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Why Has Trump’s New Chief of Staff Not Resigned From Congress but Is Representing the White House in Coronavirus Negotiations?

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U.S. Congressman Mark Meadows was appointed by President Donald Trump to be the latest White House Chief of Staff on March 6, but the Republican representing North Carolina’s 11th District has not officially resigned from Congress. Nevertheless he is representing the White House as Chief of Staff, and even working on vital coronavirus legislation – not in his role representing the people of North Carolina, but in his role representing the White House.

Last week Congressman Meadows posted to Facebook that he was “working at the White House again this week transitioning into the Chief of Staff role – working with Mick Mulvaney and the team here to ensure the switch is as smooth as possible. Things are going well,” he said.

Washington Post congressional reporter Paul Kane tweeted on Tuesday that Meadows was back in Congress, but as the official Chief of Staff, and that Meadows himself admits he still has not resigned as a U.S. Congressman.

The U.S. Constitution is clear:

“No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased [sic] during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.”

The Annenberg Guide to the United States Constitution explains:

“To ensure the separation of powers among the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government, Article I, Section 6, prohibits a senator or representative from holding any other federal office during his or her service in Congress.”

Meadows self-quarantined after he was announced, and his appointment technically is effective April 1, but he has been working inside the White House for well over a week.

He is still using his official verified Twitter account that identifies him as a U.S. Congressman: @RepMarkMeadows, and he is still using his Facebook page that identifies him as a U.S. Congressman.

On March 13 he wrote a lengthy letter to his constituents, saying in part: “While I haven’t officially started the Chief of Staff job yet, we’ve been hitting the ground running in the midst of a few weeks transition. I’ll still formally be a member of Congress until I resign and join the White House full time, which should be sometime over the next couple weeks. I’ll keep you all updated with as much info as we can. NC-11 constituent services will continue both now and after I step away, as we’ll make clear with more info soon. Stay tuned.”

Calls to Meadows’ D.C. and North Carolina offices went unanswered, and did calls to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office. All used recording saying due to COVID-19 they were unable to answer the phone.

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YOU CAN'T DO THAT

‘They Have Something on Him’: Trump Calls for McConnell to Be ‘Impeached’ (Which is Not Possible)

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2 years ago

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November 3, 2022

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Donald Trump, now relegated to a far-right streaming video website as larger right-wing outlets like Fox News distance themselves from him, is now calling for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to be impeached.

A Real America’s Voice host interviewing the former president, who is under several civil and criminal investigations, said, “Democrats are scheming, probably with some of the RINOs, in order to blow the debt ceiling up.”

“RINOs” is a right-wing derogatory term for “Republican in Name Only.”

The host was likely referring to a call to eliminate the debt ceiling, meaning the House and Senate would no longer have to vote to approve a debt limit increase.

“Um, what is your position on that?” the host asked.

READ MORE: Watch: Extremist Republicans Openly Attack Public Schools Teaching Science, Math, History and Social Studies to Kids

“It’s crazy, what’s happening with this debt ceiling,” Trump responded.

“Mitch McConnell keeps allowing them to have it,” the former president said in a manner that appears to exhibit his lack of understanding.

The debt ceiling, or debt limit, as the Treasury Dept. explains, “is the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments.”

Most importantly, it “does not authorize new spending commitments. It simply allows the government to finance existing legal obligations that Congresses and presidents of both parties have made in the past.”

READ MORE: ‘Very Small World’: Bombshell Emails Raise New Questions About Ginni Thomas Contacts With John Eastman – WaPo Reporter

In other words, it’s not an authorization to spend more, it’s an authorization to pay the nation’s existing bills.

“Failing to increase the debt limit would have catastrophic economic consequences,” Treasury adds. “It would cause the government to default on its legal obligations – an unprecedented event in American history. That would precipitate another financial crisis and threaten the jobs and savings of everyday Americans – putting the United States right back in a deep economic hole, just as the country is recovering from the recent recession.”

Trump’s claim that “Mitch McConnell keeps allowing them to have it,” in actuality means that McConnell generally supports not shutting down the federal government by allowing his caucus to vote to increase the debt limit.

“I mean, they ought to impeach Mitch McConnell, if he allows that,” the 45th President said, again displaying his basic ignorance of government.

Senators cannot be impeached.

They can be reprimanded, censured, or even expelled, but not impeached.

Also, Trump signed several debt limit increases into law. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget in January of 2020 reported Trump “signed into law $4.2 trillion of debt over a comparable budget window and $4.7 trillion from 2017 through 2029.”

“Frankly, Mitch McConnell, something has to be, they have something on him,” Trump insisted, not identifying who “they” are, or what they might “have” on him. “How he approves this thing is incredible.”

Watch below or at this link.

 

 

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DeSantis Administration Blows Off Court Ruling – Strips Funding From Schools Defying Unlawful Mask Mandate Ban

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4 years ago

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August 30, 2021

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The administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is going ahead with plans to financially punish schools that defy his ban on mask mandates for students.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran withheld funds from the Alachua and Broward county school districts that are equivalent to the salaries paid to school board members’ salaries.

Both counties had defied DeSantis by implementing mask mandates and refused to back down in the face of the governor’s threats.

However, there is some question of whether the decision to withhold the funding from the schools will hold up in court.

“Corcoran’s announcement Monday came after Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper on Friday ruled that DeSantis’ overstepped his constitutional authority in issuing the executive order,” reports the Tampa Bay Times. “Cooper issued an injunction barring Corcoran, the Department of Education and the State Board of Education from enforcing DeSantis’ order. It was not clear Monday evening whether the announcement about withholding funds from the Alachua and Broward districts conflicts with Cooper’s ruling.”

Despite this, the Florida Department of Education released a statement Monday saying that “the withholding of funds will continue monthly until each school board complies with state law and rule.”

RELATED –
Florida Judge Shreds Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order Banning Mask Mandates: CDC Is ‘Gold Standard’

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Madison Cawthorn Attacks Dr. Fauci: ‘We Want to Prosecute This Guy to the Full Ability of the Law’

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4 years ago

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July 22, 2021

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U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) is attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci, saying House Republicans will “prosecute” the esteemed immunologist and director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as a “pawn of the Chinese Communist Party” and for lying to Congress.

There is no evidence either of those claims are true.

Speaking to former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis, the host of “Just the Truth” on the Real America’s Voice website, Cawthorn falsely claimed Dr. Fauci has “directly lied to Congress,” echoing a claim made by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) on Wednesday. Ellis, who claims to be a “constitutional law attorney,” did not mention to Cawthorn that the House of Representatives does not have the power to criminally prosecute.

“I’ll tell you when we take the majority back in 2022, I’ll make sure consequences are doled out,” Cawthorn promised. “But we want to prosecute this guy to the full ability of the law because I’ll tell you to lie to the American people just to get your name in the news just to see your face on the cover of books just to get fame or fortune, I’ll tell you, Dr. Anthony Fauci does not deserve either fame or fortune.”

On Wednesday Cawthorn told Newsmax, “I think we should indict Jill Biden.”

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