CRAIG NIGRELLI
THIS MORNING THE DUST IS STILL SETTLING AT THE TOP OF THE F-B-I. ON WEDNESDAY, F-B-I DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY ANNOUNCED HE WOULD BE RESIGNING AT THE END OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, PAVING THE WAY FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP TO PICK HIS OWN DIRECTOR. WRAY HAD TIME LEFT ON HIS TERM AND IRONICALLY IT WAS TRUMP WHO NOMINATED CHRISTOPHER WRAY, DURING HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION.
HERE’S STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS REPORTER KARAH RUCKER WITH WHAT HAPPENS FROM HERE.
KARAH RUCKER
TRUMP NOMINATED KASH PATEL TO LEAD THE BUREAU…MEANING WRAY HAD TWO OPTIONS: RESIGN OR GET FIRED.
DURING A TOWN HALL WITH FBI EMPLOYEES…WRAY SAID ALTHOUGH LEAVING ISN’T EASY, IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR THE BUREAU AND FOR AMERICANS.
HE SAID IN HIS VIEW QUOTE “this is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.”
REACTING TO THE NEWS ON TRUTH SOCIAL…TRUMP CALLED WRAY’S RESIGNATION QUOTE “A GREAT DAY FOR AMERICA,” SAYING IT “WILL END THE WEAPONIZATION” OF THE FBI. HE SAID THE AGENCY “illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America.”
WRAY TOOK THE HELM IN 2017 WHEN TRUMP APPOINTED HIM…RECEIVING AN OVERWHELMING CONFIRMATION BY U-S LAWMAKERS.
HIS LEADERSHIP CAME ON THE HEELS OF THE FORMER DIRECTOR’S INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP ASSOCIATES AND THEIR CONNECTION TO RUSSIA’S INTERFERENCE DURING THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
DISTANCE GREW BETWEEN THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND WRAY WHEN THE FBI CONDUCTED SEARCHES OF TRUMP’S RESORT IN ORDER TO RECOVER CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS. THAT WARRANT AND WHAT AGENTS RECOVERED LED TO TRUMP’S FEDERAL INDICTMENT ON SEVERAL CRIMINAL CHARGES.
UNDER WRAY’S WATCH…THE FBI ALSO LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE JANUARY SIXTH ATTACK ON THE CAPITOL…ENDING UP WITH MORE THAN 15 HUNDRED PEOPLE ACCUSED OF BREAKING THE LAW.
IN A RECENT SIT DOWN INTERVIEW WITH NBC NEWS, TRUMP SAID HE’S UNHAPPY WITH WRAY AND CRIME LEVELS IN THE U-S, VOWING TO FIRE THE DIRECTOR ONCE IN OFFICE.
RUMORS ABOUT WRAY’S TENURE PRECEDED WEDNESDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT AS INCOMING SENATE JUDICIARY CHAIR CHUCK GRASSLEY QUESTIONED HIS LEADERSHIP.
THE IOWA SENATOR RELEASED A LETTER CRITICIZING HOW THE FBI HAS HANDLED THINGS LIKE CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT CASES, SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS BY FEMALE FBI EMPLOYEES AND THE AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT RELEASED A STATEMENT FROM ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK B GARLAND WEDNESDAY FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT PRAISING WRAY’S EFFORTS AND HIS ABILITY TO KEEP AMERICA SAFE.
GARLAND SAID WRAY HAS, “led the FBI’s efforts to aggressively confront the broad range of threats facing our country — from nation-state adversaries and foreign and domestic terrorism to violent crime, cybercrime, and financial crime.”
REPUBLICAN SOUTH DAKOTA SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS ALSO EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR WRAY AND HAD NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT HOW HE LED THE FBI.
HE SAID FORMER PRESIDENT PICKED A GOOD MAN TO LEAD THE FBI DURING HIS FIRST TERM.
THE BUREAU’S DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PAUL ABBATE COULD TAKE OVER THE FBI WHILE A PERMANENT DIRECTOR IS CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE ONCE TRUMP IS OFFICIALLY SWORN INTO OFFICE.
CRAIG NIGRELLI
YOU CAN FIND KARAH RUCKER”S FULL REPORT NOW ON SAN DOT COM AND THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP.
META — THE PARENT COMPANY OF FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM — CONFIRMING WEDNESDAY NIGHT HAS DONATED ONE-MILLION DOLLARS TOWARD PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP’S INAUGURAL FUND.
IT COMES TWO WEEKS AFTER C-E-O MARK ZUCKERBERG HAD A PRIVATE MEETING WITH TRUMP AT TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO ESTATE IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
THE MOVE IS A MAJOR REVERSAL FROM NEARLY FOUR YEARS AGO — WHEN META BANNED TRUMP FROM ITS PLATFORMS AFTER THE JANUARY 6-TH CAPITOL RIOTS.
DURING HIS CAMPAIGN — TRUMP LABELED FACEBOOK A QUOTE “ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE” IN A MARCH INTERVIEW WITH C-N-B-C.
HE ALSO THREATENED TO PUNISH ZUCKERBERG IF HE TRIED TO INFLUENCE THE ELECTION AGAINST HIM.
