Category: Government & Politics

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To Mitch & Paul

3-23-2018
Senator Mitch McConnell
Representative Paul Ryan

Sen. McConnell and Rep. Paul Ryan:

I hate to say this but you both and the Republican held Senate and House are a damned disgrace. I say this as a very angry life long and old Republican. What you did with the 2300+ page Omnibus bill was to hold the President hostage and screw the taxpayers of this country. The President and all of us in fly-over country absolutely wanted the military to be properly funded. However, we wanted, too, for the Wall to be properly funded and DACA to be dealt with including stopping chain migration and the Visa lottery, and wanted lowering legal immigration numbers. You have let the Democrats  and RINOs run Congress. You, obviously, are among them. Shame, shame on you.

I am placing a bet today that Congress will be controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer after the coming November election. Too many Republicans will simply stay home they are so disgusted with the way you have performed since November 2016 when the President carried the day for most of you.

Get off of your asses! You really do not know how angry people are. All Congressional incumbents need to be defeated except for the Freedom Caucus members and other likeminded Representatives and Senators.
In Indiana, we are going to do everything we can to see that Rep. Todd Rokita is defeated in his run for the US Senate. He represents the Establishment (SWAMP) just like the two of you do. In one of his current ads, among other things he claims he will push for term limits. We know that is simply BULL.

We do not understand the corruption in Washington DC. On top of the screwing up by the Republican Congress, we have an Attorney General that has totally given in to the other side. He has no backbone to do the right thing with Rosenstein, Mueller, and all the rest of the law breakers in or formerly with the Justice Department, State Department, and FBI. He has not pushed for pursuit of justice for any of the Clinton cadre.  More Republican disgrace. Another independent Special Counsel is needed badly. Hopefully it would be one from outside of Washington DC where it appears the majority there are corrupt.

People are angry. They will not forget.
Regards,
Kent H Blacklidge
Past Publisher/ The Kokomo Tribune

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Immigration Continued

“Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans in the finite space of a planetary ecosystem as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who do survive.” Pardot Kynes / Planetologist

Kynes, a fictional “planetologist” from the Dunes universe, has hit the nail right on the head. Too many people on a planet floating in the vast expanse of space, like Earth, leads to collapse of the supporting ecosystem and a race to the bottom for the quality of life. Ultimately, human life descends to the base needs of food, water, and shelter.

The United States of America is at a decision point. Population expansion and immigration pressures from all over the world are at our doorstep. We will face up to them or go down the road to eventual degradation if we have not already stepped foot on that road. The bold fact is that the United States of America does not need additional numbers of people. We need to be concentrating on elevating the quality of life for those already American citizens, not bringing more and more people in from other parts of the world.

Congress is in the process of playing games with the future of the country and the lives of our citizens. President Trump has already gone well beyond “compromise” with his four pillars of immigration policy reform. He has taken the position he will accept allowing nearly two million illegal immigrants a path not only to residency but to citizenship in exchange for building the southern border wall, ending the incredibly insane visa lottery program, and ending or severely curtailing chain migration. He has gone as far as he should go and maybe beyond; period. There are those of us who believe he has gone too far already in a willingness to appease or “compromise”.

The road block seems to be the U.S. Senate where presently 60 votes or more are required to pass any new immigration legislation. This matter is too critical to allow this. The future health or likely survival of this country is at stake. If there was an army at our door like was the case with World War II, we would not hesitate to take whatever action was required. We are at a similar point whether recognized or not. It is time for the U.S. Senate to face up and change its rules.

The success of passage of meaningful and tough immigration legislation that mirrors what has been proposed by President Donald Trump is in the hands of one person: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell is the road block. He is the one stopping the elimination of the 60 vote rule, part of which was eliminated by the Democrats when they controlled the Senate. The rest needs to now go. If it doesn’t, the future of the United States of America is in jeopardy and should be laid at the feet of McConnell and the Republicans. No excuses. And God help us if Democrats ever again gain control of Congress.

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DACA dilemma

Stupid, insane, dangerous, Visa lottery, chain migration, anchor babies, DACA, suicidal: words that go together! Our immigration system is broken.
A whole cottage industry has sprung up around “anchor babies”. Illegal entry into the USA of pregnant women is expedited by criminals for profit. The women and their babies receive “free” medical care and then dependent child support under the Welfare system. The baby, a US citizen, and parents are allowed permanent residence.

