shareblue--2020-01-31--Christian charity steered $65 million to Trump lawyer and his family

Jay Sekulow , one of Donald Trump 's lead attorneys during the impeachment trial , is being paid for his legal work through a rented $ 80-a-month mailbox a block away from the White House .
The Pennsylvania Avenue box appears to be the sole physical location of the Constitutional Litigation and Advocacy Group , a for-profit corporation co-owned by Sekulow .
The firm has no website and is not listed in national legal directories .
The District of Columbia Bar has no record of it , and no attorneys list it as their employer .
But Sekulow , 63 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American Center for Law and Justice , a non-profit Christian legal advocacy group based in an expansive Capitol Hill row house a short walk from the Senate chamber .
A half dozen lawyers employed by the non-profit ACLJ are named in recent Senate legal briefs as members of Trump 's defense team — including one of Sekulow 's sons .
The ACLJ , as a tax-exempt 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) organization , is barred under IRS rules from engaging in partisan political activities .
The Republican National Committee has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's for-profit CLA Group since 2017 , when he was first named to Trump 's legal team as special counsel Robert Mueller was leading the Russia investigation , according to campaign disclosures .
Sekulow has been one of Trump 's most visible defenders , enduring as a trusted attorney for the president even as other of his lawyers have been sidelined or entangled in controversy .
In the impeachment trial , he has sought to present Trump as unfairly hounded by investigations , seizing on surveillance errors the FBI acknowledged making in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president over Ukraine simply because they could n't bring him down after the Mueller investigation .
Charity watchdogs for years have raised concerns about the blurred lines between for-profit businesses tied to Sekulow and the complex web of non-profit entities he and his family control .
The Associated Press reviewed 10 years of tax returns for the ACLJ and other charities tied to Sekulow , which are released to the public under federal law .
The records from 2008 to 2017 , the most recent year available , show that more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid to Sekulow , his wife , his sons , his brother , his sister-in-law , his nephew and corporations they own .
Daniel Borochoff , president of the American Institute of Philanthropy , said Sekulow appears to be mixing his defense of Trump with his charitable endeavors .
The group has issued a `` Donor Alert '' about ACLJ on its CharityWatch website .
`` Charities are not supposed to be taking sides in partisan political activities , such as providing legal services to benefit a politician in an impeachment trial , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigate whether or not charitable resources , such as office , labor , equipment , etc.
, are being wrongly utilized to benefit Sekulow 's for-profit law firm . ''
The address for CLA Group listed in recent court filings matches Carr Workplaces , a flex-space provider that rents out mini offices , individual desks and conference rooms for periods as brief as one hour .
According to its website , the company also offers its customers `` virtual offices '' that include a mailbox and mail forwarding .
A receptionist at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's mail is delivered to a mail slot in a secure room before being forwarded to another location , which she declined to disclose .
A call to Carr last week asking to be connected to CLA Group was forwarded .
After a few rings , the call was answered by a receptionist at the non-profit ACLJ .
Inquiries about Sekulow 's for-profit law firm were referred to Gene Kapp , a Virginia public relations contractor paid through the charity .
`` Jay Sekulow is serving as a member of the President ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Kapp said in an email .
`` His work with the President is separate and distinct and is not connected with his work as Chief Counsel of the ACLJ .
The ACLJ 's work is separate and distinct from the legal work being done for the President . ''
Kapp declined to say whether CLA Group has any support staff or whether Sekulow was doing his legal work for Trump in the non-profit group 's office .
Kapp would also not comment on whether CLA Group was reimbursing ACLJ for any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense .
A 2005 investigation by the publication Legal Times reported about questionable spending at ACLJ , quoting former employees describing millions in charity funds being spent to support the Sekulows ' lavish lifestyle , which included multiple homes , golf junkets , chauffeur-driven cars , and a private jet used to ferry then-Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia .
The Guardian and The Washington Post reported additional details in 2017 , shortly after Sekulow was named as Trump 's lawyer .
Over the 10-year-period examined by AP , the tax returns show nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid by ACLJ to the CLA Group , the phantom law firm listed on court filings as defending Trump .
Incorporation filings and tax records show Sekulow co-owns CLA Group with his law school classmate and longtime business partner Stuart J. Roth .
Roth is also listed as senior counsel at ACLJ and named in recent legal briefs as one of Trump 's defense lawyers .
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein , a Democrat , is investigating the potential abuse of charitable funds raised by the organizations tied to Sekulow .
Spokeswoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that probe , begun in 2017 , would be complete .
Trump , Sekulow 's star client , has faced similar legal questions .
Trump agreed to pay $ 2 million as part of a settlement with the state of New York in which he was forced to admit he misused charitable funds from the Donald J. Trump Foundation to promote his 2016 presidential campaign , pay off business debts and buy a $ 10,000 portrait of himself hung at one of his Florida resorts .
Trump 's charity also cut an illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi , who now works with Sekulow as a member of Trump 's defense team .
A Brooklyn native , Sekulow graduated from Mercer Law School in Georgia and briefly worked for the Internal Revenue Service before going into private practice in Atlanta with his former classmate Roth in the early 1980s .
The pair specialized in buying and selling historic properties as tax shelters , but the business collapsed after disgruntled investors sued them over alleged fraud and securities violations .
Court records show both Sekulow and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1987 .
Sekulow quickly remade himself as general counsel for the group Jews for Jesus .
A self-described Messianic Jew , Sekulow won a religious liberties case before the U.S. Supreme Court after members of the group were barred from passing out pamphlets at the Los Angeles International Airport .
The following year , records show Sekulow founded the non-profit Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism ( CASE ) , a charity `` dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom of speech are inalienable , god given rights . ''
In 1992 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ACLJ , which was founded by televangelist Pat Robertson as a conservative counterweight to the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union .
It is affiliated with the law school at Regent University , the Christian college founded by Robertson and located next to the studios of his Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach , Virginia .
Tax records show ACLJ now receives the bulk of its $ 23 million annual budget from CASE .
All six of the charity ’ s paid board members share the last name Sekulow , including Jay 's wife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jordon and Logan .
That tight-knit family control runs afoul of standards issued by multiple watchdog groups to help stem the likelihood of self-dealing and graft .
The Better Business Bureau 's Wise Giving Alliance recommends at least five independent board members and not more than one who receives direct financial benefits .
Bennett Weiner , who heads the BBB alliance , said it issued an advisory about ACLJ after the organization did n't respond to requests for more information about its finances .
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability , founded 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evangelical leaders to accredit Christian non-profits , requires independent boards of directors made up of people `` not related by blood or marriage to staff members . ''
CASE and ACLJ are not listed among the council 's 2,400 members .
As Sekulow has positioned himself among Trump 's chief defenders in both the courtroom and as a legal analyst on Fox News , CASE has continued to raise more than $ 50 million annually through an aggressive mix of telemarketing and direct mail soliciting the conservative faithful to support ACLJ 's courtroom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that money is routed to Sekulow and his family .
Over the 10-year period examined by AP , more than $ 12 million was paid in direct salary and benefits to Sekulow and his family members .
Gary Sekulow , Jay 's 61-year-old brother , was paid a total of $ 985,947 in salary and benefits in 2017 as the chief operating and financial officer at both ACLJ and CASE — two full-time positions that tax documents indicate would require him to work 80 hours each week .
Adam Sekulow , Gary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 229,227 as the director of development at CASE and $ 65,052 as the director of major donors at ACLJ the same year .
Records show millions more each year going to for-profit companies controlled by the family .
In addition to the $ 5.8 million ACLJ paid to CLA Group in 2017 , $ 1.4 million was paid to Regency Productions , a company owned by Jay Sekulow that receives his fees for appearing on the radio show `` Jay Sekulow Live ! ''
and his television show `` ACLJ This Week with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same Christian network as Pat Robertson 's `` The 700 Club . ''
Over the 10-year period reviewed by AP , CLA Group and Regency were paid a combined $ 46 million in charitable funds by ACLJ and CASE .
Millions more were paid by the charities for `` airtime , '' though the recipients of that money were not detailed in the tax records .
Sekulow 's show is often recorded at a studio located at the Washington , D.C. , headquarters of ACLJ .
Tax records show the office building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 3.8 million , is owned by CASE .
The charity controlled by the Sekulow family also owns the spacious four-bedroom , four-bath row house next door , which has a current assessed value of $ 1.8 million .
This week , an AP photographer saw Jay 's son Jordan Sekulow , 37 , entering the residence .
A graduate of Regent law school , Jordan Sekulow is the executive director of ACLJ , a member of Trump 's defense team , and also hosts his father 's radio show .
ACLJ 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posting daily updates about the impeachment trial , reiterating GOP arguments and hammering Democratic House managers .
Jordan 's wife , Anna Sekulow , 36 , also works at the charity as a digital media adviser , according to its website .
The public tax records do not indicate how much they are paid .
About $ 6.8 million went to the company PFMS of Georgia for producing Sekulow 's shows .
That company 's website lists Gary Sekulow 's wife , Kimberly Sekulow , 60 , as president and CEO .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same suburban Atlanta building listed on tax returns as the offices for CASE , the charity that pays it .
In addition to his two paid jobs at the non-profits , the couple 's son Adam Sekulow is listed as the acquisition manager at PFMS .
His sister Jennifer Sekulow , 27 , is the head of market research .
The records show at least $ 1.2 million was spent by the charities on private jets , including an unusual arrangement where CASE was paying to lease a plane co-owned by the for-profit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sister-in-law .
The tax records show millions more were routed into numerous non-profit and for-profit entities , which makes it challenging to determine who is really getting the money .
For example , ACLJ and CASE made payments to the Law & Justice Institute , a non-profit entity created by Sekulow and Roth .
Tax records show that charity 's only activity was to make annual payments to two for-profit companies , Advocacy Services Inc. and Educational Resources Associates .
Virginia incorporation records list `` M.G .
Robertson '' of Virginia Beach as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which received $ 4 million in payments .
Marion Gordon Robertson , 89 , is better known to TV viewers by his nickname , Pat .
Incorporation filings for Education Resources Associates in Washington , D.C , list its CEO as John Ashcroft , who served as U.S. attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush .
That company got $ 2.2 million in consulting fees from the charitable Law & Justice Institute .
Ashcroft , 77 , is listed as a distinguished professor at Regent University and has appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Owens , who served for 10 years as the director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the Internal Revenue Service , said the structure of the charities and corporations controlled by the Sekulow family appeared designed to obscure just who is getting paid and how much .
Federal law forbids charities from excessively benefiting those who have `` substantial influence over the organization . ''
Owens said both the IRS and state attorneys general should investigate .
`` This is an apparent web of organizations that seem to exist to pay compensation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Owens , who is now in private practice .
`` That pattern clearly raises questions for those entities that are tax-exempt under Section 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) as to whether they ’ re operating for a public benefit or the private benefit of Jay Sekulow and his family members . ''
`` The financial arrangements between ACLJ , CASE , and other entities have been reviewed by outside independent experts and are in compliance with all tax laws , '' Kapp said .
Asked who those outside experts are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kapp responded that he did n't have anything to add .
Associated Press reporter Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report .

