Three House Dems On Judiciary Committee Hit With Ethics Allegations

Posted on February 13, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 13, 2020

Fox News reports that three Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee who voted against President Trump on impeachment are now under suspicion for unethical activities of their own.

Rep. Madeline Dean of Pennsylvania, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia all had ethics complaints filed against them by a watchdog nonprofit group on Wednesday. Americans for Public Trust asked for investigations as to whether the trio violated House rules and federal law.

“All three of these members have engaged in disturbing activities that appear to us to be violations of federal law and House rules. This is especially alarming given all three sit on the prestigious House Judiciary Committee, which has direct oversight responsibilities over the U.S. Department of Justice and, by extension, the nation’s law enforcement,” said Adam Laxalt, former Nevada attorney general and counsel to the group. “We’re calling on the Federal Election Commission and the Office of Congressional Ethics to immediately investigate these suspicious activities.”

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The charges against Dean are that she used funds from one campaign, for lt. governor of PA, in another campaign, a race for Congress. The law says only funds for federal races can be used for other federal races. The PA race was not federal, thus violating FEC rules.

Jayapal is charged with soliciting campaign funds connected with performing an official duty. She did so in a C-SPAN broadcast on healthcare where she used the time given to her as a member of the House to ask for campaign donations. That is a clear violation of House rules.

McBeth allegedly worked for a gun control group up to and during her congressional campaign. She did not report that employment when filing her papers to run and thus was making campaign appearances while both a candidate and an employee of a gun control group. Her non-reported double dipping is against FEC rules.

These three very possibly stood in ethical judgment of the president while they had broken rules of ethics and laws themselves. They repeatedly expressed horror at the president’s supposed actions and sanctimoniously conducted themselves as pure as the driven snow.

But with a little digging, their snow has turned to dark mush.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Meet The Woman Challenging Nancy Pelosi Who May Just Take Her Seat

Posted on February 13, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 13, 2020

Running and beating Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California may seem like an impossible task, a David versus Goliath mission. But the GOP sports a 34 year old entrepreneur that has the right stuff for the job.

DeAnna Lorraine was born and raised in California and went to Cal State at Chico, where she studied marketing and organizational communications.

For the last ten years she has owned her own personal counseling firm and has had a thorough private sector education in the free market and the challenges facing small businesses everywhere. Her particular job has also given her a unique perspective on the current status of the American family. That’s why her first priority is making sure government does all it can, within common sense limits, to “restore the family unit.”

Lorraine comments, “Even though I’m running as a Republican, so many of the issues we are dealing with cross political lines and affect all Americans – like rising homelessness, broken families, and fatherless homes. Our country is in a crisis of broken families and fatherless homes right now and we need to restore these crucial elements, because strong families create a strong America.”

And of her Goliath-like opponent? Well, DeAnna Lorraine is not reticent.

“Pelosi has been at the head of disastrous federal policies that have done a great deal to result in the continuing destruction of the city of San Francisco….Her priorities are all wrong. While we here in the 12th district deal with the problems of homelessness and broken families that are a product of her failed policies, she focuses on a doomed impeachment. In fact, last year her office sent out 380 press releases. Not one dealt with the ongoing economic crises here in her own backyard.”

Lorraine comments that, “Pelosi has engaged in a downright betrayal of Americans and the Constitution.” The challenger also says that stopping the scourge of illegal immigration is one of her top tasks, noting that “violent illegal immigrants have taken lives in this state and are a tremendous burden on the taxpayers of California. We’ve got to do better in protecting our families from this problem.”

Those who discount Lorraine’s chances, taking into account her climb is certainly uphill, forget Agincourt, the Battle of Britain, and Valley Forge.

Sometimes the goods guys, even though serious underdogs, can win the battle. Her campaign website is www.DeAnnaForCongress.com.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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New Trump Impeachment Push For Democrats Over Roger Stone Affair?

Posted on February 12, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 12, 2020

In the desire of Democrats to put the country last and their own pathological quests for power at the forefront, the Jerry Nadler-led House Judiciary Committee will bring Attorney General Bill Barr to testify in front of them on March 31st. Why?

