National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster does not believe his predecessor did anything wrong by asking for the names of Americans caught up in surveillance programs to be revealed

Donald Trump, H.R. McMaster meet amid purge of national security staffers

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster met with President Trump Thursday amid his purge of Trump loyalists from the White House national security council, a heated debate about sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and a report that he allowed former Obama administration aide Susan E. Rice to keep her security clearance.

Gen. McMaster sent a letter to Ms. Rice in April giving her unfettered and continuing access to classified information and waiving the “need-to-know” requirement on anything she viewed or received during her tenure as President Obama’s national security adviser. A copy of the letter was obtained by Circa; Mr. Trump reportedly was not aware of Gen. McMaster’s action.

The topic of Ms. Rice has been a particularly sore spot for Mr. Trump, who was angered to learn that she unmasked the identities of Trump transition aides in conversations with Russian officials. The president has called it “a massive story.”

Gen. McMaster also has come under increasing fire from conservatives this week after Bloomberg reported that he concluded Ms. Rice did nothing wrong with the unmasking.

The head of a conservative group called for Gen. McMaster to be fired, citing the leaks Thursday of transcripts of Mr. Trump’s phone conversations with foreign leaders.

“The only option President Trump has is to clean house at the National Security Council, starting at the top with General McMaster,” said Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning. “The threat posed to the country by the National Security Council leaking requires immediate and swift action.”

But a group of national security analysts at the conservative Heritage Foundation on Thursday called Gen. McMaster “the right leader for a tough, determined president who only wants the best for the American people.”

“For months, there have been reports of strong disagreements in the White House. There’s nothing wrong with that. In our view, that’s often the best way tough decisions get made,” wrote analysts Jim Carafano, Walter Lohman, Tom Spoehr, Luke Coffey, David Shedd and Nile Gardiner.

Conservatives also are expressing concern about the ouster of several NSC staffers who were allies of either presidential strategist Steve Bannon or fired NSC adviser Michael Flynn. Some are accusing Gen. McMaster of being a “globalist” and failing to support Israel strongly enough.

Breitbart, the news organization formerly run by Mr. Bannon, has published several stories this week calling into question Gen. McMaster’s actions.

Gen. McMaster this week ousted Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the NSC’s senior director for intelligence who was considered a Trump loyalist. He had been brought into the White House by the previous national security adviser, Mr. Flynn, who was fired by Mr. Trump in February.

“General McMaster appreciates the good work accomplished in the NSC’s Intelligence directorate under Ezra Cohen’s leadership,” the White House said in a statement. “He has determined that, at this time, a different set of experiences is best-suited to carrying that work forward. General McMaster is confident that Ezra will make many further significant contributions to national security in another position in the administration.”

Mr. Cohen-Watnick was involved in a controversy over a visit by House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, California Republican, to the White House in March to look at intelligence reports about surveillance of Trump aides during the presidential campaign.

Two weeks ago, NSC director of strategic planning Rich Higgins was fired. He was ally of senior presidential adviser Steve Bannon.

Gen. McMaster reportedly has been ousting NSC staffers connected to a memo outlining how Mr. Trump was under attack from “globalists” and “Islamists” trying to undermine his agenda.

Last week, Derek Harvey, a key Middle East adviser at the NSC, was removed from his job.

“General McMaster greatly appreciates Derek Harvey’s service to his country as a career Army officer, where he served his country bravely in the field and played a crucial role in the successful surge in Iraq, and also for his service on Capitol Hill and in the Trump administration,” NSC spokesman Michael Anton said in a statement. “The administration is working with Colonel Harvey to identify positions in which his background and expertise can be best utilized.”

Gen. McMaster and other members of the president’s national security team have been pushing him to send about 3,500 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, a move that the president has been resisting.

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Here Is a Real Crime:

ABC, NBC, And CBS Pretty Much Bury IT Scandal Engulfing Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Office

Matt Vespa 

Townhall July 27, 2017

Well, just in case you didn’t hear, an information technology officer has been accused of bank fraud. He tried to flee the country, and now Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s (D-FL) office has finally fired the aide, despite this person being under investigation since last winter. His termination was made official on Tuesday.