THE HOUSE HAS PASSED A CRITICAL DEFENSE POLICY BILL, KNOWN AS THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT, — WITH A CONTROVERSIAL CAVEAT.
THE $895-BILLION-DOLLAR MEASURE INCLUDES A BAN ON GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE FOR TRANS CHILDREN UNDER TRI-CARE — THE MILITARY’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM.
THAT MEANS TRI-CARE WILL NOT COVER PUBERTY BLOCKERS AND HORMONE THERAPY FOR CHILDREN OF SERVICE MEMBERS.
WHILE PAST ATTEMPTS TO INCLUDE THE BAN IN THE N-D-A-A HAVE FAILED — THIS ONE WAS OVERSHADOWED BY BIPARTISAN PROVISIONS OF THE BILL INCLUDING A 14-AND-A-HALF PERCENT PAY RAISE FOR JUNIOR ENLISTED SERVICE MEMBERS.
IN ADDITION, THE NDAA ALSO INCLUDES A PROVISION THAT WOULD BAN THE TEACHING OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY IN THE MILITARY.
WEDNESDAY’S VOTE WAS 281 TO 140 — WITH 124 DEMOCRATS AND 16 REPUBLICANS VOTING AGAINST THE LEGISLATION.
THE BILL NOW HEADS TO THE SENATE FOR APPROVAL.
AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER THE DOZENS OF DRONE SIGHTINGS IN NEW JERSEY AND OTHER LOCATIONS ALONG THE EAST COAST – THE PENTAGON HAS SHOT DOWN ONE THEORY CIRCULATING AT THE CAPITOL.
DURING A HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE HEARING WEDNESDAY — NEW JERSEY CONGRESSMAN JEFF VAN DREW CRITICIZED THE FAA FOR NOT TAKING ACTION BEFORE GIVING HIS OPINION ON WHAT’S GOING IN THE SKIES.
REP. JEFF VAN DREW | R-NJ
“I’ve learned for real that there is circumstantial evidence that there is an Iranian mothership off the East Coast of the United States and that’s launching these drone incursions. They are from high, good sources, individuals who are reputable, individuals who speak with authority unfortunately are concerned with identifying who they are at this point who are saying this but this is true. It’s unacceptable and it’s frightening and our government has to act.”
LATER IN THE DAY — PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY SABRINA SINGH WAS ASKED ABOUT VAN DREW’S CLAIMS.
Sabrina Singh | Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary
“There is not any truth to that — there is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States.”
SINGH SAID THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THE DRONE ACTIVITY IS COMING FROM A FOREIGN ENTITY OR IS THE WORK OF AN ADVERSARY. SHE SAID THE PENTAGON WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN A HIGH-PROFILE CASE.
FAMILY MEMBERS SAY HANNAH KOBAYASHI — THE HAWAII WOMAN WHO’S BEEN AT THE CENTER OF A MISSING PERSONS INVESTIGATION IN CALIFORNIA — HAS BEEN FOUND.
POLICE IN LOS ANGELES STOPPED LOOKING FOR HER ON DECEMBER SECOND — SAYING SHE TRAVELED TO MEXICO TO QUOTE “DISCONNECT” — AND RECLASSIFIED HER CASE AS ONE OF A “VOLUNTARY MISSING PERSON”.
WEDNESDAY, THE 30-YEAR-OLD’S MOTHER AND SISTER PUT OUT A STATEMENT SAYING SHE HAD BEEN FOUND SAFE, BUT DID NOT SAY WHERE.
RELATIVES REPORTED HER MISSING IN NOVEMBER, AFTER SHE FAILED TO GET ON A CONNECTING FLIGHT FROM L-A TO NEW YORK CITY ON THE 8-TH.
POLICE LATER SAID THEY FOUND VIDEO OF HER CROSSING INTO MEXICO, VIA THE SAN DIEGO LAND PORT AT TIJUANA, A FEW DAYS AFTER HER MISSED FLIGHT.
DURING THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING WOMAN, HER FAMILY SUFFERED A TRAGEDY AS KOBAYASHI’S FATHER — WHO TRAVELED FROM HAWAII TO LOS ANGELES TO JOIN THE SEARCH PARTY — TOOK HIS OWN LIFE. THE FAMILY SAYING HE DIED OF “A BROKEN HEART.”
FINALLY THIS MORNING — IT’S THE START OF A NEW CHAPTER FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST COACHES IN NFL HISTORY.
BILL BELICHICK – THE 72-YEAR-OLD SIX-TIME SUPER BOWL WINNING COACH – IS TAKING THE OFFER TO BECOME THE NEW HEAD COACH AT THE UNIVERSITYT OF NORTH CAROLINA.
BELICHICK COACHED THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS FROM 2000 TO 2023 — CREATING A DYNASTY ALONGSIDE QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY.
BELICHICK CURRENTLY SITS AT NUMBER 2 ON THE NFL ALL-TIME COACHING WINS LIST WITH 333 — BEHIND DON SHULA’S 347 VICTORIES.
BELICHICK’S 5-YEAR DEAL WITH UNC IS PENDING APPROVAL BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES WHICH IS SET TO HOLD AN EMERGENCY MEETING LATER TODAY.