No Spin News Summary– September 24, 2018
Women’s March, Other Left-Wing Groups Likely Violated IRS Rules
Left-wing nonprofit groups that orchestrated disruptions during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings likely violated IRS rules, which can result in their loss of tax-exempt status, according to an investigation by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
These activist organizations, which include Women’s March, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD Action) and Housing Works, provided cash for the post-and-forfeits to protesters who didn’t show up with their own money before they faced arrest for their conduct. Post-and-forfeit payments are small cash sums paid to resolve low-level misdemeanor crimes and avoid jail time.
More than 200 activists connected with #CancelKavanaugh, a movement organized by three groups, were arrested for disrupting Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings in early September, and the organizers said they plan to continue its near-constant disruptions of future Senate confirmation proceedings.
Women’s March, Center for Popular Democracy Action (CPD Action) both 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations and Housing Works, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, took ownership of the disruptions between Sept. 4 and Sept. 7.
Organizing such conduct isn’t allowed under IRS rules and is “incompatible with charity and social welfare,” according to IRS rules. Ruling 75-384 “holds that an organization … that planned and sponsored protest demonstrations at which members were urged to commit acts of civil disobedience did not qualify for IRC 501(c)(3) or (4) exemption,” the IRS states in a document detailing activities that would bar organizations from tax exemption. IRS rulings are clear that nonprofit activities must be consistent with the law, conservative campaign finance lawyer Elliot Berke told TheDCNF.
“If these groups were actually financing illegality, their tax-exempt status most certainly could be in jeopardy,” Berke said.
Rod Rosenstein to Meet with Trump on Thursday:
Deputy AG Rosenstein travelled to the White House Monday afternoon for a previously scheduled meeting, however, media outlets were speculating that Rosenstein was going to get fired.
“At the request of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he and President Trump had an extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement, Bloomberg News reports. “Because the President is at the United Nations General Assembly and has a full schedule with leaders from around the world, they will meet on Thursday when the President returns to Washington, D.C.”
Rosenstein oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia election meddling and has been the probe's chief public defender.
The possibility of Rosenstein's departure sparks immediate questions about the long-term job security of special counsel Robert Mueller. Noel Francisco, the solicitor general, would take on oversight of Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Justice Department rules state that its No. 3 official, the associate attorney general, would take the post. However, Rachel Brand left that role in February and has yet to be replaced. Thus, solicitor general Francisco would assume command.
Rosenstein talked last year invoking the 25th Amendment and wearing a wire during Trump meetings, the NY Times' Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt reported last week. He denied both allegations.
Rosenstein disputed the NYT story saying, “The New York Times’s story is inaccurate and factually incorrect,” he said in a statement. “I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda. But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment.”
The 25th Amendment, Section 4:
“Whenever the vice president and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the vice president shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as acting president.”
Trump Ditches Plans to Quickly Release Russia Probe Documents
President Trump on Friday, September 21, walked back his order earlier this week to declassify information in the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, saying Justice Department officials and others had persuaded him not to do so for the time being.
President Donald Trump on Friday abandoned plans to quickly declassify and release sensitive documents connected to the FBI's Russia investigation, citing a "perceived negative impact" on the probe and concerns raised by "key allies" about dumping the materials. Trump instead announced that he would defer to a Justice Department watchdog, Inspector General Michael Horowitz, to finish a review of whether anti-Trump bias affected the FBI's handling of its 2016 Russia probe.
Trump was also swayed by foreign allies, including Britain, in deciding to reverse course. It isn’t clear what other governments may have raised concerns to the White House.
Trump’s reversal was preceded by a series of conversations between White House lawyer Emmet Flood and senior law enforcement and intelligence officials chief among them Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, according to people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
On Monday, September 17, the president ordered the Justice Department to declassify significant materials from the Russia investigation. The White House issued a statement Monday saying Trump was ordering the department to immediately declassify portions of the secret court order to monitor former campaign adviser Carter Page, along with all interviews conducted as officials applied for that authority. Trump also instructed the department to publicly release the unredacted text messages of several former high-level Justice Department and FBI officials, including former FBI director James B. Comey and former deputy director Andrew McCabe.
Colin Kaepernick is Nike's $6 Billion Man
As CBS News reported Friday September 21st, Nike’s market value has surged by nearly $6 billion since the company unveiled Colin Kaepernick’s new advertisement for Nike. The run-up includes a nearly 5 percent increase since Nike's Labor Day announcement that Colin Kaepernick would be featured in its campaign. Nike shares have surged 36 percent on the year, making the company the top performer on the Dow's index of 30 blue-chip stocks.
For Nike, the boost eases concern about the decision to link its brand to the controversial Colin Kaepernick. The campaign was immediately controversial, and Nike’s stock initially tumbled more than 3 percent. The company has sold out 61 percent more merchandise since releasing its Colin Kaepernick advertisement, Reuters reported last week. Nike also discounted fewer products in the 10-day period after the ad compared to the 10-day period before its release.
Georgetown professor: ‘Kreepy Kavanaugh,’ ‘GOP doesn’t care about women...F*** them'
A Georgetown University professor, Dr. Carol Christine Fair, went on a profanity-laced Twitter tear to voice her opposition to the Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Dr. Fair’s twitter page has a banner that reads, “DON’T GRAB MY P****.”
In tweets by Dr. Carol Christine Fair she wrote, “F*** the F****ery of the GOP. This demonstrates vividly what a craven, amoral death cult this party has become. And yet dumb a**es are going to vote for this evil freak show. This country has become chum for these sharks.”
“GOP doesn’t care about women. We knew this. F*** them.” She then quoted a tweet from a Politico article that reported Mark Judge would not testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, adding, “His rapey ass needs to be subpoenaed. I hope the Vichy @GOP realizes how completely not normal this looks for non-rapey person to refuse to testify about a rape attempt that was never attempted. #NotF***ingNormal #WhatIsHeHiding.”
Reaction to Dr. Fair:
“Professor Christine Fair should remember that she has Republican students in her classes. Is she accusing them of hating women as well? I think Dr. Fair should be hard pressed to call herself unbiased in the classroom when she’s spewing hate like an immature teenager online,” Amelia Irvine, co-president of Network of Enlightened Women, told Campus Reform.
Mail Time!
• Thank you, Bill for the podcast on Dark Money! (and of course, for all of your work on your show) The very subject had been on my mind as to where one finds the real story about these groups and in discussions with others it is good to be armed with facts. Hopefully the Truth will become evident for the good of the Nation. Curious why Fox News does not present this subject?
• Great podcast but very scary. How can one man, a villain like Soros, have so much power and so much influence? Don't people see he is evil and should be shut down? He reminds me of the main villain in James Bond movies where Bond is given the mission to destroy him. I wish we had a James Bond now to eliminate Soros.
• Bill, why are the republicans being so timid? Letting this woman say how the law is written? I am crazy over this story and their behavior!!
Word of the Day: Pecksniffian
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