Michigan Supreme Court rejects lawsuit to take Trump off the ballot

I think this is good idea, I will explain after the quote.

Via CNN:

The Michigan Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 primary ballot based on the US Constitution’s “insurrectionist ban.”

The outcome, which was generally expected, is a victory for the former president, though an effort to remove him could be renewed for the general election. Wednesday’s decision contrasts with the recent ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court, which kicked Trump off its primary ballot because of his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. That decision has been paused pending an appeal.

[…]

The Michigan Court of Claims judge who first got the case said state law doesn’t give election officials any leeway to police the eligibility of presidential primary candidates. He also said the case raised a political question that shouldn’t be decided in the courts.

His decision was upheld by the Michigan Court of Appeals, which said: “At the moment, the only event about to occur is the presidential primary election. But as explained, whether Trump is disqualified is irrelevant to his placement on that particular ballot.”

The order from the Michigan Supreme Court was unsigned, and the court did not release a vote count.

I know, I said that I would not be writing about Trump. However, this to me, is less about Donald Trump, and more about election law and the constitution.

The reason I believe that this is a good thing, not because I support Trump; I do not hate the man, I just did not like the way he acted, while he was in the White House. However, I feel that the voters should decide who wins the Primary election and not the courts.

I have never believed that the Government should ever decide election. Because that basically is federalized elections. Let the people decide, not the court. This is why I felt that the Supreme Court should have never gotten involved in the 2000 election, with Bush vs Gore.

So, for once, Michigan made a good decision.

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Supreme Court makes a good decision for Black Alabama voters

I think this was a good thing for black voters.

The Story:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case from Alabama, with two conservative justices joining liberals in rejecting a Republican-led effort to weaken a landmark voting rights law.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined with the court’s liberals in affirming a lower-court ruling that found a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama congressional map with one majority Black seat out of seven congressional districts in a state where more than one in four residents is Black. The state now will have to draw a new map for next year’s elections.

The decision was closely watched for its potential effect on control of the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives. Because of the ruling, Republican-led legislatures in Alabama and Louisiana will have to redraw maps so that they could increase Black representation.

Source: Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters in unexpected defense of Voting Rights Act | AP News

As it has been said many times in the past, Politics — be it Liberal or Conservative, are an absolute reflection of our society as a whole. That being said, since the election of Donald Trump and his nuanced signaling of approval, towards the more hateful in our society; who are in fact, hateful toward Blacks, Jews and even other said minorities, there has been a uptick in more red states, such as in this case, Alabama — toward excluding those said people from the political process.

None of this is new, Alabama has a quite troubled history with racism and horrific treatment of its black citizens, dating back before the civil war. In fact, The United States of America fought a bloody civil war to end the horrific practice of slavery in Alabama and in other, now red states. Now, we have Alabama Government which was and still is a big supporter of Donald Trump, who attempted to limit the black vote. This should be an embarrassment to the Republican Party; However, with the current leadership of the Republican Party, it is now. In fact, it is a source of pride, most likely.

The good part is, where in the past Blacks could not fight back against the systematic racial oppression. Now they can, and they did indeed, bring their case to the Supreme Court of the United States and they won, and won big. Good for them, they deserve to be able to participate in the electoral process, just as much as the white man.

Now for those of you, who was see this posting and think that I am some sort leftist; I say to you — hogwash. I am full aware of the left’s nonsense. What with the foolish pursuit of the climate change agenda, and blaming of everything on it, from racism to smoke from Canada’s wildfires — is ridiculously stupid. Not to mention the horrific critical race theory, which has its origins in the halls of the Frankfort School. I am also quite aware of the sodomite lifestyle and its proponents, which wish to indoctrinate our children with its satanic doctrines. I am fully aware of all of this.

However, it does not excuse the Republican Party’s and as a whole, the Conservative movements, satanic embrace of White Supremacy and the foolish approval of Conspiracy Theories, that has prevailed since the election of Donald J. Trump. Many years ago, people like William F. Buckley fought long and hard to run these sort of people out of the Republican Party and out of the Conservative Movement, for it they were labeled Neo-Conservatives, pied piper of the establishment and worse.