Jay Sekulow, one of Donald Trump’s lead attorneys during the impeachment trial, is being paid for his legal work through a rented $80-a-month mailbox a block away from the White House.
The Pennsylvania Avenue box appears to be the sole physical location of the Constitutional Litigation and Advocacy Group, a for-profit corporation co-owned by Sekulow. The firm has no website and is not listed in national legal directories. The District of Columbia Bar has no record of it, and no attorneys list it as their employer.
But Sekulow, 63, is registered as chief counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice, a non-profit Christian legal advocacy group based in an expansive Capitol Hill row house a short walk from the Senate chamber.
A half dozen lawyers employed by the non-profit ACLJ are named in recent Senate legal briefs as members of Trump’s defense team — including one of Sekulow’s sons. The ACLJ, as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, is barred under IRS rules from engaging in partisan political activities.
The Republican National Committee has paid more than $250,000 to Sekulow’s for-profit CLA Group since 2017, when he was first named to Trump’s legal team as special counsel Robert Mueller was leading the Russia investigation, according to campaign disclosures.
Sekulow has been one of Trump’s most visible defenders, enduring as a trusted attorney for the president even as other of his lawyers have been sidelined or entangled in controversy.
In the impeachment trial, he has sought to present Trump as unfairly hounded by investigations, seizing on surveillance errors the FBI acknowledged making in the Russia probe and accusing Democrats of investigating the president over Ukraine simply because they couldn’t bring him down after the Mueller investigation.
Charity watchdogs for years have raised concerns about the blurred lines between for-profit businesses tied to Sekulow and the complex web of non-profit entities he and his family control.
The Associated Press reviewed 10 years of tax returns for the ACLJ and other charities tied to Sekulow, which are released to the public under federal law. The records from 2008 to 2017, the most recent year available, show that more than $65 million in charitable funds were paid to Sekulow, his wife, his sons, his brother, his sister-in-law, his nephew and corporations they own.
Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, said Sekulow appears to be mixing his defense of Trump with his charitable endeavors. The group has issued a “Donor Alert” about ACLJ on its CharityWatch website.
“Charities are not supposed to be taking sides in partisan political activities, such as providing legal services to benefit a politician in an impeachment trial,” Borochoff said. “Regulators should investigate whether or not charitable resources, such as office, labor, equipment, etc., are being wrongly utilized to benefit Sekulow’s for-profit law firm.”
The address for CLA Group listed in recent court filings matches Carr Workplaces, a flex-space provider that rents out mini offices, individual desks and conference rooms for periods as brief as one hour. According to its website, the company also offers its customers “virtual offices” that include a mailbox and mail forwarding.
A receptionist at the Carr Workplaces office confirmed the law firm’s mail is delivered to a mail slot in a secure room before being forwarded to another location, which she declined to disclose.
A call to Carr last week asking to be connected to CLA Group was forwarded. After a few rings, the call was answered by a receptionist at the non-profit ACLJ.
Inquiries about Sekulow’s for-profit law firm were referred to Gene Kapp, a Virginia public relations contractor paid through the charity.
“Jay Sekulow is serving as a member of the President’s legal team in his personal capacity,” Kapp said in an email. “His work with the President is separate and distinct and is not connected with his work as Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. The ACLJ’s work is separate and distinct from the legal work being done for the President.”
Kapp declined to say whether CLA Group has any support staff or whether Sekulow was doing his legal work for Trump in the non-profit group’s office. Kapp would also not comment on whether CLA Group was reimbursing ACLJ for any resources being utilized for Trump’s legal defense.
A 2005 investigation by the publication Legal Times reported about questionable spending at ACLJ, quoting former employees describing millions in charity funds being spent to support the Sekulows’ lavish lifestyle, which included multiple homes, golf junkets, chauffeur-driven cars, and a private jet used to ferry then-Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The Guardian and The Washington Post reported additional details in 2017, shortly after Sekulow was named as Trump’s lawyer.
Over the 10-year-period examined by AP, the tax returns show nearly $37 million in charitable funds were paid by ACLJ to the CLA Group, the phantom law firm listed on court filings as defending Trump.
Incorporation filings and tax records show Sekulow co-owns CLA Group with his law school classmate and longtime business partner Stuart J. Roth. Roth is also listed as senior counsel at ACLJ and named in recent legal briefs as one of Trump’s defense lawyers.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, is investigating the potential abuse of charitable funds raised by the organizations tied to Sekulow. Spokeswoman Laura Brewer said it was unclear when that probe, begun in 2017, would be complete.
Trump, Sekulow’s star client, has faced similar legal questions. Trump agreed to pay $2 million as part of a settlement with the state of New York in which he was forced to admit he misused charitable funds from the Donald J. Trump Foundation to promote his 2016 presidential campaign, pay off business debts and buy a $10,000 portrait of himself hung at one of his Florida resorts. Trump’s charity also cut an illegal $25,000 check to support the reelection of then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who now works with Sekulow as a member of Trump’s defense team.
A Brooklyn native, Sekulow graduated from Mercer Law School in Georgia and briefly worked for the Internal Revenue Service before going into private practice in Atlanta with his former classmate Roth in the early 1980s. The pair specialized in buying and selling historic properties as tax shelters, but the business collapsed after disgruntled investors sued them over alleged fraud and securities violations. Court records show both Sekulow and Roth filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1987.
Sekulow quickly remade himself as general counsel for the group Jews for Jesus. A self-described Messianic Jew, Sekulow won a religious liberties case before the U.S. Supreme Court after members of the group were barred from passing out pamphlets at the Los Angeles International Airport.
The following year, records show Sekulow founded the non-profit Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism (CASE), a charity “dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom of speech are inalienable, god given rights.”
In 1992, he was named chief counsel at the ACLJ, which was founded by televangelist Pat Robertson as a conservative counterweight to the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union. It is affiliated with the law school at Regent University, the Christian college founded by Robertson and located next to the studios of his Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Tax records show ACLJ now receives the bulk of its $23 million annual budget from CASE. All six of the charity’s paid board members share the last name Sekulow, including Jay’s wife, Pam, and their sons, Jordon and Logan.
That tight-knit family control runs afoul of standards issued by multiple watchdog groups to help stem the likelihood of self-dealing and graft.
The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance recommends at least five independent board members and not more than one who receives direct financial benefits. Bennett Weiner, who heads the BBB alliance, said it issued an advisory about ACLJ after the organization didn’t respond to requests for more information about its finances.
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, founded 40 years ago by Billy Graham and other evangelical leaders to accredit Christian non-profits, requires independent boards of directors made up of people “not related by blood or marriage to staff members.” CASE and ACLJ are not listed among the council’s 2,400 members.
As Sekulow has positioned himself among Trump’s chief defenders in both the courtroom and as a legal analyst on Fox News, CASE has continued to raise more than $50 million annually through an aggressive mix of telemarketing and direct mail soliciting the conservative faithful to support ACLJ’s courtroom advocacy.
But tax records show much of that money is routed to Sekulow and his family. Over the 10-year period examined by AP, more than $12 million was paid in direct salary and benefits to Sekulow and his family members.
Gary Sekulow, Jay’s 61-year-old brother, was paid a total of $985,947 in salary and benefits in 2017 as the chief operating and financial officer at both ACLJ and CASE — two full-time positions that tax documents indicate would require him to work 80 hours each week.
Adam Sekulow, Gary’s 31-year-old son, was paid $229,227 as the director of development at CASE and $65,052 as the director of major donors at ACLJ the same year.
Records show millions more each year going to for-profit companies controlled by the family. In addition to the $5.8 million ACLJ paid to CLA Group in 2017, $1.4 million was paid to Regency Productions, a company owned by Jay Sekulow that receives his fees for appearing on the radio show “Jay Sekulow Live!” and his television show “ACLJ This Week with Jay Sekulow,” which airs on the same Christian network as Pat Robertson’s “The 700 Club.”
Over the 10-year period reviewed by AP, CLA Group and Regency were paid a combined $46 million in charitable funds by ACLJ and CASE. Millions more were paid by the charities for “airtime,” though the recipients of that money were not detailed in the tax records.
Sekulow’s show is often recorded at a studio located at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of ACLJ. Tax records show the office building, with a current assessed value of $3.8 million, is owned by CASE. The charity controlled by the Sekulow family also owns the spacious four-bedroom, four-bath row house next door, which has a current assessed value of $1.8 million.
This week, an AP photographer saw Jay’s son Jordan Sekulow, 37, entering the residence. A graduate of Regent law school, Jordan Sekulow is the executive director of ACLJ, a member of Trump’s defense team, and also hosts his father’s radio show. ACLJ’s website and affiliated YouTube channel have been posting daily updates about the impeachment trial, reiterating GOP arguments and hammering Democratic House managers.
Jordan’s wife, Anna Sekulow, 36, also works at the charity as a digital media adviser, according to its website. The public tax records do not indicate how much they are paid.
About $6.8 million went to the company PFMS of Georgia for producing Sekulow’s shows. That company’s website lists Gary Sekulow’s wife, Kimberly Sekulow, 60, as president and CEO. The address for that business is in the same suburban Atlanta building listed on tax returns as the offices for CASE, the charity that pays it.
In addition to his two paid jobs at the non-profits, the couple’s son Adam Sekulow is listed as the acquisition manager at PFMS. His sister Jennifer Sekulow, 27, is the head of market research.
The records show at least $1.2 million was spent by the charities on private jets, including an unusual arrangement where CASE was paying to lease a plane co-owned by the for-profit companies controlled by Jay Sekulow and his sister-in-law.
The tax records show millions more were routed into numerous non-profit and for-profit entities, which makes it challenging to determine who is really getting the money.
For example, ACLJ and CASE made payments to the Law & Justice Institute, a non-profit entity created by Sekulow and Roth. Tax records show that charity’s only activity was to make annual payments to two for-profit companies, Advocacy Services Inc. and Educational Resources Associates.
Virginia incorporation records list “M.G. Robertson” of Virginia Beach as the president and director of Advocacy Services, which received $4 million in payments. Marion Gordon Robertson, 89, is better known to TV viewers by his nickname, Pat.
Incorporation filings for Education Resources Associates in Washington, D.C, list its CEO as John Ashcroft, who served as U.S. attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. That company got $2.2 million in consulting fees from the charitable Law & Justice Institute. Ashcroft, 77, is listed as a distinguished professor at Regent University and has appeared with Sekulow at ACLJ events.
Marc Owens, who served for 10 years as the director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the Internal Revenue Service, said the structure of the charities and corporations controlled by the Sekulow family appeared designed to obscure just who is getting paid and how much.
Federal law forbids charities from excessively benefiting those who have “substantial influence over the organization.” Owens said both the IRS and state attorneys general should investigate.
“This is an apparent web of organizations that seem to exist to pay compensation to Sekulow and his family members,” said Owens, who is now in private practice. “That pattern clearly raises questions for those entities that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) as to whether they’re operating for a public benefit or the private benefit of Jay Sekulow and his family members.”
Sekulow’s spokesman denied any wrongdoing.
“The financial arrangements between ACLJ, CASE, and other entities have been reviewed by outside independent experts and are in compliance with all tax laws,” Kapp said.
Asked who those outside experts are and whether AP could speak with them, Kapp responded that he didn’t have anything to add.
___
Associated Press reporter Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.


