James A. Wolfe, Former Senate Intelligence Committee Aide Arrested & Indicted in Investigation of Classified Leaks

THROW THE BOOK AT THIS GUY, MAKE AN EXAMPLE OUT OF HIM AND THE LEAKS WILL COME TO A CRASHING END …

As reported at the New York Times, 57 year old James A. Wolfe, a former Senate Intelligence Committee aide for 30 years, was arrested and indicted (see indictment here) in an investigation of classified information leaks during the Trump presidency. Wolfe repeatedly lied to investigators about his contacts with reporters and made false statements to the FBI. According to prosecutors, Wolfe communicated with a four reporters, using using encrypted messaging applications and his Senate email account, from 2015 to 2017. The media is up in arms as they claim their First Amendment rights have been violated by the seizure of their communication records by the DOJ. However, there will be no arrests of the media and no media names were included in the indictments. Tt is not a crime for the media to report the leak, but it is a crime to leak the classified information.

A former Senate Intelligence Committee aide was arrested on Thursday in an investigation of classified information leaks where prosecutors also secretly seized years’ worth of a New York Times reporter’s phone and email records.

The former aide, James A. Wolfe, 57, was charged with lying repeatedly to investigators about his contacts with three reporters. According to the authorities, Mr. Wolfe made false statements to the F.B.I. about providing two of them with sensitive information related to the committee’s work. He denied to investigators that he ever gave classified material to journalists, the indictment said.

Mr. Wolfe, the Intelligence Committee’s director of security, was slated to appear before a federal judge on Friday in Washington. Reached on Thursday evening before his arrest, Mr. Wolfe declined to comment.

Mr. Wolfe’s case led to the first known instance of the Justice Department going after a reporter’s data under President Trump. The seizure was disclosed in a letter to the Times reporter, Ali Watkins, who had been in a three-year relationship with Mr. Wolfe. The seizure suggested that prosecutors under the Trump administration will continue the aggressive tactics employed under President Barack Obama.

In his role with the committee, Mr. Wolfe was responsible for safeguarding classified and other sensitive information shared with lawmakers. He stopped performing committee work in December and retired in May.

Court documents describe Mr. Wolfe’s communications with four reporters — including Ms. Watkins — using encrypted messaging applications. It appeared that the F.B.I. was investigating how Ms. Watkins learned that Russian spies in 2013 had tried to recruit Carter Page, a former Trump foreign policy adviser. She published an article for BuzzFeed News on April 3, 2017, about the attempted recruitment of Mr. Page in which he confirmed the contacts.

Department of Justice Statement – U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Columbia:

Former U.S. Senate Employee Indicted on False Statements Charges
Longtime Director of Security for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Accused of Lying to FBI About Repeated Contacts with Reporters

WASHINGTON – A former staff employee of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) has been indicted and arrested on charges of making false statements to special agents of the FBI during the course of an investigation into the unlawful disclosure of classified information, announced Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

James A. Wolfe, 58, of Ellicott City, Md., was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001. At the time he made the alleged false statements to the FBI, Wolfe was Director of Security for the SSCI, a position he held for approximately 29 years. As SSCI Director of Security, Wolfe was entrusted with access to classified SECRET and TOP SECRET information provided by the Executive Branch, including the U.S. Intelligence Community, to the SSCI.  In this position, Wolfe was responsible for safeguarding all classified information in the possession of the SSCI.

Wolfe is alleged to have lied to FBI agents in December 2017 about his repeated contacts with three reporters, including through his use of encrypted messaging applications.  Wolfe is further alleged to have made false statements to the FBI about providing two reporters with non-public information related to the matters occurring before the SSCI.

“The Attorney General has stated that investigations and prosecutions of unauthorized disclosure of controlled information are a priority of the Department of Justice.  The allegations in this indictment are doubly troubling as the false statements concern the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and confidential information,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “Those entrusted with sensitive information must discharge their duties with honesty and integrity, and that includes telling the truth to law enforcement.”

Harvey Weinstein Turns Himself in on Multiple Sex Crime Charges in New York City (VIDEO)

Harvey Weinstein Turns Himself in to Authorities … Will There Be Justice?

It was anticipated that Harvey Weinstein would turn himself in, now its official.  The downfall of Harvey Weinstein, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, just got even more real. Weinstein turned himself into authorities this morning to the New York Police Department at the First Precinct in Tribeca.  More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault or rape, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd and Angelina Jolie.  Weinstein is likely looking at first degree and third degree rape charges and a first degree criminal sexual act charge from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing.

Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to authorities Friday to face sex assault charges in connection with attacks on multiple women.

The fallen Hollywood honcho is expected to be charged with preying on Lucia Evans, who told investigators that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004, and at least one other accuser, sources said.

His attorney Benjamin Brafman declined to comment Thursday.

Evans told The New Yorker she was an incoming college senior trying to break into the film business when she met Weinstein at a nightclub.

The movie mogul invited her to the Miramax office. Soon after she arrived for the daytime meeting, Evans said, Weinstein pulled her head down to his crotch.

“I said, over and over, ‘I don’t want to do this, stop, don’t,’ ” she told the magazine.

“I tried to get away, but maybe I didn’t try hard enough. I didn’t want to kick him or fight him.”

Evans said the hulking Weinstein ultimately “overpowered” her.

“I just sort of gave up,” she said.

After being booked at the Lower Manhattan precinct, Weinstein and lawyer  will next head to  criminal court for an arraignment hearing later today to enter a plea. At the hearing, a predetermined bail of $1 million will be set, and Weinstein’s passport will be handed over to authorities due to flight-risk concerns.

