Tag: Trump abuse of power

Trump maintains he can intervene in cases after Barr urges him to curb tweeting

The Hill logoPresident Trump on Friday asserted he has “the legal right” to insert himself into the Justice Department’s handling of criminal cases one day after Attorney General William Barr said the president’s tweets were making his job more difficult.

Trump cited Barr’s comments from an ABC News interview in which the attorney general said Trump had not asked him to take certain action in a criminal case.

“This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!” Trump tweeted. Continue reading.

Trump renews his national emergency despite losing the primary rationale for it

Washington Post logoBut a key secondary rationale — fulfilling his campaign promise — remains

One year ago, President Trump capitulated in a fight with Congress over funding for a border wall, deciding instead to enact a national emergency that would allow him to repurpose money for it. After a few legal battles, Trump got his way; the Pentagon freed up billions of dollars and Trump’s wall — a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign — got underway. Mexico wasn’t paying for it as Trump had promised, but someone was, and that was good enough.

There’s stark contrast between that fight and the dry, pro forma announcement from the White House on Thursday that extended the national emergency for a second year. Congress is mandated to review the declaration every six months and has done so, but its determination that the emergency should be ended was met with presidential vetoes.

Paired with Thursday’s announcement was a news report on how the Pentagon was still reorganizing pools of money to meet Trump’s needs. Another $3.8 billion will be diverted from purchasing new aircraft and drones, upgrading vehicles and making other purchases so that more wall can be built in this crucial election year. Continue reading.

41 prosecutors blast Attorney General Barr for ‘dangerous and failed’ approach to criminal justice

Washington Post logoForty-one elected prosecutors in a joint statement condemned Attorney General William P. Barr for his recent rhetoric that attacked progressive policies, arguing that his “dangerous and failed” approach to criminal justice disproportionately punished poor people and racial minorities while diverting resources away from more serious crimes.

“Sadly, we are perceived as a threat by some who are wedded to the status quo or, even worse, failed policies of past decades,” the 41 state, county and city prosecutors wrote. “Critics such as Attorney General William P. Barr seek to bring us back to a time when crime was high, success was measured by how harsh the punishment was, and a fear-driven narrative prevailed.”

In their statement, the signatories warned against returning to a “‘tough on crime’ era” that ignored facts and encouraged mass incarceration. Instead, they argued, evidence shows that a data-based approach is not only more effective, but also strengthens community trust. Continue reading.

Susan Collins flees from reporter when asked if she still believes Trump learned “a very big lesson”

When asked in the Oval Office what “lesson” he had learned from impeachment, Trump said: “Democrats are crooked”

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, dodged questions from a reporter Wednesday who pressed her on whether she still believed her claim that President Donald Trump has learned a “lesson” by being impeached.

Collins, along with several other Republicans, defended her vote to acquit Trump in his Senate impeachment trial by arguing that though his actions were “wrong,” he had learned a “pretty big lesson” from being impeached.

“I believe that the president has learned from this case,” Collins told CBS News. “I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future.” Continue reading.

John Kelly just made these 4 incredible assertions about Trump — and it’s already getting under his skin

Three years after he was sworn in as president of the United States, one thing that is painfully obvious about Donald J. Trump is that he insists on having unquestioning loyalists in his administration and has zero tolerance for those who aren’t. That’s why Attorney General William Barr, White House Adviser Kellyanne Conway, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are still in his good graces and why former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former Defense Secretary James Mattis are all gone. Another major departure from the Trump Administration was that of Marine Corps veteran John F. Kelly, who served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) before becoming White House chief of staff in July 2017 and remaining in that position until early January 2019.

Like Bolton, Tillerson and Mattis, Kelly grew incredibly frustrated with Trump; nonetheless, Kelly mostly held his tongue after leaving the White House. But the retired Marine Corps general, during a 75-minute speech and Q&A session at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey on Wednesday night, February 12, spoke candidly and frankly about Trump. And Kelly wasn’t shy about criticizing the president, who is angrily lashing out at him on Twitter.

