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Former Attorney General Eric Holder / AP

BY: Jack Heretik May 11, 2017 11:09 am

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein cited Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under former President Barack Obama, in the letter he sent Tuesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in which he recommended firing then-FBI Director James Comey.

Rosenstein's letter, which Sessions referenced when he recommended that President Trump fire Comey, criticized the former FBI director's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

"I cannot defend the director's handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken," Rosenstein's memo stated.

Rosenstein cited multiple former Justice Department heads from both Republican and Democratic administrations, including Holder, who made critical comments about Comey's conduct during the email probe.

In his letter, Rosenstein quoted Holder criticizing Comey's actions for negatively affecting "public trust" in the Justice Department and the FBI, CNS News noted.

"Eric Holder said that the director's decision was incorrect,'" Rosenstein wrote,referencing Comey's actions as the Clinton email probe was conducted. "It violated long-standingJustice Department policies and traditions. And it ran counter to guidance that I put in place four years ago laying out the proper way to conduct investigations during an election season.'"

"Holder concluded that the director broke with these fundamental principles' and negatively affected public trust in both the Justice Department and the FBI,'" Rosenstein added.

Democrats were critical of Comey's handling of the Clinton email investigation even though she was not prosecuted. The FBI launched the probe to determine whether Clinton mishandled classified material over her private email server while serving as secretary of state.

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Eric Holder: Comey 'Violated Long-Standing Justice Department Policies and Traditions' - Washington Free Beacon

Attorney General Jeff Sessions' office sent out a letter late Thursday to the nation's federal prosecutors instructing them to pursue the most serious charges possible against most criminal suspects.

The move will send more people to prison and for much longer terms by triggering mandatory minimum sentences.

Officials at the Department of Justice said the new guidelines are a direct rebuttal of policies implemented under President Obamas attorney general, Eric Holder.

The memo is already being referred to as the Sessions Memo. The 94 U.S. attorneys were instructed in the memo to charge and pursue the most serious and readily provable offense.

These cases often carry the longest sentences.The memo also brings back into effect mandatory minimum sentences, which are expected to increase prosecutions and the prison population.

Holder, who served under the Obama administration, implemented the Smart on Crime drug sentencing policy that focused on not incarcerating people who committed low level non-violent crimes.

The Obama administration used the Smart on Crime policy to combat what they believed was a high number of prosecutions of non-violent drug offenders. DOJ officials call it a false narrative and say unless a gun is involved, most of those cases arent charged period.

Officials say Holders Smart on Crime policy convoluted the process, and left prosecutors applying the law unevenly, which they said is not Justice.

Critics of the shift say it will revive the worst aspects of the drug war. But Sessions has said a spike in violence in some big cities shows the need for a return to tougher tactics.

Fox News' Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Sessions' office releases memo to all 94 US attorneys calling for reversal of Holder-era policy - Fox News

Remember Health Mello? Hes the Democrat who ran in Omaha, Nebraskas mayoral race that voted for a sonogram bill when he was a member of the state legislature. It caused great heartburn for the Left, who are going through an identity crisis over whether to be a pure pro-abortion party, or accept that in some racesyou might have to back a pro-life Democrat to win. Pro-life Democrats make up a sizable chunk, around 25 percent, of the Democratic Party. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) supported Mellos candidacy, which irked his progressive following, though the darling of the Left said in order to protect a womans access to abortionDemocrats need to win again. That hasnt happened yet.

In the era of rambunctious town halls and left wing grassroots energy, you would think the Indivisible crowd would, you knowwin some elections. They havent. Mello lost the mayoral race Tuesday, marking zero wins Democrats have racked up so far in the Trump era. This loss is just another reminder to the left that their messaging is, welltoo nutty for most of Middle America (via AP):

His loss was a setback for supporters who argued that the Democratic National Committee and abortion rights groups were wrong to attack the anti-abortion former state senator.

It was also another near miss for Democrats fighting in typically Republican territory since Donald Trumps presidential election victory. Democrats lost a special election for a House seat in Kansas and narrowly missed an outright win in a special election in Georgia.

Mello, a 37-year-old Catholic from Omahas working-class south side, had become a flashpoint for the internal Democratic battle over whether a candidates position on reproductive rights should disqualify him from support by the national party after its crushing losses around the country last year.

Tuesday, Mello acknowledged the completely different dynamic the campaign took on in the closing weeks, but noted what he described as unified support across ideological lines.

Well, obviously not since you lost, Mello. Republican Jean Stothert was re-elected to a second term.

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Another Resistance Fail: Democrat Loses Omaha Mayoral Race - Townhall

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D., Calif.) / AP

BY: Elizabeth Harrington May 11, 2017 3:00 pm

A Democratic lawmaker from California referred to Middle America as "Podunk, USA," during a committee meeting last week, several sources inside the meeting told the Washington Free Beacon.

Remarks by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D., Calif.) during a closed-door Energy and Commerce Committee meeting with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai raised eyebrows from those present.

