Trump’s Team Can’t Defend His Shifting Iran Lies: A Closer Look

Barr and Pompeo shift justification for Iran strike from 'imminent' threat to deterrence

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/13/politics/pompeo-barr-soleimani-strike-iran-rationale/index.html

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr said Monday that killing Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was part of a larger strategy of deterrence, a shift from the Trump administration's previous rationale that the strike was carried out to prevent an "imminent" attack.

Barr's comments were particularly noteworthy as he attempted to push back on criticism over the administration's claim that Soleimani was planning attacks that posed an imminent threat, calling the concept "something of a red herring."

 

Jailed for Acting Jewishly

BS"D

Jailed For Acting Jewishly*

(*an update of a recent post)

Alarming Instances of Anti-Jewish Religious-Discrimination Against Orthodox Women and Girls, by Draft Officials -- and Staff at Military Prison Number Four

Teves 16, 5780 °° Jan. 13, '20

By Binyomin Feinberg

FeinbergBinyomin@gmail.com

~~~~

Update:

1) This breaking news just in this afternoon: Another Israeli girl refusing to be drafted into the Army was recently arrested, Maital C. We hope to provide details as they become available.

2) As reported previously, another Israeli girl, Tal-Yah Bas Rus, was recently arrested and has been incarcerated in Military Prison Four, similarly due to her refusal to enlist in the Israeli Army. She too should be commended and vigorously assisted, in light of her willingness to endure imprisonment rather than enlist in the military. We hope to provide updated information as it becomes available.

