Legal initiative to oust Trump?

By all legal means, remove the entire Trump regime from governing the United States of America.

Is there a central legal initiative to oust Donald Trump? Donald Trump is a bully and a nationalist that sounds a whole lot like Adolph Hitler. Who and what can confront him and bring him down with the power of law before too much damage is done? He and some Republicans are about the course to undermine laws and regulations that erode Constitutional rights and freedoms. That is the premise of the charge.

While some scholars and organizations will act against individual instances and abuses, needed is a broader and far-reaching organized initiative to remove the entire Trump regime from power on the charge that they are unAmerican and anti-Constitutionalists.

In today's news, Donald Trump and his press secretary propagate lies about the size of his inauguration audience. Trump lies all of the time. A lying President is a propagandist and cannot be trusted, ever. Can he be impeached for that?

"A professor at the University of Utah said there’s a strong case to impeach Donald Trump once he’s elected. 

Law professor Christopher Peterson said he found ample evidence to charge the President-elect with fraud and racketeering, both of which are considered felonies within state and federal law, KUTV reported. 

“In the United States, it is illegal for businesses to use false statements to convince consumers to purchase their services,” explained Peterson. “The evidence indicates that Trump University used a systemic pattern of fraudulent representations to trick thousands of families into investing in a program that can be argued was a sham. Fraud and racketeering are serious crimes that legally rise to the level of impeachable acts.”
Peterson also said Congress can push for an impeachment in civil cases — the president doesn’t need to be criminally convicted — and that it can consider crimes committed before the candidate was elected to office." 

http://q13fox.com/2016/11/10/university-of-utah-finds-legal-case-to-impeach-donald-trump/

"In response to Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States, Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following statement: 

“For nearly 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been the nation’s premier defender of freedom and justice for all, no matter who is president. Our role is no different today. 

“President-elect Trump, as you assume the nation’s highest office, we urge you to reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises you have made. These include your plan to amass a deportation force to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants; ban the entry of Muslims into our country and aggressively surveil them; punish women for accessing abortion; reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture; and change our nation’s libel laws and restrict freedom of expression. 

“These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers, and millions of card-carrying supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights. 

“One thing is certain: we will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency and when you leave the Oval Office, we will do the same with your successor." 

https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-statement-donald-trumps-election

The world views Trump as a bully nationalist authoritarian the likes of Adolf Hitler.

Read more here:

http://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-observer1702/20170122/282235190367539

Trump and Congress attack public art assets

The Department of Defense could save it.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is under attack. Its annual budget is $298 million. The cost of one Joint Strike Fighter is $130 million. The cost of a new US Aircraft Carrier is $13 billion by comparison. The US military could forfeit some obsolete weapon systems to save the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and they could be featured on the programming as "brought to you by viewers like the Department of Defense?"

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Links between Russian officials and Trump

The FBI and National Security Agency should have vetted all candidates for President well in advance of their being elected. The main purpose of political parties is to vet their branded candidates. In the instance of Donald Trump, he was elusive because he wasn't fully committed to the Republican Party and had disdain for both. There are no standards for vetting Presidential candidates, and that is an enormous omission in the American political system.

Who is Paul Manafort?

Born    Paul John Manafort, Jr.
April 1, 1949 (age 67)
New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater    Georgetown University (BA, JD)
Political party    Republican

Paul Manafort was Chairman of Donald Trump's 2016 United States Presidential campaign. Follow the money and follow the links between "Trump people" and the Russians.

"In March 2016, he joined the presidential campaign of Donald Trump to lead Trump's 'delegate-corralling' efforts. In April 2016, Trump terminated campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and promoted Manafort to the position. Manafort gained control of the daily operations of the campaign as well as an expanded $20 million budget, hiring decisions, advertising, and media strategy." 

"Manafort is best known for his lobbying efforts on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych as well as for dictators such as Ferdinand Marcos and Mobutu Sese Seko and guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi.[3][4][5] He was an adviser to the presidential campaigns of Republicans Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, and was the national chairman of the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, as well as being a senior partner in the firm Davis, Manafort, and Freedman. It was confirmed in The New York Times on the eve of the 2017 Presidential Inauguration that Manafort is under active investigation by the CIA, NSA, FBI, ODNI and FinCEN.[6]" 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Manafort

"American law enforcement and intelligence agencies are examining intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, current and former senior American officials said. 

The continuing counterintelligence investigation means that Mr. Trump will take the oath of office on Friday with his associates under investigation and after the intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian government had worked to help elect him. As president, Mr. Trump will oversee those agencies and have the authority to redirect or stop at least some of these efforts. 

The counterintelligence investigation centers at least in part on the business dealings that some of the president-elect’s past and present advisers have had with Russia. Mr. Manafort has done business in Ukraine and Russia. Some of his contacts there were under surveillance by the National Security Agency for suspected links to Russia’s Federal Security Service, one of the officials said. 

The F.B.I. investigation into Mr. Manafort began last spring, and was an outgrowth of a criminal investigation into his work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine and for the country’s former president, Viktor F. Yanukovych. In August, The Times reported that Mr. Manafort’s name had surfaced in a secret ledger that showed he had been paid millions in undisclosed cash payments. 

The Associated Press has reported that his work for Ukraine included a secret lobbying effort in Washington aimed at influencing American news organizations and government officials. 

