Archive for the ‘Obama’ Category

Barack Obama’s Leather Jacket Has Been Hiding In His Closet This Whole Time – HuffPost

In a twist that should come as a surprise to no one, it turns out Barack Obamas stellar sense of style the one hes been unknowingly using to tug at our heart strings for months has been waiting to emerge for quite some time.

A new story in People Magazine about the Obamas lives since leaving the White House offers revelations about the former presidents seemingly recent passion for fashion, including one of his more buzzed about staples: The brown leather jacket. As it turns out, theres nothing new about it at all.

Associated Press

Hes had that jacket for quite some time, Anita Decker Breckinridge, Obamas chief of staff told the mag.He really likes that jacket. People think he looks good in the jacket. Hes had it for a long time. I just dont think hes had the opportunity to wear it. When does the President ever get to go out in his leather jacket? Its not something we see.

Its true that Obama has really taken the bull by the well-dressed horns in the past few months, whether in bomber jackets or unbuttoned shirts. But with this new development, we cant help but picture the former president staring longingly at the jacket during his tenure in office, waiting for the glorious day hed get to wear it freely while still looking like (and being) a total boss.

Anyone else excited to see what sartorial blessings Obama is sure to bestow upon us this summer?

Head to People to see the entire story.

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Barack Obama's Leather Jacket Has Been Hiding In His Closet This Whole Time - HuffPost

Apparently This Is How Obama Really Feels About Trump – Complex

Sadly, the alleged Obama quote about Trump we're reporting on today is not, simply, "Fuck that guy." But it's pretty close. According to People, former POTUS Barack Obama told "two friends" shortly after the election how he really felt about the Home Alone 2: Lost in New York ruiner who's currently occupying the White House.

"He's nothing but a bullshitter," Obama reportedly told the friends last November when discussing an election night phone conversation he had with Trump. As for how Obama's views of a POTUS who can't even spell basic words correctly on Twitter have changed in the months since that alleged quote, People's sources have some clarity. "Well," one said, "it hasn't gotten any better."

The "bullshitter" distinction is obviously apt, especially when considering all the absolute drivel Trump has (publicly, mind you) hurled at Obama.For years, Trump attempted to discredit Obama by questioning the legitimacy of his birth certificate. Despite Obama's publication of his birth certificate in 2011, Trump continued to press the non-issue in interviews and, of course, on Twitter:

For the bullshitter-in-chief's latest delivery of bullshit, America was burdened with some early morning whining about the investigation into alleged ties between Russian officials and the Trump team.This week, the Justice Department appointed a special counsel (i.e. not"councel"). Predictably, Trump responded by tweeting claims about Obama and Clinton that he didn't bother backing up with evidence:

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Apparently This Is How Obama Really Feels About Trump - Complex

Obama Travel Cost Taxpayers $100 Million – Washington Free Beacon

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BY: Elizabeth Harrington May 18, 2017 3:33 pm

Former President Barack Obama's travel cost taxpayers roughly $100 million in his two terms in office, according to Judicial Watch.

The conservative foundation recently received additional Freedom of Information Act records of Obama and his family travel that shows a total of $99,714,527.82.

The Secret Service and Air Force records show Obama's spring break trip to Key Largo in 2014 cost over $1.1 million alone. The Obama's stayed at the "exclusive" Ocean Reef Club, a private social club that offers lavish luxury rentals.

The former first lady also cost taxpayers $121,876 for an Aspen vacation in February 2015. Michelle Obama once spent more than $600,000 for a one-night stay in Morocco.

The former first family also spent over $2.5 million to travel to Honolulu for Christmas vacation just before leaving office.

Judicial Watch is still keeping tabs on the Obama's taxpayer-funded travels, such as a vacation on David Geffin's luxury yacht in Tahiti with Tom Hanks and Oprah, as the first family still receives Secret Service protection.

The watchdog group announced Wednesday it has filed a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security for records relating to Obama's taxpayer-funded travel since he has left office.

"For eight long years, the Obamas spent our tax dollars for a lavish jet-setting lifestyle," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Many in the media would only focus on President Trump's travel, but Barack Obama continues to cost taxpayers with his luxury travel and we aim to get the facts."

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Obama Travel Cost Taxpayers $100 Million - Washington Free Beacon

Flynn rejected Obama’s offer to arm Syrian Kurds, something Turkey would oppose – CNN

Two former senior administration officials said it was retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, who rejected such a move, telling the Obama team that the Trump team first wanted to conduct its own review of an ISIS strategy.

One former US defense official explained to CNN the Obama administration offered to green light arming the Kurds during the transition in order to spare Trump the fallout with Ankara. At the time, this official had the impression Trump's people vetoed it because they wanted to do their own strategic review. The official did not speak to Flynn's role in this.

