Right to Confrontation: The Latest Bogus Legal Argument over the ‘Whistleblower’

Andrew C. McCarthy

Impeachment is neither a criminal trial nor a legal process, so the president does not have the constitutional right to confront his accuser.

"As a constitutional lawyer, Rand Paul makes a good medical doctor.
"I used to have occasion to say that in the Patriot Act debates, when the senator was wowing us with his Fourth Amendment theories. With impeachment upon us, he’s now onto the Sixth Amendment — specifically, the confrontation clause. It guarantees the right of cross-examination: In all criminal trials, the accused must be given the right to confront the accusers. Senator Paul has deduced that this must mean that the identity of the so-called whistleblower has to be revealed, lest President Trump be denied his constitutional rights.
"Sigh.
"Mind you, Senator Paul has been making this argument while he himself shrinks from outing the man at issue — whom we are reliably told is a 33-year-old CIA official, formerly tasked to the White House National Security Council as a Ukraine expert. There is but a small circle of people who fit that description, so Paul, like many in Washington, has known the name, to near certainty, for some time.
"The senator makes the fair point that there is no legal barrier to the media’s naming the man. We can be confident that if a Democratic president had been accused of impeachable offenses, that would already have happened weeks ago (and, indeed, some right-leaning media sites have published the name)." . . .

Republicans Move Jim Jordan to Intel Committee ahead of Public Impeachment Hearings

National Review

"Republican leadership have assigned Rep. Jim Jordan to serve on the House Intelligence Committee during the open impeachment hearings against President Trump next week.
"The Ohio congressman is currently the ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee and has attended most of the closed-door impeachment hearings so far, but as a member of the Intelligence Committee he will be able to question witnesses.
"Jordan will temporarily replace Rep. Rick Crawford, (R., Ark) on the intelligence panel. Crawford will return to the committee after the impeachment probe is concluded.
“ 'Jim Jordan has been on the front lines in the fight for fairness and truth. His addition will ensure more accountability and transparency in this sham process,” read a Friday statement from House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy.
“ 'In Speaker Pelosi’s House, those responsibilities have fallen victim to partisan witch hunts,” the California Republican added. “The typically venerable Intelligence Committee has now become the partisan Impeachment Committee.”
"Jordan has fiercely defended Trump from his critics, especially the Democrats in charge of the impeachment probe, which he has called a “ridiculous charade.' ” . . .

Why America loves Donald Trump and why he should win in 2020

Bookworm Room

The AC/DC soundtrack only makes more powerful this great video contrasting the media’s blind Trump-hatred versus Trump’s virtues and pro-Americanism.

"Trump Thunderstruck from Mr Smith on Vimeo.(Hat tip: Ace of Spades — and you should go to this Ace of Spades link because today’s content is that good, including creative solutions for overhauling a broken legal system.)"

Vindman, Zaid, Schiff: Foul birds of an ugly feather

Rabbi Aryeh Spero  "Lieutenant colonel Alexander Vindman was reportedly reprimanded by a superior when it became known that he repeatedly made fun of Americans; American culture; and, as he said, "Americans not being educated or worldly."  He did this in front of foreign diplomats, constantly.  No wonder he remained an Obama loyalist and has tried to undercut President Trump.  After all, Obama considered himself first and foremost "a citizen of the world" and did not find anything exceptional in America in and of itself.  President Trump loves America and is representative of a patriotic heartland mindset.  After all, Trump believes in America first. 

"Vindman is a trans-nationalist, a globalist, someone who feels superior to most Americans.  I've run into many people who think like Vindman.  Perhaps Vindman is an acquaintance of Mark Zaid, the Long Island lawyer who boasted to friends about how he would help create a coup to bring down President Trump.  Zaid, like Vindman, has no respect for the American people.  He would negate the will of the American people, the majority of electoral votes that were cast for Donald J. Trump, and, through a coup, remove the president elected by the people. 

"Perhaps Zaid knows Adam Schiff, who is trying to do the same thing.  Adam Schiff made impeachment rules that would deny the American people, as represented by their Republican congressmen, equal participation in these hearings.  Schiff wants to overturn the American people's election of Donald Trump.  All three men are working with Congressman Jerrold Nadler.

"Schiff, Zaid, and Vindman are three principals in the illegal coup unfolding in front of our very eyes.  Schiff, Zaid, and Vindman all have a condescending view of the American people, our laws, and our culture.  They are not heroes.  Woe to a country where men such as these attain power and influence." . . .

