Impeachment Manager Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) speaks on the second day of former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 10, 2021. (congress.gov via Getty Images) Democrats

By Tom Ozimek March 5, 2021 Updated: March 5, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), the Democrat lawmaker embroiled in a Chinese spy saga who served as a House manager in former President Donald Trump’s impeachment, filed a lawsuit Friday against Trump and others in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol incident.

Swalwell, who has been dogged by the story that he was targeted by an alleged Chinese spy and now faces Republican challenges to his suitability to continue serving on a House homeland security committee, filed the lawsuit against the former president, his son, a lawyer, and a Republican congressman whose actions Swalwell claims spurred a “violent mob” to attack the Capitol.

The suit (pdf), filed in federal court in Washington, makes allegations under eight counts, including: conspiracy to violate civil rights, negligence, incitement to riot, disorderly conduct and terrorism, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Swalwell claims that Trump, his son Donald Jr., former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), made “false and incendiary allegations of fraud and theft, and in direct response to the Defendant’s express calls for violence at the rally, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol.”

In a statement, Swalwell said all four defendants “assembled, inflamed and incited the mob, and as such are wholly responsible for the injury and destruction that followed.”

The lawsuit basically makes the case that both Trumps, Giuliani, and Brooks spread claims of election fraud and by so doing they helped to rile up thousands of people who breached the Capitol.

Trump’s spokesman Jason Miller responded to the suit, labeling it a “witch hunt” and calling Swalwell a “low-life” with “no credibility.”

“Now, after failing miserably with two impeachment hoaxes,” Swalwell is attacking “our greatest President with yet another witch hunt,” Miller said. “It’s a disgrace that a compromised Member of Congress like Swalwell still sits on the House Intelligence Committee.”

Harmeet K. Dhillon, an attorney who is a partner at a law firm with former Trump lawyer Ron Coleman, commented on Swalwell’s suit, calling it “patently frivolous.”

“Can we citizens sue Swalwell for conspiring with a Chinese spy? I mean it’s at least negligent, right? Subverts our democracy, etc. The possibilities are endless,” she wrote in a tweet.

A report by Axios on Dec. 7 claimed that the alleged Chinese spy, Christine Fang, built up an extensive network of contacts with up-and-coming politicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Swalwell. The report said Swalwell cut ties with her after investigators gave him a “defensive briefing,” and that he provided information about her to the FBI.

Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN that he didn’t do anything wrong and accused Republicans of trying to weaponize the Axios report.

“I was told about this individual and I offered to help,” he told CNN. “All I did was cooperate, and the FBI said that.”

But national security concerns have persisted, given Swalwell’s membership on the House committee, whose members have access to sensitive classified information.

“This breach of our national security is especially concerning,” wrote more than a dozen House Republicans, in a Feb. 23 letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray.

They called on Wray to brief the Homeland Security panel about “Rep. Swalwell’s relationship with Fang and any potential exposure of classified information” so that its members can consider whether to limit Swalwell’s future access to classified information.

Swalwell’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times after the Axios report was published.

Meanwhile, in his suit against Trump and others, Swalwell seeks relief in the form of “actual money damages” and “punitive damages” in amounts to be determined at trial, along with coverage of his attorney fees.

Swalwell also wants the court to order Trump to have to notify him in writing a week ahead of any planned rally to give him time potentially to try and block it “to prevent further violence or disruption to the proper functioning of the federal government.”

The Democrat lawmaker is demanding a trial by jury. Follow Tom on Twitter: @OZImekTOMHelp us spread the truth. Share this article with your friends.

President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House on March 2, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) China-US News

By Frank Fang March 4, 2021 Updated: March 4, 2021

The Biden administration’s approach to China as articulated in a speech by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 3 was heavy on rhetoric but light on substance, according to a foreign policy expert.

Blinken called China the “biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century, while also stating that the U.S. relationship with Beijing will be “competitive when it should be, collaborative when it can be, and adversarial when it must be.”

“The common denominator is the need to engage China from a position of strength,” Blinken added.

James Jay Carafano, vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at Washington-based think tank Heritage Foundation, told The Epoch Times that the speech was “the same old kind of empty rhetoric.”