Most recently, Democrats have artificially elevated DACA to a crisis. Yes, we are faced with what to do with the alleged 800,000 illegal aliens in the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates the real number that are eligible or included is closer to 3.6 million.

In 2012, then President Obama decreed anyone in DACA would be allowed to stay in the USA without fear of deportation. He said he did not need Congress. He illegally acted with the stroke of his pen. Obama behaved as king or dictator. Now, we have the notorious 9th Circuit Court illegally blocking the ending of illegal DACA.

President Trump refused to extend this illegal program beyond six months. He said Congress was responsible for creating immigration law, not the President. He and Republicans have indicated a willingness to accept a permanent DACA solution including provisions for remaining in the US in return for funding of the border wall and ending chain migration and the immigration lottery system.

Democrats decided full amnesty for all in DACA is important enough to them that they shut down the federal government putting our nation’s security at risk. In return, they are not willing to end chain migration, the lottery system, or provide sufficient funding for the wall; all for recruitment of foreign born potential voters. No one is fooled. Their actions have nothing to do with compassion but rather with politics.

I propose no deportation for DACA high school grads who are fluent in English and who are in added education (college or technical school) AND graduate or have a productive job or who have served in the military. Deport all currently on public assistance programs or who commit a crime.
Any plan must be tightly predicated on funding of the wall and the ending of the anchor baby provision, chain migration, and the immigration lottery. Our country must control its border to prevent illegal immigration and stem the flow of drugs. The drugs are killing us and we must know who wants into the United States.

For those who cry we are a nation of immigrants, the immigration of the 19th and 20th centuries is not the same as today. There is no shortage of potential workers. We have over 90 million citizens out of the work force. They deserve priority. And, earlier immigrants made every effort to assimilate. That is no longer a given.

As citizens, we have been incredibly naive and negligent too long. It is past time to drastically reduce overall immigration and put any immigration there is on a merit based system that benefits our country economically and culturally. We are and will continue to be the compassionate melting pot of the world; not suckers.

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Big Stink from the Swamp

Stink, stink, stink, stink, stink, stink, stink and more stink!

Robert Mueller, Rod Rosenstein, Peter Strzok, Bruce Ohr, Aaron Solenski, Andrew McCabe, James Comey, Lisa Page, Andrew Weissmann, Susan Rice, Loretta Lynch, Cheryl Mills, Huma Abadin, Smantha Powers, Sally Yates, Jeannie Rhee, Eric Holder, James Clapper, John Brennan, Ben Rhodes, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Donna Brazile, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, and Barack Hussein Obama. The list goes on and on.
It is a miracle the United States has survived. If Hillary Clinton had been elected as President, all of the corruption, pay offs, intimidation, collusion, bribing, blackmail and worse would have continued under the radar of the good citizens of our country. Donald Trump was not supposed to win; he did. Thank God.

Now it is time for surgery. The rot needs to be cut out. As Representatives Jim Jorden and Mark Meadows have said: Attorney General Jeff Sessions needs to do his job or step aside. There is corruption at the top of the FBI and Department of Justice. When Robert Mueller was Director of the FBI, he cleaned out the upper echelon of the FBI experienced, independent, and dedicated administrators only to replace them with them with those less experienced but staunch supporters of Obama/Clinton. Now it is his turn to be removed. Mueller and his band of corrupt attorneys need to be defunded and disbanded immediately. They have already spent $7 million taxpayer dollars in their witch hunt against President Trump with no finding of wrong doing. The only action they have taken is to destroy a man who gave nearly 40 years of his life for the good of the USA: General Michael Flynn. And Mueller did that by blackmailing Flynn with the threat they would go after his son if he, General Flynn, did not confess to lying to the FBI. In short, Mueller entrapped Flynn; itself an illegal act.

Just at the end of his term in office, Barack Obama moved many political appointees in the Justice Department and FBI into civil service posts where they became insulated against removal. All….. repeat, ALL of these individuals should be removed from their positions somehow and sent packing. They are the “Deep State” bent on fomenting turmoil, resistance, and sabotage inside the current administration. They must be identified and ousted.

The Clinton machine must be put under the microscope of Lady Justice. Whether another Special Counsel or by the Attorney General or the Congress, the Clinton machine and all those even remotely connected to it must be exposed for what they are and have been: corrupt, manipulative, and criminal. Worse than the Mafia. And they must be prosecuted when crimes were committed.

