Hungary rejects ‘blackmail’ through EU funds

Foreign minister argued subjective criteria should not be used to determine how payouts are made.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó rejected the European Commission’s proposal to tie the payout of EU funds to respect for rule of law, saying it allows for “blackmail.”

“There are treaties in force in the European Union that clearly specify the rights and obligations of EU member states,” Szijjártó said Thursday, according to Reuters.

“We do not agree with any proposal that would provide the potential for blackmail of anyone with regard to the payment of EU funds that are due to be given to countries based on the treaties.”

He also argued that subjective criteria should not be introduced to determine how funds are disbursed.

Along with presenting a new long-term budget plan for the EU, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed introducing a “conditionality” mechanism, allowing Brussels to withhold or even cut off funds to countries deemed not to be respecting the rule of law.

Hungary is one of the biggest net recipients of EU money, and largely benefits from cohesion funds, which are meant to help bridge the gap between richer and poorer parts of the Continent. Such funding accounted for more than 55 percent of public investment in Hungary in 2015-2017, according to Commission figures.

Szijjártó dismissed the argument that the EU funds are a form of “humanitarian aid” given to less wealthy members of the bloc, most notably countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

“We have opened up our markets and Western European companies have pocketed enormous profits in Central European markets,” he said.

“This is not a one-way street that those in the West are being good lads and give us some EU funds. This is a two-way street and everybody must meet their commitments.”

Hollywood’s loudest left-wing activists took to social media en masse on Wednesday and reacted to former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s statement about his election investigation by calling on Congress to begin the process of impeaching President Donald Trump.

“The President of the United States obstructed Justice. Now it’s up to Congress to do its job. #ImpeachTrump,” director Rob Reiner said.

Actor John Cusack called on Congress to “do your fucking job” and begin impeachment proceedings.

Congress – its yr fucking job – do yr job – RT @thehill: Robert Mueller: "If we had had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime we would have said so." #Mueller https://t.co/UHyflCo9qS pic.twitter.com/wqz9mCa6Ue

— John Cusack (@johncusack) May 29, 2019

After six weeks of radio silence, Robert Mueller addressed reporters on Wednesday and elaborated about the Justice Department investigation into whether Trump or members of his campaign conspired with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

“If we had confidence that the president did not commit a crime, we would have said so,” Robert Mueller said, Wednesday echoing the conclusion he laid out in his report last month. “Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider. It would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime when there can be no court resolution of the actual charge. So that was Justice Department policy. Those were the principles under which we operated.”

“And from them, we concluded that we would not reach a determination one way or the other about whether the president committed a crime,” Mueller said. “That is the office’s final position and we will not comment on any other conclusions or hypotheticals about the president.”

President Trump also reacted to Mueller’s remarks, thanking the former FBI director for concluding his investigation.

“Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you,” Trump said on Wednesday.

While Robert Mueller didn’t add much news or indicate that there was sufficient evidence to indict Trump, the Hollywood left issued a call to arms for Congress to impeach him.

Check all the reaction below.

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson

The Blaugrana captain has admitted he “would love” to see a former team-mate return to Camp Nou, and heaped praise on a Nerazzurri talisman

Lionel Messi has expressed his belief that Neymar wants to return to Barcelona, while lauding reported target and Inter star Lautaro Martinez.

Neymar left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222 million (£186m/$240m) transfer in 2017, but the Brazil star continues to be linked with a Camp Nou return.

The PSG forward reportedly tried to engineer a move back to Barca at the start of the season, though a transfer did not materialise, despite the club’s best efforts.

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Messi, who has made no secret of his desire to reunite with Neymar, told Mundo Deportivo: “I say it many times, at the sports level, Ney is one of the best in the world and I would love for him to return.

“He is really looking forward to coming back, he always seemed sorry [after leaving]. He did a lot to return and that would be the first step to try to arrive.”

Neymar’s decision to leave Barca almost three years ago angered some of his former team-mates, but Messi understands the reasoning behind his move away from Camp Nou.

“It is normal for people to see him that way because of the way he left, it also bothered me at the time, we tried to convince him not to,” Messi said.

