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Trump good friend Tom Barrack arrested on UAE lobbying fees

Trump friend Tom Barrack arrested on UAE lobbying charges

Thomas Barrack, a private equity investor who is a close friend of former President Donald Trump, was arrested Tuesday morning in Los Angeles on federal charges of illegally operating Trump on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.

Barrack, who was charged with two other men in a seven-fold indictment in Brooklyn, New York federal court, served as chairman of Trump’s 2017 charter fund.

The Santa Monica, California resident, along with the other defendants, is charged with secretly advancing the interests of the United Arab Emirates, on the direction of senior officials in that country, by influencing the foreign policy positions of Trump’s 2016 election campaign and then the positions of the US government during the campaign Advance Trump’s presidency through April 2018.

Barrack, who never registered with the US government as an agent for the UAE, is also charged with obstruction of justice and providing several false claims during an interview with federal police officers in June 2019.

The indictment states that Barrack, 74, was informally advising American officials on Middle East policy during the indictment period and was also seeking appointment to a senior role in the U.S. government, including serving as special envoy for the Middle East.

The evidence against Barrack includes thousands of emails, text messages, iCloud recordings, flight records and social media records, prosecutors said separately on a sticky note.

Prosecutors said the “evidence for [Barrack’s] Guilt is overwhelming in this case. “

Prosecutors also said that Barrack met and assisted senior leaders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is a close ally of the UAE, and that he provided “UAE government officials” with sensitive, non-public information about developments within the government , including information on the positions of several senior US government officials in relation to the blockade of Qatar carried out by the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries. ‘”

Charged with Barrack are Matthew Grimes, 27, of Aspen, Colorado, and a 43-year-old UAE citizen, Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, who remains at large.

Grimes, who worked directly for Barrack at Barrack-founded private equity firm Colony Capital, was arrested Tuesday in California.

Grimes has a “close personal relationship” with Barrack, has made more than 50 international trips in Barrack’s private plane and lists Barrack’s $ 15 million home in Aspen as his primary residence, prosecutors said in a court filing.

“Mentioned Barrack several times [Al Malik] as the UAE’s “secret weapon” to advance its foreign policy agenda in the United States, “a Justice Department press release said.

“To promote suspected criminal conspiracy and conduct, Barrack and Grimes, with the assistance of [Al Malik], purchased a dedicated mobile phone and installed a secure messaging application to facilitate Barrack’s communications with senior UAE officials, “the department said.

Deputy Attorney General Mark Lesko, Department of National Security, Department of Justice said: “The defendants repeatedly used Barrack’s friendships and access to a candidate who was eventually elected president, senior election and government officials, and the American media to advance politics A foreign government aims without revealing its true loyalty. “

Thomas Barrack, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Colony Capital Inc., gestures during the closing reception at the Milken Institute Japan Symposium in Tokyo, Japan on Monday, March 25, 2019. The conference brings together business leaders and government officials to discuss geopolitical, economic and social problems faced by Japan. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

“The conduct alleged in the indictment is nothing less than betrayal of these officials in the United States, including the former president,” Lesko said in a statement.

Prosecutors in a memo requesting Barracks detention in Los Angeles pending his later bail hearing in Brooklyn said that in communicating with Al Malik, Barrack “designed his efforts to obtain an official position within the government to do it would enable it to serve the interests of the United Arab Emirates and not the interests of the United States. “

“When seeking a position as US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates or Special Envoy for the Middle East, the defendant informed Al Malik that such an appointment would” give ABU DHABI more power! “The memo states with reference to the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

“Al Malik agreed that if the defendant were successfully appointed to such an official position, it would result in the defendant delivering ‘more’ for the UAE and its efforts[v]very effective operation. ‘ The defendant agreed. “

Prosecutors found that Barrack, who is a Lebanese citizen, is extremely wealthy, has access to a private jet he flew to the UAE in March, and “has deep and longstanding ties to countries that do not have extradition treaties with the United States has “Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

A Trump spokeswoman did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Barrack’s arrest.

Matthew Herrington, an attorney for Barrack, told CNBC that his client was arrested in Los Angeles “although we cooperated with this investigation from the start.”

