U.S. Leadership SABOTAGE DAY 54

Some Criminalize, Others Get away with Crimes

Criminalizing Others

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tate of the Union Speech 2019

President Donald Trump said, “Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens.” 

“In the last two years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings or murders.”

… [W]orking-class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration: reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools, hospitals that are so crowded you can’t get in, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net.  Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate; it is actually very cruel.”

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loppy and Slandering: Fact Check Checks President Trump’s Pattern of Criminalizing migrants (2018)

In making his case, the president cites no studies that attempt to show “whether illegal immigration is associated with more crime”: rather he provides “statistics on the number of crimes committed by all non-citizens, whether they are in the country illegally or legally.”

One set of his numbers on homicides, robberies, sex offenses and kidnappings nationwide is “based on FBI arrest histories of all immigrants incarcerated in local jails and state and federal prisons” (reported in a 2011 Government Accountability Office report), a report that excludes comparisons of “crime rates of immigrants in the country illegally” with crime rates of “native-born residents.”

Trump’s “Texas numbers … come from the state Department of Public Safety,” numbers he has “inaccurately cited” more than once. These figures are also “for arrests for all non-citizens, even though the state does give some figures for arrests of those identified as being in the country illegally” (italics added).

Fact Check notes the state agency’s acknowledgment “that its figures ‘do not attempt to allege that foreign nationals in the country illegally commit more crimes than other groups.’”

More generally, Fact Check concludes, solid studies on groupings of crimes among varieties of migrants and immigrants and non-immigrants do not exist. There “aren’t readily available nationwide crime statistics broken down by immigration status.”

But the available research that estimates the relationship between illegal immigration and crime generally shows an association with lower crime rates.” Moreover, the burden, if he is going to make arguments, “is on the president to provide evidence of his claim.”

Some existing research: Cato Institute’s Alex Nowrasteh’s findings

Nowrasteh analyzed “the Texas data to make a comparison of immigrants in the United States illegally and native-born residents and, using 2015 Texas police reports, he found:

• 815,689 arrests of native-born Americans

•  37,776 arrests of immigrants in the country illegally and

• 20,323 arrests of legal immigrants

Nowrasteh concluded that “given the relative populations for each group, 

• ‘The arrest rate for illegal immigrants was 40 percent below that of native-born Americans.’” Moreover 
• “…the homicide arrest rate for native-born Americans was ‘about 46 percent higher than the illegal immigrant homicide arrest rate.’”

Another study “Does Undocumented Immigration Increase Violent Crime?” in the journal Criminology is reported to have “… looked at the influx of undocumented immigrants into communities in recent decades” and concluded that

“Increased concentrations of undocumented immigrants are associated with statistically significant decreases in violent crime.”

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he vulnerable are easy prey to the slander, criminalization and victimization by the powerful.

But it seems in the least unsporting; and at worse, distracting from the real crimes of those holding inordinate power, who manage to get away with murder (literally and figuratively) and other acts of violence and illegality.

“Getting Away” with High Crimes and Conflicts

The Trump Hotel Caper

The U.S. General Services Agency (GSA) knew that U.S. President Donald Trump’s “ultimate ownership” of his luxury hotel, sitting on federal property in Washington, “potentially violated a provision of the lease with the government” and might have “violated two clauses” of the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of “‘emoluments’ to the president from foreign governments and also from federal or state government agencies.

Nevertheless, GSA officials “ignored the constitutional ban on extra government benefits” to the president and “allowed (the president) to continue leasing federal property for his luxury hotel.”

Emolument: perk, advantage, special treatment, kickback: returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites (privilege, gratuity, bonus, freebie, perk, benefit) (Merriam-Webster)

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aking out like bandits

Fortune reported in January 2019

“The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., has become one of the president’s most successful property projects, generating revenues from foreign governments that rent space for events and favor-seekers eager to be seen in the president’s hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, just blocks from the White House.”

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rofiting from Public Office, the U.S. Presidency

Through his trust, President Donald Trump holds ownership in his hotel(s) and “ultimately profits from” hotel business, a high class venue that has “become a magnet for high-powered Republicans in Washington— “from lobbyists to lawmakers— who rent rooms and spend money at the hotel’s restaurants.”

Some members of the Democratic Party have raised the issue of presidential susceptibility “to corrupt interests” intent on currying favor by “enriching the president’s family business, the Trump Organization.” Moreover, they have argued, “The Trump Hotel is a glaring physical symbol of the Trump Administration’s refusal to play by the same rules as everyone else” and the situation should be subjected to further congressional investigations.

The U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause “bars public officials from receiving gifts or cash from foreign or state governments without congressional approval.”

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he Court Weighed in.

In late 2018, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte said no to the U.S. president’s “request to stay a lawsuit alleging his profiting from foreign governments via his Washington, D.C., hotel in violation of the foreign emoluments clause of the US Constitution.”

Case in Point or Caught in the act of a Crime or Conflict of Interest - The Hill reporting January 16, 2019

“Nine top executives from T-Mobile booked reservations at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., the first hotel visit having been scheduled a day after the announcement of T-Mobile’s “$26 billion merger deal with rival Sprint,” a merger that needed Trump administration approval.

While that approval was pending, “T-Mobile executives stayed at least 38 nights during 2018 at Trump’s hotel” conveniently located a few blocks from the White House and next door to the (also approval agency) U.S. Justice Department.

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onflict Recap

The Sunshine Foundation’s 2019 turn of the year “Conflicts of the Week”

Synopses

• (2/13/2019) Conflicts: “The Cost of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Trips, No Loan from Deutsche Bank and Inauguration Investigation Heats Up” by Lynn Walsh: “Thanks to a report from a federal oversight agency, taxpayers are able to see how much President Donald Trump’s trips to Mar-a-Lago are costing taxpayers, the New York Times learns Deutsche Bank turned down a loan request from President Trump during his presidential campaign and the latest on investigations into President Trump’s inauguration committee.

