Imran Awan’s Expanding Axis Of Intrigue . . .

. . . Iran-backed Hezbollah laundered money through Awan family used-car lot.

by Lloyd Billingsley: IT man Imran Awan has a problem with women but Democrats have failed to place the Pakistani-born Muslim on their honor roll of abusers with Al Franken and John Conyers. When Awan attempted to flee the country in July, the feds busted him on bank fraud charges. Andrew McCarthy warned it was more likely a serious national security case, and it turns out he was right.

As the intrepid Luke Rosiak notes in the Daily Caller, Imran’s brother Abid ran a used-car lot in Falls Church, Virginia, called Cars International A. Trouble was, the “CIA” dealership had no inventory and the sales people were fakes. As Rosiak learned, the Awan dealership “took money from a Hezbollah-linked fugitive” whose financial books were “indecipherable.” And as the DEA was aware, “the Iranian-linked terrorist group frequently deployed used car dealerships in the US to launder money and fund terrorism.” On the other hand, the DEA had trouble going after the terrorists.

As Josh Meyer reported in Politico, “In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States.”

The operation was called Project Cassandra and “as it reached higher into the hierarchy of the conspiracy, Obama administration officials threw an increasingly insurmountable series of roadblocks in its way.” And when project leaders sought approval for prosecutions, arrests and financial sanctions, “officials at the Justice and Treasury departments delayed, hindered or rejected their requests.”

A key player in the obstruction was John Brennan, the presidential advisor who touted “moderate elements” in Hezbollah and became POTUS 44’s CIA director despite having voted for the Stalinist Gus Hall, Communist Party USA presidential candidate, in 1976. Another official of more than passing interest is Bruce Ohr, the associate deputy attorney general who directed the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), reportedly the keystone of the AG’s drug strategy.

Ohr has been making news for meeting with British spy Christopher Steele, author of the “dossier” on Donald Trump. That was during the 2016 campaign and after the election Ohr met with Glenn Simpson, founder of Fusion GPS, which hired Steele and brought aboard Ohr’s Russophile wife Nellie. Even before the fall of the USSR, Nellie enjoyed considerable access, from Moscow to Smolensk, and also showed expertise in cyber-security matters.

Congress may investigate what role Bruce Ohr may have played in quashing the operation against Hezbollah drug dealing. With the connection to the fake Virginia car lot, Hezbollah becomes part of Imran Awan’s ever-expanding axis of intrigue.

A number of prominent Democrats, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz, hired Imran Awan and members of his family to perform IT work, but there’s no public proof that any of the Awans were vetted by Capitol Police. Awan and his family of grifters could not possibly have qualified for a security clearance but Imran Awan enjoyed access to the computers of 45 members of Congress, including members the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees. Awan made thousands of unauthorized accesses to government networks and for several months every year conducted his work from Pakistan.

Awan also accessed a server controlled by Rep. Xavier Becerra, once on Hillary Clinton’s short list as a running mate and now attorney general of California. When the Capitol police sought to obtain the data, Awan served up a fake image of the server. Awan was then banned from the congressional computer system but Debbie Wasserman Schultz duly kept the IT man on her payroll for more than six months. Awan was working for DWS while she headed the DNC, and when she lost the post after DNC emails were leaked or hacked.

Awan doubtless has the goods on Wasserman Schultz, which may be why she remains uncritical of the IT man. She blames his troubles on Islamophobia, what Awan’s attorney Chris Gown, a former Clinton aide, calls “working while Muslim.” After it emerged that “multiple women” had called police to report abuse by Imran Awan, including the threat of kidnapping, only two of 17 Democrat women who employed him opted to speak out.

Kyrsten Sinema reported firing Awan for incompetence. Frederica Wilson’s office told the Daily Caller she does not condone violence against anyone but declined comment on “an ongoing investigation.”

At this writing, Awan has only been indicted for bank fraud, though by the day it becomes more apparent that the case involves national security. Observers might wonder why Congress and Jeff Sessions’ DOJ have been slow to take action, especially with so much at stake.

With all the IT men in all the IT firms in all the world, there was no reason to hire Imran Awan or any member of his family. Like terrorists Sayfullo Saipov and Akayed Ullah, Imran Awan came to the United States through a lottery system, so there’s no good reason he should have been in the country in the first place. As investigators might discover, lottery immigration and chain migration have serious consequences.
----------------
Lloyd Billingsley is an author at the David Horowitz Freedom Center's FronPage Mag and author of Bill of Writes: Dispatches from the Political Correctness Battlefield and Hollywood Party: Stalinist Adventures in the American Film Industry.

---

Tags: Imran Awan, Expanding Axis Of Intrigue, Iran-backed Hezbollah, laundered money, through Awan family, used-car lot, Lloyd Billingsley, FrontPage Mag To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Draining The Regulatory Swamp

The Most Far-Reaching Regulatory Reform [Effort] In American History’
SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): Under President Obama “the problem was America was underperforming -- not a single year of 3 percent growth during the Obama years. We attributed that to excessive regulation and a failure to address the tax code. This administration, working with us, through the Congressional Review Act, repealed 15 of the Obama-era regulations and, by the appointments that they made, all confirmed by the Senate, began to put new kinds of people at the FCC, at the NLRB, at the Food and Drug Administration, and all of these agencies that can slow an economy by excessive regulation…. So I feel very good about this year.” (Sen. McConnell, Press Conference, 12/22/2017)

15 CRAs: ‘Reducing The Size, Scope, And Cost Of Federal Regulations’
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “For many decades, an ever-growing maze of regulations, rules, restrictions has cost our country trillions and trillions of dollars, millions of jobs, countless American factories, and devastated many industries…. We’ve begun the most far-reaching regulatory reform in American history…. And you see the results when you look at the stock market, when you look at the results of companies, and when you see companies coming back into our country…. We are now reducing the size, scope, and cost of federal regulations for the first time in decades, and we are already seeing the incredible results.” (“Remarks by President Trump on Deregulation,” 12/14/2017)

