Category: Treasury Dept./CFIUS

Biden to ‘reset’ US-Palestinian ties, including hundreds of millions in ‘economic and humanitarian assistance’

BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/03/biden-to-reset-us-palestinian-ties-including-hundreds-of-millions-in-economic-and-humanitarian-assistance;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

It is no secret that the Palestinian Authority earmarks funds for jihad terror against Israel, not the least of which in its abhorrent “pay for slay” program. This is why in 2018, the Trump administration cut over $200 million in U.S. aid to Palestinians until they ended “stipends to terrorists and the families of slain attackers.” Biden has made no such demand. Israel also faces tough challenges under the Biden administration, which is also emboldening Iran in pursuit of a nuclear deal — a deal that Iran openly admitted it violated, and intends to continue to do so.

“Biden administration crafting plan to reset US-Palestinian ties,” Al Jazeera, March 18, 2021:

The Biden administration is crafting a plan aimed at resetting US ties with the Palestinians, which all but collapsed under former President Donald Trump, according to an internal draft memo seen by Reuters.

Two people familiar with the State Department document, which was first reported by the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper The National, said it was still in an early “working stage” but could eventually form the basis for rolling back parts of Trump’s approach that Palestinians denounced as heavily biased in favour of Israel.

Since President Joe Biden took office on January 20, his aides have said they intend to repair relations with the Palestinians. His administration has pledged to resume hundreds of millions of dollars in economic and humanitarian assistance and work towards reopening the Palestinians’ diplomatic mission in Washington, DC.

Biden’s aides have also made clear they want to re-establish the goal of a negotiated two-state solution as a priority in US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But they have moved cautiously with Israel’s March 23 elections looming, followed by Palestinian elections scheduled in coming months.

A portion of the draft memo quoted by The National said the US vision is “to advance freedom, security, and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians in the immediate term.”

The document was cited as saying $15m in COVID-19 pandemic aid to the Palestinians could be announced by the end of March. It is also reported to take a tougher stance on Israeli settlement activities and mentions efforts “to obtain a Palestinian commitment to end payments to individuals imprisoned (by Israel) for acts of terrorism”.

One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the document was a preliminary draft subject to revision and any final version would require inter-agency review.

“We don’t have any comments on that specific memo,” US State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters at a daily briefing….

Biden Executive Order Forces Taxpayers To Cover Cost Of Military Transgender Surgeries

"All medically-necessary transition-related care authorized by law is available to all Service members" the Secretary of Defense wrote.

BY KELEN MCBREEN

SEE: https://www.infowars.com/posts/biden-executive-order-forces-taxpayers-to-cover-cost-of-military-transgender-surgeries/

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

A January executive order from the Biden administration set the stage for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough to force taxpayers to foot the bill for transgender soldier treatments.

Hidden within the “Executive Order on Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform” was a section repealing an Obama rule prohibiting taxpayer money from covering the cost of gender reassignment surgery.

After the Biden executive order rescinded the Obama-era policy, Austin and McDonough published memos specifying surgery is now a benefit.

“This revised policy will also ensure all medically-necessary transition-related care authorized by law is available to all Service members,” Secretary of Defense Austin wrote.

Transgender surgeries for both biological males and females can cost from $100,000-$200,000.

The military news comes just days after Joe Biden told the world America is “designing body armor that fits women properly, tailoring combat uniforms for women, creating maternity flight suits,” and “updating requirements for their hairstyles.”

On Monday, which was International Women’s Day, Chairman Biden virtue signaled about how the US military is ready to “open up all positions in the military to anyone qualified to serve in them.”

Fox News host Tucker Carlson mocked Biden’s “maternity flight suit” comment on Wednesday night and was subsequently attacked by left-wing media and the Pentagon.

“Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the U.S. military,” Carlson said. “While China’s military becomes more masculine as it’s assembled the world’s largest navy, our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, ‘more feminine,’ whatever ‘feminine’ means anymore since men and women no longer exist.”

“The bottom line is, it’s out of control, and the Pentagon’s going along with this. This is a mockery of the U.S. military and its core mission, which is winning wars,” Carlson added.

Defense Department spokesman John Kirby responded to Carlson’s remark, saying, “What we absolutely won’t do is take personnel advice from a talk-show host or the Chinese military.” 

See the Tucker Carlson Tonight segment below:

BIDEN’S BRAIN FRY: “DEVOUT CATHOLIC” PAPAL AGENT SUCCUMBS TO COGNITIVE DEGENERATION, SENILITY, DEMENTIA~PROPPED UP BY RADICAL LEFTIST, COMMUNIST HANDLERS, RAIDING OUR WEALTH

More Money in Stimulus Bill for Pension Bailouts ‘Than All the Money Combined’ for Vaccines, Congressman Says

BY STACEY LENNOX

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/stacey-lennox/2021/03/08/more-money-in-stimulus-bill-for-pension-bailouts-than-all-the-money-combined-for-vaccines-congressman-says-n1430731;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Unions are getting a free pass after mismanaging their multi-employer pensions for decades. In a provision not well-publicized before the stimulus bill narrowly passed by the Senate with only Democrat support, $86 billion dollars will be directed to at least185 multi-employer union pension plans that are close to collapse. According to the New York Times:

Both the House and Senate stimulus measures would give the weakest plans enough money to pay hundreds of thousands of retirees — a number that will grow in the future — their full pensions for the next 30 years. The provision does not require the plans to pay back the bailout, freeze accruals or to end the practices that led to their current distress, which means their troubles could recur. Nor does it explain what will happen when the taxpayer money runs out 30 years from now.

The pension crisis is not new and fixing it has long been a Democrat priority. Congress passed legislation in 2014 to allow insolvent pensions to pare benefits within limits to prevent bailouts by the taxpayer. However, President Obama’s Treasury Department blocked the Central States Pension Fund’s plan to use the law in 2016. The media framed this denial as an attempt to force a straight bailout, and here we are.

At the time, the responsibility to cover the fund’s projected insolvency would have fallen to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which had its own insolvency issues. The Central States fund was paying $3.46 in benefits for every dollar it took in due to an aging former workforce and employer withdrawals:

Legislators thought they fixed this problem late in 2014 when they attached bipartisan legislation to the so-called “cromnibus” spending bill. The pensions amendment allowed trustees for financially troubled multiemployer pension plans to cut vested benefits, provided they could demonstrate to Treasury that doing so would prevent the plan from going bust. The idea was that the cuts would prevent a far worse fate — a Central States bailout by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which would pay only pennies on the dollar (and which had solvency problems of its own). According to a recent PBGC report, “it is more likely than not that PBGC’s multiemployer fund will be exhausted by 2025.”

