Stefanik shows no concern over charges against Trump

Warren County administrator explains why there is a `state of emergency’

By Ken Tingley

Time sort of stopped that night. At least for 16 minutes.

It was a balmy summer evening - August 8, 1974 - and I was 17 years old and gathering shopping carriages in the Shop Rite parking lot in Derby, Conn. The store manager turned off the music and we heard President Richard Nixon say, “Good evening. This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office…”

I stopped and leaned up against the shopping carriages and listened.

Everyone seemed to stop and listen.

This was history.

Nixon was going to be the first president ever to resign.

There was this feeling of sadness in the air that it had all come to this. I was a Nixon guy at the time. I supported the war in Vietnam. But the Watergate hearings had been percolating since June, peeling back the onion of a conspiracy that started with the break-in into the Democratic headwaters before finally settling into an Oval Office cover-up and what John Dean called a “cancer on the presidency.”

There was the shocking profanity in the Watergate tapes, the infamous 17-minute gap in another and the resignations of high level officials in the Nixon administration.

By the time Nixon made his resignation speech, there was little doubt that crimes had been committed and that Nixon had at least been involved in a cover-up. Eventually 69 people were indicted and 48 were convicted.

Nixon was pardoned and the country moved on because we believed in the rule of law and had faith the system would work.

I still believe in that system.

I still believe in that rule of law.

That you are innocent until proven guilty.

But when the news broke Thursday evening that former President Donald Trump had been indicted, not only for mishandling government documents, but also obstructing government efforts to reclaim them, what bothered me the most was that there were some, like Rep. Elise Stefanik, that still supported him.

She showed no concern about the charges.

She dismissed them.

The charges are serious and appear to have merit, but Rep. Stefanik had already ruled on a case where we still do not know the details.

The indictments were handed down by an independent grand jury that found cause to bring the charges.

While it is another sad chapter in our country’s history, Rep. Stefanik’s statement Thursday said she believed believed the Justice Department is corrupt.

That the grand jury charges have no basis in fact.

And even more startling, she accused President Joe Biden of treason.

What she concluded was she no longer believes in the legitimacy of our courts, prosecutors and judges.

She ended the statement by reiterating her support for Trump, saying he would be re-elected in 2024.

Then, about 10:45, she tweeted:

STAND WITH TRUMP! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

The investigations surrounding Trump and his actions are like Watergate in one regard. Each new revelation, each new investigation peels back another layer of corruption or a lack of ethics.

Rep. Stefanik indicates there is vast conspiracy to discredit the former president while disregarding facts from independent media sources that have found otherwise.

If Rep. Stefanik is right, the country we grew up with, the morality of the country we believe in no longer exists.

I don’t believe that.

I still believe that at its core, our country, the Justice Department and the courts remain committed to justice.

Rep. Stefanik’s allegiance lies elsewhere and that is something that should frighten every voter in the 21st Congressional District. It certainly does me.

Warren County plan

On Thursday, Warren County administrator John Taflan published a guest essay in The Post-Star explaining that the county was crafting a plan to “assist” migrants, not ban them.

Taflan explained in detail the problems facing the county before it could allow asylum seekers into the county and why Warren County declared a “state of emergency.”

What he didn’t address were possible solutions.

The county has formed a task force to address the problems and Taflan said he will be meeting with charitable organizations and church groups in the coming weeks to see how they can help as well.

Gannett strike

Gannett is the largest newspaper chain in the country. Even at its peak decades ago, it had a dubious reputation among journalists. USA Today spawned a cookie cutter approach to journalism. Gannett has used that approach to share content among newspapers to eliminate jobs and remain profitable.

This week hundreds of journalists walked off the job at the Palm Beach Post, Arizona Republic and Austin American-Statesman. It was the largest labor action in the country’s history. The NewsGuild, representing some 1,000 journalists, criticized the company for “depressed wages” and eliminating journalism jobs.

Unfortunately, Gannett is not alone in eliminating journalism jobs.

Few expect the financial health of newspapers to get much better in the coming years and it is doubtful the protests will have much of an affect.

In another announcement Wednesday, The Los Angeles Times announced it was eliminated over 70 newsroom positions or about 10 percent of its journalism workforce.

Bishop passing

Dr. Marshall Bishop, who was president of Adirondack Community College from 2001-2007, has died at the age of 80 in Portage, Michigan.

Bishop was a low-key presence at the college at a time when it was looking for stability.  He was hired to replace Jane Harmon after her tumultuous one year on the job. The board did not renew Harmon’s contract and hired Bishop in 2001. Before Harmon, another president was forced to resign because of a plagiarism scandal.

I remember having lunch with Bishop at the Queensbury Hotel soon after he took over. He was quiet, reserved and didn’t seem to be planning any big initiatives.

Bishop was survived by his wife, two children, five grandchildren and six siblings.