“President Donald Trump’s inauguration gave congressional Republicans a once-in-a-generation opportunity to erase a spate of late Obama-era regulations — and they used it to make a significant dent …never before have lawmakers made such dramatic use of the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers and the White House to kill recently enacted regulations…” (“GOP Onslaught On Obama’s ‘Midnight Rules’ Comes To An End,” Politico, 5/7/2017)

“The Congressional Review Act … represents the most consequential legislative action of President Trump’s first 100 days, an easily overlooked but significant accomplishment, a step toward keeping Trump’s and the congressional GOP’s promises to reduce regulations from Washington.” (“Congressional Review Action!” National Review, 5/3/2017)

• “…most ambitious regulatory rollback since Reagan: President Trump has embarked on the most aggressive campaign against government regulation in a generation, joining with Republican lawmakers to roll back rules already on the books…” (“Trump Undertakes Most Ambitious Regulatory Rollback Since Reagan,” The Washington Post, 2/12/2017)
• “…a historic reversal of government rules in record time. Mr. Trump has used the review act as a regulatory wrecking ball... The effort has surpassed its architects’ most ambitious hopes.” (“Trump Discards Obama Legacy, One Rule at a Time,” The New York Times, 5/1/2017)

“[T]he president seems to be pushing a minor revolution of sorts, as he repeals all sorts of rules that once impeded the economy. And he's not done yet. The Competitive Enterprise Institute claimed ‘Trump ends fiscal year as America's least-regulatory president since Reagan.’ It's no exaggeration. As the CEI has noted, Trump froze regulations early in his term and argued that up to 70% of regulations were simply unnecessary. He set a tone, and he's lived up to it. Consider this: The Federal Register, the bible of federal rules, peaked at record high 97,110 pages under President Obama in 2016. Today, under President Trump, it stands at 45,678 pages.” (Editorial, “Lots Of Presidents Talked About Getting Rid Of Bad Regulations — Trump Is Actually Doing It,” Investor’s Business Daily, 10/02/2017)

---

Tags: Draining, Regulatory Swamp To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Trump's Revolution in National Security and Foreign Policy

by Newt Gingrich: The excitement over passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act overshadowed the extraordinary National Security Strategy report released on Monday.

Just as the first comprehensive tax cut bill in 31 years marked a milestone in resetting national economic strategy, the National Security Strategy report is a milestone in resetting America’s approach to national security and foreign policy.

The December 18 speech by President Trump highlighting the National Security Strategy was the culmination of eight months of hard work by National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy Dina Powell, and Deputy Assistant to the President Dr. Nadia Schadlow.

This strategy paper is especially necessary because President Trump campaigned on, and is now executing, a revolution in how America interacts with the world.

The elite consensus since 1990 has been that the United States is helping develop a New World Order. This new world order was to come from lawyers and diplomats engaging in endless multilateral conferences and reaching agreements that limited sovereignty and had nations reporting and answering to the international bureaucracy. It was a dream world for elitist academics who saw themselves as the all-knowing international bureaucrats, whose careers would be spent “taming” sovereignty with the higher moral order of globalism.

Candidate Trump won the Republican nomination over 16 other candidates by understanding and giving voice to a growing consensus that globalism subordinated America to foreign bureaucrats, that multilateral trade deals hurt America, and that other countries were using American lives and American money to achieve their own goals.

The bipartisan elites in foreign policy and national security were appalled and enraged that some billionaire businessman would have the audacity to challenge their 26-year consensus. They were shocked to watch him actually implement his commitment to refocusing national security and foreign policy around American interests.

Where the bipartisan elites had wanted to put globalism first and make the American economy and the values and interests of the American people secondary to this larger multinational system, President Trump began transforming his campaign rhetoric into official government policy.

If you had said in December 2015 that in two years we would be in the early stages of a revolution in national security and foreign policy, the elites would have thought you were completely out of touch with reality.

Yet consider the first year of the Trump presidency:

• The new president pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiation on trade.
• While having dinner with President Xi Jinping of China, President Trump excused himself to announce an airstrike on Syria by 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles in response to Syria using chemical weapons. (Contrast this decisive action with Obama’s supposed red line in Syria, which carried no action or consequences when the line was crossed).
• The President pulled out of the Paris Agreement, arguing it undermines American jobs.
• President Trump refused to certify that Iran was keeping its side of the nuclear arms agreement.
• Unlike his two predecessors, who had campaigned in favor of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but then broke their word and refused to move the embassy, President Trump kept his word, despite overwhelming global pressure against him.
• President Trump has dramatically increased the pressure on North Korea and is clearly preparing military options, if needed.
• Even this week, the President instructed the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Interior to develop a strategy to break the Chinese and Russian efforts to control rare minerals that are needed for modern technology.

President Trump’s much more assertive presidency is having an impact.

• The Chinese have greatly increased their pressure on North Korea.
• Leaders from more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations came to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the Arab Islamic American Summit to create a counterterrorism center and ally with the United States.
• Because the Saudi Arabians trust President Trump (while having deeply distrusted President Obama for eight years), the Crown Prince has launched a revolutionary effort to modernize and open Saudi society.
• President Trump’s reliance on Secretary Mattis and the professional military has led to the destruction of ISIS as a territorial power, at a remarkably low cost to America. This has been almost completely ignored by the elite media.
• After complaining and grumbling, the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have begun to increase their financial commitment to defense (something which Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama were unable to achieve).
• Beyond immediate actions, it is clear the Trump Administration is going to make economic growth and technological development key parts of its approach to national security.

The efforts to develop maximum American energy resources also has a national security component. The opening of Alaskan oil resources this week fits perfectly with the National Security Strategy report.

The new commitment to American leadership in space is another significant part of that National Security Strategy.

President Trump has consistently articulated the shift away from globalism in favor of American interests during his campaign. He did this in his inaugural address, in his speeches in Warsaw and at the United Nations – and this week at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The National Security Strategy report puts the President’s actions into a larger context of planned change from the recent past.
----------------------
Newt Gingrich is a former Georgia Congressman and Speaker of the U.S. House. He co-authored and was the chief architect of the "Contract with America" and a major leader in the Republican victory in the 1994 congressional elections. He is noted speaker and writer. The above commentary was shared via Gingrich Productions.

