Back To The Law Books

The DoJ releases the memo we were promised in April backing SecTreas Mnuchin's refusal to cough up Trump's tax returns.

As I argued last May their argument was no doubt previewed in Mnuchin's 52 page letter of April 23 to House Chair Neal. However, I have yet to compare the two and, per the Times, a bit of legal water has passed under the bridge since April:

Mr. Engel’s argument that Congress lacked a legitimate legislative purpose in seeking Mr. Trump’s tax returns dovetailed closely with tracked arguments made by Mr. Trump’s legal team in lawsuits over congressional subpoenas to financial firms like Mazars USA for his financial records.

Two Federal District Court judges last month rejected that argument, refusing to block congressional subpoenas to such firms. One wrote that it was because Congress had put forth a valid argument for why it wanted them for legislative purposes and that it was “not for the court to question whether the committee’s actions are truly motivated by political considerations.” Mr. Trump is appealing the rulings.

One might wonder how the court can decline to assess the legitimacy of a Congressional legislative purpose in light of Watkins. My guess: In Watkins the Supreme Court found no legislative purpose was offered at all; in the current case, the Congress is offering a transparently pretextual one and daring the court to laugh out loud (OK, that is my humble editorial opinion).

Of course, the courts are often happy to swallow their whistle when the other two branches slug it out.

BONUS PEDANTRY: The Department of Redundancy Department loves the Times phrasing here:

Mr. Engel’s argument... dovetailed closely with tracked arguments made by Mr. Trump’s legal team".

This online publishing world moves so quickly - who has time to edit? Eventually that will get a correction but not a formal "Correction", being well within any gray/grey area. It took me a week to get this real one. Yeah, I keep score.

Comments

[The Infamous Ignatz]

I already boycott Twitter and Facebook pretty much every day of the year.

[Captain Hate]

Iggy, did you see The Passion of the Christ? Although it was brutally violent in parts I felt like I got a historical perspective of which I'd previously been unaware.

[MissMarple2]

Heading to bed.

Nytol!

[Narciso79]

One of those kis stories in the collection reminded me of bulgakov, I guess it's a certain tortured sensibility re Eastern wuropeans denying jesus divinity.

[Narciso79]

Passion plays are considered inflammatory to some sensibilities but it makes one appreciate the extent of jesus sacrifice

[Pinandpuller]

I heard some guys with tiny hats got a passion play shut down in the Alps or there abouts.

[Jim,SunnyvaleCA,USA]

MissM 7:39, why were they at a party rather than with their men!?

Miss daddy at times like this.

[henry]

Yeah, perhaps some funk to kick off KJOM...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pJV2pWFyfn4

[Jim,SunnyvaleCA,USA]

lurker susie "It will not be difficult for CIA analysts to come up with documents to support the excuse: “Brennan made me do it.”"

Let's hope so!
Whattya think? #TwoWeeks?

[Narciso79]

You bet, whatever happened to music with feeling with soul instead of the dreck that resonates in the shells. I mean they can rarely craft a lyric or hit the right note.

[clarice]

I didn't ask the editor of AT because I don't think the site could handle that much traffic,jim.

[clarice]

Stephanie, the 4th makes sense though. If we have another site we can watch the festivities. There may be another group now angling for a Go Dark boycott for July 2d and 3d--I'll keep watching.

[Narciso79]

This is the piece we were thrashing at althouse:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/06/07/trump-has-made-my-political-science-students-skeptical-constitution/?utm_term=.89e1a735917d

If you didnt know his subject matter, you'd think he wasnt self aware.

[Pinandpuller]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/germanys-mega-passion-pla_n_563207

[The Infamous Ignatz]

--Iggy, did you see The Passion of the Christ? Although it was brutally violent in parts I felt like I got a historical perspective of which I'd previously been unaware.--

I did in the theater with Mrs Ig. It was more literally faithful to the text and was wonderfully made. Isaiah says His visage was marred more than any man when he was scourged and beaten.
Jesus of Nazareth covers His entire ministry and in a lyrical, beautiful way entirely different than not only Gibson's treatment but really any other and in a way that gives it spiritual power. Jim Caveziel was great but Robert Powell looked and sounded like the idealized version of Jesus, and if you're gonna idealize somebody well...

[clarice]

#48 DARK IS ALREADY SPONSORING A BOYCOTT OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR JULY 2D AND 3D SO LET'S JOIN THAT ONE.

