Consider this example. While an assistant attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Southern District of New York, Daniel Goldman donated, at minimum, a total amount of $14,300.00 to Democrats, and Democratic Party committees. There is nothing illegal about U.S. Assistant Attorneys making campaign donations. They are subject to the Hatch Act, and Department of Justice Ethics policy – neither of which prohibit campaign donations being made by DOJ attorneys. However, these types of partisan campaign donations have the potential to take on an appearance of impropriety in certain circumstances.
Here are some of the political campaign donations made by former U.S. Assistant Attorney Daniel Goldman while he was employed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
October 24, 2016 $2700 Hillary for America
October 29, 2012 $5000 Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
October 26, 2010 $1000 DNC Services Corporation
January 18, 2009 $1000 Hillary Clinton for President
October 24, 2008 $2300 Obama for America
October 23, 2008 $2300 Obama Victory Fund
The Appearance of impropriety is defined as conduct perceived by a reasonable person to impair the ability to carry out official responsibilities with fairness, impartiality, objectivity, and integrity.
Dan Goldman now represents the 10th District of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to Congressman Goldman’s website, during his 10-year tenure as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, Goldman focused on organized crime and white-collar prosecutions, representing the United States in all phases of the federal criminal process, from investigation through appeal. Goldman conducted and supervised hundreds of investigations involving racketeering, murder, money laundering, gun trafficking, firearms, narcotics, extortion and loansharking offenses, securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, health care fraud, tax fraud, and other white-collar crime.
Intersect Goldman’s campaign donations with his prosecutions, and the potential to portray an appearance of impropriety is inescapable. Goldman is a solid liberal Democrat. He’s also a fallible man. Goldman despises former President Trump. He also loathes people he perceives as defenders or supporters of Trump. He bathes in liberalism, and opposes conservativism. He is biased to his core.
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If any white-collar crimes had been detected within Hillary for America or the Obama Victory Fund, would Goldman been able to prosecute those cases without passion or prejudice? What about crimes committed by individuals within the DNC leadership? What if some of the individuals associated with the DNC were caught up in some type of insider trading scheme? Would Goldman have recused himself from investigating and prosecuting those cases? Would evidence be set aside or ignored? Malicious prosecution and the abuse of prosecutorial discretion are thorns in the side of Lady Justice that even Grace can no longer ignore.
Let’s assume Goldman could completely separate his politics from his prosecutions. Even so, some members of the public, based on his campaign donations, could question whether Goldman carried out official responsibilities with fairness, impartiality, objectivity, and integrity.
RULE 21 in Major League Baseball is titled MISCONDUCT. Under the GAMBLING subsection, Rule 21 states:
- Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.
- Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.
- Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct. Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who operates or works for an illegal bookmaking business shall be subject to a minimum of a one-year suspension by the Commissioner. For purposes of this provision, an illegal bookmaker is an individual who accepts, places or handles wagers on sporting events from members of the public as part of a gaming operation that is unlawful in the jurisdiction in which the bets are accepted.
Major League Baseball doesn’t want even the appearance of impropriety! The MLB wants to protect the integrity of the game. The Department of Justice lacks integrity and appears improper by allowing assistant attorneys and attorneys to make donations to political causes and partisan candidates for office.
Never before has the U.S. Department of Justice been so obviously partisan and biased. If rules changed prohibiting campaign donations from being made by staff, researchers, assistant attorneys, and attorneys of the DOJ, in a few years public perception of the department will improve. For the sake of the nation, the DOJ must rein in political bias and favor. The strike zone must be conservative and consistent. The attorneys must call balls and strikes fairly when pursuing and reviewing evidence.
Your donations are greatly appreciated.
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