Sessions OUT

[Guinevere]

Resigned "at the request of the President orange cheetoe."

Chief of Staff Matthew Whitaker will be acting AG.

Rosenstein and/or Mueller will be next. Or at least an attempt.

I watched "All the President's Men" on Sunday. It's all so freaking similar.

[Big RR]

It would have had more effect if the democrats did not take the House, but as they can investigate and subpoena, etc., they can just pick up where Mueller left off; maybe even hire him as a counsel for the investigation.

[Lord Jim]

If this is really the start of a move on Mueller, then our wannabe dictator is going to be facing impeachment hearings a lot sooner then he would have otherwise...

We'll see, but I'm not sure that's really where he wants to go...

He's wanted Sessions out for a long time, the timing could be just to change the media focus from the Dems big victory in the the House back onto himself...

[Econoline]

No surprise. Next steps: Lindsey Graham AG, Nikki Haley SC Senator. Right?

[Guinevere]

Acting AG’s article from a year ago about the Mueller investigation. A month later he was hired as Sessons’ Chief of Staff.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/08/06/opin ... ssion=true


Agreed Trump wants the attention on him, but he is a cornered animal and you cannot predict what they will do.

[Burning Petard]

Did Matthew G. Whitaker, do anything that mattered in the long run while he was the federal AG for Southern Iowa? What does it say about him that all his academic training is from the same school? Or that wikipedia says he was 'advisor' to some patent outfit that was shut down as fraudulent?

snailgate

[ex-khobar Andy]

Did Matthew G. Whitaker, do anything that mattered in the long run while he was the federal AG for Southern Iowa? What does it say about him that all his academic training is from the same school? Or that wikipedia says he was 'advisor' to some patent outfit that was shut down as fraudulent?

snailgate

If you follow those links in Wikipedia, the fraudulent patent operation Whitaker was part of was quite a scam. Millions of dollars ripped off from inventors who thought that they could manufacture and market their brain children. Links below.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-release ... 14476.html
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/worl ... rs-9605870

[ex-khobar Andy]

I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that I might have fond feelings for Jeff Sessions. It will pass.

[Econoline]

No surprise. Next steps: Lindsey Graham AG, Nikki Haley SC Senator. Right?

OOPS. Missed a step. Sessions recused himself from oversight of the Mueller investigation, but since the Acting AG has not recused himself he can—and already HAS—taken the responsibility of overseeing the Special Counsel away from Deputy AG Rosenstein and given it to himself.

What this means for the investigation is now up in the air.

[Scooter]

[Scooter]

Inconsolable Jeff Sessions Tries To Commit Suicide By Smoking Joint

WASHINGTON—Following months of bruising criticism from Democrats and President Trump alike, an inconsolable Jeff Sessions was reportedly trying to commit suicide Thursday by smoking a joint. “I swore I’d never take the coward’s way out, but what choice do I have?” said a teary-eyed Sessions, carefully laying a sealed envelope containing his farewell note on a tool bench in his garage as he raised a lighter to the marijuana cigarette with trembling hands. “This is it. I’ve taken four puffs to make sure there’s no chance of survival. It should only be a matter of minutes now. Oh, what a wretched, ignominious ending. Goodbye, cruel world, I’m sorry I’ve failed you so.” At press time, Sessions reportedly realized he had died after being overcome by a euphoric, floating feeling.

[Econoline]

[RayThom]

NEXT!
After Sessions, who will Trump dump next?
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/ ... res-973692

[ex-khobar Andy]

A great oped in the NYT pointing out how the appointment of Whitaker is unconstitutional. I'm no expert but it makes sense to me. Regardless he obviously should recuse himself from decisions relating to the Russia investigation .

The authors of the piece are

By Neal K. Katyal and George T. Conway III

Mr. Katyal and Mr. Conway are lawyers.

George T Conway III. I've heard that name before but I can't think where. I thought he died in the Bowling Green Massacre but I must have been wrong.

[Guinevere]

I believe George and Neal may be taking an overly simplistic view (which doesn't mean they are incorrect, but there is further analysis to do). I don't think you can rule out the impact of the Vacancies Act just yet.

See linky (which I have only skimmed so far):

Linky

[MGMcAnick]

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 22090.html

When Drumpf was here to back Kobach, he mispronounced "his good friend" Kobach's name as Koback instead of Kobock. They ran it in Kobach's ads over and over. I laughed every time I heard it. Drumpf said if Kobach lost the election, there would be a place for him on his staff.

I don't know whether to hope Kris Kobach gets tapped to be US AG, or to hope he doesn't, for the sake of the country. He has made a pretty good living writing anti-immigration laws for various states and cities, and then defending them when they inevitably got sued.

He was well beaten in his bid to be KS governor. At least we can be happy about that. We'll have our second Democratic lady at the helm.

[ex-khobar Andy]

The more I read about this Whitaker guy, the worse it gets.

When he was runnng for US Senate in 2014:

Former federal prosecutor Matt Whitaker argued that neither Clovis’ nor Ernst’s answer had gone “far enough.” He said that he would demand that federal judicial nominees be “people of faith” and “have a biblical view of justice.”

“As long as they have that worldview, then they’ll be a good judge,” he said. “And if they have a secular worldview, where this is all we have here on earth, then I’m going to be very concerned about how they judge.”

[RayThom]

Matthew Whitaker is wasting no time becoming Lord Dampnut's fluffer.

DOJ and DHS Issue New Asylum Rule
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/doj-and- ... sylum-rule

[Lord Jim]

Apparently there is some hope that the appointment of this completely unqualified political stooge may not last:

Whitaker backlash prompts concern at the White House

(CNN)There is a growing sense of concern inside the White House over the negative reaction to Matthew Whitaker being tapped as acting attorney general after Jeff Sessions' abrupt firing.

Whitaker, who was Sessions' chief of staff, has faced criticism since Wednesday afternoon's announcement for his previous comments on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Several senior officials told CNN they were surprised by the criticism, and believe it could potentially jeopardize Whitaker's chances of remaining in the post if it continues to dominate headlines.

Whitaker is expected to take over oversight of Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether Trump campaign associates colluded with Russia. He has given no indication he believes he needs to step aside from overseeing the probe, according to one person familiar with his thinking, a belief echoed by White House officials. And a source close to the President told CNN that the idea of Whitaker ending or suppressing the Russia probe is not an option as of now .

But Whitaker has previously expressed deep skepticism about the probe, including arguing in a 2017 CNN op-ed that Mueller was "dangerously close to crossing" a red line following reports that the special counsel was looking into Trump's finances and calling Mueller's appointment "ridiculous" and "a little fishy" in a 2017 appearance on the "Rose Unplugged" radio program.

Whitaker also spoke about the investigation in numerous other radio and television appearances, including CNN, where he was a legal commentator.

It was not widely known among White House staff that he'd commented repeatedly on the special counsel's investigation in interviews and on television -- which is ironic given that this is what drew President Donald Trump to him and raises continued questions over the depth of the administration's vetting process.

Sam Clovis, a 2016 Trump campaign national chairman who has close ties to Whitaker, encouraged him to get a regular commentary gig on cable television to get Trump's attention, according to friends Whitaker told at the time. Whitaker was hired as a CNN legal commentator last year for several months before leaving the role in

September 2017 to head to the Justice Department.

Along with the breadth of his previous comments on the investigation, there have been questions about the legality of Whitaker's appointment.

George Conway, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, co-authored a New York Times op-ed published Thursday that called the appointment "unconstitutional."

The Appointments Clause of the Constitution, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, Conway wrote, "means Mr. Trump's installation of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general of the United States after forcing the resignation of Jeff Sessions is unconstitutional. It's illegal. And it means that anything Mr. Whitaker does, or tries to do, in that position is invalid."

Whitaker's standing ultimately depends on the President. But continued negative coverage will get Trump's attention. [Then by all means, let the continued negative coverage continue and grow]

ETA:

Here's another story to help keep the negative coverage coming:

Whitaker's link to a 'scam' company that was shut down by the government

(CNN)Matthew Whitaker, the acting US attorney general, was on the advisory board of a Florida company that was shut down by the Federal Trade Commission and served with a $26 million judgment earlier this year for what court documents called "a scam that has bilked thousands of consumers out of millions of dollars."

The company, World Patent Marketing, promised to help inventors get patents.

Whitaker was named as an advisory board member in October 2014 and Federal Election Commission filings showed the company's owner donated $2,600 to Whitaker's campaign when he was running for the US Senate. A payment record also shows Whitaker was paid at least $9,375 by the company from October 2014 to February 2016, and was due to be paid an additional $7,500 in 2016 and 2017, but it is unclear whether he received that money.

According to a World Patent Marketing press release announcing Whitaker's position on the board, Whitaker was quoted as saying, "World Patent Marketing has become a trusted partner to many inventors that believe in the American Dream," and "I have always admired World Patent Marketing and its innovative products and dynamic leadership team."

In May, the company agreed to a settlement with the FTC amid allegations that World Patent Marketing used unfair tactics, including threats of legal action, when customers complained about the company or its services.

The court banned the company from the invention promotion business; in addition, the judge ordered the $26 million judgment to be partially suspended as long as the company's owner Scott Cooper paid about $975,000. Whitaker's involvement was first reported by The Miami New Times.

Whitaker was so involved in the company he sent a threatening email to a disgruntled customer, which was filed in the case by the FTC. In it, Whitaker accuses a customer of "blackmail or extortion" because the customer had threatened to complain to the Better Business Bureau.

"I am a former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa," the email says. "I am assuming you understand that there could be serious civil and criminal consequences for you" if the customer filed a complaint, Whitaker wrote, adding, "Understand that we take threats like this quite seriously." [Bullying and threatening a ripped off customer; no wonder Trump likes him...]

The customer responded that Whitaker was "party (to) a scam."

Whitaker, through the Justice Department, declined to comment.

The FTC said customers who had paid thousands of dollars to World Patent Marketing to market their inventions received nothing in return after months or even years of paying the company. An FTC press release said that after working with World Patent Marketing, "many customers ended up in debt or lost their life savings with nothing to show for it."

ttps://www.cnn.com/2018/11/07/politics/whitake ... index.html

I hope that Muscle Head Matt is now subjected to massive investigative media scrutiny...

As Vito Corelone said in The Godfather, "Let's see what he's got under his fingernails"...

[Big RR]

I believe George and Neal may be taking an overly simplistic view (which doesn't mean they are incorrect, but there is further analysis to do). I don't think you can rule out the impact of the Vacancies Act just yet.

See linky (which I have only skimmed so far):

Linky

thnks Guin, I skimmed the link as well but plan to look at it in more detail later.