Translate

Friday, August 11, 2017

NOT SO STRANGE!: HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP GOT FOOLED INTO ENDORSING LUTHER STRANGE FOR ALABAMA SENATOR~MOORE PAINTED AS A LOSER DESPITE HAVING 30% OF VOTES

 http://inkport.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Screen-Shot-2017-04-27-at-3.07.16-PM.png
HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP GOT FOOLED INTO ENDORSING LUTHER STRANGE FOR ALABAMA SENATOR
 Published on Aug 9, 2017
Roger Stone joins Alex Jones live via Skype to explain how Donald Trump was fooled into endorsing an establishment candidate in the ongoing Alabama Senate race.
  CATHOLIC HATRED FOR BIBLE BELIEVERS???
 National Right to Life Endorses Luther Strange for U.S. Senate Over Roy Moore
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
WASHINGTON — National Right to Life has announced its endorsement for Sen. Luther Strange for U.S. Senate over “Ten Commandments Judge” Roy Moore.
“National Right to Life is pleased to endorse Senator Luther Strange, whose position on life reflects the true values of Alabama’s voters,” Karen Cross, the organization’s political director, said in a statement on Thursday. “Senator Strange has a 100 percent pro-life voting record in the 115th Congress, including votes to confirm Neil Gorsuch to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.”
The group noted that Strange supports defunding Planned Parenthood, is a sponsor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, and plans to co-sponsor the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which will ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation.
“As a co-chair of the Senate Values Action Team, Senator Strange is a leader in the fight for pro-life legislation in the United States Senate,” Cross added.
However, the announcement has left some pro-life Americans scratching their heads as to why the organization selected Strange over Moore, who supports the complete abolition of abortion.
“I was disappointed to see that your group had endorsed Luther Strange in Alabama’s Senate race,” one commenter wrote on the group’s Facebook page. “There are men who better represent your goals, and are better men in general than Mr. Strange—men who don’t so fully represent the corruption that is U.S. and Alabama politics.”
Others took to their own personal pages to express concern.
“It’s not so Strange that Luther is also the choice of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the GOP dwellers of Washington, D.C. swamp,” one remarked. “Maintaining the status quo is their only goal. They don’t want someone who truly believes in saving babies lives…”
“And you know why [they endorsed Strange]? Because Judge #RoyMoore wants to abolish abortion while #StrangeLuther wants to keep that old pro-life wagon a-rolling along,” another opined.
As previously reported, Moore currently holds the lead in the Senate race, garnering 30 percent of the vote, according to recent polls. Among those supporting Moore include “Texas Ranger” actor and martial artist Chuck Norris, who likewise endorsed Moore in his 2012 run for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
“Judge Roy Moore is the real deal,” he said in a statement on Monday. “He’s tough, tested, and has a spine of steel. … Judge Moore has never backed down from standing for what is right, and that’s exactly what he’ll do in the U.S Senate. That’s why the Washington establishment is spending millions trying to defeat Judge Moore.”
Moore said that part of the reason he is ahead in the polls is that the people are tired of the establishment.
“It’s not just Democrats, it’s not just the other party, it’s the establishment,” he told AL.com. “People in Washington are watching this race very closely. It’s going to signal whether there is going to be change.”
The primary is set for Aug. 15. Rep. Mo Brooks is currently in a dead heat for second place in the polls with Strange. The election is to fill the Senate seat left by Jeff Sessions, who was selected by President Trump to serve as U.S. Attorney General.
Christian News Network reached out to National Right to Life to inquire why the organization chose to endorse Strange rather than Moore, but no further information was provided other than the existing statement.
________________________________________________________
 STRANGE'S ECUMENICAL, CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION WITH EWTN:

March 22, 2012 

 ALABAMA AG FILES MOTION TO INTERVENE
IN EWTN LAWSUIT CHALLENGING MANDATE FOR
CONTRACEPTION COVERAGE

(MONTGOMERY)-- Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange today filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging the contraception coverage mandate imposed by the Obama Administration under the healthcare law signed by the President two years ago Friday. 
