It’s time to free Michael Flynn

May 22, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement responding to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals decision to give Judge Emmet Sullivan 10 days to respond to the former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s writ of mandamus to dismiss his case at the Justice Department’s urging:

“US v Fokker Services was decided by the same DC Circuit Court of Appeals four years ago covering the very same issue that Judge Sullivan is raising in his attempt to allow third party entities to inject themselves into a criminal matter when they disagree with prosecutorial decisions. For point of information:  Sullivan’s position is directly counter to the ruling in Fokker.

“Sullivan will now have to either argue that the Fokker decision is wrong and should be overturned or he will have to argue that the Flynn case is substantially different than Fokker. To make this argument, he will likely need to rely upon a public interest argument based upon the political nature of the criminal case, effectively subjecting anyone in the political spectrum to a politicized trial rather than the traditional trial of their peers. It is important to note that the Court did not invite outside groups to argue for or against Sullivan’s position, effectively taking the position that only those with standing can weigh in: Flynn, DOJ, if they wish and they should, and Sullivan.

“The clear objective of the Sullivan attempt to ignore settled law was to delay the outcome of the Flynn case until after the November election in the hopes that should the President lose, the DOJ decision would be changed by the newly elected President’s Justice Department.  The legal maxim which many believe was coined by mid-19th century British Prime Minister William Gladstone that justice delayed is justice denied definitely applies to the legal abuse of Lt. General Michael Flynn.  After all the lies, obfuscations and cover ups by the FBI and Obama Justice Department holdovers, the only just decision for the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is to rebuff Judge Sullivan and either demand that he sign the dismissal or remove him entirely from the case.  Of course the latter outcome would further delay the inevitable dropping of the case and further aggrieve an American hero who made the mistake of wanting to serve as National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump.

“It is time to free Mike Flynn.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Sen. Kamala Harris introduces China first bill to condemn references to the China virus

May 20, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting a resolution by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to condemn references to the Chinese coronavirus or the Wuhan virus:

“The virus which has shut down much of the world killing hundreds of thousands of people started in Wuhan, China.  China then protected its own people by denying travel from Hubei Province (where Wuhan is) to the rest of their country, while continuing to allow travel from that area to the rest of the world.  China denied and the World Heath Organization repeated the lie that the virus was not transmittable between humans, creating a false sense of security that it could be contained using less aggressive measures.

“Now, China is engaged in a full court press of blame shifting rather than taking an honest look at their decisions which either inadvertently or purposefully spread the deadly China-originated virus around the world.

“And California’s junior Senator Kamala Harris and twenty four of her least astute colleagues have jumped on the China propaganda bandwagon by introducing a virtue signaling resolution condemning references to the China virus as the Wuhan virus.

“When Americans decide who is going to put them first versus China, Senator Kamala Harris has sent up an irrefutable smoke signal that she and many of her fellow Democrats in the Senate are fully incorporated members of the Chinese propaganda machine.  But the good news for Harris is that she is not the California Senator who has done the most damage to the U.S. on China’s behalf.  That distinction belongs to Dianne Feinstein who employed a Chinese spy as her driver for almost two decades, who during that time (2009 -2014) served as Chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“If this makes you as mad as it makes me, please go to www.StopChinaThreat.org and sign the White House petition.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Trump provides regulatory relief to jumpstart economy and get America back to work

May 20, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump for providing regulatory relief to small and large businesses to jumpstart the economic recovery needed after the COVID-19 pandemic:

“President Trump’s decision to provide regulatory relief to jumpstart the economy and get Americans back to work is the exact right step as America begins to reopen.  It is absurd to not provide the presumption of innocence to businesses trying to get back into the game when it comes to simple paperwork violations of regulations, and the President’s decision will allow small business owners, in particular, to focus on what needs to come first, getting back and operational.

“Also, expediting regulatory relief through the rulemaking process is essential to lift excessive burdens from those trying to restore our nation’s economy.  Let’s be clear, one of the primary reasons why the Obama/Biden recovery was hollow can be traced directly to that administration’s love affair with strangling job creators with red tape.  Rather than returning to that red flag mistake, President Trump is wisely allowing honest small business people with the leeway to succeed, while retaining laws which protect worker safety.

“Once again, we see that President Trump gets it, that economic growth doesn’t come from Washington D.C. or Albany, N.Y., but rather by the freedom to risk and succeed endemic in our free enterprise system.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Pelosi’s Zeroes Act is dangerous for America

May 15, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in opposition to the Zeroes Act by House Democrats:

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s latest spending binge should rightfully called the Zeroes Act, as it adds not one, not two, but three more trillion dollars to the national debt in a wayward attempt to permanently change the U.S. economy to her socialist vision.  The media has been awash in reports of employers whose workers have either refused or been upset that their jobs have been restored due to the federal government mistake of paying people more to be unemployed than employed.  Pelosi’s assault on America’s economy not only fails to fix this roadblock to reopening, but extends it in an obvious political ploy to maintain double digit unemployment through the November election.

