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After all the smiling, smirking, and sometimes gnarly-faced reports by America's leading "journalists" that there is "no" proof that Obama wiretapped Trump---as Trump has alleged---David Nunes (R-CA), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is saying, "Hey, look what I found."
Jim Wallis, leader of the religious Left, relying heavily on what he read in the New York Times, is calling President Trump a "liar" and the White House a "House of Lies"---in an article written the day before the latest revelation by Chairman Nunes.
The American people are left to ask ourselves, "Who's lying now?"
I'll be talking further about this, as well as the postponement of the House vote on the replacement of Obamacare, on the radio this morning. You may join me from anywhere in the world on the radio, on your computer or on your phone. Here's how.
Jim Wallis, founder of the Sojourner organization, is generally recognized as the leader of the so-called Religious Left in America. He is also recognized by those who follow his lead as the "voice" of biblical truth, while he claims to be an evangelical, he embraces left-wing, anti-biblical ideologies, including abortion and same-sex marriage---while espousing anti-Israel beliefs. Wallis, also a religious advisor to President Obama, wrote an article the other day in which he calls President Trump a liar.
Wallis based his article on David Leonhardt's op-ed in the New York Times.
Leonhardt's piece begins with, "The ninth week of Donald Trump's presidency began with the FBI director calling him a liar."
Leonhardt does get around to saying FBI Director Comey didn't actually call President Trump a liar, "but his meaning was clear."
Wallis makes the moral distinction between President Obama "believing" you could keep your own doctor with Obamacare and being wrong, to President Trump saying things he knows are a lie.
How would Wallis know the heart of either Obama or Trump? I have read that only God knows the heart---and the heart is deceitful and wicked ---"who can know it?"---except God Himself.
Wallis notes that Leonhardt says there is a need for "journalistic fact checking" and "deeper moral reflection."
"And that Trump's supporters enjoy his lies."
Rev. Wallis could, perhaps, benefit by "deeper moral reflection" on how he has misled "Christians"---particularly the young regarding biblical teaching on the most fundamental teachings of the Bible---salvation by conversion, homosexual behavior, same-sex marriage, abortion, and other values and doctrine.
I am uncertain how Wallis defends his anti- Israel beliefs in light of Scripture.
The reverend concludes his article with an appeal to the religious community that "most Americans may conclude he's a fake president," and it's time for "leaders in the faith community to stand" up and say "that we are experiencing a moral and religious crises in our nation."
He says, "The truth will indeed set us free, and the unwillingness of the faith community to speak the truth to power could help put us into political bondage."
Let's do some moral reflection---and some fact checking.
Wednesday of this week, House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) announced that he had learned that members of President Trump's transition team had been under surveillance by the Obama administration.
He said, "I believe it was all done legally," but the question that rose from Nunes' report is why did the Obama administration "unmask" the names of the people ---who may not have been the target of the surveillance---but were swept up in the information gathering?
Our government regularly runs surveillance on diplomats, etc. from other countries---all done in the process of protecting the interests of our country.
Foreign diplomats have regular contact with most all elected officials in Congress and government.
In the process of gathering information, a part of that info most always includes the other party. When this info is shared with our intelligence community heads, the "other party" is "masked" or hidden from those who read the intelligence reports. If the head of our intelligence operations deem it critical to know who the other person is for security reasons, the name/or names are "unmasked."
It is a felony to share or leak the name/names of the "other" person who was not necessarily the object of the surveillance.
Nunes says none of this surveillance had any intelligence value.
"The question," he asks, "is why names of those swept up in the surveillance had been leaked?"
He says, "This information was brought to me legally by sources who thought I should know."
This was the day before yesterday.
Following Monday's hearing, the mainstream media celebrated FBI Director Comey's statement that there was no evidence of wiretapping Trump Tower---so left-wing politicians piled on. And they were joined by Republican Jeff Flake and a couple of others, demanding an apology from President Trump for saying he was surveilled.
The point, in light of Wednesday's revelation by Rep. Nunes', and the only new information from Monday's hearing, is that we now know that senior members may well have been involved in "unmasking" the names of those in the information sweep, even though they were not---or were not supposed to be, the target of the information gathering in the first place.
So there is vindication for Trump.
The names were, in fact, unmasked. And they were, in fact, shared with numerous agencies to apparently ensure they would be leaked. They were, in fact, leaked. And that, in fact, is a felony.
The question is who did the unmasking, and who did the leaking? Whomever it was, broke the law.
And what did the president know and when did he know it? That of course, would be President Obama.
On their attack on Trump, both Jim Wallis and David Leonhardt draw heavily on the opening statements by Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking Democrat on the house intelligence committee, in which he lays out the case for an alleged meddling of Russia in our 2016 elections.
Yesterday, Aaron Klein laid out 4 serious problems with Schiff's charges. Klein's article is in-depth and well sourced. I encourage you to read it.
But this matter has now moved beyond that issue because the far left has depended on the testimony of Comey and others who have conceded that there was no collusion on the election between Trump's team and the Russians.
However, they have now turned their attention to destroying Chairman Nunes.
Yesterday, CNN was abuzz with calls to investigate Chairman Nunes. Democrats on the Intelligence Committee were demanding, then saying they received an apology from Nunes for sharing the info with the press and the president before they saw it, Nancy Pelosi was calling for independent investigations, and Rep. Maxine Waters was calling for Congress to impeach the president.
Who knows what will happen today.
A couple of thoughts.
- Be informed. Thomas Jefferson is often quoted as saying, "An informed citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as free people."
- The Bible is clear that believers must be informed.
Isaiah (62:6,7) and Ezekiel (33:1-6) speak of the watchman who would inform.
Jesus (Mark 13) spoke of the watchman who must be vigilant, observant and informed.
Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.