Video - Most transparent administration evah forced Benghazi survivors to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Video - Most transparent administration evah forced Benghazi survivors to sign non-disclosure agreements.HT: IsraelMatzav.

Report: Top Obama lawyer told of IRS targeting in April.

Report: Top Obama lawyer told of IRS targeting in April.(TheHill).

President Obama’s top lawyer was notified in April that the Treasury Department’s inspector general had finished an audit of the Internal Revenue Service and uncovered the targeting of conservative groups, according to a report.

The Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday that a senior administration official said White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler learned about the inspector general’s conclusions during the week of April 22, including that IRS agents had directed unfair scrutiny toward Tea Party groups and others who were seeking tax exemption. Obama press secretary Jay Carney had previously acknowledged that the counsel’s office knew that the audit had been completed in April.

The report that White House lawyers may have known the report’s findings weeks before they became public will likely fuel GOP questions about when other senior administration officials first learned about the scandal and if the president should have been notified sooner.

President Obama has said he first learned about the IRS misconduct when the public did, on May 10.

The inspector general’s office said it notified Treasury Secretary Lew about the audit in March, but that he did not learn about the report findings until they went public.

The White House declined to say if Ruemmler had shared knowledge of the inspector general’s findings with other senior administration staff, according to the Journal.

The disclosure of the IRS political targeting has brought criticism from both parties, with Congress beginning hearings. President Obama called the conduct “outrageous” last week and sought and received the resignation of Steven Miller, the acting director of the IRS.

Despite those actions, many GOP lawmakers are questioning if the political targeting was directed or ordered by senior officials in the administration and want further answers on when top Treasury and White House officials first learned of the scandal.

On Sunday, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said he believed that a special counsel would eventually be “necessary” to look into the IRS. Read the full story here.

With new bill, Muslim Congressman Ellison takes the lead to loosen restrictions on refugees…

With new bill, Muslim Congressman Ellison takes the lead to loosen restrictions on refugees….(RRW).….and to direct more of your tax dollars to so-called non-profit voluntary agencies (aka federal contractors).

Update and reminder: Rep. Keith Ellison has the dubious distinction of having the most Somali constituents who left the country to join Jihadists in Africa, here.

So the powerful lobbyists for federal refugee contractors couldn’t find anyone other than Minnesota’s hot head Rep. Keith Ellison who called the Republican Party a “basically bigoted party” only a few weeks ago to carry their water in expanding refugee resettlement and getting more of your dollars into their coffers? Really!
Readers, I have been suggesting for years that the real driving force behind the refugee program in recent years is to get more Muslim immigrants into the US, and you know with Ellison, a Muslim, now taking the lead on the program in Congress it’s the closest we’ve come to seeing that truth.
Way back in 2007, I wrote a post about an Imam from Maryland (Yahya Hendi) visiting Saudi Arabia and telling a Saudi audience that they had elected the first Muslim to Congress (Ellison) and that Muslims would control a number of US cities by 2015 (he is wrong on the year, it will take longer). He admitted that Muslim conversions weren’t happening fast enough, so immigration is the ticket to swelling the US Muslim population.
Now here is Ellison introducing the “Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act” last week.
Get’em in faster (speed up the security checks?), get them job training to compete against Americans in our weak job market, and make sure they get a green card right away (presently they must wait a year).
Ellison’s press release:

WASHINGTON–Rep. Keith Ellison (MN-05) today introduced the “Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act,” which increases coordination and provides much-needed resources for new Americans fleeing war, persecution, or natural disaster.

The bill streamlines refugee processing abroad, while taking advantage of that processing time to provide refugees with English classes and work orientation training. It also allows refugees to be admitted to the United States as lawful permanent residents, saving scarce government and non-governmental organization (NGO) resources. [Do you find this as annoying as I do---these contractors just don't want to be bothered with this extra work a year later. They want to get their $$$ and be done with the refugees within 3-6 months and bring in another batch!---ed]

More money for the contractors!

The bill strengthens refugee integration into local communities. In particular, it expands the public-private Matching Grant program, which has been highly successful in helping refugees become economically self-sufficient.

Brings more of your tax dollars to Ellison’s district where Ellison got elected with the help of the huge Somali population in his district.

“America’s refugee program should reflect our values of generosity and inclusion for all Americans—new and old. The ‘Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act’ achieves this by making sure refugee families have the resources they need to be self-sufficient as quickly as possible. Strengthening support not only helps the 34,000 refugees who have come to Minnesota since 2000, but improves America’s image abroad.”

According to the University of Minnesota, Minnesota has historically had the highest number of refugees per capita. Between 1999 and 2007, over 34,000 people were resettled in Minnesota, from 30 different countries. Over 50,000 Somalis alone—many of them refugee–currently live in Minnesota. [They are all refugees or illegal aliens---ed]

Ellison has kindly listed for us the hit-parade of federal contractors and immigration and open-borders lobbyists who support his bill:
Refugee Council USA (this is the lobbying arm for refugee organizations)
Then he lists seven of the top nine major federal contractors who are on board with his bill. These organizations receive millions of tax dollars to resettle refugees to your towns and cities while expending very small amounts of their own money. These ‘church’ groups are not passing the collection plate to help refugees in any major way!
World Relief
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc. (ECDC)
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
Church World Service
The Episcopal Church
Interestingly, the two largest contractors: the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the International Rescue Committee are not listed. I wouldn’t be quick to chalk that up to any policy concerns with signing on with Ellison but more likely just a bureaucracy problem as they are so big they probably couldn’t get approval through in a timely manner.Read the full story here.

Important ! Since Obama became President his administration has NOT presented a single annual report to Congress on the refugee resettlement program as required by section 413(a) of the immigration and Nationality act !

So it's anyone's guess about the REAL NUMBERS.

"You Lie" - Group To Use ‘Voice Analysis Technology’ As Lie Detector During First Presidential Debate.

"You Lie" - Group To Use ‘Voice Analysis Technology’ As Lie Detector During First Presidential Debate.(DC).When Barack Obama and Mitt Romney face off for the first time at tonight’s presidential debate in Denver, they’ll also be taking a lie detector test. A spokesman for the group Americans for Limited Government told The Daily Caller on Wednesday they have contracted with a company to use new truth detecting technology to determine whether either candidate is lying during the debate. “For the first time, within a few hours of a political debate, the American people will know if the candidates are telling the truth, and better be able to judge what promises are real, and which ones are nothing more than political pandering,” Bill Wilson, president of Americans for Limited Government said.
The conservative-leaning group says they hope to release the results from Voice Analysis Technology within three hours of the debate. “The operating assumption by the general public is that if a politician’s mouth is moving, he or she must be lying, by putting Obama and Romney to the test, we will find out if this is true,” Wilson said.
Voice Analysis Technology, according to a news release, has done work for high-profile criminal cases including for the case of Natalie Holloway, the Alabama high school student who died in Aruba. They’ve also done interrogations for the Department of Defense, Bureau of Prisons, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and 60 other law enforcement agencies, according to the group. The company was also used to show that a woman who accused former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain’s of harassment was untruthful in her allegations. The company’s technology is different than typical polygraph tests. The voice analysis, according to the group, “measures the voice patterns of individuals and determines whether the speaker is telling the truth or not. It also measures the level of stress the person is under, as well as their level of concentration.” “Unlike a traditional polygraph which requires a suspect’s cooperation, and places numerous probes on the person’s body, voice analysis literally takes the words right out of a person’s mouth and based upon variations in speech patterns determines if statements being made are true or not with a high degree of accuracy,” the group said.Read the full story here.

The REAL issue of the Obama tape about New Orleans.