Joshua Gotbaum, former director of the PBGC, called the Treasury Department’s decision an “act of political cowardice” that will result in “more and deeper benefit cuts” to Central States beneficiaries.

The PBGC board of directors consists of the secretaries of Labor, Commerce, and Treasury, with the secretary of Labor as chair. It is not supposed to be funded by taxpayers and covers payments to failed employer pensions. From their website:

In fiscal year 2020, PBGC paid for monthly retirement benefits, up to a guaranteed maximum, for more than 984,000 retirees in more than 5,000 single-employer plans that cannot pay promised benefits. Including those who have not yet retired and participants in multiemployer plans receiving financial assistance, PBGC is responsible for the current and future pensions of more than 1.5 million people.

The PBGC handles multi-employer and single-employer plans through separate programs. The current legislation will provide $86 billion from general funds to be kept separate from the funds it uses for general operations. Perhaps the most disturbing facet of this is that there are no conditions placed on the pensions that will fix the underlying problem.

The legislation requires the troubled plans to keep their grant money in investment-grade bonds, and bars them from commingling it with their other resources. But beyond that, the bill would not change the funds’ investment strategies, which are widely seen as a cause of their trouble.

A proposal for structural reforms failed:

On Friday, Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, introduced his own legislative proposal for the failing pension plans, which he said would bring structural reforms to make them solvent over the long term. He called the measure put forth by Democrats “a blank check” and tried to have it sent back to the Senate Finance Committee for retooling.

“Not only is their plan totally unrelated to the pandemic, but it also does nothing to address the root cause of the problem,” Mr. Grassley said in a statement. His motion failed in a vote of 49 to 50.

To illustrate how large this segment of the funds provided for is, Senator Bill Haggerty (R-Tenn.) said: “Just to show you how bad this bill is, there’s more money in this to bail out union pension funds than all the money combined for vaccine distribution and testing,”

Democrats are trying to say the pandemic made the pension shortfalls worse, but that would seem to be an overstatement because stock market performance has not suffered dramatically during that time. The 10-year inflation-adjusted return for 2020 was 11.96%. The S&P 500 increased 16% in 2020 alone.

This bailout appears to be just another giveback long in the making. According to Time magazine, the coordinated plan to influence to 2020 election originated in the national office of the AFL-CIO. Multi-employer unions, such as the Teamsters and United Autoworkers, are powerful constituencies for the union leadership. One huge Teamster plan that expected to go broke in 2025 just got rescued. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka now has a material win to offset the devastation that has already started and will likely continue in the energy industry.

Taxpayer funding of pensions was unheard of up to this point. Even those who have saved appropriately in defined contribution plans like 401(k)s will also fund their fellow citizens’ pensions through their tax dollars. This taxpayer bailout may be the first time, but given that the bill requires almost no reforms, it increases the likelihood it will not be the last.

Senator Cotton Decries Death-Row Murderers Getting Stimulus Checks

Sen. Cotton Decries Death-Row Murderers Getting Stimulus Checks

BY ERIC MACK

SEE: https://www.newsmax.com/politics/tomcotton-stimulus-impactpayments-murderers/2021/03/07/id/1012826/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Death-row murderers and terrorists are getting $1,400 stimulus checks from the package passed by the Senate on Saturday, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., tweeted in condemnation.

Cotton wrote:

"Dylann Roof murdered nine people. He's on federal death row. He'll be getting a $1,400 stimulus check as part of the Democrats' 'COVID relief' bill."

In a subsequent tweet, Cotton added:

"Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Bomber, murdered three people and terrorized a city. He'll be getting a $1,400 stimulus check as part of the Democrats' 'COVID relief' bill."

And in a third rebuke, Cotton tweeted:

"Aaron Shamo was sentenced to life in prison for selling '1 million fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills to unsuspecting buyers.' He'll be getting a $1,400 stimulus check while in prison from the Democrats' 'COVID relief' bill."

Cotton's rebuke came after Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., proposed an amendment that the checks should not go to inmates, but Senate Democrats voted it down 50-49.

Cotton also rejected the provisions that permit a $1,400-per-week check to federal employees who refuse to send their kids to school.

"They're going to give a lot of Americans a $1,400 check," Cotton told Fox News last week. "Federal employees are going to get that same check. They're also going to get $1,400 a week, every single week if their kids aren't in school.

"So if you're working in the middle of the country hard to make a living, you get one $1,400 payment once. If you're a federal bureaucrat in Washington where your schools are still closed, you get one every single week. Talk about the swamp looking out for itself."

Related Stories:

CITIZENS’ COUNCIL FOR HEALTH FREEDOM: Where’s the COVID in COVID Relief Legislation?

President Biden's “American Rescue Plan” Features more

Pork than Lean-Meat Solutions

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The Democrats’ “American Rescue Plan” is an economic endangerment plan. This $1.9 trillion heavily-earmarked bill is a spending bill, pure and simple. Covid-19 is just an excuse to dole out dollars to their favorite causes.  (630-page text of H.R. 1319). 

Despite claims otherwise, this bill has little to do with COVID-19. Some say only nine percent of the funds will be for COVID-19 vaccine and vaccinations. Nine percent. If true, that would mean 91% of the dollars will be with other “goodies,” all funded by taxpayers, many of whom are no longer working because of the pandemic restrictions. For example, beyond COVID-19 funding, H.R. 1319 includes changes to the law and funding related to topics such as:

  • Agriculture
  • Nutrition
  • Minimum wage mandate
  • Child care
  • Funding for the arts
  • Head start
  • Data modernization
  • Family planning
  • Native American health
  • Water assistance
  • Pollution
  • Airports
  • Environmental justice
  • Bridge construction to Canada

America’s debt is already more than $27 trillion. When President Reagan left office, our debt was only $2.1 trillion. Debt is making the U.S. poor. “Over the past decade, the U.S. has spent more on interest than it has on programs such as veterans benefits and education,” writes Marcus Lu.

