WASHINGTON – The co-owner of a major Pentagon propaganda contractor publicly admitted Thursday that he was behind a series of websites used to discredit two USA TODAY journalists who had reported on the contractor.The online "misinformation campaign," first reported last month, has raised questions about whether the Pentagon or its contractors had turned its propaganda operations against U.S. citizens. But Camille Chidiac, the minority owner of Leonie Industries and its former president, said he was responsible for the online activity and was operating independent of the company or the Pentagon."I take full responsibility for having some of the discussion forums opened and reproducing their previously published USA TODAY articles on them," he said a statement released by his attorney, Lin Wood, of Atlanta."I recognize and ... Continue reading →
Enlarge image Christie Deflects Revenue Shortfall Criticism With Insults Eric Thayer/The New York Times via Redux New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Photographer: Eric Thayer/The New York Times via Redux As New Jersey’s nonpartisan budget analyst testified before Assembly lawmakers about a $1.3 billion revenue shortfall, Republican Governor Chris Christie offered his own analysis of the speaker. “Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?” Christie said yesterday, referring to David Rosen, who reported that the governor’s budget overestimates revenue collections through June 2013. He’s “a joke,” a “handmaiden” for Democrats who control the Senate and the Assembly, Christie said. “The Dr. Kevorkian of the numbers.” The comparison between Rosen, whose work in the Office of Legislative Services is ... Continue reading →
Twitter uses the t.co domain as part of a service to protect users from harmful activity, to provide value for the developer ecosystem, and as a quality signal for surfacing relevant, interesting Tweets. Back to Twitter Learn more Continue reading →
Former New York Senator Alfonse D'Amato. (File photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images file photo) A government watchdog group is asking the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate a lobbying firm that organized a $22,000 trip to Taiwan for Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) and his wife in December. Two officials from Public Citizen sent a letter today to the chief counsel of the ethics office requesting an investigation into whether Park Strategies broke House travel rules by organizing the trip for Owens, who enjoyed $500-a-night luxury hotels during his stay. The letter cites a May 10 ProPublica story, co-published with Politico, that revealed the lobbyists’ role in the trip. Park Strategies, which is a registered foreign agent for Taiwan, was founded by former Senator Al D’Amato ... Continue reading →
For a moment, let me remove my hat as a Republican candidate for public office and speak only wearing my yarmulke, as a Rabbi who has known Cory for twenty years and has had the blessing throughout that time of an intimate, brotherly friendship. Many of us back at Oxford thought that Cory might be the first African-American president. Not because of his resume or his ability to connect with people. Not even because of his charisma. Rather, Cory had a gift that I have always envied. He genuinely loves people. He likes being around them. Likes speaking to them. Likes listening to them. He believes he has something to learn from everyone. He sees his role as conferring dignity on those he meets. And ... Continue reading →
