The marine who lifted the two-week-old baby of an Afghan ally to safety from over a barbed wire fence at the Kabul airport in August, Lance Cpl. Hunter Clark, is reportedly under investigation by the military for partisan political activity. Clark’s potential crime? He accepted previous President Donald Trump’s invitation to appear onstage during a “Save America” rally in Georgia last Saturday.
Clark is part of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The baby’s father, Hameed, had been assisting the Marines with evacuation efforts. For the past five years, Hameed had served as a linguist and cultural advisor to the U.S. military. Clark’s efforts allowed Hameed’s newborn daughter to escape the fray and receive immediate medical treatment before being evacuated with her family to the Phoenix, Arizona area, as reported by AZ Family.
“That day I handed over my baby to a total stranger,” said Hameed. “The only thing I trusted is that he was a Marine, and that my daughter would be safe.”
Hameed said that he hoped to one day meet Clark.
“Oh my God. I’d give him a hug. He literally saved my daughter’s life,” said Hameed.
Task & Purpose first reported on the investigation. A spokesman for the unit, Captain Kelton Cochran, explained that they were investigating to determine if Clark’s appearance and speech violated any Department of Defense (DOD) policies.
“The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) has initiated a command investigation regarding LCpl Hunter Clark’s attendance at the event last weekend to determine if any DOD policies were violated,” said Capt. Kelton Cochran, a spokesman for the 24th MEU. “Any details pertaining to this incident are not releasable while the investigation is being conducted.”
Though Cochran didn’t elaborate on which DOD policies were potentially violated, DOD policy updated a month into the Obama Administration in February 2008 does prohibit active-duty service members from speaking or appearing before a partisan political gathering. The potentially-relevant aspects of the policy are reproduced below:
A member of the Armed Forces on active duty shall not: […] Participate in partisan political fundraising activities[…], rallies, conventions (including making speeches in the course thereof), management of campaigns, or debates, either on one’s own behalf or on that of another, without respect to uniform or inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement. Participation includes more than mere attendance as a spectator. […]Speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.”
However, there is a certain degree of ambiguity afforded to this DOD policy:
Activities not expressly prohibited may be contrary to the spirit and intent of this Directive. Any activity that may be reasonably viewed as directly or indirectly associating the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security (in the case of the Coast Guard) or any component of these Departments with a partisan political activity or is otherwise contrary to the spirit and intention of this Directive shall be avoided. (emphasis added)
Clark reportedly comes from a military family and attended school in Perry, Georgia.
Clark’s moment on stage was brief. He was overcome with emotion as he stated that he was the individual who saved the infant. He added it was one of the greatest things he’d ever done in his life.
“I’m here fromWarner Robins, Georgia. I am the guy that pulled the baby over the wall, and it’s definitely probably one of the greatest things I’ve ever done in my entire life,” said Clark. “I just want to thank all of this support from all of y’all, it just really means a lot. And I’m glad to be home now today, thank you.”
Clark exited the stage to resounding applause and chants of “USA!” from the audience.
Trump introduced Clark after he’d announced that they’d reserved 13 seats in the front row of the rally to honor the 13 service members who lost their lives in the Kabul airport terrorist attack.
“Our hearts go out to the families of every service member that we have lost – and I have spoken to a lot of them. These are great, great people,” said Trump.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A coalition of Arizona’s legislators are asking Governor Doug Ducey to press the Biden-Harris Administration harder about the ongoing border crisis. The legislators submitted a letter to Ducey on Tuesday, reminding him that President Joe Biden has neglected Arizona and the American people in terms of the border and refugee crises. In particular, the legislators asserted that Biden still hasn’t answered Ducey’s requests for resources to manage the swarm of illegal immigrants. They also lambasted the Biden-Harris Administration for using American taxpayers’ dollars to house, feed, and provide health care to illegal immigrants while ignoring Americans in need, such as homeless veterans, and while making greater demands of Americans, like mandating the COVID-19 vaccine.
What’s more, the legislators accused the Biden-Harris Administration of disregarding female military service members and Border Patrol agents who have been sexually assaulted and harassed by illegal immigrants. It is unclear what incidents the legislators were citing; AZ Free News was unable to locate public reports indicating that this has occurred.
The FBI and local law enforcement are investigating multiple cases across various bases in the country where Afghan refugees have assaulted or harassed women or young boys, either sexually or physically.
Last month, Judicial Watchdiscovered in records obtained from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that dozens of unaccompanied migrant children were physically and/or sexually abused or assaulted from January to February while under the government’s care. The legislators also asserted that the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaction on the border is indicative of a true intent to have an open border policy, though the administration has claimed otherwise.
