UTAH SHEEP & LAMB LOSSES – 2017
Utah sheep and lamb producers lost 41,000 animals to weather, predators, disease and other causes during 2017, representing a total value of $6.95 million, according to a survey conducted by USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Mountain Regional Field Office. This study was undertaken at the request of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food who also provided funding. The total number of sheep and lambs lost was 2,000 head less than last year and the total value of inventory lost was 8 percent less than a year ago. The January 1, 2017 inventory was 275,000 head. The lamb crop for 2017 was 230,000 head. Lambs lost before docking during 2017 was 16,000 head. Sheep and lamb deaths for 2017 amounted to 7.9 percent of the 2017 sheep and lamb supply (inventory plus lamb crop plus lambs lost before docking).
The number of sheep and lambs lost to all predators totaled 27,300 head, up 2,100 head from last year. Lamb losses by all predators amounted to 22,200 head, up 10 percent from last year. The number of sheep lost to all predators totaled 5,100 head, up 100 head from a year ago. Predators caused an estimated $4.58 million in losses in 2017, up 5 percent from the previous year. Losses due to predators amounted to 5.2 percent of the 2017 sheep and lamb supply and 66.6 percent of all sheep and lamb deaths. Coyotes remained the largest predator for both sheep and lambs. Coyotes accounted for 60 percent of the predator caused losses and 40 percent of all death losses in the state. The value of losses attributed to coyotes was $2.73 million.
The total value of non-predatory losses was $2.37 million in 2017, compared with $3.19 million in 2016. Non-predatory losses accounted for 33 percent of all losses. The largest non-predatory cause of losses was due to weather conditions at 4,400 head. Sheep lost to non-predatory factors totaled 3,900 head, down 35 percent from 2016. Non-predatory lamb losses came in at 9,800 head, 2,000 head less than a year ago.
Lambs lost to all unknown causes totaled 3,100 head, compared with 4,400 head last year. Unknown causes claimed 600 sheep, compared with 1,200 head last year.
The sheep and lamb survey utilized multi-frame sampling procedures. The survey involved drawing a random sample from a list of livestock producers maintained by the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Utah Field Office. In addition, sheep producers living in a selected sample of area segments were interviewed. This procedure assures complete coverage of sheep producers by accounting for ranchers/farmers who may not be on the list.
Sheep and lamb loss estimates published by the USDA include sheep losses for the entire year, but include only those lamb losses that occur after docking. This special report also includes an estimate of lambs lost before docking.
Losses of Lambs Before Docking, by Cause: Utah, 2012-2017 Cause of Loss 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Number of Head Head Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 1 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 1 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 200 200 5,000 500 200 100 (D) 600 100 1,400 8,300 800 100 4,000 2,200 NA 100 300 100 2,100 9,700 18,000 200 200 5,800 300 500 200 (D) 400 100 200 7,900 700 200 2,800 1,300 NA (D) 100 (D) 1,500 6,600 14,500 100 200 5,200 100 500 400 (D) 700 300 100 7,600 1,100 200 2,700 1,900 NA (D) 100 (D) 2,900 8,900 16,500 100 200 5,000 100 500 400 (D) 700 200 100 7,300 1,100 200 2,500 1,800 NA (D) 100 (D) 3,000 8,700 16,000 100 300 5,500 200 500 500 (D) 700 300 200 8,300 900 300 2,600 2,400 NA (D) 100 (D) 2,400 8,700 17,000
200 400 5,700 200 700 400 (D) 500 400 100 8,600 (D) 100 3,000 2,200 NA (D) (D) 100 2,000 7,400 16,000
Foot notes at bottom of page.
Losses of Lambs After Docking, by Cause: Utah, 2012-2017 Cause of Loss 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Number of Head Head Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 1 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 1 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 1,800 500 8,500 200 1,800 100 100 100 100 800 14,000 400 200 700 NA NA 100 600 100 1,900 4,000 18,000 1,700 100 9,400 500 1,700 (D) (D) 300 (D) 400 14,100 600 100 600 NA NA (D) 100 300 2,200 3,900 18,000 1,700 200 8,500 200 900 200 (D) 100 (D) 300 12,100 100 200 400 NA NA (D) 300 100 2,800 3,900 16,000 1,700 200 7,800 200 800 200 (D) 100 (D) 100 11,100 100 200 400 NA NA (D) 300 100 2,800 3,900 15,000 1,300 300 7,000 300 2,400 200 100 100 (D) 200 11,900 300 500 400 NA NA (D) 300 (D) 1,600 3,100 15,000
1,600 400 7,700 200 2,800 500 200 100 (D) 100 13,600 (D) 100 900 NA NA (D) 400 100 900 2,400 16,000
(D) indicates Un-published: i.e. less than 100 head. 1 Other/Unknown includes Other and Unknown causes combined with Un-published causes. Totals may not add due to rounding.
