The President's Daily Brief
December 5th, 2024: Kash Patel Targeted By Iran & EU Governments Collapse
Thu, 05 Dec 2024
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We begin with reports that Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, was targeted in a cyberattack allegedly linked to Iran. This marks another Trump official in the crosshairs of the Islamic Republic. Later, France’s government collapses following a no-confidence vote against its Prime Minister—just weeks after the German government fell. What this means for the powerhouses of the European Union. Plus, in South Korea, opposition parties are moving to impeach the president just hours after his dramatic martial law declaration failed. And in today’s Back of the Brief: A shocking murder in New York City as the CEO of America’s largest insurance provider is fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel. 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. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: Who is Kash Patel and why was he targeted?
We've got the details. Later in the show, France's government collapses following a no-confidence vote against its prime minister, and that's just weeks after the fall of the German government. Plus, just hours after the dramatic martial law declaration, opposition parties are moving to impeach the president of South Korea.
And in today's Back of the Brief, a shocking murder in New York City, right there in Midtown, as the CEO of America's largest insurance provider is fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel. But first, today's BDB Spotlight.
We'll begin with Iran as we learn of a fresh effort by cyber operatives within the Islamic regime to compromise the communications of members of the incoming Trump administration. Intelligence officials familiar with the situation told CNN on Wednesday that Kash Patel, Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, was the latest victim of a recent Iranian hack.
Now, it was not immediately clear when the hack took place or how successful it was, though anonymous sources said they believe the hackers gained access to at least some of Patel's private communications.
A spokesman for the Trump transition team declined to directly comment on the situation, but praised Patel as a key part of Trump's first term maximum pressure campaign against, quote, the terrorist Iranian regime.
As a reminder, Patel served in Trump's National Security Council, serving as an advisor to the acting director of national intelligence and later as chief of staff to former Defense Secretary Chris Miller.
Officials with the FBI, who informed Patel of the breach on Tuesday, also declined to comment, but pointed reporters to a previous statement issued back in August that said they are actively monitoring, quote, activities to compromise former President Trump's campaign by Iran. He's just the latest member. That's Kash Patel, of course, I'm referring to.
He's just the latest member of Trump's inner circle to be targeted by Iranian hackers in recent months. Back in June, hackers linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, managed to breach the Trump campaign through a phishing email that targeted Trump ally Roger Stone.
They successfully stole internal campaign documents, including a vetting document prepared on Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. The Iranian hackers subsequently distributed the stolen documents to American media outlets and members of the Harris campaign in a brazen attempt to tip the scales of the U.S. presidential election.
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Chapter 2: What happened to the French government?
Chapter 3: How does the collapse of Germany's government affect the EU?
Chapter 4: What is the situation with South Korea's president?
Chapter 5: What was the shocking murder in New York City?
It's important to note that South Korea's constitution allows the president to declare martial law in, quote, wartime, warlike situations or comparable national emergencies, permitting military restrictions to maintain order. However, many South Koreans and international observers question whether such conditions currently exist.
The fallout has been swift and severe, with opposition leaders denouncing the president's actions as a, quote, grave act of rebellion and demanding his immediate resignation. Critics have likened the move to South Korea's authoritarian past, marking the first instance of martial law since the country transitioned to democracy in the late 1980s.
Meanwhile, President Yun's People Power Party remains divided. While the party leadership pledged to block the impeachment motion, 18 members joined the unanimous vote to overturn the martial law decree, signaling, well, potential fractures. Opposition leaders are counting on these divisions to secure the necessary votes to pass the motion.
Adding to the chaos, President Yun's senior policy advisors and defense minister offered to resign. The Democratic Party has also filed a separate impeachment motion against the defense minister, accusing him of recommending the martial law declaration. A parliamentary lawyer has called for the president's immediate suspension, arguing that the public needs stability during the crisis.
If the impeachment motion succeeds and is upheld by the Constitutional Court, President Yoon would become the second South Korean president removed from office in less than a decade. In that case, a new election would need to be held within 60 days.
As the world watches this dramatic political standoff unfold, questions loom about whether South Korea's democratic institutions can withstand the strain or whether President Yoon's presidency will survive the mounting backlash. All right, coming up next in the back of the brief, a murder mystery in Manhattan where the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was gunned down by a masked gunman.
I'll have the details when we come back. In today's Back in the Brief, a shocking shooting in Midtown Manhattan Wednesday as Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance division, was gunned down outside a hotel in what NYPD is calling a, quote, targeted attack.
Now, the shooting happened just before 7 in the morning when a masked gunman lying in wait near the Hilton Hotel ambushed Thompson as he approached the entrance where the United Health Group was holding its annual investors conference. The NYPD commissioner confirmed that the suspect ignored other pedestrians, focusing solely on Thompson before firing multiple shots.
The gunman then fled the scene on an electric city bike, vanishing into Central Park. Investigators are treating the killing as a calculated assassination. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney described the suspect as highly proficient with firearms, noting that a brief weapon malfunction was swiftly cleared before more shots were fired.
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