The President's Daily Brief - August 14th, 2024: Iran's Internal Discord, Roger Stone Compromised, & Secret Service Overhaul

Episode Date: August 14, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:     We'll take a look inside the Iranian government, where deep political divisions are emerging as the new, allegedly reformist president, allies himself with hardliners, causing his vice president to resign. An update on suspected Iranian efforts to hack into the Trump campaign, as we learn that hackers initially breached the email of infamous longtime Republican operative and Trump ally Roger Stone. In the wake of the failed assassination attempted on former President Trump, a House Democrat is leading a major effort to reform the Secret Service and streamline the agency’s operations. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, we’ll discuss Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s latest flirtation with North Korean despot Kim Jong Un, as Moscow gifts the hermit kingdom with 447 goats. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Really? I wanted to kick off today's show with a look inside the Iranian government, where political divisions are emerging as the new allegedly reformist president allies himself with hardliners, causing his vice president to resign. Later in the show, we're learning more about suspected Iranian efforts to hack into the Trump campaign, and it looks like their initial target was the infamous longtime Republican operative and Trump ally Roger Stone. Plus, in the wake of the failed assassination attempt on former President Trump, a House Democrat is leading an effort to reform the Secret Service and streamline

the agency's operations. And finally, in today's back of the brief, this is an interesting one. We'll discuss the ongoing bromance between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and North Korean despot Kim Jong-un. And when you say it that way, it sounds like a hallmark movie, doesn't it? The dictator and the despot. And in a plot twist that very few saw coming, Putin has now sent Kim a gift of 447 goats. Yes, seriously, I said, 447 goats. But first, today's PDB spotlight. While the world waits on the anticipated Iranian retaliation against Israel, I want to take a moment to touch on the growing internal division within the Islamic regime's government and how this domestic political discord could impact their planned response. Iran's new president, Massoud Peseschian, sworn into office at the end of July, ran as a reformist candidate promising sweeping domestic changes. Yeah, promises are cheap, aren't they?

touted supposedly as a moderate, much of the press imagined that he was somehow representative of a change from the traditional hardliners. But evidence is mounting that he intends to more closely align with the country's hardliners than he led on during his campaign. What? Are you saying he wasn't honest? On Sunday, Poseshkien shocked his supporters and political allies when he revealed his nominees for cabinet, which included several hard-line conservatives with deep ties to the theocratic regime and only one woman. And that's according to our report from the New York Times. The backlash from supporters was swift and was followed by a second shock. His vice president, Mohamed Javad Zarif, abruptly resigned later on Sunday, saying that it had become clear that he could not bring about the domestic reforms promised during the campaign.

The announcement allegedly rattled Iranian voters as Zerif had campaigned with Peschkin and championed him as a moderate, even leading a search committee for cabinet nominations prior to Sunday's announcements. So, why did he feel the need to resign? Well, the controversy of Peschekian's cabinet choices centers on two individuals who were respectively nominated for Minister of the Interior and Minister of Intelligence. The man, nominated as the intelligence minister, is a hardline conservative holdover from the administration of deceased former President Abraham Reisi and oversaw mass arrests and crackdowns during an uprising over morality laws in 2022 that left hundreds dead. The man tapped to lead the Interior Ministry is

reportedly a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, and was favored by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini for the role. As you can imagine, moderate supporters of Possesky, who expected more progressive cabinet nominees, felt blindsided by the moves. And the fact, of course, that they thought the Supreme Leader in the IRGC would allow for more progressive cabinet members indicates that the supporters were slightly delusional. In Eratian outlet ran a column on their front page that said, quote, it's like a bucket of cold water has been splashed on their heads. They had big expectations, but the result has been minimal, end quote. The timing of Zareef's resignation is also reportedly adding to anxieties within Iran over their security, coming on the eve

of potential strikes on Israel and the threat of a regional war. Zarif previously served as Iran's foreign minister from 2013 to 2021 and is widely seen as the country's most seasoned foreign policy expert, having also led negotiations for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. While Peschkian lost a valuable asset in Zerif, insiders say that the new president is trying to balance challenges from every side as he attempts to navigate the theocratic establishment dominated by the Ayatollah, who holds, of course, ultimate power within the regime. Homanie and the IRGC reportedly did not want to turn over the Interior and Intelligence Ministries to reformists, and Peschkian needs to keep Hamani on side if he wishes to govern effectively or to

govern at all. Peschchkian also wanted to ensure he would not face opposition on his nominations from the conservative-dominated parliament. Still, political experts inside Iran said the fact that he is making such large concessions to Hamani and the conservatives this early into his term is, from their perspective and alarming sign of weakness and signals that the country's hardliners will control his presidency. And there, of course, is one of those things that we like to call a statement of the obvious. Posseschian's tenure comes at a time of economic crisis, widening divisions between the regime and its citizens and, of course, the ongoing war in Gaza. Regarding Iran's plans for Israel, in a statement on Monday, a spokesman for their foreign ministry, rejected international calls

to forego their retaliation over the killing of Hamas political chief Vishmir Hanyi two weeks ago inside Tehran. The spokesman said, quote, such demands lack political logic are entirely contrary to the principles and rules of international law and represent an excessive request, end quote. Intelligence assessments remain contradictory, but both the U.S. and Israel have said a significant attack by Iran could arrive as early as this week. As we touched on yesterday, there are also reports that Iran may further delay their response if progress is made on Thursday at negotiations for a ceasefire deal in Gaza, though expectations, frankly, for a breakthrough are extremely low, particularly since Habas, a creature of Iran, has stated that they will not be attending the negotiations. All right, coming up next, we'll discuss the latest revelations from the investigation into

suspected Iranian efforts to hack the Trump campaign through the email of longtime Republican operative Roger Stone. Plus, in the wake of the failed assassination attempt on former President Trump, a House Democrat is leading an effort to reform the Secret Service and streamline the agency's operations and responsibilities. I'll be right back. Not loving your AT&T or T Mobile Bill? Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot. Good news. Bring your AT&T or T Mobile Bill to Verizon. and we'll give you a better deal. So get away from that unfortunate phone bill and get to Verizon.

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Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. Staying with Iran, an FBI investigation has found that a recent cyber attack on the Trump campaign linked to the Islamic regime targeted the email of longtime Republican operative and Trump ally, Roger Stone. This incident has raised significant concerns, of course, about foreign interference in the upcoming election. and prompted a swift response from federal authorities. According to a CNN report, hackers reportedly breached and compromised Stone's personal email account, using it to attempt a phishing attack on senior Trump campaign officials' accounts,

potentially exposing sensitive campaign information. This breach set off alarm bells within the Trump campaign, the FBI and Microsoft, which are all now working together to contain the situation. The hacking attempt is believed to be part of a broader effort linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, aimed to disrupt the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Stone acknowledged the breach after being informed by Microsoft and the FBI, but expressed uncertainty about the details, stating, quote, I was informed by the authorities that a couple of my personal email accounts have been compromised. It's all very strange, she said. Over the weekend, reporters received internal campaign documents further escalating the situation. Politico revealed that an anonymous AOL accounts, hey, an AOL account? Wow, how many of those could be left? Had sent them a 271-page dossier about J.D. Vance, Trump's vice presidential running mate.

The Trump campaign claims that this dossier was part of the same Iranian hacking operation. Unsurprisingly, this will not shock anyone, Iran has denied any involvement in these hacking attempts, with a spokesman for Iran's permanent mission to the UN dismissing the allegations as baseless. However, according to one source is familiar with the matter, the techniques used by the hackers do match those associated with Iranian cyber operations. It also comes after Microsoft issued a report last week, warning that Iranian hackers had attempted to break into the email account of a high-ranking official in a U.S. presidential campaign. Microsoft did not confirm whether that hack was successful.

The report noted Iran's massive ongoing efforts to influence the election and create social discord in the U.S., even overshadowing efforts by Russia and their cyber activities. The FBI has warned the Kamala Harris campaign of the potential hacking attempts. however, a spokesperson for Vice President Harris stated that their team was unaware of any security breaches. The FBI's investigation is focusing not only on the specific hacking attempts, but also on the broader implications for national security and, of course, the integrity of the upcoming 2024 election. Okay, I want to shift the focus to Capitol Hill, where Democrat Representative Richie Torres of New York has unveiled a series of legislative proposals aimed at fortifying

the Secret Service's protective capabilities for dignitaries and political figures. These proposals come one month after the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The first piece of legislation titled the AR-15 Perimeter Security Enhancement Act seeks to address one of the most glaring failures identified in the aftermath of the Trump's shooting. That would be the inadequacy of the security perimeter. If passed, this bill would mandate that the Secret Service establish a security perimeter with a radius of at least 500 yards around any protected politician. This distance is intended to match or exceed the effective range of an AR-15 rifle, thereby reducing the likelihood that a shooter could get close enough to inflict harm.

