A Real Trump Controversy: Today's News for September 26th

Let's get all the garbage controversies out of the way, shall we? 

First, forget Russiagate. Even though the Huffington Post is still harping on unproven reports from January, when Obama was president, even the Leftist CNN has moved away from that storyline.

Which brings us to "kneel-gate"...

ESPN:

Cowboys, Cardinals lock arms for national anthem in show of unity

The Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals displayed unity before their game Monday night in an expression of displeasure with comments made by President Donald Trump on Friday .

As the Cardinals were introduced, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, and executive vice presidents Stephen Jones, Charlotte Anderson and Jerry Jones Jr., stood locked arm in arm with Dallas' players, coaches and staff.

Before a giant American flag was unfurled that covered almost the entire field, the Cowboys -- including Jerry Jones -- took a knee briefly as a group. This took place before the national anthem, and led to a smattering of boos from the crowd in Arizona that included a large number of Dallas fans.

But during the national anthem, the Cowboys stood locked arm in arm, and no one took a knee or appeared to show any sign of silent protest.

The Cardinals lined up along the goal line of the southern end zone as Jordin Sparks sang the national anthem behind them. Some players linked arms. Some put their hands on the shoulders of teammates. 

As usual, the Cardinals were kind of disorganized, and the Cowboys were a team, even in their political response:

"I made my mind up on this issue," Jerry Jones said after the Cowboys' 28-17 win, "that I wasn't going to comment other than I am very proud of the fact that the Dallas Cowboys and our players have always stood for the flag and the recognition for the flag always. What is important is to figure out that to show the kind of respect and the perception of respect. How can [the team] in front of a national audience show unity and a statement of equality. [The team] wanted to do that. It evolved throughout the organization, particularly over the last two days, and it was executed.

"I can't say enough about the understanding and the awareness of our team and these young men, if you will, that basically said, 'You know, that makes sense.' There's no need for us to talk about unity and equality and have 60 percent of this country mad at you because you're not being perceived as honoring the flag. And this was a way to do both."

At the end of the day, what has kneel-gate proven? Nothing. It was a silly dispute, started by a silly football player (Colin Kaepernick), and then inflamed by President Trump's silly remarks, until it becomes nothing more than a weird pissing contest between football players and the president.

Shakespeare described this best:

"It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

Want a real controversy? Here you go:

Politico:

Use of personal devices widespread in Trump's West Wing

Frustrated with West Wing aides’ rampant use of personal communications devices for official business, former chief of staff Reince Priebus tried over the summer to stop — or at least limit — the practice.

During a July senior staff meeting, Priebus asked aides to either store their personal phones in secure lockers in the White House or leave them at home during the workday, according to people who attended. The administration subsequently installed additional lockers, typically found only outside secure rooms, in the West Wing, as part of an effort to force aides to use their White House accounts for communications.

But the request was largely ignored, according to six current and former administration officials, advisers and others who correspond with the White House. Aides laughed about Priebus’ request, and senior officials — including Priebus — continued to use their personal phones for phone calls, text messages and emails for White House matters.

Is it any wonder that Priebus was fired? He didn't even follow his own directives.

Continuing:

Now, as congressional committees launch investigations into Jared Kushner’s use of a private email account to sometimes conduct government business, more information is emerging about the widespread nature of West Wing aides’ reliance on private devices — a controversial practice that raises record-keeping, cybersecurity and political concerns.

A number of top aides, including Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, and Gary Cohn, Trump’s top economic adviser, have also maintained private email accounts from which they have occasionally corresponded with other White House officials and Cabinet members.

Ivanka Trump’s account was set up with her husband, Jared Kushner, last December on a family email account, according to public records, while Cohn created a private account in December before joining the White House.  

This is the same kind of controversy spawned by Hillary Clinton with her personal email server escapades. Sorry Trumpsters, but what is good for the goose is good for the gander. The rules haven't changed just because you won the election.

Fortunately, some in Washington seem to be paying attention:

Politico:

House Republican demands details on Trump aides' use of private email

A top House Republican investigator on Monday demanded details on any senior aides to President Donald Trump who have used private email addresses or encrypted software for government business, following a POLITICO report that Jared Kushner used a personal address.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, along with his Democratic counterpart, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, called for the Trump White House to disclose by Oct. 9 the names of any top administration officials who use a private email address for government work and to identify any accounts and cell phone numbers that may have been used to transmit encrypted messages.

"With numerous public revelations of senior executive branch employees deliberately trying to circumvent these laws by using personal, private, or alias email addresses to conduct official government business, the Committee has aimed to use its oversight and investigative resources to prevent and deter misuse of private forms of written communication," Gowdy and Cummings wrote in a letter to White House Counsel Don McGahn.

The request echoed a similar inquiry the committee made in March, when it was chaired by Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz, who has since left Congress. At the time, a top administration official, Marc Short, responded that "there are no senior officials covered by the [Presidential Records Act] with multiple accounts."

But POLITICO reported on Sunday that Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, has traded work-related emails using a private domain. His attorney insisted that fewer than 100 relevant emails were exchange on the server from January through August.

"Fewer than 100"? It is still in violation of the Presidential Records Act, although the national security implications are far more serious. If they pass classified information in their personal email accounts, that could bring other laws into play. Hillary Clinton learned this lesson the hard way.

We will see if the Republicans actually practice what they preach.