Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) introduced the Combating Houthi Threats and Aggression Act on Monday.
Read the full storyTennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Introduces the Combating Houthi Threats and Aggression Act
Tag: sanctions’
Arizona Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments from Arizona Republican Party Appealing Sanctions over Election Lawsuit, Grills Opposing Attorney
The Arizona Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week from the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) and opposing litigant Secretary of State (AZSOS) over lower courts awarding sanctions against the AZGOP for filing a “groundless” lawsuit “in bad faith.” The AZGOP sued Arizona officials immediately after the 2020 election for conducting a post-election audit that the AZGOP contended did not comply with the law. The AZGOP said the law required the audit to be conducted at the precinct level, but the audit was conducted at the voting center level according to the state’s Election Procedures Manual (EPG), which the AZGOP claimed contradicted state law.
The AZGOP said A.R.S. § 16-602 requires precinct-level audits. The relevant part of that statute, (B)(1), provides, “ At least two percent of the precincts in that county, or two precincts, whichever is greater, shall be selected at random from a pool consisting of every precinct in that county.” In contrast, the EPM states that in counties which utilize vote centers, vote centers will be used for the audits.
Read the full storyGina Godbehere Jumps into Maricopa County Attorney Primary Race Against Incumbent Rachel Mitchell
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell will face the same challenger in the Republican primary this year as she did in the 2022 special election Gina Godbehere.
Godbehere announced her campaign last week. The Maricopa County Supervisors chose Mitchell in early 2022 to replace the previous county attorney, Alistar Adel, who resigned from office due to health issues. Adel passed away in 2022. Mitchell has accumulated considerable criticism from Republicans for actions such as representing the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS) twice, asking for sanctions against Kari Lake’s election attorneys.
Read the full storyFlorida Lawmakers Have Full Slate of Bills for Special Session
The Florida Legislature’s special session began Monday, with lawmakers aiming to work through several issues facing the state.
Florida lawmakers will be tackling a series of bills ranging from disaster relief to the expansion of school vouchers for children with disabilities. Other bills could impose sanctions on businesses involved with Iran.
Read the full storyTennessee U.S. Rep. John Rose Delivers Remarks at Hearing Exposing the Iranian Regime’s Sponsorship of Terrorism
Tennessee U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) delivered remarks at a recent House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing entitled, “Moving the Money: Understanding the Iranian Regime’s Access to Money Around the World and How They Use It to Support Terrorism.”
Read the full storyU.S. Unveils New Sanctions Against Hamas
The Treasury Department unveiled sanctions on a number of Hamas operatives and financial facilitators Wednesday in the wake of terrorist attacks on Israel.
Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas carried out attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, resulting in the deaths of over 1,400 Israelis and the kidnapping of over 100 people, including Americans. The Biden administration has taken steps to castigate Hamas since the attacks, including imposing sanctions against Hamas operatives and financial actors in an effort to throttle the group’s funding, according to a press release from the Treasury.
Read the full storyDeSantis Announces Plan to Expand Sanctions on Iran
Within days of Hamas attacking Israel, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state plans to increase sanctions against the Iranian regime. The new sanctions include expanding the industries on Florida’s scrutinized companies list and strengthening Florida’s position against states that sponsor terror.
DeSantis said that as the federal government has eased sanctions on Iran and funded state-sponsored terrorism by sending billions of U.S. taxpayer money to Iran and restoring hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Palestinians that was previously halted by the Trump administration, Florida is taking the opposite approach.
Read the full storyObama-Appointed Judge Awards $122,200 in Sanctions Against Kari Lake’s Attorneys for Lawsuit over Voting Machine Tabulators
U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi, who was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama, awarded sanctions in December against Kari Lake’s and Mark Finchem’s attorneys over their lawsuit against electronic voting machine tabulators in December. In his July 14 order, he emphasized that the sanctions are to be used “only in the most egregious situations” and as a “deterrent” to others who might be considering similar lawsuits.
Lake addressed the sanctions during an interview Wednesday on The Colonel of Truth. “I sued to get rid of the machines in Arizona about a year before the election,” she said. “No, actually, I’m sorry. About six months. An Obama judge threw the case out, tried to sanction our attorneys. We took it to the 9th Circuit. They’re sanctioning our attorneys. I tried to prevent the disaster of voting machines with this lawsuit BEFORE the election. We get to the election, the machines break down & they’re saying ‘you shouldn’t have bought it.’”
