Tag Archives: Donald Trump’s ties to the Russians
InCity Book Review
But first …
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Unholy Alliance: The Agenda Iran, Russia and Jihadists Share for Conquering the World
By Jay Sekulow, (2016, First Howard Books, 310 Pages)
Reviewed by Steven R. Maher
If you dislike Muslims, you’ll love this book. If you were looking for an even-handed description of the Middle East turmoil, reading Unholy Alliance: The Agenda Iran, Russia and Jihadists Share for Conquering the World, will be a severe disappointment. That was this writer’s opinion after reading Jay Sekulow’s Unholy Alliance. In this book, Sekulow postulates the unlikely theory that “Muslim jihadists” such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS are conspiring with Iran and Vladimir Putin’s Russia to take over the world.
Sekulow wants the reader to believe that Sunni terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS are, or could be, allied with Iranian Shiites to seize the planet. That the Sunnis and Shiites have been fighting each other for 1,400 years argues against this.As support for his belief in a pan-Muslim terrorist conspiracy, Sekulow says Shiite Iran is the major backer of the Sunni Hamas movement in the West Bank. That is an exceptional case, as Hamas is in the belly of Israel, and Israel is a major target of Islamic extremists today.
Sekulow ardmits that Iran is fighting Al-Qaeda in Syria, and asserts later that Al-Qaeda directs its overseas operations from Iranian sanctuaries. The idea that Iran is knowingly allowing Al-Qaeda to direct its Syrian followers from Iranian territory to kill Iranian Revolutionary Guards supporting Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, is absurd.
Chief Counsel of ACLJ
Sekulow is the Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, the conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union.
“The ACLJ was founded in 1990 by law school graduate and evangelical minister Pat Robertson to protect constitutional and human rights worldwide,” says Wikipedia. “ACLJ generally pursues constitutional issues and conservative Christian ideals in courts of law.”
This book reads like a law review article. Sekulow sources his book with Teutonic thoroughness, citing 1,460 endnotes in the186 pages in the body of the book. There are 119 pages – or 38% of the total – devoted to acknowledgments, notes, appendixes, and the index.
“Unholy Alliance” is like another tome reviewed here, “Trouble in the Tribe”. (See https://incitytimesworcester.org/steve-parked-%F0%9F%9A%99-in-roses-space-incity-times-book-review/.) In “Trouble in the Tribe”, we noted how the author dumped a great deal of specific information into endnotes, “which should have been better served in the main text, or attached as footnotes on the pages where they are cited.” In Unholy Alliance, there is a whole page for one endnote, and a large mass in commentary in the others that would better serve the reader being attached as footnotes. Unlike “Trouble in the Tribe”, “Unholy Alliance” makes little pretense at being an evenhanded analysis.
Sekulow analyzes the Muslim faith. He provides examples of how British Islamic groups prefer Islamic tribunals using Sharia law to British courts, and the terrible injustices which take place in those tribunals, particularly against women. He implies that America’s Muslim population has the same plan for the U.S. This book was published in September 2016, before Donald Trump’s surprising upset. Trump’s election makes the possibility of American courts adopting Sharia law remote.
He quotes sections of the Koran which, taken out of context and the times in which they were written, make the Muslim faith look absurd and blood thirsty. Sekulow acknowledges that critics of Judaism have done the same type of misrepresentation of the Jewish bible. He excuses this by saying essentially that the Koran was intended as a “universal and timeless” document, while the Jewish bible is a history book.
Dubious Sources
Some of the sources cited by Sekulow are at best dubious. This is another reason the author may have avoided footnotes. To find who the references are for some of these, you must turn several hundred pages forward to look up the endnote. On the other hand, if there were footnotes naming these sources, the questionable nature of some of Sekulow’s sources would become immediately known to the reader.
To illustrate this, we did a computer analysis of Chapter Nine “Iran and Al Qaeda”. The last time America launched a preemptive invasion in the Middle East, George W. Bush and the neocons linked Al-Qaeda to Iraq.
We plugged into an Excel spreadsheet the 141 sources cited by the author in 132 endnotes in Chapter 9. We then sorted the data by two sequences: by the source cited in the endnote; and by the year in which the source originated. We found:
• 51% of the sources were dated 2009 or prior. For some reason, Sekulow relied on older historical information. There were only four sources from 2012, two cites from one source dated 2014, and three from 2016.
