EFTA00161181.pdf

FBI PUBLIC AFFAIRS - DIRECTOR'S AM NEWS BRIEFING FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 5:00 AM EDT Barr: FBI Has Made 150 Arrests, Launched More Than 500 Probes Related To Protests. Fox News (7/9, Blitzer, 27.59M) reports that Attorney General Barr "gave an update Thursday on the federal investigations into rioting that took place across the nation in the aftermath of George Floyd's death." Barr had previously announced that the Justice Department had evidence that outside instigators — including individuals connected to Antifa --- were behind some of the violence that appeared to spin out of peaceful protests against police brutality. The attorney general said that 'legitimate demonstrations' were 'hijacked' by these outside actors, and that federal law enforcement is "building up our intelligence" on the alleged instigators." Barr "said that the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is focusing on extremist groups that are potentially behind the riots' Trump Says He May Have To Act To Stop Violence In Cities. President Trump said in an interview on Fox News' Hannity (7/9, 535K), "New York City is not recognizable. Crime is way up. Shootings are way up. Murder is way up. It's just unbelievable. Chicago, what's going on in Chicago, and we are looking at it very seriously because we are going to have to do something. We're really supposed to b asked to come in and help, the federal government. ... So we are ready to act and at some point we may have to act anyway. We may have to do it sooner rather than later." Acting DHS Secretary Wolf said on the Howie Carr Show (7/9) that there is 'a lack of political leadership in a number of cities to include Portland, but we have see it in Seattle. We have seen it in Atlanta and Chicago and elsewhere, not providing that back up, not providing leadership, at least allowing their police department to do their job." Acting Deputy DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said on Fox Business' Evening Edit, "If you want to know what defunding the police looks like in the real world, just look at that little part of Seattle where the mayor pulled the police out. What happened? People were being killed. ... Sexual assaults taking place with no accountability. That is what you get when you defund the police, when you pull back on the police and it is really important for people to remember that the neighborhoods that need community policing the most aren't the rich neighborhoods. They're the poor neighborhoods. They're the neighborhoods that are disproportionately minority. That's who you're victimizing by pulling back and allowing the criminals to run free' Cuccinelli was also interviewed on America First (7/9). Deputy CBP Commissioner Robert Perez said on Mornings On The Mall (7/9) that CBP has tad to, for the better part of a couple weeks, work alongside so many of these partners around the country to really make sure that not only we are protecting these monuments and these federal properties, but also make sure that we are delivering consequence to folks who are not peaceful protesters. These are rioters. These are people who are absolutely making sure that they are doing whatever they can to cause physical damage and destroy these properties" Trump Says Seattle's Mayor Acted Against CHOP Because He Was About To. Trump was asked in an interview on Fox News' Hannity (7/9, 535K) if it is true that Seattle's mayor acted because they were told the President was going to. Trump said, "One hundred percent. We were going in, we were going very soon. We let them know that and all of a sudden, they didn't want that. So they went in before we got there but we were going very shortly, very soon, and we would've taken the CHOP, I call it. CHOP. We would have taken it back very easily.' Barr Says Black Men Often Subject To Extra Suspicion By Police. ABC's Good Morning America (7/9, 3.26M) featured outtakes of a taped interview with Attorney General Barr "talking about race and policing." Said Barr, "I do think that it is a widespread phenomenon that African American males, particularly, are treated with extra suspicion and maybe not given the benefit of the doubt." Asked if "Black lives matter," Barr said, "Obviously, Black lives matter. I think all life, all human life is sacred." The Washington Times (719, Mordock, 492K) reports Barr said separately Thursday that "the current anti-police climate has left officers demoralized, raising concerns about recruiting and retaining quality officers." Speaking with reporters in Arkansas, Barr said, think the current environment can be very demoralizing for law enforcement. Even before Minneapolis we were concerned about the sustainability of our law enforcement system in the United States in a full economy." Body Camera Transcripts Reveal Floyd's Last Moments. ABC World News Tonight (7/9, story 4, 1:50, Muir, 7M) reported, "Transcripts of body camera recordings revealing what George Floyd and the officers charged with aiding and abetting his murder were saying in his last moments. ... The documents, filed as part of a motion in court to dismiss EFTA00161181 charges against rookie officer Thomas Lane, who maintains he was just following orders from the man with his knee on Floyd's neck, Derek Chauvin." Prosecutors have "until August to respond to that motion to dismiss charges." New Details Emerge About Taylor Shooting Death. ABC World News Tonight (7/9, story 6, 1:55, Muir, 7M) reported, 'There is news tonight about the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in her own home. ABC News obtaining audio of her boyfriend describing the moment officers broke down the door and opened fire and why he shot back." ABC's Steve Osunsami: "It remains clear tonight that Louisville Metro Police were at the wrong home. And in a police interview recorded just hours after the killing in March, the boyfriend who survived the encounter," Kenneth Walker, "says that he and his girlfriend, Breonna Taylor, had no idea who was trying to break into their apartment." The CBS Evening News (7/9, story 7, 1:50, Brennan, 4.14M) reported, "This new video taken in March by a neighbor of Breonna Taylor shows a small army of police officers with their guns drawn arresting Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. Police claim they had a no-knock warrant for Taylor's home because of a drug investigation, but the lead officer, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, told investigators in a newly released audio interview that on the night of the deadly shooting officers did knock on