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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Department of Labor should not appeal ruling against fiduciary rule

March 28, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the Department of Labor not to appeal the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling overturning the fiduciary rule:

“The Department of Labor need only do nothing, and after April 30 the fiduciary rule will be no more. All it has to do is take no for an answer by not appealing the Fifth Circuit’s ruling against the fiduciary regulation. The fiduciary rule threatened average Americans’ ability to employ commission-based brokers to manage their smaller portfolios, cutting off access to affordable investment advice. It favored larger firms over smaller ones, should have never been implemented, and now the Fifth Circuit is giving the financial sector a reprieve. The Department of Labor should accept it—and move on.”

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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CFIUS should investigate UAE-owned Gulftainer taking over the Port of Wilmington

March 28, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to examine UAE-owned Gulftainer’s interest in the Port of Wilmington, Delaware:

“Over the past 15 years, there has been a concerted effort by companies in the United Arab Emirates to purchase and control U.S. ports. On April 6, the UAE’s Gulfcontainer will be taking over operations in the Port of Wilmington, Delaware. Given President Trump’s concern about border and port security, it is incumbent upon CFIUS to whether this sale is in the national security and economic interests of the United States.”

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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Congress ends Obama housing rule in omnibus

March 27, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Congress for defunding the use of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulation to make changes to local zoning in the omnibus spending bill:

“One positive result of the omnibus passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump is that the Department of Housing and Urban Development from spending money to implement the Obama racial and income zoning rule that subverted local zoning authority. The next step is for HUD Secretary Ben Carson to dismantle the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulation knowing that Congress has his back.

“This Congressional defund is largely due to the incredible efforts of U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar who has championed ending Obamazoning for more than three years. While most aspects of the omnibus were disappointing at best, it’s important that we claim victories when they happen.”

Attachments:

“Congress succeeds in gutting Obama HUD racial and income zoning rule in omnibus,” By Robert Romano, March 27, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/03/congress-succeeds-in-gutting-obama-hud-racial-and-income-zoning-rule-in-omnibus/

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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EPA ban on ‘secret’ science makes good regulatory sense

March 27, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt for ending the agency’s use of studies that do not publish underlying data:

“EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is taking the lead in restoring transparent science to our regulatory system. If scientists won’t show their work by publishing their underlying data, then government agencies should not be implementing regulations based on their findings.

“Transparency about the scientific method used to come to conclusions that have major public policy impacts is essential in order for others to evaluate and attempt to replicate the findings. Every grade school child learns that for science to be legitimate, someone doing the exact same process have to come up with the same results. It’s called falsifiability. Data that cannot be examined and potentially falsified simply must not be accepted by the government. Transparency is the key to ending politically driven science.”

Attachments:

“Scott Pruitt is bringing transparency to the EPA; why is the Church of Man-made Climate Change angry about that?” By Printus LeBlanc, March 23, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/03/scott-pruitt-is-bringing-transparency-to-the-epa-why-is-the-church-of-man-made-climate-change-angry-about-that/

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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South Korean concessions proves Trump steel tariffs are already working

March 27, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising the Trump administration for already achieving major concessions from South Korea on the steel and aluminum tariffs:

“Professional naysayers and worry warts claimed doom was upon us when President Trump announced his steel and aluminum tariffs. They were wrong. South Korea’s announcement that they will end dumping steel into the U.S., and double U.S. automobile quotas into their country in exchange for an exemption from the increased steel tariffs is a clear-cut victory for the Trump trade agenda. Not surprising to anyone outside of academia, the obvious outcome of Trump’s steel tariff announcement was that countries would come to America wanting to make a deal, transforming the landscape towards more international trade on a reciprocal basis, evening out the playing field. Hopefully this will result in a reevaluation by those whose knee-jerk reactions always get it wrong.

“The Trump trade agenda is wildly popular across party lines, particularly with blue collar voters. That’s why Trump won in 2016. It is time for Republicans in Congress to catch up with the President on this important economic policy that puts America first.”

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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Disappointed over Trump signature on omnibus

March 23, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement expressing disappointment in President Donald Trump signing the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill:

“Disappointed. The President’s signature on the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill accepts Congress’ verdict that buying military material to be sent around the world is more important than defending our own border. It’s clear that the President understands the bad bargain he was given, and the staff responsible for negotiating it should be fired because they failed.

“Any reasonable observer of D.C. politics over the past decade can now predict that in September, Congress will present the President with a continuing resolution, which continues the exact funding priorities he is bemoaning in the current bill as not being fully met. If the President is to keep his promise never to sign a bill like this again, he must demand full funding of the government on his desk by September 15 to avoid government shutdown drama. Funding the government at levels that Obama would never have dreamed of is not an option and a continuing resolution in September will merely continue the astronomical funding levels. Therefore, the President must insist Congress put 13 individual appropriations bills on his desk with the military funding first so we no longer have the extortion axe of not funding the military over the nation’s head, or else veto it.”

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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A Trump veto of the omnibus will save the Republican Congress from itself

March 23, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement outlining the consequences of not vetoing the omnibus spending bill:

“The President’s decision of whether or not to veto the omnibus spending bill will set the tone for his administration for the remainder of his tenure in office. It is irrefutable that this Congress will not fund the wall that President Trump promised the American people unless he vetoes this bill. It is also clear that Democratic leaders have been busily taking victory laps over the corpses of their fallen, former rivals in the GOP Congress. A Trump veto will save the Republican Congress from themselves and reset the debate. If nothing else, expecting members of Congress to evaluate a 2000-plus page bill in 48 hours that covers every aspect of funding the government is a breach of faith with the American people.

“Now that the President has put the veto squarely in play, the consequences of backing away are enormous. The veto threat proves that the omnibus spending bill failed to meet the President’s key priorities, and now he must follow through or else he will have effectively surrendered the high ground he just staked out, ending any hope of getting a real wall built and any part of his immigration policy being enacted.”

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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