The Man Who Could Impeach Trump

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By Washington Examiner. Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has picked a new guiding force for Democrats investigating and potentially impeaching President Trump when they take control of the House next year.

Douglas Letter, a 40-year veteran of the Justice Department and former associate counsel in President Bill Clinton’s White House, will be appointed to the role of House general counsel, Pelosi said in a statement.

“Douglas Letter has an outstanding and highly decorated record of achievement in service of America,” Pelosi said. “He will bring deep experience and legal expertise to the House, as he counsels and represents our institution, Members and staff as House General Counsel.”

Letter, 65, served as director of the Justice Department’s Civil Division appellate staff up until February — a departure that was facilitated, sources told NPR, because of Trump’s constant criticisms of the DOJ.

He wrote in September it was “worrying” that Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani had suggested the use of executive privilege to bury Mueller’s report at the conclusion of his investigation. He said this assertion seemed “premature and misplaced.” (Read more from “The Man Who Could Impeach Trump” HERE)

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40 Years of Experience Walks out the Door of the Justice Department

By NPR. Lawyer Douglas Letter joined the DOJ in 1978. For decades, he defended controversial policies advanced by Democrats and Republicans in the executive branch. . .

Letter, 64, reflected on his long government service on a sunny morning last week at the Georgetown Law Center, where he will be working and teaching national security law.

“My father and several other people in my family were also career public servants,” he said, “so I grew up feeling like public service was a calling.”

Letter fought for the government — no matter which political party controlled it — through the Reagan and Clinton and George W. Bush presidencies. After the terrorist attacks in September 2001, his docket included cases about treatment of detainees, lethal drone strikes and more.

Asked for his proudest moments, he mentions this one, from the Obama years: “The Obergefell case,” he said. “That’s the one where the Supreme Court decided that gay marriage was constitutionally protected.” (Read more from “40 Years of Experience Walks out the Door of the Justice Department” HERE)

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IRS Has a New Plan to Investigate Tax Dodgers. Here’s How You Could Be Impacted.

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is trying something different. The government currently has a proposal listed on the Federal Business Opportunities website looking for a social media tool that allows IRS agents to find Americans who have dodged their tax liabilities.

Here’s what the proposal says (emphasis mine):

Businesses and individuals increasingly use social media to advertise, promote, and sell products and services. For example, taxpayers can create “online stores” on social networking sites free of cost. Much of this information is unrestricted, allowing the public, businesses and various governmental agencies to discover taxpayers’ locations and income sources.

But the IRS currently has no formal tool to access this public information, compile social media feeds, or search multiple social media sites. The IRS’s hope is that a vendor-supplied tool would help expedite IRS case resolution for existing compliance cases, providing a more efficient way of identifying resources and assisting with the collection of known tax deficiencies, leading to increased collection of revenue involving unfiled tax returns and other tax liabilities.

The IRS emphasizes that this tool, if the agency decides to pursue the use of it, would be done to assist with previously identified tax compliance cases. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and such a tool would not be used to search the internet or social media sites for purposes of identifying or initiating new tax audits. The IRS believes responsibly using publicly accessible information on the internet or social media sites can assist with previously identified tax cases. In addition, the IRS believes the tool can help it resolve troublesome instances related to tax-related identity theft, helping quickly identify honest taxpayers who have been victimized by identity thieves.

(Read more from “IRS Has a New Plan to Investigate Tax Dodgers. Here’s How You Could Be Impacted.” HERE)

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Trump’s Biggest Wins and Losses of 2018

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By The Daily Caller. President Donald Trump oversaw his second full year at the helm of the U.S. government in 2018 and delivered on some major promises to his supporters while also facing political setbacks in a tumultuous political climate. . .

Trump’s undoubted biggest accomplishment of 2018 was increasing the Republican majority within the U.S. Senate. The president undertook a grueling travel schedule during the 2018 midterm elections, at one point traveling to three different states per day and holding his signature rallies. Trump demonstrated his remaining ability to draw massive crowds of supporters who turned out to support his chosen candidates on election day. . .

2018 saw the extraordinary summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The results of the summit aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula remain unclear, but the mere fact that it happened at all is a massive change in U.S. policy. Trump spent much of 2017 deriding Kim Jong Un as “little rocket man” while the U.S. and North Korea traded insults. North Korea lobbed several test missiles of extensive range over Japan and into the nearby ocean in an attempt to prove it’s capable of hitting U.S. soil. . .

The Senate may be Trump’s biggest win of 2018, but conversely the loss of Republican control within the House of Representatives will remain a major thorn in his side throughout 2019 and 2020. Republicans lost nearly 40 seats in the 2018 midterm elections, significantly changing the incoming political landscape in Washington. . .

