By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

An Israeli teen arrested on allegations of phoning in bomb threats to at least 245 American schools and Jewish community centers made some of the threats for money on the dark web.

Michael Kadar, 19, who was arrested in Israel in March, is accused of running a bomb threat business using the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, which was shut down in July, Vice reports. 

According to the FBI, Kadar charged $30 for each bomb threat and $45 if one of his customers wanted to frame someone for the message. He received $240,000 for his services.

The scheme began in July, stoking fears of rising anti-Semitism and prompting scores of evacuations, the FBI alleges.

Kadar was arrested after he gave away his IP address by failing to use a proxy server.

Kadar has been charged in the U.S. and Israel, but so far he’s not expected to be extradited to America. But he faces up to 10 years in prison on the charges in Israel.

President Trump

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

While President Trump slams the federal investigation into alleged collusion between his campaign and Russia, his lawyer is sending entirely different messages to special counsel Robert Mueller.

Trump’s chief counsel John Dowd sent a message of appreciation to the special counsel, suggesting the president was happy about the investigation.

“He appreciates what Bob Mueller is doing,” Dowd told USA TODAY in an interview Tuesday. “He asked me to share that with him and that’s what I’ve done.” 

Down said Trump’s legal team has been in touch with Mueller’s office, and he admits he sent a message expressing “appreciation and greetings” to Mueller, who Trump has criticized numerous times publicly.

“The president has sent messages back and forth,’’ Dowd said, declining to elaborate further.

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who is now special counsel for the Russia investigation.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Special counsel Robert Mueller gave up millions of dollars to investigate allegations that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to interfere in the presidential election.

That’s according to a financial disclosure released Tuesday by the Justice Department, which appointed Mueller.

Mueller made nearly $3.5 million since the beginning of 2016 as a partner of WilmerHale, a Washington D.C.-based law firm. Mueller represented some of the nation’s most prominent businesses, including Apple, Facebook, Sony Pictures and the NFL, Politico reports. 

Mueller, a former FBI director, also made about $241,000 on speaking engagements since the beginning of 2016.

He was appointed in May to investigate Russia’s meddling in the presidential election.

Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

In a predawn raid, FBI agents searched the home of President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and seized documents and other materials late last month.

The July 26 raid came one day after Manafort met with staff for the Senate Intelligence Committee over the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, the Washington Post reports. 

FBI agents seized various records in what is turning out to be a widening probe into alleged collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

The raid suggests the FBI doesn’t trust Manafort to disclose all records as part of a grand jury subpoena.

A spokesman for special counsel Robert Mueller declined to comment on the raid.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

President Trump’s habit of taking vacations is costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

The latest expense is $13,500 that the Secret Service spent on golf car rentals ahead of the president’s “working vacation” in Bedminister, N.J., the USA Today reports. 

In addition, the Secret Service paid more than $35,000 on golf cart rental when Trump was visiting Mar-a-Lago.

That means taxpayers spent nearly $60,000 on golf cart rentals. “Trump’s vacations are costing Americans bigly — from the thousands of dollars the Secret Service is spending on golf carts to trail Trump on the course this week to the millions of taxpayer dollars already spent on his constant vacationing,” Brad Bainum of American Bridge said. “If all Trump wants to do is play golf and watch TV, he should do us all a favor and retire.”