Taylor's door." Mattingly: "We wanted to give her plenty of time to come to the door because they said she is probably there alone: NBC Nightly News (7/9, story 8, 2:00, Holt, 5.87M) reported, "But Walker, interviewed immediately following the shooting and without an attorney, said police never identified themselves, leaving he and Breonna Taylor to believe it was a break-in. So he got his gun and fired." Analysts Warn Covid-19 Pandemic Is Stoking Extremist Flames Worldwide. The Washington Post (7/9, Warrick, 14.2M) reports that, "across the globe, violence has emerged a major and persistent side effect of the pandemic that has stricken 12 million people and killed more than 550,000." Even as it overwhelms hospitals, covid-19 is "also straining security forces in scores of countries, exacerbating long-standing conflicts while fueling grievances and spurring the growth of extremist groups, security officials and analysts say in a series of new studies and interviews." In India, mobs "smashed stores and beat up shopkeepers in some town or village every week in June. The victims were mostly Muslims whom the rioters falsely accused of spreading the virus that causes covid-19.' Judge Sullivan Asks Appeal Court To Reconsider Dismissal Of Charges Against Flynn. Reuters (7/9, Wolfe) reports, 'The judge hearing the criminal prosecution against US President Donald Trump's former adviser Michael Flynn on Thursday asked an appeals court to reconsider a recent decision dismissing the case." District Judge Emmet Sullivan 'asked the entire US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reconsider the June 24 decision that directed him to drop the Flynn case: Fox News (7/9, Re, 27.59M) indicates that "if en banc review is granted, an oral argument date would then be set, likely in the fall. If en banc review is denied, Sullivan could appeal to the Supreme Court — a process that could take months to resolve." Politico (7/9, Gerstein, 4.29M) says Sullivan "is putting up a highly unusual fight," and Tomball (7/9, Pavlich, 177K) that it "comes after Sullivan refused to honor a directive from the Department of Justice, in which it was argued the FBI didn't have proper standing to charge Flynn in the first place, to dismiss the case: CNBC (7/9, Mangan, Breuninger, 3.62M) reports a lawyer for Sullivan "argued in a lengthy court filing that the appeals panel's order to quickly grant the Department of Justice's request to drop its prosecution of Flynn threatens to turn ordinary judicial process upside down."' The Washington Post (7/9, Marimow, Hsu, 14.2M) reports Sullivan's attorneys, led by Beth A. Wilkinson, wrote, "It is the district court's job to consider and rule on pending motions, even ones that seem straightforward. This Court, if called upon, reviews those decisions — it does not preempt them." USA Today (7/9, Phillips, 10.31M) reports that, "if the kill appeals court agrees to rehear the case, it would resurrect the prospect of challenging the Justice Department's controversial decision to drop the case against Flynn, a defendant who twice pleaded guilty." And it would "give Sullivan another shot at convincing the higher court that his equally controversial action...was justified." CNN International (7/9, Polantz) reports the case has become "a major debate over the power of the courts as well as a conduit for President Trump and his supporters to criticize the Russia investigation and for many in the legal industry to question the motives of Attorney General William Barr." The New York Times (7/9, Goldman, 18.61M), The Hill (7/9, Neidig, 2.98M), Wall Street Journal (7/9, Tau, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), Washington Times (7/9, Mordock, 492K), Law360 (7/9, Subscription Publication, 8K), and the Washington Examiner (7/9, Dunleavy, 448K), among other news outlets, also cover the story. Defense Lawyers Aggressively Defend Flynn In FBI Probe Amid Release Of FBI Documents.. The Washington Times (7/9, Scarborough, 492K) reports Defense attorney Sidney Powell "has mounted a tenacious battle to convince the Justice EFTA00161182 Department and the courts that her client, Michael Flynn, deserves a dean slate in what she claims was an FBI set-up to get him to lie about a phone call with a Russian diplomat." The article reviews the timeline of events surrounding the FBI's investigation and recently released documents surrounding interviews with various players involved. In May, "a remarkable set of secret FBI documents materialized in US District Court files, compliments of US Attorney Jeff Jensen, who was appointed by Attorney General William Barr to investigate the Flynn case." Mr. Jensen's "dogged pursuit uncovered evidence that tended to exonerate the former national security adviser.* Trump "Thinking" About Stone, Manafort, Papadopoulos Pardons. President Trump was asked in an interview on Fox News' Hannity (7/9, 535K) if he is considering pardons or commutations for Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and George Papadopoulos. Trump said, "I am always thinking. I am always thinking. ... Roger Stone, Papadopoulos, Manafort — what they did to that man, what they did to that man. Putting him in solitary confinement. Al Capone, the great gangster, the ultimate gangster was never in solitary confinement. You know, what they did to him was just incredible." Politico (7/9, Caputo, 4.29M) reports that "a chorus of outside allies is pressing the president to" pardon Stone, "over the wishes of White House and campaign aides who don't like Stone and think Trump has nothing to gain by helping him." Politico adds "both camps expect Trump will at least split the difference by commuting Stone's sentence, according to interviews with nine sources familiar with the discussions. A commutation would keep Stone from behind bars without wiping his record clean." As DOJ Orders Him To Report To Prison, Stone "Praying" Trump Will Offer Him Clemency. The Washington Post (7/9, Hsu, Marimow, 14.2M) reports on Thursday, the Department of Justice directed "that Roger Stone should report to prison next week as ordered by his sentencing judge." Stone "asked a federal appeals court in Washington to extend to Sept. 3 the date on which he must surrender to a federal prison in Jesup, Ga." The court gave him until Friday to respond to the department's directive. The New York Post (7/9, Fredericks, 4.57M) recounts, meanwhile, that Stone told Fox news "he was 'praying' that President Trump would offer him clemency." Said Stone, "I think I'll be the last person to know. He hates leaks, and he hates to be told what to do. I