Yet, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader in the U.S. House, is pushing to add another nearly $2 trillion in financial obligations for current and future taxpayers, including the children, grandchildren, and maybe even the great-grandchildren of today’s American families:
 

“Five hundred thousand Americans have died. Thousands and thousands of businesses have either shut down or gone away. People are in food lines that never expected in their wildest dreams that they would need to be in a food line. I don't want this to sound corny, but I think the best politics for us… is to do the right thing.” (3/2/21 Hoyer press release)

The $1,400 checks some Americans will receive if this Democrat bill becomes law are small pennies compared to the large taxes, lower incomes, and fewer jobs Americans will experience when the federal government returns to taxpayers to seek payment of its escalating debts. An indebted nation is not a strong nation.  Foreign investors, including China, hold roughly 40% of our debt. 

The U.S. House passed H.R. 1319 early Saturday morning. Talk to your U.S. Senators now. Take time now to do your part to rescue the American economy. 
In Case You Missed It
  

MS and TX Reverse Mask Mandates, Lift Restrictions

With the dramatic fall in recorded COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, the governors of the states of Mississippi and Texas announced on Tuesday they would be ending their states’ mask mandates.  In Texas, effective March 10, business will also be allowed to reopen “100 percent,” according to Gov. Abbott’s order. In Mississippi, where most businesses remained open during the pandemic, Gov. Reeves said it was time for government to get “out of the business of telling people what they can and cannot do.”

Changes in End-of-Life Care

More people are choosing to stay home for their final days rather than face the isolation in hospitals and nursing homes. In Carroll Hospital in Westminster Maryland, there has been a spike in home-based care, where roughly 30-40% are staying home. According to the executive director of Carroll Hospital, Regina Bodnar, the spike is directly related to the risks of coronavirus. Similar decisions are being made across the country. Typically, there are logistical complications for individuals to receive hospice care at home. With at-home care increasing, many are choosing this route as a better option for their final days.

South Dakota's Executive Order LegislationSouth Dakota has introduced legislation in the House that would allow the state to determine if President Biden’s executive orders are unconstitutional, and, if so, nullify them. The legislation allows for the Executive Board of the Legislative Research Council to review any executive order that is issued by the President if it has not been affirmed by a vote of the Congress and signed into law. The attorney general would then seek an exemption from the order or have it declared as unconstitutional. As South Dakota has stood against many of the coronavirus enforcements, it is no surprise they are seeking to stand in defense against government overreach.

 

   

    This week’s “In Case You Missed It” 
    is written by Ashley Smothers,
    CCHF Legislative and Policy Manager

Sen. Marsha Blackburn on Why $1.9 Trillion in COVID-19 ‘Relief’ Isn’t That

BY RACHEL DEL GUIDICE

SEE: https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/03/03/sen-marsha-blackburn-on-why-1-9-trillion-in-covid-19-relief-isnt-that;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., says Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill, among other things, has “only about 10%” that actually deals with the pandemic while providing “$350 billion to bail out the blue states.”

Blackburn, today’s guest on “The Daily Signal Podcast,” also says that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “wants $112 million for the Bay Area Rapid Transit, so that people can get from San Francisco to Silicon Valley to work on all of those six-figure jobs.”

Why are Democrats pushing for these provisions in COVID-19 “relief”? Blackburn discusses this and more.

https://player.acast.com/thedailysignal/episodes/tds030321

We also cover these stories:

  • The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was domestic terrorism, FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • A Los Angeles teachers union says California’s plan to reopen public schools is “a recipe for propagating structural racism.” 
  • The U.S. and the European Union issue new sanctions against Russia in response to the confirmed poisoning of an opposition leader. 

“The Daily Signal Podcast” is available on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Pippa, Google Play, and Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You also can write to us at letters@dailysignal.com. 

Rachel del Guidice: I’m joined today on “The Daily Signal Podcast” by Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Sen. Blackburn, it’s always great to have you on “The Daily Signal Podcast.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn: And I am always delighted to join you all. Thank you so much.

Del Guidice: Well, thanks for being with us. I wanted to start off talking to you about Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill. There’s a lot in here. Can you just tell us about the bill and how much of it really does relate to COVID-19?

Blackburn: What we’re hearing is there’s only about 10% of the bill that actually deals with COVID. And the other components that are in the bill, there’s $350 billion to bail out the blue states, $50 billion of it—believe it or not—goes to New York. New York has been so poorly managed through the past several decades.

Then you look at $27 billion going to California. California actually has a surplus in their budget this year, but they’ve mismanaged all their pensions.

[House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi wants $112 million for the Bay Area Rapid Transit, so that people can get from San Francisco to Silicon Valley to work on all of those six-figure jobs.

You can look at what they’re doing for arts and museums, $150 billion there. We know that art centers and museums have been closed during COVID. So there is a tremendous amount of waste.

Basically, what they did was create a wish list of everything they wanted to get money out too quickly because they know come 2022, they’re going to lose the House, they’re going to lose the Senate. They are pushing executive orders out of the White House. They think if they can get to liberal utopia in the next 12 months, they’re going to try to do it.

Del Guidice: … Is there anything really related to COVID [in this bill]? I feel like there’s like one or two things, but how much of this is actually COVID?

Blackburn: Yeah. Well, it’s so interesting because there’s the [Paycheck Protection Program] money, the plus-up in unemployment, and then a few billion dollars for vaccine production and distribution that is in the bill.

But thank goodness President [Donald] Trump created Operation Warp Speed, and we have a vaccine and we are getting shots in arms, and people are completing their shots and their vaccinations and now they’re beginning to get back to life as normal.

Del Guidice: I want to ask you too, coming from Tennessee and all the small businesses you work with and see and talk to you there, how has this shutdown impacted the people of Tennessee?

Blackburn: The shutdown has been very difficult for many of our small businesses, especially restaurants and entertainment venues. They were the first to be shut down, they’re going to be the last to be able to open up. So those sectors of our economy have been incredibly hard hit.

So when Tennesseans hear what the Democrats are doing with their spending bill—giving all this money to blue states, giving money to individuals that haven’t missed a paycheck—they are just stumped with why they would even do this.

COVID relief is supposed to be targeted timely and temporary and that is what people want to see. They don’t want to burden their children with having all of these big tax bills that will come their way in another decade.

Del Guidice: Something else that’s been a big topic of debate is kids going back to school, and a lot of schools … across the country are still closed. How has that impacted Tennessee children and where do you think we should go from here?

Blackburn: I have to give a shoutout, Rachel. Our Tennessee superintendent and directors of schools and our teachers and our parents said, “We are not going to be stopped by this. We’re going to find a way.” And they have.