“But in the end, we all want to win and have the best. We and the people. As I said before, he is one of the best and contributed for us a lot on the pitch. But it is understandable that people think like that, since he left in a way they did not like.”

Barca have also been linked to Inter forward Martinez as the La Liga champions eye a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez.

Martinez reportedly has a €111 million (£93m/$120m) release clause amid links to Barca, Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Messi knows Martinez well as the pair are international team-mates for Argentina, and the Barca captain has hailed his compatriot as a “spectacular” player.

“He is spectacular, he has impressive conditions,” Messi said. “He was seen to be a great player, now he exploded and is showing it. He is very strong. He has a very good one against one, he has a lot of goals, in the area he fights with anyone. Lautaro has a lot of quality. He is very complete.”

Messi continued: “I wish they could all come and fight it all, and the Champions League. Lautaro has much resemblance to Luis.”

Brussels urges EU leaders to push ahead with Poland censure

Governments would review charges against Warsaw on rule of law.

The European Commission on Thursday urged EU leaders to press forward with disciplinary action against Poland for allegedly violating rule-of-law standards, EU diplomats said.

In December, the Commission launched an Article 7 disciplinary process, which, in theory, could lead to the suspension of Poland’s EU voting rights. Brussels is pushing Warsaw to reverse controversial changes to its judicial system that Brussels says undermine the independence of judges and the courts. One of the more controversial changes, to force out many judges, is set to take effect on July 3.

The Commission has been debating whether to push forward with the Article 7 process, with Secretary-General Martin Selmayr advocating a more pragmatic approach and First Vice President Frans Timmermans insisting that Brussels must stand its ground.

Hungary, an ally of Poland, has pledged to block a suspension of voting rights, which requires unanimous approval by the other EU nations. On Thursday, the Commission urged EU ministers to schedule a hearing in the Article 7 case — a move that would force an airing of the charges against Poland and force the country’s governing Law and Justice party to defend itself.

The Commission made the request at a meeting with representatives of the EU’s member governments, diplomats said. A decision on whether to go ahead is expected at a meeting of the EU’s General Affairs Council later this month.

The Commission did not discuss the Poland issue at its weekly meeting on Wednesday, though the matter was on the agenda. The decision to ask for a hearing seems to reflect a consensus in support of Timmermans’ view that Poland has simply not made sufficient concessions to warrant the EU easing the pressure, let alone ending the Article 7 procedure.

The Polish government has made clear it thinks it has done enough to address the Commission’s concerns.

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Far-left actor and anti-Trump resister Tom Arnold expressed his desire to stand over Donald Trump Jr.’s corpse in a Twitter thread featuring a photo of the elder Trump son trophy hunting, and standing over a dead elephant.

Arnold tweeted a photo of Trump Friday and wrote, “This is Donald Trump Jr. He is holding the tail of a beautiful African elephant he murdered as she got up from a nap. Donald Trump Jr. is the real piece of garbage.”

Pink Elephant author Rachel McKibbens remarked, “What a coward. Look at him standing there, alone, like everyone’s least favorite uncle.”

Tom Arnold replied, seeming to fantasize about his desire to stand over Trump’s lifeless body.

“Looking forward to the day I’m standing over him wearing my bullet belt & safari khakis, my cartoon sized Daniel Boone buck knife in one hand his his teeny tiny tail in the other,” Arnold wrote.

The twisted fantasy comes hours after the True Lies actor publicly lamented the fact that neither Trump Jr.’s nor Eric Trump’s homes were robbed.

Donald Trump Jr. responded, calling Arnold a “piece of garbage.”

“No we just get daily death threats and exploding packages of white powder sent to our homes you piece of garbage,” he wrote in reference to the suspicious letter that was addressed to him last year, resulting in his ex-wife’s hospitalization.

“You are an awful person. This is why people hate you. You are getting what you deserve. So shut the fuck up,” the ominous letter read.

Vanessa Trump released a statement following the incident:

Arnold’s tweet was still up as of 1:30 ET, but it remains unclear if Twitter will take action. Twitter’s safety policy states in part, “You may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence.”