• One out of five endnotes (28 in total) cited Ronen Bergman’s book “The Secret War with Iran.” One PBS broadcast was cited seven times. The 2004 9/11 Commission Report was cited 17 times. The 13 sources dated 2013 included four marked “opinion” in its web locations, and seven endnotes were from three sources.
• Most disturbing of all was Sekulow’s frequent cites to the Weekly Standard, the neoconservative magazine that clamored for the disastrous 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. One such article, cited in five endnotes, was co-authored by William Kristol, America’s foremost neoconservative. There were 23 sources dated 2015; sixteen of these, or 70%, derived from the Weekly Standard. The same people who bought us the war in Iraq are now ginning up for a war in Iran.
Severe Disappointment
As we said at the beginning of this book review, if you dislike Muslims, you’ll like this book. If you were looking for an even-handed description of the Middle East turmoil, reading “Unholy Alliance” will be a severe disappointment.
Dazzling satire! Dazzling performers!
Bravo, Worcester!
Read it for yourselves! The spymasters’ report! TRUMP and prostitutes, Russian spies, oligarchs …
A cry for help in Trumpland!
This 35-page “top secret” report on madman Trump’s ties to the Russians is as lurid as his hair color!
THIS DANGEROUS, RIDICULOUS PAWN will soon be our next president!
Sad.
Click on the blue-colored link below to read the report…
– R.T.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3259984-Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.html
Jim McGovern – always in style! … and … Worcester happenings!!
Jim at an event in the district
McGovern: Trump Must Back Bipartisan Russian Hacking Investigation
Calls on Trump to end Twitter Sideshow on Russian Hacking
editor’s note: I’ve made some sentences bold. – R.T.
Congressman Jim McGovern, a senior House Democrat and leading national voice on U.S.-Russia relations, spoke yesterday on the House Floor about the Capitol Hill hearing with U.S. intelligence officials and the Russian hacking done during the 2016 presidential election to influence the outcome.
“American democracy was attacked in 2016 by Russian hackers seeking to tip our presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. That’s not me speaking. That is the CIA, FBI, and the 14 other United States intelligence agencies which have reached a clear consensus on the matter. Yet even in the face of the overwhelming evidence, President-elect Trump has continued to sow seeds of confusion by publicly attacking and trying to discredit our country’s intelligence agencies and the brave men and women who risk their lives every day to keep us safe.
“Today, intelligence officials are testifying before the Senate on this matter. In one of his most alarming actions yet, President-elect Trump has said he would rather trust the words of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, an accused sex offender, holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK, than the consensus of the directors of U.S. intelligence agencies. This is not normal behavior by a president-elect, let alone a president.
“We cannot allow it to become normal.
“America faces serious threats across the globe and we cannot afford to have a Commander-in-Chief at war with the very intelligence agencies responsible for keeping our country safe. Whatever his motivation, President-elect Trump must clearly and unequivocally join Republicans and Democrats seeking answers. We need a bipartisan independent commission to uncover the truth about the Russian hacking and we need all of our leaders to support it.
“It’s time Mr. Trump’s Twitter sideshow comes to an end. It only confirms what many of us feared during the campaign – that he is temperamentally unfit to be President. We must be united in protecting the integrity of our elections against Russian and all foreign influence.”
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Full Text of Congressman McGovern’s Speech:
“Before I speak on today’s legislation, I want to express my continued deep concern and uneasiness about the Russian hacking to influence the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election – and the deeply troubling response from our President-elect.
“American democracy was attacked in 2016 by Russian hackers seeking to tip our presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. That’s not me speaking. That is the CIA, FBI, and the 14 other United States intelligence agencies which have reached a clear consensus on the matter. Yet even in the face of the overwhelming evidence, President-elect Trump has continued to sow seeds of confusion by publicly attacking and trying to discredit our country’s intelligence agencies and the brave men and women who risk their lives every day to keep us safe.
“Today, intelligence officials are testifying before the Senate on this matter. In one of his most alarming actions yet, President-elect Trump has said he would rather trust the words of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, an accused sex offender, holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK, than the consensus of the directors of U.S. intelligence agencies.
“When Speaker Ryan was asked about Julian Assange, he called him ‘a sycophant for Russia’ who ‘leaks, steals data, and compromises national security.’ Yet America’s next president puts more faith in him than in the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies he will soon oversee.
