GRAPHIC!
Ben Carson Audits HUD: Obama Made $520 BILLION In Bookkeeping Errors
Ben Carson Finds $500 Billion (Billion!) In Errors During Audit Of Obama HUD
Ben Carson was the first neurosurgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins, so, he’s kind of a super hero.
But apparently, he’s also not a bad accountant.
President Trump picked Carson to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, whose budget grew by leaps and bounds under Barack Obama.
In one of his first acts as HUD Secretary, Carson ordered an audit of the agency. What he found was staggering: $520 billion in bookkeeping errors.
“The total amounts of errors corrected in HUD’s notes and consolidated financial statements were $516.4 billion and $3.4 billion, respectively,” the auditors wrote.
But there were plenty of other problems, too.
There were several other unresolved audit matters, which restricted our ability to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to express an opinion. These unresolved audit matters relate to (1) the Office of General Counsel’s refusal to sign the management representation letter, (2) HUD’s improper use of cumulative and first-in, first-out budgetary accounting methods of disbursing community planning and development program funds, (3) the $4.2 billion in nonpooled loan assets from Ginnie Mae’s stand-alone financial statements that we could not audit due to inadequate support, (4) the improper accounting for certain HUD assets and liabilities, and (5) material differences between HUD’s subledger and general ledger accounts. This audit report contains 11 material weaknesses, 7 significant deficiencies, and 5 instances of noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations.
The same problems were detailed for each of the last three audits, and the auditors say the continued problems “were due to an inability to establish a compliant control environment, implement adequate financial accounting systems, retain key financial staff, and identify appropriate accounting principles and policies.”
So, look for Carson to get out his scalpel and start operating. Or perhaps he’ll use a machete.
http://www.dailywire.com/news/15163/ben-carson-finds-500-billion-billion-errors-during-joseph-curl
Hey Dumbass Liberals, Bannon is Still In With the In Crowd
Trump Top Adviser Steve Bannon Attends NSC Meeting One Day After Being ‘Removed’
One day after what was demonstrably one of the most-covered stories by the media focused on the “removal” of Steve Bannon, President Trump’s top adviser, from the National Security Council (NSC), he attended a council meeting, the Washington Examiner reported on Thursday.
“White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has attended the first meeting of the National Security Council after he was removed from the principals committee Wednesday,” the Examiner story said.
Despite the headlines about Bannon’s removal, most media outlets included the fact that the change on the council only meant Bannon was no longer a permanent member on the council but that he retained top security clearance and could attend council meetings.
“Bannon is still permitted to go to NSC meetings,” Fox News reported on Wednesday.
CNBC reported that Bannon can attend council meetings by invitation of the president or H.R. McMaster, Trump’s national security adviser.
“He is one of the president’s closest and most trusted advisers,” a White House source told CNBC when asked why Bannon attended.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/06/trump-top-adviser-steve-bannon-attends-nsc-meeting-one-day-after-being-removed/
Trump Plans Military Action on Syria. Why Is This Our Business?
World View: President Trump Plans Military Action on Syria After Nerve Gas Attack on Civilians
- President Trump plans military action on Syria after horrific nerve gas attack on civilians
- President Trump declares that he’s changed his mind about military action
- Marco Rubio says Trump’s policy emboldened Bashar al-Assad
- John McCain and Lindsey Graham advocate cruise missiles and safe areas
President Donald Trump on Wednesday made it clear that he is planning some sort of action against Syria. Although he did not specify what kind of action, saying that he did not want to telegraph his plans, he did imply that military action is planned.
The change of mind was triggered by a horrific chemical nerve gas attack on Syrian civilians on Monday, indiscriminately killing dozens of people. The pictures of children being killed apparently particularly affected Trump. The nerve gas was delivered in bombs on warplanes, which could only have been warplanes from the regime of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad. After the nerve gas attack, another missile attack struck the hospital where nerve gas attacks had been taken, effectively putting the hospital out of service. There was clearly an intent to kill as many people as possible, including women and children.
Syrian state media denied that that Syria was responsible:
The government of the Syrian Arab republic categorically denies the allegations and false accusations about the use of poisonous, chemical weapons by the Syrian Arab army in Khan Sheikhoun region against Syrian civilians who are besieged by the armed terrorist groups as human shields there, Syria also affirms that the Syrian army doesn’t possess any kind of chemical weapons and it has not used them and it won’t use them in the future.
The above statement contains known lies. Syria has provably used Sarin gas and chlorine gas in bombs in the past. No part of the above statement is credible, in view of the evidence. ARA News (Syria) and SANA (Damascus)
President Trump declares that he’s changed his mind about military action
At a news conference on Tuesday, Trump commented on Monday’s nerve gas attack in Syria, explaining why he changed his mind:
Yesterday, a chemical attack – a chemical attack that was so horrific, in Syria, against innocent people, including women, small children, and even beautiful little babies. Their deaths was an affront to humanity. These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerate…
Well, I think the Obama administration had a great opportunity to solve this crisis a long time ago when he said the red line in the sand. And when he didn’t cross that line after making the threat, I think that set us back a long ways, not only in Syria, but in many other parts of the world, because it was a blank threat. I think it was something that was not one of our better days as a country. …
I now have responsibility, and I will have that responsibility and carry it very proudly, I will tell you that. It is now my responsibility. It was a great opportunity missed…
It crossed a lot of lines for me. When you kill innocent children, innocent babies — babies, little babies — with a chemical gas that is so lethal — people were shocked to hear what gas it was — that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line. Many, many lines.
In 2013, Bashar al-Assad launched a Sarin gas attack against civilians, after President Barack Obama has said that doing so would “cross a red line.” At that time, Trump tweeted the following:
AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA – IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!
