Billie Winner-Davis, Reality Winner's mother, told Business Insider on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is attempting legal representation to aid the former Air Force language analyst contractor and Kingsville native Reality Winner with her case.
Winner pleaded guilty in 2018 to leaking classified National Security Agency information on Russia's alleged efforts to interfere with the 2016 election. She was found guilty of violating the U.S. Espionage Act and sentenced to five years in prison at the Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 2016 following her separation from six years of active duty, Winner was hired by Pluribus International Corporation under an NSA contract to work out of Fort Gordon, Georgia.
According to ABC News, Winner printed a classified report detailing how Russian hackers allegedly “executed cyber espionage operations” on local election systems and mailed the documents to The Intercept.
She was arrested on June 3, 2017.
Amazing! Thank you. My daughter Reality Leigh Winner is yet another victim of this admin. Doing hard time for bringing the truth to light. #FreeRealityWinnerhttps://t.co/wU0sg3LeRs
Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign violations and tax fraud in 2018, began serving his sentence in May 2019 at the federal penitentiary in Otisville, New York.
He has been under house arrest since July over coronavirus concerns.
Military.com stated that Reality’s mother sent a Twitter message that said “Cohen has asked another attorney to look at the case and for opportunities to help.”
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Yesterday British lawmakers approved Prime Minister Tony Blair's plan to begin research and development on a new class of ballistic missile submarines -- most likely a development of the new Astute attack sub -- to replace the current Vanguard class of four boats, the Associated Press reports:
Overwhelming support from Conservatives assured approval of Blair's plan Wednesday, with the motion passing by a vote of 409-161. His Labour Party has a majority of 67 seats in the House of Commons. Critics said the $40 billion program could harm efforts to stem the weapons ambitions of Iran and other countries. But before the vote, Blair told the House of Commons that the submarines — due to be phased out starting in 2022 — should be replaced to meet possible future threats from rogue regimes and state-sponsored terrorists. "I think it's right we take the decision now to begin work on replacing the Trident submarines, I think it's essential for security in an uncertain world," Blair said. "Though it is impossible to predict the future, the one thing that is certain is the unpredictability of it."
The decision comes at a time of relentless fiscal pressure on a shrinking British fleet. Once the world's unrivaled naval force, the Royal Navy played second fiddle to the U.S. Navy in the wake of World War II but continued to "punch above its weight" by combining superior training with a flexible and capable frigate and destroyer force, some of the world's best nuclear-powered submarines and a naval fighter, the Sea Harrier, with a top-notch radar. But in the past five years, budget cuts resulting from public disinterest in all things military have eroded the Royal Navy to its weakest position in centuries.
There are around 110 ships in the British sea services including 80 warships, compared to around 500 in all the U.S. services, around 280 of which are combatants. Since 2000, the Royal Navy has sliced its frigate and destroyer force from 33 to just 25, its attack submarines from 12 to 10, laid up one of its three carriers and completely retired the Sea Harrier without a replacement. "This government is absolutely hellbent on the destruction of the Royal Navy," said Dr. Julian Lewis, the government's opposition defense leader.
Blair has countered by saying that the government has launched the most expensive modernization in recent history, totalling $30 billion over 20 years. But even that investment buys fewer ships than needed to sustain the recently reduced force levels. The Navy is planning on just six new Type 45 destroyers to replace the current eight Type 42s and no more than seven Astutes to replace the 10 Trafalgars and Swiftsures. To be sure, the government continues to promise two large aircraft carriers plus F-35B Lightnings to replace the current two small carriers and the old ground-attack Harriers they carry.
"(Biden’s) own chief of staff, Ron Klain, would say last year that it was pure luck, that they did ‘everything possible wrong’ (with H1N1). And we learned from that."
"There are estimates that by the end of the term of this administration, they will have lost more jobs than almost any other presidential administration."
That Rose Garden event — there's been a great deal of speculation about it — my wife Karen and I were there and honored to be there. Many of the people who were at that event, Susan, were actually tested for coronavirus, and it was an outdoor event, which all of our scientists r...