This is far from the first time Tom Arnold has teased or promoted violence against a political enemy. On Monday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) promoted one of Arnold’s tweets, in which he justified violence against Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

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The team of former Empire actor Jussie Smollett claims an ambiguous text message he sent to one of his suspected attackers prior to his purported assault was about illegal herbal steroids, not his alleged hate hoax.

The Chicago Police Department last week released more than 1,000 files from the investigation into Smollett’s claim he was attacked by two men, including video footage that for the first time shows the Empire actor with a thin, white rope wrapped around his neck that he told detectives was a noose. Among the files were texts between Smollett and bodybuilder Abel Osundairo, who police believed was compensated to carry out the attack with his brother.

“Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up and talk face to face?” Smollett wrote to Osundairo in one of the texts.

Those close to Smollett told TMZ the message concerned steroids that help with reducing belly fat, rather than the attack. The actor purportedly sought Osundairo to pick up the steroids during his visit to Nigeria.

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The files’ release came days after a judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the decision by Cook County prosecutors to dismiss all charges against actor Smollett, who was accused of lying to the police by claiming he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in downtown Chicago in January.

In a ruling that leaves open the possibility that Smollett could be charged again, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin suggested that the county’s state’s attorney, Kim Foxx, mishandled the Smollett case by appointing a top aide to oversee it after she recused herself.

Foxx had been in contact with a relative of the actor and had been approached by former first lady Michelle Obama’s one-time chief of staff on behalf of Smollett’s family, and she explained at the time that she was recusing herself to avoid “even the perception of a conflict” of interest.

The Chicago Police Department, which has never disguised its anger over the decision to drop the charges, vowed to assist the special prosecutor.

“We stand firmly behind the work of detectives in investigating the fabricated incident reported by Jussie Smollett & #ChicagoPolice will fully cooperate with the court appointed special prosecutor,” department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted.

Fox Entertainment announced in April that Smollett would not appear in season six of Empire, which is its last season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Maroš Šefčovič withdraws from Socialist race for Commission top job

Commission vice president says he will support his rival, Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans.

European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič pulled out from the race to become the Social Democrats’ lead candidate for the EU election in May next year.

Šefčovič will back the only other contender in the race to be the political grouping’s Spitzenkandidat, Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans.

In a letter to Sergei Stanishev, the President of the European Socialist party family (PES) seen by POLITICO, Šefčovič pledged to “endorse Frans as the PES Common Candidate to be presented for a vote in order to lead our party family into the 2019 European Parliament elections.”

“I stand ready to to support Frans and work closely with him,” he added.

The EU’s Spitzenkandidat candidate system was adopted in 2014 as a way of creating at least a veneer of democracy, and to push back against critics accusing Brussels of being controlled by unelected bureaucrats. The process allows EU-wide party groupings to nominate lead candidates for the Commission top job.

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The eventual nominee must be approved by a majority in the European Parliament, but the European Council is still free to nominate an individual who did not run as a lead candidate for the post.

Šefčovič’s move came after two internal party debates, the last of which happened at a meeting of Socialist leaders before the October EU summit. Šefčovič, from Slovakia, had collected the support of nine PES parties, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe. Timmermans was able to produce 12 letters of support, including larger delegations at a PES congress next month such as Germany’s SPD.

Šefčovič wrote in his letter that despite his own ambition and despite the fact the he “felt a personal obligation to visibly contribute” to his party’s success, he would rather close the ranks behind one candidate at a time when social democratic parties are in retreat across the Continent.

“I also understand the power of team spirit and shared goals” he said, adding he wants to “create a united front and concentrate our energy on preparing a powerful political agenda.”

PES President Stanishev said in a statement: “I warmly welcome the decision of Maroš Šefčovič to endorse Frans Timmermans as the PES lead candidate. Maroš is a true team player.”

A projection by the European Parliament for POLITICO’s Election Hub suggests that the EU’s Socialist parties will come second in next year’s election.

HBO host Bill Maher ripped Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (MI-D) support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, questioning whether she will now boycott the Democratic Party given their overwhelming condemnation of the movement.

