Lawyer in other felony cases for accused Waukesha Christmas parade attacker wants to stop defending him

Suspect Darrell Brooks Jr. rapping in front of a red SUV (YouTube).

Report: Total of six charges dropped at pretrial hearing against accused Waukesha Christmas Parade terrorist Darrell Brooks

Posted by: | |Categories Featured, Must Reads, News
Share:

WAUKESHA, WI – According to a report from Fox 6, on Thursday, August 25th, Darrell Brooks was in court at a hearing that was mainly focused on determining what will and what will not be allowed in as evidence during his trial, which is set for October.

Brooks is the man accused in the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack back in November 2021 where he allegedly drove an SUV directly into the crowd, killing six and injuring another 62 people, including young children.

During the hearing on August 25th, Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow sided with the defense and nixed Counts 78-83, a total of six counts of homicide by vehicle and use of a controlled substance. The judge ruled that there cannot be multiple punishments for the same crime.

The six charges of first-degree intentional homicide remain. Brooks now faces 77 counts, down from the original 83 that were filed by prosecutors.

Judge Dorow also denied the state’s motion to allow testimony from a previous case where Brooks allegedly ran over his ex-girlfriend. Dorow said that because the parade was a mass casualty incident, and the other crime targeted a single person, the two incidents cannot be compared.

The judge did grant the state’s request to let the jury travel by bus along the parade route with conditions, including requirements that the trip be recorded and that there be no signs along the route, such as “Waukesha Strong” signs.

Ahead of Brooks trial, which is set for October, a legal battle has been brewing behind the scenes. Court documents filed earlier in August show that defense attorneys have tried to get the case thrown out.

Brooks’ attorney has argued that his clients right to counsel was violated when “privileged communication was photocopied during the July 1 search of his jail cell.”

The state countered that argument, saying that Brooks was heard on the jail telephone referencing files he received from another inmate, telling him he should get a “not guilty by reason of insanity plea.”

https://fundourpolice.com/

On Monday, August 22nd, defense attorneys said that an interrogation with Brooks on November 22, 2021, was “obtained in violation of the Fifth Amendment and must be suppressed.” According to reports, this is when police met with Brooks for a second time, the day after the attack.

Anna Kees, the defense attorney for Brooks, said in a statement:

“The testimony admitted today clearly demonstrates a full 15 minutes or more passed from the point the officers entered the room to when Det. Carpenter actually read his Miranda rights.”

Lesli Boese, deputy district attorney, said:

“The defense says they should have walked into the room and immediately read him his rights. That is not the requirement under any case.”

Judge Dorow set aside 20 days in October for the trial. The state has submitted 32 pages worth of witnesses, including dozens from the Waukesha Police Department and 10 witnesses from the State crime Lab.

The state has also requested to take the jury to view the red Ford Escape in person. In a follow-up letter, Brooks’ attorneys said that they “don’t object.”

The New York Post reported that while at a court hearing on Friday, August 26th, Brooks had to be escorted out after going on a tirade during a pretrial hearing. Brooks went from sleeping at the defense table to yelling at the judge and sheriff’s deputies. He yelled:

“I don’t care about no livestream. Just like y’all don’t care. All this political. You sit up here and act like you know me. People like you, y’all don’t know nothing about where I come from.”

If Brooks is found guilty of just one of the intentional homicide charges, he will face a mandatory life sentence.

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

LET Unity

Preparing for riots? Charges dropped against Atlanta officers in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks

August 24th, 2022

ATLANTA, GA – According to several reports, authorities have announced that the charges against the two Atlanta police officers in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks have been dropped.

Special prosecutor Pete Skandalakis said that the deadly force utilized by Officer Garrett Rolfe in the shooting of Brooks at a Wendy’s back in June 2020 was justified and reasonable.

He said that the officers “acted within the scope of their duties” when they began to arrest Brooks at the Wendy’s parking lot on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI), having “no idea” that a struggle would ensue resulting in the fatal shooting of Brooks.