shareblue--2020-01-31--Trump's latest effort to undo Obama legacy is backing landmines

Donald Trump on Friday rolled back restrictions on the use of landmines by the U.S. military in the latest in a series of actions reversing President Barack Obama 's legacy .
In 2014 , Obama issued a directive instructing the military to no longer `` produce or otherwise acquire any anti-personnel landmines . ''
In a statement on Friday , White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump had specifically canceled `` the Obama Administration 's policy to prohibit United States military forces from employing anti-personnel landmines outside of the Korean Peninsula . ''
Grisham claimed that the rollback was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ensuring our forces are able to defend against any and all threats . ''
`` President Trump is rebuilding our military , and it is stronger than ever , '' she said .
`` The President will continue to support and equip our troops so that they will forever remain the greatest fighting force in the world . ''
The release did not cite evidence to support the administration 's assertion that the policy is needed to protect the military .
In fact , the evidence shows that the military does n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States has not used landmines in a new theater of military operation for nearly 30 years — since 1991 — yet it continues to stockpile millions of these obsolete weapons , '' Daryl Kimball , the executive director of the Arms Control Association told Vox on Thursday .
Landmines pose a threat mostly to civilian populations .
Landmine Monitor , a non-government organization , has reported that there were more than 130,000 casualties caused by landmines between 1999-2018 .
As CNN notes , the majority of those killed were civilians .
The lethality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Convention , an international agreement banning the use , stockpiling , and production of anti-personnel landmines .
Since taking over the presidency , Trump has put in place several directives designed to undo work accomplished by his predecessor .
Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris climate accords despite the ongoing crisis of climate change .
He has claimed that climate change is a hoax by the Chinese government , despite mountains of data disproving his conspiracy .
Trump also walked away from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward on enriching uranium , increasing tensions in the region and danger for American allies like Israel .
That same month , the Trump administration also announced plans to allow hunters to bait brown bears with food as well as shoot and kill defenseless mother bears and their cubs hibernating in their dens .
The decision reversed an Obama-era rul prohibiting the practice .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump on Friday rolled back restrictions on the use of landmines by the U.S. military in the latest in a series of actions reversing President Barack Obama’s legacy.
In 2014, Obama issued a directive instructing the military to no longer “produce or otherwise acquire any anti-personnel landmines.”
In a statement on Friday, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump had specifically canceled “the Obama Administration’s policy to prohibit United States military forces from employing anti-personnel landmines outside of the Korean Peninsula.”
Grisham claimed that the rollback was part of Trump’s “steadfast commitment to ensuring our forces are able to defend against any and all threats.”
“President Trump is rebuilding our military, and it is stronger than ever,” she said. “The President will continue to support and equip our troops so that they will forever remain the greatest fighting force in the world.”
The release did not cite evidence to support the administration’s assertion that the policy is needed to protect the military. In fact, the evidence shows that the military doesn’t need the weapons.
“The United States has not used landmines in a new theater of military operation for nearly 30 years — since 1991 — yet it continues to stockpile millions of these obsolete weapons,” Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association told Vox on Thursday.
Landmines pose a threat mostly to civilian populations. Landmine Monitor, a non-government organization, has reported that there were more than 130,000 casualties caused by landmines between 1999-2018. As CNN notes, the majority of those killed were civilians.
The lethality of landmines led to the 1997 Ottawa Convention, an international agreement banning the use, stockpiling, and production of anti-personnel landmines.
Since taking over the presidency, Trump has put in place several directives designed to undo work accomplished by his predecessor.
Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris climate accords despite the ongoing crisis of climate change. He has claimed that climate change is a hoax by the Chinese government, despite mountains of data disproving his conspiracy.
Trump also walked away from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, prompting Iran to announce it would move forward on enriching uranium, increasing tensions in the region and danger for American allies like Israel.
That same month, the Trump administration also announced plans to allow hunters to bait brown bears with food as well as shoot and kill defenseless mother bears and their cubs hibernating in their dens. The decision reversed an Obama-era rul prohibiting the practice.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-31--DOJ struggles with growing immigration case backlog

