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WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange said on Tuesday, without offering any proof, that Hillary Clinton and intelligence officials "close to" Vice President Mike Pence are working to undermine Donald Trump's presidency in an effort to replace him with his vice president.

In the first of a pair of tweets from an account WikiLeaks said was activated by its founder, Assange claimed that Trump's 2016 presidential election opponent Hillary Clinton stated privately this month that she is "pushing for a Pence takeover." He claimed Clinton views Pence as "predictable hence defeatable."

The second tweet alleges two unnamed intelligence community officials "close to Pence" stated privately this month that they are planning on a "Pence takeover." Assange did not say whether that means they are behind the plans or if they are simply expecting a takeover. He also said the two intelligence officials didn't state whether Pence agrees with the takeover.

The Washington Examiner has reached out to both Pence's and Clinton's offices for comment.

In a radio interview with Laura Ingraham, Pence said Assange's tweets are "absurd" and "frankly offensive."

"I would find all of that dialogue to be absurd and frankly offensive," Pence said. "It is the greatest honor of my life to serve shoulder-to-shoulder with the 45th president of the United States. To see his leadership every day, to see the compassion that he has for the American people every day. I would dismiss that out of hand and tell you that I'm just, I'm so excited about the progress that we've been made strengthening this country, protecting this country, reviving this country's economy and all credit goes to President Donald Trump."

Also from the Washington Examiner

Democrats are blaming the recent decline in Obamacare enrollments to "sabotage" by the Trump administration.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Trump's executive actions since taking office, including scaling back advertising for the law, have caused the drop in enrollments in 2017. Pelosi, D-Calif., called the moves part of "a cynical ad willful campaign" to depress enrollment.

Obamacare enrollments have dropped by about half a million people in 2017 compared to 2016, the Trump administration reported Wednesday.

"As of December 24, 11.5 million Americans had signed up for coverage in the marketplaces about 300,000 more than at the same time in the previous year," Pelosi said.

03/15/17 3:44 PM

After the interview, Assange noted that the plan that his sources talked about was impeachment, and not any other kind of action.

The intelligence community published a report in January concluding that Russia worked to tip the 2016 election in Trump's favor through a series of hacks of Democratic officials' emails. The report said that Russian operatives chose websites like WikiLeaks to publish the material a claim that WikiLeaks denies.

WikiLeaks published last week the first in a series of what it claims are documents stolen from the CIA's secret hacking program, calling it the "Vault 7" leak, which shows the agency's capability to break into a number of devices.

Several right-wing news outlets, like Breitbart News and the Federalist, have run stories in recent days alleging that former President Barack Obama is developing a "shadow government" to take down Trump's administration. These articles follow a number of leaks from unnamed officials that have raised questions about the Trump team's ties to Russia and Trump's assertion, without proof, that Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign.

Also from the Washington Examiner

Comey to brief senators but Graham not invited.

03/15/17 3:39 PM

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Assange claims Hillary Clinton 'pushing' for a Pence takeover - Washington Examiner

ELKINS The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia has filed an additional five Freedom of Information Act requests as part of its investigation into a memorandum issued by former Elkins Police Chief Craig Cross that called drug dealers cockroaches and encouraged profiling and violence.

FOIA requests were sent Wednesday to the Randolph County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, the Randolph County Sheriffs Office, the West Virginia State Police, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and to Gary L. Johnson, of the Administrative Office of the Courts in Charleston.

The ACLU is seeking documents from Prosecuting Attorney Michael Parker including, a list of all arrests made during Cross tenure as police chief, a list of all criminal charges during Cross tenure, a list of all assets seized during Cross tenure; a list of complaints against the Elkins Police Department, any and all communications or documents containing the word cockroach, and several other documents.

From the sheriffs office, West Virginia State Police and Morriseys office, the ACLU is seeking complaints filed again EPD, closed investigations on the Elkins Police Department, documents relating to the Watson house on Kerens Avenue, procedural documents, internal and external documents using the word cockroach, and several other documents.

From the Administrative Office of the Courts, the ACLU is seeking complaints against the Elkins Police Department during or after Cross tenure, actions taken by the office, and documents and communications relating to the cockroach memo.

This is the second round of FOIA requests sent by the ACLU of West Virginia. The first FOIA request about Cross memorandum was sent to the Elkins Police Department at the end of February.

In the memo, Cross wrote, in part, If you see any suspected cockroach walking around OUR town with a big a- knife or backpack or hoodie on with the hood up I want them stopped and identified, you know what I want them harassed if you know they are a cockroach. I want people stopped and checked out! PUT THE FEAR BACK INTO THESE COCKROACHES! Stomp cockroach a- if needed! YOUR (sic) COPS AND AS LONG AS YOU WEAR THAT PATCH ON YOUR SHOULDER THIS IS YOUR TOWN! WE WILL EITHER MAKE PEOPLE RESPECT US OR FEAR US, PREFERRABLY BOTH!!!!

