RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/271890/sessions-out-and-cnns-acosta-locked-out-matthew-vadum

The day after the midterm elections, President Trump forced Jeff Sessions out as attorney general, revoked the White House media credentials of CNN’s most obnoxious correspondent, Jim Acosta, after a spirited presser, and offered his reflections on his party retaining control of the Senate but losing control of the House to Democrats.

In the new Congress that will be meet in the new year, Republicans will control at least 54 of the Senate’s 100 seats, a net gain of three. Democrats were poised to have around a 12-member majority in the House of Representatives though that figure could change.

But Sessions, who was Trump’s first endorser in the Senate in early 2016 and who gave up his safe Senate seat in Alabama to become his attorney general, won’t be around to run the Department of Justice and deal with the flood of subpoenas congressional committees controlled by House Democrats are expected to issue in a variety of new, vexatious congressional probes of the president.

One of those investigations will come out of the House Judiciary Committee that deranged leftist Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is expected to take over. Nadler vows to launch, among other things, impeachment proceedings against the newly-installed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. When they take control of the House of Representatives Jan. 3, Democrats plan to investigate President Trump’s tax filings, financial dealings, and their bizarre electoral collusion conspiracy theory.

President Trump announced Sessions’ departure at 2:44 p.m. on Wednesday in two tweets after a White House press conference wrapped up.

“We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well….”

A few seconds later he tweeted:

….We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.

It is unclear if Sessions knew he was going to be ousted yesterday but President Trump hasn’t made a secret of his displeasure with the nation’s top law enforcement officer. The fact that Sessions has done a fine job on cracking down on illegal immigration, so-called sanctuary cities, and international crime organizations such as MS-13, didn’t save him.

https://amgreatness.com/2018/11/07/the-revenge-

It was not the best of times, nor was it the worst of times. Tuesday’s epic nothingburger of an off-year election was like Game Three of any given World Series, worth spilling oceans of ink over by paid-shill sportswriters eager to exhibit their chicken-entrail-reading skills, only to have their prognosticative prose instantly rendered fishwrap and birdcage lining by events the next day. So let’s all take a deep breath and, with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, reflect upon the epochal results of Midterm 2018.

Jeff Sessions was fired. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, the play was a snooze.

Our collective obsession with transient election results—and our cocksure belief in the their predictive value—is akin to the novice Rotisserie Baseball player’s classic error in thinking that what happens in April is likely to obtain through September and right into the Fall Classic: the Hall of Fame is littered with the corpses of flash-in-the-pan flameouts. For statistics, and election results, can only be evaluated over time; it doesn’t matter when they happen as long as they do happen, and can be put into the proper statistical context at the end of a finite period. In baseball, that’s a season. In politics, it’s a lifetime, and even beyond.

Which means that Tuesday either was the Most Important Election of Our Lifetime, or just another day when Ted Williams went 0-for-3 on his way to hitting .406 in 1941. Right now, in the middle of the season, we don’t know. We can’t know. Over time, you can see the 0-fers as part of the overall record, and understand that failure is part of winning. Only a churl can argue the counter-factual alternative—that Williams might have hit .410 or higher with a few lucky dinks, dunks, and drops. As the old Yiddish proverb has it: Az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde. And as Casey Stengel said, you can look it up.

But are the media sportswriters or umpires? Fox News’ egregious error in calling the House for the Democrats before California poured itself its first glass of Chardonnay was reminiscent of the bad old days of the Carter-Reagan election, but for today’s media it’s more important to affect the course of an election than it is simply to report on it. Best to treat CNN and the rest as the shamans they are, and move on.

http://thefederalist.com/2018/11/07/incoming-democrat-chairman-dems-will-go-all-in-on-russia-impeach-kavanaugh-for-perjury/

Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., revealed plans for House Democrats to investigate and impeach Justice Brett Kavanaugh for alleged perjury and investigate and impeach President Donald Trump for alleged treasonous collusion with Russia.

In post-election chats with various callers while riding the Acela train from New York to Washington, Nadler gave advice to a newly elected representative and discussed potential 2020 Democratic presidential nominees with another. He also lamented identity politics and the thriving economy and worried about Democrats losing working-class voters while gaining elite former Republicans and suburban women.

