Category: Politics

Pro-Choice Protesters Post School Information on the Children of Justice Amy Coney Barrett

Despite the alleged attempted murder of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the pro-choice group Ruth Sent Us descended upon the home of Justice Amy Coney Barrett and her family within 24 hours of the arrest.  Now, the group has posted information on where Justice Barrett goes to church and where her children go to school. It is another example of our age of rage. Indeed, it is an example of the rage addiction that has taken hold of many in the country where even potentially targeting the children of a judge or justice is considered fair game. Continue reading “Pro-Choice Protesters Post School Information on the Children of Justice Amy Coney Barrett”

No Stadium for You: Democratic Leader Cites Jan. 6th Comment for Shelving Stadium Plans

The start of the Jan. 6th hearings has been accompanied by the anticipated attacks on anyone expressing doubts about the scope, findings, or balance of the investigation. That was evident this week when Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) cited an opposing view by a coach with the Washington Commanders as one of the reasons that the state shelved a proposal for a new stadium for the team. It is doubtful that the comments of Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio made this week were truly a significant part of the decision since D.C. and Maryland also opted out for now on economic grounds. However, Saslaw clearly wanted to use the decision to pressure the team for allowing dissenting views to be expressed even by employees in their personal capacity. Saslaw, like so many today, finds it intolerable that such opposing positions could be uttered in public. Groups like the NAACP have called for Del Rio to be fired.

Continue reading “No Stadium for You: Democratic Leader Cites Jan. 6th Comment for Shelving Stadium Plans”

Goodbye CRT, Hello GRT: Democrats Link Opponents to Terrorists Through the ‘Great Replacement Theory’

Below is my column in the Hill on the new Democratic campaign to link criticism of illegal immigration to domestic terrorism. The effort is to make the Great Replacement Theory (GRT) a new catchphrase against political and media opponents. However, the effort to make GRT the new CRT is not gaining traction. The reason is that GRT sweeps broadly to include commentary on both the left and right.

Here is the column:

Continue reading “Goodbye CRT, Hello GRT: Democrats Link Opponents to Terrorists Through the ‘Great Replacement Theory’”

So You Say You Want a Revolution? President Biden Continues to Talk Revolution if the Court does not Rule as Demanded

“So you say you want a revolution.” When they sang those lines, the Beatles could well have been talking about Democratic leaders today. Revolution seems much in the minds and the rhetoric of politicians who are continuing to threaten swift responses to the Court if it rules against their wishes. The latest armchair revolutionary is President Joe Biden himself who went on Jimmy Kimmel to do the first sit down interview in months. To his credit, Biden was promising only a “mini-Revolution.” Continue reading “So You Say You Want a Revolution? President Biden Continues to Talk Revolution if the Court does not Rule as Demanded”

Biden: “I Don’t Want to Emulate Trump’s Abuse of the Constitution” Despite Losing a Series of Court Fights

There was an interesting moment last night when President Joe Biden appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for his first network interview in 118 days. When Kimmel pushed Biden on the possibility of issuing an executive order on gun control. After all, Kimmel said, “Trump passed those out like Halloween candy.” Biden said that he did not want “to emulate Trump’s abuse of the constitution” and “pass[] those out like Halloween candy.” It was an ironic statement from a president who has racked up an impressive array of losses in the courts which have found that he has repeatedly disregarded constitutional limits. There is an advantage to arranging to be interviewed by a comedian rather than a reporter. There was no push back from Kimmel on a statement that is dramatically at odds with the President’s actual record in the courts. Continue reading “Biden: “I Don’t Want to Emulate Trump’s Abuse of the Constitution” Despite Losing a Series of Court Fights”

San Francisco Voters Oust District Attorney in Rare Recall

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has been lionized by the press for years. He had the ultra-liberal resume for an ultra-liberal city. Boudin is the son of Weather Underground terrorists and  a former translator in Hugo Chávez’s presidential palace in Venezuela. Now, in a rare move, the voters of San Francisco have ousted Boudin in a rebuke not only to him but the failure of other leaders who have been downplaying or deflecting increasing crime in our major cities. Continue reading “San Francisco Voters Oust District Attorney in Rare Recall”

Turley Testifies in the Senate on Domestic Terrorism

This morning I will be testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the expansion of domestic terrorism investigations. The hearing is titled “Examining the ‘Metastasizing’ Domestic Terrorism Threat After the Buffalo Attack” and will begin at 10 am in the Hart Senate Office Building (Room 216). The written testimony is linked below.

Continue reading “Turley Testifies in the Senate on Domestic Terrorism”

Subpoena Wars: Washington is on a Path to Mutually Assured Destruction

Below is my column in The Hill on the subpoena war raging in Washington as the Jan. 6th Committee prepares for its first public hearings this week. This weekend, the Justice Department announced that it would not be prosecuting former chief of staff Mark Meadows and social media director Dan Scavino. As noted below, they took a wiser course of limited cooperation. The refusal to prosecute triggered a backlash from Rep. Adam Schiff who wanted to see more criminal charges out of the Biden Administration.