---

Tags: Newt Gingrich, commentary, President Trump, Revolution, National Security, Foreign Policy, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Want To Know Why Gun Registration Doesn’t Impact Criminals?

by Tom Knighton: One of the recurring themes here at Bearing Arms is that gun laws don’t work. It’s a recurring theme because, well…they don’t. Time and time again, we see that they fail to stop criminals from hurting the innocent.

The worst of the bunch is gun registration, which we’ve seen lead to confiscation far too easily. The thing is, however, they never confiscate the guns from the criminals. They can’t because criminals don’t register their guns.

The kicker is that criminals also don’t have to register their guns.

Not following?

Well, the laws on gun registration may not explicitly say it, but convicted felons are actually exempt from legally having to register their firearms. After a fashion, at least.

Here are the guys at The Loadout Room to explain it:
There are many U.S. cities and states which require registration of firearms and elaborate licensing schemes. You might think that this is the sort of infringement which is prohibited by the Second Amendment of the Constitution. While the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed the Second Amendment as an individual right, it will be years before unconstitutional city and state laws are challenged and struck down.

The application of the Fifth Amendment is more defined. In the case of Haynes v. United States, (1968) the requirement to register guns has been ruled an unconstitutional infringement for a certain protected class. The good news is that you can readily join this class. The bad news is, you have to become a felon or prohibited person to enjoy freedom from registration.

Haynes v. United States, 390 U.S. 85 (1968), interpreted the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution‘s self-incrimination clause. Miles Edward Haynes was a convicted felon who was charged with failing to register a firearm under the National Firearms Act of 1934. Haynes argued that as convicted felon prohibited from owning a firearm, requiring him to register was essentially requiring him to make an open admission to the government, a violation of his right not to incriminate himself.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Haynes in a 7-1 decision. This decision blocks state prosecutions of criminals who fail to register guns as required by state law gun registration schemes. Law abiding citizens must comply with the schemes and pay the associated fees.I hadn’t thought of that until I read this late yesterday, but they’re right. You can’t be required to incriminate yourself, and gun registration schemes would do just that for convicted felons.

Since many of the people who commit crimes in the first place are convicted felons, gun registration doesn’t help nearly as much in solving most crimes as some people may like to think.

But think about how this is a total kick in the rear. A resident of Hawaii or California has to register his or her firearms in order to comply with legal requirements, but the felon across town doesn’t. How is that right?

It’s not. It’s yet another reason why firearm registration schemes need to die in a fire. They don’t keep anyone safe, they just punish the law abiding. What’s worse is that same law is one the convicted felon won’t be charged with breaking if caught with a firearm, and yet anti-gun zealots will keep peddling registration schemes like they’re something good.

Next time, ask them just how they think a law that basically only applies to the law-abiding, not just in practice but on every level, will keep anyone safe and see what they say.
--------------------
Tom Knighton is a Navy veteran, a former newspaperman, a novelist, and a blogger at Bearing Arms. He lives with his family in Southwest Georgia and contributes to PJ Media.  

---

Tags: Tom Knighton, Bearing Arms, why gun registration, doesn't impact, criminals To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Real Reform For American Veterans

Significant Bipartisan Victories This Year On Behalf Of Our Nation’s Veterans
SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “Under the last Administration, we learned of a shocking scandal that spread through Veterans Affairs facilities across the nation. Our veterans deserved far better. Ever since, Congress has continued to work on a number of initiatives that are designed to bring more justice to veterans and bring more reform to the VA. Senator Isakson, the Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, has been a tireless advocate for our nation’s veterans and a driving force on seeing these bills through committee, to the Senate floor.” (Sen. McConnell, Floor Remarks, 8/3/2017)

SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON (R-GA): “As chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I take very seriously our responsibility to serve those who have served us. … The Senate has passed 10 major veterans bills this year that have all been signed into law. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the teamwork, leadership and commitment of all members of Congress, regardless of political party. … The veterans of the United States have better health care, better benefits and a more modern and responsive VA in the years ahead as a result of our work this year, and I’m proud to have been a part of it.” (Sen. Isakson, Press Release, 12/20/2017)

Veterans Appeals Improvement And Modernization Act: ‘Trump Signs Bill to Speed Up VA Disability Appeals Process’
“‘This is a big one,’ President Donald Trump said Wednesday as he signed into law a bill to reform and speed up the appeals process on disability ratings at the Department of Veterans Affairs.” (“Trump Signs Bill to Speed Up VA Disability Appeals Process,” Military.com, 8/23/2017)

SENATOR JOHNNY ISAKSON (R-GA): “For far too long, our veterans have faced unacceptable delays in their claims appeals. With this legislation, we’re going to reduce the time it takes for our veterans to get a decision and increase the opportunity for them to receive their just benefits. I am pleased that this legislation moved quickly to reach the president’s desk and to be signed into law.” (Sen. Isakson, Press Release, 8/23/2017)

VA Choice And Quality Employment Act: ‘Critical That The Veterans Choice Program Has The Funding … For Veterans In Their Own Communities’
“President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a $3.9 billion funding deal for the Department of Veterans Affairs that will shore up the nearly bankrupt Veterans Choice Program and allow the VA to open 28 new clinics and implement new hiring programs.” (“Trump Signs $3.9 Billion VA Funding Bill To Avert Crisis For Choice Program,” Stars & Stripes, 8/12/2017)

SEN. DEAN HELLER (R-NV): “Guaranteeing Nevada’s veterans continue to have access to the VA Choice program has always been a top priority of mine, so I was proud to play an important role in getting funding for the program across the finish line and to the President’s desk to be signed into law… From chemotherapy to critical life-saving surgeries, the Veterans Choice Program will ensure Nevada’s veterans have access to services that the VA cannot provide.” (Sen. Heller, Press Release, 8/2/2017)

SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON (R-GA): “It is critical that the Veterans Choice Program has the funding to continue offering timely appointments for veterans in their own communities… This bicameral, bipartisan agreement is truly a testament to what can be accomplished when Congress works together. I thank my colleagues in the House and Senate for their swift action and look forward to the president signing this important legislation into law.” (Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Press Release, 8/01/2017)

