Posted on 02/23/2018 3:44:42 PM PST by MarvinStinson
The misnamed Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) poses as a nonpartisan government watchdog, but it’s really functioned as a left wing-funded attack dog against Republicans over the past decade.
This year, CREW has dialed it up going after the Trump Administration. Earlier this year, CREW sued the President under the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution, which prohibits the President from receiving gifts from foreign states.
CREW argued that Trump’s business ties violated this because foreign entities have leased space in Trump Tower in New York.
But federal judge George Daniels—a Bill Clinton appointee—wasn’t buying what CREW was peddling, saying the matter was for Congress, not the courts. “If Congress determines that an infringement has occurred, it is up to Congress to decide whether to challenge or acquiesce to Defendant’s conduct. As such, this case presents a non-justiciable political question,” he ruled.
The judge also ruled that CREW’s claim to have even good cause to bring the suit was too weak. CREW argued that it was “injured” by having to expend resources investigating whether Trump violated the emoluments clause—but the judge brushed this aside, noting that CREW’s “entire reason for being is to investigate.”
Is it amateur hour at CREW? You’d think new CREW face Richard Painter, a former White House lawyer, would have realized the weakness of the lawsuit. Perhaps Painter has been spending too much time supplying a steady stream of Twitter rants about conspiracy theories.
If there’s one good thing to come of this, it’s the realization for CREW’s donors that the watchdog ate their money. Now, let’s hope all of the media who loved reporting about the case covers its dismissal with the same amount of gusto. We won’t be holding our breath.
Too bad the judge didn’t slap some sanctions on the group as well as the lawyers individually.
loser pays will stop this crap
Great news.
We need a lot more of these common sense smack downs of partisan politically driven lawsuits.
(Side note: I read too fast and thought it said CREW face painter. :-) Like a kiddie party.)
I heard they are changing their name to “Socialist Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics Washington”, with a new more appropriate acronym.
YEP!
Agreed. We need loser pay rules.
CREW’s Political Agenda Is Behind A Constitutional “Crisis”
AUGUST 10, 2017
http://crewexposed.com/crews-political-agenda-is-behind-a-constitutional-crisis/?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral
The left-wing lap dogs at CREW are barking up a new tree. CREW filed a federal suit against President Trump in January and has since been joined by the union-backed Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC). A D.C. restaurant named Cork Wine Bar filed suit in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in March. On Friday, the CREW team filed a new brief in order to convince the court not to throw out the case.
Their claim: The new Trump Hotel in Washington and other Trump Organization businesses have attracted more patrons due to the president’s position as leader of the country. They’re saying Trump violated the “Emoluments Clause,” a little-known section of the Constitution that prohibits public office holders from profiting from their title or receiving gifts from foreign governments. Just a few weeks ago, CREW announced it would be releasing visitor logs for Mar-a-Lago. This comes after attempts to obtain records from the White House and Trump Tower have failed. When ROC joined the lawsuit against the president, they began boasting of its actions on Twitter with the hashtag #RocVTrump. (ROC gained notoriety in the past after it was sued by its own employees for, among other things, “exploitative working conditions.”) A closer look at the plaintiffs suggests an agenda driven by politics, not restaurant patrons or genuine ethical concerns.
Cork’s owners, the original plaintiffs, have strong union and left-wing ties. Khalid Pitts was president of the liberal grassroots group USAction and used to work as Director of Strategic Campaigns for the SEIU. His wife and co-owner Diane previously worked for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, a who’s-who group of labor and left-wing advocacy groups. A high-profile investor is also entangled in the lawsuit — D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine is a “limited partner” in Cork’s wine market — which raises ethical questions about conflicts of interest regarding the case filed in D.C.’s Superior Court.
CREW and ROC are both weapons of the left-wing infrastructure–George Soros’ Foundation to Promote Open Society has given CREW at least $740,000 since 2010, and ROC at least $175,000 since 2011. These groups can try to mask their true intentions, but this lawsuit appears to be less about a real constitutional crisis, and more about creating a fake media crisis to harm President Trump.
Not for some groups, but it will reduce it, and in some cases stop individuals and small groups with little money.
The first thing we do is kill all the lawyers.
- William Shakespeare
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