A Barrack spokesman said: “Mr. Barrack volunteered to investigate from the start. He is not guilty and will plead not guilty.”

Barrack stepped down as CEO of Colony Capital in 2020. In April he stepped down as Executive Chairman of the company.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating Barracks’ alleged work on behalf of the UAE for at least two years.

One of the events that caught their attention was an energy policy speech given by Trump as a presidential candidate in May 2016.

The indictment accuses Barrack of “including a language in which the UAE is praised” and “emailing a preliminary draft of the speech.” [Al Malik] for extradition to senior UAE officials. “

For the next two years, prosecutors claim that Barrack “sought and received instruction and feedback, including topics for discussion, from senior UAE officials in connection with national press appearances that Barrack has used to advance the interests of the UAE.”

“During that time, Barrack never registered as a lobbyist for the UAE as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act,” the indictment said.

The indictment states that in December 2016, one month after Trump’s election, Barrack attended a meeting with Grimes, Al Malik and senior UAE government officials to advise them to create a “wish list” of US foreign policy, which the UAE wished to be carried out in different periods of time in the new administration.

The indictment also states that the following March Barrack and the other two men agreed to promote the candidacy of a person preferred by senior UAE officials for the post of US ambassador to that country.

And in September 2017, “Al Malik communicated with Barrack about the United Arab Emirates’ resistance to a planned summit at Camp David to resolve an ongoing dispute between the State of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern governments against the President of the United States the holding of the Camp David Summit, “stated the Justice Department in its press release.” The summit never took place. “

The United Arab Emirates, which Trump did business in before he became president, established an important relationship with the United States during the Trump administration.

The UAE signed the 2020 Abraham Agreement, which took steps to normalize relations between a handful of Middle East nations, including Israel.

Last November, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the Trump administration would sell more than $ 23 billion in military equipment to the UAE “in recognition of our deepened relationships” and “in recognition of the nation’s need for advanced defense capabilities to deter and defend oneself ”. against increased threats from Iran. “

A friend of Trump for decades, Barrack appeared as an early supporter of Trump’s presidential run long before many on Wall Street viewed the property developer as a serious contender for the White House.

In the spring of 2016, when Trump started sweeping primaries, Barracks and Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump convinced him that he needed to hire a real campaign manager.

Barrack urged Trump to bring in Paul Manafort, a longtime Washington and Republican lobbyist.

Manafort eventually rose to campaign chairman for Trump before resigning in August 2016 after reports of foreign lobbying on behalf of Ukrainian politicians. Both Manafort and Barrack hoped their collaboration in 2016 would be to the benefit of every man.

Barrack wanted to be appointed Middle East envoy in a future Trump administration. But after Trump won the White House, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner intervened, and Barrack didn’t get the job.

Manafort, meanwhile, had hoped that Barracks connections in the Middle East would lead to lucrative deals for Manafort’s lobbying practice.

But the years of investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller put an end to Barrack and Manafort’s hopes of attaining prominent positions in Trump’s White House.

According to prosecutors, questions about Barrack’s foreign lobbyism first came to light during the investigation into Mueller.

By the end of his investigation, Müller had referred a total of 14 criminal cases to the public prosecutor, most of which are still sealed today.

In 2018, Manafort was found guilty by a jury of eight crimes related to foreign lobbying and tax evasion. He was imprisoned for almost two years and was released in June last year.

Trump later pardoned Manafort just before he left the White House.

Correction: Paul Manafort was convicted of eight crimes in 2018. In an earlier version, the year was incorrectly specified.

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Politics

Chairwoman of Congressional Black Caucus is arrested whereas protesting on Capitol Hill.

Chairwoman of Congressional Black Caucus is arrested while protesting on Capitol Hill.

Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty was arrested on Capitol Hill Thursday along with eight campaigners demonstrating for the right to vote.

“You can arrest me. You can not stop me. You can’t shut me up, ”wrote Ms. Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, in a tweet after she was arrested by the US Capitol Police in the atrium of a Senate office building. A reporter at the scene noted on Twitter that her hands had been zipped up before she was taken away.

The Capitol Police said in a statement the protesters violated a Washington law against overcrowding or blocking streets or certain spaces in public buildings. The demonstrators had been warned of their arrest, the police said.

Ms. Beatty and a group of activists protested in Congress against the disappearance of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and For the People Act. The two bills aim in part to protect and expand access to voting, but both face great opportunities to become law.

Democrats, who have narrow majorities in Congress and need Republican votes to overcome a filibuster in the Senate, have for months expressed frustration at their inability to pass their major voting revisions as Republican parliaments rush to pass laws that restrict voting rights across the country.

President Biden this week called the fight against restrictive electoral laws the “most significant test of our democracy since the civil war,” despite seemingly having to acknowledge that the law had little hope of getting through.

In a statement made after her arrest, Ms. Beatty remained defiant.

“I stand in solidarity with black women and allies across the country in defense of our constitutional franchise,” she said. “We have come too far and fought too hard to see everything being systematically dismantled and restricted by those who want to silence us.”

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U.S. officers arrive in Haiti, key suspect arrested in assassination plot

U.S. officials arrive in Haiti, key suspect arrested in assassination plot

Haitian citizens hold up their passports as they gather outside the U.S. embassy in Tabarre, Haiti, on July 10, 2021, seeking asylum after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, explaining that there is too much uncertainty in the country and them for their fear of life. Publicity.

Valerie Bäriswyl | AFP | Getty Images

Five days after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, a delegation of US officials is arrested in Haiti to assess the political and security situation in the Caribbean.

The White House confirmed Monday that a delegation of officials from the National Security Council and Homeland Security, State and Justice departments had met with Haiti’s interim leaders and the national police to respond to their requests for security assistance and the investigation on Moise’s murder.

The arrival of the US delegation follows the arrest of a man of Haitian descent from Florida who is reportedly a prime suspect in Moise’s murder at his private residence in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday.

The State Department confirmed Monday that a third U.S. citizen was arrested after the attack, but declined to provide further information on privacy concerns. Instead, the department referred the Haitian authorities for details of the arrest.

Haitian police said they had arrested Christian Emmanuel Sanon, who had entered Haiti on a private plane “with the intention of assuming the Haitian presidency.” Sanon, who is in his early sixties, has been described as having played a pivotal role in the assassination, with Haitian police finding he was the “first person the attackers called” after the president was shot dead.

The New York Times and the Miami Herald reported that Sanon is a doctor in Florida.

The U.S. delegation’s arrival also comes after White House officials told NBC News on Friday that the U.S. has no plans to deploy troops to protect critical infrastructure, amid reports Haitian officials asked for such assistance. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said over the weekend the Department of Defense is looking into the Haitian request for troops, but the US is mainly focused on the investigation.

“I don’t know if we are now at a point where we can definitely say that what is happening there is putting our national security at risk,” Kirby told Fox News on Sunday. “But of course we value our Haitian partners. We value stability and security in this country.”

The US delegation met with Haiti’s interim leaders to promote free and fair elections, National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a White House press release. U.S. and Haitian officials also checked the security of the country’s critical infrastructure, Horne said.

“In all of their meetings, the delegation has pledged to support the Haitian government in its pursuit of justice in this case and to reaffirm the United States’ support for the Haitian people at this difficult time,” said Horne.

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On Friday, the State Department confirmed that two US citizens were arrested by Haitian police after the attack, but declined to comment.

Haitian police on Friday identified the American suspects as James Solages and Joseph Vincent, both of Haitian descent. You are among at least 20 suspects arrested by Haitian police so far, along with 18 Colombians.

Moise had faced violent protests for months before he was murdered. Opposition leaders accused him of increasing his power even after his term ended in February and called for his resignation.

Opposition leaders and their supporters pointed to Moise’s approval of decrees restricting a court’s powers to review government contracts and creating an intelligence agency that would only report to him. They also opposed his plans to hold a constitutional referendum that would strengthen the presidency in the country.

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World News

Florida-Primarily based Physician Arrested in Haiti President’s Assassination

Hong Kong Website Doxxing Police Gets Blocked, Raising Censorship Fears

A Haitian-born doctor based in Florida has been arrested as a “central” suspect in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, and the national police chief suggested at a Sunday news conference that he believes the suspect was plotting to become president.

