The Schneiderman Scandal, He’s Worried

Him Too: New York’s straight-arrow attorney general Eric Schneiderman fell faster than a rock. At 6:47pm yesterday The New Yorker posted an investigation titled “Four Women Accuse New York’s Attorney General of Physical Abuse.” At 9:46, Schneiderman resigned.

Schneiderman has been a respected progressive in the Democratic party, a champion of women’s rights, and a legal threat to President Trump.

In an article by Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer, four women who had been romantically involved with Schneiderman say he was physically abusive. Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam both said they needed medical treatment after Schneiderman had choked and hit them repeatedly. Two other women described similar experiences.

Schneiderman once said, “Violence against women remains a prevalent and dangerous problem across our nation.

In his defense yesterday he said, “In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity. I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in nonconsensual sex, which is a line I would not cross.”

Still, he resigned, saying the accusation made it impossible to continue in his position.

What? Me Worry?: President Trump is performing a combination act of political campaigning, public worrying, and open threats about the Russian influencing investigation.

He suggested yesterday that he might go after members of the Special Counsel’s team personally in court. “The 13 Angry Democrats in charge of the Russian Witch Hunt are starting to find out that there is a Court System in place that actually protects people from injustice…and just wait ‘till the Courts get to see your unrevealed Conflicts of Interest!”

We don’t know what the “Conflicts” might be, but Special Counsel Robert Mueller is a Republican. Trump also asked, “Is this Phony Witch Hunt going to go on even longer so it wrongfully impacts the Mid-Term Elections, which is what the Democrats always intended? Republicans better get tough and smart before it is too late!”

He also did some Twitter taunting of the two romantically involved FBI agents, one of them now a former agent, who were caught messaging critiques of Trump during the 2016 campaign. He said, “Lisa Page, who may hold the record for the most Emails in the shortest period of time (to her Lover, Peter S), and attorney Baker, are out at the FBI as part of the Probers getting caught? Why is Peter S still there? What a total mess. Our Country has to get back to Business!
“Peter S” is Peter Strzok, who’s still with the Bureau.

The President who says he’s got nothing to worry about does a lot of his worrying out loud. “The Russia Witch Hunt is rapidly losing credibility. House Intelligence Committee found No Collusion, Coordination or anything else with Russia. So now the Probe says OK, what else is there? How about Obstruction for a made up, phony crime. There is no O, it’s called Fighting Back.”

From the Other Bedroom: While her husband was fuming and venting, First lady Melania Trump announced what her program and pursuits will be while she’s in The White House. They are “well-being,” fighting opioid abuse and promoting positivity on social media. “As a mother and as first lady, it concerns me that in today’s fast-paced and ever-connected world, children can be less prepared to express or manage their emotions and oftentimes turn to forms of destructive or addictive behavior such as bullying, drug addiction or even suicide,” she said in the Rose Garden.

Of course, Melania is married to the social media bully-in-chief, but don’t blame her, and not many people do. She’s rising in popularity. A CNN poll says 57% of Americans have a favorable impression of Melania, up from 47% in January. It’s the biggest number she’s had, and far bigger than anything scored by her husband, who hovers around 40 percent and has never broken 50.

Deadline Iran: Trump says he plans to announce his decision on whether to stay with the Iran nuclear deal at 2 pm today. After his recent visit, French President Emmanuel Macron said he thinks Trump will bail out of the deal in spite of the advice and desires of European leaders.

The Gun Beat: Contrary to his pro-gun boss in the White House, Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions has decided to get tough on gun crimes, even the little ones. He’s sending away offenders for years even for minor possession violations.

Sessions is a proponent of the gun rights theory that simple enforcement of existing laws will be far more effective in reducing crime than cluttering up the works with new gun laws.

“I believe very strongly in enforcing gun laws,” Sessions told the far-right Breitbart News earlier this year. “I believe there’s no value in having them on the books if they’re not prosecuted.”

The NY Times reports that in the three months following a get tough directive from Sessions last year, possession cases rose nearly 25 percent and overall there was  a 15 percent increase in all federal gun prosecutions in the first nine months of 2017.

Name in the News: Former Marine Lt. Colonel Oliver North, who became a household name in the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980s under President Reagan, has been named to be the new president of the National Rifle Association. “Oliver North is a legendary warrior for American freedom, a gifted communicator and skilled leader, NRA Chief Executive said in a statement.

The 74-year-old North was convicted of several crimes, including destroying evidence and obstructing Congress, but later succeeded in getting the convictions reversed. Lately he’s been a commentator on Fox News.

Hey, whatever happened to Fawn Hall?

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Sunday, April 28, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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