Category: Media

Not Quite: Media Reports Court Finding That DNC Rigged Primary For Clinton

Wasserman SchultzI have long been a critic of the concerted efforts of Democratic politicians and the establishment to rig the primary for Hillary Clinton. It worked.  They selected perhaps the only person who could lose to Donald Trump.  For that reason, I immediately took note of articles claiming that a federal court have made a finding of rigging by former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman.  The Observer, for example, had an headline of “Court Admits DNC and Wasserman Schultz Rigged Primary Against Sanders.”  That seemed like a particularly important news development but on closer examination it is based on a misunderstanding of the federal procedural rules governing such decisions.

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Making Terror “The Order Of The Day”: Charlottesville Leads To Call For Opposing Groups To Be Declared Terrorists

Heads_on_pikesBelow is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the call from both the right and the left for protesters to be declared domestic terrorists.  With rising anger over protests and counter protests, politicians are rushing to join calls for the government to not simply investigate these groups for hate speech but actually terrorism.

Here is the column:

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ESPN Pulls Robert Lee From Virginia Game To Avoid Association With Confederate General

downloadRobert E. LeeIn a move that frankly reads like it came out of The Onion, ESPN pulled its sportscaster Robert Lee in coverage of University of Virginia football game — because his name is the same as the Confederate general.  The company believed that having a sportscaster named Lee for a Virginia game could be painful for some after the protests in Charlottesville.  It does not matter that the sportscaster is Asian or that such an association is facially absurd.

 

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“Payback Time”: “Unite The Right” Organizer Denounces Heather Heyer As “Fat, Disgusting Communist”

14xp-heather-master315An entire country mourned the death of Heather Heyer, a paralegal, who went to Charlottesville to protest the hateful march of neo-Nazis and clansmen — only to be murdered when James A. Fields, 20, allegedly rammed his car into protesters.  Now the organizer of the racist march has sent out a tweet calling her a “fat, disgusting Communist” — a tweet he later blamed on being drugged out of his gourd.  Jason Kessler explained that he has been doing some heavy drugs and drinking lately.

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DisruptJ20: The Justice Department Demands 1.3 Million IP Addresses and Other Information On Trump Critics

YC_kStF9US-DeptOfJustice-Seal_svgBelow is my column in USA Today on a troubling warrant issued by the Justice Department to force the disclosure of visitors to an anti-Trump site.  The DisruptJ20 case raises very serious questions regarding political speech and associational rights.

Here is the column:

 

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New York Times Column Calls For End To “Color-Blind Logic” In Defense of Free Speech

Freedom_of_SpeechI have been writing for years about the rising wave of intolerance for free speech that has swept over Europe and is now reaching our own shores in the United States.  Attacks on free speech are increasing from the left which has cracked down on speech deemed offensive or intimidating to any group.  Thus far, the United States has been a bulwark against this trend, but an editorial in the New York Times this week is a chilling example of how voices against free speech are now becoming mainstream. The editorial was written by K-Sue Park is a housing attorney and the Critical Race Studies fellow at the U.C.L.A. School of Law.  Park criticizes the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for what she views as blind fealty to free speech and suggests that it is time to stop defending Nazis because sometimes standing on the wrong side of history in defense of a cause you think is right is still just standing on the wrong side of history.  Of course, many of us believe that the wrong side of history is the side where free speech depends on what you want to say — and whether people like Park agree with it.

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Trump Administration Demands Information On Over A Million Visitors To Anti-Trump Website

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Train Wreck: Trump Reposts Another Image Attacking CNN

trump-retweet-train-killing-reporter-cnn-deleted_gi5iqhdonald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedI previously was highly critical of President Donald Trump for his reposting a video from his appearance at a professional wrestling bout that was altered to look like he was beating down CNN.  With the rising anger and attacks directed at the media, the posting was irresponsible and inflammatory.  While I have criticized some in the media for open bias in its attacks on Trump, I have been alarmed by his attacks on the press.  Undeterred, Trump again reposted an item this morning that featured a cartoon of CNN being hit by a train.  Some people have said that this is outrageous after the car attack in Charlottesville.  I think the objection should be directed at the pattern of images of press being beaten or run down by this President. The free press has helped guarantee civil liberties and good government in this country for over two hundred years.  Unlike much of the world, we have an independent media that is a constant check on the abuses and corruptions of government.  Trump’s open antagonism for the press is alarming and at times reckless.