Losses of Sheep and Lambs Combined, by Cause: Utah, 2012-2017 1 Cause of Loss 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Number of Head Head Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 2 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 2 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 2,800 800 16,500 1,300 2,500 200 100 700 200 2,500 27,600 1,700 700 5,200 3,100 2,900 500 1,400 300 5,600 21,400 49,000 2,700 300 18,400 1,200 2,900 200 (D) 700 100 900 27,400 2,100 500 5,100 1,900 1,700 (D) 900 300 5,600 18,100 45,500 2,900 500 16,500 500 2,100 700 (D) 800 300 600 24,900 1,500 500 3,300 2,800 1,500 100 1,300 100 7,500 18,600 43,500 2,800 500 15,200 500 2,000 600 (D) 800 200 400 23,000 1,500 500 3,100 2,600 1,400 100 1,200 100 7,500 18,000 41,000 2,500 600 14,900 800 4,000 700 100 800 300 500 25,200 1,700 1,100 3,400 3,300 1,600 100 1,400 100 5,100 17,800 43,000 2,700 800 16,300 600 4,300 900 300 600 400 400 27,300 100 200 4,400 2,900 1,200 300 1,100 200 3,300 13,700 41,000 Percent of Total by Cause Percent Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 2 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 2 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 5.7 1.6 33.7 2.7 5.1 0.4 0.2 1.4 0.4 5.1 56.3 3.5 1.4 10.6 6.3 5.9 1.0 2.9 0.6 11.4 43.7 100.0 5.9 0.7 40.4 2.6 6.4 0.4 (D) 1.5 0.2 2.0 60.2 4.6 1.1 11.2 4.2 3.7 (D) 2.0 0.7 12.3 39.8 100.0 6.7 1.1 37.9 1.1 4.8 1.6 (D) 1.8 0.7 1.4 57.2 3.4 1.1 7.6 6.4 3.4 0.2 3.0 0.2 17.2 42.8 100.0 6.8 1.2 37.1 1.2 4.9 1.5 (D) 2.0 0.5 1.0 56.1 3.7 1.2 7.6 6.3 3.4 0.2 2.9 0.2 18.3 43.9 100.0 5.8 1.4 34.7 1.9 9.3 1.6 0.2 1.9 0.7 1.2 58.6 4.0 2.6 7.9 7.7 3.7 0.2 3.3 0.2 11.9 41.4 100.0 6.6 2.0 39.8 1.5 10.5 2.2 0.7 1.5 1.0 1.0 66.6 0.2 0.5 10.7 7.1 2.9 0.7 2.7 0.5 8.1 33.4 100.0 Total Loss as a Percent of Supply 3 8.8 8.5 8.2 7.6 8.1 7.9 Dollar Value of Losses by Cause 1,000 dollars Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 2 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 2 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 491 133 2,790 242 426 32 16 111 32 414 4,687 300 135 853 545 635 98 252 54 982 3,854 8,541 434 47 2,925 194 464 31 (D) 109 16 146 4,366 341 82 824 307 294 (D) 152 47 906 2,953 7,319 538 91 2,988 93 388 126 (D) 142 53 111 4,529 273 91 590 516 298 20 250 18 1,369 3,424 7,953 547 94 2,838 99 390 108 (D) 144 36 81 4,336 283 94 567 502 312 22 250 18 1,422 3,470 7,805 461 98 2,541 145 705 114 16 130 49 86 4,346 301 194 573 581 340 21 278 21 884 3,193 7,538 475 126 2,727 106 721 142 53 95 63 74 4,581 21 32 721 495 255 64 212 32 542 2,373 6,953 (D) indicates Un-published: i.e. less than 100 head. 1 Lamb losses include both before and after docking losses. 2 Other/Unknown includes Other and Unknown causes combined with Un-published causes. 3 Supply equals beginning January 1st inventory plus lamb crop plus before docking death loss. Totals may not add due to rounding.
