Tag Archive for: Pam Bondi

MAGA Isn’t Buying Pam Bondi’s Explanation On Epstein Video Footage

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Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi addressed the missing minute in Jeffrey Epstein’s jailhouse footage at a Trump Cabinet meeting Tuesday, sparking renewed scrutiny from MAGA.

Bondi fielded several questions from a reporter regarding the memo’s release, Epstein’s possible ties to intelligence and missing footage from the jailhouse video.

“Your memo released yesterday on Jeffrey Epstein left some lingering mysteries. One of the biggest ones is whether he ever worked for an American or foreign intelligence agency.”

“So could you resolve whether or not he did? And also, could you say why there was a minute missing from the jailhouse tape?” the reporter asked.

“The video was not conclusive, but the evidence prior to it was showing he committed suicide,” Bondi stated at the press conference.

“And there was a minute that was off the counter, and what we learned from the Bureau of Prisons is every night they redo that video, so every night the video is reset, and every night should have the same minute missing,” she added.

A Department of Justice (DOJ) memo obtained by Axios Sunday said there was no “incriminating ‘client list,’” and Epstein died by suicide.

Multiple prominent conservative media figures including Mike Benz, Jack Posobiec and Glenn Beck expressed disappointment in the lack of transparency.

Beck called for Bondi to resign over “incompetence” and pointed out apparent inconsistencies in the released footage.

“What the DOJ gave us was a partial view of the facility, which JUST MISSES Epstein’s cell,” Beck stated in a post on X.

“We’ve known for years there wasn’t a working camera on his cell, so WHY RELEASE THIS VIDEO? And why not tell us there’s a video glitch in advance of the release?!”

Posobiec, one of the media figures who received Epstein-related documents from Bondi in February, voiced his frustration Wednesday.

“I am sick of the lies! … You looked at us and you lied right to our faces,” he said on his show “Human Events with Jack Posobiec.”

The nearly 11-hours of footage show the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) outside Epstein’s cell from the evening of August 9 through the early hours of August 10 — the night Epstein died according to authorities.

Epstein was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges at the time of his death.

The memo states the FBI worked to further enhance the footage for improved “clarity” and “view-ability.”

A digital clock visible on the bottom left corner of the video skips from 11:58:58 p.m. to 12:00:00 a.m., and the footage also fails to show the moment prison guards entered Epstein’s cell and discovered his body.

Images of Epstein’s cell were made public by CBS News’ “60 Minutes” in 2020. One photo shows the door of his cell marked off by yellow police tape, according to a CNN report.

The recently resurfaced photo drew attention for apparent inconsistencies — particularly the door, which does not appear to match the FBI-released footage.

A federal indictment revealed that weeks before his death, Epstein was found “on the floor of his cell with a strip of bedsheet around his neck,” according to CBS News.  

The government labeled the incident a failed suicide attempt, but Epstein asserted he was assaulted by his cellmate, former police officer Nick Tartaglione, according to the report.

Tartaglione denied the accusation, according to CBS News. His attorney insisted that “Absolutely nothing like that happened” and claimed jail officials cleared Tartaglione of any wrongdoing.

AUTHOR

Ashley Brasfield

Reporter

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

100 Days In, Here’s How Trump Has Already Dismantled The Deep State

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President Donald Trump celebrated day 100 of his administration Tuesday, and he’s already dealt several blows to the deep state — from declassifying assassination files to revoking security clearances.

Since assuming her role as head of the intelligence community (IC), Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has attempted to root out politicization. She announced the Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG), a task force aimed at promoting transparency, in early April.

Gabbard also declassified the Biden administration’s “Strategic Implementation Plan For Countering Domestic Terrorism.” The strategy targeted gun rights, hate crimes and “misinformation.”

Trump directed Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi to work with Gabbard to declassify the assassination files of President John F. Kennedy (JFK), Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK).

Gabbard declassified over 10,000 pages of RFK documents in April, following the release of nearly 80,000 pages of JFK files in March.

The MLK files have yet to be released, but Gabbard previously said they will be declassified.

At Trump’s directive, Gabbard also revoked the security clearances of various officials, including the 51 former national security officials who signed the letter casting doubt on the Hunter Biden laptop emails.