Today’s action—regarding a mandate particularly for contraception coverage—comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear the broader issue of whether the federal government may mandate that individual citizens be required to purchase insurance coverage. Attorney General Strange and other state Attorneys General are challenging the individual mandate in the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear three days of argument March 26-28.  
The contraception mandate requires all employers and insurance companies – including those with religious and conscience-based objections – to provide coverage for all FDA-approved contraceptive methods and sterilization procedures.  Among these items are the abortifacients known as the “morning-after pill” and the “week-after pill.”  The only religious exemption is a narrow one that applies primarily to churches and other houses of worship.  Religious non-profits, schools, universities, and other enterprises – including those who offer critical social services to the needy – do not qualify for the exemption.
The lawsuit that Alabama is seeking to join was filed by Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. (EWTN) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama on February 9, and is styled Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. v. Kathleen Sebelius, et al.
The Attorney General explained that the mandate violates federal law and would require state officials to regulate insurance in violation of Alabama law: “The freedom of religion, and to believe as one sees fit, is our ‘first freedom’ under the United States Constitution.  The people of Alabama have recognized the importance of this freedom and have enshrined it in their Constitution as well.  Alabama law does not allow anyone to be forced to offer a product that is against his or her religious beliefs or conscience.”
“The healthcare law signed by President Obama two years ago is taking effect now, and the consequences are dire.  The law forces the States to be used as instruments in carrying out the federal government’s unconstitutional policies,” Strange said.  “Under the law, States have no discretion.  States instead must immediately begin regulating their insurance markets and enforcing federal provisions such as the contraception mandate, without regard to their citizens’ religious beliefs or conscientious objections.”
EWTN is the world’s largest Catholic media network, and objects to the contraception mandate on religious grounds.  Under the mandate, EWTN and other religious employers and insurers are forced to provide health coverage for services and procedures that violate their religious beliefs and consciences.  EWTN is represented in this lawsuit by The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit, public-interest legal and education institute that protects the free expression of all faiths, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Attorney General Strange filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit on the grounds that the mandate requires Alabama to regulate its health insurance market in a way that violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Alabama Religious Freedom Amendment, and other laws. Pursuant to the new healthcare law, known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Health & Human Services, Treasury, and Labor promulgated the contraception mandate as an interim final rule on August 3, 2011 and as a final rule on February 15, 2012.  As a final rule, the mandate is federal law that must be immediately followed.
Since religious employers and insurers cannot comply with the mandate on religious and conscience-based grounds, the mandate forces them to choose among violating their beliefs, incurring substantial fines, or exiting the health insurance marketplace altogether.  Alabama explained in its court filings that such an event will leave persons without insurance, forcing the State to pick up the tab.  The State’s indigent care costs are likely to go up, as are the State’s Medicaid rolls. 
In the wake of public outcry, The White House had spoken of a compromise where insurers would pay for the contraception coverage instead of the religious employers.  However, the mandate has not been amended to reflect the Administration’s proposal.  The proposal is not a solution in any event.  Based on the Departments’ statements, religious employers would still be required to provide plans that cover services that violate their beliefs.  And the proposal does nothing to address the concerns of religious insurers who would be forced to cover the services.  While they work out the details of the proposal, the Departments have stated that they will voluntarily choose not to enforce the mandate for one year.
Attorney General Strange noted:  “The so-called ‘compromise’ proposed by the Obama Administration isn’t a compromise at all.  The mandate is final.  We only have the federal government’s assurances that they will not enforce the mandate for a short period of time while they work out the details of a compromise rule that would still force religious insurers and employers to provide coverage that violates their religious beliefs and consciences.  The issue is simple:  Either Alabamians and Americans around the country will be allowed to exercise their religious freedom to say ‘no’ to something they disagree with, or they won’t. We hope the Obama Administration will listen, and adopt a position that supports our first freedom rather than undermines it.” 
