Day: December 4, 2018

Tennessee Democratic Caucus Staffer Resigns After Reported Allegations He Stole Money

Chris Butler

A staffer tasked with handling financial payments for the House Democratic Caucus resigned Monday after Nashville TV station WSMV reported he wrote an unknown number of checks to himself and then cashed them. That man, Derrick Tibbs, worked for State Rep. Karen Camper, D-Memphis, according to the station. “He just called me and said, ‘Representative Camper, I just think it’s best that I resign. And just make restitution because you know I put you in a bad situation,’” Camper told the station Monday. Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, alerted Camper late last week about checks written to Tibbs, WSMV reported. The station went on to say such checks need two signatures — one from a lawmaker, the other from the House Caucus treasurer. Stewart told WSMV he found his signature on checks payable to Tibbs, but he did not sign them. “Stewart estimates Tibbs wrote checks to himself worth at least three thousand dollars,” WSMV reported. “Stewart said once the internal investigation is complete, and if Tibbs is found to have committed a crime, he should be charged. Tibbs did not respond to multiple calls and texts from the News4 I-Team.” As The Tennessee Star reported last month, the Tennessee House…

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Commentary: The George H.W. Bush Obituary You Won’t Read in the New York Times

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by Richard A Viguerie   George H. W. Bush’s relationship with conservatives may be best illustrated by his response to a CBS television interview Howard Phillips and I had with Dan Rather at the 1984 Republican National Convention. We pounded Bush for his lack of commitment to conservative principles and what we saw as his “inside the White House” fifth column against Reaganism. The following evening, Rather interviewed Bush and said in so many words, “Mr. Vice President, last night I had Richard Viguerie and Howard Phillips on the show, and they say you’re not a conservative. Mr. Vice President, are you a conservative?” Bush replied, “Yes, Dan, I’m a conservative, but I’m not a nut about it.” I’m proud to say that I was then and am now a “nut” about liberty. It was later shown that what George H. W. Bush was a nut about was growing government, and driving all conservatives out of the White House, the executive branch of the federal government, and the Republican Party. Mr. Bush’s lengthy resume was accumulated largely by being selected for posts by his establishment friends and those with whom he allied himself – he was never an agent of conservative…

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CNN’s Zucker: Running for Political Office is ‘Something I Would Consider’

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CNN president Jeff Zucker made news Monday hinting he would consider running for office in a five-year timeframe. The comments came at the end of an hour-long, wide-ranging interview by former Obama campaign manager David Axelrod on his CNN-hosted podcast, “The Axe Files.” “Look, I still harbor somewhere in my gut that I am interested in politics,” Zucker said. “… it would be something I would consider.” The 53-year-old veteran television executive has gone on the record several times over the years with his interest in political office – going so far as pondering a bid for the New York’s Mayor’s office in 2015 in an interview with AdWeek, FoxNews reported. For the moment, however, those aspirations seem to be on hold as he grapples with the sinking ratings of the former leader in cable television news, CNN. Here is a transcript of the exchange between Zucker and Axelrod, made at 1:06:24 in the podcast: ZUCKER: And with regard with where I’ll be in five years… umm… AXELROD: You had a chance to leave to potentially take over at ESPN – which, you’re a big sports guy. The timing wasn’t right for you, but– ZUCKER: Well to be clear, I…

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Tennessee Star Report: GOP Chair Scott Golden Says Primary Runoff Elections Would Require Passage of State Law

Julie Carr

On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the gentlemen chatted with Scott Golden, the newly re-elected Chairman of the Tennessee Republican party about who the Democrats have in Tennessee for a 2020 run and the current items on the table with the state legislature which Golden mentioned in particular towards the end of the conversation, the ability to make changes to the state constitution in regards to election reform. He made news when he pointed out that the establishment of primary runoff elections would require more than action by the Tennessee Republican Party. At a minimum, the Tennessee General Assembly would have to pass enabling legislation, which the governor would sign into law. Gill: Joining us on our newsmakers line today, the newly re-elected Chairman of the Tennessee Republican party, Scott Golden.  And Scott, I asked you just before we broke, we want to talk about some of the other resolutions that the state executive committee passed over the weekend.  But if you were on the other side, the cupboard’s pretty bare if you’re a Democrat looking…