Now we have a past President, citizen Barack Hussein Obama, traveling around the world as a “Shadow President” abusing the privilege he was once awarded as US President. If anyone should be prosecuted under the Logan Act, it should be him. Who in the hell does he think he is. No private citizen has the right to attempt to conduct USA foreign policy independent of our government. That is exactly what he is doing. He even, by innuendo, is attempting to personify President Trump as a potential Adolph Hitler. Obama needs to be shackled. In the eight years he had in office, he did more to weaken our country both internally and externally than any in the history of the USA. He did more to bring turmoil to the world and strength to our enemies than you can imagine; that with Hillary Clinton by his side.
It is well past time for the justice surgeons to get out the scalpels and excise the DeepState.

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DACA Hysteria

Many, including CEO’s of large corporations, just don’t get it. DACA was an illegal executive order promulgated by then President Barack Obama when he could not get Congress to act. It was never legal and Obama knew it. He said this himself publicly many times. It was an order that violated existing immigration law from inception and violated the Presidential oath of office. In case you don’t know enough about the Constitution of the United States of America, the Executive branch (i.e. that branch headed by the President) does not make law. It only has the power to enforce law passed by the Congress of the United States.

So, the whining, crying, and gnashing of teeth by those affected and the executives of companies complaining about the ending of DACA need to direct their venom at Congress, not at the President. President Trump took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution and law, not make law or violate it. To make law unilaterally, as did President Obama, he/she would need to be dictator or king; neither of which we have in this country, however much so Obama thought.

The fact under existing law is the “Dreamers” are in the United States illegally regardless of how young they were upon arrival. Their parents are or were in this country illegally as well. Those are the bald facts.
If the “Dreamers” are to be treated differently, it is up to Congress to pass legislation that would change their status. Simple.

Whether or not to do so, there are facts to be considered. The 800,000 or so people who are “Dreamers” in large part have jobs or are in the educational system somewhere. One has to wonder what United States citizens don’t hold those jobs now occupied by or have educational and tax paid social benefits used by the “Dreamers”.

There are over 90 million US citizens currently unemployed. There are tens of thousands of United States citizens who have graduated from colleges and universities burdened with tens of thousands of debt but unable to find a job. Should they bow to the wants and needs of the “Dreamers”? If so, something is seriously amiss.

If Congress is to consider a special status for individuals who were brought illegally into the United States by their parents or otherwise, it must proceed carefully. Congress would be derelict of duty and in violation of their oath of office if “Dreamers” were put ahead of or given preference over young United States of America citizens.

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Charlottesville Revisited

The shame, mayhem, injuries, and death in Charlottesville belong squarely in the laps of Governor Terry McAuliffe, Mayor Michael Signer, and Police Chief Al S. Thomas Jr.. They, collectively, are guilty of dereliction of duty. They did not protect the citizens of Charlottesville. Those three knew weeks in advance trouble was coming to Charlottesville. They had more than enough time to plan; they didn’t. Charlottesville had even granted the White Nationalist Rally a march permit which had been advertised nationally for months ahead of march day.

Even an idiot would know that the KKK, White Nationalists, Neo-Nazis, Black Lives Matter, AntiFa, and more in the same town at the same time spell big trouble. Even an idiot would know agreed-to arrangements and a march route would be resisted. Even an idiot knows potentially violent opposing groups must be kept apart. They were not. Riot, injury, and death resulted. The Governor, Mayor, and Police Chief are to blame. They had the power to prevent what happened and chose not to.

Let’s be clear: the KKK, White Nationalists, and Neo-Nazis are despicable racists. They have no place in society but under the Constitution do have the right to peacefully demonstrate and speak. On the other side we have Black Lives Matter and the AntiFa, now a designated domestic terrorist group. They have the same rights. Both groups came to fight with clubs, sprays, and fists. Parts of one group were dressed in the garb of the Ku Klux Klan. Parts of the other were dressed in the black hoods, shirts, and pants like those that trashed the Berkeley campus, keep conservative speakers from various events, turn over cars, and burn buildings. All of these folks are despicable and have no place as true Americans.

Charlottesville is near the same population size as Kokomo. Years ago, Kokomo had a KKK march around the courthouse square. No one wanted the KKK to come to town, but respected their right to peacefully march and speak. What Kokomo did was what Charlottesville should have done and did not. Kokomo police and the Indiana State Police kept the KKK marchers and those who opposed the KKK blocks apart. Local ministers well ahead of time spread the message for people to stay home. Many did. The march went off without incident and the KKK left town. The wanted trouble but were denied that by the good citizens of Kokomo and professional policing. Kokomo won. The police did their job in keeping the peace and order in our community. The opposite happen in Charlottesville.

