Al Sharpton has long been plagued by criminal and ethical allegations (here and here and here and here). These have included allegations over his making a fortune from companies threatened by boycotts. Now, many are raising questions over the announcement of Sharpton’s National Action Network that it will to pay Sharpton $531,000 for his “life story rights for a 10-year period.” NAN is a non-profit and the deal has been criticized as another example of Sharpton using the organization for personal benefit. This is on top of Sharpton taking $244,661 in compensation from the group in 2017.
The media is replete this week with stories of the “demise” and “fall” of attorney Michael Avenatti, who skyrocketed to fame in his representation of porn star Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels. Avenatti’s skill at both litigation and public advocacy led to calls for him to run for president. That was before Avenatti became embroiled in a public rift with his live-in girlfriend, who alleged physical abuse, and then allegations of unethical conduct by Daniels. It often seems that people enjoy only one thing more than a meteoric rise of a celebrity: the later fall from a great height. In this case, those declaring the ethical case as a threat to Avenatti’s license should look closer at the known record.
Continue reading “Daniels v. Avenatti: The Advance Authorization Defense”
Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the recent insights into the efforts of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to bag President Donald Trump. There is little ambiguity in these efforts: while Trump is being called a “subject” of the investigation, he is being treated as a “target.” That danger became more apparent with the later allegations of Michael Cohen that he not only lied to support Trump’s account but that the worked with Trump’s counsel in preparing his false testimony. He claims to have had “regular contact” with Trump counsel during that period. That would pose some serious questions for counsel if Cohen was clear that he was giving false testimony. However, he does not say that. It still remains unclear how much Cohen is suggesting that the President or his counsel knew about the specifics on the “Moscow Project” or his own falsification of dates and information.
What is clear is that Mueller is still on the hunt for Trump and all eyes should be on Corsi, Stone, and possibly Donald Trump Jr. for the next move. Continue reading “What Does Mueller Have On Trump?”
It has been 106 years since New Mexico became a state but word is a bit show getting to the D.C. government. Gavin Clarkson told the Las Cruces Sun-News that both a District of Columbia clerk and a supervisor refused to give him a marriage license because New Mexico is a foreign government and he needed to show a proper foreign passport.
Egypt is again showing the world that it is regressing into medieval religious orthodoxy under the enforcement of Islamic values through criminal laws. The latest victim of religious orthodoxy is actress Rania Youssef who may go to jail for wearing a revealing dress. That’s right, she is facing criminal charges for wearing a dress at the Cairo Film Festival. Just for the record, I hate the dress. But that is a stylistic matter. The case is an attack on free speech and what is most disturbing is that it is the work of two lawyers who seem to relish being vehicles of repression and intolerance. Continue reading “Egyptian Actress Faces Incarceration Over Wearing Revealing Dress To Film Festival”
In Thailand, police are dealing with a rather novel case of road rage after a man was driving at an excessive speed through the Khao Yai National Park after being warned about animals on the road and hit an elephant in its back legs. The elephant proceeded to crush the car with the man in it.
Continue reading “Road Rage: Man Hit Elephant . . . Elephant Crushes Man”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Move over Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, the Russians have a more potent form of holy-war materiel.
On November 29th, Russian Military Forces deployed at Dzankoy, Crimea an S-400 Anti-Aircraft System as part of its military occupation of the peninsula. Not to be without an appropriate blessing for this divinely inspired weapon system, the military arranged for consecration of these Anti-Aircraft Missiles of Antioch by priests of the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Pie erucae dominus
Dona eis requiem
Continue reading “Russian Orthodox Church Priest Consecrates Holy Anti-Aircraft Missile Of Antioch”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Those familiar with the former federal office building in Wenatchee, Washington, who have actually noticed, are familiar with the strange earthen mounds situated at the Northwest of the property. They were constructed in 1981 by Artist Stan Dolega who received $19,000.00 (about $54,000.00 today) from the government to place the dirt, a concrete retaining wall, and sod.
Anecdotally, the work faced much criticism since its inception as being the archetype of government waste through mandatory spending on artwork. It was not popular with those in the community and faced considerable ridicule as to its lack of utility, and that could credibly be claimed that the government paid nearly twenty grand for a pile of dirt.
Now the city wants to remove the mounds to make room for additional parking but discovered that it cannot due to a covenant designed to protect a problematic artwork that simply will not go away.