Losses of Sheep, by Cause: Utah, 2012-2017 Cause of Loss 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Number of Head Head Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 1 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 1 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 800 100 3,000 600 500 (D) (D) (D) (D) 300 5,300 500 400 500 900 2,900 300 500 100 1,600 7,700 13,000 800 (D) 3,200 400 700 (D) (D) (D) (D) 300 5,400 800 200 1,700 600 1,700 (D) 700 (D) 1,900 7,600 13,000 1,100 100 2,800 200 700 100 (D) (D) (D) 200 5,200 300 100 200 900 1,500 100 900 (D) 1,800 5,800 11,000 1,000 100 2,400 200 700 (D) (D) (D) (D) 200 4,600 300 100 200 800 1,400 100 800 (D) 1,700 5,400 10,000 1,100 (D) 2,400 300 1,100 (D) (D) (D) (D) 100 5,000 500 300 400 900 1,600 100 1,000 100 1,100 6,000 11,000
900 (D) 2,900 200 800 (D) 100 (D) (D) 200 5,100 100 (D) 500 700 1,200 300 700 (D) 400 3,900 9,000
Percent of Total by Cause Percent Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 1 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 1 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 6.2 0.8 23.1 4.6 3.8 (D) (D) (D) (D) 2.3 40.8 3.8 3.1 3.8 6.9 22.3 2.3 3.8 0.8 12.3 59.2 100.0 6.2 (D) 24.6 3.1 5.4 (D) (D) (D) (D) 2.3 41.5 6.2 1.5 13.1 4.6 13.1 (D) 5.4 (D) 14.6 58.5 100.0 10.0 0.9 25.5 1.8 6.4 0.9 (D) (D) (D) 1.8 47.3 2.7 0.9 1.8 8.2 13.6 0.9 8.2 (D) 16.4 52.7 100.0
10.0 1.0 24.0 2.0 7.0 (D) (D) (D) (D) 2.0 46.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 8.0 14.0 1.0 8.0 (D) 17.0 54.0 100.0
10.0 (D) 21.8 2.7 10.0 (D) (D) (D) (D) 0.9 45.5 4.6 2.7 3.6 8.2 14.6 0.9 9.1 0.9 10.0 54.5 100.0
10.0 (D) 32.2 2.2 8.9 (D) 1.1 (D) (D) 2.2 56.7 1.1 (D) 5.6 7.8 13.3 3.3 7.8 (D) 4.4 43.3 100.0
Dollar Value of Losses by Cause 1,000 dollars Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 1 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 1 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 175 22 657 131 110 (D) (D) (D) (D) 66 1,161 110 88 110 197 635 66 110 22 350 1,688 2,849 138 (D) 554 69 121 (D) (D) (D) (D) 52 934 138 35 294 104 294 (D) 121 (D) 329 1,315 2,249 218 20 556 40 139 20 (D) (D) (D) 40 1,032 60 20 40 179 298 20 179 (D) 357 1,152 2,184
223 22 534 45 156 (D) (D) (D) (D) 45 1,024 67 22 45 178 312 22 178 (D) 378 1,202 2,225
234 (D) 510 64 234 (D) (D) (D) (D) 21 1,063 106 64 85 191 340 21 213 21 234 1,275 2,338
191 (D) 616 43 170 (D) 21 (D) (D) 43 1,084 21 (D) 106 149 255 64 149 (D) 85 829 1,913
(D) indicates Un-published: i.e. less than 100 head. 1 Other/Unknown includes Other and Unknown causes combined with Un-published causes. Totals may not add due to rounding.
