NYT's Haberman Claims Hope Hicks' Resignation Has Nothing To Do With White Lies Testimony

Maggie Haberman of The New York Times broke the news of Hope Hicks' resignation as White House Communications Director.

Hicks' resignation comes a day after testifying for 8 hours in front of the House Intelligence Committee which is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election. During this testimony, Hicks admitted to telling "white lies" on behalf of Trump while claiming those white lies did not include Russian involvement.

But Haberman notes in the article that her testimony wasn't a factor in Hicks' resignation. Haberman later took to Twitter and stated:

Hope Hicks departure is NOT about yesterday's hearing, per multiple sources. She had planned it before, had been thinking about it for months. She had informed a very small number of people prior to Hill hearing that she planned to leave.

My B.S. detector thinks otherwise. Hicks might have thought of leaving, but eight hours of testimony undoubtedly spurred her to action. Now I don't doubt there are multiple sources who told Haberman that Hicks was planning to leave. But I suspect these sources are friends of Hicks and are giving her cover.

But let's say for argument's sake that Hicks was, in fact, planning to leave. She could not have picked a worse time to break this news. It does neither her nor the Trump Administration any favors. All the more reason to believe that her time in camera made her want to go out of camera and not a moment too soon.

So Much For Arming Teachers

So much for President Trump's proposal to arm teachers.

Today a high school social studies teacher in Dalton, Georgia was arrested for firing a shot in the classroom after barricading himself in a classroom. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

Last week, I argued against Trump's proposal. I subsequently elaborated on these arguments in an article proposal I sent to National Review Online (which politely declined to publish it). Here is a portion of that proposal:

President Trump argues, "These teachers love their students. I would rather have somebody that loves their students and wants to protect their students than somebody standing outside that doesn’t know anybody and doesn’t know the students.”Yet somehow I cannot imagine Trump wanting to arm the Dallas high school teacher who staged a mock assassination of him in her classroom last year. Who can say other teachers don't share the same sentiment? President Trump should be careful for what he wishes.

Even if most teachers wouldn't stage a mock assassination of President Trump do we really want to arm a teacher who wrote, "I want to kill children" on the classroom projector? Who can say if an armed teacher wouldn't use his or her gun against students or perhaps against other teachers. If a university professor can kill her colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville then why couldn't the same happen at the elementary, middle or high school level? It is clear that Trump has given little thought to the legal liability involved in arming teachers much less contemplate whether school boards would want to assume such a risk.

Fortunately, a tragedy was averted today. But who can say there isn't another teacher who would act in such a manner? In light of today's event why would any school board in the country consider arming their teachers?

Will Trump Fire Sessions?

President Trump has once again set sights on his Attorney General. In response to Jeff Sessions' decision to have the Inspector General investigate the FBI for its handling of FISA applications. Trump stated on Twitter:

Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!

Hours later, Sessions responded with a statement of his own:

As long as I am the attorney general, I will continue to discharge my duties with integrity and honor, and this department will continue to do its work in a fair and impartial manner according to the law and Constitution.

In July 2017, Trump threw Sessions under the bus in a New York Times interview when he blasted his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation noting that he would have named another appointee had he known of Sessions' position. At the time, conservatives pushed back on Trump's criticism and the President moved on to other targets.

But this is now the second time that Trump has publicly undermined Sessions and this time Sessions is talking back. Surely Trump will see this as a challenge to his authority even if Sessions is in the right here. Surely Trump will see this as an act of insubordination on Sessions' part. It would not surprise me if Trump gives Sessions his walking papers within the next 48 hours. I can't see Trump letting Sessions getting away with this statement. If Trump doesn't fire Sessions, he will be viewed as weak leader who lets his appointees push him around.

Of course, it is entirely possible that Trump wants to fire Sessions. But it is equally possible that his advisers will move heaven and earth to talk him out of such a decision. After all, Hope Hicks has just resigned as White House Communications Director 24 hours after admitting to the House Intelligence Committee she told "white lies" on behalf of Trump while denying those lies concerned Russian interference in the 2016 election. Firing Sessions would demonstrate a White House out of control and a President with no clothes.