“But while the Pelosi Zeroes Act is chock full of union pension bailouts and other fiscal absurdities, its real crime is that it borrows another $3 trillion from the Chinese and other financiers who seek to own America.  Pelosi’s bill will push the national debt above the $30 trillion mark at a time when the entire world economy is likely to shrink to just above $60 trillion.  This is not sustainable.

“During the Obama presidency a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called our national debt the number one threat to our national security and many scoffed. Now, any thinking person has to agree with that assessment.   The Pelosi Zeroes Act is not only irresponsible, it is downright dangerous and should be rejected.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Jeff Sessions is an honorable man and will stand up for America in the Senate

May 12, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising former Attorney General and Sen. Jeff Sessions and his candidacy to return to the Alabama Senate seat, after Sessions released an open letter calling it “dishonorable” to criticize President Donald Trump even though Trump fired him as Attorney General:

“Jeff Sessions is an honorable man, a man of conviction who is unafraid to do what is right even when it costs him a great deal.  I know Jeff Sessions and worked with him to defeat the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He is one of the few people in Washington, D.C. who really understands the devastation that China has wrought on our nation through our blind-faith trade deals, and even if he doesn’t know it, President Trump needs him in the Senate.

“Sessions also is a man who understands the threats to our nation posed by the out of control Internet companies which are continuously manipulating public opinion through blocking speech which does not conform to their California values.  And Jeff Sessions is a man who will stand up for America and freedom first, whether the threat is from a globalist billionaire from Kansas or a mad Hungarian, or a Gucci-shoed K Street lobbying team demanding your dollars for their interests.

“I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting with the former Attorney General for lunch on multiple occasions since he left public service.  I encouraged him to consider a run to return to the Senate. I did so because at this time when every American institution is under attack unlike anything seen in history, we need a man with the convictions and backbone to stand for them.  These qualities are in all too short supply in Washington, D.C., and that is why it is my sincere hope that the people of Alabama return Mr. Sessions to Washington as their United States Senator.

“Our nation is in too much trouble to elect an amateur who will be nothing more than a mouthpiece for the status quo elites who are funding his campaign.  We need someone with proven spine.  We need Jeff Sessions.”

To view online: https://getliberty.org/2020/05/jeff-sessions-is-an-honorable-man-and-will-stand-up-for-america-in-the-senate/

Attachments:

Jeff Sessions open letter at https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/sessions-letter-dishonorable-to-criticize-trump-despite-firing-explains-recusal :

I was the first to endorse President Trump, even when many thought I was nuts to do so. I helped Trump win and traveled the country with him, embedded in his campaign. I am one of the architects of his agenda, and I was pushing his agenda even before he ran for office.

I have remained faithful to the President and his agenda. I have always stood up for him, and I never backed down, not even for one moment. My convictions are immovable, built on rock, not sand.

As the world knows, the President disagreed with me on recusal, but I did what the law required me to do. I was a central figure in the campaign and was also a subject of and witness in the investigation and could obviously not legally be involved in investigating myself. If I had ignored and broken the law, the Democrats would have used that to severely damage the President.

Some have asked, why take the job as Attorney General if I knew I would have to recuse myself from the investigation? I knew no such thing. I wasn’t informed of Comey’s secret investigation until after I became Attorney General, and the investigation wasn’t publicly confirmed by the FBI until weeks after my recusal.

Knowing of the President’s disagreement with my decision, I tendered my resignation in writing the morning after Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel. But President Trump chose not to accept it, and he asked me to continue to serve as his Attorney General and to help him “Make America Great Again.”

The investigation was a disruptive and prolonged fiasco for America and especially for President Trump, and a massive waste of money chasing the deep- state myth of Russian collusion. Recently disclosed documents also reveal the extent of former FBI Director James Comey’s underhanded efforts to undermine our President.

One thing you may not know is that I advised from the beginning of the administration that Comey should be removed and the FBI given a fresh start. I concluded that Comey was driven by ego, lacked self-discipline, and lacked the judgement necessary to lead an agency as critical as the FBI, as was evidenced by the completely improper way he declined to prosecute Hillary Clinton.

The end result of the Mueller investigation is that the President (and I) were fully exonerated, so much so that the subsequent Ukraine impeachment witch hunt did not even mention the phony Russian collusion idea.

My principles, like my faith, are immovable and non-negotiable. I believe it is always right to do the right thing. My opponent, Tommy Tuberville, calls that weakness, which reveals his true lack of integrity.

True strength and courage are found in the determination to do the right thing, even when you know the consequences may be painful. You can always count on me to do my best to do the right thing, for you, for the state of Alabama, and for the United States of America. I will never go wobbly on you.