_______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

A Strange State Of Corruption
By  |  May 18, 2017, 04:30am  |  @treyedwardsal
SEE: http://theresurgent.com/a-strange-state-of-corruption/;  
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
Luther Strange’s suspect ascension to the US Senate is just the latest in a series of bizarre House of Cards-esque corruption scandals that have shocked the state of Alabama.
If you’ve been paying any kind of attention to the recent slew of corruption and sex scandals originating from the Alabama state capital, you can’t help but wonder if this isn’t all some kind of orchestrated dramatic prelude to Season 5 of House of Cards. Approximately one year ago, Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard was convicted of 12 felony ethics violations. Then, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Roy Moore was removed from office by an unelected Judicial Inquiry Commission for standing up to the federal government and refusing to force Alabama judges to obey the controversial Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that overruled various state laws regarding gay marriage. And finally, Governor Robert Bentley just recently resigned and pled guilty to multiple misdemeanor campaign finance violations as part of a deal to avoid felony ethics charges and impeachment relating to various abuses of power used to cover up his illicit affair with a senior political advisor. In less than one year, the heads of all three branches of government (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) were removed from office. However, this season of our drama isn’t quite over yet.
Roy Moore (L), Mike Hubbard (M), Robert Bentley (R)
In the last episode of “House of Cards: Alabama”, Bentley had just resigned from office and Lt. Governor Kay Ivey was being sworn in as the first Republican female governor in state history. Now, as black fades to a wide-angle view of the State Capitol building on a sunny day, the narrator informs us that the state is on pins and needles awaiting the decision of Governor Ivey regarding the US Senate special election. But first, we need to flash back to a few episodes earlier. “November 2016” appears on the bottom of the screen, and we are greeted by an unusually tall figure sitting across a desk from a shorter one. “The Bentley impeachment process had been moving forward rapidly for months,” continues our narrator. “Now, however, Attorney General Luther Strange has called a meeting with Mike Jones, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Rumors have been swirling that Strange has been moving forward with a criminal investigation of his own, and may be close to issuing an indictment.” The conversation between our two figures begins. The tall one, quickly recognized as Luther Strange, is asking Chairman Jones to temporarily suspend the impeachment proceedings against the Governor. Why? “Related work,” replies Strange. No details are given, but the implication is obvious: he wants to be the one to take the Governor down. Faced with the prospect of a lengthy, expensive, and very complicated legislative process in order to impeach a sitting Governor for the first time in over a century, Jones eagerly agrees. A criminal indictment instead of an impeachment will not only ensure that the punishment fits the crime, but will save the state significant amounts of money. A few days later, Donald Trump wins the Presidency. Cue dramatic footage of cheering crowds, waving flags, and patriotic music. Fade to black. Commercial break.
As the latest unimaginative car commercial ends, the next scene opens on dramatic footage of Alabama’s junior US Senator, Jeff Sessions, being sworn in as Donald Trump’s Attorney General in the Oval Office. Alabama voters are ecstatic. It has been almost a decade since any conservative in Alabama held a cabinet position in the Federal government. For the first time in a couple years, Alabamians are cautiously optimistic about their political future. But this does not last long. Across the screen, newspaper headlines dramatically scroll past: “Bentley Preparing to Interview Senate Candidates,” “Bentley Narrows US Senate Picks To Six,” “Robert Bentley Appoints Luther Strange To US Senate,” “Bentley Sets Senate Special Election,” “Steve Marshall Named Alabama Attorney General By Bentley,” “New AG Confirms Investigation Into Gov. Bentley,” “Attorney General Appoints A Special Prosecutor To Continue Bentley Investigation”Auditor To Sue Bentley, Strange Over Senate Appointment,” “Lawsuit Filed Over Bentley’s Senate Special Election Date,” “Gov. Bentley Wants To Toss Lawsuit On Delayed Senate Election,” “Bentley To Defend His Special Election Decision Next Month,” and so on and so forth.