I am no William Buckley, But I am a Christian man, and I will speak out again this sort of nonsense, as long as I am able.

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This is a MUST read!

I have been chomping at the bit to write this, since part one of this story dropped over on Townhall. The story is about two darlings of the LGBTQ+ community were brought up on child sexual molestation charges. It is truly a disgusting story.

Zachary “Zack” Jacoby Zulock and William Dale Zulock Jr. were accused of not only molesting their two adopted sons, who are now ages 9 and 11; and also filming it and distributing it on social media. But also pimping the two boys out to pedophiles in the Atlanta, Georgia suburbs.

This the list of the parts of this 4 part story: (with links)

Part 1 laid out the horrifying facts of the child-prostitution case,
Part 2 explored the LGBTQ pedophile ring’s reach
Part 3 shined a spotlight on the state’s failure to protect the two little boys from suffering through serial sexual abuse allegedly committed by their gay activist fathers, who became their adoptive parents thanks to Georgia’s courts and child-welfare system.
Part 4 deals with how these perverts are dealing with prison.

First of all, I would to say that Mia Cathell has done, what the MSM has not done; she actually did some darned good research on this 4 part series and has really exposed the failure of the Georgia child adoption agencies and the State’s failure to vet these two guys.

Second of all, I want to be absolutely clear: While I am not gay at all — I am not insinuating or suggesting that all gays or lesbians do this sort of a thing or would do this sort of a thing. I am quite aware that there are certain quarters of the Conservative media world who do actually make that sort of suggestion and insinuation; I am not a part of, nor do I have any relations with those sites. Any blogrolls on this site should not suggest any sort of an alliance, or agreement on all of their views. This includes Townhall.com as well. While I do want to promote this story, because I believe it is important. I do not agree with everything over at that website.

To those who might come by here from social media, and might read this: I say this to you. Leave your political bias at the door, please. Go to these links, tell me what you think and then, share this story with as many people as you can. If you think this story is alarming, sick and disgusting; inform the media that they should do it’s job and report this story, free of bias and truthfully.

Thanks for reading.

More Democrat political violence: Drunk Liberal runs over 18 year old Republican kid

This is seriously messed up.

Via Valley News Live:

MCHENRY, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A community is mourning the loss of an 18-year-old man from Grace City, North Dakota, as investigators look into what led up to a deadly crash. Foster County Deputies were called to a hit-and-run that happened in an alleyway near Johnston Street and Jones Avenue in McHenry, ND.

Court documents say at 2:35 Sunday morning, 41-year-old Shannon Brandt called 911 to report that he had hit a pedestrian because he was threatening him. Brandt told State Radio that the pedestrian was part of a Republican extremist group and that he was afraid they were “coming to get him.” The pedestrian has been identified in a GoFundMe page as 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson.

After visiting the scene where the incident happened, deputies went to Brandt’s house in Glenfield, ND, which is about 12 minutes from the crash scene. Brandt admitted to consuming alcohol before the incident, and stated he hit Ellingson with his car because he had a political argument with him. Brandt also admitted to deputies that he initially left the crash scene, then returned to call 911, but left again before deputies could arrive.

Court documents say just before the crash, Ellingson called his mom and asked if they knew who Brandt was. She said yes, and told her son she was on her way to pick him up. A short time later, court documents say Ellingson called his mom again to say that “he” or “they” were chasing him. It was after the second call that Ellingson could not be reached again.

Ellingson was pronounced dead at a Carrington Hospital. Brandt has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide and DUI. Court records show a judge set bail at $50,000.

Here are the media outlets covering this, according to Memeorandum:

Breitbart, The Western Journal LifeNews.com, The Post Millennial, RedState, The Gateway Pundit and Louder With Crowder

Fox News is reporting as well. But, others? Crickets. 🙄 Normally, when the right cries “media bias!” I roll my eyes. Not this time, it’s obvious that the progressive media is not touching this, at all.

Steve Bannon busted on Fraud Charges

Turns out, Bannon is a straight up crook.