• (2/1/2019) Conflicts: “Undocumented Workers at Trump Golf Club, More Trademarks for Ivanka and the Latest on Roger Stone” by Lynn Walsh: “More undocumented workers were reportedly working at one of President Donald Trump’s properties, Ivanka Trump received more trademarks from China and a new report found more than a thousand conflicts of interest involving the Trump Organization.”

• (1/19/2019) Conflicts: “GSA Ignored Constitutional Questions Related to President Trump’s D.C. Hotel Lease and Did Trump Tell Cohen to Lie?” by Lynn Walsh: “a new report says the General Services Administration ‘ignored’ constitutional questions when allowing the lease of the Old Post Office to move forward, T-Mobile executives reserved rooms at the Trump hotel in Washington, D.C. as it was announcing merger plans that would require Trump Administration approval and questions about whether President Donald Trump told his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to lie to Congress.”

• (1/12/2019) Conflicts: “Ivanka Trump Accused of Violating Conflict of Interest Law, Clock Tower in Trump’s D.C. Hotel Remains Open and NYT Says FBI Investigated if Trump was Working for Russia” by Lynn Walsh: a watchdog group is accusing Ivanka Trump of violating a conflict of interest law for her involvement in a tax break program, the historic clock tower located in President Donald Trump’s Washington D.C. hotel is open and staffed by federal employees during the partial government shutdown and China’s biggest bank plans to reduce its office space inside Trump Tower in New York City.”

Presidential Wars

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etting away with Crimes of War, Massacre, Breach of Sovereignty 

In 2018, the U.S. military “gave or took fire in some form in at least seven countries: 

• Afghanistan (18 years on), 
• Pakistan, 
• Iraq, 
• Syria, 
• Somalia, 
• Yemen, and 
• Libya. 

Besides these countries, the U.S. military is also active in “Iraq and Syria.” And under the Trump government, locking step with the Obama government, there has been a “dramatic increase” in and more targeted places and peoples subjected to (the coward’s war making) U.S. drone strikes (long-distanced remotely controlled bombs, unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs).

“Shadow wars” in the first two years of President Trump’s predecessor saw orders and execution of “186 drone strikes” against the Yemenis, Somalis, and Pakistanis. 

Then in his turn at the helm (2017-November 2018), the Trump government “launched 238 drone strikes” against the Yemenis, Somalis, and Pakistanis.  

All of these are crimes in high places and, in the USA, the criminals, real criminals, get away with murder and other illegal acts. 

Sources

State of the Union Address Remarks as prepared for delivery, President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union Address TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Issued on: February 5, 2019,

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trumps-state-union-address-2/

Remarks by President Trump in State of the Union Address February 5, 2019, 9:07 P.M. EST

Issued on: February 6, 2019 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-state-union-address-2/

Fact Check Wire “Is Illegal Immigration Linked to More or Less Crime?” by Robert Farley June 27, 2018 https://www.factcheck.org/2018/06/is-illegal-immigration-linked-to-more-or-less-crime/

Fact Check dot org

A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, Fact Check dot org describes itself as “a nonpartisan, nonprofit ‘consumer advocate’ for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.” The group monitors “the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.” Its goal: “to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.” The Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) :was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state and federal levels.”

Fortune “Watchdog Slams U.S. GSA's Lease to Trump Hotel, Says It Violated Obligation ‘to Uphold and Enforce the Constitution’” Bloomberg January 17, 2019 http://fortune.com/2019/01/16/watchdog-general-services-agency-lease-trump-international-hotel-violated-constitution/

Business Insider “A federal judge just paved the way for Trump's critics to obtain his financial records”

November 2, 2018 https://www.businessinsider.com/federal-judge-rules-against-trump-in-foreign-emoluments-lawsuit-2018-11?utm_source=hearst&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=allverticals

The Hill “T-Mobile executives stayed at Trump’s hotel while merger that needed administration’s approval was pending” Morgan Gstalter January 16, 2019 https://thehill.com/policy/technology/tech-execs/425588-t-mobile-executives-stayed-at-trumps-hotel-while-merger-that

Sunlight Foundation

Sunlight Foundation “Recent Reporting” https://sunlightfoundation.com/tracking-trumps-conflicts-of-interest/

The “Tracking Trump’s Conflicts of Interest” Project, according to the Sunlight Foundation website “provides a free, searchable database detailing President Donald J. Trump’s known business dealings and personal interests that may conflict with his public duties as President of the United States. The project also documents news coverage of these potential conflicts. https://sunlightfoundation.com/about/

Freelance journalist Lynn Walsh “produces content focused on government accountability, public access to information and freedom of expression issues” and helps “to rebuild trust between newsrooms and the public through the Trusting News project.” Walsh “has worked in investigative, data and TV journalism at the national level and in California, Ohio, Texas and Florida.”

Business Insider “America’s year in war: All the places US armed forces took or gave fire in 2018”  John Haltiwanger December 18, 2018 https://www.businessinsider.com/america-at-war-the-countries-where-the-us-took-or-gave-fire-in-2018-2018-12

Business Insider “Trump inherited Obama’s drone war and he’s significantly expanded it in countries where the US is not technically at war” John Haltiwanger November 27, 2018 [further sources The Daily Beast report “based on data provided by US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism” the later having had a long-term project of tracking U.S. drone strikes]. https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-has-expanded-obamas-drone-war-to-shadow-war-zones-2018-11

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