Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 8-23-16 Online Edition

Presidential News
Illinois Senator Disrespects President With Campaign Rhetoric: Calls Him A ‘Drug Dealer In Chief’
Republican U. S. Senator Mark Kirk is up for re-election.
Colin Powell Breaks His Silence About Hillary Clinton’s Email Scandal
Illinois Republican U. S. Sen. Mark Kirk, has made oppo- sition to a U.S.-led nuclear agreement with Iran a major theme of his re-election cam- paign called President Barack Obama to "drug dealer in chief" over a $400 million payment linked to the release of American prisoners.
Kirk's controversial rheto- ric has been an issue as the first-term senator is viewed as perhaps the most vulnerable Republican incumbent nation- ally this fall. He is being chal- lenged by two-term Democratic U. S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates.
Kirk told the State Journal- Register newspaper last week that a$400 million payment to Iran was a “ransom” paid for the release of U. S. prisoners. Kirk said:
“We can’t have the president of the United States acting like the drug dealer in chief, giving clean packs of money to a ...
state sponsor of terror. Those 500-euro notes will pop up across the Middle East. .... We’re going to see problems in multiple (countries) because of that money given to them.”
The Obama administration said the payment was “lever- age,” not a ransom.
The money was part of a fund Tehran used to purchase U. S. military equipment when the shah was in control of Iran; it was frozen after the Islamic Revolution. The U. S. and Tehran settled a dispute over the money, with Washington agreeing to pay the $400 mil- lion, plus $1.3 billion in inter- est, but delayed that first payment in January by several hours “to retain maximum leverage” until it ensured the release of the prisoners, The New York Times reported.
On Twitter, a number of people called out Kirk for using racially charged lan- guage to insult the President.
“Her people have been try- ing to pin it on me.”
When asked why Clinton’s team were attempting to blame him, he responded, “Why do you think?”
Despite appearing angered by the situation, he added, “It doesn’t bother me. It’s okay, I’m free.”
The story about Powell ad- vising Clinton to use per- sonal email was included in FBI notes of their interview with the Democratic nominee handed to Congress on Tues- day. James B. Comey, the bureau’s director, decided not to pursue criminal charges against her.
Colin Powell has broken his silence about his alleged involvement in the Hillary Clinton email scandal, saying her team is falsely trying to blame him.
When asked by the FBI about her email use at the State Department, Clinton reportedly told investigators that former Secretary of State Powell had advised her to use a personal email account at a private dinner.
But Powell, who had said last week in a statement that he had no recollection of that conversation. “The truth is she was using it (her personal email) for a year before I sent her a memo telling her what I did [during my term as Secre- tary of State].
Hillary Clinton and Colin Powell
President To Visit Flood Ravaged Baton Rouge Tuesday; Trump Used Disaster As Photo-Op
President Barack Obama will visit Louisiana this week, the White House
announced Friday.
The President will travel to
Baton Rouge on Tuesday, press secretary Josh Earnest said, noting that President Obama’s team reached that date after coordinating with state officials.
The President is mindful of the impact that his travel has on first responders and wanted to ensure that his presence did not interfere with ongoing recovery ef- forts,” Earnest said.
“He is also eager to get a first-hand look at the impact of the devastating floods, hear from more officials about the response, including how the federal government can assist and tell the people of Louisiana that the American people will be with them as they rebuild their community and come back stronger than ever.”
Republicans used the disas- ter as another way to take shots at President Obama by going to the media to de- mand he cut short his summer vacation on Martha’s Vine- yard to show solidarity with a state that’s been trying to deal with the worst natural disaster in the U.S. since Hurricane Sandy.
Governor John Bel Ed- wards’ office on Thursday warned against outside politi- cians visiting the state too soon — particularly Trump. “We welcome him to LA but not for a photo-op,” a spokesman for the governor’s office said in a statement. “In- stead we hope he’ll consider volunteering or making a siz-
Donald Trump went against the wishes of the Governor and others in Louisiana and tied up resources by going into the flood ravaged area too soon.
able donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of the storm.”
Donald Trump did not heed the Governor’s wishes and flew into Baton Rouge on Friday. During his visit with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump told volun- teers at a church in Greenwell Springs that President Obama doesn’t want to visit the state, suggesting golf is more important to the presi- dent.
“The President says he doesn’t want to come, he is trying to get out of a golf game,” Trump said, accord- ing to ABC News. “He will never be under par.”
Trump’s visit was blasted by volunteers and responders because his presence tied up resources.
Baton Rouge resident Neva Butkus, said, “I need to clear some things up.”
She wrote, “Our Governor has explicitly asked Presi- dent Obama to NOT VISIT at this moment because our first responders are STILL saving people’s lives. YES, It has been a week and there is
still standing water. Tens of thousands of people are dis- placed. This is a NIGHT- MARE and our governor does not want to shut down inter- states that are BRINGING IN SUPPLIES just to escort our President into the city.”
She went on to say that Donald Trump’s visit was not welcomed by any resi- dents she knows because it tied up precious resources that could be used in rescue and relief efforts.
Hillary Clinton spoke with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards by phone Fri- day. Clinton said the flood, which was much larger than anticipated, has damaged more than 40,000 homes, im- pacting more than 100,000 people.
“My heart breaks for Louisiana, and right now, the relief effort can't afford any distractions. The very best way this team can help is to make sure Louisianans have the re- sources they need," Clinton wrote in a Facebook post, which included links to the Red Cross and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.
PAGE 6 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016