It was my turn to drive. My former wife and I were headed west through Kansas on our way home. I’d just completed a summer internship in Washington D.C., with a very conservative U.S. congressman which, at the time, was my own political orientation. …

My law partner Nathan, who didn’t go to Yale, has too much common sense and is far too smart to stoop to Senator Hawley’s ‘astounding’ false equivalency. Yet, Nathan is correct that the recent revelations about President Biden having in his possession documents with classification markings after the end of…

‘Presiding’ over a body in which he swapped meaningful control for a nominal title will be the short-lived pinnacle and end of Kevin McCarthy’s career in politics. A second attempted coup within as many years unfolded this week as we witnessed the humiliating irony of McCarthy juxtaposing his desperate need…

Will this be the year Trump is held to account? I have asked that question at the beginning of each of the past several years. Each year ends with a resounding no. The Jan. 6 Select Committee submitted its final Report as the 117th Congress closes and the 118th Congress…

Our dad Richard J Van Wagoner was a visual artist. He died Christmas day 2013. I post something in remembrance of him this time of year. Included here is a gallery of 15 paintings from different periods. His range was impressive. …

Recall that Senate Republicans filibustered efforts to create a bicameral commission to investigate the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. In McConnell’s political calculation, a 9–11 style commission to investigate what happened and why and recommend specific measures Congress should take to prevent future such events would make…

Control of information, including banning books, is a common precursor to atrocity A reader asked when I would write about the current movement to ban books in the United States. I’ve written several essays, linked in Notes below, that only touch on the deeply rooted and complex factors that undergird…

A Vote, after all, counts the same, regardless of who casts it If you think Mitch McConnell recently developed a conscience when he ‘denounced’ antisemitism and white supremacy, think again. It was pure political calculation. Trump’s endorsements of extreme candidates failed to carry the GOP to prodigious midterm victories, suggesting…

There is no equivalency, moral or otherwise Three days after Trump declared his candidacy for the 2024 election, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the appointment of Jack Smith to serve as Special Counsel. Mr. Garland made the appointment in his continuing quest to restore independence and political neutrality to…