Inside the glass high-rise that houses the headquarters of the nation 's immigration courts , the focus is on how to make the immensely strained system more efficient .
Grappling with an inherited backlog that has ballooned to 1 million deportation cases , a yearslong wait for hearings and White House pressure , the Executive Office for Immigration Review is buying real estate for new courts , creating an online filing system , streamlining training , and hiring judges .
And it still ca n't keep up .
Its monthly caseload more than doubled last October , when it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was 15,045 .
`` We are working on what we can control and we 're trying to keep the inertia going , '' said James McHenry , who leads the Executive Office for Immigration Review .
EOIR , as it 's known , is the arm of the Justice Department that oversees deportation proceedings — whether immigrants are allowed stay in the United States or whether they are turned back to their countries .
Unlike independent trial courts , immigration court judges and employees work under Attorney General William Barr .
Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system , accusing asylum seekers who flee their home countries because of violence and poverty of trying to game the system .
The court backlog existed long before Trump took office .
But a crackdown on the Southwest border and illegal immigration plus a surge in asylum-seeking families from Central America have added more cases .
The Associated Press recently visited immigration courts in 11 different cities in late fall , observing scores of hearings that illustrated how the crushing caseloads and shifting policies are creating turmoil .
EOIR officials say it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implementing to sink in across a system where the average time is 130 days for cases where the immigrant is held in detention , and about 970 days — nearly three years — when the person is not detained .
Plus , Justice Department officials ordered immigration judges to stop putting cases on hold indefinitely — a tool they used to manage a swelling docket — which brought hundreds of thousands of cases back .
McHenry and his staff are focusing on the data , technology , and methodology in their agency .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive immigration system .
`` If we can get the backlog to decrease even a little bit that would be tremendous , '' he said .
Among their biggest change is the recent creation of electronic filing system that is already being piloted in Houston , Aurora , Colorado , and Philadelphia that will eventually replace mountains of paperwork stored in blue files used by most judges .
Under the new system , judges can generate orders , send information and read up on files .
The system is meant for everyone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plus multiple different agencies involved in immigration enforcement — and synthesizes all information so it can be accessed by all .
It allows judges to check family histories , send orders and take notes .
They can generate a court date with one click .
By the end of 2020 , 36 sites should be online .
Immigration attorney Ruby Powers , who practices in Houston , said she has n't seen the new system make a dent yet , but it 's new .
And she and other attorneys welcome any chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about five years ago there was a less-comprehensive version of an electronic system , but it fizzled .
`` In general , we have a hope of being more efficient , '' she said .
`` I think they are trying , but it 's difficult . ''
EOIR has asked for a budget of $ 673 million this year — up from $ 312 million in 2014 — in part to construct more courtrooms .
Right now , it has 439 judges .
It can hire 534 , but does n't have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding courts in New York City , Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Houston .
Their goal is to have one clerk per judge , and it wants to hire 100 more Spanish interpreters , and add Chinese interpreters .
McHenry has also created a department that focuses on standardized training for judges , law clerks , and staff members and creates policy memos to help make more cohesive , uniform decisions .
EOIR officials have added supervisory judges to every area .
And they 've set deadlines for staff to complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were often months longer than necessary , he said .
Most of their upgrades are focused on speeding up internally , McHenry said .
But members of the judges ' union they often feel they are being pushed , forced into quotas and the administration is slowly taking away their autonomy as the attorney general gives himself more power over the system .
The agency is embroiled in a battle with the union — which has spoken out about the need for the courts to be independent and concerns over the increasing authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disband it .
At a hearing on the labor dispute earlier this month , EOIR officials tried to argue the judges were managers — and therefore could not be in a union .
Immigration Judge Ashley Tabaddor , speaking as the head of the union , said judges actually have less authority than ever .
`` The effort is to eliminate unions to create complete and unfettered control to be able to uniformly and without any checks to implement decisions , '' she said .
McHenry said he is trying to streamline a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long .
And he 's starting to see progress .
`` The next phase is sustaining it , '' McHenry said .

Inside the glass high-rise that houses the headquarters of the nation’s immigration courts, the focus is on how to make the immensely strained system more efficient.
Grappling with an inherited backlog that has ballooned to 1 million deportation cases, a yearslong wait for hearings and White House pressure, the Executive Office for Immigration Review is buying real estate for new courts, creating an online filing system, streamlining training, and hiring judges.
And it still can’t keep up.
Its monthly caseload more than doubled last October, when it was 35,776. In October 2017, it was 15,045.
“We are working on what we can control and we’re trying to keep the inertia going,” said James McHenry, who leads the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
EOIR, as it’s known, is the arm of the Justice Department that oversees deportation proceedings — whether immigrants are allowed stay in the United States or whether they are turned back to their countries. Unlike independent trial courts, immigration court judges and employees work under Attorney General William Barr.
Donald Trump has railed against the country’s immigration system, accusing asylum seekers who flee their home countries because of violence and poverty of trying to game the system. The court backlog existed long before Trump took office. But a crackdown on the Southwest border and illegal immigration plus a surge in asylum-seeking families from Central America have added more cases.
The Associated Press recently visited immigration courts in 11 different cities in late fall, observing scores of hearings that illustrated how the crushing caseloads and shifting policies are creating turmoil.
EOIR officials say it will take time for the changes they are implementing to sink in across a system where the average time is 130 days for cases where the immigrant is held in detention, and about 970 days — nearly three years — when the person is not detained. Plus, Justice Department officials ordered immigration judges to stop putting cases on hold indefinitely — a tool they used to manage a swelling docket — which brought hundreds of thousands of cases back.
McHenry and his staff are focusing on the data, technology, and methodology in their agency. But they can’t control the entire massive immigration system.
“If we can get the backlog to decrease even a little bit that would be tremendous,” he said.
Among their biggest change is the recent creation of electronic filing system that is already being piloted in Houston, Aurora, Colorado, and Philadelphia that will eventually replace mountains of paperwork stored in blue files used by most judges.
Under the new system, judges can generate orders, send information and read up on files. The system is meant for everyone who deals with immigration court — attorneys, plus multiple different agencies involved in immigration enforcement — and synthesizes all information so it can be accessed by all. It allows judges to check family histories, send orders and take notes. They can generate a court date with one click. By the end of 2020, 36 sites should be online.
Immigration attorney Ruby Powers, who practices in Houston, said she hasn’t seen the new system make a dent yet, but it’s new. And she and other attorneys welcome any chance to use less paper. She said about five years ago there was a less-comprehensive version of an electronic system, but it fizzled.
“In general, we have a hope of being more efficient,” she said. “I think they are trying, but it’s difficult.”
EOIR has asked for a budget of $673 million this year — up from $312 million in 2014 — in part to construct more courtrooms. Right now, it has 439 judges. It can hire 534, but doesn’t have courtroom space. They are working on adding courts in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Their goal is to have one clerk per judge, and it wants to hire 100 more Spanish interpreters, and add Chinese interpreters.
McHenry has also created a department that focuses on standardized training for judges, law clerks, and staff members and creates policy memos to help make more cohesive, uniform decisions.
EOIR officials have added supervisory judges to every area. And they’ve set deadlines for staff to complete cases quicker by trimming internal deadlines that were often months longer than necessary, he said.
Most of their upgrades are focused on speeding up internally, McHenry said. But members of the judges’ union they often feel they are being pushed, forced into quotas and the administration is slowly taking away their autonomy as the attorney general gives himself more power over the system.
The agency is embroiled in a battle with the union — which has spoken out about the need for the courts to be independent and concerns over the increasing authority. EOIR officials are also seeking to disband it.
At a hearing on the labor dispute earlier this month, EOIR officials tried to argue the judges were managers — and therefore could not be in a union. Immigration Judge Ashley Tabaddor, speaking as the head of the union, said judges actually have less authority than ever.
“The effort is to eliminate unions to create complete and unfettered control to be able to uniformly and without any checks to implement decisions,” she said.
McHenry said he is trying to streamline a system that has been unwieldy for too long. And he’s starting to see progress.
“The next phase is sustaining it,” McHenry said.


shareblue--2020-01-31--GOP state lawmaker aims to put 'Lord's Prayer' back 'in every public school'