The infamous letter claimed the emails the New York Post reported had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

Democratic New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and former Secretary of State Antony Blinken also had their security clearances revoked.

Former President Biden also no longer receives the President’s Daily Brief (PBD).

Moreover, Trump removed the security details of retired Gen. Mark Milley, John Bolton and Anthony Fauci.

While left-wing judges have attempted to thwart Trump’s agenda, particularly on immigration, the FBI recently arrested a Wisconsin judge for allegedly obstructing an immigration arrest.

“Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction — after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a since-deleted tweet.

An agency that has long abused its power, especially under the Biden administration, appears to be rolling back some firearms regulations.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) repealed Biden’s “Zero Tolerance Policy” and announced a review of two other gun regulations in April at the direction of AG Pam Bondi and then-Acting Director Kash Patel.

Trump also issued pardons to many prosecuted under the Biden administration, including around 1,500 January 6 defendants and 23 pro-life activists.

“Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government” was one of Trump’s first executive orders.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) requested information from the FBI regarding their investigations into January 6. The bureau handed over the names of employees involved in investigating January 6 to the DOJ in February, according to an email.

The president has appointed critics of the surveillance state to key positions, including Gabbard at DNI and Patel as FBI director. He’s also nominated people who have been critical of endless wars, including Elbridge Colby for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

Trump has also taken a hammer to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with his executive orders. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several intelligence agencies have targeted DEI programs in compliance with Trump’s directives.

However, there are still areas that conservatives are pushing the Trump admin to address — including the Jeffrey Epstein files.

The DOJ gave right-wing influencers binders with the first tranche of “Epstein Files,” although they reportedly contained few revelations.

Others are pressing Trump’s intelligence agencies to clean house, specifically at the FBI.

Steven Jensen, a key FBI official in the January 6 investigations, was recently promoted to assistant director in charge (ADIC) at the Washington Field Office.

Gabbard said her office would revoke the security clearances of more than 100 staffers in February over sexually explicit chat messages on a National Security Agency (NSA) platform.

AUTHOR

Eireann Van Natta

Intelligence State Reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

EXCLUSIVE: The First Photos Of The FBI’s Arrest Of Major MS-13 Leader

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The Daily Caller exclusively obtained the first photos of the FBI’s raid Thursday that resulted in the arrest of a major MS-13 leader.

Law enforcement arrested top MS-13 leader, Henry Josue Villatoro-Santos, in an early morning raid in Northern Virginia.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Virginia GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin and FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest at a press conference March 27. Villatoro-Santos, who was allegedly one of the top three leaders of the gang in the U.S., was caught just miles outside of Washington, D.C.

The FBI shared with the Caller the first photos of the raid, offering a behind the scenes look at the operation.

MS-13 is an international criminal syndicate that has been tied to countless murders, rapes and other heinous crimes across the country. The gang originated in Los Angeles, but is now largely associated with Salvadoran nationals.

“He was the leader for the East Coast, one of the top three in the entire country, right here in Virginia, living half an hour outside of Washington, D.C.,” Bondi said at a joint press conference. “He is an illegal alien from El Salvador and he will not be living in our country much longer.”

“America is safer today because one of the top domestic terrorists in MS-13 is off the streets,” Bondi continued.

In two photos obtained by the Caller, FBI Director Kash Patel is seen thanking agents for their work the day of the raid.

To capture Villatoro-Santos, an FBI SWAT team breached the front and rear door of his mother’s home, the New York Post reported. After agents spotted Villatoro-Santos trying to hide and refusing to surrender, agents lobbed a stun grenade and pulled him out of the house, according to the outlet.

Bondi said on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle” that Villatoro-Santos had been recruited to join the gang in middle school. According to officials, he had a stash of weapons, ammunition, and silencers in his garage when they found him.

Villatoro-Santos’ mother denied to WUSA9 News, a local outlet, that her son was a part of the gang.

Daily Caller Senior Editor Amber Duke asked Patel during Thursday’s press conference how long the gang member had been living in the United States.