Tennessee U.S. Senators Blackburn, Hagerty Urge the Biden Administration to Sanction Mexican Officials that Directly Support or Enable Drug Cartels
Tennessee U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburm (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) recently led a group of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the crackdown on Mexican drug cartels through sanctions.
Read the full storyU.S. Treasury Dept. Announces Sanctions on Mexican Migrant-Trafficking Gang
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced sanctions against a migrant-trafficking gang based in Mexico that has operated since at least 2018.
The Hernandez Salas organization, based in the border city of Mexicali, Mexico, across the border from Calexico, California, has organized travel for countless migrants seeking to cross into the United States, the Treasury Dept. said in a statement.
Read the full storyMaricopa County GOP Censures Attorney for Requesting Sanctions Against Kari Lake
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, a Republican, is in hot water with Republicans after representing the Maricopa County Supervisors (MCBOS) twice asking for sanctions against Kari Lake over her election lawsuits. A judge derisively dismissed the second request a couple of weeks ago, prompting the Maricopa County Republican Committee (MCRC) to censure Mitchell on June 6.
Brian Ference, member at large with the MCRC and behind many of the group’s recent censures, told The Arizona Sun Times, “The recent censures show an unprecedented level of unity of Republicans holding their elected officials accountable. Just like with Rusty Bowers, the critical part is to take them as a call to action to door knock and inform the voters and then primary them.”
Read the full storyMark Finchem Slams ‘Two Tier Justice System,’ Advocates Removing Judges After Sanctions Granted Against Him for Election Challenge
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Iyer Julian awarded sanctions on May 26 against Mark Finchem and his attorney over Finchem’s lawsuit challenging his election loss in the Arizona Secretary of State’s race to Democrat Adrian Fontes.
Finchem issued a response from his Substack. Titled “Yes, We Have a Two Tier Legal System.” In this piece, he advocated removing “judges who act outside of the law.”
Read the full storyJudge Rejects Maricopa County’s Request for Sanctions Against Kari Lake, Says Election Lawsuit Wasn’t ‘Groundless’
After ruling against Kari Lake in a remanded election trial challenging her gubernatorial loss to Katie Hobbs, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson rejected Maricopa County’s motion for sanctions against Lake on Friday, just three days after their attorneys filed the request. The county’s attorneys asserted that Lake’s team made several false statements to the court. Lake’s attorneys filed a response opposing the request on Thursday.
The Kari Lake War Room Twitter account tweeted after the news came out, “The Judge has DENIED requests by Maricopa County & Katie Hobbs for sanctions against @KariLake. We knew the Fake News narrative would collapse. Now it has. Kari Lake will NEVER stop fighting to restore election integrity to the people of Arizona!”
Read the full storyMaricopa County Asks for Sanctions Against Kari Lake for Contesting Election
For the second time, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is representing Maricopa County officials asking for sanctions against Kari Lake and her attorneys related to the 2022 election. The first request was over Lake and Mark Finchem’s lawsuit last year which sought to stop the use of electronic voting machine tabulators in the election. The second request was filed on Tuesday after Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled a second time against Lake’s election lawsuit, following a second trial that he conducted after being remanded back from the Arizona Supreme Court.
Mitchell was not required to represent the county officials in the lawsuit; if she had disagreed with it, she could have asked outside counsel or another county attorney to replace her. Mitchell ran for office last year with a barrage of campaign literature labeling herself the “conservative” candidate.
Read the full storyArizona Supreme Court Declines to Sanction Kari Lake’s Attorneys, Issues Fine
The Arizona Supreme Court declined to award significant sanctions against Kari Lake’s attorneys for contesting the election results of the gubernatorial race. Instead, on Thursday the court ordered $2,000 in sanctions against her attorneys for asserting it was an “undisputed fact” that 35,563 ballots were inserted into the ballot counting process at Runbeck Election Systems. The court declined to award attorneys fees to her opponents.
The Arizona Supreme Court said in its opinion that Lake “repeatedly” asserted in pleadings that 35,563 ballots were “added” or “injected” at Runbeck. “Not only is that allegation strongly disputed by the other parties, this Court concluded and expressly stated that the assertion was unsupported by the record, and nothing in Lake’s Motion for Leave to file a motion for reconsideration provides reason to revisit that issue.”
Read the full storyKari Lake Files New Motion, Claims Runbeck ‘Inserted’ Ballots
After the Arizona Supreme Court remanded Kari Lake’s election contest back to the trial court to reconsider the signature verification problems and began considering sanctions against her, Lake responded with a new pleading. Lake filed a Petitioner’s Opposition to Motion for Sanctions and Cross-Motion for a Procedural Order for Leave to File a Motion for Reconsideration of the Denial of her Petition for Review on Wednesday in the Arizona Supreme Court.
