Vigilant News

Eternal Vigilance is the price of liberty.

Ryan DeLarme

The Same FBI Chief Who Botched Whitmer Kidnapping Now Runs DC Office Tied to Trump Raid

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The very same FBI field office in Washington D.C. that conducted the now notorious raid on former President Donald  Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home is being run by the same man who ran the Detroit field office during the botched attempt to entrap militiamen in kidnapping Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Steven D’Antuono was promoted by FBI Director Christopher Wray in October of 2020 to head the Bureau’s Washington Field Office. Deadline Detroit reported:

Steven M. D’Antuono, who was named chief of the Detroit FBI office a year ago, has been promoted to head the Washington Field Office, a coveted post in the bureau.

FBI Director Christopher Wray made the announcement Tuesday, just several days after D’Antuono’s agents and state police busted up a plot to abduct Gov. Gretechen Whitmer. His official new title is assistant director in charge. 

The job of heading the Washinton Field Office is among the most coveted posts in all of law enforcement, being the second-largest FBI field office behind New York City’s.

Details continue to emerge regarding the FBI’s integral role in the alleged kidnapping plot as public support for the agency plummets to new lows. The public sentiment among conservatives has dropped dramatically due to politically motivated investigations, prosecutions, and whistleblowers reporting law enforcement decisions being subject to political bias.

RELATED: Whistleblowers Claim FBI, DOJ are Downplaying Negative Hunter Biden Information

According to reporter Julie Kelly, the Whitmer kidnapping plot was an “FBI-inspired, organized, and executed a scheme to ‘kidnap’ and ‘assassinate’ Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ahead of the 2020 presidential election.”

Two of the fourteen men named in the plot, the only two who were not working for or with the FBI, were acquitted in April on the grounds that they had been entrapped by the FBI, and the jury could not reach a verdict for Fox and Croft, Kelly told “War Room” TV show host Steve Bannon last Tuesday.

As the DOJ prepares to retry Fox and Croft, Kelly believes that the department’s “timing could not be worse,” as the credibility of both the DOJ and FBI is “imploding” in the wake of the raid on Donald Trump and reports from Chuck Grassley’s whistleblowers.

Recent examples of politically motivated law enforcement action against both Trump allies and Biden opponents include:

  • The home of former Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark was raided by federal agents, who ordered him to stand outside in his underwear as they searched his house. CNN aired the bodycam footage of the raid, coincidentally taking place only one day before a public hearing by the Jan. 6 committee examining Clark’s role in supporting Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
  • Peter Navarro, the former Trump White House trade official, was publicly arrested by the FBI in June on a misdemeanor charge of contempt of Congress. Navarro alleges he was shackled in leg irons and strip-searched. The DOJ denies the claims. The judge in the case rebuked the DOJ for publicly arresting Navarro rather than just summoning him to court.
  • Trump election attorney John Eastman and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) both had their phones seized by the FBI. Eastman’s phone was taken for the government’s Jan. 6 criminal probe, while Perry’s was in relation to alternate electors for Jan. 6.
  • The FBI searched the homes and seized electronics of investigative journalist James O’Keefe and two of his associates at conservative media organization Project Veritas;
  • Former Trump attorney and two-term New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s home and office were raided as part of a Justice Department criminal probe into his business dealings and communications with Ukrainians.

Opinion: The American Bankers Association Announce Seminar on ‘Domestic Terrorism’ While Ignoring Other Issues, Because YOU are the Real Danger

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The American Bankers Association  (ABA) has recently announced that they will be holding a seminar on September 28, 2022, titled ‘Domestic Terrorism: A Threat to the Financial System’.

As per their website,

 “ABA proudly represents institutions of all asset sizes and charter types. These diverse perspectives drive the development of our daily work and policy positions. Take a look at where we’ve been, and where we’re going. From delivering the latest industry news to developing mission-critical training offerings, we support America’s banks as they perform their vital role in energizing the economy and helping communities thrive.”

This webinar comes as more serious threats to our economy mount. The webinar does not seem to cover high inflation, big hits to manufacturing, exceptionally high consumer prices, and households accumulating unprecedented credit card debt to survive; all as the economy is weakening at an alarming pace.

Despite this, the ABA has decided to focus in on ‘domestic terrorism’, a term whose definition has become rather amorphous in recent years as it’s been used to describe disgruntled citizens, concerned parents, poll watchers, protestors, and so on. 

Some have gone so far as to call the seminar “continued indoctrination”. The seminar’s description reads:

Take a closer look at the rise of domestic terrorists and other extremist groups, how they communicate and receive funding, and the threats they pose to the financial system.

Discussion highlights:

  • The changing threat landscape and the risks to the integrity of our financial system
  • The informal nature of the groups and their reliance on social media
  • How they receive funding

Audience:

  • Chief Risk Officer

  • Chief Compliance Officer

  • BSA Officer

  • BSA Manager

  • Fraud Manager

  • Compliance Managers

  • Risk Managers

  • Internal Audit

  • First Line Compliance Managers

One can’t help but wonder if the timing of this seminar has anything to do with the recent mass hire and arms training of 87,000 new IRS agents. If anyone is committing acts of terrorism, it’s the so-called financial institutions of the United States.

 

Donald Trump, King of Trolls, is Now Endorsing Democrats

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Donald Trump, in several posts on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, began sarcastically endorsing democratic candidates in the party’s primary. 

The first target of Trump’s democrat endorsement campaign was lawyer Dan Goldman, who the former President praised for having “headed up the Impeachment committee and lost”.

“Lawyer Dan Goldman is running for Congress, NY-10, and it is my great honor to Strongly Endorse him,” Trump quipped. “I do this not because of the fact that he headed up the Impeachment Committee and lost, but because he was honorable, fair, and highly intelligent.”