“The bottom line is — for FAR too long … If you’re here for a minute, a day, a month, or a year you’ve been here far too long,” Patel answered.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Trump Administration Releases JFK Assassination Files

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The Trump administration released 80,000 pages of previously classified President John. F Kennedy assassination files late Tuesday.

President Trump signed an executive order in January directing Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard to present him with a plan on releasing the files within 15 days.

The order also directed the AG and DNI to present a plan within 45 days to release the assassination files of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Then, Trump unexpectedly announced Monday that the files would be released the following day, unredacted. They were released Tuesday around 6 p.m., some appearing to be at least partially redacted. However, some redacted files that had previously been redacted now appear to be unsealed.

“We are announcing and giving all of the Kennedy files,” Trump said yesterday. “So people have been waiting for decades for this, and I’ve reached out to my people.”

Trump said on Monday he doesn’t believe there would be redactions in the approximately 80,000 pages of documents.

“We have a tremendous amount of paper and a lot of reading,” Trump said. “I don’t believe we are going to redact anything. I said ‘just don’t redact it, you can’t redact it.’”

The National Archives in 2017 released nearly 3,000 records concerning the JFK assassination.

The FBI discovered an additional 2,400 records related to JFK in February. The bureau said they were “previously unrecognized” as pertaining to the JFK assassination.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is still in the process of releasing the Jeffrey Epstein Files.

Backlash circulated online when the first phase of files was distributed to conservative influencers through binders and reportedly contained few revelations. Bondi accused the FBI Field Office in New York of deliberately hiding thousands of pages of Epstein files in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Feb. 27. She demanded the bureau deliver the “full and complete Epstein files” to her office by 8 a.m. on Feb. 28.

Bondi said she received a “truckload” of files from the FBI in New York but did not give a timeline as to when she would release those to the public.

As of publication, those Epstein files have yet to be released.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Daily Caller White House Correspondent Reagan Reese in March that DNI Gabbard and the DOJ are “working…diligently” to release the Epstein and JFK files.

Leavitt stated during the briefing that she also does not have a timeline for the release of the Epstein documents.

AUTHOR

Eireann Van Natta

Intelligence state reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Pam Bondi Vows To Prosecute FBI agents, Government Officials Who Leak Info On ICE Raids

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THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed on Wednesday to prosecute any FBI agents, or other members of the government, who leak information on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan suggested on Monday that someone within the FBI may be leaking information on the raids, potentially putting officers’ lives at risk. The Daily Caller asked Bondi at her first press conference what the consequences would be for those within the FBI if they were ultimately caught leaking information about the raids.

“Has the DOJ gotten any closer to determining if these leaks are coming from within the FBI? And what will the consequences be if they can identify the leakers from the FBI?” the Daily Caller asked.

“The great men and women in law enforcement standing behind me today, they deserve, they must be protected, and anytime anyone leaks or tips off anything regarding a pending investigation that jeopardizes lives. You’re telling a bad guy what’s about to happen. It could jeopardize the lives of all the men and women in law enforcement,” Bondi began.

“We will not stand for it. We will find you. We’re going to investigate it, no matter what agency it came from. We don’t know for certain. We have an open investigation, so I can’t talk about it in detail, but we will do everything in our power to hold you accountable and it is a crime, and you will be prosecuted when we find you,” she finished.

The most recent leak was reported by the Los Angeles Times, who obtained a document about ICE’s plans to target the city next with “large scale” action. Homan told Fox News host Sean Hannity that they believe the leaks are coming from inside the administration and that in addition to jail time, anyone convicted of leaking such information will lose their jobs or their pensions. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Meet The Worst Criminals ICE Arrested This Week … So Far)

Because of another leak, members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were allegedly able to avoid apprehension by ICE agents because of the leaked information, according to a Fox News report.

“It’s only a matter of time before we walk into a place where there’s going to be a bad guy who doesn’t care. He’s going to be sitting and waiting for the officers to show up and ambush them. This is not a game,” Homan told Hannity.

At her first press conference, Bondi also announced that the Department of Justice is filing a lawsuit against New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James for allegedly failing to enforce immigration laws.

“We sued Illinois, and New York didn’t listen, so now, you’re next,” Bondi said.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House correspondent. Follow Reagan on Twitter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. All rights reserved.