Nadler was headed to DC for a two-day planning session with his staff and Judiciary Committee staff. “We’ve got to figure out what we’re doing,” he explained in a phone call with a friend. Nadler requested that the friend’s name be concealed on the grounds he is a private citizen.

The two discussed two routes for investigating new Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh. The first is to go after the FBI for how they handled the investigation into unsubstantiated claims he sexually assaulted women. “They didn’t even do a half-ass job,” he said. “They didn’t interview 30 witnesses who said ‘Interview me! I’ve got a lot to say!’” he said, while mimicking people waving their hands to be called on.

His other plan is to go after Kavanaugh because “there’s a real indication that Kavanaugh committed perjury.” He claimed that The Atlantic published an article about the allegations of a third woman. Then he claimed that when Kavanaugh was “asked at a committee hearing under oath when he first heard of the subject, he said, ‘When I’d heard of the Atlantic article.’ But there is an email chain apparently dating from well before that from him about ‘How can we deal with this?’” Nadler told the caller.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/dems-vow-to-probe-sessions-resignation-demand-russia-recusal-of-interim-replacement/

WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers reacted to news of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ resignation with little surprise, while Democrats vowed to use their new House power in the upcoming Congress to dig into the president’s reason behind the move.

President Trump tweeted the news after his press conference, several hours after a tweet calling special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s campaign influence operation a “witch hunt.”

“We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well,” Trump tweeted. “We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.”

Whitaker, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa during the George W. Bush administration, vied for the GOP Senate nomination in Iowa in 2014 but lost to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). In August 2017, he wrote a CNN op-ed arguing that “Mueller has come up to a red line in the Russia 2016 election-meddling investigation that he is dangerously close to crossing” by reportedly looking into Trump’s finances. He also made comments on TV about how Trump could starve the Mueller investigation of resources, and in 2014 led the unsuccessful campaign of Sam Clovis, Trump’s 2016 campaign co-chairman, for Iowa state treasurer; Clovis is now a grand jury witness in the Mueller probe.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement this afternoon that “given his previous comments advocating defunding and imposing limitations on the Mueller investigation, Mr. Whitaker should recuse himself from its oversight for the duration of his time as acting attorney general.”

“It is impossible to read Attorney General Sessions’ firing as anything other than another blatant attempt by @realDonaldTrump to undermine & end Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tweeted. “Given his record of threats to undermine & weaken the Russia investigation, Matthew Whitaker should recuse himself from any involvement in Mueller’s investigation. Congress must take immediate action to protect the rule of law and integrity of the investigation.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), expected to be the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted, “Americans must have answers immediately as to the reasoning behind @realDonaldTrump removing Jeff Sessions from @TheJusticeDept. Why is the President making this change and who has authority over Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation? We will be holding people accountable.” CONTINUE AT SITE

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/271873/blue-ripple-matthew-vadum

Republicans strengthened their hold on the U.S. Senate last night even as they failed to resist a wave in midterm congressional elections that gave Democrats hellbent on derailing President Trump’s agenda control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years.

Barring a revolt in the newly expanded cohort of House Democrats, this means the increasingly frail Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California will return as Speaker of the House. The 116th Congress convenes Jan. 3, 2019.

“Today is more than about Democrats and Republicans, it’s about restoring the Constitution’s checks and balances to the Trump administration,” said the House minority leader.

“It’s about stopping the GOP and Mike—Mitch—McConnell’s assaults on Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the health care of 130 million Americans living with pre-existing medical conditions.”

Then the 78-year-old, who frequently appears confused during public appearances, pumped her fist in the air and strangely remarked, “Let’s hear it more for preexisting medical conditions!”

Pelosi has gone against her party’s base by saying pursuing the impeachment of President Trump is a terrible idea.

A crowd of Republicans and Trump supporters at the Trump International Hotel in the nation’s capital were surprisingly conciliatory towards Democrats. They gently booed Pelosi when she appeared on television to make a victory speech but offered polite applause after that when she urged Americans to come together following a hotly contested campaign.

Trump said little about the half-victory in the midterm elections.

“Tremendous success tonight[,]” Trump tweeted Nov. 6 at 11:14 p.m. “Thank you to all!”