have instructed my lawyers not to contact the lawyers at the White House." "Sources": Trump Likely To Commute Stone's Sentence. Politico (7/9, Caputo, 4.29M) reports that "a chorus of outside allies is pressing the president to" pardon Stone, "over the wishes of White House and campaign aides who don't like Stone and think Trump has nothing to gain by helping him." Politico adds "both camps expect Trump will at least split the difference by commuting Stone's sentence, according to interviews with nine sources familiar with the discussions. A commutation would keep Stone from behind bars without wiping his record clean." Berman Tells Lawmakers Barr Pressured Him To Resign. The AP (7/9, Mascaro) reports former US Attorney Geoffrey Berman "arrived on Capitol Hill for a dosed-door interview Thursday at the House Judiciary Committee as the panel deepens its probe of politicization at the Justice Department." Berman, adds the AP, "engaged in an extraordinary standoff last month" when Attorney General Barr "sought to have him leave office." As US attorney, "Berman oversaw several ongoing investigations of Trump associates." Politico (7/9, Cheney, 4.29M) reports that Berman told lawmakers that during a June 18 meeting, Barr pressured him to resign. In a written statement to the committee, Berman "said Barr repeatedly attempted to coax Berman into resigning his post by suggesting he consider other positions in government, including the chairmanship of the Securities and Exchange Commission or the head of the Justice Department's Civil Division." Berman said, "I said that there was no job offer that would entice me to resign from my position." Nonetheless, Barr issued a statement later that night "announcing Berman's resignation...which triggered Berman to publicly respond that he had done no such thing." Berman "told lawmakers he had consulted with private attorneys and was prepared to contest his removal until Barr had agreed to elevate Berman's deputy, Audrey Strauss, rather than insert an attorney from outside the office to replace him." The New York Times (7/9, Fandos, Weiser, 18.61M) says that in his prepared testimony, Berman "did not speculate as to Mr. Barr's motive for his dismissal." USA Today (7/9, Phillips, Johnson, 10.31M) says the testimony "is certain to raise additional questions about the Justice Department's independence from a White House that has purged watchdogs, whistleblowers and others seen as disloyal." Michael Cohen Returns To Prison. ABC World News Tonight (7/9, story 3, 0:20, Muir, 7M) reported, "President Trump's former personal attorney is back behind bars." Michael Cohen "was taken to jail" Thursday "after the Bureau of Prisons said he refused the conditions of his home confinement." The Washington Post (7/9, Zapotosky, 14.2M), along with several other news outlets, indicates the development is due to Cohen having been "photographed by The New York Post eating outside the French restaurant Le Bilboquet." EFTA00161183 Reuters (719, Allegri, Hals) reports that according to Cohen's attorney, Jeffrey Levine, the former Trump adviser "was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn." Levine said "Cohen was ordered to a federal courthouse in Manhattan to convert his furlough to home confinement," and there "they were presented with an agreement that barred Cohen from having any contact with news media organizations and from posting on social media." Said Levine, "I'm never seen any language like this in my life." Reuters adds that "after objecting, Levine said that the US Marshals Service came with 'shackles' and ordered him remanded to the jail in Brooklyn because he failed to agree to the terms." The AP (7/9, Balsamo, Mustian) recounts that "Cohen, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress, had been released May 21 on furlough as part of an attempt to slow the spread of the virus in federal prisons." USA Today (7/9, Johnson, 10.31M), Washington Examiner (719, Brest, 448K), Axios (7/9, Swan, 521K), New York Times (7/9, Haberman, 18.61M) and New York Post (719, Golding, 4.57M), among other news outlets, also cover the story. Milley Says Russia Bounty Intelligence Is Uncorroborated. Reuters (7/9) reports that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told Congress Thursday that intelligence suggesting Russia paid bounties to the Taliban for the killing of US troops has not been corroborated and there is no evidence the payments resulted in the deaths of any service members. Milley told the House Armed Services Committee, "That is a unique, discrete piece of information that is not corroborated." Reuters says Defense Secretary Esper "echoed" Milley's comments during the hearing. The New York Times (719, Savage, Schmitt, 18.61M) reports that Milley told the committee, "If in fact there's bounties, I am an outraged general. ... If, in fact, there's bounties directed by the government of Russia or any of their institutions to kill American soldiers, that's a big deal. That's a real big deal.' Milley also said that while the government does not have proof the bounties resulted in military casualties, "we are still looking. ... We're not done. ... We're going to run this thing to ground." Esper Says He Has Launched an Investigation Into Media Leaks. Esper also told the panel "he has launched an investigation into likes across the Pentagon; amid media reports on the bounty intelligence, Politico (7/9, Seligman, 4.29M) reports. Esper said, "We are aggressively pursuing leaks within the Defense Department. ... It's bad and ifs unlawful and it needs to stop." Powell Criticizes Media Reaction To Bounty Intelligence. Fox News (7/9, Dorman, 27.59M) reports on its website that in an interview on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports Thursday, former Secretary of State Cohn Powell "indicated...that media figures overreacted" to the bounty report. Powell said, "What I know is that our military commanders on the ground did not think that it was as serious a problem as the newspapers were reporting and television was reporting. ... It got kind of out of control before we really had an understanding of what had happened. I'm not sure we fully understand now." The New York Post (719, Dorman, 4.57M) quotes Powell as saying, "But [Commander of US Central Command] Gen. [Kenneth] McKenzie ... he did not think this was of that level of importance to us. Remember, it's not the intelligence community that's going to go fight these guys, ifs the guys on the ground. It's our troops. Ifs our commanders who are going to go deal with this kind of a threat, using intelligence