GROUP REPRESENTING IRS WHISTLEBLOWER JUST ANOTHER CONSERVATIVE CONSPIRACY MACHINE

The group of lawyers representing the IRS whistleblower are just another arm of the conservative conspiracy machine. While Empower Oversight advertises itself as a “nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization” it is run by partisan actors who boost Republicans’ work in Congress. Mark Lytle highlights his time as a career bureaucrat, but he worked in the Trump White House Counsel’s office and represented a former Trump speechwriter.

Empower Oversight represents two people Rep. Jim Jordan brought to testify to the Weaponization subcommittee who Democrats revealed to be part of a trio of misinformation traffickers. Empower Oversight represents former FBI agent Steve Friend, who was suspended from the FBI because he refused to participate in cases connected to January 6^th suspects, including a SWAT raid of a member of the Three-Percenter movement, an anti-government group with a history of violence towards citizens and law enforcement. Friend is a regular contributor to an online publication run by an “early and prominent promoter” of QAnon, he has appeared on Big Lie conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell’s streaming platform, and he has received financial support from close Trump ally Kash Patel. Empower Oversight has also represented former FBI analyst George Hill who embraced conspiracy theories that January 6^th was a “set up.”

To round it all out, Attorney Mark Lytle represented former Trump White House speechwriter Patrick MacDonnell during his deposition to the House January 6^th Select Committee. MacDonnell said he was a speechwriter from November 2020 to January 2021 and that the boss above his bosses was Stephen Miller. During his deposition, MacDonnell said he proofread the speech Trump gave for the January 6^th rally at the Ellipses. The Select Committee also published texts MacDonnell sent where he perpetuated conspiracy theories about voter fraud and cheating in the 2020 election, said the certification of the election “should be withheld in the initial vote,” said it wasn’t fair to blame Trump for the insurrection, and defended Trump for retweeting people who had retweeted QAnon conspiracy theories.

Empower Oversight founder Jason Foster was known as a “partisan combatant willing to discard norms and indulge in conspiratorial thinking as he pursues investigations favorable to Republicans.” As Chief Investigative Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, Foster was the “architect of an assault on the FBI,” primarily about its role in the Mueller investigation. At Empower Oversight, Foster sued the Justice Department over claims that a National Security Division appointee would be biased against Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into DOJ’s investigation into Trump-Russia ties. However, a New York Times investigation found that the Durham investigation backfired and embodied how President Trump and the Trump administration weaponized the Justice Department for their own political ends.

Empower Oversight and Mark Lytle also have ties to the Trump administration. The Trump administration reportedly approached Jason Foster twice about a potential inspector general role. From June 2017 to October 2018, Tristan Leavitt worked in the U.S. Special Counsel’s office. From February 2019-October 2020, Mark Lytle was associate counsel in the White House Counsel’s office where he appears to have been involved with congressional oversight requests, including about a document cited in the Mueller report.

Empower Oversight’s Foster and Leavitt worked on Senator Grassley’s Operation Fast and Furious investigation, which was reportedly “marred by leaks of sensitive law enforcement information and allegations of partisan mischief” and “seemed to generate outlandish accusations, unsubstantiated by evidence but aired publicly.” After Foster shared in private that he suspected the Obama administration purposely sabotaged the Fast and Furious program to win support for gun restrictions, a claim for which he had no proof, Senator Grassley quickly started repeating it in public. Continuing the tradition of fueling conspiracy theories, Empower Oversight alleged, without evidence, that the Biden administration’s sanctions on Russian ammunition imports could be an effort to pursue a gun control. The sanctions were a response to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and came as intelligence agencies reported Russia was amassing troops on the Ukraine border.

A ProPublica investigation also found that Foster previously wrote a controversial anonymous blog under the handle “extremist.” In the blog Foster expressed rampant Islamophobia, asserted that homosexuality was akin to incest, and questioned whether waterboarding was actually torture, among other things. Which shouldn’t be surprising considering Foster also previously worked for highly controversial Republican Rep. Dan Burton. Rep. Burton frequently pushed conspiracy theories that vaccines caused autism, called for requiring AIDS testing for all Americans, and repelled his Republican colleagues because his investigations into the Clinton White House were so “extreme.”

Even before Empower Oversight President Tristan Leavitt worked for Senator Grassley and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, he served as a volunteer associate for the Republican National Committee in 2010 where he helped “monitor around the country for election fraud.”

Empower Oversight And Nixon Peabody Attorney Mark Lytle Are Representing The IRS Whistleblower

EMPOWER OVERSIGHT IS HELPING REPRESENT THE IRS WHISTLEBLOWER

Empower Oversight President Tristan Leavitt Said He Was Serving As Co-Counsel For The IRS Whistleblower. “Honored to help represent this courageous IRS whistleblower with our co-counsel, Mark Lytle. Our client has an exemplary record and is making his disclosures to Congress the right way and for the right reasons. Empower is committed to ensuring he’s protected against retaliation.” [Twitter, Tristan Leavitt, 4/20/23]

ATTORNEY MARK LYTLE IS HELPING REPRESENT THE IRS WHISTLEBLOWER

Mark D. Lytle Is Representing An IRS Special Agent Who Is Seeking Whistleblower Protections. “An IRS special agent said to be involved in the federal investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes is seeking whistleblower protections to provide sensitive disclosures about the probe to Congress.  Mark D. Lytle, a lawyer for the unnamed IRS employee, wrote in a letter Wednesday to a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he represents a ‘career IRS Criminal Supervisory Special Agent who has been overseeing the ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high profile, controversial subject since early 2020’ and would like to make protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress.” [NBC News, 4/19/23]

Empower Oversight Represents Discredited Weaponization Subcommittee Witnesses Who Spread January 6^th Conspiracy Theories

EMPOWER OVERSIGHT REPRESENTS FORMER FBI AGENT WHO REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE IN CASES INVOLVING JANUARY 6TH SUSPECTS

Empower Oversight Is Representing Former FBI Special Agent Steve Friend. “The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) has contradicted House Democrats’ claim about whistleblower and former FBI Special Agent Steve Friend, a group representing Friend announced in a March 15 press release. House Judiciary Democrats released a 316-page report early March challenging the credibility of whistleblowers who sat for transcribed interviews with the House Judiciary Committee, alleging, among other things, that both the DOJ-OIG and Office of Special Counsel had rejected Friend’s claim. In a March 13 letter sent to Empower Oversight, a nonprofit that helps whistleblowers document and report corruption, DOJ Assistant Inspector General Sean O’Neill corrected the record, assuring the group that Friend’s claims ‘remain under assessment.’” [Daily Caller, 3/16/23]

Steve Friend Was Suspended From The FBI Because He Refused To Participate In Cases Connected To January 6^th – He Said He Did Not Think The Suspects Were Guilty Of Committing Crimes