A first-term state lawmaker in Mississippi filed her first piece of legislation this week and hopes it will eventually result in 'every public school ' in the state beginning each morning with The Lord 's Prayer .
State Rep. Jill Ford ( R ) claimed `` the Lord planted '' the idea in her heart years ago .
In a Facebook post , she asked supporters to `` imagine what would begin to happen in the Spiritual Realm if the children would stand before Him lifting their heads in prayer asking Him to 'lead us not into temptation but deliver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ O ] h how we would see the atmosphere begin to change across Mississippi as depression and suicide would stop becoming the norm , we would watch as our children ’ s grades begin to rise , their hearts softened and their minds saturated with good thoughts and not thoughts of addictions , '' Ford claimed .
For many years , some schools in the United States began their days with recitations of a version the Christian prayer .
A landmark 1963 Supreme Court ruling ( School District of Abington Township , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be unconstitutional under the First Amendment .
`` The place of religion in our society is an exalted one , achieved through a long tradition of reliance on the home , the church and the inviolable citadel of the individual heart and mind .
We have come to recognize through bitter experience that it is not within the power of government to invade that citadel , whether its purpose or effect be to aid or oppose , to advance or retard , '' the Court 's majority explained .
`` In the relationship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is firmly committed to a position of neutrality . ''
Ford 's bill aims to work around this by proposing Congress call a constitutional convention `` for the sole purpose of proposing an amendment '' to allow school prayer .
In her statement , she called the person who led the push to get mandatory prayer out of public schools in the 1960s `` one hell-bent woman , '' and said she hoped `` this heaven-bent woman '' could undo her work .
Ford 's 2019 campaign website noted that while she `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even among those with whom she does n't agree , '' her legislative decisions `` will be by faith and conviction , and will be committed to protecting our Christian values . ''
She also promised to `` fiercely advocate for our constitution and our freedoms . ''
Ford did not immediately respond to an inquiry about which Christian denomination 's version of the Lord 's Prayer would be used and what message such any daily prayer requirement would send to the roughly 17 % of Mississippians who are not Christian .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation .

A first-term state lawmaker in Mississippi filed her first piece of legislation this week and hopes it will eventually result in ‘every public school’ in the state beginning each morning with The Lord’s Prayer.
State Rep. Jill Ford (R) claimed “the Lord planted” the idea in her heart years ago. In a Facebook post, she asked supporters to “imagine what would begin to happen in the Spiritual Realm if the children would stand before Him lifting their heads in prayer asking Him to ‘lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil’.”
“[O]h how we would see the atmosphere begin to change across Mississippi as depression and suicide would stop becoming the norm, we would watch as our children’s grades begin to rise, their hearts softened and their minds saturated with good thoughts and not thoughts of addictions,” Ford claimed.
For many years, some schools in the United States began their days with recitations of a version the Christian prayer. A landmark 1963 Supreme Court ruling (School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania v. Schempp) determined this to be unconstitutional under the First Amendment.
“The place of religion in our society is an exalted one, achieved through a long tradition of reliance on the home, the church and the inviolable citadel of the individual heart and mind. We have come to recognize through bitter experience that it is not within the power of government to invade that citadel, whether its purpose or effect be to aid or oppose, to advance or retard,” the Court’s majority explained. “In the relationship between man and religion, the State is firmly committed to a position of neutrality.”
Ford’s bill aims to work around this by proposing Congress call a constitutional convention “for the sole purpose of proposing an amendment” to allow school prayer.
In her statement, she called the person who led the push to get mandatory prayer out of public schools in the 1960s “one hell-bent woman,” and said she hoped “this heaven-bent woman” could undo her work.
Ford’s 2019 campaign website noted that while she “understands the importance of finding common ground, even among those with whom she doesn’t agree,” her legislative decisions “will be by faith and conviction, and will be committed to protecting our Christian values.” She also promised to “fiercely advocate for our constitution and our freedoms.”
Ford did not immediately respond to an inquiry about which Christian denomination’s version of the Lord’s Prayer would be used and what message such any daily prayer requirement would send to the roughly 17% of Mississippians who are not Christian.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-03--Pompeo defends press freedom abroad despite attacking it aggressively at home

For the past four days , U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been calling for authoritarian governments in eastern Europe and Central Asia to ease restrictions on press freedom despite criticism for his own treatment of journalists at home .
In Belarus , Kazakhstan , and Uzbekistan over the weekend and again on Monday , Pompeo raised human rights issues , including freedom of the press , with his interlocutors and denied any double-standard was at play .
Pompeo defended his unhappiness with a National Public Radio interviewer who asked him last month about the ouster of the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said his conduct , which the journalist said included berating her with profanities once the interview was over , did not demonstrate a lack of respect for a free press .
Pompeo responded in an official statement that the interviewer had `` lied '' to him , and he called her conduct `` shameful . ''
He said the incident was `` another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt '' President Donald Trump and his administration .
NPR said it stood by its journalist 's reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting in the past , notably over its coverage of the negotiations that led to the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 .
NPR later said another of its reporters was removed from the pool of journalists traveling with Pompeo on his current trip .
That led to a second flurry of criticism from commentators , including former U.S. officials and diplomats , who said Pompeo had lost credibility to push foreign governments to respect press freedoms .
Yet , in Tashkent on Monday , Pompeo praised the Uzbek government for `` loosening restriction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States `` looks forward to further progress '' in the area .
And , in Belarus on Saturday , he said the United States prioritizes respect for human rights , a strong civil society , and freedom of the press in every corner of the world '' and that the country had more work to do on those issues before American sanctions could be lifted .
On Sunday , an interviewer from Radio Azattyq in Kazakhstan asked Pompeo `` what kind of message '' the NPR incident sends to countries whose governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The station is an affiliate of U.S.-funded Radio Free Liberty/Radio Liberty .
Pompeo denied that the NPR interview was any more `` confrontational '' that any other interview he has given and said that journalists are allowed to ask him anything they want .
`` In America that 's the greatness of our nation : Reporters like yourself get to ask me any question and all questions , '' he said .
`` We talk openly .
We express our view ; they ask their questions .
That 's how we proceed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of which reporters are allowed to travel on his plane depends on `` certain sets of behaviors '' that involve honesty and telling the truth .
`` When they 'll do that , they get to participate , and if they do n't , it 's just not appropriate , frankly , it 's not fair to the rest of the journalists who are participating alongside of them . ''
`` It 's a perfect message about press freedoms .
They 're free to ask questions , '' he said , noting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference in Ukraine on Friday .
`` It 's wide open in America .
I love it .
I hope the rest of the world will follow our press freedoms and the great things we do in the United States . ''

For the past four days, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been calling for authoritarian governments in eastern Europe and Central Asia to ease restrictions on press freedom despite criticism for his own treatment of journalists at home.
In Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan over the weekend and again on Monday, Pompeo raised human rights issues, including freedom of the press, with his interlocutors and denied any double-standard was at play.
Pompeo defended his unhappiness with a National Public Radio interviewer who asked him last month about the ouster of the former ambassador to Ukraine. Further, he said his conduct, which the journalist said included berating her with profanities once the interview was over, did not demonstrate a lack of respect for a free press.
Pompeo responded in an official statement that the interviewer had “lied” to him, and he called her conduct “shameful.” He said the incident was “another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt” President Donald Trump and his administration. NPR said it stood by its journalist’s reporting.
Pompeo has complained about NPR’s reporting in the past, notably over its coverage of the negotiations that led to the Iran nuclear deal in 2015.
NPR later said another of its reporters was removed from the pool of journalists traveling with Pompeo on his current trip. That led to a second flurry of criticism from commentators, including former U.S. officials and diplomats, who said Pompeo had lost credibility to push foreign governments to respect press freedoms.
Yet, in Tashkent on Monday, Pompeo praised the Uzbek government for “loosening restriction on the media” and said the United States “looks forward to further progress” in the area.
And, in Belarus on Saturday, he said the United States prioritizes respect for human rights, a strong civil society, and freedom of the press in every corner of the world” and that the country had more work to do on those issues before American sanctions could be lifted.
On Sunday, an interviewer from Radio Azattyq in Kazakhstan asked Pompeo “what kind of message” the NPR incident sends to countries whose governments “routinely suppress press freedom.” The station is an affiliate of U.S.-funded Radio Free Liberty/Radio Liberty.
Pompeo denied that the NPR interview was any more “confrontational” that any other interview he has given and said that journalists are allowed to ask him anything they want.
“In America that’s the greatness of our nation: Reporters like yourself get to ask me any question and all questions,” he said. “We talk openly. We express our view; they ask their questions. That’s how we proceed in America.”
He said the issue of which reporters are allowed to travel on his plane depends on “certain sets of behaviors” that involve honesty and telling the truth. “When they’ll do that, they get to participate, and if they don’t, it’s just not appropriate, frankly, it’s not fair to the rest of the journalists who are participating alongside of them.”
Pompeo said that sends a “perfect message.”
“It’s a perfect message about press freedoms. They’re free to ask questions,” he said, noting that a third NPR reporter attended his news conference in Ukraine on Friday. “It’s wide open in America. I love it. I hope the rest of the world will follow our press freedoms and the great things we do in the United States.”


shareblue--2020-02-03--These 14 GOP senators supported removing a president — when it was Clinton

