Dems move to flush AG Whitaker down his own he-man toilet!
And remember: flush twice. It’s a long way to the Justice Department! From behind Vanity Fair‘s paywall:
Democrats are not just going to let his involvement with a scam patent company accused of bilking inventors out of millions, threatening customers with retribution, and hawking a time-travel cryptocurrency, and a special toilet for the “well-endowed,”
Reps. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), sent seven letters requesting information on Whitaker’s participation with World Patent Marketing, which was charged last year by the Federal Trade Commission with promoting an “invention-promotion scam.” Whitaker, who became acting attorney general last week after the removal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, was on the advisory board for World Patent Marketing
Writing that “because the Senate was not given an opportunity to properly vet Mr. Whitaker’s background, serious questions are now arising about his fitness to serve in this position of trust,” the congressmen cited court records that accuse the Iowa-born attorney of playing a key role in some of World Patent Marketing’s alleged misconduct, such as leveraging his career in federal law enforcement to threaten a complaining customer with “serious civil and criminal consequences.” While the F.T.C. charged that the company promised investors patenting and promotional assistance but in reality “provided almost no service in return” (the company reportedly settled with the agency earlier this year, and agreed not to promote any other patent-marketing services), it appears that there were at least a few products Whitaker & co. threw their weight behind:
In November 2014 . . . World Patent Marketing, announced the “marketing launch” of a “MASCULINE TOILET,” which boasted a specially designed bowl to help “well-endowed men” avoid unwanted contact with porcelain or water. “The average male genitalia is between 5” and 6.”” the firm’s press release said. “However, this invention is designed for those of us who measure longer than that.”
The special toilet was not the firm’s only notable offering. It marketed a slew of oddball inventions, including a “theoretical time travel commodity tied directly to price of Bitcoin.” Called Time Travel X and marketed as “a technology, an investment vehicle and a community of users,” the cryptocurrency never materialized. The firm also pitched Sasquatch dolls, promoting them with a video claiming that “DNA evidence collected in 2013 proves that Bigfoot does exist.”
But really: should anyone be surprised that former reality TV celeb Donald J. Trump would ignore the order of succession in the Justice Department and put someone as grifty as himself in charge? It should therefore come as no surprise that Democrats are flooding the zone in an effort to get Whitaker decisively thrown to the curb, as The Hill reports.
Three Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit on Monday arguing that Whitaker’s Nov. 7 appointment violates the Constitution because he is not confirmed by the Senate. Of all the pending suits, it’s the most recent legal effort seeking to block the president’s pick from leading the Department of Justice (DOJ). …
The state of Maryland was the first to challenge Whitaker’s appointment, arguing in a Nov. 13 motion that his installment was both unlawful and unconstitutional. …
Attorneys in an immigration case before the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals are seeking to block Whitaker’s appointment, filing a preliminary injunction that says Rosenstein should be the acting attorney general. Julie Goldberg, the appellate attorney and partner at Goldberg and Associates, argued last week that the injunction is necessary because they are “likely to show that Whitaker’s appointment is unlawful.” …
Attorneys for a Nevada man involved in a gun rights case are challenging Whitaker’s appointment, and they’re hoping the Supreme Court will weigh in. Thomas Goldstein, an appellate attorney and partner at Goldstein & Russell, asked the Supreme Court to replace Trump’s pick with Rosenstein in a case involving the constitutionality of banning convicted felons from owning guns.
Does anyone else get the feeling that Whitaker’s reign over the DOJ is about to become (to use the old law firm name joke) Nasty, Brutish, & Short, PC — followed by a perfectly predictable twitter outburst by Uncle Dotard?
Grab the popcorn