donbrooks777
- Feb 28, 2023
- 14 min read

Tuesday 2-28-23

Verse(s) for today:

looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 KJV

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 1:7 KJV

Therefore, also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Joel 2:12-13 KJV

Trudeau Skirts Questions as to Whether He Was Warned About MP’s Alleged Beijing Ties:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/trudeau-doesnt-deny-being-warned-about-mps-alleged-beijing-ties_5086682.html?src_src=MB_article_free&src_cmp=mb-2023-02-28-ca&est=%2BRg338YCDBpP09bBe1jzNK6QEiHq4v99N6jpZ9KGPKp3pycktYTjEgzu6ETDmoVz2%2FkO

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Feb. 27 addressed questions about whether he could confirm if he was warned about a Liberal Party MP being linked to a Beijing foreign interference network by making points about racism.

Trudeau said during a press conference in Mississauga, Ont., that Chinese-Canadians “should always be welcomed as full Canadians, and encouraged to stand for office to get involved in their communities, and to take on part of the leadership of this country.”

The prime minister was asked twice about whether he was warned about Liberal MP Han Dong and if he had allowed him to run.

On both counts, Trudeau didn’t directly address the allegations and instead led his answers by discussing ethnicity.

“One of the things we’ve seen, unfortunately over the past years, is a rise in anti-Asian racism linked to the pandemic, and concerns being raised or arising around people’s loyalties,” he said in his second answer.

Trudeau also said that his government always engages with and listens to national security intelligence agencies, but that they don’t have a say in politics.

“In a free democracy, it is not up to unelected security officials to dictate to political parties who can or cannot run,” he said.

The role of the lead agency investigating foreign interference, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), is to collect information on threats and advise the government.

It has no ability to make arrests and is mostly powerless if the government doesn’t heed its recommendations.

Trudeau’s comment was in reference to a Feb. 14 Global News report that said CSIS had urged Trudeau’s team to rescind Dong’s candidacy for party nomination in 2019.

Citing anonymous security sources, the report said that Dong was a “witting affiliate in China’s election interference networks.”

Dong won the Liberal nomination in the Don Valley North riding in 2019 and took the seat in 2019 and 2021.

The MP issued a statement on Feb. 27 saying he has the “utmost regard for the integrity of our democratic institutions and electoral processes.”

“I strongly reject the insinuations in media reporting that allege I have a played a role in offshore interference in these processes and will defend myself vigorously against such inaccurate and irresponsible claims that come from an unverified and anonymous source,” Dong wrote.

Trudeau said his party is “extraordinarily lucky and happy to have a Member of Parliament like Han Dong.”

“Suggestions that he is somehow not loyal to Canada should not be entertained.”

Allegations of Chinese regime interference in Canadian elections have been flowing steadily since last November, when Global broke the first big story on the issue.

The outlet reported that Beijing had funded 11 candidates in the 2019 federal election.

Since then, the Globe and Mail also broke several stories citing intelligence from CSIS which documents Beijing’s strategy to sway votes in Canada.

Calls are now growing for the establishment of a public inquiry to look into the matter.

The NDP, which has a deal to keep the minority Liberals in power, has twice helped them in committee to prevent Trudeau’s chief of staff from appearing to testify on foreign interference.

But NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has now called for a fully independent and non-partisan inquiry.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has yet to comment on the matter, but some MPs in his caucus have done so, including former leader Erin O’Toole and MP Ryan Williams.

Outside politics, former CSIS director Richard Fadden has called for an inquiry, along with former chief electoral commissioner Jean-Pierre Kingsley.

Trudeau rejected the idea again on Feb. 27, saying that mechanisms currently in place such as a Commons committee are sufficient.

He said his National Security Intelligence Advisor Jody Thomas will be testifying at committee this week.

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[The EPOCH Times]

[True North Media]

Air Force improperly releases Republicans' service records to Dem-linked firm:

Military service records of several prominent Republicans were improperly released by the U.S. Air Force to a Democrat-linked research firm, as the Daily Caller reports.

According to the outlet, records pertaining to GOP Reps. Don Bacon (NE) and Zach Nunn (IA) were turned over to a requester from a consulting firm known as Due Diligence Group who claimed they were needed for “employment and benefits,” and Fox News later noted that former House candidates Kevin Dellicker of Pennsylvania and Sam Peters of Nevada are also among those whose records were released.

