The Real Question

Legend has it that Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi would begin every spring practice with the words, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Those words were said to newcomers who had never played pro football and seasoned veterans, but they were uttered every year. He always took the time to remind his players of the basics of the game.

There is an article posted at The National Review today written by Andrew McCarthy that also seeks to remind us of some basic principles of law. The title of the article is “Mr. Rosenstein, What Is the Crime?” That is the question.

The article reports:

For precisely what federal crimes is the president of the United States under investigation by a special counsel appointed by the Justice Department?

It is intolerable that, after more than two years of digging — the 16-month Mueller probe having been preceded by the blatantly suspect labors of the Obama Justice Department and FBI — we still do not have an answer to that simple question.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein owes us an answer.

To my mind, he has owed us an answer from the beginning, meaning when he appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller on May 17, 2017. The regulations under which he made the appointment require (a) a factual basis for believing that a federal crime worthy of investigation or prosecution has been committed; (b) a conflict of interest so significant that the Justice Department is unable to investigate this suspected crime in the normal course; and (c) an articulation of the factual basis for the criminal investigation — i.e., the investigation of specified federal crimes — which shapes the boundaries of the special counsel’s jurisdiction.

This last provision is designed to prevent a special counsel’s investigation from becoming a fishing expedition — or what President Trump calls a “witch hunt,” what DAG Rosenstein more diplomatically disclaims as an “unguided missile,” and what Harvard’s Alan Dershowitz, invoking Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin’s secret-police chief, pans as the warped dictum, “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” In our country, the crime triggers the assignment of a prosecutor, not the other way around.

I would strongly suggest that you follow the link to read the entire article. Andrew McCarthy presents a very strong legal argument as to why the Mueller investigation is not in compliance with the statute for a special prosecutor. Unfortunately the Mueller investigation has become a vehicle to ruin anyone financially that might have had even a tangential relationship with either the Trump campaign or the Trump presidency. Notice that nothing anyone has been charged with has any relationship with a conspiracy with Russia or election tampering. The only things that have been uncovered show the use of government agencies to spy on a political opponent in order to sway an election, and those things have been ignored by Mueller.

The article concludes:

So what are the suspected crimes committed by Donald Trump that Mueller has been authorized to investigate, and what was the factual basis for Rosenstein’s authorization of this investigation?

We still haven’t been told.

The anti-Trump Left decries all criticism as an effort to “delegitimize” and “obstruct” the Mueller investigation. But no one is questioning the investigation of Russia’s interference in the election. We are questioning why a special counsel was appointed to investigate the president of the United States. It is the Justice Department’s obligation to establish the legitimacy of the appointment by explaining the factual basis for believing a crime was committed. If there is no such basis, then it is Mueller’s investigation that is delegitimizing the presidency and obstructing its ability to carry out its constitutional mission — a mission that is far more significant than any prosecutor’s case.

We’re not asking for much. After 16 months, we are just asking why there is a criminal investigation of the president. If Rod Rosenstein would just explain what the regs call for him to explain — namely, the basis to believe that Donald Trump conspired with the Kremlin to violate a specific federal criminal law, or is somehow criminally complicit in the Kremlin’s election sabotage — then we can all get behind Robert Mueller’s investigation.

But what is the explanation? And why isn’t the Republican-controlled Congress demanding it?

The Mueller investigation is an example of the deep state trying to protect itself. That is what Bob Woodward’s book is about and that is what The New York Times editorial is about. Unfortunately there are both Republicans and Democrats in the deep state. Until we elect people who love America more than they love money and prestige, the deep state will remain.

This Is A Football

Vince Lombardi gave his “Gentlemen, this is a football” speech to the Green Bay Packers. One account of the speech noted that the speech was given after the team played poorly in a game they should have easily won. The speech is a reminder to all of us that getting distracted is not constructive. That brings me to what I have to say about the election in November.

The Presidential election this year is a clear choice between two philosophies—one philosophy believes that American sovereignty (under the U.S. Constitution) should be subordinate to the United Nations and the idea of globalism; the other philosophy believes in the U.S. Constitution and American sovereignty.

There are also two very conflicting life histories.  Hillary Clinton says that she grew up in a middle-class family in Illinois. Pictures of her family home posted on the Internet indicate that it was definitely upper middle class. That’s fine, but evidently she believes that the claim helps her when she talks to voters. Note also that she attended some rather expensive schools.  Again, that’s fine, but some of the picture does not align with some of the words. Donald Trump had a privileged upbringing. He makes no bones about that. The pictures confirm that.

Scandals have surrounded the Clintons since Arkansas. A quick google search will get you a bunch of details if you care. But I want to mention one scandal related to their time in the White House. That scandal is Travelgate. This took place in 1993 when the Clinton Administration fired seven employees of the White House Travel Office.  Billy Ray Dale, the Travel Office Director, had worked in the Travel Office since 1961 and had become Director in 1982. The Clintons made false accusations against him, and he and the other workers were fired (so that some friends of the Clintons could take over the office).  Billy Dale was indicted by a grand jury on December 7, 1994. He was charged with embezzlement and criminal conversion (wrongfully depositing checks into his personal account). He faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted. His trial in 1995 lasted thirteen days, and the jury acquitted him of both charges in less than two hours of deliberations. I don’t know how many thousands of dollars it cost Billy Dale to defend himself against bogus charges. The actions of the Clintons in this case are an example of ruthless politicians who are willing to destroy an innocent person in order to get their way. I don’t have the time to list all of the Clinton scandals—that would fill up too many pages, and with the recent email leaks from wikileaks, there are books of Clinton corruption being added every day.

Let’s look at Donald Trump’s scandals. Fifteen years ago, he talked dirty. Five women have come forward and charged him with various things. Trump has been in the public eye for forty-plus years and this is the first we have heard of this??!! Remember the women who accused Herman Cain—they disappeared as soon as he dropped out of the presidential race. Hmmm.

The bottom line—the politics of personal destruction has always worked for the Clintons. It is nothing new. Let’s hope it doesn’t work this time.

The Basics Of ISIS

One of the things Vince Lombardi was remembered for is a speech he gave to the Green Bay Packers after they lost to a team that they should have easily beaten. The morning after the loss, he called a practice. As his team (normally a championship team) sat there, he picked up a football and said,“Okay, we go back to the basics this morning. . . . Gentlemen, this is a football.” Sometimes it is a really good idea to get back to basics.

Breitbart.com posted an article today listing seven facts about ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) that every American should know.

Here is the list:

1. ISIS Began in the 1990s

2.  ISIS is Led by a Man Released from a U.S. Detention Camp in 2009

3.  ISIS is the Richest Terror Organization in the World

4.  The Number of ISIS Fighters Has Tripled to 31,500

5. ISIS has an Estimated 2,000 Westerners in its Ranks

6.  ISIS Now Controls 35,000 Square Miles in Iraq and Syria

7.  In Addition to Beheadings, ISIS Has Carried Out Mass Executions and Rapes

Please follow the link above to the article at Breitbart.com to read the details. ISIS is a serious threat to Western Civilization. It would be to our advantage to recognize that fact.