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Sunday, April 7, 2024

DOJ Seeks Prison For Ashley Biden 'Showers With Dad' Diary Culprit

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking prison time for a woman who stole the diary of Ashley Biden, the president's daughter, before selling it to Project Veritas prior to the 2020 presidential election (and after an unsuccessful attempt at selling it to the Trump campaign).

Aimee Harris, 40, and Robert Kurlander, 58, admitted they took part in a conspiracy to transport stolen materials from Florida, where Ashley Biden had been living, to New York.

"Harris and Kurlander stole personal property from an immediate family member of a candidate for national political office," said Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

And while Veritas - which was raided by the Biden DOJ in 2021 - elected not to publish the diary, the National File did - revealing a passage in which Ashley Biden writes that she shared "probably not appropriate" showers with her father, Joe Biden.

Entries in the diary include the author revealing she believes she was sexually molested as a child and shared “probably not appropriate” showers with her father, some that detail the author’s struggle with drug abuse and the author’s crumbling marriage with multiple affairs, along with entries showing the family’s fears of a potential scandal due to her brother’s new home, and those that show a deep resentment for her father due to his money, control, and emotional manipulation. -National File

DOJ Cracks Down

In a Tuesday letter to Judge Laura Swain, federal prosecutors sought 4-10 months in prison for Harris, followed by three years of supervised release. Prosecutors had previously sought six months of home confinement followed by three years of supervised release.

Prosecutors cay Harris delaying her sentencing hearing date 12 times for 'inadequate' reasons.

Defending Daddy Biden?

With the diary back in the news, leftist influencer Ed Krassenstein took to X to defend the Bidens' shower habits.

Stay classy Ed.

How Was The Diary stolen?

In the spring of 2020, as Joe Biden was in the process of clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, Ashley was living in Delray Beach, FL with said friend "who had rented a two-bedroom house lined with palm trees with a large swimming pool and wraparound driveway," according to people familiar with the matter.

In June, however, Ashley visited the Philadelphia area as Joe's campaign was ramping up.

"She decided to leave some of her belongings behind, including a duffel bag and another bag," according to the report.

Several weeks after Ashley left the Delray house, the friend who hosted her invited an ex-girlfriend named Aimee Harris and her two children to move in. Harris, in the middle of a custody dispute and financial woes, appears to have been a Trump supporter according to 'social media postings and conversations.' She learned that Ashley Biden had stayed there, and that some of her things had been left behind, according to two people familiar with the mater.

Exactly what happened next remains the subject of the federal investigation. But by September, the diary had been acquired from Ms. Harris and a friend by Project Veritas, whose operations against liberal groups and traditional news organizations had helped make it a favorite of Mr. Trump.
In a court filing, Project Veritas told a federal judge that around Sept. 3, 2020, someone the group described as “a tipster” called Project Veritas and left a voice message. The caller said “a new occupant moved into a place where Ashley Biden had previously been staying and found Ms. Biden’s diary and other personal items.”
The “diary is pretty crazy,” the tipster said on the voice mail, according to a Project Veritas court filing. “I think it’s worth taking a look at.” -NYT

Harris and Kurlander each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property from an immediate family member of a former government official who was running for national office.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/doj-seeks-prison-ashley-biden-showers-dad-diary-culprit

Oil Rally Takes Breather Near $90 Ahead of Key Market Reports

Oil slipped for the first time in five sessions as traders wait for a series of market reports this week that will provide a snapshot on the outlook for supply and demand.

Brent futures dropped 1% toward $90 a barrel after closing at the highest level in more than five months on Friday. West Texas Intermediate also fell. Oil has rallied recently on escalating geopolitical tensions and supply shocks, raising the prospect of the global benchmark reaching triple figures.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-07/latest-oil-market-news-and-analysis-for-april-7

Appeals Court Vacates 'Disinformation' Monitoring Of Jan. 6 Defendant’s Computer

by Joseph M. Hanneman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A sentencing requirement that Jan. 6 defendant Daniel Goodwyn have his computer monitored by the government for “disinformation” has been vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The court on March 26 published a mandate sending the case back to U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton to remove the computer monitoring requirement he issued as part of the sentencing judgment in the case on June 15, 2023.

“Judge Walton had no legal basis to issue the special condition,” Carolyn Stewart, Mr. Goodwyn’s attorney, told The Epoch Times in an April 3 email.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the judge “plainly erred” in imposing the computer monitoring. Judges Gregory Katsas, Naomi Rao, and Bradley Garcia issued a per curiam order vacating the monitoring provision.

Judge Walton, when imposing a 60-day jail sentence in June 2023, said Mr. Goodwyn spread “disinformation” during a broadcast of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on March 14, 2023. Judge Walton ordered that Mr. Goodwyn’s computer be subject to “monitoring and inspection” by a probation agent to check if he spread Jan. 6 disinformation during the term of his supervised release.

The judge also referred to Mr. Goodwyn spreading alleged “misinformation,” using the term interchangeably with “disinformation.”

Mr. Goodwyn, 35, of Corinth, Texas, pleaded guilty on Jan. 31, 2023, to one misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. The charge could have meant up to a year in prison.

60 Days Behind Bars

On June 6, 2023, Judge Walton sentenced Mr. Goodwyn to 60 days in prison, a year of supervised release, a $2,500 fine, and a $500 restitution payment.

Federal prosecutors had asked for 90 days in jail, 36 months of supervised release, a $25,676 fine, and $500 in restitution. The recommended fine amount represented proceeds of a GiveSendGo web page Mr. Goodwyn uses to raise funds for his legal fees.

Mr. Goodwyn asked for a sentence of time served with three months of supervised release. He received credit for three weeks he spent in pretrial detention, but not for the 13 months he spent in home detention. He completed his incarceration at the Federal Correctional Institution at Bastrop, Texas, on Aug. 25, 2023.

*Daniel Goodwyn of Corinth, Texas, speaks with live-streamer Baked Alaska inside the Senate Wing Door at just before 3:33 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Capitol Police/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)*

Mr. Goodwyn said the Court of Appeals made the correct decision.

“Judge Walton’s imposition of the computer monitoring restriction is inconsistent with American law and tradition,” Mr. Goodwyn told The Epoch Times. “It’s unbelievable, in my opinion, that he would unlawfully order feds to spy on me in direct violation of the First and Fourth Amendments, under threat of locking me back up in prison.”

Mr. Goodwyn was arrested on Jan. 29, 2021, in Sherman, Texas. He was charged in a superseding indictment on Nov. 10, 2021, with obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

Mr. Goodwyn said he was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 as a citizen journalist for StopHate.com. He entered the building through the Senate Wing Door at 3:32 p.m. and spent 36 seconds inside the Capitol, security video shows.

Prosecutors and the judge faulted Mr. Goodwyn for using a bullhorn on Jan. 6 “to incite other rioters to go into the Capitol,” and saying “we need critical mass for this to work.” They said Mr. Goodwyn evaded a police officer’s attempt to stop him from entering and initially ignored the officer’s command to exit the building.

Ms. Stewart said her client was inside the Capitol for less than a minute, did not assault anyone or vandalize property.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Walton criticized Mr. Goodwyn for having the “false impression” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from President Donald Trump. “And there is just no proof whatsoever that that was, in fact, the case,” the judge said, according to the official court transcript for the June 6 portion of the hearing.

It was Mr. Goodwyn’s appearance on Mr. Carlson’s Fox News program that drew some of the sharpest fire from Judge Walton. He called Mr. Carlson a “lightning rod” who “has said and done things that I think clearly have been divisive.”

Mr. Carlson gave the impression “that individuals who have been charged in reference to the events on January 6th of ‘21 have been treated unfairly,“ the judge said. ”And I see no evidence that, in fact, was the case.”

When being interviewed by Mr. Carlson, Mr. Goodwyn “made no attempt to correct the record,” Judge Walton said. “And when Carlson suggested that all the defendant did was go into the Capitol and walk around for less than a minute and leave, that just wasn’t correct. And that misinformation that is disseminated to the American public has contributed to the discord that now exists in our country in reference to the presidential election and what occurred on January 6th.”

The judge said Mr. Goodwyn “could have come clean and indicated exactly what he did when Tucker Carlson was minimizing the extent of what he did. Because he did more than what Tucker Carlson indicated. And he didn’t say anything to correct that.”

*Protesters clash with police and security forces at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)*

‘Monitoring and Inspection’

The judge said Mr. Goodwyn should be monitored during his supervised release to determine if he is spreading disinformation on social media.

“…Since he has used social media in order to provide what I consider to be disinformation about this situation,” the judge said, “I would require that he permit his computer use to be subject to monitoring and inspection by the probation department to see if he is, in fact, disseminating information of the nature that relates to the events that resulted in what occurred on January 6th of 2021.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/appeals-court-vacates-disinformation-monitoring-jan-6-defendants-computer

'Earthquake magnitude of 6.5 or higher is needed to put skyscrapers at risk'

New Yorkers can breathe a sigh of relief after a surprising 4.8 magnitude earthquake jolted the city on Friday morning. While the tremors from New Jersey may have rattled a few nerves, experts assure that the Big Apple’s skyline remains standing strong.

Jesse Richins, lead seismic engineer at the New York City engineering firm MRCE, assured The Post that the city’s modern skyscrapers are indeed sturdy.

“Our tallest buildings here are relatively modern and have been designed for earthquakes of even greater shaking than this earthquake,” Richins said. “You may feel the shaking on the higher levels as the buildings sway, but those buildings are designed for that and should remain stable from this level of earthquake.”

However, Richins cautioned against complacency.

“Here in New York City, our most vulnerable structures are older infrastructure, retaining walls and unreinforced masonry buildings that were built before seismic considerations,” he said. “Considering our population and the economic importance of [New York], it’s critical that we continue to upgrade these structures so that we can remain resilient against the infrequent hazards of earthquakes.”

Richins pointed to historical precedent, citing earthquakes in 1737 and 1884.

“A magnitude 5.5 near the city would be expected to cause some damages to the oldest masonry buildings, retaining walls, structures near the shorelines and likely collapse a great number of brick chimneys,” he said.

Consulting engineer Robert Pyke echoed Richins’ sentiments, highlighting the importance of building codes.

“The national building codes provide for earthquake loadings everywhere,” Pyke said. “Just the level of loading that’s expected varies from place to place,” with the example of earthquakes being less common on the East Coast than in California.