Tag: Mick Mulvaney

Bring On the Witnesses

 

McSally Collins GardnerYes, new witnesses will prolong the process by weeks at a minimum, and voting for witnesses under a Cocaine Mitch-Ted Cruz plan is likely necessary to a Trump and Trump-voter-supporting Congress winning this November. On Friday, there will be a series of votes. It is now more likely than not that there will be 51 votes, including Susan Collins (Republican-Maine), Mitt Romney (Snake-Self Serving), Lamar Alexander (Retiring-Chamber of Commerce), and Lisa Murkowski (Scheming-Big Union and Oil).

Senator Collins faithfully represents her state. She is a woman of honor who will take a tough vote when needed. It is she who reportedly first floated the common-sense proposal that the Senate trial should be run on the same rules as for the President Clinton trial. There was a basic sense of turn-about as fair play in this. She prevailed; these are the rules in the current Senate trial.

Senator McConnell is reportedly maneuvering for a single basket of witnesses vote, no chance for troublemakers and RINOS to actually work with the Democrats to inflict maximum damage on the president and the Republican majority in the Senate. This will work if he also insists on the Cruz control: paired 1-for-1 witness approval. You want the ‘Stashe? You have to vote for Biden’s boy. You want Mick Mulvaney? You have to vote for Eric Ciaramella. “Do ya really wanna jump?” [officially sanctioned clip, so “R” rated]

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome a Republican win in an Arizona congressional race, although the margin should have been a lot wider.  They also groan as many conservatives suddenly adore Kanye West because of a few tweets that poke the left as being the thought police.  And they discuss the furor over Budget Director Mick Mulvaney admitting he only met with lobbyists who donated to his campaigns while serving in Congress.  While they can see why this seems distasteful, Jim and Greg wonder how people thought politics worked in the real world and they don’t believe the liberal shock and horror for a second.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America discuss the fight between left and right over who should head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and whether President Trump gets to make that decision and why the Constitution makes this an easy call.  They also shake their heads as House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi offers a pathetic and hypocritical defense of longtime Rep. John Conyers, who reached a settlement to end a sexual harassment allegation and has also been accused by other women.  And they respond to the Twitter proclamation of New York Times columnist Charles Blow that he cannot be friends with anyone who supports President Trump.

The Battle of the CFPB

 

While everyone was sleeping off their turkey hangovers on Friday, high drama was going down in DC. That’s when the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Richard Cordray, stepped down from his position. On his way out the door, he named CFPB Chief of Staff Leandra English as deputy director, intending that she would be acting director.

President Trump, of course, had other ideas. He named White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, a CFPB critic, to be interim director until a replacement is nominated and approved by the Senate.

So who is in charge? Depends who you ask. Democrats say it should be English. The text of the law says that the “deputy director shall be appointed by the director; and serve as acting director in the absence or unavailability of the director.” The Trump administration disagrees. They say the 1998 Federal Vacancies Reform Act gives Trump the power to make temporary appointments to agencies like this.

Jim Geraghty of Natonal Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America sigh as liberal late night comedians demand new gun control legislation while getting their facts wildly wrong.  They also react to reports that President Trump does not appear likely to embrace gun control efforts in the wake of the horrific attack in Las Vegas that killed dozens and wounded hundreds.  And they shake their heads as White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney  – a deficit hawk while in Congress – says he is embracing deficits as part of the emerging tax reform legislation.