Politics
Bill Richardson, A Former Governor And UN Ambassador Who Worked To Free Detained Americans, Dies
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Bill Richardson, a two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations who dedicated his post-political career to securing the release of Americans imprisoned by foreign rivals, died on Monday. He was 75.
He died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts, according to the Richardson Centre for Global Engagement, which he founded and directed.
“He lived his entire life in the service of others — including his time in government and his subsequent career helping to free people held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” said Mickey Bergman, the center’s vice president. “There was no one with whom Gov. Richardson would not speak if it meant returning a person to freedom.” The world has lost an advocate for those wrongfully imprisoned abroad, and I have lost a mentor and a close friend.”
President Joe Biden praised Bill for seizing every opportunity to serve in government and his efforts to release Americans detained elsewhere. “He’d meet with anyone, fly anywhere, and do whatever was necessary.” The president added, “The multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations he received are a testament to his ceaseless pursuit of freedom for Americans.” “So is the profound gratitude that countless families feel today for the former governor who helped them reunite with their loved ones.”
Before becoming governor in 2002, Bill served as the United States representative to the United Nations and President Bill Clinton’s energy secretary, and he was a congressman representing northern New Mexico for 14 years.
But he also established himself as an unofficial diplomatic troubleshooter. He traveled the world negotiating the release of hostages and American personnel held prisoner by North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, and Sudan and bartered with a who’s who of America’s opponents, including Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Bill liked the post, once referring to himself as “the informal undersecretary for thugs.”
Bill Richardson, a two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations, died on Monday. He was 75.
“I believe that we have to engage our adversaries, no matter how different our philosophies are,” Richardson once said. “You deal with issues that divide nations by prioritizing humanitarian efforts over political differences.” That, I believe, is critical.”
He aided in rescuing American journalist Danny Fenster from a Myanmar prison in 2021 and arranged the release of Taylor Dudley, who crossed the border from Poland into Russia this year. He met with Russian government officials in the months leading up to the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed in a prisoner swap last year, and he also worked on the cases of Brittney Griner, the WNBA star liberated by Moscow last year, and Michael White, a Navy veteran set to be released by Iran in 2020.
The U.S. government’s chief hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens, called Bill “a friend and partner in bringing wrongfully detained Americans and hostages home.” Trump stated on Saturday that he would “miss his wise counsel and friendship.”
Richardson ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, hoping to become the country’s first Hispanic president. He had a stellar resume and a lot of expertise in foreign and domestic affairs. He withdrew from the race following poor showings in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.
During his two years as governor, Richardson was the country’s only Hispanic governor, which he described as “the best job I ever had.”
“It’s the most enjoyable. You can complete most tasks. “You make the decisions,” Richardson added.
As governor, Richardson signed legislation repealing the death penalty in 2009. He called it the “most difficult decision in my political life” because he had previously supported the death penalty. Other achievements include $50,000-a-year minimum pay for New Mexico’s most qualified teachers and a raise in the state minimum wage.
Some of his most visible global efforts began in December 1994, when he was visiting North Korean nuclear sites and learned that an American helicopter pilot had been shot down and his co-pilot had been killed.
Bill Richardson, a two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations, died on Monday. He was 75.
The Clinton White House solicited Richardson’s assistance, and after days of difficult bargaining, the then-congressman accompanied the remains of Chief Warrant Officer David Hilemon while allowing Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Hall to return home.
Following a personal request from Richardson, Saddam Hussein released two Americans imprisoned for four months on charges of illegally entering Iraq from Kuwait.
Even while serving as governor, Richardson continued his freelancing diplomacy. When he met with two North Korean envoys in Santa Fe, he had barely begun his first term as governor. In 2007, he traveled to North Korea to reclaim the remains of American servicemen slain during the Korean War.
He convinced Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to release Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Paul Salopek in 2006.
Richardson told The Associated Press in August that he was proud of the work he had done to release scores of individuals over the years and his advocacy for the Navajo Nation.
