FLASHBACK: What Democrats, Corporate Media Said About Potential Preemptive Pardons From Trump Four Years Ago
'Why would he think a pardon was necessary?'
Official handpicked by Mayor Bass to oversee LA Fire Department put on leave over alleged bomb threat
A man appointed by Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to oversee public safety in Los Angeles has been on leave for nearly a month in connection with a bomb threat made against Los Angeles City Hall.
About a week before Christmas, FBI agents raided the home of Brian Williams, the deputy mayor of public safety in Los Angeles, on suspicion that he had called in a bomb threat at Los Angeles City Hall. Los Angeles police officers opened an investigation into the threat but later handed the investigation over to federal agents because of the suspect's connection with their department.
"Our initial investigation revealed that the source of the threat was likely from Brian Williams, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety," LAPD said in a statement. "Due to the Department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI. The FBI remains the investigating agency."
After the raid, Williams was placed on administrative leave. Sources told the L.A. Times that the bomb threat associated with Williams was made sometime in October.
"The mayor takes this matter very seriously," said Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for Bass. "When the threat was reported, LAPD investigated and determined there was no immediate danger. Following additional investigation, LAPD referred this matter to the FBI for further investigation."
'It didn’t have to be this way.'
Williams' attorney, Dmitry Gorin, said his client "strongly maintains his innocence."
"Importantly, he has not been arrested, nor charged, and will continue cooperating with the investigation through his attorneys," Gorin added.
The FBI apparently did not respond to a request for comment from the AP.
Mayor Bass appointed Williams to join her team in February 2023. Among his responsibilities was overseeing the Los Angeles Police Department, Fire Department, Emergency Management Department, the Port of Los Angeles Police, and the Los Angeles World Airport Police, the New York Post reported.
The Times claimed that Williams was a member of Bass' "trusted inner circle" who helped her select Jim McDonnell to be the new police chief in October, the same month the bomb threat occurred.
Williams was already a familiar face at L.A. City Hall prior to his appointment by Bass, having served as deputy mayor two decades earlier under then-Mayor James Hahn. He has also reportedly been a city attorney as well as the executive director of the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission.
In its reporting on the raid of Williams' home last month, the Times gave several flattering descriptions of Williams:
- "The revelation brought a range of responses, from the requisite internet snark ... to open-mouthed shock of City Hall and LAPD staffers who said in private conversations that the allegations didn’t square with the man they knew."
- "If true, the allegations would mark a stunning turn for a widely liked public official, who was described by several people in city government as soft-spoken, a dapper dresser and a co-worker who had never shown anger or impulsive behavior on the job."
- "Some in the city’s Black political and religious establishment have rallied behind Williams, issuing statements of support and disbelief."
The allegations swirling around Williams have resurfaced now that wildfires have raged in the greater L.A. area for more than a week, prompting questions about Bass' competence and crisis management. When the fires first broke out, Bass was on the other side of the world, enjoying the inauguration festivities for new Ghana President John Dramani Mahama.
Conditions did not improve much when she returned. Fire hydrants ran out of water, and LAFD officials, some of whom seem obsessed with race and sexual orientation, complained that budget cuts and equipment problems limited their ability to battle the blazes.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has also faced criticism for refusing to sign a water bill that would have dramatically increased L.A.’s water supply because it might have negatively impacted the smelt population.
"It didn’t have to be this way," said BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Chris Wallace and Brian Williams being considered to fill Chris Cuomo's primetime CNN slot: Report
Former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace is rumored to fill Chris Cuomo's primetime CNN slot, according to a report. Another possible replacement for the former host of "Cuomo Prime Time" is former MSNBC anchor Brian Williams.
In December, Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN president Jeff Zucker. Cuomo was terminated for allegedly assisting his brother – then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) – on how to repel sexual harassment allegations made against him.
Zucker suddenly resigned in February, claiming that he hid a romantic relationship with Allison Gollust – CNN's executive vice president. The revelation of the romantic relationship was purportedly discovered during the investigation into Chris Cuomo.
Now, incoming CNN boss Chris Licht will attempt to rebuild the struggling cable news network. His first major decision is determining who will fill the vacant "Cuomo Prime Time" slot.
"Former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace is one name being floated internally to take the key 9 p.m. slot. Javier De Diego, currently the supervising producer on 'The Lead with Jake Tapper,' will become exec producer of Wallace's CNN+ show, it was announced on Monday)," the Daily Beast reported.