~~~~~~~~~~~

To check for updates, on first view of this article, as well as throughout the week, please visit Updates for month of Teves '80:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LDLjvECWQExYoGjqIrbZtWALp6MpkHq22ihNz2BLuYM/edit?usp=sharing

~~~~~~~~~

###### BREAKING NEWS: ######

A significant scandal has been brought to light, just as we approach an important hearing tommorow - Tues. - for Orpaz Orah G. (bas Aliza). Orah is a 27 y/o religious sefardic woman from Ashdod, on whom we recently reported (https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/01/27-yo-female-refusenik-in-israeli-jai.html ). But first, some background:

1. Orah was imprisoned over two weeks ago, for ostensibly submitting her Religiosity-Certification somewhat late -- a whopping TEN years ago.

2. Orah is yet another religious woman suffering for maintaining her refusal to submit to the military draft, which is absolutely prohibited according to leading Rabbis across the spectrum.

3. It must be emphasized that even according to the Army's contention that Orah was late in sending in her religiosity certification, that is clearly a technicality. As such, it is certainly no reason to allow the government to imprison a girl for refusing to enlist in the military.

4. In a normal system, technicalities like that are dealt with altogether differently. However, in Israel, the Draft Office is employing incarceration frequently against girls refusing to enlist, for such minor legal infractions as sending in certification late.

5. This pattern of incarceration over minor procedural infractions is clearly a policy. And it's a policy clearly aimed at a goal, that goal being drafting girls who unfortunately get caught on such minor technicalities. That is intolerable as a policy, or otherwise. No girl should ever be forced into the Army, regardless of their religious affiliation or observance, or lack thereof. Similarly, no girl should be incarcerated for refusal to enlist, in the wake of such technical errors (or otherwise). Such incarceration, in essence, clearly serves as a means of attempting to compel compliance with the military draft.

6. Orah does not have a private attorney, but rather is presently reliant on the performance of her government-paid lawyer, and that there is no specific, clear path to her release in sight at this time. [Moreover, our information is that her family was dissuaded from procurement of private counsel. In our view, if this report is accurate, this itself is scandalous. But that particular scandal may not be one for which the government bears direct responsibility. We've seen a pattern of both incarcerated girls - and girls encumbered with legal complications with the Draft Offices - receiving misinformation from misguided or misinformed activists.]

7. The recently revealed scandal involves two staff members at that Military Prison (Four). According to a complaint officially submitted very recently, those two staff members illicitly denied attorney access to Orah, as well as to another recently incarcerated girl - also a religious objector to military service. These staff members allegedly denied both of these religious objectors the opportunity to meet a specific female attorney. The incidents allegedly occurred on and since Dec. 25, '19. The lawyer in question is a private attorney, who has provided assistance to multiple girls incarcerated in military prison over their refusal to violate the Torah (and their personal modesty) by enlisting in the Army. We hold back on publishing the names of the suspects for the time being.

8. Is this mistreatment of religious girls motivated by antireligious animus, or do these girls just happen to be religious? Firstly, such misconduct has no place in or outside of government, regardless of motivation.

Secondly, regardless of intentions, the religious and legal rights of these girls are being denied, according to the complaint.

Thirdly, unfortunately, within the Draft Office and Military Justice system, there does appear to be a systemic tolerance for anti-religious bias, an example being the now-resolved case of Avigail Leah H. bas Rus Ester.

(See https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/08/alh-report-2-28-augviolating-vineyard.html and https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/09/violating-vineyard-update.html .)

Another example, brought to the fore by a recent development in her case, is the plight of Ziva bas Mazal M. (https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/10/racial-profiling-or-pure-antireligious.html). Recently, she just received a letter from the Draft Office ("Maitav") reiterating their denial of her right to obtain a religious exemption. They don't even have what to say to pretend that they have some question about her religiosity. To the contrary, they indicate that they may accept her religiosity claim, but only after serving three months in the Army. Well, if she's religious, that would be both against Halacha, and, le'havdil alfei havdolos, against her secular legal rights. G-d willing, we hope to publish alot more on this particularly discriminatory travesty.

9. Another issue that urgently requires attention is the process of delegation of such cases to activists. A number of the activists who have been most effective in assisting female religious objectors feel hampered by lack of information. The primary manner of fighting for imprisoned women like Orah, Tal-Yah and Maital is via disseminating accurate and detailed information. The government knows that very well, and appears to be orchestrating the delegation of cases accordingly, so that the activists who take more militant approach to freeing these women don't get access to the case or the requisite information (at least not without a lot of painstaking and time-consuming work).

10. Additionally, while it's important that Chareidi activists are involved in helping, or trying to assist this non-Chareidi young woman (Orah), the vocal protest of the national-religious community is vital to put a stop to this ongoing targeting of non-Chareidi / national-religious women and girls by the Army.

11. Does the government see the rightwing national-religious community as an ally willing enough to sacrifice their own daughters to conscription, in violation of Torah Law, for strongly held nationalistic ideals? Or do they hope to hoodwink the community into averting their focus as the government pursues individual girls not connected with mainstream communities and influential leaders? Whatever the case may be, it's incumbent on all religious Jews to liberate the Israeli government of the notion that they can continue to intimidate, terrorize, arrest, incarcerate and persecute such girls with impunity in the future.

12. We've already reported (quoting Ma'ariv Online) on the government goal of reaching a shocking 40% Army enlistment of national-religious high school girls*, G-d forbid. They're clearly admitting to targeting national-religious girls.

13. That means that all Jews have a commensurate obligation to escalate our vigilance for that particular targeted national-religious sector, regardless of any differences of opinion, shitos, etc.

14. The attitude of some people that each group should just focus on saving "it's own" girls is wrong, not only from a Halachic perspective, but from a practical one as well. The government has demonstrated itself more than adept at "divide-and-conquer." Thus we must remain ahead of the game by excelling in "all-for-one," regardless of who that "one" is. Thereby, the daughter you help save may, one day, be your own.

May we merit the Final Redemption speedily in the merit of authentic unity, one that sacrifices neither ideological integrity, maintenance of proper boundaries, cognizance of the bigger picture, or broader communal responsibility.

~~~

* https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/11/online-updates-in-culture-wars-parshas.html

http://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2019/11/culture-wars-updates-online-vayaira.html?m=1

(Also reported in our Jewish Press Dispatch column at the time of those postings.)

