TRUMP BREAKS MULTIPLE HATCH ACT RULES DURING RNC'S NIGHTS

…Melania Trump giving her Rose Garden Speech

The Secretary of State went against his own rules to give a campaign speech

During the Republican National Convention (RNC) nights, they have broken most of the normal rules of running a convention.  President Trump and the Republican Party placed the powers of the White House and the federal government in service to Trump’s reelection on Tuesday night.  Just the staging of the pardoning and naturalization ceremonies as part of the GOP’s official nominating convention while using the White House, that alone is a big “no-no”. And the using of the Rose Garden for a speech by the first lady, who extolled “my own American Dream” of citizenship after a childhood under communist rule, that was one of many “final straws”.

As the highlight speech on a night organized around the theme of the United States as "the land of opportunity," Melania Trump's immigrant story was meant to contrast legal immigration with the illegal immigration the president has falsely argued is a scourge and a danger.

Her address also opened with an emotional tribute to Americans lost to the coronavirus pandemic, which was part of an apparent effort by her husband's campaign to shore up support amid widespread public unhappiness over his handling of the crisis.

"Donald will not rest until he has done all he can to take care of everyone impacted by this pandemic," she said.  If that’s the case, why is there no national plan for dealing with the Covid-19 debacle?

The first lady’s speech was just one of a patchwork of themes that also included messages opposing abortion, attacking Democratic nominee Joe Biden as a dangerous radical, highlighting President Trump’s ties to evangelical Christians and praising the administration’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis.

One of the persistent themes was their mixing of the US government with the Trump campaign, including addresses from two of his children taped at a government building and a very unusual endorsement from the secretary of state.  Yes, the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo delivered his speech from an official overseas trip to Israel.  This is against Mike Pompeo’s own rules to his people that no one in the State Department is to even attend, much less be involved, with a partisan political convention.  This has been a standing rule in the state department for many decades.

The format bucked traditional norms of diplomacy and launched a House investigation into whether Pompeo violated the Hatch Act.  This is a federal law that separates government functions from political ones, and a line that Trump and many of his aides have appeared to delight in ignoring.

Pompeo's address, delivered with the night skyline of Jerusalem behind him, celebrated Trump's relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to "this very city of God, Jerusalem."

The first lady's live address in a newly renovated and redesigned Rose Garden cast Melania Trump as a bridge to female voters disenchanted with the president, and as an example of legal immigration to the United States.

A small, live audience that included the president and Vice President Pence heard her address. Guests were seated with some distance between chairs, but they were spaced far less than the six feet recommended as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Most speakers who have addressed the convention have done so without an audience and no one in the audience was wearing a mask.

President Trump's campaign strategists have been privately saying that suburban women are a weak spot for him, and they hoped Melania would help attract voters from that crucial bloc.

In addition to other well-known speakers such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Tuesday night's program was aimed in part at highlighting everyday Americans who support Trump's presidency.

Those included an eighth-generation resident of Swan's Island, Maine, who talked about the Trump administration's assistance to the lobster industry.  There was also a Minnesota dairy farmer who praised Trump's trade actions, and a former Planned Parenthood employee from Texas who now opposes abortion.

One disgusting part was Trump's son Eric and younger daughter Tiffany which were part of a Trump dynasy showcase that will present each of the president's adult children this week. 

Tiffany Trump asserted that certain viewpoints are filtered or muted by technology platforms and media companies, a questionable allegation her father has also made.  Her remarks echo conspiracy theories that claim conservative views are suppressed by the media, government or other forces.  “Ask yourself, why are we prevented from seeing certain information? Why is one viewpoint promoted, while others are hidden?” she said. “The answer is control, because division and controversy create profit.”

Eric Trump sought to appeal to the "silent majority" that he said understands the stakes of a return to a Democratic president.

It was of course not mentioned that Eric’s father had lost the popular vote in 2016 by millions of votes, but he had just captured enough votes in key states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan to win just enough electoral college votes.

“Democrats want to destroy the monuments of our forefathers and disrespect American traditions including the Pledge of Allegiance, Eric said. "Every day, my father fights for the American people, the forgotten man and woman of this country.'

Like many of the night's speakers, Eric and Tiffany Trump delivered political endorsement speeches from inside federal buildings, which violates federal laws.

