EFTA00161160.pdf

FBI PUBLIC AFFAIRS - DIRECTOR'S AM NEWS BRIEFING TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 5:00 AM EDT Federal Prosecutors Release Details Of Ghislaine Maxwell's Arrest. ABC World News Tonight (7/13, story 4, 1:30, Muir, 7.15M) reported on Jeffrey Epstein's alleged co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Authorities now revealing details over her arrest in New Hampshire. The FBI breaking through the door, and what they said she did when the FBI got there, and what they found wrapped in tinfoil." ABC (Pilgrim) added, "When FBI agents arrived at this 156-acre property in New Hampshire to arrest Ghislaine Maxwell, prosecutors say she tried to flee to another room in the house. Agents were ultimately forced to breach the door. Inside the home, agents found a cell phone wrapped in tinfoil on top of a desk, a seemingly misguided effort to evade detection from law enforcement. Prosecutors in a new court filing today asking a federal judge to keep Maxwell, the former girlfriend and alleged co-conspirator of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, behind bars' CNN (7113, Scannell, 83.16M) reports, "Federal prosecutors urged a judge to reject a home confinement request by Ghislaine Maxwell, the confidant of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, saying she is skilled at hiding and had wrapped a cell phone in foil to attempt to evade detection by authorities. There will be no trial for the victims if the defendant is afforded the opportunity to flee the jurisdiction, and there is every reason to think that is exactly what she will do if she is released,' prosecutors wrote in a court filing Monday' CNN adds, Prosecutors with the US attorney's office in Manhattan have asked the judge to detain Maxwell, who was arrested on charges she helped recruit, groom and ultimately abuse minors, saying she is an extreme flight risk with three passports and multiple foreign bank accounts." The AP (7/14, Neumeister, Hayes) reports that Maxwell will face a judge and at least one of her accusers by video at a hearing to determine whether she stays behind bars until trial on charges she recruited girls for the financier to sexually abuse a quarter century before he killed himself in a Manhattan jail. The hearing Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan federal court was expected to feature a not guilty plea by" Maxwell "along with arguments over whether she'll flee if she's released. Even if she was granted bail, she would almost certainly remain incarcerated while prosecutors would be given time to appeal and authorities would take time to arrange an electronic bracelet and verify her collateral and the finances of anyone required to pledge additional security." The New York Times (7/13, Weiser, Hong, 18.61M) reports, "When F.B.I. agents went to arrest...Maxwell on the morning of July 2 on a remote property in New Hampshire, they broke through her locked gate, approached the front door and announced themselves, telling her to open the door, federal prosecutors said in newly filed court papers on Monday. Through a window, the agents saw her ignore their order and flee to another room in the house, quickly shutting the door behind her, the prosecutors wrote." The Times adds, "The agents forcibly entered and took Ms. Maxwell into custody. Prosecutors said that during a search of the house, investigators found a cellphone wrapped in tin foil on top of a desk — which they interpreted as 'a seemingly misguided effort to evade detection' by law enforcement. 'As these facts make plain, there should be no question that the defendant is skilled at living in hiding,' the prosecutors wrote." NBC News (7/13, Winter, Schapiro, 6.14M) reports, "Prosecutors revealed new details of what took place the day Maxwell was arrested and argued they underscore the risks of allowing her out of detention. They also pointed to her wealth, saying she controls a Swiss trust worth $4 million and has an account in England that has at times held over S2 million. 'To the extent the defendant now refuses to account for her ownership of or access to vast wealth, it is not because it does not exist — it is because she is attempting to hide it,' prosecutors wrote." USA Today (7/13, Phillips, 10.31M) reports, "The government is doubling down in its bid to keep...Maxwell in jail while awaiting trial and expressed skepticism about the proposed bail package secured by foreign property, calling it 'effectively meaningless.'" USA Today adds, "Maxwell's attorneys have proposed a S5 million bond, secured by properties in the U.S. and Great Britain," but 'prosecutors on Monday said the package 'amounts to little more than an unsecured bond' because the property Maxwell is pledging as collateral is outside American jurisdiction and Therefore is of no value.'" The Washington Post (7/13, Jacobs, 14.2M) reports that Maxwell "sought to evade FBI detection by using former British military personnel as personal security and wrapping her cellphone in tin foil in an apparent anti-tracing attempt, federal prosecutors alleged Monday." The Post adds, 'When the FBI moved on Maxwell at her estate in New Hampshire about two weeks ago, agents had to break down the door and found Maxwell hiding in a room in the interior of the home, according to a new court filing from the government opposing her release on bail. Maxwell, the wealthy daughter of a deceased British media mogul, was so intent on not being located that she never left her house, sending the security staff out 'to make purchases for the property' using a credit card they were provided, a guard there allegedly told the FBI, according to Monday's court filing. The guards were hired by Maxwell's brother and worked in 'rotations,' prosecutors wrote." EFTA00161160 The Telegraph (UK) (7/13, 956K) reports, "investigators also allege that Ms Maxwell has refused to declare her financial situation and they have been unable to determine whether she has had a job in more than 30 years. They rejected Ms Maxwell's $5 million bail proposal, claiming that offering a $3.75m home in London as collateral was meaningless as it could not be seized by US authorities. They also argue that the co-signatories — believed to be her twin sisters and other close relatives — have not been formally identified to them and it was not clear if they are living in the US.' Fox News (7113, Casiano, 27.59M) reports, "Maxwell, 58, faces six charges for conspiring with Epstein in a multi-state sex trafficking ring involving three unnamed minors between 1991 and 1997. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday where a judge will decide whether to release her from federal custody. Several of Epstein's victims have named Maxwell as his chief enabler when grooming young girls for sexual abuse. Prosecutors said they expect 'one or more victims' to testify at Tuesday's hearing." The New York Post (7/13, Golding, 4.57M) reports, "Some of Jeffrey Epstein's victims will urge a judge to keep...Maxwell locked up pending trial as an alleged accomplice in his infamous pedophilia scheme, according to court papers filed Monday. In addition, the 'strong evidence' against Maxwell could soon get 'even stronger — with the help of additional witnesses who came forward following her arrest, prosecutors wrote." CNBC (7/13, Mangan, 3.62M) reports, "Prosecutors cited the millions of dollars that Maxwell has held in 'dozens' of overseas bank accounts, her citizenship in France, and the fact that she tried to hide from FBI agents who arrested her in a $1 million New Hampshire hideaway purchased under the name of a legal entity to hide the actual owner. 'There will be no trial for the victims if the defendant is afforded the opportunity to flee the jurisdiction, and there is every reason to think that is exactly what she will do if she is released,' prosecutors wrote in a filing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan in advance of Maxwell's detention hearing there on Tuesday." The Guardian (UK) (7/13, Bekiempis, 4.19M) reports, "Maxwell is a citizen of France, prosecutors pointed out, saying that the country 'does not extradite its citizens to the United States pursuant to French law'. Maxwell also has US and UK passports. The filing added that 'the defendant has not only the motive to flee, but the means to do so swiftly and effectively. The defendant appears to have access to extensive sources of wealth." The Washington Examiner (7113, Brest, 448K) reports, "Epstein, 66, a registered sex offender and wealthy financier, was arrested last July on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges for allegedly abusing girls as young as 14. He was found dead in his Manhattan prison cell in August, which the New York City medical examiner determined to be a suicide." The Daily Beast (7/13, Melendez, 1.39M) reports, 'On Friday, Maxwell's lawyer argued that the 58-year-old has not been hiding from authorities since the pedophile billionaire's jailhouse suicide in August — but from an 'unrelenting and intrusive media," but 'prosecutors hit back on Monday, stating that the socialite does not deserve any 'special treatment' and that her actions over the last year prove she is an 'extraordinary' flight risk." The New York Daily News (7/13, Brown, 2.52M) also reports. Trump Criticizes "Anti-Cop Crusade" By Democrats. The Washington Times (7/13, Boyer, 492K) reports President Trump "stood up for hero police officers on Monday, criticizing an 'anti-cop crusade' by Democrats that he said is causing a crime wave in major cities." At a White House event, the President said, "Violent crime is spiraling in their cities. It's all far-left cities where they have no understanding of what has to be done. If that's what you want for a country, you probably have to vote for 'Sleepy' Joe Biden, because he doesn't know what's happening. But you're not going to have it with me." He noted a rise in shootings in cities such as Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Minneapolis. The New York Post (7/13, Nelson, 4.57M) reports Trump 'tore into New York City leaders on Monday for painting 'Black Lives Matter on 5th Avenue while shootings skyrocket in the city." Said the President, "In one recent week in New York City, this is hard to believe, shootings were up to 358%. And yet they spend all their time — they want to do Black Lives Matter signs outside of Trump Tower. They ought to spend their time doing something else because I'll tell you what, 358% increase in shootings in New York." Trump, the Chicago Sun-Times (7/13, Sweet, 875K) says, "continued his relentless attacks on Chicago on Monday," saying, "That's worse than Afghanistan. I hate to say it: That's worse than any war zone that we're in, by a lot. It makes them look like tame places by comparison. So we're not going to let it go on." The New York Times (7/13, Rogers, 18.61M) reports Trump "invok[ed] the kind of pro-police language that won him support with the law enforcement community in 2016 and ignor[ed] the calls for reform that have helped shape this election." Trump also took to Twitter Monday to write, "Never in history have Police been treated so badly as they are in Democrat run cities — and these cities are a mess. Police must take a stronger stand with the Radical Left politicians that are treating them so badly, and so disrespectfully!!!" Elsewhere Monday, Townhall (7/13, McCarthy, 177K) reports White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany "honored the lives of fallen police officers who were murdered in the line of duty over the weekend, during her briefing." McEnany touted EFTA00161161 the Administration's 'solidarity with police and 'law and order,' and President Trump's opposition to the movement to 'defund the police.'" Trump Hopes To Gain Backing Of Police Unions. Fox News (7/13, Vaughn, 27.59M) reports on its website that President Trump "planned to make his pitch to the National Association of Police Organizations" at Monday's White House event "as to why the group should endorse him" over Biden. McEnany Criticizes Ocasio-Cortez For Comments Linking Poverty To Violent Crime. The Washington Examiner (7/13, Mastrangelo, 448K) reports McEnany "brushed aside an assertion" from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) last week "that poverty could be a leading cause in the recent uptick in violent crime in New York City." Speaking to reporters Monday, McEnany said, "You have Rep. Ocasio-Cortez saying, 'This is just because people are trying to get food for the families.' That is preposterous. The reality is 63% of Americans in this country fear that criticism of our police departments will lead to no public safety in their streets. And 69% of Black Americans, this is a real issue when you call or police cancer and talk about dismantling them." The New York Post (7/13, Fenton, Nelson, Campanile, 4.57M) reports Ocasio-Cortez 'doubled down Monday on her claim," saying, "I do think that even when you talk about violent crime, I don't think that poverty and economic desperation are separate from that either." She added, "When people do not have opportunities, I can tell you from my personal experience and what I saw growing up. When families don't have money, a lot of times young people and teens that feel like they need to support their mom, sometimes they'll turn to selling drugs, which can then lead to an escalated level of trouble, to what police label as gang activity." A New York Post (7/13, 4.57M) editorial criticizes Ocasio-Cortez's reaction to the surge of violence as 'dishonest, callous and naive." The Post argues that Ocasio-Cortez "imagines that we'll magically erase crime with an army of social workers and more money for schools, even though we spend more for education and welfare than almost anywhere in the nation." NYTimes Calls For NYPD To Adopt Reforms. The New York Times (7/13, 18.61M) editorializes that the 'need to drastically remake" the New York Police Department "didn't begin with the pandemic or the Black Lives Matter protests. For decades, the department has fiercely resisted, slow-walked, co-opted or simply blown past serious attempts at reform or independent oversight." Now, it argues, 'overhauling the Police Department may be the only way to stop the violence, and give New York the policing it deserves." Texas' Patrick Blames Black Lives Matter For Crime Wave. The Washington Times (7/13, Richardson, 492K) reports that a "furious" Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) on Monday "slammed Black Lives Matter in response to the recent surge of urban violence," saying that "they're not about Black Lives." Appearing on Fox News, Patrick said, 'Every Black life matters. Black Lives Matter? They're not about Black lives. Where were they when Black cops were being killed? Where were they when Black teenagers and kids were being killed over the weekend in Chicago and other Democrat-run cities? They don't care." New York Town Rejects "Black Lives Matter" Mural. The New York Times (7/13, Nir, 18.61M) reports that village leaders in Catskill, New York have rejected plans to paint a 'Black Lives Matter mural on Main Street. Instead, they offered "several counterproposals...including one that would have allowed the painting, but in the Black area of town." DOJ To Probe Portland Protest Shooting. The AP (7113, Flaccus) reports from Portland, Oregon, "The U.S. Marshals Service is investigating after a protester was hospitalized in critical condition over the weekend after being hit in the head by a less-lethal round fired by a federal law enforcement officer, authorities said Monday." The AP adds, 'The investigation into the shooting will be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy J. Williams said." According to the AP, "Bystander videos show" Donavan LaBella, 26, "collapsing to the ground unconscious and bleeding profusely from the head after a federal officer outside the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse fired a less-lethal round at him. He was standing with both arms in the air holding a large speaker across the street from the courthouse when he was hit: Stone Says Mueller Team Went After Him Because They Had "Nothing" On Russia Collusion. Roger Stone said on Fox News' Hannity (7/13, 535K) that the person leading his prosecution on special counsel Robert Mueller's team "made it very clear to one of my lawyers after a hearing, she asked to see them privately, that if I would re-remember certain phone conversations I had with candidate Trump, if I would 'come clean,' if I would 'confess,' that they might be willing to, you know, recommend leniency to the judge, perhaps I wouldn't even serve any jail time. I didn't have to think about it very long. I said absolutely not. There was no circumstance under which I would bear false witness against the President." Stone added, "They wanted me to be the ham in their ham sandwich because they knew the Mueller report, particularly on Russia, was a dud. They had nothing." EFTA00161162 Judge Wants More Details On Trump's Commutation Of Stone's Sentence. The AP (7/13, Tucker) reports that on Monday, US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson "demanded more information about President Donald Trump's decision to commute the prison sentence of longtime ally Roger Stone." Jackson "ordered that the parties provide her by Tuesday with a copy of the executive order that commuted Stone's sentence," and "also asked for clarity about the scope of the clemency, including whether it covers just his prison sentence or also the two-year period of supervised release that was part of his sentence." Axios (7/13, Axios, 521K) reports that the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney released the clemency order the President signed for Stone. According to the order, "the commutation voids all elements of Stone's sentence, including a 520,000 fine and two years of supervised release." the Justice Department wrote in a statement to the court accompanying the order, Roger J. Stone's felony convictions — for obstructing the United States Congress, making false statements, and tampering with a witness — still stand." McEnany Defends Stone Sentence Commutation, Highlights Clinton, Obama Pardons. The Washington Times (7/13, Boyer, 492K) reports that