“This is not normal behavior by a president-elect, let alone a president. We cannot allow it to become normal. I appeal to my fellow members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, and especially the Republican leadership, to reach out to the President-elect and ensure that there is a clear understanding about how damaging these statements and actions are to America’s credibility, to our national security, and to the morale and responsibilities of our intelligence agencies. I appeal to my colleagues to get him help now.
“America faces serious threats across the globe and we cannot afford to have a Commander-In-Chief at war with the very intelligence agencies responsible for keeping our country safe. Whatever his motivation, President-elect Trump must clearly and unequivocally join Republicans and Democrats seeking answers. We need a bipartisan independent commission to uncover the truth about the Russian hacking and we need all of our leaders to support it. It’s time Mr. Trump’s Twitter sideshow comes to an end. It only confirms what many of us feared during the campaign – that he is temperamentally unfit to be President. We must be united in protecting the integrity of our elections against Russian and all foreign influence.”
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🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
WORCESTER HAPPENINGS:
Opioid Awareness Forum
Monday, January 9
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Worcester Technical High School
1 Skyline Drive
Panel Discussion:
District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr.
City Manager Edward Augustus
Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent
State Representative James O’Day
Susan Hillis, Dir. Of Treatment, AdCare Hospital
Joanne Peterson, founder, Learn to Cope
Rebecca Zwicker, Recovery Community Speaker
Moderated by Worcester Public Schools Safety Director Robert Pezzella
Question & Answer Period
Community Resource and Information Tables
This is a unique opportunity for Worcester Public School parents to hear
directly from public safety and elected officials regarding current state and local efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and to get substance abuse and prevention information from treatment experts.
No registration necessary
FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
Light Refreshments
LGBTQ+YOU
(Ages 12-15)
A multi-gender group for teens who identify as transgender, bisexual, lesbian, gay, intersex, queer, or who are questioning their gender and sexual identities.
We will explore, develop and discuss:
* Expression of sexual and gender identities
* Self-esteem and coping strategies
* Where and how to find support from peers and the community
When: Every Thursday, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Start date: January 26
Location: 81 Plantation St.
Rolling admission: members are accepted throughout the series.
For more information contact:
Megan Vaillancourt 508-849-5600 x335
Congressman Jim McGovern Backs Obama Action to Sanction Russia for Election Interference
editor’s note: We’ve made some sentences bold. – R.T.
U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, a senior House Democrat and leading voice in Congress on U.S.-Russia relations – author of a bipartisan bill recently passed by Congress to sanction Russia for corruption and human rights abuses – released the following statement in support of the Obama Administration’s latest round of sanctions against Russia:
“I strongly support President Obama’s actions today to respond to Russia’s interference in our election. American democracy was attacked in 2016. This was a very serious act by a foreign government and deserves a very serious response. These sanctions are a strong step to hold accountable those individuals identified by U.S. intelligence agencies as responsible for meddling in our presidential election. But more action is needed.
“We need an independent and bipartisan commission to fully investigate the actions by all who played a role in interfering in this year’s election. Protecting our elections from foreign interference is vital to our national security and must be our first priority. Both Republicans and Democrats alike must put country first and work together to support a complete and thorough investigation to give the American people the answers they deserve and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
“President-elect Trump’s continued praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the campaign and in the face of overwhelming evidence that Russia interfered in our election should alarm all Americans. The incoming Trump administration must work with both parties in Congress to build on these new sanctions and ensure this attack on American democracy is answered strongly and swiftly. We must be united in standing up to Russia and protecting the integrity of our elections against all foreign influence.”
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Rose says: Oh, baby, it’s Putin hat time! Pax, baby! It’s only faux fur – as fake as Putin’s professed love for Donald Trump, our soon to be Idiot in Chief!!
Donald Trump! Our next president!!!! Madness!!!! Think: North Korea, China, ISIS, Iran, our intrepid servicemen and women, African Americans, the working class, planet earth, refugees … Think: more war, more terror attacks, more extinct flora and fauna, more betrayals, more pain, more deaths. America’s in for one hell of a roller-coaster ride! Everything we hold close to our hearts – rights and mores we take for granted – Trump will stomp on! And that day-glo orange hair – every follicle a hair-spray-saturated punch line. FOUR YEARS OF TRUMP. GOD SAVE US.
– R.Tirella
Steve parked in Rose’s space …
From The New York Times:
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InCity Book Review
Secondhand Time, The Last of the Soviets
By Svetlana Alexievich, (2016, Random House, 470 Pages)
Reviewed by Steven R. Maher
If Americans want to know why Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is so popular among his own people, they might want to read Svetlana Alexievich’s “Secondhand Time,” subtitled “The Last of the Soviets.” It’s an oral history of what happened in the former Soviet Union after the 1991 collapse of the Communist state.
