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Thursday, August 1, 2024

Mark Kelly’s past days hawking vitamins in China resurfaces amid veepstakes

 Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly has had many jobs: an astronaut, a Navy captain – and, apparently, a Chinese pill pusher.

Kelly’s past days hawking vitamins in China resurfaced this week amid speculation that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris may pick him as her running-mate.

The now-Democratic senator in 2015 barreled onto a stage in the country riding a US and Chinese-flagged motorcycle with Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” blasting in the background to promote Shaklee vitamins, Washington Post contributing columnist Jim Geraghty wrote linking to the unearthed footage of the strange spectacle.

“I took Shaklee vitamins and the Shaklee rehydration drink while in orbit aboard the space shuttle,” the former astronaut boasted to the crowd in China in 2015.Facebook/Shaklee Corporation

“I took Shaklee vitamins and the Shaklee rehydration drink while in orbit aboard the space shuttle,” the former astronaut boasted to the crowd.

“They worked very well for me in a very demanding environment. Now, it is up to you,” he urged. “Each and every one of you can create your own successful Shaklee business, and it is the rewards from that business that will help you achieve your own dreams.”

The California-based multilevel marketing company lined Kelly’s pockets for a series of speeches in China and the US between 2011 and 2016, which the Huffington Post first reported during the Arizona Democrat’s campaign for the US Senate in 2020.

His wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), was serving in the US House of Representatives in 2011 — and financial disclosures show Kelly netted $50,000 for Shaklee speeches in that year alone.

“They worked very well for me in a very demanding environment,” he urged. “Each and every one of you can create your own successful Shaklee business … that will help you achieve your own dreams.”Youtube

“Are we paying our astronauts enough?” Geraghty balked in his column when describing Kelly’s decision to have taken on the speaking engagements touting “the Shaklee difference.”

A Kelly campaign spokesman told the Huffington Post in 2019: “NASA has had Shaklee products on every space flight since the early 1990s as part of the fluid loading protocol to counteract blood volume loss that happens in space, and Mark found both the rehydration drink and vitamins to be effective.”

“Mark has given speeches to a number of organizations since retiring from NASA and has spoken about his experience in space,” added the spokesman, Jacob Peters.

His wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), released financial disclosures in 2011 that show Kelly netted $50,000 for Shaklee speeches in that year alone.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

During the campaign, Kelly pledged to lower prescription drug costs in office, fight against “politicians who take money from drug companies” that “protect their [own] profits” and those politicians’ jobs.

At least 99% of participants in multi-level marketing companies lose rather than gain money, a 2011 Consumer Awareness Institute study found.

The Federal Trade Commission has also cautioned consumers against joining such companies’ get-rich-quick schemes, since “most people who join legitimate MLMs make little or no money.”

The Federal Trade Commission has also cautioned consumers against joining such companies get-rich-quick schemes, since “most people who join legitimate MLMs make little or no money.”Facebook/Shaklee Corporation

“Some of them lose money,” a webpage at the agency reads. “In some cases, people believe they’ve joined a legitimate MLM, but it turns out to be an illegal pyramid scheme that steals everything they invest and leaves them deeply in debt.”

It’s unclear whether Kelly is still taking the strong Shaklee supplements to stay on top of his political game in Washington, where he is now on a shortlist of contenders for Harris’ vice presidential pick.

An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released on Thursday found Kelly had the highest name recognition among US adults.

It’s unclear whether Kelly is still taking the strong Shaklee supplements to stay on top of his political game in Washington, where he is now on a shortlist of contenders for Harris’ vice presidential pick.AFP via Getty Images

At least 45% of Democrats also view him favorably, the most of any potential Democratic running-mate.

Kelly is vying with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro for the no. 2 spot on the 2024 Democratic ticket.

https://nypost.com/2024/08/01/us-news/sen-mark-kellys-past-days-hawking-vitamins-in-china-resurfaces-amid-veepstakes/

Illegal Jordan migrants ‘tried to breach’ Quantico, walk free after posting bail

 The two illegal Jordanian migrants who are charged with trying to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico in May posted thousands of dollars in bail and were allowed to leave federal custody, The Post can exclusively reveal.

