Inside the Beltway: Jeanine Pirro takes on the anti-Trump conspiracy

NEWS AND OPINION:

Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro has a new book arriving soon, and the title explains all: “Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy.”

Judge Pirro is on a personal mission to expose forces that have been at work against President Trump since he took office — from rumors of a shadow government or “deep state” to false press narratives and political distractions.

“There is a deep state in this country that is far deeper than anyone ever thought. It took Donald Trump to bring out the fact that some in the government are creating their own rules and mechanisms to maintain power and control, and preserve an ideology that Americans may not buy into. Trump instinctively knew a deep state was there,” Judge Pirro tells Inside the Beltway, noting that this shadow government was “already in motion” before Mr. Trump even took office.

Others have also wondered about it. On Mr. Trump’s inauguration day, GQ magazine published a suggestion that “Barack Obama was preparing for his third term.” Judicial Watch also warned that a “soft coup” was underway. And four months ago, a Monmouth University poll revealed that 74 percent of Americans said the proverbial deep state, indeed, exists.

“Trump was elected because Americans knew something was going on,” says Judge Pirro. “The deep state is deep rooted, and yes, it will be hard to unroot. This is a deep state that has its own rules, and is arrogant, determined to protect itself. The truth is that Trump is a master communicator, a man who understood the playing field, and took some risks. He took on the news media. Any politician would have said, ’What, are you out of your mind?’ Yet now, Trump has created his own mechanism to communicate with the public. That took fortitude and genius. And my money says he comes out on top. Trump is a force of nature. He will persevere, and he will fight the good fight.”

Judge Pirro has known Mr. Trump for 25 years, and says her new book — to be published by Center Street on Tuesday — reviews the president’s accomplishments.

“I cover what he has done for the American people, despite these efforts to stop him. I tell people to look at their paychecks, look at their tax returns. Trump is really the tip of the spear of the populist movement,” says Judge Pirro, who offers no recommendations to Mr. Trump.

“He listens to a lot of people. He doesn’t need my advice,” she observes.

But Judge Pirro does have a word for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who in 1998 fretted that a “vast right-wing conspiracy” was intent on dismantling the work of then-President Bill Clinton.

“Hillary’s vast right-wing conspiracy was all in her mind. She ought to take a close look at the difference between her delusional conspiracy and what the left is doing with Trump today. They are working to prevent the nation from carrying out the wishes of the Founding Fathers,” Judge Pirro says. “This is a real conspiracy. We have concrete facts that indicate a conspiracy, I have been a judge for 30 years. I’ve run for office. I get this stuff. I know a conspiracy when I see one.”

MS. FONDA AT THE CAPITOL

An appearance of note, no red carpet in sight: Jane Fonda will be at the Capitol on Thursday to talk over #MeToo issues, plus sexual harassment and women’s rights in the workplace, accompanied by, among others: Ai-jen Poo, executive director of National Domestic Workers Alliance; Monica Ramirez, co-founder of Alianza de Campesinas; Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of National Women’s Law Center; Mily Trevino-Sauceda, co-director of Alianza de Campesinas and a former farmworker; and Myrla Baldonado, an organizer with Pilipino Workers Center and a former domestic worker.

The ladies are then off to meet with Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, plus Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent and a self-described democratic socialist.

TALK OF TRADE

Like President Trump, plenty of Americans are a little jittery about China’s trade policies.

“As the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese goods have gone into effect, a majority of Americans — 62 percent — believe China’s trade policies with the U.S. are unfair, suggesting the public supports the concept of attempting to change China’s policies,” writes Frank Newport, director of the Gallup poll — which revealed that 71 percent of Republicans, 59 percent of independents and 57 percent of Democrats agree with this.

Majorities of Americans, however, say the trade policies of the Canada, European Union, and Japan are fair; Mexico not so much. The poll found that 44 percent say Mexico has fair trade practices, 46 percent say they are unfair — a finding which includes 62 percent of Republicans, 43 percent of independents and 35 percent of Democrats.

“Most Americans are not trade experts, of course, and perceptions of the trade policies of other countries reflect what they read, see and hear in the news and social media, and from other indirect sources of information. Still, Americans’ attitudes remain important to understand — even if they shift with new developments — because perceptions can be translated into reality when it comes to voting and support for policy positions that political leaders espouse,” said Mr. Newport.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Aborticrats.”

That is a handy new term from syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin, meant to represent celebrities, politicians and other high-profile folk who vigorously support abortion, whether they are marching in pink caps or making an on-the-record statement.

“Where are the compassionate liberals speaking up for women and men suffering from abortion regret or grisly botched procedures? What about the countless minority victims of predators posing as ’reproductive health providers’?” asks Mrs. Malkin. “The same hysterical voices shrieking, ’Where have all the children gone?’ last week at the border have nothing to say about the nearly 60 million lives snuffed out on U.S. soil since Roe v. Wade.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 54 percent of U.S. voters say the federal government should not abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

• 25 percent overall say the federal government should get rid of ICE.

• 21 percent overall don’t know, or have no opinion.

• 40 percent overall say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate for Congress who supported abolishing ICE.

• 26 percent overall say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate for Congress who supported abolishing ICE.

• 17 percent overall say the status of ICE would not affect their vote.

Source: A Morning Consult/Politico poll of 1,991 registered U.S. voters conducted July 6-10.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.