Skandalakis said that the officers’ “committed no crimes” and “acted as reasonable officers,” and that the level of use of force was justified. The charges of murder against Officer Rolfe and Officer Devin Brosnan have been dropped.

The special prosecutor said that his office would “file in Fulton County an administrative dismissal in which we will be dismissing all the warrants” against Officer Rolfe and Officer Brosnan. Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, said:

“We did not look at this with 20/20 hindsight. Given the quickly changing circumstances, was it objectively reasonable that [Rolfe] used deadly force? And we conclude it was.”

Back in June of 2020 at a Wendy’s parking lot, Brooks began fighting with the officers when they attempted to arrest him. He was able to grab one of the officer’s tasers and fired it at Officer Rolfe has he ran away.

In hindsight, Skandalakis said he does not believe that Brook’s race played a role in his death, adding:

“This isn’t one of those cases. This is a case in which the officers were willing to give Mr. Brooks every benefits of the doubt, and you know, unfortunately, by his actions, this is what happened.”

https://fundourpolice.com/

Skandalakis called the interaction with Brooks and the officers a “peaceful encounter that all of a sudden becomes a violent encounter,” adding that once Brooks grabbed the taser, he assumed an offensive position.

Brook’s death led to Officer Rolfe being fired the very next day, however, his termination was overturned in May of 2021.

Five days later, then-Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard put our warrants against Rolfe and his partner Brosnan. Rolfe’s charges included felony murder.

On Tuesday, August 23rd, attorneys representing Brooks’ family held a press conference where they expressed their disagreement with the prosecutor’s decision. Attorney Justin Miller with Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys said in a statement:

“They got it wrong because a Fulton County jury will not have the opportunity to hear this case and that’s a travesty of justice.”

Danny Porter, the former Gwinnett County District Attorney who was brought in to consult with Skandalakis’ office in the case outlined how the decision that the deadly force utilized was “reasonable” rested on three key elements:

That in taking the taser from Brosnan, Brooks gave Rolfe cause to “reasonably believe the suspect possesses a deadly weapon.” He said that under case law a taser can be considered such a weapon;

That in the struggle with Brooks on the ground before he started running away, he had “overpowered” the officers and they “would have had reasonable belief he was an immediate threat of physical violence”; and

That the above two elements constituted probable cause to arrest Brooks believing he had “committed a crime … to involve infliction or threat of infliction of serious bodily harm.”

Porter also said that he reviewed the Atlanta Police Department’s use of deadly force policy and determined that Rolfe had not violated it. He added:

“So it’s out finding, my finding, in this case that Officer Rolfe acted in accordance with Georgia law, that he acted in accordance with Atlanta Police policy on use of deadly force, acted in accordance with controlling case law; and based on the facts and circumstances confronting Rolfe and Brosnan, the use of force was objectively reasonable and they did not act with criminal intent.”

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

LET Unity

Portland Police not releasing names of officers involved in on-duty shootings because of continued threats

August 20th, 2022

PORTLAND, OR – According to reports, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) plan to continue not naming officers who use their assigned duty weapon on the job.

The PPB has withheld the names of these officers since the end of July, citing ongoing threats to those officers as the reason for the departure from standard policy.

As of this writing, the PPB has not provided any specific details or evidence of those threats, but on Wednesday, August 17th, did announce that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would be investigating the potential danger to police officers.

As many police departments around the country are working towards more transparency with their communities, PPB included, the sudden sharp turn towards less first occurred on July 29th, when a PPB press release announced the agency would not release the name of a Focused Intervention team officer who fatally shot someone two days prior.

According to the press release, PPB was and is still investigating concerns related to doxing and threats to PPB members and/or their families related to officer-involved shootings. The release said:

“PPB has determined that there are credible security threats to officers involved in recent shootings and therefore, PPB is withholding the name of the involved member during the pendency of the doxing investigation.”

At the time, the PPB said that the officer’s name might be made public at the conclusion of the investigation.

Another Focused Intervention Team officer shot someone on Monday, August 15th, and PPB stated that since the FBI is investigating threats to officers, PPB officers’ names will continue to be withheld until the investigation is complete.