__________________________________

The Tenth of Teves:

__________________________________

For a relevant post, with a perspective on the fast of the Tenth of Teves, see:

https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/01/tenth-of-teves-day-of-reckoning.html

בת בסמינר שהפך ל'כת' מגיבה: "המתלוננות - מתוסכלות"

 https://www.kikar.co.il/343904.html

בשכונת הבוכרים המומים. אלו שהתגוררו ליד 'באר מרים' טוענים כי לא ידעו

 דבר מהנעשה בין כותלי המקום • תיעוד: בכניסה למקום הוצבה שומרת, המונעת כניסה מזרים - הבנות בפנים רוקדות (ארץ)

Jerusalem: 10 arrested for holding dozens captive in 'cult'

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/274480

This is the second time the institution in question has been probed by police for alleged abuses. Several years ago the compound was raided as part of the first investigation, which was ultimately closed for lack of evidence.

The probe was reopened, however, following additional reports of abuse from women who had fled the compound.

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-police-arrest-suspected-cult-leader-who-kept-dozens-of-women-children/

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BkFESRYe8

Trump authorized Soleimani's killing 7 months ago, with conditions

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-authorized-soleimani-s-killing-7-months-ago-conditions-n1113271

President Donald Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani seven months ago if Iran's increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials.

Donald Trump’s Iran Problem

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/20/donald-trumps-iran-problem
 The killing of General Qassem Suleimani has undermined the Trump Administration’s top goals in the Islamic Republic.

Defense Secretary Refuses To Endorse Trump's Claims On Iran | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Jake Tapper: 'Terrorist lover' attacks from Trump defenders are smears

Malcolm Gladwell | Talking to Strangers - What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know

How a Debunked Ukraine Theory Endures Against All Evidence

https://www.snopes.com/ap/2020/01/12/how-a-debunked-ukraine-theory-endures-against-all-evidence/

The discredited theory, spread online by GOP allies in interviews and tweets, has been embraced by a president reluctant to acknowledge the reality of Russian election interference, and anxious to show he had reason to be suspicious of Ukraine as the U.S. withheld crucial military aid last year.

The effect: blurring the facts of the impeachment case for many Americans even before it reaches a trial that could begin with days.

Experts fear the strategy leaves the U.S. vulnerable to more misinformation campaigns in the 2020 election and signals to the Kremlin and other foreign actors that Americans are willing to cling to falsehoods.

Jew-Hatred: #WE-[Israeli-Women]TOO

N L

10:02 PM (8 minutes ago)

to me, Eliezer

BS"D

Jew-Hatred in Israel?: #WeToo

Alarming Instances of Anti-Jewish Religious-Discrimination Against Orthodox Women and Girls, by Draft Officials -- and Staff at Military Prison Number Four

Teves 15, 5780 °° Jan. 12, '20

By Binyomin Feinberg

FeinbergBinyomin@gmail.com

~~~~

Update:

Yet another Israeli girl, Tal-Yah Bas Rus, was recently reportedly incarcerated in Military Prison Four due to her refusal to enlist in the Israeli Army. She should be commended and vigorously assisted, in light of her willingness to endure imprisonment rather than enlist in the military. We hope to provide updated information as it becomes available.