If Sessions does stay on it will only be a matter of time before Trump publicly rebukes him again. If that happens it will be strike three on Sessions.

Streisand Blames Trump For Parkland Shooting

President Trump says and does a lot of stupid things as was the case when he suggested he would have confronted the shooter in Parkland, Florida even if he wasn't armed.

But it's hard for me to support the so-called Resistance when they say things that are equally stupid, if not stupider.

In an interview with Variety, Streisand blamed Trump for the February 14th shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School stating, “I think even that shooter was affected because Trump brings out the violence in people. He says, ‘It’s OK — rally, lock her up.’”

You can blame Trump for many things, but this isn't one of them. The shooter was messed up before Trump was elected President having been the subject of numerous calls to the authorities. Does Streisand honestly think this wouldn't have happened had Hillary Clinton been elected President? Who was in the White House when Columbine happened? Her friends the Clintons. Are they to blame for Columbine? No. The mass shootings at Fort Hood, Tuscon, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Colorado, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, San Bernardino and Orlando all occurred while President Obama was in office. Is Obama to blame? Again, no.

The problem here has nothing to do with who is President of the United States. Rather it has everything to do with our inability to deal with mentally ill people who threaten to commit deadly violence. Then again it's easier for Streisand to blame Trump for the deaths of 17 people than it is for her to come up with a solution for dealing with people who shoot up a high school in Parkland, Florida or stab a person to death at the public library in Winchester, Massachusetts.

President Trump certainly does more harm than good with his public statements during times of tragedy. Unfortunately, statements from self-righteous liberals like Barbra Streisand do every bit as much harm and don't augment the public discourse either. We have to be better than this and if we can't then God help us.

Why Trump's Proposal To Arm Teachers Is Foolish

So President Trump insists that teachers be armed. Trump said yesterday at CPAC, “If this guy thought that other people would be shooting bullets back at him, he wouldn’t have gone to that school. He wouldn’t have gone there.”

Of course, the perpetrator would have gone to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He was a student there. The people there were the target of his anger. He would have gone there whether the teachers were armed or not.

But let's say the teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were armed. If the Broward County Sheriff's Department arrived on the scene and saw a teacher with a gun how would they know that teacher wasn't the perpetrator? Who can say the authorities wouldn't have shot  and killed the armed teacher instead of the perpetrator?

Sadly, in this instance, law enforcement didn't show up. I don't oppose armed guards in schools. Unfortunately, this is the world in which we live. But those measures are only as good as the people who are charged with that responsibility. Well, the individual who had that responsibility fell down the job and has now quit in disgrace. To make matters worse, four Broward sheriff's deputies also failed to carry out their duties.

If the students couldn't rely on trained law enforcement to protect them how can teachers be expected to do their job for them? Of course, Aaron Beis and Scott Beigel lost their lives protecting students. Theirs was an act of heroism. But expecting heroism from our teachers is a burden no one, especially President Trump, should impose upon them.

The Mixed Legacy of Billy Graham

Evangelist Billy Graham passed away today at the age of 99. He would have reached his 100th birthday in November.

Graham spent nearly 60 years organizing Evangelical rallies all over the world and had the ear of a dozen U.S. Presidents.

Perhaps Graham's greatest legacy was his insistence that his congregations be desegregated. Given his Southern heritage this took no shortage of courage. Graham also introduced Martin Luther King, Jr. to a national audience when he invited him to his revival in New York City in 1957. Although Graham and King would have differences over the Vietnam War they would remain friends until King's assassination in April 1968.

Graham's reputation took a hit when the Nixon tapes were declassified in 2002 which unveiled a conversation in which both Graham and Nixon complain about Jewish control of the media. At the time, Graham issued an apology although he did not recall his remarks. I guess he didn't recall calling the Jews "the synagogue of Satan" in a 1973 conversation of Nixon which saw the light of day in 2009. If one equates the Jews with Satan and shares that view with the President of the United States, I think one is bound to remember such a thing.

