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THE DAILY HERALD, Thursday, March 16, 2017 US/World 23

WASHINGTON--A key and his associates.
Republican lawmaker said James Clapper, the direc-
on Wednesday he did not tor of national intelligence NEW YORK--A teenage
believe the Obama admin- under Obama, has said he girl who claims she was
istration wiretapped Trump knew of no warrant to wire- forced to have sex with men
Tower during the 2016 tap Trump Tower. Nunes for two years from the age
election campaign, adding said if Trump’s tweets were of 14 is suing a roadside
to pressure on FBI Direc- taken literally, then “clearly U.S. motel in a landmark
tor James Comey to pro- the president was wrong.” case, accusing the business
vide evidence supporting With his statements, of turning a blind eye while
or debunking Republican Nunes, who served on she was sex trafficked.
President Donald Trump’s Trump’s transition team, It is the first case brought
claim. joined other lawmakers, under a 2014 law in the
“We don’t have any evi- including some of his fel- state of Pennsylvania that
dence that that took place,” low Republicans, who have allows victims to sue those
House of Representatives been skeptical about the who profit indirectly from
Intelligence Committee president’s claim, and frus- Chairman Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Ranking Member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D- their trafficking. The teen-
RI) arrive at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism hearing about Russian
Chairman Devin Nunes trated with what they see as election interference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. on Wednesday. ager, identified as M.B. in
told a news conference. “I federal law enforcement’s the complaint, was held
don’t think there was an ac- failure to provide them accusation without basis,” ties to Russian officials. saying “wiretap covers a lot captive in budget motel the
tual tap of Trump Tower.” with information. Schiff said. Trump fired his national of different things.” Roosevelt Inn in Philadel-
Trump made the claim on The top Democrat on U.S. intelligence agencies security adviser, Michael Without providing details, phia from as young as 14
Twitter on March 4 without the House intelligence have concluded that Rus- Flynn, last month after he the president added, “I and forced to have sex with
providing evidence. Nunes’ panel, Adam Schiff, said at sia conducted cyber attacks failed to disclose contacts think you’re going to find men several times a day for
congressional committee the news conference with on Democrats in an effort with Russia’s ambassador some very interesting items more than two years, the
is one of at least four that Nunes that Comey would to influence the 2016 U.S. before Trump took office coming to the forefront complaint said.
have added the startling ac- be asked about wiretap evi- election on Trump’s behalf. on Jan. 20. over the next two weeks,” The civil complaint is the
cusation to investigations of dence at a rare public hear- Russia has denied this. Trump seemed to back according to excerpts of first filed under Pennsyl-
possible Russian meddling ing on Monday. “It deeply At the same time, Trump away from his accusation of the interview, which will air vania’s Human Trafficking
in the election campaign concerns me that the presi- has been dogged by allega- wiretapping in a Fox News later on Wednesday. Law which expands the
and Russian ties to Trump dent would make such an tions that his associates had interview on Wednesday, definition of the crime and
allows civil proceedings
against those who partici-
pate or profit from it, said
Shea Rhodes, director of
the Villanova Law Institute
to Address Commercial
HONOLULU/NEW YORK- Iraq, which was taken off the Sexual Exploitation. The
-Just hours before President list of banned countries in milestone case is likely to
Donald Trump’s revised the subsequent order. encourage attorneys and
travel ban was set to go into Refugees were blocked victims to make use of the
effect, a U.S. federal judge in from entering the country for law again in future cases,
Hawaii on Wednesday issued 120 days in both orders, but
an emergency halt to the or- an indefinite ban on all refu- she said.
der’s implementation. gees from Syria was dropped “Putting motels or other
The action was the latest in the new one. The revised industries that facilitate
legal blow to the administra- ban also excluded legal per- trafficking on their prem-
tion’s efforts to temporarily manent residents and exist- ises (on notice), holding
ban refugees as well as trav- ing visa holders. It provided them civilly accountable,
elers from six predominantly a series of waivers for vari- will discourage additional
Muslim countries. The new ous categories of immigrants hotels or motels from al-
ban, signed by the president with ties to the United States. lowing this insidious crime
on March 6, had aimed to The government has main- to happen on their premis-
overcome legal problems tained in court that the es,” said Rhodes in a phone
with a January executive changes resolve any legal is- interview.
order that caused chaos at sues with the original order When the Roosevelt Inn
airports and sparked mass and maintained that it was was contacted for comment
protests before a Washington not discriminatory. The gov- by phone, a reception-
judge stopped its enforce- ernment, in its court filings ist said management had
ment in February. cautioned the court against nothing to say.
U.S. District Judge Derrick looking for secret motives
Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin answers questions from the media at the U.S. District According to the suit that
Watson put an emergency Court Ninth Circuit after presenting his arguments after filing an amended lawsuit against in the executive order and was filed on Friday, Roo-
stop to the new order in re- President Donald Trump’s new travel ban in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday. against performing “judicial
sponse to a lawsuit filed by psychoanalysis of a drafter’s sevelt Inn staff regularly
the state of Hawaii, which ar- heart of heart.” leased rooms to the teen-
gued that the order discrimi- pointed to the bench by for- the United States and he had implement a policy of “ex- Watson said he did not age girl’s traffickers from
nated against Muslims in mer Democratic President no doubt that it would be up- treme vetting” of foreigners need to do that, because 2013 despite knowing their
violation of the U.S. Consti- Barack Obama. held by higher courts. The coming to the United States. evidence of motive could actions were facilitating her
tution. President Trump has Trump said the judge’s legal legal battle is likely to move Watson’s order is only tem- be found in the president’s sexual exploitation. The
said the policy is critical for block “makes us look weak” now to the federal appeals porary until the broader ar- public statements. He said complaint alleges one mo-
national security and does and represented “unprec- circuit and could eventu- guments in the case can be he did not give credence to tel clerk in particular “was
not discriminate against any edented judicial overreach,” ally get to the U.S. Supreme heard. He set an expedited the government’s argument fully aware” that the vic-
religion. speaking at a rally in Nash- Court. hearing to determine if his that the order was not anti- tim was a minor and would
Judge Watson concluded ville, Tennessee. He said he’ll Hawaii and other oppo- ruling should be extended. Muslim because it targeted direct clients to the room
in his ruling that while the take case “as far as it needs nents of the ban claimed Trump’s first travel order only a small percentage of where M.B. was held.
order did not mention Is- to go” including to the Su- that the motivation behind was more sweeping than the Muslim-majority countries. The victim’s traffickers
lam by name, “a reasonable, preme Court. it was Trump’s campaign second revised order. Like “The notion that one can were convicted in a sepa-
objective observer ... would Paul Ryan, the Republican promise of “a total and com- the current one, it barred demonstrate animus toward rate criminal case and are
conclude that the Executive Speaker of the U.S. House plete shutdown of Muslims citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, any group of people only by currently serving jail time,
Order was issued with a pur- of Representatives, said the entering the United States.” Somalia, Sudan and Yemen targeting all of them at once Bezar told the Thomson
pose to disfavor a particular ban was needed to improve Trump later toned down that from entering the country for is fundamentally flawed,” the
religion.” Watson was ap- vetting of people entering language and said he would 90 days, but it also included judge wrote. Reuters Foundation.