Sunday, February 11, 2024
House Committee Wants FBI Agent To Testify On Alleged Online Censorship
House Committee Wants FBI Agent To Testify On Alleged Online Censorship
The House Judiciary Committee recently asked a federal judge to require a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent to comply with a subpoena, forcing him to testify before Congress on alleged attempts by the federal government to censor online speech.
The committee filed its request in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking a judge to order FBI agent Elvis Chan to testify.
Just the News reported that Chan is the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI San Francisco Division’s cyber branch.
The House Judiciary Committee believes that Chan’s role provided the FBI agent with sensitive information about the bureau’s collaborations with social media platforms, such as Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. Such interactions between the agency and the platforms come amid allegations that the federal government suppressed online speech.
In December 2022, journalist Michael Shellenberger published a series of documents revealing that Chan and other FBI employees warned Twitter about a Russian hacking organization before the 2020 presidential election.
The GOP-led committee previously filed a lawsuit against Chan for refusing to comply with the subpoena, accusing the longtime FBI agent of disrupting its investigation of alleged social media censorship practices by skipping a deposition.
Chan is cited as a “pivotal figure” in the committee’s investigation of allegations that the federal government worked to influence social media companies into censoring online speech, particularly against conservatives.
“Chan described himself as ‘one of the primary people with pass-through information,’ information that the companies used when deciding whether to restrict online content,” the committee wrote, according to the Washington Examiner.
In its lawsuit, the committee wrote that Chan “led a team of other FBI agents who regularly communicated with social media companies about ‘disinformation.’”
The committee’s lawsuit against Chan came after it released a social media post in September 2023 indicating that negotiations between the FBI agent, the agency and the Department of Justice (DOJ) were unproductive and communications between the three parties involved had increased dramatically.
In September 2023, the DOJ sent the committee a letter, citing a Trump-era policy position that labeled attempts to exclude department lawyers from specific depositions unconstitutional.
“A congressional subpoena that purports to compel testimony on matters within the scope of an agency employee’s official duties, including potentially privileged information, without the presence of agency counsel is without legal effect and cannot constitutionally be enforced,” the department wrote.
MY LIFE: #40 Identity in Salvation Since meaning and purpose come from our identity, it is critical that we know who the driving force of our identity is – the enemy or Christ. FEB 11
It is an honor to have you as a member of our subscription service! Share today. MY LIFE: #40 Identity in SalvationSince meaning and purpose come from our identity, it is critical that we know who the driving force of our identity is – the enemy or Christ.
IDENTITY IN CHRIST THROUGH SALVATIONThe precise truths of my identity in Christ at salvation were not shown to me on the day I received Christ as my Savior. For some reason, I did not make the connection that I was completely taken out of Adam’s life and placed in Christ’s Life. I continued to function as if the two lives were somehow meticulously blended into one life – a theological blunder many new converts suffer under. It is because of this deception that a new convert blends the identities of both the old and new Natures into one identity. “Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4) SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF DECEPTIONOnce upon a time, in the quiet town of Lynn Grove, lived a young man named Stephen. Stephen was an ordinary teenager with an extraordinary passion for music. He spent his days flunking out in school and his nights banging on his cheap set of drums, dreaming of a life beyond the confines of his small town. One day, a poster caught his eye. "Live Concert: Alice Cooper Live!" it read. Alice was Stephen's idol, a rock star known for his electrifying performances and his demonically charged music. Stephen knew he couldn't miss this opportunity, so he saved every penny he earned to buy a ticket. The night of the concert was a revelation for Stephen. He was mesmerized by Alice’s performance, the energy of the crowd, and the power of music to connect people. He felt a sense of belonging he had never experienced before. Inspired, Stephen decided to join a local band. He convinced the band leader to adopt an Alice Cooper segment to the show, practiced relentlessly, and mastered the look and sound of the Cooper band, which surprisingly gained local celebrity status. They started performing at local venues, and to their surprise, people loved them. Stephen found his voice, not just in music, but in his identity. He was no longer just a misfit schoolboy from a local town; he was a wannabe rock star, the lead singer of "The Blue Star Show Band.” Stephen's story spread, and eventually, after becoming a Christian, Alice Cooper (Vince) heard about the man who replicated his music and persona from Nowheresville. Impressed by Stephen's passion for Christ, Vince invited him to disciple him in Christ. Standing in awe of the opportunity, Stephen was faced with the profound truth that his past opened the door to help his past-life idol discover the new identity Stephen found in his salvation in Christ. Of course, this story is none other than mine. While I was not the one God used to lead Vince to the acceptance of indwelling salvation, it became an experience to remind me that our idols indeed inspire us, but it's our passion, dedication, and identity in Christ through our salvation testimony, that truly motivates others to discover the life of Jesus Christ. For most of my young life, I have been somebody other than who I was created to be in Christ. Since my name meant nothing to me and others, I learned to live off of the higher reputation of others. This made me a name-dropper like no other. An amazing thing happened after discovering who I was in Christ: I became known for releasing the identity, power, and purpose of the greatest name in all of eternity - Jesus Christ. Well, ironically, I’m still a name-dropper. Earlier, what I didn’t realize is that we were created to be name-droppers - to drop the name of Jesus Christ whenever we can and literally live in and through His identity. Therefore, my greatest revelation is that my past habit of living off the identity of another is the foundation of authentic Christianity. Allow me to explain.