These discoveries were made after it was learned that the Air Force had also wrongly released service records for Republican House candidate Jennifer-Ruth Green of Indiana to the same Democrat-affiliated research firm.

In a letter sent to Bacon earlier this month, Air Force Major General Troy Dunn declared that he considers the breach to be a very serious matter but that an internal probe revealed “no criminal action or malicious intent” by the government employee who released the records.

Dunn further noted that the Air Force “held our employee accountable for failing to follow proper administrative procedures” and “reviewed our policies and practices and made immediate procedural changes with higher level review, additional security checks, and tighter process controls to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.”

Bacon, for his part, noted that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall informed him that the records of 11 individuals were in fact released to the research group's staffer, who, according to military spokesperson Ann Stefanek, “represented himself as a background investigator seeking service records for employment purposes.”

In the wake of the alarming revelations, Bacon and Nunn have demanded a formal investigation into whether the actions of the political opposition research firm were actually illegal, as Politico notes.

“I understand the evidence has been turned over to the Department of Justice and I expect those who break the law to be prosecuted. This was more than just 'dirty tricks' by Democrat operatives, but likely violations of the law,” said Bacon.

Nunn was equally incensed, stating, “The recent targeting of Members of Congress's personnel military records [and] the breach of sensitive data...taken by political hacks isn't only a violation of public trust – it's criminal.”

Dellicker echoed the others' sentiments, adding in a statement, “I trust that federal law enforcement authorities will investigate and prosecute this brazen attack on military information systems. I hope they follow the money trail to see who paid this sleazy firm for its illegal activities.”

Green, who pointed the finger at her Democrat opponent in the November midterms, Frank Mrvan, for setting the wheels in motion for the release of her records, and her spokesperson, Kevin Hansberger demanded justice for everyone victimized by the unlawful conduct.

“There must be full transparency of the investigation and its findings. Those responsible for these illegal acts should face criminal charges and be held accountable for their actions,” Hansberger said.

The entire episode, Hansberger contended, is evidence that Democrats “will go to any lengths necessary, even breaking the law, to protect their interests,” as Politico noted.

Republicans on the House Oversight and Armed Services Committees have requested that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin submit by Feb. 27 a complete list of all those affected by the improper disclosures and to provide details on any actions, “administrative or punitive,” taken against those involved in the breaches as well as information on whether criminal referrals have been made. Whether the Pentagon meets that deadline, however, remains to be seen. [American Digest]

GLOBE & MAIL:

Morning Update:

CSIS uncovered Chinese plan to donate to Trudeau Foundation:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-morning-update-csis-uncovered-chinese-plan-to-donate-to-trudeau/?cu_id=KCSNw9NkcX2%2BZBiNTAjh%2FrTgRxlyDX0W

Note:

Content available to SUBSCRIBERS only!

Chinese diplomat promised to reimburse billionaire $1-million in conversation captured in 2014

China appears to have targeted Justin Trudeau in a foreign influence operation after he became Liberal Leader in 2013, according to a national security source who said Beijing’s plan involved donating a significant sum of money to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

The source said the Canadian Security Intelligence Service captured a conversation in 2014 between an unnamed commercial attaché at one of China’s consulates in Canada and billionaire Zhang Bin, a political adviser to the government in Beijing and a senior official in China’s network of state promoters around the world.

They discussed the federal election that was expected to take place in 2015, and the possibility that the Liberals would defeat Stephen Harper’s Conservatives and form the next government. The source said the diplomat instructed Mr. Zhang to donate $1-million to the Trudeau Foundation, and told him the Chinese government would reimburse him for the entire amount.

The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source, who risks prosecution under the Security of Information Act. Mr. Zhang did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Trudeau’s Liberals swept to power in October, 2015, with a majority government. Seven months later, Mr. Zhang attended a Liberal Party fundraiser at the Toronto home of Chinese Business Chamber of Canada chair Benson Wong, where Mr. Trudeau was the guest of honour.

Just weeks after the May fundraiser, the Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal announced that Mr. Zhang and another wealthy Chinese businessman, Niu Gensheng, would donate $1-million “to honour the memory and leadership” of Pierre Trudeau, who as prime minister opened diplomatic relations with China in 1970.

