Welcome to Chairman Kassar’s Weekly Wrap-Up for November 15, 2019

Congressman Peter King Announces Retirement

Long time New York Representative and friend of the Conservative Party, Congressman Peter King, announced he will not seek re-election to New York’s 2nd Congressional District in 2020.

Rep. King’s illustrious career includes holding the title of Ranking Member and Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. He took a leadership role in helping keep New York and America safe following the horrific September, 11th 2001 terrorist attacks.

Most recently, he led a ferocious bipartisan effort that allowed for full funding of the 9/11 Compensation Fund to care for first responders who have developed major illnesses from their time working at Ground Zero.

Rep. King worked tirelessly for his constituents and I wish him the best of luck. Long Island, New York and America will surely miss Peter King. I am proud to call him a friend.

Kangaroo Court Convenes for Impeachment Hearing, Stefanik wins the day.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH 4th District), who was appointed to the House Intelligence Committee last week, led the charge, asking tough questions to Ukraine Ambassador William Taylor and laying into him over his claims that he knew President Trump to be withholding aid as he sought an investigation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company in which Hunter Biden was a board member.

Ambassador Taylor had stated that he had a “clear” understanding that aid would only be released to the Ukraine if President Zelensky requested an investigation into Hunter Biden. Rep. Jordan referred to three meetings that took place between President Zelensky and Ambassador Taylor in which Taylor confirmed “there was not discussion of linkage” between aid and an investigation at any point in those meetings.

“Now, with all due respect, Ambassador, your clear understanding was obviously wrong, because it didn’t happen” Jordan said while Taylor grinned in his direction.

“Ambassador Taylor recalls that Mr. Morrison told Ambassador Taylor that I told Mr. Morrison that I conveyed this message to Mr. Yermak on September 1, 2019, in connection with Vice President Pence’s visit to Warsaw and a meeting with President Zelensky,” Jordan twice read out loud from Ambassador Sondland’s statement.

“We got six people having four conversations in one sentence, and you just told me this is where you got your clear understanding,” Jordan said before confirming with Taylor that he was not on the call between President Trump and President Zelensky.

However, it was not Rep. Jordan who was the strongest voice of the day. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-C NY 21st District) came out firing and earned high praise from pundits around the country as the most effective questioner of the day.

“Number one, Ukraine received the aid,” and “number two, there was in fact no investigation into Biden,” Stefanik said in her opening.

She did not stop there. She then took on U.S. Diplomat George Kent regarding the corruption at Burisma Holdings, the aforementioned gas company that paid Hunter Biden in excess of $50,000 a month to simply be a member of their board.

Kent, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs at the State Department, continued to receive a grilling from Stefanik, “You testified that the issue of corruption in Burisma was in the U.S. interest because, and this is from your deposition, that we had made a commitment to Ukrainian Government in 2014 to try to recover an estimated tens of billions of dollars of stolen assets out of the country.”

“That is, the stolen assets there were in the name of the owner of Burisma,” Kent responded.  “He was the one who we believed had stolen the money.”

Stefanik, staying with the no quid pro quo hardline, and subsequent questions asked of Kent, proved to be more productive than any of her colleagues on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Stefanik’s intelligence and preparation was on full display. I have come to expect nothing less from our Congresswoman from the North Country.

Governor Cuomo, JCOPE in joint effort to protect Cuomo Advisor Joseph Percoco

 While I have come to expect these types of antics from Governor Cuomo, I am surprised the NYC Joint Commission on Public Ethics would stoop to these levels.

The Times Union reported Wednesday that insiders at JCOPE provided the Governor with information regarding the potential investigation into Joseph Percoco, Cuomo’s top aide. Strong evidence previously showed Percoco to have improperly conducted work out of the governor’s office while not a public employee.

These allegations of a leak come after either a member of Cuomo’s staff, or Cuomo himself, was provided with information regarding a private vote into the decision to investigate Percoco.

JCOPE board member, Julie Garcia, said she was contacted after the board’s vote by a member of State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s staff.

“I was alarmed when I was contacted so quickly after that meeting,” Julie Garcia said

“I was being told the governor knew how I voted in executive session, even though I was unable to confirm whether or not the information was accurate.”

One thing we know for certain, Governor Cuomo believes himself to be above the law as evident by his continuous disregard and attitude towards the rules. Yet more reason for Conservatives to rally around our statewide candidates and take back the New York State Senate in 2020.

Adam Schiff cracking under 'point of order' pressure.

Jordan calls Pelosi accusing Trump of bribery 'ridiculous'.

New York has no grounds to revoke gas license, says National Grid CEO.

Cuomo criticized after alleged leak from ethics panel while probing disgraced former aide Joseph Percoco.

IG won't say if Cuomo, Heastie interviewed in ethics' leak probe.