Special counsel Robert Mueller

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A conservative watchdog group filed suit in an effort to remove Robert Mueller as special counsel appointed to investigate possible collusion between President Trump’s campaign team and Russia.

Freedom Watch alleges Mueller should be removed for “gross prosecutorial misconduct” because of leaks of grand jury information and because of “obvious conflicts of interest among staff,” The Hill reports.

“Robert Mueller is not a ‘man of integrity’ as the Washington, D.C., Democrat and Republican political establishment like to spin,” Klayman said in a statement. “He is just another pol who is representing his establishment benefactors in both political parties who want to see the presidency of Donald Trump destroyed.”

In addition, the complaint alleges Mueller has politicized the investigation by relying on Democrats to assist in the probe.

Former National Security Adviser Michael T. Flynn

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

An attorney for Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn has met with special counsel investigators in a move that could spell serious trouble for the president and his campaign.

The meeting between Flynn’s lawyer and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team raises an obvious question: Has Flynn turned into a state’s witness as part of a future plea deal?

Monday’s meeting, which was first reported by ABC News, comes after Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, alerted Trump’s legal team that he is no longer communicating with them.

Flynn has been the subject of Mueller’s investigation and an FBI probe, in part because of undisclosed conversations he had with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The Trump administration’s increasing battle against illegal immigration may soon include tracking the social media feeds of foreign visitors.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement told software providers that it’s seeking “algorithms that would assess potential threats posed by visa holders in the U.S. and conduct ongoing social media surveillance of those deemed high risk,” ProPublica reports. 

The move appears to be part of Trump’s demands for the “extreme vetting” of visitors from Muslim countries, raising criticism from immigrants and civil liberties advocates.

ICE is searching for “risk-based metrics” to indicate potential dangers posed by visa holders, who could remain under continuous surveillance while in the U.S., according to Louis Rodi, deputy assistant director of ICE Homeland Security Investigations’ National Security Program, who spoke at a recent tech industry conference in Arlington, Va.

“We have millions and millions and millions of people coming every year, and subsequently departing, so we have to be smart about it,” said Rodi to a room of representatives from companies like Microsoft, Accenture, Deloitte and Motorola Solutions. “And I’m sure there are tools out there that can help.”

The program, however, has not begun, stressed ICE spokeswoman Carissa Curttel.

“The request for information on this initiative was simply that—an opportunity to gather information from industry professionals and other government agencies on current technological capabilities to determine the best way forward,” Cutrell wrote in an email.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The total costs to taxpayers to protect former President Obama’s family travels reached a total of $114 million during his eight years in the White House, according to documents obtained by the conservative legal group, Judicial Watch.

So far, President Trump has spent $10 million in taxes for protection.

The figures come from documents obtained from the Air Force and Secret Service.

One of the biggest-ticket trips came during the weekend of February 14, 2014, when First Lady Michell Obama and her daughters traveled to Aspen, causing the shutdown of an airport.

Trump, who has been under fire for he and his family’s travel expenses, is spending less money so far than his predecessor, according to Judicial Watch.

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