President Donald Trump said and did all the right things. Both sides and those in government in Virginia are to blame for what happened there. Both sides were brewing for a fight that never should have been allowed to happen…..and a young woman died with many others seriously injured. Trump condemned what happened in no uncertain terms as facts unfolded. He was right, too, in saying there were some honest, peaceful people in Charlottesville who wanted historically markers to remain and others who were deeply offended by those markers being present. Both had the right to peacefully protest and speak out. No one had the right to violence. For damned sure, President Trump is not to blame.

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GOP Do Nothing

The Republicans in Congress are a disgrace, especially in the failed Senate. The folks in “fly-over” country are getting damned mad at the lack of action on President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Take health insurance: the Republicans had seven years to be ready to move forward on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). What did they do? Nothing. People are hurting. People cannot afford the premiums and deductibles in many cases and in others they cannot even purchase insurance coverage. Now what do we hear: Congress is considering an extension of the Obama illegal bail out of the insurance companies; subsidies to them. Obama broke the law, said a federal court, when he took money from FNMA and Freddie Mac to support insurance companies [US House of Representatives v. Burwell 130 F. Supp. 3d 53, US District Court for the District of Columbia]. Now the GOP wants to put its blessing on taxpayer money for the same purpose. What is wrong? Inexcusable.

We learned Congress and Congressional staffers are covered by insurance subsidized by taxpayers. Congress does not live by the same rules everyone else does. They get special treatment. Again, what is wrong? It is reported President Trump has the power to end these Congressional subsidies. He should and quicker than you can blink an eye. They never should have existed in the first place. The Republicans had 7 years to correct this inequity and did nothing except feather their own nests. Inexcusable.
Now we learn the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are putting together a computer-based primary care allocation system for when private health insurance collapses. Looks like a single payer plan with “death panels”; all centralized in the federal government.

Then we have the slow boating of President Trump appointees. Movement has been seen recently, but the Republican Senate let Democrats rule. Senator Chuck Schumer wielded more power over how nominees were considered than did Majority Leader McConnell. It was clear who was in charge. It was not the Republicans.

And the restrictions in the Senate over the 60 vote rule; that should be abolished instantly. The Democrats abolished it over certain matters when they held control of the Senate. There is no requirement under the Constitution for a super majority vote to pass anything. The Republicans in the Senate could totally abolish this practice if they wanted to. It seems they don’t. The only reason possible is to provide cover and excuse for not dealing with legislation; then being held accountable. Cowards.

There is the situation with Russia. No collusion but to the continued delight of the Democrats, RINOs, and the deep state; the investigation continues to take time, energy, and, even worse, millions of taxpayer dollars. Again, inexcusable. Congress is even considering legislation that would restrict the President’s authority over the Special Prosecutor. The seriously flawed SP Mueller has conflicts of interests all over the place. The SP exists under the Department of Justice which is part of the Executive Branch, not the Congress. The CEO of the Executive Branch is the President. There is something called the separation of power under the Constitution.

Congress has passed legislation that restricts the President’s ability to make decisions about sanctions against Russia, North Korea, and Iran; all matters of foreign affairs that under the Constitution are Presidential purview and authority, not that of Congress. The President needs to be able to negotiate with other countries. The Constitution says so.

So, no skating on health care. It now has become a Republican albatross. Get Obamacare repealed and replaced as promised. Then on to tax reform and out of the business of the Executive Branch. Get these done or face the wrath of voters, particularly in the primaries, in 2018. It is that simple.

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Obama's Travels

News Flash to B.H. Obama: you are no longer President. You are an ordinary citizen!

Citizen Obama should follow the lead of former President George H. Bush and other US Presidents before him. But, no, he is paddling around the globe, shadowing President Trump, with his nose in where it does not belong. This following a statement by Obama himself months ago saying, “There is only one President at a time.”, when he thought then nominee Donald Trump might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”

That is the Logan Act language passed by Congress in 1799; an act intended to stop any except official representatives of the President of the United States government from conducting foreign affairs with foreign governments.