In 2015 Alexievich won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her previous books were first person accounts of the Soviet Union’s unsuccessful war in Afghanistan, suicide by old-line Communists after the Soviet Union disappeared and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Secondhand Time is the latest in this genre.
While a history buff, this writer has not read a lot books of disparate “first person” accounts. This book is different. In Secondhand Time, Alexievich breaks the book down into readable blocks. She interviewed former Soviet citizens about aspects of how they handled the transition to democracy and free enterprise capitalism. She puts in well placed chapters, quoting newspaper articles, citations from books and other sources to create a refreshing change of narrative. The terrible difficulties faced by the average Russian at the grass roots level during the great transition to a Western style political and economic system are at the heart of this book.
Average Russian
The phrase “Average Russian” well sums up life in the Soviet state. Except for those who worked in the “nomenclature” – the Bolshevik bureaucracy – the best most citizens could aspire to was being average. Ordinary Russians could expect to live on a subsistence diet in substandard housing. But for a people who had known nothing better, this system provided for their basic needs, and made the Soviet Union into a superpower many Russians took pride in.
This all changed when Michael Gorbachev become ruler of the Soviet Union. When he introduced the “perestroika” policy of restructuring Soviet society, Gorbachev gave impetus to a flood of reform that he soon lost control of.
While Gorbachev remains an esteemed figure in the West, in Russia today he is a reviled figure, held responsible for collapsing the socialist economy before he found something to replace it with. There was no subtlety to what happened. There was no managed transition to a market economy. One day the Soviet currency was devalued, and within days ordinary Russians lost everything.
Russians had no idea what to do, or how to function under lassie faire capitalism. What entrepreneurial skills and drive they once possessed, had been killed by 74 years of Communist rule. Their bank accounts reduced to nothing, they searched their homes for anything of value to be sold at hastily built kiosks. Highly educated Russians with PHDs and doctorates found themselves washing dishes, digging ditches and cleaning toilets. Many could not find work at all.
The lucrative state monopolies, such as the oil companies, were divvied up among the Soviet leadership, who overnight went from being supposed Communist egalitarians to capitalistic oligarchs. Large, organized crime syndicates sprung up across the nation to shake down newly ambitious small capitalists, murder ordinary Soviet citizens and feed like vampires off the populace.
Crimes rates soared. Russians who lived in a safe society found themselves coming across corpses of murder victims while walking down streets. Raw and ugly racism emerged. Tajiks – a Central Asian, dark skinned people – became the African-Americans of Russian society, manhandled by law enforcement, discriminated against in housing and jobs, and exploited for their cheap labor. The number of Russians who benefitted from the change to a market economy were few and far between.
This all took place in a society where there was no safety net for the unemployed, the old or the ill. It took Americans two hundred years to develop social security and Medicare. No wonder many Russians yearn to go back to the old USSR. These people were derisively called “Sovoks.” In America, they would probably be called “deplorables.”
Preparation for Putin
Particularly chilling to read were the cries for a Stalin-like strongman to “make Russia great again.” The recount of terrorist attacks by Chechen Islamic terrorists in Moscow reminds one of 9/11. There are sections about mothers burying children killed in Chechnya, reminding one of American mothers doing the same for offspring killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Alexiewich sees this as being within the Russian tradition of having strong Tsars. History has prepared the Russians for a leader like Vladimir Putin. It’s no wonder he has such widespread approval among the Russian public at large.
The book has several flaws. Some of the chapters are too long, and an index would have helped. Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, this book’s subject matter is difficult to get through. But if you want to know why Putin is so popular in today’s Russia, reading this book would be a good place to start.
Steve parked in Rose’s space … State of the Race: CLINTON DEPENDING ON “GROUND GAME” FOR VICTORY
Rah, rah, rah, Worcester! Get out and VOTE, THIS TUESDAY, NOV. 8! …(Go, Steve M., go!!!) pic: R.T.
By Steven R. Maher
In the see-saw battle for the American presidency that has raged since the summer of 2016, Hillary Clinton is putting her faith in a well-organized effort to get out the vote, generically dubbed the “ground game” by observers. Clinton has set up a well-oiled machine to knock on doors, make phone calls, and use the Internet to the full extent possible, to turn out another 1% to 2% more voters in the so-called “battleground states.”