[joan]

I must have missed a lot. What is #48 Dark?

[Jim,SunnyvaleCA,USA]

A Christian friend invited me to a showing of the Caveziel movie.
She was shocked and a bit embarrassed! I remember being surprised but not repulsed. A fascinating story and rarely told with those details emphasized.

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

That works for me. If we avoided the 4th the asses would bray that Trump pissed off the patriotic crowd.

[Narciso79]

Whi would suggest themselves to such treatment if he wasnt the One
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-boris-johnson-compared-adolf-16516000

[joan]

Speaking of twitter :), they blocked then suspended my sister's account last week. She has almost 5,000 followers. All she does is post articles from conservative sites. They put a comment on her page that said she'd posted offensive material that wasn't allowed.

I checked and most of the things that are offensive are remarks that refer to violence or bad language and something about nudity.

She and I chuckled about that. But, honestly, her account is/was plain vanilla conservative.

Come to think of it, I haven't checked with her to see if she's back on -- she said they'd blocked about 200 of her followers, too.

[Narciso79]

I guess considering his history it's not surprising

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/why-we-need-danilo-kis/amp/

[joan]

I checked my sister's account again. It appears to be blank at first and a big sign says "Temporarily Restricted -- Because there has been unusual activity from this account" -- then it asked me if I wanted to view it. So I clicked yes and the last post she put up was:

"Thread by @almostjingo: "Lest we forget that freedom that is never free. Normandy then and now. "They fight not for the lust of conquest. The-- President Franklin D. Roosevelt's official address a […]" #DDay75Anniversary #DDay75 #DDay75thAnniversary #DDAY"

Weird.

[clarice]

See joan--she used a magic word "lust"

[clarice]

#48 Dark is organizing a social media boycott on July 2d and 3d to protest censorship and on the 6th they are holding a rally in DC

[Captain Hate]

I own the book being reviewed.

WJOM time. These guys played this when they warmed up the audience before Marshall Crenshaw came out and they backed him up. Quintessential Ventures type Fender rock that Gus could play in his sleep.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vKPJdKbRQE0

[jim nj]

A timely reminder of the last "tanker" war.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/06/14/the-us-and-iran-have-engaged-in-deadly-combat-before-over-gulf-tanker-attacks-heres-what-happened/

[The Infamous Ignatz]

Interestingly, the latest comment at that Zman link is by some guy providing a link to Unz.com that features a Holocaust denial book.

[Narciso79]

Is it a certain English writer who lived in south Africa, Amazon posted a link to that on Facebook

[joan]

Yes, lust was in there. :)

Thanks, Clarice, about #48 Dark. I hadn't come across it but haven't been online much.

I check jom every day, but quit fb months ago, rarely go to twitter. Never go to drudge. Occasionally go to lucianne. Used to check and read real clear politics regularly. I do like youtube, but mostly for fun things, like Scrumpdillyicious and music videos, like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GtKOfg-nX4&list=RD1GtKOfg-nX4&start_radio=1

Paul McCartney's It Never Happened Before

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzJ2ildYDVk&t=2s

Scrumpdillyicious - chocolate and cake decorating

But I will boycott youtube, because I know they've hurt conservative members.

[Narciso79]

Oh it's much worse, its like David Irving without the lizards

[joan]

I spelled that wrong. It's Scrumdiddlyumptious.

I love their cooking videos.

[Pinandpuller]

I know I’m insensitive for comparing the Holocaust to Woodstock but many people who claimed to be at either one have been proven to be liars. That’s not anymore denial than exposing a fraud like Michael Mann. L

[Strawman Cometh]

If ...cut your throat, don't buy them a knife

Who said it?

[jim nj]

PIN,

I, being from North Jersey, knew a lot of people who ventured off to Woodstock. Most of them got caught up on highways that turned into parking lots several miles from the site.

On the album I remember hearing an announcer giving a traffic report. "Route 17 is closed, man!"

[jim nj]

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/06/15/the_army_does_have_a_future_tank_and_it_is_the_abrams_114504.html

Interesting that the Army doesn't feel it needs to build a brand new tank just yet. The Russians ceased production of their new T-14 Armata tank after acquiring only 100 of them. The savings are being used to re-fit older T-72 T-80 and T-90 tanks.

[jim nj]

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/06/14/armys-new-expert-soldier-badge-will-demand-mastery-warrior-skills.html

I wonder if more money comes with the designation.