the White House on Monday defended Trump's commutation for Stone and 'said former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama indulged in politically connected pardons and wholesale clemency." White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Stone's clemency "was a very important moment for justice in this country," and that the President has used his pardon power "sparingly." McEnany "said Mr. Trump has issued 36 pardons and commutations in nearly four years, while Mr. Obama issued 1,927 in eight years." McEnany "also contrasted the clemency for Stone with some of Mr. Clinton's infamous 11th-hour pardons." Trump Does Not Rule Out Pardoning Flynn. CNBC (7/13, Breuninger, Mangan, 3.62M) reports on its website that in comments to reporters Monday, President Trump "did not rule out granting a pardon to his first national security advisor Michael Flynn." Trump said, "I don't have a decision to make" about a pardon for Flynn "until I find out what's going to happen" with Flynn's efforts to have his conviction dismissed. Trump said, "I think he's doing very well with respect to his case. ... I hope that he's going to be able to win it." Also providing similar coverage is the Washington Post (7/13, 14.2M). Weissmann To Publish Book On Mueller Investigation. The AP (7/13, Italie) reports that Andrew Weissmann, a former top prosecutor for special counsel Robert Mueller, "has a book coming out this fall about the two-year investigation into the alleged ties between Russia and the 2016 campaign of President Donald Trump: Random House announced Monday that "Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation" will be published Sept. 29. Weissmann "is calling the book a meticulous account of the Mueller team's probe and its ongoing battles with the Trump administration: CBS News (7/13, 3.68M) reports Weissmann said in a statement, el felt it was necessary to record this episode in our history, as seen and experienced by an insider. This is the story of our investigation into how our democracy was attacked by Russia and how those who condoned and ignored that assault undermined our ability to uncover the truth. My obligation as a prosecutor was to follow the facts where they led, using all available tools and undeterred by the onslaught of the president's unique powers to undermine our work. I am deeply proud of the work we did and of the unprecedented number of people we indicted and convicted — and in record speed. But the hard truth is that we made mistakes. We could have done more. 'Where Law Ends' documents the choices we made, good and bad, for all to see and judge and learn from." Citing the AP report, The Daily Caller (7/13, Nieto, 716K) provides similar coverage. Akerman: Trump's Efforts Have Amounted To A Cover-Up. In an op-ed for the New York Times (7/13, 18.61M), Nick Akerman, an assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, writes that nothing he saw as an assistant special prosecutor for the Watergate Special Prosecution Force "rises to what we are witnessing now with President Trump." Akerman calls the commutation of Stone's sentence "the latest of multiple, brazen efforts to make the fulfillment of the investigation by the special counsel Robert Mueller all but impossible." To Akerman Trump's efforts "have amounted to a cover- up — and they were often made possible by his ability to control the Justice Department and by the lack of independence of the Mueller investigation. It demands a renewed look at how we empower independent counsels." Sources Say Mueller Considered Speaking Up Earlier Against Trump And Barr's Attacks. CNN (7/13, Polantz, Herb, 83.16M) reports that, according to multiple sources familiar with the Mueller team, former special counsel Robert Mueller 'chose to break his silence and defend his investigation this weekend after weeks of contemplating doing so, in part because an inflammatory and factually incorrect White House statement attacked his prosecution of President Donald Trump's ally Roger Stone." Mueller's Washington Post op-ed on Saturday...came after members of the special counsel's team had urged him to say something. The sources 'said Mueller decided not to speak after the Flynn reversal, but the attacks by the White House justifying Stone's commutation on Friday finally pushed him to speak out and break away from his strict approach to stay above the political fray." EFTA00161163 Attorney Claims Indiana Hate Crime Allegation Is "Smear Campaign." The AP (7/13, Smith) reports from Indianapolis, "An attorney for two people accused of being involved in a reported assault on a Black man at a southern Indiana lake said Monday his clients are victims of a 'smear campaign' and a 'rush to judgment."' Vauhxx Booker, "a local civil rights activist and member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission, said five white men pinned him against a tree, shouted racial slurs and one of them threatened to 'get a noose' at Monroe Lake near Bloomington over Independence Day weekend," but David Hennessy, 'a criminal defense attorney for Sean Purdy and Caroline McCord — two of the people accused of being involved — said Booker has been 'putting forth a false narrative' about what happened. 'Mr. Booker was the instigator and the agitator,' Hennessy said at a press conference in downtown Indianapolis." The Indianapolis Star (7/13, O'Connor, 633K) reports that Hennessy said that "Booker punched his client three limes and had to be restrained." Booker, "a member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission, said he was approached by a group of white men while at the lake on July 4, who said Booker and his friends were trespassing on private property. Booker said the men attacked him and that he was pinned against a tree and subjected to racist language and a threat of lynching. A portion of the incident was captured on video, which Booker posted to Facebook." The Star adds, The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is conducting an investigation of the incident, as is the FBI. No arrests or charges have been made." Indiana Public Media (7113, Legan) reports, "Booker denied provoking the group, saying when they became agitated, he and a friend offered to leave. As they were leaving, he says five men overpowered him and dragged him to a tree before calling for a noose. He claims at one point, one of the group members jumped on his neck full force with both feet." Hennessy "says Booker only ended up against the tree because he deliberately provoked the group, punching one of the men three times. 