A right-wing group in Florida got a book about Anne Frank removed from school libraries under a new policy approved by Republican legislators.
The Indian River County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative nonprofit group that questions school lessons on racism and other topics they deem controversial, complained about the graphic novel, “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation," and got the book pulled from library shelves, reported WPTV-TV.
“We think true history absolutely needs to be taught, the Holocaust, the Anne Frank diary,” said Jennifer Pippin, the head of the right-wing group's county chapter.
Pippin complained that the book depicts a scene from the doomed teenager's diary where she and a friend exposed themselves to one another and another instance where she walks past nude statues.
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The school district considered her complaint and determined the book did not contribute to the theme of Holocaust education.
“When districts address Holocaust education, it does so without denying or minimizing the events of Holocaust education,” said Kyra Schafte, the district's director of academic compliance and equity.
Shafte pointed out that the original “Diary of Anne Frank” remains on library shelves, but Pippin told the TV station her group has compiled a list of about 250 books they intend to challenge under the state policy approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Indian River County recently established a district objection committee made up of parents appointed by school board members and district employees that will meet if there are formal challenges to books.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is pushing for a contempt of Congress vote against Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's office who was called to testify about D.A. Alvin Bragg's prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
Gaetz said he is unsatisfied with the number of questions Pomerantz invoked the Fifth Amendment on, reported The Independent.
“I believe Mr. Pomerantz engaged in misconduct in his targeting of President Trump, and his refusal to answer simple questions should not go unpunished,” said Gaetz. “He should be held in contempt of Congress and be compelled to answer the questions regarding the weaponization of the Manhattan DA’s office. If he fails to comply with the congressional subpoena, then the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives must summon him by force.”
"Mr Pomerantz had previously been tapped to serve in the district attorney’s office by its previous occupant Cyrus Vance to investigate former Mr Trump. But Mr Pomerantz quit his position last March under current District Attorney Alvin Bragg and then authored a book that claimed that Mr Bragg backed off indicting Mr Trump despite the fact the indictment had been authorized by Mr Vance," reported Eric Garcia.
"Mr Bragg’s office later indicted Mr Trump and he was arrested in April. The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government subpoenaed Mr Pomerantz shortly thereafter. Mr Bragg authorized Congress to question Mr Pomerantz. Mr Pomerantz later testified before the committee on 12 May but repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights."
The right to not incriminate oneself in questioning is a foundational right in the U.S. Constitution. Trump, despite having used it himself many times, has scoffed, "if you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth?"
In fact, there are many reasons innocent people might exercise the right as well, including to avoid the risk of the government prosecuting them for perjury over true statements thye don't believe are true.
Bragg is prosecuting Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, relating to his alleged $130,000 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The former president is facing several other legal investigations, including state and federal probes into the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and the improper retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
A Pittsburgh man who was seen in images using a baseball bat to smash through windows in the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison, Patch.com reported.
Jorden Robert Mink, 29, was also sentenced to 36 months of supervised release and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. He was charged with assaulting, impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, theft of government property and aiding and abetting.
Prosecutors say Mink shattered a window on the Capitol building with a baseball bat and started removing property, which he handed to people in the crowd outside. He was also seen using the bat to shatter another window.
He was also seen spitting at police officers and throwing several objects at them.
U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden on Tuesday said that "nothing is off the table"— including a subpoena — after a lawyer for Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow continued to duck questions about the billionaire's gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his relatives.
In a June 2 letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Crow attorney Michael Bopp expressed "respect" for the panel's "important role in formulating legislation concerning our federal courts system," while stating that he would "welcome a discussion with your staff."
However, Bopp also reiterated his assertion that "Congress does not have the power to impose ethics standards on the Supreme Court" and "therefore cannot mount an investigation for the purpose of helping craft such standards."
"It comes as little surprise that Mr. Crow is doubling down on bogus legal theories as he continues to stonewall basic questions about his gifts to Clarence Thomas and his family."
Thomas and Crow have repeatedly refused to answer questions about years of gifts—including luxury vacations and private school tuition—to the right-wing justice and members of his family.
In response to Bopp's assertion—which has been roundly refuted by Durbin and legal experts—Wyden, a progressive Oregon Democrat, accused the Gibson Dunn partner of "stonewalling."
"It comes as little surprise that Mr. Crow is doubling down on bogus legal theories as he continues to stonewall basic questions about his gifts to Clarence Thomas and his family. If anything, the most recent letter from his attorney raises more questions than it answers," the senator said in a statement.
"The letter states, 'charter rates or reimbursements at rates prescribed by law were paid to the Crow family entities' with zero additional detail that could help clarify these financial arrangements, such as exactly who made those payments for Justice Thomas' extravagant luxury travel, and how many times and in what amounts those payments were made," Wyden continued.
"Far too often, efforts to investigate real-life tax practices of the ultra-wealthy and powerful end with this kind of vague, carefully-worded assurance that everything is on the level. That's simply not good enough," he argued. "This is exactly why the Finance Committee is pursuing this matter as part of its broader review of gift and estate tax practices of ultra-high net worth individuals."
Wyden added: "I've already begun productive discussions with the Finance Committee on next steps to compel answers to our questions from Mr. Crow, including by subpoena, and those discussions will continue."
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