Read the full storyMark Finchem Responds to Sanctions for Bringing Election Challenge over Voter Disenfranchisement in His Race
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian awarded sanctions last week against Mark Finchem and his attorney Tom McCauley over Finchem’s lawsuit challenging his election loss in the secretary of state’s race. Democrat Adrian Fontes, who won the race, asked the court for sanctions in December. Finchem and McCauley will be required to pay attorneys fees; the legal costs of Fontes’ and then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ office defending against the lawsuit.
Finchem issued a statement after the ruling. “The 6-page order by Judge Julian to award lawyer reimbursement to leftist litigators who represent the Sinaloa Cartel, now the installed Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Katie Hobbs, the installed Governor of Arizona, is contemptible judicial overreach beyond all statutory and Rules of Civil Procedure for the Superior Courts of Arizona,” he said. “This award is designed to quash any and all dissent where elections are in question. The Maricopa County 2022 election was the most embarrassing election in American history. As a result, 70% of Americans doubt the outcome of the 2022 elections in Arizona (Rasmussen Poll).”
Read the full storyState Legislative Leaders Weigh in on Abe Hamadeh’s Election Challenge with Friend of the Court Brief
The Arizona State Senate and House leaders, Sen. Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) and Rep. Ben Toma (R-Peoria), filed an amici curiae brief, known as a friend of the court brief, weighing in on Republican Abe Hamadeh’s request for a new trial in his election challenge.
“Our system of government depends on the accurate tabulation of every legal vote. This imperative does not lapse on Inauguration Day; it imparts to the courts an enduring obligation to guarantee a full and fair adjudication of every bona fide dispute that may be material to the determination of an election,” according to the brief.
Read the full storyAbe Hamadeh Files for a New Trial While Kris Mayes Seeks Attorney’s Fees
Despite the swearing-in of Kris Mayes as Attorney General (D), Republican Abe Hamadeh is not giving up his election contest just yet, filing a Motion for a New Trial Tuesday night in the Mohave County Superior Court.
“Today, I am filing a ‘Motion for New Trial’ after the shocking revelations from the recount. It’s simple, if the judge allows us to inspect and count the ballots – we win. Kris Mayes will either resign or be removed from office. Count the votes accurately,” said Hamadeh.
Read the full storyIn Similar Cases to Lake’s and Finchem’s Lawsuit over Electronic Voting Machine Readers, Judges Did Not Order Sanctions Against Attorneys
The judge in Kari Lake’s election challenge lawsuit declined to award sanctions against her attorneys, although he did order her team to pay the costs of the government defendants. However, in a lawsuit Lake filed earlier this year with Mark Finchem contesting the use of electronic voting machine readers, U.S District Judge John Tuchi, who was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama, sanctioned her attorneys.
That lawsuit was filed in April and Tuchi dismissed it in August. Maricopa County asked for sanctions on the grounds that attorneys brought claims to court that were “demonstrably false,” citing “vague” allegations that machine counting can produce inaccurate results. Tuchi said the attorneys acted “recklessly” and in “bad faith.” He ordered Lake and Finchem’s lawyers to pay Maricopa County’s attorneys fees. He warned others considering similar lawsuits, “It is to penalize specific attorney conduct with the broader goal of deterring similarly baseless filings initiated by anyone, whether an attorney or not.”
Read the full storyCandidates Hopeful for Election Challenges After Certification, Since Early Lawsuits Had Less Statutory Backing
The Trump-endorsed slate of candidates in Arizona’s top races who allegedly lost their races have started pursuing legal challenges over what they believe was an election rampant with voter disenfranchisement and suppression. One of the first challenges was turned away on Tuesday as premature, a lawsuit by Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh and the Republican National Committee (RNC), but election law attorneys say this should not be taken as a sign that there are no valid grounds to overturn the election.
Bob Brickman, an election and regulatory attorney in Phoenix, told The Arizona Sun Times while he “understands the strategy of suing now, since fraud really should be challengeable any time, Arizona law is clear that election challenges cannot be brought until five days after after the state has certified the results, which is scheduled for Dec. 5.”
Read the full storyChina Sanctions U.S. Defense Industry Tycoons
China announced sanctions against CEOs of two major U.S. defense contractors Friday for their role in an arms package the State Department approved for Taiwan on Sept. 2.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the sanctions against Raytheon CEO Gregory J. Hayes and Boeing Defense CEO Ted Colbert will “defend China’s sovereignty and security interests” against U.S. “military contact” with Taiwan. The Biden administration notified Congress of its intent to transfer $1.1 billion worth of military equipment to Taiwan earlier this month, including 60 anti-ship missiles Boeing Defense agreed to produce and 100 air-to-air missilescontracted with Raytheon.