One Of The FBI Whistleblowers Rep. Jim Jordan Relied On Was Suspended From The FBI Because He Refused To Participate In Cases Connected To January 6^th Because He Did Not Think The Suspects Were Guilty. “A key part of the political nature of the Justice Department, as Republicans see it, is reflected by the supposed mistreatment of Jan. 6 rioters. One of Jordan’s FBI whistleblowers is a special agent in Florida who was suspended after he refused to participate in any cases connected with the attack on the Capitol partly because he doesn’t think the rioters are guilty. Jordan said the agent disclosed ‘that the Washington field office is deliberately manipulating Jan. 6 case files to make it appear that domestic violence extremism is on the rise,’ and that the agent had been suspended. But according to the FBI whistleblower’s statement to Congress — which Johnson published on his Senate website last year — the suspension occurred after he repeatedly refused to participate in arrests connected to Jan. 6 because he didn’t think the suspects were guilty.” [Huffington Post, 2/9/23]

Steve Friend Refused To Participate In Operations Targeting Members Of The Three-Percenter Movement, A Known Anti-Government Group With A History Of Violence Against Citizens And Law Enforcement

Steve Friend Refused To Participate In A SWAT Raid Of A January 6^th Suspect – Notably The Suspect Was A Member Of The Three-Percenter Movement. “Mr. Friend has said he refused to take part in a S.W.A.T. raid of a Jan. 6 suspect facing misdemeanor charges, which at the time he called an ‘excessive use of force,’ to which he was a ‘conscientious objector.’ The suspect, Tyler Bensch, was accused of being a member of a right-wing militia group connected to the Three Percenter movement. Documents in Mr. Bensch’s case indicate that on Jan. 6, 2021, he posted a video of himself outside the Capitol wearing body armor and a gas mask and carrying an AR-15-style rifle.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]

Steve Friend Testified About Being Asked To Surveil A Person Who Attended A School Board Meeting – The Person In Question Was A Member Of The Three Percenter Movement And Under Counterterrorism Investigation And Was Later Arrested. “Mr. Friend also testified about being asked to surveil a person attending a school board meeting, touching on a claim promoted by Republicans that the government mistreated conservative parents. But according to the report, Mr. Friend conceded during his interview that the man being tracked was a Three Percenter who was under counterterrorism investigation. He was later arrested with Mr. Bensch and three other individuals.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]

• Southern Poverty Law Center Said Three Percenters Engage In Paramilitary Training And Organizing Under The Belief That A Small Force Can Overthrow A Tyrannical Government – Their Actions Have Repeatedly Led To Violence Against Citizens, Law Enforcement, And Residents. “Three Percenters often draw parallels between the U.S. government today and the British government in the 1700s, arguing that the current U.S. government is tyrannical and actively working to infringe on Americans’ Constitutional rights and liberties. They believe a small force of armed individuals can overthrow a tyrannical government, and many Three Percenters engage in paramilitary training and organizing to do so. Three Percenterism is at its core a vanguard extremist movement that claims to be ready to carry out armed resistance to perceived tyranny. Their perceptions of tyranny emanate from the radical conspiracy theories and paranoia rooted in the decades-old antigovernment extremist movement, and have repeatedly led to violence against America’s law enforcement, citizens and residents.” [Three Percenters, Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed 3/11/23; Anti-Defamation League, accessed 3/11/23]

The FBI Said Steve Friend Downloaded FBI Documents To An Unauthorized Flash Drive

The FBI Said Steve Friend Downloaded Documents From The FBI Computer Systems To An “Unauthorized Removable Flash Drive” In September 2022. “The letter also noted that in September 2022, Mr. Friend downloaded documents from F.B.I. computer systems to ‘an unauthorized removable flash drive.’ The letter did not specify what sorts of documents Mr. Friend had taken with him.” [New York Times, 5/17/23]

Stephen Friend Received Financial Support From Trump Ally Kash Patel

O’Boyle And Friend Testified They Received Financial Support From Trump Loyalist, And Former High Ranking Official In The Trump Administration, Kash Patel – Patel Sent One Republican Witness $5,000 Almost Immediately After Connecting. “Mr. O’Boyle and Mr. Friend both testified that they had received financial support from Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist and former high-ranking official in the former president’s administration. Mr. Friend said Mr. Patel sent him $5,000 almost immediately after they connected in November 2022 and that Mr. Patel has helped to promote Mr. Friend’s forthcoming book on social media.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]

• Kash Patel Was Described As One Of Former President Trump’s “Staunchest Loyalists.” “Over the past year, one of Donald Trump’s staunchest loyalists, a rising star on the right named Kash Patel, has been soliciting donations and raising money for ‘Fight With Kash,’ a charity he launched after leaving the Trump administration two years ago.” [ABC News, 3/8/22]
• CNBC Reported That Kash Patel Became An “Influential Voice Arguing That [President Trump] Should Not Accept His Election Loss To President Joe Biden.” “Patel served on the National Security Council during the Trump administration, and in the weeks following the 2020 presidential election, he became an influential voice arguing that the president should not accept his election loss to President Joe Biden.” [CNBC, 11/3/22]

Steve Friend Appeared On Conspiracy Theorist Mike Lindell’s Streaming Platform

HEADLINE: “Whistleblowers Steve Friend And Kyle Seraphin Discuss Corruption Within The FBI” [Anni Cyrus Unfiltered, 1/29/23] (video)

• Anni Cyrus’ Show Aired On Lindell TV Every Weekday At 3:30pm ET. According to Lindell TV, the Live Up to Freedom with Aynaz Anni Cyrus show aired on the platform Monday through Friday at 3:30pm ET. [Lindell TV, Shows, Accessed 5/17/23]
• My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell Was One Of The “Most Vocal Boosters” Of Conspiracy Theories About The 2020 Election. “Lindell, the MyPillow CEO and a close ally of former President Donald Trump, has emerged as one of the most vocal boosters still pushing false claims about the 2020 election. In a series of so-called documentaries, Lindell has advanced an increasingly outlandish theory that foreign hackers broke into the computer systems of election offices like Clark County to switch votes – in what he has described as the ‘biggest cyber-crime in world history.’” [CNN, 8/5/21]

Steve Friend Is A Regular Contributor To An Online Publication Run By A QAnon Conspiracy Theorist Where He Downplayed The Plot To Kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Steve Friend Is A Contributor To UncoverDC.

