An update on Heritage’s biggest project
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Andrew P. McIndoe <amcindoe@heritage.org>Unsubscribe
Fri, Jun 9 at 2:02 PM

Bob,

A lot has happened since my last update to you on Project 2025. So, I wanted to touch base before the weekend to share what we’ve been accomplishing on your behalf.

The 2025 Presidential Transition Project is the most important effort at Heritage right now. This year, we’re investing $22 million to create the policy agenda, personnel database, and trainings that the next conservative administration will need.

Paul Dans, the director of Project 2025, told me that we now have more than SIXTY partner organizations involved!

Paul also gave me a live demo of our Presidential Personnel Database. It’s like a LinkedIn for conservatives who want to work for the next president.

We’re already up to 1,300 participants and plan to have more than 10,000 vetted and trained by the time the next president takes office.

If you’d like to learn more, this recent article from Semafor shares more about the Heritage vision for Project 2025:

https://www.semafor.com/article/05/1...-state-in-2025

What do you think about the progress that our coalition of 60+ groups has made on Project 2025? If you know anyone else who would like to be involved, feel free to send them my way. Thanks!

Best,

Andrew
Vice President of Development​
The Heritage Foundation​

 

The Heritage Foudation
www.heritage.org
Ever vigilant
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Kevin D. Roberts <info@heritage.org>Unsubscribe
Sat, Jun 24 at 9:18 AM

We know throughout our history that the enduring truths and principles of the U.S. Constitution have stood the test of time.

But today, many on the radical Left want to twist its meaning, stretch the text to serve their activist agendas and remake our country into something unrecognizable.

And that’s why I wanted to make sure you received a free copy of our latest eBook, 9 Things To Know to Preserve Freedom for the Next Generation.

Defending the Constitution requires vigilance from citizens like you and me.

We must ensure that our representatives uphold the principles of our democratic system and resist the many attempts to undermine them. It is only through this collective effort that we can safeguard and preserve the integrity of our Republic.

Very simply, I believe America is built on the foundation of freedom of liberty, individual autonomy and responsibility, and the concept of limited government—one that is of, by, and for the people.

If you believe this as well, I invite you to get your free copy of this eBook today using this link: https://secured.heritage.org/get-the-essential-constitution-ebook/

Regards,

Kevin D. Roberts, Ph.D.
President, The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE | Washington, D.C. 20002 | (800) 546-2843

 

It’s a dark season in our country’s history, but the conservative movement is fighting back and gaining momentum!

My name is Tony Johnson, and I’m the Director of Membership here at The Heritage Foundation.

Over the last twenty years, I've poured my energy into the conservative movement. I was thrilled to join The Heritage Foundation and the family of more than 500,000 members across the country last year, an organization that stands up to the radical Left and accelerates the conservative movement – thanks to your support.

As the Director of Membership, I make sure you are heard here at Heritage and throughout the halls of Congress.

I am so grateful to do so.

Having you on board, contributing your unique voice and perspective, is genuinely a privilege. I am humbled to be part of a team that works tirelessly against the tide of wokeness sweeping through our schools, corporations, and government.

What do you view as the most pressing matter facing the conservative movement?

I'm here, along with a dedicated membership team, to assist you and strengthen our partnership as we move forward. You can look forward to hearing more from me in the coming weeks, so please keep an eye on your inbox – especially on Fridays!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Tony Johnson
Director of Membership

 

EXCLUSIVE: Documents Reveal Rush to Target Trump’s National Security Pick in Obama’s Waning Days as President

Fred Lucas / @FredLucasWH / July 07, 2023

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• https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/07/07/exclusive-217-pages-reveal-obama-admins-building-of-trump-russia-narrative/] [/url]

Obama administration officials got access to intelligence information on Trump-appointed national security adviser Michael Flynn, including then-Vice President Joe Biden and then-U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, pictured in the Oval Office on Aug. 4, 2015. (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
Heavily redacted documents from the National Security Agency tell at least part of the story of a final-month rush by the outgoing Obama administration to torpedo the incoming presidency of Donald Trump.

The Daily Signal obtained 217 pages of documents from the NSA through a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents reveal that Obama administration officials, from Vice President Joe Biden down to several ambassadors and many officials in the Treasury and Energy departments, gained access to secret information about Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President-elect Trump’s choice for national security adviser.
FOIA-unmasking-Gen-FlynnDownloadThe documents obtained by The Daily Signal include raw information of requests and other messages from these officials to the National Security Agency in late November 2016 through early January 2017, as well as emails among NSA officials explaining why the information was shared.

 

Trump, a Republican, took over the presidency from Barack Obama on Jan. 20, 2017, after defeating Obama’s former secretary of state, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, in the November election.

In May 2020, then-acting Director of National Intelligence Rick Grenell declassified information and provided Congress with a list of names involved in the Obama administration’s “unmasking” of Flynn, Trump’s original pick for national security adviser, who directed the Defense Intelligence Agency for two years under Obama.

Senate Republicans Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin released the list of Obama admnistration officials.

“Unmasking” is the practice of disclosing to political appointees the identities of U.S. citizens referenced or recorded in intelligence surveillance of foreign nationals. Names of citizens typically are redacted, or obscured, from such reports, unless a specific request is made to “unmask” those citizens.

NSA emails about most such requests from Obama officials regarding Flynn bear this message: “The identities of the named U.S. persons and organizations is required for full understanding of the intelligence in the report.”

Several of the NSA documents note Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights, including the “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.” The amendment to the Constitution also requires warrants “upon probable cause.”

Through the Freedom of Information Act, The Daily Signal sought records of requests by top Obama administration officials to “unmask” Flynn—that is, to disclose that the incoming national security adviser is a person mentioned in reports of foreign surveillance.

Flynn was the American whose phone conversation with the Russian ambassador between Trump’s November 2016 election and January 2017 inauguration had been intercepted by intelligence officials in the Obama administration.

The Daily Signal formally requested the National Security Agency documents in March 2021, two months after Biden’s inauguration as president; the NSA’s response, dated June 22, arrived June 30—more than two years later.

In its response, the NSA said The Daily Signal’s request for public records overlapped with other FOIA requests already being processed because of litigation from other parties.

Three top Obama administration officials who gained access to the Flynn information are now high-ranking officials in the Biden administration.

Denis McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff for his entire second term, is now secretary of veterans affairs under Biden.

Samantha Power, Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations, made numerous requests for information on Flynn. In the Biden administration, Power is administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

And Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, deputy secretary at Obama’s Energy Department, has been Biden’s homeland security adviser since he took office.

The Flynn-related requests from Obama administration officials were all made during late November and December of 2016.

Trump chose Flynn to be his first national security adviser. Flynn’s “unmasking” at the request of some of outgoing President Barack Obama’s closest advisers set in motion events that led to Flynn’s resignation after only 23 days in office during the new Trump administration. It was also a key factor of the since discredited investigation of Trump-Russia collusion to win the 2016 presidential election.

Trump pardoned Flynn in late 2020, and a federal judge soon dropped charges alleging Flynn made false statements to the FBI in the early days of the Trump administration.

The documents obtained by The Daily Signal also show that at least seven U.S. officials working with NATO were provided with information on Flynn, including then-NATO Ambassador Douglas Lute.

John Tefft, then U.S. ambassador to Russia, as well as several members of his staff whose names were redacted, also sought and got information on Flynn.

Obama’s ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, obtained information on Flynn. NSA’s internal emails say the information was provided to Bass so he could “better understand and assess the foreign intelligence information contained therein.”

The NSA email goes on to say: “No further action may be taken on nor dissemination be made of this information [on Flynn] without prior approval of NSA.”

The FBI investigated Trump’s Russian ties and Flynn had done lobbying work for Turkey, which helps explain the involvement of those two ambassadors.