At the end of the FBI investigation, PPB stated that “the security threat will be reassessed.” Police said that one sergeant and two officers were involved in the shooting on August 15th, during a standoff with 49-year-old Robert Connelly, who allegedly pointed a gun at the officers.

https://fundourpolice.com/

PPB directives require that the names of officers involved in using deadly force and in-custody deaths to be made public within 24 hours “absent a credible security threat.”

Dan Handelman, of the police watchdog group Portland Copwatch, said that the PPB is claiming a broad, ongoing security threat when the directive states that it only applies to the officer involved in the specific incident. He added:

“They can’t claim an ongoing security threat based on officers not involved in the incident.”

On Friday, August 19th, a spokesperson with the FBI office in Portland said that the agency could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation into the alleged threats, which is standard to FBI policy.

Special Agent in Charge Kieran Ramsey, who heads the Portland office, said that the FBI is aware of threats to Portland officers. Ramsey said:

“It’s not right, it’s just simply not right to see these officers’ names are being released and then immediately they’re being doxed, they’re being harassed at a level that continues this concern of overall community safety.”

During the 2020 social justice and “defund the police” protests, PPB attempted to hide the names of officers because of threats against them. At the time, PPB allowed officers to use numbers on their uniforms instead of name tags.

That was taken to court and a judge forced the bureau to release the names of officers and their corresponding numbers.

Policing, along with other professions like teachers, election officials, and journalists are facing a higher level of threats across the country. These individuals are part of a national trend that has placed them at the crosshairs of an increasingly extreme populace turning toward violence or threats of violence to address grievances.

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

LET Unity

Portland officials not releasing the name of the officer involved in a shooting due to the doxing of other officers by leftists

August 2nd, 2022

PORTLAND, OR – In police-defunded and demoralized Portland, and as the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) continue to lose officers, cops are again being targeted by Leftists who have intentionally put targets on their backs, according to a report from PJ Media.

Officers who were involved in two shooting incidents were outed and doxxed by anti-police, defund the cops advocates, and after a third officer-involved shooting, PPB refused to divulge anything that would lead to the officer’s identity.

According to Portland Police union leaders, some anti-police leftists have followed officers back to their homes and issued flyers with officers’ names and photos in their neighborhoods.

After three PPB officers were involved in shootings, members of Antifa, Black Lives Matter (BLM), and other anti-police advocates responded by doxxing two of the officers by publicizing their names, addresses, phone numbers, and other personal information.

According to KGW, these officers are facing very real, credible security threats.

In press release, PPB cited to the doxing of the other two officers for their reason to not release the officer’s name involved in the shooting on Wednesday, July 27th.

Doxing, for reference, refers to when private information about a person, like their home address, is published publicly with the intent to cause harm, and with the violence past of members of Antifa and BLM, there are now targets on the officers’ backs.

A police spokesperson confirmed that the officers involved in two separate police shootings on the morning of July 24th and the morning of July 26th, have become victims of doxing. Sgt. Aaron Schmautz, president of the Portland Police Association, said in a statement:

“It’s a vital cog in accountability. But when we see offices threatened before there’s any due process, before the investigation has even gotten off the ground, people followed home, people having flyers put up in their neighborhood, family members being threatened, this isn’t about transparency.”

https://fundourpolice.com/

He added:

“This is about utilizing an event to create chaos and threaten the safety of police officers. It’s just not acceptable. What’s very important is we work together to call out those actors, call out those people.”

Schmautz said that officers dealt with numerous doxing incidents during the protests of 2020, prompting some officers to take their names off their uniforms.

Officials with PPB said that they will reassess releasing the name of the officer involved in the third shooting after an investigation into the doxing cases is complete. The full statement from PPB states:

“PPB is currently investigating concerns related to doxing and threats to PPB members and/or their families related to recent officer-involved shootings. The investigation of possible doxing and threats raises safety concerns for officers involved in shootings.”

The statement added:

“PPB has determined that there are credible security threats to officers involved in recent shootings and therefore, PPB is withholding the name of the involved member during the pendency of the doxing investigation.