Of the $1-million, $200,000 went to the Trudeau Foundation, which provides scholarships, academic fellowships and leadership programs.

Another $50,000 went to pay for a statue of the elder Mr. Trudeau, and $750,000 went to the University of Montreal’s faculty of law to fund scholarships, which include grants that help Quebec students visit China. Pierre Trudeau graduated from the faculty and later taught there.

The Prime Minister’s Office suggested in a statement on Monday that Justin Trudeau was unaware of Mr. Zhang’s donation. “Following his election as Leader of the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister withdrew his involvement in the affairs of the foundation for the duration of his involvement in federal politics,” press secretary Ann-Clara Vaillancourt said.

Mr. Trudeau has been under growing pressure to call a public inquiry into Chinese interference operations in the 2019 and 2021 elections, after The Globe and Mail and Global News reported that China had covertly supported candidates, most of them Liberals, in both campaigns. The Prime Minister has said the outcomes of the elections were not affected.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters Monday that Morris Rosenberg, a former head of the Trudeau Foundation, had been selected in summer 2022 to write an independent report that will assess the effectiveness of a government panel that monitored the 2021 election for foreign threats. The Privy Council said in a statement that the report is complete and will soon be released.

The Conservative Party immediately raised concerns about Mr. Rosenberg’s involvement, which was not widely known before this week, and referenced the $200,000 donation to the foundation by Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Rosenberg, a former deputy minister of foreign affairs, was chief executive of the Trudeau Foundation between 2014 and 2018. He was “involved in facilitating a controversial $200,000 donation from influential CCP official Bin Zhang, who was also intimately involved in Trudeau’s 2016 billionaire cash-for-access scandal,” the Conservatives said in a Monday news release. That scandal revolved around private fundraisers the government held with wealthy donors, who were given opportunities to meet with Mr. Trudeau and other senior ministers.

“This discredits the report and proves we need a separate investigation, and the government should fully cooperate with the House committee studying this very issue,” the party said, referring to the procedure and House affairs committee. “Serious questions must be asked about this appointment, and whether the Liberals are actually taking this threat against our democracy seriously.”

Mr. Trudeau said on Monday that a public inquiry is not necessary, because the matter of Chinese interference in the past two federal elections is being studied by the House committee. He added that he hopes the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians will also study foreign interference and make recommendations on “how best we can protect our democracy.”

Guy Saint-Jacques, who was Canada’s ambassador to China until October, 2016, said Mr. Zhang had told him before the 2015 election that he planned to make donations in Canada in memory of the senior Mr. Trudeau.

“He said young people in Canada don’t seem to know much about Norman Bethune and the great contribution he made to China, but also former prime minister Mr. Trudeau. He said we will want to erect a statue,” Mr. Saint-Jacques said. Mr. Zhang also gave $800,000 to the University of Toronto Faulty of Medicine in memory of Mr. Bethune, a Canadian doctor who worked alongside Mao Zedong’s Communist Party during its takeover of China.

Mr. Saint-Jacques wondered about the source of this largesse. Chinese President Xi Jinping had poured billions of dollars into the United Front Work Department, a Chinese Communist Party organization that advances Beijing’s interests abroad, including by making political donations, coopting politicians and offering paid trips to China. Mr. Saint-Jacques noted that Mr. Zhang was often present at events when Canadian politicians and officials visited China.

“I cannot claim he is someone who is recycling money from the United Front Work Department but, if I look at what he is doing, clearly the activities that he supports favour the Chinese regime by celebrating people who are old friends of China and so on,” Mr. Saint-Jacques said.

Mr. Saint-Jacques said that during this period of time Chinese officials would often tell him they wanted Mr. Trudeau to become prime minister.

“The Chinese are smart, because after eight years [of Stephen Harper] there is a good chance that the government will be defeated,” he said. “When Trudeau was elected, some Chinese officials were extremely pleased. They said red is good and blue is bad.”

“It was clear they were very pleased and they thought the relationship was improving – and of course they did.”

He noted that the Trudeau government initially sought to negotiate a free trade deal with China.

Additional Reading:

· TikTok banned on all mobile devices owned by Canadian government

· Editorial: Shine a light on China’s election meddling. Call a public inquiry

[Globe & Mail Media]

The Palestinians' New Terror Groups:

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19440/palestinians-new-terror-groups

· If the Biden Administration were serious about de-escalating tensions and preventing further violence between Israelis and Palestinians, it could have achieved this goal by demanding that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas take action against the numerous armed gangs roaming Palestinian streets.