Two years into the Trump presidency he still has not delivered on his signature campaign promise of a wall along the U.S. southern border. Trump frustratedly attempted to explain away his failure with the minutiae of Senate procedure, but his most ardent supporters point out that he did prompt major showdowns and fights with Democratic lawmakers over the issue until December 2018. (Read more from “Trump’s Biggest Wins and Losses of 2018” HERE)

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Trump’s Economy Not Working Way He Touted, but That May Not Be Bad

By Bloomberg. Halfway through Donald Trump’s first term, it’s getting easier to piece together an account of how his policies are supposed to drive economic growth.

And the economy is, in fact, expanding pretty fast — but not necessarily for the reasons Trump said it would. The president promised to squeeze more American growth out of businesses and foreigners. Instead it’s the government, deploying its balance sheet via deficit-spending, that’s doing the work.

The theoretical version of how Trumponomics would succeed might look something like this: After inheriting the most lopsided U.S. recovery of modern times, in which households contributed a record share, Trump would summon reinforcements from two directions. . .

Trump’s policies could deliver gains in those areas over the longer run. The latest numbers on business investment were disappointing, but it’s early to judge the effects of Trump’s fiscal policy, said Stephen Moore, the co-author of the recent book “Trumponomics” and an adviser to Trump in 2016. “I totally reject this idea that the economy is on a sugar high,” he said. “The tax cuts are just kicking in.” (Read more from “Trump’s Economy Not Working Way He Touted, but That May Not Be Bad” HERE)

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Trump Personally Intervened to Pay Coast Guard in Shutdown

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Concerned about U.S. Coast Guard forces losing a paycheck in the partial government shutdown, President Trump personally urged his team to find a solution that would allow the administration to make this week’s $75 million payroll, according to officials.

Trump stepped in on Wednesday, calling on top lawyers and staffers to determine if the Coast Guard could make payroll despite being included in the shutdown that has impacted about 25 percent of the government, including the Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Coast Guard.

Military personnel under the Department of Defense are not included in the shutdown, because their appropriations were approved earlier in Congress. . .

At his urging, the Office of Management and Budget, DHS and the Coast Guard determined that the rules governing pay to Coast Guard forces requires it be made through the end of the year. To make it, the lawyers said that unused funding could be tapped for pay. The service had a bit more than the needed $75 million left over from its past continuing resolution appropriation, enough to make this month’s last payroll check. . .

The administration also sped up check writing in other cases and was able to deliver this week a payroll check to furloughed federal employees for time worked up to the shutdown, which began Dec. 22. (Read more from “Trump Personally Intervened to Pay Coast Guard in Shutdown” HERE)

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Graham’s ‘Solution’ to the Border Wall Funding Is Sure to Find Objections From Conservatives

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) believes he has a solution to the border wall funding fiasco that resulted in a shutdown of the federal government. He proposes giving President Donald Trump the $5 billion he’s asked for to build the wall along the southern border. In exchange, DREAMers would be given legal status, something Democrats have been pushing for. He detailed his solution on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

“The one thing I know for sure is nothing will get out of the Senate without wall/border funding and Democrats are not going to give us money for a wall/border security without getting something themselves,” Graham explained. “So here’s what I think might work: $5 billion for wall/border security – Democrats have voted for more than that in the past – married up with the BRIDGE Act, which Sen. Durbin and I wrote, a three year, one-time renewable work permit for the DACA population, about 700,000.”

Graham also said those living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), like those fleeing civil war or hurricane wreckage, could also receive temporary, renewable status to stay in the United States. . .

Here’s the thing though: conservatives are tired of continually compromising on illegal immigration, especially when it comes to DREAMers. We continually go through this immigration fight and what always happens? We allow some kind of amnesty to take place, although Republicans are very careful not to use that word. In exchange for receiving border wall funding we have to make exceptions that allow people who are already here to stay. (Read more from “Graham’s ‘Solution’ to the Border Wall Funding Is Sure to Find Objections From Conservatives” HERE)

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Trump Points to ‘Wall’ Built Around Obama’s Home During Fight for Border Wall Funding

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President Trump pointed to the wall former President Obama built around his Washington D.C., home as a reason Congress should fund his barrier on the southern border.

The former president and his wife, Michelle, bought the 8,200-square-foot mansion for $8.1 million in 2017, according to reports.

The house is in the Kalorama section of Washington, an exclusive enclave for diplomats, lobbyists and politicians, including Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared, as well as Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

The Obamas bought the house after leasing it when Obama left office in 2016. . .

The president wants $5 billion for the barrier, but Democrats are offering only $1.6 billion for border security — and nothing for a wall. (Read more from “Trump Points to ‘Wall’ Built Around Obama’s Home During Fight for Border Wall Funding” HERE)

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Former Governor Seriously Considering 2020 Run

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Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe previewed a possible 2020 Democratic presidential primary stump speech Sunday in which he voiced support for a practical form of “Medicare for all.”