Those that signed onto the letter were State Representatives Leo Biasiucci (R-Lake Havasu City), Mark Finchem (R-Oro Valley), Walter Blackman (R-Snowflake), Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), Judy Burges (R-Prescott), Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott Valley), John Fillmore (R-Apache Junction), Jacqueline Parker (R-Mesa), Steve Kaiser (R-Phoenix), David Cook (R-Globe), Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale), Beverly Pingerelli (R-Peoria), Brenda Barton (R-Payson), Kevin Payne (R-Peoria), Frank Carroll (R-Sun City West), John Kavanaugh (R-Fountain Hills), Shawnna Bolick (R-Glendale), Tim Dunn (R-Yuma), and State Senators Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu City), Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff), David Livingston (R-Peoria), Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye), Nancy Barto (R-Phoenix), and Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert).
As of press time, Ducey hasn’t issued a public response to the letter.
Read the entirety of the Republican legislators’ letter below:
The invasion of America’s southern border has become a national emergency. We are witnessing a surge like we have never experienced before. In April of this year, you took the lead and asked President Biden for resources to assist in the influx of illegal immigrants. To this day, the Biden-Harris administration continues to ignore the safety of our citizens and has allowed the nation’s border to be overrun.
The Biden-Harris open border policy is destroying our country. We expect the president and his administration to assist our homeless veterans and struggling citizens. Instead, he is using federal tax dollars to house, feed, and provide health care to thousands of illegal immigrants who have willfully violated our laws. This administration is demanding that all Americans must get vaccinated for COVID-19. Yet, they make no such demand upon the thousands coming into our country illegally. Moreover, we will not tolerate the Biden-Harris administration’s disregard of female military servicemembers and Border Patrol agents who endure sexual assault and harassment from illegal immigrants.
This willful invasion on our nation must end immediately. The duty to stop the illegal flow across our southern border rests solely on the federal government. The Biden-Harris administration’s resistance, and utter failure, to fulfil its responsibility is a disgrace.
If the Biden-Harris administration does not care about the well-being and safety of its citizens, then it is up to the State of Arizona to do what it can. We respectfully urge you to consider declaring a state of emergency, utilize the National Guard to assist as permitted to secure Arizona’s southern border, and immediately seek support from the Mexican government to assist the state in stopping this unprecedented surge.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizona officials including Governor Doug Ducey honored 17 fallen law enforcement officers at the 47th Annual Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Service Wednesday evening. The somber ceremony was also attended by the families and colleagues of officers who died in the line of duty.
“Through the countless dangers Arizona’s officers face, they have shown nothing but fearlessness and heroism,” said Ducey in a press release. “As we honor the officers who have fallen, we also recognize how they lived — with an unwavering dedication to keeping our communities safe.”
The memorial service honored fallen officers from across the state and their families. The event is typically held in May, but the last two memorials were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor read the names of the following officers at tonight’s memorial service:
Officer Clayton Joel Townsend, Salt River Tribal PD, End of Watch (EOW): 1/08/2019 Officer Paul T. Rutherford, Phoenix PD, EOW: 3/21/2019 Border Patrol Agent Robert M. Hotten, US Border Patrol, EOW: 10/06/2019 Detention Officer Gene “Jim” W. Lee, Maricopa County SO, EOW: 10/30/2019 Border Patrol Agent Luis Pena Jr., US Border Patrol, EOW: 12/23/2019 Officer David W. Kellywood, White Mountain Apache Tribal PD, EOW: 2/17/2020 Commander Greg S. Carnicle, Phoenix PD, EOW: 3/29/2020 Detention Officer Alvin Ramirez, Avondale PD, EOW: 6/07/2020 Officer Michael E. Lee, Navajo Division of Public Safety, EOW: 6/18/2020 Investigator Esther Charley, Navajo Division of Public Safety, EOW: 6/22/2020 Officer Jason W. Judd, Peoria PD, EOW: 7/01/2020 Sergeant Ernie Quintero, Maricopa County SO, EOW: 7/06/2020 Detention Officer Kevin Fletcher, Maricopa County SO, EOW: 7/06/2020 Officer Alfonso H. Murrieta, Dept. of Homeland Security CBP, EOW: 7/09/2020 Detention Officer Miroslaw Mroczkowski, Maricopa County SO, EOW: 7/15/2020 Officer Bryan R. Brown, Tohono O’odham Nation PD, EOW: 8/27/2020 Officer Peter Anthony Mannino, Tucson PD, EOW: 5/17/2009
“Our law enforcement officers and their families know that when they leave home every day, they may not come back. They don’t let that—or anything—stop them from serving their communities, state and country. My deepest gratitude goes to all our officers for their commitment to keeping our state safe, and my prayers are with all the officers who laid down their lives to protect fellow Arizonans.”