Politico.com (we’ve linked to it on this website! check out POLITICO.COM) has posted an excellent story on this subject. The website sent out questionnaires to a sizable group of functionaries from both parties. All the respondents answered anonymously.
“Democratic insiders are most confident in Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin,” reported Politico. “They express more uncertainty in Florida and Iowa. Republicans, meanwhile, were split across these early voting states.” Republican insiders said 40% thought the GOP was doing the better job, 31% of the GOP said the Democrats had a better ground game, and 29% of the GOP said neither party’s ground game was superior to the other’s.
55,000 volunteer shifts
The Washington Post reported that Clinton had 55,000 volunteer shifts across the nation this weekend to get 3 million people to register or commit to vote before Election Day. “The Democratic nominee’s campaign is holding more than 1,000 events this weekend in Pennsylvania, 900 in Virginia, 500 in North Carolina, 250 in Ohio and 200 in Wisconsin,” said the Post.
Trump’s failure to set up a strong organization to register and get out to vote his key core constituency – noncollegiate white males – may rank, after his failure to prepare for the debates, as the second worst decision of his campaign. Dave Wasserman, an expert at the Cook Political Report, told the New York Post that 47 million noncollegiate whites, “more than half of them men”, didn’t vote in 2012. Wasserman noted: “There are no indications they are registering for Trump in any real numbers.”
Let’s look at the trends on a state-by-state basis:
North Carolina
During his November 4, 2016, broadcast of the “O’Reilly Factor”, Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly conceded to a political panel that if Clinton takes North Carolina, Clinton wins the election.
“Democrats have a plan and are executing it,” one North Carolina Democrat told Politico. “Republicans have no plan and frankly, no clue.”
Not exactly. Trump did start late in organizing his North Carolina infrastructure, but local Republicans have 24 offices across the state, 170 paid staffers, and an additional 700 trained organizers leading thousands of volunteers” the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. “She [Clinton] has 34 offices across the state and has hired hundreds of staffers,” the Journal article reported.
“Polls have long shown a tight race in North Carolina,” continued the Journal. “But a new Elon University survey of likely North Carolina voters shows Mrs. Clinton opening up a lead of 6 percentage points in the state.”
Florida
The sunshine state is the mother lode with 29 electoral votes. Trump must win Florida to have a pathway to 270 electoral votes. If Clinton wins Florida, it’s all over.
“Florida insiders in both parties say that, generally, Democrats and Republicans have fought to a draw thus far in early voting,” reports Politico. “One Florida Democrat conceded that Republicans have been stronger than expected. ‘My side did underestimate the GOP’s operation,’ the Democrat said. Among Republicans, the verdict was mixed.”
“’I think the [Clinton] effort is just slightly ahead of the built-in party apparatus Trump has working for him,’ said a Florida Republican to Politico. ‘However, Trump did begin hiring today for field — a little too late, of course — but at least he realizes what he is lacking.’”
Ohio
Ohio is another “must win” state for Trump. The buckeye state is demographically ripe for Trump: a large noncollegiate white male voting segment, with comparatively fewer minorities than other battleground states, and wracked by the loss of manufacturing jobs during the great recession.
“But Clinton is counting on chipping away at Trump’s lead with a campaign organization that dwarfs the Republican’s operation,” reported Bloomberg Politics in October 2016. “She started building a political infrastructure in the state months earlier than Trump and now counts 64 offices with campaign staff across the state compared, with 31 offices that Trump has jointly with the Republican National Committee and local county party organizations.”
Trump spent less money than Clinton in Ohio on the all-important television buys. “Trump is focusing on building volunteers through rallies and maximizing enthusiasm from television coverage and social media,” said Bloomberg.
During a panel discussion Saturday on MSNBC, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean disputed that Democrats turning out in a largely Democratic county may be good for Clinton, as that county’s working class demographics favored Trump.
More Democrats have participated in early voting than Republicans in Ohio.
“Democrats have technically turned out more, but not to the level they’ll need,” one GOP organizer told Politico. “They’ll lose.”
Colorado
Colorado, which voted for Obama in the last two elections, is another battle zone.
“The Clinton campaign has been very engaged in building a ground game and turnout operation and have a great deal of existing liberal infrastructure in the state to rely upon,” a Colorado Republican told Politico. “The Trump campaign, in contrast, has almost no ground game, has engaged in very little traditional campaign organizing, has done little direct mail or canvassing efforts, and seems to think a handful of rallies and last-minute television commercials can take the place of the hard work of actually asking individual voters to vote for him, and the state party has done very little to fill the void.”
Nevada
Another campaign theater Trump needs to hit 270 electoral votes is Nevada.
“Democrats are slightly ahead of Republicans as a percentage of registered voters, but that is very typical for Nevada elections,” commented one Republican to Politico. “More Dems than Republicans vote early, while Republicans tend to prefer voting on Election Day. Also, in Nevada, we have a large percentage of independents and nonpartisan voters, which makes the raw number of Democrats and Republicans voting less predictive of the final results.”
Georgia
Although this political chaos is enough to leave the head reeling, there is one more state which merits a look: Georgia, the home state of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
“Five days before the election, it’s probably not a good sign that the Republican nominee has to worry about Georgia,” writes Sean Colarossi on the politicususa.com website. “[T]he NBC News/WSJ/Marist poll conducted totally after the FBI fiasco, the two major candidates are in a virtual dead heat in the state. Trump gets 45 percent of the vote against 44 percent who prefer Clinton.
“With Trump’s operation far worse than Romney’s was four years ago and certainly inferior to Clinton’s, it’s conceivable that the Democratic nominee could outperform the polling by even more,” continued Colarossi. “If the latest poll of the Peach State is accurate, her GOTV [Get out the Vote] operation could be all she needs to steal the deep red state from Trump and put the election away early next Tuesday.”
Trump, with the self-assuredness that has characterized his persona during the entire campaign, scornfully noted the reports he might be in trouble in Georgia, and said at a campaign rally that of course Trump would take Georgia.
The impact
The impact a get out the vote organization can have been noted by Sasha Issenberg, author of “The Victory Lab: the Secret Science of Winning Campaigns,” and a consultant to Bloomberg Politics, in comments to the New York Post.
“The evidence we have is there is a big gap on resources and planning between the two sides, favoring Clinton,” said Issenberg. In states where the polls showed the two candidates deadlocked at 45%, asserted Issenberg: “Clinton is best positioned to turn that into 47 percent, while Donald Trump would end up at 44 percent.”
State of the Race: ALAN DERSHOWITZ SAYS HILLARY CLINTON WON’T BE INDICTED
By Steven R. Maher
In a November 1, 2016, interview on Fox News’ Kelly File famous appellate attorney Alan Dershowitz said it was more likely that Donald Trump would be indicted for his ties to the Russians and Trump University than Hillary Clinton would be indicted over the email imbroglio. The exchange was reported by the Week, a Republican leaning website.
The Kelly File is a daily TV show hosted by Megyn Kelly, who came to national notoriety during the first Republican debate by asking Trump whether calling women pigs, slobs and dogs meant Trump lacked the temperament to be a President.
“Not going to happen”
“Let’s just say she gets indicted, which is a far step away from where we are right now,” Kelly said to Dershowitz.
“It’s not going to happen,” said Dershowitz.
“But people are wondering how it would affect the election,” continued Kelly. “Let’s say she wins on Tuesday, and then she gets indicted, can she still be president?”
“Yes, but let’s turn it around,” Dershowitz said. “Let’s assume she loses on Tuesday and then on Dec. 1 Comey announces, ‘There’s nothing in any of these emails, they’re simply duplicates.’ He becomes the villain of the piece. He should not be having an impact either way.”
Kelly then asked Dershowitz if FBI Director James Comey did the right thing by announcing his intention to reopen the Clinton email investigation.
“I think he did the right thing by making a statement, I think his statement was wrong,” Dershowitz said. “What he should have said is this: ‘I don’t know what’s in these emails, I haven’t seen them, the 4th Amendment precludes any of us from looking at them. I’m going to look at them now, but don’t infer anything, don’t change your vote based on my announcement — it is a technical announcement designed to inform Congress.'” He added that Comey is “a man of great integrity,” but he just set a dangerous precedent that could be exploited by “a J. Edgar Hoover in the future.”
“That’s my point”
Kelly asked Dershowitz if Clinton could pardon herself if she was elected and then indicted.
“She can’t pardon herself, she’s not going to be indicted,” Dershowitz said. “It’s more likely that Trump will be indicted for his Trump University, for his relationships with Russia, for all of that.”
“He’s not going to be indicted for any of that,” Kelly replied.
“Of course not, that’s my point,” concluded Dershowitz.
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