More Trump Failure On Appointees

This week brings another series of failure and flailing about by the Trump Administration on appointees to major immigration related positions.  As repeated ad naseum, Personnel Is Policy.  Sadly President Trump refuses to learn that lesson and his Svengali, Javanka, continues to bring his administration to ruin.  First, let’s deal with Jessie Kong Liu, Antifa’s Attorney, and eGOP regular.  Liu is the United States Attorney (USA) for the District of Columbia (USAODC), the position once held by Joe DiGenova.  The position of any USA is to lead, direct, and implement the prosecutorial priorities of the President of the United States.  Aside from the Attorney General, USAs are the most important appointees in the Department of Justice (DOJ).   While many, like Andrew McCarthy, think that USAs and Assistant United States Attorneys (USAO) should be apolitical, the truth is just the opposite.  As Aristotle taught, or more accurately observed, mankind is a political animal, politics is what separates us from the beasts, aside from a soul and creation in the likeness of God.  But Aristotle did not say that politics is all that separates us from lower animals.  But politics is what humans do.  Everything said or done has a political impact.

And there is nothing more political than deciding who goes to prison, or gets the death penalty.  And that is the function of a USA, send people to prison or on to their Maker.  And as Aristotle taught, if something fulfills its function, it is virtuous and beautiful.  In the case of politics and prosecution, the function of the USA is to prosecute people for political reasons.  Or not prosecute people for political reasons.  While we might like to think that is not true, just ask Jussie Smollett.  He was not prosecuted for political reasons.  Similarly, Michael Flynn was prosecuted for political reasons, as was Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, the RAM members, and George Papadopoulos.  All prosecutorial decisions are political.  Just as the above are being prosecuted, Eric Clanton, the Berkeley rioters, those who attacked Tucker Carlson’s home, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Michael Steele, Jessie Smollett, Pueblo Sin Fronteras,  Janet Napolitano, Candy Marshall, Mark Zuckerberg, Meng So, Zachary Greenberg, and Jerry Brown.

Where does Liu come in?  Well, she was the USA for the District of Columbus.  Who was not prosecuted in the District of Columbus, or more accurately, who had their charges dropped by Little Miss eGOP?  Antifa thugs who were rioting on inauguration day.

President Trump’s pick to serve as third in command at the Justice Department, overseeing health care and immigration cases, withdrew her name from consideration Thursday evening amid backlash from conservative lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Jessie Liu leads more than 300 prosecutors as the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., the nation’s largest such office. As an Asian-American woman, she would have added a measure of diversity to the Justice Department’s senior ranks — as well as serious prosecution chops. The Justice Department said Liu will remain in her current post and advise Attorney General William Barr as the head of a committee of other top federal prosecutors.

[Nominee For No. 3 At Justice Department Withdraws After Backlash From GOP Senators, by Carrie Johnson, NPR, March 29, 2019]

While your correspondent takes no position on Liu and the abortion issue,  her failure to prosecute rioting by Antifa on inauguration day should have resulted in her firing, not nominated to a promotion.

Similar incoherence by the Trump Administration continues apace.  Now the administration is withdrawing the nomination of Ronald D. Vitiello to be Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  The ICE union opposed Vitiello because of some tweets comparing Democrats to the Klan.  While not a big DR3 person, I don’t find that disqualifying.  Sounds like Boomer conservatism, which is OK, but not the hottest take.

Top officials at the Department of Homeland Security, including Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, were caught off guard by the White House’s sudden move Thursday night to pull the nomination of Ronald Vitiello as head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to two sources who spoke with the Washington Examiner.

Nielsen, who has overseen DHS for 16 months, on Thursday was blindsided and called Vitiello after midnight for more information on what had happened, one source close to Vitiello said.

Vitiello got a call from a White House official Thursday night telling him he would not be traveling with President Trump and Nielsen to Southern California the following day because his nomination had just been rescinded.

[Kirstjen Nielsen Blindsided Over ICE Nominee Ronald Vitiello’s Ouster, by by Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, April 05, 2019]

What is more concerning, rather than Vitiello’s alleged softness on the border which is yet to be shown, all the failure is Lady DACA’s, something I don’t believe, but his failure to fire the Backstabbing 19, the ICE SVU Special Agents-in-Charge who are opening opposing immigration enforcement or ICE ERO leaders who are protecting illegal aliens.

Even more incomprehensible is the attack on L. Francis Cissna.  Of all the Trump nominees to immigration positions, he has been the best.

An empowered Miller is also eyeing the removal of Lee Francis Cissna, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which runs the legal immigration system, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal staffing matters. The White House did not respond to questions Friday about whether Trump was on board with that plan.

[Trump Struggles With A Growing Problem On The Border, by Jill Colvin, AP/PBS, April 6, 2019]

Say it ain’t so Steven Miller!  Fire Lady DACA instead.  At worse, Vitiello is just her creature, Cissna is President Trump’s man.  This is symptomatic of the collapse of the Trump Administration into incoherence.  Is this how it is to end, not in glory, but in abject collapse?

It is clear that President Trump has the right instincts, he rightly said he would close the border, but was thwarted by Lady DACA and Javanka.  We know he can make the right decision, but he is opposed by his enemies in his own administration and sadly Miller appears to be making a mistake and for the wrong reasons.  Will no one free President Trump from these meddlesome hangers on?  Time to bring in Tom Homan and Chris Kobach.