TORRANCE TRIBUNE August 3, 2017 Page 5 Politically Speaking One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion Revoking Jared Kushner’s Security Clearance Is Long Overdue By Cristian Vasquez President Donald Trump’s senior advisor should step down from his position and face prosecution for lying on his security clearance. Aside from the fact that Jared Kushner has no legitimate political experience to serve as a senior advisor to any politician, let alone the president, let us not forget that he committed perjury on his security clearance form. Back in May it was reported that Kushner failed to mention that he had contact with Russian envoys in the United States in the months leading up to, and following, the election. Furthermore, recent information provided by Donald Trump, Jr. himself confirms that he, along with Kushner and President Trump’s campaign chairman Paul J. Manafort had a meeting with a Russian lawyer prior to the election. While Kushner’s lawyer Jamie Gorelick called the omissions an honest mistake, that does not make Kushner’s actions any less illegal. The SF86 Form states that “intentionally withholding, misinterpreting, or falsifying information” may result in denial or revocation of a security. Kushner and his lawyer are going to use “intentionally” as the key word in their defense, but it is insulting that these two expect anyone to believe that these gatherings with foreign powers, during and after a presidential election, would simply slip Kushner’s mind. Yes, Kushner fixed his “mistake” which up until last June could have been chalked up to a simple omission due to a hectic schedule. However, given the information obtained through the emails Donald Trump, Jr. provided regarding said meetings, Kushner should be prosecuted. The president’s son-in-law was required to disclose information regarding all meetings during the past seven years with any foreign government, and he failed to do so. As Donald Trump, Jr.’s emails would reveal, Kushner had contact with Russia as far back as June of 2016. Meaning, he met with these people in the heat of the election. Now believing that Kushner has any credibility left, or that he ever had any integrity…maybe, just maybe, he was lured to the meetings through non-political context. Perhaps Kushner’s willingness to attend was because it would have nothing to do with the election and his father-in-law’s opponent. Then he should just have mentioned the meetings on his security clearance form. The fact is that Kushner lied. He committed perjury and should not only be removed from his position, but should be prosecuted. It does not matter why the senior advisor left that information out, but there is enough evidence provided by Trump’s son to tell us why Kushner committed perjury. Trump supporters can lie to themselves and justify the lies and crimes of this unqualified advisor. People lie to themselves all the time. However, Kushner lied on a federal form, making it a federal crime, which disqualifies him his current position. And yes, we know, Kushner’s not the only one who has lied, and crooked Hillary this, and Obama that. But Kushner has been caught in the lie through information provided by his own brother-in-law. Kushner might be willing to commit a federal crime for his in-laws, but it seems the in-laws don’t feel the same. • Trump Turmoil and the Shuffling of the Roster in the West Wing By Duane Plank Kelly in as chief of staff. Priebus kicked to the curb. Scaramucci unleashes a profanityladen tirade against members of his own White House team. Just another amusing week on the national political canvas. It appears that that the repeal and replace of Obamacare is dead. Senator John McCain, a great American patriot, made a dramatic appearance on the floor of the Senate last week to initially support the plan Republicans had crafted after seven years of griping about Obamacare. Guess that is what happens when you, as a privileged Senator, “work” a short week and then have a “recess” like we did as children when we attended elementary school. You craft a paltry healthcare plan. When the do-nothing Senate breaks in August, they are allegedly returning to their homebases to “spend time with their family, meet with their constituents, and catch up on their summer reading.” Really? And then the 80-year-old McCain, ravaged by just diagnosed stage-bad cancer thumbed the “skinny plan” down late in the early hours of Friday morning, sending the CNN folks into ecstasy. McCain then hightailed it back to Arizona to seek treatment for his very aggressive cancer. McCain has Chutzpah and is at the point in his life when he probably posits the attitude of “what the…heck” when he votes his conscience, letting the chips fall. Back to square one in replacing Obamacare. Have any of you benefited from OB Care? Keep your own doctor, affordable coverage for all. At least that is what Obama promised. Didn’t seem to work out that way for most. All prevarications. I considered signing up for Obamacare. Full disclosure…always trying to figure out a way to spend less, get more, grind, from all my providers. Looming retirement, and less income, is approaching, so I am looking to cut costs. When I called the local ACA representative, she was very gracious. Answered the phone on the second ring. No hard-to-navigate, annoying phone tree. I said I was considering affordable healthcare. I had a quote on a specific coverage and let her know what I was paying. She immediately said that I should take the other coverage--what the “affordable” Obamacare could offer me was at least at double the price. I thanked her for her candor and kept the coverage I have. Apparently, the Affordable Care Act works best if