SRO ‘Saves Lives’ by Shooting Ex-Student Who Opened Fire at Dixon High School in Illinois

LOOKS LIKE GUNS IN SCHOOLS DOES WORK … HEY BROWARD COUNTY, THIS IS HOW ITS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE!

An Illinois Dixon High School SRO saved many lives as he shot and wounded a 19 year old suspect, Matt Milby, who arrived at the school and opened fire. The 19 year old suspect, a former student, arrived at Dixon High School about 8 a.m. and shot at the officer who then returned fire, injuring him. The suspect was taken into custody. No students were injured. A note to the Broward county sheriffs office, this is how you are supposed to act when there is an open shooter situation. Look what happens when one actually does their job. Kudos to SRO Mark Dallas, you are a true hero.

A potential school shooting in central Illinois ended when a school resource officer shot and wounded an armed former student who opened fire Wednesday morning.

The 19-year-old suspect, who arrived armed at Dixon High School about 8 a.m., shot at the officer who then returned fire, injuring him, police chief Steven Howell said at a news conference.

Howell commended the quick response of the school resource office for his fast response.

“I could not be more proud of the police officer and the way he responded to the situation. With shots ringing out through the hallways of the school, he charged towards the suspect and confronted him, head on,” Howell said. “Because of his heroic actions, countless lives were saved. We are forever indebted to him for his service and his bravery.”

Howell said the suspect had fired several shots near school gym, where the resource officer confronted him. The suspect then ran away, and shot back at the officer, who had pursued after him. The officer fired back, wounding the suspect, who was then taken into custody.

ICE Raids Southeastern Provision Meatpacking Plant in Bean Station, TN; 97 Illegal Immigrants Arrested

THE ICE MAN COMETH … ICE ARRESTS 97 ILLEGALS AT MEAT PROCESSING PLANT IN TENNESSEE.

Federal ICE agents arrested 97 illegal immigrants at a meat processing company in rural Bean Station, Tennessee. The raid at Southeastern Provision was the largest workplace raid in a decade. Of the 97 arrested, ten people were arrested on federal immigration charges, one person was arrested on state charges and 86 immigrants were detained for being in the country illegally. The feds began investigating Southeastern Provision months ago after Citizens Bank employees noticed that the meat packing company was withdrawing large sums of cash every week,  more than $25 million since 2008. According to a federal affidavit, the family-run meat packing plant is under criminal investigation for allegedly evading taxes, filing false tax returns and hiring immigrants in the country illegally. It is alleged the facility failed to report $8.4 million in wages and to pay at least $2.5 million in payroll taxes for dozens of undocumented workers. So much for mandatory E-verify. This is just another effort if removing the illegal work “magnets”.

Federal officials arrested 97 immigrants at a meat-processing plant in rural Tennessee on Thursday in what civil rights organizations said was the largest single workplace raid in a decade and a sign that the Trump administration is carrying out its plan to aggressively ramp up enforcement this year.

Ten people were arrested on federal immigration charges, one person was arrested on state charges and 86 immigrants were detained for being in the country illegally, Tammy Spicer, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement Friday. All of those arrested are suspected of being in the country illegally, she said. Immigration advocates said most were from Mexico.

The raid on Southeastern Provision in Bean Station, Tennessee, follows arrests at 7-Eleven stores and other workplaces nationwide. Last year, the nation’s top immigration official said he had ordered agents to increase the number of work-site inspections and operations by “four or five times” this year, to turn off the job “magnets” that attract immigrants who are in the country illegally and punish employers who hire them.

The National Immigration Law Center and other immigrant advocates said the Tennessee raid was the largest since the George W. Bush administration and deployed many of the tactics of that era, with a surprise blitz of the factory and streets blocked by state and local authorities. ICE officials would not say where the raid ranked in terms of size.

“People are panicked,” said Stephanie Teatro, co-executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, a statewide organization that came to the small town and set up intake centers at local churches where relatives could report their loved ones missing. “People are terrified to drive. People are terrified to leave their homes.”

Of the 86 immigrants arrested on civil immigration charges, ICE released 32 but did not explain why. The remaining 54 were being detained, but the agency did not provide their names or say where they were being held.

Utah Teen Attempted to Detonate Explosive Device at Pine View High School … Teen Researched ISIS

I SUPPOSED THIS WAS THE NRA’S FAULT AS WELL …

A Utah teen has been arrested after a homemade explosive device was the item discovered in a backpack at Pine View High School. Authorities stated that if the device had detonated, it would have caused significant injury or death. It was also learned after serving a search warrant that the suspect had been researching information and expressing interest in ISIS and promoting the organization. And not a gun to be found, just a home made bomb.

This is an example of what happens when the police, school officials and SRO do the right thing.

(KUTV) — A juvenile was arrested Tuesday morning after a ‘potentially’ dangerous homemade device was found at Pine View High School on Monday.

The juvenile was interviewed as a person of interest, police say.

During the interview with investigators, the suspect admitted to taking the American flag down and replacing it with an ISIS flag at Hurricane High School

UPDATE: Police said a homemade explosive device was the item discovered in a backpack at Pine View High School Monday, that forced the evacuation of the school. Police said if the device had detonated, it would have caused significant injury or death. Police have a suspect in custody.

A warrant served at the home of a male juvenile, found materials consistent with the materials used to build the device. Police also said the suspect had been researching information and expressing interest in ISIS and promoting the organization.

The boy has not been identified but police said he was attending a class at Pine View.

The suspect was arrested and faces charges of manufacture, possession, sale, use or attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. More charges may be pending, according to police.

It was determined that if the device had detonated, it would have caused significant injury or death.