In the Nunes Affair, Don’t Lose Sight of the Unanswered Questions

Andrew C. McCarthy

Aspects of the FBI’s handling of the Flynn case deserve further scrutiny.

 "Let us stipulate that it would be difficult for House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) and the Trump White House to have handled a critical intelligence matter any worse. 

"Still, the questions Nunes has raised are more important than the fact that he shot himself in the foot while pursuing the answers. 

"The chairman says he was invited by an unidentified intelligence official to review classified documents on the White House grounds — at the Old Executive Office Building, it appears, where the National Security Council has secure facilities for that purpose. These documents purportedly show that communications from Trump transition officials, and perhaps Trump himself, were intercepted during intelligence-agency monitoring of foreign powers; and Nunes says the monitoring in question appears unrelated to Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election. 

"Nunes reports that the documents he was shown suggest that the Obama administration may have been using its foreign-intelligence powers to shadow the incoming Trump team. Though the communications in question were lawfully intercepted, Nunes suggests that the identities of Trump officials should have been “masked” (i.e., concealed) under standard minimization rules that guide the dissemination of classified foreign intelligence throughout the “community” of U.S. intelligence agencies. Instead, the identities of the Trump officials were revealed and widely transmitted to people with no apparent need to know about the officials’ communications — some of which, in Nunes’s description, had “little or no apparent foreign-intelligence value.' ” . . .

Yet some conservatives feel Nunes should step down

Gorsuched!

Borked:  1987, "to discredit a candidate for some position by savaging his or hercareer and beliefs," from name of U.S. jurist Robert H. Bork whose Supreme Court nomination in 1987 was rejected after an intense counter-campaign."  Also: Kennedy, Bork and the Politics of Judicial Destruction ...  Demagoguery made manifest.

Earick Ward  "After a handful of days of congressional testimony, Neil Gorsuch exposed the Democrats as being...well, ignorant of the law.

"If it had been a heavyweight fight, the referee would have been negligent in not calling the fight after the first or second round.

"But, lo and behold, the fight went the full ten rounds, with Gorsuch specifically, and Republicans generally, standing tall, as unanimous winners on all cards.

"One Democrat after another exposed his ignorance of the Constitution and its application to the rule of law.  Neil Gorsuch was nearly flawless, answering idiotic question after idiotic question.  He exposed not only Democrats on the dais, but Progressivism generally.

"Chuckie Schumer has announced that he will filibuster Neil Gorsuch's nomination."  . . .

"If we're not careful, and if we allow the Progressive Party a foothold, we'll be Gorsuched, as we were Borked years ago.  Grow a spine.  Trust that you are working on behalf of the majority of the American people, and move forward."

Sen. Schumer Harassed Well-Connected Woman at NY Restaurant Because She Voted for Trump

Report: Sen. Schumer Harassed Well-Connected Woman at NY Restaurant Because She Voted for Trump  . . . "According to witnesses, Schumer continued the harassment after the woman and her husband left the restaurant, following them outside and yelling more insults.  
"The senator was dining with friends at Sette Mezzo when he confronted Joseph A. Califano Jr. — the former U.S. secretary of health, education and welfare under President Jimmy Carter — and his wife, Hilary, who were trying to enjoy a quiet dinner." . . .

Rush Limbaugh describes the venue for the encounter:

. . . Yeah, I remember the last time I saw a Republican voter started yelling at somebody that voted for Obama. You remember that, don’t you? Yeah, it was some Republican who… Actually, it didn’t happen. That’s why I don’t remember it. There is no such story. Because Republicans do not act like insane people — in public. In public. (chuckles) They’re not right, folks. They are not right, these Democrats. They have a sickness. There is something that has overcome them.

Wait a minute; what's this version?  . . . "Another witness tells a different version of the story, where the Califanos actually approach Schumer’s table." . . .
Some anti-Trump witness may have just wanted to get these words into print, true or not, so they would begin a pro-Schumer narrative. This witness seems to be one of a kind and probably a New York Democrat. 

Global war....er, climate change; all powerful, all knowing, more omnipotent than the Creator

Is There Anything Climate Change Can’t Do?

"Just when you thought the climate change superhero could do it all, it outdid itself by causing Brexit and diabetes."

. . .  "Suppose I told you that during a similar time period, the number of people who drowned by falling into a pool correlated with the films Nicolas Cage appeared in? Or that per capita cheese consumption correlated with the number of people who died by becoming tangled in their bedsheets? Look at the graphs and see the correlation. Anyone believe these are cause and effect results rather than interesting but spurious associations?" . . .
. . . "Instead the media agenda is that climate change is caused by man and that urgent government intervention, in the form of new taxes and regulations, is the only way to stop it.

"Is the climate changing? Of course. It always has and always will. Is human activity contributing and how much? Unknown. Can corrective human efforts change anything? Doubtful, but also unknown." . . .

