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In response to President Donald Trump’s firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the appointment on Wednesday of Sessions’ chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, as acting attorney general, protests have been scheduled around the country and abroad, including an event set for 6 p.m. tonight (Thursday, Nov. 8) at the Town Center in Portola Valley, 765 Portola Road.

Many are concerned that Whitaker, unlike Sessions, will not recuse himself from involvement in the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian agents to gain advantage in and win the 2016 election.

Whitaker now supervises and has the power to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who, since Sessions recused himself, has been overseeing Mueller’s investigation. Over the past two years, the president has repeatedly expressed his unhappiness with Sessions and his decision to recuse himself.

Whitaker, speaking as a commentator on CNN in 2017, warned that Mueller’s examination of Trump’s finances could create the impression that the investigation is a “political fishing expedition,” according to the Washington Post.

Whitaker has not been confirmed by the Senate and so he can serve as acting AG for only 210 days, the Post said.

The Portola Valley protest is one of 106 scheduled for California cities and towns, including in Palo Alto, Los Altos, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Jose and Pacifica. Click here for more information.

The protests are being organized by a network called Nobody Is Above the Law, which demands that “Whitaker immediately commit not to assume supervision of the investigation,” according to the group’s website.

In making its case for the protests, the network accuses Trump of having crossed “a red line” with Whitaker’s appointment, adding that Whitaker “has publicly outlined strategies to stifle the investigation and cannot be allowed to remain in charge of it.”

By Dave Boyce

By Dave Boyce

By Dave Boyce

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9 Comments

  1. As American as protest, as American as fighting the redcoats, as American as throwing as throwing tea in the harbor to protest tax cuts for corporations. Speak your mind, America.

    Many local free speech events TONIGHT. Make you voice heard, whatever side you may be ‘on’.

    https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/

    Los Altos.
    Palo Alto. (1400+ rsvp)
    PV.
    Redwood City.
    San Mateo. (900+ rsvp)

    As American as…

    Apple Pie.

  2. It’s going to be enjoyable watching the two wings of the Democrat party — the Liberal wing and the Hard Left one — go after each other for the next two years competing to see who can do the most unhinged things!

  3. >> who can do the most unhinged things!

    How is protesting Obstruction of Justice an “unhinged thing”?

    re: wings… we’ve seen how the GOP’s wings fared. The economic conservatives got trounced (largest Democratic house pickups since Watergate) when saddled with the nationalist/immigration wing. Notice how Fox suddenly stopped reporting on the so-called ‘caravan’ as of Tuesday night?

  4. How is it Obstruction of Justice? He’s doing his job in appointing an acting AG. The acting AG has his own opinions. So did Sessions, so does Rosenstein. So what?

    God bless our President Trump!!

  5. A page out of the Trump playbook…

    New York Times Article, Nov. 9:
    “Acting Attorney General Sat on Board of Company Accused of Bilking Customers”

    “The trade commission complaint said that consumers were told they had to spend about $3,000 for a “Global Invention Royalty Analysis” to begin the process of examining an invention with the goal of getting a patent. After making the payment, the company’s clients were then pitched various packages ranging from approximately $8,000 to about $65,000.

    After the company took the money, it typically began ignoring customers, who became frustrated that they were left in the dark…”

  6. Y’all have fun protesting! Maybe the Almanac will cover your event, but I doubt that anyone wants to hear about it. I am going to use my time trying to remove the Hillary and Obama bumper stickers from my Prius. Ashamed to admit I’m a Democrat anymore.

  7. Don’t quite get the reason for protesting. Are these people protesting what Whitaker might possibly do? Before he’s done anything? That seems pretty silly. Yes it’s their right, but give me a break. Don’t they have anything better to do?

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