I thought my long rant time was up. Obama made ranting here useless because let's face it, he was horrible, but he wasn't my problem. Moreover while not a AGOTUS Holder fan , ( and very disappointed in Loretta Lynch) from a criminal law point of view, and with Obama's pardoning long term drug offenders, my general issues kind of wained and so this blog started to fade.
Of course some personal things came up, like my Wife's Scleroderma worsening, and my finally closing solo practice to join a law firm with younger lawyers who think I have wisdom that comes with advancing age and greying hair. My move to
Raiser & Kenniff PC has made me happier and frankly has given me a bunch of new goals. I always loved being a lawyer, but I do not always like running a practice, but that's now my younger partners' problem. I am focused on federal criminal and civil rights law. I do strategic litigation, teach CLEs and write legal method articles. It's been fun. Then...came Jeff Sessions... the rants began to build within my gut, and before I knew it, I was planning on restarting the blog!
Maybe the long time away will return me to form but a few things have not changed. I am still outspoken passionate and will still write in my voice. I hope my friends like
Denis Kennedy Tom Mighell,
Dan Hull,
Carolyn Elefant and others will start reading me again. I was an early adopter of blogs, and social media such as Twitter, and Facebook. I have outlets, but no matter where I publish, what I say here represents me and my views.
So let's look at the week in the legal news:
1.
FBI Director James Comey is Fired by President Donald Trump...just typing President Donald Trump leaves me wondering WTF happened while I have been away..,
Well there is very little for me to add to this clusterf*** but here are a few thoughts. I am not a fan of Justice by press release. Judge Comey, was just wrong to get into last year's election in any way shape or form. No doubt it was NOT the reason he was fired some 6 months later, but frankly, Obama should have done it in July of '16.
Look people, our Constitution has a mechanism for ridding us of a criminal President. It is called impeachment. Comey only dirtied up the waters, and he was wrong. I understand WHY he did it (Thanks again
AGOTUS Lynch and Slick Willie Clinton. Talk about a brain fart, Loretta, really???)
Anyway, Comey needed to go. That aside, Trump fired him for a bunch of reasons: A. He was letting Trump twist in the wind on Russia-gate. B. He was getting too much Press, nobody should get more Press than Trump! (Now Trump telling NBC's Lester Holt that Comey was a "showboat" defines Hutzpah. It was funny in a cringeworthy way. Can Trump possibly be that unaware? Apparently, yes.)
Now because he has "People" around him, one of the geniuses (my money is on Kushner or Conway) realized that firing the lead investigator WHILE he is investigating you is a bad optic. So they go to Sessions, and he gets a ridiculous hit job letter from his toady Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein to write an excuse that if Trump stays on message will give him a reason for the firing that in no way fooled anybody but might have moved the discussion along. The failure to take Trump's Twitter account away, and his general life experience however left no doubt that he was going to screw up his staff and prove to everyone he had the biggest balls in the city by announcing the firing was his idea, his call, and his decision. Now let's see, in one set of tweets and an interview he screwed VP Pence, his whole Press team, Sessions and Rosenstein. The sad thing is, his supporters don't care, which is the most F***ed up thing I've ever seen in 50 years of following American politics. Somehow Trumpsters decided this megalomaniacal billionaire is the underdog AND is looking out for them. I mean seriously, how angry can you be, being a mostly white American. You want to be pissed, imagine you are born into India's lowest caste. These Trump folks are pissed they do not have more?!
Anyway, I smell a problem coming and it will get ugly quickly, however, the stakes are high. If Trump's new FBI director can get his decision about Russia-gate done within 8 months, and the GOP holds firm on the special prosecutor issue, Trump could come through midterms with a veto proof Senate and an enlarged majority in the House to help him break Obamacare and get his budgets through. If it goes badly, the house will belong to either the Dems or the Freedom Caucus, and the Senate will see even more divisiveness. I doubt the GOP holds the Senate, which could mean impeachment could be on its way.
2.
AGOTUS Sessions has ordered all his acting US Attorneys and their assistants to go back to charging the highest count they can get, justice be damned. He wants them to seek charges that seek out mandatory minimums and he wants them to seek max time. The Neo-con Drug Warrior is back to grab one last gasp.
Okay I am on record for being against Mandatory Minimums, overcharging crimes, the Drug War and Jeff Sessions, but I have to wonder, after almost a decade of lower crime rates, and saving a load of money by NOT jailing non-violent offenders, why we would change courses mid stream?
Well it's not JUST because Sessions is a redneck curmudgeon who hates poor people minorities and immigrants, nor is it because he has small hands and looks like an elf. It's because...
Sessions is on the payroll of the private prison industry! Yes, money is pouring into Sessions pockets! GOP pockets and possibly other pockets.
The industry has hired TWO , TWO former Sessions political employees. What would they be lobbying an AG about do you think? These two guys have poured over $100K into Pro Trump Super-Pacs. I think the Press needs to ask more questions about these two guys, and look into Sessions too. Of course, with so many things happening, it is hard to believe they will. Nevertheless, guys
JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!
3. I've found Pinterest!
Follow That Lawyer Dude for healthy recipies. Tonight I made my Turkish Paprika Kicken Chicken. It was phenomenal!