"But Licht may look externally to make a splashy new hire," the report suggested. "One name that continues to pop up is Brian Williams, who revived his career at MSNBC before exiting last year and is looking for one final act, according to two people familiar with his thinking. It would be quite the comeback for Williams who has always had his sights set on a nighttime talk show—and who better to orchestrate such a move than Licht, who reworked Stephen Colbert's show and took it to first place in the late-night ratings."
Wallace – a longtime staple of Fox News – abruptly left the network in December to obtain a new position with CNN. The 74-year-old ex-host of "Fox News Sunday" was originally hired to be an anchor for the news network's new subscription platform CNN+ – which will debut in 2022.
"I am thrilled to join CNN+. After decades in broadcast and cable news, I am excited to explore the world of streaming. I look forward to the new freedom and flexibility streaming affords in interviewing major figures across the news landscape—and finding new ways to tell stories,” Wallace said in a statement. “As I embark on this adventure, I am honored and delighted to join Jeff Zucker and his great team. I can’t wait to get started."
Despite the encouraging words of his new home at CNN, there was a report that Wallace was "irate" over the sudden departure of Zucker and was "second-guessing his decision" to leave Fox News.
Even liberal shock jock Howard Stern questioned the career move by Wallace, "People don't want CNN, who the hell's gonna pay for CNN+? I mean are they outta their minds?"
Meanwhile, Brian Williams made his final "11th Hour" broadcast on MSNBC in December.
"After 28 years of peacock logos on much of what I own, it is my choice now to jump without a net into the great unknown. As I do, for the first time in my 62 years, my biggest worry is for my country," Williams signed off in his final monologue.
Williams joined MSNBC after he was booted from NBC's "Nightly News" for exaggerating his exploits.
Another possibility to replace Cuomo is CNN anchor Jake Tapper – who currently hosts his own show on the cable news network from 4 to 6 p.m.
In the prime time cable TV news ratings, CNN has routinely finished in third place behind MSNBC and top networj Fox News.
Last month, Forbes reported:
Now, a review of ratings data compiled by Nielsen shows the internal chaos at the network is mirrored by deep declines in viewership across all day parts — total day and prime time. Through February 15, CNN’s average prime time audience among viewers 25-54—the key demographic valued by advertisers—was just 126,000, representing a 69% drop from the same period one year ago. Among total viewers, the average audience was 534,000, a decline of 68% from 2021.
Brian Williams signs off MSNBC for the last time with an ominous warning about the country's future: America burning down 'with us inside'
Longtime broadcaster and MSNBC anchor Brian Williams departed the network on Thursday night with an ominous warning to Americans: The country is burning down with us inside it.
Williams initially announced his departure from MSNBC and NBC News in November following the completion of his current contract.
What are the details?
In his final monologue, Williams — who faced scrutiny in 2015 for reportedly embellishing a variety of his reports, purportedly overstating his experiences and actions — said, "After 28 years of peacock logos on much of what I own, it is my choice now to jump without a net into the great unknown. As I do, for the first time in my 62 years, my biggest worry is for my country."
Williams — who explained that he's neither a liberal nor a conservative, but an "institutionalist" — said that he believes the country is in dire straits and those in positions of power should be held accountable for deteriorating conditions between Americans and their government.
"I believe in this place and in my love of country I yield to no one, but the darkness on the edge of town has spread to the main roads and highways and neighborhoods. It's now at the local bar and the bowling alley, at the school board and the grocery store, and it must be acknowledged and answered for," he insisted. "Grown men and women who swore an oath to our Constitution, elected by their constituents, possessing the kinds of college degrees I could only dream of, have decided to join the mob and become something they are not, while hoping we somehow forget who they were. They've decided to burn it all down with us inside — that should scare you to no end, as much as it scares an aging volunteer fireman."
He thanked his friends, family, and lifelong network broadcasting colleagues and added that it is up to the current and future generations to protect and preserve the sanctity of the country as it once was.
"I will wake up tomorrow in the America of the year 2021," he said. "A nation unrecognizable to those who came before us and fought to protect it — which is what you must do now."
He concluded, "I'll show myself out. Until we meet again, that is our broadcast for this Thursday night. Thank you for being here with us. And for all my colleagues at the networks of NBC News, good night."
Anything else?
Williams was one of the first on board when MSNBC launched in 1996 and soon became NBC's host of "NBC Nightly News."
In 2015, he faced scrutiny when it was discovered that he reportedly exaggerated some stories during some interviews.
Following outcry, the network suspended him for six months, and host Lester Holt replaced him on the show.
WATCH: Brian Williams gives an on-air goodbye to his audience as he signs off for the final time after 28 years with NBC. https://on.msnbc.com/3yjSe9Z\u00a0pic.twitter.com/mb8zSoUnkq— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1639116679
'We're talking about people who are going to be killed': Mark Levin BLASTS the Left's IMMORALITY on Afghanistan
President Joe Biden's abysmal, failed withdrawal from Afghanistan has stranded American citizens and our allies alike. But after Biden spoke to the nation, MSNBC's far-left hosts praised him for "owning" the decision. It took one of their own guests to blast Biden for his outright lies.
On a recent episode of "LevinTV," host Mark Levin raised the cry for a return to a moral American response to help our Afghan allies while exposing Biden's apparent lack of a moral compass.
Levin played clip of MSNBC's disgraced news anchor Brian Williams praising President Biden's speech as he spoke with Army veteran Matt Zeller.
"I'm curious to hear your reaction of this consequential speech by the American President. [He] didn't run from it. He owned it. He owned his decision. He owned the fact that, as he put it, the buck stops with him," Williams said to Zeller.
"I hope he gets to own their deaths, too," Zeller shot back, referring to the Afghans who helped America during its military campaign.
"I feel like I watched a different speech than the rest of you guys. I was appalled," Zeller continued. "There was such a profound bold-faced lie in that speech — the idea that we planned for every contingency? I have been personally trying to tell this administration, since it took office, I've been trying to tell our government for years that this was coming. We sent them plan after plan on how to evacuate these people. Nobody listened to us. They didn't plan for the evacuation of our Afghan wartime allies; they're trying to conduct it now at the 11th hour."
Zeller's reprimand continued, saying that what the Biden administration was "most concerned about was the optics" and that they "had all the people and equipment in place to be able to save these people months ago, and we did nothing."
Levin agreed with Zeller, adding his own thoughts on why America must get those Afghans we know assisted our military out of the country.
"Some [are saying] that since we can't vet all these Afghans, we really shouldn't be bringing them back [to the U.S.] That is simply unacceptable to me," Levin said. "The military has a list. They know who assisted us.
"From a perspective of character and morality, when we ask people to help us ... and then we turn our backs on them, that is not acceptable. That's not what Americans do," he went on to say. "That really is appalling to me. Absolutely. This isn't the same as people coming across the southern border with whom we have no connection ... we're talking about people who are going to be killed, refugees. People who worked with us. If this isn't a refugee, if these aren't refugees, then what the hell is?"
Watch the video clip below to hear more from Mark Levin:
Want more from Mark Levin?
To enjoy more of "the Great One" — Mark Levin as you've never seen him before — subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Afghan vet mocks MSNBC host for praising Biden, then delivers powerful rebuke of Biden's speech on Afghanistan
Matt Zeller, a former CIA officer and U.S. Army officer who served as an embedded combat adviser with the Afghan security forces, mocked MSNBC host Brian Williams to his face Monday for praising President Joe Biden's speech on Afghanistan.
What happened?
Before asking Zeller — also a former Democratic candidate for Congress who admits he voted for Biden — his reaction to Biden's speech, Williams claimed Biden "owned his decision" and "didn't run from it."
Zeller flatly disagreed.
"I hope he gets to own [Afghans'] deaths, too," Zeller shot back. "I feel like I watched a different speech than the rest of you guys. I was appalled."
"There was such a profound bold-faced lie in that speech — the idea that we planned for every contingency? I have been personally trying to tell this administration, since it took office, I've been trying to tell our government for years that this was coming," Zeller continued. "We sent them plan after plan on how to evacuate these people. Nobody listened to us. They didn't plan for the evacuation of our Afghan wartime allies; they're trying to conduct it now at the 11th hour."
Zeller continued, lambasting Biden:
The thing that they were most concerned about was the optics of a chaotic evacuation. Well, they got exactly what they were most concerned of by failing to do what was right when we could have done it. We had all the people and equipment in place to be able to save these people months ago, and we did nothing. I'm appalled that he thinks that we only need to take 2,000 people. There's 86,000 people who are currently left behind in Afghanistan alone; we've identified all of them for the government. I have no idea why he claims that people don't want to leave Afghanistan. I have a list of 14,000 names right now of people who want to get out of Afghanistan.
And the idea that the Afghan military should be blamed for this? Do you know how many casualties the Afghan military took in an average year? More than the United States did in 20. When you're not getting paid on a regular basis, when you're not getting fuel, when no one is supplying you with ammunition, and yet you're still showing up to the fight? How dare us for having to blame these people for not having the audacity to be able to survive a Taliban onslaught.
No, no, no. What we need to be doing right now — and what I am appalled that the president didn't say — was we need to be talking about how we're going to get every single one of these people out.
MSNBC's Brian Williams on Biden's speech: "He didn’t run from it, he owned it. He owned this decision. He owned the… https://t.co/pSqz7fv4Mk
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) 1629147886.0
The fight to uphold American obligations to Afghans who worked with U.S. forces is personal for Zeller, whose own life was saved in 2008 by his Afghan interpreter.
Later in the interview, Zeller made an impassioned case for saving every Afghan who helped America during its military campaign, saying the U.S. military should fight the Taliban until every such Afghan is rescued.
But if Biden's administration chooses to abandon them? "I'll never forgive my country for doing this," Zeller pledged.
Afghan War Veteran: "I Will Never Forgive My Country For This' www.youtube.com
Ted Cruz thoroughly shreds Brian Williams after MSNBC host calls him 'Kremlin Cruz': 'You are Pravda'
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) punched back at MSNBC host Brian Williams on Friday after the journalist labeled him "Kremlin Cruz" for recently criticizing an American military advertisement.
What is the background?
Veterans condemned Cruz this week after he mocked an advertisement for the U.S. military. Cruz was responding to a TikTok video that juxtaposed a U.S. military ad and a video of Russian soldiers.
"Holy crap. Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea..." Cruz wrote in a tweet that went viral.
Critics falsely claimed that Cruz's response meant he was showing preference for Russian soldiers over Americans. "Ted Cruz attacks a US Army soldier for telling her story, says he prefers Russians. Because Ted Cruz is a sedition-loving traitor," a liberal veteran advocacy group said.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), herself a veteran, responded, "Holy crap. Perhaps a U.S. Senator shouldn't suggest that the *Russian* military is better than the American military that protected him from an insurrection he helped foment?"
What did Brian Williams say?
The disgraced journalist claimed Russia is happy over Cruz's response to the video, suggested Cruz wants to become president of Russia, and assigned Cruz the nickname "Kremlin Cruz."
"By all accounts, Ted Cruz did not like the nickname 'Cancun Cruz,' though he tried joking about it, acting like it didn't matter. He really won't like being called 'Kremlin Cruz' after his latest and remarkably stupid lapse in judgement," Williams said.
Before playing the video, Williams added, "Remember as you watch this, just how much Ted Cruz dreams of being president of a country some day — perhaps not this country."
After playing the video, Williams said, "The Russians already reach deep into our society every day. Their disinformation is all over our media already. And it quietly tears us apart. Imagine how happy it makes them to have yet another advocate among Republican members of the Senate."
How did Cruz respond?
In a lengthy response, Cruz noted that Williams was fired by NBC News for lying, and thoroughly rebuked Williams for suggesting he has a fondness for Russia.
"Is there a more pitiful example of corrupt corporate media than Brian Williams?" Cruz began. "He was fired as the anchor of NBC Nightly News for 'misrepresenting events which occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003.' Now, he's a left-wing hack at MSNBC."
"Now, he's throwing a hissy fit that I criticized the ridiculously woke video that the Biden admin put out," he continued. "Williams accidentally told the truth, when he describes it as 'a video meant to diminish the U.S. military.' TRUE. That's the problem. (The Pentagon put it out.)."
Cruz went on to say:
Now, with his trademark ignorant snark, he's dubbed me "Kremlin Cruz."Three problems: (1) I hate communists, my family was imprisoned & tortured by communists, and Brian is a shameless apologist for Russian (and Chinese and Cuban) communists. (2) I was arguing that our military needs to be able to kick the ass of Russian soldiers. It's Brian & his lefty comrades that are working relentlessly to diminish the effectiveness of the U.S. military—the finest fighting force on the face of the planet. And (3) JUST THIS WEEK Biden gave Putin a multi-billion-dollar gift, when he waived mandatory U.S. sanctions to allow Russia to build Nord Stream 2, a massive natural gas pipeline to Germany. Who authored the sanctions that STOPPED NS2? That would be me.
"Cover that, Brian. But that would be actual news, something you don't do. Use your condescending wit to call Biden 'Kremlin Joe'—he's the one illegally giving billions to Putin. But your corporate overlords wouldn't let you," Cruz concluded. "Congrats, Brian. You are Pravda."
1/x Is there a more pitiful example of corrupt corporate media than Brian Williams?He was fired as the anchor of… https://t.co/GC5ZPxPkSS
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) 1621645763.0
Today's top stories
www.theblaze.com