Read the full storyKari Lake and Mark Finchem Denounce Maricopa County Supervisor’s Motion for Sanctions over Election Integrity Lawsuit
Trump-endorsed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake filed a lawsuit along with Trump-endorsed State Rep. Mark Finchem (R-Oro Valley), who is running for Arizona Secretary of State, in April to block the use of electronic voting machines to count ballots in the 2022 election. The Maricopa County Supervisors responded last week with a motion requesting sanctions against the pair and their attorneys, which include former Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz, asserting that the suit was “frivolous.”
Finchem tweeted, “The threatened action by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, is nothing more than the attempted weaponization of the judicial process against the political process. If they can’t stand up to scrutiny for elections, that’s their problem — not our problem. Elections must be secure and trustworthy, Maricopa County has demonstrated neither is the case in the last election. “
Read the full storyTennessee Representatives ‘Proud’ and ‘Honored’ by Russian Sanctions Against Them
Eight of Tennessee’s nine members of the House of Representatives were sanctioned by Russia on Wednesday in response to the U.S. sanctioning members of the Russian Duma earlier this year.
In total, 398 members of Congress were listed in the release from Russia; however, some lawmakers were not included because the country took action against them previously.
Read the full storyBiden Expected to Sign First Executive Order Regulating Cryptocurrency
Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order that will begin the process of regulating the trading of cryptocurrency, as crypto becomes a viable alternative for Russians seeking to avoid the impact of economic sanctions.
According to ABC News, at least two anonymous Biden Administration officials said that the order will be issued this week, and has allegedly been in the planning stage since before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February. The order will outline the various steps that government agencies, including the Treasury Department, are to take to begin the process of imposing regulations on the buying and selling of digital currencies.
Read the full storyRussian’s Financial Markets Remain Closed, as Punitive Ukraine Sanctions Go into Effect
Russia’s financial markets remain closed Wednesday for the third day in a row as the country’s economy continues to take massive hits caused by Ukraine-related sanctions from Western countries.
The closure of the Russian exchanges is the longest since since 1998, according to Bloomberg News.
Read the full storyTennessee Senators Hagerty and Blackburn Join Colleagues in Calling on President Biden to Enforce Sanctions on Iranian Oil Tankers
Tennessee Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined eight colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden demanding that he enforce mandatory sanctions against the growing fleet of oil tankers selling Iranian oil and against the entities purchasing this oil.
Read the full storyCongressman Mark Green Urges Diplomatic Solution to Ukraine-Russia Conflict, Issues Stark Warning to Putin
Congressman Mark Green, who traveled to Ukraine with other members of Congress, urged a diplomatic resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has included Russia threatening an invasion.
While speaking at a meeting in Kyiv, the Tennessee lawmaker issued a stark warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, if he opts to engage in military action.
Read the full storyRepresentative Mark Green Introduces Bill to Sanction Russia
Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) introduced a bill Wednesday to sanction Russia for their invasion of the Donbas region of Ukraine.
If enacted, the Restraining Russian Imperialism Act would instruct the Biden administration to impose sanctions if Russia does not completely withdraw from the region within a year.
Read the full storyJoe Biden Reportedly Will Keep Trump’s Sanctions on Chinese Tech Threats
President Joe Biden will reportedly keep a rule proposed by the previous administration that would allow government officials to stop some Chinese technology transactions, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Biden will allow the Commerce Department to impose the rule even as his administration continues its broad review of former President Donald Trump’s outstanding executive orders related to China, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
Read the full storyUS Sanctions Chinese Officials Over Repression of Minorities
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on three senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party, including a member of the ruling Politburo, for alleged human rights abuses targeting ethnic and religious minorities that China has detained in the western part of the country.
The decision to bar these senior officials from entering the U.S. is the latest of a series of actions the Trump administration has taken against China as relations deteriorate over the coronavirus pandemic, human rights, Hong Kong and trade. Just a day earlier, the administration had announced visa bans against officials deemed responsible for barring foreigners’ access to Tibet. Thursday’s step, however, hits a more senior level of leadership and is likely to draw a harsh response from Beijing.
Read the full storyUS Imposes New Sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON – The U.S. placed more sanctions on Iran Friday in response to its missile attack on U.S. military troops in Iraq last week, and it threatened further action to weaken Iran’s economy if Tehran continues to carry out what it considers terrorist actions.