However, Trump has now reversed those sentiments, and is blaming Obama for not intervening in 2013. However, he’s not calling it “a flip-flop,” instead ascribing it to flexibility:
I like to think of myself as a very flexible person. I don’t have to have one specific way, and if the world changes, I go the same way, I don’t change. Well, I do change and I am flexible, and I’m proud of that flexibility. And I will tell you, that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me — big impact. That was a horrible, horrible thing. And I’ve been watching it and seeing it, and it doesn’t get any worse than that.
And I have that flexibility, and it’s very, very possible — and I will tell you, it’s already happened that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much. And if you look back over the last few weeks, there were other attacks using gas. You’re now talking about a whole different level.
He says that he will not reveal his plans, but implies that the plans are military (as opposed to, say, sanctions):
Well, one of the things I think you’ve noticed about me is, militarily, I don’t like to say where I’m going and what I doing. And I watched past administrations say, we will attack at such and such a day at such and such an hour…
I watched Mosul, where the past administration was saying, we will be attacking in four months. And I said, why are they doing that? Then a month goes by, and they say, we will be attacking in three months, and then two months, and then we will be attacking next week. And I’m saying, why are they doing that? And as you know, Mosul turned out to be a much harder fight than anyone thought, and a lot of people have been lost in that fight. I’m not saying I’m doing anything one way or the other, but I’m certainly not going to be telling you, as much as I respect you, John.
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/04/06/6-apr-17-world-view-president-trump-plans-military-action-on-syria-after-horrific-nerve-gas-attack-on-civilians/
GOP Goes Nuclear to Ensure Gorsuch Confirmation Friday
Critical Mass: Gorsuch Nom. Forces Historic Change to Senate Rules
Senate Republicans used the “constitutional option” to change longstanding cloture rules around 12:30pm Thursday, clearing the way for Judge Neil Gorsuch to receive a vote of the full Senate on his confirmation to the Supreme Court.
Republicans resorted to the party-line 52-48 vote after weeks of wrangling over Gorsuch’s nomination in which Senate Democrats threatened the first partisan filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee in American history. After the Democrats assembled the forty-one votes needed to prevent the end of debate under current rules, the constitutional option allowing cloture on a simple majority became the only remaining path to placing Gorsuch on the Court.
Vice-President Mike Pence, who would have been needed to break a tie should any two Republicans have voted to maintain the 60-vote cloture rule, was not present for the vote, indicating Republican confidence their entire caucus would agree to the change.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) moved for a point of order after his first attempt to invoke cloture failed with only 55 votes. From the podium, he cited the need to “restore Senate norms” in light of the Democrats’ “unprecedented partisan filibuster” of a Supreme Court nominee.
McConnell invoked the precedent of Senate Democrats’ own change to same simple majority cloture rule for all presidential nominees but those to the Supreme Court in 2013 in calling for an override of the Senate chair’s determination sixty votes were needed for cloture. That appeal passed on a party-line 52-48 vote.
Thursday’s historic move harmonized Senate rules, removing the possibility of minority filibusters of Supreme Court nominees. Given the reluctance, in the past, for either party to filibuster a Supreme Court nominee with majority support, the constitutional option restored, as a practical matter, traditional Senate custom in this area.
A successful cloture vote quickly followed the rule change. The 55-45 vote began a thirty hour countdown to a vote of the full Senate. Judge Gorsuch is, therefore, slated for the final vote on his confirmation no later than seven o’clock Friday evening. All 52 Republicans and three Democrats are expected to vote for his confirmation, allowing him to replace Antonin Scalia as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/06/critical-mass-gorsuch-nom-forces-historic-change-to-senate-rules/
But Wait A Minute! Obama Said He Rid Syria of All Chemical Weapons
Remember When Obama Claimed He Got All The Chemical Weapons Out Of Syria?
Reports on Tuesday revealed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies again targeted civilians in a deadly attack where chemical weapons were used. The attack is the worst chemical attack in the six-year Syrian civil war.
Rewind back to the fall of 2013, when the Obama administration was working with Syrian and Russian leaders to ensure that Assad’s stockpile of chemical weapons would be turned over and destroyed. A deal was reached, and the Obama administration and fellow Democrats applauded the achievement. The deal was reached after President Barack Obama drew his now infamous “red-line,”where he threatened military action against Assad if he used chemical weapons.
For several years, Democratic lawmakers and Obama administration officials touted that Syria turned over “100 percent” of its chemical weapon stockpile.
“It turns out we are getting chemical weapons out of Syria without initiating a strike,” Obama said.
“We struck a deal where we got a hundred percent of the chemical weapons out,” then Secretary of State John Kerry said.
The Obama White House even tweeted out a statement promoting their achievement.
In May 2015, Bloomberg reported that Assad used chemical weapons after the Obama administration declared that Syria turned over all their chemical weapon stockpile. Obama dismissed the report and said that chlorine isn’t “historically” considered a chemical weapon. After the report, Obama administration officials continued to say that Syria turned over all their chemical weapons.
Then White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest went on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and said four times that Assad didn’t have a chemical weapon stockpile.
“Right now, Bashar al-Assad doesn’t have a declared chemical weapon stockpile,” Earnest said in September 2015.
Before leaving office, Obama was asked in a “60 Minutes” interview if he would have done things differently when it came to Syria.
“Would you take it back?” Steve Kroft of “60 Minutes” asked Obama, referring to the red-line comment.
“I would have, I think, made a bigger mistake if I had said, ‘Eh, chemical weapons. That doesn’t really change my calculus.’ I think it was important for me as president of the United States to send a message that in fact there is something different about chemical weapons,” Obama said. “And, regardless of how it ended up playing, I think– in the Beltway, what is true is Assad got rid of his chemical weapons.”
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/2-minutes-prove-democrats-celebrated-getting-chem-weapons-syria-way-early/