Once the investigation is completed, PPB will reassess the security threat and will release the name of the officer involved in the shooting when the threat no longer exists.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a statement essentially demanding that people stop attacking cops in Portland, saying:

“The level of violence we are seeing in Portland and the direct disregard for law enforcement is unacceptable … I stand with our law enforcement partners and ask that the citizens of Portland to rally behind our police officers, deputies, agents, and anyone else who has given an oath to protect you.”

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

LET Unity

Police-defunded, Democrat-run Portland: Private security guard shot at multiple times while driving in his car

July 8th, 2022

PORTLAND, OR – According to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), shortly before 4:00 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, July 3rd, a private security guard employed by Eclipse Security had his car shot at multiple times.

The private security guard, identified only as Calvin, is shaken up from the incident, but not hurt after his car was shot at multiple times.

Mark Mercer, the owner of the security company, said that Calvin was turning left at Shaver Street and Haight Avenue near Denorval Unthank City Park and after making the turn someone got out of a car and fired several rounds at him. Mercer added:

“It was basically an ambush. That’s what it was.”

Mercer stated that the security guard was on a routine patrol for clients in the area and that the shooting was completely random. The owner added:

“Five bullets had missed the car completely. One bullet entered through the passenger front door, shattered that window and then continued on in front of Calvin and lodged itself in the windshield.”

The PPB said that an on-duty police officer was flagged down by Calvin several blocks east on Rodney Avenue after the shooting. As of this writing, the Enhanced Community Safety Team is investigating the incident, which is the PPB’s special unit that investigates gun crimes.

As of this writing, no suspect has been identified in the shooting and with the shooter still on the loose, Mercer said that Eclipse Security is taking extra precaution. He added:

“We’re not going to change our patrol tactics. We will change some training situations with our officers, but there’s not way that you can ever be properly prepared for something like this.”

This shooting happened about 10 days after another private security guard from a different security company was shot in Southeast Portland while on patrol overnight. As of this writing, the suspect has yet to be identified in that case.

https://fundourpolice.com/

According to the police, this suspect is wanted after he stole a gun from a security guard during a scuffle and shot the security guard. East Precinct officers were called out to a shooting in the 12600 block of Southeast Division Street.

When officers arrived on scene, they found a uniformed private security guard who had been shot in the chest. Thankfully, the man’s ballistic vest prevented the bullet from injuring him.

Police say that the victim reported that he had asked the suspect to leave the private party when the suspect suddenly lunged for his holstered firearm. A scuffle ensured and the suspect was able to free the firearm from the holster.

https://twitter.com/ryanchittum/status/1544559527084695553

According to police, the security guard was able to press the button to release the magazine, but the suspect shot him with the chambered round. The suspect fled the scene and has still not been located.

The Focused Intervention Team is assisting in the investigation of this matter and anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to email [email protected] with the reference case number 22-170159.

Both of these incidents add to a string of recent attacks on security guards. According to reports, in early May, Sircharles Marc Anthony Jones, a guard working the South Waterfront in Portland, was shot and killed in his car.

In April, a gun was pulled on a security guard at the Troutdale Outlet Mall by a group of shoplifters. In March, a security guard in Old Town was stabbed in the head. Mercer said:

“I think we’ve all got concerns. There just seems to be a very callous and lawless attitude towards any kind of uniformed presence or any kind of authority.”

He added:

“I think people need to be aware of their safety. I think they need to be aware of their environment.”

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

LET Unity

Report: Rep. Miller-Meeks says billions in unused federal COVID-19 relief funds should be used to put security in schools across the country

June 1st, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Monday, May 30th, Rep. Mariannetter Miller-Meeks (R-IA), appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends First,” stating that schools across the United States should be able to use the billions in unused COVID-19 funds to pay for security.

