Politics Archives - Page 5 of 5

2018-10-072019-01-15

Christine Blasey Ford

Like a lot of people, I watched the September 27, 2018 Senate Judicial hearing where Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh testified.

In general, I found Christine Blasey Ford to be a very believable witness for her behalf. But credibility is a higher standard for me. Was Christine Blasey Ford testimony credible?

Listening to the radio, many woman would call in saying they had been assaulted, so they to, would believe Christine.

So, I began to do some research. Since the timeline here is nearing 40 years I made a timeline to assist me in my thoughts.

Timeline

1982-07 – It is believed that this month is when Christine Blasey, then 15 or so, was assaulted by another Juvenile, then 17. Christine Blasey Ford, from 2012 and forward, believes the assaulter was Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge.

1992-1998 – Brian Merrick, who dated Christine Blasey during this time-frame. He had met her earlier in 1990. In a letter to the Senate Judiciary stated that she had never brought up anything regarding a sexual assault during the time he knew her. Additionally he stated Christine Blasey had helped her friend Monica McClean prepare for an FBI employment polygraph. If true this goes against her sworn statements before the Judicial Committe, in otherwords, she perjured herself.

Brian Merrick's Letter to the — The Caption

Christine helped Monica prep for an FBI polygraph in the early 90's. — Christine Blasey Ford at the Senate Judiciary Hearing. Her friend Monica McClean is in the background. (Photo from the gatewaypundit.com)

1996-08 – Martha G. Kavanaugh, the mother of Brett Kavanaugh was a Maryland district judge in 1996. According to Montgomery County Circuit Court records, in August 1996 a company called UMLIC-Eight Corporation initiated foreclosure proceedings against the Christine Blasey’s parents. Judge Martha Kavanaugh ruled against the Blaseys. Christine Blasey would have been 29 at this time. However in December the Blaseys were able to refinance their home and on January 4th, 1997, Judge Martha Kavanaugh granted a motion bringing an end to the foreclosure proceedings. There has been discussion these incidents might have placed the Kavanaughs in a dark place in Christine’s mind during this 4-5 month period. How much weight to give this time period is unclear.

2008 – The Fords did an an update on their home. Two minor issues here. In her Sept 27 testimony she implied it was done around the 2012 therapy sessions. She stated “The first time is in 2012 with my husband in couples therapy with the quibbling over the remodel”. And she also stated, “I insisted on a second front door, an idea that he and others disagreed with and could not understand. In explaining why I wanted a second front door, I began to describe the assault in detail.”. The dates on her remodel appear to be off, in

The Blasey-Ford home in 2007.
The Blasey-Ford home in 2011, with the door added. In 2012 she had couples therapy that caused her to have this door added in 2011?

2012-05 – During this year Christine Blasey and her husband undergo couples therapy. During these session Christine Blasey reported that Memory Recover techniques were employed to help her in her relation with her husband. From these therapy sessions Christine Blasey Ford has stated, from this point on, she believes the assaulter’s in the early 80’s were Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge.

2018-06-27 – Justice Kennedy announces his retirement.

2018-07-06 – Christine Blasey contacts both the Washington Post and Representative Anna Eshoo. Anna Eshoo is the House Representative for Christine Blasey district.

2018-07-09 – President Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court.

2018-07-30 – Christine Blasey writes a letter addressed to Senator Diane Fienstein. In it she describes an alleged sexual assault that occurred in the early 80’s. She names Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. Senator Feinstein recommends the law firm where Debra Katz is a partner. The firm, Katz, Marshall & Banks, is a firm founded in 2006, once protected Bill Clinton from accuser Paula Jones.

Christine Blasey letter to Feinstein — **Christine Blasey-Ford’s letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein**

2018-07-30 – Brett Kavanugh meets with several senators, including Senator Joe Manchin(D-W.VA), a crucial swing vote.

2018-08-07 – Christine Blasey Ford takes a polygraph test based on the advice of her lawyer, Debra Katz.

2018-08-20 – Senator Diane Feinstein has a private meeting with Brett Kavanaugh. During this meeting she “does not” inform him nor ask him about any of the allegations that she was privy to. In my opinion, this was the biggest mistake of this entire process and proceedings.

2018-08-22 – Democrats press for a delay in hearings based on a claim from longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in court documents that Trump ordered payments to be made during the 2016 election to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, two women who have said they had affairs with Trump in 2006. Republicans refuse the Democratic plea.

2018-09-(04-07) – Confirmation hearings are held. Democrats are worried about Roe v. Wade. Kavanaugh states he is a strong believer in judicial precedent.

2018-09-08 – Christine Blasey Ford’s social media accounts are deleted, on or around this date.

