Boasberg vs Trump. Trump vs Massie

Boasberg vs Trump. Trump vs Massie

Boasberg vs Trump: Round 2

A federal judge threw out Trump’s baseless, vindictive and childish “Justice” Department’s subpoenas against Fed chairman Powell. Trump wants Powell out at the Fed and will go to any depths to make it so. The charge was laughable – that the renovation of the Fed headquarters was $2.5 billion rather than the estimated $1.9 billion. In DC, a cost overrun that small is within budget. Mind you Trump’s own renovation project – blowing up the East Wing to put in his ballroom went from $200 million to $400 million. Is Trump going to subpoena himself?

It was evident that Fox’s Jeanine Pirro, Trump’s US attorney for the District of Columbia really likes her job. Not only did she not have the guts to tell Trump that this dog won’t hunt, she actually blasted the judge for his ruling saying that the judge “has neutered the grand jury’s ability to investigate crime.” She also said “The American public is fed up with public monies that seem to go into a black hole, especially in D.C., where no one is held accountable.” She could have been referring to the president. She then called the ruling “outrageous” and “the antithesis of American justice” and said her office would appeal. Whoa there! This is nonsense and she knows it – or at least I hope she does – and is putting on a show to stay in the president’s good graces. Someone needs to remind her that if she appeals, the senate will not have hearings on Kevin Warsh as the new Fed chairman. North Carolina’s Thom Tillis has said that as long as Powell is being investigated that there will be no hearings. If Judge Jeanine isn’t embarrassed, I am embarrassed for her.

What really makes the case interesting is that the judge was Chief US District judge James Boasberg who may be Trump’s least favorite judge – if that is possible. Pirro called him an “activist judge.” Trump has called him worse. Of course an “activist” judge is now any judge that issues a ruling against Trump’s expansion of executive power. Isn’t an “activist” judge one who rules based on personal and political beliefs rather than the Constitution (re: Sotomayor or Brown Jackson)? Boasberg seems to be operating within the limits of the Constitution – but that is my view and of course I am not a Constitutional lawyer.

Boasberg did speak the truth in his ruling about the harassment of Powell which said in part “The Government has offered no evidence whatsoever that Powell committed any crime other than displeasing the President.” I had speculated that if it went to a grand jury, the charge would have been found baseless. I actually find comfort in knowing that the judge did not let it even waste the government’s money by allowing this joke of an investigation from proceeding. But what I found interesting was that the judge’s opinion was 27 pages when it could have been one paragraph.

Boasberg had incurred the wrath of Trump over the deportation of the hundreds of Venezuelans to an El Salvador maximum security prison despite the order that he had issued hours before they were deported. He ordered them returned. Boasberg ruled that the court had found “probable cause” to move on criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump administration for failing to return the migrants to U.S. soil, citing what he described as the administration’s “willful disregard” of the court. Also recall that Kristi (ex-Border Barbie) did a photo-op at the prison wearing provocative clothing in front of the prisoners photographed behind her. Again if Boasberg is an “activist” judge show me the receipts.

Trump vs Massie

Disclosure: I like Thomas Massie and wish we have more politicians like him in both parties.

Trump’s least favorite US representative is probably not Omar but Kentucky’s Thomas Massie, the sole House republican that has the guts to consistently oppose the president on principle. Massie – like Kentucky’s Rand Paul – is a libertarian and seldom strays from those basic tenets. He clashes with the president who is certainly no libertarian or economic conservative. Massie consistently opposes wasteful government spending and executive overreach. He is also against Trump’s incursion into Iran without consulting the congress. Trump wants him gone. The Trump-linked MAGA-KY PAC has spent over $3.6 million in negative ads to get him ousted. Trump even went to Massie’s district to campaign with Massie’s primary opponent Ed Gallrein. Predictably Trump did not mince his words, “Thomas Massie is a disaster for our party,” Trump said. “We got to get rid of this loser, this guy is bad. He’s disloyal to the Republican Party, he’s disloyal to the people of Kentucky, and most importantly, he is disloyal to the United States of America, and he’s got to be voted out of the office as soon as possible.” Typical Trump verbiage. 

Trump is always mad at Massie, lately for his role in forcing the “Justice” Department to release the Epstein files. Massie co-sponsored the bill with California’s Ro Khanna that passed in the House to release the files. Trump agreed to release the files after figuring out that it was likely that the bill would also pass the Senate. Massie has easily defeated challengers before, winning his district by 75% of the votes. Massie is agrarian and a farmer in his part of rural Kentucky. He doesn’t identify with his constituents because he is one of them. He always explains that he is doing and why it is right even if it goes against the president. As one of his supporters says “He’s got that trust with people. We know that he doesn’t always go with the party, but he usually has a good reason.”

On a personal note, I admire Massie for his courage of convictions. He is one of the few politicians that is refreshingly open and honest. I believe him when he says “My dream is not to be a politician. My dream, I’m living it here on my farm already and that is marrying my high school sweetheart, building our small castle with our own resources on top of a hill. This is actually the farm my wife grew up on. And to be raising a family here and teaching them values

like self-sufficiency, that’s my dream.” How can you not like this guy?