Baseball etiquette, and what we need to see more of in society

Richard Jack Rail  "George Will interestingly contends that the most valuable rules in baseball are unwritten and relate to manners.  Will's leading example is Alex Bregman carrying his bat down to first base on his home run trot during the World Series, Juan Soto copying that on his subsequent homer, and both managers apologizing after the game for the breaches of etiquette.  It's often called showboating or showing up the other team's pitcher." . . .

. . . "The best way to combat unintentional showboating is the way Bregman did it — honestly and straight on. It isn't so much that there's bad in the best of us and good in the worst of us, as that Manichean, black-and-white thinking has made it too easy to accuse and not easy enough to take responsibility and accept blame without career death.  Baseball has provided an outstanding example of the way out of this imbroglio.  It involves more straightforward honesty and manliness than we're accustomed to seeing in public figures — men being men, owning their mistakes forthrightly with sincere expressions of regret.  Because those traits shine through in the way Bregman handled it at the postgame interview, the incident can be put behind us, and we feel good where we might have felt disgruntled.

"Nicely done, Bregman and Hinch and Martínez."

Elizabeth Warren: ‘Black trans and cis women, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary people are the backbone of our democracy

Artist: Donkey Hotey

Thomas Lifson  "I am not certain when pandering to transgender people became necessary for any Democrat running for president. Nor do I know what percentage of Democrats are totally convinced that saying you are of the opposite gender means that you are of the opposite gender.

"But Elizabeth Warren, reacting to an endorsement from a group calling itself “Black Womxn For” spread the pandering on thick:

Thank you, @BlackWomxnFor! Black trans and cis women, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary people are the backbone of our democracy and I don’t take this endorsement lightly. I'm committed to fighting alongside you for the big, structural change our country needs. https://twitter.com/BlackWomxnFor/status/1192457539541225472 …BlackWomxnFor@BlackWomxnFor@BlackWomxnFor presents 100 #BWFWarren - We write to endorse, enthusiastically and wholeheartedly, Senator @ewarren for President of the United States. Read our FULL STATEMENT: https://www.blackwomxnfor.com/fullendorse

Sister Crow tweeted

New Zealand Government climate change policies

New Zealand Government climate change policies

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern 

"Since the 2017 General Election the Labour-led New Zealand Government has begun pursing reforms designed achieve sustainable development that makes the just transition to a low-carbon economy.
"The Government is committed to meeting the Paris Agreement target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, and has signaled it intends to do this in a way that provides for a just transition for workers, families and communities reliant on affected industries.
"This Paper will outline the Government’s climate change programme.
"Zero Carbon Act: On 18 December 2017 Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced Cabinet had agreed to a process of consultation to formulate the Zero Carbon Act, which aims to reduce New Zealand’s emissions to net zero by 2050.
" The Act would establish an independent Climate Change Commission to provide long-term nonpartisan advice to the government of the day, ensuring New Zealand stays on track to meet its climate change goals.
"The Labour-Green Party confidence and supply agreement states the Government should “request the Climate Commission to plan the transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2035 (which includes geothermal) in a normal hydrological year.”
"The Labour-NZ First coalition agreement states that “if the Climate Commission determines that agriculture is to be included in the ETS, then upon entry, the free allocation to agriculture will be 95% but with all revenues from this source recycled back into agriculture in order to encourage agricultural innovation, mitigation and additional planting of forestry.” "The Government intends to stimulate up to $1b of new investment in low carbon industries by 2020, assisted by a Government-backed Green Investment Fund of $100m.
"The Government plans to introduce a Zero Carbon Bill by the end of October 2018, followed by a Select Committee process in late 2018 to 2019. The intention is to pass the Zero Carbon Act in 2019.
"Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on land transport Released on 14 March 2018, the draft GPS outlines the Government’s priorities for expenditure from the National Land Transport Fund over the next 10 years.
"In the environmental sense, the GPS:

 • Makes land transport funding mode neutral, enabling a shift to lower emission forms of transport including rail, walking, cycling and lower emission vehicles (such as electric vehicles);  • Recognises the importance of urban planning to creating livable cities that value public space and improve access;  • Links to the wider environmental commitments of the Government, including the meeting of Paris climate targets and ambitious emissions reduction targets; and • Recognises the public health benefits of reducing transport emissions and increasing uptake of walking and cycling.