Donald Trump is expected to to be acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial on Wednesday , with most Republicans predicted to vote in his favor .
Among those standing steadfast with Trump are 14 current GOP senators who voted to impeach or remove President Clinton from office in the late 1990s .
Many of those senators have since shifted their reasoning on why a president ca n't be removed from office .
Seven Republican senators serving today voted in 1999 to remove Clinton from office : Sens .
Mike Crapo of Idaho , Mike Enzi of Wyoming , Chuck Grassley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mitch McConnell of Kentucky , Pat Roberts of Kansas , and Richard Shelby of Alabama .
An additional seven Republican senators were members of the House of Representatives who voted to impeach Clinton : Sens .
Roy Blunt of Missouri , Richard Burr of North Carolina , Lindsey Graham of South Carolina , Jerry Moran of Kansas , Rob Portman of Ohio , John Thune of South Dakota , and Roger Wicker of Mississippi .
All 14 senators who attempted to oust Clinton voted in January to protect Trump by preventing additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all are expected to vote against removing Trump from office .
Perhaps the most high-profile among them is Graham .
Graham not only voted to impeach Clinton , but was one of the House managers attempting to persuade senators to remove him from office .
During the Clinton impeachment , Graham called for witnesses to come before the Senate , demanded senators not make up their mind before the trial , and criticized past presidents for ignoring congressional subpoenas .
Two decades later , Graham reversed course .
`` I am trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have made up my mind , '' Graham said in December 2019 , weeks before the impeachment trial started in the Senate .
`` I 'm not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here . ''
Others who voted previously to oust Clinton have also had a change of heart .
Crapo for his part released a statement last month arguing that the founders `` expressly rejected a system in which the President serves at the pleasure of the legislative branch . ''
And Shelby , who once declared that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was proven `` beyond a reasonable doubt , '' concluded in January that Trump 's actions `` [ were ] not worthy of removal from office , '' and announced he would not vote to remove him from office .
Trump was impeached in December on two counts , abuse of power related to his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals , and obstruction of Congress for his decision to block crucial witness testimony and hide evidence from House investigators .
Blunt made a similar case against Clinton , stating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be allowed to ... thwart the investigative responsibility of the legislature . ''
He argued that true punishment was warranted and warned that a simple `` censure '' was not strong enough .
Yet this time around , Blunt has indicated he will be voting to acquit Trump , declaring the outcome of the trial `` virtually certain '' despite mountains of evidence showing Trump wanted to use his office for personal gain .
McConnell , who voted in February 1999 to convict Clinton and remove him from office , accused the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliberately to the American people .
He claimed his vote was one of `` honor , '' `` principle , '' and `` moral authority . ''
In Trump 's impeachment trial , McConnell has openly admitted to coordinating with the White House on Trump 's defense and said in December he had no intention of being an impartial juror .
He , too , has implied that he will vote to acquit .
Others have pledged similarly that they will stand by Trump , claiming that the impeachment proceedings against him have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to overturn the 2016 election .
Many of those same lawmakers previously said the opposite during Clinton 's impeachment trial , with a few arguing that overturning the will of the people was necessary for justice to prevail .
Thune stated in December that he had no intention of voting to convict Trump and accused Democrats of `` overturning an election where they did n't like the outcome . ''
Yet when he voted to impeach Clinton in 1999 , Thune had no such misgivings , stating there was `` one standard of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to say or do otherwise will undermine the most sacred of all American ideals . ''
Burr , a former congressman who voted to impeach Clinton in 1999 , echoed Thune 's thoughts at that time , saying he could not `` ignore the facts or disregard the constitution so that the president can be placed above the law . ''
In January , Burr also said he had no intention of convicting Trump because `` the American people [ had ] duly elected '' him .
Inhofe is also among those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has called the impeachment process against Trump `` a political sham '' and declared before the beginning of the Senate trial that Trump was `` not going to be removed from office — period . ''
Portman for his part concluded that Trump 's actions were `` wrong and inappropriate , '' but has said he will refuse to vote to remove Trump from office because it would entail `` taking him off the ballot in the middle of an election . ''
Portman voted to impeach Clinton based on `` evidence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I believe the evidence of serious wrongdoing is simply too compelling to be swept aside ...
I believe the long-term consequence to this country of not acting on these serious charges before us far outweigh the consequences of following what the Constitution provides for and bringing this matter to trial in the United States Senate . ''
Wicker also voted to impeach Clinton , but when the House impeached Trump , he released a statement critical of the House investigation , adding he anticipated Trump would be acquitted in the Senate .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said at the time .
`` ... Their effort has never been about the facts or accountability .
It was always about politics and damaging a president they can not tolerate . ''
Some of the senators involved in the Clinton impeachment episode , like Enzi , Moran , and Roberts , have not made public statements about their intentions in the Trump trial .
Grassley , for instance , falsely criticized the House impeachment as partisan , but pledged to `` examine the evidence of the charges presented before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duty as a juror . ''
The Senate is expected to hold a final vote on Wednesday to determine if Trump should be removed from office .
There is little expectation that proponents of removal will attain the 67 votes necessary to do so .

Donald Trump is expected to to be acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial on Wednesday, with most Republicans predicted to vote in his favor.
Among those standing steadfast with Trump are 14 current GOP senators who voted to impeach or remove President Clinton from office in the late 1990s. Many of those senators have since shifted their reasoning on why a president can’t be removed from office.
Seven Republican senators serving today voted in 1999 to remove Clinton from office: Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Pat Roberts of Kansas, and Richard Shelby of Alabama.
An additional seven Republican senators were members of the House of Representatives who voted to impeach Clinton: Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Rob Portman of Ohio, John Thune of South Dakota, and Roger Wicker of Mississippi.
All 14 senators who attempted to oust Clinton voted in January to protect Trump by preventing additional witness testimony during the Senate trial, and all are expected to vote against removing Trump from office.
Perhaps the most high-profile among them is Graham. Graham not only voted to impeach Clinton, but was one of the House managers attempting to persuade senators to remove him from office. During the Clinton impeachment, Graham called for witnesses to come before the Senate, demanded senators not make up their mind before the trial, and criticized past presidents for ignoring congressional subpoenas.
Two decades later, Graham reversed course.
“I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind,” Graham said in December 2019, weeks before the impeachment trial started in the Senate. “I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.”
Others who voted previously to oust Clinton have also had a change of heart.
Crapo for his part released a statement last month arguing that the founders “expressly rejected a system in which the President serves at the pleasure of the legislative branch.”
And Shelby, who once declared that the charge of obstruction of justice against Clinton was proven “beyond a reasonable doubt,” concluded in January that Trump’s actions “[were] not worthy of removal from office,” and announced he would not vote to remove him from office.
Trump was impeached in December on two counts, abuse of power related to his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, and obstruction of Congress for his decision to block crucial witness testimony and hide evidence from House investigators.
Blunt made a similar case against Clinton, stating in December 1998 that “no president can be allowed to … thwart the investigative responsibility of the legislature.” He argued that true punishment was warranted and warned that a simple “censure” was not strong enough. Yet this time around, Blunt has indicated he will be voting to acquit Trump, declaring the outcome of the trial “virtually certain” despite mountains of evidence showing Trump wanted to use his office for personal gain.
McConnell, who voted in February 1999 to convict Clinton and remove him from office, accused the former president at the time of lying deliberately to the American people. He claimed his vote was one of “honor,” “principle,” and “moral authority.”
In Trump’s impeachment trial, McConnell has openly admitted to coordinating with the White House on Trump’s defense and said in December he had no intention of being an impartial juror. He, too, has implied that he will vote to acquit.
Others have pledged similarly that they will stand by Trump, claiming that the impeachment proceedings against him have been solely politically motivated by Democrats seeking to overturn the 2016 election. Many of those same lawmakers previously said the opposite during Clinton’s impeachment trial, with a few arguing that overturning the will of the people was necessary for justice to prevail.
Thune stated in December that he had no intention of voting to convict Trump and accused Democrats of “overturning an election where they didn’t like the outcome.” Yet when he voted to impeach Clinton in 1999, Thune had no such misgivings, stating there was “one standard of justice that applies equally to all, and to say or do otherwise will undermine the most sacred of all American ideals.”
Burr, a former congressman who voted to impeach Clinton in 1999, echoed Thune’s thoughts at that time, saying he could not “ignore the facts or disregard the constitution so that the president can be placed above the law.”
In January, Burr also said he had no intention of convicting Trump because “the American people [had] duly elected” him.
Inhofe is also among those who voted to convict Clinton previously but has called the impeachment process against Trump “a political sham” and declared before the beginning of the Senate trial that Trump was “not going to be removed from office — period.”
Portman for his part concluded that Trump’s actions were “wrong and inappropriate,” but has said he will refuse to vote to remove Trump from office because it would entail “taking him off the ballot in the middle of an election.”
Portman voted to impeach Clinton based on “evidence of serious wrongdoing,” saying, “I believe the evidence of serious wrongdoing is simply too compelling to be swept aside … I believe the long-term consequence to this country of not acting on these serious charges before us far outweigh the consequences of following what the Constitution provides for and bringing this matter to trial in the United States Senate.”
Wicker also voted to impeach Clinton, but when the House impeached Trump, he released a statement critical of the House investigation, adding he anticipated Trump would be acquitted in the Senate.
“House Democrats made a historic mistake today,” he said at the time. “… Their effort has never been about the facts or accountability. It was always about politics and damaging a president they cannot tolerate.”
Some of the senators involved in the Clinton impeachment episode, like Enzi, Moran, and Roberts, have not made public statements about their intentions in the Trump trial.
Grassley, for instance, falsely criticized the House impeachment as partisan, but pledged to “examine the evidence of the charges presented before the Senate and uphold my oath and duty as a juror.”
The Senate is expected to hold a final vote on Wednesday to determine if Trump should be removed from office. There is little expectation that proponents of removal will attain the 67 votes necessary to do so.