Richardson and former Navajo Nation President Peterson Zah established a fund to provide supplies and equipment to the Navajo Nation to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, giving Navajo students in the state personal protection equipment, food, water, and hundreds of pairs of shoes.
Richardson changed New Mexico’s political environment. He spent and raised record sums on his campaigns, bringing Washington-style politics to a laid-back western state with a part-time Legislature.
Republicans and Democrats alike complained that Richardson threatened retaliation against opponents. Former Roswell Democratic state Sen. Tim Jennings alleged Richardson was “beating people over the head” in his contacts with lobbyists on a health care issue. Richardson disregarded criticism of his management approach.
“I admit that I am aggressive. “I use the governorship as a bully pulpit,” Richardson remarked. “However, I make no threats of retaliation.” They claim I’m a vengeful person. I simply do not believe it.”
Longtime friends and supporters attributed Richardson’s success to his tenacity. If Richardson wanted something done, expect him to have a shotgun at the end of the corridor, according to Bob Gallagher, president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. Alternatively, a ramrod.”
Bill Richardson, a two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations, died on Monday. He was 75.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, characterized Richardson as a visionary who understood New Mexico’s potential before others. “Today, New Mexico, our country, and the entire world lost a champion.” Bill Richardson was a true hero among us, battling for the underdog, world peace, and all in between.”
Despite his closeness with the Clintons, Richardson endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton after dropping out of the 2008 presidential race.
Later, Obama nominated Richardson to be Commerce Secretary. Richardson resigned in early 2009 due to a federal investigation into an alleged pay-to-play scam in New Mexico involving his administration. Richardson and his former senior aides were not charged due to the probe.
Richardson’s stint as energy secretary was marred by a controversy involving lost computer equipment containing nuclear weapons secrets at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the government’s investigation and prosecution of former nuclear weapons scientist Wen Ho Lee.
In 1999, Richardson authorized Lee’s dismissal at Los Alamos. Lee was held in solitary confinement for nine months after being charged 59 charges of mishandling confidential information. He later pleaded guilty to one count of mishandling computer files and was discharged with a federal judge’s apologies.
Bill Richardson, a two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations, died on Monday. He was 75.
William Blaine Richardson was born in Pasadena, California, but grew up in Mexico City, the son of a Mexican mother and an American father who worked as a bank executive in the United States.
He was a star baseball player in prep school in Massachusetts. He attended Tufts University and graduated from their Graduate School of International Relations with a master’s in international affairs.
After working as a Capitol Hill staffer, Richardson relocated to New Mexico in 1978. He intended to run for political office and thought New Mexico, with its Hispanic origins, would be an excellent place to do so. Only two years later, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress.
He was elected to a new congressional seat from northern New Mexico in 1982, which the state gained through reapportionment. He resigned from Congress in 1997 to become a U.N. ambassador in the Clinton administration, and he became Secretary of Energy in 1998, a position he held until the conclusion of the Clinton presidency.
SOURCE – (AP)
NEW YORK — On Tuesday, a judge ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to prominence and the presidency, and he ordered that some of the former president’s companies be removed from his control and dissolved.
In a civil lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and his company deceived banks, insurers, and others by grossly overvaluing his assets and inflating his net worth on documents to secure agreements and loans.
As punishment, Engoron ordered that some of Trump’s business licenses be revoked, making it difficult or impossible for them to conduct business in New York, and he stated that an independent monitor would continue to supervise Trump Organisation operations.
Without a successful appeal, the order would revoke Trump’s authority to make strategic and financial decisions regarding several of his most valuable properties in the state.
Trump railed against the decision in several statements, labeling it “un-American” and part of an ongoing plot to harm his reelection campaign.
He wrote on his Truth Social site, “My civil rights have been violated, and a federal or state appellate court must reverse this horrible, un-American decision.” He asserted that his company had “done a magnificent job for New York State” and “conducted business flawlessly,” describing the event as “A very sad day for the New York State System of Justice!”
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to prominence and the presidency.