The REAL issue of the Obama tape about New Orleans. HT: InfidelBloggers. By Epaminondas . Naturally Hannity was so interested in incitement himself, he failed to do the real homework to unearth this gem. This is what Romney should vet NOW to call Obama out on as a goddamned liar tonight. In the tape Obama rails about New Orleans NOT getting Stafford exemption (the federal govt waiving locals coming up with 10% matching of federal disaster funds) when NYC did for 9/11, and Florida did for Hurricane Andrew.
We already know that in fact New Orleans DID receive Stafford exemption. What is truly disgusting about about Obama’s incitement of Americans who happen to be black, towards the USA and the govt is that 10 days prior to that speech, Obama himself had voted against that exemption in congress.
Therefore not only is it a fact that he cannot claim he did not know that New Orleans received the exemption which passed congress that day, he himself was one of 12 senators who tried to block the exemption. So, why? Why Mr. Obama did you try to block that money? Why? Why Mr. Obama did you try to incite that crowd?
I do not expect that incitement by Obama to change many minds. I had decided long ago, during the time period Obama chose Merrill Mcpeak, and praised Zbig Brzezinski as a mentor and genius, and Jeremiah Wright as a mentor and guide, that if this was so, Mr. Obama could NEVER narrow the differences between Americans (which are not that huge when you look at this planet). But to have voted against that exemption and then incite to hatred is the kind of cynical tribal acting out we see when Arabs or Persians wish to denigrate Jews. Is that who this man Obama is? Is it?
If this is correct (as reported on ‘THE FIVE’ on Fox, and not challenged by it’s Liberal, Bob Beckel) then Romney should be pinning Obama to the wall tonight asking why. Over and over.Read the full story here.

Video - An Un-narrated Obama Documentary/Review - in his own words.

Video - Ryan--This is not even close to a recovery.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Video: Reporter Confronts Obama Over Kill-list .

Ask Me (Almost) Anything: President Obama dodges tough questions during his 30 minute Reddit session.

Ask Me (Almost) Anything: President Obama dodges tough questions during his 30 minute Reddit session.(DM).President Obama opened himself up to an ‘Ask Me Anything’ question session on Reddit this afternoon but appeared quite picky when it actually came answering. Over the course of the half-hour session when the President logged on to the social news website, he only submitted ten answers to the vast string of questions posed. The ones he did answer were met with fairly generic responses, none of which provided new insight to his plans for policy changes or thoughts about the current campaign. The sole exception being that he said that, after a petition of 25,000 signatures was collected recently, the recipe for the beer that is brewed in the White House will be released soon. ‘It will be out soon! I can tell from first hand experience, it is tasty,’ he wrote. The other questions he did answer ranged from a non-committal statement about investments to the space program, his work-life balance, and his favourite basketball player (Michael Jordan, ‘I’m a Bulls guy’).
When it came to more serious matters, he reflected on how ordering the surge in Afghanistan was the hardest decision of his term, and a sympathetic note of encouragement for a recent law school grad who asked how President Obama hopes to improve the economy since it still remains difficult to find a job. ‘I don't promise that this will solve all our immediate economic challenges, but my plans will lay the foundation for long term growth for your generation, and for generations to follow,’ the President wrote towards the end of his lengthy response where he outlined the different tax plans proposed by the Democrats and Republicans. ‘So don't be discouraged - we didn't get into this fix overnight, and we won't get out overnight, but we are making progress and with your help will make more.’
The questions that he did not answer was more telling than what he did: questions about Guantanamo Bay, education reforms, the connection between politicians and lobbyists, marijuana legalization, the embargo against Cuba and the war on drugs to name a few. In fairness, many Reddit AMA sessions last for hours and the President's only lasted for about a half hour starting at around 4.15pm after finishing a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Over the course of the session, 11,000 comments had been submitted causing chaos in the Reddit offices and a temporary site connectivity issues shorty after it ended. The President signed off by saying that he needed 'to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner' but said that overall, the Reddit experience was 'NOT BAD'.Hmmmmm......Priorities: No 1. Dinner. Read the full story here.

Video - "The Hope and the Change".

Obama's 'CHANGE' - Time to Restore America’s Rule of Law.