‘Completely Unhinged’: Victor Davis Hanson Says Dems’ Fury Against Trump Nominees During Hearings Is Political Misstep

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Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson explained on Friday how Democratic senators’ attacks on President Donald Trump’s nominees during confirmation hearings are backfiring politically because of conservatives’ current ability to push their messages more effectively online.

Many Democratic senators have taken adversarial approaches to Trump’s cabinet nominees, including screaming at them, interrupting them and hurling accusations against them. Hanson, on “Victor Davis Hanson Show,” said that Trump’s nominees have all excelled at their hearings as they have come under fire from Democrats.

WATCH:

“The funny thing about all these nominees that some of the RINOs [Republicans in name only] in the party deprecated: Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, man when they go before those people— Sean Duffy — they have all of the answers,” Hanson said. “They’re really impressive people and they go head-to-head. It’s kind of they have a wink and a nod, and I think their logic, I’m just suggesting this, I don’t have any confirmation, but their attitude — they go in very confident.”

“So, their attitude is basically, ‘I have 53 senator votes and you have none to stop me. You can’t stop me. Now you think you’re going to get [Republican senators Lisa] Murkowski and [Susan] Collins and maybe Mitch [McConnel]? I can still get confirmed,’” he continued. “‘So, I’m not going to kiss up to you in any way possible. In fact, the only thing I worry about is not getting 50 senators. And the only way I would not get 50 senators is to sell out Donald Trump, and I’m not going to do that. I’m not stupid, and I don’t want to anyway.’ And that gives them a lot of confidence.”

McConnell, Murkowski and Collins all voted against Hegseth’s confirmation to be secretary of defense, but Vice President J.D. Vance broke the tie to confirm him on Jan. 24. His confirmation followed a hearing that included Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine accusing him of infidelity and Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand lecturing him for eight minutes about women serving in the military.

“And then you get these people frustrated, like [Democratic Massachusetts Sen.] Elizabeth Warren. She’s come off as completely unhinged. And then they don’t understand the media that the left — polling right now — 37% — and I guess it was the latest Emerson poll, 37% said they approve of the Democratic Party,” Hanson added. “Do they understand how they drive that down when somebody like Elizabeth Warren just cuts off [Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] RFK, won’t let him answer a question, screams and yells.”

Hanson referenced how Warren pressed Kennedy to “commit” to not accepting compensation for any lawsuits against drug companies during his potential tenure at HHS and for four years after, which prompted a heated exchange. He asserted that immediately after the clash, “the right-wing blogosphere” noted that Warren and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders were the two senators who raised the most money in pharmaceutical contributions.

Senators on both sides of the aisle who critically questioned Kennedy at his Wednesday and Thursday hearings found their contributions from the healthcare industry and their personal investments in the pharmaceutical industry and companies that make highly processed food being highlighted on X, receiving millions of views.

The Democratic Party’s approval rating plunged to 31% among registered voters, according to Quinnipiac polling released Wednesday.

Sanders exploded at Kennedy during his Thursday confirmation hearing after the nominee accused him of corruption for accepting pharmaceutical industry donations. Hanson suggested Warren and Sanders are examples of “hypocrites that are defending big pharma against RFK,” saying “that doesn’t work” because of conservatives’ ability to push their agenda in part because of how billionaire Elon Musk has run social media platform X.

Hanson also said Democrats wrongly assumed attorney general nominee Pam Bondi was “just a blonde bimbo” and that they could “tear her apart.” He said that she instead “t[ore] them apart.” He similarly said they underestimated Hegseth.

“And then they see Pete Hegseth. And they go, ‘This guy is weird. He’s got the Jerusalem cross, you know, and he’s been married three times. And we’re just going to slice him up because I’m Senator Sanders and I’m Senator [Chuck] Schumer, I’m Senator Warren, I’m Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.’ And then he just destroys them,” Hanson said.

He also said Kennedy “destroyed” the Democratic senators while FBI Director nominee Kash Patel dealt with them “like carving a Christmas turkey.”

AUTHOR

Jason Cohen

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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VIDEOS: President Trump Nominates Pam Bondi, an ‘America First Fighter’, for Attorney General

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The plot thickens.

