Happy Anniversary! Three Jan. 6 Fugitives Arrested:
WASHINGTON — Early Saturday morning at a ranch in Florida, on the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the FBI captured three fugitives accused of participating in the riot.
“The FBI executed three federal arrest warrants early this morning at a ranch in Groveland, Florida in Lake County,” the FBI Tampa Field Office said in a statement. “The subjects taken into custody are January 6 fugitives Jonathan Daniel Pollock, Olivia Michele Pollock, and Joseph Daniel Hutchinson III. The defendants are scheduled to appear in Federal Court in Ocala, Florida on Monday, January 8. No further details concerning their capture are available at this time.”
Jonathan Pollock has been at large since the summer of 2021, when he was indicted alongside his sister Olivia Pollock, Hutchinson and two others. Federal authorities said Hutchinson had been an employee at the Pollock family’s gun shop in Lakeland, Florida. Olivia Pollock and Hutchinson have been fugitives since the summer of 2023, when they failed to show up to their trials.
Defense Secretary Was Hospitalized. Didn’t Tell Anybody:
Senior Biden administration leaders, top Pentagon officials and members of Congress were unaware for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized since Monday, U.S. officials said Saturday, as questions swirled about his condition and the secrecy surrounding it.
The Pentagon did not inform the White House National Security Council or top adviser Jake Sullivan of Austin’s hospitalization at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, until Thursday, according to two administration officials. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization for days reflects a stunning lack of transparency about his illness, how serious it was and when he may be released. Such secrecy, at a time when the United States is juggling myriad national security crises, runs counter to normal practice with the president and other senior U.S. officials and Cabinet members.
Standard Operating Procedure? Let’s hope not.
The Ongoing Dismantling Of The NRA–Yet Another Official Admits Guilt:
A former chief of staff to Wayne LaPierre – who resigned as the National Rifle Association’s chief executive on Friday – has agreed to a $100,000 settlement in connection with a civil lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general’s office.
As part of the settlement announced on Saturday, Joshua Powell – one of five defendants in the lawsuit against the NRA, a gun-rights organization – admitted to wrongdoing in failing to fulfill his fiduciary responsibilities and misusing charitable funds.
“Joshua Powell’s admission of wrongdoing and Wayne LaPierre’s resignation confirm what we have alleged for years: the NRA and its senior leaders are financially corrupt,” a statement from the New York attorney general, Letitia James, said. “These are important victories in our case, and we look forward to ensuring the NRA and the defendants face justice for their actions.”
In January 2021, the NRA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Four months later, a Texas court rejected its petition as being filed in bad faith.
The civil trial against the NRA and its senior management is scheduled to begin on Monday.
LaPierre, 74, announced his resignation on Friday – the last business day before the trial’s scheduled start – citing health concerns. His resignation is set to take effect on 31 January.
He has led the NRA since 1991. As head of the organization, LaPierre was well known for extreme rightwing rhetoric in opposition to growing calls for substantial gun-control legislation in response to the epidemic of mass shootings in the US.
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