[UncoverDC, Accessed 5/17/23]

• Tracy Beanz Is The Editor-In-Chief Of UncoverDC. “Tracy Beanz is an investigative journalist who places a strong focus on politics. While writing for UncoverDC, she has brought the intricate details of several major stories to light, including corruption between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Andrew McCabe who threatened the NY Office of the FBI during the Clinton email investigation. Tracy was one of the first journalists to conduct an hour-long face to face interview with George and Simona Papadopoulos the day after his release from prison and is known for her unbiased in-depth coverage of the spying scandal surrounding the candidacy of President Donald Trump, and beyond.” [UncoverDC, Accessed 5/17/23]
• Southern Poverty Law Center Said Tracy Beans Was An “Early And Prominent Supporter Of The QAnon Conspiracy Theory.” “Other high earners include Tracy Diaz, who has trafficked in a number of conspiracy theories. Diaz, known online as ‘Tracy Beanz,’ is a former Ron Paul staffer who has been widely reported as an early and prominent promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory that falsely holds that the world is run by a cabal of pedophiles. More recently, Diaz has promoted conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic. In a video guest appearance in February 2021, Diaz claimed the news media had exaggerated the pandemic as part of a broader conspiracy, which she explained as a bid for ‘power.’” [Southern Poverty Law Center, 6/3/22]

Steve Friend: “How Has Utilizing A Dozen Undercover Agents And Informants To Entrap And Criminally Charge A Small Group Of Men With Conspiring To ‘Kidnap’ The Governor Of Michigan Endeared The FBI To America?” According to a post by Steve Friend: “Wray calls for law enforcement agencies to ‘better engage with communities we serve to earn their trust and cooperation.’ Did Wray seriously believe that deploying the FBI’s hostage rescue team to aid the execution of a search warrant at the home of a former American president would earn trust and cooperation from the public? How has utilizing a dozen undercover agents and informants to entrap and criminally charge a small group of men with conspiring to ‘kidnap’ the governor of Michigan endeared the FBI to America? Does the FBI’s complete failure to achieve any perceivable progress in the identification and apprehension of the January 6th RNC/DNC pipe bomber warrant public praise and adulation?” [UncoverDC, Steve Friend, 1/11/23]

EMPOWER OVERSIGHT REPRESENTED FORMER FBI ANALYST GEORGE HILL WHO REPORTEDLY TESTIFIED ABOUT MATTERS OF WHICH HE HAD LITTLE FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE

Empower Oversight Served As Legal Counsel For Former FBI Analyst George Hill. “Hill retired from the bureau in October 2021, according to Empower Oversight, his legal counsel. Empower Oversight said Hill ‘retired from the FBI on good terms having been decorated for his leadership role in the Boston Marathon Bombing Task Force.’ He left after spending 30 years working in federal public service, Empower Oversight said.” [Breitbart, 3/6/23]

House Democrats Said George Hill, Who Claimed A Financial Institution Provided The FBI With Evidence Potentially Relevant To January 6^th, Had No Knowledge Of The Origins Of Supposed Evidence, Never Used The Evidence Himself, And Never Looked At The Actual Document Containing Information. According to a report by House Judiciary Committee Democrats about witnesses Rep. Jim Jordan brought to testify to the Weaponization subcommittee: “Witness George Hill, who retired from the Boston Field Office as a supervisory intelligence analyst in October 2021, claimed to have learned that a financial institution provided the FBI with evidence it believed may be relevant to the January 6 Capitol attack investigations. He had no knowledge of the actual origins of this supposed evidence, never used the evidence himself, and never looked at the actual document containing the information. In fact, he did not even work on January 6 cases himself—at most, he supervised intelligence analysts who did research in support of ‘less than a dozen’ cases.7 Committee Democrats cannot reasonably find this testimony reliable. In any event, that a large financial institution may have provided evidence to the FBI in the aftermath of the attack on the Capitol is hardly newsworthy, and certainly not evidence of FBI misconduct.” [U.S. House Judiciary Committee Democrats Report, 3/2/23]

• House Democrats: “That A Large Financial Institution May Have Provided Evidence To The FBI In The Aftermath Of The Attack On The Capitol Is Hardly Newsworthy, And Certainly Not Evidence Of FBI Misconduct.” According to a report by House Judiciary Committee Democrats about witnesses Rep. Jim Jordan brought to testify to the Weaponization subcommittee: “Witness George Hill, who retired from the Boston Field Office as a supervisory intelligence analyst in October 2021, claimed to have learned that a financial institution provided the FBI with evidence it believed may be relevant to the January 6 Capitol attack investigations. He had no knowledge of the actual origins of this supposed evidence, never used the evidence himself, and never looked at the actual document containing the information. In fact, he did not even work on January 6 cases himself—at most, he supervised intelligence analysts who did research in support of ‘less than a dozen’ cases.7 Committee Democrats cannot reasonably find this testimony reliable. In any event, that a large financial institution may have provided evidence to the FBI in the aftermath of the attack on the Capitol is hardly newsworthy, and certainly not evidence of FBI misconduct.” [U.S. House Judiciary Committee Democrats Report, 3/2/23]

George Hill Embraced Conspiracy Theories That A Federal Informant Instigated Trump Supporters To Attack The Capitol On January 6^th

George Hill Embraced A Conspiracy Theory That An Arizona Man Was A Federal Informant Who Helped Instigate The Attack On The Capitol On January 6^th. “The report also said that Mr. Hill had embraced a conspiracy theory that an Arizona man named Ray Epps was a federal informant who helped to instigate the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Prominent Republicans — including Mr. Trump — have widely promoted the claim, which Mr. Epps denies and the House Jan. 6 committee determined to be unfounded.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]

George Hill Claimed January 6^th Was A “Set Up,” That There Was A “Larger Democrat Plan Using Their Enforcement Arm, The FBI” And He Described The FBI As “The Brown Shirt Enforcers Of The DNC.” “Mr. Hill has claimed on Twitter that the Jan. 6 attack was a ‘set up,’ and that there was ‘a larger #Democrat plan using their enforcement arm, the #FBI.’ He also described the F.B.I. as ‘the Brown Shirt enforcers of the @DNC,’ making an apparent reference to Nazi storm troopers to describe the federal law enforcement agency and its relationship to the Democratic National Committee.” [New York Times, 3/2/23]

George Hill Tweeted “Insurrection My A$$.” “Democrats sought to highlight Hill’s ‘bias’ about the chain of events surrounding the January 6 riot by sharing in their report numerous tweets by Hill. Hill tweeted, for instance, ‘insurrection my a$$’ and that the riot was a ‘set up’; however, Hill wrote all of the Democrats’ cited tweets after he left the FBI.” [Breitbart, 3/6/23]

Mark Lytle Was Counsel To A Former Trump White House Speechwriter Who Trafficked In Conspiracy Theories About The 2020 Election And January 6th

MARK LYTLE SERVED AS COUNSEL FOR PATRIK MACDONNELL DURING HIS DEPOSITION TO THE HOUSE JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE

Nixon Peabody Lawyer Mark Lytle Served As Counsel For Patrick MacDonnell During His Deposition With The House Select Committee Investigating January 6^th. According to the transcript of the deposition of Patrick MacDonnell: “So we’ll follow the House deposition rules that we’ve provided to your counsel previously. Under the House deposition rules, you are permitted to have an attorney present. Mr. MacDonnell, at this time, I’m going to ask your counsel to please state his name for the record. Mr. Lytle. This is Mark Lytle, L-y-t-1-e, with Nixon Peabody, and also with us that’s actually off camera is Robert McManigal, M-c-M-a-n-i-g-a-1.” [U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Deposition, 4/4/22]

NOVEMBER 2020 – JANUARY 2021: PATRICK MACDONNELL WAS A SPEECHWRITER IN THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE

Patrick MacDonnell Previously Served As Special Assistant To The President And Speechwriter For Former President Donald Trump. “Patrick MacDonnell Position: Speechwriter and Legislative Assistant Organization: Office of U.S. Senator Tom Cotton  Patrick MacDonnell is a Speechwriter and Legislative Assistant for Senator Tom Cotton. Previously, he served as a Special Assistant to the President and Speechwriter for President Donald J. Trump and a Research Assistant at the Republican National Committee. Patrick graduated with high distinction from the University of Virginia.” [Hillsdale College, Accessed 5/17/23]

• November 2020-January 2021: Patrick MacDonnell Was A Speechwriter In The Trump Administration. “So now we’re going to talk about focusing on the time period from November 2020 until January 2021. At that time, was that when you were in the special assistant role, including your speechwriting role? A Yes.” [U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Deposition, 4/4/22]

Patrick MacDonnell Said His Bosses Reported To Stephen Miller

Patrick MacDonnell Reported To Vince Haley And Ross Worthington Who MacDonnell Said Reported To Stephen Miller. “Q And just talking a little bit about the speechwriting process, who did you report to in your office?  A I reported to — primarily to Vince Haley and Ross Worthington. Q Was there anybody above them? A Above them was — in the office was Stephen Miller.” [U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Deposition, 4/4/22]

PATRICK MACDONNELL SAID HE PROOFREAD PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SPEECH FOR THE JANUARY 6TH RALLY AT THE ELLIPSE 

Patrick MacDonnell Said He Proofread Former President Trump’s Speech At The January 6^th Rally At The Ellipse. “Q Okay. So now we’re going to move on to the January 6th speech itself. Did you have any role in the speech that the President delivered at the January 6th rally at the Ellipse? A To the best of my recollection, my involvement was a proofread of the remarks, along with I was sent a fill-in-the-blank of introductions. Q Okay. A Which I then filled in. Q But do you remember when you first became aware of the January 6^th event? A I don’t recall.” [U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Deposition, 4/4/22]

TEXTS OBTAINED BY THE JANUARY 6TH SELET COMMITTEE SHOWED PATRIK MACDONNELL PERPETUATING CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Saying There Were “Irregularities That Need Investigating” In The 2020 Election And Claiming Mail-In Ballots Were “Prone To Fraud.”

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

• Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Saying His Supported A “Thorough Investigation And Resolution To The Lawsuits” And Accusing Democratic-Run Cities Of Undermining Election Integrity.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

 

• Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Wanted Republican Senators Like Ted Cruz And Josh Hawley To Create A Commission To Investigate “Every Verified Issue” With The 2020 Election.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Believed There Were “Serious Election Concerns” About The 2020 Election.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

• Patrick MacDonnell Tweeted That He Believed “There Was Cheating” In The 2020 Election.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

• Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Claiming That In-Person Ballots Were “Far More Secure” Than Absentee Votes.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

• Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Said He Thought There Would Be “Major Errors And Evidence Of Fraud/Malicious Behavior By Poll Workers” In The 2020 Election.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

• Patrick MacDonnell Texted That The Trump Legal Team Had Shown “Several Hundreds Pages Of Written Testimony” And Evidence In Court For Their Claims Of Voter Fraud.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Continuing To Question The 2020 Election Results In Georgia Even After A Republican Legislature And Secretary Of State Certified Them

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Sayings “It’s Not Over Till Its Over” When Told The Republican Legislature And Republican Secretary Of State Had Certified The 2020 Election Results In Georgia.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Calling To Withhold The Certification Of The 2020 Election

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Saying That Certification Of The 2020 Election “Should Be Withheld In The Initial Vote And The Congress Should Debate.”

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

TEXTS OBTAINED BY THE HOUSE JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE SHOWED PATRICK MACDONNELL SAYING TRUMP DID NOT INCITE THE INSURRECTION

In Response To Someone Saying Trump Incited The Insurrection, Patrick MacDonnell Replied “I Don’t Think That’s Totally Fair,” That It “Wasn’t A Cogent Or Sustained Insurrection,” And “I Don’t Even Think It Was Meant To Disrupt Anything.”

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Saying President Trump Was Not Responsible For January 6^th And Questioning Whether Trump Called For Violence.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

TEXTS OBTAINED BY THE HOUSE. JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE SHOWED PATRICK MACDONNELL DEFENDING TRUMP FOR AMPLIFYING PEOPLE WHO HAD ALSO RETWEETED QANON CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Defending Former President Trump For Retweeting People Who Had Also Retweeted QAnon Conspiracy Theories.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

TEXTS OBTAINED BY THE HOUSE JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE SHOWED PATRICK MACDONNELL THOUGHT THE “SYSTEM” WAS “RIGGED” AND “PLOTTING AGAINST” REPUBLICANS

Texts Showed Patrick MacDonnell Believed The “System” Was “Rigged” And “Plotting Against” Republicans.

[U.S. House Select Committee on January 6^th, Patrick MacDonnell Production, 1/7/21]

Jason Foster Led Partisan Efforts Designed To Protect Trump, And While In The Trump White House Counsel’s Office Mark Lytle Was Emailed About Oversight Requests

EMPOWER OVERSIGHT SUED THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, CLAIMED NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION HIRE WOULD BE BIASED AGAINST DURHAM PROBE

Empower Oversight Sued The Justice Department For Records Related To The National Security Division’s Hiring Of Susan Hennessey, Who Republicans Claimed Would Be Biased Against Special Counsel John Durham’s Probe. “A government watchdog is suing the Department of Justice (DOJ) over the agency’s refusal to comply with a pair of records requests mandated under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  On Wednesday, the nonprofit group Empower Oversight filed its lawsuit to compel the release of documents shedding light on the DOJ’s commitment to the independence of the Durham investigation, a special counsel probe into the origins of the Russia hoax. […] The group’s first FOIA submitted in July last year aimed at the agency’s hiring practices with the decision to recruit attorney, former CNN analyst, and Russia truther Susan Hennessey to join the department’s National Security Division (NSD). The division Hennessey now serves as a senior official ‘supervises the investigation and prosecution of cases affecting or relating to national security, including any cases involving foreign interference in elections or violent extremist threats to elections.’ That includes the investigation run by U.S. Special Counsel John Durham, an investigation Hennessey has previously dismissed in since-deleted tweets as it probes the conspiracies Hennessey championed.” [The Federalist, 2/23/22]

However, A New York Times Investigation Showed The Durham Investigation Amounted To Nothing And Showcased The Weaponization Of Government By The Trump Administration

HEADLINE: “How The Durham Inquiry Backfired To Show Weaponization Of Trump DOJ” [The Guardian, 2/10/23]

