By Florida Bill
During the recent swearing in of Donald Trump as America's 45th President, there was one Florida congressman who declined to appear at the inauguration ceremony in the Capitol building in Washington.
Actually there were some 40 Democratic representatives who decided to skip the inauguration, but Congressman Alcee Lamar Hastings of sunny Florida was among the most disenchanted, castigating the new President for failing to embrace the values and tenets of the Constitution. His behavior, asserted Hastings, prohibits him from occupying the highest office in the land, and with his Russian connections, he will never keep this country safe. There shall be "no harsher critic (of him) than me."
With all the luggage and shameful background attached to Hastings' name, you might wonder about his sincerity in calling out Trump for misconduct and bigotry. His house is about as messy and unconstitutional as it gets. He spent 10 years as a jurist, appointed by President Carter, before being thrown off the bench for dishonesty.
The 80-year-old Hastings is one of only six federal judges to have been impeached and removed from the bench by order of the United States Senate in about 250 years. He was removed as a judge in 1989 after conviction by the Senate for bribery, perjury and other forms of corruption.
In response, Hastings threw himself into Florida politics. He ran unsuccessfully for Secretary of State in 1991 and rebounded in 1992 with election as congressman from the state's 20th district. As of 2017, he has been reelected 12 more times. Here he is, a disgraced federal judge, and now a representative in Congress, barking about the unwholesome core values of the new President. This has to be a first in America, appropriate for the Guinness book of records.
Florida's 20th district extends over portions of Hedry, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Democraphically, it is predominantly African American. The well-dressed congressman is garrulous and friendly and is said to have snake-oil charm and skill in peddling his medicine of choice. Inside the 435-member House of Representatives, he is part of the Democratic leadership, sitting as a senior member of the House Rules committee; and as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Congressional Black Caucus.
Money seems to remain a necessary goal of Hastings, as it was when, in his black robes, he was accused of granting leniency in exchange for $150,000.
A few years ago, he was in the forefront of congressmen demanding an increase in their annual $174,000 salary. The demand fostered an uproar and the ex-judge was castigated for his "arrogance" and "insensitivity." One man observed that with the country's shaky economy and a median American household income of $51,000 a year, the congressional cry of poverty over a $174,000 salary is grossly misplaced. The Wall Street Journal took issue with the congressman's poor mouthing, and pointed out in an article that Hastings spent $25,000 in one year--2008--to lease a luxury car.
Hastings employs his girl friend on his staff and she has earned nearly $2.4 million since 2000. In 2012, Judicial Watch, a nonpartisan government watchdog organization, reported that Rep. Hastings was Congress' number one practitioner of Nepotism on Capitol Hill, having paid Ms. Patricia Williams $622,000 between 2007 and 2010. Hastings did not quibble about the amount of her earnings, but argued that since she was a girl friend, and not a family member, it did not equate to "nepotism." Williams had served as his counsel and companion during his trial and impeachment problems, and the generous staff salary helps with his relationship and maybe an unpaid legal fee. Williams' present annual salary is reported as $168,000.
With all of his history as a dishonest federal district judge and his congressional maneuverings for money, Hastings remains popular with Democrats and the liberal media, and is endorsed and re-elected regularly. Still, with his history and unique "credentials," it seems like he should "zip it." He is the last person to criticize anyone else in government.
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Actually there were some 40 Democratic representatives who decided to skip the inauguration, but Congressman Alcee Lamar Hastings of sunny Florida was among the most disenchanted, castigating the new President for failing to embrace the values and tenets of the Constitution. His behavior, asserted Hastings, prohibits him from occupying the highest office in the land, and with his Russian connections, he will never keep this country safe. There shall be "no harsher critic (of him) than me."
With all the luggage and shameful background attached to Hastings' name, you might wonder about his sincerity in calling out Trump for misconduct and bigotry. His house is about as messy and unconstitutional as it gets. He spent 10 years as a jurist, appointed by President Carter, before being thrown off the bench for dishonesty.
The 80-year-old Hastings is one of only six federal judges to have been impeached and removed from the bench by order of the United States Senate in about 250 years. He was removed as a judge in 1989 after conviction by the Senate for bribery, perjury and other forms of corruption.
In response, Hastings threw himself into Florida politics. He ran unsuccessfully for Secretary of State in 1991 and rebounded in 1992 with election as congressman from the state's 20th district. As of 2017, he has been reelected 12 more times. Here he is, a disgraced federal judge, and now a representative in Congress, barking about the unwholesome core values of the new President. This has to be a first in America, appropriate for the Guinness book of records.
Florida's 20th district extends over portions of Hedry, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Democraphically, it is predominantly African American. The well-dressed congressman is garrulous and friendly and is said to have snake-oil charm and skill in peddling his medicine of choice. Inside the 435-member House of Representatives, he is part of the Democratic leadership, sitting as a senior member of the House Rules committee; and as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Congressional Black Caucus.
Money seems to remain a necessary goal of Hastings, as it was when, in his black robes, he was accused of granting leniency in exchange for $150,000.
A few years ago, he was in the forefront of congressmen demanding an increase in their annual $174,000 salary. The demand fostered an uproar and the ex-judge was castigated for his "arrogance" and "insensitivity." One man observed that with the country's shaky economy and a median American household income of $51,000 a year, the congressional cry of poverty over a $174,000 salary is grossly misplaced. The Wall Street Journal took issue with the congressman's poor mouthing, and pointed out in an article that Hastings spent $25,000 in one year--2008--to lease a luxury car.
Hastings employs his girl friend on his staff and she has earned nearly $2.4 million since 2000. In 2012, Judicial Watch, a nonpartisan government watchdog organization, reported that Rep. Hastings was Congress' number one practitioner of Nepotism on Capitol Hill, having paid Ms. Patricia Williams $622,000 between 2007 and 2010. Hastings did not quibble about the amount of her earnings, but argued that since she was a girl friend, and not a family member, it did not equate to "nepotism." Williams had served as his counsel and companion during his trial and impeachment problems, and the generous staff salary helps with his relationship and maybe an unpaid legal fee. Williams' present annual salary is reported as $168,000.
With all of his history as a dishonest federal district judge and his congressional maneuverings for money, Hastings remains popular with Democrats and the liberal media, and is endorsed and re-elected regularly. Still, with his history and unique "credentials," it seems like he should "zip it." He is the last person to criticize anyone else in government.
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