Building On The Work Already Accomplished For Veterans Last Congress
VETERANS CHOICE ACT: “What is the Veterans Choice Act? This federal program sets aside $10 billion throughout three years for veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA facility or who find themselves waiting more than 30 days for an appointment. The program allows them to be seen at a participating community health center.” (“VA Opens More Doors To Rural Veterans In Virginia,” Daily Press, 12/7/15)

SENS. ISAKSON (R-GA) & TESTER (D-MT): “With the enactment of the Veterans Choice Program, designed to provide veterans with more timely appointment options, there were 2.1 million more veterans’ appointments in the VA in 2016 than the previous year. Last month, President Trump signed into law the Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act, legislation that we introduced to ensure veterans would continue to have access to timely care in their own communities while setting the stage for further reforms to the program.” (“Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Leaders On The Way Forward To Improve Veteran Care,” Military Times, 5/29/2017)

Forever GI Bill: ‘Senate Signed Off Wednesday On A Sweeping Expansion Of GI Bill Education Benefits’
“The nation’s veterans groups and advocates are cheering the new ‘Forever’ GI Bill being signed into law today. The bipartisan legislation, signed by President Donald Trump this afternoon, does away with a 15-year deadline for veterans to use education money and allows all Purple Heart recipients to get full benefits, among other expansions. The American Legion said the new GI Bill marks the next era for the nation’s veterans. ‘This lifetime benefit will allow veterans, and their families, to earn degrees and begin rewarding careers that can lead our economy,’ said Charles E. Schmidt, the Legion’s national leader. ‘We believe that this legislation, named after a past national commander of the American Legion, will transform America as the original did following World War II.’” (“Hello, 'Forever' GI Bill. Goodbye, Time Restrictions For Vets,” The San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/16/2017)

“The Senate signed off Wednesday on a sweeping expansion of GI Bill education benefits, sending the bipartisan legislation dubbed the ‘Forever GI Bill’ to President Donald Trump’s desk. The bill, which would increase veterans benefits by more than $3 billion over the next decade, passed the Senate by unanimous consent. ... The bill would remove, for new enlistees, the 15-year limit on when recipients must use their GI Bill benefits — a provision meant to give veterans more flexibility to attend higher education and obtain new skills later in life. The legislation boosts education assistance for National Guard and Reserve troops, Purple Heart recipients and for the dependents of fallen troops. It also would send funding to nontraditional education providers like coding boot camps. In addition, the legislation would fully restore the GI Bill education benefits for veterans who were affected by the collapse in recent years of Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech, two massive for-profit college chains that had campuses across the country. Overall, the enhancements are among the largest made under the Post-9/11 GI Bill since it was enacted in 2008 to help Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. So far, more than $70 billion has gone out for veterans and their families to attend colleges, universities and career training programs, and the program is a popular benefit among military personnel.” (“Congress Passes $3B Expansion Of GI Bill Education Benefits,” Politico, 8/02/2017)

VA Accountability And Whistleblower Protection Act: ‘Helping To Shore Up Accountability’
SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “Just a couple months ago, we passed important VA reform legislation — which is now law; the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act is helping to shore up accountability measures, improve transparency, and enhance the VA’s ability to remove unsatisfactory employees while also protecting those who speak up about wrongdoings within the VA.” (Sen. McConnell, Floor Remarks, 8/3/2017)

VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY DAVID SHULKIN: “Since the President’s been in office, we’ve removed over 700 employees from the VA. In fact, I now publish on a weekly basis all of our disciplinary actions of firings or suspensions or demotions so that everyone can see and track our progress.” (“VA Secretary Says John Kelly’s New Role Is A Reset For The Trump Administration,” The Washington Times, 8/1/2017)

The VALOR Act: ‘Increase Access To Apprenticeship-Training Programs For Veterans’
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): “I applaud Congress for passing the VALOR Act on a bipartisan basis to reduce burdensome requirements on businesses so apprenticeship programs will be more accessible to veterans.” (Sen. Tillis, Press Release, 11/17/2017)

“The Veteran Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity Reform Act would increase access to apprenticeship-training programs for veterans by streamlining the certification process for non-federal apprenticeship programs based in more than one state. … Under current law, non-federal apprenticeship training programs located in multiple states have to register with each state approval agency individually, subjecting them to mountains of paperwork and multiple burdensome review processes... In response, employers have decided to limit their programs to a smaller number of states and, as a result, hire fewer veterans. The VALOR Act would amend current law to allow for a single, more streamlined approval process.” (“Tillis’ VALOR Act Awaits President’s Signature,” Richmond County Daily Journal, 11/17/2017)

---

Tags: Real Reform, For American Veterans To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Justice Department Successes

by Printus LeBlanc: In a year full of achievements for President Trump, his push for enforcement of existing immigration laws and little-noticed victories at the Department of Justice have stood out.

MS-13
The Trump DOJ, led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has taken a hard line against MS-13. The Salvadoran gang is a ruthless organization that has spread its tentacles across the nation. Many consider it is the most violent gang operating in the U.S. Under the previous administration they seemed to act with impunity because President Obama was sympathetic to the illegal immigrant community.

However, since taking office, the Trump administration has taken the fight to the criminal organization. Since taking office, the number of arrests of MS-13 members has increased by 83 percent. AG Sessions designated the gang a priority for the DOJ’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program, which allows a variety of laws to be used to prosecute MS-13 members. Sessions stated,” Now they will go after MS-13 with a renewed vigor and a sharpened focus. I am announcing that I have authorized them to use every lawful tool to investigate MS-13—not just our drug laws, but everything from RICO to our tax laws to our firearms laws. Just like we took Al Capone off the streets with our tax laws, we will use whatever laws we have to get MS-13 off of our streets.”

MS-13 was allowed to bloom and spread their murderous trade under the Obama administration; President Trump is fighting back.

Sanctuary Cities
Many of the gang members hid in sanctuary cities. These are cities that refused to cooperate with federal officials and ignored ICE detainer requests for illegal immigrants. After being arrested for a crime, an illegal immigrant would be allowed back onto the street without facing deportation, even if they were a member of a criminal gang.

