Attorney General by Tom Reynolds
We often talk about races for governor, for congress, etc. But the “down ballot” elections you don’t always hear much about can be equally important. For instance, the race for Attorney General in New York State where Republican Michael Henry is challenging incumbent Democrat Attorney General Letitia James is important to 2nd Amendment supporters and to anyone who fears government agencies using their power against political opponents. (Can you say Merrick Garland and the F.B.I.?)
James is so caught up in her power that Democrats should also be afraid because she will use her office against anyone – even Democrats – who dare oppose her.
James has shown she knows how to abuse power to go after our 2nd Amendment rights. She made a campaign promise to go after the National Rifle Association (NRA) for political purposes. She wants to use alleged misdeeds by NRA officers to completely shut down the organization. That kind of “corporate death penalty” has rarely been used, but there have rarely been Attorney Generals as completely motivated by politics as James. (Which is saying a lot in New York State where the list of disgraced ex-Attorney Generals includes Elliot Spitzer, Andrew Cuomo and Eric Schneiderman.)
The NY Post says, “James may be the most partisan Democratic prosecutor in the country”. (In a country filled with George Soros funded prosecutors, that is saying something!)
James’ also demanded that credit card companies create a specific merchant category code for sales of guns and ammunition. She then celebrated the International Standard Organization’s (ISO) requirement for the new code. This would allow credit card information to be used to generate a list of possible gun owners, if subpoenaed by any state Attorney General who is anti-2A…like Letitia James.
Twenty four (24) state Attorneys General called out the credit card companies for giving in to the demands of James.
Leaking confidential information is how government agencies convict people in the media and destroy reputations. The Attorney General’s office is supposed to be impartial and information it gathers is confidential. But, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley accused James’ office of breaking tax laws by leaking the list of donors to Haley’s conservative advocacy group, “Stand for America”. Politico obtained an unredacted copy of Stand For America’s tax return. Haley said, “We look at the last page from what Politico provided and it has the New York state attorney general’s office stamp on it…that office leaked it to the press.”
Crime is usually the number one concern of voters in polls and is the issue that state AGs should care most about, particularly murders in NY State’s crime-ridden cities or crimes that cost taxpayers money. Which brings us to James’ recent lawsuit against former president and 2nd Amendment supporter Donald Trump, which includes neither of these issues. After running for AG on a platform that included bringing down Trump, James accuses Trump of inflating his assets on loan applications. Curiously, none of the corporations that made those loans are joining her suit. She alleges a crime without a victim.
The retired head of GE Asset Management, John Myers, completed scores of such loan transactions and he explains the real situation: “…the banks and other sophisticated financial institutions do their own due diligence on valuations and basically could care less what Trump’s valuation was. Plus, the loans were all repaid, so who was the victim?” Myers also points out that real estate “valuations themselves are subjective in nature.” (Remember the appraisals on your mortgage application, which were certainly for a lot less than Trump’s loans?)
Speaking of crime – or the lack of interest in it by James - government unions typically endorse Democrats, especially in NY State where the Democrat Party controls the power. However, the NY City Police Conference (50,000 member detectives, sergeants, captains and lieutenants) is backing Henry over James. The NY Post reported that, “Frustrated public safety reps…don’t see James…as a friend of law enforcement during these troubling times.”
NYC Detectives Endowment president Paul DiGiacomo said she is, “no help whatsoever to the women and men who daily put themselves in harm’s way. Keeping New Yorkers safe from criminals is not her priority.”
Remember the destruction in the George Floyd riots? DiGiacomo added, “She sued the NYPD on pattern and practices after the George Floyd riots, but said nothing about the rioters total disregard for public safety and for public and private property.”
When crime is the number one concern of many new Yorkers, James is so bad that New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association (NYSTPBA) has endorsed Henry. NYSTPBA President Tom Mungeer said: “The NYSTPBA is urging all of its members, along with their family members and friends, as well as all members of the law enforcement community, to vote for Michael Henry for New York State Attorney General.”
The Attorney General title is often shortened to “AG”. In New York State, that also stands for “Aspiring Governor”, as evidenced by Spitzer and Cuomo. (Didn’t I mention them before?) James flirted with running for governor this year but there was as much enthusiasm for her as there was for former NY City Mayor Bill DiBlasio, also running for governor. One thing can be said for both their candidacies: They united both parties - no one wanted them to be governor.