Here is the column: Continue reading “Subpoena Wars: Washington is on a Path to Mutually Assured Destruction”

New York Passes Age Limit for Semi-Automatic Rifles in New Test Case Under the Second Amendment

New York has long been the source of major litigation over gun control. Indeed, these cases have resulted in some of the most significant victories for gun rights advocates. That includes the possible loss before the Supreme Court in a pending major gun rights case. Now, New York has moved to ban anyone under age 21 from buying or possessing a semi-automatic rifle in response to the recent shootings at a supermarket in Buffalo. The culprit was 18 years old. There is growing support for such age limits after the Uvalde massacre, even though a similar limit was struck down in California. An appeal is proceeding in that case.

Continue reading “New York Passes Age Limit for Semi-Automatic Rifles in New Test Case Under the Second Amendment”

Biden’s Inner Trudeau: On Guns, the President seems to be Operating Under the Wrong Constitution

Below is my column in The Hill on the calls for gun bans after the massacre in Uvalde, Texas. The massacre has already been used as the basis for calls to end the filibuster, pack the court, limits on gun ownership, and outright bans. One member called for all of the above. The rhetoric is again outstripping the reality of constitutional and practical limits for gun control. Last night, President Joe Biden formally called for banning “assault weapons” while repeating the dubious claim that an earlier ban sharply reduced mass shootings.

Here is the column:

Continue reading “Biden’s Inner Trudeau: On Guns, the President seems to be Operating Under the Wrong Constitution”

The Depp Trial and the Demise of the ACLU: How a Celebrity Trial Exposed the Collapse of a Once Celebrated Group

In yesterday’s massive defamation award to actor Johnny Depp, his ex-wife Amber Heard was left holding a bill for $15,000,000. Even after a reduction for her own award and a statutory reduction of the punitive damage portion, Heard is still looking at $8,350,000 in damages. Many view that amount (which is $1.35 million more than her divorce settlement) to be justified in light of the damage caused to Depp’s reputation and career. However, the stain of  this verdict should be shared with others, even if they avoided the sting of actual damages. That includes many in the media (including the Washington Post staff) who rushed to paint Heard as a victim and Depp as an abuser. Yet, the greatest condemnation should be reserved for the organization that not only pushed that narrative but actually helped draft the defamatory column: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Continue reading “The Depp Trial and the Demise of the ACLU: How a Celebrity Trial Exposed the Collapse of a Once Celebrated Group”

Sussmann Juror: “There are Bigger Things … Than a Possible Lie to the FBI”

The acquittal of Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann has been the subject of furious debate among politicians and pundits. Some have argued that the case collapsed from lack of evidence while others have alleged that prosecutors faced as biased judge and jury. For his part, Sussmann claimed that the jury found that “I told the truth.”  The truth is more complex and few would assume that the verdict was based on Sussmann’s veracity. However, a statement from a juror immediately after the verdict fueled speculation of the impact of juror bias. According to the Washington Times’ Jeff Mordock, the juror reportedly said “I don’t think it should have been prosecuted. There are bigger things that affect the nation than a possible lie to the FBI.” If that statement had been made during voir dire, it is likely that the juror would have been challenged.

Continue reading “Sussmann Juror: “There are Bigger Things … Than a Possible Lie to the FBI””

Second Amendment Showdown: Beto O’Rourke Resumes Call for Gun Confiscation

Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke has been ping-ponging on gun confiscation ever since his presidential candidacy in 2019 when he famously declared “Hell yes, we are going to take your AR-15.” When he decided to run for Texas governor, he then dialed down that pledge. With the Uvalde massacre (and critics allege his poor polling numbers), O’Rourke seems to have moved back to the position on confiscation. He declared this week that, not only should they be banned, but AR-15 owners should not “be able to keep them.” Once again, however, O’Rourke omits any explanation of how constitutionally or practically he intends to carry out this confiscation plan.

Continue reading “Second Amendment Showdown: Beto O’Rourke Resumes Call for Gun Confiscation”

President Biden Repeats Dubious Claim About the Assault Weapons Ban

We previously discussed how President Biden continues to repeat the same false statements about bans on weapons when the Second Amendment was ratified. However, he also repeated another dubious claim this weekend. The comments have received considerable coverage after the President seemed to target 9mm guns for possible legislative bans, stating that “high-caliber weapons” like the 9mm handgun should not be needed and told the public that “a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out — may be able to get it and save the life. A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body.” Critics pushed back on that claim, but such statements can be written off as part of the hyperbolic rhetoric surrounding gun rights and gun control. Yet, he made a separate factual claim about the record of the earlier assault weapons ban that is more questionable. Continue reading “President Biden Repeats Dubious Claim About the Assault Weapons Ban”

Friends with Benefits: Sussmann Trial Further Exposes the FBI and Washington Establishment

Below is a slightly expanded version of my column in the Hill on Sussmann trial and what it revealed about the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the combined Russian collusion investigations. It also looks down the road at whether Special Counsel John Durham will be allowed to write the same type of public report that concluded the Mueller investigation.

Here is the column: Continue reading “Friends with Benefits: Sussmann Trial Further Exposes the FBI and Washington Establishment”

Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks