Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 12-5-17

White House And Political News
President Trump’s Tweet About Russian Probe Alarms Lawmakers
Investigation into Russia being involved in his election to of- fice is getting so close to the President that his tweets are causing ‘peril’ according to congress folks.
Judge To Decide Fate Of Ex-Cop Who Shot Black Man In Back In 2015
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - A U. S. judge on Monday will begin hearing ev- idence on whether a former South Carolina policeman caught on video shooting an unarmed black man in the back should spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime that many say exemplified
racist law enforcement. Michael Slager, a 36-
year-old white man, pleaded guilty in May to a civil rights charge of using excessive force when, as a North Charleston police officer, he killed 50- year-old Walter Scott in 2015.
As a result of his plea agree-
ment, prosecutors dropped two other federal charges and the pending state murder charge against him. A state trial last fall ended with a hung jury.
After Scott had fled a traf- fic stop, Slager fired eight shots at his back on April 4, 2015, hitting him five times.
Senate Passes Historic Overhaul Of Tax Code Bill In Wee Hours Over Weekend
A series of tweets by U. S.
President Donald Trump
about the investigation into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia prompted concerns on Sunday among both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham saying Trump could be wading into “peril” by com- menting on the probe.
On Sunday morning, Trump wrote on Twitter that he never asked former FBI Di- rector James Comey to stop investigating Michael Flynn, the president’s former national security adviser - a statement at odds with an account Comey himself has given.
That tweet followed one on
Saturday in which Trump said: “I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President (Mike Pence) and the FBI.”
Legal experts and some Dem- ocratic lawmakers said if Trump knew Flynn lied to the Federal Bureau of Investi- gation and then pressured Comey not to investigate him, that could bolster a charge of obstruction of justice.
Trump’s attorney, John Dowd, told Reuters in an in- terview on Sunday that he had drafted the Saturday tweet and made “a mistake” when he composed it.
Dowd said the first time the president knew for a fact that Flynn lied to the FBI was when he was charged.
Hours after the pre-dawn passage of a $1.5 trillion tax cut, President Trump sug- gested for the first time Satur- day that he would consider a higher corporate rate than the one Senate Republicans had just endorsed, in remarks that could complicate sensitive ne- gotiations to pass a final bill.
On his way to New York for three fundraisers, Trump told reporters that the corporate tax rate in the GOP plan might end up rising to 22 percent from 20 percent.
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate had fought hard to keep the corporate rate low, with the Senate late Fri- day rejecting a Republican- backed proposal to push it up to 21 percent in exchange for more working-family tax breaks.
The Republican-controlled U. S. Senate, by a vote of 51-49, just before 2 a.m. Saturday, passed a historic overhaul of
A vote of 51-49 passed the Republican pushed Senate Tax Re- form Bill at 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
Sources: Jared Kushner Ordered Contact With Russia
Michael Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to making false state- ments to the FBI concerning Russia. Sources say he was ordered to make contact with Russia by President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
the U. S. tax code, clearing what has long been considered the largest hurdle in an effort that hasn't been completed in more than 31 years.
Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) as the lone Republican voting against it on concerns that it would drive up the federal deficit.
Democrats said that the bill was not released until hours
before passage, with lobbyist- driven handwriting still pres- ent on the final version.
According to reports, the House and Senate intend to take steps as soon as Monday (today) to set up a conference committee to negotiate the sig- nificant differences between the Senate plan and the ver- sion passed by the House last month.
Black Caucas Questions ‘Double
Standard’ In Call For Cong. John Conyers
Resignation And Not Cong. Al Franken’s
On Friday, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI con- cerning his contact with Russia.
In a statement of offense, Flynn reported that he was “di- rected” by a “very senior mem- ber of the Presidential Transition Team” that he should “contact officials from foreign governments, including Russia.”
According to two people fa- miliar with the matter, that “se- nior member” was Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who has already come under fire for not disclos- ing connections and meetings with Russians, according to NBC News.
Flynn has entered into a plea deal, which suggests that he could have information crucial to the continuing investigation into the influence that Russia had over the 2016 election and the role played by the Trump campaign.
Flynn’s testimony could be potentially devastating to those closest to Trump, who have long been under scrutiny for ties to Russia. In particular, Donald Trump, Jr. and Kushner have been blasted for failing to disclose a meeting with a Russ- ian lawyer during the campaign. If it is proven that Kushner di- rected this contact with Russia through Flynn, the Trump camp is in real trouble.
As more lawmakers call for Rep. John Conyers to re- sign, members of the Congres- sional Black Caucus are privately expressing their frus- tration at a different standard for Conyers than another Democratic member of Con- gress accused of sexual mis- conduct: Al Franken.
After House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for Conyers to step down on Thursday, Conyers’ lawyers seemed to suggest that Pelosi and other Democrats calling for Conyers’ resignation were treating the two men differ- ently because of race.
“Nancy Pelosi is going to have to explain what is the dis- cernible difference between Al Franken and John Cony- ers,” Arnold Reed, Cony- ers’ attorney, told reporters.
While other members of the CBC did not attack Pelosi specifically, there have been rumblings within the caucus
Congressmen John Conyers and Al Franken.
about the different treatment given to Conyers versus Franken.
“I think the chorus of peo- ple that are calling for John to resign is noticeably larger than everyone else,” CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond said in an interview.
The Caucus is reportedly hard-pressed to come to an agreement on how to handle the allegations. As accusations
against Conyers continue to mount, the CBC believes he should resign, but they are frustrated by the racial under- tones of the conversation within the Democratic Party.
Although Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) has called for both Conyers and Franken to step down, no Senate De- mocrats have called for Franken’s resignation, fur- ther frustrating the caucus.
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