He particularly criticized Blinken’s call for cooperation with China on certain issues.

“All the key vital issues that we have with China, we are on the opposite sides on all of them. So where are we going to cooperate?” Carafano said.

Carafano added that the concept of selective cooperation with China is a “failed decade-old construct.”

“It’s literally like Paul McCartney saying we’re gonna get the band back together and then somebody says, ‘Paul, you do know that two of the members are dead right’,” Carafano said.

For decades, U.S. administrations have engaged with the Chinese regime in the hopes that greater trade and investment links would lead to more democracy in the communist country. The Trump administration recognized this as a failed concept, and rewrote the United States’ approach to focus on confronting the regime over the threats it poses to national security, economic prosperity, and freedom.

Blinken’s words on working with China were reiterated in an interim national security strategic guidance issued by the Biden administration on Wednesday.

“We will welcome the Chinese government’s cooperation on issues such as climate change, global health security, arms control, and nonproliferation where our national fates are intertwined,” according to the guidance.

Gordon Chang, author of “The Coming Collapse of China” told The Epoch Times last month that it would not be possible for the United States to cooperate with the regime due to the conditions it imposes.

“The Communist Party has been very clear. They say that if you don’t cooperate with us on everything, we’re not going to cooperate on anything,” Chang said.

Critics have argued that the Biden administration has thus far announced policies that have benefited Beijing, including rejoining the Paris Climate accord, re-engaging with the United Nations Human Rights Council, rejoining the World Health Organization, and revoking a Trump-era rule relating to Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes.

Carafano said overall Blinken’s speech did not convey a coherent strategy.

“My assessment is: These guys came in without a plan. They don’t have a plan for China. They don’t have a plan for the Middle East. They don’t have a plan for Russia,” he said.

“We’re not seeing a clear policy of how you deal with great power competition of the 21st century.”

With reporting by Zachary Stieber. Cathy He also contributed to this report.

AMERICAN PATRIOTS!

DEMAND LEGITIMATE 100% DIGITAL FORENSIC CLONES OF ALL BALLOTS FOR ANALYSIS!

DETERMINE THOSE THAT ARE COUNTERFEIT, REMOVE FROM THE FINAL COUNT, IDENTIFY THE ELECTION CHEATERS AND PROSECUTE SUCH TRAITORS TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW!

RECLAIM OUR COUNTRY FROM THE CHEATERS!

My best to you and yours, Lew

"What am I doing here?"

This is a national embarrassment. Joe Biden is not mentally fit to lead our country.pic.twitter.com/qbVlCQLVQz

— Cassandra (@CassyWearsHeels) February 26, 2021

Thanks for the video clip Cassandra.

Howdy! Lew here – “GOING TO LOSE TRACK?” What an understatement!

THE “BIDEN TRAIN” LEFT THE TRACKS A LONG TIME AGO AND AMERICA IS ONLY BEGINNING TO REALIZE THE EXTREME DAMAGE THIS “PUPPET OF THE LEFT” WILL CONTINUE TO INFLICT UPON AMERICA AND HER INCREASINGLY VICTIMIZED CITIZENS. Lew has left his soapbox. lol

Naomi Wolf attends “Pump” New York Screening at Museum of Modern Art on September 17, 2014 in New York City. (Robin Marchant/Getty Images) Australia

By Rebecca Zhu March 4, 2021 Updated: March 4, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

Author and former Bill Clinton advisor Naomi Wolf, has described current CCP virus lockdown restrictions as an “invention of Xi Jinping” that has never existed in the history of free society.

In an interview with Sky News, Wolf said every basic human right was being violated, including restricting the freedom to assembly, worshipping, running business, and educating children.

“There’s nowhere in the constitution that says our civil liberties can be suspended if there is a bad disease or serious health emergency,” she said.

She also noted how societies have already lived through large outbreaks of diseases such as tuberculosis, poliovirus, HIV and cholera without obstructing human rights.

“It’s been painful for me to watch the people of Australia being lied to over and over and tortured there psychologically,” Wolf said.

Last November, the outspoken Democrat wrote on Twitter expressing her regret for voting for Biden due to his supportive stance on lockdown policies. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=EpochTimes&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1325604856283869189&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theepochtimes.com%2Flockdowns-invention-of-xi-jinping-argues-american-author-naomi-wolf_3720216.html&siteScreenName=EpochTimes&theme=light&widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&width=550px

In an interview with Fox’s Tucker Carlson, Wolf said this was not a partisan issue, as it affects all citizens’ freedom and rights regardless of political standing.

“It transcends everything that you and I might disagree or agree on,” Wolf told Tucker. “That should bring together left and right to protect our Constitution.”

Sanjeev Sabhlok, former economist at the Victorian state government, wrote an op-ed in The Australian illustrating how Sweden’s open policies prove that lockdowns do nothing to contain the virus.

He mockingly calls the lockdowns “the great invention of 2020” devised by the “medical genius” Xi Jinping and heavily criticises western democracies for adopting the measures into their own free societies.

“Are we going to close Australia for every bad flu in the future?” Sabhlok wrote. “We must reassert our faith in freedom and reason and end our embrace of the cowardly, totalitarian, zombie ways of the communist Chinese government.”

“Totalitarian China may well do what it likes, but why have we adopted its ways? … We seem to be intent on self-destructing as a civilisation.”

The Australian government announced on Tuesday that international borders would remain closed for another three months.

At the same time, Western Australia Premier Mark McGowen suggested that hard border policies could stay in place even after COVID-19 ends to stop illegal drugs from entering the state. He soon backtracked on his comments after it was met with heavy criticism.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) speaks during a press conference alongside House Republicans on Capitol Hill on Oct. 23, 2019. (Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images) NY Politics

As Cuomo’s Troubles Mount, US Representatives Consider a Run to Replace Him

By Masooma Haq March 3, 2021 Updated: March 3, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

As New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s troubles mount with increased scrutiny over his handling of the pandemic-related nursing home deaths and sexual harassment allegations, some New York Congress members are saying they will consider running against Cuomo in 2022.

Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) both indicated that they will consider a run against Cuomo, with Zeldin moving forward by making a statement on Twitter about his intention.

“With his nursing home cover-up and abuse coming more to light, it’s clear #CuomosGottoGo. As a NYer, I can’t sit back as Cuomo attacks our freedoms, our wallets, and our safety. After many msgs of encouragement and discussing w/my fam., I’m actively exploring a 2022 run for Gov of NY,” wrote Zeldin.

Zeldin, who served in the U.S. Army prior to becoming a Congressman for his state in 2010, called on his fellow New Yorkers to insist that there be an investigation into the allegations against Cuomo.

“Cuomo is using his office and power to abuse NYers. He’ll never accept responsibility, so it’s up to all of us to stand up and hold him accountable. NYers must speak out on the allegations and make our voices heard,” said Zeldin on March 1.

Cuomo has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans in his state, after a New York Post report revealed that one of his top aides, Melissa DeRosa, told lawmakers in a private setting that Cuomo’s administration had withheld how many nursing home residents died from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus because they feared the numbers would “be used against us” by the Trump administration.

For his part, Cuomo has fiercely defended his state’s response to the crisis, referring to some of the allegations against him as “misinformation” and “lies.”

“I’m not going to let you hurt New Yorkers by lying about what happened surrounding the death of a loved one,” Cuomo said during a news conference in Albany on Friday. “So I’m going to take on the lies and the unscrupulous actors, especially when they cause pain and damage to New York.”

Meanwhile Stefanik, who has called on the governor to resign, told the “Ruthless” podcast Tuesday that although her intention is to run for reelection in the House, that could change and she may make a run for governor of New York.

Stefanik is serving her fourth term as a representative and has been helping to grow the House majority as the National Republican Congressional Committee’s head of recruitment for the last election cycle.

“This governor should resign. If he does not resign, there is a path for a Republican to win statewide in New York,” Stefanik said.

“I’m calling for him to resign. I want to see that happen,” she added. “I again am planning on running for the House, but these dynamics as you know change very quickly.”

In addition to the nursing home death scandal plaguing the governor, three women have come forward with sexual harassment allegations against him.