According to reports, during this appearance she argued that schools should be allowed to use the COVID relief money that Congress already allocated to schools, but that has not yet been spent by the schools for security risk assessments and security measures. She stated:

“There is action that can be done. So, I think using the COVID monies that were appropriated last year, we can use that money, allow schools to use it for a security risk assessment, to have doors that only have a one-way entrance, all other doors are locked.”

She added:

“So, you can exit if there’s an emergency, but you can only enter a school through one way. So, helping to prepare schools in order to really focus on the safety and security of their students in addition to their education.”

She finished by saying:

“So, I think I’ve heard Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) mention this, and this is his district where Uvalde is located. Those are concrete actions that we can take right now and already have funds that are appropriated for that.”

According to a report from Fox6, in the wake of the Uvalde massacre, schools in the state of Wisconsin are also looking to federal funds, including COVID-19 monies, to help add more security.

The amount of federal relief money flooding Wisconsin school is roughly $2.4 billion, with nearly $2 billion of it left to be claimed. School districts reportedly have until 2024 to spend the rest of the money.

https://fundourpolice.com/

The U.S. Department of Education has stated that federal COVID-19 relief money can be used to prevent and respond to crime as well as promote public safety. Dan Rossmiller with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, said in a statement:

“We are hearing quite a bit of concern about the effect of the pandemic on student mental health and that is an area, I think, of some urgency to address. These incidents don’t happen in a vacuum and if we can find resources and personnel to address student mental health issues, I think hopefully we can avert some potential situations.”

Funds can also be used on mental health help, including hiring more counselors and social workers. Rossmiller said:

“I think money is available. I think probably the biggest obstacle is we have a shortage of youth mental health personnel.”

Reportedly, after the 2018 Parkland school shooting in Florida, the state of Wisconsin passed a bill to pump $100 million into school security. Most of that money went to building security like secure doors, surveillance cameras, buzzer systems for the main entrances, and bulletproof film for front door windows.

The bill also set up the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety (OSS), which has trained 11,000 school staff and police on judge threats as well as adolescent mental health.

The law requires schools to have a safety plan and consult with police on an annual basis. Waukesha Police Chief Daniel Thompson said in a statement:

“We have school resource officers in the school. We talk about neighborhood engagement. That’s being engaged. That’s also looking for potential safety threat issues and getting in front of those issues.”

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

LET Unity

Sen. Cruz: Biden administration has “secret assessment” of Iran’s nuclear program, but refuses to share it with the public

May 7th, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C.- According to a report from the Daily Wire, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that the Biden administration has a “secret assessment” of Iran’s nuclear program that they are allegedly hiding from the public.

Cruz made the statement during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee, saying that the secret assessment allegedly shows a point at which pursuing a deal with Iran would be meaningless. When speaking to Deputy Secretary of State Brian McKeon, Cruz said:

“Last week in this committee, I discussed the IRGC terrorism sanctions with Secretary Blinken and he said that dismantling some sanctions would be worth it because the deal has benefits that will meaningfully rollback Iran’s nuclear program.”

He added:

“I want to ask you about those benefits because I don’t think that’s true and I don’t think you do either. Since President Biden was elected, Iran has made enormous, unprecedented progress on its nuclear program, including enriching uranium to 60 percent, deploying advanced centrifuges, and acquiring significant knowledge.”

He continued:

“Now, the Biden administration has a secret assessment that says there is a point after which the nuclear progress would make the deal meaningless.

Secretary Blinken has referenced that point in public numerous times since last year, but you have never revealed to this committee what that point is publicly. Administration officials have told this committee in classified briefings what your assessment is, but again, it has been kept from the public.”

Committee Chairman Bob Menendez noted in a statement, which Cruz highlighted during the meeting:

“We are told by the administration that if the negotiations didn’t conclude by the end of February, that in fact, the time that would be lost, and what we would gain would be a very little importance or value to us. Now, it’s the end of April. So if the end of February wasn’t going to buy us what we need, certainly the end of April is not there.”