~~~~~~~~~~~

To check for updates, on first view of this article, as well as throughout the week, please visit Updates for month of Teves '80:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LDLjvECWQExYoGjqIrbZtWALp6MpkHq22ihNz2BLuYM/edit?usp=sharing

~~~~~~~~~

###### BREAKING NEWS: ######

A significant scandal has been brought to light, just as we approach an important hearing this week - for Orpaz Orah G. (bas Aliza). Orah is a 27 y/o religious woman, on whom we recently reported (https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/01/27-yo-female-refusenik-in-israeli-jai.html ). Orah was imprisoned over two weeks ago, for ostensibly submitting her Religiosity-Certification somewhat late -- a whopping TEN years ago. She is yet another religious woman suffering for maintaining her refusal to submit to the military draft, which is absolutely prohibited according to leading Rabbis across the spectrum.

Our latest information is that Orah does not have a private attorney, but rather is presently reliant on the performance of her government-paid lawyer, and that there is no specific, clear path to her release in sight at this time.

° The recently revealed scandal involves two staff members at that Military Prison (Four), who illicitly denied attorney access to Orah, as well as to another recently incarcerated girl - also a religious objector to military service. These staff members allegedly denied both of these religious objectors the opportunity to meet a specific female religious attorney. The lawyer in question is a private attorney, who has provided assistance to multiple girls incarcerated in military prison over their refusal to violate the Torah (and their personal modesty) by enlisting in the Army. We hold back on publishing the names of the suspects for the time being.

Is this mistreatment of religious girls motivated by antireligious animus, or do these girls and the attorney in question just happen to be religious? Firstly, such misconduct has no place in or outside of government, regardless of motivation. Secondly, unfortunately, there appears to be a systemic tolerance for anti-religious bias, an example being the now-resolved case of Avigail Leah H.

(See https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/08/alh-report-2-28-augviolating-vineyard.html and https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/09/violating-vineyard-update.html .)

° Another issue that urgently requires attention is the process of delegation of such cases to activists. A number of the activists who have been most effective in assisting female religious objectors feel hampered by lack of information. The primary manner of fighting for imprisoned women like Orah is via disseminating accurate and detailed information. The government knows that very well, and appears to be orchestrating the delegation of cases accordingly, so that the activists who take more militant approach to freeing these women don't get access to the case or the requisite information (at least not without a lot of painstaking and time-consuming work).

° Additionally, while it's important that Chareidi activists are involved in helping, or trying to assist this non-Chareidi young woman, the vocal protest of the national-religious community is vital to put a stop to this ongoing targeting of non-Chareidi / national-religious women and girls by the Army. Does the government see the rightwing national-religious community as an ally willing enough to sacrifice their own daughters to conscription, in violation of Torah Law, for strongly held nationalistic ideals? Or do they hope to hoodwink the community into averting their focus as the government pursues individual girls not connected with mainstream communities and influential leaders? Whatever the case may be, it's incumbent on all religious Jews to liberate the Israeli government of the notion that they can continue to intimidate, terrorize, arrest, incarcerate and persecute such girls with impunity in the future.

We've already reported (quoting Ma'ariv Online) on the government goal of reaching a shocking 40% Army enlistment of national-religious high school girls*, G-d forbid. They're clearly admitting to targeting national-religious girls. That means that all Jews have a commensurate obligation to escalate our vigilance for that particular targeted national-religious sector, regardless of any differences of opinion, shitos, etc.

° The attitude of some people that each group should just focus on saving "it's own" girls is wrong, not only from a Halachic perspective, but from a practical one as well. The government has demonstrated itself more than adept at "divide-and-conquer." Thus we must remain ahead of the game by excelling in "all-for-one," regardless of who that "one" is. Thereby, the daughter you help save may, one day, be your own.

May we merit the Final Redemption speedily in the merit of authentic unity, one that sacrifices neither ideological integrity, maintenance of proper boundaries, cognizance of the bigger picture, or broader communal responsibility.

~~~

* https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/11/online-updates-in-culture-wars-parshas.html

http://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2019/11/culture-wars-updates-online-vayaira.html?m=1

(Also reported in our Jewish Press Dispatch column at the time of those postings.)

__________________________________

The Tenth of Teves:

__________________________________

For a relevant post, with a perspective on the fast of the Tenth of Teves, see:

https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/01/tenth-of-teves-day-of-reckoning.html

Esper Says He ‘Didn’t See’ Specific Evidence Iranians Planned to Attack 4 Embassies

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/us/politics/esper-iran-trump-embassies.html

 President Trump had claimed that a planned attack on four American embassies was a justification for the strike on an Iranian general.