Obama's 'CHANGE' - Time to Restore America’s Rule of Law.(Heritage).In his recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, Professor David Skeel of the University of Pennsylvania Law School pointed out:

No one doubts that the coming election will be the most important referendum on the size and nature of government in a generation. But another issue is nearly as important and has gotten far less attention: our crumbling commitment to the rule of law.… A sad irony of [it] is that rule-of-law values have been one of America’s greatest contributions to world-wide economic development in recent decades.… In the years after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, American markets served as a model of the importance of privatization and protection of property rights as the nations of Eastern Europe charted a new economic future. Now we increasingly are the ones that need to learn these lessons.… Rule-of-law matters cannot be separated entirely from questions about the size and role of government. The more government grows, the harder it is to preserve rule-of-law virtues like transparency and clear rules of the game.

The troubling trend of weakening the rule of law is well documented in The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom. The U.S.’s indicators for the rule of law, which measure property rights and freedom from corruption, have eroded dramatically over the last five years.Read the full story here.

Remember "You reap what you sow" - Obama Signs Congress Approved Bill Giving Him More Power.

Remember "You reap what you sow" - Obama Signs Congress Approved Bill Giving Him More Power.(TOF).By Lori Anderson.According to news reports President Obama signed the “The Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011” on August 10, 2012. Politico.com reports,

 “Democrats and Republicans came together to give President Obama more power to appoint officials jobs in his administration without seeking approval from the Senate.” 

This bill will go into effect anywhere from 0-60 days from the date of President Obama signing it. The Senate approved the bill, 79-20, in June 2011. The House approved it, 261-116, last month. “In the middle of election season, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have come together to give President Barack Obama more power to appoint officials to jobs in his administration without seeking approval from the Senate.” Yes, you read correctly: more power. 
The article went on to point out just why this didn’t break across mainstream media: Lost in the hubbub last weekend over Rep. Paul Ryan’s selection as Mitt Romney’s running mate was the fact that Obama signed a bill that eliminates the need to obtain Senate confirmation for about 170 executive branch posts: the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011. Senator Lieberman, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, which marked up and reported out the measure, said: “This bipartisan legislation represents the Senate at its best. A problem was identified, and Democrats and Republicans worked together to craft a solution. Now, future Administrations will be able to get their teams in place more quickly, and the Senate will be able focus its time and energy on the most important Executive Branch appointments. In no way does this bill erode the Senate’s role of “advice and consent.” Rather, it strengthens the Senate’s power by freeing us up to concentrate on nominees who will actually shape national policy.” This is very concerning, this gives Obama the legal right to hire who he wants without approval from the senate for the following positions. 
A list of positions exempted from Senate confirmation appears below.

Department of Agriculture
Assistant Secretary for Administration
Rural Utilities Service Administrator
Directors (7), Commodity Credit Corporation
Department of Commerce
Chief Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Officer Corps, NOAA (321)
Corporation for National and Community Service Managing Directors (2)
Department of Defense
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Networks and Information Integration)
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
Director of the Selective Service System
Members (6), National Security Education Board
Council of Economic Advisers
Members (2)
Department of Education
Assistant Secretary for Management
Commissioner – Education Statistics
Members (15), National Board of Education Sciences
Department of Health and Human Services
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Public Health Services Corps (2536)
Department of Homeland Security,

Assistant Administrator, Grants, FEMA
Administrator, U.S. Fire Administration
Director, Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement
Chief Medical Officer
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
US Agency for International Development
Assistant Administrator for Management
Department of Justice
Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance
Director, National Institute of Justice
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Director, Office for Victims of Crime
Department of Labor
Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Director, Women’s Bureau
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Deputy Director
Deputy Director, Demand Reduction
Deputy Director, State and Local Affairs
Deputy Director, Supply Reduction
Department of State
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Administration
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs
Deputy Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
Administrator, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Department of Treasury
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Management
Treasurer of the United States Administrator, Community Development Financial Institution Fund
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Management
Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration
Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security and Preparedness
Appalachian Regional Commission
Alternate Federal Co-Chairman

African Development Bank
Governor Alternate Governor
African Development Fund
Governor Alternate Governor
Asian Development Bank
Governor
Alternate Governor
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Members (13), Board of Trustees
Mississippi River Commission
Commissioners (7)
National Council on Disability
Members (15)
National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board
Members (10)
National Museum and Library Services Board
Members (20)
National Science Board
Members (24)
More freedom for Obama, less accountability, and the ability to control.
Note: Homeland Security, DOD, and FEMA are on this list. Scarey thought indeed. I wonder if the same people who did President Obama’s background check will be doing theirs also?Read the full story here.