I believe President Trump is a great President who is steadily making progress for America, despite relentless opposition. My support for his agenda is not about me, or even about him. It’s about doing the right thing for the country I so love. I have given my entire life to the support of our conservative ideals and to stopping the radical left from their attempts to redefine, and thereby destroy, America. I always have, I always will.

I endorsed President Trump because he had the incredible strength of will and the guts to stand up for the right things, for ending illegal immigration, for protecting American workers, and for stopping endless wars. I’m glad I did.

After the President dismissed me as Attorney General, I did not say a cross word about him, as I thought that would be dishonorable.

The great people of Alabama support the President enthusiastically, and we also make our own decisions on who to send to the US Senate.

This just means we are strong, and no one tells us what to do or how to vote. We’re Alabama, it’s just who we are. After all, it’s our vote, not Washington’s.

Mr. Tuberville is an opportunist who isn’t from here. He stopped here for work for a while, and moved on, eventually retiring in Florida. He doesn’t know the first thing about Alabama. He says the President is wrong on China, says we must import foreign workers to take American jobs, and up until a few months ago, he said he favors amnesty for illegal immigrants. If you don’t like his position on an issue, just wait a few weeks and he will change it. His house is built on sand.

Alabamians have long resisted pressure from people in Washington telling them how to vote. In fact, Alabama’s motto is – “We Dare Defend Our Rights.”

The folks in Washington have been wrong about Alabama before, every time. We make our own decisions.

We will vote overwhelmingly to give President Trump a second term, and we will choose who we send to the Senate. The people of Alabama do not have to choose between voting for the President and voting for me, they can do both.

When I return to the Senate, I look forward to helping the President build the wall, protect American workers, and fundamentally reset our relationship with Communist China.

Respectfully,
Jeff Sessions

To view online: https://getliberty.org/2020/05/judges-decision-to-allow-amicus-filings-in-closing-flynn-case-breaks-judicial-system/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Judge’s decision to allow amicus filings in closing Flynn case breaks judicial system

May 12, 2020, Fairfax, Va.–Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting Judge Emmet Sullivan’s decision to consider amicus filings in deciding whether to allow the Michael Flynn case to be dismissed:

“The U.S. District Judge overseeing the Michael Flynn case has just broken the judicial system with his decision to consider arguments presented by nonparties before he acts on the U.S. Justice Department’s motion to dismiss with prejudice the charges against Lt. Gen. Flynn.  Permitting amicus briefs in this context would be tantamount to allowing any U.S. citizen to contest in federal court the decision of the Obama Justice Department to not prosecute Hillary Clinton for her proven mishandling of classified materials.

“The Attorney General of the United States should contest this decision to the Supreme Court if necessary. Sullivan’s decision would turn our federal court system into a battle of busybodies with little concern for justice for the accused, and it is antithetical to the most basic legal principles of our nation.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Updated May 13 at 7:55 a.m. EST.

No more emergency COVID spending

May 11, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to reject emergency COVI9-19 spending:

“The solution to the economic devastation created by the government-mandate reaction to the Chinese-originated virus is to open up the economy, not additional trillions of borrowed dollars. Already, with all the spending to help prop up the economy during the shutdown, the national debt has jumped to more than $25 trillion while our economy is projected by Goldman-Sachs to shrink by 24 percent to around $16 Trillion.

“This means that the virus response has not only destroyed a quarter of our economy, but has pushed our national debt to GDP from 107 percent a few months ago to 160 percent with at least another trillion in debt projected in the next five months.  The lasting devastation of the health care emergency economic shutdown is not just registered in the tens of millions who find themselves suddenly unemployed, but also in our nation’s long-term dependency upon those who can afford to buy trillions upon trillions of new debt created on top of our already dire fiscal situation.

“To put what will likely be a $27 trillion national debt if additional ‘help’ comes from Washington into perspective, the entire world’s economy was $86 trillion before the world’s economy shut down.  If the entire world is similarly impacted as the U.S., the entire wealth of the world will drop to under $65 trillion.  It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that U.S. debt nudging up to 40 percent of the entire wealth in the world puts our viability as a country at risk.

“While DC politicians in an election year are always willing to hand out dollars like candy, for once, they have to say no.  It is rumored that another spending bill totaling $3 trillion more is under consideration. Rather than throwing more gasoline on the debt fire, Congress should begin cutting back on some of the excess spending they have already authorized, including ending the excess payments of unemployment insurance benefits that make being unemployed more profitable than going to work for about half of all newly unemployed.