you are in a specific income group that would be granted government subsidies. Speaking of health issues, Trump came under scrutiny last week because he nixed transgenders in the military. I believe anyone who wants to serve our country in the military--man, woman, in-between--should be allowed to do so. I respect their service, their protecting our way of life when faced with 21st Century threats, including the latest missile launch instigated by the corpulent lunatic in North Korea. Everyone should be able to serve, God bless them. But I don’t think we should pay for their transgender sculpting, so help me, Bruce/Caitlin Jenner. • Police Reports Drivers Training from page 2 driver training for beginners under 21. Closer to home, the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan also backs longer training periods and restrictions on all new drivers under age 21. The reason? Traffic deaths have risen two consecutive years, sounding the alarm with federal, state and local officials. Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin defended the lane closures on Vista del Mar, Pershing Drive and Jefferson Boulevard as necessary to protect pedestrians and bicyclists in Playa del Rey and Culver City. He has since backtracked on the road improvement plan, admitting it was universally disliked from the beginning. His office last week announced the L.A. streets department would add back a second lane in both directions on Vista del Mar immediately, due to public outcry that included a recall effort against Bonin. Bonin announced on July 26 the formation of a task force to study the remaining lane closure and traffic changes between the South Bay’s beach cities and Culver City. It’s possible that once the task force reports back in 90 days, that Pershing Drive could be restored to two lanes in both directions. The task force will be comprised of local residents, supporters and opponents of the Playa del Rey safety plan, and South Bay public officials. Manhattan Beach was preparing to file a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles over the lane closures on Vista del Mar, which created a bottleneck and had morning and afternoon commuters backed up to Rosecrans Avenue. The short commute to Culver City from the beach cities doubled to nearly one hour each way in mid-June after Vista del Mar and Pershing were narrowed to a single lane. “I cannot promise that the cities’ efforts to improve road safety won’t have any impacts on commutes,” Bonin said in last week’s announcement. Speed kills, and we need to slow down in certain areas to save lives.” Federal highway safety officials agree with that assessment of why traffic deaths suddenly started rising in 2016 after a steady 50-year decline year over year. Government officials and safety advocates argue that more restrictive driving measures and tougher enforcement of speeding and safety belt laws could reduce fatalities. • Sunday, July 16 Auto Theft-All Betw. 7/16/2017 9:00:00 PM & 7/20/2017 4:44:06 PM 3600 BLOCK TORRANCE BLVD Stolen vehicle: ‘03 Chevrolet Express Burglary-Auto Betw. 7/16/2017 9:45:00 AM & 7/16/2017 9:45:00 PM 3600 BLOCK 230TH ST. Suspect(s) takes property from unsecured vehicle/cash, gift cards, checkbook, charger. Monday, July 17 Battery-Simple Betw. 7/17/2017 10:00:00 PM & 7/17/2017 10:30:00 PM 1000 BLOCK PATRONELLA AVE. Suspect punches victim in the face. Burglary-Auto Betw. 7/17/2017 8:00:00 PM & 7/18/2017 9:00:00 AM 18500 BLOCK MANSEL AVE. Suspect(s) takes property from unlocked vehicle/parking permit, membership card, key card, cash. Vandalism Betw. 7/17/2017 12:55:00 PM & 7/17/2017 1:14:44 PM 2200 BLOCK DOMINGUEZ ST. Suspect(s) scratches victim’s vehicle’s paint. Tuesday, July 18 Vandalism 7/18/2017 11:39 PM 22400 BLOCK OCEAN AVE. Suspect bangs on victim’s window, smashing same. Burglary-Auto Betw. 7/18/2017 10:00:00 PM & 7/19/2017 7:30:00 AM 400 BLOCK VIA MESA GRANDE. Suspect(s) takes property from unlocked vehicle/coin tray, cash. Auto Theft-All 7/18/2017 5:58 PM 3500 BLOCK CARSON ST. Stolen vehicle: ‘16 Ford Explorer. Burglary-Auto Betw. 7/18/2017 5:00:00 PM & 7/19/2017 6:00:00 AM 2800 BLOCK WINLOCK ROAD. Suspect(s) takes property from unlocked vehicle/wallet, keys. Theft Betw. 7/18/2017 8:00:00 AM & 7/18/2017 6:30:00 PM 18200 BLOCK KINGSDALE AVE. Suspect(s) takes property from parking garage/bicycle. Wednesday, July 19 Burglary-Auto Betw. 7/19/2017 10:30:00 PM & 7/20/2017 9:30:00 AM 3500 BLOCK TORRANCE BLVD. Suspect(s) pries open window for entry and takes property/third row seat, purse. Auto Theft-All Betw. 7/19/2017 10:30:00 PM & 7/20/2017 6:20:00 AM 1200 BLOCK MADRID AVE. Stolen vehicle: ‘12 Nissan Maxima. Burglary-Auto Betw. 7/19/2017 7:00:00 PM & 7/20/2017 6:30:00 AM 1200 BLOCK MADRID AVE. Suspect(s) enters unsecured vehicle, ransacks and takes property/vehicle key, vehicle. Theft Betw. 7/19/2017 3:30:00 PM & 7/20/2017 9:30:00 AM 600 BLOCK PASEO DE LA PLAYA. Suspect(s) takes property from unlocked vehicle/transponder, sunglasses, cell phone. Burglary-Residential Betw. 7/19/2017 10:30:00 AM & 7/19/2017 7:00:00 PM 4700 BLOCK PASEO DE LAS TORTUGAS. Suspect(s) enters via sliding glass door, ransacks, tags walls and takes property/handgun, watch, laptop, generator. Burglary-Residential Betw. 7/19/2017 6:00:00 AM & 7/19/2017 10:45:00 AM 1900 BLOCK 236TH ST. Suspect(s) pries off screen, enters window, ransacks and takes property/jewelry box, jewelry. Burglary-Auto 7/19/2017 2:28 AM 237TH ST & PENNSYLVANIA AVE. Suspect(s) smashes window for entry, ransacks/unknown if loss at time of report. Thursday, July 20 Vandalism Betw. 7/20/2017 3:00:00 PM & 7/21/2017 2:53:33 PM 2200 BLOCK DOMINGUEZ ST. •
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