LIVING LIFE THROUGH ANOTHER’S IDENTITYDiagram ID-103 further explains the position of the believer’s identity in Christ. As depicted in Romans 6:5-7:
This passage speaks of the “old self” being crucified with Jesus. The diagram goes on to reveal that the indwelt believer is buried and raised with Him. The most significant principle being revealed here is the believer’s position – seated at the right hand of God in Christ. Knowing that behavior comes from position and not condition, victory is sure to be experienced when behaviors are manifesting Christ’s actions. There are three ways converts can manifest behaviors in life:
Many teach this passage as if it is an experience to come, as in when we go to Heaven. The Truth being said it is a position the indwelt believer is given upon the moment of Salvation. For a believer to be able to know the reality of their position in Christ, each must embrace the TRUTH that identity in Christ comes with salvation. UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF THE CROSSThe death of Jesus Christ on the cross is an important truth of the Christian’s theological foundation. In fact, it is crucial to the authentic Gospel, the crux of the message. Ironically, crux is the Latin word for “cross” - which identifies the Cross of Christ as the pivotal truth for the believer’s identity. In His death, Jesus provided the only pathway to freedom for all. Here is why… Since He was a sinless Savior, He provided the perfect, flawless blood sacrifice required by His Father. In this, He became the second Adam but in its perfect form. Whereas the first Adam had failed at retaining the perfect seed line for humanity (Rom. 5:12), thus, all became "sinners" through his defiled seed (Rom. 5:19), while delivering condemnation to all born from his corrupt seed (Rom. 5:18) - which is everlasting death. God had originally told Adam in the Garden, "In the day that thou eat from it - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - you will surely die" (Gen. 2:17). The consequence of sin was death (separated from God), psychological (depraved minds) and physical forms (body would die and remain in the grave).Jesus, the Son of God, was incarnated as the Godman; who, as man, could experience the death consequences of sin; who, as sinless man, could take those death consequences and pay the cost of sin for all humanity; and who, as God, could restore heavenly life to man spiritually, in order to restore man to the Father. As a man, Jesus incurred all the death consequences that had occurred in Adam. As a sinless man, sin & death had no right to Him personally and could not hold Him. As God, He could thus save the faithful from the consequences of sin. Furthermore, He can restore the select few by providing His Life within all those who received His Spirit - the Holy Spirit. Jesus came “to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). Jesus "came that we might have life" (John 10:10). The death of Jesus on a cross is the corrective action modelled in order to restore God's indwelling life, through Christ, in man. The counteractive purpose of death and the restorative purpose of life are inseparable in the consideration of the Biblical significance of the death of Jesus Christ on a cross. While being pinned to the Cross, He knew it took imminent physical death to provide redemption. After He said, "It is finished!" (John 19:30), the broken bridge between God and man was restored. The perfect tense is used, indicating completed action in the past, manifesting in the present & remaining into the future. In Hebrew, the meaning is fulfilled requirements of debt. In the first century, Jesus’s words were inscribed on certificates of indebtedness when debts were paid in full. This is edifying when we consider Paul's comment in Col. 2:14 about the "certificate of debt" having been taken out of the way, having been "nailed to the cross." Sin presented an indebtedness of condemnation; the Law presented an impossible DEBT, a big "IOU" before God. In and through Christ, this debt was paid in full, thus removing condemnation and self-life performance – leaving only REST in the “finished work" of Jesus Christ.Redemption, whereby we are "bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23) that has been "paid in full" by the death of Jesus, is the corrective measure that was required by the Law. Consequently, regeneration is the restorative factor, wherein the life of God once again indwells man through His Son’s own Spirit. Because of the CROSS, and His "finished work," all converted (born-again) believers share in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, the Spirit’s outpouring, and complete end-times expectations. Due to the significant work Christ accomplished on the CROSS, all verbiage used by the writers of the New Testament maintains the words Jesus cried out from the cross, "It is finished!", resulting in providing restoration for God by unifying man unto Himself. This was accomplished by placing His Spirit in all those who become saved.
