Mitch McConnell Fails to Prevent Revolt Against Trump’s National Emergency Declaration

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has broken a reported promise to President Donald Trump, admitting Monday that he failed to prevent Republican Senators from passing a resolution blocking a national emergency declaration on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Speaking at an event Louisville, McConnell said that while the resolution will pass in the Senate, it is highly likely the House will vote to uphold the president’s veto. “What is clear in the Senate is that there will be enough votes to pass the resolution of disapproval, which will then be vetoed by the president and then in all likelihood the veto will be upheld in the House,” he said.

The admission comes after Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) announced Sunday that he joined three of his fellow Republican senators to vote with 47 Senate Democrats in backing an anti-declaration resolution which passed the House. “I can’t vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress. We may want more money for border security, but Congress didn’t authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, it’s a dangerous thing,” Paul said, the Bowling Green Daily News reported.

In addition to Paul, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME) will also support the measure, while Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) have not made their position on resolution public.

Later this month, the Senate will vote on the resolution to prevent President Trump from reallocating, without Congress, billions of dollars to fund the construction of a Southern border wall. In February, President Trump announced that he would declare an emergency to build the wall after Congress passed legislation providing $1.3 billion for barriers. He plans to divert $3.6 billion from military construction of the wall and transfer another $3.1 billion towards the construction. As the New York Times reported, McConnell promised the president to support the declaration, signaling that he would quell any opposition to the measure.

[A]fter a particularly unpleasant meeting with the secretary of homeland security, Kirstjen Nielsen, the president was threatening to torpedo the deal, according to two people briefed on the exchange. Several hours and several phone calls later, McConnell had persuaded Mr. Trump to once again agree to sign the bill to avert another government shutdown looming at midnight Friday.

But persuasion came at a price: The president would declare a national emergency to try to secure wall funding without congressional approval, he told the majority leader — and Mr. McConnell would have to back him.

Later in his remarks Monday, the Senate Majority Leader said attempted to talk the president out of issuing a declaration, saying that it may set a precedent of abuse by future Democrat administration seeking to prosecute their progressive agenda without Congress. “That’s one reason I argued without success that he not take this route,” McConnell said.

“I was one of those hoping the president would not take the national emergency route,” added the Kentucky Republican. “Once he decided to do that I said I would support it, but I was hoping he wouldn’t take that particular path.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/04/mitch-mcconnell-fails-to-prevent-revolt-against-trumps-national-emergency-declaration/

>>5508942

in rigged elections??? Don't think so.

>>5509006

no

Prosecution objects to celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos representing Bronfman — while daughter represents Raniere

he prosecution in the Nxivm case has notified the court of what it considers to be a potential conflict-of-interest between Mark J. Geragos, who is now representing Clare Bronfman – and his daughter, Teny Rose Geragos, who has been representing Keith Raniere since the start of the case.

As pointed out in the prosecution’s letter to Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, Rule 1.7 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct provides that a lawyer “. . . shall not represent a client if a reasonable lawyer would conclude that . . . there is a significant risk that the lawyer’s professional judgment on behalf of a client will be adversely affected by the lawyer’s own . . . personal interests,” absent other circumstances, including the client’s “informed consent.”

The Comment to Rule 1.7 further states: “When lawyers representing different clients in the same matter. . . are closely related, there may be a significant risk that client confidences will be revealed and that the lawyer’s family relationship will interfere with both loyalty and professional judgment. As a result, each client is entitled to know of the existence and implications of the relationship between the lawyers, before the lawyer agrees to undertake the representation. Thus, a lawyer who has a significant intimate or close family relationship with another lawyer ordinarily may not represent a client in a matter where the other lawyer is representing another party, unless each client gives informed consent . . . ”

The prosecution goes on to point out some of the obvious conflicts that could arise between Dad & Daughter Geragos in this case:

(1) whether one client should seek leniency by cooperating against the other;

(2) whether a client should testify in her/his own defense at trial, where such testimony might implicate the other;

(3) whether to elicit testimony from witnesses on direct or cross-examination if that testimony might implicate the other’s client; and

(4) whether to make motions that could be adverse to the other client’s interests.

And you guessed it, in order to resolve this latest conflict-of-interest, the prosecution has suggested that Judge Garaufis conduct another set of Curcio hearings for Clare and Raniere.

The specific things that the prosecution wants the judge to ask Clare and Raniere about are: (i) whether they each understand the potential conflict raised by the familial relationship between the two Geragos; (ii) whether they each understand the nature and extent of that conflict; and (iii) whether they are each willing and able to make a knowing and voluntary waiver of the conflict.

Although Judge Garaufis has already approved Mark Geragos being added to the defense team, he can – andundoubtedly will – conduct the Curcio hearings that have been suggested by the prosecution.

To not do so would leave a door open to a potential appeal – and the judge has, thus far, been very careful not to do that in this case.

https://frankreport.com/2019/03/04/prosecution-objects-to-celebrity-lawyer-mark-geragos-representing-bronfman-while-daughter-represents-raniere/

Fuckery afoot

Despite Albany Times Union’s James Odato’s efforts – local law enforcement ignored clear crimes of Raniere/Nxivm

Despite the heroic efforts of Jim Odato, who authored most of the stories that were part of the Times Union’s 2012 “Secrets of NXIVM” series, absolutely nothing happened as a result of all the illegal activities that were documented at that time.

Not one criminal charge against the cult leader, Keith Alan Raniere – or any of the top people in the NXIVM/ESP crime syndicate.

Not one criminal investigation by any of the law enforcement agencies in the Albany, NY area.

Not even any calls for any type of investigation or follow-up to the Times Union series.

Not by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.

Not the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Not the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Not the Internal Revenue Service.

Not by the Albany, NY Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Not by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, nor U.S. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand, the latter of whom never even heard of NXIVM even though her father worked as a lobbyist for them.

Not by the New York Governor or any New York State agency.

Not by the New York State Attorney General.

Not by the New York State Police.

Not by the Albany County District Attorney.

Not by the Albany County Sheriff.

Not by the Albany, NY Police Department.

Not by the Saratoga County District Attorney.

Not by the Saratoga County Sheriff.

Nada…naught…nil…nothing…zero…zilch…zip…

https://frankreport.com/2019/03/04/despite-albany-times-unions-james-odatos-efforts-local-law-enforcement-ignored-clear-crimes-of-raniere-nxivm/