that was given to them by the intelligence community. But that has to be analyzed. ... It has to be attested. And then you have to go find out who the enemy is. And I think we were on top of that one, but it just got — it got almost hysterical in the firs few days." Barr Says Probe Into 2106 Election May Yield Results. Bloomberg (7/9, 4.73M) reports Attorney General William Barr "said a criminal investigation into whether FBI officials acted improperly while probing Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and his associates may produce some results by the end of summer." Barr said during a new conference on Thursday in Little Rock, Arkansas, 'The investigation is going to take the time that is necessary to do a thorough and good investigation but I'm still hopeful that sometime around the end of the summer we'll see some developments.' Barr didn't "say if any findings would be made public." Fox News (719, Singman, 27.59M) reports US Attorney John Durham is "under pressure to wrap up his investigation into the origins of the Russia probe by the end of the summer, but if he doesn't, he could wait to reveal his findings or initiate prosecutions until after the 2020 presidential election." Two sources familiar with the investigation "told Fox News this week that Durham is working expeditiously to try to finish the probe by the end of summer, but that several lines of investigation are not yet complete." One source said, "He believes ifs critical to do them. He is feeling more pressure to get this done and wrapped up." The source also "told Fox News that Durham 'does not want this to be viewed political,' and the closer it gets to November, Durham could 'punt it to after the election." Op-Ed: What We Know About The Durham Investigation And What it Means. In a commentary in Lawfare (7/9), Jack Goldsmith writes, 'The fruits of the Durham investigation will reportedly be disclosed later this summer, or in the fall. This post does a deep dive into what has been publicly reported about the Durham investigation, and then offers analysis." Goldsmith contends, "The bottom line is that (1) the probe as it developed is not one that should have been conducted by a federal EFTA00161184 prosecutor conducting a criminal investigation, and (2) Barr's tendentious running commentary on the investigation violates Justice Department rules, politicized the investigation and damaged the credibility of whatever Durham uncovers.' He concludes, "In short, Barr has acted in ways that foreseeably politicize and damage the investigation that he initiated and has devoted so much time to. The question is: Why?" US Charges Former Ohio State Researcher With Lying About China Connections. The Columbus (OH) Dispatch (7/9, Kovac, 367K) reports, "A Hilliard man, described by his Ohio State University colleagues as a world-renowned medical researcher, is facing federal charges in what investigators are calling a 'sophisticated medical grant fraud scheme' involving the transfer of U.S. research to China. Song Guo Zheng, 57, was arrested in late May in Alaska, where he had taken a charter flight with plans to fly to China with 'three large bags packed for a long, if not permanent, joumey,' including two laptop computers, several USB drives and silver bars, according to court documents." The Daily Beast (7/9, Markay, 1.39M) reports, "According to prosecutors, Ohio State placed Zheng on administrative leave while it conducted its own investigation into those alleged omissions. Zheng, they say, quickly began making plans to return to his native China. Zheng's attorneys have not directly responded to the allegations in court. But the transcript of his arraignment indicates that Zheng, a U.S. permanent resident, has denied the charges against him. Zheng's case is just the latest federal prosecution of a U.S. academic whom the DOJ alleges had undisclosed ties to Chinese interests or funders. The department has also recently gone after researchers at Harvard University and the University of Kansas. In public remarks this week, the FBI Director Chris Wray stated: 'We've now reached the point where the FBI is opening a new China-related counterintelligence case about every 10 hours.'" The Washington Examiner (7/9, Yilek, 448K) reports that federal prosecutors alledged that Zheng "received more than $4 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health while he concealed his affiliation with Chinese 'Talent Plans,' which the United States says are used by China's government to gain access to foreign technology and intellectual property. 'We allege that Zheng was preparing to flee the country after he learned that his employer had begun an administrative process into whether or not he was complying with rules governing taxpayer-funded grants,' U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio David DeVillers said in a statement Thursday, adding that it was his office's third recent case involving China's attempts to obtain intellectual property and research illegally." The FBI "said Zheng told investigators contradictory stories about why he was traveling to China. He originally said he was moving to China to retire but later stated he was going there to visit his sick father." WCMH-TV Columbus, OH (7/9, Lanier, 154K) reports, "Zheng was arrested on May 22 after arriving in Anchorage, Alaska, preparing to board a charter flight to China. DeVillers' office alleges that when Zheng was arrested, he was carrying three large bags, one small suitcase, and a briefcase containing two laptops, three cell phones, several USB drives, several silver bars, expired Chinese passports for his family, deeds for property in China, and several other items. The taxpayers of the United States are the real victims when researchers defraud our government and exploit our system to benefit China,' stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Chris Hoffman. The cutting-edge technologies that are being developed in our country must be carefully protected from our foreign adversaries and the FBI will continue to work with our partners to safeguard these important innovations.' Bloomberg (7/9, 4.73M) also reports. Officials Say Black California Man Found Hanging From Tree Died Of Suicide. CNN (7/9, Passantino, Selva, 83.16M) reports, "The death of a 24-year-old California man who was found hanging from a tree last month has been ruled a suicide, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department." CNN adds, "Robert Fuller's body was found in Palmdale on the morning of June 10. There were no signs of a struggle and no signs that he had attempted