“Some people have one move only: boycott. Cancel. Make-go-away,” Bill Maher said. “But here’s the thing, the house voted 318 to 17 to condemn the #BDS movement, including 93% of Dems. Does Tlaib want to boycott 93% of her own party?”

Maher’s comments come days after Tlaib suggested people should boycott his show after he described BDS as a “bullshit purity test by people who want to appear woke but actually slept through history class.”

“It’s predicated on this notion, I think — it’s very shallow thinking — that the Jews in Israel, mostly white, and the Palestinians are browner, so they must be innocent and correct, and the Jews must be wrong,” the Real Time host added. “As if the occupation came right out of the blue, that these completely peaceful people found themselves occupied.”

The remarks enraged Tlaib, who is one of the most vocal supporters of the BDS movement with a detailed history of antisemitism.

“Maybe folks should boycott his show,” Tlaib wrote in response. “I am tired of folks discrediting a form of speech that is centered on equality and freedom. This is exactly how they tried to discredit & stop the boycott to stand up against the apartheid in [South] Africa. It didn’t work then and it won’t now.”

Tlaib’s call for a boycott was soon criticized by World Jewish Congress (WJC), who described her disdain for free speech as “deeply disturbing.”

“We find it concerning that a member of the U.S. Congress would lobby for BDS and so easily suggest that Maher’s show should be boycotted simply because he expressed an opinion with which she disagrees,” said WJC President Ronald Lauder.

Maher has long been seen as supportive to Israel, praising President Donald Trump’s decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as the nation’s capital, while previously arguing that European countries should “have a little more sympathy for what Israel goes through” in the wake of multiple terrorist attacks.

“I hate to agree with Donald Trump, but it doesn’t happen often, but I do. I don’t know why Israel — it has been their capital since 1949,” he said last January. “It is where their government is. They’ve won all the wars thrown against them. I don’t understand why they don’t get to have their capital where they want.”

Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at [email protected]

Oettinger: 50-50 chance of a budget deal before 2019 election

European budget chief says reaching an agreement is in everyone’s best interest.

European Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger sees a “50-50” chance and “100 percent good arguments” for the EU to reach a budget deal before the 2019 European Parliament election, he told reporters Tuesday.

The commissioner added that he hopes the December European Council summit will address major Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) topics and open up the way for intensive negotiations up to Easter.

Asked about Italy’s threats to veto the next long-term EU budget over migration demands, Oettinger said his view is that a deal is in everyone’s best interest.

If the MFF is blocked, new challenges won’t be addressed, the commissioner said, noting that his budget plans will make it possible to strengthen the border agency Frontex, boost defense spending, and invest more in research and development.

Blocking the long-term budget “is in the interest of no member state,” Oettinger said.

Wednesday on ABC’s “The View,” the panel discussed rumors about 2020 presidential hopeful, former Vice President Joe Biden’s health.

Co-host Meghan McCain said, “There’s a lot of things I really hate about primary politics, but one of them is health conspiracies. I hate it, it happened with my father, it happened with Michele Bachmann.”

She continued, “It happened obviously to Hillary Clinton, it’s now happening to Joe Biden, I think it’s the lowest common denominator, dirtiest form of politics. I think I’m both sides we should stop it, I think it’s disgusting. It’s actually hurtful, can be very harmful to families in that position.”

She added, “The implication that he’s slow or whatever, that’s dog-whistles about his health, and I think here and now we have to put an end to that because I really think it’s really bad for the country, and I think it’s just the lowest form of garbage.”

Co-host Joy Behar said, “Especially since he’s one cheeseburger away from keeling over himself.”

Co-host Sunny Hostin said, “We saw that Sean Hannity on Fox News started that talking again about the sort of conspiracy about Joe Biden’s health and I thought, you know that’s coming also from the White House, because we know Hannity has been the president’s mouthpiece for so long, and to see that on a news network, on an alleged news network, is just really terrible.”

Co-host Whoopi Goldberg said, “This is going to be a long road, and I have a feeling that people’s health is the least of the stuff we’re going to be hearing about.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN