Category: Politics

Ockham’s Razor And The Trump Tower Transcripts

William_of_OckhamBelow is my column in the Hill newspaper on the release of the transcripts from the investigation into the infamous Trump Tower meeting.  The testimony of key players is consistent with a reckless effort to get dirt of Hillary Clinton but, if anything, it undermines claims of collusion or conspiracy with the Russians.  The answer may lie in the writings of 13th Century  English Franciscan friar William of Ockham.

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“Amen Sister”: Gillibrand Declares “The Lehman Sisters” Might Have Prevented 2008 Financial Collapse

440px-Kirsten_Gillibrand,_official_portrait,_112th_CongressNew York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told a supportive audience at the progressive Center for American Progress Ideas Festival that gender alone could make a difference in finance crises: “If it wasn’t Lehman Brothers but Lehman Sisters, we might not have had the financial collapse.”  The problem, critics have noted, is that Lehman Brothers had a female CFO during the financial crisis.  The bigger problem is how gender is often presented as a de facto credential by politicians and activists without acknowledging that it would also be de facto discrimination if used in this fashion.  It is an interesting story coming on the heels of the story out of the University of Akron where a professor declared female students would be automatically given higher scores. Gillibrand’s comment comes when she is pushing for new sexual harassment legislation in Congress.
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As The Supreme Court Considers Major Free Speech Case, Liberals Can’t Have Their Cake And Eat It Too

Freedom_of_SpeechBelow is my column in The Hill newspaper on how liberals in New York are supplying the Supreme Court ample reason to rule for a Colorado cake shop owner in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case.  As the Court decides whether a baker can refuse to bake a cake deemed offensive, many liberals are asserting the right to refuse to serve conservatives based on their political views or associations.

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“Reach Out To Touch Someone”: Michael Cohen and Washington’s Only Indigenous Crop

300px-AT&T_logo_2016.svgBelow is my column in USA Today on recent disclosure of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, received hundreds of thousands of dollars from companies like AT&T seeking access to Trump.  Accounts indicate that Cohen actively sold himself as a conduit to Trump to companies seeking influence.  Cohen is only the latest in a long line of sleaze winding its way through Washington.

Caught red-handed in influence peddling, AT&T reportedly fired the Vice President responsible for the Cohen contract and called it a “big mistake.”

Here is the column:

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White House Aide And Former Fox Expert Mock McCain As Dying and A Traitor

225px-John_McCain_official_portrait_2009Most Americans rightfully view Sen. John McCain as a genuine war hero and American icon.  That view is not shared by President Donald Trump’s supporters, it would appear. Kelly Sadler, a special assistant to the presidend, is under fire for telling staff that they should laugh off McCain’s opposition to Gina Haspel as CIA director over her record of torture because his opinion “doesn’t matter” since “he’s dying anyway.”  On Fox Business, Thomas McInerney, a former Fox News military analyst, rebuked McCain by saying torture clearly “worked for John” and that is why is calling “Songbird John” for cracking under torture.

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Town & Country Disinvites Monica Lewinsky From “Social Change” Event After Bill Clinton Decides To Go

Despite long-standing allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment, Bill Clinton remains a draw for liberals and Democrats, including many women.  That was strikingly evident when Town & Country reportedly disinvited former White House intern Monica Lewinsky to an event on “social change” when they succeeded in getting Clinton to attend.  It appears that is a bit too much change for Town & Country.

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Poll: Democratic Advantage Vanishes Before Midterm Evaporating

The Democratic leadership defied the pressures from the catastrophic loss of Hillary Clinton by refusing to change its leadership, particularly the deeply unpopular minority leader Nancy Pelosi.  It has also gone “all in” on issues like immigration that deeply divide the country.  Now, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, shows that the Democrats’ once towering edge over Republicans going into the mid term elections has largely disappeared.  With six months to go, 47% of registered voters say they back the Democratic candidate in their district, 44% back the Republican — within the margin of error.

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How A Porn Star Can Take Down A President

440px-Official_Portrait_of_President_Donald_TrumpBelow is my column in USA Today on the real danger of the Stormy Daniels case.  The danger in the campaign finance allegation is the fact of the investigation not necessarily the charge itself.  The fact that there is an ongoing investigation presents a more straightforward basis for prosecutors to allege obstruction than in the Russian investigation.

Here is the column:

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Tale of Two Cases: Manafort and Cohen Cases Stand In Glaring Contradiction

600px-US-DeptOfJustice-Seal.svg DOJBelow is my column in The Hill newspaper on the controversial comments of Judge T.S. Ellis III.  While I viewed that insinuations about Mueller’s motivations to be inappropriate, there is a real question concerning the different and still fully explained difference in treatment of the Manafort and Cohen cases.

Here is the column:

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The GW Hippocrites? Students Seek To Replace GW Colonial Mascot With A Hippo

150px-GWUlogoFor roughly 100 years, George Washington has rallied behind our beloved mascot of the Colonials.  Now hundreds of students want to replace the mascot as “offensive” due to its perceived connection to colonization and . . .  systemic oppression.” Instead, they want to adopt the Hippo that is a favorite stop at 21st and H St.  However, wouldn’t that make us the “Hippocrites”?

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No, Giuliani Did Not Implicate Trump In Obstruction of Justice In Comey Comments

225px-rudy_giulianiBelow is my column in the Hill newspaper on the widespread criticism of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s interviews as implication his client, President Donald Trump, in the crime of obstruction of justice.  Giuliani noted that Trump fired James Comey in part due to his refusal to state publicly that Trump was not a target. While I have been highly critical of Giuliani’s performance, the defense raised by Giuliani was neither new nor a basis for a criminal charge.

 

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Haspel Continues (Reluctantly) With Endangered Nomination Despite Opposition Over Her Prior Record Of Torture

440px-Gina_Haspel_official_CIA_portraitCIA nominee Gina Haspel reportedly sought to withdraw her nomination last Friday but was convinced to continue by the White House.  I have previously written extensively on my views the torture program implemented under the Bush Administration and why it was a clear violation of international laws and treaties.  As I wrote recently, CIA nominee Gina Haspel has featured greatly in that torture program.  Nevertheless, various Democrats continues to express a willingness to consider making her the head of the Central Intelligence Agency. In the meantime, Sarah Sanders has echoed the talking point that Senators will be hypocrites if they do not vote for the first woman to be nominated for this post.  The problem is that she is also the first person nominated with an admitted history of torture, even though she continues to mislabel the programs as “enhanced interrogation.”

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Paul Ryan, Censor Deputatus

 

By Mike Appleton, Weekend Contributor 

I’ll admit that I had no idea who was serving as Chaplain of the House of Representatives until the recent controversy over the forced resignation of Fr. Patrick Conroy, S.J. But if someone had told me only that a Catholic priest had just been fired as House Chaplain, I would have guessed that he was a Jesuit.

The Society of Jesus has been a thorn in the side of princes and popes for centuries. Jesuits have been periodically banned by kings and suppressed by the Church, but they have always returned to continue speaking truth to power, inspired by a rich tradition of Ignatian spirituality and a fierce intellectual independence. My own alma mater, Jesuit High School in El Paso, Texas, occupied a campus built by Mexican Jesuits during a period of anti-clerical political repression in Mexico.

While I was still contemplating the meaning of the termination, the resulting political outcry resulted in Paul Ryan’s capitulation to political reality and Fr. Conroy’s reinstatement. But the question remains: what was behind the request for his resignation? The explanation initially provided, that he was not meeting the “pastoral needs” of  his congressional flock, struck me as contrived. Nor did I buy into the excuse that he was a victim of generalized anti-Catholic attitudes among certain House members. The correct answer, I believe, lies behind Fr. Conroy’s own comments that he had been asked to “stay out of politics” following a prayer before the opening of a House session on the then pending tax overhaul bill. The words of that prayer suggest that Fr. Conroy’s sin was primarily theological.

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Giuliani and the “Zero” Defense

225px-rudy_giulianiBelow is my column in USA Today on the disastrous interviews given by Rudy Giuliani where he made a series of damaging statements on the Stormy Daniels scandal and other matters related to President Donald Trump.  He has since walked back his remarks and President Trump has said that Giuliani needs to “get his facts straight” and said that people had to “learn before you speak. It’s a lot easier.”   Giuliani seemed to contradict himself in the same interview and tripped more wires for potential criminal and ethical violations. Giuliani who emphasized that “zero” money for Daniels came from the campaign seemed to fundamentally miscomprehend the law which is designed precisely to catch contributions coming from outside the campaign reporting system.  While doing little for the defense, it did create new questions about the failure to report the loan, the use of payments disguised as fees, and the obvious conflict with Cohen’s own recollection and statement — a point that Cohen himself made to the media.

Here is the column:

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Corey Lewandowski Threatens To Sue New York Magazine Over Reported Unlawful Entry By Reporter Olivia Nuzzi [Updated]

imagesFormer Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has, through counsel, sent a intent to sue letter to New York Magazine over an alleged home invasion by reporter Olivia Nuzzi.  Nuzzi in March admitted that she entered his home without permission — an act that certainly would be a crime as well as a tort. Update:  There is an interesting twist (and potential defense) to the potential criminal or tort case involving the “home” of Lewandowski, which also happens to be the office of Turnberry Solutions, a lobbying firm started a close Trump campaign associate.  Continue reading “Corey Lewandowski Threatens To Sue New York Magazine Over Reported Unlawful Entry By Reporter Olivia Nuzzi [Updated]”