to remove the rope from his neck, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Cmdr. Chris Marks said. The determination came after a 'thorough' investigation with the California Department of Justice and the FBI, sheriff's officials said at a press conference Thursday." According to CNN, "Nothing but the rope, the contents of his pockets and a backpack that he was wearing were found on the scene, Los Angeles County Homicide Capt. Kent Wegener said last month." The AP (7/9) reports, "The investigation revealed Robert Fuller, 24, suffered from mental illness and took his own life early on June 10 in a park near City Hall in Palmdale, a community of about 150,000 people north of Los Angeles, sheriffs Commander Chris Marks said." The AP adds, "At the time the body was found, deputies found no evidence of a crime and an autopsy conducted the next day resulted in an initial finding of suicide. That finding outraged Fuller's family, who said he was an upbeat person and wouldn't have taken his own life. They said authorities were too quick to dismiss the possibility of a crime. They hired an attorney who said an independent autopsy would be conducted, and the FBI and state attorney general's office pledged to monitor the investigation." BuzzFeed News (7/9) reports, "Los Angeles County Sheriff's Commander Chris Marks said Thursday that an investigation found Fuller had received extensive treatment for mental health issues, including hearing voices telling him to kill EFTA00161185 himself. He had also been hospitalized for suicidal ideation and depression. Detectives found Fuller's EBT card had been used a month earlier to buy a rope from a Dollar Tree store — the same type of rope used in the suicide." The Los Angeles Daily Breeze (7/9, 128K) reports, "At the Thursday news conference, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said his department had conducted a thorough investigation. 'A small segment of the community, and — unfortunately — a significant representation of county government elected leaders were trying to propel the narrative,' Villanueva said. 'But the overwhelming majority of the public trusts the Sheriffs Department,' Villanueva said. 'And as you can see, we complete an investigation and then we report on the results.- Villanueva "had said earlier that he called state Attorney General Xavier Becerra and reached out to the FBI, whose civil rights division was to also monitor the investigation." KTTV-TV Los Angeles (7/9, 24K) also reports. Federal Officials Feared Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Might Killer Herself. The AP (7/9) reports, "Federal officials were so worried Jeffrey Epstein's longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell might take her own life after her arrest that they took away her clothes and sheets and made her wear paper attire while in custody, an official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press." According to the AP, "The steps to ensure Maxwell's safety while she's locked up at a federal jail in New York City extend far beyond the measures federal officials took when they first arrested her in New Hampshire last week." The AP adds, "The Justice Department has implemented additional safety protocols and federal officials, outside of the Bureau of Prisons, have been specifically tasked with ensuring there's adequate protection and the prisons protocols are being followed, the official said. The concern comes in part because Epstein, 66, killed himself in a federal jail in Manhattan last summer while in custody on sex trafficking charges.* The Independent (UK) (7/9, Graziosi, 1.36M) reports, "The intense security surrounding Ms Maxwell is a response to the criticism the Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons and federal investigators took following the death of Epstein while incarcerated in New York City. Epstein allegedly killed himself while incarcerated in a federal jail in Manhattan last year after being arrested on sex trafficking charges. Since then, conspiracy theories have spread regarding the disgraced financier's death. At the time of his apparent suicide, he was one of the highest profile prisoners on the planet." US Charges New York Business Owner With PPE Price-Gouging. The Staten Island (NY) Advance (7/9, Humbrecht, 130K) reports, 'Kevin Jay Lipsitz, CEO and owner of Staten Island-based SuperGoodDeals.com Inc. (SGD), was arrested Wednesday and accused of stock-piling and selling personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical materials far above the prevailing market price, said Brooklyn federal prosecutors." Lipsitz, 61, 'was criminally charged with violations of the Defense Production Act and wire fraud Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court, authorities said." The Advance adds, "Between February and April of this year, SGD allegedly stockpiled PPE and medical supplies, including face masks and N-95 and KN-95 filtering face-piece respirators, prosecutors said. 'Long before the citizens of New York City fully anticipated the impact of the COVID pandemic, Lipsitz was busy stockpiling essential PPE that would soon become a scarce commodity,' stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney." Illinois Video Gambling Figure Is Not "Target" Of Federal Probe. The Chicago Sun-Times (7/9, Armentrout, 875K) reports, "Federal investigators might have been interested in Rick Heidner's ties to a crooked ex-state senator, but the video gambling kingpin is not in the crosshairs of the feds himself," but "that could change, the area's top fed says." The Sun- Times adds, 'Ten months after FBI agents went looking through ex-state Sen. Martin Sandoval's offices for documents related to dozens of people and businesses including Heidner's lucrative Gold Rush Amusements slot machine firm, Chicago's top federal prosecutor sent a letter assuring Heidner's attorneys that the beleaguered entrepreneur 'is not a target' of a sweeping public corruption investigation that has ensnared some of Illinois biggest political heavyweights." US Attorney John Lausch wrote in a June 26 letter, "At this time, your client is not a target of this investigation. Of course, this representation is based on the information known to this office as of the date of this letter and could change." Germany Seizes Server Hosting Stolen US Police Files. The AP (7/9, Bajak) reports from Boston, "At the behest of the U.S. government, German authorities have seized a computer server that hosted a huge cache of files from scores of U.S. federal, state and local law enforcement agencies obtained in