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  • "We Haven't Heard Her Say She Didn't Do It": Bessent Burns Cook Over Mortgage Fraud Fiasco

    "We Haven't Heard Her Say She Didn't Do It": Bessent Burns Cook Over Mortgage Fraud Fiasco

    On Monday, President Trump fired Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook – after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte asked the DOJ to investigate her for suspected mortgage fraud. Pulte has been dropping receipts for over a week showing that Cook claimed two properties as her ‘primary’ residence – allowing her to benefit by double-dipping on tax and mortgage advantages. 

    Cook, an ‘autopen-appointed’ (we assume) DEI hire who was overwhelmingly unqualified for the job, and ‘wholeheartedly’ supported the Fed’s decision to help former President Biden by dropping interest rates in the home stretch of the 2024 election (with inflation soaring), has yet to actually deny the allegations – which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pointed out today during an appearance on Fox Business. 

    “She keeps saying Trump doesn’t have the authority to fire her, but we haven’t heard her say that she didn’t do it,” he told host Maria Bartiromo – calling for Cook to be investigated and prosecuted if true. 

    via The Patriot Oasis

    Meanwhile, White House top economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Wednesday that Cook should go on leave while her status is litigated.

    “If I were her, in her circumstance, I would take leave right now,” said Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, adding that it would be the “honorable thing to do.” 

    Meanwhile, the talking points have gone out…

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) – who committed fraud masquerading as a Native American to reap manifold benefits, took to CNBC to insist that Cook’s alleged mortgage fraud doesn’t matter because it wasn’t ‘related to her job’ – and therefore not ‘for cause.’

    “What I care most about is that we follow the law here and the law is pretty clear that firing for cause means job related… like someone who has been inefficient or someone who’s been corrupt in doing the job,” Warren said. 

    We’d show you the clip, but nobody thought Warren’s comments warren-ted clipping and sharing. That said, we should point out that Warren demanded an investigation into Dallas Fed President Kaplan’s “ethically questionable” stock trades. 

    Last night Warren appeared on CNN to criticize Bill Pulte for exposing the fraud!

    And of course, Cook is a ‘special case’ when it comes to Fed officials exiting stage right amid financial fuckery…

    And while the Fed claims to be ‘apolitical,’ in 2020 Cook said that Donald Trump was “definitely a fascist.” 

    So it appears Cook will continue to dig in. It’ll be interesting when ‘indicted pre-trial Cook’ insists on remaining in her role until the very last possible second. 

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  • 'Disproportionate’ and ‘unjustified’: European travel industry urges EU to rethink ETIAS fee hike

    As the European travel industry continues to struggle with rising costs and labour issues, travel leaders have voiced concerns about the ETIAS fee increase potentially undermining competitiveness.

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    European aviation and travel group bosses have criticised the proposed increase in the  European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) fee from €7 to €20.  
    A joint statement from travel industry leaders, including the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association (ECTAA), European Tourism Association, Airlines for Europe (A4E) said the price hike was disproportionate and a threat to the continent’s travel competitiveness. 

    “This increase appears disproportionate and runs counter to the original intention of the co-legislators (European Parliament and Council), who agreed to a modest and reasonable fee during the 2018 negotiations – a key outcome supported by the travel and tourism sector,” the statement reads. 
    They highlighted concerns about fairness and pointed out that although the fee increase may be small on its own, it would add to escalating costs for families. 
    This is especially as overnight taxes have also soared in several popular European cities, such as Barcelona, Venice and Lisbon. 

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    The ETIAS fee increase poses “another cost and administrative burden on travellers, with little noticeable benefit to the user experience”, according to Patrick Diemer, chair of BT4Europe, as reported by Business Travel News. 

    He added: “We support secure, efficient entry systems, but only where they deliver real value to travellers and businesses alike. This fee hike sends the wrong signal.”
    The ETIAS is likely to start operating late next year, requiring visa-exempt non-EU travellers from countries like US, UK, Brazil, Canada and Australia to get an online authorisation before travelling to the EU. 

    Lack of transparency and insufficient evidence for fee hike

    The ETIAS fee increase also comes as the European travel and tourism sector faces ongoing challenges caused by high inflation, geopolitical instability and soaring operational costs. 
    Travel industry leaders raised concerns about the lack of transparency around the proposed figure and questioned whether other pricing models, such as €10 or €12 had been sufficiently considered. 

    “At present, insufficient evidence has been offered to justify that such a fee level is necessary for the operation and maintenance of ETIAS,” said the statement. 
    The EU has cited higher operational costs for this price jump and emphasised that it will also help it better align with international travel standards. The hike is expected to help pay for ongoing maintenance, new technical features and operational staffing.

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    This will include stronger encryption, upgraded automation and better coordination with other EU travel systems such as the Entry/Exit System (EES). 
    Travel associations slammed using other travel authorisation schemes such as the UK ETA as justification for the ETIAS, saying: “Fee decisions should reflect the actual operational needs of the EU system and be fully justified. They should not aim to align with unrelated schemes without clear rationale and legal basis.”
    They are calling for an impact assessment by the European Commission, justifying the proposed fee hike with a thorough cost breakdown.. The Council and European Parliament have also been urged to implement a more evidence-based and proportionate fee.