2018-09-13 – Senator Diane Feinstein refers Christine Blasey letter to the FBI.

2018-09-16 – Parts of Christine Blasey Ford’s story is reported in the Washington Post.

2018-09-18 – Mark Judge, via his lawyer Barbara Van Gelder, provides a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee stating, “In fact, I have no memory of this alleged incident”.

2018-09-19 – Patrick Smythe, a person also named by Christine Blasey Ford denies being at the party. He was also interviewed by the FBI after the Sept-27th hearing.

2018-09-20~ – A few days before the Senate Hearing of Sept-27, Christine Blasey Ford updated her Stanford profile. Prior to the update her
profile job title describes her as being a “Psychologist”. A few days before the Senate hearing her title is changed to “Affiliate”. In the state of California it is illegal to call oneself a Psychologist unless you have certain training and pass a certification test.

2018-09-21 – Articles come out regarding a perceived notion that Christine Blasey Ford has a fear of flying and is afraid of confined spaces. Hence preventing her from flying to DC and testifying. Her attorneys stated they never stated this, but they did say she takes medication for flying. It is believed these statements came from the press interviewing her friends. The thought of her fear of flying appears to have started with this article. During the Sept-27th hearings, Ms Ford stated she flies to Delaware once a year in the Summer where her friend Monica McLean lives. She stated or confirmed that she also has flown to Hawaii, Costa Rica, South Pacific islands and French Polynesia.

2018-09-21 – Late in the day Chcuk Grassely tweets that the Senate has granted Christine Blasey five extensions already. People state, how long do her lawyers need to prep her for to tell the truth… Senator Grassely’s tweet reads; “@chuckGrassely Five times now we hv granted extension for Dr Ford to decide if she wants to proceed w her desire stated one wk ago that she wants to tell senate her story Dr Ford if u changed ur mind say so so we can move on I want to hear ur testimony. Come to us or we to u. 8:27 PM – 21 Sep 2018“.

2018-09-22 – Leland Keyser, 52, whom Ford described as her ‘best friend’ at Holton-Arms preparatory school in Bethesda, Maryland, released a statement. “Simply put, Ms. Keyser does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with, or without, Dr. Ford,” said Howard Walsh, who said he has been “engaged in the limited capacity” of corresponding with the committee on behalf of Keyser. After the hearing Ms. Keyser told the FBI that she was pressured by Christine’s friend to revise her statements.

2018-09-23 – A second accuser, Debra Ramerez comes forward in an interview with The New Yorker. This was for an event that was alleged to have occurred while Kavanaugh was in college, and a young adult.

2018-09-26 – Michael Avenatti reveals the identity of a third woman, Julie Swetnick. Julie Swetnick is a few years older then Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. She would have been an adult at the parties she describes, and the two boys, Brett and Mark, were still juveniles. This could be problematic for Ms. Swetnick in regards to possible charges of Contributing to the “Delinquency of a Minor(s)”. A Dennis Ketterer sent a signed sworn letter to the ‘Senate Judiciary Committee dated Oct-02, 2018.

2018-09-27 – Senate Judicial Committee meeting.

2018-09-28 – Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher confront Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator. This is thought to be a key triggering event causing Senator Flake to place an additional demand for another FBI investigation. Anna and Maria both work for Popular Democracy. Anna immigrated to the US from Columbia when she was 8, and is a sexual abuse survivor from when she was 5. A few days later Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rising star in the Democratic Party, running for a House seat, stated, Anna, is putting everything on the line and risking deportation. Most likely because of her immigration status.

2018-10-04 – The FBI background investigation requested by Democrats and Republican Senator Jeff Flake concludes and is made available to Senators within a closed room.

2018-10-06 – The Senate moves ahead and Confirms Brett Kavanaugh by a vote of 50-48.

2018-10-06 – Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in as the 114th Supreme Court Justice just hours after the Senate voted to confirm him.

The questions I have are:

Why didn’t Christine Blasey Ford ever just walk in, or call, the FBI field office in San Francisco located at 450 Golden Gate Ave. Or, the satellite office in Palo Alto, the city in which she lives.
Why did Christine Blasey Ford lawyers not inform her of the possibility of Senate coming to her and meeting in private rather then a public hearing. Her legal team may have thought they would have a better chance to all be seen in public maybe?
On August 20th, why didn’t Senator Diane Feinstein not discuss these issues when she had their one on one meeting with Brett Kavanaugh ?

In closing I would hope that woman come forward earlier and quicker. Time does matter. Peoples memories shift a bit over time.

In this day and age where woman are saying they need more leadership-roles and equality. There still seems to be a bit of because she is a woman, she needs extra protection.