They have had to do modified schedules. Some of them are back into school full time, others … rotate days, but children are back in school. Children are playing sports. There are activities that are taking place and they put the money that was in the CARES Act to good use.

They bolstered their remote learning opportunities and their technology and took the necessary precautions to have children in school, in front of a teacher. And Tennessee is doing great with this.

Del Guidice: Switching gears a bit here, something you’ve been talking about on Twitter is the nursing home cover-up we saw with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo covering up a lot of deaths. I think it was around 15,000 that happened in nursing homes in that state.

So what are your thoughts there? You’ve talked about it on Twitter, so I’m just curious to hear something. This has happened and people are just starting to see and react to it now.

Blackburn: One of the things that have so offended people is the bluster that came from Gov. Cuomo during COVID and no one has yet figured out why he made the decision to send people back to nursing homes when he had the Mercy Ship, when he also had the arena that had been fitted and was ready to receive COVID patients and went unused. So there is not an understanding of why he made that decision.

Now, I think that it is just so devastating to individuals who lost loved ones and they couldn’t see them and yet he’s out here selling a book about his great leadership. He should take the proceeds from that book and pay expenses for every one of these families that lost a loved one.

Del Guidice: Well, you spoke at [the Conservative Political Action Conference], and something that you talked about is fighting for freedom of speech here in the U.S., at home, and also across the world. How should this happen and why is it important?

Blackburn: Oh, that First Amendment, it is so vitally important. If they take the First Amendment and remove your freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom and ability to peaceably assemble, freedom to approach your government for a redress of grievances, if they take that, then they’ll take the Second Amendment, they’ll take the rest of them.

And other nations look to us to say, “This is how you push for freedom. This is how you live in a free country. This is how you have robust, respectful debate. This is how you allow people to dissent.”

Del Guidice: Something else [that] was the topic of CPAC, where you spoke, and we’ve seen it surface a lot in social media and other areas, is this situation of cancel culture where people say something that Big Tech disagrees with and then they’re canceled.

We’ve seen Former President Donald Trump, his Twitter was taken down. And then other organizations like the Job Creators Network, for example, they’re just an organization that is for lower taxes and helping people in their different communities, in jobs situations, and their account was taken down.

So what’s your perspective of cancel culture and how do you think this challenge or the situation should be met?

Blackburn: Rachel, I think that we have Big Tech, Big Media, and big leftists who are all in this together. And people are going to have to push back on this and then there is legislation, some things that we should do.

I have the “virtual you” protection agenda, which is my online privacy bill, which would put the individual in control of their presence online and give you the ability to say to Big Tech, “No, you cannot follow me, track me, data mine me, sell or share my information without me allowing you to do so.

And for Section 230 in censorship, basically what it says is: “Look, you, Big Tech, are going to have to go over here and come out from behind these liability protections. We’re going to save these for new entrants and smaller players in the social media space. And if you want to censor somebody or block or throttle or demonetize or deplatform, guess what? You’ve got to tell them specifically why before you take an action.”

Del Guidice: As we wrap-up, I wanted to ask you just about your perspective on the current climate we’ve seen right now. It’s a heightened time, definitely, with all the different things going on at the Capitol and all the barbed wire and everything going on, and you spend a lot of time serving in the House and then now you’re in the Senate.

So given everything you’ve been able to see all these years in public service—I was actually at your victory party, I think it was almost two years ago now, which is bizarre to think about—what is your thought on where we’re at and where do you think we need to go because we have a lot of work to do?

Blackburn: We do have a lot of work to do. And when you look at how things have transpired and how given the left is to taking away freedoms and rights and giving power to the government for government to have control over your life, my hope is that this 2020 election cycle will show people that the left really means business on this and they are not going to give up. So if you like your freedom, you better be willing to fight for it.

Del Guidice: Well, that’s a great note to end on. Sen. Blackburn, thank you so much for joining us on “The Daily Signal Podcast.” It’s always great having you with us.

Blackburn: Thank you.

Tubman to Replace Old Hickory. Hard Left Agenda Moves Ahead

Tubman to Replace Old Hickory. Liberal Agenda Moves Ahead

BY R. CORT KIRKWOOD

SEE: https://thenewamerican.com/tubman-to-replace-old-hickory-hard-left-agenda-move-ahead/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

It was a significant story that went unremarked because of the Biden regime’s assault on everything normal, and the Democrats’ paranoid delusions about former President Trump and the “insurrection” he supposedly led.

In late January, the regime announced plans to adorn the $20 bill with the image of Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad leader who did not, as popularly believed, lead hundreds of slaves out of the Deep South to freedom.

Still, the $20 must feature Tubman, not Andrew Jackson, a dusty relic of the old Republic.

Writing at Revolver.com, conservative scribe Scott Greer, formerly of the Daily Caller, helpfully reminded readers on Thursday that Biden’s Treasury workers will proceed with the plan that President Trump is accused of delaying.

“The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes,” Biden mouthpiece Jen Psaki said. “It’s important that our money reflect the history and diversity of our country.”

That isn’t, of course, the main reason Jackson has to go, as Greer explained, noting a screeching one-sentence indictment in the Washington Post:

Jackson was a notorious racist, a slaver who as president was responsible, among other things, for the Trail of Tears, in which thousands of Native Americans died as they were forcibly pushed west. Tubman, on the other hand, is one of the greatest heroes America has produced.

As Greer explained, the Postie who penned the piece didn’t bother telling readers why Tubman “is one of the greatest heroes America has produced.”

Greer directs readers to the real history of Tubman from historian James McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom, who reviewed four books about Tubman for the New York Review of Books in 2004.

McPherson’s conclusion about the main “conductor” on the Underground Railroad — the network of secret meeting places and stash houses that escaping slaves followed from the South to freedom in the North — is this: Because Tubman’s story is largely based off oral histories, it is difficult to know the facts of her life, which has left her story open to embellishment as it was passed down over the years.

Tubman led perhaps five or six dozen slaves to freedom, a notable achievement, but others did more.

Tubman biographer Milton Sernett buried another myth, Greer wrote:

One of the most popular legends about Tubman is that she commanded a black regiment’s raid in South Carolina that destroyed Confederate outposts and freed hundreds of slaves. This would’ve made her the first female to command such an expedition in American history. The problem is that it’s “wishful thinking,” [Sernett says]. Sernett acknowledges she served as a nurse and scout for the Union, but was not a military commander. Sernett also argues that many of the famous quotes attributed to Tubman were not said by her. The retired historian says his thorough research led him to question much of what we claim to know about Tubman.

Not surprisingly, Greer reported, his remark that Tubman should not replace Jackson on the $20 bill invited the usual farrago of leftist hate.

Why Tubman Must Replace Jackson

As for Old Hickory, the Treasury Department didn’t put him on the $20 bill for no reason. He was a founding-generation American who fought in the War for Independence and was captured by the British at age 13. Because of Jackson’s courageous war on the money power that controlled the Second Bank of the United States — which precipitated an unsuccessful assassination attempt — the United States broke the shackles of central banking, at least until 1913 and the establishment of the Federal Reserve System. During these years without a central bank, Americans experienced unprecedented economic growth.

But he was also a white man, a slave-owner, and waged war against the Indians. And so a very real if imperfect American hero and symbol must be attacked and replaced, American history rewritten, to fit the new narrative.

BOMBSHELL: The link between Dominion, Sequoia, Smartmatic, and the CCP~CFIUS APPROVES SMARTMATIC IN THE U.S.

EXCERPTS FROM: https://www.followcn.com/the-link-between-dominion-sequoia-smartmatic-and-the-ccp/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) opened an investigation into Sequoia only after Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who chairs the subcommittee overseeing CFIUS and who co‐​authored the Foreign Investment and National Security Act 2007 (FINSA), wrote a letter to then-Treasury Secretary John Snow inquiring whether the Venezuelan government could use Sequoia to manipulate U.S. elections. Maloney cited the fact that the Venezuelan state had invested in Smartmatic’s affiliates, the company’s current ownership was buried in a labyrinth of offshore trusts, and revelations that Sequoia had flown 15 Venezuelan nationals to Chicago to tabulate votes in a local election. “There clearly remained doubt surrounding this company, and as long as those doubts lingered, many people would have legitimate questions about the integrity of these voting machines,” said Maloney. “When I first raised this case with Treasury, I thought that it was ripe for a CFIUS investigation, because the integrity of our voting machines is vital to national security. At that time, Smartmatic flatly refused to undergo a CFIUS review. But now it seems the company could not overcome the cloud of doubt surrounding this doubt – had they been able to, we would not be talking about a sale of Sequoia today. As I said in May, it seems that a CFIUS review was in fact the proper course.”

The company replaced its headquarters in Boca Raton in favor of a complex structure with offices in multiple locations. The U.S. State Department said its Venezuelan owners “remain hidden behind a network of holding companies in the Netherlands and Barbados”; its organization is “a complex network of offshore companies and foreign trusts.”

Key conclusion/question #3: why did Smartmatic reorganize from a transparent structure with a head office in Florida to an opaque structure with holding companies and trusts in the Netherlands and Barbados?

In November 2007 CFIUS issued a ruling ordering Smartmatic to sell all of its shares in Sequoia Voting Systems in exchange for CFIUS dropping its investigation of Smartmatic. But what followed was far from what one might expect. Following a ruling by the CFIUS, Smartmatic was ordered to sell to Sequoia’s management team- SVS Holdings Inc, (Sequoia Holdings). However, Smartmatic still retained some financial control over several aspects of Sequoia, ownership of the intellectual property rights of some of Sequoia’s election products deployed in the U.S., and the right to negotiate for overseas business.

It was only in April 2008 that these arrangements were revealed when Hart InterCivic, a competitor of Sequoia, attempted a “hostile takeover” of Sequoia Holdings. Through the discovery process made possible by the purchase offer, it became evident that Smartmatic had not fully divested itself of Sequoia Holdings. The purchase contract showed several elements of permanent control over Sequoia Holdings.

  • Smartmatic still retained some financial control of Sequoia Holdings.
  • Smartmatic also retained ownership of intellectual property rights for some of Sequoia’s currently deployed election products in the United States.
  • Sequoia Holdings reserved the right to negotiate non-compete contracts overseas.

“The secrecy regarding CFIUS investigations is legendary: CFIUS was previously not allowed to tell Congress of the results–or even existence–of security reviews.” [1]

However, these arrangements were allegedly made with the review and approval of CFIUS. Sequoia Holdings faces substantial legal liability for infringement of intellectual property rights and repeated voting system failures.

___________________________________________________________________________

SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT CFIUS, GULFTAINER & THE PORT OF WILMINGTON, DE:

https://ratherexposethem.org/2018/08/30/rep-duncan-hunter-department-of-justice_30/

https://ratherexposethem.org/2018/08/16/gulftainer-has-terrorist-connectionsour/



 


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
MARCO RUBIO TRIES TO GIVE STIMULUS CHECKS TO ILLEGAL ALIEN HOUSEHOLDS~GOP SHUTS HIM DOWN
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	


BY LUIS MIGUEL


SEE: https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/congress/item/36550-rubio-tries-to-give-stimulus-to-illegal-alien-households-gop-shuts-him-down;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



An attempt by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to provide the spouses of illegal aliens with retroactive and future coronavirus stimulus payments was rejected by Senate Republicans in the latest relief package currently being prepared.


The provision proposed by Rubio, along with fellow Republican senators Thom Thillis (N.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.), would have given a retroactive Economic Impact Payment of $1,200 to American citizen adults who did not receive one because they are married to noncitizens without Social Security numbers and also failed to have tax information on file themselves. 


The checks sent out to Americans earlier this year were distributed largely based on tax information. As the IRS website states, “The payments, also referred to by some as stimulus payments, are automatic for most taxpayers. No further action is needed by taxpayers who filed tax returns in 2018 and 2019 and most seniors and retirees.”


Thus, while the common narrative from the Left has been that citizens married to noncitizens without Social Security numbers (which often means illegal aliens, since legal permanent residents are issued Social Security numbers) are getting shortchanged, that description fails to tell the full story.


Spouses of illegal aliens still receive their stimulus payments under the current system so long as they did their taxes in 2018 and 2019. The ones who aren’t getting a stimulus check are the households in which the breadwinner is the illegal alien. In such cases, the argument can be made that that breadwinner doesn’t pay taxes and shouldn’t even be in the country to begin with, so they shouldn’t receive a taxpayer-funded stimulus check.