Going into Election Day, Republicans held 236 seats, Democrats held 193 seats, and six seats were vacant in the 435-seat House of Representatives. Republicans held 51 seats in the Senate compared to the 49 held by Democrats (including the two seats held by Independents Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine who caucus with the Democrats).

But it now appears Republicans are likely to occupy at least 54 seats in the incoming 100-seat Senate and Democrats will easily exceed the 218-seat threshold needed for House control.

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-mccarthy-report-white-supremacism-and-pittsburgh-synagogue-massacre/

In last week’s edition of our NR podcast, The McCarthy Report, Rich and I spent the first half of our discussion digging in to the knotty issues of birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment, including whether — assuming for argument’s sake that birthright citizenship is not mandated by the Amendment — the president has the power to change current policy (or is it law?) by executive order. I won’t belabor the discussion further, having had plenty to say about it in the weekend column and in an earlier column last week. Basta!

The second half of the podcast homes in on some issues that deserve more attention in the wake of the horrific massacre two Saturdays ago at the synagogue in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. Rich pressed me on why I don’t think we need new domestic-terrorism laws to deal with white-supremacist groups — an issue I’ve dealt with a few times over the years, most recently in connection with Antifa (see here). We also talk about why I don’t think the synagogue murders should be a federal prosecution (which I explained in this column — the Justice Department has filed its complaint, and has indicated an indictment alleging death-penalty charges is imminent). I relate my personal horror story about a very tough state attempted-murder that I tried to prosecute as a federal racketeering case.

We also talk a bit about the arrest of the pipe bomber; touch on the intriguing Politico reporting that suggests Special Counsel Mueller is in a secret grand-jury litigation to try to force a witness to testify (is it the president?); and take a look back at the truly abominable Whitey Bulger, the Boston mobster who was killed in federal prison last week.

You can give us a listen here on the website. Even better, make us part of your feed at iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.

https://pjmedia.com/davidsteinberg/new-photos-corroborate-perjury-claims-against-rep-ilhan-omar-as-she-deletes-social-media-evidence/

“Bone-chilling anti-Semitism? Serial felon? Meet the rising Democratic star. ”

On Tuesday, one-term state Representative Ilhan Omar (D-60B) appears likely to replace the outgoing Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) by winning Minnesota’s pre-eminent House seat: CD-5.

In October, however, the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board opened a formal investigation of her after reviewing evidence of several violations. Omar has also made, and defended, anti-Semitic comments as direct and vicious as any spoken by a U.S. politician in a generation.

Yet those legal and character matters may only be secondary red flags.

In 2016, an anonymous writer on SomaliSpot.com published verified photos and Minnesota state records suggesting that Rep. Omar is a serial felon and fraudster.

Since then, the additional evidence discovered to back these claims — and the absence of contradictory evidence — are almost as remarkable as Minnesota media’s refusal to lift a finger investigating her for two years.

https://nypost.com/2018/11/04/dont-join-this-years-womens-march-unless-youre-good-with-anti-semitism/

With the Pittsburgh shooting so fresh and anti-Semitism (alas) so necessary a topic, it’s time for a reckoning with the Women’s March. This January, women who say they stand with Jews need to boycott the Women’s March.

The first year of the march, it made sense that many otherwise normal people would attend. It was just two months after Donald Trump’s shocking victory. Many were dazed and upset. The march was quickly organized by people whose names were not yet known to everyone.

Linda Sarsour is one of the leaders. Articles soon sprang up about terrible comments she made: She supported the radical Muslim Brotherhood. She praised Sharia law, which, among other things, includes second-class status for women. She was open about her fandom of Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam.

In 2012, she tweeted: “When we write the history of Islam in America, the Nation of #Islam is an integral part of that history.”

Perhaps she didn’t know Farrakhan said “Hitler was a very great man” in a 1984 speech or that in 1985 he warned Jews: “And don’t you forget, when it’s God who puts you in the ovens, it’s forever!”

Maybe she was ignorant of his 1996 remark about “fake Jews,” that is, Jews who disapprove of his anti-Semitic comments: “You are the synagogue of Satan, and you have wrapped your tentacles around the US government, and you are deceiving and sending this nation to hell.”

People change, goes the argument, and comments Sarsour made were several years ago, before she became a high-profile political figure on the left. Perhaps she’s more responsible now.

But in September, Sarsour said American Muslims shouldn’t “humanize” Israelis. There was no overwhelming response from the left to remind her that Israelis are actually human. American Jews who ignore this hatred are fooling themselves. Anti-Semitism is specifically about dehumanizing Jews until their murder makes sense.

In July, she tweeted birthday wishes at a fugitive cop-killer. This is not a woman who has done a lot of introspection and changed her views. Why stand with her?

http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2018/11/losing-dignity-still-losing/

Daniel Hannan delivered a terrific, uplifting address the other night — until the topic of Trump prompted a stream of disdainful regret that such a vulgarian is in the White House. Yes, his manners could use a good polishing, but in the meantime he keeps winning and winning big.

I attended the Centre for Independent Studies 2018 John Bonython lecture the other evening. Daniel Hannan was the speaker. A preamble: I watched the BBC immediately after the Brexit vote and found myself shouting at the tele when Hannan, who was an important part of the Leave campaign, seemed to go to water and preach compromise. Nevertheless, we can’t afford to remove prominent people from the good-guy side because of occasional lapses. So, I looked forward to his address on “How Identity Politics Are Undoing the Enlightenment.”

Let me say without qualification that Hannan’s speech was magnificent in content and in delivery. It was the best speech I have ever heard on identity politics and among the best speeches I have ever heard on any topic. It deserves to be celebrated, published and distributed in written and audio form to all schools and universities and, most assuredly, to all journalists and politicians. I’d love a copy. Maybe the CIS will publish it. I hope so.

Have you ever attended a movie or play or anything when things go pear-shape in the second half? It is though the director or writer or participants simply ran out of steam. An evening in two halves applied to my experience. It was going so well and my spirits were lifted; even the FAQ wine tasted like a fine vintage. Question time arrived. This was all done via on-stage dialogue, with Tom Switzer leading the questioning. I forget how exactly, but, alas, Hannan was given a platform to disparage Donald Trump and boy did he go on and on. And, but for that, it could have ended so well.

Hannan is an archetypal elitist anti-Trumper. As public-school boy and Oxford graduate, he is offended by Trump’s style. Sorry, being the son of a motor mechanic and trade unionist in the working-class town of Liverpool, my shoulder chip is showing. But there is a point in there. Trump appeals to ‘deplorables’. They are the ones who have suffered as a result of thoughtless free-trade deals which have taken no account of localised effects; of mass low-skilled, culturally-clashing, immigration; and of the latest fad of global warming. Elitists who have orchestrated or been complicit in this globalist bombardment of Western civilisation haven’t suffered in the slightest. They have their precious principles and the common folk can go hang.

https://nypost.com/2018/11/03/the-jewish-left-botched-its-response-to-the-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/

The aftermath of Pittsburgh has been a disgrace.

In ordinary times it would have been unseemly to comment on the atrocity at the Tree of Life Synagogue so soon after it unfolded. It was the most deadly anti-Semitic attack this country has ever seen. It should have given us pause and brought us together.

But these are not ordinary times. Donald Trump is president.

Before the bodies of the dead had gone cold, let alone been buried and mourned, the Jewish left sacrificed an opportunity to cry in unity and chose instead to call for division.

Bend the Arc, reputedly the largest Jewish social-justice organization in the nation, published a letter blaming the president for the attack. Other groups, such as The Jewish Vote and If Not Now, also saw the attack as a chance to castigate the president.

Apparently these liberal groups need reminding that the shooting at a Jewish community center in Kansas occurred during the Obama administration.

Instead of trying to score political points, would not a more appropriate response have been to urge calm upon the hyper-partisanship that has seen both sides court incivility?

Yet more egregious, however, was the excoriation by Jewish liberals of their fellow Jews who support President Trump. Another three Jewish social justice groups — Torah Trumps Hate, Hitoreri and Uri L’Tzedek — penned an open letter to the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), blasting the Orthodox synagogue umbrella group for its statement condemning the attack.

NCYI’s sin?

Concluding its heartfelt statement by expressing appreciation for “the strong words of support from President Trump and the administration in urging everyone to work together to combat anti-Semitism.”