As part of a story they will embellish between now and then. Democrats will make the case that President Trump pressured his Justice Department and Barr to lower the amount of time in jail federal prosecutors recommended for former Trump associate Roger Stone.

Silly?

These are the same guys who put the nation through a quickdraw impeachment over a phone call. Now going into an election year with no cudgel to bash Trump with they have hit upon this to start the hysteria all over again.

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The feds sought between 87-108 months in prison for the 67 year old Stone, who was convicted on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and making false statements to Congress during the Mueller investigation. Normal federal sentencing guidelines in such cases call for 15-21 months. The federal prosecutors in the case contend that Stone’s actions post indictment, including violating a social media gag imposed by the judge, warrant the much harsher sentence.

AG Bill Barr and other top Justice Department officials did not agree and reversed the call of their own lawyers for the tougher penalty. At that, four of the federal prosecutors handling the case resigned. President Trump is said to be considering giving Stone a pardon.

The Dems may feature those four former feds as star witnesses. The lawyers know that national publicity like this will enhance their professional careers now that they have left federal service. So they, much like the witnesses in the last impeachment drama, would insinuate, but have no proof, that the president intervened to help Stone.

But lack of facts don’t ever stop Democrats.

They will make up stories of a cabal of Trump loyalists in the DOJ that conspired to pervert the course of justice to spare a Trump loyalist. As for the loyalist, Stone has a show pony reputation in DC. He goes out of his way to gain the spotlight every chance he gets.

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All this will be timed around the GOP convention and the fall campaign.

Is this a lock? Will it happen for sure? No.

But the chance of the U.S. having to endure another Democratic misadventure is enough to get ready for it.

Oh joy.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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The Nice Hillary? Klobuchar Surprises In New Hampshire

Posted on February 12, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 12, 2020

If Hillary had been more personable, not the shrew we publicly know and loathe, could she have pulled off the 2016 general election?

Well, probably not. However, she could have made it closer in the Electoral College.

The same is likely true for the surprisingly ascending Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. The senator landed an upset in New Hampshire with a very legit third place. She is nice, in a know-it-all kindergarten teacher sort of way. Her accent is just short of the cast of “Fargo” and she looks better now than she did at the start of the process.

Klobuchar’s midwestern twang gives her the patina of sincerity and her moderate appeal plays especially to women.

MORE NEWS: Biden stuns New Hampshire voter by calling her a ‘lying, dog-faced pony soldier’

But when America is at peace and the economy is firing on all cylinders we hardly ever throw a president out of office. Plus, if she tried the cuddly Nurse Ratched routine on Donald Trump in a debate he’d have her for a snack.

So, that’s where she may go. But how did she get here?

Given the modern Democratic party’s tendency towards sexism, only her gender makes her competitive if she doesn’t have too many other negatives that a Democratic audience would take issue with. She doesn’t.

She, like the rest of the Dem field, makes a fetish out of getting Trump. Some of them though are still whining about impeachment. Not her. She has exited the wambulance and moved on to other matters, like trying to convince the middle class life is hard when they are undergoing one of the biggest economic booms in American history.

Klobuchar wants to go back to Obamacare, like Buttigieg, and that puts her at odds with Bernie and Liz on the issue. So far that duo have concentrated their fire on Pete regarding healthcare. But if Klobuchar does well enough in Nevada and South Carolina, not to mention Super Tuesday, she may well come in for a lock on their radar. In fact, Liz may try an end run on the female vote and hit her on not seeming, as opposed to being, feminist enough.

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And oddly, Amy seems to have guy hands.

So we have a new player. An interesting one. And even though she would probably lose to the president, she needs to be taken seriously. The GOP “red tsunami” crowd should definitely take note. Lest their confirmation bias, play right into Dem hands. Again.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Tuesday Morning Recap: Buttigieg And Sanders In Dead Heat, Trump Secures Another Judge And Could Roger Stone Be Pardoned?