WATCH:

Attorney General Pam Bondi masterfully defended President Trump at sham impeachment trial

Truly heartbreaking what is happening to Jewish-Americans: Pam Bondi | The Chris Salcedo Show

MSNBC melts down over Pam Bondi nomination as U.S. Attorney General

President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social:

I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States. Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country. She did such an incredible job, that I asked her to serve on our Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during my first Term — We saved many lives!

For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!

Trump picks former prosecutor Pam Bondi for attorney general

President-elect cites work as Florida attorney general who fought overdose deaths

By Ryan Tarinelli, Roll call, November 21, 2024 at 8:10pm

President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Pam Bondi to be his next attorney general, in a social media post Thursday that touted the former Florida attorney general’s history as a prosecutor who “was very tough on Violent Criminals.”

Bondi, if confirmed, would oversee a sprawling Department of Justice responsible for federal criminal prosecution and a wide array of law enforcement. In the role, she could advocate for certain funding priorities, implement internal changes, and shift policy on topics like immigration, voting rights and antitrust enforcement.

“As Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country,” Trump said in the post. “She did such an incredible job, that I asked her to serve on our Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during my first Term — We saved many lives!”

Trump also said he’s known Bondi for years and described her as “smart” and an “AMERICA FIRST Fighter.”

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore,” Trump said in the post. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”

Bondi would likely be tasked with implementing Trump’s plans to remake an agency he fumed at during the campaign trail.

Continue reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Florida Pedophile Sentenced to 885 Years in Prison

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This week, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution announced the sentencing of a Seminole County sex offender to 885 years in prison for possession of massive amounts of child pornography. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, multiple images containing child pornography were retrieved from a laptop in Shawn Ryan Thomas’ bedroom. The investigation also revealed that Thomas discussed with an informant, plans to kidnap a child, kill the parents and sexually batter the child while producing child pornography. Thankfully, FDLE quickly intercepted Thomas before he carried out his plans.

The Honorable Marlene Alva, Circuit Judge in Seminole County, sentenced Thomas to 885 years in prison on 59 counts of possession of child pornography, 15 years for each count, and 15 years of sex offender probation for one count of possession of child pornography.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi notes, “Thanks to my Office of Statewide Prosecution’s tenacious prosecution of Thomas and FDLE’s investigation, this dangerous predator should now never be released from prison.”

RELATED VIDEO: How Sexual Predators Groom. Click here to learn how predators groom. Click here to learn the warning signs. Click here to learn where to get help.

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Florida Appeals Court says “NO” to homosexual “marriage” licenses in the state.

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The Christian Family Coalition (CFC) Florida reports that the Florida Democratic League (FDL), and People United to Lead the Struggle for Equality (PULSE), two parties in the homosexual so-called “marriage” lawsuit,  filed more than 6,000 signatures with Miami-Dade County Clerk Harvey Ruvin calling on Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel to dismiss the pending discriminatory lawsuit.

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“In a nation of laws, no one can be above the law. What law gives Plaintiffs the right to arbitrarily,  declare a personal behavioral choice, be it sexual or otherwise, a constitutional “right,” and then file a sham lawsuit to force the rest of society to accept it as such?, said Florida Democratic League Chairman Dr. Eladio Jose Armesto.

“Six days ago, Monroe Circuit Judge Luis Garcia shocked voters when he arrogantly trashed the votes of nearly 8 million Floridians. The backlash to that corrupt decision was so great that over the last six days more than 6,000 Miami-Dade residents  signed a letter to Judge Zabel calling on her to dismiss this discriminatory lawsuit”, stated People United to Lead the Struggle for Equality (PULSE) Executive Director Nathaniel Wilcox.

“Undoubtedly, there is a growing backlash to the homosexual so-called ‘marriage’ lawsuit in Miami-Dade when 6,000 of those who elected Judge Zabel signed a letter in just days asking for the sham lawsuit’s dismissal. This is evidence of the growing anti-corruption backlash taking place”, concludes Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director, Christian Family Coalition (CFC) Florida.

Florida AG Pam Bondi Says “No” To Marijuana Measure

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Florida’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi, continues to say no to pot, as she continues to press the left-leaning Florida Supreme court to scrap the legalization of medical marijuana measure that will be on the November ballot.