Joseph Cohen, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, said the memo was a clear violation of the Fourth and Fifth amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

The Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures of property and protects against arbitrary arrest. The Fifth amendment guarantees the right to a grand jury, forbids double jeopardy and protects against self-incrimination, as well as requiring due process of law.

The memo is absolutely shocking, Cohen said. It shows a police chief that totally disregards any concern for due process. It shows a department that is completely unconcerned with the constitutional limitations on searches and seizures. It shows a culture of dehumanizing people based on where they live or how they dress.

To the Elkins Police Department, suspects are not human. They are cockroaches, Cohen added. The chief encouraged the use of violence to intimidate and harass people. Why would anyone in Elkins have faith in the criminal justice system? The police department clearly was not an impartial arbiter of the law.

By issuing the memo, Cohen said Cross has put the city and county legal system in peril.

The chief not only would seem to have encouraged the violations of (the) rights of citizens, repeatedly, he also jeopardized any prosecutions that were handled under his leadership by flaunting the requirements of the Constitution, the state ACLU chief said.

Cross resigned as chief in January, but stayed on as first sergeant until he resigned from that position on Feb. 6. Cross took over the department in April 2015.

J.C. Raffety is serving as interim chief until a permanent selection can be made.

ELKINS Local Womens Aid in Crisis representatives addressed the issue of human trafficking at Legislative ...

WHEELING West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice challenged state lawmakers to meet five hours each day on West ...

WEIRTON The City of Weirton is continuing its battle against drug use in the community, enacting a new criminal ...

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ACLU issues five more FOIA requests in Cross memo probe - The Inter-Mountain

A security guard for a board member of H.J. Heinz Co. traded on secret information he learned through his job, U.S. securities regulators charged Wednesday.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Todd David Alpert, of Kingston, Pennsylvania, traded in Heinz stock and options before the company's 2013 announcement that it was being bought by an investment group led by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

"During the course of Alpert's work for the board member and his family, Alpert reported almost daily to the board member's home in New York, where he served as a dispatcher" in a security booth, the SEC said in its complaint. He was also "involved in various aspects of the personal day-to-day lives of the board member and the board member's family."

The agency said Alpert made $44,000 by buying 1,000 Heinz shares and 30 call options before the announcement and then selling on the day the deal was publicized. The unidentified director had been on the board of the company for "several years."

The complaint said Alpert asserted his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination when he was questioned by the SEC, and that he is now unemployed. The identity of his lawyer couldn't be immediately determined.

In 2015, Buffett and 3G Capital Inc. orchestrated the $55 billion merger of Heinz and Kraft Foods to form Kraft Heinz Co. It has dual headquarters in Chicago and Pittsburgh.

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SEC accuses Heinz security guard of insider trading - Chicago Tribune

With high-level diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Netherlands already frozen, Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the Dutch for failing to prevent the killing of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims when Bosnian Serb forces overran the town in 1995. In a reference to Dutch United Nations peacekeepers who were on the ground and failed to prevent the mass killing, Erdogan said Tuesday: "We know the Dutch and the people in Holland from the massacre of Srebrenica. We know them, how they massacred people in Srebrenica full well. We don't need anyone to give us a lesson on civilization."

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte responded to the remarks, accusing Erdogan of "a disgusting falsification of history."

In an interview with Dutch broadcaster RTL, Rutte said: "[Erdogan] continues to push the limits. This is of unbelievably low quality and style. We are not going to reduce ourselves to this level. This is very unacceptable and extremely irritating."

The Turkish president's incendiary comments -- made during a speech in Ankara -- came amid an escalating row sparked by Turkish officials being blocked from addressing political rallies in the Netherlands.

Shortly after Cavusoglu was refused entry, the Dutch stopped Turkey's Family Affairs Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. She was later escorted out of the country.

Violent clashes erupted after the action against the two ministers who had hoped to drum up support for an April 16 referendum to give greater powers to Erdogan.

Erdogan has already made angry remarks against the Dutch since the incidents in Rotterdam -- comparing the current government to Nazis.

The Netherlands lost more than 200,000 of its citizens when it was occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II and Rutte has demanded an apology.

On Monday, Turkey announced that it would not allow the Dutch ambassador to Ankara to return to Turkey and suspended high-level diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The growing tensions come ahead of the Dutch general election on Wednesday; far-right candidate Geert Wilders' anti-Islam, anti-EU Party for Freedom (PVV) is expected to make a strong showing.

Erdogan also implored Dutch voters of immigrant backgrounds not to cast their ballots for Wilders, who he described as an "extreme racist" or Prime Minister Rutte in Wednesday's election.

CNN's Rosalyn Saab, James Gray and Schams Elwazer also contributed to this report.