Posted on February 11, 2020 by LifeZette

By LifeZette Staff | February 11, 2020

The New Hampshire primary

Buttigieg and Sanders remain in a dead heat going into the New Hampshire today. A large turnout will favor Sanders. Buttigieg is counting on depressed college student turnout, in both senses of the phrase, and a moderate voter base. Biden has to finish in the top three or he is in serious trouble. Warren has to just not get completely clobbered. Our call is Sanders. Then it’s on for them to savage Mike Bloomberg.

Coronavirus update

World Health Organization officials traveling in China today called the coronavirus “a very grave threat to the rest of the world.” Over 100 have died there from the virus and 43,000 others have fallen ill from it round the world. 99% percent of the cases are in China. There have been no U.S. deaths as of yet. International monitors speculate China’s rudimentary socialized health system is not capable of handling the crisis. But national pride stops them from asking for significant outside help.

Trump secures another judge

The president gets another judge through the Senate. This time it’s the nomination of Judge Andrew Basher to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell got Basher his upcoming new job with a Monday 46-41 vote in favor. The official nod will be this afternoon.

Space war?

Two Russian satellites are tailing an American spy satellite, coming as close as 100 miles. In space, that’s nudging the guy next to you in the ribs. A U.S. Space Force ( so cool to write that) general says the Russian craft’s actions are “unusual and disturbing.” Not really, Just Vladimir Putin rattling his actually relatively puny sword a bit.

Could Roger Stone be pardoned?

President Trump is hinting he may pardon his former pal Roger Stone. In a tweet this morning he called Stone’s prosecution and upcoming sentencing “horrible and very unfair.”

Across the pond

Germany has been politically upended with the news that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hand-picked heir apparent, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, has said no to moving into Merkel’s job. It’s like Mike Pence turning down the presidency after he won the 2024 GOP nomination for president. The Defense Minister made the move because she is upset that the political party of both she and Merkel, the Christian Democratic Union, allied with a hard core anti-immigration party, the AFD, in state elections.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Democratic Convention Headed Towards Mayhem

Posted on February 11, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 11, 2020

Have you seen the television series “Veep”? I haven’t.

But my college sophomore eldest daughter has seen it. She, who I programmed…er…um…cough…helped to raise well, tells me one of the last episodes is a hilarious rendition of a brokered convention.

If it actually happens in July in Milwaukee, it won’t be so funny for the Democrats.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a brokered convention, it means no candidate gets to the convention with enough delegates to win on the first ballot. Then, the back stabbing begins.

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Since it’s up close and personal retail politics, it gets vicious and easily melodramatic.

In other words, everybody from candidates, to the press, to staffers, start acting like telenovela villains. The resultant grudges are not exactly conducive to a united party going into the fall.

At a brokered melee it’s not “listen to my ideas.” The time for that is well past. It’s pushing a state party chairman into a corner and saying, “This can go one of two ways. Either you get a bridge named after you or I make sure your spouse learns about the male stripper on your staff. You know, the one you share hotel rooms with to ‘economize.’ Your call.”

Anybody from the front runners to the also rans, to the unknown compromise candidates, can walk away with the nomination. The 1924 Democratic convention in NYC went for 103 ballots over 16 days. The compromise candidate won.

The 1940 GOP convention in Philadelphia went 6 ballots and the dark horse guy won after the galleries went bonkers for him. The 1976 GOP convention in Kansas City almost went to a second ballot, but Ford edged out Reagan in the first. Not even close to a brokered convention since then.

Why is this year different?

The Democrats are so abnormally diffused by ideology and faction, even for them, that one candidate may not be able to unite everyone under their tent by July. The party establishment is behind Pete, Joe, and maybe Amy. The hard left wants Bernie or Liz. Then there’s Mike. And if Hillary gets in?

MORE NEWS: Biden stuns New Hampshire voter by calling her a ‘lying, dog-faced pony soldier’

Their attitude towards each other is best typified by paraphrasing Tom Wolfe in “Back to Blood.” When a character is explaining the collective attitudes of South Florida Latins towards each other he says, “One thing you gotta remember. Here, everybody hates everybody.”