President Trump decided to act. The DOJ announced it would withhold funding for certain law enforcement programs from sanctuary jurisdictions. The jurisdictions depend on DOJ funding, and if they are found to not comply with the conditions of the grants, the grants will be rescinded. Local politicians that put criminal illegal aliens above law abiding citizens should not be rewarded with federal funding for violating the law.

Third Party Payouts
One of the most important actions taken by the Trump DOJ was to end the practice of third-party payouts. The previous administration allowed companies to pay these groups instead of victims of crimes. When the Obama DOJ levied fines against most major banks, following the financial crisis, a clause was inserted into the fines that allowed money going towards third parties to count as double towards the fine. Of course, these third parties just happened to be politically aligned with President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. This was seen as a slush fund for political allies, and the Trump DOJ put a stop to it.

On June 7, 2017, Attorney General Sessions issued a memo to all Department of Justice components ending the practice of third-party payouts stating, “When the federal government settles a case against a corporate wrongdoer, any settlement funds should go first to the victims and then to the American people— not to bankroll third-party special interest groups or the political friends of whoever is in power,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Unfortunately, in recent years the Department of Justice has sometimes required or encouraged defendants to make these payments to third parties as a condition of settlement. With this directive, we are ending this practice and ensuring that settlement funds are only used to compensate victims, redress harm, and punish and deter unlawful conduct.”

Drug-related deaths
Under the Obama administration, the number of narcotic-related deaths skyrocketed. Since 2009, the number of drug-related deaths in the U.S. has risen by more than 50 percent, to more than 64,000 in 2016. Much of this is due to the opioid epidemic currently sweeping the nation. The previous administration was not big on securing the border to stop the tons of narcotics from flowing onto U.S. streets.

The Trump administration has taken the exact opposite approach. Trump has beefed up border security and asked for thousands more Border Patrol agents to be hired. Prototypes for a southern border wall have also been built, and there is funding in the budget to begin construction of the wall. Trump knows most of the drugs are getting into the country through the southern border.

The President also declared the opioid epidemic a “Public Health Emergency.” This will allow the federal government to waive some regulations and give states more flexibility in how they use federal funds to fight the epidemic. Over 250,000 people died of drug overdoses in the last administration, and it seemed like no action was taken, with the exception of leaving the border unguarded and letting Hezbollah operate a massive narcoterrorism in the U.S.

Gun Crimes
The left often uses victims as props in their quest to destroy the 2nd Amendment. The left complains getting a gun is entirely too easy in the U.S. President Obama was famous for this, but a closer look at his record of prosecuting gun crimes shows something shameful. President Obama rarely prosecuted gun crimes. A 2016 Inspector General’s report, showed the Obama DOJ prosecuted less than 32 people per year for lying on federal forms to purchase a firearm. This happened despite the fact over 100,000 convicted felons or other prohibited persons tried to buy guns each year. For a group that supposedly cares so much about gun crimes, why didn’t the Obama administration prosecute them?

Prosecutors under the Sessions led DOJ are taking a different tactic. The DOJ initiated more new gun cases every single month since February, compared to the corresponding month from last year. When asked about it, Lawrence Leiser, president of the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys said, “prosecutors simply have orders to file the most significant charge that can be proven… a reversal from instructions first handed down by Holder to be more lenient in certain instances.”

The Sessions led DOJ is doing more to combat violence in Chicago than President Obama ever did for his hometown. The DOJ sent 20 ATF agents to Chicago early in the year, and it seems to be paying off. In July U.S. Attorney Joel Levin stated, “his office already prosecuted more federal gun cases than all of 2016.”

IRS
President Obama weaponized government against his opponents, and that included the IRS. The IRS was caught red-handed targeting groups based on their political beliefs. Lois Lerner inappropriate actions by the IRS on a press call. This began a saga of destroyed evidence, refusals to testify, and denials by government officials. It was starting to look like justice would never be served.

The DOJ under Sessions realized the wrong that was committed and settled with the aggrieved parties. Court documents stated, “The IRS admits that its treatment of Plaintiffs during the tax-exempt determination process, including screening their applications based on their names or policy positions, subjecting those applications to heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays, and demanding some Plaintiffs’ information that TIGTA determined was unnecessary to the agency’s determination of their tax-exempt status, was wrong…For such treatment, the IRS expresses its sincere apology.”

The DOJ and the immigration system were by far the institutions damaged the most by the Obama administration. They flooded with country with illegal immigrants with hopes of turning them into voter following amnesty, they used the DOJ as a weapon to raise funds for political allies, and they targeted their opponents with governmental power. AG Sessions and President Trump have a long way to go to make the DOJ respectable again, but the actions this year, are helping to restore some of the lost confidence.
------------------
Printus LeBlanc is a contributing editor at Americans for Limited Government.

---

Tags: Justice Department Successes, DOJ,
Printus LeBlanc, Justice Department Successes To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Show Me The Money . . .

. . . Pelosi and Schumer want you to believe keeping more of what you earn is somehow bad for you.

Editorial Cartoon by AF "Tony" Branco

---

Tags: editorial cartoon, AF Branco, Show Me The Money, Pelosi, Schumer, want you to believe, keeping more, what you earn, bad for you. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Fascism and Communism

Dr. Walter E. Williams

by Dr. Walter E. Williams: Before the question, how about a few statistics? The 20th century was mankind’s most brutal century. Roughly 16 million people lost their lives during World War I; about 60 million died during World War II. Wars during the 20th century cost an estimated 71 million to 116 million lives (http://tinyurl.com/ya62mrqa).

The number of war dead pales in comparison with the number of people who lost their lives at the hands of their own governments. The late professor Rudolph J. Rummel of the University of Hawaii documented this tragedy in his book “Death by Government: Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1900.” Some of the statistics found in the book have been updated.

The People’s Republic of China tops the list, with 76 million lives lost at the hands of the government from 1949 to 1987. The Soviet Union follows, with 62 million lives lost from 1917 to 1987. Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German government killed 21 million people between 1933 and 1945. Then there are lesser murdering regimes, such as Nationalist China, Japan, Turkey, Vietnam and Mexico. According to Rummel’s research, the 20th century saw 262 million people’s lives lost at the hands of their own governments.