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Trump Down To 34 Percent Popularity

donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedstock-149421_128045 is now at 34.  President Donald Trump has hit a new low in popularity according to the Gallup poll.  Gallup’s latest poll is 34 percent with a disapproval rate at a staggering 61 percent.  Yet, there is no indication of any change in the President’s continued use of Twitter or his unscripted comments like the damaging comments on Venezuela that led Maduro critics to denounce the United States.  The concern among GOP members and operatives is that Trump is being given tailored news in a daily positive portfolio.  Yet, he is also an avid news watcher so he clearly can see the continued decline in support not just among the public but GOP members.

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Intimidation By Salutation: Trump Accused Of New Form Of Obstruction For Sending His Appreciation and Greeting To Mueller

440px-Director_Robert_S._Mueller-_III-1donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedBelow is my column in the Hill newspaper on the most recent suggested crime committed by President Donald Trump or his family.  This allegation focuses on a greeting sent through President Trump’s attorney, John Dowd, to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.  It appears that Trump is obstructing if he voices criticism or appreciation of Mueller.    Dowd was in the news again yesterday in taking it upon himself to object to pre-dawn raid on the home of Paul Manafort.

Here is the column:

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Bloomberg: Manafort Alerted Authorities About Russian Meeting

New_Bloomberg_Logo.svgBuried in a new article out of Bloomberg is an understated but potentially significant statement: “In fact, Manafort had alerted authorities to a controversial meeting on June 9, 2016, involving Trump’s son Donald Jr., other campaign representatives and a Russian lawyer promising damaging information on Hillary Clinton, according to people familiar with the matter.”  That would be a huge development in this controversy if true, particularly if the notice occurred before the Russian meeting occurred.

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Trump Attorney Blasts Mueller Over Manafort Raid

582px-US-FBI-ShadedSeal.svgWhite_House_North_Side_Comparison2After just recently sending the President’s “appreciation and greetings” and triggering new allegations of criminal acts, one of President Donald Trump’s lawyers, John Dowd, is now denouncing Mueller for the pre-dawn raid on the Alexandria home of former campaign manager Paul Manafort.  I have commented that the raid seemed intentionally heavy handed and meant to convey a message to Manafort. However, I fail to see why the President’s counsel (rather than Manafort’s counsel) should be making such objections. It, once again, removes any perceived separation between President Trump and obvious targets like Manafort.

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IT IS TIME FOR ROD ROSENSTEIN TO RECUSE HIMSELF

Rod_Rosenstein_Official_DAG_PortraitBelow is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the growing need for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to recuse himself from the Special Counsel investigation.  Rosenstein has alluded to the possible need for his recusal but continues to participate in an investigation that could have direct bearing on his own role and decision-making.  If he has material evidence on obstruction, he should not delay his recusal until he receives a formal request to appear before a grand jury.  His relevance to the obstruction investigation is obvious and he should not be determined questions of scope when his own conduct could fall within the jurisdiction of the Special Counsel.

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Trump Administration Hit With New Leak Of Transcripts Of Trump’s Call To the Mexican and Australian Leaders

donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedToday Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to discuss a new leak crackdown, but he will have to deal with questions raised by one of the most massive leaks in recent memory. Someone has leaked the entire transcripts of two heated January phone calls  with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.  The conversations are deeply embarrassing for the Administration because they directly contradict statements made by Trump to the public.  These transcripts would also be likely classified, making their release a federal offense.

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Eight-Six Percent Of Voters Favor Some Form of Legalization of Marijuana . . . But Sessions Is Reportedly About To Announce A Crackdown

jeff_sessions_official_portraitOne would think that with President Donald Trump at record low polling in the 30s  (and  Congress with even lower polling around 10 percent favorability), the Administration would not be struggling to find a cause further irritate the American public.  However, Attorney General Jeff Sessions appears on the brink of doing just that.  Despite many states either legalizing or moving to legalize marijuana, Sessions is expected to announce a new crackdown on the multi-billion industry.  Not only will the crackdown threaten billions in taxes now collected by these states, but it will contravene the wishes of roughly half of the population. Indeed, according to the  latest Harvard-Harris survey 86 percent of Americans now support either legalizing pot for either recreational or medicinal use or both.  Indeed, 49 percent want pot legalized outright for recreational use.  The Administration however is about to go on a direct collision course with many states — including red states — that has legalized marijuana.

 

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Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks