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Western countries need to go beyond simply acknowledging that Russian propaganda is a problem and begin countering disinformation campaigns, according to a new report released Wednesday by the Washington-based think tank the Atlantic Council.
Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) are pressing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on why the State Department has not yet spent any of the $120 million it has been allocated to combat foreign efforts to meddle in U.S. elections.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Joaquin Castro (D-TX) urged Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to explain why the State Department has not used any of the resources Congress allocated with bipartisan support in 2017 to counter foreign propaganda designed to influence elections and undermine democracies. In the letter, the Congressmen ask the Secretary why State has not enacted Congress’s bipartisan directive to address foreign disinformation campaigns.
In the letter, the Members write:
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (D-NY) requested that FBI Director Christopher Wray open an investigation into two questionable payments made by President Trump’s longtime associates during the election. Just before the election, President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen made a $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford, who allegedly had an affair with President Trump, as a way to buy her silence.
Jared Kushner should be very nervous. Rather than take heat for protecting his son-in-law, President Trump left the disposition of Kushner’s security clearance up to White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. On Tuesday, Kelly dealt Kushner a humiliating setback. The Post reports:
Washington, D.C. - Today, following news reports that President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and other White House aides working under interim security clearances will have their clearances downgraded over outstanding security concerns, Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Representatives Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) issued the following joint statement:
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) led eight Members of Congress in sending a second letter asking Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner to explain whether he has used his position to seek financial bailouts for 666 Fifth Avenue, a property owned by Kushner Cos.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D – Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after the Justice Department’s Special Counsel announced the indictment of 13 Russians implicated in a wide-ranging scheme to interfere with the 2016 election.
WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after it was reported that FBI Director Christopher Wray discussed the counterintelligence threat of Chinese nationals in the U.S. academic sector during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
Three House Democrats will introduce legislation on Wednesday to significantly expand congressional oversight of the White House’s security clearance process, as controversy swirls over a former senior White House aide who maintained an interim clearance despite accusations of domestic violence.