McAuliffe, who also served as Democratic National Committee chair in the early 2000s, said Sunday he was “obviously looking” at contesting the party’s nomination to challenge President Trump, whom he described as being “too emotional” and “unstable” for the White House.

“I’ve 40 years of working for this party. I’ve plenty of friends in many states. So I don’t have to rush into this,” McAuliffe said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Here’s the message for Democrats. They don’t want an angry liar in the White House. They want someone who is compulsively optimistic and realistic. And the Democrats have to lay out an agenda of success of what we plan to do.” (Read more from “Former Governor Seriously Considering 2020 Run” HERE)

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Alleged Election Fraud May Leave One Congressional Seat Empty When the New Congress Is Sworn In

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As the new Congress gets ready to take descend upon Washington, D.C. later this week, it is appearing likely that North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District will not have a representative. Incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Democrats refuse to seat Republican Mark Harris come Jan. 3. . .

From Fox News:

The state elections board has refused to certify the race between Harris and Democrat Dan McCready while it investigates absentee ballot irregularities in the congressional district stretching from the Charlotte area through several counties to the east.

Harris holds a slim lead in unofficial results, but officials are looking into criminal voter fraud allegations against an operative hired by the Harris campaign.

The accusations highlight the wildly varying state laws governing ballot harvesting, which refers to the practice of someone other than a voter dropping off that voter’s ballot at a polling station. In North Carolina, state law still prohibits anyone other than a voter or a close family member from mailing in or dropping off that voter’s ballot.

(Read more from “Alleged Election Fraud May Leave One Congressional Seat Empty When the New Congress Is Sworn In” HERE)

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Is This Mega Actress Seriously Considering Running in 2020?

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When asked by presenter Justin Webb if she would be getting involved in politics, Jolie said that her answer 20 years ago would have been no, but now the answer is more complicated.

“If you asked me 20 years ago, I would’ve laughed,” she said. “I always say I’ll go where I’m needed, I don’t know if I’m fit for politics… but then I’ve also joked that I don’t know if I have a skeleton left in my closet. I’m also able to work with governments and I’m also able to work with militaries, and so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done.”

Unlike other celebrities who have been floated as potential political candidates, Jolie actually does have legitimate credentials in the arena, being that she serves as a special envoy to the U.N. Refugee Agency and actively campaigns on various issues like refugees, sexual violence, and conservation. Though her father, Jon Voight, is a noted conservative, Jolie is a registered Independent. She also is not necessarily a card-carrying leftist in line with other celebrities and has presented a more balanced view of politics in the past. . .

In the social arena, however, Jolie is undoubtedly to the left-of-center. Nothing better illustrates that than the treatment of Jolie and ex-husband Brad Pitt of their daughter, Shiloh Jolie Pitt, after she insisted on being treated like a boy. . .

In 2014, LGBT enthusiasts hailed the two parents as “heroes” for turning their five-year-old daughter into a boy after she insisted they see her as such. According to various leftist sites, including The Advocate, the now-divorced couple reportedly supported their eight-year-old daughter Shiloh’s “decision” to both wear suits and be referred to by the name “John.” (Read more from “Is This Mega Actress Seriously Considering Running in 2020?” HERE)

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Trump Threatens to Shut Down the Southern Border Without Wall Funds, and He Has the Power to Do It

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If the partial government shutdown continues without a congressional deal to fund the wall, President Trump says, he’ll be forced to shut down the border entirely. And he could do it, with or without Congress’ cooperation.

“We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,” the president tweeted Friday, one week after the start of the partial shutdown.

And while this claim might send the cadre of Trump’s usual critics into a violent fainting spell, closing the border is completely within his power.

As Conservative Review’s Daniel Horowitz explained back in October, President Trump not only has the inherent executive authority to close the border, as well as other immigration powers delegated by past Congresses, but he also has the popular mandate that got him elected.

Federal law “allows the president, whenever he finds that ‘the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States,’ to ‘suspend’ all forms of immigration ‘for such period as he shall deem necessary,’” Horowitz explains. It also “grants the president an almost equal level of authority to subject entry of all aliens entering or departing to ‘such reasonable rules, regulations, and orders, and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may prescribe.’”

“If demanding that all immigrants enter legally or apply for asylum in a safe and controlled environment at a consulate rather than at a border controlled by some of the most dangerous people in the world is not a ‘reasonable rule,’” Horowitz concludes, “I’m not sure what is.”

President Trump has long made the case that physical border security is critical to America’s interests, both for our national security and the preservation of our national sovereignty. Closing the border down until the American people get the security they voted for would be a logical next step. (For more from the author of “Trump Threatens to Shut Down the Southern Border Without Wall Funds, and He Has the Power to Do It” please click HERE)

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