Robert Bentley (left) and Luther Strange (right)
Governor Robert Bentley, now a convicted criminal, had received an application from, interviewed, and appointed Luther Strange to the US Senate. The same Luther Strange who had been halting his impeachment proceedings for months with no explanation. When questions arose during the interview process about a possible conflict of interest, the then Attorney General said “We have never said in our office that we are investigating the governor. It’s somewhat unfair to him and unfair to the process.” Not quite an explicit denial, but an obvious implication of one. Both the Governor and the Attorney General insisted there was no conflict of interest, presumably because there was no investigation – despite the impeachment proceedings being suspended for his “related work.” Enter Steve Marshall. It’s not quite clear what Governor Bentley thought he had to gain by appointing Mr. Marshall as the next Attorney General (which, in Alabama, he can do unilaterally with no approval required). However, it’s obvious that it did not work out in the Governor’s favor. Within 48 business hours of being sworn in, Attorney General Marshall met with his staff and asked them about any potential investigation into the Governor. Upon being informed that there was indeed an ongoing criminal investigation and potential impending indictment, he immediately and publicly recused himself from the process and appointed a special prosecutor. In doing so, he effectively implicated Senator Strange in an ethics violation – by insisting he himself was legally required to recuse himself from the investigation simply because he had been appointed by the Governor, he in effect implied that Luther Strange had been legally required to do the same when he was applying for the appointment to the Senate. Since this time, a bar complaint has been filed against Strange based in part on this sequence of events.
Don’t leave to make more popcorn yet. We’re just getting to the good part.
Now, under any normal circumstances, what would you expect to happen next? Naturally, we (Alabama voters) expected to see a special election for the Senate seat come up. We all figured that the problem with Luther would be quickly resolved in a rapid special election in which he’d spend all his time defending himself from corruption allegations, have no ability to raise money, and have none of the advantages traditionally associated with an incumbent. But we weren’t confident long. Even though our scumbag of a Governor had become fairly well known for being unpredictable, we were all still a bit shocked when he announced that he was not, in fact, holding a special election. The election for the Senate seat would be held in 2018, along with the normal election cycle. This would allow Luther Strange over a year to build up incumbency and financial resources, and would give him time to let the controversy subside before he’d be forced to answer to the general public. Time is the greatest ally of every politician. This proclamation was issued despite opinions written by both the Legislative Reference Service and the Secretary of State that clearly stated that doing so was in direct violation of state law.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Angered at this turn of events, and especially at the clear implication that they’d been misled by Luther Strange for months, legislators began calling for the impeachment process to resume immediately. The process quickly picked back up, and within a month, the first hearings were being held. Governor Bentley did everything in his power to postpone the process and maintain his innocence, but finally caved right before the evidence was due to be presented, and negotiated a deal with AG Marshall and the rest of the law enforcement agencies involved. In exchange for no jail time, he immediately resigned, pled guilty to multiple campaign finance violations, agreed to community service and significant fines, and promised to never run for office again. Now, we can pick back up where we left off. Kay Ivey is being sworn in as the second female governor in the history of Alabama. She promises transparency and pledges to restore the public’s faith in their government. She immediately fires multiple senior staffers that were known to be involved in the various scandals, including the husband of the Governor’s mistress, who ironically was in charge of Governor Bentley’s faith-based initiatives. Then, the other shoe drops: she announces that the Senate seat would immediately see a special election.  Rejoice! Now, we can finally clean this state’s slate of corruption. Remove the last vestige of the embarrassment that was Dr. Governor Robert Julian Bentley.
Not so fast.