Trump's Defense Secretary Says Iran's Soleimani Was 'Probably' Planning U.S. Embassy Attacks, But He 'Didn't See' Specific Evidence

 newsweek

  World Donald Trump Iran Qassem Soleimani Republicans

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Sunday that he "didn't see" specific evidence that Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani was planning attacks on U.S. embassies in the Middle East, but he believed "probably" that was Soleimani's plan.

Esper's remarks, during an interview with CBS News' Face the Nation, came after President Donald Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Friday that he could "reveal" that he believed "it probably would've been four embassies" that were attacked through Soleimani's planning. The defense secretary did not directly corroborate Trump's remarks, noting that he had not seen evidence confirming the president's assertion.

YouTube purges videos of Rabbi Meir Kahane

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/274442

 

Internet video giant YouTube has purged thousands of videos of former Israeli Knesset Member and Jewish Defense League founder Rabbi Meir Kahane, barring an account which uploaded the videos with no explanation given for the move.

According to a report by The Jewish Press, some 2,600 videos containing footage of Rabbi Kahane or his students were removed from YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, several weeks ago in late December.

Britain’s Iran envoy denies demonstrating against regime before he was arrested

https://www.timesofisrael.com/britains-iran-envoy-denies-demonstrating-against-regime-before-he-was-arrested/

TEHRAN, Iran — After he was briefly arrested, Britain’s ambassador to Tehran on Sunday denied an Iranian claim that he had taken part in a demonstration that broke out at a memorial for the 176 people killed when a plane was shot down.

56 Percent of Americans Disapprove of President Trump's Handling of Iran, Poll Says

https://www.newsweek.com/56-percent-americans-disapprove-president-trumps-handling-over-iran-poll-says-1481703

Trump and his administration argue that Soleimani was planning "imminent" attacks on the U.S., with the president saying that regional U.S. embassies were going to be targeted. However, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also said that he did not know exactly where or when the attacks would occur, which critics have argued shows that the threat was not actually "imminent." Unidentified government sources also told The New York Times that the intelligence used to justify the attack was "razor thin."

"Pompeo: The attack was imminent, but 'we didn't know when and we didn't know where.' Well, if you don't know when and if you don't know where, that is not 'imminent,'" Democratic presidential candidate Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a veteran of the Iraq War, tweeted on Sunday, criticizing the secretary of state.

Fox News analyst responds to Trump attack: 'This is the way you treat your friends?'

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/apr/29/fox-news-judge-andrew-napolitano-trump-obstruction-mueller-report-attack-response

 “He wanted to divert attention from what Mueller had said about him,” he said, “and what I had commented about Mueller to his relationship with me, his relationship with me is not the story.”

The former New Jersey superior court judge also denied asking for a supreme court seat, saying Trump had actually asked him, unprompted, to recite his qualifications for the job.

“He said, all right, give me a spiel as to why I should put you on,” he said. “Who would turn that down? I gave him the spiel.”

 

Four hospitalized after antisemitic mob rampages through Uman

https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Antisemitism/Four-hospitalized-after-antisemitic-mob-rampages-through-Uman-613918

  An armed mob stormed through the city of Uman, Ukraine over Shabbat, attacking Jews outside the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav, Yeshiva World News reported.

Saudi military trainees to be expelled from US after Florida shooting

https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Saudi-military-trainees-to-be-expelled-from-US-after-Florida-shooting-613896

More than a dozen Saudi servicemen who are training at U.S. military bases will be expelled from the United States in the aftermath of a Pentagon review prompted by the deadly Dec. 6 shooting by a Saudi Air Force officer at an American naval base in Florida, CNN reported on Saturday.

The Saudi personnel being expelled are not accused of aiding the Saudi Air Force second lieutenant who killed three American sailors at the Pensacola installation, CNN reported, quoting unnamed sources.