When asked if the State Department would make the assessment public, McKeon claimed that he did not work on the issue and that he did not have an answer. He also said that he guessed nothing would be forthcoming “in the near term.” Cruz said:

“That is entirely consistent with everything I have heard and seen. So my question is, does the State Department intend to make your internal assessment public?”

https://fundourpolice.com/

According to a report from Politico, on Wednesday, May 4th, a bipartisan super-majority of senators voted to endorse a Republican-led measure stating that any nuclear agreement with Tehran should also address Iran’s support for terrorism in the region.

The Republican-led measure also stated that the U.S. should not lift sanctions on an elite branch of the Iranian military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Lawmakers from both parties said it was a warning shot to Biden’s negotiating team, who allegedly have all but acknowledged in private that an agreement that goes beyond curtailing Iran’s nuclear program is no longer possible.

The vote on May 4th was the first time lawmakers were forced to go on record about the key sticking points in the Biden administration’s year-long efforts to revive a nuclear agreement with Iran. When asked why he supported the measure, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said:

“We want a longer and stronger deal. [I want] the best deal possible that secures the region and prevents Iran from having a nuclear weapon.”

Republicans said that the vote was a clear sign that Biden and his negotiators, who have been warning lawmakers that Iran is closer than ever to producing enough material for a nuclear bomb, are headed for defeat. Cruz said:

“They’re so desperate for a deal that they’ve been willing to concede almost anything. This deal is a terrible deal and I think it is important to get every senator on-record where they stand.”

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

LET Unity

Biden administration reverses Trump-era policy and slashes millions of acres that would have been eligible for oil drilling in Alaska

April 26th, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Monday, April 25th, the Biden administration reversed a Trump-era plan that would have allowed the federal government to lease more than two-thirds of the country’s largest acreage of public land to oil and gas drilling.

According to reports, this decisions returns to an Obama-era administration plan that allows fossil fuel extraction in up to 25 percent of the reserve, compared to the Trump administration’s effort to open up 82 percent of the land to drilling.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision will shrink the amount of land available for lease in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), which is a nearly 23 million acre region that is home to wildlife like caribou and polar bears.

In January, the BLM had announced its review of the 2020 Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for the area and on Monday, April 25th, the Department of Interior signed a new Record of Decision (ROD) to guide the management of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

When the Biden administration first indicated that it was considering reversing the Trump-era policy, it sparked outrage from Alaska’s congressional delegation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a news release back in January:

“Sweeping restrictions like this, which are being imposed even as the Biden administration implores OPEC+ to produce more oil – demonstrate everything that is wrong with its energy policies.”

The move allegedly comes after the number of oil and gas permits approved by the BLM for drilling on public lands declined to its lowest number under the Biden administration. According to the BLM, the reserve generated more than $56 million in oil and gas lease revenue in 2019.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, oil and gas production on the reserve also has the potential to release over 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon released in the entire country in 2019.

https://fundourpolice.com/

The decision made on Monday, April 25th, ensures that the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska will be managed consistent with the 2013 IAP, while adding more protective lease stipulations and operating procedures for threatened and endangered species.

Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said that the Biden administration’s reversal is not enough to address the climate crisis and end new fossil fuel extraction. She said in a statement:

“More Arctic drilling also means more oil spills, more polluted communities and more harm to polar bears and other vulnerable wildlife. Biden officials can and must use their power to help us avoid disastrous climate change and support the transition to a just, renewable economy.”

According to reports, the 2013 IPA that was crafted by the Obama administration, is especially protective of Teshekpuk Lake, which is home to important shorebird like loons and caribou.

While the Trump administration’s plan called for allowing oil development in most of the NPR-A, it also had leasing restrictions aimed at, among other things, reducing the impact on the land surface and limiting activity during certain seasons.

The NPR-A is roughly the size of Indiana and is the country’s largest unit of public land. Several environmental groups prefer to call it the Western Arctic.

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

LET Unity

Report: Biden administration opposes ban on Russian oil, but wants world to reduce its reliance on it

March 6th, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden wants the U.S. and other countries to reduce their consumption of oil and gas in order to “punish” Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, Biden also does not want an outright ban of Russian oil and gas, despite calls from both Democrats and Republicans to do so.