This is from The Justice Department in NY:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Leaders Of ‘We Build The Wall’ Online Fundraising Campaign Charged With Defrauding Hundreds Of Thousands Of Donors

Brian Kolfage, Stephen Bannon, and Two Others Alleged to Have Funneled Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars From the Organization to Kolfage; All Four Defendants Allegedly Profited From Their Roles in the Scheme

Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced the unsealing of an indictment charging BRIAN KOLFAGE, STEPHEN BANNON, ANDREW BADOLATO, and TIMOTHY SHEA for their roles in defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign known as “We Build the Wall” that raised more than $25 million. The defendants were arrested this morning. KOLFAGE will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon in the Northern District of Florida. BANNON will be presented today in the Southern District of New York. BADOLATO will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson in the Middle District of Florida. SHEA will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix in the District of Colorado. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in the Southern District of New York.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, the defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction. While repeatedly assuring donors that Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, would not be paid a cent, the defendants secretly schemed to pass hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage, which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle. We thank the USPIS for their partnership in investigating this case, and we remain dedicated to rooting out and prosecuting fraud wherever we find it.”

Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett said: “The defendants allegedly engaged in fraud when they misrepresented the true use of donated funds. As alleged, not only did they lie to donors, they schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes, showing no regard for the law or the truth. This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law, not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist.”

According to the Indictment[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:

Starting in approximately December 2018, BRIAN KOLFAGE, STEPHEN BANNON, ANDREW BADOLATO, and TIMOTHY SHEA, and others, orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors, including donors in the Southern District of New York, in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign ultimately known as “We Build The Wall” that raised more than $25 million to build a wall along the southern border of the United States. In particular, to induce donors to donate to the campaign, KOLFAGE repeatedly and falsely assured the public that he would “not take a penny in salary or compensation” and that “100% of the funds raised . . . will be used in the execution of our mission and purpose” because, as BANNON publicly stated, “we’re a volunteer organization.”

Those representations were false. In truth, KOLFAGE, BANNON, BADOLATO, and SHEA received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donor funds from We Build the Wall, which they each used in a manner inconsistent with the organization’s public representations. In particular, KOLFAGE covertly took for his personal use more than $350,000 in funds that donors had given to We Build the Wall, while BANNON, through a non-profit organization under his control (“Non-Profit-1”), received over $1 million from We Build the Wall, at least some of which BANNON used to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in BANNON’s personal expenses. To conceal the payments to KOLFAGE from We Build the Wall, KOLFAGE, BANNON, BADOLATO, and SHEA devised a scheme to route those payments from We Build the Wall to KOLFAGE indirectly through Non-Profit-1 and a shell company under SHEA’s control, among other avenues. They did so by using fake invoices and sham “vendor” arrangements, among other ways, to ensure, as KOLFAGE noted in a text message to BADOLATO, that his pay arrangement remained “confidential” and kept on a “need to know” basis.

* * *

KOLFAGE, 38, of Miramar Beach, Florida, BANNON, 66, of Washington, D.C., BADOLATO, 56, of Sarasota, Florida, and SHEA, 49, of Castle Rock, Colorado, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants would be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the USPIS and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. She also thanked the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida for their assistance.

The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicolas Roos, Alison G. Moe, and Robert B. Sobelman are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.

Bannon and his friends. just made a huge mistake and they’ll be looking at serious jail time. You can bet on that.

Brian Schwartz / CNBC: Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon arrested on charges of defrauding donors in fundraising scheme

Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post: Stephen Bannon, three others charged with defrauding donors to online fundraising campaign for border wall

NBC New York: Former Trump Campaign Boss Steve Bannon Indicted for Fraud in NY

Shane Savitsky / Axios: Steve Bannon arrested and charged with fraud

Corinne Ramey / Wall Street Journal: Steve Bannon Charged in Alleged Border Wall Fundraising Scheme

New York Times: Steve Bannon Is Charged With Fraud in ‘We Build the Wall’ campaign

Fox News: Steve Bannon, ‘We Build The Wall’ organizers arrested, charged with defrauding donors

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DOJ seeks to Suspend Certain Constitutional Rights During Coronavirus Emergency

This is worse than what Michigan’s Governor is doing!

Via Politico:

The Justice Department has quietly asked Congress for the ability to ask chief judges to detain people indefinitely without trial during emergencies — part of a push for new powers that comes as the coronavirus spreads through the United States.