Hitler’s atrocities are widely recognized, publicized and condemned. World War II’s conquering nations’ condemnation included denazification and bringing Holocaust perpetrators to trial and punishing them through lengthy sentences and execution. Similar measures were taken to punish Japan’s murderers.

But what about the greatest murderers in mankind’s history — the Soviet Union’s Josef Stalin and China’s Mao Zedong? Some leftists saw these communists as heroes. W.E.B. Du Bois, writing in the National Guardian in 1953, said, “Stalin was a great man; few other men of the 20th century approach his stature. … The highest proof of his greatness (was that) he knew the common man, felt his problems, followed his fate.” Walter Duranty called Stalin “the greatest living statesman” and “a quiet, unobtrusive man.” There was even leftist admiration for Hitler and fellow fascist Benito Mussolini. When Hitler came to power in January 1933, George Bernard Shaw described him as “a very remarkable man, a very able man.” President Franklin Roosevelt called the fascist Mussolini “admirable,” and he was “deeply impressed by what he (had) accomplished.”

In 1972, John Kenneth Galbraith visited Communist China and praised Mao and the Chinese economic system. Michel Oksenberg, President Jimmy Carter’s China expert, complained, “America (is) doomed to decay until radical, even revolutionary, change fundamentally alters the institutions and values.” He urged us to “borrow ideas and solutions” from China. Harvard University professor John K. Fairbank believed that America could learn much from the Cultural Revolution, saying, “Americans may find in China’s collective life today an ingredient of personal moral concern for one’s neighbor that has a lesson for us all.” By the way, an estimated 2 million people died during China’s Cultural Revolution. More recent praise for murdering tyrants came from Anita Dunn, President Barack Obama’s acting communications director in 2009, who said, “Two of my favorite political philosophers (are) Mao Zedong and Mother Teresa.”

Recall the campus demonstrations of the 1960s, in which campus radicals, often accompanied by their professors, marched around singing the praises of Mao and waving Mao’s Little Red Book. That may explain some of the campus mess today. Some of those campus radicals are now tenured professors and administrators at today’s universities and colleges and K-12 schoolteachers and principals indoctrinating our youth.

Now the question: Why are leftists soft on communism? The reason leftists give communists, the world’s most horrible murderers, a pass is that they sympathize with the chief goal of communism: restricting personal liberty. In the U.S., the call is for government control over our lives through regulations and taxation. Unfortunately, it matters little whether the Democrats or Republicans have the political power. The march toward greater government control is unabated. It just happens at a quicker pace with Democrats in charge.
--------------
Walter Williams  is an American economist, social commentator, and author of over 150 publications. He has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from the UCLA and B.A. in economics from California State University. He also holds a Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Union University and Grove City College, Doctor of Laws from Washington and Jefferson College. He has served on the faculty of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, as John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics, since 1980. Visit his website: walterewilliams.com and view a list of other articles and works.

---

Tags: Walter Williams, commentary, Fascism, Communism, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Republicans Bet the Farm

Pat Buchanan

by Patrick Buchanan: President Trump, every Republican senator, and the GOP majority in Speaker Paul Ryan’s House just put the future of their party on the line.

By enacting the largest tax cut since the Reagan administration, the heart of which is cutting the corporate rate from 35 to 21 percent, Republicans have boldly bet the farm.

They have rewritten America’s tax code to reflect their belief that cutting taxes on the private sector will produce the prosperity they have promised. If it happens, the GOP will reap the rewards, if not by 2018, then in 2020.

Democrats, as the Party of Government, egalitarian and neo-socialist, have come to see their role as redistributing wealth from those who have too much — to those who have too little. For, as men (and women) are born unequal in ambition, ability, talent, energy, personality and drive, free markets must inevitably produce an inequality of results.

The mission of Democrats is to reduce those inequalities. And as the very rich are also the very few, in a one-man, one-vote democracy the Democratic Party will always have a following.

Winston Churchill called this the philosophy of failure and the gospel of envy.

Republicans see themselves as the party of free enterprise, of the private not the public sector. They believe that alleviating the burden of regulation and taxation on business will unleash that sector, growing the economy and producing broader prosperity.

By how they voted Wednesday, Republicans yet believe in “supply-side” economics. In the early ’80s, this was derided as “voodoo economics” and “trickle-down” economics, and pungently disparaged by John Kenneth Galbraith as an economic philosophy rooted in the belief that, if you wish to feed the sparrows, you must first feed the horses.

The problem for Democrats is that Reaganomics worked, and is seen historically to have been successful. In 1984, growth was near 6 percent and Reagan rode to a 49-state landslide over Fritz Mondale who, at his San Francisco convention, had declared he would raise taxes.

Thus the importance of what happened Tuesday and Wednesday on Capitol Hill should not be underestimated.

On their legislative agenda, Republicans broke out of a slump. Though they got not a single Democratic vote in either chamber, they showed they can govern alone. On the lead item on the GOP-Trump agenda — taxes — they delivered. They shifted policy dramatically toward Republican philosophy. They wagered their future on their convictions. And the splenetic rage among Democrat elites suggests that they know they have suffered a defeat difficult to reverse.

Moreover, though the bill that came out of Congress is unpopular, the nation will not vote on Trumpian management of the economy until November 2018, after the early returns from the tax cut have come in.

And the Democratic Party has also been put into a tight box.

As Democrats have denounced the tax bill for exploding the debt by $1.5 trillion, how do they propose to pay for all the free stuff, including free tuition and infrastructure, that they will have on offer?

There are only two options: borrowing and growing the national debt themselves or raising taxes, as Mondale promised to do.

Another problem for Democrats is the new $10,000 limit on the tax deduction for state and local income and property taxes.

In blue states like Oregon, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Hawaii, the top state income tax rate is 8 to 10 percent. In Jerry Brown’s California and Andrew Cuomo’s New York, it hits 13 percent — before adding property taxes on homes and condos in Manhattan and second homes out on Long Island.

