7 key questions for Attorney General Merrick Garland
Posted By: Moritz55, 8/10/2023 8:11:11 AM
There may be no harder job in the U.S. government than Attorney General. What makes it uniquely challenging? On the one hand, the Attorney General is a political position which is responsible for executing the White House’s policy agenda. But on the other, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice he or she leads is responsible for enforcing the law in an even-handed and neutral fashion without partisan considerations.
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Far-left "Squad" member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is demanding the Department of Justice target Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over his relationship with a Republican megadonor and others she claims he benefited from financially. In a Friday letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Ocasio-Cortez, along with four of her progressive colleagues, called for the DOJ to launch an investigation into Thomas "for consistently failing to report significant gifts he received from Harlan Crow and other billionaires for nearly two decades — in defiance of his duty under federal law."
In the wake of last weekend's summit in Saudi Arabia where nations gathered to discuss Kyiv's plan to end the Ukraine war, Russia is cutting an ever more isolated figure on the world stage. It seems to be striking a nerve.
At the summit in Jeddah representatives from 40 nations gathered to discuss Ukraine's proposals for ending the conflict. In a surprise move even Russia's staunchest international backer, China, sent a representative.
A Chinese presence pointed to a growing rift between Beijing and Moscow — meanwhile Russia was not invited.
In comments to The Moscow Times, four former and current Kremlin officials familiar with Russia's diplomacy were troubled.
GOP lawmakers barred from re-election
in Oregon after 6-week walkout, state
secretary says 8 replies
in Oregon after 6-week walkout, state
secretary says 8 replies
Oregon Republican leaders who orchestrated a six-week walkout from legislative sessions to stall Democrat-led bills will not be allowed to run for re-election when their term ends in 2024, Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said Tuesday. Griffin-Valade, a Democrat, vowed to uphold a 2022 law passed by Oregon voters known as Measure 113, which says lawmakers with more than 10 unexcused absences from the legislative session will not be eligible for re-election.
There may be no harder job in the U.S. government than Attorney General. What makes it uniquely challenging? On the one hand, the Attorney General is a political position which is responsible for executing the White House’s policy agenda. But on the other, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice he or she leads is responsible for enforcing the law in an even-handed and neutral fashion without partisan considerations.
Never mind the latest indictments. Or any that preceded them. Even though it came out before Donald Trump's latest plunge into the judicial process, the most recent Siena College/New York Times poll suggests two things likely outcomes: that the former president will be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee and that he's just as likely to win the general election as lose. As to the nomination, Trump is campaigning like an incumbent. His 2020 loss to Joe Biden may have looked decisive. But a shift of fewer than 50,000 votes in states like Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin would have put him back in the White House for a second term.
Several FBI offices contributed to anti-Catholic
memo, refuting Wray’s testimony, GOP says 12 replies
memo, refuting Wray’s testimony, GOP says 12 replies
House Republicans say FBI documents they've obtained proof that several field offices contributed to a memo that targeted traditionalist Catholics as "potential terrorists," conflicting with recent sworn testimony from FBI Christopher Wray. Republican leadership on the House Judiciary Committee revealed in a letter sent to Wray on Wednesday that said the document they subpoenaed from the agency details how "both FBI Portland and FBI Los Angeles field offices were involved in or contributed to the creation of FBI’s assessment of traditional Catholics as potential domestic terrorists."
Each week I resolve to try to write about some subject that does not include a reference to President Trump, but on most weeks some subject involving him is the most newsworthy story in the world. The indictment of him and others over the intrusion on January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol exposes several new perspectives. It was no surprise, as it had been telegraphed months in advance.
The Democratic political strategists must have inspired themselves with Russian army tactics in mobilizing many weeks in advance ten divisions on the Ukrainian border under the direct gaze of NATO aerial reconnaissance which was shared with the whole world:
New analysis of the White House's annual pay report revealed the executive mansion has a gender pay gap of 20%, despite past remarks from President Biden, who vowed to work on the issue and has repeatedly demanded equal pay for women. Despite Biden's own calls for other employers to address discrepancies in pay among genders, the annual pay report submitted to Congress disclosed the names, positions and varying salaries of the more than 440 White House staff members.