Documents reviewed by POLITICO detail the department’s requests to lawmakers on a host of topics, including the statute of limitations, asylum and the way court hearings are conducted. POLITICO also reviewed and previously reported on documents seeking the authority to extend deadlines on merger reviews and prosecutions.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the documents.

The move has tapped into a broader fear among civil liberties advocates and Donald Trump’s critics — that the president will use a moment of crisis to push for controversial policy changes. Already, he has cited the pandemic as a reason for heightening border restrictions and restricting asylum claims. He has also pushed for further tax cuts as the economy withers, arguing that it would soften the financial blow to Americans. And even without policy changes, Trump has vast emergency powers that he could legally deploy right now to try and slow the coronavirus outbreak.

The DOJ requests — which are unlikely to make it through a Democratic-led House — span several stages of the legal process, from initial arrest to how cases are processed and investigated.

In one of the documents, the department proposed that Congress grant the attorney general power to ask the chief judge of any district court to pause court proceedings “whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation.”

The proposal would also grant those top judges broad authority to pause court proceedings during emergencies. It would apply to “any statutes or rules of procedure otherwise affecting pre-arrest, post-arrest, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial procedures in criminal and juvenile proceedings and all civil process and proceedings,” according to draft legislative language the department shared with Congress. In making the case for the change, the DOJ document wrote that individual judges can currently pause proceedings during emergencies, but that their proposal would make sure all judges in any particular district could handle emergencies “in a consistent manner.”

The request raised eyebrows because of its potential implications for habeas corpus –– the constitutional right to appear before a judge after arrest and seek release.

“Not only would it be a violation of that, but it says ‘affecting pre-arrest,’” said Norman L. Reimer, the executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. “So that means you could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over. I find it absolutely terrifying. Especially in a time of emergency, we should be very careful about granting new powers to the government.”

Reimer said the possibility of chief judges suspending all court rules during an emergency without a clear end in sight was deeply disturbing.

“That is something that should not happen in a democracy,” he said.

The department also asked Congress to pause the statute of limitations for criminal investigations and civil proceedings during national emergencies, “and for one year following the end of the national emergency,” according to the draft legislative text.

And….:

Another controversial request: The department is looking to change the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure in some cases to expand the use of videoconference hearings, and to let some of those hearings happen without defendants’ consent, according to the draft legislative text.

“Video teleconferencing may be used to conduct an appearance under this rule,” read a draft of potential new language for Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 5(f), crossing out the phrase “if the defendant consents.”

“Video teleconferencing may be used to arraign a defendant,” read draft text of rule 10(c), again striking out the phrase “if the defendant consents.”

I have always suspected something like this might happen, irregardless of which party is in power. Now, it does say that the Democrats likely will not allow this to happen. But, you never know. I just find it amazing that a Republican lead Justice Dept. would do such a thing.

As Rick Moran at PJ Media said:]

Regardless, I’ll stick with Ben Franklin: ” They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Indeed.

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Religion of Peace?: Another Islamic Terrorist Stabbing in London

Here we go again. But, first the video made after the London police killed the terrorist:

Via BBC:

Quote:

A man has been shot dead by police in south London after he attacked people on a busy high street.

The man was under active police surveillance at the time of the attack, which police believe to be an Islamist-related terrorist incident.

He had a hoax device strapped to his body, police said. Three people were injured, with one person in a life-threatening condition.

Gunshots were heard on Streatham High Road just after 14:00 GMT on Sunday.

Reports suggest a man entered a shop and started stabbing people. It appears he then left the shop and stabbed a woman.

Witnesses reported hearing three gun shots and seeing a man lying on the ground, as armed police approached.

The BBC’s Daniel Sandford said the events appeared to unfold after witnesses saw an unmarked police car pull in front of another car near Streatham Common, forcing it to stop.

He said this could be linked to the subsequent stabbings and police shooting and it was possible somebody was stopped, before being followed by undercover officers.

[….]

Eyewitness Emma, from Streatham, told the BBC she saw an injured woman lying in the street.

She said she was told by another woman that an attacker had pulled out a knife in a shop before leaving and stabbing the woman.

Another eyewitness saw the shooting of the man take place in front of Boots pharmacy.