The morning after Kelly’s Morristown appearance, Peter Nicholas covered the event in The Atlantic. Trump, on Twitter, boasted about firing Kelly and posted, “When I terminated John Kelly, which I couldn’t do fast enough, he knew full well that he was way over his head. Being Chief of Staff just wasn’t for him. He came in with a bang, went out with a whimper, but like so many X’s, he misses the action & just can’t keep his mouth shut, which he actually has a military and legal obligation to do.” Continue reading.

Barr: Trump’s tweets make it ‘impossible for me to do my job’

The Hill logoAttorney General William Barr told ABC News in an interview that aired Thursday that President Trump had never asked him to do anything in a criminal case but advised the president to stop tweeting about the Justice Department, saying it makes it “impossible for me to do my job.”

The remarks are a significant and rare public break by the attorney general from the president, following days of controversy surrounding the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to lessen a sentence for Trump ally Roger Stone after the president tweeted about his displeasure with the gravity of the original sentence recommendation.

“I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases,” Barr told ABC.  Continue reading.

 

Democrats predicted Trump would make aid to states contingent upon political demands. Experts say he’s proving them right

AlterNet logoDuring President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, Democrats warned that he could tie aid to individual states in the U.S. to political demands — not unlike tying military aid to Ukraine to an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. And a tweet posted by Trump on Twitter on Wednesday is being cited by reporters as proof

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that he would be meeting with Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the White House — and he demanded that New York State cease all investigations of him. The president posted, “I’m seeing Governor Cuomo today at The White House. He must understand that National Security far exceeds politics. New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harassment, start cleaning itself up, and lowering taxes.”

Kyle Cheney, after seeing that tweet, wrote, “Trump suggests his treatment of New York is related to their lawsuits aimed at his businesses/personal conduct.” And in a separate tweet, Cheney posted, “This is actually the precise scenario that House Democrats warned of during the impeachment trial: What if Trump conditioned federal aid to a state on a personal political demand?” Continue reading.

White House targets pet weapons projects to pay for border wall

Defense Department would shift $3.8 billion from fighters, ships and other programs that have widespread support on the Hill

Pentagon officials have targeted weapons programs cherished by senior members of both parties in a Thursday request to shift $3.8 billion in Defense Department money to build more barriers on America’s border with Mexico.

The Trump administration’s plan, obtained by CQ Roll Call, would subtract funds from military programs such as the F-35 fighter jet, V-22 tiltrotor aircraft and National Guard and Reserve equipment, a transfer of funds notable for its indiscriminate effect on nearly every state.

Among those whose districts would be particularly hard hit is Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee who represents Ft. Worth, where Lockheed Martin builds the F-35s. Continue reading.

Senate votes to rein in Trump’s power to attack Iran

The Hill logoEight Senate Republicans voted with all 47 Democrats on Thursday to rein in President Trump‘s ability to take military action against Iran, paving the way for a veto showdown with the White House. 

Senators voted 55-45 on the resolution, spearheaded by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), that would require Trump to pull any U.S. troops from military hostilities against Iran within 30 day unless he gets congressional approval for the military actions. 

The rebuke comes just a week after senators voted to acquit Trump in his impeachment trial. Continue reading.

As many as eight GOP senators expected to vote to curb Trump’s power to attack Iran

The Hill logoThe Senate is set to pass on Thursday a bipartisan resolution to limit President Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran, handing the president a rebuke on foreign policy a week after voting to acquit him in his impeachment trial. 

As many as eight Republicans are expected to vote for the resolution, which directs the president to terminate the use of the U.S. armed forces in hostilities against Iran.

They are Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Rand Paul (Ky.), Susan Collins (Maine), Todd Young (Ind.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Bill Cassidy(La.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). Continue reading.