The doctor, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, is now the third Haitian-born suspect with U.S. ties to be arrested.

The Haitian national police chief, Léon Charles, painted Mr. Sanon as a key figure behind the president’s assassination.

“He arrived by private plane in June with political objectives and contacted a private security firm to recruit the people who committed this act,” the police chief said. The firm, he said, was a Venezuelan security company based in the United States called CTU.

“The initial mission that was given to these assailants was to protect the individual named Emmanuel Sanon, but afterwards the mission changed,” Mr. Charles said, implying that Mr. Sanon had meant to install himself as president.

As evidence, Mr. Charles said that Mr. Sanon was the person one of the Colombians contacted after being arrested. During a raid of his home, the authorities said, the police found a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency cap, a box of cartridges, two vehicles, six pistol holsters, about 20 boxes of bullets, 24 unused shooting targets and four license plates from the Dominican Republic.

A YouTube video recorded in 2011 titled “Dr. Christian Sanon — Leadership for Haiti” appears to present Mr. Sanon as a potential leader of the country. In it, the speaker denounces the leaders of Haiti as corrupt plunderers of its resources.

“With me in power, you are going to have to tell me: ‘What are you doing with my uranium?’” the speaker says. “‘What are you going to do with the oil that we have in the country? What are you going to do with the gold?’”

The night of Mr. Moïse’s death, people who appeared to be arriving to assassinate him shouted that they were part of a D.E.A. operation, according to videos filmed from nearby buildings and synchronized by The New York Times.

Two Americans arrested last week have said that they were not in the room when the president was killed and that they had worked only as translators for the hit squad, according to a Haitian judge who interviewed them. They met with other participants at an upscale hotel in the Pétionville suburb of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, to plan the attack.

The goal was not to kill the president, the two Americans told the judge, but to bring him to the national palace. On Sunday, Mr. Charles said one of the assailants had been given a warrant to arrest the president.

One of the Americans was identified as James J. Solages, 35, who lived in South Florida and previously worked as a security guard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti. The other was identified as Joseph Vincent, 55.

Other suspects include 18 Colombian men, most of them former soldiers, and three Haitians.

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Politics

Texas Man Who Waited Hours to Vote Is Arrested on Prices of Unlawful Voting

Texas Man Who Waited Hours to Vote Is Arrested on Charges of Illegal Voting

“He faces the possibility of an extremely harsh sentence,” he said. “Second degree crimes are usually reserved for grievous bodily harm, and to apply it to Mr. Rogers’ case, that only shows how unfair that is.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is under investigation for professional misconduct after challenging President Biden’s victory in court, brought charges against Mr. Rogers. He has made it his business to prosecute cases of voter fraud, which are very rare in the United States and are usually small mistakes when they happen.

“Hervis is a felon who is rightly banned from voting under TX law,” Paxton wrote on Twitter. “I pursue electoral fraud everywhere we find it!”

Republicans on battlefields in Texas and other states have been aggressively pushing to curtail electoral laws since former President Donald J. Trump made false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. On Thursday, Republicans in the Texas legislature presented plans to overhaul the state’s electoral machinery for the second time this year. They outlined a number of proposed new restrictions on voting access that would be among the most far-reaching electoral laws to be passed this year.

For some, Mr. Rogers’ case sparked another recent indictment in the state.

In 2017, Crystal Mason was sentenced to five years in prison for casting a preliminary ballot in the 2016 presidential election while being released under custody for a federal tax fraud crime. Her preliminary ballot was not counted and her case is pending in the Texas Supreme Court of Appeals after Ms. Mason appealed.

After her conviction, Ms. Mason was held in federal prison for 10 months for violating her supervised release. If Ms. Mason loses her appeal, she will have to serve her five-year prison sentence, Ms. Grinter said.

Mr. Rogers and Ms. Mason could meet in the coming weeks, Ms. Grinter said.

“They share a bond that neither of them wanted at the time,” said Ms. Grinter. “She really feels for him and knows what it feels like to be made out of such a political sport.”

