JFK on transparency…
Tag: transparency
Hawley-Braun Proposed Legislation Would Declassify Intelligence Related to Wuhan Lab, Potentially Shedding Light on Fauci’s Role in Grant-Based Research
There may finally be movement on getting to the bottom of exactly what role the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) — which has reportedly received $600,000 in U.S. tax dollars via grant money awarded by a unit of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) via the EcoHealth Alliance to study coronaviruses in bats — played in the COVID-19 pandemic.
If Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Mike Braun of Indiana are successful in a new legislative proposal called the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2021, President Joe Biden will be directed to declassify American intelligence already collected examining those links — and shed light on the role of the NIH unit that approved the grant to the WIV, Dr. Anthony Fauci’s National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, which sidestepped official review of the grant by a federal oversight board, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
According to the proposal, the goal is to “(A) identify the origin of COVID–19 as expeditiously as possible, and (B) use that information to take all appropriate measures to prevent a similar pandemic from occurring again.”
Biden Administration Officials Urged Republican Senators to Delete Pictures of Border Visit
In a recent appearance on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo”, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso revealed that Biden administration officials begged a group of senators who were present at the Southern Border to “delete the pictures.”
Barrasso recounted that he and 18 other Republican senators went down to the border at the end of March to get an idea of the immigration crisis taking place down there. Upon arriving at the border, the senators were instructed “to delete the pictures,” but none ended up doing so.
“We were told to delete the pictures. No one did. You’ve seen the video coming out of all of these kids crammed together under the foil blankets, huddling together,” Barrasso said in the interview.
Shakhzod Yuldoshboev of the Daily Caller noted that Barrasso was concerned about the conditions of the unaccompanied minors who were illegally smuggled into the US were being kept in. “They are crammed in like sardines,” Barrasso observed on the program.
“This is what the Biden administration is trying to hide from the American public. Which is why we took video, and the Biden administration tried to stop us,” he continued.
Yuldoshboev also highlighted that Barrasso accused the Biden administration of censoring coverage of the border crisis in a tweet late last month.
Let the sun shine in…
Former Director of National Intelligence Hints at Revelatory UFO Report
In a recent interview with Fox News, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe shared insights on the UFO phenomenon and suggested that a forthcoming government report on the subject could contain significant revelations. His intriguing comments were made during a conversation with Maria Bartiromo this past Friday evening. Positing that the former Trump administration official saw “the most intelligence than anybody has seen other than the president,” the host noted that the government is required to issue a report on UFOs to the public later this year and asked Ratcliffe if such strange objects have been seen.
Although he chuckled when Bartiromo initially broached the topic, the former DNI offered a serious response, saying that the government has “lots of reports about what we call ‘unidentified aerial phenomena.'” He went on to confirm that the government will be issuing a proverbial UFO report in a few months and claimed that he “wanted to get this information out and declassified before I left office,” but was unable to pull off such a feat. “Frankly, there are a lot more sightings than have been made public,” Ratcliffe said, explaining that these reports come from “Navy or Air Force pilots or have been picked up by satellite imagery.”
These puzzling objects, he revealed, “engage in actions that are difficult to explain,” move in a manner seemingly impossible by our current technology, and “exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom.” Ratcliffe revealed that there are “quite a few of those” incidents on record and postulated that information on these cases is “being gathered and will be put out in a way that the American people will see.” As for what could be behind these inexplicable sightings, he indicated that “when we see these things, we always look for a plausible explanation,” citing weather effects or potential foreign technology, but conceded that “there are instances where we don’t have good explanations for what we have seen.”
Dem Rep. Sanchez: Not ‘Appropriate’ for Journalists to See Inside Border Facilities Holding Children
Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA) Thursday on CNN’s “Newsroom” that it was not appropriate for journalists to be inside centers that are housing the surge of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Anchor Poppy Harlow asked, “My last question is so transparency … All of our reporters down there have been asking nonstop to get into these facilities where Alejandro Mayorkas said are not meant for children. Are you concerned over the lack of transparency?”
Sanchez said, “I will tell you under the Trump administration, members of Congress were not allowed inside these facilities.”