Prior to Flynn making this decision, the Flynn Intel Group received $530,000 in payments from a Turkish-owned company based in the Netherlands and in March registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department, acknowledging that the work may have benefited the Turkish government, according to foreign agent registration paperwork filed with the department.

Flynn's firm was not compensated directly by the Turkish government. Flynn Intel had a contract with a Dutch firm, Inovo BV, a Dutch firm owned by a prominent Turkish businessman Kamil Ekim Alptekin.

Alptekin, the chair of the semi-official Turkish-American Business Council helped organize Turkish President Recep Erdogan's 2015 visit to Washington. In an email to CNN, Alptekin said that his firm works to strengthen "the transatlantic relationship and Turkey's future in that alliance."

The decision to arm Syrian Kurds was something even the Obama administration struggled with in order to save the fragile US-Turkey relationship. Two Kurdish allies of the US -- the YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces -- are enemies of Turkey.

The Pentagon finally announced last week that Trump had authorized the limited arming of Syrian Kurds to help in the fight against ISIS in Raqqa, despite strong opposition from US NATO ally Turkey.

A current senior defense official told CNN there was no delay in the military planning or operations to isolate Raqqa and continue to train local fighters. The official did not speak to Flynn's actions.

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Flynn rejected Obama's offer to arm Syrian Kurds, something Turkey would oppose - CNN

Special Counsel for Trump but Not for Obama Scandals? – Breitbart News

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Rosenstein was virtually a consensus appointment and was perfectly capable of supervising the investigation in a fair, impartial and credible manner.

However,Rosensteinwas part of President Donald Trumps decision to fire James Comey as FBI director last week. Criticsallege that was an attemptto interfere in the Russia investigation.

By delegating the task of overseeing the investigationto someone outside of that decision chain, Rosenstein has protected the integrity of his office and the image of the investigation. The fact that Mueller worked under the previousadministration also helps in that regard.

But viewed in recent historical context, the appointment of a Special Counsel is unfair and indefensible. President Barack Obama faceda large number of scandals, many of which involved apparent violations of federal law. And yet in eight long years, Obama skated by without any serious investigations by the Department of Justice, or with investigations that were quashed from above. It seems Republican administration are held to a higher standard.

The most glaring example is, of course, the Hillary Clinton e-mail scandal, which is connected to broaderclaims of corruption involving the Clinton Foundation. President Obama told60 Minutes in 2015 that Clinton had simply made a mistake: I dont think it posed a national security problem, he said. The media bought it and so did the Department of Justice, despite a mountain of evidence that she had been extremely careless, as Comey put it later.

Another example that still rankles conservatives was the IRS scandal, where there were clear violations of federal law, including the deliberate leak of confidential taxpayer information to partisan groups, as well as violation of conservatives civil rights. Yet the Department of Justicelet former IRS official Lois Lerner, and her bosses, off the hook, saying the IRS was merely guilty of mismanagement, poor judgment and institutional inertia but no crimes.

There was also the Fast and Furious scandal, where the Obama administration, under the supervision of Attorney General Eric Holder, supervised the smuggling of weapons across the Mexican border, ostensibly to trace their path through drug cartels, but more likely as a pretext for gun control. Obama tried to use his executive privilege to cover up related documents, and Holder was held in contempt of Congress but nothing more.

In the Stuxnet scandal, where the Obama administration leaked information about a computer virus that had been created to destroy Iranian nuclear centrifuges, the White House specifically rejected calls for a special counsel or special prosecutor. Retired Marine Corps General James E. Cartwright was eventually found guilty, but benefited from a lame-duck pardon by President Obama, setting a dangerous example for future leakers of national secrets.

And there were also the numerous times Obama administration officials lied to Congress. Holder lied to Congress, under oath, about whether he had discussed prosecuting journalists. But Holder had ordered the wiretapping of Fox News reporter James Rosen. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also lied to Congress about data collectionon U.S.citizens. The Department of Justice never appointed a special counsel to investigate.

The double standard is glaring. Some Republicans feel the appointment of a special counsel in the Russia case is evidence their party lacks theDemocrats will to fight.

But Rosensteins decision was not a partisan one and, arguably, it is better thatthe eventual exoneration of the presidentwill be seen as impartial.

Still, the imbalance remains, and might only begin to be rectified if the FBI and DOJ pursue the leakers and unmaskers causing havoc with our democracy.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the most influential people in news media in 2016. He is the co-author ofHow Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

This post has been updated to include theStuxnet scandal.

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Special Counsel for Trump but Not for Obama Scandals? - Breitbart News