On Friday, Ms. Mason expressed her support for Mr. Rogers.

“I wish this had never happened to you,” wrote Ms. Mason on Twitter. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. Welcome to the fight. “

Michael Levenson contributed to the coverage.

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Politics

11 Arrested in Armed Roadside Standoff in Massachusetts

11 Arrested in Armed Roadside Standoff in Massachusetts

Eleven men were arrested Saturday after a long roadside altercation between Massachusetts police officers and a group of heavily armed men in tactical gear who claimed to be part of a group called Rise of the Moors.

Dozens of police officers from Massachusetts and New Hampshire responded to the standoff that closed part of a freeway for several hours and prompted authorities to order people in the surrounding communities to take protection on the spot.

The men who appeared to be broadcasting the stalemate on YouTube eventually surrendered to police without any shots being fired, authorities said. There were no injuries, although three of the men in the group were hospitalized with pre-existing conditions unrelated to the stalemate.

“I attribute patience, professionalism, and partnership to the successful resolution of this matter,” said Col. Christopher Mason of the Massachusetts State Police. “At the end of the day, we have the desired result, which is a safe solution.”

The stalemate began around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, according to the State Police, when a state trooper stopped to look for two vehicles that had stopped in the breakdown lane of Interstate 95 in Wakefield, about 15 miles north of Boston. The men filled their gas tanks with their own fuel, and they appeared to be carrying military tactical equipment and rifles and other weapons. Colonel Mason said the men said they were going to Maine from Rhode Island for “training”.

When the men did not produce the required IDs and gun licenses, the soldier asked for reinforcements, Colonel Mason said.

“You can imagine that eleven armed people standing on a freeway at 2am with long guns are sure to raise concerns and are inconsistent with the firearms laws we have here in Massachusetts,” said Colonel Mason. “I understand that you have a different perspective. I appreciate this perspective. I do not agree with this perspective. “

First, two armed men were arrested, Colonel Mason said, and the negotiators spent hours talking to other members of the group, some of whom were in the woods by the highway and others in their vehicles.

An on-site protection order has been placed for residents of Wakefield and Reading and part of Interstate 95 has been closed to traffic.

By 10.15 a.m., the police had arrested the nine remaining members of the group. All surrendered without incident, Colonel Mason said, and “a number” of firearms were confiscated.

The police lifted the detention order and the motorway was released after the men were arrested.

Middlesex County’s district attorney Marian Ryan said she believed the men would face “firearms and other charges” Tuesday. State police said several of the men refused to provide any information about their identity, which delayed the booking process.

The Massachusetts state website states, “The laws governing the transportation of firearms can be confusing. Basically: If you keep the weapon unloaded and locked in a suitcase in the trunk or rear storage compartment of a truck or SUV, you must comply with the applicable laws. “

Colonel Mason said the men involved in the standoff said they were part of a group called Rise of the Moors. On the group’s website, Rise of the Moors says it seeks “equal justice under our own right and not under the United States government because we are not citizens of the United States.”

“Since we are not US citizens, we owe the United States government no tax obligations,” it says on the website.

They describe themselves as “Moorish Americans devoted to educating new Moors and influencing our elders,” according to the website.

Colonel Mason said the group’s “professed leader wanted to know that their ideology is not anti-government”.

“Our research will give us more insight into their motivations and ideology,” he said.

“We are not anti-government,” said one man early Saturday morning in a livestream on the group’s YouTube channel.

The man, who was wearing military clothing, said the group stopped to refuel with petrol cans to avoid “unnecessary stops” while carrying firearms. The man also said the group was traveling to their “private country”.

“We have no intention of being hostile, we have no intention of being aggressive,” he later added. “We are not against the government, we are not against the police, we are not sovereign citizens and we are not extremists with a black identity.”

“We are foreigners,” called another member of the group from the background.

Recognition…YouTube channel “Uprising of the Moors”

Rise of the Moors appears to be based in Pawtucket, RI, according to the group’s website. The group did not immediately respond to an email requesting a comment.

