Where Shakespeare is credited in writing “Much To Do About Nothing,” the Senate may have achieved credit for writing “nothing about much.” It is remarkable about how comparably little can be said in 1000 pages. The Senate Intelligence Committee released report yesterday on its own Russian investigation. I have been plowing through the report but what was most striking thus far is how little really new material the Senate was able to uncover. Indeed, it notes that it did not even look into the basis for the claims of the Steele dossier, which was used and widely cited for the early allegations of collusion. One of the few notable points is that the Report states that Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort worked closely with a known Russian intelligence officer and that he “represented a grave counterintelligence threat” due to that relationship with Konstantin Kilimnik. Yet, the Report is largely descriptive of known allegations with few concrete conclusions or original disclosures. It confirms and adds details on Russian interference with the election, but it does not materially add new information on key areas where some of us hoped the Committee could gain greater access.
Continue reading “Senate Intelligence Report Is Long On Pages And Short On Intelligence” →
Recently, we discussed a bizarre attack by CNN Legal Analyst and Yale lecturer Asha Rangappa on former Ambassador Nikki Haley for using her middle name. Rangappa declared that the use of “Nikki” rather than her real first name was proof that America is racist and Haley was yielding to it. Nikki however is Haley’s legal middle name and the Hill’s Saagar Enjeti noted it is “a Punjabi name.” Moreover, Rangappa also uses her middle name as have leaders from Mitch Romney to Boris Johnson. Now Rangappa is under fire for doxxing a young intern who wrote Yale about the incident. Twitter took down Rangappa’s tweet and the CNN Analyst then suggested that the doxxing incident was fun. Continue reading “CNN Analyst and Yale Lecturer Asha Rangappa Under Fire For Doxxing A Journalism Intern” 
President Donald Trump has always demonstrated an almost mocking disregard for the Hatch Act, the 1939 law barring officials from using their official powers or positions to engage in partisan political activities. It is a core protection of good government but it has been primarily honored in its breach in this Administration, including 
We have 
Texas A&M anthropology professor Filipe Castro has triggered a firestorm of controversy after postings calling President Donald Trump a “fat klansman” and saying that is a “good thing” that Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) contracted Covit-19. The Texas A&M Board of Regents issued a 
I have 
Below is my column in the Hill newspaper on what stood out in the Democratic National Convention in terms of the future for the Justice Department under a possible Biden Administration. I have been highly critical of President Donald Trump’s treatment of the Justice Department and his disregarding of the principles of separation of the White House from ongoing investigations. Critics however often seem to embrace the seem disregard for core, defining principles of legal process. Highlighting the message of Sally Yates and Kamala Harris on justice issues is discomforting for those of us who want to see the Justice Department’s independence and objectivity respected and reinforced.
We have previously discussed courts in the United States seeking to punish lawyers for making critical comments about 
We have previously discussed rising cases of politically motivated violence, including 
We 
There is an interesting ruling in the ongoing saga over Stormy Daniels and the Trump Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). A California court ordered President Donald Trump to pay $44,100 to Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels, to cover her legal fees regarding her nondisclosure agreement. The amount is trivial but the symbolism could not be greater. The decision is based on the view that not only was Daniels the prevailing party in the dispute but that President Trump cannot claim that he was a non-party to the NDA or by extension the controversy. 
Politicians are continuing to promise trillions of dollars in free education, housing subsidies, universal health care and other programs. Recently, BET founder Robert Johnson called for 
Goodyear Tire company is