Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the departure of White House Counsel Don McGahn. Trump is now strongly suggesting that he may allow Attorney General Jeff Sessions to remain but only until after the approaching November elections. At that point, the situation could change rapidly and dangerously with a divided Congress. With the expected departure of both McGahn and Sessions, the next chapter appears a paraphrase of Dick the Butcher in Henry VI ”The first thing we do, let’s kill fire all the lawyers.” Obviously, much will depend on their replacements but Sessions’ removal (and the reason for the removal) is far more problematic. Continue reading “In Search Of The “Happier Prospect”: Trump Moves Toward The Removal Of McGahn and Sessions”
Category: Criminal law
In San Antonio, a man appeared intent on answering the most obvious question of “ax versus train.” He found out when his ax bounced off the train and injured him. Continue reading “Man Throws Ax At Train . . . Train Wins”
According to filings in federal court, former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos claims Donald Trump approved his proposal of a meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ahead of the 2016 presidential election. I still do not see that effort as particularly sinister or incriminating. Bach channels have long been established in politics. What is most notable is that he states that Attorney General Jeff Sessions also approved the trip. That fact only reaffirms the clearly correct decision that Sessions made to recuse himself despite the President continued attacks on Sessions. Indeed, the account of the Papadopoulos testimony could conflict with Sessions’ testimony before Congress – making recusal all but inevitable. Continue reading “Papadopoulos Claims Trump and Sessions Approved His Outreach To The Russians”
Joseph Sireci, 47, in St. Lucie County, Fla., is facing a curious charge after he was arrested and alleged to have given his girlfriend a “wet willy.” The incident occurred after Sireci allegedly spent a day drinking and acting in a belligerent fashion. Continue reading “Florida Man Charged With Giving Girlfriend Wet Willy”
We recently discussed the latest destruction of a statue in North Carolina and I expressed my skepticism over the inaction of police as well as the absence of significant arrests for a crime committed openly in public while surrounded by officers. Now, WRAL-TV obtained text messages and emails that showed Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue actually ordered his officers to back off as protesters were destroying a century-old statue. Continue reading “Report: Chapel Hill Police Chief Ordered Officers To Stay Back As Protesters Tore Down Confederate Statue”
Kenneth Ray Couch, 35,has been accused of a curious crime where he allegedly faked a heart attack to get away from a crime scene and then went straight to the hospital cafeteria to grab a bite to eat.
CNN is facing rising questions over its refusal to correct its earlier bombshell story entitled “Cohen Claims Trump Knew In Advance Of 2016 Trump Tower Meeting.” As I discussed recently, Cohen’s attorney Lanny Davis now admits that he was the anonymous source for that story (after publicly denying that he was the source) and that he has no information to support the allegation. Cohen himself testified to Congress that he had no such information. One would think that the denial of both Cohen and his lawyer (and original source) would alter that story that “Cohen claims Trump knew . . . ” CNN however says that it had multiple sources for the story and sticks with the reporting by Jim Sciutto, Carl Bernstein and Marshall Cohen. Continue reading “CNN Sticks With Story That Cohen Alleges Trump Knew Of Trump Tower Meeting Despite Cohen and His Lawyer Denying The Story”
Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the recent admission by Michael Cohen’s lawyer that he was the source on what appears a false story on the meeting at Trump Tower with Russians and Trump officials. Davis also admitted that he lied to the media in denying that he was the source of the story. It may be too early to predict the demise of Davis. We discussed earlier the controversy surrounding former CNN commentator and DNC official Donna Brazile lied to the public about being the author of hacked emails giving Hillary Clinton debate questions in advance. She is back as a commentator on various networks.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Lanny Davis And The Year Of Lawyers Living Dangerously”
This week represented a milestone for California in the criminal justice system when Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed legislation eliminating cash bail in the state. Starting in October 2019, a system of risk assessment will replace cash bail — a move deemed more fair to defendants with little ability to pay bail.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort sought a plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller while the jury was deliberating in Virginia. The report indicates that Manafort understood the likelihood of conviction and also could be willing to follow other Trump insiders with a deal. Why such a deal broke down is an intriguing question.
Continue reading “Wall Street Journal Reports Manafort Sought Deal With Mueller”
Veteran Los Angeles County Prosecutor Michael Pettersen is facing a very serious charge after he rear-ended a car in Calabasas and then remained in his wrecked BMW drinking alcohol out of a bottle as various people videotaped him. He then exited the car and collapsed in a stupor. Adding to the notoriety was the fact that he hit the car of a local radio celebrity called Big Boy, aka Kurt Alexander,
Below is my column in The Hill on the curious role that Gofundme is playing in the ongoing controversies surrounding the Trump Administration. There is an emerging type of market for witnesses on both sides where they compete for donors based on their potential value attacking or defending President Donald Trump.
Here is the column: Continue reading “The Great American Witness Auction: How Michael Cohen And Others Are Making Millions In A Testimony Market”
Below is my column in the Hill newspaper on Michael Cohen’s emergence as a witness against President Donald Trump. The man who declared that he would take a bullet for the President just took a plea. In the meantime, Trump friend David Pecker has been given immunity and reportedly implicated Trump in knowing about the hush money payments before they were made. In what could well be the worst development, Allen Weisselberg, chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, has been granted immunity. Weisselberg is referred in the tapes Cohen secretly recorded with Trump and could offer highly damaging and detailed evidence of any criminal conduct.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Michael Cohen’s New Role As The “Liberated” Liar “Speaking Truth To Power””
I have previously written about Michael Cohen’s allegation that President Donald Trump knew and approved the meeting with the Russians in Trump Tower in 2016. It was a bombshell story from an anonymous source and has reverberated in the news for weeks. Some of us questioned the account after no one came forward to corroborate Cohen despite his saying that Trump was briefed in a room with multiple people. Now, Davis (who some have claimed was the source for CNN) is admitting it is untrue.
Continue reading “Davis Denies Prior Allegations That Trump Knew In Advance About Russian Meeting”
When the jury sent four questions to the judge after a day of deliberations, the defense team of Paul Manafort was buoyant. It was viewed as a sign of skepticism over the case. At the time, I took a different view and suggested that such questions can often reflect a single hold out juror and a desire to enlist the court to clarify standards. After all, Manafort did not appear to be following an acquittal strategy rather than a hung jury strategy. It was always more likely that he would face convictions across the board than a hung jury on all counts. It is also interesting that the jury basically discounted anything Rick Gates gave them at trial. It seems that there was unanimity from the outset that Gates is a dirt bag with no credibility.
It now appears that it was a single hold out on the jury that prolonged the case and resulted in ten hung counts. In the meantime, a juror who must have been viewed as a defense asset on the jury spoke out in surprising terms regarding the guilt of Paul Manafort. Continue reading ““A Special Place In Hell”: A Single Juror Prevented Manafort’s Conviction On All Counts”