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→Repressive measures against the American people
=====Repressive measures against the American people=====
=====Repressive measures against the American people=====
In 2013 the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]] secretly approved an FBI request to continue obtaining daily telephone records of millions of Verizon customers.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/jun/06/verizon-telephone-data-court-order</ref> The judge ordered Verizon to turn over the information to the National Security Agency (NSA). This directly contradicted Obama [[DNI]] [[James Clapper]]’s Congressional testimony.<ref>https://youtu.be/nsmo0hUWJ08</ref>
In 2013 the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]] secretly approved an FBI request to continue obtaining daily telephone records of millions of Verizon customers.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/jun/06/verizon-telephone-data-court-order</ref> The judge ordered Verizon to turn over the information to the National Security Agency (NSA). This directly contradicted Obama [[DNI]] [[James Clapper]]’s Congressional testimony.<ref>https://youtu.be/nsmo0hUWJ08</ref>
=====Data collection and privacy rights=====
In August 2009 it was reported the White House was soliciting bids to outsource a technology vendor to conduct a massive, secret effort to harvest personal information on millions of Americans from social networking websites of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and others – any space where the White House “maintains a presence.” The information to be captured includes comments, tag lines, emails, audio, and video.
Critics have charged the emerging pattern of information management and control as "yet another sign that this Administration is at best indifferent to privacy rights and at worst prepared to violate [[civil liberties]] for [[political]] purposes."<ref>[http://nlpc.org/stories/2009/08/31/obama-white-house-has-secret-plan-harvest-personal-data-social-networking-website Obama White House Has Secret Plan To Harvest Personal Data From Social Networking Websites], Ken Boehm, 08/31/2009.</ref>
=====4th Amendment abuses=====
{{See also|Patriot Act|Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act}}
The Obama [[Justice Department]] has been accused of being "secretive, tyrannical, and oppressive" and compared with [[President George W. Bush]], "even worse."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090924001648/http://donedems.com/2009/04/14/holy-crap-obama-actually-manages-to-make-the-patriot-act-worse-than-under-bush Obama Actually Manages to Make the Patriot Act WORSE than Under Bush], DONE, April 14, 2009,</ref> As a candidate, Senator Obama lamented that the Bush Administration "invoked a legal tool known as the 'state secrets' privilege more than any other previous administration to get cases thrown out of civil court," however in a motion to dismiss ''Jewel v. NSA'', the Electronic Frontier Foundation litigation against the National Security Agency for the warrantless wiretapping, the [[Obama Administration]] argued that the state secrets privilege requires the court to dismiss the issue out of hand. The Obama administration argued that simply allowing the case to continue "would cause exceptionally grave harm to national security." As in the past, this is a blatant ploy to dismiss the litigation without allowing the courts to consider the evidence.
The Obama Justice Department then argued that the U.S. Government is completely immune from litigation for illegal spying — that the Government can never be sued for surveillance that violates federal privacy statutes. Birch Bricker writing in the ''Auburn Journal'' then points out, "This is a radical assertion that is utterly unprecedented. No one — not the [[White House]], not the Justice Department, not any member of Congress, and not the [[Bush Administration]] — has ever interpreted the law this way....The Obama Administration goes two steps further than Bush did, and claims that the [[US PATRIOT Act]] also renders the U.S. immune from suit under the two remaining key federal surveillance laws: the Wiretap Act and the Stored Communications Act. Essentially, the Obama Administration has claimed that the government cannot be held accountable for illegal surveillance under any federal statutes." <ref>[http://my.auburnjournal.com/detail/111477.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=Patriot+Act&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=2&sub_type=&town_id= It's Actually Possible... The Patriot Act Gets Worse], ''Auburn Journal'', 4/12/09.</ref>
=====Discrimination against dissident groups=====
:''Main article: [[IRS scandal]]''