"Ban on offshore gas exploration: On 12 April 2018 the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced there would be no further offshore oil and gas exploration permits granted. The policy is intended to help New Zealand transition towards a low-carbon economy. 
"Existing exploration and mining rights will not be affected, and no current jobs will be lost as all agreements with current permit holders will be honoured. Existing permits extend as far out as 2030 and could last an additional 40 years under a mining permit.
"Measures to ensure a just transition: On 6 April 2018 Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Parliamentary UnderSecretary Fletcher Tabuteau launched the Tapuae Roa: Make Way for Taranaki Action Plan with the Taranaki region.
"The Taranaki economy has traditionally been reliant on the oil and gas industries. Through $20m from the Provincial Growth Fund and $16m contributed by the Taranaki region, a plan to transition to a modern, high-value economy will be undertaken. 
"In addition, the Government has announced its Fees Free policy to assist with retraining. "This policy provides for an initial one year (scaling to three years over time) of free post-school education during a person’s lifetime. "

Further information For more information, please contact Hawker Britton consultant Neale Jones on +64 27 529 1079 or Simon Banks on +61 419 638 587

Concerns over the NZ policy:
What idiots! The entire New Zealand contribution to manmade CO2 will be replaced in one week of China's and India's new coal fired power plants now under contruction. But the impact on NZ's economy will be forever.

"Extremely poor science! There are two types of Climate change! One is nature; volcano's, sunspot, wind,..this include the elements. if you remove all the Carbon (which you can't) you will burn to death. Due the Sun's ray reaching earth without any obstruction! The obstruction is the green house gasess! the second is more or less destruction of the earth though ignoring the laws of nature! Disrupting natures cycles, will and does end up disaster!"

Trump, Jr Takes On ‘The View’ About Whistleblower And Law

Weasel Zippers "Oh, and by the way, these harpies were lying about the whistleblower statute:" . . .

MUST WATCH: Donald Trump Jr. drops ‘rape-rape’ on Whoopi Goldberg, ‘blackface’ on Joy Behar during ‘The View’ appearance

Donald Trump Jr.:  "The hosts of The View are lying about the whistleblower statute. 

"Here's the statute that proves it's only a crime for the IG to release the name of the whistleblower. Totally legitimate & legal for members of the media & private citizens to name him. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50  

/3033 

…
Yeah, well leak this:

CBS Has Fired The Whistleblower Employee Who Leaked The ABC Video About Spiking The Epstein Story
"Here’s a real whistleblower, exposing an actual wrong, who’s now being punished for it. So CBS is now colluding with ABC." . . .

Yashar Ali   5. Update: Two sources familiar with the matter tell me that CBS News has fired the staffer in question. This comes after ABC informed CBS that they had determined who accessed the footage of Amy Robach expressing her frustrations about the Epstein story.

.....

Serious Journalist Brian Stelter Investigates Trump's Twitter Typos

PJ Media  "Trump's greatest enemies are also his best friends. No matter how hard his minions and sycophants work to gain his favor and explain away his behavior, they haven't done nearly as much to help him as Trump-haters like CNN's Brian Stelter. Brian's mission in life is to remove Trump from office. And the longer it takes to do that, the more foolish Bri-Bri gets. Yesterday he went on national TV and did an entire segment on... Trump's typos.
"Seriously.
"Here's the segment in question, courtesy of Stelter himself. Not only did he think this was worth airing on the amusingly titled Reliable Sources, but he then tweeted it out for anybody who might've missed it. That's how important this information is." . . .
Stelter's report is titled "Reliable Sources"

. . . "So who's the target audience for this? One man. The man who gives Bri-Bri his orders. CNN President Jeff Zucker has a monomaniacal focus on taking down Trump at any cost, as James O'Keefe has proven beyond any doubt. Zucker made Trump famous at NBC, and then gave him countless hours of free airtime at CNN during the 2016 campaign. So now Zucker is trying to atone for his sins. But despite three solid years of daily hammering from CNN and the rest, none of it has worked. Zucker is frustrated. He doesn't know what to do. The result is this sad spectacle.

"And that's not even the dumbest thing Stelter did this weekend. He also lashed out at Trump's claim that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi "whimpered and cried" before blowing himself up. Stelter is demanding proof. He hates Trump so much that now he's defending the honor of a dead terrorist.

"But hey, at least he's not making any typos." . . .