[Narciso79]

Well the prime model is nearly 40 years old

[Narciso79]

I could see how some of that skillset would become specialized

[Narciso79]

Interesting:

https://amac.us/the-marxist-roots-of-medicare-for-all/?campaign=newsletter

[Narciso79]

Oh that cant give wrong:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/15/drug-addicts-given-free-heroin-home-office-awards-first-licence/

[Pinandpuller]

I, being from North Jersey, knew a lot of people who ventured off to Woodstock.

Woodstock may be the one event that hasn’t duped Oprah:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2008/dec/29/holocaust-memoir-fake

[Pinandpuller]

I see your denial and raise you 10 plagues:

https://davidjamesboston.com/plagues-of-egypt-proved/

[jim nj]

Narciso,

The Abrams tank produced 30 years ago isn't the one being built now and they re-fir the older ones with upgrades or retire them.

https://blog.refactortactical.com/blog/special-military-pay/

This article is 3 years old and probably not all inclusive, but it would make sense to me to compensate our best warriors more highly than others.

It would also make sense to develop a second-tier cadre and pay them more too.

Extra pay for demonstrated high-quality skills would help all the service branches retain good people.

[Narciso79]

Was Bradley the precursor:

https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-writings/does-ipuwer-papyrus-provide-evidence-events-exodus-006951

[jim nj]

PIN,

When I was a youngster I read a book that linked the Minoan volcanic explosion with the ten plagues of Egypt.

https://www.livescience.com/4846-eruption-thera-changed-world.html

[jim nj]

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/06/will-the-crazy-left-re-elect-trump.php

I hope so. Just how much of the left is represented by the "crazy left?"

[jim nj]

https://ktla.com/2019/06/15/off-duty-officer-among-3-injured-in-corona-costco-shooting-that-left-1-dead/

The shooter was an off-duty police officer who was allegedly assaulted by the dead man.

[jim nj]

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-jimmy-buffet-fan-club-oklahoma-sick-dominican-republic-20190615-rjiupj4zezfsvonhrpr2m54whi-story.html

I think tourists should take notice and go elsewhere.

[jim nj]

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/06/when_and_why_golden_geese_take_wing.html

Clarice's Pieces, as always, on target. Over-taxation by corrupt states. My term, not hers.

[anonamom]

This is interesting---besides not even bothering to examine the servers for themselves---FBI never saw a final report from Crowdstrike IRT the "hack" of DNC's servers--
(the "hack" many believe to actually have been a download, maybe by the young staffer who died in a "robbery attempt" where nothing was stolen)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/06/15/doj-admits-fbi-never-saw-crowdstrike-report-on-dnc-russian-hacking-claim/

[jim nj]

By explanation, when a state's only recourse is to raise taxes further it has lost control of its' budget and its' obligations.

Somebody needs to step up and change the rules. I don't care what public employee unions negotiate. Unused sick days should be lost. Unused vacation days should be lost.

No private company carries them forward. And if they did, they wouldn't pay them at current rates.

In NJ it's disgusting, They file for retirement in September, but stop working in March, because they have 6 months of back pay coming to them for unused sick days and vacation.

And the last year they worked they accrued 40 hours a week of overtime. And their pension is based on gross, not base pay.

No private company would stand for that.

Politicians and public employee unions are a toxic combination.

[jim nj]

anonamom,

All the conclusions about the DNC servers are based on a faulty report that has never been verified.

[clarice]

Good morning. JOM!https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/06/when_and_why_golden_geese_take_wing.html

[clarice]

Thanks, Jim, You beat me to it--sorry I double posted.

[henry]

Fine Pieces this morning.

[hoyden]

Clarice, thank you for your "Pieces" column this morning. The corrupt governments in NY, IL, and CA, like those in China, have a common consciousness that differs only in degree.

MN is also a high tax state where the Democrats are always grubbing for higher taxes to "us[e] taxpayer funds to buy off tranches of hands-out voting blocs and donors" that they believe will lead to a permanent majority. MN's new two year budget apparently spends more than Republicans wanted but falls short of what Democrats demanded.

Whereas NY, IL, and CA are leading the way down the slippery slope of higher taxes, it appears to me that MN is still teetering on the edge. Democrats, like Terminator, vow they will be back next year.

[clarice]

Thanks.

[rse]

Hoyden-

You might find this push in MN from last week and the Bipartisan Policy Center interesting.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/pre-to-3-providing-child-care-is-a-twofer-for-schools/556675/

[jim nj]

Clarice,

No problem. I was so looking forward to your post that I went looking for it and felt inspired to comment on it.

[MissMarple2]

Good morning!

[MissMarple2]

Judging from the time stamp, the President was up at 1AM!

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
6h6 hours ago

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just signed Bill banning Sanctuary Cities in State, & forcing all law enforcement agencies to cooperate with Federal Immigration authorities. Bill prohibits local Gov’t from enacting Sanctuary policies that protect undocumented immigrants...@FoxNews

....More and more states want to do this but their governors and leaders don’t have the courage to do so. The politics will soon mandate, however, because people from California, & all over the land, are demanding that Sanctuary Cities be GONE. No illegals, Drugs or Trafficking!

[MissMarple2]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
6m6 minutes ago

Congratulations to great guy Pete Hegseth and wonderful Jenny Cunningham on their engagement. They will have a fantastic life together! @foxandfriends
12 replies 2 retweets 4 likes

[hoyden]

rse, how soon before government provided child care is a fundamental human right? Being raised by the state from infant through high school; what could go wrong?

[clarice]

Personally, I'm ready for Argentine style health care where everyone is entitled to one plastic surgery a year on the state's dime.

[MissMarple2]

Lindsey Monroe
‏ @LindseyWTHR13
16m16 minutes ago

With 3.85" of rainfall yesterday, Indianapolis recorded its 15th wettest day in recorded history. #INwx @WTHRcom

[jim nj]

MM,

Global wetting.

[MissMarple2]

jim nj,

Ha! I told you guys it was raining like crazy!

More rain today, too, although not as much as yesterday.

[MissMarple2]

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/06/16/farages-brexit-party-leads-third-national-election-poll-in-a-row/

[MissMarple2]

https://www.breitbart.com/news/obama-family-begin-holiday-in-southern-france/

[MissMarple2]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
5m5 minutes ago

Yesterday was the Radical Left Democrats big Impeachment day. They worked so hard to make it something really big and special but had one problem - almost nobody showed up. “The Media admits low turnout for anti-Trump rallies.” @FoxNews “All around the Country people are.......

.....saying enough. Democrat voters want to hear the politicians talking about issues. This is a huge distraction and will only help Donald Trump get elected.” @JedediahBila “Greatest President since Ronald Reagan” said a counter-protester. LehighValleyLive

[MissMarple2]

clarice,

Really excellent Pieces this week!

I have never understood Illinois' thinking. I was glad to see my suspicions about them losing people was correct. Why they continue with their high ta policies, given the example of Indiana right net door, is a mystery.

And why Indiana democrats continue to push higher taxes, given the example of Illinois, just shows how stupid they are.

[MissMarple2]

My x key is sticking. I will have to proofread more carefully!

[jim nj]

Rain chart for NJ

https://www.weather.gov/marfc/NJPrecipitationYTD

We are not used to this much rain. The shore community suffers from too much rain.

Weekends are especially important.

Farmers are going to suffer from an inability to plant crops. Tourist sites will also suffer if the rain continues.

Big tourist dollars are spent in NJ, DE, Maryland and Virginia.

[MissMarple2]

jim nj,

That is the problem Indiana is having, only worse. We don't have to worry about loss of income from beachfront businesses, but the farmers are having a terrible time.

[Jack is Back!]

Great Pieces, Clarice. I think taxes are becoming a huge political issue in the next election cycle both at the local (munis and states) and national level. I see where the Treasury Department via IRS has written a legal opinion that the workarounds to SALT are all non-comforming to the US tax code.

If Cuomo, Newsome, and Pritzer all lose this on appeal, the exodus will be in more rapid.

[MissMarple2]

Twitchy normally is humorous snark, but this column is really important.

https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2019/06/15/infuriating-who-knew-plastic-straw-bans-could-lead-to-stories-like-this-one-except-everybody/

[jim nj]

MM,

I need more light on my keyboard. I keep hitting adjacent keys.

[Jack is Back!]

MM,

The drinking straw ban is another green/progressive initiative done without a risk analysis and now they reap those unintended consequences.

IIRC, didn't this all start as a science project by some 7th grader and it went full monty once the local greenie said: "Heh, great idea."