Breitbart News reported that several senators and even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi want a ban on Russian energy import:

“There is growing support from Congress in a ban on oil imports from Russia.

“Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Jon Tester (D-MT) announced legislation on Thursday that would ban Russian energy imports.

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also endorsed the idea during her press conference on Thursday.

‘‘I’m all for that — ban it,’ she said. ‘Ban the oil coming from Russia.’”

The same report also noted that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden and his administration were not interested in banning imports of oil from Russia because reducing the supply would only increase prices and enrich the Russians.

Psaki lectured reporters at her daily briefing, reminding everyone that Europe and the U.S. simply need to reduce their consumption of oil:

“What this is all a reminder of in the president’s view is our need to reduce our reliance on oil. The Europeans need to do that. We need to do that.”

When asked about how much Russian oil is imported, Psaki tried to downplay the amount, even though Breitbart News reported that imports of crude oil to the U.S. have doubled from a year ago.

 

Psaki claimed:

“It’s only about ten percent of what we’re importing.”

She also said the White House was looking for actions that maximize the impact on President Putin, but minimize it for the American people.

Psaki pointed out that there is no “strategic interest” in the reduction of Russian oil and gas:

“We don’t have a strategic interest in reducing the global supply of energy.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday mimicked the same line of thinking during an interview with “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd.

During the interview, Blinken said the U.S. is “looking” at banning Russian oil nearly two weeks after Putin invaded Ukraine.

Blinken suggested to Todd that the U.S. would not unilaterally make a decision to ban Russian oil. He told Todd:

“We are looking, uh, again as we speak, in coordination with allies and partners, at this prospect of banning [Russian] oil imports.”

https://twitter.com/1BuvNews/status/1500578638370066436

When Todd pushed back and asked if a unilateral decision would be made by the U.S. to ban Russian oil and gas, Blinken responded vaguely, using the terms coordination and coordinating four times:

“A hallmark of everything we’ve done to date has been this coordination with allies and partners.

“We are much more effective across the board when we’re doing things together, uh, in as close to coordination as possible.

“There are instances where, uh, we each do something a little bit different, but it complements, uh, the whole.

“So, in the first instance, uh, we want to make sure that we’re acting in coordination.

“I’m not going to rule out taking action one way or another, uh, irrespective of what they do, but everything we’ve done — the approach starts with coordinating with allies and partners.”

https://fundourpolice.com/

Despite no ban on Russian oil and gas, the Biden administration and European governments are trying to impose sanctions on Russia to force it to end its attack against Ukraine.

So far, sanctions against Russia appear to be hurting innocent civilians instead of the Russian government.

New York Times reported:

“The harsh penalties — which have hammered the ruble, shut down Russia’s stock market and prompted bank runs — contradict previous declarations by U.S. officials that they would refrain from inflicting pain on ordinary Russians.

“‘We target them carefully to avoid even the appearance of targeting the average Russian civilian,’ Daleep Singh, the deputy national security adviser for international economics, said at a White House briefing last month.

“The escalation in sanctions this week has occurred much faster than many officials had anticipated, largely because European leaders have embraced the most aggressive measures proposed by Washington, U.S. officials said.

“With Russia’s economy crumbling, major companies — Apple, Boeing and Shell among them — are suspending or exiting operations in the country.

“The Biden administration said on Thursday that it would not offer sanctions relief amid Mr. Putin’s increasingly brutal offensive.”

The goal is to instigate anger amongst Russians and to foment street protests, New York Times reported:

“The thinking among some U.S. and European officials is that Mr. Putin might stop the war if enough streets and enough tycoons turn on him.

“Other U.S. officials emphasize the goals of punishment and future deterrence, saying that the carcass of the Russian economy will serve as a visible consequence of Mr. Putin’s actions and a warning for other aggressors.”

New York Times further reported:

“But Russia’s $1.5 trillion economy is the world’s 11th largest. No countries have tried pushing an economy of that size to the brink of collapse, with unknown consequences for the world.

“And the actions of the United States and Europe could pave the way for a new type of great-power conflict in the future.