Virtually eliminating state and local tax deductions is going to cause some of the rich to consider relocating to low-tax or no-tax red states in the Sun Belt like Florida. And it is going to put pressure on blue state pols to cease adding to the state and local tax burdens that Uncle Sam is no longer helping to carry.

Stepping back from all the Sturm und Drang of 2017, the Trump-Republican record of achievement, of meeting commitments made in the campaign of 2017, is not unimpressive.

The largest tax cuts in decades. Elevation of Neil Gorsuch to the Antonin Scalia seat on the Supreme Court. A record number of new U.S. appellate court judges approved by the Senate. The U.S. is out of the Paris climate accord and out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

NAFTA is being renegotiated. Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be open for drilling. The U.S. is at full employment, with minority unemployment near record lows. The stock market has consistently broken records, with the Dow having added 5,000 points. The Obamacare individual mandate tax is gone. Obama-era regulations have been cut and some eliminated.

And one year deeper into Russiagate, and still there is no proven collusion between candidate Trump and the Russians.

Indeed, the Robert Mueller investigators appear now to be coming under as much scrutiny and suspicion for how they behaved during the election and transition as Vladimir Putin and the Russians.
--------------------
Patrick Buchanan is currently a conservative columnist, political analyst, chairman of The American Cause foundation and an editor of The American Conservative. He has been a senior advisor to three Presidents, a two-time candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, and was the presidential nominee of the Reform Party in 2000. He blogs at the Patrick J. Buchanan.

---

Tags: Patrick Buchanan, conservative, commentary, Republicans Bet the Farm To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

On Judges: A Year Of Extraordinary Accomplishment

‘Gorsuch’s Confirmation … A Marquee Accomplishment For President Trump’
“The U.S. Senate confirmed Neil M. Gorsuch to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court… Gorsuch’s confirmation is a marquee accomplishment for President Trump and his young administration…” (“Senate Confirms Neil Gorsuch To Supreme Court,” Washington Post, 4/7/2017)

The Senate Has Confirmed An Historic 12 Circuit Court Judges This Year – The Most In A President’s 1st Year In Office Since The Creation Of Circuit Courts In 1891
SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “Today, the Senate will continue another historic week confirming more of President Trump’s impressive judicial nominees to the federal bench. … Under Chairman Grassley’s leadership, the Senate Judiciary Committee has done outstanding work to move these judicial nominees to the floor.” (Sen. McConnell, Floor Remarks, 12/14/2017)

The Twelve
Amul R. Thapar of Kentucky confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 52 - 44 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit.

• SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “Judge Thapar will make an outstanding addition to the U.S. Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit. He has a reputation as a qualified judge with an impressive legal mind. He will fairly apply the law to all who enter his courtroom because, in Judge Thapar’s own words, ‘the most important attribute of a judge is to be open-minded and not to prejudge a case without reading the briefs, researching the law, and hearing from the parties.’ … Judge Thapar has the necessary credentials, integrity, and respect from his colleagues to join the Sixth Circuit.” (Sen. McConnell, Press Release, 5/25/2017)

John Kenneth Bush of Kentucky confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 51 - 47 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit.

• SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “President Trump made an excellent choice in nominating Mr. Bush to serve as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit… an impressive nominee, with a strong legal ability and a thoughtful demeanor. …as a judge, he will be open-minded, fair, and committed to the rule of law.” (Sen. McConnell, Press Release, 6/14/2017)

Kevin Christopher Newsom of Alabama confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 66 - 31 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit.

• SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R-AL): “As the former solicitor general of Alabama, Kevin has proved to be an exceptionally skilled attorney. He understands and respects the law, and I believe he will be an asset to our Nation’s judicial system as a Federal judge on the Eleventh Circuit. … I am confident that Kevin Newsom will serve honorably and apply the law with impartiality and fairness, which I believe is required of all judges. I believe that President Trump has made the right decision in selecting Kevin Newsom to sit on the Eleventh Circuit.” (Sen. Shelby, Congressional Record, S.4640, 8/1/2017)

Ralph R. Erickson of North Dakota confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 95 - 1 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit.

• SEN. JOHN HOEVEN (R-ND): “Judge Erickson has served the people of North Dakota and the United States well on the U.S District Court and I support his nomination to serve on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals… Judge Erickson has tremendous experience having served for 23 years in various judicial positions from his start as a Magistrate judge to his current position on the U.S. District Court. Throughout his career, he has upheld the rule of law and shown deep respect for the Constitution.” (Sen. Hoeven, Press Release, 6/7/2017)

Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 55 - 43 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit.

• SEN. TODD YOUNG (R-IN): “I rise today to speak in support of a fellow Hoosier, Amy Coney Barrett, who has been nominated by President Trump to serve on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Professor Barrett’s credentials are well known. She is a mother of seven children, a distinguished legal scholar at the University of Notre Dame Law School, where she herself graduated with high honors and served as editor of the Notre Dame Law Review. She clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States and Judge Silberman on the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, and she is an expert on the Federal courts. … She brings the skill set and the temperament needed for the job. She will rule according to the law and according to controlling precedents, and she will be faithful to the Constitution. There is no question that Professor Barrett will make an outstanding appellate judge. … This is a historic opportunity, as Professor Barrett would be the first Hoosier woman to have a seat on the Seventh Circuit Court.” (Sen. Young, Congressional Record, S.6906, 10/31/2017)

Joan Louise Larsen of Michigan Confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 60 - 38 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit.

• SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): “Justice Larsen's nomination is supported by a broad coalition of lawyers, judges, academic colleagues…. Justice Larsen began her legal career clerking for Justice Sentelle of the D.C. Circuit and Justice Scalia on the Supreme Court…. Justice Larsen has taught constitutional law and criminal law at the University of Michigan Law School since 1998, where she has earned the respect of faculty members and students alike. She won the L. Hart Wright Award for Excellence in Teaching early in her career…. Justice Larsen served as deputy assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel, working to provide legal advice to the president and executive agencies on difficult issues of constitutional law and statutory interpretation.” (U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, 9/06/2017)

Allison H. Eid of Colorado confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote 56 - 41 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit.