His attorney, Christopher Kise, stated that an appeal would be filed, labeling the decision “completely disconnected from the facts and governing law.”
A few days before starting a non-jury trial in James’ lawsuit, Engoron’s ruling is the strongest rejection of Trump’s carefully manicured image as an affluent and intelligent real estate magnate turned political powerhouse.
Engoron discovered that Trump, his company, and key executives repeatedly lied about his wealth in his annual financial statements, garnering benefits such as favorable loan terms and reduced insurance premiums.
The judge stated that these tactics crossed the line and violated the law, refuting Trump’s argument that a disclaimer on the financial statements absolved him of wrongdoing.
“In the world of the defendants, rent-regulated apartments are worth the same as unregulated apartments; restricted land is worth the same as unrestricted land; restrictions can vanish into thin air; a disclaimer by one party casting blame on another party exonerates the other party’s lies,” Engoron wrote in his 35-page ruling. This is a fantasy world, not the actual universe.
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to prominence and the presidency.
Manhattan prosecutors considered filing criminal charges for the same conduct but ultimately decided against it, leaving James no choice but to sue him and seek penalties designed to impede his and his family’s ability to conduct business.
The summary judgment rendered by Judge Engoron resolves the primary claim in James’ lawsuit, but several others remain. In a trial beginning on October 2, he will deliberate on these claims and James’ request for $250 million in penalties. Trump’s attorneys have requested a postponement from the Court of Appeals.
“Today, a judge ruled in our favour and found that Donald Trump and the Trump Organisation engaged in years of financial fraud,” James said in a statement. “We look forward to presenting the rest of our case at trial.”
In their motion for summary judgment, Trump’s attorneys argued that there was no evidence that their client’s actions had injured the public. They also argued that the statute of limitations prohibited many of the lawsuit’s allegations.
Noting that he had previously rejected these arguments, Engoron compared them to the narrative of the film “Groundhog Day.” He fined five defense attorneys $7,500 each as punishment for “engaging in repetitive, frivolous” arguments but denied James’ request to sanction Trump and other defendants.
James, a Democrat, filed a lawsuit against him and the Trump Organisation a year ago, alleging them of routinely inflating the value of his assets, including skyscrapers, golf courses, and his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, by billions.
Engoron discovered he consistently overvalued Mar-a-Lago, exaggerating its value by up to 2,300% on one financial statement. Additionally, the judge reprimanded Trump for misrepresenting the size of his Manhattan apartment. Trump asserted that his three-story Trump Tower penthouse was nearly three times larger than it was and valued it at $327 million.
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to prominence and the presidency.
“A disparity of this magnitude, by a real estate developer calculating his own living space over decades, can only be considered fraud,” wrote Engoron.
Eric Trump insisted on X following the ruling that his father’s claims about Mar-a-Lago were accurate, writing that the Palm Beach estate is “estimated to be worth well over a billion dollars, making it arguably the most valuable residential property.” He described the decision and the lawsuit as “an attempt to destroy my father and evict him from New York.”
Under the terms of the ruling, the limited liability companies that control some of Trump’s most valuable properties, such as 40 Wall Street, will be dissolved, and a receiver will assume control over their operations. Trump would lose the authority to recruit or fire employees, rent office space, and make other crucial decisions.
Kise stated after the decision, “The decision seeks to nationalise one of the most successful corporate empires in the United States and seize control of private property despite the fact that there is no evidence of any default, breach, late payment, or complaint of harm.”
The presumptive Republican nominee for next year’s election faces several legal issues, including James’ suit. In the past six months, he has been indicted four times: in Georgia and Washington, D.C., for conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss, in Florida for stockpiling classified documents, and in New York for falsifying business records related to hush money paid on his behalf.
In a separate criminal case last year, the Trump Organisation was convicted of tax fraud for assisting executives to evade taxes on perks such as apartments and vehicles. The company received a $1.6 million sanction. Allen Weisselberg, Trump’s longtime finance chief, pled guilty and served five months in prison.
