General James Cartwright

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

President Obama on Tuesday pardoned a retired Marine Corps general who was convicted of lying to the FBI about his communication with reporters about Iran’s nuclear program.

In effect, General Cartwright, a former member of Obama’s national security team, was saved from a possible prison sentence.

Cartwright, who was due to be sentenced this month, pleaded guilty last year to lying to investigators about leaked classified information about cyberattacks against Iran.

“The president’s decision is wise and just, and it achieves the right result,” Cartwright’s lawyer, Gregor Craig, said in a statement. “It allows General Cartwright to continue his life’s work — to serve, protect and defend the nation he loves. It allows the nation to continue to benefit from his vast experience and knowledge.”

Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, was indicted Monday on 20 counts of fraud and other charges in connection to a Manhattan restaurant he owned, Fox News reports.

The Republican from New York evading the IRS and hiding more than $1 million in profits to avoid paying taxes.

Grimm, who was released on a $400,000 bond, pleaded not guilty in a Brooklyn federal court following his arrest earlier in the day.

“Michael Grimm made the choice to go from upholding the law to breaking it,” U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said at a press conference detailing the charges. “And in doing so, he turned his back on every oath he had ever taken.”

Grimm responded that he’s the victim of a “political witch hunt.”

“We’re going to fight tooth and nail until I am fully exonerated,” Grimm said outside the courthouse, flanked by his attorneys.
Grimm was previously an FBI special agent and Marine Corps combat veteran.

The indictment accuses him of mail and wire fraud charges and filing false federal tax returns. According to the indictment, he tried to hide the sales at his Upper East Side restaurant, Healthalicious, which he operated from 2007 to 2010.

The FBI has a mystery on its hands: Who the heck keeps shooting at buildings overnight in Northern Virginia?

The latest came either late Monday or early Tuesday when authorities discovered that someone had shot at a U.S. Coast Guard recruiting center in Woodbridge, Va., the Washington Post reports.

Authorities are trying to determine if it’s linked to a recent series of shootings at U.S. military facilities in Northern Virginia, the Post reports.

Authorities have linked the same gun to shootings at buildings at the Pentagon, Marine Corps recruiting station in Chantilly and the Marine Corps Museum near Quantico. All have taken place since mid-October.

No one has been hurt.

The FBI believes that the shooter has a gripe against the Marine Corps.