By Mike Huckabee
June 4, 2020
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MORNING EDITION
June 4, 2020
By Mike Huckabee
ROSENSTEIN TESTIMONY IS A GIANT STEP IN INVESTIGATION
Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who signed off on the last renewal of the FISA warrant application to spy on Carter Page, appointed Robert Mueller, determined the “scope” of the special counsel investigation of Trump and his colleagues, and supposedly supervised Mueller and his team, tried hard in testimony Wednesday to distance himself from all that happened in what has been dubbed “Spygate.”
He was smiling broadly at times, perhaps because he thought he was succeeding in his aim. And maybe he was, at least partially. But with his effort to save his own skin, this slippery attorney actually succeeded in showing us that there WAS a coup against the President. Nothing else makes sense.
If we weren’t living in “these uncertain times” --- a phrase I can’t wait to see retired --- Rosenstein’s testimony would be "the" story right now. Even the mainstream media might have to cover it a little. At the moment, it’s easy for them to bury it. But this was just the first of many hearings, and John Durham continues to investigate. Step by step, the revelations continue to prove we were right.
In his long-awaited testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Rosenstein’s strategy was to present himself as someone who trusted his colleagues to give him correct information, so much so that he didn’t bother to read “every word” of the FISA application before signing it, even though in this case his signature was his personal stamp of verification of "every word" to the FISA court.
DUE PROCESS FOR EVERYONE
There’s so much news pouring in around the clock regarding the protests/riots all over the nation that’s impossible for me to recap it all, so I’ll just point you to some of the most important stories.
Leading the news: All four Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd have now been charged with second degree murder. Derek Chavin, the cop who put his knee on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, had his charge upgraded from third- to second-degree murder. He’s also charged with manslaughter, and the other three are charged with aiding and abetting. They face maximum penalties of a $20,000 fine and 50 years in prison.
Here’s a legal analysis by Fox News contributor Judge Andrew Napolitano, who believes there won’t be a trial but a plea deal because it will be impossible to find 12 jurors with no opinion on the case.
Personal commentary: these charges seem very well-deserved, considering the horrific circumstances of Floyd's death. But as urgent as it seemed to hurry and charge due to the riots, it sets a dangerous precedent. In cases with this much public interest, there should be extra care taken to make sure the investigation is thorough and by the book, or else you risk giving the defendants’ grounds to argue for dismissal. I don't expect that to happen here, but I worry that the rush will convince people that mob violence works. This case seems open and shut, but imagine the public outrage if there’s a future, similar case where the evidence is less clear cut, and a rush to charge leads to sloppy investigative work and the case being dismissed.
This is why I take the lonely stand of defending due process, even for people I disagree with politically or whom I think are obviously guilty. Due process may be slow and methodical, but it has to be extended to everyone and followed impartially because it doesn’t just protect the rights of the accused, it protects the integrity of the justice system.
HILARIOUS COLUMN
The bluntly hilarious Kurt Schlichter has a new column on how recent events have shattered illusions as well as store windows.
Many Americans, even pro-gun control liberals, are buying guns because they now realize the government and the police might not be able (or willing) to protect them. It’s also reaffirmed the long-noted illogic of the left's claim that the police are murdering racists, but they’re also the only people who should be trusted to have guns. And it’s shattered the bogus argument that an armed citizenry couldn’t possibly stand up to the might of the government (hotheads with bricks and crowbars are ravaging our cities while the police stand by so powerless that in Minneapolis, they even lost their own police station.)
We’ve also seen that respect for the police requires the police to respect citizens, and the death of George Floyd and the arrests of people for opening their businesses or attending church have undermined mutual respect between the police and public that will have to be painstakingly rebuilt.
Schlichter often manages to be funny while discussing very serious subjects. In this case, the funniest thing of all might be that Democrats really believe they’re cruising for a great election victory because after watching the tragic weakness and incompetence in dealing with rioters by Democrat leaders in blue cities like Minneapolis, L.A. and New York, Americans can’t wait to put them in charge of their families’ safety and security nationwide.
NEWS THAT SHOULD NOT BE OVERSHADOWED
Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order reasserting that religious freedom is “a moral and national security imperative,” and “religious freedom for all people worldwide is a foreign policy priority of the United States, and the United States will respect and vigorously promote this freedom.” This should be nailed to every lamppost in California.
HUCK'S HERO NEWS
Here’s a perfect metaphor for what’s happening in our cities. As radical leftists claim to be helping black people by burning down and looting their businesses, a young black conservative really is helping them by raising money to enable the victims’ businesses to reopen. He aptly asks, “Who are the real racists?”
TAKE A BREAK
Take a break tonight from the grim news, when “Huckabee” writer Laura Ainsworth will be featured on the weekly live stream of “The Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en.” This is a great YouTube series that combines comedy, cocktail and party food recipes, midcentury records and movies, Atomic-era and Tiki fashions and décor, and more vintage-style fun.
In addition to being a great writer of news commentary and topical humor, Laura is an award-winning retro-style jazz/lounge singer with three CDs and a best-of LP to her credit, and she is the featured music artist tonight at 7 p.m. EST. You can find the Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-in on YouTube or on Facebook.
And you can find Laura’s music, including a video of her singing the Mills Brothers classic “Nevertheless” on “Huckabee,” at http://www.lauraainsworth.com
Bible Verse of the Day (KJV)
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
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