[jim nj]

That's really stupid. Straws wind up in landfills that are no where near the coast.

Plastics in the ocean, blame China.

[Jack is Back!]

I was not too far off:) Started by a 9-year-old's suspect statistic.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/07/18/anti-straw-movement-based-unverified-statistic-500-million-day/750563002/

Unbelievable, and people wonder why we are ranked 128th in the world in math and science competency. Or something like that.

[jim nj]

JIb,

I think a science fair was the genesis of this. That's scary. No confirmation, just propaganda.

[jim nj]

nytol

[MissMarple2]

Jack,

My daughter bought METAL straws. We live in INDIANA, where everything goes to either a landfill or an incinerator. Common sense seems to be lacking on this subject.

[MissMarple2]

https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/curtis-houck/2019/06/14/behold-worst-quotes-jim-acostas-love-letter-himself

[anonamom]

Electric fields treat cancer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td5Ld3nURAI&t=37s

[James D.]

And the last year they worked they accrued 40 hours a week of overtime. And their pension is based on gross, not base pay.

No private company would stand for that.

No private company COULD stand that for very long without going broke.

[James D.]

Politicians and public employee unions are a toxic combination.

Public employee unions were a bridge too far even for FDR, who never met a Communist idea he didn't love.

[James D.]

Fantastic Pieces, Clarice (as always)!

One of the quotes you have notes:

Many Californians complain about high taxes, and some vote with their feet, moving to no tax states like Nevada, Texas, Washington or Florida.

The problem is, those Californians then try to bring all the rest of their California ideas with them to their new states, which inevitably will require the same high taxes in their new homes.

Progism really is a metastatic cancer that you can't ever completely remove.

[Captain Hate]

No mention about Father's Day from you assholes? I guess the progs have won.

Actual word from Oberlin:

Gibson bakerys archaic chase-and-detain policy regarding suspected shoplifters was the catalyst for the protests. The guilt or innocence of the students is irrelevant to both the root cause of the protests and this litigation.
- - -
And that's really it: Oberlin wants to be the law. Colleges in general want to be the law, as we've seen with their poor handling of a *criminal* matter: sexual assault. With their campus courts they have subverted out long-established justice system, replaced with concepts such as "guilt until proven innocent," "social justice" (justice based on the accused and accuser's group membership, not the facts), etc..

Gibson's did not cede criminal authority to Oberlin. so they had to be destroyed. Further, Oberlin denies the verdict of the civil lawsuits because it again does not cede authority to Oberlin to decide if what they did was wrong.

Oh, and happy Father's day, horde!
Posted by: Lizzy at June 16, 2019 09:05 AM (W+vEI)

[MissMarple2]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-16/massive-power-failure-sweeps-across-argentina-and-uruguay?utm_source=twitter&utm_content=business&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic

[Narciso79]

Happy fathers day all

So you saw the roots of single payer go back way into the past.

[Narciso79]

I'm glad for pin to have brought up the ipuwer papyrus it wasnt mentioned in the bible guidebook I got in theology class.

[anonamom]

No mention about Father's Day from you assholes?

Are you addressing me??? Or clarice, MM, jim nj, james d, JiB?

[MissMarple2]

Captain Hate,

Here. Please accept this Father's Day award:

[Captain Hate]

Are you addressing me??? Or clarice, MM, jim nj, james d, JiB?

Yep.

[MissMarple2]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
3m3 minutes ago

A poll should be done on which is the more dishonest and deceitful newspaper, the Failing New York Times or the Amazon (lobbyist) Washington Post! They are both a disgrace to our Country, the Enemy of the People, but I just can’t seem to figure out which is worse? The good.....

.....news is that at the end of 6 years, after America has been made GREAT again and I leave the beautiful White House (do you think the people would demand that I stay longer? KEEP AMERICA GREAT), both of these horrible papers will quickly go out of business & be forever gone!
============================================
I am almost positive he posts some of this stuff in order to watch those morons on CNN and MSNBC have conniption fits.

"See! See! He's planning on staying past his 8 years! He wants to be a dictator! IMPEACH!!!"

[anonamom]

This challenges the commonly held take on the subject:

https://freebeacon.com/culture/this-fathers-day-thank-dad-for-his-hard-work/

[clarice]

CH, what did Teddy do for you today?

[Narciso79]

Here's your acme kit Mr harwood:

https://mobile.twitter.com/alimhaider/status/1140092351718854656