shareblue--2020-02-03--Sen. Rick Scott pushes video of local 'business owner' who's really a GOP official

Sen. Rick Scott ( R-FL ) posted a video on Monday featuring a constituent who wants Congress to end the impeachment process and get back to work .
But Scott neglected to mention that the `` veteran & business owner '' happens to be a prominent Republican official .
Scott introduced Joel `` Hawksley from Orlando , FL '' as a `` veteran & business owner who wants congress to quit playing political games & focus on making sure our military members , veterans & their families are taken care of . ''
He posted a 58-second video of Hawksley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Congress to `` stop the madness '' and `` protect and defend the Constitution today . ''
Unmentioned in the video : Hawksley is the executive director of the Orange County Republicans .
Orange County , which includes Orlando , is one of the largest counties in Florida .
The clip was part of Scott 's `` Let 's Get Back to Work '' series .
Each shows a resident of Florida who claims to be against impeachment and demands the Senate return to legislating , though prior to the impeachment trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ More than 400 pieces of legislation passed the House of Representatives last year , but they have been blocked by the GOP Senate majority .
Instead , the chamber spent most of its time voting to confirm Donald Trump 's conservative nominees to the executive branch and judiciary .
It is unlikely that the Senate will actually `` get back to work '' any time soon .
Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) admitted on Sunday that the Republican majority plans to launch new investigations into the Bidens and the whistleblower who brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress .
Scott did not immediately respond to an inquiry about why he was not transparent about Hawksley 's partisan role .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) posted a video on Monday featuring a constituent who wants Congress to end the impeachment process and get back to work. But Scott neglected to mention that the “veteran & business owner” happens to be a prominent Republican official.
Scott introduced Joel “Hawksley from Orlando, FL” as a “veteran & business owner who wants congress to quit playing political games & focus on making sure our military members, veterans & their families are taken care of.” He posted a 58-second video of Hawksley touting his public relations firm and calling on Congress to “stop the madness” and “protect and defend the Constitution today.”
Unmentioned in the video: Hawksley is the executive director of the Orange County Republicans. Orange County, which includes Orlando, is one of the largest counties in Florida.
The clip was part of Scott’s “Let’s Get Back to Work” series. Each shows a resident of Florida who claims to be against impeachment and demands the Senate return to legislating, though prior to the impeachment trial the Senate did little of that.
More than 400 pieces of legislation passed the House of Representatives last year, but they have been blocked by the GOP Senate majority. Instead, the chamber spent most of its time voting to confirm Donald Trump’s conservative nominees to the executive branch and judiciary.
It is unlikely that the Senate will actually “get back to work” any time soon. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) admitted on Sunday that the Republican majority plans to launch new investigations into the Bidens and the whistleblower who brought Trump’s Ukraine scandal to the attention of Congress.
Scott did not immediately respond to an inquiry about why he was not transparent about Hawksley’s partisan role.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-03--US to begin new screenings amid coronavirus concerns

As the U.S. steps up its response to the coronavirus outbreak , the Department of Homeland Security is warning airline passengers that their flights may wind up rerouted if officials discover mid-flight that someone on board has been in China in the last 14 days .
And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a `` handful '' of flights will be heading to China to bring Americans back home from Hubei Province , which is at the heart of the outbreak .
`` The exact timing of those we 're still coordinating with the Chinese government , '' Pompeo said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Uzbekistan .
`` We anticipate that they will happen in the next handful of days and we 'll return those American citizens . ''
Pompeo said : `` We may well end up bringing some citizens back from other countries as well .
We 're working through the details on that . ''
And he said the U.S. may try to deliver some medical supplies to the region .
`` We 're working closely and hand-in-hand with the Chinese government to try and resolve what is now this global epidemiological challenge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly on when those flights will depart and when they return and how they 'll return to the United States before too long , '' he said .
The DHS guidance on airline flights was included in a notice released by the department Sunday as new travel restrictions officially go into effect for flights commencing after 5 p.m .
ET .
Under the new rules , U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be rerouted to one of eight designated airports , where they will undergo enhanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York , Chicago O'Hare International Airport , San Francisco International Airport , Seattle-Tacoma International Airport , Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu , Los Angeles International Airport in California , Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport , and Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia .
Starting Monday , Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey , Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport , and Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be added to the list .
U.S. citizens who have been in Hubei province within 14 days of their return will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mandatory quarantine .
The outbreak originated in that province .
U.S. citizens who have been in other areas of China within the last 14 days will undergo `` proactive entry health screening '' and up to 14 days of `` self-quarantine . ''
Meanwhile , most non-U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States , except for immediate family members of U.S. citizens , permanent residents and flight crew .
`` While the overall risk to the American public remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have recently been in China is the most important and prudent step we can take at this time to decrease the strain on public health officials screening incoming travelers , '' said Chad Wolf , the acting DHS secretary .
`` We realize this could provide added stress and prolong travel times for some individuals , however public health and security experts agree these measures are necessary to contain the virus and protect the American people , '' Wolf said .
Asked in an interview aired Sunday on Fox how concerned he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that `` we pretty much shut it down coming in from China . ''
`` We 've offered China help , but we ca n't have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem , the coronavirus , '' Trump said .
`` So we 're gon na see what happens , but we did shut it down , yes . ''

As the U.S. steps up its response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Department of Homeland Security is warning airline passengers that their flights may wind up rerouted if officials discover mid-flight that someone on board has been in China in the last 14 days.
And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a “handful” of flights will be heading to China to bring Americans back home from Hubei Province, which is at the heart of the outbreak.
“The exact timing of those we’re still coordinating with the Chinese government,” Pompeo said at a news conference Monday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. “We anticipate that they will happen in the next handful of days and we’ll return those American citizens.”
Pompeo said: “We may well end up bringing some citizens back from other countries as well. We’re working through the details on that.” And he said the U.S. may try to deliver some medical supplies to the region.
“We’re working closely and hand-in-hand with the Chinese government to try and resolve what is now this global epidemiological challenge, and so we’ll have more details exactly on when those flights will depart and when they return and how they’ll return to the United States before too long,” he said.
The DHS guidance on airline flights was included in a notice released by the department Sunday as new travel restrictions officially go into effect for flights commencing after 5 p.m. ET.
Under the new rules, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be rerouted to one of eight designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures.
The eight are: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Los Angeles International Airport in California, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
Starting Monday, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be added to the list.
U.S. citizens who have been in Hubei province within 14 days of their return will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine. The outbreak originated in that province.
U.S. citizens who have been in other areas of China within the last 14 days will undergo “proactive entry health screening” and up to 14 days of “self-quarantine.”
Meanwhile, most non-U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States, except for immediate family members of U.S. citizens, permanent residents and flight crew.
“While the overall risk to the American public remains low, funneling all flights with passengers who have recently been in China is the most important and prudent step we can take at this time to decrease the strain on public health officials screening incoming travelers,” said Chad Wolf, the acting DHS secretary.
“We realize this could provide added stress and prolong travel times for some individuals, however public health and security experts agree these measures are necessary to contain the virus and protect the American people,” Wolf said.
Asked in an interview aired Sunday on Fox how concerned he was over the outbreak, Donald Trump said that “we pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”
“We’ve offered China help, but we can’t have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus,” Trump said. “So we’re gonna see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes.”


shareblue--2020-02-03--YouTube says it will ban 'deepfakes' and 'birther' videos ahead of 2020 election