The median salary for men on Biden's staff is $105,000, while women who work for the president earn significantly less at a median salary of $84,000, according to an examination of the report.
House GOP release bank records on Hunter
Biden payments from Russian, Kazakh oligarchs, tot 6 replies
Biden payments from Russian, Kazakh oligarchs, tot 6 replies
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., released a third memo Wednesday about the Biden family’s foreign business dealings, producing bank records purporting to show that Hunter Biden and his business associates received millions in payments from Russian and Kazakhstani oligarchs when his father was vice president. The 19-page memo, which provides screenshots of redacted bank records, says millions in payments came from Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, as well as Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina and Kazakhstani oligarch Kenes Rakishev, and that then-Vice President Biden attended dinners with Baturina, Rakishev and a representative from Burisma.
Following Devon Archer’s bombshell congressional interview last week alleging President Biden’s deep involvement with Hunter Biden’s business dealings, a new light is being cast on his son’s longtime business partner who stands to know even more. Eric Schwerin visited the Obama White House and then-Vice President Biden’s residence at least 36 times between 2009 and 2016, likely to make him the next target of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings.
Schwerin was the founding partner and managing director of Hunter's now-dissolved firm Rosemont Seneca Partners
King Charles III's charity has been under a cloud for almost two years after allegations a staff member offered a tycoon help securing a knighthood in exchange for cash donations—and campaigners are pushing for the issue to be raised in Parliament. Former chief executive Michael Fawcett has been accused of offering to support and contribute to an application for British citizenship and a knighthood on behalf of Saudi tycoon Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.
The allegations, first published by The Sunday Times and The Mail on Sunday, were reported to the Metropolitan Police in September 2021. An investigation was launched in February 2022, while Charles was still Prince of Wales.
After last week’s indictment of former President Donald Trump relating to the 2020 election, CNN declared that the charges were "personal" for President Joe Biden, who previously said Trump's words sounded like "sedition."
Of course, Trump was not charged with sedition or even seditious conspiracy. Nor was he charged with conspiracy to incitement or insurrection, the grounds for his second impeachment.
However, if Biden does view this case as personal, as CNN suggests, he might be right for the wrong reason. That’s because the case being constructed against Trump by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith could prove a serious problem for Biden, too
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Brett Baier is not qualified to moderate the Republican debate on August 23 in Milwaukee. Mr. Baier had a much-publicised interview with President Trump a month ago. This interview amply demonstrated Baier’s antipathy towards the President. Most of the time he appeared to be cordial towards the President, however, when Trump brought up the topic of the stolen election, Baier became abusively hostile and interrupted his guest incessantly and would not let the President talk.
Right after the election the charges of fraud surfaced, and at every opportunity, the Republicans were asked by the media and Democrats if the election was stolen
A new high-speed railway system inspired by Japanese bullet trains could someday carry commuters between Houston and Dallas in under 90 minutes. Announced on Wednesday, the partnership between Amtrak and a company called Texas Central aims to connect the two cities by train, spanning roughly 240 miles at speeds upwards of 205 mph.
Hawaii had the world's fanciest natural disaster warning system on the planet. It also had an ongoing firebug problem, and recent academic study warning that the place was very vulnerable to fire catastrophes.
Somehow, none of that figured in the government's fire plan. The firebug is still out there. The conditions created for big fires, such as the proliferation of non-native grasses, remain on Maui. And the fancy emergency warning system somehow didn't work.
Never mind any of that: Its governor says the problem is global warming.
Attorney General Garland Announces Special
Counsel Probe of Alleged Biden Family Corruption 22 replies
Counsel Probe of Alleged Biden Family Corruption 22 replies
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that U.S. Attorney David Weiss has been named special counsel so that he can continue his investigation into alleged influence-peddling by President Biden’s son Hunter free from standard Justice Department oversight.
has been named special counsel designated to investigate
Weiss will be overseeing an “ongoing investigation,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) added in a statement, “as well as for any other matters that arose or may arise from that investigation.”