Obama’s ambassador to Italy, John Phillips, also gained access to information about Flynn, as did his top staff.

National security and law enforcement officials in the Obama administration—including FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Brennan, and National Intelligence Director James Clapper—might be expected to have access.

Others who had access to the intelligence on Flynn are surprising, however.

Sherwood-Randall, then deputy energy secretary, got access. The NSA email on the requests by the Energy Department notes: “This information is crucial, as the Deputy Secretary of Energy continues to oversee the transition of the Department to the incoming administration.”

Also privy to the unmasking of Flynn was then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, along with other Treasury Department officials including Deputy Treasury Secretary Sarah Raskin, wife of Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

In a joint session of Congress in January 2017, Jamie Raskin voted against certifying Trump’s Electoral College victory. The Maryland Democrat later would lead House lawmakers named as “managers” of Trump’s second impeachment in 2021.

One requestor granted access to the Flynn information is listed only as the deputy assistant director of NEMC. Although four federal agencies might use this acronym, it seems likely to refer either to the Army’s Network of Enabled Mission Command, since Flynn was an Army lieutenant general, or the National Election Monitoring Committee, since the outgoing Obama administration officials prepared to push the narrative of Trump-Russia collusion.

The name of the NEMC deputy assistant director is redacted in the documents provided to The Daily Signal, which would indicate a military affiliation. The NSA’s justification for granting this request was that the records are “to be used to better understand and assess the foreign intelligence information contained therein.”

CNN reported Friday that special counsel Jack Smith, who is investigating Trump’s possession of classified documents after he left the White House, is looking into a December 2020 meeting in the Oval Office.

That meeting, CNN reported, included Flynn, Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, and former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, and the topic was challenging Trump’s election loss.

 

Who Is Lesley Wolf? ‘Obstructive’ Prosecutor in Biden Bribery Case, a Democrat Donor, Ignored IRS Whistleblowers

Fred Lucas / @FredLucasWH / July 10, 2023

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• https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/07/10/who-is-leslie-wolf-obstructive-prosecutor-in-biden-bribery-case-a-democrat-donor-ignored-irs-whistleblowers/] [/url]

Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, right, and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, arrive for a press conference Aug. 3, 2022. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is giving the U.S Attorney’s Office in Delaware until July 21 to answer questions about why information about a “criminal bribery scheme” involving President Joe Biden wasn’t pursued in the federal investigation of his son, Hunter Biden.

Grassley’s letter brings up Assistant U.S. Attorney for Delaware Lesley Wolf’s actions, based on an IRS whistleblower’s testimony to a House committee. The whistleblower said Wolf, who along with her husband has contributed to Democrat campaigns, blocked avenues of inquiry in the Hunter Biden investigation.

In his letter to Wolf’s boss, U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, the Iowa Republican wants to know why information provided to federal prosecutors by IRS investigators wasn’t included in the Biden probe.

Grassley writes:
Based on information provided to my office from individuals aware of the meeting October 23, 2020, Justice Department and FBI special agents from the Pittsburgh field office briefed Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf, one of your top prosecutors, and FBI special agents from the Baltimore field office with respect to contents of the FBI-generated FD-1023 [form] involving a criminal bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden. However, the meeting did not include any IRS agents.
Grassley is referring to the FD-1023 form in which an FBI confidential informant says that a Burisma executive paid a $5 million bribe each to Biden and his son when the former was President Barack Obama’s vice president.

The Iowa Republican goes on to tell Weiss:
In addition, based on information provided to my office, potentially hundreds of Justice Department and FBI officials have had access to the FD-1023 at issue, which begs the question that I’ve been asking since the start of my oversight in this matter: What steps have the Justice Department and FBI taken to investigate the allegations? You, Attorney General [Merrick] Garland, and [FBI] Director [Christopher] Wray have failed to answer.
Weiss, as U.S. attorney for Delaware, recently reached a plea agreement with Hunter Biden in which the president’s son, who is 53, avoids prison by pleading guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and gets probation for lying on a gun purchase form.