New York Times Reported That Special Counsel John Durham’s Probe Into The Trump-Russia Investigation Was Coming To End “Without Uncovering Anything Like The Deep State Plot Alleged By Mr. Trump And Suspected By Mr. Barr.” “It became a regular litany of grievances from President Donald J. Trump and his supporters: The investigation into his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia was a witch hunt, they maintained, that had been opened without any solid basis, went on too long and found no proof of collusion.  Egged on by Mr. Trump, Attorney General William P. Barr set out in 2019 to dig into their shared theory that the Russia investigation likely stemmed from a conspiracy by intelligence or law enforcement agencies. To lead the inquiry, Mr. Barr turned to a hard-nosed prosecutor named John H. Durham, and later granted him special counsel status to carry on after Mr. Trump left office.  But after almost four years — far longer than the Russia investigation itself — Mr. Durham’s work is coming to an end without uncovering anything like the deep state plot alleged by Mr. Trump and suspected by Mr. Barr.” [New York Times, 1/26/23]

New York Times Reported Special Counsel John Durham’s Investigation Became “Roiled By Internal Dissent And Ethical Disputes As It Went Unsuccessfully Down One Path After Another Even As Mr. Trump And Mr. Barr Promoted A Misleading Narrative Of Its Progress.” “Interviews by The Times with more than a dozen current and former officials have revealed an array of previously unreported episodes that show how the Durham inquiry became roiled by internal dissent and ethical disputes as it went unsuccessfully down one path after another even as Mr. Trump and Mr. Barr promoted a misleading narrative of its progress.” [New York Times, 1/26/23]

• Special Counsel Durham And Attorney General Barr Never Disclosed That The Inquiry Expanded To Include An Investigation Into Suspicious Financial Dealings By Trump – The Specifics Remain Unclear. “Mr. Barr and Mr. Durham never disclosed that their inquiry expanded in the fall of 2019, based on a tip from Italian officials, to include a criminal investigation into suspicious financial dealings related to Mr. Trump. The specifics of the tip and how they handled the investigation remain unclear, but Mr. Durham brought no charges over it.” [New York Times, 1/26/23]
• Special Counsel Durham Used Russian Intelligence Memos Suspected Of Containing Disinformation To Gain Access To Emails Of An Aide To George Soros Even Though A Judge Repeatedly Rejected His Requests For Access And The Emails Yielded No Evidence That Durham Cited. “Mr. Durham used Russian intelligence memos — suspected by other U.S. officials of containing disinformation — to gain access to emails of an aide to George Soros, the financier and philanthropist who is a favorite target of the American right and Russian state media. Mr. Durham used grand jury powers to keep pursuing the emails even after a judge twice rejected his request for access to them. The emails yielded no evidence that Mr. Durham has cited in any case he pursued.” [New York Times, 1/26/23]
• Two Of Special Counsel Durham’s Team, Including His Longtime Aide, Quit In Protest Of His Tactics And Decisions. “There were deeper internal fractures on the Durham team than previously known. The publicly unexplained resignation in 2020 of his No. 2 and longtime aide, Nora R. Dannehy, was the culmination of a series of disputes between them over prosecutorial ethics. A year later, two more prosecutors strongly objected to plans to indict a lawyer with ties to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign based on evidence they warned was too flimsy, and one left the team in protest of Mr. Durham’s decision to proceed anyway. (A jury swiftly acquitted the lawyer.)” [New York Times, 1/26/23]
• Attorney General Barr Visited Special Counsel John Durham Often Even Though “Attorneys General Overseeing Political Sensitive Inquiries Tend To Keep Their Distance From Investigators.” “While attorneys general overseeing politically sensitive inquiries tend to keep their distance from the investigators, Mr. Durham visited Mr. Barr in his office for at times weekly updates and consultations about his day-to-day work. They also sometimes dined and sipped Scotch together, people familiar with their work said.” [New York Times, 1/26/23]

Former George H.W. Bush Attorney General: “It Was Clear To People Following The Durham Investigation As It Unfolded That It Was Highly Irregular From The Start… Indeed There’s Good Reason To Believe That Its Purpose And Primary Function Was To Create Fodder To Advance Trump’s Election Prospects.” “Ex-DoJ officials say the Durham inquiry seemed aimed from the start at boosting Trump’s political fortunes. ‘It was clear to people following the Durham investigation as it unfolded that it was highly irregular from the start,’ said former deputy AG Donald Ayer who served in the George HW Bush administration ‘Indeed there’s good reason to believe that its purpose and primary function was to create fodder to advance Trump’s election prospects.’” [The Guardian, 2/10/23]

WHILE IN CONGRESS, JASON FOSTER WAS THE “ARCHITECT OF AN ASSAULT ON THE FBI” PRIMARILY ABOUT ITS ROLE IN THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION

ProPublica Reported Jason Foster Was Chief Investigative Counsel To The Senate Judiciary Committee And Was The “Architect Of An Assault On The FBI” Primarily About Its Role In The Mueller Investigation. “Jason Foster, chief investigative counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, fits a classic Washington profile: A powerful, mostly unknown force at the center of some of the most consequential battles on Capitol Hill.  For the last year, Foster — empowered by his boss, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the committee’s chairman — has been the behind-the-scenes architect of an assault on the FBI, and most centrally its role in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to interviews with current and former congressional aides, federal law enforcement officials and others.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

• The Mueller Report Found “Numerous Links Between The Russian Government The Trump Campaign” And Established How Russia Worked To Help Trump Win And How His Campaign Expected To Benefit From Foreign Interference. “Mr. Trump would repeatedly portray the Mueller report as having found ‘no collusion with Russia.’ The reality was more complex. In fact, the report detailed ‘numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump campaign,’ and it established both how Moscow had worked to help Mr. Trump win and how his campaign had expected to benefit from the foreign interference.” [New York Times, 1/26/23]

BOTH EMPOWER OVERSIGHT AND ATTORNEY MARK LYTLE HAVE TIES TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The Trump Administration Reportedly Twice Approached Jason Foster About A Potential Inspector General Role

The Trump Administration Reportedly Approached Jason Foster Twice About A Potential Inspector General Role. “Foster’s career, including his work on the committee’s Russia investigation, has caught the attention of the Trump administration. Foster has twice been approached about a possible job, an inspector general role, with the administration, a situation that some say should have required his recusal from work on the collusion inquiry.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

Tristan Leavitt Worked In The Trump Administration In The Special Counsel’s Office

June 2017-October 2018: Tristan Leavitt Worked In The U.S. Special Counsel’s Office. According to Tristan Leavitt’s LinkedIn: “U.S. Office of Special Counsel 1 yr 5 mos Washington, District of Columbia, United States Principal Deputy Special Counsel Jun 2017 – Oct 2018 · 1 yr 5 mos Helped ensure accountability and expose waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government, such as $32 million in lost inventory at the Naval Sea Logistics Center in Port Hueneme, California. Helped ensure accountability and expose waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government, such as $32 million in lost inventory at the Naval Sea Logistics Center in Port Hueneme, California. Acting Special Counsel  Sep 2017 – Oct 2017 · 2 mos Notified President Trump of veteran wait time data at the Clarksburg (WV) VA Medical Center being intentionally manipulated for seven years.” [LinkedIn, Tristan Leavitt, Accessed 4/20/23]

February 2019-October 2020: Mark Lytle Worked In The White House Counsel’s Office Where He Appears To Have Been On Emails About Congressional Oversight Requests

February 2019-October 2020: Mark Lytle Served As An Associate Counsel In The Office Of The White House Counsel. According to Mark Lytle’s LinkedIn profile: “Associate Counsel – Office of the White House Counsel, White House, Feb 2019 – Oct 2020 1 yr 9 mos” [LinkedIn, Mark Lytle, Accessed 5/17/23]

October 2019: Mark Lytle Was Included On An Email About A Congressional Document Request For An Email That Was Included In A Footnote Of The Mueller Report.