Representative Torres emphasized the importance of this measure stating, quote, common sense would dictate that the security perimeter should be at least co-extensive with the firing range of weapons most commonly employed in an assassination or mass shooting. Additionally, the bill mandates the securing of all elevated positions and rooftops within this perimeter. It sounds like the bill just deals with common sense, doesn't it? Anyway, utilizing either personnel or advanced technology like drones to secure the elevated positions and rooftops within the perimeter. This measure aims to prevent a repeat of the attempted Trump assassination, where the shooter fired an AR-stop rifle from a sloped rooftop at the former president, grazing Trump's ear, killing one rally

attendee, and injuring others. In addition to focusing and addressing the security perimeter, Taurus also introduced the Focus on Protection Act, which addresses another significant concern, the Secret Service's dual responsibilities. Currently, the agency is tasked not only with protecting the president and other dignitaries and other high-profile politicians, but also with investigating financial crimes, which is a legacy responsibility dating back to the services' origins in the 19th century. Torres argues that this dual mandate stretches the agency too thin and distracts from its core mission of protection. The proposed legislation would transfer the Secret Services Financial Crimes jurisdiction back to the Treasury Department, allowing the agency to concentrate

exclusively on its protective duties. Representative Torres stated, the Secret Service, service has too few resources, that's true, and too many responsibilities, adding, quote, we should ask ourselves a simple question. Do you want the Secret Service Director thinking about protecting the president 100% of the time or only 50% of the time? He says, I would prefer 100, end quote. It's a rather simplistic statement, but I guess you get his point. This sentiment is echoed by Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who believes the agency should be dedicated entirely to dignitary protection. Now, in response to these legislative efforts, the Secret Service has remained tight-lipped. Anthony Guglioliani, the agency's chief of communications, declined to comment on the

specifics of the proposed bill, but noted that the Secret Service's dual missions, protection, and investigation are complementary. All right, finally, coming up in the back of the brief, we'll look at the bizarre story involving Russian leader Vladimir Putin, North Korean despot Kim Jong-un, and 447 goats. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, the romance between Russian dictator Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un has taken on a new dimension,

with the latest gift from Moscow coming in the form of farm animals. Specifically, Moscow has sent their hermit kingdom a shipment of 447 goats as part of a wide-ranging agreement made in June. As you'll recall, Putin and King, Kim signed a sweeping defense pact in June, pledging to expand ties and support each other against external aggression. Well, what better way to fight against external aggression than with a herd of goats? The goats were exported from Russia's Leningrad region and are just the first batch of farm animals that Russia plans on sending to their friends in Pyongyang. North Korea has

apparently been making preparations for the influx of animals, building large capacity farms in several districts to consolidate dairy production. State media claims the goats and other assorted farm creatures will be used to source dairy products for local children, providing relief from North Korea's longstanding food shortages, which were exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The group Human Rights Watch estimates that more than a third of North Korea's 26 million citizens are malnourished, with roughly 18 percent of children suffering from some kind of impaired growth, as a result of chronic malnutrition. That is very sad. While agricultural support seems innocent enough, it is far from the only way Russia, of course, is helping the North Korean regime,

but it is actually the most benign way that they're helping the North Korean regime. As we've previously discussed on the PDB, in exchange for ballistic missiles and military equipment for use in Ukraine, Russia is reportedly providing the Kim regime with technological assistance for their own ballistic missile and reconnaissance satellite programs. Putin has also, of course, personally showered Kim with lavish gifts since the year began, including two luxury Russian-made limousines, T-sets, oh, that's very posh, artwork, and even drones. Now, the gifts, of course, violate UN sanctions on the export of such goods to North Korea. Not that Putin or Kim care.

The pair have, frankly, turned flouting UN sanctions and resolutions into something of a sport, whether to trade arms, weapons technology, or to bypass sanctions on oil. Now, there's no word yet from the UN as to whether the goats violate any existing sanctions. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Wednesday, 14 August. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at BDB at thefirsttv.com. We love to get your messages, we love to get your comments, your questions, fax them in, hit my beeper, send a Western Union telegram whatever's convenient for you.

And of course, as you may have heard by now, to listen to the show, ad free, well, become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. It just couldn't be simpler. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, well, you know the drill.

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