Nadler Pushes For Kushner Suspension Of Security Clearance
Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-Western Brooklyn, Manhattan) last week joined several Democratic House members in writing to the FBI and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requesting that they suspend White House Senior Advisor and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s security clearance.
The group of lawmakers including Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Peter Welch (D-VT) cited in their letter Kushner’s admission that he “omitted” required details about meetings with foreign officials from an FBI questionnaire.
“We were concerned last week that a story with significant national security implications – White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner’s ‘omission’ of meetings with foreign government officials – did not receive the scrutiny it deserved. Mr. Kushner must divulge the details of his meetings with foreign officials and explain why he did not reveal them when he was clearly required by to do so by law,” the lawmakers wrote.
“The fact that Kushner is President Trump’s son-in-law does not place him above the law. Anyone else would face severe discipline for failing to disclose meetings with foreign officials, a material omission which potentially amounts to a criminal offense.
“Furthermore, background checks for security clearances are in large part assessments of the judgment of the person being evaluated. Mr. Kushner signed a legal document that withheld details about significant meetings with foreign officials, including meetings with allies and emissaries of Vladimir Putin. This action throws Mr. Kushner’s judgment into serious question and doubt.
“We are gravely concerned about the larger context within which this omission occurred. Mr. Kushner’s lack of candor about meetings with Russian officials appears to be part of a larger pattern of dissembling and deception on Russian contacts from the Trump team, and we believe the public deserves the truth about why these meetings took place and what they mean for U.S. foreign policy.”
Eugene Attends Carpenters Union Open House
City Council Member Mathieu Eugene (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) last week attended the New York City District Council of Carpenter’s Apprentice Contest at their Training Center on Hudson Street in Lower Manhattan.
The organization represents the interests of 25,000 union members, and provides them with the extensive training necessary to contribute to the safe and skilled construction of New York City. The open house served as an opportunity for Eugene to meet with members of the organization and discuss the importance of helping more young men and women enter the work force.
Adams KIcks Off Earth Week With 3rd Annual Bike-To-Work Ride
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams this morning will lead dozens of Brooklynites on his third annual Bike-to-Work ride as he kicks off his Earth Week celebrations in and around the borough.
The event will highlight the positive impact that New Yorkers can have on their local environment by using pedal power to get around the city. At the press conference leading into the ride, Adams will also commemorate the death of Lauren Davis, a 34-year-old woman cyclist who was fatally struck at the intersection of Classon and Lexington avenues one year ago in Clinton Hill. Davis’ sister will also be on hand for the event.
Adams will bike from Grand Army Plaza to Brooklyn Borough Hall, meeting up at the intersection of Classon and DeKalb avenues with a group of cyclists taking part in a newly added second leg of his ride, which will start on the corner of Fulton Street and Verona Place.
Groups that are participating in Borough President Adams’ ride include the American Heart Association, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Brooklyn Public Library, Citi Bike, Park Slope Neighbors, Prospect Park Alliance, Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Corporation, StreetsPAC, and Transportation Alternatives.
Riders are invited to meet up with Adams at 8 a.m., this morning, April 17 at Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights.
Velazquez Holds Brooklyn Town Hall Meeting
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NOrthern Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan) tonight will host a Brooklyn Town Hall meeting for her Brooklyn constituents.
The agenda will include Velazquez’ work in Washington, touching on such issues as immigration, housing, health care and the environment. A panel of policy experts will join her and there will be time for questions.
The Town Hall is slated for 6 p.m., tonight, April 17 at St. Francis College, Founders Hall/Callahan Center, 180 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights.
Menchaca To Announce Participatory Budgeting Winning Projects
City Council Member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) tonight will announce the winning projects in his district that will get funded through the participating budget (PB) process.
PB is a process where upon city council allow constituents to nominate and vote on projects within the district that get some of the council members’ discretionary funding allotted them through the city council budget.
Menchaca is a leading proponent of PB and dedicates the maximum allowable amount of funds to PB each year. Additionally, his district has distinguished itself for its’ high levels of volunteer participation and voter turnout.
Since 2014, PB in Menchaca’s District 38, over 23,000 voters choosing 22 winning projects which garnered more than $8.9 million of City Council capital funds. More than two-thirds of the ballots cast each year have been in languages other than English. Youth have always been active PB volunteers, but 2017 marks the first time area middle school students were authorized as voters. As always, all district residents regardless of immigration status are welcomed as PB voters.
Eligible projects were conceived and nominated by local residents during a series of public forums held between September, 2016 and January. 2017. This Year District 38 nominated 12 projects for consideration. Sixty trained volunteers at 20 locations between March 25 and April 2 conducted the polling.
The Five winning 2017 PB projects will be announced between 6:30-8:30 p.m. tonight, April 17 at the Sunset Park Library, 5108 4th Avenue in Sunset Park.
Clarke to Host East Flatbush Community Town Hall Meeting
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-Crown Heights, Flatbush, East Flatbush, Brownsville, Sheepshead Bay) is hosting an East Flatbush Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday.
At the meeting, community residents will have an opportunity to discuss their concerns about immigration, health care, and gun violence, as well as organize their resistance to Donald Trump. The meeting will feature experts in each of the issue areas, as well as an opportunity for participants to ask questions and share their concerns with Congresswoman Clarke.
“Donald Trump presents an unprecedented threat to the families of Central Brooklyn, many of whom are at risk of forced separation as a result of mass deportations, the loss of affordable health care provided by the Affordable Care Act, and the violence that occurs as a result of the trafficking of illegal guns into our communities,” said Clarke.
“None of Donald Trump’s policies on these issues comes as a surprise – through the campaign he pledged again and again to attack our very right to exist in the United States. Now, in defense of ourselves and our families, we must organize, standing shoulder-to-shoulder to demand our rights. Just as our mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers assumed the mantle of leadership in the Civil Rights Movement, today this community must mobilize itself in resistance to Donald Trump. I hope you will join this important discussion.”
The meeting is slated to start at 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 19 at New Life Tabernacle Church, 4905 Avenue D and the corner of Utica Avenue in East Flatbush. To RSVP, email ny09.RSVP@mail.house.gov. For additional information, call Congresswoman Clarke’s District Office at 718-287-1142.