[U.S. Department of Justice, FOIA Library, Email, 10/23/19]

July 2019: Mark Lytle Was Forwarded An Email About A Congressional Oversight Request From The Senate Intelligence Committee.

[U.S. Department of Justice, FOIA Library, Email, 7/17/19]

• The Senate Intelligence Committee Was Requesting Records Related To The Special Counsel’s Office.

[U.S. Department of Justice, FOIA Library, Email, 7/17/19]

Jason Foster Was A “Partisan Combatant Willing To Discard Norms And Indulge In Conspiratorial Thinking” To Help GOP

HEADLINE: “A Partisan Combatant, A Remorseful Blogger: The Senate Staffer Behind The Attack On The Trump-Russia Investigation” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

ProPublica Reported Jason Foster’s Critics Thought He Was A “Partisan Combatant Willing To Discard Norms And Indulge In Conspiratorial Thinking As He Pursues Investigations Favorable To Republicans.” “For Foster’s critics, and they include Republicans as well as Democrats, his provocative work on the Trump-Russia investigation is just the latest chapter in the career of a partisan combatant willing to discard norms and indulge in conspiratorial thinking as he pursues investigations favorable to Republicans.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

JASON FOSTER WAS CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE COUNSEL TO GRASSLEY; LED INVESTIGATION “MARRED BY LEAKS” OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION AND “ALLEGATIONS OF PARTISAN MISCHIEF”

Jason Foster’s Fast And Furious Investigation Was “Marred By Leaks Of Sensitive Law Enforcement Information And Allegations Of Partisan Mischief.” “Peter Forcelli, who had been a supervisor in the Phoenix field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, described being ‘radioactive’ at work after he testified before Congress about problems with the agency’s ‘Fast and Furious’ operation. Foster led the congressional probe into the Obama-era scandal, in which federal authorities lost track of hundreds of firearms, including two found at the scene of a shootout that killed a Border Patrol agent. […] But Foster’s investigation, done in conjunction with Rep. Darrell Issa’s staff in the House, was also marred by leaks of sensitive law enforcement information and allegations of partisan mischief directed at both Grassley and Issa. The probe seemed to generate outlandish accusations, unsubstantiated by evidence but aired publicly.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

ProPublica: Jason Foster’s Fast And Furious Probe “Seemed To Generate Outlandish Accusations, Unsubstantiated By Evidence But Aired Publicly.” “Peter Forcelli, who had been a supervisor in the Phoenix field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, described being ‘radioactive’ at work after he testified before Congress about problems with the agency’s ‘Fast and Furious’ operation. Foster led the congressional probe into the Obama-era scandal, in which federal authorities lost track of hundreds of firearms, including two found at the scene of a shootout that killed a Border Patrol agent. […] But Foster’s investigation, done in conjunction with Rep. Darrell Issa’s staff in the House, was also marred by leaks of sensitive law enforcement information and allegations of partisan mischief directed at both Grassley and Issa. The probe seemed to generate outlandish accusations, unsubstantiated by evidence but aired publicly.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

Justice Department Inspector General Found No Evidence That Attorney General Eric Holder Knew About Or Authorized Operation Fast And Furious

Justice Department Inspector General Report Found No Evidence That Attorney General Eric Holder Knew About Operation Fast And Furious. “An internal report by the Justice Department found no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder knew about a botched gun-trafficking operation to Mexico, but does recommend that 14 federal law enforcement officials, including the head of the criminal division, be disciplined. […] But the report found ‘no evidence’ that Holder was informed about the operation or learned about the tactics employed by the ATF in the investigation before Congress began pressing him for information in early 2011.” [USA Today, 9/19/12]

“Gun Walking” Operations Started Under The Bush Administration, Which Conducted At Least Two Through The ATF’s Phoenix Office

“Gun Walking” Operations Started Under The Bush Administration With Operation Wide Receiver In 2006. “The practice of ‘letting guns walk’ to trace their sales was also used in the Bush administration, federal officials tells the AP. The ATF began what became known as Operation Wide Receiver in 2006, after receiving information about a suspicious purchase of firearms. The investigation involved letting the guns ‘walk,’ and the investigation concluded in 2007 without any charges being filed.” [Politico, 10/4/11]

The Bush Administration Ran A Second “Gun Walking” Operation In 2007 That Resulted In Weapons Disappearing Across The Border Into Mexico. “A second Bush administration gun-trafficking investigation has surfaced using the same controversial tactic for which congressional Republicans have been criticizing the Obama administration.  The tactic, called ‘gun walking,’ is already under investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general and by congressional Republicans, who have criticized the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama for letting it happen in an operation called ‘Fast and Furious’.  Emails obtained by The Associated Press show how in a 2007 investigation in Phoenix, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — depending on Mexican authorities to follow up — let guns ‘walk’ across the border in an effort to identify higher-ups in gun networks. Justice Department policy has long required that illicit arms shipments be intercepted whenever possible.  The 2007 probe operated out of the same ATF office that more recently ran the flawed Operation Fast and Furious. Both probes resulted in weapons disappearing across the border into Mexico, according to the emails.” [Associated Press, 1/13/15]

Empower Oversight And Its Team Have Fueled Conspiracy Theories That Actions By Democrats Are Actually Secret Efforts To Push Gun Control

EMPOWER OVERSIGHT ALLEGED BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SANCTIONS ON RUSSIAN AMMUNITION WERE A SECRET. GUN CONTROL EFFORT 

Empower Oversight Sent FOIAs To The State Department Asking For Full Details On Sanctions Against Russian Ammunition, And Alleged The Sanctions Could Be An Effort To “Pursue President Biden’s Domestic Gun Control Agenda.” “A nonpartisan Beltway accountability and public integrity group has asked the U.S. State Department for the full details behind the recent sanctions against Russian ammunition. Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research based in Arlington, Virginia, is concerned that the ban could be a ‘deceptive abuse of the sanctions process in order to pursue President Biden’s domestic gun control agenda and restrict Americans’ access to ammunition by administrative fiat.’ As such, they have filed a six-page Freedom of Information Request with the State Department seeking communications and documents of the events since the Biden-Harris administration took the reins in D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. They specifically asked for records of communications between State Department personnel and various national anti-gun groups such as Everytown, Moms Demand Action, Giffords, and Brady.” [Guns.com, 8/27/21]

