Outside the Beltway

Much of what Donald Trump has claimed about how he built his fortune is a lie, and at least part of it originated in his father’s shady efforts to evade taxes.

For the second time in two years, the Supreme Court starts a new term down one Justice. That isn’t as big a problem as it might seem.

Is the reopened investigation of Brett Kavanaugh a real investigation of the charges made against him by three separate women, or is it a political sham? It’s beginning to look much more like the latter than the former.

By popular demand . . .

After eight hours of testimony, the only impression a non-partisan mind could be left with from the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh is that we need a full investigation of the charges against the Supreme Court nominee. Unfortunately, we’re not going to get that.

Less than a day before a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a third woman has come forward with new allegations involving Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

In an ordinary year with an ordinary candidate New Jersey should be a slam dunk for Democrats. This, however, is not an ordinary year.

Six siblings of Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar are starring in political ads against him. This is just another unfortunate example of the extent to which our political culture has been ruined by hyperpartisan polarization.

New allegations of sexual misconduct mark the start of a crucial week for the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

We’ll likely never know whether the Supreme Court nominee is a sexual assaulter. But it really doesn’t matter.

A new report from The New York Times is likely to cause President Trump’s war on the Justice Department to heat up.

Donald Trump has been in office just over 600 days, and he’s proven beyond any doubt that he doesn’t care if what he says is the truth or not.

Reports about tension between Defense Secretary James Mattis and President Trump are becoming louder, and it’s being suggested that Mattis could be out of office after the midterms.

Cracks are beginning to show in the previously united Republican front on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation notwithstanding what appear to be credible allegations of sexual assault.

A woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of having assaulted her when he was 17 and she was 15 has come forward. What happens next is anyone’s guess.

The Twenty-Fifth Amendment has been in the news a lot lately, but what would it actually take to use it to remove a President from power?

As problematic as some of what we know about the internal workings of the White House may be, it isn’t a coup.

As part of her position as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has use of a rather lavish private residence. This is not a real controversy.

Some last minute dramatics in the Kavanaugh nomination fight, but it seems unlikely to impact the outcome of the nomination fight.

President Trump is apparently a Hurricane Maria Truther.

The Federal Budget Deficit is set to end the Fiscal Year close to $1 trillion, and to continue growing after that.

Seventeen years ago, America was thrust into a war that seemingly has no end.

With less than two months to go before the midterm elections, President Trump’s job approval numbers are hitting new lows.

Former President Obama took on his successor in his first major political speeches since leaving office.

The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh is, effectively, assured. Democrats should be careful about how much further they push their opposition.

Just how far should White House staffers and civil servants go in protecting the public from an erratic president?

The #MeToo movement brings down the head of a Fortune 500 company.

As I have repeatedly noted: Trump is the leader of the Republican Party.

The fact that American officials talked with Venezuelans plotting a coup against the government of their country is a dangerous turn of events.

Thankfully, they chose not to help.

President Trump wants Jeff Sessions and the Justice Department to investigate the anonymous Op-Ed published earlier this week even though there doesn’t appear to have been a crime committed.

Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos received a very generous sentence in return for his guilty plea.

Jobs growth in August was slightly better than expected, but still nothing overly impressive.

The second day of questioning for Judge Brett Kavanaugh was a bit rockier than the first, but nothing happened that seriously threatens his eventual confirmation.

The tough guy actor best known for the “Smokey And The Bandit” movies has passed away at the age of 82.

Donald Trump is a bad, inept, and potentially dangerous President. That doesn’t mean that a ‘soft coup’ inside the White House is the answer to the problem he presents to our democratic republic.

Day One of questions for Judge Brett Kavanaugh went about as you’d expect.

In an extraordinary anonymous Op-Ed, a senior White House official describes a White House in chaos.

Donald Trump spent part of Labor Day engaged in yet another unhinged attack on his own Justice Department.

The target is not just on illegal immigrants.

Author Sam Anderson puts forward a rather strange hypothesis in Politico.

An occasional series makes a return.

Social media has altered the way writers and readers interact in odd ways.

A new study concludes that the total death toll from Hurricane Maria was vastly higher than previously reported.

Throughout the War On Terror, John McCain stood out as a strong moral voice against the use of torture against prisoners. For that he deserves the thanks of a grateful nation.

A top Vatican official is alleging that Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI were both aware of previously unknown allegations of sexual abuse and chose to allow them to be covered up rather than bringing them to light.

President Trump reportedly vetoed a plan to issue a statement lauding Senator John McCain after he died on Saturday.

Iconic Broadway legend Neil Simon, who was responsible for hits such as “The Odd Couple, has died at the age of 91.

Who could have seen this coming?

The latest reports about the circumstances surrounding the payoff to Stormy Daniels could pose big problems for Michael Cohen and his client.