A Regulatory State Christmas Miracle

Townhall.com Assets at the National Security Agency have intercepted extensive email and internet chatter from sources within the United States and abroad regarding an alleged birth of a special child in a rural farm just yesterday, December 25th, almost certainly a small town known as “Bethlehem” in Pennsylvania. Due to the apparently unique circumstances of the birth, and the potential security threat of a child rumored to be the start of a social movement undermining the role of government as the people’s exclusive moral compass, we request permission to place federal and state security assets on high alert. Federal officials were first alerted to a potential disturbance when an abnormally bright star was spotted in the sky in the vicinity of Bethlehem. Teams at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported normal atmospheric conditions at the time. However, over the last 24-hours, research teams at both agencies are now speculating that global warming may have caused this unusual phenomenon. Drone surveillance has permitted us real-time gathering of evidence in our effort pinpoint the exact location and circumstances of the alleged miraculous birth. A confidential informant sent to the location has informed us of a shocking situation on the ground. It is said that the child was born in a barn, surrounded by various livestock, without the aid of medical doctors, other care givers, certified midwives, or even a licensed doula. We have therefore sought the assistance of the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture, as well as inspectors at the Food and Drug Administration, to determine the full extent of federal health and agriculture regulations...

Federal Election Law “Gotcha!”

Townhall.com   Rather than jump into the media-led free-for-all clamoring for President Trump to be indicted or impeached (or both) based on the latest court filing by Special Counsel Mueller or the U.S. Attorney’s office in New York, let’s step back for just a moment.  It might behoove all sides to  consider matters as weighty as these, by at least glancing at relevant historical and legal precedents. In so doing, two cases come readily to mind: the 1998 impeachment of former President Bill Clinton and the 2012 prosecution of former Sen. John Edwards.  Such a review would urge caution, rather than the headlong rush to judgment that appears as the default to which so many in the media and political arenas are today drawn. While a Member of the House of Representatives in 1997, I introduced the first formal resolution directing the Judiciary Committee to inquire into whether there were grounds for impeachment against Clinton.  This move followed mounting evidence that his Administration had violated a number of federal laws, including most importantly, those designed to protect against foreign government contributions to a U.S. presidential campaign, and guarding against disclosure of national security-related technology to a foreign government. Late the following year, after extensive hearings by the Committee and a vote by the full House, Clinton was impeached on two counts of perjury and obstruction of justice.  While these articles of impeachment were unrelated to those that precipitated my initial inquiry, they nonetheless were based on solid evidence establishing the elements of well-known federal criminal laws – perjury and obstruction. Rather than trying to manufacture trumped-up charges of wrongdoing...

Pelosi and Schumer Should Take a Lesson from Bill Clinton

The Daily Caller As much as the media obsesses over President Trump, and as much as he exhibits to the media the behavior they love to hate, it is amazing how little the media remembers. The latest flap over immigration policy, and especially the televised Oval Office meeting just last Tuesday with soon-to-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi and still-Senate Minority Leader Schumer, has the left and its media darlings all in a tizzy. The fact is, the episode and its aftermath are vintage Trump — pure stagecraft. And anything the president said at that meeting had a shelf life of precisely one news cycle. The White House meeting was orchestrated by Trump not to announce new substantive policy or signal a major change in policy. Trump has been railing about building the wall since long before he was elected in 2016. His base continues to support him on that issue, and he knows this. He also must know the polling on the question of whether to build a wall has remained relatively constant over the course of his presidency and does not spike or crater depending on what he says. It’s all about negotiating. Think Bill Clinton. Even more important than Trump’s oft-demonstrated ability to control the news cycle, is his notorious habit of maneuvering his adversaries into chasing critters down rabbit holes. This is simply a ploy to then strengthen his own bargaining position by appearing to back away from one of those red herrings. The bottom line for this president is that virtually everything is negotiable, including “the wall.” Well, not the wall itself, but any aspect of it,...