 

1/11/20 | President Trump News Today January 11, 2020

Judge Andrew Napolitano: Trump had no legal right to order killing of Soleimani

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/judge-andrew-napolitano-lawless-political-assassination

"America ... goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy." -- President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)


The president's supporters have argued that the general's death was revenge for Americans and others killed by the general's troops and surrogates. Trump has argued, more importantly, that he ordered the general's death because of what evil the general might order his own troops and surrogates to do in the future.

Can the president legally kill a person not engaged in an act of violence because of what the person might do in the future? In a word: No.

The president has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. The Constitution provides only two means for the federal government to kill a human being. The first is pursuant to a declaration of war, which only Congress can do. That permits the president to use the military to kill the troops of the government of the country against which war has been declared. Congress has not declared war on Iran.

The second way that the Constitution permits federal government killings is pursuant to due process. That means that the person to be killed is lawfully in custody, has been properly charged, lawfully tried and fairly convicted of a capital crime, and the conviction has been upheld on appeal.

Roaming the world looking for monsters to slay not only violates long-standing principles of American domestic and international law, but also it violates basic Judeo-Christian moral principles, which teach that the end does not justify the means and might does not make right.
Think about it. If the American president can kill an Iranian government official in Iraq because of fear of what he might do -- without a declaration of war or any legal process -- can the Chinese president kill a Mexican government official visiting in Texas or an American intelligence agent encouraging revolution in Venezuela for fear of what they might do?

Pence sinks Trump with accidental admission on stage at rally

Trump Offers New Explanation For Soleimani Killing | Deadline | MSNBC

Shifting Explanations Raises Questions About Trump Admin Intel On Iran | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

You cannot make this up ... but Trump did. - Erin Burnett

Reporter calls out Pompeo to his face for lying about “imminent threat” from Iran

Mike Pompeo Admits U.S. Did Not Know Where and When Soleimani Attacks Would Happen, Despite Previously Warning of 'Imminent Threat'

 https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pompeo-us-did-not-know-when-where-soleimani-imminent-attacks-1481442

Mike Pompeo admitted U.S. officials didn't know when or where attacks allegedly planned by Iranian General Qassem Soleimani would take place, despite previous claiming that the latter posed an "imminent" threat to American personnel.

The secretary of state said officials did not know "precisely" when or where the alleged plots would occur, but insisted the threat "was real" in a Fox News interview on Thursday night.

He also repeated his claim that there was "no doubt" the former Quds Force commander was plotting a "series of imminent attacks" on U.S. forces and diplomats in Iraq and other parts of the world.

Pompeo revealed that officials had no precise details of when and where the alleged planned attacks would take place after a Wednesday intelligence briefing with lawmakers on the Soleimani strike was met with a backlash.

FactChecking Trump’s Iran Address

In this week’s fact-checking video, CNN’s Jake Tapper examines several claims from President Donald Trump’s remarks after an Iranian missile attack on military bases in Iraq housing U.S. coalition forces.

Trump also was wrong when he claimed that as a part of the deal, Iran was “given $150 billion, not to mention $1.8 billion in cash.” Trump frequently distorts this point, but as we explained once again last year, the deal unfroze some of Iran’s assets that were held largely in foreign banks due to U.S. sanctions. A Treasury Department official in 2015 testified that that would allow Iran to access about $50 billion in “usable liquid assets.”

The $1.8 billion in cash that Trump mentioned is from an unrelated settlement reached by the Obama administration to resolve a dispute that dates to 1979, when Iran paid the U.S. $400 million for military equipment it never received. The U.S. agreed in 2016 to repay Iran that sum, with interest, for a total of $1.7 billion.

Finally, Trump made the dubious claim that “The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration.” Experts told us that prior to the nuclear deal, Iran already possessed many of the type of missiles used in the retaliatory attack. A researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies told us he had “strong doubts” that Iran’s missile development — which has long been a high priority for the country’s supreme leader — was “affected too much by budget fluctuations.”