Maxwell School News and Commentary

"An imposed one-sided solution will have other grave consequences for America. There has been considerable security and other realms of cooperation between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, which the U.S. government has aided. President Trump’s moves to impose a settlement will undermine such cooperation," writes Louis Kriesberg, professor emeritus of sociology.

William C. Banks, professor emeritus, of public administration and international affairs, spoke with several media outlets about the Nunes memo, how the FISA process works, and what the controversy means for the Trump presidency and the U.S. intelligence community.

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says Democrats have benefited so far from positive press coverage but that it could be harder to attack the bill if taxpayers start to see some benefits in their paychecks.

"Having that level of quality to choose from is probably a good thing for the Democratic Party," says Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, about the high caliber of New York candidates.

“No one’s ever lost an election on the deficit or the debt,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “If the economy continues to rebound more strongly and voters start focusing on what they are getting out of the tax cut, that can be a powerful combination. To me, it’s not clear that we are headed for the [Democratic] tidal wave that some folks are predicting.”

"She [Senator Kirsten Gillibrand] has been a leading spokesperson in the chamber for women’s issues and women’s rights and it’s not surprising to me at all that she would be one of the first Democrats to call out Sen. Franken and when the conversation inevitably turned to him, President Clinton," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"The current struggle over an affirmative message is further compounded by the fact that the negative messaging is taking up all the energy," says Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher. "Everything is about opposing Trump." 

Removing the likelihood of a trial in the United States leaves the government with few options, says William C. Banks, professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. "It’s time now to wonder whether the Trump administration is thinking of doing something different." 

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, says Trump’s words were "pushing that frontier of just what is acceptable on the part of a president. I think that’s why it is getting the attention that it’s getting. Any time you start talking fast and loose about…families that have lost members in the line of duty, that is political dynamite."

"The swamp is pretty sticky and it is hard to drain," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. "It is going to be very difficult for any one individual—even the president—to restructure the entire culture and network that exists inside the Beltway."