In public, Graham had nothing but good things to say about Jews and Israel. But he also had nothing but good things to say about Reverend King and desegregation. Who can say what he truly thought behind closed doors? Asking such questions complicates Graham's legacy. Notwithstanding such questions may he R.I.P.

Thoughts on Columbo at 50

On February 20, 1968, 50 years ago today, NBC aired a TV movie called Prescription: Murder. This movie would introduce one of television's most beloved characters - Columbo who was played by the incomparable Peter Falk.

That night the Lieutenant was pitted against a psychiatrist who murders his wife played by Gene Barry in a rare role as a villain. Barry was best known for his leading roles in TV shows like Bat Masterson, Burke's Law and later The Name of The Game. Compared to his appearance during the 1970's, Falk has much shorter hair and looks downright buttoned down even with his raincoat. But in those more formal days, Falk's attire and blue collar demeanor earn him the condescension of his superiors and his adversary alike. Both would sorely underestimate him and not for the last time.

It would be another three years before Falk reprised the role and then starred in 43 more episodes from 1971 to 1978 becoming one of the cultural icons of the 1970's and a recognizable figure the world over. After an appearance in Wim Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire where Falk is repeatedly referred to as Columbo, the series was revived by ABC in 1989 aired 24 episodes over the next 14 years. Unfortunately, these episodes do not measure up to the original series in terms of writing, plot, production value and even Falk himself. Nevertheless, Columbo left an indelible imprint on TV all over the world. Did you know there is a bronze statue of Columbo in Budapest, Hungary?

Amazingly, Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link were originally looking to cast Bing Crosby for the role. Thankfully Bing preferred hitting the links. Levinson and Link had envisioned an older actor to play the apparently befuddled sleuth. Falk was 40 at the time he donned the raincoat for the first time. Needless to say, Falk would age into the role playing the Lieutenant from LA for the last time in 2003 when he was 75. Falk died in 2011.

If you've ever watched an episode of Columbo you will see the homicide, know who committed the homicide and about ten seconds after meeting the murderer the Lieutenant knew it was him or her. It was just a question of how Columbo would figure it out. In a way, Columbo is a purgatorial figure. He will keep coming back to ask his suspect questions turning up at their home, their work, their place of leisure. Nearly all of the perpetrators had never committed a murder and Columbo's repeated visits served as a growing guilty conscience until Columbo's final clue compelled them to confess or simply surrender unable to endure another "just one more thing."

Columbo is my Dad's favorite show. This is fascinating because Dad does not think highly of police officers. But then Columbo was no run of the mill detective. Although Columbo lived in LA and was an Italian Catholic, Dad viewed him as the New York Jew which Peter Falk was. My Dad grew up in the Bronx in a working class neighborhood where not much was expected of its residents. Dad was the first in his family not only to go to university, but would eventually earn a Ph.D spending 40 years as a university professor. Yet Dad retained that Bronx accent and was often underestimated by his peers much to their detriment. Dad identified with Columbo's ability to out think and outwit his adversaries without the use of a gun or so much as raising a hand in violence. He also admired Columbo's ability to have empathy and compassion for his adversaries and be able to see the good in them while firm in the knowledge he would have to bring them to justice. Columbo even reminds me of Dad whether it's his wavy, curly black hair and his propensity for scratching it. For all these reasons it has become my favorite show as well.

There is a possibility of a ColumboCon being organized this summer in Falk's hometown of Osining, New York. If this comes to pass, I hope to go there with Dad as it is only an hour's train ride from New York City. 

If Columbo fans are unable to gather physically this summer, we do gather virtually to watch selected Columbo epsiodes on Twitter at #ColumboTV. In October, I hosted a viewing of "A Case of Immunity" with Hector Elizondo and Sal Mineo in one of his last roles before his own murder. This Saturday at 5:30 pm EST, we will be watching "A Deadly State of Mind" with George Hamilton IV and Lesley Ann Warren. Please feel free to join the party.

Just one more thing. Original episodes of Columbo currently air weekdays at 7 a.m. EST on the Hallmark Movie & Mystery Channel and on Saturday nights at 7 p.m. EST on COZI TV. Episodes from the ABC version air Sunday night at 8 p.m. EST on MeTV.