Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi is being guided through the Senate confirmation process by a lawyer named Chad Mizelle who was previously the 2017-2018 general counsel to Rod Rosenstein in Main Justice.  Within the former position at DOJ Chad Mizelle was the guy who wrote the set of scope memos that authorized the Mueller investigation…. However, I am assured by those watching, it’s no big deal.

I’m reminded of a conversation with Eric Dublier Esq, when he said, essentially, “when analyzing motives of DC lawyers, remind yourself they do the thing they are paid to do.”  The compass heading on a DC lawyer points directly to his/her bank account.  Read this entire outline to truly understand just how accurate Dublier was.

WASHINGTON DC – As Pam Bondi prepares for confirmation as attorney general, she is working with a top lawyer from President-elect Donald Trump’s first term: Chad Mizelle, formerly acting general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security.

[…] Mizelle has been in meetings with Bondi in Florida as she prepares to lead the Justice Department, according to a person with knowledge of the preparations. At the beginning of Trump’s first term, he was counsel to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

[…] Mizelle is general counsel for Affinity Partners, the investment firm helmed by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. And like Bondi, he has Florida roots: Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, his wife, is a Trump-appointed federal judge in Tampa. (read more)

After Mizelle left Main Justice, he eventually landed as acting General Counsel for DHS helping to organize the legal framework to deal with illegal immigration. It’s likely Mizelle is assisting Pam Bondi in preparations for questions about deportation proceedings that will be handled by Tom Homan.

(more…)

Video from the first meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

.

(more…)

As the kids like to say with a wink and a nod, “if you know, you know.”

In the first White House briefing since the Hunter Biden Pardon, White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre worked her way through a tangled mess of justifications for why Joe Biden changed his mind and gave a pardon to his son, Hunter.  However, within the remarks she relied heavily on a name that apparently has leaned-in to the issue of Preemptive Pardons by the outgoing administration.  WATCH (prompted):

It is transparently obvious why Jim Clyburn would be seeking a preemptive pardon from Joe Biden.  Clyburn is singularly the most exposed political figure if anyone starts looking at how the election system ballot operation was used in 2020, 2022 and 2024.  Clyburn knows his risk exposure.

At the end of all the ballot and election fraud, you find one operation above all others.  Watch what happens.

(more…)

I have been waiting for someone to outline what the Dept of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is all about.  Unfortunately, perhaps due to the history of the matter, it appears few understand. So, with that in mind, and accepting the operators of DOGE may not have a fulsome comprehension of the dynamic, here is what it means.

The last Federal Budget that passed through “regular order” was for Fiscal Year 2008, signed by President George W Bush in September of 2007.  Every budget since has been outside regular order; a series of continuing resolutions, omnibus spending packages and short-term funding mechanisms.  {CITATION}

That is correct.  In the past 17 years, all federal spending has been ‘short-term’ or ‘stop-gap’ spending measures, generally known as “Continuing Resolutions,” where the govt (House and Senate) continue to perpetually resolve to fund the government.  The CRs as they are known, punt the spending debate by accepting a baseline of prior spending and tweaking around the edges.

The key takeaway to begin thinking about DOGE is to understand that REGULAR ORDER has not been used since Fiscal Year 2008.

Title III of the Congressional Budget Act outlines a legal timeline that each President and Congress must follow {SEE HERE}.  Prior to 2007, Continuing Resolutions were only used to resolve short term arguments about spending priorities.

♦ BACKGROUND – The President is required by law to submit his budget by the first Monday in February.  Yes, even when an election takes place and a President doesn’t assume office until January 20th, the first Monday in February is still the legal requirement for the new White House budget proposal.

The Presidents’ budget is then submitted to The House of Representatives, where two weeks later the Congressional Budget Office, reviews the budget and issues an opinion as to the cost of the budget.   No later than six weeks after the President submits his budget all House committees send the House Appropriations Committee their spending proposals [April 15].

Through May and June, each budgetary appropriations bill from the House is sent to the Senate.  The Senate receives the House appropriations bills, then reviews through the Senate Appropriations Committee (Thune just picked Susan Collins as Chair).  The Senate proposes their spending priorities based on the House bill because the House has constitutional authority to originate all spending [June 15].  The House and Senate budgets are “reconciled” using parliamentary procedures [June 30] and then sent to the President for signature.