Harlow interjected, “But that doesn’t mean anything now, respectfully congresswoman. Clearly, you were upset about that lack of transparency. Are you concerned about this lack of transparency?”
Sanchez said, “Sure. Well, again, when you ever have the numbers and the facilities appropriate for children, but because of COVID protocols, you have to have social distancing. So they are trying to process children as quickly as they can, and, no, these detention facilities at the border were not meant for children. Children are meant to be in licensed facilities. But because of the numbers and because of the social distancing that is required, they are doing the best that they can. I don’t necessarily think that it is appropriate for journalists to be inside centers that are not permanent places for children, that children are not placed there permanently. They are processed out of those facilities as quickly as possible and as quickly as the facilities will allow.”
Harlow pressed, “Some of them are being held there longer than they are legally supposed to be.”
Biden Makes History As First ‘Absentee President’
Transparency and accountability now seem to be a thing of the past for the White House. Since taking office, Joe Biden has signed a record number of executive orders, proclamations and directives, but hasn’t held one formal press conference to answer for them.
In January, Biden promised to address a joint session of Congress “next month” in February, which he may not realize already passed. Biden also claimed he would hold a press conference, but that too has not happened or even been scheduled. This is quickly earning Biden the reputation of an “absentee president,” and we’re not just talking about the ballots.
This week, Biden set a 100-year record by not holding a solo press conference, something that usually happens within an administration’s first 33-days. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there are still no plans to do so, just as there are no plans to even schedule Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress. This is something that traditionally happens in the month of February.
As what now seems customary for the Biden White House, the speech has been pushed off and made conditional. Psaki said it is contingent on certain legislation being passed in Congress.
White House Abruptly Cuts Off Live Feed After Biden Says He Wants To Take Audience Questions
The White House abruptly cut off the live feed feed for an event President Joe Biden was hosting with the House Democratic Caucus after the commander-in-chief appeared to venture off-script by saying he would be willing to answer questions from the audience.
Biden appeared with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other members of the Democratic Party during the live event, and spoke about his administration’s ongoing obsession with COVID-19 and the steps purportedly taken to halt its spread.
“I’d be happy to take questions if that’s what I’m supposed to do, Nance,” Biden said to Pelosi. “Whatever you want me to do.”
Within moments, the feed cut to a blue screen, and President Biden was no longer visible. A “Thank You For Joining” message informed viewers that the event was now over.
Blackout: White House curbs press, public access as Biden struggles with public demands of job
Throughout his presidential campaign and continuing since taking the White House, Joe Biden has promised a transparent approach to press and public relations. Yet in recent weeks, his administration has closed off — at least for now — several key avenues via which the press and public have for years gained a modicum of transparency, accessibility and accountability from the White House.
These moves to curb press and public access come as President Joe Biden himself has at times appeared to be struggling with the public demands of his job.
Notably, the White House has said that while it will divulge records of individuals who physically visit the White House, it will not be sharing virtual visitor logs. The Biden administration has relied heavily on virtual meetings out of concerns that COVID-19 might spread in face-to-face gatherings.
An unnamed White House official told Politico this week that the administration’s refusal to release virtual meeting logs was in line with “the same way that previous administrations didn’t release phone logs.”
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki this week acerbically dismissed a reporter’s query into the administration’s lack of transparency on the issue.
“[Biden is] meeting with members of the Senate virtually today,” she said. “There, I’ve released it for you. What else would you like to know?”
The White House has also shut down its comment line by which American citizens can call in to leave comments for the executive branch. A recording claims that the comment office is “temporarily closed” and urges callers to visit the White House’s contact page instead.
The Biden administration has also removed the popular “We the People” petitioning platform originally started by President Barack Obama and continued through the Trump administration. As late as Jan. 18 of this year, the program was still active, yet now any attempt to reach the older URL simply reroutes users to the White House’s main page.
Gone, also, are White House tours, which the administration claims have been “suspended until further notice.” As late as mid-December, the Trump administration was still encouraging Americans to schedule tours through their congressional representatives.
Buyer’s remorse yet?
Hellbound and Down 
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