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White House
As White House Choreographs Raid Anniversary, Bin Laden Death Photos Remain Secret
As you may have heard, it's the one-year anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Also coming up: the one-year anniversary of the first Freedom of Information Act requests for the photographs taken of bin Laden's body.
Obama and his re-election campaign have embraced bin Laden's death as one of the president's signature achievements, and are currently using it to bludgeon Mitt Romney, but photographs of that achievement are still considered a national security risk.
On "Fox News Sunday" this week, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan was asked why the White House has refused to release the presumably gruesome images.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, FOIA, Osama bin Laden, Terrorism, White House
Al Armendariz
Another Obama Official Resigns After Ginned Up Conservative Outrage: A Timeline
From the moment President Obama took office, conservatives have made a small sport of attacking obscure functionaries within his administration -- surfacing old, often out-of-context statements and actions that make his political appointees appear extreme. Over the past three years, they've taken aim at a handful officials, and almost without exception, they've felled their targets. The goal isn't really to root bad actors out of the executive branch, but rather to amass a pile of scalps and contend that Obama is radicalizing the government.
Al Armendariz is the latest victim. He resigned from the EPA on Sunday after conservative media latched on to comments he made years ago about deterring bad actors in fossil fuel industries by making examples of -- or 'crucifying' -- those that get caught breaking the law. In context, his remarks were harmless, if a bit hyperbolic. Most reports ignored the context -- he said the word "crucify," after all.
His undoing differs from the Shirley Sherrod fiasco in two key respects: Armendariz insists he was not pressured to step down by the administration, and despite the harmless nature of his comments, he never proffered a defense of himself -- he apologized for his remarks, and insisted they ran counter to the spirit of the EPA's mission. But the timeline of events leading up to his resignation follows a pattern that will be familiar to anybody who watched Sherrod or Van Jones lose their jobs.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Al Armendariz, Barack Obama, EPA, Environment, James Inhofe, Shirley Sherrod, Van Jones, White House
Congress
Mueller: Congress' Terror Detainee Deal Would Create 'Uncertainty' During Arrests
As of Tuesday, the federal government wasn't quite ready to render a verdict on the compromise reached by members of Congress on a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act which guides terrorist suspects into the military justice system. But FBI Director Robert Mueller indicated Wednesday that the administration still has concerns, though it's still unclear if the White House will make good on a previous veto threat.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Congress, FBI, Justice Department, Robert Mueller, White House
Fox News host Bill O'Reilly on Thursday night explained his now infamous encounter with a protestor, claiming he used his umbrella to shield himself because the man carrying a hi-definition camera while asking him about a Newt Gingrich fundraiser "could have had a knife."
O'Reilly claimed that Wisconsin activist Branden Lane (interviewed by TPM here) came up behind him screaming but implied he never hit the man with an umbrella.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Bill O'Reilly, White House
Pardons
Pardon Applicants Benefit From Friends in High Places
by Dafna Linzer ProPublica
Second of two parts. Part one here. This story was co-published with The Washington Post.
Dale Critz Jr. had millions riding on his bid for a presidential pardon. Scion of a prominent family in Savannah, Ga., Critz was poised to inherit the luxury car dealerships his grandfather had built in one of America's most historic cities.
But Critz's past blocked his way. Years earlier, while learning the ropes at an unrelated dealership in Florida, he took part in a scheme to falsify loan documents for low-income car buyers. He pleaded guilty in 1989 to a felony -- a conviction that could have prevented him from owning the family business. Many automakers do not let felons run their franchises.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: George W Bush, Justice Department, Pardons, White House
Oscar Ortega Hernandez
Alleged White House Shooter Ortega-Hernandez To Oprah: 'I Am The Modern Day Jesus Christ'
Alleged White House shooter Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez made a 20-minute video intended for Oprah Winfrey in which he claimed he was the second coming of Jesus Christ.