The Arizona Supreme Court will not decide until at least Friday afternoon whether to allow Attorney General Mark Brnovich to bypass the normal appeal process with his challenge to Monday’s ruling by a Maricopa County judge who found dozens of new laws or amendments to existing laws unconstitutional.
Until then, the status quo remains in place, according to Justice Ann Scott Timmer, who signed an order Wednesday denying the attorney general’s emergency motion to stay the Sept. 27 ruling by Judge Katherine Cooper. The decision to deny the requested stay was made after Timmer conferred with five other justices, she noted in the order.
Among other things, Cooper’s ruling means school districts and charter schools can mandate mask wearing, state universities cannot require COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of in-person attendance, and teachers cannot be sued for organizing walkouts, based on the judge’s finding that all or part of four budget reconciliation bills (BRBs) signed by Gov. Doug Ducey violate the Arizona Constitution.
According to Cooper, the constitution requires the title of each legislative bill to properly identify a single subject matter, so unrelated provisions are not combined into one bill. But the attorney general calls Cooper’s ruling “legally erroneous” and argues the four BRBs are constitutional.
“Each of the provisions contained therein relate directly or indirectly to the subject of the title. And each of the provisions contained in SB 1819 are germane to the subject contained in its title—state budget procedures,” the State argues in the petition for transfer to case from the Arizona Court of Appeals and directly to the Supreme Court.
Such a transfer is warranted due to the impact of Cooper’s ruling which nullified 58 provisions of state law slated to take effect Wednesday, according to the petition.
“The trial court’s ruling carries significant implications for the operation of state government and the State will continue to suffer harm if the trial court’s ruling is not swiftly overturned, allowing the challenged provisions to immediately go into effect,” the petition states. “Extraordinary circumstances exist here and warrant immediate Supreme Court review.”
The court of appeals has set deadlines for briefing in its court just in case the Supreme Court denies the transfer. However, legal observers told AZ Free News that bypassing the court of appeals would be in the interest of judicial economy, as whoever loses there will immediately petition for review to the Supreme Court.
Timmer gave the various plaintiffs until 5 p.m. Thursday to respond to the State’s petition to transfer the appeal out of the Arizona Court of Appeals. The State’s attorneys then have until 3 p.m. Friday to file an optional reply.
The attorney general’s petition also proposes a series of deadlines for filing additional briefings if the justices grant the transfer. Those deadlines would keep the new laws and amendments on the sidelines until at least Oct. 18.
Effected by Cooper’s title / single subject ruling are Sections 12, 21, and 50 of HB2898 (K-12 Education), Sections 12 and 13 of SB1824 (Healthcare), and Section 2 of SB1825 (Higher Education). She also ruled the entire 55 pages of SB1819, the Budget Procedures bill, void due to the same violation.
Last week, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Bill Gates appeared in a video to speak out against the Senate’s audit. The pair had teamed up to support Republicans for Voting Rights within the Republican Accountability Project, the latest endeavor of the Democratic, “Never-Trump” group, Defending Democracy Together. They were one of the top-spending “dark money” groups in the 2020 election, spending over $15 million to either oppose previous President Donald Trump or support President Joe Biden. Contrary to how DDT characterizes itself, Open Secrets classifies DDT as “liberal.”
AZ Free News reached out to both Richer and Gates to inquire about this partnership. Gates didn’t respond by press time, but Richer did. Richer told AZ Free News that he decided to team up with Defending Democracy Together because he believed it was an opportunity to speak out against what led to January 6, which he said reminded him of the French Revolution. Richer also informed us that Defending Democracy Together approached him to appear in the video, and that he didn’t receive any compensation for his appearance.
“I took the opportunity to voice my opposition to January 6 and the lies that led to January 6,” stated Richer. “Standing up against something that looked like it was out of the playbook of the French Revolution is something that would hopefully make Edmund Burke – the godfather of modern conservatism – and anyone who supports law and order proud.”
In the video, Gates said that the auditing company, Cyber Ninjas, and the Arizona Senate have “desecrated our democracy” with their audit. He urged other Republican leaders to say that no fraud existed and that President Donald Trump really lost the election, in order to save our democracy. “If you aren’t willing to speak up now, as a Republican, when are you going to?” asked Gates. “You can’t worry about your electoral prospects because we may not have a democracy by the time that you have a reelection.”
Richer concurred with Gates’ pleadings, asking Republicans what their “line in the sand” was if it wasn’t the January 6 riot. He characterized the audit as a partisan effort led by conspiracy theorists.
“I wish there were more Republicans who would speak out about this audit. There has to be a line in the sand. If lying about the election system, lying about the very form of government to which you were elected, if January 6 isn’t your line in the sand, what is?” asked Richer.