A growing number of New York state lawmakers have also called for the governor’s resignation and an investigation into the women’s allegations.

In a statement to The Epoch Times on Feb. 24, the Democratic governor’s office said that the “claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false.”

Jack Phillips contributed to this report

Members of the Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Teams inspect the scene of a collision between a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a tractor-trailer truck near Holtville, Calif., on March 2, 2021. (Bing Guan/Reuters) Human Trafficking

US Investigating Human Smuggling Link to California Crash That Killed 13

By Zachary Stieber March 3, 2021 Updated: March 3, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

Investigators with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency were going to the scene of a deadly crash in southern California to probe whether it was connected to human smuggling, according to the agency.

“Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations San Diego responded to the scene of today’s fatal crash in El Centro, California, and have initiated a human smuggling investigation,” an official with the agency, known as ICE, said in a statement to news outlets on Tuesday.

Homeland Security Investigations is the primary investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, conducting federal criminal investigations into illegal cross-border movement of people, goods, money, technology, and other contraband.

A crash involving an SUV carrying 25 people and a semi-truck took place Tuesday just 15 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Preliminary information indicated that the Ford Expedition SUV entered an intersection in front of a big rig, which then collided with the left side of the SUV.

A dozen people were found dead when first responders first arrived at the scene, while another person died at a hospital, according to the California Highway Patrol.

“It’d be premature for me to discuss or speculate what caused this collision. What we have to keep in mind is that 13 people died in this crash. We owe it to the families and those killed and injured as well as the public to conduct a thorough and complete investigation,” California Highway Patrol Chief Omar Watson said at a press briefing.

Judy Cruz, managing director of the emergency room department at El Centro Regional Medical Center, had tabulated the death count as 15 at a separate news conference.

At least 10 of those killed in the crash were from Mexico, according to Roberto Valasco, director of North American affairs for Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department.

Those injured ranged in age from 16 to 55 and were taken to various hospitals in the area with injuries ranging from fractures to life-threatening head wounds.

“It’s unfortunate that that number of people were put into that vehicle because there’s not enough safety restraints to safely keep those people within the vehicle. There are numerous people that were ejected onto the roadway as a result of this collision,” Watson said.

Officials are working with the Mexican consulate to determine the identities of those who were in the SUV. The driver has been identified. The driver, a native of Mexico, died. There were children in the vehicle, but authorities were still gathering details about them.

A California official said immigration agents were not pursuing the SUV when it slammed into the semi-truck. ICE officials told outlets that they didn’t yet have information on the victims’ immigration statuses.

Dr. Adolphe Edward, chief medical officer at El Centro Regional Medical Center, told reporters that workers do not “use the term undocumented in the hospitals.”

“To us, these folks that came to us are patients,” he said.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/108-illegal-immigrants-released-by-border-patrol-in-texas-tested-positive-for-covid-19-officials_3719020.html

By Bill Federer, November 14, 2018

In 1941, Lyndon Baines Johnson ran for U.S. Senate. Franklin D. Roosevelt made a speech on the eve of the election criticizing LBJ’s opponent, Wilbert Lee O’Daniel, nevertheless, LBJ lost by 1,311 votes.

LBJ alleged voter fraud. In 1948, LBJ ran for Senate again. On election night, Sept. 2, 1948, in the Democrat Primary runoff against former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson, it appeared LBJ lost.

Then, mysteriously, a box of uncounted ballots was “discovered” in the south Texas town of Alice in Jim Wells County, Precinct 13. Confusion reigned in Texas and by the end of the week, LBJ won by 87 votes. Both sides accused the other of voter fraud.

The FBI, Postal Department and other agencies investigated. Piecing together the details, the story emerged alleging that during the tabulation period, LBJ’s campaign manager, John B. Connally, traveled to Alice, Texas.

With access granted by wealthy “political boss” of Duval County, George Parr, who later committed suicide, John Connally was present when the ballots were recounted and the returns amended.

When the dust settled, the new totals showed 202 additional voters, some of whom were deceased and buried in the local cemetery or were absent from the county on election day. These voters “lined up” in alphabetical order at the last minute, signed in the same blue ink in the same handwriting and all cast their ballots for LBJ.

The New York Times published an article July 30, 1977, titled “Ex-Official Says He Stole 1948 Election for Johnson”:

“The disclosure was made by Luis Salas, who was the election judge for Jim Well’s County’s Box 13, which produced just enough votes in the 1948 Texas Democratic primary runoff to give Mr. Johnson the party’s nomination for the United States Senate … ‘Johnson did not win that election – it was stolen for him and I know exactly how it was done,’ said Mr. Salas, now a lean, white-haired 76 year old … George B. Parr, the South Texas political leader whom Mr. Salas served for a decade, shot and killed himself in April of 1975. Mr. Johnson is dead and so is his opponent … Mr. Salas said he decided to break his silence in quest for ‘peace of mind’ … ‘I was just going along with my party’ … He said Mr. Parr ordered that 200-odd votes be added to Mr. Johnson’s total from Box 13.

“Mr. Salas said he had seen the fraudulent votes added in alphabetical order and had them certified then as authentic on order from Mr. Parr … Parr was the Godfather … He … could tell any election judge: ‘give us 80 percent of the vote, and the other guy 20 percent.’ We had it made in every election …”

The New York Times article continued:

“The Associated Press interviewed … a former agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, T. Keilis Dibrell … He confirmed Mr. Salas’ statement that the last 200 votes had been in alphabetical order’ … Mr. Dibrell said ‘Also, the last 202 names were made with the same colored ink, and in the same handwriting, whereas the earlier names in the poll list were written by different individuals and in different color inks.’

The final statewide count, including the Box 13 votes, gave Mr. Johnson an 87 vote margin … earning him the tongue-in-cheek nickname ‘Landslide Lyndon.’”

The Democrat Central Committee was deadlocked 28 to 28 on whether to certify the questionable election results, so Connally persuaded Frank W. Mayborn, publisher of the Temple Daily Telegram, to cut short a business trip in Nashville, Tennessee, and return to cast the deciding Committee vote to certify the election results.

Coke Stevenson took LBJ to court and on Sept., 24, 1948, Judge T. Whitfield Davidson ordered LBJ’s name removed from the general election ballot.

LBJ turned to Washington attorney and former FDR appointee Abe Fortas. Abe Fortas persuaded Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, who was also appointed by FDR, to intervene.

On Sept. 28, 1948, Justice Black overturned the lower court ruling, letting the decision in the Johnson-Stevenson race rest with the Texas Democrat Central Committee.

In return for his favor, Abe Fortas was nominated by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 to be a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

During LBJ’s term as President, many records of LBJ’s contested race disappeared.

In 1966, Abe Fortas accepted money from a Wall Street financier investigated for securities violations. Abe Fortas resigned in 1969.

In the Washington Post article, “HOW ‘LANDSLIDE LYNDON’ EARNED HIS NAME,” March 4, 1990, David S. Broder reviewed Robert Caro’s book “The Years of Lyndon Johnson”:

“The slimy creature who stole the 1948 Texas Senate election … Lyndon Johnson … driven by ‘a boundless ambition … his career had been a story of manipulation, deceit and ruthlessness … the morality of the ballot box … in which nothing matters but victory and any maneuver that leads to victory is justified … Johnson … stole the victory in the 1948 Senate race … That campaign was an American classic … Johnson battled … a strongly favored opponent to win by the narrowest of margins — the 87-vote victory that earned him the derisive nickname of ‘Landslide Lyndon’ …

Johnson went through an equally breathless battle in the state convention and the courts to make his clearly tainted victory stand up.”

In March of 2006, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott posted a column on the Texas State Attorney General’s website, stating:

“Voter fraud is no newcomer to the Lone Star State. Six decades ago, the votes ‘found’ in Jim Wells County’s infamous Ballot Box 13 helped Lyndon Johnson squeak into the U.S. Senate in that 1948 primary.”

  How ‘Landslide Lyndon’ stole the Senate race in 1948, WorldTribune.com

How ‘Landslide Lyndon’ stole the Senate race in 1948 added by World Tribune on November 14, 2018
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