"You see Oprah, there is still so much more that God needs for me to express to the world. It's not just a coincidence that I look like Jesus. I am the modern day Jesus Christ that you all have been waiting for," Ortega-Hernandez says in a video obtained by Idaho's KBOI news.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Guns, Oscar Ortega Hernandez, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, White House
Barack Obama
Christmas Tree Farmers Upset Obama Delayed 'Tax' Proposal Over 'Internet Rumor'
Bending to a flash-in-the-pan controversy over a misunderstood 15-cent fee on Christmas tree sales that would allow farmers to run ads promoting natural trees, the Obama administration formally delayed a proposal for a so-called "Christmas tree tax."
The proposal was stayed indefinitely in a notice published in the Federal Register on Thursday.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, War On Christmas, White House
Oscar Ortega Hernandez
Feds: Attempted Assassin Ortega-Hernandez Referred To Obama As 'The Anti-Christ'
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, the man arrested on Wednesday for allegedly firing bullets at the White House on Friday night, referred to President Barack Obama as "the anti-Christ" and told a witness he "needed to kill him," according to an FBI special agent.
Ortega-Hernandez has been charged with attempting to assassinate Obama, though the president was not in the White House at the time of the incident. He had metal baseball bat, brass knuckles, a Wal-Mart receipt and a black hooded Los Angeles Dodgers jacket in the car he abandoned after allegedly firing at least two shots at the White House.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Oscar Ortega Hernandez, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, White House
White House
Secret Service Searched Occupy D.C. Camp For Person Who Shot At White House
Late update, Nov. 16, 2:11PM: The Secret Service announced the suspect was taken into custody in Pennsylvania.
The Secret Service searched Occupy D.C. on Monday for a man suspected of firing bullets at the White House on Friday, one of which was stopped by the building's ballistic glass.
Protestor Ralph Wittenberg told TPM on Tuesday evening that authorities came through "searching for a so-called terrorist who shot at the White House, with no warrant, they went into everybody's tents."
A person handling media requests for Occupy DC confirmed the searches and said they were led by the Secret Service. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Oscar Ortega Hernandez, White House
Justice Department
How $16 Muffins Caused The White House To Crack Down On Conference Spending
Simon Greig / Shutterstock
The Justice Department's purchase of muffins at $16 a pop has resulted in the White House ordering all agencies and departments to review conference spending.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Justice Department, Obama Administration, Office of Management and Budget, White House
Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Chamber To Rank Politicians On Whether They Vote To Keep Contractor Donations Secret
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has written a letter to members of the House telling them that voting for federal contractors to be more transparent about their political spending will negatively impact their legislative scorecard.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Anna Eshoo, Barack Obama, Campaign Contributions, Campaign Donations, Campaign Finance, Chamber of Commerce, Private Contractors, White House
Barack Obama
Issa Probes 'Potentially Illegal' White House Donor Meetings
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and President Obama
House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa is asking President Barack Obama's top lawyer for documents related to White House fundraising activities which the California Republican thinks may be against the law.
Specifically, Issa is highlighting meetings held at the White House back in March that were organized by the Democratic National Committee. One of the former Bush administration officials who testified at a hearing last month on the Hatch Act -- the law restricting the political activities of federal employees -- said that those meetings appeared to be in violation of the law.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Darrell Issa, House Oversight and Government Reform, White House
Barack Obama
Obama Preps For Twitter Townhall
President Barack Obama and staffers
President Obama will hold his first ever Twitter townhall Wednesday in an attempt to engage a new and growing audience who no longer rely primarily on the mainstream media and traditional outlets for their news.
No stranger to the power of social media, Obama will respond to questions that have been streaming in using the hashtag #AskObama since the White House, through its official Twitter account, @whitehouse, announced the online "Tweet-Up" event last week. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey will moderate the discussion, which will begin at 2 p.m.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2012 elections, Barack Obama, Jobs and the Economy, Twitter, White House
Don't Ask Don't Tell
After 'Don't Ask' Survey Leak, 'Concerned Source' Slips IG Report To Anti-Gay Group
Gay rights activists at the "One Nation Working Together" rally
Pretend you're angry that someone improperly leaked some details of a military survey that showed the vast majority of service members wouldn't care all that much about serving alongside gay troops. Say that disclosure was perfectly timed to jolt congressional support for repeal of the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy.