Nevertheless, even spouses of illegal aliens who were non-filers have the opportunity to receive a stimulus payment. The relevant section of the IRS website reads: “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here is a free IRS tool that allows you to easily and quickly provide us the necessary 2019 information about yourself and any eligible spouse or qualifying children (Children under the age of 17 at the end of 2019). 


“We will use this information to determine your eligibility and payment amount and send you an Economic Impact Payment. After providing this information, you won’t need to take any additional action.”


The guidelines then state that “U.S. citizens, permanent residents and qualifying resident aliens” are eligible for a check so long as they “have a valid social security number,” are “not be claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer,” and “had adjusted gross income under certain limits.”


In fact, the rules are so permissive that you don’t even have to be a citizen to get a payment; you can be a legal resident or “qualifying” resident alien. It’s illegal aliens who are barred from benefiting from the program, which any reasonable person would agree with.


Moreover, a person does not have to have filed taxes to collect the money — it just takes a few extra steps of paperwork. The migration lobby may argue that residents and citizens married to illegal aliens are losing out on an extra $1,200 for their husband or wife because they can’t claim their spouse. But again, it comes down to the fact that their spouse should not be here in the first place.


In conclusion, the claim from Democrats and liberal Republicans that the spouses of immigrants aren’t receiving stimulus checks is categorically false and only happens if a citizen or resident in that situation did not pay taxes in 2018 and 2019 and failed to fill out the non-filers application.


If Rubio had his way, however, he would have sent $1,200 checks to the two million Americans married to unqualifying foreign nationals and illegal aliens. This would not only include retroactive payments, but future ones as well. This comes as Congress is in the middle of negotiation for another round of stimulus.


Rubio, an infamous member of the “Gang of Eight” senators working to bring amnesty, is known for his globalist stances on immigration. Far from being “fair,” his provision would have been grossly unfair to both tax-paying American citizens and tax-paying legal permanent residents who came into the country by the proper legal channels.


Ultimately, this was one of the rare occasions in which Republican leadership actually stuck to its guns and rejected liberalism masquerading as “reaching across the aisle.”


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
OUTRAGE: ANTI-GUN RIGHTS GROUPS APPLY FOR & GET TAXPAYER FUNDED COVID-19 PAYCHECK PROTECTION FUNDS
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	






PAYCHECK PROTECTION FUNDS TO ANTI-GUN-RIGHTS GROUPS AN OUTRAGE


SEE: https://www.saf.org/paycheck-protection-funds-to-anti-gun-rights-groups-an-outrage/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:


BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today said the recent revelation that the anti-gun-rights Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence took a federal Paycheck Protection Loan worth up to $1 million, while working to keep gun stores closed is an “outrageous exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent people from exercising their constitutional rights.”


The Brady group reported received between $350,000 and $1 million on April 10. Likewise, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence reportedly accepted a loan worth between $150,000 and $350,000 in April, to meet payroll for 16 employees.


“SAF had to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from contributors to file lawsuits during the coronavirus shutdowns to keep gun stores open as essential businesses so Americans could exercise their Second Amendment rights,” SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said.


Gottlieb is also chairman of SAF’s sister organization, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, a grassroots political activism organization. That organization also had to raise funds from generous donors to continue its efforts to protect, rather than erode, the rights of American citizens.


“We didn’t take a penny of taxpayer money, nor did we even apply, because that simply would not have been appropriate,” he stated.


“On the other hand,” he added, “the Brady and Gifford groups fought to keep gun stores closed while taking taxpayer funds to stop people from being able to buy firearms and ammunition to protect themselves and their property from violence including rioters, looters and arsonists.”


“More appalling is the fact that, according to their latest tax returns, the Brady and Gifford organizations have several millions of dollars in assets,” Gottlieb noted. “They did not need any taxpayer money to keep their doors open.”


“This is yet another fraud committed by the gun prohibition lobby against the American people,” he said.


_______________________________________________________________________________________________


Taxpaying Gun Owners Being Forced to Fund Brady Subversion


BY DAVID CODREA


SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2020/07/taxpaying-gun-owners-being-forced-to-fund-brady-subversion/#axzz6SB5k06Y9;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
Who Pays What in Taxes?


The power to destroy: Those who can force you to give up your wealth don’t have to worry about giving you a say on how it’s spent.


U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “One of the country's leading gun-control groups took a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan worth up to $1 million even as its PAC pledged to spend millions in the 2020 elections,” Stephen Gutowski of The Washington Free Beacon reported Friday. “The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence received between $350,000 and $1 million on April 10 to support 41 employees, according to the Small Business Administration.”


They’re doing it, an organization flack says, because they’re losing money due to COVID-19, and have had to cancel fundraising events. The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence has also had its hand out, and “accepted a loan worth between $150,000 and $350,000.”


The reason they can do this is that they have different IRS-assigned tax statuses for their “educational” arms and their “advocacy” arms. Gun owner rights groups split functions, too, but the difference here is they’re not applying for relief on the taxpayer’s dime.  Gutowski cites Alan Gottlieb, who “said no part of his organization took PPP loans [and] called on the gun-control groups to return the money they received from the program.”


This is not the only way gun-grab groups that take advantage of IRS rules to undermine the right to keep and bear arms. As this column reported in May, Everytown for Gun Safety is “partnering” with “faith partners” to help spread the “gospel” of citizen disarmament, and by playing fast and loose with tax exemption rules, these groups are de facto opposing Republicans and supporting Democrats, all while claiming donations are tax-deductible.


As this column also documented in January, Everytown’s founder, Mike Bloomberg, took advantage of Federal Election rules.  to obtain Superbowl ad time as a candidate. Per a report at The Federalist, “[T]he billionaire mayor gets a lot more for his money as a candidate than he ever could as a donor or even as the operator of a super PAC. “Then, there’s something campaigns have that no PAC has — and that’s access to the best rates the market has to offer.”


In essence, the gun-grabbers not only have the billionaire patrons and all the “free” publicity they want from the DSM (“Duranty/Streicher Media”) parroting their talking points and masking their press releases as “news,” but they also get the tax breaks. While looking into abuses would definitely be in the interest of Americans struggling to preserve their rights from constant assaults, don’t look for anything but more of the same – and targeting of “conservative” groups – with Democrats controlling the House, and who knows what after November?


The government has no money that does not come from the private sector. Forcing gun owners through taxation to in any way help finance groups working to take away their rights is reminiscent of nothing so much as an added insult to injury practiced by totalitarian regimes, the “bullet fee.”