Pawtucket police “know” the group and have had “various interactions” with them, said Emily Rizzo, a Pawtucket Mayor spokeswoman, who said they could not immediately provide further details.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Moorish sovereign civil movement is an extremist ideology that emerged in the early 1990s. It is an offshoot of the anti-government movement for sovereign citizens, which believes that individual citizens have sovereignty over the authority of federal and state governments and are independent of them. According to the centre’s website, the groups are typically small and consist of a few dozen followers.

It is unclear what connection Rise of the Moors could have with this movement.

According to a 2016 report by the Anti-Defamation League, the Moorish sovereign citizen movement began when people fused the beliefs of sovereign citizens with some of the beliefs of the Moorish Temple of Science, a 1913 religious sect.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the movement grew and absorbed other black sovereign groups, according to the ADL. had started independently

The report states that Moorish sovereign citizens committed the same criminal activities as “traditional” sovereign civic groups, including violent crimes, fraud, defrauding and intimidating public officials.

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French President Emmanuel Macron slapped in face, two individuals arrested

French President Emmanuel Macron slapped in face, two people arrested

French President Macron will take part in a video conference on the climate summit on April 22, 2021 at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

Ian Langsdon | Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face and police arrested two men, a spokesman for the National Gendarmerie told NBC News on Tuesday.

A popular video clip shows a masked man shouting “Down with Macronia” in French before swinging his open palm in the president’s face.

The two suspects were arrested after the incident that occurred during Macron’s visit to a school in southeastern France, NBC reported.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex condemned political violence and aggression as undemocratic on Tuesday.

“I am calling for a renewal of the republic,” Castex tweeted in French.

The trip to the Tain Hermitage School, which specializes in catering, took place on the eve of the French government lifting restrictions on indoor dining and other measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Macron should meet with representatives from the restaurant industry, NBC reported.

The video of the incident shows Macron wearing a black mask and approaching a crowd on the other side of a partition. Macron appears to be patting the next person in the crowd, a man in a green T-shirt and white mask, on the forearm.

When Marcon seems to start crawling down the line of onlookers, the man slaps the president in the face, as the video shows. Shortly before the slap, the man shouts “Montjoie Saint Denis”, the battle cry of the former French monarchy, and “A Bas La Macronie”, which roughly translated means “Down with Macron’s kingdom”.

Bodyguards for Macron immediately swarmed the man and pushed the president away from him. According to the video, Macron returned to greet the crowd further down the line.

The suspects are on remand and the French authorities are investigating the case, NBC reported. One person was arrested for the slap himself, while the role of the other suspect is still unclear, according to NBC.

In a tweet earlier on Tuesday, Macron had used the visit to the school in the Drome region to highlight the latest steps in his government’s Covid reopening plan.

As of Wednesday, curfews will be extended to 11 p.m. and indoor dining in restaurants and bistros will be allowed again, NBC reported. The remaining restrictions will be lifted at the end of June, depending on the prevalence of the pandemic in France at that time.

“Tomorrow a new step will be taken,” read a translation of Macron’s tweet. “It is life that will revive in all of our territories! It is part of our culture, our art of living that we will rediscover.”

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U.S. Marine Main Warnagiris arrested for position in Trump mob

U.S. Marine Major Warnagiris arrested for role in Trump mob

A still from a video released by the DOJ showing Christopher Warnagiris (circled in red), a Marine Corps officer stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, was arrested today in Virginia and charged with crimes related to violating the U.S. Capitol indicted January 6th.

Source: DOJ

A U.S. Navy officer on active duty was arrested Thursday and charged with violence against the police by a group of supporters of then-President Donald Trump during the January 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol.

Major Christopher Warnagiris, 40, is accused of pushing past a line of police guarding the Capitol and pushing through a door in the Capitol’s east rotunda.

Warnagiris, a Woodbridge, Virginia resident stationed at Marine Corp Base Quantico, is being tried in federal court of aggression, resistance, or obstruction of certain officials, obstruction of law enforcement, obstruction of Congress, forcible entry into the Capitol Grounds and charged with entering or staying in a restricted building without legitimate authority.

He will appear in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday afternoon.

