Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
U.S. strips visas from Gambian govt.; punishment for stopping DHS deportations
The Gambia has refused to accept nearly 2,000 people the U.S. is trying to deport, so the Obama administration has finally decided to pull the trigger and will deny visas to some Gambians hoping to visit the U.S., the State Department said Saturday. Published October 1, 2016
Obama operatives stripped Judicial Watch of ‘media’ status, overcharged for FOIA requests
Political operatives within the Obama administration wrongly punished conservative legal group Judicial Watch, stripping it of "media" status and trying to force it to pay higher fees for its open records requests, the General Services Administration inspector general said in a letter released Thursday. Published September 29, 2016
John Culberson, congressman, demands halt in new citizenships until DHS fixes fingerprints
A key member of Congress introduced a bill Thursday that that would halt all new naturalizations until the Obama administration can prove it's checking immigrants' fingerprints to make sure they shouldn't be deported instead of granted citizenship. Published September 29, 2016
Hillary Clinton emails set for release just before election, State Department says
The State Department said Wednesday it will process an additional 1,850 pages of Hillary Clinton's secret emails and release the parts that can be made public on Nov. 3, just ahead of the election. Published September 28, 2016
Leon Rodriguez, immigration director, defends refugee vetting
Refugees can be admitted to the U.S. without any corroborating documents or physical evidence, the chief of the immigration service told Congress on Wednesday — though he insisted that's not the typical situation. Published September 28, 2016
GOP official questions Trump accuser Alicia Machado’s citizenship after reports of criminal behavior
A top state-level Republican questioned how Alicia Machado, the former Venezuelan beauty queen who says Donald Trump demeaned her, became a U.S. citizen this year, given a checkered past that included allegations of threatening a judge and involvement in a drive-by shooting. Published September 28, 2016
Congress votes to override Obama’s 9/11 veto; overwhelming rejection of White House
Republicans and Democrats linked arms and delivered a stinging defeat to President Obama on Wednesday, voting to override his veto of a bill that would give victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks a chance to sue Saudi Arabia in U.S. courts over the behavior of Saudi officials they believe may have been complicit in the attack. Published September 28, 2016
James Comey, FBI director, rejects calls to reopen Clinton email case
FBI Director James Comey said he's not going to reopen the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails, telling Congress on Wednesday that none of the recent revelations since he closed the case in July "would come near" to triggering that extraordinary step. Published September 28, 2016
New Orleans to alter sanctuary policy so officers can talk to federal agents
New Orleans scrapped part of its sanctuary city policy last week, marking a retreat for both the city and the Obama administration, which had insisted the city shield illegal immigrants from federal deportation agents as part of an agreement to reduce racial profiling. Published September 27, 2016
James Comey, FBI director: Cheryl Mills immunity was ‘not irregular’
FBI Director James B. Comey said Tuesday that his agency was nearing a deadline and had to offer Cheryl Mills, one of Hillary Clinton's top aides, a limited immunity deal in order to get a peek at the former secretary of state's secret emails and bring its investigation to a quick conclusion. Published September 27, 2016
Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton clash in chippy debate as policy takes back seat
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, embracing his outsider's credentials, said Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton was the candidate of the establishment and urged the country to move beyond the anti-terror and free trade policies he said have failed the country for decades, as they faced off in the first presidential debate Monday. Published September 26, 2016
Voters unsure how either Trump or Clinton can address terror
A spate of lone-wolf attacks has thrust terrorism to the fore of another presidential election, but the candidates are deeply conflicted over the nature of the threat and voters are unsure whether any politician has the answers after 15 years of active war. Published September 26, 2016
Hillary Clinton hits Donald Trump’s wealth, ‘Trumped-up trickle down’ economics
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton kicked off the first presidential debate Monday by questioning whether opponent Donald Trump is qualified to hold the White House. Published September 26, 2016
Donald Trump turns Twitter over to staff for debate night
Donald Trump will have to put down his keyboard for Monday night's debate, but he announced his campaign staff will take charge of his Twitter account for the duration, keeping his millions of fans in the loop on how they see things going down. Published September 26, 2016
State Department reveals FBI uncovered 2,800 emails Clinton never turned over
The State Department said Friday it likely has more than 2,800 new emails former Secretary Hillary Clinton never turned over but were recovered by the FBI, and will begin releasing them in batches beginning next month. Published September 23, 2016
Cheryl Mills gets immunity in FBI investigation of Clinton email server
Hillary Clinton's former chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, and two other staff members were granted immunity deals in exchange for their cooperation in the now-closed FBI investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state, says a Republican congressman. Published September 23, 2016
Homeland Security trying to rush citizenship applications for election purposes
The Homeland Security Department is granting as many citizenship applications as it can to try to sway participation in this year's presidential election, an internal department document shows. Published September 22, 2016
Haitian immigrants cross border through Mexico, claim asylum for quick processing and entry
Haitian immigrants are surging across America's southwest border, blazing a path through Mexico to the U.S., where they have been coached to claim asylum, earning them quick processing and almost immediate entry into the country. Published September 22, 2016
DHS memo admits refugee fraud ‘easy to commit’
Refugee fraud is "easy to commit" and much tougher to detect, Homeland Security officials acknowledged in an internal memo made public by members of Congress. Published September 22, 2016
Bryan Pagliano no-show: House investigators vote to hold Hillary Clinton’s email tech in contempt
The House's investigative committee voted Thursday to hold Hillary Clinton's chief tech staffer in contempt of Congress after Bryan Pagliano failed, for a second time, to show up and testify about the secret emails of his former boss. Published September 22, 2016