a Houston data breach last month." The AP adds, "The server was being used by a WikiLeaks-like data transparency collective called Distributed Denial of Secrets to share documents — many tagged 'For Official Use Only' — that shed light on U.S. police practices. The data, dating back to 1996, include emails, audio and video files and police and FBI intelligence reports. DDoSecrets founder Emma Best said the data, dubbed 'BlueLeaks,' comes from more than 200 agencies. It has been stripped of references to sexual assault cases and references to children, but names, phone numbers and emails of police officers were not redacted, said Best." EFTA00161186 Infosecurity Magazine (7/9, Muncaster) reports, "The raid will raise questions over why an international police operation was launched to seize the leaked data, although there are reports that it may have exposed sensitive personal data. There are also concerns that the data could endanger lives, if it is used by organized crime groups to unmask undercover police officers and witnesses. It could also damage the reputations of suspects who were arrested but subsequently released without charge." Proposed House Spending Bill Boosts Funding For FBI. MeriTalk (7/9, Smith) reports, "The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies approved by voice vote a $71.4 billion funding bill for fiscal year 2021. The funding total under the legislation is $1.7 billion lower than the enacted FY2020 level. The bill will now head to the full House Appropriations Committee for a markup." The bill "funds the FBI at $9.7 billion for salaries and expenses — a $235.4 million bump from FY2020. The subcommittee said the increase is critical for the FBI to continue to address cybercrime and cyberthreats, foreign intelligence, human trafficking, and background checks. The bill funds the Department of Justice (DOJ) at $33.2 billion, an increase over the White House's requested $31.7 billion.° Media Analyses: Court Rulings Likely To Shield Trump Tax Records For Foreseeable Future. Media coverage of Thursday's pair of Supreme Court 7-2 rulings on the Presidents tax and financial records highlighted the justices' rejection of his claims of absolute immunity while in office — but also concluded the decisions will likely mean Trump critics will not have access to those records any time soon. The New York Times (7/9, Liptak, 18.61M), for example, referred to "a stunning defeat for Mr. Trump but a decision that probably means the records will be shielded from public scrutiny...until after the election, and perhaps indefinitely." The court also "ruled that Congress could not, at least for now, see many of the same records." Terry Moran of ABC World News Tonight (7/9, story 2, 3:15, Muir, 7M) said, along similar lines, that 'the bottom line" is "if the public ever sees these tax returns, it's highly unlikely [to be] before" the November elections. NBC Nightly News (7/9, story 3, 1:45, Holt, 5.87M) reported the White House "insists" the "rulings are a win," and the Washington Post (7/9, Barnes, 14.2M) notes "the president's lawyer Jay Sekulow said in a statement, We are pleased that in the decisions issued today, the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked both Congress and New York prosecutors from obtaining the President's tax records. We will now proceed to raise additional constitutional and legal issues in the lower courts.'" While most news accounts refer to Thursday's rulings as a legal defeat for Trump, the Washington Post (7/9, Bump, 14.2M) cautions that the court "handed...Trump apparent losses," but "as a political fight, it looks like the battle for Trump's tax returns is over. And there's good reason to think that Trump won." Politico (7/9, Kumar, 4.29M) also reports that "essentially, even though the nation's highest court rejected several of Trump's legal arguments, he got what he wanted politically." In fact, CQ Roll Call (7/9, Ruger, 154K) reports, the court "for the first time put limits on congressional power to subpoena a sitting presidents personal and business information, in a ruling...that will frustrate the House." Echoing that theme, the New York Times (7/9, 18.61M) editorializes that "Trump has again figured out how to game the legal system to his advantage," and "the bottom line is that" he "will almost certainly get to keep hiding his tax retums...and his other financial records from the American people." In its editorial, meanwhile, the Washington Post (7/9, 14.2M) says She court effectively rewarded Mr. Trump's policy of total noncooperation with Congress and other investigators, allowing him to foil attempts to scrutinize his behavior before the November election." Along similar lines, under the headline "Don't Be Fooled, Trump Is A Winner In The Supreme Court Tax Case," law professor Josh Chafetz writes in the New York Times (7/9, 18.61M) that Trump "won, because we almost certainly won't get to see his financial records anytime soon" and "that is what Mr. Trump most cares about." Moreover, "Congress lost," and "the court has dealt" its oversight powers "a serious blow." The CBS Evening News (7/9, story 3, 2:05, Brennan, 4.14M) recounted that the Supreme Court issued "two separate decisions, both written by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by liberal justices and the two conservative Trump appointees." In the first one, "the court refused to block a subpoena from a New York District Attorney investigating whether the Trump campaign paid women hush money, making it increasingly likely a grand jury will get the President's tax returns: But in the second ruling, the court "threw a wrench in House Democrat efforts to issue even broader subpoenas for years of records from...Trump and his family and businesses," and "sent the Democrats back to the drawing board to better explain why they need ft." NBC Nightly News (7/9, story 2, 1:55, Holt, 5.87M) reported the justices "rejected" House Democrats' "claims of virtually unlimited subpoena power," saying, 'there has to be a balance between the two political branches to keep Congress from abusing the process and said congressional subpoenas must serve a valid legislative purpose." Likewise, the Los Angeles Times (7/9, Savage, 4.64M) says that though "the decisions were a defeat for Trump, there is a bright side for him° in that "the details of his finances will remain a secret from the public because grand juries operate confidentially and rarely leak." In addition, "the court said Trump could still fight their release by raising certain other issues in court." EFTA00161187 