James’ office previously charged Trump with misusing his charitable foundation to advance his political and business interests. As a penalty, Trump was ordered to donate $2 million to charity, while his charity, the Trump Foundation, was dissolved.
SOURCE – (AP)
When Trudeau calls a late-night caucus meeting, things could be better.
According to an invitation obtained by the Toronto Sun, on Tuesday, the Trudeau Liberals gathered their caucus for an “information session.”
Brad Redekopp, a member of the Conservative Party, posted a photo of government vehicles waiting outside West Block to transport ministers home after the event.
To comprehend how peculiar this is, one must comprehend the tempo of Official Ottawa. This late-night meeting is uncommon, particularly the night before the routinely scheduled weekly caucus meetings.
House Speaker Anthony Rota resigned due to the invitation and recognition of 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to the Ukrainian Parliament. As is now common knowledge, Hunka served in a Nazi SS division during World War II.
His presence in the audience has caused Canada and Ukraine interminable humiliation. Vladimir Putin’s Russia has justified its invasion of Ukraine by claiming that there are Nazis who must be eradicated. Zelenskyy’s support for an SS division member has provided Putin with the propaganda tools he desires.
The Russian government is already circulating false rumors that the Ukrainians have issued a commemorative stamp for Hunka.
Lineup of government limos? Looks like an emergency cabinet meeting.
The Liberals are in full damage control.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/AfM2ho0NUh
— Brad Redekopp (@BradRedekopp) September 27, 2023
When Trudeau calls a late-night caucus meeting, things could be better.
As of Tuesday evening, the PMO verified that he and Zelenskyy had not spoken since the Parliament incident. While it is understandable that Trudeau would not want to apologize to Canadians in front of the cameras, it is shocking that he has not contacted his “good friend” Zelenskyy since the story broke.
Ukraine is not the only issue currently plaguing the leader and his team.
India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, indirectly accused Canada of harboring militants during a speech at the United Nations. In a subsequent interview, he reiterated that the Trudeau administration has provided no proof or evidence to substantiate its claim that India was involved in the June execution of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia.
The Modi administration has utilized Indian media as a weapon against Trudeau domestically and internationally. In a conflict of public relations, Trudeau and, by extension, Canada are losing.
The Hindu Forum of Canada’s attorney sent a letter to the government on Tuesday, expressing safety concerns and requesting that Nijjar ally Gurpatwant Singh Pannu be denied entry into the country. At approximately the same time, the Muslim Association of Canada criticized Trudeau for his remarks regarding parental demonstrations over gender issues in schools last week. MAC condemned Trudeau’s stance.
SOURCE – (SUN)
King is in custody. In a statement, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder thanked the Swedish and Chinese governments for their assistance in securing the release of Pte. King.
As there are no diplomatic ties between the United States and North Korea, the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang has traditionally negotiated on behalf of the United States.
During the King case, a Swedish embassy spokesman confirmed that Sweden acted “within its role as a protective power” for the United States in North Korea.
The US Department of State and the White House did not comment on the matter immediately.
According to Reuters, a spokesman for the King family stated that “no substantive comment” was expected at this time.
His relatives have previously informed US media that he faced discrimination while serving in the United States military.
According to reports, his mental health deteriorated during his time in South Korean custody.
Travis King In US Custody After North Korea Expulsion.
Claudine Gates, the mother of Pte. told the Associated Press last month that her son had “so many reasons to come home.”
She stated, “I cannot imagine him ever wanting to stay in Korea when he has family in the United States.”
Pte King’s release by North Korea after 71 days is rapid compared to other Americans the country has previously detained.
Analysts hypothesized that Pyongyang may have used the American soldier as a diplomatic bargaining tool.
Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense and CIA paramilitary officer, told the BBC that Pte King’s return to US custody is “a good thing,” even though he “is a young man who made mistakes.”
Mr. Mulroy continued, “He is an American soldier, so it was imperative that we did everything possible to bring him home.”
SOURCE – (BBC)
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