References

‘Press Releases from the Committee from the ‘Senate Judiciary Press Releases. Key pertinent dates are from September to October 5.

Senate Judiciary public disclosure timeline’Kavanagh/Timeline. Dates from September to October 5.”

Post Views: 72

2018-08-262019-07-31

2018/34 Whiner of the Week – Omarosa Manigault Newman

On or around Aug 12, 2018 Omarosa Manigault Newman released a tape from the White House by Chief of Staff John Kelly last December. She was fired from her White House job last December in 2017. Her last day was supposed to January 20, 2018.

n the time between her firing she has appeared on numerous talk shows and she has been writing a new book, “Unhinged”. The book was announced on July 26^th. Then on August 12^th Omarosa started releasing tapes which immediately upped interest in her as she began the talk show circuit.

Since August 12th a new tape has surfaced almost each day in Omarosa’s attempts to maintain her relevancy trundles along. The timing of her tape releases are forcing the Talk Shows to discuss her. As Stephen Colbert pointed out on his Tuesday, August 14^th late show, “Every aspect of the story is salacious, including the fact that the NDAs Trump has everyone around him sign are borderline useless. Yes, it would seem the NDA’s that the women around Trump have signed, mean nothing.

Event Timeline:

1996 – Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism.

1998 – Worked for Vice President Al Gore with the title of “Special Assistant of Logistics”. She later stated the job had been “a very difficult environment, because they don’t believe in training. They just kind of throw you in the fire.”

2004 – First appearance as a contestant in the “The Apprentice”.

Later she worked for President Bill Clinton in the personnel office.

2008 – She wrote and released a book titled, “The Bitch Switch”. Hmm, this should have been a forewarning to all potential employers.

2010 – She worked on another reality TV show in 2010 with Trump called “The Ultimate Merger”.

2013-02 – Appeared on Trump’s All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.

2016-12- “I am living the American dream because of Donald Trump,” Manigault Newman wrote in a December 2016 guest column for the Hollywood Reporter. “Look at my career, the wealth and exposure that I’ve had: It’s very difficult to make the argument that Donald Trump doesn’t like black people and black women.”

2017-01-03 – It was reported that Omarosa would join Trump’s White House staff, focusing on public engagement.

2017-04 – Married Pastor John Allen Newman at the Trump Hotel in DC. She also surprised the White House staff by bringing her 39-person bridal party to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for an extended photo shoot. Politico reported that it was unclear if she received formal permission for this event. She was unable to post her photos because of concerns over ethics and security.

2017-12 – Omarosa is fired by John Kelly, January 20^th is supposed to be her last day. The reason reported appears to be abusing the White House car service known as “CARPET”. She was using it to get picked up, and dropped off, at the office.

2018-06 – The Jacksonville Golf and Country Club named Omarosa Manigault Newman and her pastor husband John Newman in a minor lawsuit demanding that the couple make fixes to their house. They owe $11,063 in back fees and charges. Listed in the lawsuit are mold on the roof, a pool that attracts mosquitoes. A hearing is set for Oct.15, according to Duval County court records.

2018-07-26 – An announcement is based about Omarosa’s book “Unhinged” is soon to be released. The date of release appears to be August 14, 2018. The timed release of her tape collection energizes the sale of her book.

2018-08-13 – Today show interview with Savannah Guthrie. She stated Donald Trump didn’t know she was fire and scorned the president for delegating some duties to Chief of Staff, General John Kelly. She accused John Kelly of False Imprisonment.a

2008-08-14 – Trump tweets “When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out,” Trump wrote. “Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”. There has been some discussion on Trump’s use of the term dog. A standard vernacular in the English language.

2008-08-23? – Omarosa stated she is ready to testify at Trump’s impeachment trial with the Senate.

In Closing:

Omarosa stated she “never signed the draconian NDA when she started working in the White House. Given this, she should never have been allowed in the White House Situation Room. Even Stormy Daniels signed an NDA, hmm, never mind.

She did not have a Security Clearance, she should never have been allowed in the Situation Room.

Things of course, should be changed at the White House in regard to security. The Situation Room is not a gilded French Provincial Hotel Conference room.

Post Views: 104

2018-06-292019-08-16

2018/26 Whiner of the Week – Maxine Waters

This week’s Weekly Whiner is none other than Maxine Waters, Democrat House Representative from the 43^rd district in California. This last Saturday, June 23^rd, Maxine Waters told her supporters at an Los Angeles California rally to confront and harass Trump officials where ever they may go.

“If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,” Waters stated.

“This was in response to the booting out of Sarah Huckabee Sanders from the Red Hen restaurant by owner Stephanie Wilkinson for just being a member of the Trump cabinet.

Some Democrats such as Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) stated, “I understand the frustration and the anger she was expressing, and I share a lot of that. I wouldn’t have done it, but I don’t criticize her for doing it.”.

Others such as Adriano Espaillat, (D-NY), stated, “Said he loved Maxine Waters”, and that he supported “it”.

But a number of Democrats, and Republicans, disagreed with her stance and statement for this issue.

On Thursday, June 28^th Maxine since she made public comments earlier in the week to encourage protesters to heckle and harass members of the Trump’s Cabinet in public venues, she has received numerous threats and was forced to cancel some of her events.

However, Waters has denied that she ever called for violence, saying she’s only urging peaceful protests.

Significant Events:

1991-Maxine Waters is elected to the 29^th district. She received over 79% of the popular vote.

2010-08-10 – Maxine Waters is charged with three counts of violating House rules and the Federal Ethics code for her efforts in arranging a 2008 meeting between Treasury Officials and OneUnited bank. However, on 2012-09-25 the House Committee on Ethics concluded that Representative Waters’ chief of state was at fault for creating the appearance of conflict, but Waters was not.

In her 27 years as a House Representative she has successfully been the primary sponsor of 5 bills that were enacted. The most recent four were within the Obama administration. These were the following:

Maxine Waters has been criticized for not living within District 43. However, her house used to be in her district, but redistricting shifted her home into the 37^th district. She should get a pass on this issue.

She has been re-elected 13-14 times. In 2016 she received over 76% of the popular vote in her district. Her nearest challenger received 23.9%, an enormous margin. In 2018 she slipped a bit to 72.3% versus 14.1% for her nearest challenger. She must be doing something right!

In some sense her playbook is becoming more like President Trump’s.

Question:

Should extremists from the far left and the far right, start harassing their opponents as Maxine Waters suggests?

We think NOT!

Post Views: 103

2018-06-242019-08-16

2018/25 Whiner of the Week – Stephanie Wilkinson

This week’s Weekly Whiner is Stephanie Wilkinson who owns The Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia.

On June 22^nd, Friday evening, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House Press Secretary, made the mistake of having a reservation, under her husband’s name, for the Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington, Virginia.

If the reservation had been in her name, perhaps all of this hullabaloo could have been avoided. The Maître-D could have nixed the reservation saving Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her guests some gas money.

What hullabaloo? Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave, but not her husband, and the others at the table. But they did leave at the same time as her.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Stephanie Wilkinson was reportedly at home when one of the Chef’s called to report that Sarah Huckabee Sanders and some friends were dining at the restaurant. Some of the restaurant staff are gay and were troubled by having to serve someone from the Trump administration.

So, Ms. Wilkinson drove in and saw that indeed it was Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Ms. Wilkinson asked Sander’s to come out to the patio for a word. Wilkinson said. “I explained that the restaurant has certain standards that I feel it has to uphold, such as honesty, and compassion, and cooperation. “, I said, ‘I’d like to ask you to leave.’”

Sanders’s response was immediate, Wilkinson said: “That’s fine. I’ll go.”

The next day Sanders Tweeted the following:

Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left. Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) June 23, 2018

Restaurant’s legally have the right to ask patrons to leave if they are unruly or improperly dressed. Everyone has seen signs like, “No shoes, no service”.

Some of the restaurant staff appeared to be somewhat jubilant as a Facebook post of the restaurant whiteboard had the term “86 – Sara Huckabee Sanders”. The term, “to 86 someone”, is a restaurant industry code to “refuse service”.

But, there could be a need for signs like, “No Republicans”. It sounds crazy, and we think it is, but it could prevent embarrassing issues such as this occurring.

A recent court case concerning a Baker asked to create a custom cake for a gay couple received national notoriety. The jist ended up the Baker cannot refuse service to anyone just wanting to buy a ready made cake. But could refuse service for a custom cake. A fine line subject to interpretation. But refusing service here sounds a bit like Old-School Jim Crow practices.

Significant Notes:

The staff was not asked to bake a special cake commemorating Sander’s or Trump. It was just a meal out for friends. No Art or statements of politics were asked for. They most likely just ordered from the menu.

From all accounts the Sanders party was not misbehaving.

There were no signs on display to warn people of different political persuasions that they need to steer clear of the Red Hen. Sarah and her guests were surprised. Perhaps a sign listing what kind of person should stay out.

Some members appeared jubilant in the success of their endeavors judging from a few of the Facebook and Twitter posts.

Stephanie Wilkinson and her staff should take courses in diversity and tolerance to help them cope with crazy people, such as Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her family.

Stephanie Wilkinson and her staff should either get a backbone, or reconsider their careers working with the public.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders handled herself with aplomb in this situation

Post Views: 289

midpush.com

Category: Politics