Category: Politics

Lewandowski Refuses To Answer Post-Campaign Questions Before The House Intelligence Committee

 

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.

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Bannon Refuses To Answer Questions Before Congress — Faces Subpoenas and Potential Contempt Sanctions [UPDATED]

Screen_Shot_2016-08-18_at_9.57.02_AMSteve Bannon is now under subpoena by both House investigators and the Special Counsel after he refused to answer questions before Congress. Following a problematic pattern of current and former Administration figures, Bannon reportedly did not invoke executive privilege (which must be asserted by the White House) but refused to answer questions about his work on the transition team and White House.  There is no basis for such a broad assertion of executive privilege and, unless Bannon changes course, he could be looking at contempt sanctions down the road.  Despite his refusal to cooperate with the committee, he has reached a deal to speak with the Special Counsel investigators outside of a grand jury.

Update: The White House is now asserting that there were prior discussions with the Committee and the Committee violated the agreement on scope.  Notably however the agreement was to discuss only matters from the campaign and not the transition or White House periods. That would be an astonishingly limited scope for the Committee staff to agree to given the material events after the campaign, including the time periods covered by statements made by Bannon in the Wolff book.

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The Clinton Cash: The Russian Uranium Indictment And The Lingering Questions Over Influence Peddling [UPDATED]

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Clinton_Foundation_logoBelow 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. 

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Seattle Sugary Drink Tax Take Effect: $10.34 Tax On $15.99 Purchase

download-8.jpgI have previously discussed my opposition to sugary drink bans or prohibitive taxation schemes in Chicago and New York.  While Cook County reluctantly yielded to public opinion and court decisions recently, Seattle has gone forward with a ridiculous tax of 1.75 cents per ounce on sugary drinks. This paternalistic law is designed to make such drinks economically undrinkable or at least unpalatable for citizens who do not share the views of the majority on beverages and health.  The result is that a large box of 35 bottles of Gatorade at Costco with a list price of $15.99 is now taxed at $10.34.  So almost $10.50 of the $26.50 price is taxes.

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Harvard Sororities Defy Ban On Single-Gender Groups

220px-Harvard_Wreath_Logo_1.svgWe have previously discussed the crackdown at Harvard on single gender clubs and associations (even groups off campus). Last year, Harvard established penalties for students who refuse to yield to the rule against belonging to single-gender organizations, including barring students from serving on campus leadership positions.  This includes Greek organizations.  Now, women are objecting that they are being penalized and denied their “right to choose.”  Notably, however, the protesting sororities did not question the barring of males but rather having such rules apply to women.

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Of Lies And Libels: Trump’s Problem Is Not With The Lack Of “American Values” But The Lack Of A Libel Case

donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppeddownload-1Below is my column in USA Today on the renewed calls of President Donald Trump to change our libel laws to make it easier for public officials and figures to sue over publications like the recent book by Michael Wolff.  While the controversy was quickly pushed from coverage by the President’s alarming statements on immigration policy, it is clear that he remains heavily invested in this ill-considered idea.

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Trump and The Wall Street Journal Release Conflicting Transcripts of Controversial Interview

donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppeddownload-4President Donald Trump and the Wall Street Journal are in an open conflict over what was said in a meeting between the President and editors.  It was reported to the shock (and ridicule) of many that Trump said that he has a great relationship with Kim Jong Un of North Korea. The White House went public and said that the President clearly said the “I’d have a very good relationship” and not “I have a very good relationship” with the dictator.  The White House disputed that President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview Thursday that “I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un of North Korea,” saying that Mr. Trump had instead said “I’d probably have a very good relationship” with the North Korean leader. Notably, this was not a denial based on “misspeaking” but a direct denial.  Trump then pushed it further with a tweet.    Unlike the controversy over the denied use of the word “shithole” in the Oval Office (where Trump said he might have to start recording such meetings), he did record this interview.  Now the Wall Street Journal has released the tape and it sounds like the editors were correctly recounting the President’s words (though it is close). I have now listened repeatedly and initially supported the WSJ, but now I am not quite as confident.  Trump’s position seems more consistent with the context and he might have swallowed the “did” a bit in “I’d.” The recording is below.

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Sen. Perdue Denies President Said “Shithole” Countries Remark

David_Perdue,_Official_Portrait,_114th_CongressAs we discussed yesterday, both Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have said that President Donald Trump did indeed refer to Haiti and Africa as “shithole” countries.  However, Sen. David Perdue (R., Ga.) on ABC This Week says that the word was never used. Period. He also said that the meeting was “productive” and suggested that Durbin is lying (and has lied previously) about such meetings.  PreviouslyTom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Perdue have said that they simply do not recall.  Now Purdue says that he has a clear recollection and the words were never used.  Sen. Jeff Flake has said that he met with members in the meeting before the words were made public and that members openly discussed Trump’s use of these words.  Finally, a conservative columnist has gone public with the allegation that he spoke to friends of the President who said that he called to boast about using the term to energize his base.

