Free Republic

The deadly riot at the US Capitol bore the markings of an organized operation planned well in advance of the January 6 joint session of Congress. A small number of cadre used the cover of a huge rally to stage its attack. Before it began, I saw from my vantage point on the West Front of the Capitol, what appeared to be four separate cells or units: Plainclothes militants. Militant, aggressive men in Trump and MAGA gear at a front police line at the base of the temporary presidential inaugural platform; Agents-provocateurs. Scattered groups of men exhorting the marchers to...

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner didn’t include his ownership in a real-estate finance company that makes him business partners with George Soros when filing financial disclosure forms. ... Kushner also failed to disclose loans totaling $1 billion from more than 20 lenders. ... Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, wasn’t open about his business dealings with Soros — a left-wing billionaire funding activists fiercely opposed to the president’s agenda — is unlikely to go over well with Trump’s base. ... Kushner’s ownership stake in real-estate startup Cadre makes him business parters with Soros, Peter Thiel and other...

Investor’s family fund issued $250M credit line: sources George Soros’ Soros Fund Management has quietly been financing the Kushner-backed real estate finance startup Cadre with a substantial credit line, according to sources familiar with the matter. A source familiar with the financing arrangement told The Real Deal that "Soros has had a long and productive relationship with the Kushner family." Another source told TRD that Kushner Companies TRData LogoTINY president Laurent Morali played a key role arranging the financing, but a Kushner Companies spokesperson disputed that account, claiming that "Kushner Cos. has never been involved in Cadre in any capacity."...

Sources say White House cadre bypassing agencies, jeopardizing security JERUSALEM – A small group of officials working mostly from the White House are tightly controlling U.S. foreign policy, bypassing other government agencies and making decisions without employing the expertise of those agencies, according to diplomatic sources speaking to WND. The sources said some of the decisions may be jeopardizing U.S. security. A senior Middle East diplomatic source said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently apologized to a Mideast leader, explaining to him U.S. policy regarding his country is being dictated by the White House and not her agency. The diplomatic...

Staff Sgt. Edwin R. Sanchez, right, an instructor at the Q-West Iraqi Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and an interpreter watch a slideshow depicting scenes from the latest training cycle during a graduation ceremony on July 25. Story and photo by Sgt. Rachel Brune101st Airborne Division Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX --The latest cycle of Iraqi troops graduated from the Iraqi Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy here, about 45 miles south of Mosul on July 25. The class was the last of a series taught by U.S. instructors from the 11th Field Artillery Regiment. The latest Iraqi NCOs will now return to their units...

Recovering from Christmas, I look for newspapers to give me new information, but no such luck. Venezuelan newspapers at this time of the year get thinner and original content is minimal, they are basically all empty, except for sports. Most good opinion writers are away on vacation. All of the papers are full of stories about the best in 2004. News in 2004. Month by month in 2004. My Sunday ritual of reading the newspapers is reduced to a few minutes of learning about Chavez returning from his China trip early and some details about the impact of the Cojedes...