That also may be the reigning ethos in Milwaukee in July. At least, we hope it is.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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AG Bill Barr Gets Tough With ‘Sanctuary’ Cities

Posted on February 10, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 10, 2020

Knowing such moves are popular with voters into the over 70 percentiles and that the Democrats are horribly vulnerable on the issue, late Monday afternoon Trump Attorney General Bill Barr announced tough new measures against urban Democratic bastions, so-called “sanctuary” cities, that regularly ignore or defy federal law on illegal immigration.

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr revealed the news at a National Sheriff’s Association conference in DC.

Fox News reports Barr said, “The department is filing a complaint against the State of New Jersey seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against its laws that forbid state and local law enforcement from sharing vital information about criminal aliens with DHS.”

He continued.

MORE NEWS: Disturbing new report reveals FBI had multiple informants in Trump’s presidential campaign

“Further, we are reviewing the practices, policies, and laws of other jurisdictions across the country. This includes assessing whether jurisdictions are complying with our criminal laws, in particular the criminal statute that prohibits the harboring or shielding of aliens in the United States.”

He concluded with, “…and we are meticulously reviewing the actions of certain district attorneys who have adopted policies of charging foreign nationals with lesser offenses for the express purpose of avoiding the federal immigration consequences of those nationals’ criminal conduct. In pursuing their personal ambitions and misguided notions of equal justice, these district attorneys are systematically violating the rule of law and may even be unlawfully discriminating against American citizens.”

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Manchin Takes Trump Bait, Engages In Twitter Spat

Posted on February 10, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 10, 2020

Like Lucy, the football, and Charlie Brown, it happens over and over again. It’s like watching that team who played the Harlem Globetrotters.

Some Democrat says or does something that upsets the president. So he hits back, but he does it over the top. Then the Democrat has two choices; they can raise the rhetorical stakes or they can call Trump’s bluff and ignore him. The former plays into Trump’s hands. The latter would deprive the president of his foil and Trump’s response attack would wither.

Since everybody already thinks the president loves hyperbole, he loses nothing with his initial response line to whatever offense the Democrat committed. We’re not surprised birds fly.

MORE NEWS: Latest Democratic excuse for Iowa debacle is… It’s Trump’s fault

But the Democrat, because Democrats don’t think-they feel, indulges in an emotional counter response to Trump. This gets them down in the dirt where the president wants them. If the Democrat is usually calm, everybody notes how Trump maneuvered them into hysteria.

The only winning move against Trump in these situations, to quote Joshua the computer in “War Games”, is not to play.

If you do play and do it in a deep red state, so much the dumber.

And that brings us to Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia.

After his impeachment vote against Trump you’d think he’d lay low for a bit to let the voters in a state Trump won by 40% (40%!) get over his move against the president. But nah, he couldn’t shut up.

Trump laid out the temptation with this, replete with a new nickname for Manchin.

They are really mad at Senator Joe Munchkin in West Virginia. He couldn’t understand the Transcripts. Romney could, but didn’t want to!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020

And this.

…But, just like the people of West Virginia will no longer look at weak & pathetic Joe Manchin the same (I got the Pension Bill approved, Manchin couldn’t do it), the wonderful people of Utah will never look at “grandstander” Mitt Romney with anything but contempt & disgust!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020

Joe can’t help himself and bites at the cheese in the trap.

I’ve read the transcripts thoroughly & listened to the witnesses under oath. Where I come from a person accused defends themselves with witnesses and evidence.

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) February 9, 2020

Dear Lord. Mixed messages and self pity.

Now what happens? The exchange gets press, like this, and an issue Manchin needs to go away is still in the headlines. It also reminds the Trump-happy voters of West Virginia of Manchin’s apostasy in the president’s hour of need, thus bestowing the martyr’s crown on the guy who actually won.