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Erdogan blames Dutch for Srebrenica - CNN.com

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday directed fresh verbal attacks at the Netherlands amid their growing diplomatic spat, holding the country responsible for Europe's worst mass killing since World War II.

In a televised speech, Erdogan referred to the massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, eastern Bosnia, in 1995, and blamed a Dutch battalion of United Nations peacekeepers who failed to halt the slaughter by Bosnian Serb forces.

Erdogan said: "We know the Netherlands and the Dutch from the Srebrenica massacre. We know how rotten their character is from their massacre of 8,000 Bosnians there."

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned Erdogan's comments, calling them a "disgusting distortion of history."

"We will not lower ourselves to this level. It is totally unacceptable," Rutte told Dutch broadcaster RTL Z.

It was the latest in Erdogan's war of words on the Netherlands, which prevented two Turkish ministers from holding campaign rallies in the country over the weekend. The two ministers had sought to campaign for an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers, courting the votes of eligible Turks in the Netherlands.

Around 400,000 people with ties to Turkey live in the Netherlands.

The Turkish leader previously called the Netherlands "Nazi remnants" and also accused it of "fascism."

Earlier, Turkey criticized the European Union for siding with the Netherlands in the row. In a statement Tuesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the EU's stance on Turkey was "short-sighted" and "carried no value" for Turkey, as well as lending "credence" to extremists.

The ministry argued that the European bloc had "ignored the (Netherlands') violation of diplomatic conventions and the law" after Dutch authorities escorted the Turkish family affairs minister out of the country and denied the foreign minister permission to land.

The diplomatic spat between the two countries escalated swiftly with Erdogan making several Nazi comparisons with EU member states Germany and the Netherlands. The EU has called on Turkey to cease "excessive statements."

The fight has raised concerns that cooperation between the EU and Turkey on a number of issues, such as dealing with the flow of migrants from war-torn Syria, may start to fray.

The tensions spilled over into the parliamentary election the Netherlands will be holding on Wednesday. The Dutch-Turkish leader of a pro-migrant political party pulled out of an election eve debate in the Netherlands on Tuesday.

National broadcaster NOS says Tunahan Kuzu of the Denk (Think) party he did not want to appear on the same stage as a right-wing populist.

During the nationally televised debate, the right-wing candidate, Jan Roos later called Kuzu a "lapdog of (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan" and his absence "cowardly and contemptuous of democracy."

On Monday, Turkey slapped a series of political sanctions against the Netherlands, including halting political discussions between the two countries and closing Turkish airspace to Dutch diplomats. Other sanctions bar the Dutch ambassador entry back into Turkey and advise parliament to withdraw from a Dutch-Turkish friendship group.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the sanctions would apply until the Netherlands takes steps "to redress" the actions that Ankara sees as a grave insult.

Erdogan said Tuesday there could be more sanctions but did not elaborate. Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Turkey Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci as saying economic sanctions "could come to the agenda in the period ahead."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also backed the Netherlands in its diplomatic fight with Turkey, pledging her full support and solidarity with the Dutch and saying the Nazi jibes were unacceptable.

Erdogan responded angrily to Merkel's support for the Netherlands, exclaiming "Shame on you!" during a television interview on Monday. On Tuesday, Erdogan described both Germany and the Netherlands as "bandit states" that were harming the European Union.

Merkel has refrained from reacting to Erdogan.

"The chancellor has no intention of participating in the race of provocations," Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said late Monday. "She won't play along. The accusations are recognizably absurd."

Responding to another charge by Erdogan that Germany supported terror groups in Turkey German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said his country did not need "extra tuition" from Ankara on fighting terrorism.

Also Monday, the German Foreign Ministry amended its travel advice for Turkey, noting that "elevated political tensions and protests that could also be directed against Germany" should be expected during the referendum campaign. It recommended that travelers stay away from political events and large gatherings of people.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Rotterdam said that specialized armed security forces he sent to a standoff with Turkish Family Affairs Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya on Saturday night had permission to open fire, if necessary.

Speaking late Monday night on a television talk show, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said he sent the special armed intervention unit to the Turkish consulate amid fears that a 12-man security detail that had driven to the Netherlands from Germany with the minister could be armed.

Aboutaleb said it was important to "be sure that if it came to a confrontation that we would be the boss" and that the unit had been given "permission to shoot."

The Turkish minister was eventually escorted out of the Netherlands in the early hours of Sunday.

Earlier, the Dutch also had refused Turkey's foreign minister permission to visit. Both ministers wanted to address rallies about next month's constitutional reform referendum on giving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan more power.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte repeated Tuesday the last day of campaigning for Dutch elections that have been overshadowed by the diplomatic crisis that Dutch authorities are working to de-escalate tensions with Ankara.

Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed.

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Turkey's Erdogan renews war of words on Netherlands - ABC News