Nobody Involved in FISA Process Vindicated, IG Says

Chinese Migrants Found Hiding in Appliances at US Border Crossing

SAN DIEGO—Eleven Chinese migrants were discovered hiding in furniture and appliances inside a truck stopped by agents as it entered the United States from Mexico at a Southern California border crossing, federal officials said. At least one person was crammed inside a washing machine and another was curled up inside a wooden chest, according to photos provided on Dec. 9 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Authorities searched the truck on Saturday evening at the border crossing between Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego, the federal agency said. The truck driver, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested on suspicion of human smuggling, a Customs and Border Protection statement said. He was not identified. This photo released on Dec. 9, 2019 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows a person hiding…

Nobody involved in obtaining a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant on a Donald Trump campaign aide is vindicated by the Department of Justice Inspector General report, Inspector General Michael Horowitz said.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) during a committee hearing on Wednesday quoted former FBI Director James Comey, who said last year:

“I have total confidence that the FISA process was followed, that the entire case was handled in a thoughtful, responsible way by DOJ and the FBI. I think the notion that FISA was abused here was nonsense,” Comey told reporters after testifying to the House Judiciary Committee in December 2018.

“Would it be fair to say that you take issue with that statement?” Graham asked Horowitz.

“Certainly our findings were that there were significant problems,” Horowitz said.

“So when Comey speaks about FISA, you shouldn’t listen. You should listen to Mr. Horowitz. He’s not vindicated. And to be concerned about the FISA warrant process is not nonsense,” Graham said.

Nobody Involved in FISA Process Vindicated, IG Says

Graham also asked Horowitz about Comey’s claim this week that the report from Horowitz’s team “vindicated” him.

“I think the activities we found here don’t vindicate anybody who touched this FISA,” Horowitz responded.

Horowitz also said that he could not rule out political bias motivating the significant errors and omissions that his team found.

“FBI leadership supported relying on Steele’s reporting to seek a FISA order targeting Page after being advised of concerns expressed by a Department attorney that Steele may have been hired by someone associated with a rival candidate or campaign,” he said in his opening statement.

Horowitz said that ex-British spy Christopher Steele, who was paid by Hillary Clinton’s campaign, had a bias “that needed to be disclosed” to the FISA court, but that it was not. After Graham asked if Steele has a personal bias, Horowitz said, “We found in the course of this, and heard from Mr. [Bruce] Ohr, that he was desperate to prevent Mr. Trump’s election.”

This article is from the Internet:Nobody Involved in FISA Process Vindicated, IG Says

Chinese Abalone Farmers Suffer Huge Losses Due to Overproduction, Pollution and a Slowing Economy

In China, abalone is served at fancy banquets and sold at high prices in retail markets. But this trend has changed as abalone prices have dropped significantly since last year due to a slowing economy, overproduction and pollution. Chinese abalone farmers could not even recover their costs this year. The retail prices of abalone dropped nearly 30 percent from last year, and now the price for one abalone is only about 3 yuan ($0.43), China’s Central TV (CCTV) reported on Nov. 28. In terms of per unit price, it is similar to that of Chinese cabbage. CCTV attributed the price drop to climate change, overproduction and shrinking exports. Overproduction, Pollution and Falling Exports Lianjiang County, in the coastal province of Fujian, is known as the “hometown of abalones.” Mr. Chen,…