Obama on the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund actions : "I don’t take these folks too seriously."

Obama on the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund actions : "I don’t take these folks too seriously."(TheHill).President Obama isn't worried about a conservative political action committee's attacks on him alleging that he leaked intelligence information for political gain. Obama said he doesn't take the attacks of the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund seriously. Recently the group whose leaders include former SEAL Scott Taylor, released a 22-minute video that accused Obama of leaking details about the raid that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden as politically motivated. The group says it's nonpartisan but Taylor, the political action committee's president, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Virginia as a Republican in 2010.
 "I don’t take these folks too seriously. One of their members is a birther who denies I was born here, despite evidence to the contrary. You’ve got another who was a tea party candidate in a recent election," Obama said Monday to The Virginian-Pilot.
"This kind of stuff springs up before election time." In response to the video's release, Ben LaBolt, spokesman for Obama's reelection campaign said that Republicans were resorting to "Swift Boat tactics" —a reference to a series of attack ads on Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) military record during his 2004 presidential run.Hmmmm........"Swift Boat Tactics" have been very succesful in the course of History.Read the full story here.

Video - Pentagon Can’t Find Records of Capturing Osama Bin Laden.

Related: Apparently Osama Bin Laden Died Twice? Former Turkish CIA Agent states: Bin Laden Died of Disease in 2006.

Video - "Dishonorable Disclosures"

Intelligence and Special Operations forces are furious and frustrated at how President Obama and those in positions of authority have exploited their service for political advantage. Countless leaks, interviews and decisions by the Obama Administration and other government officials have undermined the success of our Intelligence and Special Operations forces and put future missions and personnel at risk.

The unwarranted and dangerous public disclosure of Special Forces Operations is so serious -- that for the first time ever -- former operators have agreed to risk their reputations and go 'on the record' in a special documentary titled "Dishonorable Disclosures." Its goal is to educate America about serious breaches of security and prevent them from ever happening again.

Use of military ranks, titles & photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement of the Dept of the Army or the Department of Defense. All individuals are no longer in active service with any federal agency or military service.

Special ops group attacks Obama over bin Laden bragging, leaks.

Special ops group attacks Obama over bin Laden bragging, leaks.(Yahoo).WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of former U.S. intelligence and Special Forces operatives is set to launch a media campaign, including TV ads, that scolds President Barack Obama for taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and argues that high-level leaks are endangering American lives. Leaders of the group, the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, say it is nonpartisan and unconnected to any political party or presidential campaign.
It is registered as a so-called social welfare group, which means its primary purpose is to further the common good and its political activities should be secondary. In the past, military exploits have been turned against presidential candidates by outside groups, most famously the Swift Boat ads in 2004 that questioned Democratic nominee John Kerry's Vietnam War service. The OPSEC group says it is not political and aims to save American lives.
Its first public salvo is a 22-minute film that includes criticism of Obama and his administration. The film, to be released on Wednesday, was seen in advance by Reuters. "Mr. President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden, America did. The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden. You did not," Ben Smith, identified as a Navy SEAL, says in the film.

 "As a citizen, it is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy," Smith continues. "It will get Americans killed." 