Mitch McConnell – AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
There were two factors that nobody had considered. One: Very few people remembered what Luther Strange did for a living before he was Attorney General. What was that? He was a lobbyist. A DC lobbyist, to be specific. He knew how the system worked. He’d been building relationships with the swamp creatures in the Capital for decades, not months. And, two: Mitch McConnell needs a win. Not just McConnell, but the entire GOP establishment. Their ability to defend their own members against attacks from within their own party has been severely diminished over the past few years, starting with the unexpected downfall of Eric Cantor and the rise of the House Freedom Caucus. This significantly impacts the ability of these partisan leaders to whip votes and reassure their caucus members whenever they need them to vote on an issue that is wildly unpopular with their constituents. Now, here’s Luther Strange: a loyal foot soldier and reliable caucus vote on whatever issue Mitch McConnell deems important at the time. They need to prove that loyalty is rewarded with re-election, even in difficult times. So, they’ve placed all their eggs in Luther’s basket. Despite Luther never being elected to the Senate, they are treating him like an invaluable long-term incumbent, devoting unlimited resources to ensure his ascension. Mitch McConnell is the real-life equivalent of President Underwood on a mad rampage. Over the past few weeks, and even now, he and his operatives at the NRSC are doing everything in their power to not only build Luther Strange up, but to unceremoniously destroy any attempt at opposition to him. They forced numerous consults to resign from opposing campaigns by threatening them and telling them that they’d be blackballed from any future work with the GOP if they dared work against them. They’ve bought off unprincipled Republicans – Luther is personally calling even mid-level operatives himself and offering them large sums of money for their allegiance, many times asking them to switch sides and betray a candidate they are currently supporting. I have personal friends that have received such calls, receiving offers of over $20,000. For every one one of those that refused to auction off their integrity, I shudder to imagine how many accepted such offers and have yet to admit to it.
Despite scaring off numerous legitimate and well-funded candidates and co-opting Donald Trump’s campaign speeches to attack principled conservatives, the NRSC is still boring full-steam ahead in their war against those who refuse to toe the line and bow the knee to party leadership. Just this past week, they placed a $2.6 Million television ad buy with out-of-state funds, saying that it is a “fraction” of what they plan on spending. Buoyed by these out-of-state funds, establishment backing from deep within the swamp, and a total lack of any kind of conscience that would prohibit him from blatantly lying in his campaign ads, Luther is poised to potentially win this seat and escape punishment for his corruption.
However, all hope is not lost.
Given the circumstances, it is no surprise that the field for the Senate seat has quickly become quite crowded. Ed Henry, the state legislator that led the impeachment process against Robert Bentley, was the first to jump in – followed by former Chief Justice Roy Moore, activist Randy Brinson, and Congressman Mo Brooks, a member of the Freedom Caucus, as well as numerous less well-known individuals on both sides of the aisle. The diversity of candidates in this case is actually helpful, as Alabama uses a partisan primary runoff system. Dividing the anti-Luther vote among several candidates does not guarantee his success. In fact, it can only hurt it, as each candidate that jumps in will pull of a small part of Luther’s voters just through personal relationships and connections. The fewer votes Luther has, the higher the chances of a runoff occurring, assuming Luther survives that long. Once in a runoff, as long as all candidates unite behind whoever is opposing Luther, we’ll be in good shape. But we may not even get to that point.
Credit: twitter.com/algop
Yesterday, Representative Ed Henry held a press conference at the Alabama Republican Party headquarters – right as the qualifying period was ending. He shocked the assembled crowd by dramatically tearing his qualifying papers in half and announcing that he had NOT, in fact, qualified to run as a candidate for the Senate seat. In order to maintain his credibility in calling out Luther Strange on his corruption, he has chosen to put ambition aside and do what’s best for the state – fight from outside the race. He talked about the bar complaint against Luther and is actively supporting a ballot access challenge filed by Madison County resident Tom Scovill with the state GOP steering committee. This will hopefully force the 21-member steering committee to vote up or down on whether or not Luther Strange will be allowed ballot access as a Republican candidate. This is a procedural move that has the potential to actually work, given the mountain of evidence compiled by Mr. Scovill to support his challenge. You can download the challenge paperwork here, here, here, and here, and if you want to encourage the Alabama Republican Party to hear the challenge and vote on it, you can call their office from 8am to 5pm at (205) 212-5900. They will be voting tonight (Thursday, May 18) on whether or not to hear the challenge. If it passes that hurdle, they’ll then hold hearings on the evidence presented.
