President's Legal Defense Fund?

Wetwork Daddy's Avatar
Not sure why this thread was closed unless political discussions are not permitted in the D&T area, but it sure seemed like this was the place to go.

I apologize if I made a mistake in posting that thread. If this is not supposed to be posted here please feel free to move it.

I actually had a question and was wondering if some of the better minds on here knew the answer:

When it comes to personal civil court cases, does the president get to use the white house counsel and other resources? What about transportation and travel expenses while dealing with personal litigation?
Doove's Avatar
  • Doove
  • 04-10-2011, 04:00 PM
Not sure why this thread was closed unless political discussions are not permitted in the D&T area, but it sure seemed like this was the place to go.

I apologize if I made a mistake in posting that thread. If this is not supposed to be posted here%2C please feel free to move it.

I actually had a question and was wondering if some of the better minds on here knew the answer:

When it comes to personal civil court cases, does the president get to use the white house counsel and other resources? What about transportation and travel expenses while dealing with personal litigation?

Originally Posted by Wetwork Daddy
::Puff::
Well, since you're new, I'll tell you what I suspect is the reason it was closed, but you'll have to PM SR to find out for sure. There are firmly held political viewpoints that tend to split into three categories: conservatives, liberals and libertarians. Sometimes we let our firmly held viewpoints get in the way of our being gentlemen/ladies (I'm in the liberal camp). When that happens, the mods are required to ride herd on the thread.

This thread may actually stand a better chance than the previous one.

IMHO (and I'm not an expert...just trying to remember from the Nixon/Clinton years), when the President is sued in his capacity as president, he is defended with government resources (probably the Attorney General). When he is asserting Executive Privilege, he might use the White House counsel (there might be a conflict with the AG).

When he is sued personally for acts that he committed as president but those acts would be outside the scope of his job (i.e. Clinton's/Nixon's lying under oath), they are left to pay for their own legal expenses.

There are lots of other intangibles (i.e. can s/he use left over campaign funds to pay for it? I'll be corrected here if wrong, but I think the answer is "yes.") that figure into the gray areas.
Wetwork Daddy's Avatar
Well, since you're new, I'll tell you what I suspect is the reason it was closed, but you'll have to PM SR to find out for sure. There are firmly held political viewpoints that tend to split into three categories: conservatives, liberals and libertarians. Sometimes we let our firmly held viewpoints get in the way of our being gentlemen/ladies (I'm in the liberal camp). When that happens, the mods are required to ride herd on the thread.

This thread may actually stand a better chance than the previous one.

IMHO (and I'm not an expert...just trying to remember from the Nixon/Clinton years), when the President is sued in his capacity as president, he is defended with government resources (probably the Attorney General). When he is asserting Executive Privilege, he might use the White House counsel (there might be a conflict with the AG).

When he is sued personally for acts that he committed as president but those acts would be outside the scope of his job (i.e. Clinton's/Nixon's lying under oath), they are left to pay for their own legal expenses.

There are lots of other intangibles (i.e. can s/he use left over campaign funds to pay for it? I'll be corrected here if wrong, but I think the answer is "yes.") that figure into the gray areas. Originally Posted by charlestudor2005
Thank you for the clarification about posting here. Also thanks for curing my curiosity, that answer seems to make sense. I suppose then AG then views the facts of the case and lets the president know whether there is a conflict and whether or not the AG office will be involved, or if the president needs to hire private counsel.
Black Sedan's Avatar
This is actually a good writeup:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Counsel


Although the White House Counsel offers legal advice to the President, the Counsel does so in the President's official capacity, and does not serve as the President's personal attorney. Therefore, controversy has emerged over the scope of the attorney-client privilege between the Counsel and the President. It is clear, however, that the privilege does not apply in personal matters, such as impeachment proceedings; thus, in such situations the President relies on a personal attorney for confidential legal advice.
TexTushHog's Avatar
Privilege isn't the same as representing the President in litigation. To my knowledge, the White House Counsel's office never formally represents he President in litigation to which the President is a party. (It may or may not respond to subpoenas, etc. where the President is not a party. I'd have to ask some colleagues on that one.)
Thread was closed because some Moderators have their own political agendas and the power to enforce them?

Kinda like the way liberals shout down people they disagree with; ban them from campuses; or just vacate to another state to avoid open discussion and resolution.

BTW Obama's birth certificate looks amazingly pristine for being so old...

For your edification whirlaway:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42519951/ns/politics-more_politics/
Bad link but I read the Isikoff/MSNBC story anyway; it raises more questions than it answers. .......if, as the story claims " the original so-called "long form" birth certificate — described by Hawaiian officials as a "record of live birth" — absolutely exists, located in a bound volume in a file cabinet on the first floor of the state Department of Health" then show me a copy of the bound original!
Was this horse already beaten on the Trump thread? I as far as I can tell this thread is open. But stamping out the politcal fires just gets plain boring. I hate to think about the modding here and other locations will be like once the campaign really starts (ok that was last week).
Wetwork Daddy's Avatar
Thread was closed because some Moderators have their own political agendas and the power to enforce them?

Kinda like the way liberals shout down people they disagree with; ban them from campuses; or just vacate to another state to avoid open discussion and resolution.

BTW Obama's birth certificate looks amazingly pristine for being so old...

Originally Posted by Whirlaway
It might sometimes seems that way, but surely it would not be tolerated if mods close threads or sanction members just for having opposing views?

One question about the copy of this birth certificate. Why is there no attending physician or birth weight and length on this document? I could be wrong, but even if the child was born outside of the hospital, aren't they are usually given a pediatric exam by a doctor or nurse practitioner before a valid certificate is issued?

Pardon me if I am pulling some sort of scab off here, but I am curious.
I'm kinda confused....WTF does the president's legal defense fund and his birth certificate have to do the the hobby in general and this forum in particular?
Absolutely Nothing. It should be closed, I think.
I'm kinda confused....WTF does the president's legal defense fund and his birth certificate have to do the the hobby in general and this forum in particular? Originally Posted by surfindick
Said one mod. Welcome to MA's and my hell.
Wetwork Daddy's Avatar
So Diamonds and Tuxedos is not the place for political and other academic discussions for those with expensive tastes and lavish lifestyles?

I always believed hobbying is a sport for the intelligent and powerful.

Sometimes we like to be mentally stimulated before we are physically stimulated, but maybe I am just weird.

My mistake. Please tell me where that forum is.