Tag Archives: Tom Donilon

News, Politics, Government

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/17/2013

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By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:16 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here today. I know there are several matters that I'm sure you’ll be interested in discussing today, a couple of issues that are under investigation by the FBI — and I thought I would start with that and then take your questions.

As you saw from a statement from the FBI, as well as a statement from the United States Secret Service, there was a letter sent to, addressed to the President that at an offsite mail facility was noticed to have contained a suspicious substance in tests that were undertaken. The FBI has the lead in that investigation, of course, and has said in its statement that they will be conducting further tests to determine what the nature of the substance is.

Of course, there was another letter, as you know, sent — or detected by Capitol Police that was sent to a United States senator. That also has been — is a subject of the investigation by the FBI. And for more information about these matters I refer you to the FBI.

The President — I'm sure you’ll ask this — the President has, of course, been briefed on these letters. He was briefed last night and again this morning.

Secondly, there is obviously a lot of interest in the explosions in Boston, and I wanted to make clear, as you heard from the President yesterday, that our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and to their families who were injured — those who were injured as well as killed in this heinous and cowardly act. The full weight of the federal government is behind this investigation, which is being led by the FBI. And as the President said, we will find out who did this, we will find out why, and we will bring those responsible to justice.

That said, it is very important that we allow this investigation to run its full course and to ensure that we retain the integrity of that investigation. Therefore, on matters related to the investigation, I would direct you to the FBI. As you know, the FBI is giving the press briefings on the ground in Boston and I believe they will be holding another briefing today.

The President, as you know, has been briefed regularly on the incident in Boston, beginning almost immediately after it took place. This morning, the President again convened a meeting in the Oval Office with his national security team on the ongoing investigation. Participating in that briefing was the Attorney General, Eric Holder; the FBI Director, Robert Mueller; the President’s Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough; his National Security Advisor, Tom Donilon; his Homeland Security Advisor and Counterterrorism Advisor, Lisa Monaco; Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken; White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler; Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco; Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes; and the Vice

From: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/04/17/press-briefing-press-secretary-jay-carney-4172013

Articles of Interest

Congressman Challenges Colleagues To Press Obama On Benghazi

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By Congressman Steve Stockman (R-TX)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Stockman (R-Texas 36) released the following open letter to Congress Tuesday afternoon, encouraging members to support Congressman Frank Wolf’s bill creating a Select Committee to investigate the Obama administration’s response to the Sept. 11, 2012 killings of Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

Dear Colleague:

As a fellow member of this body, I feel that we should protect and honor the sacrifice of those who sacrifice their lives to provide us with the freedoms that make our nation great.

In that same spirit, we should investigate and seek the truth about what happened on that tragic day in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.

These four men served their nation with honor and character in the face of danger, and we likewise should honor their memory in seeking the truth about what actually took place that fateful day.

The purpose of this letter is to encourage colleagues of the House of Representatives to support Congressman Wolf’s H.Res. 36, which will create a House Select Committee on the Terrorist Attack in Benghazi.

It is essential that a full accounting of the events of September 11, 2012, be provided and that the American public be fully informed regarding this egregious terrorist attack on US diplomatic personnel and facilities.

We owe that truth to the American people and the families of the fallen.

It appears that many of the facts and details surrounding the terrorist attack which resulted in four American deaths and an undetermined number of American casualties have not yet been ascertained by previous hearings and inquiries.

Additional information is now slowly surfacing in the media, which makes a comprehensive bipartisan inquiry an imperative. Many questions have not been answered thus far.

The House Select Committee should address, at a minimum, the following questions:

1.      Why was there no military response to the events in Benghazi?

a.       Were military assets in the region available? If not, why not?

b.      If so, were they alerted?

c.       Were assets deployed to any location in preparation for a rescue or recovery attempt?

d.      Was military assistance requested by the Department of State? If so, what type?

e.       Were any US Army/Naval/USMC assets available to support the US diplomats in Benghazi during the attack?

f.        What, if any, recommendations for military action were made by DOD and the US Africa Command?