How do you get back? By leaking the Defense Department Inspector General's report on the leak of that survey to an anti-gay group that fought against the repeal of the 'Don't Ask' policy, of course!
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Don't Ask Don't Tell, LGBT, Obama Administration, Pentagon, White House
ATF
ATF To Require Dealers To Report Bulk Semiautomatic Rifle Sales
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Friday requested emergency permission to require that gun dealers report to them bulk sales of the high-powered semiautomatic rifles favored by drug cartels -- all part of the Administration's effort to combat the flow of guns to Mexico.
It is a plan that had languished for months at the Justice Department because of concerns over what the National Rifle Association (NRA) might think. The Washington Post reports now that it was held up by the White House in the spring -- around the same time that President Barack Obama promised Mexican President Felipe Calderon he'd work to prevent gunrunning south of the border.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: ATF, Barack Obama, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Department of Justice, Gun Control, Gun Rights, Guns, Ken Melson, NRA, Rahm Emanuel, White House
Wikileaks
White House Tells All Federal Agencies To Prohibit Unauthorized Employees From Wikileaks Site
The Office of Management and Budget today directed all federal agencies to bar unauthorized employees from accessing the Wikileaks web site and its leaked diplomatic cables.
In an email to federal agencies obtained by TPM, the OMB's general counsel directed the agencies to immediately tell their employees to "safeguard classified information" by not accessing Wikileaks over the Internet.
Classified information, the OMB notes, "remains classified ... until it is declassified by an appropriate U.S. Government authority." Employees may not view classified info over a non-classified system (i.e., the Internet), the OMB says, "as doing so risks that material still classified will be placed onto non-classified systems."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Library of Congress, Office of Management and Budget, TPMTech, White House , Wikileaks
Gulf Coast Oil Spill
WH Defends Oil Spill Predictions After Report Claims It Hid Worst-Case Numbers
Adm. Thad Allen gives a press conference about the oil spill in June.
The presidential oil spill commission Wednesday released a series of preliminary reports on how the BP oil disaster was handled. In one of the reports, the commission found that the White House stopped NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, from releasing its worst case scenario numbers in the days after the Deepwater Horizon exploded.
"By initially underestimating the amount of oil flow ... the federal government created the impression that it was either not fully competent to handle the spill or not fully candid with the American people about the scope of the problem," the report reads.
The story from the White House, needless to say, differs.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Gulf Coast Oil Spill, NOAA, Office of Management and Budget, White House
Michael Steele
Steele Asks DOJ To Investigate Sestak
Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Wednesday urged the Department of Justice to investigate last year's efforts by the White House to convince Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) to abandon his Senate campaign against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA).
In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Steele wrote that the public had "heard several different versions of whether or not Congressman Joe Sestak was offered a job or appointment if he were to forgo his campaign for the United States Senate," CNN reported.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Bill Clinton, Eric Holder, Joe Sestak, Justice Department, Michael Steele, White House
USDA
USDA, White House Deny White House Involvement In Sherrod's Forced Resignation (VIDEO)
Former USDA employee Shirley Sherrod
Officials with the USDA and the White House this afternoon deny that the White House had any involvement in the forced resignation of Shirley Sherrod from the USDA. And Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said she was was asked to resign because she had opened herself up to future allegations of racism.
Sherrod was asked to resign yesterday over a video clip from a speech she gave in March to a Georgia chapter of the NAACP. Sherrod, until yesterday the Georgia state director of rural development, told an audience that in 1986, while she was working with a farm aid nonprofit, she didn't do all she could to help a white farmer.
Since her forced resignation, Sherrod has claimed repeatedly that her boss in the USDA told her the White House wanted her to resign.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Shirley Sherrod, Tom Vilsack, USDA, White House