'So he's restrained,' Hennessy said. 'If you go on a neighbor's property and you start punching people, you can be restrained, and he ended up against the tree. No talk of a noose, no talk of a rope, no talk of a lynching, no white power.'" WTHR-TV Indianapolis (7113, 465K) reports, "Bookers attorney, Katherine Liell, says the FBI is investigating the case as a possible hate crime." WTHR-TV adds, "Both Sean Purdy and Caroline McCord, two of the people in question, have been identified in the video. Attorneys for the two say that Booker has 'created a false narrative that he is perpetuating with the media, and in doing so, Mr. Booker is harming innocent people. Those innocent people have passed polygraphs. We challenge Mr. Booker to take one.'" FBI Joins Probe Of Noose Found In Michigan Man's Car. WJRT-TV Flint, MI (7113, 67K) reports from Saginaw, Michigan, "Police are investigating a possible hate crime after a Saginaw resident allegedly found a noose with a racially insensitive note attached in their car Sunday morning." WJRT-TV adds, "The incident was reported around 9 a.m. in the 2200 block of North Carolina Street. The Saginaw Police Department did not release images of the noose or disclose many details of the case while it remains under investigation. A statement from investigators says they are 'treating this case very seriously' and have multiple detectives looking into the origins of the noose and the note. The FBI has been called in to assist with the case." MLive (MI) (7/13, 925K) reports from Saginaw, Michigan, "Regina Simon couldn't quite believe what she saw. The Saginaw resident was awakened around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, July 12 after her husband Donald got into the family's vehicle at their North Carolina Road home. 'He went to grab a coffee this morning and it was in the side of his door on the truck parked right next to the house,' she said. In the pocket of the door was left behind what appears to be a noose, with a note attached reading 'Accessory to be worn with your BLM T-shirt! Happy protesting!'" Simon "had been out in the neighborhood the day before wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, but no comments had been made by anyone." Georgia Man Pleads Guilty To Disrupting PPE Shipments. AllOnGeorgia (7/13) reports, "Christopher Dobbins has pleaded guilty to the charge of reckless damage to a protected computer for deleting and modifying his former employer's electronic shipping and other business records. Dobbins's former employer is a medical packaging company that ships, among other things, personal protective equipment ('PPE') to healthcare providers. Dobbins's conduct delayed the shipment of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Thanks to the quick reaction of the medical packaging company in contacting the FBI, we were able to react quickly and arrest this disgruntled employee,' said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. 'During this world wide epidemic it is imperative that we make sure crucial medical supplies are not disrupted or diverted from the front lines of medical care.'' Mother Of Los Angeles Councilman Is Implicated In Corruption Probe. The Los Angeles Times (7/13, 4.64M) reports, "The corruption case against Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar is spangled with influential City Hall figures — wealthy real estate developers, well-connected lobbyists and a campaign fundraiser known for raking in cash for politicians," but "investigators have also turned the spotlight on a less likely figure in a pay-to-play scandal: an elderly woman who EFTA00161164 emigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico, once worked in a meatpacking plant, and has lived in a modest home in Boyle Heights." Isidra Huizar, "the 80-year-old mother of the embattled councilman, is one of the unnamed figures mentioned in the sprawling case, according to three sources familiar with the investigation. Federal prosecutors have alleged, without mentioning her by name, that Isidra Huizar helped her son launder bribe money that he received between 2014 and 2017." FBI Continues Probe Of Independence, Missouri Government. The Kansas City (MO) Star (7/13, Hancock, Hardy, Vockrodt, 549K) reports, "The FBI has once again requested records from Independence City Hall, the latest in a series of inquiries by federal authorities over the last year that appear to be focused on a pair of utilities contracts and medical marijuana regulations: The Star adds, tate last month, the FBI asked the city to provide coordinate maps of neighborhood boundaries within city council districts. The request, which The Star obtained through its own open records request, adds to a set of recent demands from federal law enforcement." In March, the city "received a grand jury subpoena seeking records of non-public meetings of the Independence City Council and a records request from the FBI for minutes of specific council meetings. In May, the FBI asked for receipts submitted by four members of the Independence City Council for reimbursement" FBI Reportedly Probing Missouri Ambulance Purchase Linked To Lieutenant Governor. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (7/13, Erickson, Suntrup, 685K) reports from Jefferson City, Missouri, in a move that could entangle Missouri's lieutenant governor, federal investigators have started probing a controversial ambulance purchase deal in mid-Missouri." Cole County Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher "told the Post-Dispatch he spoke with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on July 9 about the commission's decision to forgo buying ambulances from a company connected to Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe. 