Tag Archives: Rep. Gerald Connolly

Sacramento Bee: ‘Reeks of Unconstitutionality’: Trump’s Executive Order Sparks Outrage

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Several major law firms have stepped up to challenge the Trump administration. District Judge John Bates recently expressed skepticism about the legality of a Trump executive order targeting the law firm Jenner & Block. He raised concerns that the order primarily serves a punitive purpose. The court recently granted a temporary halt to the order and is now considering a request for a permanent injunction.

Legal arguments center on whether the order aims to deter clients from working with Jenner & Block by restricting their access to federal resources. The order refers to the firm’s previous employment of Andrew Weissmann, who served on former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team.

Michael Attanasio, attorney for Jenner & Block, contended that the executive order is punitive and unconstitutional, targeting the firm due to its affiliations. Bates rejected Justice Department claims that the sanctions on Jenner & Block and other firms were not punitive.

Bates said, “It’s trying to punish Jenner by stopping the flow of money to Jenner.” He questioned, “Isn’t it logical that clients are going to be reluctant to engage Jenner & Block if they know there’s a real chance that Jenner and Block isn’t going to be able to go into a federal building or talk to federal agencies?”

‘Reeks of Unconstitutionality’: Trump’s Executive Order Sparks Outrage
Several major law firms have stepped up to challenge the Trump administration. District Judge John Bates recently expressed skepticism about the legality of a Trump executive order targeting the law firm Jenner & Block. He raised concerns that the order primarily serves a punitive purpose. The court recently granted a temporary halt to the orderContinue reading ”‘Reeks of Unconstitutionality’: Trump’s Executive Order Sparks Outrage”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/reeks-of-unconstitutionality-trump-s-executive-order-sparks-outrage/ar-AA1EV5Kf

Musk Watch: Musk promised budget cuts. He delivered a panopticon.

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The Department of Government Efficiency, the secretive White House initiative founded by Elon Musk, was sold to the American public under the guise of cost-cutting. In this regard it has failed. After more than 110 days of austerity theater, DOGE has shaved just a few billion dollars from annual federal spending. Musk, who is poised to “significantly” reduce his involvement in the project, had promised $2 trillion.

DOGE has had much more success expanding the executive branch’s domestic surveillance capacity.

Citing whistleblower complaints, Rep. Gerald Connolly divulged last month that DOGE is building a “master database,” a single exhaustive repository containing personal data held by numerous federal agencies, including the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

“The DOGE team is reportedly engaged in an unprecedented effort to build a massive database using data from SSA and across the federal government,” the Democratic lawmaker wrote in a letter to the SSA Office of the Inspector General.

Efforts to build the database are part of a Trump executive order dictating the elimination of the federal government’s “information silos.” In signing the executive order in March, Trump tied it to DOGE’s nominal mission of “stopping waste, fraud, and abuse.”

But in action, amalgamating federal data is part of the White House’s push to deport and intimidate undocumented immigrants, including by falsifying SSA death records to prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing housing and banking services. DOGE employees are also using data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to remove undocumented immigrants from housing, even if they are living with family members who are legal residents.

The DOGE master database is being built and housed at the Department of Homeland Security and includes the use of biometric data to track immigrants, according to Wired. “They are already cross-referencing immigration [data] with SSA and IRS as well as voter data,” one DHS official told the outlet. FedScoop reported last week that members of DOGE have been spotted at a DHS border security office that houses fingerprint, facial, and iris records.

China would be so proud!

Musk promised budget cuts. He delivered a panopticon.
The Department of Government Efficiency, the secretive White House initiative founded by Elon Musk, was sold to the American public under the guise of cost-cutting.

https://www.muskwatch.com/p/musk-promised-budget-cuts-he-delivered