• August 2021: The Biden Administration Announced A Ban On Imports Of Russian Ammunition In Response To The Poisoning Of Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny. “The Biden administration announced the ban in August 2021 in reaction to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny the year before. The ban also came as intelligence agencies reported Russia amassing 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border. Once President Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine in February, U.S. sanctions were extended to virtually every international piece of the Russian banking system.” [USA Today, 5/5/22]
• The Biden Administration’s Ban On Imports Of Russian Ammunition Also Came As Intelligence Agencies Reported Russia Amassing 100,000 Troops At The Ukrainian Border. “The Biden administration announced the ban in August 2021 in reaction to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny the year before. The ban also came as intelligence agencies reported Russia amassing 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border. Once President Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine in February, U.S. sanctions were extended to virtually every international piece of the Russian banking system.” [USA Today, 5/5/22]
• Since 2014, The Treasury Department Has Sanctioned Arms Manufacturers Close To The Russian Government, Including TulAmmo, A Popular Brand With Purported Ties To Russian Defense Conglomerate Rostec. “Since 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea, the Treasury Department has sanctioned oligarchs close to Putin and arms manufacturers close to the government. TulAmmo is among the popular brands under scrutiny for purported ties to the Russian defense conglomerate Rostec, which has been sanctioned, and oligarchs such asPutin ally Igor Rotenberg.” [USA Today, 5/5/22]

JASON FOSTER AND TRISTAN LEAVITT’S FAST AND FURIOUS INVESTIGATION LED SENATOR GRASSLEY TO ALLEGE THE OPERATION WAS A SECRET EFFORT TO PUSH GUN CONTROL

After Jason Foster Shared Suspicions Privately That The Obama Administration Purposely Sabotaged The Fast And Furious Program To Win Support For Gun Restrictions, A Claim Foster Had No Proof For, Senator Grassley Quickly Started Repeating It In Public. “One theory was that the Obama administration had somehow purposely sabotaged the Fast and Furious program to win support for tougher gun control restrictions. Former aides recall that soon after Foster shared such suspicions privately, his boss began raising them publicly, even though the committee had found no proof of the claim. ‘My suspicion is they don’t like the Second Amendment the way it is, and they want to do everything they can to hurt guns and restrict guns,’ Grassley said at the time. ‘So they could have been building a case for that. But I can’t prove that.’” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

• ProPublica: Jason Foster’s Fast And Furious Probe “Seemed To Generate Outlandish Accusations, Unsubstantiated By Evidence But Aired Publicly.” “Peter Forcelli, who had been a supervisor in the Phoenix field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, described being ‘radioactive’ at work after he testified before Congress about problems with the agency’s ‘Fast and Furious’ operation. Foster led the congressional probe into the Obama-era scandal, in which federal authorities lost track of hundreds of firearms, including two found at the scene of a shootout that killed a Border Patrol agent. […] But Foster’s investigation, done in conjunction with Rep. Darrell Issa’s staff in the House, was also marred by leaks of sensitive law enforcement information and allegations of partisan mischief directed at both Grassley and Issa. The probe seemed to generate outlandish accusations, unsubstantiated by evidence but aired publicly.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

Tristan Leavitt Said He Worked On The Republicans’ Investigation Into Operation Fast and Furious. According to Tristan Leavitt’s LinkedIn: “Investigative Counsel (Ranking Member Chuck Grassley) U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Feb 2011 – Jan 2015 · 4 yrs Washington, District of Columbia, United States Helped expose ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious, the gunwalking scheme that armed Mexican drug cartels and the murderers of a Border Patrol agent.  Exposed cronyism in the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, where decisions by Director Alejandro Mayorkas benefited Terry McAuliffe and Hillary Clinton’s brother Anthony Rodham while raising national security concerns about visas granted to rich investors from China, Iran, and more.  Partnered with Chairman Jim Jordan’s staff to investigate Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez suppressing a whistleblower recovery to taxpayers of over $200 million in exchange for protecting a legal theory favored by Perez regarding racial discrimination.” [LinkedIn, Tristan Leavitt, Accessed 4/20/23]

Jason Foster Previously Wrote A Controversial Anonymous Blog Under The Handle “Extremist”

While He Was Working For Senator Grassley On The Finance Committee, Jason Foster Wrote An Anonymous Blog And Used The Handle “Extremist.” “In examining Foster’s role in the committee’s Trump-Russia investigation, ProPublica discovered that a decade ago he had written an anonymous blog, using the handle ‘extremist.’ The posts by Foster, who was then working for Grassley on the Senate Finance Committee, made clear he was some sort of D.C. insider, and he came across as a knowing observer as the country navigated the thorny political fights of the Bush and Obama eras.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

In His “Extremist” Blog, Jason Foster Warned Of An Islamic Takeover, Asserted That Homosexuality Was Akin To Incest And Questioned Whether Waterboarding Was Actually Torture. “But there were also plenty of times ‘extremist’ lived up to his chosen name.  He warned of an Islamic takeover. He wrote that homosexuality was akin to incest. He questioned whether waterboarding really amounted to torture. He derided Obama’s proposal to negotiate with the Taliban, and was particularly galled that the president doing so had the middle name Hussein. Liberals? They were anti-American.  He even mused about whether Sen. Joseph McCarthy, condemned as a demagogue for his 1950s anti-Communist crusade, should be remembered more kindly.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

In His “Extremist” Blog, Jason Foster Expressed Rampant Islamophobia. “On the blog, one of Foster’s primary targets was Islam. He described Muhammad as a rapist and child abuser who had spawned ‘a religion that tends to lead large numbers of its followers to excuse the murder of innocents as God’s will.’  After the mayor of London spoke out against vilifying Muslim residents of the city in the wake of a foiled car bomb attack there, Foster labeled him a ‘Dhimmi’ — a historic term that describes non-Muslims in Muslim-controlled lands.  While Foster acknowledged that most Muslims ‘are not terrorist sympathizers,’ he referred to ‘the Islamic propensity for violence’ and declared that ‘some cultures are better than others, no matter what the multicultural fetishists say.’” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

Jason Foster Worked For A Highly Controversial Republican Representative

REP. DAN BURTON PUSHED INVESTIGATIONS THAT REPELLED EVEN HIS FELLOW REPUBLICANS

Jason Foster Worked For Former Rep. Dan Burton Who Fueled A Theory About Foul Play In A Clinton Aide’s Suicide And Called For Required AIDS Testing For All Americans. “Foster — who cut his teeth on Capitol Hill working on the staff of former Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., who fueled the theory of foul play in a Clinton aide’s suicide and called for required AIDS testing for all Americans — drew the ire of many for his role in various Judiciary Committee investigations of the Obama administration.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