The moment occurred when Eshoo pushed back against Pai when he was discussing expanding broadband access to rural areas.

Pai saidthat eliminating Title II net neutrality rules would benefit places he has traveled to, such as Parsons, Kan., Elverson, Pa., and Cadillac, Mich.

Sources inside the meeting told the Free Beacon that Eshoo was frustrated with Pai's comments. She wished out loud that Pai would stop talking about "Podunk, USA" and instead be more concerned about the venture capitalists on Sand Hill Road in her district near Palo Alto, according to the sources.

Many in the room reacted negatively to Eshoo's remarks, sources said. A member who represents a flyover state did not appreciate the term "Podunk," which means a small, unimportant town, and said districts in Middle America are just as important as those in Silicon Valley.

Eshoo's office declined to comment.

Democrats have been criticized for beingout of touch and representing only the interests of coastal elites since suffering significant losses in the 2016 elections. House Democrats opted to reelect Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco as their leader rather than Tim Ryan, who represents Youngstown, Ohio.

The FCC's plan to reverse Title II net neutrality rules, which would end the Obama administration policy of treating Internet service providers as utilities, has become a hotly contested issue, withChairman Pai receivingdeath threats.

Pai believes net neutrality subjected Internet providersto unnecessary regulatory burdens. He has made expanding broadband access to rural areas a top priority of his chairmanship.

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Democrat Refers to Middle America as 'Podunk, USA' - Washington Free Beacon

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SALEM, Ore. - Nearly a month after the Democratic Party of Oregon filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend., a Democratic lawmaker has introduced legislation that would close what the party calls the "Buehler loophole" in state laws governing required public disclosure of payments to elected officials by those who do business with the state.

The party issued this news release on the measure:

Legislation introduced Wednesday by Rep. Dan Rayfield would close the Buehler Loophole in state ethics laws and require additional reporting and transparency from public officials. Rayfields bill, HB 3457, follows an ethics complaint filed by the Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO) against Rep. Knute Buehler for failing to disclose years of payments from companies that do business with the State of Oregon.

Rep. Buehler has received royalties, served as a paid consultant, paid speaker and presenter, and paid researcher for multiple health care-related businesses, including Stryker Corporation, a medical device company that is a contractor with the State of Oregon. Stryker has also been fined for violating anti-corruption and anti-kickback laws after an investigation of its activities in five countries by the Security and Exchange Commission.

Public officials are supposed act on behalf of the public, not the people who pay them, said Jeanne Atkins, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon. Transparency in financial reporting is essential for the integrity of our system. We applaud Rep. Rayfields commitment to close the Buehler Loophole and bring these payments from the shadows into the light.

Currently, public officials are required to disclose income greater than $1,000 from businesses, organizations, or individuals that have legislative interests before the State of Oregon. But current law does not require public officials to report income paid to a business owned or run by a public official, even if the payor entity has business before the state.

This loophole would be closed by HB3457, which would require public officials to report sources of income to businesses they own or run if that income is 10% or more of that business's total income.

The DPO filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Buehler on April 12 for failing to report income from Stryker Corporation on his 2014, 2015 and 2016 Statements of Economic Interest. Rep. Buehler admits that as a doctor and state legislator he continues to accept consulting payments from Stryker but has countered that he does not have to report that income because the money was moved through a company he owns. The Bend Bulletin recently reported that company is registered at Rep. Buehlers home address.

The payments from Stryker only came to light because a federal transparency law requires medical device companies to report their payments to doctors in the U.S., including Rep. Buehler, who is a surgeon in Bend. The reports show the company paid Rep. Buehler personally, to the tune of $67,500 between 2013 and 2015payments Buehler did not disclose in Oregon. Stryker currently has a $150,000 contract with the Oregon Department of Corrections and could be expected to have an interest in health care and other legislative policy on which Rep. Buehler could have a vote.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has not yet ruled on whether Buehler violated state ethics laws in failing to report these and other payments since 2013. Rep. Rayfield took action Wednesday to clarify any ambiguity in reporting requirements.

Whether payments are received by a lawmaker or by companies they have an interest in, they should be reported. If the law isnt 100% clear on that, the Legislature should make it clear so there is no excuse for hiding payments from any entity in any form, Atkins said. This legislation is necessary to better understand the financial ties and potential conflicts of interest of our public officials as well as the types of entities they are affiliated with.

In 2013, Stryker paid the Securities and Exchange Commission more than $13.2 million for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. And in November of 2014, Stryker agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits by US patients who had surgeries to revise problematic Stryker hip replacements.

Buehler issued this statement Thursday about the allegations:

Rather than improving schools, fixing roads or balancing the budget, Democrats continue to peddle bogus, politically motivated claims that have no basis in fact and do nothing to improve the lives of Oregonians. It's sad."

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Democrat intros bill to fix so-called 'Buehler loophole' - KTVZ