One scheduled convention speaker, Mary Ann Mendoza, a mother whose son was killed in 2014 by a drunk driver living in the United States illegally.  But Mendoza was pulled from the program at the last minute because she was going to urge her followers to read through an anti-Semitic conspiracy-theory about a Jewish plot to control the world.

After the Daily Beast and others publicized what Mendoza was going to do, she deleted her message, and was pulled from the convention.

Mendoza was originally meant to appear as a representative of "angel moms," a term Trump has popularized among his base for women whose children were killed by undocumented immigrants.

The president made an unadvertised appearance less than 15 minutes into Tuesday night's broadcast, where he signed a pardon for Jon Ponder, a convicted criminal who turned his life around with help from a former FBI agent. The two men, both scheduled as speakers Tuesday, appeared alongside Trump at the White House.  This was another rule broken by using the White House for a campaign event.

The segment highlighted Trump’s record of issuing pardons to people with whom he has forged a direct connection. Trump has largely bypassed the traditional pardon system, in which convicted people appeal to the Justice Department.

Senator Rand Paul, who built his national following in part on his opposition to foreign conflicts, saying that Joe Biden was more likely to lead the United States into new conflicts. "Joe Biden will continue to spill our blood and treasure," Paul said. "President Trump will bring our heroes home. If you hate war like I hate war, if you want us to quit sending $50 billion to Afghanistan for luxury hotels... you need to support President Trump for another term." 

BTW: There is no evidence that billions of US dollars are being sent to Afghanistan for building luxury hotels.

Although Biden voted in 2002 to authorize the use of military force in Iraq, he opposed the Iraq War three years later and said that his vote had been a mistake.

Far less visible than other recent first ladies, Melania Trump was making her biggest speech since the 2016 Republican National Convention, when she was accused of taking themes and language from then-first lady Michelle Obama’s famous speech.

Melania’s  husbands policies as president have targeted legal and illegal immigration in ways that would have limited, if not prevented, his wife's own  immigration experience.  A magazine model, born in Slovenia, Melania Trump came to the country more than two decades ago under a specialty work visa that is now much harder to get under President Trump.  She later became a citizen and assisted in the immigration and naturalization of her parents and sister.  This is an example of "chain migration" that her husband has spoken against, and who has said should be forbidden.

Trump made a second unadvertised appearance Tuesday, to preside over the naturalization ceremony for five immigrants which also featured acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf. Speaking at the White House, Trump praised the three women and two men from all corners of the globe for their perseverance.

"You followed the rules, and you obeyed the laws. You learned your history, embraced our values and proved yourselves to be men and women of the highest integrity," Trump said.

Trump has always ignored the specifics of his wife’s immigration story, even as he made immigration his defining policy issue for an upset victory four years ago. The topic remains a strong force for Trump’s most loyal supporters, but it has taken a back seat this year.  The president still hopes to win reelection amid a pandemic that has killed some 175,000 Americans and put millions out of work or in danger of losing their jobs.

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Trump’s border wall remains almost entirely unfinished and was never paid for by Mexico, as he promised in 2016.  He has developed an immigration posture with an anti-crime message, as was meant to be illustrated Tuesday with Mendoza's canceled address.

The night's anti-abortion message was underscored by the appearance of a former Planned Parenthood clinic director, Abby Johnson, who says she walked away from her job after witnessing the abortion of a 13-week-old fetus.

Pompeo's address was videotaped in Jerusalem as he was traveling in the Middle East and Africa following the announcement of a diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

A House panel is launching an investigation into the speech, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) said Tuesday. The move comes as Biden's campaign and other Democrats are accusing Pompeo of using his office for political gain.

“Secretary Pompeo’s participation in the RNC Convention during the course of official State Department work is not only unacceptable, but it appears to also be illegal," Rep. Castro, chairman of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on oversight and investigations, said in a tweet. "I've launched a @HouseForeign investigation."

Pompeo aides have said his remarks were being made in his personal capacity and that no State Department resources would be used, though Pompeo is traveling at government expense and generally must use government-approved secure communications. The Trump campaign listed him Tuesday under his official title and honorific.

Copyright G. Ater 2020