During the Obama Administration, the [[Internal Revenue Service]] discriminated against conservative organizations by making them wait for years just to gain [[Nonprofit organization|tax-exempt status]]. At the same time, other groups received the same status in a very short period of time, such as a [[satanic]] group which received nonprofit status in only ten days.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/20/irs-granted-satanic-cult-tax-exempt-status-in-10-days-report-says.html IRS granted Satanic cult tax-exempt status in 10 days, report says]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved March 25, 2017.</ref><ref>Ernst, Douglas (March 20, 2017). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/20/obama-irs-gave-satan-club-creator-fast-tax-exempt-/ Obama’s IRS gave ‘Satan Club’ creator fast tax-exempt status]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved March 25, 2017.</ref> In 2017, the [[Trump Administration]] ended the scandal by settling with the affected organizations and apologizing,<ref>Multiple references:
*Mason, Ian (October 26, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/10/26/doj-settles-with-tea-party-groups-on-lois-lerner-irs-scandal/ DOJ Settles with Tea Party Groups on Lois Lerner IRS Scandal]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
*[https://www.voanews.com/a/tea-party-groups-settle-lawsuits-over-irs-mistreatment/4087069.html Tea Party Groups Settle Lawsuits Over IRS Mistreatment]. ''Voice of America'' (from the ''Associated Press''). October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
*Singman, Brooke (October 26, 2017). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/26/trump-doj-settles-lawsuits-over-tea-party-targeting-by-obama-irs.html Trump DOJ settles lawsuits over Tea Party targeting by Obama IRS]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
*Adams, Becket (October 27, 2017). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/conservatives-were-targeted-by-a-weaponized-irs-all-they-got-was-this-lousy-apology/article/2638837 Conservatives were targeted by a weaponized IRS; all they got was this lousy apology]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved October 28, 2017.</ref> but it still declined to prosecute IRS official Lois Lerner for her major role in the scandal.<ref>Multiple references:
*[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/08/doj-declines-to-charge-lois-lerner-in-irs-scandal.html Trump DOJ: No plans to charge Lois Lerner in IRS scandal]. ''Fox News''. September 8, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
*Dinan, Stephen (September 8, 2017). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/8/donald-trumps-doj-wont-pursue-charges-against-lois/ Justice Department won’t pursue charges against Lois Lerner, former IRS senior executive]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
*Munro, Neil (September 8, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/08/jeff-sessions-doj-will-not-investigate-irs-suppression-tea-party-groups/ Jeff Sessions’ DoJ Will Not Investigate IRS Suppression of Tea Party Groups]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
*Bowden, John (September 8, 2017). [https://thehill.com/homenews/house/349846-gop-lawmakers-furious-after-doj-declines-to-prosecute-lois-lerner GOP lawmakers furious after DOJ declines to prosecute ex-IRS official Lois Lerner]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved October 28, 2017.</ref>
=====Warrantless wiretapps=====
:''See: [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]]''
The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 would give the administration authority to conduct warrant-less spying and dictatorial power over Internet.<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/04/should-obama-control-internet Should Obama Control the Internet?], ''Mother Jones'', April 2, 2009.</ref>
*Section 215 -- drastically broadens the kinds of information the government can demand under Foreign Intelligence Security Act to "any tangible thing" while lowering the burden of proof to obtain such an order. According to the ''[[Washington Post]]'' this measure "allows investigators probing terrorism to seek a suspect's records from third parties such as financial services and travel and telephone companies without notifying the suspect. The American Civil Liberties Union has criticized the provision, saying it violates the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens."
*Section 206—grants the authority to use secret "roving wiretaps." "In the past, authorities had to seek court approval for each electronic device carried by a suspect, from a cellphone and a BlackBerry to a home computer," writes the ''Post'', "But under the provision, one warrant can cover all of those machines." "Unlike roving wiretaps authorized for criminal investigations," the ACLU explains, "section 206 does not require the order to identify either the communications device to be tapped nor the individual against whom the surveillance is directed, which is what gives section 206 the Kafkaesque moniker, the "John Doe roving wiretap provision."
