January 1, NSC Staffer Vindman Grilled by GOP

This Day in History | 1947

Princess Elizabeth marries her distant cousin Phillip at Westminster Abby. 

Good Morning Middle Americans, 

Are you paying attention? We don’t blame you if you are not. These impeachment hearings continue to drag on, with little impact on anything.  The “big revelation” yesterday focused on Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who is still employed by the White House as a member of the National Security Council.  Republicans are accusing Vindman of coordinating with Rep. Adam Schiff to attack the president in the hopes of swaying enough GOP senators to remove the President from office. 

Also today, the FBI is investigation a “criminal enterprise” in connection to the death of sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.  And a pro-Trump group building a border wall with private money has been ordered to stop. 

Read all about it. 

– Fraser Dixon 

Republicans Assail Security Aide Who Reported Trump Call

(AP) – A career Army officer on Donald Trump’s National Security Council testified Tuesday he was duty-bound to object to the president’s clearly “improper” phone call seeking Ukrainian investigations of U.S. Democrats. Republicans answered him with doubts about his loyalty to the United States.

Arriving on Capitol Hill in military blue with medals across his chest, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman told impeachment investigators he felt no hesitation in reporting the president’s request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Vindman, a 20-year military officer who received a Purple Heart for being wounded in the Iraq War, was among the officials who listened in to the July 25 call when Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for “a favor” — investigations of Democrat Joe Biden and other issues.

Read more from the Associated Press here

FBI investigating ‘Criminal Enterprise’ in Epstein Death

(Fox News) – FBI investigators probing the death of Jeffrey Epstein are looking into whether a “criminal enterprise” may have played a role, the Bureau of Prisons’ director revealed Tuesday during testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, who described the death as a “black eye on the entire Bureau of Prisons,” made the admission when questioned by Sen. Lindsey Graham.

“With a case this high profile, there has got to be either a major malfunction of the system or criminal enterprise at foot to allow this to happen. So are you looking at both? Is the FBI looking at both?” the South Carolina Republican asked.

“The FBI is involved and they are looking at criminal enterprise, yes,” Sawyer responded.

Learn more about the investigation in Epstein’s death here

Pro-Trump Group Building Border Wall with Private Funds Ordered to Stop

(Fort Worth Star-Telegram) – A group that’s building a border wall with private funds at the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas was told to halt construction, officials say.

We Build the Wall, a Florida-based group that boasts $25 million in donations, wants to construct the fencing to support President Donald Trump’s efforts to create the barrier on the southern U.S. border. The group has already built approximately one mile of fencing in New Mexico near El Paso, Texas, The New York Times reported.

Now the group wants to build a second wall that’s about three miles long and 18 feet tall along the Rio Grande near McAllen, Texas.

Read more here