Continue reading “Public Art Or Public Nuisance? Mound Of Dirt Art That Won’t Go Away”
It appears nothing escapes the wrath of our divided country. This week however it is Melania Trump who has been slammed for what are being called “the Blood Christmas Trees” after she went with crimson trees that left many . . . all right . . . seeing red. It was not my cup of tree but I am so traditional that I have opposed the smallest changes in the Christmas dinner menu for five decades. The review have been scathing from comparisons to “The Handmaid’s Tale” to the “The Shining” and worse. Frankly, the red trees are not as bad as people suggest and there is a traditional tree at the end. Moreover, they are certainly not the biggest eyesores in Washington. That distinction goes to the Four Seasons were I spotted these two abominations which left you simply wishing for New Year’s Eve.
Continue reading “Save The Trees: Washington Appears In A Contest For The Ugliest Christmas Trees”
Temple University professor and CNN contributor Marc Lamont Hill caused a stir after he spoke before the United Nations and made pro-Palestinian statements that critics claimed were thinly veiled calls for the elimination of Israel. CNN promptly fired Hill and many at Temple University demanded that the media studies professor also be fired. Temple correctly stood firm on the free speech rights of faculty to speak out on such important but controversial issues. While disassociating itself from the merits of the commentary, the university stated that “we acknowledge that he has a constitutionally protected right to express his opinion as a private citizen.” Continue reading “Temple University Refuses To Fire Professor Dumped By CNN For Anti-Israel Comments”
There is an interesting controversy at the University of California (Berkeley) after history professor Brian DeLay tweeted that it is time for the school to get rid of the use of end-of-semester student evaluations for hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions. Such evaluations have long been a critical measure of a professor’s credentials. However, Professor DeLay insists that such evaluations tend to be lower for female instructors and people of color. Thus, his proposal is to stop the use of evaluations for all faculty in decisions related to hiring or promotion. Continue reading “Berkeley Professor Proposes Banning Use of Student Evaluations As Disfavoring Female and Minority Instructors”
We previously discussed the courageous stand of my alma mater, University of Chicago, against the growing speech codes and “safe spaces” in campuses around the country. Purdue University also took a stand in favor of free speech in adopting “the Chicago principles.” Now, Christopher Newport University (a university that I have long admired) has joined the ranks of free speech institutions with its own statement rejecting speech controls and regulations. The statement below states that “Although the University greatly values civility, and although all members of the University community share in the responsibility for maintaining a climate of mutual respect, concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas, however offensive or disagreeable those ideas may be to some members of our community.” Bravo CNU Bravo.Continue reading “Christopher Newport University Takes Stand For Free Speech”
Below is my column in USA Today on the collapse of the cooperation agreement with Paul Manafort. As predicted in the column, President Donald Trump picked up on the conflict to allege that Mueller is pressuring people to lie in order to make a case against him. In the meantime, the White House confirmed that Manafort’s counsel has been conferring with the Trump legal team to tell them what Manafort was supplying and the questions being asked under the cooperation agreement. It is a highly unusual move and prosecutors usually bar such joint defense agreements or meetings from contenting for obvious reasons. It is not clear what Manafort was told but it is hard to believe that Mueller would be moronic enough to fail to make such a clear condition.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Legal Kremlinology: Mueller’s Break With Manafort Leads To Frenzy Of Speculation Over The Russian Investigation”
Michael Avenatti, counsel for Stormy Daniels, is having a seriously bad month. He was earlier accused of domestic battery by a girlfriend, who secured a restraining order last week. (The police declined to bring a felony charge in the case). Now, Daniels has gone public with accusations that Avenatti solicited donations without her approval and did not reveal where the money has gone. In perhaps the most serious allegation, she alleges that Avenatti sued Donald Trump for defamation in her name but without securing her approval. (For full disclosure, Avenatti is my former student and I have previously praised his impressive success as a lawyer.
Continue reading “Stormy Daniels Accuses Michael Avenatti Of Unethical Conduct”
In a highly disturbing and inappropriate tweet, President Donald Trump retweeted an image that accused his own deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, of treason as well as special counsel Robert Mueller, former FBI Director James Comey, former national intelligence director James Clapper, Bill and Hillary Clinton and others. The image is accompanied with the question “Now that Russia collusion is a proven lie, when do the trials for treason begin?” Such an image and question, even made in jest, would be deeply insulting and below the office of the presidency. The President has previously called the media “the enemy of the people” and used equally intolerant language toward judges. Regardless of how one feels about the Special Counsel investigation or the role of some of these people, people of good faith must speak out against such attacks on the character of these individuals. I have been a critic of some actions in this investigation and specifically Rosenstein’s conflict of interest, but I would never question their loyalty to this nation. Continue reading “Trump Tweets Image Accusing His Own Deputy Attorney General and Others Of Treason”