Shortly after Weiss struck the deal, the House Ways and Means Committee released transcripts of the testimonies of two IRS whistleblowers who alleged that Wolf, Weiss’ deputy, blocked further lanes of inquiry despite evidence provided by IRS investigators.

“As you are aware, IRS whistleblowers have affirmed that AUSA [Assistant U.S. Attorney] Wolf prevented investigators from seeking information about Joe Biden’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s criminal business arrangements,” Grassley says in the letter to Weiss says, adding:
AUSA Wolf admitted that ‘more than enough probable cause’ had been achieved for a physical search warrant at Joe Biden’s guest house but prevented it from happening due to ‘optics’; AUSA Wolf prevented investigators from searching Hunter Biden’s storage unit; AUSA Wolf called Hunter Biden’s defense counsel informing him of the interest in the storage unit. Did AUSA Wolf take similar proactive measures to frustrate any investigation into the FD-1023?
IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, a supervisory agent, testified to the House committee that at a September 2020 meeting, Wolf said there was “more than enough probable cause for the physical search warrant there [at the Biden storage unit], but the question was whether the juice was worth the squeeze.”

Shapley also told the committee investigators at one point that Weiss agreed there was enough evidence to get a search warrant to search Hunter Biden’s storage unit, but Wolf objected, and notified Hunter Biden’s defense counsel. She told him about the storage unit, “once again ruining our chance to get to evidence before [it is] destroyed, manipulated, or concealed,” Shapley said.

Wolf is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and in bordering Delaware. She and her husband, Daniel Wolf, live in Pennsylvania.

In 2022, Lesley Wolf donated $250 to Democrat Jack Shapiro’s gubernatorial campaign, according to Open Secrets, which tracks money in politics. Her husband donated 11 times to Obama’s reelection campaign in 2011 and 2012, in contributions between $50 and $200. However, she previously clerked for U.S. District Judge Anita Brody, who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush, a Republican.

In a related development, Weiss sent a letter late Monday to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Weiss, an appointee of Donald Trump who was held over by the Biden administration to conduct the Hunter Biden probe, insisted that his investigation didn’t face interference from the Justice Department.

Weiss writes to Graham:
I wish to make one point clear: In this case, I have not requested special counsel designation pursuant to [federal law]. Rather, I had discussions with departmental officials regarding potential appointment under 28 U.S.C. § 515, which would have allowed me to file charges in a district outside my own without the partnership of the local U.S. attorney.
I was assured that I would be granted this authority if it proved necessary. And this assurance came months before the October 7, 2022, meeting referenced throughout the [IRS] whistleblowers’ allegations. In this case, I’ve followed the process outlined in my June 30 letter and have never been denied the authority to bring charges in any jurisdiction.
CBS News first reported Sunday on Grassley’s separate letter to Weiss. Grassley’s office confirmed the details of the letter Monday.
In the letter, Grassley asks Weiss whether Wolf took any “proactive measure to frustrate any investigation into the FD-1023” filed with the FBI alleging bribery of the senior Biden.

“Why were IRS agents not included in the October 2020 briefing?” the senator asks.

Grassley also asks Weiss: “Are you aware of any steps AUSA Wolf and the Baltimore field office took to investigate the information within the FD-1023 before and after October 2020 briefing? If so, what steps were taken and when? If not, why not?”

Finally, the Iowa Republican asks Weiss: “Have you taken any steps to recover the alleged audio recordings and related evidence referenced in the FD-1023? If not, why?”

 

Policy Picture



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I’m astonished. Maybe I should have been reading Tampa Racing. and this forum:

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/p...-trump-11.html .

Earlier this week I received a briefing on a report Heritage just published on the FBI’s abuse of power.

While the FBI’s corruption frightens me, the solutions from Heritage experts make me confident that we can do something about it.

I’ve linked to the full report below, but I wanted to highlight a few key points that stuck out to me.

https://www.heritage.org/the-constit...ow-fix-the-fbi

We know the FBI targeted concerned parents at school board meetings and labeled them as domestic terrorists, squashed free speech online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and launched a leftist political effort to derail former President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign through the Russian collusion hoax.