White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway said on Newsmax TV (7/9) that the decision was "a victory for the President in this sense: that Congress is not going to gets its paws on his tax returns and certainly not before the November election. This has been the witch hunt of partisans from dating back to the last campaign." Conway said on KTAR-FM Glendale, AZ (7/9, 125K) that during the 2016 campaign, there were "104 pages worth of Trump financial information that was available to anybody who wanted to access it. This President, while he has been in office, has reduced your taxes. People should care much more about what their tax returns look like under Donald Trump than what his tax return looks like. It has been a ruse for a while by people who are always trying to harass and embarrass the President and his family. ... This whole ruse of we need to see his taxes to save the republic is such nonsense." USA Today (7/9, Fritze, Jackson, Wolf, 10.31M) reports "both the White House and Democratic leaders seized on the cases as wins," but "neither side completely got what they wanted." The Hill (7/9, Kruzel, 2.98M) indicates it was a "split decision," as the justices "sided with New York state prosecutors seeking President Trump's tax returns, even as it shielded a trove of his financial records from Congress." USA Today (7/9, Wolf, 10.31M) says "the 7-2 decision...written by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by Trump's two nominees, Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh," sends "the separation of powers dispute back to lower courts for further determination." The Washington Post (7/9, Barnes, 14.2M) reports "Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a statement: 'This is a tremendous victory for our nation's system of justice and its founding principle that no one — not even a president — is above the law. Our investigation, which was delayed for almost a year by this lawsuit, will resume, guided as always by the grand jury's solemn obligation to follow the law and the facts, wherever they may lead.'" The Washington Times (7/9, Mordock, Swoyer, 492K) reports, meanwhile, that lop House Republicans on Thursday slammed the Supreme Court" as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, "said the ruling gives Democrats more fuel for partisan attacks on the president." They also "credit[ed] the Supreme Court handing the president a partial win by shielding his financial records from House Democrats' investigations." The Washington Times (7/9, Munoz, Swoyer, 492K) reports House Speaker Pelosi, nonetheless, "took a victory lap" following the decisions. The Wall Street Journal (7/9, Bravin, Kendall, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), the Washington limes (7/9, Swoyer, 492K), the Washington Examiner (7/9, Crilly, 448K), the Washington Free Beacon (7/9, Daley, 78K), and the Daily Caller (7/9, Trunsky, 716K), among other news outlets, also report on the cases. To the New York Times (7/9, Baker, 18.61M), the "forceful decisions represented a declaration of independence not only by Mr. Trump's own justices but by the Supreme Court as an institution, asserting itself as an equal branch of government in the Trump era" Adds the Times, "That a conservative court including two of his own appointees would so decisively slap down a Republican president's expansive claim of constitutional power served as a reminder that institutional prerogatives still matter in Washington, even in a time of extreme partisanship." The Wall Street Journal (7/9, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) editorializes, meanwhile, that while Trump can take solace in the fact that his records are unlikely to be public any time soon, the ruling weakens the presidency as an institution. Trump Slams "Political Prosecution," "Politically Corrupt New York." The AP (7/9, Sherman) reports Trump "didn't embrace Thursday's outcome as a victory even though it is likely to prevent his opponents in Congress from obtaining potentially embarrassing personal and business records ahead of Election Day." In fact, said ABC World News Tonight (7/9, story 2, 3:15, Muir, 7M), "the President is fuming...at the justices on the Supreme Court." The CBS Evening News (7/9, story 4, 2:10, Brennan, 4.14M) also reported that he "made clear his frustration with that Supreme Court ruling and claimed in a series of tweets that he is the victim of a political prosecution." Yet, the Washington Post (7/9, Obrunnipa, Wagner, 14.2M) points out, "hours later, the White House released a statement saying Trump was 'gratified' by one of the decisions and had been 'protected' in the other." The Post adds "the disjointed responses underscore what in some ways represented a split decision for the president, marked by political and legal ramifications that hold both risks and advantages ahead of the November election." USA Today (7/9, Rite, Jackson, Wolf, 10.31M) also notes Trump "said he was 'satisfied' with one of the decisions, which temporarily blocks Congress from seeking the tax records, and 'not satisfied' with a separate ruling that required the material to be turned over to prosecutors in New York. He dismissed the underlying effort to get at the records as 'purely political.'" Trump said in an interview on Fox News' Hannity (7/9, 535K), "First of all, I'm under tax audit, okay? So, the IRS, treats me just like they used to treat the Tea Party except worse. ... They treat me horribly, the IRS. Horribly. It's a disgrace what's happened. We had a deal done, in fact, I guess it was signed even, and once I ran or once I won or somewhere back a long time ago, everything was like, well, let's start all over again. It's a disgrace. So, I was disappointed...because I think a President should get protection from thousands of prosecutors out there. Thousands all over the country, they could go after you and you're supposed to be running the country." EFTA00161188 Earlier Thursday, Reuters (7/9, Hurley, Wolfe) reports, Trump "complained about the rulings writing on Twitter: `Courts in the past have given 'broad deference. BUT NOT ME!' He added 'This is all a political prosecution ... and now I have to keep fighting in a politically corrupt New York. Not fair to this Presidency or Administration!'" USA Today (7/9, Jackson, 10.31M) says "Trump said he will continue fighting the release of his financial records to Congress and New York prosecutors." Trump tweeted "I won the Mueller Witch Hunt, and others, and now I have to keep fighting in a politically corrupt New York. Not fair to this Presidency or Administration." The Washington Post (7/9, Wagner, 14.2M) reports on Trump's tweets in which he "decried what he called a 'political prosecution' in New York and complained that the case would continue." Trump also tweeted that the court had made a "delay ruling that they would never have given for another President" Also in a tweet, Joe Biden "used the occasion to taunt Trump." Pebsi said the decision is "not good news for the president." Axios (7/9, Rummler, 521K), Townhall (7/9, Pavlich, 177K), the New York Post (7/9, Bowden, 4.57M), The Hill (719, Samuels, 2.98M), the Washington Examiner (7/9, Brest, 448K), and Bloomberg (7/9, Sink, 4.73M), among other news outlets, also cover Trump's tweets. Chief of Staff Meadows said on Fox Business' Lou Dobbs Tonight (7/9, 49K) that "this was nothing more than setting up a fishing expedition for every local DA across the country. I would call it the presidential harassment decision, if you look at it on its face. As they remanded it back to lower courts, hopefully we'll see a little bit different opinion coming out of that" Ban• "Disappointed" About Manhattan Prosecutors Ruling. The Washington Times (7/9, Mordock, 492K) reports Attorney General Barr "said Thursday a Supreme Court ruling that President Trump cannot shield his tax returns from Manhattan prosecutors was a disappointment." Barr told reporters, °We are disappointed in the decision to the extent that it did not accept our argument, the government's argument about the extent of the President's immunity. ... But as a practical matter, the decision made very clear that the President just is not at the mercy of litigants and investigators. There are protections and defenses that can be raised." WSJoumal Accuses Twitter Of Inaction Over Racist Attacks On Thomas After Dissent A Wall Street Journal (7/9, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) editorial criticizes Twitter for failing to curb what it says were racist attacks against Justice Thomas Thursday in response to his dissenting votes in two Supreme Court decisions on Trump's tax records. The Journal calls on Twitter to label such racist Meets as hate speech. George Conway: Mary Trump Book, SCOTUS Tax Return Decision Have "A Lot" In Common. George T. Conway III writes in an op-ed for the Washington Post (7/9, 14.2M) that Thursday's Supreme Court decision on President Trump's tax returns and the new book by Trump's niece, Mary Trump have "quite a lot" in common. Mary Trump's book "describes how Donald Trump has been protected by institutions his entire life" and the court case "illustrates how the president has pushed those protections to the limit — and how they're about to end." Conway writes that the President's "niece's book and the Supreme Court's decision may someday be remembered as the beginning of the end of his institutional protections. And not just in a legal sense. Much of the power of the presidency comes from the perception of it, and that perception is now waning as the president bleeds out in the polls." High Court Rules Much Of Oklahoma Still Indian Reservation. ABC World News Tonight (7/9, story 8, 0:30, Muir, 7M) reported on -a victory for Native Americans" at the Supreme Court, in 'what many believe is the most significant ruling for Native Americans in decades." The AP (7/9, Murphy, Gresko) recounts the justices announced a 5-4 decision Thursday establishing "that a large chunk of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation, a decision that state and federal officials have warned could throw Oklahoma into chaos." The decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, "means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases against American Indian defendants in parts of Oklahoma that include most of Tulsa." The decision also "casts doubt on hundreds of convictions won by local prosecutors." The Washington Post (7/9, Marimow, Barnes, 14.2M) says "the question for the court was whether Congress officially eliminated the Creek Nation reservation when Oklahoma became a state in 1907." Gorsuch wrote, "If Congress wishes to withdraw its promises, it must say so. Unlawful acts, performed long enough and with sufficient vigor, are never enough to amend the law." The New York Times (7/9, Liptak, Healy, 18.61M) reports the ruling "could reshape the criminal-justice system by preventing state authorities from prosecuting offenses there that involve Native Americans." The case is McGirt v. Oklahoma. McGirt, the Washington Examiner (7/9, Dibble, 448K) recounts, is "a member of the Muscogee Nation who was convicted of raping a 4-year-old child in 1997," and "argued that the case should not have been in the jurisdiction of Oklahoma courts because the incident happened on tribal land." USA Today (7/9, Wolf, Johnson, 10.31M) reports the territory involved is "home to 1.8 million residents and including Tulsa." Writing in dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts °said that Congress made no attempt to conceal its intention to 'disestablish' reservation lands." Roberts added, "Through an open and concerted effort, Congress did what it set out to do: transform a reservation into a state." USA Today also reports, "Within hours of Thursday's ruling, the state and five Native EFTA00161189 American nations released a statement promising cooperation." Along those lines, says the New York Post (7/9, Moore, 4.57M), "Oklahoma's three US attorneys expressed optimism that 'tribal, state, local and federal law enforcement will work together to continue providing exceptional public safety' in light of the ruling." The Wall Street Journal (7/9, Bravin, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), Reuters (7/9, Hurley), Washington Times (7/9, Vondracek, 492K), the AP (7/9), The Hill (7/9, Neidig, 2.98M), and the Daily Caller (7/9, Nuked, 716K), among other news outlets, also cover the decision. 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. so-LA•media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough. GA( MRI, comScore, Nielsen. and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook. Twitter, Instagram and others, is subject to the respective platforms terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva's terms of use. Services inducing embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy colicies. The FBI Directors Morning Briefing is published five days a week by Bulletin Inteligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BuletinIntelligence.com. or called at (703) 4834100. Please direct comments and concerns to FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com. EFTA00161190