Sound familiar?
It should….
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From the State Department:
“The United States faces a 21st century global environment that presents unconventional threats from non-state actors, as well as challenges to our economic and national security from traditional state actors. Whether the threats are rogue nations seeking nuclear weapons, terrorists plotting to attack our homeland, or malicious cyber actors seeking to damage and destabilize our critical systems and infrastructure, we must remain vigilant against those who would do harm to our people and our way of life.”

“President Trump’s new National Security Strategy brings to bear all elements of American power to protect our people, generate new economic opportunities, and advance our interests and democratic principles. The State Department will work closely with other federal agencies and our allies and partners around the world to implement this strategy. ”
~ Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
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The previous effort at justification and damage control over the FBI counterintelligence operation to spy on presidential candidate Donald Trump was likely courtesy of FBI Asst. Director of Counterintelligence E.W. “Bill” Priestap.

The latest effort at justification comes directly from anti-Trump FBI Counterintelligence Agent Peter Strzok; claiming the ‘insurance policy’ statement was to protect candidate Donald Trump, not to defend the republic against him. :::insert eyeroll here:::
WASHINGTON DC – An FBI agent’s text message that referred to “an insurance policy” and has been cited as evidence of bias against President Trump reportedly alluded to the investigation into Russia’s election interference and any potential ties between Trump’s campaign and Moscow.
The Wall Street Journal, citing individuals familiar Peter Strzok’s message, said the agent did not mean to indicate that there was a plan to damage Trump. Strzok’s message, instead, was intended to mean that Trump could win the election, and therefore the probe “couldn’t afford to take a more measured approach,” the newspaper said. (read more)