*Section 6001—or the "lone wolf" provision, which allows for secret FISA surveillance orders against people who have no connections to a terror group or foreign nation. "The government justified this provision by imagining a hypothetical "lone wolf," an international terrorist operating independently of any terrorist organization," explains the ACLU, "but there is little evidence to suggest this imaginary construct had any basis in reality."
Rod Beckstrom, formerly in charge of coordinating the US government's cyber-security operations, in a resignation letter to Secretary of Homeland Security [[Janet Napolitano]],<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/BeckstromResignation.pdf Letter from Rod Beckstrom to Janet Napolitano], [[Wall Street Journal]], March 9, 2009.</ref> cited the expanded control over the nation's computer security efforts poses “threats to our democratic processes.” <ref>''[https://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2009/03/11/US-cybersecurity-head-quits-citing-growing-role-of-spy-agencies/UPI-64411236692969/ U.S. cybersecurity head quits, citing growing role of spy agencies]'', Shaun Waterman, [[UPI]], March 11, 2009.</ref>
=====Persecution of dissidents=====
In September 2014 [[Dinesh D'Souza]] was arrested and sentenced to 5 years probation.[http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/dinesh-souza-5-years-probation-campaign-donations-article-1.1949769]
Andrew McCarthy noted this about D'Souza's indictment:
:"Yet there were patent mitigating circumstances, starting with the fact that few people actually get prosecuted at all for this offense. Even in the case of gargantuan violations, such as the Obama 2008 campaign’s own millions of dollars in illicit contributions, the Justice Department allows cases to be settled with an administrative fine. Furthermore, in the few cases that are pursued criminally, there is unvaryingly a corruption angle — the donor is dodging the limits in the expectation of a ''quid pro quo''.
:"In D’Souza’s case, there was nothing of the kind: He was trying to be supportive of a friend who had no chance to win."<ref>Andrew C. McCarthy (December 19, 2015). "How Dinesh D'Souza became a victim of Obama's lawless administration", National Review website.</ref>
President Trump gave D'Souza a full pardon on May 31, 2018, citing D'Souza's mistreatment by the Obama Justice Department.<ref>Multiple references:
*Singman, Brooke (May 31, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/31/trump-to-give-full-pardon-to-dinesh-dsouza.html Trump pardons Dinesh D'Souza]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
*Kugle, Andrew (May 31, 2018). [https://freebeacon.com/politics/trump-issues-full-pardon-conservative-activist-dinesh-dsouza/ Trump Issues Full Pardon for Conservative Activist Dinesh D’Souza]. ''The Washington Free Beacon''. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
*Caplan, Joshua (May 31, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/05/31/trump-pardon-conservative-filmmaker-dinesh-dsouza/ Donald Trump to Pardon Conservative Filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 31, 2018.</ref>
=====Misuse of intelligence agencies=====
President Obama's agreement to approve the illegal actions taken against [[Donald Trump]] and the [[2016 Trump campaign|Trump campaign]] were primarily motivated by a wish to destroy his candidacy and, after Trump's election, delegitimize the Trump presidency in much the same way Obama felt Trump delegitimized Ohama's presidency with Trump's involvement with the [[Birther movement]].
The [[FISA Act]] was passed in 1978 on recommendation of the Church Committee specifically to protect the civil rights of people such as Obama's mentor [[Frank Marshall Davis]] and Obama's neighbors who got Obama started in politics, [[Bill Ayers]] and [[Bernardine Dohrn]]. Both regaled Obama with tales of FBI surveillance and harassment in the pre-FISA age, which had thwarted the communist revolution in America. On becoming President, Obama was determined to seize control of the institutions and apparatus that had frustrated generations of communist revolutionaries and turn them against Obama's imaginary enemies.
Not since the election of [[Abraham Lincoln]], has an outgoing administration sought to undermine and sabotage an incoming president.
=====Justice Department corruption=====
:{{See also|FBI scandal|FISA abuse}}
====2020 Leftwing riots====
====2020 Leftwing riots====