“The moves have also ignited questions in Washington and in European capitals over whether cascading events in Russia could lead to ‘regime change,’ or rulership collapse, which President Biden and European leaders are careful to avoid mentioning.

“‘This isn’t the Russian people’s war,’ Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a news conference on Wednesday. But, he added, ‘the Russian people will suffer the consequences of their leaders’ choices.’

“‘The economic costs that we’ve been forced to impose on Russia are not aimed at you,’ he said. ‘They are aimed at compelling your government to stop its actions, to stop its aggression.’”

The sanctions are affecting the poorest to the richest. New York Times reported:

“The harshest sanctions by far are ones that prevent the Central Bank of Russia from tapping into much of its $643 billion in foreign currency reserves, which has led to a steep drop in the value of the ruble.

“Panic has set in across Russia. Citizens are scrambling to withdraw money from banks, preferably in dollars, and some are fleeing the country.

“The United States and Europe also announced new sanctions this week against oligarchs with close ties to Mr. Putin.

“Officials are moving to seize their houses, yachts and private jets around the world.

“French officials on Thursday snatched the superyacht of Igor Sechin, the chief executive of Rosneft, the Russian state oil giant.” 

Earlier this week, global payment processors, such as PayPal, American Express, Visa and Mastercard, shut down their services in Russia after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on companies to halt all business in Russia during a video call with U.S. lawmakers.

The fallout from companies suspending their services in Russia is that Russian citizens are now being financially impacted as they are expelled from the Western financial system.

The move has caused Russia to get closer to China, which has drawn mixed reviews.

ZeroHedge reported:

“Reuters has confirmed this development, writing that ‘several Russian banks said on Sunday they would soon start issuing cards using the Chinese UnionPay card operator’s system coupled with Russia’s own Mir network, after Visa and MasterCard said they were suspending operations in Russia.’

“State-owned UnionPay is the provider of most card payments in China.

“Announcements regarding the switch to UnionPay came on Sunday from Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender, as well as Alfa Bank and Tinkoff. 

“As Bloomberg adds, the move could allow Russians to make some payments overseas, with UnionPay operating in 180 countries and regions.

“Visa and Mastercard said that any transactions initiated with their cards issued in Russia will no longer work outside the country from March 10. 

“The Bank of Russia is also temporarily reducing the amount of information commercial banks are required to publish in an effort to limit the risks from international sanctions.

“Starting with statements for February, banks will no longer have to release accounts prepared to national standards or make any additional disclosures on their websites, the central bank said in a statement.

“The central bank of Russia advised its citizens to use cash abroad.

“It said Mir cards could also be used in Turkey, Vietnam, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.”

https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1500513772816973825

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) recently appeared to suggest via his Twitter post on March 3 that Putin needs to be assassinated:

“Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country – and the world – a great service.

“The only people who can fix this are the Russian people.

“Easy to say, hard to do. 

“Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate.”

Graham also recently said on Fox News:

“The best way for this to end is having Eliot Ness or Wyatt Earp in Russia, the Russian Spring, so to speak, where people rise up and take him down.”

Graham added:

“So, I’m hoping somebody in Russia will understand that he’s destroying Russia, and you need to take this guy out by any means possible.”

—

Want to make sure you never miss a story from Law Enforcement Today?  With so much “stuff” happening in the world on social media, it’s easy for things to get lost.  

Make sure you click “following” and then click “see first” so you don’t miss a thing!  (See image below.)  Thanks for being a part of the LET family!
Facebook Follow First

 

Share:
Submit a Correction
About The Author

Jenna Curren, Ed.D., is an assistant professor in criminal justice studies. As chair of a CJ advisory board, Jenna actively partners with members of the community to integrate current students into internships and prospective law enforcement careers. Prior to working in academics, Jenna held various custody and treatment positions and was a lieutenant for the CT Department of Correction. Throughout her tenure, she supervised men, women, youth and mental health offenders. A C.E.R.T and honor guard member, as well as a training officer, Jenna has 10 years of experience in the criminal justice and human services fields.

Related Posts