MORE NEWS: Disturbing new report reveals FBI had multiple informants in Trump’s presidential campaign

What in the name of all that is holy and profane are Manchin and his comms shop thinking? When you lose you change the subject, not refight the losing battle. The only possible logical pro-Munchkin scenario is that he’s trying to hit Trump to burnish creds with fellow West Virginia Dems because he often votes with the GOP.

But he already did that with his impeachment vote. And that vote is old news anyway. At least it was, until Manchin took the bait.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

The post Manchin Takes Trump Bait, Engages In Twitter Spat appeared first on The Political Insider.

Lt. Colonel Vindman Escorted Out Of The White House – ‘Reassigned’ To Pentagon

Posted on February 7, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 7, 2020

U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, a disappointing star Democratic witness in the House impeachment inquiry, has been fired from his White House National Security Council post and will return to the Pentagon for assignment.

He was escorted off White House grounds mid Friday by security personnel. Numerous media sources confirm this.

Vindman gave contradictory and conflicting testimony in front of the House Intel Committee and was an easy witness to discredit. GOP committee member Jim Jordan was especially effective in challenging Vindman and highlighted the fact that during the Ukrainian phone call in question, and immediately after in swore deposition, Vindman stated he saw nothing wrong in the president’s conduct.

MORE NEWS: Disturbing new report reveals FBI had multiple informants in Trump’s presidential campaign

The Democratic response to the firing has been swift and negative, as Democrats again accuse the president of abusing his office and breaking the law regarding “whistleblowers” by firing Vindman. The Pentagon termed it a mere “reassignment.”

Vindman’s lawyer, David Pressman, opined, “There is no question in the mind of any American why this man’s job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House. LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful.”

MORE NEWS: Buttigieg hit by New Hampshire feminists

The president cited another reason early Friday.

“You think I’m supposed to be happy with him? I’m not,” Trump said, adding that a decision would be made soon.

It was.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

The post Lt. Colonel Vindman Escorted Out Of The White House – ‘Reassigned’ To Pentagon appeared first on The Political Insider.

Buttigieg Hit By New Hampshire Feminists

Posted on February 7, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 7, 2020

Pity Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

He goes out of his way to be as PC as is humanly possible and he still can’t please the assorted fever swamps of the left. I mean, what more can he do?

Granted, he abused their sensibilities by serving his nation in uniform, does not support the complete socialization of American healthcare, and may actually have working cognitive abilities, as he was a Rhodes Scholar.

But on the other hand to progressives he’s fashionably gay, his dad was a Marxist professor, he supports partial birth abortion, he thinks climate change is a real thing, and generally toes most of the rest of the ridiculous leftist line.

And, as was the smart move, he saw how well he was doing in Iowa and declared victory. That got him what momentum there was to be had out of the caucus disaster.

However, some women who are Warren and Klobuchar pawns are going after him for “white male privilege” for calling himself an Iowa winner.

They think this was quite presumptuous on his part and thus nasty toxic male behavior. Not really, they just want to beat him in New Hampshire and will do or say anything to do it.

Here’s one of the coddled feminist mouthpieces, former Democratic NH House Speaker Terie Norelli, playing the victim card, “I think that’s just a symptom of white male privilege, right? You guys don’t even realize what’s happening, because you are privileged to be able to walk through this world in the way that you do. And so whether it’s gender privilege, or skin color privilege, or wealth privilege, and I think people who have privilege generally, are often not even aware of it and certainly are generally not willing to give it up.”

Yeah Terie, politicians like you have no privilege at all, right?

Noted social commentator and American Greatness writer Elizabeth Fortunato puts it this way, “Buttigieg’s pandering vexes feminists and he forces to the surface the sibling rivalries on the progressive left.”

She nails it.

To the radical feminist left he may be a liberal gay guy who they agree with 80% of the time. But more importantly, he’s still a guy. Thus they can tag him as a serial toxic oppressor of all of harpydom only worthy of disdain, calumny, and electoral loss.

Sorry Pete. Gals can be tough, huh?

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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