monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

So what was it? A half million illegal and legal (haha!) criminals are released? Or they had their records expunged because a bureaucratic dispute was settled in favor of one agency over another?

— after having just said that authorities had no idea what these people did.

Right. Because Trump has zero influence in Washington. Hell, he's been saying the nicest things about McCabe for quite a while.

Now Sessions is making a decision that not only conflicts with his promise to recuse,

Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to fire former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe appears to directly violate the promise he made, under oath, to recuse himself from such matters.

Some might contend that Sessions’ recusal covered only the Clinton and Trump campaigns, and that McCabe’s firing involved the Clinton Foundation investigation as a separate matter. But Sessions unequivocally assured senators of his intentions during his confirmation hearings in response to a clear and specific question from the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Sen. Grassley asked a follow-up question that went right to the point. In response, Sessions very clearly said his recusal would cover any matters involving the Clinton Foundation.

Here is the full exchange:


GRASSLEY: During the course of the presidential campaign, you made a number of statements about the investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, relating to her handling of sensitive emails and regarding certain actions of the Clinton Foundation. You weren’t alone in that criticism. I was certainly critical in the same way as were millions of Americans on those matters, but now, you’ve been nominated to serve as attorney general. In light of those comments that you made, some have expressed concerns about whether you can approach the Clinton matter impartially in both fact and appearance. How do you plan to address those concerns?

SESSIONS: Mr. Chairman, it was a highly contentious campaign. I, like a lot of people, made comments about the issues in that campaign. With regard to Secretary Clinton and some of the comments I made, I do believe that that could place me objectivity in question. I’ve given that thought.

I believe the proper thing for me to do, would be to recuse myself from any questions involving those kind of investigations that involve Secretary Clinton and that were raised during the campaign or to be otherwise connected to it.


GRASSLEY: OK. I think, that’s — let me emphasize then with a follow up question. To be very clear, you intend to recuse yourself from both the Clinton e-mail investigation and any matters involving the Clinton Foundation, if there are any?

SESSIONS: Yes.


This exchange has two implications for how one understands the scope of Sessions’ recusal. First, it goes to defining the scope of the recusal that Sessions made on March 2, 2017. If it is a close call whether the Clinton Foundation matter is sufficiently connected to the Clinton campaign for purpose of understanding Sessions’ recusal, it should be deemed to be sufficiently connected. After all, that’s essentially what Sessions told Sen. Grassley. Second, if the Clinton Foundation matter is deemed outside the scope of the recusal statement that Sessions made back in March last year, then his decision to fire McCabe shows that he failed to honor the promise for a broader recusal which he clearly made to the Senate in its decision to confirm him as Attorney General. The same goes for Hillary Clinton’s emails. Sen. Grassley’s questions and Sessions’ answers specifically covered any matters involving that investigation as well.

Quote:

GRASSLEY: OK. I think, that’s — let me emphasize then with a follow up question. To be very clear, you intend to recuse yourself from both the Clinton e-mail investigation and any matters involving the Clinton Foundation, if there are any?

SESSIONS: Yes.

I'm not seeing how this could be extended to the McCabe firing.

how about Obama going on national tv and announcing that Clinton didn't do anything wrong before the investigation was completed.

If Trump's tweets are all you need for your proof, how about Obama going on national tv and announcing that Clinton didn't do anything wrong before the investigation was completed.

Don't forget he(obama) called the Cambridge police force stupid, and compared Trayvon "he could have been my son" to a juvenile delinquent he could have fathered.

The Nancy Pelosi Problem
The first female speaker of the House has become the most effec­tive congressional leader of modern times—and, not coinciden­tally, the most vilified. - PETER BEINART

A candidate for Maine’s state legislature has quit the race after being condemned by both Democrats and Republicans for calling a survivor of a mass shooting at a Florida high a “skinhead lesbian.”

Leslie Gibson described his decision to end his campaign for a seat in the Maine House of Representatives as “the best thing for everybody.”

Just days after the massacre last month in Parkland Florida, Gibson — a life-long member the National Rifle Association (NRA) — took to Twitter to post cruel and derisive comments about Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Georgia Republicans are advancing a bill through the state legislature that would suppress African-American turnout by eliminating Sunday voting and cutting the hours that polls are open in Atlanta.

The bill, SB 363, would force polls in the majority African American city of Atlanta to close an hour earlier — 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. — and would eliminate early voting on the Sunday before Election Day. That Sunday is often a high-turnout day for African American voters because of Souls to the Polls events that encourage people to cast ballots early after attending church.

Department of Justice to be independent from control by the White House. Silly, romantic, delusional liberal idea.