2.      What, if any, non-military assistance was provided during the attack?

3.      How many US personnel were injured in Benghazi?

4.      Why have the survivors of the attack not been questioned?

5.      Where are the survivors?

6.      Who was in the White House Situation Room (WHSR) during the entire 8-hour period of the attacks, and was a senior US military officer present?

7.      Where were Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey during the crisis, and what inputs and recommendations did they make?

8.      Where were Tom Donilon, the National Security Advisor, Denis McDonough, his deputy, Valerie Jarrett and John Brennan during the attacks, and what (if any) recommendations or decisions did any of them make?

9.      Why were F-16 fighter aircraft based in Aviano, Italy (less than two hours away) never considered a viable option for disruption (if not dispersal) of the attackers until “boots on the ground” (troop support–General Dempsey’s words) arrived?

10.  Were any

From: http://www.westernjournalism.com/congressman-challenges-colleagues-to-press-obama-on-benghazi/

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

As Chase Site Fails: Cyberattackers 1, Defenders 0

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By 24/7 Wall St.

JPMorgan_logo

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President Obama soon will meet with corporate leaders to discuss the problem of cyberattacks on companies and governments. His national security adviser, Tom Donilon, recently chided China for its attacks on U.S. interests, although the warning had no teeth.

In the midst of all of this, the website of the largest U.S. bank by assets, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), was taken down through a number of “denial of services” efforts. The action shows just how easy it is to compromise the online operations of huge American companies, and how little these companies can do to prevent it. The problem likely will get much worse as defense continues to fall to offense in the world of cyber warfare.

Chase admitted the significant extent of the problem but did not estimate how long it would persist, or whether similar issues will recur in the future. Some experts guessed that the Chase attacks originated with a group that might be tied to Islamic interests with objections to a video that cast the Prophet Muhammad in a bad light. In reality, the attack could have come from a number of places, including North Korea, China or hackers in the United States.

The concern about the cyber war, at least among American financial services companies, should be that denial of service attacks are just the beginning. Next, hackers may be able to break into accounts or steal passwords. At that point, bank security claims for customers would lose their validity. Companies and individuals eventually would question the strength of bank systems’ chances to protect their assets. Then the financial services industry would confront a measure of chaos.

It is easy to believe that cyberattacks are limited and that they cannot become sophisticated enough to make a real difference to the daily operations of companies or the average American. That is true until it isn’t. Not too long from now, people may put money back into their mattresses.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Banking Tagged: JPM

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

The North Korean Black Swan

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By 24/7 Wall St.

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Unemployment, fighting over the federal budget, a drop in GDP growth, and slowing of the progress of corporate earnings are the most often mentioned reasons that the stock market could fall from current record levels. That list misses a single global crisis, which may be unlikely, but would cause a swift sell-off in shares. The present problems in Korea are a perfect example.

So far, all that has happened in Korea are military exercises, a report in a North Korean paper that its government has “nullified” a truce that goes back the end of the Korean War, as well as media reports from the North that leader Kim Jong Un says that the nation’s troops should be on “maximum alert,” whatever that may mean.

In reaction, National Security adviser Tom Donilon told the Asia Society in New York that: “There should be no doubt: We will draw upon the full range of our capabilities to protect against, and to respond to, the threat posed to us and to our allies by North Korea.” Whatever that means – particularly due to the uncertain role of China.

North Korea is obviously a danger to peace in the Asia region because it does have powerful offensive weapons, even if they are crude by U.S. standards. And Kim Jong Un has an unstable personality and may be full-on crazy. With one push of a button, he could engage armed forces from South Korea and America. Japan could be extremely threatened by an attack.

And the stock markets would react badly.

The ongoing rise in global markets signals that the chances of real trouble in Korea are nearly nil. The odds that is so likely are more than 99%. However, in reality, North Korea is something of a black swan that is paddling around the Sea of Japan and walking the boarder between North and South Korea.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Politics

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance