‘Heartless’: That’s What Trump’s Pick To Head ICE Reportedly Called His Administration

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly did not have laudatory things to say about the administration in January 2017, when he was ousted from his position as Border Patrol chief. “The fact they are pushing for me to leave immediately is heartless and void of any decency and compassion,”Mark Morgan wrote in January 2017, according to emails obtained by Axios. Morgan, in an exchange with then-acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, also said his removal as Border Patrol chief by the White House was “wrong on so many levels.” “I am being removed in the name of politics — and politics at its worst. … I will not have them believe I willingly left under these circumstances,” Morgan wrote at the time.

The unearthed emails, sent Jan. 24 and 25, 2017, were written at a time when the Trump administration decided to push Morgan out of his position as chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. The administration gave no official reason for Morgan’s 2017 dismissal, but it was well-known that top brass in the agency did not care for his leadership. Morgan, a longtime FBI official, was tapped by the Obama White House to lead the Border Patrol in the waning days of its administration. The National Border Patrol Council, a union representing more than 16,000 border agents, criticized his appointment, citing his lack of experience. National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd personally asked Trump to get rid of Morgan, a source familiar with the firing told Axios.

“Serving the men and women at Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a privilege. … I look forward to rejoining the DHS workforce and working hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners and the interagency community to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and end the humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border,” Morgan told Axios in a statement. While the release of the emails is an embarrassment for Morgan, it also shows how much has changed between the former Border Patrol chief and the Trump administration.

In the two-and-a-half years since getting canned, Morgan has frequently taken to news outlets and voiced support for the president’s immigration agenda, including the construction of a massive wall on the southern border. The appearances culminated in Trump choosing Morgan in early May to be the next ICE director. “I am pleased to inform all of those that believe in a strong, fair and sound Immigration Policy that Mark Morgan will be joining the Trump administration as the head of our hard working men and women of ICE,” the president tweeted May 5. “Mark is a true believer and American Patriot. He will do a great job!”

Morgan also touts defenders at the very top of the Department of Homeland Security. Upon hearing that White House senior adviser Stephen Miller was angling to make Morgan the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — thus leaving the current ICE acting director in place, DHS acting secretary Kevin McAleenan fiercely objected and reportedly threatened to quit. His opposition kept Morgan’s job-to-be in place.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/20/trump-ice-mark-morgan-border/

Ohio Dems Fear Trump Will Take The Working Class Vote — Again

Ohio Democrats are worried their party is taking the wrong approach toward the working class in a repeat of a mistake that cost them the 2016 election. President Donald Trump is pitching himself as an aggressive working class champion, while Democratic nominees continue to harp on issues unrelated to working-class interests such as Trump’s taxes, Democratic operatives told The New York Times. Even 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden, who styles himself as a blue-collar Democrat, is totally missing the point, one of them said.

“The Democratic Party has lost its voice to speak to people that shower after work and not before work,” Ohio Democratic leader David Betras told The NYT. “All we’re saying is: He won’t turn over his tax returns. He’s saying, ‘I’m fighting China to get you better jobs.” “They don’t care about his taxes,” Betras added. “They just don’t.”

Democratic Ohio Rep. and presidential candidate Tim Ryan used similar terminology, saying Trump is “punching China in the face,” while Biden says China isn’t a serious problem. “If we go into the election with that as our message, we’ll get beat again,” he told The NYT. The economic doom experts have been forecasting since the early stages of Trump’s campaign has so far not materialized. The economy is doing well in terms of job creation, GDP and unemployment, even as he heats up the trade dispute with China.

“What I want from a president is the rest of the world to look at him and go, ‘Don’t mess with that guy, he will get even,'” Ohio voter Darrell Franks told The NYT. He is a former Democrat who voted for Trump. “I don’t want kinder, gentler. I don’t want some female that wants her agenda.”

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/20/ohio-democrats-trump-working-class/

Former Democrat Congressional Staffer Charged with Patronizing a Prostitute

John A. Stemen, a longtime aide to Congressman Anthony Brindisi (D., N.Y.), was officially charged with patronizing a prostitute during a Monday hearing at the Utica City Court. After pleading not guilty to one count of patronizing a prostitute, Stemen was released without bail. Stemen's attorney contended his client was "maintaining his innocence completely." The judge who conducted the hearing said he would recuse himself from future proceedings of the case because he knows Stemen from their joint involvement "being in local politics for many years."

Brindisi fired Stemen in early May after Stemen admitted to state troopers that he agreed to a pay $200 to a 17-year-old he met online for a sexual encounter. "As soon as we were made aware of the charges, John Stemen was immediately terminated from his position," Brindisi's office said in a statement when the charges first became public. Stemen worked for Brindisi while the congressman served in the New York state legislature and Brindisi hired him to work in his district office following his 2018 defeat of former representative Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.). Brindisi defeated Tenney by less than 5,000 votes in a tightly-fought race. Tenney has indicated she may be open to a rematch in 2020, telling a local radio station last month she has had "a lot of people" encourage her to challenge Brindisi next fall.

https://freebeacon.com/politics/former-democrat-congressional-staffer-charged-with-patronizing-a-prostitute/

Harris Proposes Penalizing Corporate Profits to Eliminate Gender Pay Gap

'Pay women fairly or pay the price'

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is proposing companies "pay" a hefty "price" for supposed wage disparities between men and women. On Monday, Harris's campaign unveiled a proposal to eliminate the gender pay gap. Billed "as the most aggressive equal pay proposal in history," Harris's plan would require companies to apply for "equal pay certification" through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). To receive certification, companies with more than 100 employees would be required to disclose compensation data showing no existing wage disparities between men and women for "work of equal value."

"To the extent pay disparities do exist for similar jobs, companies will be required to show the gap is based on merit, performance, or seniority–not gender," Harris's proposal reads. By forcing companies to disclose their pay and employment data, Harris's plan would change current EEOC guidelines which require employees to come forward and report wage disparities. "We've let corporations hide their wage gaps, but forced women to stand up in court just to get the pay they've earned," the California Democrat's campaign told the Associated Press. "It's time to flip the script and finally hold corporations accountable for pay inequality in America."

Companies failing the certification process would face a 1 percent fine on their total profit for every 1 percent wage gap allowed "to persist for work of equal value. Fines would be levied "for every day" companies "discriminate against their workers." If elected, Harris—who has failed to pass a single piece of legislation since joining the Senate in 2017—is pledging to implement portions of the plan via "executive action," rather than waiting "for Congress to act."

"Kamala Harris has a simple message for corporations: Pay women fairly or pay the price," the campaign said on Monday. The "price" would generate "roughly $180 billion" in the first decade of implementation, with "revenue decreasing over time as strong equal pay practices become part of corporate culture." The campaign, however, did not include data to back up its revenue claims. Harris's plan does not mention that workplace discrimination—including hiring, wages, promotion, and termination—on the basis of gender is already illegal, according to three existing federal statutes. In fact, numerous studies have shown the inequities that do exist between men and women are directly the result of the carveouts (merit, performance, or seniority) included in Harris's proposal. The proposal comes as employee wages have hit a 10-year high, and the unemployment rate among American women has fallen to levels unseen since 1953.

https://freebeacon.com/politics/harris-proposes-penalizing-corporate-profits-to-eliminate-gender-pay-gap/

Facebook, Google, Twitter to testify on election security

May 20 (UPI) – Elections officials and leaders at tech companies Facebook, Google and Twitter are set to testify later this week at a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on election security, lawmakers announced Monday. The committee said Wednesday's hearing "will examine the security of the nation's election systems, including the government's response to ongoing attempts by malicious actors to interfere in our elections, influence public opinion and undermine U.S. electoral processes." The hearing also will evaluate the role of state and local governments, and private sector partners like Facebook, Google and Twitter, to protect elections systems, infrastructure and technology.

The tech companies likely will face questions about what they've done in the wake of evidence that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election by using social media platforms. Witnesses expected to testify at the hearing include Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the Department of Homeland Security; Adam Hickey, deputy assistant attorney general in the National Security Division of the Department of Justice; Christy McCormick, chairwoman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission; Bill Galvin, Massachusetts secretary of state; Richard Salgado, director of Law Enforcement and Information Security at Google; Nathaniel Gleicher, head of Cybersecurity Policy at Facebook; and Kevin Kane, public policy manager at Twitter.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/05/20/Facebook-Google-Twitter-to-testify-on-election-security/6631558375145/