The fiscal year begins October 1st.

That’s the regular order process.

(more…)

First Lady Melania Trump appears on Fox and Friends morning show to discuss her outlook on returning to the White House.

Melania Trump notes this time is very different as they know what to expect this time and the baseline for knowing who, what, when and how is entirely different than the first term.  WATCH: 

.

(more…)

First things first, Tucker Carlson deserves enormous credit for gaining reentry into Russia during a time when Russia has essentially locked down their entry visa process. This was not a simple task, and Tucker’s motives for doing so are accepted without immediate reservation. As the only other American I know who has navigated this dynamic, congratulations Tucker.

There have been no diplomatic channels used by the U.S. government toward Russia for over two years. Literally, all talks between government officials and emissaries have been severed for the past two years. As I have said before, this is a very dangerous dynamic.

That said, this conversation does not take place without the intent of Russia, specifically President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov from wanting this conversation to take place. Without any doubt this is a public message, a direct and intentional communication, intended to reach a U.S. audience much deeper than the average American viewer. Perhaps an audience of one. Again, great job.  WATCH:

Chapters:
0:00 Is the US at War With Russia?
12:56 Russia’s Message to the West Through Hypersonic Weapons
17:47 Is There Conversation Happening Between Russia and the US?

(more…)

Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth paused for an impromptu press gaggle with assembled media following another day of discussions and questions from Senators.  WATCH:

.

(more…)

In the bigger picture, the U.S. Senate has been operating to control the military against the command of the President for multiple years.  The Intelligence Community is in general alignment with the core mission of weakening the Defense Department as part of the larger objective.

We have seen this approach in everything from the castration of General Petraeus to the advancement of wokeism.  The civilian leadership of the Defense Department, in combination with the influence of the U.S. Senate has led to a diminishment of mission priority. We have the outcomes through General Mattis, General H.R. McMaster, Lt Col Alexander Vindman, General James Kelly, all the way to Joint Chief’s Chairman Mark Milley; famously culminating in Milley collaborating with Chinese military leadership to undermine his own Commander-In-Chief, Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump has turned his focus to the “war fighters,” the men and women who carry out the mission objective of the Defense Department. The nomination of Pete Hegseth represents the confrontation of a power struggle that has been decades in coming.

The self-serving Senators are trying to block Hegseth, while maintaining a position of pretending support for President Trump.  The DeceptiCon republicans in the Senate are in full circling mode, looking for a weakness to exploit.

.

According to Hegseth he is firm on the mission priority.  President Trump is in full support and the schemes of the conniving Republican Senators, transparently visible in the efforts of Senator Jodi Ernst, who is circling the phalanx President Trump is creating – while simultaneously inserting herself into the DOGE mission.  Ernst is doing Mitch’s work, under the instructions from Thune and Mitch.  See Ernst with clear eyes.

(more…)

This is interesting.  President Trump has announced that David A. Warrington will now lead the Office of the White House Counsel, as well as “Asst to the President and Counsel to the President.”  It would appear that President Trump is adjusting the legal framework within the office.

Originally, President Trump announced William Joseph McGinley to serve as White House Counsel; however, he has now moved McGinley to be the legal counsel covering DOGE, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.  Warrington will now lead the office of White House Counsel:

[Source]

Coming from the partnership firm of Harmeet Dhillon gives Suspicious Cat, well, suspicions.  The notation is made, and we move along.

Below is the shift as explained by President Trump.

(more…)

Excellent news. Within trade and MAGAnomics Peter Navarro serves as the counterbalance to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the influence visible with David Macintosh (Club for Growth).

President Trump announces the return of Peter Navarro in the role of Senior Advisor for Trade and Manufacturing.

[SOURCE]

Note the word “FAST,” that’s the element Navarro brings to the dynamic.

Where USTR Lighthizer was/is excellent, he was also a little cautious. Current USTR Jamieson Greer was Chief of Staff to former USTR Robert Lighthizer in term #1. Within term #2, speed in delivering the trade outcomes is paramount. We have a Marshal Plan to remove, as well as tariff priorities and the reestablishment of American manufacturing to kickstart fast.

As well as kicking sand in the face of The CoC and CfG, Navarro brings the speed part of the equation to the forefront. Perfect.

As long as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and CfG can be kept away from the critical aspects of Trade negotiations, things will get done “FAST.”

(more…)