And if we don’t do something about it, the FBI will continue wreaking havoc on everyday Americans.

Fortunately, Heritage experts have the solutions.

The report says lawmakers should restrict the FBI’s jurisdiction, limit or eliminate tools used to monitor Americans without evidence of a possible crime, and move resources, personnel, and the Bureau’s headquarters out of Washington.

And right now, our goal is to turn these reforms into reality. Heritage staff and policy experts are on the Hill briefing congressional staff and discussing policy solutions. Heritage experts are writing for national publications and appearing on television to explain the extent of the issue and make the case for an FBI overhaul.

This powerful push from The Heritage Foundation will provide much-needed reform and oversight to the crooked and bloated FBI.

Keep fighting. There is so much at stake. You and I need to stand firm against this ridiculous abuse of power.

Thank you for your dedication to our country’s principles.

Best,

Tony Johnson
Director of Membership

 

Our nation is facing a grave threat—a relentless assault on our values, our way of life, and our founding principles by the radical Left.

The Left is determined to change and erode the fabric of our society, relying on the ignorance and apathy of enough people to advance their radical Marxist agenda. We cannot let this happen!

As a Heritage supporter you are already on the front lines of defending our great nation.

That’s why, today, I am reaching out to you with a special opportunity.

I am proud to let you know the exciting news that a group of generous Heritage Foundation members has stepped forward to match up to $1.5 million of contributions that together will help you fight back against the Left's relentless assaults on our institutions.

Because you can see the consequences of the Left’s relentless assault are all around us.

Once clean and safe cities are now home to homeless encampments and rising crime rates. Our children and grandchildren are being bombarded with propaganda that distorts the truth about our country's founding and basic human biology. Our Justice Department and FBI are being weaponized against everyday Americans who are on the wrong side of the political isle and faith tradition.

Those behind these assaults are the Left's comrades, working at every level of government, in every agency, and in the halls of Congress.

They are determined to reshape America according to their radical agenda, and we must expose them before it’s too late.

We urgently need to raise $1.5 million by July 31 to maximize our impact. I am thrilled to announce that your donation will be matched dollar for dollar during our generous President’s Challenge this month. Every dollar you contribute will be doubled!

By supporting Heritage right now, you will help us make sure that the conservative leaders sent to each of the three branches of the federal government, all 50 state legislatures, and for school board or county sheriff positions across the nation are equipped to fight for the right conservative policy solutions.

Take advantage of this special match now and make your gift count in the fight to restore America. Together, we can preserve our values, protect our rights, and ensure a bright American future for generations to come.

Here’s the link where you can make your gift right now: https://secured.heritage.org/thf-presidents-challenge

Thank you for standing with us in this critical fight.

Yours sincerely,

Kevin D. Roberts, Ph.D.
President, The Heritage Foundation

P.S. Don’t miss your chance to have the greatest impact. Double your gift during our President’s Challenge by using this secured link: https://secured.heritage.org/thf-presidents-challenge

 

Yesterday my team and I wrapped up our mid-year planning session. I wanted to give you a quick update before I signed off for the weekend.

For two days we strategized for how we can best serve you and discussed exciting ways our members are fighting to save America.

This included Project 2025 which vets and trains thousands of principled and patriotic Americans to staff the next conservative administration—so they can hit the ground running on day one with a winning policy playbook.

We also discussed the Heritage Oversight Project which exposes the two-tiered systems of justice and holds government officials accountable. Did you know The Oversight Project filed 16 lawsuits against the Department of Justice this year over critical issues like Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal?

My team and I also met with leaders from Heritage Action for America to discuss how together we create huge wins for the conservative movement and take our policy priorities across the finish line.

In the spirit of mid-year reflection, how can we better serve you as the year continues?

I look forward to reading your response.

Best,

Tony Johnson
Director of Membership