Trump’s Sweeping Executive Order on Climate Policy Has Been Sorely Needed

"As promised, President Donald Trump has issued an “energy independence” executive order to undo several of the Obama administration’s climate change regulations. 

"To the benefit of all Americans who desire affordable, dependable energy, the executive order will help energy companies establish some independence from overzealous regulators.

"Here’s what the order does:

Orders the Environmental Protection Agency to review and repeal, or revise, the Clean Power Plan.

"Lipstick on a pig? Yup -- for the both the Edsel and RyanCare."

"The Edsel executives were exiled. None were involved with the Ford Mustang. If the GOP has any designs on its own Mustang, Paul Ryan can’t be within a million miles of GOP leadership."

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Paul Ryan’s Edsel . . . "All of the flawed Edsel’s moving parts were destined for a dumpster. First, the car was overhyped for more than a year, with no actual previews for the automotive press; no clandestine drawings, specs, or features of any kind were revealed. Second, dealers had no advance introductions. Third, when finally launched, the Edsel looked ugly -- sensationally ugly… No, breathtakingly ugly. Fourth, workmanship was sloppy, mechanical failures recurred, and frequently. Finally, the Edsel was overengineered, too complicated for average dealer mechanics to service." . . .

Is Mo Brooks Our Lord Brougham?  . . . "But I like Mo Brooks's approach to the problem, which in some ways is similar to Lord Brougham's approach to the evil of the income tax, in some ways akin to Alexander the Great's solution to the problem of the Gordian Knot. On Friday, Brooks filed the "ObamaCare Repeal Act" in Congress. ObamaCare itself runs to thousands of pages. Brooks's remediation runs one sentence:

"Effective as of Dec. 31, 2017, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted." Roger Kimball at PJ Media

From Dennis Prager:  Purists Kill Whatever They Believe In  . . . "The first purist conservative example were the Never Trumpers, who believed it was better for Hillary Clinton to be elected president and for the Left to have four more years of presidential power than for Donald Trump to win. There were valid reasons to wonder whether Donald Trump was a conservative, and valid reasons to oppose him in the primaries. There were no valid reasons to oppose him in the general election. I said all these things then and have thus far been validated beyond my wildest dreams. . . "

House Democrat Rep. Gregory Meeks Dismisses Muslim Woman’s Charge Against Muslim Staffer, Citing Islamophobia

That's right; Rep Meeks accuses a Muslim woman of Islamophobia.

http://www.weaselzippers.us/ "Is this dude for real?"

Daily Caller  "Devout Muslims who called the police on their own relatives — who work as Democratic House IT staffers — are disgusted by Rep. Gregory Meeks being “hesitant to believe” the charges against them, with Meeks saying the allegations may have stemmed from Islamophobia.  
"The New York Democrat’s IT staffer Hina Alvi and her husband, Imran Awan, have been banned from Congress by Capitol Police, suspecting them of criminal violations of network security in relation to congressional data. Imran’s brothers Abid and Jamal were also on the House payroll as IT workers and have been banned.
" 'But “I have seen no evidence that they were doing anything that was nefarious,” Meeks told Politico March 1.
"On March 8, The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group published a Fairfax County, Va., police report showing in January, Imran’s stepmother called the police and said the brothers were controlling her." . . .

Meeks called corrupt in 2012  and also here.

Neil Gorsuch opposes the Kelo decision – a terrible Supreme Court property rights ruling that Donald Trump loves

Volokh Conspiracy "In an e-mail written while he was working in the George W. Bush administration, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch denounced Kelo v. City of New London, a terrible Supreme Court property rights decision that Trump himself has often praised.  
" Kelo ruled that the government has the power to take private property and transfer it to another private owner in order to promote “economic development.” Although the Fifth Amendment indicates that government may only take property for a “public use,” the Court ruled that virtually any potential public benefit qualifies as such, even if the government fails to prove that the supposed benefit will ever materialize.

"I. Gorsuch’s Opposition to Kelo.  "Gorsuch’s e-mail endorsed Justice Clarence Thomas’ hard-hitting dissent in the case:

Thomas was livid about the decision.

“Today’s decision is simply the latest in a string of our cases construing the Public Use Clause to be a virtual nullity, without the slightest nod to its original meaning,” Thomas fumed.

Gorsuch thought the dissent was so powerful that he sent an email to two friends who were former Thomas clerks.
“I am blown away by Thomas’ dissent,” Gorsuch said. . . .

Forum: Was There Illegal Surveillance Of Trump's Team? If So, Should There Be Criminal Prosecution?

"With these new rules President Obama lit a fuse before he left the White House. Our legislators must act in a non-political bipartisan manner to assure this private information remains private and is never publicly shared. Our intelligence community must understand the gravity of their positions and if they fail to honor their oaths of office they will be dealt with harshly and prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows."