Weiss was nominated in 2017 by then-President Donald Trump.
Comedienne Kathy Griffin played into a little 2017 nostalgia this week when she shared a photoshopped image of prosecutor Jack Smith holding a severed head of former President Donald Trump.
The image took Griffin’s infamous 2017 photo that featured her holding the bloodied head of the former president and replaced the faces with Jack Smith and a stunned Trump, lending to its more farcical appearance. Take a look: (Link to Photo) Jack Smith has brought two indictments against Trump — one for his alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and the other for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Judge Chutkan is going to gag Trump in the middle of a presidential campaign!
Trump’s lawyer appeared before Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan Friday morning for a hearing on a proposed gag order.
Judge Chutkan gave Trump only ONE DAY to respond to a motion for protective order (gag order) filed by dirty Jack Smith rather than give him the standard 14 days.
Chutkan signaled she will gag Trump in the middle of a presidential campaign.
House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer on Friday accused the Justice Department of trying to cover-up the Biden family’s wrongdoings, after attorney general Merrick Garland announced he would appoint U.S. attorney David Weiss as a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden.
“This move by Attorney General Garland is part of the Justice Department’s efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in light of the House Oversight Committee’s mounting evidence of President Joe Biden’s role in his family’s schemes selling ‘the brand’ for millions of dollars to foreign nationals,” Comer said in a statement. “The Justice Department’s misconduct and politicization in the Biden criminal investigation already allowed the statute of limitations
Walgreens stores in Chicago decided to play classical music to stop people from loitering. I wonder if the music will then stop people from robbing stores. From the Sun-Times: The Sun-Times this week found classical music greeting customers as they approached the entrance of stores in Greektown, the West Side and River North at 641 N. Clark St. It plays from speakers connected to the building that are covered by a protective screen. Customer reaction and the results appeared mixed. (Snip) A smattering of retailers in other states have reportedly resorted to grand opera, classical’s louder sibling.
Impeach Biden, Make Democrats Sweat
14 replies
We see that congressional Republicans’ constipation has flared up again. It’s a chronic, though voluntary, distress. Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and Alejandro Mayorkas are begging to be impeached, yet Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other bunged-up House Republicans refuse to extrude. It’s time to -- well, you know what -- or get off the flippin’ pot. True justice -- unfashionable among most “progressives” -- demands action. And politics -- a dirty word to dainty Republicans -- also demands action.
Let’s set aside the sinister Merrick Garland and the plodding, lying apparatchik Alejandro Mayorkas. They can be impeached another day.
Ronna McDaniel saw the writing on the wall — Donald Trump, the most popular Republican candidate in history (by far), refuses to quit in spite of the endless legal and political witch hunts — and something had to be done.
So Mitt Romney's niece threw a hail Mary, and back in February, McDaniel mulled the idea of a "loyalty pledge" before promptly instituting it. Here's what she had to say at the time about the tactic, during a chummy conversation with CNN's Dana Bash, via Politico:
Judge Chutkan is going to gag Trump in the middle of a presidential campaign!
Trump’s lawyer appeared before Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan Friday morning for a hearing on a proposed gag order.
Judge Chutkan gave Trump only ONE DAY to respond to a motion for protective order (gag order) filed by dirty Jack Smith rather than give him the standard 14 days.
Chutkan signaled she will gag Trump in the middle of a presidential campaign. “There are limits, regardless of what is going on in, I hate to say it, his day job. This is a criminal case.
Graham: AG Garland Poured ‘Gasoline’
on Fire with Hunter Biden Special Counsel Appointment 11 replies
on Fire with Hunter Biden Special Counsel Appointment 11 replies
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Friday on FNC’s “America Reports” that Attorney General Merrick Garland appointing David Weiss as special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation was akin to pouring gasoline on a fire.
Graham said, “This was a political decision, not a legal decision. They’re trying to put out a fire, and they just poured gasoline on it. Nobody in their right mind believes that making him a special counsel, Mr. Weiss, cleans up the mess that’s been created.”He continued, “The plea agreement blew up. And to think that the very guy who wrote the plea agreement is seriously going to continue to investigate the Bidens is laughable.