As Australian newspaper The Age reported in 2003 about China:


Many public executions have been held in football stadiums so traditional execution methods are no secret. The condemned criminal is taken by open truck to the execution ground and made to kneel with hands cuffed and head bowed, before being shot in the head. Families who want to reclaim the body are charged for the bullet.


In 2009, CBS News reported a similar practice in Iran:


On Saturday, amid the most violent clashes between security forces and protesters, Mr. Alipour was shot in the head as he stood at an intersection in downtown Tehran …Upon learning of his son's death, the elder Mr. Alipour was told the family had to pay an equivalent of $3,000 as a “bullet fee” — a fee for the bullet used by security forces — before taking the body back, relatives said.


Those who demand a monopoly of violence demand nothing less than total submission from those they would control. Ultimately, our resistance to their aims is not about guns, but about nothing less than freedom. We would do well to remember that not just the right to arms, but taxation without representation for their concerns, was also a driving issue prompting Americans to rebel against the Crown.




About David Codrea:David Codrea


David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
REPORT: DEAD PEOPLE GOT NEARLY $1.4 BILLION IN COVID-19 STIMULUS CHECKS
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	
BY LUIS MIGUEL


SEE: https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/item/36162-report-dead-people-got-nearly-1-4-billion-in-covid-19-stimulus-checks;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



A new watchdog report reveals that over a million stimulus payments worth almost $1.4 billion were sent to dead people because the U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service failed to look at death records as they prepared deposits and checks as part of their coronavirus relief efforts.


According to the report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which examined the administration of the government’s nearly $3 trillion stimulus package, the IRS normally uses third-party data kept by the Social Security Administration to prevent erroneous tax-refund claims.


But in the case of the stimulus checks sent out in April and May as part of the CARES Act, the Treasury and IRS “did not use the death records to stop payments to deceased individuals for the first three batches of payments because of the legal interpretation under which IRS was operating.”


IRS counsel reportedly “determined that IRS did not have the legal authority to deny payments to those who filed a return for 2019, even if they were deceased at the time of payment.” It also called for “discretion” provided for in the CARES Act to apply the same rules to households that filed a return in 2018 but not in 2019.


Treasury officials wanted to satisfy Congress’ desire to have payments made as “rapidly as possible,” which reportedly resulted in the use of policies and procedures developed for the 2008 stimulus payments. Thus, seeking to fulfill its mandate to Congress, the department “did not use the death records as a filter to halt payments to decedents in the first three batches of payments.”


The report further explains:


According to a Treasury official from the Office of Tax Policy, Treasury was unaware the payments may go to decedents. Treasury officials said that upon learning that payments had been made to decedents, Treasury and IRS, in consultation with counsel, determined that a person is not entitled to receive a payment if he or she is deceased as of the date the payment is to be paid. Such payments are potentially improper payments under the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019. BFS and IRS removed such payments starting with the fourth payment batch.


On May 6, 2020, IRS announced on its website that if a payment was issued to a decedent or incarcerated individual, the total amount should be returned.... However, IRS does not currently plan to take additional steps to notify ineligible recipients on how to return payments.


The IRS implemented a process in 2013 to use death records to update taxpayer accounts, but these controls were bypassed for the COVID-19 stimulus.


The report makes several recommendations, including having the IRS provide recipients of checks intended for deceased persons with further notification about how to return such payments.


The CARES Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Trump at the end of March. It provided $1,200 to adults and $500 for children as a way of alleviating some of the economic fallout of governments’ coronavirus economic restrictions, including shutting down many businesses deemed “non-essential.”


The president hinted this week that another “generous” stimulus check is in the works. “We will be doing another stimulus package, it’ll be very good, it’ll be very generous,” he said during an interview with Scripps reporter Joe St. George.


The news comes as the political establishment, including Democrats and the mainstream media, call for renewed coronavirus restrictions to contain infection rates that have risen since state governments began rolling back their lockdowns.


As the case number surpasses the peak in April, even conservative states such as Texas are backtracking in their reopenings. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said Thursday that he would pause the reopening of businesses and other institutions. 


Much attention has been placed on Florida, which, with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis at the helm, has been seen as one of the less-restrictive states. On Thursday, Florida reported more than 5,000 new cases for the second day in a row.   


Yet the media ignores that part of the reason for rising cases is the growing amount of testing. Additionally, with a 97.4-percent survivability rate, a rise in cases does not necessarily mean that people are in serious condition. It is common knowledge that most people infected with COVID-19 will experience only mild flu-like symptoms, or have no symptoms at all. 


In Jacksonville, Florida, for example, Mayor Lenny Curry noted that while cases are up, hospitalizations remain low, with only 14 people in ICU units at local hospitals.


Not surprisingly, while the media wants to blame President Trump’s recent Tulsa rally for a spike in coronavirus cases in Oklahoma, they are careful not to place any blame on the recent mass Black Lives Matter protests. A BuzzFeed article trending on Twitter boldly declares, “Cities With Black Lives Matter Protests Have Not Seen COVID-19 Spikes.”


Who knew that viruses could have political preferences?


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
TREASURY SANCTIONS IRAN’S INTERIOR MINISTER & SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN CONNECTION WITH SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						
TREASURY SANCTIONS IRAN’S INTERIOR MINISTER & SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN CONNECTION WITH SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES



republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research


purposes:






WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against Iran’s Interior Minister for his role in serious human rights abuses against Iranians, as well as seven senior officials of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) and a provincial commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Today’s action also targets the Bonyad Taavon NAJA, which is translated as LEF Cooperative Foundation, along with its director and members of the board of trustees. The LEF Cooperative Foundation is an economic collaborative controlled by the LEF and is active in Iran’s energy, construction, services, technology, and banking industries.


“The Iranian regime violently suppresses dissent of the Iranian people, including peaceful protests, through physical and psychological abuse,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “The United States will continue to hold accountable Iranian officials and institutions that oppress and abuse their own people.”


The LEF has played a key role in government crackdowns on protesters, and operates detention centers associated with physical and psychological abuses. The LEF has begun to crack down on Afghan migrants in Iran, sending them to deportation centers where the IRGC has reportedly coerced many into fighting for Iranian militias in Syria. In May 2020, the LEF was implicated in the torture and drowning of Afghan nationals attempting to cross into Iran.


