It is rare to see a brazen act of theft committed in public but a video shows this man casually taking envelopes of cash containing $9,000 at a security checkpoint in Rome. The man’s calm demeanor is striking as he takes the money literally from the man behind him going through security.
Continue reading “Pushing the Envelope: Man Reportedly Commits Brazen Theft at Airport”
Below is my column in The Hill Newspaper on the recent admission by James Comey that he intentionally circumvented the White House Counsel and Justice Department protocol to send two agents to interview then National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. It is a subject that will hopefully be raised this week when Comey appears again before Congress on Monday. Comey describes his sudden realization that he could “get away with” sending “a couple guys over” to the White House. Comey’s epiphany could be his epitaph.
Here is the column:
Continue reading ““Let’s Just Send A Couple Of Guys Over”: Comey Admits Another Violation Of Department Protocol and Policy”
For both Democrats and Republicans, the recent deportation numbers may come as something of an unpleasant surprise. It turns out the President Barack Obama deported more illegal immigrants than Trump even after two years of Trump’s controversial immigration policies.
Continue reading “Deporter in Chief: Deportations Under Obama Still Higher Than Under Trump”
In a surprising move, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered Mueller late Wednesday to turn over all of the government’s documents and “memoranda” related to Flynn’s questioning. This follows a Flynn filing that described an effective trap set by agents who encouraged him not to bring a lawyer and left inconsistencies unaddressed in what has been described by critics as a “perjury trap.” I have practiced in front of Judge Sullivan for years and he is a respected judge who has a keen eye for prosecutorial and investigative abuse. That does not mean that he will find such abuse here and could ultimately make a finding that nothing improper occurred. Yet, despite a recommendation of no jail time, Sullivan wants to review the entire record before deciding on the issue.
Continue reading “Federal Judge Orders Mueller To Turn Over Flynn Material”
Below is my column in The Hill Newspaper on the unrestrained hype on both sides after the recent filings by the Special Counsel and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Here is the column:
Continue reading “Reality Check: Why Trump Is Neither Vindicated Or Vanquished By The Recent Filings”
There are moments on television where the irony is so great that it leaves you dumbfounded. On Tuesday night, CNN brought on its contributor, James Clapper, to address the plea deal struck by accused Russian Agent Maria Butina. Clapper was asked by Wolf Blitzer if it is possible that Butina could have simply been used unwittingly by the Russian government. It is a fair question, but Clapper immediately dismissed claims of “unwitting” actions and insisted ” I suspect she was witting.” If that sounded familiar, it should and, while Clapper is clearly an expert on intelligence matters, he is an even greater expert on what constitutes “witting” crimes.
Continue reading “James Clapper’s Unwitting Irony: Former National Intelligence Director Dismisses Claim Of Innocence Of Maria Butina”
Below is my column in The Hill Newspaper on the dangers posed by Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort after the filings last week in federal court.
Here is the column:
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This morning, I will have the privilege of giving a keynote address before the National Press Club at a symposium organized by The International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA) on privacy and security issues surrounding the rising use of facial identification technology.
Continue reading “Turley To Give Keynote On Privacy and Security At IBIA Conference”
Below is my column at Foxnews.com on the inevitable collapse of Michael Cohen’s strategy to avoid jail for his extensive criminal conduct as a businessman and a lawyer. I recently discussed how the filing detailed the windfall payments of over $4 million that Cohen received from companies like AT&T to buy access and influence with Trump. It was one of Cohen’s last scams. He ended up keeping the money despite being embroiled in the scandals that led to his demise. He then scammed thousands of anti-Trump donors on a GoFundMe site for hundreds of thousands of dollars on the promise of turning against Trump. He never mentioned the millions that he shook down companies for in his cash for access scheme. In other words, Cohen continue to hustle but, on this occasion, he came up one hustle too short.
Continue reading “Michael Cohen’s Last Hustle: How Trump’s Former Fixer Blew His Final Play”
There is an interesting free speech case emerging in Cleburne Texas where Aaron Urbanski was arrested after protesting in front of the St. Mark United Methodist Church against its Christmas event. Urbanski, 31, was screaming that Santa is not real and was arrested for criminal trespass. It was a remarkably obnoxious and disrespectful act by Urbanski and other protesters, but much will depend on where the protest was held in front of the church. If the arrests were due to the content of the protests rather than its location, a serious free speech issue could emerge. For this part, Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain simply declared “Don’t mess with Santa” — a statement that could be cited by the defendant in a first amendment challenge to his arrest.
Continue reading ““Don’t Mess With Santa”: Texas Town Could Face Free Speech Challenge Over Santa Protest”I guess some people in Summerville, South Carolina just do not like winter or at least Christmas. Cameron Lewis Baun, 29, has been arrested for going on an alleged spree of arson in burning Christmas decorations. He reportedly started by burning an outdoor Snowman. He may have misunderstood the lyrics from Frozen. It is “Do you want to build a snowman?”
Continue reading “Do You Want To Burn A Snowman? South Carolina Man Arrested For Setting Christmas Decorations On Fire”
One of the overlooked portions of the Justice Department filings on Michael Cohen was the calculation of how much Cohen made selling access to Trump after the election. I previously wrote about how Cohen found willing corporations like Novartis and AT&T to give him windfall payments to curry favoritism with Trump. It turns out that Cohen made over $4 million and appears to have done little since he was quickly ensnared in scandal. These companies however were outed in what is usually the hidden, seedy underbelly of this town.
Continue reading “DOJ: Cohen Sold Access To Trump For $4 Million”
Something tells me that witness identification at the trial of Alyssa Zebrasky, 27, who was arrested for shoplifting at an Ohio Walmart. She was accused of stealing a purse and was also found with a hypodermic needle, a ‘whitish rock like substance’ and an ‘orange pill’ in containers in her purse. Continue reading “Can You Identify The Woman Who Shoplifted At Your Store?”
Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the effort of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen to convince the federal court to show leniency in his sentencing. While Cohen should get credit for cooperation, it must be balanced against two high countervailing considerations. First, Cohen spent much of the last two years threatening people and obstructing efforts to disclose wrongdoing. Second, he is an officer of the court. Judges generally do not look kindly upon lawyers violating their oaths and becoming vehicles for crimes and wrongdoing.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Michael Cohen’s Plea For Leniency Borders On Lunacy”
Massachusetts District Court Judge Shelley Joseph is under investigation after she was accused of helping an undocumented immigrant, Jose Medina-Perez, evade an ICE officer at the courthouse. The Boston Globe is reporting that a federal grand jury is investigating Joseph and some have called for her to be barred from handling criminal cases in the interim. Continue reading “Massachusetts Judge Under Investigation For Allegedly Helping Undocumented Immigrant Evade ICE”