Mr. Stone, a longtime friend of Mr. Trump’s, said in a speech in Florida last summer that he had communicated with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that published the hacked Democratic emails. During the speech, Mr. Stone predicted further leaks of documents, a prediction that came true within weeks.
In a brief interview on Thursday, Mr. Stone said he had never visited Russia and had no Russian clients. He said that he had worked in Ukraine for a pro-Western party, but that any assertion that he had ties to Russian intelligence was “nonsense” and “totally false.”" 

https://mediamatters.org/blog/2017/01/19/new-york-times-trump-ally-roger-stone-under-investigation-possible-russia-ties/215068

NBC News

Side by side: Trump and Manafort

Women were assaulted directly by Trump

In the past, women were repeatedly assaulted by Donald Trump. The facts and records show it, including his smutty words and behavior. There are no excuses except people like him. Ignorance and persons lacking civility might condone or ignore his behavior as they voted for him. The majority of Americans did not.

Now, President Trump has staffed his government, mostly with wealthy white men and a few token rich women. That is the pattern which he continues.

Trump has assaulted the law by failing to come clean in abiding by the emolument clause of the US Constitution. He operates with unresolved conflicts with questions about his relationship with Russians lingering too.

His performance in business that includes at least six bankruptcies that harmed suppliers and small businesses are part of the evidence of his ruthlessness and bad judgment.

Trump is a master con man who succeeded in garnering the Electoral Votes to steal the office of President. Even if you acknowledge his political success at winning, Americans should not feel that his bigotry toward women, minorities, Muslims and immigrants is acceptable. It isn't acceptable from him, nor is it acceptable from Republicans and citizens of the United States of America.

It is for equality, liberty, justice, and fairness for all that women take the lead in protesting today. As Trump's actions inflict damage on the middle class and poor, the audience of protesters will include men too.

It would be a great thing for women to seize the moment and grab the power that they hold in their hands and in numbers.

"An Exhaustive List of the Allegations Women Have Made Against Donald Trump By The CutShareTweet 

It was just weeks ago that a tape emerged of Donald Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women. Since then, Trump has been accused of harassment and assault by a number of women, with several coming forward to share their harrowing stories of alleged misconduct by a so-called “megalomaniac” who also happens to be running for president. The Cut has compiled a list of all the new allegations against Trump, as well as past accusations of assault, harassment, and discrimination by women."

http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/10/all-the-women-accusing-trump-of-rape-sexual-assault.html

Donald Trump. Photo: Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images

Trump turned on the spigot

There is no pivot from the campaign rhetoric to governance. Trump intends to do what he has promised. He will spare no one who gets in his way.

“The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country,” said Trump, who has never held public office. “While they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land. 

“That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment, it belongs to you.” 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315406-five-takeaways-from-trumps-inauguration

There is one significant obstruction, and that is the US Constitution and body of law with accompanying the due process. As it is, the Republican-controlled Congress have their hands on the throttle too. A feeble Democratic minority stands in the way, too weak to even save the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts, much less the environment.

The only thing that will awaken Americans to what might be happening is when the outcomes affect them. Keep asking: Where are the jobs with upward mobility? Are we better off now?

Greg Nash Image

Emolument has not been litigated

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin is pursuing the charge of violation of the "Emolument Clause" against Donald Trump for his apparent continued conflicts of interest. The Ethics office is equally concerned, but not so President-elect Trump.

He is a rule-bender from way back.

"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. 

ARTICLE I, SECTION 9, CLAUSE 8." 

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/68/emoluments-clause

Obtaining and presenting evidence of conflicts of interest can start with information that is a matter of public record. However, some information that is on the record has not been made public. That is the information in business records and IRS filings. That would require purposeful investigation by the IRS to vet the soon-to-be incumbent.

Trump has put off coming clean with his records, so now, the legal process will encumber him. One congressman alone can start the process, but it will take an army of lawyers to drive the charges forward to litigation.

The Heritage Foundation

Will the Trump era be truncated?

Will the Trump era be truncated?

The Washington Post, a newspaper of which Donald Trump has threatened to boycott, published this headline today:

"New era begins as Trump set to take oath 

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to undo some of the most significant pieces of President Obama’s legacy — including his signature health-care law. But Trump also enters office with a significant amount of uncertainty, since he has repeatedly contradicted other Republicans — and himself — on major questions about how immigration, taxes, health care and other issues will be handled." 

Courtesy of a WP email

What is the duration of an era? An era lasts as long as there is continuity in an associated characteristic. That is, so long as Trump is in charge, it is his era and regime.

Some pundits have speculated that the odds are against his being in office six months before being impeached. That may be wishful thinking. It all depends.

1. Will civil lawsuits undermine him, such as those for sexual assault and harassment? They can become pesky, and a distraction, but will unlikely lead to his removal.

2. Will investigations by the media and authorities expose Trump's conflicts of interests? On that, there is a higher probability. He may be able to wiggle out of them by taking certain actions. Damage could be done.

3. Will investigations into his associates and former associates who have been found to have ties to the Russians result in a meltdown by them whereby they become state's evidence? Therein lies intrigue, but these people are stout-hearted loyalists with good lawyers. Don't count on a meltdown.

4. Will Donald Trump simply trip over his deficient knowledge about the American political system, laws, and regulations such that he fails to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America?" Therein lies the trap.

Is there hope?