A still from a video released by the DOJ showing Christopher Warnagiris (circled in red), a Marine Corps officer stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, was arrested today in Virginia and charged with crimes related to violating the U.S. Capitol indicted January 6th.

Source: DOJ

Court documents say that Warnagiris, after forcibly entering the Capitol, positioned himself in the corner of the door and propped up the door with his body and pulled other rioters inside.

Video surveillance footage shows Warnagiris bumping into a police officer who was trying to close the door, according to a criminal complaint.

The Pentagon had no immediate comment on the arrest, which took place in Virginia on Thursday morning.

Warnagiris was identified by a member of the public on March 16 after the person complained about seeing three photos of a man entering the Capitol.

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This witness recognized Warnagiris after working with him for about six months in 2019, the complaint read.

A second witness, “who has worked with Warnagiris for about nine months and sees him in close proximity several times a week,” identified him in the same photos that the first witness had seen according to the indictment.

In 2017, according to a news article, Warnagiris acted as the chief of operations for a landing force of US Marines and Navy sailors who were stationed on the French Navy’s LHD Tonnere amphibious assault ship during a two-month deployment in the area of ​​operations of the US 5th Fleet. Website.

U.S. Navy Maj. Christopher Warnagiris (R) interacts with a French naval officer during the embarkation of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the French amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre (L9014).

Photo: Sgt. Jessica Lucio | DVIDS

About 440 people were arrested at the Capitol for the January 6 riot that began after Trump urged crowds to march there at a rally outside the White House.

The invasion of the Capitol complex disrupted a joint congressional session held that day to confirm President Joe Biden’s victory at the electoral college.

Trump falsely claimed for weeks after the presidential election in November that he had won the White House race and that Biden’s victory was the result of widespread electoral fraud.

– CNBCs Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

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Former NYPD cop Sara Carpenter arrested in Trump Capitol riot

Former NYPD cop Sara Carpenter arrested in Trump Capitol riot

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

A retired New York police officer who was seen on surveillance tape shaking a tambourine while walking around the U.S. Capitol with a crowd of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, was arrested Tuesday morning.

Sara Carpenter, 51, is the youngest of a number of past or current law enforcement officers charged in connection with the uprising that began with protests against the election of President Joe Biden.

Carpenter, who surrendered on Tuesday, told FBI agents in January that she had gone to the Capitol with others after hearing that then-President Donald Trump had ordered her “to march to the Capitol.”

Five people died in the riot, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Two other police officers defending the Capitol that day killed themselves shortly after the riot that injured nearly 140 other police officers.

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Carpenter retired from the New York Police Department in 2004 after about 10 years of service. In the 1990s she worked as a spokesperson for the NYPD.

Detective Sophia Mason, a current police department spokeswoman, said in an email: “The NYPD worked closely with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which culminated in the arrest of Sara Carpenter. “

Carpenter was released on personal note by a judge after appearing on videoconference in federal court in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday. She will be charged with offense for knowingly entering or staying in a restricted building or site without legal authority, for disorderly or disruptive behavior in a restricted building or site, and for violent entry and disorderly behavior on the Capitol site.

“Any participation on January 6th [riot] is serious behavior, “US assistant attorney Josh Hafetz said at the hearing.

However, prosecutors said Carpenter’s collaboration with the FBI, her voluntary surrender, and other factors led Brooklyn and Washington prosecutors to agree that a non-monetary loan would be enough to ensure they return to court and will protect the security of the community. “”

Under the terms of this bond, Carpenter’s travel is restricted to New York City or Long Island, unless it is a visit to Washington to appear in court and meet with a lawyer there. She had given her passport when she surrendered to the FBI.

The DOJ is submitting a photo of a tambourine as part of a statement of fact pertaining to former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter who participated in the Capitol Riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Carpenter case, along with hundreds of other criminal cases against alleged Capitol rioters, is being prosecuted in the District of Columbia Federal Court.

The court record says the FBI received an anonymous tip on Jan. 7 that Carpenter called a relative and said she was in the Capitol and was gassed tearfully during the invasion. The tipster gave the address of Carpenter in the borough of Queens in New York City.