• Dan Burton Frequently Pushed Conspiracies That Vaccines Caused Autism And Reportedly Avoided Soup At Restaurants Out Of Fear Of Contracting HIV. “The Indiana congressman was known for outlandish beliefs: He frequently pushed the theory that vaccines cause autism and was said to avoid soup in restaurants for fear of contracting HIV. Burton‘s investigations of the Clinton White House were so extreme many mainstream Republicans were repelled. He aggressively pursued the theory that Clinton aide Vince Foster, who committed suicide, had been murdered and that the Clintons may have been involved. Burton reenacted the alleged killing by shooting a melon in his backyard. An expert at a conservative think tank called it all ‘investigation as farce.’” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]
• ProPublica: “Burton’s Investigations Of The Clinton White House Were So Extreme Many Mainstream Republicans Were Repelled.” “The Indiana congressman was known for outlandish beliefs: He frequently pushed the theory that vaccines cause autism and was said to avoid soup in restaurants for fear of contracting HIV. Burton‘s investigations of the Clinton White House were so extreme many mainstream Republicans were repelled. He aggressively pursued the theory that Clinton aide Vince Foster, who committed suicide, had been murdered and that the Clintons may have been involved. Burton reenacted the alleged killing by shooting a melon in his backyard. An expert at a conservative think tank called it all ‘investigation as farce.’” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

Tristan Leavitt Volunteered For The RNC’s “Election Fraud” Monitoring Team In 2010

IN 2010, TRISTAN LEAVITT WAS A VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATE FOR THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE

August-November 2010: Tristan Leavitt Was A Volunteer Associate For The Republican National Committee Where He Helped “Monitor Around The Country For Election Fraud.” According to Tristan Leavitt’s LinkedIn: “Volunteer Associate Republican National Committee Aug 2010 – Nov 2010 · 4 mos Washington, District of Columbia, United States Worked in the office of General Counsel Reince Priebus to monitor around the country for election fraud.” [LinkedIn, Tristan Leavitt, Accessed 4/20/23]

• 1982-2018: The Republican National Committee Was Under A Consent Decree That Prevented It From Pursuing “Ballot Security Measures” After It Was Found To Have Engaged In Voter Intimidation Practices In Communities Of Color. “Thirty-five years after it was first imposed, a judge has lifted a consent decree barring the Republican National Committee from pursuing ‘ballot security’ measures. In their 1981 lawsuit to stop the RNC from engaging in certain practices at the polls, the Democratic National Committee attested that in a New Jersey gubernatorial election, the RNC had sent sample ballots to communities of color, and then had the names for each ballot returned as undeliverable removed from voter rolls. Democrats also alleged that the RNC hired off-duty cops to patrol majority-minority precincts, wearing ‘National Ballot Security Task Force’ armbands. These details were enough to secure a consent decree between the two party organizations and the court in 1982, stopping the GOP from engaging in such voter-intimidation practices.” [The Atlantic, 1/9/18]
• The Republican National Committee Repeatedly Violated The Consent Decree, Including In 1987, 1990 And 2004. “Except, Democrats alleged, they didn’t stop. The consent decree was updated in 1987 after Republicans created a voter-challenge list of black voters from whom letters had been returned as undeliverable, with an RNC official saying that the list could ‘keep the black vote down considerably.’ The decree was modified again in 1990 after a court ruled the RNC had violated it by not telling state parties about its provisions, which had led to the North Carolina GOP sending 150,000 postcards to potential voters listing voting regulations, in an apparent attempt at intimidation. The GOP violated the court order again in 2004 after yet another voter-challenge list targeted black voters.” [The Atlantic, 1/9/18]

Empower Oversight Has Close Ties To Senator Chuck Grassley

JASON FOSTER WAS A CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE COUNSEL TO SENATE JUDICIARY REPUBLICANS

ProPublica Reported Jason Foster Was Chief Investigative Counsel To The Senate Judiciary Committee And Was The “Architect Of An Assault On The FBI” Primarily About Its Role In The Mueller Investigation. “Jason Foster, chief investigative counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, fits a classic Washington profile: A powerful, mostly unknown force at the center of some of the most consequential battles on Capitol Hill.  For the last year, Foster — empowered by his boss, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the committee’s chairman — has been the behind-the-scenes architect of an assault on the FBI, and most centrally its role in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to interviews with current and former congressional aides, federal law enforcement officials and others.” [ProPublica, 3/28/18]

FEBRUARY 2011 – JANUARY. 2015: TRISTAN LEAVIT INVESTIGATIVE COUNSEL FOR SENATE JUDICIARY RANKING MEMBER CHUCK GRASSLEY

February 2011-January 2015: Tristan Leavitt Was Investigative Counsel For Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley. According to Tristan Leavitt’s LinkedIn: “Investigative Counsel (Ranking Member Chuck Grassley) U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Feb 2011 – Jan 2015 · 4 yrs Washington, District of Columbia, United States Helped expose ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious, the gunwalking scheme that armed Mexican drug cartels and the murderers of a Border Patrol agent.  Exposed cronyism in the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, where decisions by Director Alejandro Mayorkas benefited Terry McAuliffe and Hillary Clinton’s brother Anthony Rodham while raising national security concerns about visas granted to rich investors from China, Iran, and more.  Partnered with Chairman Jim Jordan’s staff to investigate Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez suppressing a whistleblower recovery to taxpayers of over $200 million in exchange for protecting a legal theory favored by Perez regarding racial discrimination.” [LinkedIn, Tristan Leavitt, Accessed 4/20/23]

EMPOWER OVERSIGHT ADVISOR DEAN ZERBE WAS PREVIOUSLY CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE COUNSEL AND TAX COUNSEL FOR SENATOR GRASSLEY

Empower Oversight Senior Advisor Dean Zerbe Previously Served As Chief Investigative Counsel And Tax Counsel For Senator Chuck Grassley. According to Empower Oversight, Dean Zerbe was a Senior Advisor: “Prior to his law practice representing whistleblowers, Zerbe was Chief Investigative Counsel and Tax Counsel for Chairman Grassley (R-IA) where he worked on laws to protect and support whistleblowers—including the 2006 amendments that created the modern IRS whistleblower law. In his time with Grassley, Zerbe worked with a number of whistleblowers, helping them bring their story to the public.” [Empower Oversight, Accessed 4/21/23]

EMPOWER OVERSIGHT SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR. BETH LEVINE WAS SENATOR GRASSLEY’S COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR 16 YEARS

Beth Levine Is Senior Communications Advisor For Empower Oversight. “Beth Levine brings more than two decades of strategic communications, crisis management, government and political experience to Empower Oversight. Levine is a partner at KO Public Affairs where she provides strategic guidance, crisis management and communications advice to clients across the firm. She previously led communications efforts for U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and the Senate Judiciary Committee for nearly 20 years. On Capitol Hill, Levine provided strategic communications advice on various matters such as criminal justice reform, social issues, patents, privacy, prescription drugs, agriculture, the Judiciary, and executive branch oversight.” [Empower Oversight, Accessed 4/21/23]

February 2001-April 2017: Beth Levine Served As Communications Director For Senator Chuck Grassley. According to Beth Levine’s LinkedIn: “Communications Director United States Senate Feb 2001 – Apr 2017 · 16 yrs 3 mos Responsible for daily communications activities in the Senate Judiciary Committee Republican office, as well as responsibilities in the office of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley.” [LinkedIn, Beth Levine, Accessed 4/21/23]