“America does not need more debt-fueled spending to recover, we need the economy re-opened, that is the only prescription which will heal our nation.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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This is what shooting your economy in the head looks like

May 8, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the latest jobs numbers:

“Almost 8.1 million people have left the workforce since February, another 17.3 million people have become unemployed in the same time period, totaling 25.4 million who had jobs but no longer do. This is what it looks like when you shoot your economy in the head over a public health issue, and this is why reopening America is job one for our political leaders. Additional bailouts for states, local governments, business and others do not replace the jobs that a free market economy creates. Further delays in reopening state and local economies will only make the economic disaster worse. And more intractable. America can no longer allow this China originated virus to destroy our economic and societal future. It’s time to get back to work and stop pretending that massive government bailouts can solve the problem.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Truth and justice served as case against Michael Flynn dismissed

May 7, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising the Justice Department’s decision to dismiss all charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn:

“The Obama Department of Justice and the FBI holdovers illegally targeted Trump National Security Advisor, Lt. General Mike Flynn, in a successful attempt to remove him from that critical position, and today, finally, justice has been partially served through the dropping of charges against Flynn.

“It is criminal that politically motivated federal intelligence and law enforcement officials abused their authority so completely, with utter disregard for the truth or justice itself.  In America, Lady Justice is supposed to be blind-folded, but in Flynn’s case not only was her blind-fold off, but her sword was held against the Generals throat.  Those responsible for directing and operating this attack on the basic premises of liberty should not only be fired, but the Department of Justice should pursue criminal charges against them.  Doctoring of forms, failure to adhere to laws ensuring the accused basic protections and years of stonewalling with the goal of running the defendant out of money cannot be tolerated.

“What’s more the revelations that the FISA Court system failed completely in providing the protections against spying on Gen. Flynn and others well after the FBI knew they were innocent renews the need to make lying to that Court a criminal offense punishable by no less than 10 years in federal prison. Every person in the FBI and DOJ who signed off on, altered the records of, or failed to object to, the set up and false prosecution of Mike Flynn should face the threat of prosecution with the loss of their jobs, pensions and law licenses at the very least.  Those on the Mueller investigation team who KNEW that Flynn was innocent from the outset should also face the same kind of scrutiny and punishment for continuing this on-going lie.

“As for Flynn’s attorney, Sidney Powell, she has distinguished herself as a fearless, tough fighter for true justice against overwhelming odds.  If not for her tenacity in defense of justice, Flynn’s complete exoneration would never have occurred and those who sought to undermine the truth of the plot to take down Flynn would never have been exposed.  Ms. Powell is a shining beacon of what an attorney should be in her pursuit for truth and justice, and America owes her a gigantic thank you for fighting unbowed against a recalcitrant, dirty Justice Department team determined to keep their malfeasance under wraps.

“It is my sincere hope that President Trump will bring General Flynn’s expertise in foreign matters back into the White House so that our nation can once again benefit from his unique skills and abilities.  Those in the intelligence cabal who ran a three year long operation to take down President Trump from today forward should understand that they will not prevail, and hopefully, they will face the consequences of putting our great nation through a dark attempt to overturn the presidency of the duly elected President of the United States.  However, the ultimate withdrawal of the charges against General Flynn do not bring the scales of justice back into balance, but instead allow for that balance to be restored when those responsible for this egregious prosecution are held to account.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Trump right to move to block federal pension system investments into China

May 1, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump for moving to block federal pension system investment in China:

“News that President Trump will be doing everything in his power to prevent U.S. federal employee pension funds from being invested in Chinese companies, many of which are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, is a big step in the right direction in reassessing our nation’s relationship with the Chinese regime.

“Many on Wall Street have been pushing hard for the integration of the U.S. and Chinese financial investment systems, but the simple fact is that Chinese Communist Party owned and controlled countries are neither transparent nor safe investments.  Under the law, pension investing requires a higher level of security to ensure that investments are suitable for retirement funds, and China controls their markets and companies within them.  This potential for state sanctioned manipulation makes investments in Chinese markets too risky for any pension fund.

“What’s more, the Chinese government’s choice to hide and lie about the human to human transmission of the coronavirus from the world directly led to the uncontrollable spread of the virus resulting in the death of more than quarter million worldwide demonstrates that they cannot be trusted with either public or private pension funds.

“Americans for Limited Government has just sponsored a WhiteHouse.gov petition  assuring President Trump that the American people will have his back as he moves forward with actions requiring accountability from China.  Specific actions recommended in the petition are: pushing an investigation into the facts behind the development, release and actions of the Chinese government that failed to contain the Coronavirus; ending U.S. dependency on China for pharmaceutical and medical devices and stopping China’s corrupting influence at U.S. universities.

“President Trump is wisely moving to protect federal employees pensions from being invested in fiduciarily unsound foreign investments, now he needs to take the next steps to make our medical supply lines secure and end Chinese academic influence.  The Chinese Communist Party has made it clear that they do not view America as a partner, but rather as an adversary.  President Trump needs to hear from Americans that they support his standing up to the Chinese Communists. Please let him know by signing the WhiteHouse.gov petition.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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