Carpenter told FBI agents during an interview on Jan. 18 that she drove to Washington on Jan. 5 and “went to the rally point where Trump’s Twitter page instructed all supporters about the election fraud the next morning.” to hear “, it says in the file.

For months after the November presidential election, Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed that he won the election and that Biden’s victory was the result of widespread electoral fraud in several states.

Federal and state courts have consistently denied these allegations, as has Trump’s then Attorney General William Barr.

On January 6, Trump, his family members and various allies held a rally outside the White House, again making false statements about the election and calling on supporters to help them reverse the election results. These results were to be confirmed that day by a joint congressional session chaired by then Vice President Mike Pence.

According to the file, Carpenter said to FBI agents, “She heard President Trump’s words on the giant televisions and speakers telling people to back off, not go and march to the Capitol.”

“Carpenter stated that she started walking to the Capitol with a large group of people around 1:00 pm. Carpenter stated that she entered the Capitol rotunda, watching other people walking around with objects. ” Filing said.

Carpenter told FBI agents that she saw police screaming for people to get out and then pushing and shoving the crowd. Carpenter said she was trampled and sprayed with pepper as she left the Capitol building. “

The DOJ is submitting photos as part of a statement of fact that identifies former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter (dressed in a red hat, green jacket, and gray backpack) participating in the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.

Source: Ministry of Justice.

The file also notes that Carpenter said during her interview that she recorded a video of the interior of the Capitol building on her cell phone. She texted an FBI agent on January 19 with the footage.

The Capitol closed-circuit television video shows Carpenter in a red hat, green coat, and black boots with a backpack as he enters the Capitol rotunda with a crowd.

Before leaving the rotunda, Carpenter can be seen on a video “turning back into the room and rising” [her] Hands in the air, “said the file.

The DOJ is submitting photos as part of a statement of fact that identifies former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter (dressed in a red hat, green jacket, and gray backpack) participating in the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.

Source: Ministry of Justice.

“She holds a tambourine in her left hand, which she shakes several times before turning around and leaving the rotunda,” the file says.

A search of Carpenter’s house on March 2 found the clothes she was wearing in the Capitol that day, as well as the backpack.

“Carpenter also volunteered to provide the tambourine that she confirmed was wearing in the Capitol,” the file said.

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Politics

Man arrested close to Kamala Harris residence, gun and ammunition discovered

Man arrested near Kamala Harris residence, gun and ammunition found

A Texas man wanted by the police was stopped by US intelligence and arrested on Wednesday afternoon near the Washington residence of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Police found a rifle, a large amount of ammunition, and several gun clips in a car owned by 31-year-old Paul Murray of San Antonio after telling them it was parked in a garage several miles away near the Washington Convention center, according to NBC 4.

That black Chevy Impala also had what the police called a large capacity ammunition feeder.

A police report stated that Murray was in possession of “an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, 113 rounds of unregistered ammunition and five 30-round magazines.”

Murray was stopped around noon by intelligence officials in northwest Washington on Massachusetts Avenue, just outside the Naval Observatory where Harris’ residence is located.

A person arrested by the Secret Service at the Vice President’s residence in Washington DC.

penguinsix | Youtube

Police said they arrested Murray in response to a Texas intelligence bulletin.

The Vice President and her husband Doug Emhoff do not currently reside at the Naval Observatory as the residence is currently under renovation. The couple live in Blair House near the White House.

Murray was accused of carrying a dangerous weapon, rifle or shotgun outside of a store, possession of unregistered ammunition, and a large capacity ammunition feeder.

Andrew Leyden, a former Capitol Hill employee who lives near the Naval Observatory, told CNBC that he witnessed the arrest when he stopped by on a scooter on his way to the Irish embassy to watch a St. Patrick’s Day video to shoot for his YouTube channel.

“A couple of policemen passed me at the National Cathedral,” Leyden said. “What was really strange was that they were marked units and unmarked units.”

A video Leyden recorded of the scene showed Murray surrounded by police officers with a bicycle in the nearby grass.

“I saw this shaggy looking guy tied up,” said Leyden, who posted a video of the scene on Twitter.

Harris’ spokeswoman Sabrina Singh referred CNBC to the Secret Service when asked for comment.