Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. Law enforcement veteran and InVest USA founder Michael Letts discusses the case with Judge Christopher Cooper […]
We don't know what Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, wrote in his sexually explicit texts with women other than his wife-six, according to his campaign; a dozen, according to an ex-aide-but do we need to? The glaring question that the texts pose to voters about the presumptive Democratic nominee at this point in a pivotal midterm race is: Are we really going to do this again?
Sen. John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat known for causing the party numerous headaches, caved to President Donald Trump, per Punchbowl News, giving him a pass that no other Senate Democrat has during his second term.On Friday morning, Punchbowl reported that Fetterman — sometimes hailed as "Trump's favorite Democrat" for his often right-leaning stances and votes — would be allowing one of the president's federal judicial nominees in Pennsylvania, "waiving" his right to refuse a "blue slip." As the report noted, this is "the first time in Trump’s second term that a Senate Democrat has turned in a blue slip for one of Trump’s judicial picks."A congressional tradition dating back over a century, senators from each state hold the right to refuse to give their support to a president's judicial nominee in their home state, with the act of giving their support referred to as giving them their "blue slip." Refusing to give the slip, typically, results in the nominee getting blocked outright, or at least delayed significantly.Both of a state's senators must give a judicial nominee their blue slip in order for their nomination to progress. As Pennsylvania's other senator, David McCormick, is a Republican, only Fetterman was likely to offer any pushback at all in the process. Critics of Trump have pushed Democrats to be unyielding in the blue slip refusal under Trump's second term, given that these judges will go on to serve lifetime appointments.Trump previously railed against the blue slip process, but Senate Republicans offered a rare rebuke and defended it."The move is already setting off yet another battle between Fetterman and his numerous critics on the left, who demand unyielding opposition to Trump, particularly on lifetime appointments to the federal bench," Punchbowl reported. It continued: "This is also a new test for Senate Democrats. Trump only recently nominated a pair of judges for federal district courts in states with one or two Democratic senators. Trump tapped Antonio Pozos for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Michael Martin for the Eastern District of Michigan. Fetterman turned in his blue slip for Pozos to allow the nomination process to move forward, according to a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Democrat. Michigan’s two Democratic senators haven’t turned in their blue slips for Martin."Demand Justice, a "key liberal group," is now prepping a major ad campaign to attack Fetterman for his approval of Pozos' nomination, and threatening similar attacks against any Democrat who does the same going forward.“These are not normal times, and any senator who thinks that this is standard operating procedure and that any of these nominations are normal course of operations is deluding themselves,” Demand Justice President Josh Orton told Punchbowl.
Trump's pick to temporarily take over as the country's top spy chief had a bizarre past, according to reports that dug up his old antics. Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte used to host an event where people were slapped with sex toys, according to reporting by The Daily Beast. He was also accused of influencing Trump's posting of a Christ-like image of himself earlier this year, The Beast added. Pulte, who's also the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, appeared at an event with internet influencer PP from "ThePPShow" and was awarded a novelty trophy saying "Bill Pulte F—" on one side and "Only the Young" on the other side, according to The Daily Beast, which noted it was in part a reference to a Taylor Swift song.In a resurfaced video of the event, Pulte blurted out “I like only the young,” before exclaiming that the trophy “looks pretty bad—” as it was handed to him. He then dropped it after getting “too excited,” he said in the video.He was pressured off the board of Pulte Homes, his grandfather's company, because of his self-promotion, the New York Times reported.Pulte, who used to hold shares of Bed Bath & Beyond, wore bulletproof vests, saying he was afraid that anti-Bed Bath & Beyond forces might try to kill him, the Beast reported. He tried to claim the company wasn't really bankrupt and could still be saved in 2023, but the company went bankrupt anyway that year, The Bulwark reported.The FHFA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence didn't respond to The Daily Beast's request for comments.
The Kennedy Center is moving to comply with a federal court order to remove President Donald Trump's name from the iconic Washington arts venue. The center's general counsel instructed staff to immediately change email signatures, letterhead, and documents to reflect the original name — the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — with interior and exterior signage to be changed by June 12, according to reports by CBS News. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled the Trump-appointed board overstepped its authority when voting in December to rename the venue "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," according to NBC News. Judge Cooper said, "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it." In addition to its name change, the center remains undecided about whether to proceed with a $257 million renovation scheduled to begin July 5. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum initially resisted compliance. During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union", Burgum explained he wasn't sure whether the order would be appealed and called it "controversy on both sides."Trump subsequently posted he would withdraw from the center, calling it "broken, unsafe and busted," according to Spectrum News 1. Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
The Trump administration has a "very serious chance" of losing a powerful weapon against judges, predicted legal journalist Adam Klasfeld. In a recent episode of Legal AF, Klasfeld spoke about the case against Hannah Dugan, the Milwaukee circuit court judge who distracted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while she sent the immigrant they were seeking out a side door."It's a shocking thing when a judge is arrested," Klasfeld reflected. "It showed the Trump administration's priorities to go after any judge that they believe is standing in the way of ICE enforcement.She was convicted by a jury of obstructing an official proceeding in December, but her legal team filed a motion for an acquittal of that charge. "She has a very serious chance of an acquittal here," Klasfeld said, explaining that recent cases have changed the legal precedent establishing ICE arrests with an administrative warrant as an official proceeding. If a federal judge agrees to acquit Dugan, it will take away "one of the most powerful arrows in the quiver of the Trump DOJ to target judges who want to preserve the integrity of their courthouse," Klasfeld said. "It can deprive the Trump DOJ of one of the few victories it has had in a high-profile case, particularly a politically charged high-profile case," Klasfeld added. "If an ICE arrest based on an administrative warrant is not a proceeding, then that sword of Damocles hanging over local county and state judges around the country, that is removed. That is removed from the Trump DOJ's quiver."
There aren’t enough people left with the lack of qualifications he’s looking for.
Senate Republicans voted against permanently killing Trump's $2 billion anti-weaponization fund despite criticism, as Sen. Tillis' amendment failed.
