In a long run President Trumps first Attorney General Jeff Sessions a former United States Senator from Alabama has proven to be inefficient to say the least.
As I pointed out in several other occasions Sessions although an early supporter of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign has contributed directly or indirectly to several major setbacks for the Trump administration including (but not limited to) the Russia collusion" investigation against the president a mild stance against the corrupt political elite of Washington DC and Hillary Clinton and narrowing the Republican fragile majority in the Senate; see: here and here.
On November 7 2018 Sessions submitted a letter of resignation to Chief of Staff John Kelly at President Trumps request.
Matthew Whitaker the current Acting United States Attorney General and former Chief of Staff to Sessions from September 2017 to November 2018 has encountered criticism from legal scholars and politicians. The legality and constitutionality of his appointment have been questioned for reasons of his selection circumventing Senate confirmation and potential conflicts of interest regarding the Special Counsel Russia collusion" investigation led by Robert Mueller.
Everybody agrees that any president (and particularly the current one given the strong political division of society at present) needs a loyalist and confidant at the Department of Justice to carry on efficiently his agenda.
Heres an idea. Judge Maryanne Barry.
To be more precise Maryanne Trump Barry the older sister of the president.
Before everybody goes ballistic lets remind ourselves what Bible says: Judge not that ye be not judged."
Judge Barrys reputation is stellar. In 1983 she was nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan as a district court judge in Newark New Jersey. In 1999 she was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate for the Third Circuit Court of Appeal. Her reputation on the bench was that of a tough judge with strong command of her courtroom.
In 2004 Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor presented Barry with an award in women excellence. In 2006 Barry testified in support of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
The Democrats cannot object this nomination more than they did it in 1960 when Democratic President-elect John Kennedy appointed Robert Kennedy his younger brother attorney general. Despite the fact that at the time the choice was controversial even for The New York Times who called the candidate inexperienced and unqualified Robert Kennedy performed well during his 1961 to 1964 tenure as Attorney General.
As a lawyer he gained significant experience conducting investigations against organized crime and the Teamsters expressed the administrations commitment to civil rights used the power of federal agencies to influence U.S. Steel not to institute a price increase and expressed strong willingness to support the abolition of the death penalty.
As his brothers confidant and one of the presidents closest White House advisers Robert Kennedy played an important role in the Berlin Crisis of 1961 oversaw the CIAs anti-Castro activities after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and helped develop the strategy during the Cuban Missile Crisis to blockade Cuba instead of initiating a military strike that might have led to nuclear war.
In 1967 The Federal Anti-Nepotism Statute was adopted. However the statute does not impose de plano (absolute) restrictions to hiring relatives and provides exceptions related to pay special circumstances and preference eligibility.
Trump administration is currently facing similar challenges nationally and internationally. Therefore a nomination for the United States Attorney Generals office should be given a serious consideration without prejudices of any kind.
NOTE - A version of the article was published in MEDIUM.
TIBERIU DIANU has published several books and a host of articles in law politics and post-communist societies. He currently lives and works in Washington DC and can be followed on MEDIUM.
*****
In a long run President Trumps first Attorney General Jeff Sessions a former United States Senator from Alabama has proven to be inefficient to say the least.
As I pointed out in several other occasions Sessions although an early supporter of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign has contributed directly or indirectly to several major setbacks for the Trump administration including (but not limited to) the Russia collusion" investigation against the president a mild stance against the corrupt political elite of Washington DC and Hillary Clinton and narrowing the Republican fragile majority in the Senate; see: here and here.
On November 7 2018 Sessions submitted a letter of resignation to Chief of Staff John Kelly at President Trumps request.
Matthew Whitaker the current Acting United States Attorney General and former Chief of Staff to Sessions from September 2017 to November 2018 has encountered criticism from legal scholars and politicians. The legality and constitutionality of his appointment have been questioned for reasons of his selection circumventing Senate confirmation and potential conflicts of interest regarding the Special Counsel Russia collusion" investigation led by Robert Mueller.
Everybody agrees that any president (and particularly the current one given the strong political division of society at present) needs a loyalist and confidant at the Department of Justice to carry on efficiently his agenda.
Heres an idea. Judge Maryanne Barry.
To be more precise Maryanne Trump Barry the older sister of the president.
Before everybody goes ballistic lets remind ourselves what Bible says: Judge not that ye be not judged."
Judge Barrys reputation is stellar. In 1983 she was nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan as a district court judge in Newark New Jersey. In 1999 she was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate for the Third Circuit Court of Appeal. Her reputation on the bench was that of a tough judge with strong command of her courtroom.
In 2004 Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor presented Barry with an award in women excellence. In 2006 Barry testified in support of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
The Democrats cannot object this nomination more than they did it in 1960 when Democratic President-elect John Kennedy appointed Robert Kennedy his younger brother attorney general. Despite the fact that at the time the choice was controversial even for The New York Times who called the candidate inexperienced and unqualified Robert Kennedy performed well during his 1961 to 1964 tenure as Attorney General.
As a lawyer he gained significant experience conducting investigations against organized crime and the Teamsters expressed the administrations commitment to civil rights used the power of federal agencies to influence U.S. Steel not to institute a price increase and expressed strong willingness to support the abolition of the death penalty.
As his brothers confidant and one of the presidents closest White House advisers Robert Kennedy played an important role in the Berlin Crisis of 1961 oversaw the CIAs anti-Castro activities after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and helped develop the strategy during the Cuban Missile Crisis to blockade Cuba instead of initiating a military strike that might have led to nuclear war.
In 1967 The Federal Anti-Nepotism Statute was adopted. However the statute does not impose de plano (absolute) restrictions to hiring relatives and provides exceptions related to pay special circumstances and preference eligibility.
Trump administration is currently facing similar challenges nationally and internationally. Therefore a nomination for the United States Attorney Generals office should be given a serious consideration without prejudices of any kind.
NOTE - A version of the article was published in MEDIUM.
TIBERIU DIANU has published several books and a host of articles in law politics and post-communist societies. He currently lives and works in Washington DC and can be followed on MEDIUM.
*****