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US Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge to Trump’s Border Wall

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a challenge by three conservation groups to the authority of President Donald Trump’s administration to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a victory for Trump who has made the wall a centerpiece of his hard-line immigration policies. The justices’ declined to hear the groups’ appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in California rejecting their claims that the administration had pursued border wall projects without complying with applicable environmental laws. The groups are the Center for Biological Diversity, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Defenders of Wildlife. Their lawsuits said construction operations would harm plants, rare wildlife habitats, threatened coastal birds like the snowy plover and California gnatcatcher, and other species such as fairy shrimp and the Quino checkerspot butterfly. Trump has clashed with U.S. lawmakers, particularly Democrats, over his plans for an extensive and costly border wall that he has called necessary to combat illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Congress, controlled by the president’s fellow Republicans, has not yet provided him the amount of money he wants. The president has threatened a government shutdown unless lawmakers provide $5 billion in funding. On Saturday, Trump said congressional leaders sought a two-week…

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Top US Navy Admiral in the Middle East Found Dead in ‘Apparent Suicide’

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by Evie Fordham   A replacement has been named for Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, the top Navy admiral in the Middle East, after he was found dead in his residence in Bahrain Saturday. Vice Adm. Jim Malloy, the deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy, will take Stearney’s place commanding U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 5th Fleet, Stars and Stripes reported Monday. Defense officials called Stearney’s death an “apparent suicide,” CBS News reported. Navy officials declined to comment on those reports, according to Stars and Stripes. “Scott Stearney was a decorated naval warrior. He was a devoted husband and father, and he was a good friend to all of us,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said in a statement Saturday. “The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bahraini Ministry of Interior are cooperating on the investigation, but at this time no foul play is suspected.” There will be a private memorial for Stearney on the Navy’s Bahrain base, officials told Stars and Stripes Monday. The 5th Fleet that Stearney commanded is based in Bahrain. It functions in the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean as well as strategically important…

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Federal Employees Ordered Not to Discuss the ‘Resistance’ on Work Time

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by Tristan Justice   Federal employees received warning on Wednesday not to discuss the “resistance” or the impeachment of President Donald Trump while on the job under new guidance issued by the Office of Special Counsel, the independent agency that enforces the Hatch Act. The guidance, according to The New York Times, informed the federal workforce that engaging in discussions of the impeachment of the sitting president or “resistance” to the Trump administration on work time could constitute as political activity banned under the Hatch Act, a law prohibiting federal employees from participating in such activity in an official capacity or on government time. “Advocating for a candidate to be impeached, and thus potentially disqualified from holding federal office, is clearly directed at the failure of that candidate’s campaign for federal office,” the guidance states. “Similarly, advocating against a candidate’s impeachment is activity directed at maintaining that candidate’s eligibility for federal office and therefore also considered political activity.” The Times reports that the reasoning behind the guidance stems from the fact that Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign is already under way, and that arguments in favor or opposition to Trump’s policies or possible impeachment are political statements that either promote or oppose…

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Grassley Demands Answers from Wray Over Raid of Whistleblower on Clinton Foundation

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by Richard Pollock   Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley wants answers from FBI Director Christopher Wray about a Nov. 19 bureau raid on the home of a recognized whistleblower. The whistleblower, Dennis Cain, who was once employed by an FBI contractor, reportedly turned over documents to the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz regarding the bureau’s failure to investigate potential criminal activity regarding former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation and the Russian company that purchased Uranium One. Horowitz subsequently deemed Cain a whistleblower protected under the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, Cain’s lawyer, Michael Socarras, told TheDCNF. Grassley sent a letter to Wray on Nov. 30 asking pointed questions about the raid on Cain’s private residence in Union Bridge, Maryland. [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-11-30-CEG-to-FBI-FBI-Raid-on-Whistleblower.pdf” title=”2018-11-30 CEG to FBI (FBI Raid on Whistleblower)”] The Iowa Republican sent a separate letter to Horowitz on Nov. 30 seeking Cain’s documents and citing TheDCNF’s reporting. Cain told the special agent leading the raid that he was protected as a whistleblower, but the agent still ordered 15 additional agents to raid Cain’s home, according to Socarras. The agents searched for six hours while Cain, terrified, sat in the living room. Cain meticulously followed government procedures for whistleblowers under the act by handing the classified documents over to…

