SITREP
Tomorrow is Inauguration Day, folks. Here’s a quick look at some of the events leading up to it. As well as some of the fallout of a Biden administration that hasn’t even taken office yet.
POLITICAL WARNING
FBI Investigating Theft of Pelosi’s Laptop
The FBI is investigating a woman seen sitting at Pelosi’s desk on the 6th to determine if she stole the Speaker’s laptop and tried to sell it to the Russians. Riley June Williams is under investigation after a former romantic partner called a tip line several times to report that he saw Williams in the group of protestors that entered the Capitol. The witness called several more times to say Williams intended to sell the device to a friend in Russia who intended to sell it to the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service. A second laptop was also stolen from Sen. Jeff Merkley’s office.
False Claims of Potential Insider Attack
In an example of paranoia piled on paranoia, claims of a potential insider attack against Joe Biden prompted the FBI to scour the background of more than 25,000 National Guard troops in D.C. to assist with security of the inauguration. While totally baseless, the claim led to every soldier assigned to the event to be “vetted.” And while the process didn’t turn up any sleeper cells among the soldiers, it did lead to orders for units to review their unit patches, morale patches, coins, and any other images or slogans used by units of the armed forces for “offensive” language or images. Welcome to FUSA—the Former United States of America.
The Big Non-Event
There was a lot of chatter about the planned armed protests at all 50 state capitals this week. The media quickly picked up the ball and ran with it as they shouted from the rooftops that armed “insurrectionists” were once again at work. The FBI released several bulletins about the potential for violence at the protests (the FBI was the source of the leak to the media). As it turned out, it was all for nothing. While there were several protests, they were weakly attended and there was no violence. In many cases, LEO and the media far outnumbered the actual protestors. This led some in the media to claim a victory in that the show of force scared the potentially deadly mobs away. And this only makes sense as insurrectionists are not there for a fight, right? Expect to see a lot more fear mongering in the coming years as it is used to scare the population into surrendering their rights.
The Blitz Is On!
Joe Biden plans on a 10-day blitz of issuing executive orders, memorandums and directives to Cabinet agencies to “reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration.” Every President issues EO’s. Trump issued them yesterday on his way out the door. The problem with them is what they create. Like the situation in Guatemala where thousands of Honduran citizens are trying to make it north to gain access to the U.S. in anticipation of Biden’s relaxing of immigration laws, and the potential amnesty for millions of people in the U.S. illegally.
Director of National Intelligence: China attempted to Influence the Election
In an overdue report, the Director of the DNI, John Ratcliffe has assessed that China did indeed attempt to influence the 2020 election. However, it further claims that elements of the CIA suppressed this evidence because they disagreed with the policies of President Trump. This was in stark contrast to analysts working on Russia who looked at their target through an entirely different lens—theirs had crosshairs. An effort was made to paint Russia as having attempted to interfere with the outcome while simultaneously downplaying any role China may have played.
The Return of “Migrant” Caravas
With a Biden Administration poised to relax immigration laws and enforcement, migrants in South America are once again headed north in droves. More than 8,000 migrants, mostly Honduran, are currently stuck in Guatemala as police there deny them access to their country. Riot police in full gear are attempting to turn the mob back. News reports from the area show people crying and saying they need food, shelter, and water. The media will naturally use such images as justification for their sympathy of the “poor migrants” who left their homes with no more of a plan than to walk to the U.S. We can expect to see these returns as they did during the Obama administration.
Kamal Resigns Senate Seat
The California Senator has resigned her Senate seat in advance of the inauguration on Wednesday. She wrote in a letter to Californians, “serving as your Senator has been an honor.” Harris is set to become Vice President today, taking the only position in government that is part of both the Executive and Legislative branches.
CONFLICT WARNING
Airstrikes Hit Iran-backed Militias in Iraq
Monday night saw a heavy airstrike against Iranian-backed militias southwest of Baghdad. The attack took place in the town of Jurf al-Sakhr reportedly killing six Iraqi soldiers. Militias in the area claim the attack was carried out by U.S. F-16’s, though there is nothing to back this claim up. Considering the attack took place at night, it is unlikely people on the ground could positively ID the aircraft. U.S. CENTCOM has denied the U.S. conducted any attacks in the area leaving the door open to the possibility it was another state that carried out the assault.
B-52’s Flexing Muscle at Iran
A day after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard test fired anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Indian Ocean, the U.S. sent a flight of B-52’s into the region as a show of force. The flight departed Minot Airforce Base in North Dakota to make the non-stop flight to the region before returning. Flights such as this have been occurring about every two weeks as a way to demonstrate to Iran that the U.S. can hit them at any time and from anywhere. Iran is hoping to see a thawing of relations with a Biden administration.