Losses of All Lambs, by Cause: Utah, 2012-2017 1 Cause of Loss 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Number of Head Head Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 2 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 2 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 2,000 700 13,500 700 2,000 200 100 700 200 2,200 22,300 1,200 300 4,700 2,200 NA 200 900 200 4,000 13,700 36,000 1,900 300 15,200 800 2,200 200 (D) 700 100 600 22,000 1,300 300 3,400 1,300 NA (D) 200 300 3,700 10,500 32,500 1,800 400 13,700 300 1,400 600 (D) 800 300 400 19,700 1,200 400 3,100 1,900 NA (D) 400 100 5,700 12,800 32,500 1,800 400 12,800 300 1,300 600 (D) 800 200 200 18,400 1,200 400 2,900 1,800 NA (D) 400 100 5,800 12,600 31,000 1,400 600 12,500 500 2,900 700 100 800 300 400 20,200 1,200 800 3,000 2,400 NA (D) 400 (D) 4,000 11,800 32,000 1,800 800 13,400 400 3,500 900 200 600 400 200 22,200 (D) 200 3,900 2,200 NA (D) 400 200 2,900 9,800 32,000 Percent of Total by Cause Percent Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 2 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 2 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 5.6 1.9 37.5 1.9 5.6 0.6 0.3 1.9 0.6 6.1 61.9 3.3 0.8 13.1 6.1 NA 0.6 2.5 0.6 11.1 38.1 100.0 5.8 0.9 46.8 2.5 6.8 0.6 (D) 2.2 0.3 1.8 67.7 4.0 0.9 10.5 4.0 NA (D) 0.6 0.9 11.4 32.3 100.0 5.5 1.2 42.2 0.9 4.3 1.8 (D) 2.5 0.9 1.2 60.6 3.7 1.2 9.5 5.8 NA (D) 1.2 0.3 17.5 39.4 100.0 5.8 1.3 41.3 1.0 4.2 1.9 (D) 2.6 0.7 0.7 59.4 3.9 1.3 9.4 5.8 NA (D) 1.3 0.3 18.7 40.6 100.0 4.4 1.9 39.1 1.6 9.1 2.2 0.3 2.5 0.9 1.3 63.1 3.8 2.5 9.4 7.5 NA (D) 1.3 (D) 12.5 36.9 100.0 5.6 2.5 41.9 1.3 10.9 2.8 0.6 1.9 1.3 0.6 69.4 (D) 0.6 12.2 6.9 NA (D) 1.3 0.6 9.1 30.6 100.0 Dollar Value of Losses by Cause 1,000 dollars Bear Bobcat Coyote Dog Mountain Lion Foxes Wolves Eagles Ravens Other/Unknown 2 Total Predators Diseases Enterotoxaemia Weather Conditions Lambing Complications Old Age On Back Poison Theft Other/Unknown 2 Total Non-Predators Total Losses 316 111 2,133 111 316 32 16 111 32 348 3,526 190 47 743 348 NA 32 142 32 632 2,165 5,691 296 47 2,371 125 343 31 (D) 109 16 94 3,432 203 47 530 203 NA (D) 31 47 577 1,638 5,070 320 71 2,432 53 249 107 (D) 142 53 71 3,497 213 71 550 337 NA (D) 71 18 1,012 2,272 5,769 324 72 2,304 54 234 108 (D) 144 36 36 3,312 216 72 522 324 NA (D) 72 18 1,044 2,268 5,580 228 98 2,031 81 471 114 16 130 49 65 3,283 195 130 488 390 NA (D) 65 (D) 650 1,918 5,200 284 126 2,111 63 551 142 32 95 63 32 3,497 (D) 32 614 347 NA (D) 63 32 457 1,544 5,040 (D) indicates Un-published: i.e. less than 100 head. 1 Lamb losses include both before and after docking losses. 2 Other/Unknown includes Other and Unknown causes combined with Un-published causes.
Visit the website for more information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/
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New Lawsuit for State Department Unmasking Documents
In its final year the Obama administration may have used our nation’s spy apparatus to identify, or “unmask,” members of the Trump campaign and subsequently leaking information about them to the press.
One of the more curious details about this unlawful effort was that Obama’s U.N. ambassador was evidently engaged in unmasking and was doing so at a frenzied pace. We want to know more.
So, we have filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State for “unmasking” and other records tied to Obama’s United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power relating to the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:18-cv-00300)).
Unmasking refers generally to the practice of political appointees obtaining the identities of American citizens referenced in intelligence surveillance of foreign nationals.
We sued the State Department after it failed to respond to our October 31, 2017, FOIA request seeking information about Power’s unusual unmasking requests, including:
All requests for information submitted to any Intelligence Community member agency by former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power concerning, regarding, or relating to the following:
On September 20, 2017, Fox News reported that Power unmasked over 260 persons in her last year as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in an attempt to uncover associates of President Trump. She “was ‘unmasking’ at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016,” even seeking “information in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration.”
On October 13, 2017, Power testified behind closed doors about this matter to the House Intelligence Committee. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, who also sits on the Intelligence Committee, stated that, “Her testimony is they [the unmasking requests] may be under my name, but I did not make those requests.”
Unmasking and then illegally leaking the names of Trump team members caught up in foreign intelligence gathering would have been an incredible, but unsurprising abuse by the Obama administration. Was the Clinton-DNC dossier also used as justification to abuse intelligence data and “unmask” American citizens to help Hillary Clinton and undermine Donald Trump? And why is the Tillerson State Department stonewalling our FOIA investigation into this potentially illegal conduct by its agency employees?