“I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer,” he told the PA news agency.

“The man was then shot. I heard three gunshots.”

Karker Tahir said he then saw police approach the man, before telling people nearby to move back in case a bomb went off.

Finally: Justice for Islamic terrorist Arabs Accused of Plotting 9/11 Attacks Is coming 2021

Via NYT:

WASHINGTON — Moving toward a final reckoning as the nation approaches the 20th anniversary of the day that led to the longest war in American history, a military judge on Friday set a date for the death penalty trial at Guantánamo Bay of the five men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The judge, Col. W. Shane Cohen of the Air Force, set Jan. 11, 2021, for the start of the selection of a military jury at Camp Justice, the war court compound at the Navy base in Cuba. It is the first time that a judge in the case actually set a start-of-trial date.

The case against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other men, should it proceed, would be the definitive trial tied to the Sept. 11 attacks. Until now, only foot soldiers of Al Qaeda have been tried at Guantánamo, and many of their convictions have been overturned.

Mr. Mohammed and the four others face the death penalty in a conspiracy case that describes Mr. Mohammed as the architect of the plot in which 19 men hijacked four commercial passenger planes and slammed two of them into the World Trade Center towers and one into the Pentagon. The fourth, which was believed to be aimed for the Capitol, crashed into a Pennsylvania field instead. The other four men are described as helping the hijackers with training, travel or finances.

[….]

In July, a prosecutor, Ed Ryan, urged the judge to set a date saying, “Our client, this nation, deserves a reckoning.”

In a lengthy exchange with the judge, Mr. Ryan argued that “dates energize and mobilize” people to prepare.

On Friday, defense lawyers on the case said that many of the judge’s milestones toward trial were dependent on the prosecution meeting a series of deadlines.

“For a January 2021 trial date to happen, the government would have to drop its obstructionism and produce a lot of important evidence and witnesses,” said James G. Connell III, the lead defense counsel for Mr. Baluchi. Mr. Connell said he had received more than 25,000 pages of case-related documents since July and expected that many more were coming.

Selection of the jury — 12 members and four alternate members — is expected to last months, with American military officers shuttled by air to and from the base in groups because of the limited housing at Guantánamo.

Besides conspiracy, the men are charged with committing murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians and terrorism. Should the men be convicted and sentenced to death, it is up to the secretary of defense to determine the method of execution.

It’s about damned time that these sleaze ball motherfuckers got to trial and are tried and killed. As someone who lived through 9/11 and struggled with depression, Anxiety; of which I am now on medication for…. I hope these rat bastards get the firing squad.

Screw them and their false religion and Pedophile prophet!

Pervert Jew, Jeffrey Epstein, kills self rather than face justice

Yeah, I know, it’s a provocative headline, sue me. If this Jew didn’t mind exploiting kids, then I don’t mind slamming him, as I did. Anyone that don’t like it, can SUCK IT!

Via NYT:

Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who was long dogged by accusations of sexual abuse of girls and who was able to cultivate a stream of high-profile friends despite his lurid lifestyle, killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell, two law enforcement officials said on Saturday.

Mr. Epstein hanged himself, the officials said. He was found at roughly 6:30 a.m. Saturday at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.

Last month, a week after being denied bail on federal sex trafficking charges, Mr. Epstein was found unconscious in his cell at the jail with marks on his neck. Prison officials had been investigating that incident as a possible suicide attempt.

Mr. Epstein was housed in a special unit with extra security, the Bureau of Prisons said, but it was not immediately clear whether he had been under suicide watch or whether the authorities had put in additional safeguards after the earlier incident.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation will examine Mr. Epstein’s death, the Bureau of Prisons said.

Manhattan federal prosecutors last month charged Mr. Epstein, 66, with sex trafficking of girls as young as 14. The indictment renewed attention toward how Mr. Epstein — who had opulent homes, a private jet and access to elite circles — had escaped severe punishment in an earlier investigation into his abuse of girls more than a decade ago in Florida.

He had avoided federal criminal charges in 2008 after prosecutors brokered a widely criticized deal that allowed him to plead guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution from a minor and serve 13 months in jail. Even while in custody, Mr. Epstein was allowed to leave the jail for 12 hours a day, six days a week, to work at his office in Florida.