Read the full storyTrump to Lift Turkey Sanctions
WHITE HOUSE – President Donald Trump says a U.S. brokered ceasefire in Turkey’s assault on Kurds in northeastern Syria has become permanent and Washington is lifting sanctions imposed on Ankara.
Read the full storyBlackburn Announces Filing of Legislation for Sanctions Against Turkey for Syria Incursion
U.S. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Thursday announced the filing of legislation for sanctions against Turkey despite a temporary ceasefire in Syria.
Read the full storyTrump ‘Substantially’ Increases Iran Sanctions, Blaming Tehran for Saudi Oil Field Attacks
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is “substantially” increasing economic sanctions against Iran in the wake of last weekend’s missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields that Washington says were launched by Tehran.
Read the full storyTrump Puts More Sanctions on Russia Triggered By Alleged Chemical Weapons Use on Ex-Spy
President Donald Trump put more sanctions on Russia via executive order Thursday as required by law in response to Russia’s use of chemical weapons in a 2018 attack on an ex-spy in the U.S., two U.S. officials said.
Read the full storyTrump Orders Policy U-Turn on North Korea-Related Sanctions
by Evie Fordham President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Friday he was reversing course on new sanctions on Chinese companies doing business with North Korea. “It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea,” Trump wrote. “I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!” The U.S. Treasury had announced the new sanctions Thursday, not Friday as Trump wrote, and they immediately received “swift pushback” from the governments of both China and North Korea, reported Fox News. “President Trump likes Chairman Kim [Jong Un] and he doesn’t think these sanctions will be necessary,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said when asked about Trump’s tweet. Trump’s decision came a day after Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin detailed the U.S. decision to impose sanctions on two China-based companies. “The United States and our like-minded partners remain committed to achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea and believe that the full implementation of North Korea-related UN Security Council resolutions is crucial to a successful outcome,” Mnuchin said in a statement Thursday according to Fox News. “Treasury will continue to enforce our sanctions, and we…
Read the full storyUS Imposes Sanctions on Venezuelan Officials for Blocking Aid
The United States increased its pressure on Venezuela Friday, imposing sanctions on six high-ranking security officials as well as revoking the visas of dozens of other high officials. The Trump administration said the sanctions were a response to Venezuelan military officials, who last weekend blocked an opposition-backed effort to bring food into the country. At one border point, aid trucks caught fire and several people died. “We are sanctioning members of (President Nicolas) Maduro’s security forces in response to the reprehensible violence, tragic deaths, and unconscionable torching of food and medicine destined for sick and starving Venezuelans,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. Those being sanctioned include National Guard Commander Richard Lopez along with police and military officials based near the Colombian or Brazilian borders. The sanctions block any assets the officials have in the United States and bar Americans from doing business with them. The U.S. State Department also revoked the travel visas of 49 Venezuelans that it said were “individuals responsible for undermining Venezuela’s democracy.” The measures are part of an effort to pressure Maduro to step down. The United States sees his re-election last year as illegitimate and has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido…
Read the full storyChina Demands US Cancel Military Sanctions Or ‘Bear The Consequences’
by Will Racke China responded Friday to new U.S. sanctions against its military, demanding Washington withdraw the penalties or face retaliatory measures. Beijing’s response came a day after the Trump administration imposed sanctions on China’s arms procurement agency for buying Russian-made fighter jets and missile systems, in violation of a 2017 U.S. sanctions law aimed at Russia. “China expresses strong indignation at these unreasonable actions by the U.S. side and has already lodged stern representations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing, according to Reuters. “We strongly urge the U.S. side to immediately correct the mistake and rescind the so-called sanctions, otherwise the U.S. side will necessarily bear responsibility for the consequences,” he added, without elaborating on a potential response. The secondary sanctions against Beijing were imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which was enacted to punish Russia for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. It also targets Russia for its military interventions in Ukraine and Syria. Thursday’s round of sanctions hit China’s Equipment Development Department and its director, Li Shangfu, over purchases of Russian Su-35 fighter jets and an S-400 surface-to-air missile system. The Trump administration called the measures “a significant step” because they marked the…
Read the full storyAmid the Collapse of the Rial, Iran Arrests Currency Traders
Iranian police arrested around 100 money changers on Wednesday as it scrambled to contain the decline of the rial, which has lost a quarter of its value in six months. A video by state broadcaster IRINN showed dozens of currency hawkers, who normally ply their trade across the road from the British embassy in central Tehran, being rounded up by police.
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