This action is taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13553 of September 28, 2010, which imposes sanctions on certain persons with respect to serious human rights abuses by the Government of Iran. On June 9, 2011, Treasury sanctioned the LEF and IRGC pursuant to E.O. 13553 for being responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses that have occurred since the disputed June 2009 presidential election and ensuing protests. The LEF has also been designated under separate authorities for its support to the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad in the civil conflict in Syria, which has resulted in the displacement and suffering of millions. The IRGC has also been designated under counterterrorism and counter proliferation authorities. Both organizations continue to be implicated in human rights abuses, including those involving the killing of Iranian protestors, most recently in November 2019 following widespread protests in Iran over an increase in gasoline prices. In November 2018, OFAC designated Ghavamin Bank for providing banking services and facilitating routine financial transactions for the LEF.


Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli


As the Iranian regime’s Interior Minister and chair of Iran’s National Domestic Security Council (NDSC), Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli (Rahmani Fazli) has responsibilities for overseeing internal security issues, including Iran’s LEF. Rahmani Fazli holds the title of “Deputy or Replacement Commander-in Chief of Police Forces”, as delegated to him by the Supreme Leader. Rahmani Fazli has issued orders authorizing the LEF to use lethal force in response to the November 2019 protests, resulting in violence against peaceful protestors and bystanders. His orders led to the killing of many protestors, including at least 23 minors.


In addition, the Ministry of the Interior is also responsible for issuing permits for peaceful gatherings. Under Rahmani Fazli’s tenure, which began in 2013, the LEF has been responsible for the commission of serious human rights abuses against Iranians on multiple occasions, including killing hundreds of Iranians. As the Interior Minister, Rahmani Fazli issued several public warnings to protestors discouraging them from gathering and emphasizing that the LEF would crack down. Further, under Fazli’s tenure, the Ministry has routinely denied permits, or granted permits and then denied security, for the gatherings. These gatherings have then been attacked by plainclothes individuals believed to be part of the intelligence and security apparatus. Additionally, Rahmani Fazli as chair of the NDSC was involved in the Iranian regime’s decision to impose the days-long internet blackout of the November 2019 protests.


Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for being an official of the Government of Iran or a person acting on behalf of the Government of Iran who is responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing, on or after June 12, 2009, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Iran. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli is also being identified pursuant to E.O. 13599 as an official of the Government of Iran.


The Department of State is also publicly designating Rahmani Fazli under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2020, for his involvement in gross violations of human rights. Rahmani Fazli and his immediate family members are barred from entering the United States.


Hossein Ashtari Fard and Ayoub Soleimani


OFAC is also designating Hossein Ashtari Fard (Ashtari), the Commander of the LEF since March 2015 and Ayoub Soleimani (Soleimani) is the Deputy Commander of the LEF, a position he was appointed to in 2018 by Ashtari with the approval of Iran’s Supreme Leader, pursuant to E.O. 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the LEF.


During Ashtari’s tenure as commander, the LEF has been implicated in multiple cases of violence, including the reported killing of hundreds of Iranian protesters and several dozen children following nationwide protests against an increase in gasoline prices in November 2019. In addition, Ashtari also directs the LEF cyber police unit, an organization that monitors expressions of dissatisfaction with the Iranian regime, and has threatened to punish Iranians who use social media to organize protests.


Soleimani took an active role in the suppression of anti-hijab protests in July 2019, calling an improperly worn hijab an obvious crime. He issued statements that the security forces would forcefully confront women who were not abiding by the Iranian dress code.


Additionally, Ayoub Soleimani was appointed in April 2020 as the head of the Planning Directorate of the Armed Forces General Staff, the most senior military body in Iran, which was designated by OFAC in November 2019 pursuant to E.O. 13876 for being owned or controlled by the Supreme Leader of Iran.


Mohsen Fathi Zadeh, Yahya Mahmoodzadeh, Hamidreza Ashraq, and Mohammad Ali Noorinajad


Treasury is also taking action against a number of the LEF’s most senior officials: Mohsen Fathi Zadeh, the Chief of the Defense and Intelligence Organization of the LEF; Yahya Mahmoodzadeh, the Deputy of Planning and Budget for the LEF; Hamidraza Ashraq, the Deputy of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for the LEF; and Mohammad Ali Noorinajad, the Deputy Coordinator of the LEF. Noorinajad has publically praised the LEF for its role in suppressing the November 2019 protests, referring to the protestors as rebels, villains, and opportunists.


Mohsen Fathi Zadeh, Yahya Mahmoodzadeh, Hamidraza Ashraq and Mohammad Ali Noorinajad are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the LEF.


Hassan Shahvarpour Najafabadi


Hassan Shahvarpour Najafabadi (Shahvarpour) is an IRGC Brigadier General and the Commander of the IRGC’s Vali Asr Base in Khuzestan province, and he served in the position during the IRGC’s violent suppression of protestors in November 2019. In this province and the city of Mahshahr alone, the IRGC killed at least 100 protestors in a three-day period. Shahvarpour was designated in January 2020 by the State Department under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriation Act, 2020, for his involvement in gross violations of human rights against protestors during the November 2019 protests. Shahvarpour and his immediate family members are barred from entering the United States.


Today, Hassan Shahvarpour Najafabadi is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC.


The LEF Cooperative Foundation and Habil Darvish


The LEF Cooperative Foundation is an economic collaborative controlled by the LEF that is active in Iran’s energy, construction, services, technology, and banking industries. It reportedly sold oil worth $180 million, profits of which were not repatriated to the government. The majority of the aforementioned LEF senior officials, including Ayoub Soleimani, Mohsen Fathi Zadeh, Yahya Mahmoodzadeh, Hamidraza Ashraq and Mohammad Ali Noorinajad, are, or have been, members of the board of the LEF Cooperative Foundation.


The LEF Cooperative Foundation is being designated today pursuant to E.O. 13553 for being owned or controlled by, directly or indirectly, the LEF.


Habil Darvish is the Managing Director of the LEF Cooperative Foundation and Deputy of Engineering of the LEF. Habil Darvish is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, LEF Cooperative Foundation.


Sanctions Implications


All property and interests in property of these persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.


In addition, non-U.S. persons that engage in certain transactions with the persons designated today may themselves be exposed to designation. Furthermore, any foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates a significant transaction for or on behalf of the persons designated today could be subject to U.S. correspondent or payable-through account sanctions.


For identifying information on the individuals and entity designated today, click here.



			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	


			  

					
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