YouTube is making clear there will be no `` birtherism '' on its platform during this year 's U.S. presidential election — a belated response to a type of conspiracy theory more prevalent in the 2012 race .
The Google-owned video service is also reiterating that it wo n't allow election-related `` deepfake '' videos and anything that aims to mislead viewers about voting procedures and how to participate in the 2020 census .
YouTube clarified its rules ahead of the Iowa caucuses Monday .
The company is mostly reiterating content guidelines that it has been putting in place since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Its ban on technically manipulated videos of political figures was made apparent last year when YouTube became the first major platform to remove a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi .
But the announcement Monday further clarifies that it will take down any election-related videos that are technically altered to mislead people in a way that goes beyond simply taking clips of speech out of context .
The company also said it would remove doctored videos that could cause `` serious risk of egregious harm '' — such as to make it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Facebook , which last year had resisted early calls to yank the Pelosi video , said in January that it was banning `` deepfake '' videos , the false but realistic clips created with artificial intelligence and sophisticated tools .
Such videos are still fairly rare compared to simpler `` cheap fake '' manipulations such as were used in the video that altered Pelosi 's speech to make it seem like she was slurring her words .
Google also said Monday that it will remove any videos that advance false claims about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eligible to serve in office .
That had been policy before , but was n't made explicit .
The company 's announcement comes about nine years after celebrity businessman Donald Trump began to get notice for claiming that Barack Obama , the nation 's first African American president , was not born in the United States .
Trump repeatedly voiced citizenship doubts even after Obama produced his long-form birth certificate .
Trump only fully backed off from the idea in the final stages of his 2016 presidential campaign .
YouTube said it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artificially increase the number of views , likes , and comments on videos .
It changed its systems for recommending what videos users watch last year in a push to curb harmful misinformation .
Twitter and Pinterest also last week outlined their efforts to reduce election misinformation on their platforms .

YouTube is making clear there will be no “birtherism” on its platform during this year’s U.S. presidential election — a belated response to a type of conspiracy theory more prevalent in the 2012 race.
The Google-owned video service is also reiterating that it won’t allow election-related “deepfake” videos and anything that aims to mislead viewers about voting procedures and how to participate in the 2020 census.
YouTube clarified its rules ahead of the Iowa caucuses Monday. The company is mostly reiterating content guidelines that it has been putting in place since the last presidential election in 2016.
Its ban on technically manipulated videos of political figures was made apparent last year when YouTube became the first major platform to remove a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But the announcement Monday further clarifies that it will take down any election-related videos that are technically altered to mislead people in a way that goes beyond simply taking clips of speech out of context. The company also said it would remove doctored videos that could cause “serious risk of egregious harm” — such as to make it appear that a government official is dead.
Facebook, which last year had resisted early calls to yank the Pelosi video, said in January that it was banning “deepfake” videos, the false but realistic clips created with artificial intelligence and sophisticated tools. Such videos are still fairly rare compared to simpler “cheap fake” manipulations such as were used in the video that altered Pelosi’s speech to make it seem like she was slurring her words.
Google also said Monday that it will remove any videos that advance false claims about whether political candidates and elected officials are eligible to serve in office. That had been policy before, but wasn’t made explicit.
The company’s announcement comes about nine years after celebrity businessman Donald Trump began to get notice for claiming that Barack Obama, the nation’s first African American president, was not born in the United States.
Trump repeatedly voiced citizenship doubts even after Obama produced his long-form birth certificate. Trump only fully backed off from the idea in the final stages of his 2016 presidential campaign.
YouTube said it will also crack down on any attempts to artificially increase the number of views, likes, and comments on videos. It changed its systems for recommending what videos users watch last year in a push to curb harmful misinformation. Twitter and Pinterest also last week outlined their efforts to reduce election misinformation on their platforms.


shareblue--2020-02-03--Trump lawyer Ken Starr invokes MLK to defend Trump at impeachment trial

Ken Starr told the Senate they should vote to acquit Trump and attempted to use Martin Luther King Jr. to make his point — right as Black History Month kicks off .
From the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump : KEN STARR : We 've been reminded of what our country is all about , and that it stands for one nation , under God .
The nation is about freedom .
And we hear the voice of Martin Luther King , Jr. and his dream-filled speech about freedom echoing the great passages inscribed on America 's temple of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stood behind Dr. King as he spoke on that historic day .
Dr. King is gone , felled by an assassin 's bullet , but his words remain with us .
And during his magnificent life , Dr. King spoke not only about freedom , freedom standing alone , he spoke frequently about freedom and justice .
And in his speeches , he summed up regularly the words of a unitarian abolitionist from the prior century , Theodore Parker , who referred to the moral arc of the universe – the long moral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice .
Freedom and justice .
Freedom whose contours have been shaped over the centuries in the English-speaking world .
By what Justice Benjamin Cardozo called the authentic forms of justice through which the community expresses itself in law .
Authentic .
Authenticity .
And at the foundation of those authentic forms of justice , is fundamental fairness .
It 's playing by the rules .
It 's why we do n't allow deflated footballs or stealing signs from the field .
Rules are rules .
There to be followed .
And so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be asked as you begin your deliberations : Were the rules here faithfully followed ?
If not , if that is your judgement , then with all due respect the prosecutors should not be rewarded .
Just as federal prosecutors are not rewarded .
You did n't follow the rules .
You should have .

From the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump:
KEN STARR: We’ve been reminded of what our country is all about, and that it stands for one nation, under God. The nation is about freedom. And we hear the voice of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream-filled speech about freedom echoing the great passages inscribed on America’s temple of justice, the Lincoln Memorial, which stood behind Dr. King as he spoke on that historic day.
Dr. King is gone, felled by an assassin’s bullet, but his words remain with us. And during his magnificent life, Dr. King spoke not only about freedom, freedom standing alone, he spoke frequently about freedom and justice. And in his speeches, he summed up regularly the words of a unitarian abolitionist from the prior century, Theodore Parker, who referred to the moral arc of the universe – the long moral arc of the universe – points toward justice.
Freedom and justice. Freedom whose contours have been shaped over the centuries in the English-speaking world. By what Justice Benjamin Cardozo called the authentic forms of justice through which the community expresses itself in law.
Authentic. Authenticity. And at the foundation of those authentic forms of justice, is fundamental fairness. It’s playing by the rules. It’s why we don’t allow deflated footballs or stealing signs from the field.
Rules are rules. There to be followed.
And so I submit that a key question to be asked as you begin your deliberations: Were the rules here faithfully followed? If not, if that is your judgement, then with all due respect the prosecutors should not be rewarded. Just as federal prosecutors are not rewarded.
You didn’t follow the rules. You should have.


shareblue--2020-02-03--Trump's $5 million Super Bowl ad comes in dead last in ratings

Donald Trump 's 2020 reelection campaign spent a reported $ 10 million for two 30-second ads during Sunday 's Super Bowl .
According to USA Today 's Ad Meter , his criminal justice reform ad was the least liked spot among viewers of any ad from the game .
Trump 's ad featured Alice Johnson , a woman who was sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense but had her sentence commuted by Trump at the request of Kim Kardashian West .
The ad appears to falsely imply that Johnson 's commutation was part of Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state Rep. Bakari Sellers ( D ) described the ad as `` offensive , '' dubbing it the `` I freed a Negro '' ad .
Viewers apparently agreed ; the Trump spot ranked 62nd out of 62 ads evaluated , with just a 3.33 average rating .
His second spot , focused on the economy , was not included in the rankings .
The highest rated ad of the night , by contrast , came from Jeep during the game 's third quarter .
The ad , `` Groundhog Day , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the film of the same name in 1993 , and scored a 7.01 average rating .
USA Today has tracked public opinion on Super Bowl ads for 32 years .
Panelists vote on each spot and any adult citizen may sign up to participate .
Trump has used his pardon and commutation power sparingly , often helping prominent Republicans including Dinesh D'Souza , Joe Arpaio , and I. Lewis `` Scooter '' Libby .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign spent a reported $10 million for two 30-second ads during Sunday’s Super Bowl. According to USA Today’s Ad Meter, his criminal justice reform ad was the least liked spot among viewers of any ad from the game.
Trump’s ad featured Alice Johnson, a woman who was sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense but had her sentence commuted by Trump at the request of Kim Kardashian West. The ad appears to falsely imply that Johnson’s commutation was part of Trump’s criminal justice reform.
Former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers (D) described the ad as “offensive,” dubbing it the “I freed a Negro” ad.
Viewers apparently agreed; the Trump spot ranked 62nd out of 62 ads evaluated, with just a 3.33 average rating. His second spot, focused on the economy, was not included in the rankings.
The highest rated ad of the night, by contrast, came from Jeep during the game’s third quarter. The ad, “Groundhog Day,” featured actor Bill Murray, who starred in the film of the same name in 1993, and scored a 7.01 average rating.
USA Today has tracked public opinion on Super Bowl ads for 32 years. Panelists vote on each spot and any adult citizen may sign up to participate.
Trump has used his pardon and commutation power sparingly, often helping prominent Republicans including Dinesh D’Souza, Joe Arpaio, and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.