· Instead of holding a summit in Jordan or any other country, the Biden Administration needs to make clear to Abbas that he cannot have it both ways. He cannot turn a blind eye to the terror groups operating under his nose, and at the same time condemn Israel for launching counter-terrorism operations to protect Jews and prevent further terrorist attacks.

· The Biden Administration could at least have demanded that Abbas rein in the terror attacks against Jews instead of glorifying terrorists and rewarding them and their families financially as part of his "pay-for-slay" incentive to go murder Jews.

· Instead of condemning terrorism, Abbas and senior Palestinian officials... regularly castigate Israel for launching pre-emptive operations to prevent terror attacks that harm its people.

· The Biden administration seems not to understand that by failing to condemn the murder of innocent Israeli civilians, Abbas is signaling to his people that he has no problem with the terrorists so long as they target only Jews and not him.

· "Except for the Palestinian Police and Israeli military forces, no other armed forces shall be established or operate in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." — Oslo Accords Interim Agreement, September 28, 1995.

· [N]ot only do both the West Bank and Gaza Strip have dozens of militias and terror groups; worse, the Gaza Strip -- which was handed by Israel to the Palestinian Authority in 2005 -- is currently controlled by terror organizations such as the Iranian-backed Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

· Abbas is saying that the Israelis have no right to defend themselves or go after those who are planning to kill Jews.

· [I]t means that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization, which is backed by Iran, could penetrate the security forces of Abbas's Fatah.

· The US State Department, after the summit in Jordan, published a "joint communiqué" that totally ignored the role of the Palestinian terror groups in the latest flare-up of violence. The communiqué did not include a commitment by the Palestinian leadership to rein in the terrorists operating in Palestinian-controlled areas. It did not include a demand to the Palestinian leaders to halt their poisonous incitement against Israel. It did not even call for Abbas to stop financially rewarding terrorists for murdering Jews.

· The communiqué instead talked about the need for Israelis and Palestinians to "end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months." The only measure it mentions, however, is the building of new housing for Jews.

· The Biden Administration appears to believe that building a home for a Jew constitutes a greater threat than gangs and terror groups carrying out lethal attacks against Jews.

As part of its effort to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, the Biden Administration invited the two parties to a summit in Jordan on February 26 to discuss ways to "prevent further violence."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the meeting as a "positive step for Israelis and Palestinians." US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said:

"We recognize that this meeting was a starting point and that there is much work to do over the coming weeks and months to build a stable and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Implementation will be critical."

If the Biden Administration were serious about de-escalating tensions and preventing further violence between Israelis and Palestinians, it could have achieved this goal by demanding that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas take action against the numerous armed gangs roaming Palestinian streets.

The Biden Administration could at least have demanded that Abbas rein in the terror attacks against Jews instead of glorifying terrorists and rewarding them and their families financially as part of his "pay-for-slay" incentive to go murder Jews.

Instead of condemning terrorism, Abbas and senior Palestinian officials, including PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, regularly castigate Israel for launching pre-emptive operations to prevent terror attacks that harm its people.

The Biden Administration seems not to understand that by failing to condemn the murder of innocent Israeli civilians, Abbas is signaling to his people that he has no problem with the terrorists so long as they target only Jews and not him.

The Biden Administration also does not seem to understand that Abbas's refusal to take any action against the Palestinian terrorists and armed groups is seen by his own people as a green light to continue targeting Jews -- with knives, bullets, rockets, cars and stones.

Abbas is flagrantly acting in violation of the Oslo Accords Interim Agreement, signed in 1995 between Israel and the PLO. It states:

"Except for the Palestinian Police and Israeli military forces, no other armed forces shall be established or operate in the West Bank and Gaza Strip."

Nearly 30 years later, not only do both the West Bank and Gaza Strip have dozens of militias and terror groups; worse, the Gaza Strip -- which was handed by Israel to the Palestinian Authority in 2005 -- is currently controlled by terror organizations such as the Iranian-backed Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

If Abbas fears for his own life, should he crack down on the terror groups in the West Bank, he should step aside and let the Israeli security forces do the job.

by Bassam Tawil February 28, 2023 at 5:00 am