Actual footage of Ed Henry tearing his qualifying papers in half.
It’s anybody’s guess how this Senate race will turn out. There is too much money being pumped into the race and the field is too wide open for anybody to predict with any kind of certainty a specific outcome. All we can hope is that justice will prevail and the Strange slate of state corruption in Alabama will be wiped clean. Stay tuned for the next dramatic episode of “House of Cards: Alabama.”
If you found this article informative, please share it on Facebook and on Twitter using the hashtag #alpolitics.
About the author: Trey Edwards is an Alabama Republican political consultant, and anti-tax/anti-corruption activist. He does not currently work for any candidate or any party/group involved in the US Senate race
_______________________________________________________
 
 Alabama Ethics Commission Delays Hearing On Luther Strange Finance Violations
By  |  July 28, 2017, 11:49am  |  @treyedwardsal
SEE: http://theresurgent.com/alabama-ethics-commission-delays-hearing-on-luther-strange-finance-violations/
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
Over the past few months, we here at The Resurgent have been covering the corruption surrounding newly appointed US Senator Luther Strange in great detail. Now, The Resurgent has learned that the hearing on multiple alleged campaign finance violations committed by Luther Strange have been mysteriously delayed until the day after the special election primary in which he is running to keep the seat he was appointed to by former Governor Robert Bentley, who pled guilty to multiple crimes earlier this year. This hearing was scheduled to occur on August 2nd, but has been quietly postponed until August 16th, the day immediately following the election on the 15th.
Luther Strange & Robert Bentley
Luther Strange is the former Alabama Attorney General, and was appointed to be a US Senator after the man who previously held that spot, Jeff Sessions, was appointed by Trump as the nation’s Attorney General. Strange was appointed to the Senate by now-convicted criminal and former Governor Robert Bentley, after Strange actively sought to halt the impeachment proceedings against the Governor for more than six months. Since then, scandal after scandal has come out surrounding the unelected Senator, all while he is fighting for his political survival in a special election that was called by the new Governor, Kay Ivey. Ivey called a special election because former Governor Bentley had refused to hold one, in violation of state law. By refusing to hold the special election on schedule, Bentley gave Senator Strange months to raise millions and cozy up to Mitch McConnell, who is now spending more than $2.4 Million of NRSC money to protect him in a heated primary against 10 Republican opponents. Approximately 90 days ago, there was a new development in the case against Luther Strange that went largely under the radar: the Alabama Secretary of State’s office filed a report with the Alabama Ethics Commission stating that two expenses filed by Luther Strange’s campaign were both outside the window in which expenses are permissible, and were also over the maximum limit for those kinds of expenses. At the time, Secretary of State John Merrill, also a Republican, told ALReporter,
“That is not a permissible expense and it exceeds the amount that could be given even if it were within the correct time frame. There are two violations there.”
These violations are both felonies according to Alabama law.
According to Strange’s campaign, these expenses have to do with Luther Strange transferring the domain names for his website from his state account to his federal account. However, this claim is suspicious, as the amount of the transaction is over $1,400. Annual domain fees generally vary in the $10-40 range. Normally, it would be assumed that he was buying a batch of domain names similar to his website address, but a statement from his attorneys in a Yellowhammer News article specifically says it was the purchase of “two web domains at fair market value.” These attorneys, – Megan Sowards Newton and Benjamin L. Ginsberg of the high powered DC law firm Jones Day, have a history of working for establishment GOP Congressmen and Senators. Megan Sowards Newton is the former General Counsel for the NSRC, Mitch McConnell’s organization that is spending millions of Republican dollars to protect the unelected Luther Strange – in a primary, in a solid Republican state. Not only that, but the NSRC has been actively intimidating and threatening any consultants or campaign contractors that have gone to work for any of the other Republican candidates running. It is uncertain exactly how Mitch McConnell’s high powered lawyer friends were unable to achieve a delay in this ethics hearing for his friend Luther Strange, and it is unlikely that we will ever know, as the proceedings have been shrouded from the public eye. In fact, the announcement that the meeting was rescheduled was not widely broadcast, but simply quietly posted up on their website. Below is a screenshot, just in case it mysteriously disappears in the near future:

Now, officially, we do not know for certain that the hearing on this particular case was on the agenda for the August 2nd meeting of the Alabama Ethics Commission, as that agenda has not been publicized. However, The Resurgent did reach out to the Secretary of State’s office and verify the facts:
  1. A report was filed with the Alabama Ethics Commission approximately 90 days before the August 2nd meeting was scheduled.