'I will say that I can confirm that I was contacted by the FBI related to an ongoing investigation by them,' said Hoelscher, the eastern district commissioner. 'I am assured that I am not the subject or target of the investigation.'" The Jefferson City (MO) News Tribune (7/14, Haldiman, 48K) reports, The Cole County Commission today plans to discuss calls the commissioners have received from federal investigators regarding a controversial purchase of ambulances for the county: On Monday, "the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Federal Bureau of Investigation officials last week called Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher and Western District Commissioner Kris Scheperte about the commission's decision to forgo buying ambulances from a company connected to Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe. 'They wanted to let us know that it was related to the ambulance purchases, but that they were not looking into anything about county government,' Hoelscher said. Scheperte added: 'We and the county were not who they were looking at. They just wanted to give us a "heads-up" that they were looking into the purchases.'" Probe Of Alleged Fraud Scheme At Maryland College Continues. Bethesda (MD) Magazine (7/13, Peetz) reports, "New details about a fraud scheme that caused 'financial loss' at Montgomery College last year could be made public in the fall' BM adds, "In September, the college announced it had fallen victim to a fraud scheme, but neither school officials nor federal investigators disclosed what happened or how much money was lost. Officials have been tight-lipped since, citing the ongoing investigation. In an email last week, Montgomery College spokesman Marcus Rosano wrote that the investigation has not been completed and declined to disclose how much money the college lost." According to BM, "Officials at the Baltimore field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is looking into the fraud, declined to comment last week." Cybersecurity Expert Says China Could Use TikTok For Espionage. Bloomberg (7/13, 4.73M) Technology interviews Kiersten Todt, managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute and cybsersecurity adviser to former president Obama, about "potential cyber threats from TikTok." Todt asserts that the TikTok app could be used for intelligence collection purposes. TikTok's Threat To Security May Be No Worse Than Other Apps On Your Smartphone. NBC News (7/13, Collier, 6.14M) reports that, because TikTok "collects significant information on its users; the app has become "a focus of concern among privacy watchdogs, culminating last week in reports that the US is positioning itself to ban TikTok." The app has become 'the subject of widespread concern and paranoia, even reaching into the world of esports, with the popular gamer known as Ninja tweeting that he was deleting the app over privacy worries: However, experts say the "reality of TikTok's threat is far more mundane and not particularly unique." While users 'should be skeptical of the app's data collection and handling, the attention paid to the app owes more to how TikTok has ended up in the middle of the growing societal concern about data privacy and increasing paranoia about the threat of China." Wells Fargo Tells Employees To Delete TikTok From Their Company Devices. CNN International (7/13, Fung) reports a Wells Fargo spokesperson said the company had identified a 'small number of employees with corporate-owned devices who had installed the TikTok application:" The statement said, "Due to concerns about TikTok's privacy and security EFTA00161165 controls and practices, and because corporate-owned devices should be used for company business only, we have directed those employees to remove the app from their devices." A Guide To Whether To Delete TikTok. The Washington Post (7/13, Fowler, 14.2M) reports on whether users should delete the TikTok app from their devices. Advising everyone to "just delete TikTok out of caution isn't so simple — it has been downloaded more than 2 billion times, and millions of young Americans are relying on it for connection during the coronavirus pandemic." Patrick Jackson, chief technology officer of privacy company Disconnect, provides insights on "what data the TikTok app actually gathers." He said, "TikTok doesn't appear to grab any more personal information than Facebook. That's still an appalling amount of data to mine about the lives of Americans. But there's scant evidence that TikTok is sharing our data with China, and we should be wary of xenophobia dressed up as privacy concerns." Cyberthreats Against US Courts Rising. Politico (7113, Starks, 4.29M) reports in its Weekly Cybersecurity newsletter that courts are "a potentially lucrative source of sensitive data for hackers, and cyberattacks on the judicial branch are more than just theoretical, with two ransomware attacks since the pandemic." A ransomware attack locked the networks of the Texas Office of Court Administration in May, 'and the courts have been working to recover ever since." Joseph Baxter, president of the Conference of State Court Administrators, "said that compared to prominent, massive hacks like the 2017 Equifax breach, 'the judiciary has all that information and then some and in greater volumes that dwarf those private companies.