Hasan Yousef Hamdan, 32, and Mohammad Khair Dabous, 28, were released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention despite their immigration status — Hamdan had crossed into the country illegally in April and Dabous had overstayed his student visa and is subject to removal proceedings, law enforcement sources told The Post.

They were arrested on May 3 for trespassing onto the military installation and handed over to ICE officers because of their immigration statuses.

Leaked photos exclusively obtained by The Post show Hasan Yousef Hamdan following the arrests made by ICE in May.Obtained by NY Post

It’s still unknown why the men allegedly tried to get onto the base.

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The site is home to the FBI Academy and FBI Laboratory, as well as a Defense Intelligence Agency facility and several major US Marine Corps commands — including the unit that flies the Marine One presidential helicopter.

“Big-time intel failure, security failure,” a federal law enforcement source told The Post.

“If it wasn’t an act of terrorism, why aren’t the government officials releasing the details of this? What was the intent?”

The men both posted bond in their ICE cases — with Hamdan’s set at $15,000 and Dabous’ set at $10,000 — and were released in early June, according to federal law enforcement sources.

Leaked photos exclusively obtained by The Post show Mohammad Khair Dabous following the arrests made by ICE in May.Obtained by NY Post

Hamdan and Dabous were charged with misdemeanor trespassing on military property and appeared before a judge for the first time on July 22, when they were ordered released on the conditions that they show up to court for their immigration proceedings and stay away from Quantico or other military bases, according to the court documents, which were first reported by Todd Bensman of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Federal prosecutors supported their releases on those conditions, according to the court documents.

Hamdan entered the US illegally via the southern border in San Diego in April, when he was released due to a lack of detention space, federal law enforcement sources told The Post.

Dabous was in the US illegally after overstaying his student visa, sources said.

“The Biden Administration’s failure to secure the border has brought this crisis to the front gates of our military installations,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said at the time of the attempted breach.AP

They were issued citations for trespassing and told to appear in federal court in Alexandria on July 22, court papers show.

Magistrate Judge William B. Porter signed off on their release on the condition they continue to appear for future court dates in their criminal and immigration cases.

They must also refrain from trespassing on any government property, including the Quantico facility, court papers show.

The two Jordanian nationals lied to guards at Quantico and claimed they worked for an Amazon subcontractor and were there to make a delivery, Capt. Michael Curtis, a spokesman for the base, previously told The Post.

The officers quickly determined that the two had no business being there.

The men, who were in a box truck, ignored instructions of military guards and tried to drive onto the base before they were stopped by anti-vehicle barriers.

The incident drew the attention of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who requested that the Biden administration give a briefing on what happened, criticizing the federal government’s “failure to disclose the immigration status of those involved.”

The two Jordanian men didn’t follow orders not to proceed onto the Marine Corps base and military officers had to deploy additional barriers to stop them.AP

“The Biden Administration’s failure to secure the border has brought this crisis to the front gates of our military installations,” Youngkin said at the time.

It took two weeks for top brass at Quantico to alert rank-and-file personnel of the attempted breach, Matt Strickland, 40, who had first flagged the incident to local new site Potomac Local News, previously told The Post.

“After I [raised the alarm], I had people who work at Quantico messaging me saying, ‘Holy f—k, when did this happen?,’” Strickland said.

“Two weeks after it happened, Quantico finally put an email out to employees on base letting them know.”

Curtis said the attempted entry “was reported immediately to required military officials.”

He added: “In any case determined to be an immediate threat to the base or its population, mass notification and other means are always used to notify all who work and live on Marine Corps Base Quantico.”

Criminal defense attorneys for Hamdan and Dabous didn’t immediately return requests for comment Wednesday.

The two accused have September court hearings scheduled.

https://nypost.com/2024/08/01/us-news/jordanian-migrants-who-tried-to-breach-quantico-base-freed-on-bail/