GM Worker's Warning to Democrats Is Showing in Latest Poll From Battleground States

Townhall  "Donald Trump is on track to win re-election. Forget the polls from CNN. Forget what the liberal media is doling out with their suppression coverage. As of right now, Trump is going to win. He’s the incumbent with a booming economy and a weak 2020 Democratic field. It’s also a field that is pushing a radical left-wing agenda that even has ardent liberals a bit worried. Health care for illegal aliens and forced Medicare for All are some of the top issues being peddled by Democrats. They’re also positions that are incredibly unpopular. Medicare for All will result in the destruction of 150 million private health care plans. And yes, sorry, Democrats, but you’re wrong; Americans do like their employee-based health care plans. And do you know who else is impacted by this? Labor unions. Their health care plans are also targeted. For a party that had a solid advantage in handling health care, Democrats decided in a single cycle to toss that away. Oh, and the tax increases that will come from this will be biblical. There’s no way middle-class taxes don’t go up. Liz Warren’s plan costs $52 trillion over the next ten years. If you think taxes won’t go up for everyone, then you’re on crack. And crack is whack.
"The Democrats’ hatred of fracking is another issue that has battleground state voters wary of a party that is rapidly becoming a Leninist sideshow. We wrote about a General Motors worker who was worried over the 2020 Democratic agenda in that it reflects that this party does not connect with anyone who isn’t an overeducated snob." . . .

SHOCK POLL: Trump has a higher approval rating today in WI, MN and MI than he did on election day 2016

"It may be because these voters agree with President Trump on major issues? "From the report:"

Most swing voters in these states see bans on fracking, stopping detainments at the U.S. border, and Medicare-for-all as bad ideas. 

The poll also consistently finds that while Medicare-for-all has played a significant role in the 2020 Democratic primary debates, it is not the top health care issue for Democratic voters. Large shares of swing voters in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin say stopping detainments at the U.S. border for people cross into the country illegally and a national Medicare-for-all plan are “bad ideas.” Swing voters are slightly more divided in their views of a ban on fracking with large shares of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin swing voters saying such a ban is a “bad idea” as do a slim majority in Michigan and half of Minnesota swing voters.

. . .

Trump Jr Tweets Name Of Alleged Whistleblower, Leftists Explode. Here’s The Problem With Their Outrage.

Daily Wire  "Leftists falsely suggested on Wednesday that Donald Trump Jr. outed the alleged Ukraine whistleblower after the president’s eldest son tweeted out a link to a news article and included the headline in his tweet which stated the name of the alleged whistleblower.
"Trump tweeted out a link to a Breitbart News article, writing, “Because of course he did!!!”
"Trump also included in his tweet the headline of the article, which stated: “Alleged ‘Whistleblower’ Eric Ciaramella Worked Closely with Anti-Trump Dossier Hoaxer”
. . . 

"Trump responded to the false claims by tweeting, “The entire media is #Triggered that I (a private citizen) tweeted out a story naming the alleged whistleblower. Are they going to pretend that his name hasn’t been in the public domain for weeks now? Numerous people & news outlets including Real Clear Politics already ID’d him.”
"Trump added, “PS: Maybe Real Clear Politics & others wouldn’t have been able to ID the alleged whistleblower if the NY Times didn’t out that he was a CIA official detailed to the WH? The media is full of s*** with their faux outrage over me tweeting something already in the public domain!' ” . . .

Whaddya Know: Whistleblower Has Ties to Biden, Schiff

PJ Media  "Real Clear Investigations (RCI) released a detailed examination of evidence that seems to support much of the speculation as to the real identity of the whistleblower that got the impeachment ball rolling after President Trump's now-infamous "Ukraine call."

RCI:

More than two months after the official filed his complaint, pretty much all that’s known publicly about him is that he is a CIA analyst who at one point was detailed to the White House and is now back working at the CIA.

But the name of a government official fitting that description — Eric Ciaramella — has been raised privately in impeachment depositions, according to officials with direct knowledge of the proceedings, as well as in at least one open hearing held by a House committee not involved in the impeachment inquiry. Fearing their anonymous witness could be exposed, Democrats this week blocked Republicans from asking more questions about him and intend to redact his name from all deposition transcripts.

RealClearInvestigations is disclosing the name because of the public’s interest in learning details of an effort to remove a sitting president from office. Further, the official's status as a “whistleblower” is complicated by his being a hearsay reporter of accusations against the president, one who has “some indicia of an arguable political bias … in favor of a rival political candidate" -- as the Intelligence Community Inspector General phrased it circumspectly in originally fielding his complaint.

"This is a very detailed report and I encourage everyone to read all of it, but I'll provide a few highlights here." . . .