  2. There has been no hearing on the report yet.
  3. The rescheduling of this meeting of the Alabama Ethics Commission to August 16th guarantees that the matter will not be heard before the election on August 15th.
Former Governor Robert Bentley’s Mugshot
Legally, the Alabama Ethics Commission has up to one year before hearing a complaint filed against a public official. However, there is a recent precedent for holding the hearing before the election. Earlier this year, after Secretary of State John Merrill filed a similar report regarding Governor Robert Bentley’s campaign finances on Feb 3rd, a hearing was held by the Alabama Ethics Commission within 90 days – on April 10th, right as the impeachment proceedings against the Governor were beginning. The evidence was nearly identical to the case against Luther Strange, as is the language used by Secretary of State Merrill, who at the time called Governor Bentley’s violations “not a permissible expenditure.” These violations were turned over to the District Attorney for prosecution, who immediately negotiated a plea deal with Bentley in which he pled guilty to both campaign finance violations, stepped down from office, and agreed to significant fines and community service. The impeachment proceedings were abandoned, Kay Ivey was sworn into office, and the state was finally able to move forward. The Ethics Commission’s quick and decisive action in that case saved the taxpayers a significant amount of time and money. Now, however, they have abandoned the precedent they themselves set, and appear to be allowing this election to move forward with no resolution on the highly pertinent ethics complaints filed by the Secretary of State’s office. This is a violation of the due process rights of the victims of this crime – in this case, each and every individual voter in the state of Alabama. The general public has a constitutional right to a speedy trial, and deserves to know whether or not the sitting US Senator has violated the law before heading to the polls on the 15th.
US Senate Candidate Randy Brinson
To make matters worse, all of this is going on while Luther Strange is having to answer questions about yet another alleged scandal. He was recently implicated in a conspiracy by some of the biggest corporate political donors in the state to bribe legislators and public officials to oppose an EPA Superfund project. After State Representative Oliver Robinson recently struck a deal and pled guilty to taking a six-figure bribe, fellow State Representative John Rogers told US Senate candidate Randy Brinson on the record that he, too, was offered a bribe – and that Luther Strange was present at the time. In fact, in an 18-month period while Luther Strange was using his position as Attorney General to actively campaign against the proposed EPA Superfund project, he received a total of $75,000 in campaign contributions from the people who Oliver Robinson pled guilty to taking a bribe from. After promising to hold a press conference to that effect alongside Randy Brinson, Rogers backed out at the last minute and started telling reporters that he’d never said such a thing – apparently unaware that multiple additional people were listening to the phone call. It really makes you wonder who got to him, and what he was threatened with. Reports from political operatives close to the situation tell The Resurgent that Rogers was visibly shaken after being contacted by the people he previously claimed had attempted to bribe him. These sources tell The Resurgent that he has since disappeared completely from the public eye and refused to speak to anyone about the matter. You can read the news articles about this event as it unfolded here, here, here, and here. Please share and tweet this article on your favorite social media network! Tag us on Twitter @Resurgent with your thoughts and use #alpolitics and #alsen to join the conversation surrounding the Alabama Senate race.
Also, please subscribe to our newsletter on the top of this page and like our Facebook Page to continue to receive the latest on the this developing story.