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Hoestra Finally Apologizes To Dutch For False Statements About Muslim Terror in Netherlands

1200px-Pete_Hoekstra_official_photoWe have been following the train wreck following the arrival of our new ambassador, Pete Hoekstra, to the Netherlands.  The former Republican congressman was confronted by reporters about a false statement that he made in 2015 when he said “the Islamic movement has now gotten to a point where they have put Europe into chaos. Chaos in the Netherlands, there are cars being burnt, there are politicians that are being burnt. And yes, there are no-go zones in the Netherlands.”  When confronted by the reporters that no such chaos occurred, Hoekstra denied making the statement.  He insisted “I didn’t say that. That is actually an incorrect statement. We would call it fake news. I never said that … it’s not what I said.”  The reporter then played the tape and Hoekstra stumbled with “I didn’t call that fake news. I didn’t use the words today. I don’t think I did.” If Hoekstra thought that that would be the end of it, he was mistaken. This week he held his first press conference and and again refused to retract and apologize for the statement. The reporters reminded Hoekstra that in the Netherlands, reporters actually expect leaders to answer questions and continued to press him.  Hoekstra was clearly used to reporters in the states who shrug and move on with questions as evasive responses.  The problem is that it does not work in the Netherlands and now Hoekstra has painfully and belatedly apologized.

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Durbin Contests Trump’s Denial of “Shithole” Comment As Press Search For Other Members [UPDATED]

donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedPresident Donald Trump is denying that he referred to Haiti and African countries as “shithole countries” in a meeting with members of Congress.  Clearly someone is lying and it should not be hard to determine who.  One of the members in the meeting, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), says that Trump is lying and that he clearly made the statement.  The question now is recollection of some of the other people in the room, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).

Update: Sen. Graham has now issued a statement that appears to confirm that the President said this and says that he
directly challenged the President after his comment.  Another member has said that Graham told him that President did say it.

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Maduro: Food For Freedom

440px-Nicolás_Maduro_in_meeting_with_Iranian_President_Hassan_Rouhani_in_Saadabad_Palacedownload-2.jpgI have long been a critic of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his authoritarian predecessor President Hugo Chávez. Chávez remains an icon for many in the left in this country and around the world — despite his destruction of free speech and free press.  Now Maduro has reached a new low after starving his country with moronic socialist policies of government controls and centralized powers.  The international community has collected massive food donations for the starving populace but Maduro has stopped them at the border.  He will not allow his people to eat unless the opposition recognized his internationally ridiculed National Constituent Assembly. He created the assembly to disband the constitutional legislative authority and assume authoritarian control over the government.  Now he is turning to the ancient Roman tactic of offering bread to the masses in exchange for acquiescence for his disastrous rule.

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Democrats Search For Russians — Any Russians — For Collusion

download-1Below is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the controversy surrounding demand letters sent out by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence — and the scope of the discovery sought by its lead Democratic counsel.  The scope of discovery is always a difficult issue in litigation and lawyers resist efforts to limit the scope of evidence.  However, reasonable limits are usually worked out between counsel but, in this case, the Senate counsel appears to have doubled down on a definition that is facially too broad. More importantly, it raises serious constitutional concerns.  The definition reads too much like a street cry to “bring out your Russians.”

Here is the column:

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“This is the Netherlands, You Have To Answer Questions”: Hoekstra Hit Another Hurdle As Ambassador

Screen Shot 2018-01-11 at 10.21.41 PM.png Former Republican Congressman Peter Hoekstra had a rocky reception as the new ambassador to the Netherlands when reporters raised a false statement that he made in 2015 when he said “the Islamic movement has now gotten to a point where they have put Europe into chaos. Chaos in the Netherlands, there are cars being burnt, there are politicians that are being burnt. And yes, there are no-go zones in the Netherlands.”  When confronted by the reporters that no such chaos occurred, Hoekstra denied making the statement.  He insisted “I didn’t say that. That is actually an incorrect statement. We would call it fake news. I never said that … it’s not what I said.”  The reporter then played the tape and Hoekstra stumbled with “I didn’t call that fake news. I didn’t use the words today. I don’t think I did.” If Hoekstra thought that that would be the end of it, he was mistaken. This week he held his first press conference and was in for a rude awakening.

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Russian Historian Arrested And Sent For Psychiatric Test by Putin Officials After Detailing Stalin Atrocities

225px-Vladimir_Putin_official_portraitCroppedStalin1943The erosion of free speech in Russia under Vladimir Putin has been an unfolding tragedy for Russia.  As is often the case, the loss of freedom of speech often goes hand-in-hand with the loss of academic freedom.  However, the arrest of a Russian historian, Yuri Dmitriev, 61, is particularly chilling and raises legitimate comparisons with the Stalinist period. That is fitting given the fact that Dmitriev is being forced into psychiatric testing after writing about the discovery of thousands of bodies from the 1930s — victims of Joe Stalin.  Putin has ordered a revisionist history on Stalin to glorify his reign and downplay the millions killed by the bloodsoaked dictator.

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Protesters Demand That University of Denver Drop The “Pioneers” As A Symbol Of “Genocide and Oppression”

denver_boone_205x205Native American students at the University of Denver are demanding that the school drop the “Pioneers” — denouncing the nickname as a symbol of  “genocide and oppression.” We previously discussed the controversial decisions to drop the “Fighting Sioux” and “Chief Illini” and the Aztecs.  I have been critical of some of these moves and I would include the Pioneers among those ill-considered changes.  The school has already yielded to demands to drop the informal mascot of Danial Boone by implementing a ban on masks on campus.

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