California Legislature (read: Taxpayers) Hires Failed Attorney General
[guest post by JVW]
The Dog Trainer reports this morning that Democrats in the California Legislature have retained the services of one Eric Himpton Holder, Jr., Esq. to provide counsel on how to counter the policies of the new Administration and Congressional majority. Holder and a team of attorneys from the firm Covington & Burling will be in charge of navigating potential conflicts that arise between Sacramento and Washington in areas such as immigration, environmental regulation, and voting rights.
But wait, you might find yourself saying softly to yourself, doesn’t California have an elected Attorney General who manages a $216 million budget with almost 4100 full-time employees? With such resources at its disposal does the state really need to pay big bucks to an outside firm to represent the state’s interests in our national capital? Here is how the Times explains the alleged need:
Such a task typically falls to the state attorney general. On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown formally nominated Democratic Rep. Xavier Becerra to replace former Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who now serves in the U.S. Senate. Becerra, whose nomination hearings in the Legislature begin next week, is expected to be easily confirmed.
But [Senate President Kevin] De León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon began contemplating hiring outside legal counsel for the Legislature almost immediately after Trump’s election, in hopes of protecting existing state policies that are at odds with the president-elect’s stated positions.
It’s hard not to conclude that this move is at least in part because Attorney General-designate Becerra has very little experience in actual lawyering, being one of those politicians who puts in a brief appearance with a left-wing legal aid advocacy organization and then later does a quick stint as a deputy attorney general for an incompetent boss, before moving on to a career in the fetid swamp of California Democrat politics. Knowing that Becerra is a show horse and not a work horse, legislative leaders are farming the hard work out to Washington so that the underwhelming attorney general can focus his efforts on grandstanding crusades against oil companies and anti-abortion activists.
Left unreported is how much this outsourcing is going to cost the already overburdened California taxpayer. The Times tells us that, “Aides to legislative leaders declined to specify how much Covington & Burling’s services will cost the state, citing still-unfinished contracts, but said the payment would come out of both chambers’ operating budgets and would not require additional state funds.” I don’t know if that makes me feel better; is it really true that the legislative offices of our broke state have so much excess money lying around that they can retain a powerful DC law firm without having to request additional funds? In any case, it sure is great that California Democrats are going to spread taxpayer money around to wealthy and connected beltway Democrats. One hand washes the other, don’t you know.
– JVW
eric holder’s a racist butt-face and i hope he has a very happy new year but then after that i hope the rest of his year sucks ass
happyfeet (a037ad) — 1/4/2017 @ 1:09 pmWell, they got the failed DHS head to run their school system. They’re going all out.
Dejectedhead (0c7c2f) — 1/4/2017 @ 2:07 pmI hope that Trump’s DoJ looks at what the state and cities are doing wrt immigration and charges the lot of them with conspiracy to evade immigration laws.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/4/2017 @ 2:12 pmCan also see how Eric Holder manages without Executive Privilege protection.
Dejectedhead (0c7c2f) — 1/4/2017 @ 2:14 pmAt least you know upfront how much this lobbyist will cost (which it really is).
Kishnevi (5a999e) — 1/4/2017 @ 2:48 pmeric holder has a weak chin
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/4/2017 @ 2:57 pmIt’s getting harder and harder to justify living in a state where Democrats have a super majority in both houses of the California Legislature *and* do stupid cost-incurring stuff like this on top of it.
Sunshine and a spectacular coast line can only go so far!
Dana (d17a61) — 1/4/2017 @ 3:20 pmFurther, this is Eric Fast-n-Furious Holder we’re talking about. Meh.
Dana (d17a61) — 1/4/2017 @ 3:27 pmSpeaking of California, this article is so fraught with crazy/naive academics, liberal mindset, and California regulations in so many myriad ways that it is hard to know where to even begin. But a sense of schadenfreude is certainly hard to avoid when reading it.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/12/berkeley-sarah-lawrence-professor-house-rental-saga
elissa (01155d) — 1/4/2017 @ 3:51 pmJVW,
Trump’s proposal to block grant Medicaid has a potential annual cost of $16.3 billion for California, $15.9 billion for New York and $2.4 billion for Illinois. The Progressive Bankrupts’ Club has no representation in the Senate majority and only 30 Representatives in the House majority. The Bankrupts are politically very under insured.
I won’t read the Dog Trainer but I have sincere doubt they clarified the stakes or the weakness of the progs in their attempt to decline payment on a bill coming due.
Rick Ballard (bc0399) — 1/4/2017 @ 3:56 pmFromm Institute director Robert Fordham comes off as the smarmiest one in the article the way i read it
one of those remove all doubt types
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/4/2017 @ 4:47 pmDead Kennedys – California Über Alles
newrouter (7388dd) — 1/4/2017 @ 6:36 pmHolder’s special competence was in avoiding doing the job. Not sure how that’s going to translate to “defending California’s liberal myths”.
I’d stick with the inexperienced appointed show pony. But that’s just me.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/4/2017 @ 6:46 pmNBC and ABC refused to run the story while CBS left out any mention of race or the f-Trump and f-white people.
Ed Driscoll wrote on Instapundit that this is a good example of Iowahawk’s observation that “Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving,” and Jim Treacher’s line that in the 21st century, the profession “is all about deciding which facts the public shouldn’t know because they might reflect badly on Democrats.”
AZ Bob (f7a491) — 1/4/2017 @ 11:24 pmWhy is it that the STATE of California is so desperate to defend the results of suspending enforcement of federal immigration policy?
From 1990 to 2000, the Hispanic/Latino population in California increased from 7.7 million to 10.9 million.
From 2000 to 2010 it increased to 14 million. So is nearly doubled in 20 years.
Did 7 million legal residents of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity enter California with visas in those 20 years time?
Is it just a coincidence that over the last two decades California has gone from a competitive 2 party state to a state controlled at all levels by the Dem party, and that office holders with Hispanic/Latino surnames dominate all levels of state politics and leadership?
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 1/5/2017 @ 4:00 amI used to think it was a good thing an Asian would replace a Latino in a California federal congressional seat (3 seats, 1 in OC and 2 in the SGV recently), but maybe it’s a means of getting those Asians out of the way of the real prize of State control, then secession or annexation.
urbanleftbehind (889cc2) — 1/5/2017 @ 6:21 amI think someone should sue the state. If this Baccerra guy is so incompetent – and let’s be real – this “fighting Trump” is the number legal job of the new AG, then he should be let go because he ran on falsified job qualifications.
Steve_in_SoCal (58e1f9) — 1/5/2017 @ 6:23 amThe State of California would do better to spend its money on bailing itself out of the multi-billion dollar pension deficit.
LTMG (db4d8d) — 1/5/2017 @ 7:02 amAs long as public employees are unionized states will never be out of a deficit.
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 1/5/2017 @ 7:46 amWell, for now, and later on they can increase the budget, not attributing it to anything in particular. They probably always fund whatever they do, and then some. And in any case they can cut other staff, or postpone some investigations or other work that would require them to take on staff.
I think the DC law firm might also be hired for assistance in lobbying Congress.
Sammy Finkelman (6c2cdd) — 1/5/2017 @ 7:59 amat the end of the day only so many piggies can gorge at the trough
and if piggy eric gets his fill that means another piggy goes a beggin
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:01 am3. Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/4/2017 @ 2:12 pm
No he does not, unless he wants an uproar you won’t see the end of until Congress repeals whatever law they might be charged with violating, unless maybe he can get away with backing down, and the same thing would go with charging a church (for harboring or whatever)
Sammy Finkelman (6c2cdd) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:01 amhappyfeet (28a91b) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:01 am
That’s probably true, at least in the short run, if they don’t ant to use additional state funds.
Sammy Finkelman (6c2cdd) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:03 amCalifornia Attorney Generals (at least, in recent history) have an amazing track record of not defending/enforcing California laws, but promoting political agendas (read: Dem/Progressive/Liberal claptrap).
They didn’t ask Hillary (I hear she’s looking)?
John in TO (2bbe68) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:05 amI wish a state like Utah or Wyoming would declare itself a sanctuary state from I.R.S. federal income tax collection laws! (LOL)
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:07 amRegarding #21, happyfeet. If only that were true. If the piggy’s are democrats they just vote to take money from the other animals and build themselves a bigger and bigger trough. As I said, it’s a union thing. Besides, some animals are more equal than others.
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:08 amGreetings:
Why so serious ??? Mr. Holder was mostly truthful during his reign and was only found in contempt of Congress once.
11B40 (6abb5c) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:15 ama year ago, eric holder was lecturing everyone about how they have to follow federal law
now he’s going to be lecturing everyone that the state of califailia doesn’t have to follow federal law
isn’t that called nullification?
what if the good peeps in wyoming decide they don’t have to follow i.r.s. federal income tax collections laws?
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/5/2017 @ 8:46 amwhat will eric say then?
Not a rhetorical question. Is there a statute of limitations on Eric Holder’s part in Fast and Furious gunrunning?
Elaine (dd4c8b) — 1/6/2017 @ 4:08 amFive years, or nine years, or none at all, depending on what crime he’s charged with. What do you think he should be charged with?
nk (dbc370) — 1/6/2017 @ 4:34 amI am not a lawyer so I’m not sure what he should be charged with. But if a private citizen used a straw purchaser to buy weapons what could he be charged with? This administration used weasely means to gin up public outrage about easy access to guns then won’t own it when caught.
Elaine (dd4c8b) — 1/11/2017 @ 1:13 pm