- He "said that it's 'mind-boggling' to think what hackers might do with data stolen from courts." Courts are pushing Congress "for direct financial aid during the pandemic, including to account for increased cybersecurity expenses." Judge Delays Planned Federal Execution. The AP (7/13, Balsamo) reports that on Monday, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan 'ordered a new delay in federal executions, hours before the first lethal injection was scheduled to be carried out at a federal prison in Indiana." The Administration Immediately appealed to a higher court, asking that the executions move forward: Chutkan "said there are still legal issues to resolve and that 'the public is not served by short-circuiting legitimate judicial process.'" The New York Times (7/13, Fuchs, 18.61M) says Chutkan "issued a preliminary injunction against the planned execution of Daniel Lewis Lee, citing the 'extreme pain and needless suffering' that could result from the lethal injection protocol the government planned to use." According to the Times, "It was the latest in a flurry of court rulings surrounding the case of Mr. Lee, the first of three federal death row prisoners scheduled to be executed this week." Lee, who "was scheduled to be executed at 4 p.m. at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute," was "set to be executed for his part in the 1996 killing of a family of three." The Washington Post (7/13, Berman, 14.2M), Politico (7/13, Gerstein, 4.29M), and Reuters (7/13, Woolston, Allen) have more on Chutkan's ruling. NYTimes Report: White House Lawyer Lobbied To End Silencer Ban. In an article titled, "Inside The White House, A Gun Industry Lobbyist Delivers For His Former Patrons: the New York Times (7/13, Laforgia, Vogel, 18.61M) reports that Michael Williams "spent nearly two years helping to run a trade group focused on expanding sales of firearm silencers by American manufacturers," but he "could not achieve one of the industry's main goals: overturning a ban on sales to private foreign buyers enacted by the State Department to protect American troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere." The Times adds, "Then Mr. Williams joined the Trump administration." The Times adds, "As a White House lawyer, he pushed to overturn the prohibition, raising the issue with influential administration officials and creating pressure within the State Department." On Friday, the State Department "lifted the ban," which "paved the way for as much as $250 million a year in possible new overseas sales for companies that...Williams had championed as general counsel of the American Suppressor Association' Trump Retweets Criticism Of CDC, Claims "Very Good" Relationship With Fauci. Coverage of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic focuses on the reported rift between the White House and NIAID Director Fauci, with the President insisting his relationship with Fauci is "very good" despite recent criticism from Administration officials and the President himself. The President is also getting attention for retweeting criticism of US health officials and agencies posted over the weekend by a former television game show host. Reuters (7/13, Lambert, Holland) reports the President "took a swipe at health experts in his government leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus." The President "retweeted to his 83 million followers the accusations of a former game show host that 'everyone is lying,' including' the CDC. Chuck Woolery wrote Sunday night "without citing evidence,—The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust." Politico (7/13, Forgey, 4.29M) reports that "in another post Trump retweeted, Woolery claimed there EFTA00161166 exists 'so much evidence, yes scientific evidence, that schools should open this fall. It's worldwide and ifs overwhelming. BUT NO." Trump also retweeted a segment of a Woolery podcast that was critical of Fauci. The New York Post (7/13, Bowden, 4.57M) reports the President later "defended what he called a 'very good relationship'" with Fauci. Trump told reporters, "I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci, I've had for a long time, right from the beginning. ... I find him to be a very nice person. ... don't always agree with him — I closed the borders, as you know, to China, I did the ban on China, heavily infected and we saved tens of thousands of lives — and Dr. Fauci will admit that was a good decision." Bloomberg (7/13, Sink, 4.73M) says Trump's "conciliatory tone was a notable shift after White House officials over the weekend circulated to reporters a dossier of guidance Fauci had made early in the pandemic that was subsequently reversed," which tame after Trump publicly criticized Fauci in a pair of television interviews' The Washington Post (7/13, McGinley, Abutaleb, 14.2M) reports the White House's efforts to undermine Fauci have "drawn rebukes from public health experts, scientists and mostly Democratic politicians, who argue it is dangerous for the Trump administration to disparage a highly respected government infectious-disease expert as the coronavirus continues to exact a heavy toll on the nation." USA Today (7/13, Jackson, Fritze, 10.31M) reports, "As some White House aides dismissed reports of internal tension, others aired their beef with Fauci publicly." Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Navarro said, "Dr. Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on." The Hill (7/13, Samuels, Hellmann, 2.98M) reports HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir "downplayed any rift within the White House coronavirus task force before offering some criticism of Fauci." Giroir said, "I respect Dr. Fauci a lot, but Dr. Fauci is not 100% right and he also doesn't necessarily, and he admits that, have the whole national interest in mind." Stephen Collinson writes on the CNN (7/13, 83.16M) website, "Instead of focusing on the out-of-control coronavirus disaster in Florida and other early opening states, the White House is trying to destroy the reputation of one of America's most respected public servants...for telling the truth about how bad things are getting." The AP (7/13, Colvin, Lemire, Miller) says Fauci "has been increasingly sidelined by the White House as he sounds alarms about the virus, a most unwelcome message at a time when Trump is focused on pushing an economic rebound.' A Washington Post (7/13, Bump, 14.2M) analysis says, "Ifs not unusual that President Trump and his team should try to attack or undercut someone," but what is "unusual about the White House's efforts to undermine [Fauci] is that the only way in which Fauci has undercut the president is by being honest about the moment." The Post adds, 'What Fauci has