Separately, in a response to a FOIA request, we were told by the National Security Council (NSC) in May 2017 that the materials regarding the unmasking by Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice of “the identities of any U.S. citizens associated with the Trump presidential campaign or transition team” have been removed to the Obama Library.
We filed a separate FOIA lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Security Agency (NSA) for information about Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice’s communications with the two agencies concerning the alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election, the hacking of DNC computers, the suspected communications between Russia and Trump campaign/transition officials, and the unmasking of the identities of any U.S. citizens associated with the Trump presidential campaign or transition team who were identified pursuant to intelligence collection activities (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice and National Security Administration (No. 1:17-cv-01002)).
Remember, if they can do it to Donald Trump and other political opponents, they can do it to you. This is why Judicial Watch is battling in court for answers now….
VA Secretary Was Misled by Staff about Veteran Prosecuted for Posting Flag
You’ve followed our coverage of the elderly veteran prosecuted for allegedly posting small American flags outside a veterans’ facility in California. This story just gets stranger the more we learn about it. Our Corruption Chronicles blog has the details:
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs was misled by his inner circle about a case involving an elderly Army veteran criminally prosecuted for displaying the American Flag at a southern California VA facility, documents obtained by Judicial Watch show. After seeing a news report about the preposterous case, VA Secretary David J. Shulkin asked his chief of staff, Vivieca Wright, to check if the story was correct, the documents show. In an electronic mail to his chief of staff, Shulkin writes that if the story is accurate “we should not be pressing charges and we should do a release saying so.” Shulkin adds: “I understand that media reports do not always tell the real story.”
Incredibly, the story is real. Robert Rosebrock was federally charged for supposedly hanging a four-by-six-inch American Flag on the outside fence of a VA facility in West Los Angeles on Memorial Day in 2016. The fence is part of the “Great Lawn Gate” and marks the entrance to the Los Angeles National Veterans Park. The public facility is part of a larger, 388-acre parcel that includes the Veterans Home of West Los Angeles. Since 2008, Rosebrock and a group of fellow veterans have assembled at the gate weekly and on Memorial Day to protest the VA’s failure to make full use of the property to benefit veterans, particularly those who are homeless.
Judicial Watch helped represent Rosebrock, who faced up to six months in jail for the ghastly offense of reportedly affixing Old Glory at a site honoring those who served their country. He was also charged with taking unauthorized photographs of both the Flag and VA police, but a judge ruled in mid-April that the charges violated the First Amendment. The Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) has appealed the dismissal of the two charges, however.
Rosebrock went to trial for the flag charges and on April 18, 2017, a California U.S. District Court ruled that he was not guilty of violating federal law for displaying the two small flags. If found guilty, he would have faced up to six months in prison. More than a month before the trial, VA Secretary Shulkin’s inner circle circulated numerous falsehoods about the case, including that Rosebrock made the choice to go to court rather than pay a fine and that he faced no jail time. Gathering information for their boss, the VA officials also asserted it was “too late” to intervene in the Rosebrock case and that it was “out of our hands” because the case was old even though the trial was weeks away.
VA Deputy Undersecretary Steve Young is included in the email exchanges, which are dated March 4 and 5, 2017. In one email, Marie Weldon, director of the VA’s western healthcare network, tells Young that Rosebrock “was issued a citation from the VA Police and if he chose not to pay the fine then he elects to take it to court which is where it is now.” This is incorrect. Rosebrock had no choice to go to court because the feds were prosecuting him. Weldon adds that Rosebrock has a history of hanging even full-size flags upside down on the fence of VA property. “This was not a first offense and Rosebrock was aware of his consequences,” Weldon, who oversees the healthcare system for 1.2 million veterans, writes to Young.
In another email addressed to Weldon, Wright and Young, the director of the West L.A. VA, Ann Brown, writes: “Forgot to add—he is facing a $25 fine with NO jail time.” Less than 20 minutes later, Wright, the VA Secretary’s chief of staff, forwards the erroneous information to a redacted email address that appears to be her boss’s. Large chunks of type are redacted under federal exemptions throughout the documents, which were provided to Judicial Watch in response to a request for records about Rosebrock. A largely redacted email from Brown to Weldon, Wright and Young discloses that she “met with DOJ about 9 months ago to resolve this and we’re told…” The rest is redacted under exemptions that allow agencies to withhold deliberative process material and protect privacy. It’s unclear how much of the information made it back to Secretary Shulkin. The fact remains however, that high-level VA officials responsible for gathering facts about a case for the agency’s secretary instead circulated serious falsehoods.
Much Needed New Scrutiny of the Clinton Foundation
Will there ever be a serious investigation and prosecution of the Clinton cash machine? Maybe. Micah Morrison, our chief investigative reporter, has an important update in his latest Investigative Bulletin:
Rumors have been floating up from Little Rock for months now of a new investigation into the Clinton Foundation. John Solomon advanced the story recently in a January report for The Hill. FBI agents in the Arkansas capital, he wrote, “have taken the lead” in a new Justice Department inquiry “into whether the Clinton Foundation engaged in any pay-to-play politics or other illegal activities while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state.” Solomon reports that the probe “may also examine whether any tax-exempt assets were converted for personal or political use and whether the foundation complied with applicable tax laws.”
Main Justice also is “re-examining whether there are any unresolved issues from the closed case into Clinton’s transmission of classified information through her personal email server,” Solomon notes.
Solomon is not alone. The Wall Street Journal is tracking the story. And earlier this month, investigative journalist Peter Schweizer cryptically told SiriusXM radio that federal authorities should “convene a grand jury” in Little Rock “and let the American people look at the evidence” about the Clinton Foundation.
Judicial Watch continues to turn up new evidence of Clinton pay-to-play and mishandling of classified information. In recent months, through FOIA litigation, Judicial Watch has forced the release of more than 2,600 emails and documents from Mrs. Clinton and her associates, with more to come. The emails include evidence of Clinton Foundation donors such XL Keystone lobbyist Gordon Griffin, futures brokerage firm CME Group chairman Terrence Duffy, and an associate of Shangri La Entertainment mogul Steve Bing seeking special favors from the State Department. Read more about Judicial Watch’s pay-to-play disclosures here.
Judicial Watch also revealed many previously unreported incidents of mishandling of classified information. Mrs. Clinton and her former State Department deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, sent and received classified information through unsecure channels. The emails and documents involved sensitive information about President Obama, the Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan, Mexico, Burma, India, intelligence-related operations and world leaders. For documents and details from Judicial Watch on the mishandling of classified information, see here, here, here and here.
Smelling a rat in Arkansas when it comes to the Clintons of course is nothing new, and the former First Couple are masters of the gray areas around pay-to-play. But mishandling of classified information is a serious matter. And the tax angle is intriguing, even if you’re not Al Capone. The tenacious financial expert Charles Ortel, who has been digging deep into Clinton finances for years, told us back in 2015 that there are “epic problems” with the entire Clinton Foundation edifice, which traces its origins back to Arkansas. He noted that independent accounting firms may have been “duped by false and materially misleading representations” made by Clinton charitable entities. Down in Arkansas, law enforcement may be finally catching up with Ortel’s insights.
Until next week …
President Tom Fitton
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Interagency Team Makes Decision to Keep Utah’s Five Wildfire Dispatch Center System
February 16, 2018
CONTACT:
Jason Curry
Salt Lake City – On Feb. 15, the interagency executive leadership team consisting of executives from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Utah Department of Natural Resources (UDNR), Bureau of Indian (BIA), National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) met to discuss the current state of the interagency wildland fire dispatch consolidation efforts. Based on that discussion and feedback received from wildland fire managers, employees and other stakeholders the decision has been made to maintain the current five-dispatch center model.
“As we moved through this process, it became clear that there was a great deal of concern and uncertainty among fire managers, partners and the local communities that we serve,” said BLM-Utah State Director Ed Roberson. “From the start of this efficiency and cost management effort, we said clearly that we were prepared to stop and adjust at any time if we could not offer the same level of safety and service to our customers,” he added.
“The interagency team values the relationships between our employees, partners and local communities, and without their support, we do not believe that we can offer the same level of critical services that we currently offer,” said Utah State Forester, Brian Cottam.
For decades, state and federal agencies have worked together on an interagency basis to successfully manage wildfire in Utah, and dispatch centers are an important part of this collaborative effort. The interagency fire team will continue to seek efficiencies, focusing on providing a ready and relevant force prepared to execute their duties when called upon.
“We still have key issues that we need to take care of,” said Nora Rasure, Regional Forester for the USFS Intermountain Region. “Moving forward, the interagency team will address annual operations funding, long-term infrastructure needs and a continued commitment to finding a fair-share equitable funding model amongst the agencies.”