The new federal indictment also focused scrutiny on an array of luminaries in government, politics, business, academia, science and fashion with whom Mr. Epstein had associated over the years, including Donald J. Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew of Britain and the retail billionaire Leslie Wexner.

Mr. Epstein’s defense team — the lawyers Reid Weingarten, Marty Weinberg and Michael Miller — declined to comment on his cause of death. “We are enormously sorry to learn of today’s news. No one should die in jail,” they said in a statement.

Mr. Epstein’s death brought an abrupt end to a prosecution that his accusers had hoped would finally shed light on how he had been allowed to commit what they said was a string of depraved crimes for so many years — and what role his wealth, privilege and connections played.

~~My take: Good riddance to bad rubbish.~~

Update 8/112019: I decided to add this, instead of the line above. I feel that this perverts justice was served, however, I feel that the victims were cheated out of justice; and I am not alone in this and lawsuits are being filed against this perverts estate. Some might have an issue with this, not me, This pervert stole these young ladies innocence, and I think they have a right to damages, very much so.

Ella Torres / ABC News: Jeffrey Epstein, accused sex trafficker, dies by suicide: Officials

New York Post: Jeffrey Epstein dead in apparent suicide

NBC News: Jeffrey Epstein, accused sex trafficker, is dead by apparent suicide, found in his Manhattan jail cell

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GOP and Dem Senators introduce bill to force a vote on selling arms to the Saudi’s

I am with The American Conservative on this one, it is about time. For years, the United States has been fighting Al-Qaeda and ISIS, all the while ignoring the fact that these terrorists are in fact Saudi’s and Sunni Muslims.

Via NBC News:

WASHINGTON — Two senators plan to introduce a bill Monday designed to force a vote on current and future U.S. arms sales and other military support to Saudi Arabia, saying it was time lawmakers checked President Donald Trump’s attempts to bypass Congress on foreign policy.

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who both sit on the Foreign Relations Committee, marks the latest counterpunch by lawmakers who strongly oppose selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and who are outraged at the Trump administration’s recent decision to sidestep Congress on an arms deal worth billions of dollars.

“The process we are setting in motion will allow Congress to weigh in on the totality of our security relationship with Saudi Arabia, not just one arms sale, and restore Congress’s role in foreign policy-making,” Murphy said in a statement.

Last week, a bipartisan group of senators, including Murphy and Young, proposed nearly two dozen resolutions that would require votes on each of the arms sales that make up the $8.1 billion weapons package to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan announced by the Trump administration on May 24. By law, arm sales require congressional approval but the Trump administration avoided any review by lawmakers for the controversial deal by declaring a national security “emergency,” citing the threat posed by Iran.

Daniel Larson at the American Conservative writes:

Murphy and Young have been two of the most consistent and active opponents of our government’s despicable Yemen policy, and they have been fighting to reassert Congress’ role in matters of war for the last several years. Young, a Republican from Indiana, has been one of a handful of senators from his party to break ranks with the administration and vote to end U.S. involvement in the war on Yemen. It is encouraging to see many members of Congress are standing up against executive overreach and abuse of power. The Murphy-Young legislation is just the latest example of how the president’s obnoxious subservience to the Saudis and the UAE has provoked growing dissatisfaction and resistance among our representatives in Washington. Murphy and Young’s bill complements the bipartisan effort to stop Trump’s bogus arms sale “emergency,” and it goes beyond that…

[…]

Congress should use every tool available to it to challenge the administration’s unconditional support for the Saudis. Each time they succeed in passing new measures against arms sales and the war on Yemen, they increase the number of people in Congress and the public willing to speak out and criticize the noxious U.S.-Saudi relationship. Thanks to the Trump administration’s contempt for Congress and the Constitution and their equally strong enthusiasm for the Saudi government, that relationship is in worse shape than it has been in decades, and there is a large and growing backlash against our government’s continued backing for the Saudis and their crimes.

Agreed. If we are going to hold Iran accountable, we should hold the rest of the Arab world accountable as well and this includes the Saudi Government as well. Good to see that both sides are coming together, if just for this one issue.