In the Supreme Court case of the United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp in 1936, the Court observed the following: “The President alone has the power to speak or listen as a representative of the nation. He makes treaties with the advice and consent of the Senate; but he alone negotiates. Into the field of negotiation the Senate cannot intrude; and Congress itself is powerless to invade it. As Marshall said in his great argument of March 7, 1800, in the House of Representatives, ‘The President is the sole organ of the nation in its external relations, and its sole representative with foreign nations.’”

Barack Obama; how guilty can you get? For example, one day after President Trump met with the leader of South Korea, President Moon Jae-in, Obama arranged a meeting with the Korean leader. If Obama discussed any topics related to US policy which do not agree with President Tump’s policies, Obama broke the law.

Then there was the meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Obama met with Merkel on the same day she later encountered President Donald Trump at the NATO summit meeting. What did Merkel and Obama talk about? Cannot imagine, but if anything about the relationship between Germany and the United States was discussed, it was in violation of the Logan Act.

One more: in early June, Obama met in Canada and had dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. News reports have it they discussed policy goals. If so, another violation of the Logan Act.

Obama said, “I try to make it a rule not to meddle in other people’s politics” before reeling off a dripping tribute to Merkel. “If I were here and I were German, and I had a vote, I might support her. But I don’t know whether that hurts or helps.” Meddling? You decide.

Obama does not understand he is now an ordinary citizen of the United States; not the President or a representative of the President. He is a “has been”, not an “is”. If he does not stop his meddling with foreign affairs, he should be prosecuted. Maybe he should be even now.

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Paris Climate Accord & Director Krull

The director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism, John Krull, has done it again in his Tribune column of June 7th about President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. He refers to Trump’s decision as “dumb, bigly, yugely, and dumb”, again. He writes more like I would expect from MSNBC’s hysterical Morning Joe Scarborough or Rachael Maddow than as a responsible, knowledgeable journalist.
The Paris Climate Accord was yet another example of poor judgment by former President Barack Hussein Obama. Obama did not even have the courage to bring this agreement to the United States Congress for debate and agreement before he committed the United States to its terms. The Agreement terms put the United States at great disadvantage and would have cost taxpayers billions of dollars without commensurate benefit. The worst of the Paris Climate Accord was that the two largest polluters on the planet, China and India, would not have been required to reduce emissions, but in fact could increase them, until 2030. In the meanwhile, the United States has in fact already voluntarily reduced emissions to levels of over 20 years ago.
President Trump put America first. He has stated publicly he intends to encourage the development of cleaner energy sources. In almost the same breath when he withdrew the United States from the Paris agreement, he stated he was more than willing to negotiate a new agreement not so punishing to our country. He reminded all the United States is 20 trillion dollars in debt. We can no longer be the money bank for other countries, whatever the cause. It is up to them to deal with their own problems. This is particularly true for India and China who stood to receive United States monetary support from the Paris agreement. They are the biggest problems and we are not their savior. We need to deal with our own country and our own problems.
The climate is changing. Contrary to some right wing conservatives, the evidence is clear. There are dozens of biological indicators of change. I know of none that support ‘no change’ or insignificant change. The temperature of the planet is increasing on average. Ice caps and glaciers are melting. The range of insects, plants, and animals is being modified. Permafrost areas are melting. Sea levels are rising. There is no doubt about these.
What there is doubt about is exactly why and how much of change is due to human activity…. and conversely, how much can be influenced by behavior change by humans. We suspect root causes to be too many people and too much polluting industry. No one wants to address the former.
I am probably one of the strongest environmentalists around. I have demonstrated this beginning as long ago as the 1970’s when in top management of the Kokomo Tribune. I directed a survey of the Wildcat Creek water quality and helped to initiate the first Creek cleanup effort which continues today. The Tribune encouraged the improvement of the waste sanitation plant for better water quality discharge. The Tribune successfully opposed the creation of the Lafayette Reservoir which would have flooded over 4,000 acres of prime farmland. The Tribune was the recipient of the Izaak Walton League media award for conservation. There was more.
I believe the decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord was the right decision for the United States. It appeared too much to be a scheme for redistribution of wealth across the globe. Its terms were voluntary and not enforceable. We need to lead by example in all areas of conservation of natural resources, not be the suckers again to finance the rest of the world. Director John Krull is wrong again. One must question his qualifications to lead a university Department of Journalism.

