Emanuel Kidega Samson

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The FBI has launched a civil rights investigation into the mass shooting that killed one woman and wounded eight others at a church in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday.

“The Memphis FBI Field Office’s Nashville Resident Agency, the Civil Rights Division, and the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee,” David Boling, spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Nashville, said in a statement.

“The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence. As this is an ongoing investigation we are not able to comment further at this time.”

Police identified the attacker as Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, a legal U.S. resident who came to the U.S. from Sudan and lived in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Authorities were still unsure of a motive Sunday evening, but church members told investigators that Samson attended the church a few times in the past year or two.

Samson first opened fire in the parking lot at the Burnette Chapel Church, fatally shooting a woman who was walking to her car. Samson then walked into the church with two pistols, shooting six people. Samson also was injured from a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest and was hospitalized for several hours before he was taken into police custody.

He is expected to be charged today with murder and other related charges.

Cyber crime expert, via FBI.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Homeland Security alerted 21 states that Russian tried to hack their election systems in 2016.

Some of the states were critical battlegrounds in the presidential election, including Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Arizona, according to the Washington Post. 

Homeland Security didn’t release details or say whether the hacking attempts were successful.

“We need Congress and the president to help states with their security systems for elections and ensure funding for more secure equipment where needed, and we need it to happen now,” Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill (D) said. “Rather than investigating this attack on our democracy from a hostile foreign power, the Trump administration has formed a commission to prove that he won the popular vote, an idea that has been entirely discredited by numerous studies.

At least one state’s election system was breached, according to Bloomberg: 

In early July 2016, a contractor who works two or three days a week at the state board of elections detected unauthorized data leaving the network, according to Ken Menzel, general counsel for the Illinois board of elections. The hackers had gained access to the state’s voter database, which contained information such as names, dates of birth, genders, driver’s licenses and partial Social Security numbers on 15 million people, half of whom were active voters. As many as 90,000 records were ultimately compromised.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A San Diego federal judge defended Border Patrol’s use of deadly force against rock throwers in a case involving a lawsuit filed by the family of a Mexican man killed at the border.

Border Patrol Agent Dorian Diaz fatally shot Jesus Yanez Reyes, 40, while he allegedly was throwing rocks at agents who were pursuing him.

U.S. District Judge William Hayes ruled last week that Border Patrol agents should not be held liable for Reyes’ death, the Los Angeles Times reports. 

“The Court concludes that the unique circumstances surrounding Yañez’s death implicate national security issues related to the security of our nation’s borders,” Hayes said.

Hayes also said Diaz is entitled to qualified immunity.

Lawyers for Reyes’ family plan to appeal.

“We feel strongly the law was clearly established on this point,” said attorney Gerald Singleton.

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

Ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner, who had an obsession with sending lewd photos to women, was sentenced Monday in federal court in Manhattan to 21 months in prison for sexting a 15-year-old girl.

Weiner, 53, now could find himself on the sex offender list for the remainder of his life.

He cried as he read a statement in court  saying he hit “rock bottom’ and that he was a “a very sick man for a very long time,” reports USA Today. 

The investigation into Weiner resulted in the FBI looking at emails and decided to reopen the Hillary Clinton probe on the eve of the presidential election.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

When Secret Service officials approached a man for allegedly urinating in public near the White House on Sunday morning, they found a cache of guns, knives and other weapons in the suspect’s car.

CNN reports that the suspect said he was planning to go to the white House to speak with National  Security Agency Director Admiral Mike Rogers and Defense Secretary James Mattis “for advice on missing paychecks and how to get the chip out of my head,” according to the incident report obtained by CNN. 

A search of the vehicle uncovered nine guns, three knives, ammunition, brass knuckles and suppressors.

The suspect was charged with multiple weapons violations after he was taken to a D.C. facility for “mental observation.”

Other Stories of Interest

• FBI Agent Receives Probation for Sharing Confidential Information
• Trump, Comey, Mueller Could Come Face-to-Face at FBI Ceremony
• 7 Signs Robert Mueller’s Russia Investigation Is Getting Serious
• Leahy, Grassley Call for Justice Department Whistleblower Protections
• DOJ’s Most Recent Attempt to Be Pro-Cop Actually Hurts Police Officers

Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

If the FBI has been investigating Paul Manafort’s connections to Russia for years before he became Donald Trump’s campaign chairman in 2016, did anyone warn the billionaire reality TV star?

That’s what Sen. Chuck Grassley wants to know. And if there was no warning, why not?

Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that is investigating Russia’s interference in the election, wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday for an explanation, CNN reports. 

The FBI has refused to comment so far.

“I write to inquire about whether the FBI ever provided the Trump campaign with a defensive briefing or other warning regarding attempts to infiltrate the campaign by people connected with, or compromised by, Russian intelligence,” Grassley wrote.

Photo via FBI

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A data center under construction at an FBI site in Pocatello, Idaho, plans to hire 350 employees when the building is finished, the Idaho State Journal reports. 

The influx of employees will include both new hires and transfers.

“We’ve always talked to them about 300 to 400 jobs for this data center so it’s great news,” said Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad.

The FBI center in Pocatello, which opened in 1985, has provided telecommunications and database support for bureau field services nationwide.

The average estimate salary for each job is $60,000 a year.

Bannock County Development Corporation Executive Director John Regetz said he expected the data center to collaborate with Idaho County University.

“It could really expand our high-tech talent base,” he said.

Donald Trump Jr., via Wikipedia

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Special counsel Robert Mueller is requesting documents from the White House that are related to Donald Trump Jr.’s original statements on the suspicious meeting he had with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower.

The statement, which was later proven to be false, was drafted on Air Force One and approved by President Trump, the Hill reports. 

Mueller’s team also wants to interview staffers who were on Air Force One at the time the statement was written.

Trump Jr., who is the president’s eldest son, has become a target of the investigation as Mueller’s team digs deeper into alleged collusion between the president’s campaign staff and Russian operatives.

Earlier this month, Trump Jr. met with Senate investigators.

“Mueller’s investigation appears to be picking up steam as he continues to look into whether Trump campaign associates colluded with the Russians to sway the election in their favor,” the Hill reports.