done is make obvious both that the pandemic is as bad as it seems and that there are ways in which it can be addressed which at times conflict with what Trump would like to see." On the CBS Evening News (7/13, story 4, 1:50, O'Donnell, 4.36M), Paula Reid reported, "This afternoon, President Trump put a positive spin on his relationship with Dr. Anthony Fauci. ... [But] Fauci tells CBS News he is now 'persona non grata' at the White House after months of speaking his mind and contradicting the President. ... This weekend, White House advisors openly criticized Fauci, some of whom feel he doesn't represent the interests of the Trump Administration." NBC Nightly News (7/13, story 4, 2:10, Holt, 6.11M) similarly reported that the nation's "most prominent medical voice in this crisis...finds himself increasingly at odds with the Trump Administration tonight and a target as he becomes more blunt about what we face and the response." NBC's Geoff Bennett reported Fauci is "under fire from within...targeted by a White House effort to discredit him and his dire warnings about the coronavirus crisis. ... Fauci no longer briefs the President and hasn't spoke to him in more than a month. In recent weeks, Fauci has become increasingly vocal about the country's coronavirus response." Jonathan Karl of ABC World News Tonight (7/13, story 2, 2:25, Muir, 7.15M) reported, "Fauci says he hasn't briefed the President in more than two months. Multiple White House officials tell ABC News that he has a nickname in the West Wing: 'Dr. Gloom and Doom.' Today, he ignored it all, focusing on the health crisis." Fauci: "We haven't even begun to see the end of it yet." The New York Times (7/13, Shear, Weiland, 18.61M) reports Fauci "returned to the White House" on Monday, one day "after President Trump's press office tried to undermine the reputation of the nation's top infectious disease expert with an anonymously attributed list of what it said were his misjudgments in the early days of the coronavirus." Fauci met with Chief of Staff Meadows; White House officials "declined to comment on what was discussed in the conversation...though one official called it a good conversation and said they continued to have a positive relationship." CNBC (7/13, Lovelace, 3.62M) reports on its website that in an interview on Monday, Fauci "said the United States is seeing a surge in new Covid-19 infections because the country never shut down entirely." Fauci said, "We did not shut down entirely, We need to draw back a few yards and say, 'OK, we can't stay shut down forever.' ...You've got to shut down but then you've got to gradually open." In an editorial, the Washington Post (7/13, 14.2M) highlights the Administration's moves to discredit Fauci. The Post says Trump "told Fox News that Dr. Fauci 'is a nice man, but he's made a lot of mistakes,'" and says the "unknowns, mistakes and discovery are at the core of science that Dr. Fauci has devoted his career to pursuing." The Post then highlights past statements EFTA00161167 regarding the pandemic made by Administration officials, and concludes that 'we don't so much wony for Dr. Faud ... we worry plenty for the country, which is heading in the wrong direction as Dr. Fauci's advice is ignored." Karen Tumulty writes in her column for the Washington Post (7/13, 14.2M) that the White House is treating Fauci like some kind of political opponent tells you a lot about why the United States is doing worse than so many other countries in the battle to contain the novel coronavinis." Tumulty adds, "Trump, who is allergic to admitting error, has apparently decided that he doesn't want to listen to Fauci's expert advice anymore — if, in fact, he ever really did." However, "as for the rest of us, we should be learning and adjusting as Fauci does. It could mean the difference between life and death." The Washington Times (7/13, Howell, 492K) and Axios (7/13, Ayesh, 521K) are among the other outlets reporting on the alleged rift. US Case Count Nears 1% Of Total Population. All three broadcast networks led their Monday evening newscasts with coverage of the continuing rise in new coronavirus cases as the total US case count neared 3.5 million and deaths topped 138,000. On ABC World News Tonight (7/13, lead story, 5:35, 7.52M), David Muir said, "Cases are rising in 39 states in the country, and...about one out of every 100 Americans has now tested positive." California is "shutting down all indoor dining, movie theaters, museums, and zoos," and the Los Angeles Unified School District announced it "will not open their classrooms when school starts next month. ... After Florida reported 15,000 new cases in a single day, the highest daily total of any state at any time in the pandemic, [on Monday it] added 12,000 more." Norah O'Donnell said on the CBS Evening News (7/13, lead story, 4:10, 4.36M), 'California is effectively back under lockdown tonight. ... Closures come as coronavirus infections are now growing in 40 states and at a rate neariy twice as fast as in April. In Florida, new cases have jumped so dramatically that the Sunshine State now ranks ahead of all but three countries in infections worldwide." O'Donnell said Fauci warned Monday that "we haven't even begun to seat end of the pandemic." Lester Holt opened NBC Nightly News (7/13, lead story, 3:15, 5.82M) by saying, "There are any number of fresh signs this country's weak and uneven response to the COVID pandemic is falling apart at the seams. Daily infections up. Hospital admissions up. And deaths up, too.° Mola Lenghi reported on the CBS Evening News (7/13, story 2, 1:45, O'Donnell, 4.36M) that in Arizona, "one out of every four" residents tested has been positive for COVID-19. Copyright 2020 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers. national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, sodal•media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Buletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough. GM MRI. comScore, Nielsen. an the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 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