Trump continued:

“While it was my honor to beat him, and beat him badly, Dan Goldman has a wonderful future ahead… He will be very compassionate and compromising to those within the Republican Party, and will do everything possible to make sure they have a fair chance at winning against the Radical Left Democrats, who he knows are destroying our Country. I would like to thank Dan for fighting so hard for America, and for working so tirelessly to stop ‘Trump,’… He was not easy to beat, but winning against him made me realize just how very talented I am!”

Trump’s “endorsement” of Goldman seems to be poking fun at the New York Times, which also endorsed Goldman in the Democratic primary last week, lauding his “work on the impeachment trial” and his “close working relationships” with the D.C establishment.  

Trump’s next target was the struggle between Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), a race that is the product of Democrats’ botched gerrymandering attempt, forcing two top Democrats to contend over a single seat. 

“A vote for Carolyn Maloney in NY-12 is a vote for the future! She is a kind and wonderful person, who has always said terrific things about me and will support me no matter what I do, just as I supported her very early on. She begged for a check with no quid pro quo, and I gave it to her. In fact, I gave her many… On the other hand, Jerry Nadler is likewise a hard-driving man of the people, whose energy and attention to detail is unlike anyone else in Congress… He is high energy, sharp, quick-witted, and bright. You can’t go wrong with either, but Carolyn Maloney is the better man. She will lead our Country into a very GREEN and prosperous future. Carolyn has my Complete and Total Endorsement, she will never let our Conservative Movement down!”

Did Liz Cheney Violate FEC Rules During Concession Speech?

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Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) lost her primary on Tuesday against Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman. Now, it’s being reported that Liz Cheney may have violated campaign finance rules.

It was reported Tuesday by CNN’s Jeff Zeleny that Cheney’s cinematic concession speech would be shot by James Goldstone, the ABC News President tasked with turning the J6 Committee hearings into a dramatic televised event.

As reported by Joel B. Polk of Breitbart, “Anyone who films a candidate may generally do so, under the protections of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” The kicker? if the film crew is producing a video, especially for a candidate, that counts as a service provided to the campaign.

The services provided by Goldston are likely worth tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, it was also reported by Zeleny that Goldston’s filming was done as a “favor” to Cheney, and thus his services would be classified as an in-kind contribution.

The FEC rules on in-kind contributions explain:

An in-kind contribution is a non-monetary contribution. Goods or services offered free or at less than the usual charge result in an in-kind contribution. Similarly, when a person or entity pays for services on the committee’s behalf, the payment is an in-kind contribution. An expenditure made by any person or entity in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate’s campaign is also considered an in-kind contribution to the candidate.

The value of an in-kind contribution—the usual and normal charge—counts against the contribution limit as a gift of money does. Additionally, like any other contribution, in-kind contributions count against the contributor’s limit for the next election, unless they are otherwise designated.

The current limit on contributions is $2,900 per cycle.

Goldston’s services should have to be reported to the FEC on Cheney’s campaign filings, but they also likely exceed the campaign finance limits. She could potentially face an investigation and fines from the FEC if she is found to be in violation.

Is John Durham’s Next Target the FBI? John Solomon Makes Prediction as 14 Whistleblowers Come Forward

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John Solomon, the founder of Just the News, recently spoke about John Durham’s probe into the Trump-Russia investigation and has made a prediction as to what he believes Durham’s next target might be.

Solomon believes that the Durham Probe is dealing with at least “two buckets”. In one “bucket,” there are indictments against officials connected to Hillary Clinton and their plan to feed the FBI false information about Trump-Russia conspiracies. The other “bucket” focuses on the FBI and agents who are alleged to have knowingly misled the FISA court to obtain warrants to spy on members of Trump’s 2016 campaign.

“A month after the CIA sends a warning to the FBI, this is something John Ratcliffe declassified, saying Hillary Clinton is trying to play a dirty trick on Donald Trump to tie him to Russia to get out of her e-mail thing. All through the fall, they keep a spreadsheet of what’s right and wrong with the Steele dossier. It’s all wrong. Can’t corroborate, they can’t collaborate the information. The FBI never should have started the investigation and I think that’s where John Durham’s investigation is focused right now,”.

This comes on the heels of GOP Rep. Jim Jordan telling Fox News that 14 whistleblowers from the FBI have come forward with concerns about the Department of Justice’s possible political bias following the raid on Mar-a-Lago last week.

“Fourteen FBI agents have come to our office as whistleblowers, and they are good people. There are lots of good people in the FBI. It’s the top that is the problem,” the Ohio Republican told the outlet. “Some of these good agents are coming to us, telling us … what’s going on… the political nature now of the Justice Department,”

Republican party leaders have condemned the raid as partisan, promising investigations should the GOP seize the majority in either chamber of Congress. House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy intimated that he’s “seen enough”. 

Despite McCarthy’s posturing, his post was flooded with doubtful comments.

Just before the raid, the FBI was faced with two separate whistleblowers attesting to political bias within both the Bureau and the Department of Justice. 

RELATED: Whistleblowers Claim FBI, DOJ are Downplaying Negative Hunter Biden Information

The last decade has had a decidedly negative impact on the FBI’s reputation. Since 2015 the FBI has propagated the Russia Collusion smear knowingly in an effort to hurt both candidate and president Donald Trump, they have been found to have manufactured the Whitmer kidnapping case, misclassified domestic extremism cases in favor of democrats, targeted parents who’ve spoken up at school board meetings, placed undercover agents in the crowds on January 6th,  assisted Biden’s presidential campaign by burying Hunter Biden’s illegal dealings with foreign countries and conveniently losing track of the laptop in the process.

It’s only speculation at this point, but if John Soloman’s prediction is correct, we could see a huge clash between the FBI and John Durham in the near future.