Imran Awan is the name of the subject in question. The Capitol Police launched a probe, where he’s been accused of “serious, potentially illegal, violations on the House IT network.” He also provided technical assistance to other Democratic members of Congress. It was a family affair as well. As Jenn noted over the weekend, his two brothers, along with two of their wives, also worked for members of Congress. Imran moved out of his house in Virginia when he found out he was under investigation last February. He rented the home to a Marine Corps veteran and his wife, a naval officer, who found hard drives that Awan had reportedly tried to destroy. The FBI now has possession of those drives. Jenn added that Imran tried to enter the home to retrieve them, though the Marine refused entry.

On Monday, Imran was arrested trying to leave the country at Dulles airport (via The Hill):

Awan and his family have reportedly worked for House Democrats for years. He declared bankruptcy in 2012, but has made millions of dollars on the House payroll over at least a decade of work for various members, according to a Politico report. 

In March, a group of House Democrats fired Awan and one other staffer over their alleged involvement in the scheme and the looming criminal investigation. However, Fox News reported Tuesday that Wasserman Schultz still has Awan on her staff's payroll despite him being barred from accessing the House's computer system since February.

Concerning media coverage, Politico has reported something on it, but the big three—ABC, NBC, and CBS—have virtually buried this story, preventing the millions of viewers that tune into these respective networks from learning about it. NBC and ABC have been silent in their broadcasts, but CBS did devote 37 seconds to it. That's it (via Newsbusters):

ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today continued on Wednesday morning the liberal media’s attempts to help Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fl.) cover up the scandal involving now-fired I.T. staffer Imran Awan after his arrested Monday when he tried to flee the country.

After all three ignored the story until Wednesday, CBS This Morning arrived at the scene, albeit it with a 37-second news brief by co-host Gayle King that only scratched the surface on this scandal concerning Awan and his family.

[…]

As The Daily Caller has reported for months, Awan and his family have provided I.T. services to not just Wasserman Schultz but prominent congressional Democrats across key committees such as the House Intelligence Committee. 

The news outlet also found that Awan and his brother secretly took $100,000 of Iraqi money, owed money to an Iraqi politician who’s been linked to Hezbollah, and possibly kept their stepmother “in ‘capivity’” for better access to offshore money. 

On Monday, The Daily Caller’s Luke Rosiak reported that the FBI had “seized smashed computer hard drives” from Awan’s home in addition to the Capitol Police’s seizure of  “computer equipment tied to [Wasserman Schultz].”

Awan’s attorney is blaming the media attention on “anti-Muslim bigotry.” Awan is from Pakistan.

Awan, who lives in Lorton, Va., was arraigned Tuesday on charges of bank fraud for allegedly attempting to get a loan from the Congressional Federal Credit Union on a rental property by claiming it as his primary residence.

He pleaded not guilty. His passport was confiscated and he was outfitted with a GPS monitoring device. 

Awan's wife, Hina Alvi, flew to Pakistan in March with the couple's three children. A federal court complaint, which noted the children had been abruptly taken out of school in Virginia, said an examination of her luggage found she was carrying $12,400 in cash. She was allowed to leave for Pakistan.

Another Burp from The Swamp

Report: FBI General Counsel Allegedly Under Investigation for Leaks

FBI General Counsel James Baker is allegedly under investigation by the Justice Department in connection with leaks of classified national security information to the media, Circa is reporting.

The website attributed its information to "multiple government officials close to the probe" and the officials spoke on the condition they not be identified.

The website attributed its information to "multiple government officials close to the probe." The officials spoke on the condition they not be identified, according to Circa.

Three sources told Circa that Baker is a suspect in a leak investigation. However, the website has confirmed what information was allegedly leaked.

Baker is said to be close with former FBI Director James Comey, and according to the website, recent media reports suggested he was advising the then-FBI director on legal matters after private meetings Comey had with President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Comey appointed Baker to his post in 2014, according to information on the FBI's website.

He had previously worked as the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, where he "developed, coordinated, and implemented national security policy with regard to intelligence and counterintelligence matters."

Circa said the FBI would not confirm or deny any investigation of Baker.

The website's report comes as Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to announce several criminal leak investigations, Fox News reports.

And just this week, President Donald Trump, who has been highly critical of the attorney general, said: Session had to be "tougher" on leaks, The Washington Post noted.

"You can't let that happen," Trump said of the leaks.

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