Since the time of the Cross, there is nothing we can do! All redemption is wrapped up in the Cross of Jesus. No human can take any credit for authentic change in the soul. This is "offensive" to God when humanity attempts to find solutions aside from Christ. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the subsequent availability of the divine life to all mankind, comprises the "finished work" - the sole basis of right relationship and fellowship with God. Coming up next is #41, “The Cross is Not Religion.” The End Times Chronicles is the host to MY LIFE, a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for subscribing to The End Times Chronicles. Your paid subscription helps us advance our non-profit’s mission. Dr. Stephen R. Phinney is dedicated to providing quality media and publications that advance the Life of Christ. Paid subscribers receive free eBooks, media content, and other free stuff.Hey, fellow writers/readers, would you be open to buying me a cup of coffee? Check out this fun way of supporting my writing: https://bmc.link/drphinney
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Rand Paul Takes Bold Move Against Anti-Christian Aggression
Rand Paul Takes Bold Move Against Anti-Christian Aggression
In a firm stand for religious freedom and American values, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is spearheading a pivotal legislative effort aimed at curbing what many see as the Biden administration’s support of anti-Christian activities abroad. His resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 60 (SJR60), seeks to halt the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, a nation increasingly viewed as complicit in Azerbaijan’s genocidal campaign against Armenian Christians.
The resolution, described as “a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to the Government of Turkiye of certain defense articles and services,” has garnered attention and praise, particularly from the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The committee emphasized the misuse of U.S. F-16s by Turkey in aiding Azerbaijan during the 2020 aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic Armenian region.
The violence has been described by the International Criminal Court’s inaugural prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo as a form of genocide, pointing out the dire and irreparable consequences of such military sales.
Senator Paul’s resolution is not just a symbolic gesture but a direct challenge to the Biden administration’s foreign policy, which has been criticized for undermining its recognition of the Armenian Genocide. By waiving section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, the U.S. has paradoxically provided military assistance to Azerbaijan, contradicting its stated values.
The White House’s recent decision to approve a $23 billion sale of 40 F-16 fighter jets and equipment to modernize older F-16 jets to Turkey only exacerbates these concerns. While the deal was contingent on Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership, it has drawn scrutiny from several Senate Foreign Relations Committee members. Sen. Paul’s resolution, therefore, represents a critical intervention in a foreign policy approach that many argue compromises American principles and the plight of Christian communities abroad.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) and ranking member Jim Risch (R-ID) initially objected to the deal, indicating the bipartisan apprehension surrounding this issue. Cardin’s conditional approval of the sale, tied to Turkey’s NATO commitments, reflects the complex geopolitical considerations at play. Yet, for many, these diplomatic maneuvers should not come at the cost of enabling human rights violations and religious persecution.
Paul’s position aligns with an America First foreign policy, prioritizing American values and interests over political expedience. His resolution can be seen as a strong stance against empowering regimes that are hostile to Christian communities and, by extension, the values that America upholds.
In an article on The Western Journal the poster “show[ed] a fresh-faced Jesus without a crown of thorns, no suffering face and minuscule wounds on the hands and ribcage.” “Many called it a disgrace, inappropriate, too pretty, modernist and out of line with Seville’s Easter tradition,” continued the article.
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