Hannity's Legal Beagles

Cabinet Politics:  UN Ambassador Niki Haley is a tough and assertive woman, and for the record she is not confused.  In an effort to explain away Haley’s assertion that Trump was about to impose more sanctions on Russia after Trump had changed his mind but had forgotten to tell her even though his communications team had sent out to report that sanctions were imminent, economic advisor Larry Kudlow asserted that the problem wasn’t Trump, it was Haley.  From Mar a Lago, where he was busy kowtowing to Trump, Kudlow told reporters that Haley’s “done a great job. She’s a very effective ambassador, but there might have been some momentary confusion about that.”  Haley wasn’t all that happy about Kudlow’s remarks, in fact you could say that she was truly pissed.  She responded by telling the Fox Five that “with all due respect, I don’t get confused.”  Kudlow got the message, he called Haley and apologized.  His gaffe aside, the bigger question is why Trump reneged on the sanctions, and the only answer that anyone can provide is that he didn’t want to further offend Putin.  In other cabinet news, Scott Pruitt is still running the EPA and is still the subject of a lot of negative press for his paranoia and egregious spending habits.  In an editorial titled “Scott Pruitt is Ridiculous” the New York Times Editorial Board called for him to be ousted pointing out that in a cabinet populated by “ideologues and mediocrities” that he is the worst, a self-aggrandizing, thug who has got to go.  They also point out that despite Trump’s assertion that he is doing a great job, Pruitt has accomplished little, a good thing for those of us who think that the EPA should protect the environment but baffling considering his many pronouncements.  Yesterday, former CIA Director, almost Secretary of State Pompeo’s confirmation hit a stumbling block.  Two of the Democratic Senators on the Foreign Relations committee who previously supported his CIA nomination announced that they plan to vote against confirming him for the Secretary of State position.  Virginia’s Senator Kaine is withholding support because of concerns that with hawkish security advisor John Bolton already on board, Pompeo’s confirmation would “exacerbate President Trump’s weaknesses rather than uphold our diplomatic legacy.”   New Hampshire’s Senator Shaheen said she can’t vote for him because of concerns about his positions on gay rights, Muslim Americans and women’s reproductive rights. With Republican Senator Rand Paul, another member of the Foreign Relations Committee, already on record opposing Pompeo, his nomination will be sent to the floor of the Senate without the committee’s support.  To the extent that vulnerable red state Democrats crossover and vote for him, Pompeo could still be confirmed but at this point, his nomination is not a done deal.  Nevertheless he’s been busy, yesterday it was reported that in anticipation of the summit between Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Pompeo secretly visited with Kim over Easter to get the lay of the land and to figure out if the Little Rocket Man is really on board to discuss denuclearization.  At this point the summit is still on so whatever was said must have satisfied Pompeo.  The South Koreans have also been talking with their North Korean counterparts and the two countries are discussing a peace deal, with the aim of officially ending the Korean war, a war that kind of ended but only with a truce, not with an official peace agreement.  To the extent that they reach an agreement, the US and China would also have to sign on.  Lastly, though he’s not an official member of the cabinet, Sean Hannity is one of Trump’s closest advisors.  The two speak several times a week with Trump consulting with him on so many decisions that those within the White House consider Hannity to be Trump’s shadow chief of staff.  On Monday we learned that Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer/fixer considers Hannity to be one of his three clients.  Yesterday it was revealed that Hannity has also been represented by Jay Sekulow, the lawyer currently serving as the head of Trump’s legal team for the Russia investigation.  And as if that isn’t enough, Hannity has also employed the legal services of Victoria Toensing, wife of Joseph diGenova significant because Trump considered officially adding Toensing and diGenova to his legal team but didn’t because of their less than sartorial dress habits and their representation of some former Trumpkins.  Still Trump seeks their advice, some of which he gets by watching them on Fox.  Another one of his TV legal advisors, Alan Dershowitz, who takes Trump’s side on most legal issues told Hannity and just about anyone else who would listen that he believes that Hannity should have disclosed his relationships with Cohen, Toensing and diGenova during one or more of the countless times that they appeared on his show.  Hannity disagrees and apparently so do his bosses at Fox who remain unconcerned about his conflicts.  As to Cohen, its possible that he really never represented Hannity on any legal issues but that he is making that assertion in order to protect their conversations, especially the questionable ones that he may have taped and that may have been swept up by the FBI during their raid of his office and homes.     

Election Update:  Although Democrats are hoping that a massive blue wave will help them take over both the House and the Senate during the upcoming midterm elections, taking over the Senate will be hard considering how many red state Democrats are up for reelection.  Two of those most vulnerable red state senators are getting a little help from messy Republican situations in their states.  Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill who won her last election in part because of her opponent’s absurd views on rape, is facing a tough election, probably against John Hawley who is leading in the Missouri Republican primary.  However, Missouri politics are once again mired in a sex controversy related to their Republican Governor Eric Greitens who is credibly accused of coercing his hairdresser into nonconsensual sex acts and taking nude photos of her as blackmail.  Although none of this involves Hawley, McCaskill may benefit from Greitens refusal to step down and the taint that his scandal is leaving on the Republican party.  West Virginia’s Senator Joe Manchin is also up for reelection and he also may be the beneficiary of some Republican disarray.  Three Republicans are competing for the right to run against him, one of them, Don Blankenship, is a convicted felon and coal baron who was jailed for violating mine safety regulations.  Republican leadership fears that Blankenship will win the three way primary, creating a Roy Moore like situation that makes it easier for Senator Manchin to hold his seat.  Regardless of what happens in the Senate, the environment in the house is looking more and more friendly for Democrats. An upcoming special election in Arizona’s 8^th District provides another indication of just how much the tide has turned in their favor.   A recent poll by Emerson College shows Democrat Hiral Tipirneni leading Republican state senator Debbie Lesko by a 46-45 margin, earlier polls had shown Lesko winning by double digits.  Although a Tipirneni victory would be a push, just the fact that she’s made the election competitive in a district that Trump won by 21 points is remarkable and a bad sign for Republicans.  The election takes place on April 24.

Health Updates:  Senator John McCain’s return to the Senate is unlikely to happen anytime soon, if at all.  He underwent intestinal surgery this week and though he is reported to be in stable condition, he’s clearly having a hard time of it, so much so that the Arizona governor is pushing legislation that would  delay a special election for his replacement, to the extent that one was needed, beyond November so that Arizona wouldn’t have two Senators up for election at the same time.  Though everyone focuses on the health of the older members of the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor had another hopefully minor health scare this week, she broke her shoulder during a fall at her house.  In January, Sotomayor who has diabetes was treated at her home by paramedics after suffering from a low blood sugar episode.  On the Supreme Court front, Trump was probably a bit surprised and not all that happy when his prize appointment joined with the court’s liberals, striking down a law calling for the deportation of legal immigrants committing certain serious crimes. He doesn’t mind felons being deported but he feels that the law was too vague and that it requires legislative clarity.  Its thought that his mentor the late Justice Scalia would have agreed with that assessment.  And former First Lady and presidential mom, Barbara Bush passed away yesterday at 92, just a day after her family announced that she didn’t want anything more than comfort care.