President Donald Trump made an interesting comment yesterday that both highlighted how he got into this mess and, ironically, the best defense to get out of it. Trump complained that “You fight back, oh, it’s obstruction.” That sums up so much about the past controversy and where it might end.
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Several sources are being cited for a story this morning that President Donald Trump asked Andrew McCabe, then the acting Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation, who he had voted for in the presidential election. If true, it would be another highly inappropriate question for a president to ask an FBI official. Such questions undermine the apolitical status of our law enforcement officials. Indeed, for those concerned about
“Deep State” political bias, the last thing that we want is for officials to be actively questioned about their voting in elections — compromising the sanctity of the voting booth for all citizens. In the meantime, media outlets are also reporting that Attorney General Jeff Sessions pushed FBI Director Christopher Wray to fire McCabe. While the White House denies that Wray threatened to resign, such an effort would show a remarkably long learning curve for this Administration. Update: President Trump says that he does not recall asking McCabe who he voted for in the presidential election.
The watchdog group Common Cause on filed a complaint on Monday with the Federal Election Commission and the Justice Department alleging that Donald Trump violated federal law with his secret payment of $130,000 to a porn star known as Stormy Daniels. Daniels gave a long interview to In Touch magazine detailing a yearlong affair with Trump but later accepted the money and signed a statement denying such a sexual relationship. Common Cause argues that the payment was “an unreported in-kind contribution to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., and an unreported expenditure by the committee — because the funds were paid for the purpose of influencing the 2016 president general election — in violation of the campaign finance reporting requirements.”
Continue reading “Second Eagles Fan Arrested For Slugging Police Horse”
There remains an intense debate over the legal and ethical implications of former FBI Director James Comey removing FBI memos and leaking the information to the press. Despite serious allegations of unethical conduct, Comey has been chosen to teach a course on “ethical leadership” at William and Mary in the Fall.
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Below is an expanded version of my column that ran in USA Today on the approaching expiration of the statute of limitations for prosecuting former National Intelligence Director James Clapper for perjury. This is a city that protects its own and Clapper is the Beltway equivalent of a made man. People like Clapper do not get prosecuted. We do not call them criminal; just complicated.
Here is the column:
Judge Jack Robison appears to be channeling a higher authority recently in Comal County, Texas. Robison interrupted jurors during deliberations to inform the panel that God told him to acquit Gloria Romero-Perez of trafficking a teenage girl for sex. It appears that divine judgment did not track well with the jury, which proceeded to find Perez guilty as charged.
There is nothing so frustrating as pulling up to a Taco Bell only to have the drive thru person repeatedly refuse to take your order . . . unless of course it is a bank. That was the dilemma of Douglas Francisco, 28, who is accused of being drunk when he pulled into the Bank of America in Tampa and demanded a burrito. If Francisco wants to fulfill the chain’s slogan of “Live Mas,” he might want to drive less.
There are various techniques to evading sobriety tests from burping to vomiting to claiming medications. Brian Fogg however had a more hands on approach. According to police in Belfast, Maine, Fogg repeatedly punched himself in the face to force the officers to attend to his injuries rather than administer the breathalyzer. It did not work.
The day after the dubious refusal of Steve Bannon to answer questions before the House Intelligence Committee, Corey Lewandowski refused to answer lawmakers’ questions after pledging to answer any and all questions. Lewandowski said that he was not prepared to answer questions concerning the period following his campaign tenure. That is not a recognized basis to refuse to answer congressional questions. It ranks with “my dog ate my notes” as a basis for remaining silent. He can always answer questions by saying that he does not recall but the basis for refusing to answer is highly problematic.
We have previously discussed the harsh limitations on free speech and free press in Thailand. Now, a leader scholar, Sulak Sivaraksa, 85, has been arrested for simply questioning the factual accuracy of the famed “elephant battle” held over 400 years ago. He merely responded to questions from fellow academics by cautioning “not to easily believe in things. Otherwise, you will fall prey to propaganda.” For that, he was charged with “lèse-majesté,” or defaming the monarchy — a ludicrous charge that could bring a 15-year prison sentence.
Below is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the recent major indictment handed down in the Uranium One scandal. As I have stated in the media, the indictment does not alter my skepticism over the likelihood of any criminal charges against Clinton. However, it does reaffirm lingering questions over the many millions of dollars pocketed by the Clintons personally or given to their Foundation I think that there is little question about this money being given with the hopes of influencing the Clintons, and particularly Hillary Clinton. The only question is whether it succeeded. For that, we would need an independent and full investigation.
UPDATED: This column was updated to more clearly distinguish the two contracts involved in the Russian transport of uranium (in the Lambert indictment) and the purchase of U.S. uranium holdings (in the Uranium One purchase). The indictment concerns a contract to transport uranium with a subsidiary of Rosatom. This is the same agency at the heart of the Rosatom/Uranium One scandal but the contract occurred years before the purchase of Uranium One.
It appears that muggles in Canada are finally lifting the criminal sanction against all of the witches and wizards who have been hiding in Canadian counterparts to the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley. Our neighbors are moving to rescind Section 365 of Canada’s criminal code, which made it crime to pretend to practice witchcraft, sorcery and fortune telling. Soon the streets of Canadian cities will be full of muggles and magicfolk alike.
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Taylor Hendricks, 22, is charged with assault after he was ejected from the Philadelphia Eagle playoff. For anyone who has been to a Philly game, that is hardly a surprise. However, Hendricks is charged with assaulting a police horse named Nicky by repeatedly punching the horse in the face.
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