Gates shared the video shortly after it was posted by the Republican Accountability Project. “Conspiracy-driven, partisan audits only further ‘The Big Lie’ and chip away at the foundations of our democracy,” tweeted Gates. “To my fellow Republicans, it’s time to tell the truth. If not now, when? Our republic depends on it.” https://twitter.com/billgatesaz/status/1441455035901227009 The Republican Accountability Project calls January 6 an “insurrection.” By law, an insurrection is a violent uprising or rebellion against the government. The project also ranks those that many call “Republicans In Name Only” (RINOs) as “excellent,” such as Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IN-16) and Liz Cheney (R-WY), as well as Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Ben Sasse (R-NE). True Republicans back the traditional party values of low taxation, limited government, deregulation, conservative lifestyles, capitalism, and the free market.
By definition, those in charge of Defending Democracy Together aren’t Republicans.
One of the directors, Amanda Carpenter, is a CNN political commentator and author of “GASLIGHTING AMERICA: Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us.” Another director, Olivia Troye, pledged to vote for Biden – she was previously in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a top aide to previous Vice President Mike Pence.
The founding director and current chairman of Defending Democracy Together, Bill Kristol, chairman, came out as a Democrat last year. Although, Kristol’s tax filings indicate that he’s been a Democrat for years.
Sarah Longwell, executive director and co-founder of Defending Democracy Together, as well as spokeswoman for Republicans for the Rule of Law went door knocking for Biden’s campaign last year and presumably voted for him.
The full transcript of the video is reproduced below:
Gates: What the Cyber Ninjas and the Arizona Senate has done is to desecrate our democracy.
Richer: This is a partisan audit that is driven by conspiracy theorists.
Gates: I’m Bill Gates and I’m Vice Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
Richer: My name is Stephen Richer, and I’m the Maricopa County Recorder.
Gates: We have to tell people the truth: there’s no evidence of fraud and that Donald Trump lost the election. If you aren’t willing to speak up now, as a Republican, when are you going to? You can’t worry about your electoral prospects because we may not have a democracy by the time that you have a reelection.
Richer: I wish there were more Republicans who would speak out about this audit. There has to be a line in the sand. If lying about the election system, lying about the very form of government to which you were elected, if January 6 isn’t your line in the sand, what is?
A purported draft of the Maricopa County election audit report calling for decertification has been circulating online since the official audit report on Friday. This version of the audit report called for decertification of the 2020 election results. The Gateway Pundit, a right-leaning news outlet, originally published the purported draft. In a press release response on Monday, the auditing company Cyber Ninjas asserted that the draft and its recommendations of decertification weren’t real.
The Gateway Pundit draft is not the same draft audit report leaked to media outlets last Friday prior to the Senate presentation. That draft audit report is valid, whereas the one in which Cyber Ninjas recommended decertification isn’t valid.
This “draft” of the audit report was uploaded to Scribd by Jim Hoft, founder and editor-in-chief of Gateway Pundit. It was then reported on by Joe Hoft, Jim’s twin brother, in an article published Sunday afternoon, “Arizona Audit Final Report Was Watered Down: Reports from Cyber Ninjas Were Edited, Most Damning Statements Removed – What Else Was Removed?”
AZ Free News reached out to Gateway Pundit to inquire about the origins of this draft report. They didn’t offer a response by press time.
The PR team for Cyber Ninjas, the Thomson Group, issued a statement on Monday that the draft audit report from Gateway Pundit was falsified and wasn’t from Cyber Ninjas.
There is a false version of the Executive Summary of the Maricopa County Forensic Election Audit report that is circulating. This false version claims to be an earlier version of the Cyber Ninjas Executive Summary, but because of supposed threats from the Senate, it was not used. This is absolutely false.
The exact origins to the Executive Summary found at the following scribd link are unknown. But it was not written by Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan, nor was it any version that was ever sent or shown to the Senate for review. Specifically, this false version of the Executive Summary states, ‘the election should not be certified.’
This was not written by Cyber Ninjas. It is Cyber Ninjas’ perspective that whether an election should or should not be certified is to be determined by the legislature, and not auditors. The audit team’s job is to supply all the facts and findings surrounding the election and recommend legislative reforms.
We followed up with the Thomson Group to ask if they’d determined the source for this falsified draft report. They didn’t respond by press time, either.
According to The Gateway Pundit’s Ethics and Editorial Standards, their publication focuses on relaying truth and exemplifying virtue.
“All our content should be true. No value is more important than this. […] All Gateway Pundit content should be excellent, both in production and in the promotion of virtue. […] We must have courage in order [to] expose the truth about powerful interests that may be angered by our coverage.”
The Senate’s liaison to the audit, Randy Pullen, confirmed with the Arizona Capitol Times that the draft audit report calling for decertification was fake. As of press time, Senate President Karen Fann (R-Prescott) hasn’t issued any statements on this purported audit draft.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
