The Biden administration has halted a shipment of military supplies to Israel in a blatantly political move to sway voters in critical swing states. Presidents have faced impeachment for far less. Nine Republican has urged impeaching Joe Biden for withholding US aid from Israel, and the president’s biggest Senate friend has gone against him, saying the IDF should ‘finish the job’ in Rafah.

Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, is Biden’s main worldwide surrogate. His public split with Biden’s policy is almost unique. Coons told the Senate floor on Thursday that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night.

You don’t just have right to defend the Israeli people against Hamas, you have the obligation,’ Coons said he told Netanyahu. ‘You have go after them. You have to finish the job. You have to go into Rafah.’

Still, he called on Israel to allow Palestinian civilians a pathway out of Rafah.

The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA) oversees the use of monies appropriated by Congress. It was intended to restore Congress’ sovereignty over the purse and prevent the president from simply substituting their own funding decisions for those of Congress.

While it was originally an obscure law limiting spending, the public may remember it for its brief appearance in President Donald J. Trump’s first impeachment. According to the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry report:

President Trump Impeached for Suspending Aid to Ukraine

President Trump ordered the suspension of $391 million in critical military assistance required by Ukraine, a strategic partner, to confront Russian aggression. Because the aid was appropriated by Congress on a bipartisan basis and signed into law by the president, its expenditure was mandated by law.

The president, acting directly and through his subordinates inside the US administration, withheld military assistance from Ukraine for no valid foreign policy, national security, or anti-corruption reasons.

The president did so despite Congress’s longstanding bipartisan support, unanimous support across federal departments and agencies for providing military assistance to Ukraine, and his obligations under the Impoundment Control Act.

If you replace Ukraine with Israel and Hamas with Russia, the rest of the paragraph will remain same. Except, of course, that Trump denies improperly withholding the help, while President Biden has not.

How awful is it for a president to withhold congressionally authorized military aid to another country? And to do this to a democratic ally fighting an existential war? Why, it is nothing short of a “abuse of power”—as then-Presidential candidate Joe Biden put it in 2020.

Foreign Aid Controlled by Congress

The ICA does allow the president to withhold or delay the delivery of funds in certain circumstances, but it also includes very specific procedures that the administration must follow in order to notify Congress, which still has the authority to approve or disapprove of the President’s decision. None of these procedures were followed here.

What does it say about a president who unilaterally decides not to observe the law, particularly the ICA? It would imply that “we have a president who believes there is no limit to his power.” We have a president who believes he can do whatever he wants without consequences. We have a president who thinks he’s above the law. Or at least it was how then-candidate Biden rationalized the appearance of impropriety in 2020.

Some may argue that, while wrong, this behavior does not constitute the high crimes and misdemeanors that could lead to a president’s impeachment. Nonetheless, as the US Government Accountability Office discovered in January 2020, this type of illegal judgment has very substantial constitutional implications.

“The president cannot substitute his own policy preferences for those that Congress has placed into law through faithful implementation of the law.

In fact, Congress was concerned about exactly these types of withholding when it adopted and later amended the ICA… All federal officials and employees swear an oath to maintain and protect the Constitution and its essential tenants, including the congressional authority of the purse.”

In fact, in its Principles of Federal Appropriations Law, Fourth Edition, Ch. 1 (2016), the GAO referred to the legislative authority of the purse as “the most important single curb in the Constitution on presidential power.”

Numerous lawmakers have already contacted the White House, seeking explanations and accountability. The deadline for responding to at least some of those letters has gone.

So, what should happen to a president who acts like a king? It’s difficult to say in these trying circumstances, but at least some people believe that this “will leave Congress with no choice but to initiate impeachment proceedings.” Or at least, it is what then-candidate Biden believed in 2020, when that was the most popular response.

Experts, such as Colonel John Spencer, head of urban warfare at West Point, believe Israel is fighting a righteous war in the most humanitarian manner conceivable. The shortest way to halt the war, save as many Israeli, Palestinian, and American lives as possible, and preserve the globe safe for democracy is to defeat Hamas. And the president understands this, even if potential voters in Michigan do not.

Making actions that harm our own national security and the security of our allies for personal political benefit is the “definition of corruption.” Or so said then-candidate Joe Biden in 2020, when he wasn’t doing it himself.

Source: NewsWeek

NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani was suspended from WABC Radio on Friday, and his daily show was discontinued for violating a station policy prohibiting him from making unproven 2020 election claims. Giuliani argued that the station’s prohibition is extremely broad and “a clear violation of free speech.”

Giuliani stated that he learned of WABC Radio owner John Catsimatidis’ decision through “a leak” to The New York Times. Catsimatidis revealed his decision by text message to The Associated Press.

Giuliani “left me with no option,” Catsimatidis told the Times, adding that the former New York City mayor had been cautioned twice not to discuss “fallacies of the November 2020 election.”

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WABC Radio Suspends Rudy Giuliani For Flouting Ban On Discussing Discredited 2020 Election Claims

“And I get a text from him last night, and I get a text from him this morning that he refuses not to talk about it,” said the Republican billionaire, who has raised money for Donald Trump.

As Trump’s attorney, Giuliani played an important role in the former president’s efforts to reject the 2020 election results and continue in office.

Giuliani denied receiving advance notice of the prohibition.

“John is now telling reporters that I was informed ahead of time of these restrictions, which is demonstrably untrue,” Giuliani said in a statement. Later Friday, in a social media live broadcast, Giuliani said he has discussed charges of election fraud on his show for years, possibly on every program.

“If there was such a policy, I’d be crazy to keep doing it,” remarked Giuliani. “You think I’m a fool?”

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WABC Radio Suspends Rudy Giuliani For Flouting Ban On Discussing Discredited 2020 Election Claims

According to a letter acquired by the AP from Catsimatidis to Giuliani dated Thursday, Giuliani was barred from discussing the 2020 elections.

The letter stated, “These specific topics include, but are not limited to, the legitimacy of the election results, allegations of fraud effectuated by election workers, and your personal lawsuits relating to these allegations.”

Giuliani’s spokesperson and adviser, Ted Goodman, said Giuliani was unaware of the directive until Thursday.

Giuliani stated in the statement that “WABC’s decision comes at a very suspicious time, just months before the 2024 election, and just as John and WABC continue to face pressure from Dominion Voting Systems and the lawyers for the Biden regime.”

Giuliani was among 18 persons accused by an Arizona grand jury late last month for their roles in a plot to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. At the time, his spokeswoman, Goodman, denounced “the continued weaponization of our justice system.”

Giuliani declared bankruptcy in December, shortly after a jury ordered him to pay $148 million to two former Georgia election workers for lying about their involvement in the 2020 election.

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WABC Radio Suspends Rudy Giuliani For Flouting Ban On Discussing Discredited 2020 Election Claims

Despite the verdict, Giuliani continued to reiterate his stolen election accusations, arguing that he did nothing illegal and stating that he would pursue his claims even if it meant losing all of his money or being imprisoned.

The bankruptcy prompted a diverse coalition of creditors to come forward, including a supermarket employee who was arrested for patting him on the back, two election technology companies about which he spread conspiracy theories, a woman who claims he coerced her into sex, several of his former attorneys, the IRS, and Hunter Biden, who claims Giuliani illegally shared his data.

In early April, a New York bankruptcy judge permitted Giuliani to stay in his Florida condo, declining to rule on a creditors’ plea to force him to sell the Palm Beach house. However, the judge hinted at more “draconian” steps if the former mayor did not comply with requests for information on his spending habits. The next hearing on the matter is planned for Tuesday.

SOURCE – (AP)

Columbia, South Carolina – Donald Trump is well-known for his frequent, and often personal, assaults on top competitors like Joe Biden. He’s recently taken a similar approach to independent presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Among the recent attacks, Trump last week produced a roughly four-minute video online in which he branded Kennedy a “fake,” a “Democrat ‘Plant'” and a “Radical Left Liberal who’s been put in place” to support the Democratic president. Trump denounced the Kennedy family as “a bunch of lunatics.”

“He is not a Republican, so don’t think you’re going to vote for him and feel good,” the former president and likely Republican nominee wrote on Truth Social.

Directing such harsh comments at Kennedy may indicate that Trump and his campaign are concerned about the independent’s attempt in what is expected to be a close November race, in which a third-party candidate siphoning even a small percentage of support may sink one of the main candidates.

Six months after many Americans expressed unhappiness with a rematch between Trump and Biden on Election Day, Kennedy has offered himself as an alternative. Some of Kennedy’s themes, such as staunch support for Israel and condemnation of COVID-19 lockdowns, may appeal to conservative voters rather than Democrats.

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Trump Is Increasingly Directing Personal Attacks Against Independent Rival Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

At this point, polls suggest that considerably more Republicans than Democrats like Kennedy, despite the fact that many Americans are unfamiliar with him. A February Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 53% of Republicans viewed him favorably, compared to 30% of Democrats. In each case, around one-quarter stated they did not know enough about Kennedy to comment.

Kennedy’s campaign claims that he poses a threat to both Trump and Biden, who has received backing from various members of Kennedy’s own family and described the endorsements as “an incredible honor.” The president has mostly forgotten Kennedy, who fought him for the Democratic primary before running as an independent.

Kennedy has also challenged Trump to a debate at the Libertarian Party convention later this month, where both men will speak on separate days. Kennedy thinks Trump’s supporters are “wavering” in their allegiance.