JoshuaPundit

. . . "Before definitively answering, let’s examine some unquestionable facts. Barack Obama is the product of the Chicago political machine. He thinks like a sociopathic, narcissistic thug. Whatever he desires must be his, and ethics, law, morality, decency or consideration of damage to others does not enter into it. He spent eight years weaponizing the entire federal bureaucracy, from the Department of Justice to the FBI, IRS, EPA, every agency and department of the federal government, including every facet of the intelligence “community.” His radical leftist agents are everywhere, and they are more than willing to do his bidding; that’s why they’re there. 

"Embarrassing evidence of criminal acts under court order for preservation at the IRS? Ooops! Sorry your honor, it somehow got erased! It’s nobody’s fault, really… Americans murdered by terrorists due to gross Obamite incompetence? Lie about it, and lie about lying about it. Constitution get in the way of progressive whims? I’ve got a pen and a phone! 

"We now know Obamite agents, those out of government and those still embedded in the government, are covertly and overtly doing all they can, with the help of a corrupt and amoral media, to destroy Donald Trump and his administration, and any collateral damage, like national security, the Constitution, and American’s trust in government, is of no concern to them. They believe they’re immune from consequences, and they’ll always come out on top. " . . .

What Is Life In Socialism Like? Beware!

Dr. Sarah Condor  "First, we were told what to say and what we could not say – unless we “wanted to get in trouble.” Anything against the regime and system, or the government’s policies would have been punishable: at first by extreme ostracism, job relegation or firing, then by imprisonment or worse. Words of protest against any members of the Party or any public display of disapproval would have been met with strictest public reprobation.

"Second, in school, we had books which taught us pre-approved “common core,” which is to say we learned about the scientists favored by the regime and artists who extolled it. We were also taught about how evil, corrupt, dishonest capitalism was. A money-making capitalist was described as the epitome of all evil, the oppressor of all humanity. The ubiquitous motto on notice-boards, billboards and in classrooms was the globalist: “Proletariat of the world, unite!” and “With Soviet Union forever!” and some other illogical sayings, such as “Through war to peace!” and “With socialism to glittering tomorrows!” Propaganda is lies everyone must believe in." . . .

Sarah P. Condor-Fisher, Ph.D., Esq., LL.M. grew up in communist Czechoslovakia. When she was 17, she was apprehended crossing the border, cross-interrogated by the Secret Police (KGB) and jailed. She studied MA in philosophy at University College London, she holds BA and MA in English and Ph.D. in American Literature and Literary Criticism. She is also a practicing California attorney with her own law firm. Dr. Condor-Fisher published over 50 books of non-fiction, fiction and poetry. She is also a former Olympic swimmer, USMS National Breaststroke Champion, Miss World and Miss USA in natural bodybuilding (INBA).

Trey Gowdy cleans Chuck Schumer’s clock after demand Ryan replace Nunes on intel committee

Joe Newby  "Apparently, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., thinks he has the power to determine who House Republicans can place on various committees.  On Monday, he demanded that House Speaker Paul Ryan replace Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.  This earned a stinging rebuke from Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., who basically told the arrogant, condescending New Yorker to “stick it.”

“ 'Without further ado, Speaker Ryan should replace Chairman Nunes,” Schumer said from the Senate floor on Monday. “If Speaker Ryan wants the House to have a credible investigation, he needs to replace Chairman Nunes.”

“ 'Chairman Nunes is falling down on the job and seems to be more interested in protecting the president than in seeking the truth. You cannot have the person in charge of an impartial investigation be partial to one side. It’s an inherent contradiction,” he added.

"But Gowdy was having none of it." . . .

Of Babies Born In 24 States, 50% Or More Are Born On Medicaid…

Weasel Zippers

Full article here.

The ordeal of Judge Gorsuch

Gorsuch's path to 60 votes closing fast  . . . "Senior Democratic sources are now increasingly confident that Gorsuch can’t clear a filibuster, saying his ceiling is likely mid- to upper-50s on the key procedural vote. That would mark the first successful filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee since Abe Fortas for chief justice in the 1960s. 

"In the latest ominous sign for the federal judge from Colorado, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said Monday he’ll oppose Gorsuch on the cloture vote, which is expected late next week. More than a decade ago, Nelson helped break a filibuster of now-Justice Samuel Alito. 

"If Democrats successfully filibuster Gorsuch, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has heavily telegraphed that he will invoke the so-called nuclear option to unilaterally change Senate rules with a simple majority vote. And Republicans are confident they’ll have the votes to do it, even as wary as many senators are about forever altering the deliberative nature of the chamber."  . . .

Gorsuch Gets Support from Native American Groups, Liz Warren Hardest Hit

. . . "Two Native American advocacy groups apparently like Gorsuch and want to see him seated on the bench.

"Ryan Lovelace reports at the Washington Examiner:

Support for Gorsuch from Native American groups could put pressure on Western Democrats" . . .

(Emphases in the original)