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Jarrett on Mueller

[The following is a piece by Jarrett. I had to reprint it because it clearly paints the picture of the witch hunt against President Donald Trump]
GREGG JARRETT, ATTORNEY
FOX NEWS OPINION PIECE
May 23rd, 2017
What is Robert Mueller Investigating (since collusion is not a crime)?
Robert Mueller is tasked with finding a crime that does not exist in the law. It is a legal impossibility.
As special counsel, Mueller can engage in all manner of spectacular jurisprudence gymnastics. However, it will not change the fact that colluding with Russia is not, under America’s criminal codes, a crime. It’s just not there.
Maybe it should be. Perhaps someday Congress will pass a law criminalizing such conduct in political campaigns. But for now, there’s not a single statute outlawing collaboration with a foreign government in a US presidential election. Or any election, for that matter.
Why, then, are so many people who are following the Trump-Russia saga under the mistaken impression that collusion is a crime? Principally, because it is a loaded word with an historic criminal connotation.
“Collusion” became a prominent part of the legal lexicon when Benjamin Harrison occupied the White House and Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in 1890 outlawing collusion in some business practices. Specifically, price fixing and other anti-competitive activities became a criminal offense under Section 1 of the Act. Almost overnight, the word “collusion”was converted into a legal pejorative.
But collusion is only criminal in an anti-trust setting. It has nothing whatsoever to do with elections. Yet that has not stopped the politicians, pundits, and journalists from either misunderstanding the concept and/or mis-construing its application to the Trump-Russia hysteria and has reached a deafening pitch.
Both the Department of Justice and the FBI seem equally oblivious.
Mueller’s marching orders: Under the law granting him legal authority (28 CFR 600), a special counsel is charged with investigating crimes. Only crimes. Nothing else. He has limited jurisdiction. Any other wrong doing uncovered in the investigation which does not rise to the level of a criminal offense cannot even be made public by the special counsel. That is the law.
So, what crime is Mueller instructed to investigate? Let’s take a look.
In his order appointing Mueller as special counsel (Order No. 3915-2017), acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein directed him to investigate “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump”.
But wait. If Mueller is supposed to look for evidence of a crime that is not, by legal definition, a crime … then isn’t the special counsel being asked to do something that is manifestly unattainable? Doesn’t the impossibility of his assignment render the exercise futile? The answer is yes.
The only conceivable crime is a tangential one. If it could somehow be shown that someone in the Trump campaign aided and abetted the hacking of the National Democratic Committee or the campaign of Hillary Clinton, then perhaps a criminal charge might be made. But as Harvard law professor Allen Dershowitz told Fox News, “I’m sure that didn’t happen”.
How can he be so sure? Common sense. There’s no evidence the Trump campaign had the technical expertise to hack anything. Knowing about a computer theft or even verbally encouraging it is not enough under the law. It requires an overt act that assists in the commission of the crime. It appears that no one, including the Trump campaign, even knew about Russia’s hacking efforts until after they were accomplished and made public.
Any related matters.
Rosenstein order to the special counsel authorizes him to investigate “any other matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.” This is the usual all encompassing phrase which allows a special counsel to run rampant in an almost limitless direction to dig up dirt on potential targets.
As I pointed out in a recent column, Mueller’s probe will inevitably morph into an investigation of President Trump’s meeting with James Comey and his subsequent firing of the FBI director. Amid partisan accusations of obstruction of justice the special counsel will surely examine whether the President corruptly attempted to influence, obstruct, or imped the due administration of the law, as the law defines it. (18 USC 1501)
If the President told Comey he hopes former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn could be cleared because “he’s a good guy”, it is not enough to sustain an objection charge. Hoping or wishing for an outcome is not the same as influencing, obstructing or impeding. Nor is firing the FBI director. As Comey himself admitted, the President has the Constitutional authority to fire him for any reason or no reason at all.
Furthermore, the term “corruptly” is specifically defined under {18 USC 1515)(B) as “acting with an improper purpose, including making a false or misleading statement, or withholding, concealing, altering, or destroying a document or other information.” The President’s actions do not come close to satisfying the requirements of acting corruptly.
The most recent accusation is President Trump asked two of his top intelligent officials, Daniel Coats and Adm. Michael Rogers, to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion during the 2016 election. If Rogers and Coats had no such evidence of collusion, then asking them to tell the truth is not illegal. But at this point, we do not know what exactly occurred during those alleged conversations.
What we do know is that collusion in a political campaign is not, by itself, a crime.
How then, is it possible to obstruct the investigation of a crime…. which is not a crime?
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