The initiative would allow marijuana to be used in several specified conditions. But it also includes a part that says it could be used for “any other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.”

Bondi, a Republican elected in 2010, said that language is too broad and will allow greater use of marijuana than the public has been told by supporters. She cited a scenario of a 15-year-old boy being able to get a marijuana prescription for a minor pain through a chiropractor as a possibility. She said voters are not getting a clear explanation of what they are being asked to approve.

“They need to know what they are voting for,” Bondi said during a joint meeting with the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters of Sarasota.

The Republican-led Florida legislature is open to the idea of legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, and are trying to find a balance with the controversial issue.

Word to the legalizing marijuana lobby, quit smoking your own issue, and work with the legislature to find a solution that will benefit everyone.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on The Shark Tank.

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Citizens Insurance Under-fire for Rate Increase

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Hundreds of thousands of Florida homeowners are receiving notices from their insurance carriers stating, “You are paying more for your policy due to an emergency assessment from Florida Citizens.”

Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-run insurer that provides insurance to individuals who are unable to secure coverage through other insurance carriers. Those covered are often in high-risk or coastal areas. The emergency assessment is “necessary to enable Florida Citizens to pay claims they received from past hurricane seasons.” The emergency assessment is for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF). The rate increase was passed in July, 2012. According to SunSentinel.com, “Personal residential policies would receive a 10.2 percent statewide average increase, including 10.5 percent for homeowners and 9.7 percent for renters.”

For one homeowner who contacted Watchdog Wire – Florida the emergency assessment on their $160,000 home was $200 per month or $2,400 a year.

Florida has many senior citizens who live on fixed incomes, have seen their investments dwindle and property values drop. A rate increase of this magnitude is problematic for many others who have homes in Florida but live in other states.

To make matters worse it appears that senior officials at Florida Citizens have been spending lavishly while passing on the costs to Florida homeowners. The Florida Citizens website states, “We will demonstrate steadfast adherence to our values and ethical code of conduct.” However, after combing through hundreds of expense reports from the last three years, a team of writers from the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald found executives at the state-run insurance company were living the high life on the company’s dime.

According to investigative reporters Susan Taylor Martin, Jeff Harrington and Toluse Olorunnipa from the Times/Herald, “Chief financial officer Sharon Binnun spent at least $70,000 on travel from January 2011 to June 2012. During trips to Manhattan, Binnun stayed at hotels that cost up to $500 per night. In an April business trip to Bermuda, she upgraded to ‘gold’ status at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, bringing the cost of her room to $633 per night.”

“Former Citizens president Scott Wallace, general counsel Dan Sumner and board chairman Carlos Lacasa indulged in meals that often cost three times the limit put on rank-and-file staff. Wallace flew first-class to London for a meeting with insurers. Travel costs for Citizens — a government corporation run by a board appointed by Gov. Rick Scott and other state leaders — are projected to more than double this year, from $1.5 million to $3.4 million,” note Martin, Harrington and Olorunnipa.

Florida Senator Mike Fasano is having none of these shenanigans. He has sent a letter to Governor Scott and the cabinet asking for an investigation of Florida Citizens. The Tampa Bay Times reports, “Citizens’ top executives and board members have been shameless in the way they lavishly spend tax dollars on travel and related expenses,” Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said in a statement. “While crying poor mouth they stay in posh hotels, eat expensive meals, and engage in international travel. While so many of their customers are struggling to cut their personal budgets so they can pay their ever increasing premiums, Citizens’ higher-ups are living high on the hog on the public dime.”

This prompted a letter from Barry Gilway, the new President/CEO and Executive Director of Florida Citizens, stating, “As a government entity operating in an international industry, Citizens walks a fine line between fiscal stringency and the need to conduct business internationally on behalf of all Floridians. We also recognize that there is always is room for improvement and that we have a duty to achieve efficiencies in everything we do, whether in Tallahassee or London.”

The next Cabinet meeting chaired by Governor Scott is scheduled for September 18, 2012. Some have questioned the fiscal soundness of Florida Citizens should a major hurricane hit the state.