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Macron Bails on Climate Summit as France Melts Down Over High Gas Taxes

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by Chris White   French President Emmanuel Macron made his way back to France Sunday as protesters turn the streets of Paris upside down over sky-high gas taxes designed to fight global warming. Officials are considering declaring a state of emergency to deal with the unrest. Macron returned from his trip in Argentina to chaos in the streets as so-called “yellow jacket” demonstrators continued protesting against taxes and Macron’s perceived indifference toward everyday citizens. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe canceled plans to attend a climate change summit in Poland. One person died outside Paris during the weekend’s protests, bringing the number of casualties to three. More than 260 people were arrested, including 133 in Paris, according to police reports. More than 412 people were arrested nationwide. Christophe Castaner, France’s interior minister, told reporters Sunday he would not rule out the president’s declaring a state of emergency. Macron has emergency powers that were expanded after terrorist attacks roiled the country in 2015 — it is not yet clear if he will exercised those powers. Saturday and Sunday’s protests drew roughly 136,000 people, slightly down from the 166,000 who gathered in late November, the Interior Ministry said in a press statement. Politicians and police officials believe the situation was…

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UN Climate Summit to Emit More C02 Than 8,200 American Homes Do in a Year

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by Michael Bastasch   This year’s United Nations climate summit will have a carbon footprint equivalent to the yearly electricity usage of more than 8,200 American households, according to the international body’s own figures. The U.N. estimates the summit, called COP24, will emit 55,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide — the very greenhouse gas U.N. officials are trying to keep from accumulating in the atmosphere. Based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) figures, that’s the equivalent of more than 11,700 cars driving for one year or 728 tanker trucks worth of gasoline. That amount of CO2 emissions is also the same as 8,243 American homes for an entire year, according to EPA. However, that’s a low-ball estimate because it only includes the emissions from the conference itself, and not emissions associated with the thousands of people who flew to the meeting in Katowice, Poland. More than a few summit-goers, including celebrities, likely flew private jets. When those emissions are factored in, COP24’s carbon footprint is likely much higher, according to environmental economist Richard Tol. “It is probably unusually high as Katowice would require multiple stops for anyone who’s not from Europe,” Tol told The Daily Caller News Foundation. The high…

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Commentary: A Work Requirement for Food Stamps Isn’t Too Much to Ask

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by Robert Romano   The conference committee for H.R. 2, the farm bill, has stripped out its additional work requirements as a condition for collecting food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The provision would have required able-bodied adults to work a minimum of 20 hours a week starting in 2021 and 25 hours starting in 2026 in order to be eligible for the program, with certain exceptions. For example, if the Secretary of Agriculture determined that the local area unemployment rate was in excess of 10 percent, the work requirements could be waived for that applicant, which would capture communities hit by adverse economic conditions. Other exceptions are already in current law. For example, a stay-at-home mother is already exempt from existing work requirements. Under current law, able-bodied adults not excepted have to seek employment in order to qualify for the food stamps. The reform would have required that they find work. Ironically, 26.3 percent of nondisabled adults in single-person households aged 18-49 in SNAP already work, and 45.6 percent of multi-person households of the same category had an individual who worked in that household, according to data compiled by the Department of Agriculture for FY 2016.…

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Jack Johnson Elected State Senate Majority Leader by GOP Caucus

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – At the State Senate Republican Caucus meeting held Monday afternoon in an eighth floor conference room of the Cordell Hull Building, there was no obvious drama in the selection of its six leaders for the upcoming 111th General Assembly. The elections held off until Governor-Elect Bill Lee, after making his rounds greeting each of the Senators individually, made scheduled opening remarks that lasted about five minutes. He was introduced by Lt. Governor Randy McNally, who said Lee, elected by an overwhelming majority in both the primary and general is a man of faith and a conservative, concluding “I think we’re going to get along just fine.” Lee said it was an honor and humbling to be there with a remarkable group of public servants, many of whom he has built relationships with. Lee was complimentary of the leadership by those in the room, as well as the state House and the Governor, which has made Tennessee a remarkably good place to be by creating and laying a foundation that can be built upon so that all Tennesseans can enjoy a good job, good school for their kids and a safe neighborhood. From there, Senate Speaker Pro Tempore…

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