ADVICE FROM FR LEGAL EXPERTS WANTED (re. Van Jones)

September 8, 2009 | Vanity

[Scanian]

OK, FReepers in the legal profession and experience in the federal government:

If Van Jones can be shown to have worked on organizing the Color of Change boycott of Glenn Beck's TV show while employed by the White House, what are the legal ramifications?

Can he be charged with anything? Can he be sued? What about the president?

All comments will be appreciated.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

IANAL, but the problem I see right of the bat is that the "office" of "Green Jobs Czar" is an extra-constitutional, "honorary" position that does not receive a paycheck from the federal government.

The most likely source of his paycheck would be George Soros.

[sbMKE]

The money trail is the interesting part - Van Jones does not show up in White House salary records although he does not appear to be under the umbrella of other offices.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2332525/posts

[RebelTXRose]

As an Obama czar, he had a budget of $1,000,000 with 12 employees (or thereabouts) All the czars have the same budget.

There is a bill frozen in committee to NOT FUND THEM.

[browardchad]

 The money trail is the interesting part - Van Jones does not show up in White House salary records although he does not appear to be under the umbrella of other offices.

Perhaps because the funding came from the stimulus bill, not the WH budget.

 From a Washington Post interview, via RedState:

S. ROMANO: The stimulus bill—earmarked $60 billion. Am I correct in that?

MR. JONES: It’s close to $80 billion for–for–

MS. ROMANO: It’s $80 billion.

You and the Administration have estimated what, 2 to 5 million jobs could be created?

MR. JONES: Well, you know, there are–we have a potential in the total $787 billion–

–that is a part of the energy package, according to the Council for Economic Advisors, to create about 6.8 million job years total, and then, as–as we go forward, the subset of that, which is about that $80 billion, will produce green jobs. So, the total–the total number of jobs for the entire recovery package is 6.8 million job years.

Note the newspeak in the last paragraph. When asked how many jobs the money will create, Van Jones gives a garbled response, not in terms of jobs, but in terms of "job years."  So one million people working 6.8 years could cost 80 billion, or half a million people working 13.6 years...and so on.

[NormsRevenge]

can get him for lying on a questionaire.

[NormsRevenge]

can’t :-}

oops

[E. Pluribus Unum]

There is a bill frozen in committee to NOT FUND THEM.

Hopefully the Van Jones fiasco will put the nails in that coffin.

[Scanian]

So, if he was not being paid, he was merely a guest in the White House and wass not functioning as a government official?

I can’t believe he was working for free. And Jones bragged about having $80 billion to administer.

[Scanian]

No—not when he never filled one out!

I’m interested in knowing whether a government official can attempt to destroy the career of a private citizen with impunity.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I’m interested in knowing whether a government official can attempt to destroy the career of a private citizen with impunity.

No one ever paid for Paula Jones or Kathleen Willey. Well Paula got a little money, but not much. And then there was Monica Lewinsky. Her life was pretty much wrecked, no matter what you thought of her.

[Freddd]

WEll Van Jones through color of change, incited FOX to lose business by sponsors pulling out ....

[rolling_stone]

Hatch Act

http://www.osc.gov/ha_fed.htm

[Scanian]

Thanks!

There was some faint memory of a law like that rattling around in what’s left of my brain but I couldn’t seem to recall what it is called.

Maybe that’s what Beck was referring to when he said people would end up in jail.

[Scanian]

ping

[knews_hound]

Any Govt official that has control of Federal funds, as an approving authority that conspires to defame a private citizen using Govt property would be wide open for a lawsuit.

Any Administrative or Criminal penalties would have to be approved by the AG. Good luck with that.

That being said, after a considerable amount of musing on my part over the last few days I have come to the realization that this might be the entire purpose of the Obama Czr idea.

Simply put, remember when Algore claimed there was “no controlling authority” for his campaign violations (making cash calls from the VP’s office)?

I am wondering if the same thing is at work here, but on purpose this time. Algore was full of horsepucky, of course you cannot make campaign calls from the VP’s office, but this is different. Jones received, as I understand, no salary. AS a result, it may be argued that he was a mere “volunteer” ans as such is exempt from the normal laws regarding activity such as this.

Thoughts?

Cheers,

knewshound

[Scanian]

I have a hard time believing that Jones received no salary. I assumed he got paid out of the “stimulus” funds.

Let’s wait and see what else comes out about what he did, what “accomplishments” he made and how he was compensated.

I’m sure that a major part of having these God-awful czars is empowering them to do very “edgy” things of questionable legality and ethics. That and avoiding senatorial scrutiny.

The whole thing stinks to high heaven. And I didn’t like it any better when Bush was doing it. Accountability is the only way to avoid complete and total corruption.