But Kennedy has significant obstacles.

As an independent candidate, his name does not appear on ballots automatically. He has had to work to ensure ballot access in all 50 states, a process Kennedy says will be accomplished by the summer. According to his campaign, he has reached that milestone in five states (California, Delaware, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Utah), with enough signatures collected for eight more. In several states, officials have not validated the data.

Kennedy has stated that his relatively high performance in a few national polls causes him to believe he is competitive, even though horse-race polls are often untrustworthy this long out from an election. This is not a new pattern for third-party candidates in presidential races. During the 2016 campaign, early national polls showed that libertarian Gary Johnson had support in the high single or low double digits; he eventually received just about 3% of the popular vote.

Like a recent comedy gig in a Detroit suburb, supporters of Kennedy’s activities describe themselves as coming from all across the political spectrum, from individuals who normally support third-party presidential campaigns to dissatisfied Democratic and Republican voters. This included people who had previously supported Biden and Trump but are now disillusioned or uninterested in them.

Ben Carter, a White Lake, Michigan registered nurse, stated that he supported Trump in 2016 but “couldn’t do it again,” choosing Biden four years later. This year, Carter said he liked Kennedy’s willingness to tackle difficult issues, considering the independent candidate as eager to express unpleasant beliefs in a more appealing manner than Trump.

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Trump Is Increasingly Directing Personal Attacks Against Independent Rival Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“I simply don’t hear Kennedy going out and lying about things. “Trump, he just stands up in front of the camera and tells blatant lies about things we know are true,” Carter stated. “He has his opinions that you might not agree with, but I haven’t seen him stand up in front of a crowd and lie to people.”

Trump supporters said they are fascinated about Kennedy’s candidacy, even though they remain firmly committed to Trump.

“He’s super interesting,” Kim Hanson, a Hartford, Wisconsin-based financial consultant, remarked on the margins of Trump’s recent event in Waukesha. “I love hearing from him.”

However, Hanson, a Trump supporter, expressed concern that the novelty of voting for Kennedy would distract from Trump’s support.

“I am concerned about people voting for people they think aren’t going to get in, and they aren’t voting for Trump,” she stated.

Kennedy and Trump appear to agree on a few issues.

Kennedy, like Trump, has been a staunch supporter of Israel in its war against Hamas. In April, he stated that the prosecution of rioters who brutally attacked the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, could be politically motivated, aligning himself with the false depiction promoted by Trump and his allies.

Kennedy criticized Trump, claiming that the attack on the Capitol occurred with Trump’s “encouragement” and “in the context of his delusion that the election was stolen from him.” But Kennedy also stated that if president, he would appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Trump loyalists were unfairly targeted for prosecution.

Kennedy has also accused Trump of economic harm to the middle class. Kennedy described pandemic-era lockdowns as “the worst thing he did to this country,” while conceding in the same address that Trump “gets blamed for a lot of things that he didn’t do.”

Kennedy, a longtime Catholic who describes himself as “pro-choice,” has adopted opposing views on abortion, as has Trump. He backed, then abandoned, the concept of a 15-week federal abortion ban but says he disagrees with Trump that the decision should be left to state governments.

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Trump Is Increasingly Directing Personal Attacks Against Independent Rival Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

According to Bernard Tamas, a Valdosta State University professor who studies third-party presidential campaigns, Kennedy’s policy positions, such as his vaccine skepticism and staunch support for Israel in the war with Hamas, are “more likely to appeal to conservative voters,” an apparent threat to Trump at this point.

“It is quite possible that RFK will damage Trump more (than Biden), especially since there is unlikely to be any other moderate independent candidate for the never-Trumpers to vote for,” Tamas stated.

Tamas believes that even single-digit support for Kennedy might influence the general election outcome.“Losing even a small percent of votes to candidates like RFK Jr. could easily flip the election from one major party candidate to the other,” Tamas stated.

Brian Schimming, leader of the Wisconsin Republican Party, believes Kennedy will take support away from Trump and Biden, possibly from Trump earlier in the campaign but more from Biden later in the race. He claimed Republicans are more enthusiastic about the former president than Democrats are about the incumbent.

“But what does an incidental voter, or a voter who says to themselves consciously that they don’t feel strongly enough about either of these candidates, do?” remarked Schimming, a longtime Republican operative in Wisconsin. “In the end, they peel off votes from the weaker candidate because they’re dissatisfied, who in my mind is Biden.”

Desiree Sherdin, a small business owner from Germantown, Wisconsin, said during Trump’s event in her state that Kennedy’s opinions “tend to go left” of her own despite agreeing with his mistrust of vaccines. She said she would continue supporting Trump and expected many others to do the same.

“People who are loyal to Trump are fiercely loyal,” she stated.

SOURCE – (AP)