Rosenstein should be fired after ‘inexcusable’ FBI raid on Trump personal attorney

April 9, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement calling for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to be fired after the FBI raided President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen:

“It is inexcusable that Special Counsel Robert Mueller would recommend that President Donald Trump’s attorney-client privilege be violated in one more example of the win-at-any-cost attitude by this rogue prosecutor. It is beyond comprehension how Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would have allowed the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan and the FBI based in Manhattan to become pawns in Mueller’s Constitution-destroying game. Rod Rosenstein should not still have a job by the end of this week. This prosecutorial insanity has to end.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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House members should cosponsor MERIT Act, House should pass

April 9, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging members of the House to cosponsor H.R. 559, the Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation Act of 2017 or the MERIT Act of 2017 offered by U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) and the House to pass it:

“Every House Member should support the MERIT Act, which would expedite the removal of federal employees who have engaged in misconduct or are simply not performing, while limiting appeals to 30 days. Under current law it can take multiple years to remove an employee. A system that was initially designed to stop political manipulation of the civil service has become an unhealthy protection of bad behavior. Many Americans wonder how civil servants at the Justice Department who abused their power still have their jobs. The reason is because of antiquated civil service protections. Congress has already managed to reform this problem at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it’s working, now it needs to be allowed to work for all the other departments and agencies to hold federal employees accountable for their actions. This is a bill whose time has come.”

Attachments:

“Inside the uncivil service,” By Don Todd, July 28, 2014 at http://dailytorch.com/2014/07/inside-uncivil-service/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Long way from Woodstock: Sen. Kamala Harris panders to Antifa wing of Democrat Party with ‘joke’ about killing President Trump

April 6, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today blasted Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) for joking about killing President Donald Trump and members of his administration on the Ellen Degeneres show:

“It is reprehensible that Democrats who are vying for the right to run for the presidency of the United States continue to call for violence against President Donald Trump. Kamala Harris’ latest ‘joke’ on the Ellen Degeneres show is just one more pathetic example of Democrats pandering to the Antifa wing of their party. Apparently, political violence sells among the Democrat base. They are a long way from Woodstock.”

Attachments:

“Dehumanizing Trump and his supporters is dangerous — and is becoming normalized,” By Robert Romano, April 6, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/04/dehumanizing-trump-and-his-supporters-is-dangerous-and-is-becoming-normalized/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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China is a paper tiger on rare earth metals and President Trump should make that clear by tapping abundant U.S.-based rare earth metals

April 6, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to a piece by Jeff Spross at The Week suggesting China could “win” a trade war by “clamp[ing] down on these exports”:

“With the U.S. increasingly vulnerable to Chinese stranglehold on the rare earth marketplace, it is time for President Trump and Interior Secretary Zinke to do whatever is necessary to open up rare earth mining facilities. The U.S. has an abundance of rare earth minerals in the west on federal lands which could be rapidly developed but extraordinary measures would need to be taken to overcome national security threatening regulations.

“Additionally, rare earth metals are being developed in Afghanistan where the United States has poured 17 years of blood and treasure incredibly the Chinese are being allowed to develop those rare earth metals. It might be worthwhile for President Trump to talk to Afghani President Ashraf Ghani about redirecting that development to be exported to the United States.

“In the meantime, America has a great abundance with incredible mineral reserves that have been put under regulatory lock and key, it is time for us to get back in the domestic mining business so that we are no longer fully dependent on foreign powers for the critical materials necessary for a modern economy and military.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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NRCC should repudiate U.S. Rep. Stefanik’s absurd Pruitt statement

April 5, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today called for the National Republican Congressional Committee to repudiate U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for calling for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to step down after President Donald Trump expressed continued confidence in Pruitt:

“It’s almost as if the GOP is trying to lose the House majority in November. After passing a disastrous omnibus bill, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik added to House Republican woes by calling for the firing of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Pruitt’s accomplishments in ending the war on coal are one of the many highlights of the Trump administration and Stefanik’s absurd media pandering is a gut shot to those conservatives still seeking to support the House majority. What’s particularly galling is that Stefanik’s statement comes hard on the heels of the President’s expression of confidence with Pruitt, deliberately reigniting a story that should have been put to rest. NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers has a particularly difficult problem in that Stefanik has been tasked as a candidate recruiter for Republicans in the 2018 midterms.

“If Republicans are serious about consolidating their base in the 2018 general election, Stefanik needs to be repudiated immediately.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Trump praised for Pruitt support

April 5, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump for standing by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt:

“Donald Trump’s choice of Scott Pruitt to head the EPA has turned out to be out to be one of the wisest decisions of his administration. Not only has Trump and Pruitt ended the war on coal, Pruitt has made draining the swamp his top priority from the day he was confirmed and continues to be one of the most important assets for the President in his administration. Today the President voiced his confidence in Pruitt’s leadership at the EPA, once again demonstrating that he values results over fake news and partisan political attacks.”

Attachments:

Trump says he has confidence in Pruitt, The Hill, April 5 at http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/381805-trump-says-he-has-confidence-in-pruitt

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Mueller’s gross prosecutorial misconduct exposes need for dismissal

April 4, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to dismiss to Robert Mueller as Special Counsel for withholding exculpatory evidence from Paul Manafort including the Aug. 2, 2017 order only authorizing the investigation into Manafort a week after his home was raided by Mueller:

“The revelation that once again Special Counsel Robert Mueller failed in his basic constitutional responsibility to turn over all exculpatory evidence to Paul Manafort, including the Aug. 2 memo, is inexcusable and yet another fireable offense. Mueller himself knows the importance of following the law as it relates to evidence, as in the 2008 Ted Stevens case that was eventually dismissed due to prosecutorial misconduct and withholding evidence, he had to testify before Congress about the actions of FBI agents under his control involved in the case.