 An Obama campaign official said: "No one in this group is in a position to speak with any authority on these issues and on what impact these leaks might have, and it's clear they've resorted to making things up for purely political reasons."
The president of Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, Scott Taylor, is a former Navy SEAL who in 2010 ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for a congressional seat in Virginia. Calling itself "OPSEC" for short - which in spy jargon means "operational security" - the anti-leak group incorporated last June in Delaware, a state that has the most secretive corporate registration rules in the U.S. It also set itself up as a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)4 of the U.S. Tax Code, allowing it to keep donors' identities secret. Spokesmen for the group declined to discuss its sources of financing. Several group representatives say their main motivation for setting up OPSEC was dismay at recent detailed media leaks about sensitive operations. 
In an interview, Taylor denied OPSEC had any political slant. He described the group as a "watchdog organization" but added that the current administration "has certainly leaked more than others." OPSEC spokesmen said the group has about $1 million at its disposal and hopes to raise more after the release of its mini-documentary, entitled "Dishonorable Disclosures," which aims, in spy-movie style, to document a recent spate of leaks regarding sensitive intelligence and military operations. Fred Rustmann, a former undercover case officer for the CIA who is a spokesman for the group, insisted its focus on leaks was "not a partisan concern." But he said the current administration had been leaking secrets "to help this guy get re-elected, at the expense of peoples' lives.... We want to see that they don't do this again." Chad Kolton, a former spokesman for the office of Director of National Intelligence during the George W. Bush administration who now represents OPSEC, also said the group's message and make-up are nonpolitical. "You'll see throughout the film that concern about protecting the lives of intelligence and Special Forces officers takes precedence over partisanship," he said.Read the full story here.

Video - Obummer! Set to the tune of Donna by Richie Valens.

HT: IsraelMatzav.

Video - President Obama makes his case for a one term presidency

Peter Wehner:

...... No president in human history has quite equaled Obama when it comes to blaming others for his problems. And during the 2008 campaign, everything wrong with America could be laid squarely at the feet of President Bush. But now Obama, having presided over what at this stage must qualify as among the most inept presidencies in American history, is complaining because he’s being held accountable.

What is fairly astonishing in all this is the utter lack of self-awareness by the president. A jolting collision is occurring between his own self-conception (Obama views himself as a world-historical figure and Great Man) and the multiple and multiplying failures of his presidency. Obama appears incapable of processing the truth or coming to grips with reality....

Obama has now entered a world all his own. It’s a world where up is down, hot is cold, north is south, and Barack Obama is fiscally responsible and blameless....

That is a pretty good summary of this President and his petulant campaign for reelection. He takes responsibility for nothing and engages in full time serial blame shifting.

Congressional investigators Probe Fast-Track Approval for Obama Connected Green Companies.

Congressional investigators Probe Fast-Track Approval for Obama Connected Green Companies.(Heritage).Congressional investigators are probing potential cronyism in a pair of federal green energy programs, including the Energy Department loan program that guaranteed a $535 million loan to now-bankrupt solar company Solyndra.
In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar sent on Tuesday, embedded below, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), chairman of the Budget Committee, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, ask for information on federal support for six different companies: Abengoa Solar, BrightSource Energy, First Solar, Nevada Geothermal, NextEra Energy Resources, and SolarReserve.
Sessions initially requested the information last year, but DOI has yet to respond. The letter calls the department’s silence “unacceptable.”
Session and Issa are wondering whether DOI fast-tracked regulatory approval for a spate of green energy projects with notable political connections and ties to the Obama administration.
According to a Republican aide on the Senate Budget Committee, Salazar’s department has created a two-tiered system for energy companies looking to secure federal support. “Politically favored, and often connected, renewable energy plans [receive] less rigorous review than traditional energy projects,” the aide asserted.
Each of the companies mentioned in the letter has a significant political footprint. For instance, former BrightSource CEO John Bryson is now Commerce Secretary. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was instrumental in securing federal backing for Nevada Geothermal, even pressuring Interior to fast-track the company’s loan guarantee approval process.
Steve Black, a senior official at DOI, leads the Renewable Energy Policy Group, which also includes NextEra lobbyist Manal Yamout. Black and Yamout are reportedly in a romantic relationship.
The lead lobbyist for First Solar, vice president of government relations Kathleen Weiss, has had numerous meetings at the White House, according to visitor logs. She has met with senior White House official Valerie Jarrett, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal, among others.

While Interior has yet to respond to the request for information on these and other companies, the appearance of political favoritism in DOI’s review of green energy projects fits with a pattern of cronyism in the administration’s “green” initiatives.Here is the full text of the letter to Salazar:
Sessions Issa Letter to Salazar.
Read the full story here.