• SEN. CORY GARDNER (R-CO): “It is an honor … and genuine pleasure to be here to introduce my good friend, Justice Allison Eid and to offer my strong support for her confirmation as a judge on the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. There's no doubt that Justice Eid is superbly qualified for the position… For the past decade, she has served as a justice on the Colorado Supreme Court and in 2008, Justice Eid was overwhelmingly retained by the people of Colorado. Prior to her appointment, Justice Eid represented the State of Colorado before the state and federal courts as the state’s solicitor general. She also served as a tenured member on the faculty at … the University of Colorado School of Law where she has taught courses in constitutional law, legislation and torts and published scholarly articles on the topics of federalism and tort law. In addition, Justice Eid has practiced commercial and appellate litigation at the Denver office of the law firm, Arnold & Porter. Justice Eid began her legal career as a law clerk to Judge Jerry Smith on the United States Circuit Court for the Fifth Circuit. She then served as a law clerk to the United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas…. What her resume makes clear is that whatever Justice Eid does, she does it at the highest and best levels.” (U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, 9/20/2017)

Stephanos Bibas of Pennsylvania confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 53 - 43 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit.

• SEN. PAT TOOMEY (R-PA): “Professor Bibas's outstanding credentials, wealth of experience, and understanding of the role of a judge in America's constitutional system make him well-qualified to serve as a judge. In addition to serving as a Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania and as the Director of the University's Supreme Court clinic, Professor Bibas clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, worked as a federal prosecutor, and argued six cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. Most importantly, Professor Bibas understands that the proper role of a judge is to apply the law as written and to treat everyone who comes before him equally, not to impose his policy preferences from the bench or choose winners or losers. I believe that Professor Bibas will make an outstanding addition to the Third Circuit and that his intellect, experience, and temperament will serve him well as a federal appellate judge.” (Sen. Toomey, Press Release, 11/3/2017)
  
  Gregory G. Katsas of Virginia confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 50-48

to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia.

• SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA), Judiciary Committee Chairman: “Greg Katsas … there’s no disputing that he’s very well qualified for this job. He has degrees from Princeton and Harvard, and he clerked for the Third Circuit, the D.C. Circuit, and the Supreme Court. He has years of experience in the public sector—where he led divisions at the Department of Justice—and in the private sector—where he was a partner at Jones Day. He currently serves as Deputy Counsel to the President in the White House Counsel’s Office. … [he] has served his country with distinction for many years.” (U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee, Hearing, 11/9/2017)

Leonard Steven Grasz of Nebraska confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote 50-48 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit.

• SEN. DEB FISCHER (R-NE): “Steve Grasz has extraordinary ethics, sterling credentials, and bipartisan support from across the state of Nebraska. Without a doubt, he is the right choice for this seat on the Eighth Circuit.” (Sen. Fischer, Press Release, 12/7/2017)
• SEN. BEN SASSE (R-NE): “Steve is a Nebraskan through and through. He’s a fifth-generation Nebraskan and like a lot of Nebraska kids, he grew up on a family farm – walking beans, raising sheep and pigs, branding cattle. That family farm in the Nebraska Panhandle taught hard work and honesty. The University of Nebraska taught him the law. … Steve stayed in Nebraska for law school, graduated at the top of his class, and was the Executive Editor of the Nebraska Law Review. Steve went to work for Nebraskans, serving as the Chief Deputy Attorney General for more than a decade.  He litigated multiple cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Nebraska Supreme Court. Whenever he was called on to argue on behalf of Nebraskans, Steve did so with integrity, humility, and decency. Steve bleeds Husker red but knows that a judge must clothe themselves in the black robes of impartiality.” (U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee, Hearing, 11/1/2017)

Don R. Willett of Texas confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote 50-47 to be a Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit.

James C. Ho of Texas confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote 53-43 to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit

• SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): “Jim Ho and Justice Don Willett are two stars in the Texas legal firmament already. These nominees reflect the comprehensive process of both the bipartisan Texas Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee that Senator Cruz and I have established as well as the White House Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice, and I commend the President on these excellent nominations.” (Sen. Cornyn, Press Release, 11/15/2017)
• SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): “Justice Don Willett and Jim Ho are nominees of deep intellect and principle… Both of them, with their remarkable academic backgrounds and professional careers, have demonstrated a commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution. I am confident they will make extraordinary appellate judges, and look forward to their swift confirmation.” (Sens. Cornyn & Cruz, Press Release, 12/7/2017)

‘Congress, In The Judiciary Act Of 1891, Commonly Known As The Evarts Act, Established Nine Courts Of Appeals’
“The Evarts Act: Creating the Modern Appellate Courts  -- Congress, in the Judiciary Act of 1891, commonly known as the Evarts Act, established nine Courts of Appeals, one for each judicial circuit at the time. The Act created another judge position for each circuit, identified in the legislation as the circuit justice.  Appeals from trial court decisions were heard by three-judge panels made up of the circuit justice, a court of appeals judge, and a district court judge. The Act recognized nine circuits.  Today 12 Circuits hear appeals. Fast Fact: The Evarts Act established the structure of the appellate courts.” (“The Evarts Act: Creating The Modern Appellate Courts,” Uscourts.Gov, Accessed 12/14/2017)

President         Calendar Year  Circuit Courts

Trump              2017                 12

Obama             2009                 3

G.W. Bush       2001                 6

Clinton             1993                 3

G.H.W. Bush    1989                 5

Reagan            1981                 8

Carter               1977                 10

Nixon               1969                 11

Johnson           1965                 8

Kennedy          1961                 11

Eisenhower      1953                 0

Truman            1949                 7

FDR                 1933                 4

Hoover             1929                 6

Coolidge          1925                 6

Harding            1921                 3

Wilson             1913                 3

Taft                  1909                 2

Roosevelt         1905                 7

McKinley          1897                 1

Cleveland         1893                 6

(Federal Judicial Center, Accessed 12/2017)

---

Tags: On Judges, Year Of Extraordinary Accomplishment To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!