“Mueller’s failure to follow basic evidentiary principles is dwarfed by the revelation that his legal invasion into Paul Manafort’s home complete with groping Manafort’s wife in bed was not originally authorized by Rosenstein, with the authorization to investigate Manafort only coming a week later in a post hoc legal rationalization of the raid.

“The likelihood that Michael Flynn pled guilty prior to learning that the FBI agents who interviewed him recommended against charges being filed is another example of Mueller’s gross misconduct. There is no place for Mueller’s bullying tactics designed to get guilty pleas from defendants in clear violation of Fifth Amendment due process requirements to have all evidence presented affirmed in Brady v. Maryland in 1963.

“Mueller’s actions are a stain on the American system of jurisprudence. While they may make for good television show script fodder, they are anything but in the best interests of justice being served.

“Once again, it is befuddling how Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein can continue to allow this high-profile destruction of the public confidence in our prosecutorial system to continue. It is time for civil liberties advocates on the left to wake up to the importance of maintaining constitutional rights even for your political opponents. Mueller’s conduct has become grotesque in its abuse of the Bill of Rights and in the least he should be dismissed if not also held legally accountable by those he’s abused.”

Attachments:

“Rosenstein memo to Mueller proves special counsel probe into Manafort far beyond scope of Sessions’ original recusal,” By Robert Romano, April 4, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/04/rosenstein-memo-to-mueller-proves-special-counsel-probe-into-manafort-far-beyond-scope-of-sessions-original-recusal/

“Robert Mueller’s Michael Flynn misconduct may be the key to his dismissal,” By Robert Romano, March 20, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/03/robert-muellers-michael-flynn-misconduct-may-be-the-key-to-his-dismissal/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Special counsels do not have special powers

April 3, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ approach to investigating Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court abuses with the combination of the Office of Inspector General and a dedicated U.S. Attorney:

“At the end of the day, Attorney General Jeff Sessions never needed another special counsel to investigate FISA court abuses when a U.S. attorney could be tasked to look into the matter, in tandem with the Office of Inspector General. There is nothing a special counsel can do that a U.S. attorney cannot do. The difference is accountability and oversight. Whereas a special counsel would operate independently, the U.S. attorney and the Inspector General answer directly to the Attorney General. The other critical point is that the Inspector General and the Sessions-appointed U.S. attorney have been working together for a while as potential criminal activity was uncovered. Appointment of another special counsel would set back any potential investigation by at least three months without any additional value. The fact that this investigation has been ongoing outside of the public eye is proof why Sessions’ course is the right one.

“Our system of justice demands that people be treated as innocent until proven guilty. The current special counsel operates with the presumption that everybody who ever worked for President Trump is guilty until he says they are innocent, and he runs people’s good names through the mud in an attempt to extort guilty pleas. That is not justice, that is an agenda, and it has no place in America’s constitutional legal system.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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President Trump should stand by EPA Administrator Pruitt

April 3, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging President Donald Trump to stand by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt:

“Scott Pruitt’s tenure as Administrator of the EPA is one of the best examples of a successful cabinet level pick by President Donald Trump.  It is normal that those who are attempting to defend the Obama EPA’s radical stranglehold on our economy would subject Pruitt to a constant barrage of complaints to hamper the deregulatory agenda that is ending the war on coal. Reports from the agency that Pruitt has been subjected to a dramatic increase in threats to his and his family’s safety demonstrates the kind of courage and commitment it takes to unwind the radical environmentalist agenda. President Trump has been right in the past when he regularly and openly praised Pruitt for his dedication, hard work and commitment to restoring balance to America’s environmental regulations. Now there are those who are attempting to besmirch Pruitt’s reputation through attacks about his Washington, D.C. living arrangements. Let’s be clear. Pruitt received approval from career civil servants in charge of the EPA ethics office that are now being questioned by partisans with a radical agenda.

“President Trump knows better than anyone what it is like to be falsely attacked by people with an agenda and how the anti-Trump news media will accuse first and look for the facts later. Trump should embrace Pruitt as a man of integrity and empower him to continue doing his outstanding work at the EPA, carrying out the Trump agenda to end the war on energy development and make America competitive again.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Silence of the Lamb on gun rights

March 29, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to the silence of U.S. Rep.-elect Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) in denouncing former Justice John Paul Stevens’ call to repeal the Second Amendment either on his campaign website or Twitter:

“Why hasn’t Conor Lamb denounced John Paul Stevens’ call to repeal the Second Amendment and ban semi-automatic firearms? The silence of the Lamb is deafening. Conor Lamb ran as someone who would protect Second Amendment freedoms. Yet, before he’s even taken office, Lamb is hiding in a foxhole while the Second Amendment is under assault. Being a member of Congress requires courage, not just platitudes designed to trick voters into electing you. If Conor Lamb is truly a different kind of Democrat, now is the time to prove it by strongly and forcefully defending the Second Amendment’s individual right to keep and bear arms.

“Since Lamb’s election, the argument about individual gun rights has taken center stage nationally. It is a shame that the newly elected Democrat Congressman in Pennsylvania has chosen to be missing in action from that debate. Perhaps he is afraid that if his true feelings were known, his next election would effectively be leading a lamb to political slaughter.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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