I know everyone will say that Trump’s new nickname for Adam Schiff (D-CA) is not presidential and they will be right. But it certainly is accurate.

So funny to see little Adam Schitt (D-CA) talking about the fact that Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker was not approved by the Senate, but not mentioning the fact that Bob Mueller (who is highly conflicted) was not approved by the Senate!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2018

Schitt Schiff fired back.

Wow, Mr. President, that’s a good one.

Was that like your answers to Mr. Mueller’s questions, or did you write this one yourself? https://t.co/Yd27sayt7C

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 18, 2018

Democrats argue that Trump’s appointment of Matt Whitaker as Acting Attorney General is unconstitutional because he was not confirmed by the Senate.

Republicans say, because the appointment is only temporary, it is lawful under the Federal Vacancy Reform Act, a law which stipulates how a replacement should be chosen. “By default, “the first assistant to the office” becomes the acting officer” which would indicate that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should have been chosen. Few possible replacement candidates, however, could be more conflicted than Rosenstein.

First, it was Rosenstein who wrote the memo outlining the many reasons why then-FBI Director James Comey should be fired. After Trump fired Comey, Rosenstein, possibly to regain favor with politicians who were angry after learning about his role in the firing, appointed Robert Mueller to the Special Counsel. Only days before this appointment, Mueller had met with Trump in a bid to return to his former role (FBI Director), and had been rejected. Furthermore, the Special Counsel guidelines require the appointee to be a Washington outsider. Robert Mueller has spent his entire career working for the government. Rosenstein could hardly have made a more inappropriate choice.

Next, although he denies it, it was widely reported Rosenstein had discussed invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. It was alleged he had suggested “wearing a wire to secretly record the president.”

I outlined Rosenstein’s (and his wife’s) many conflicts of interest in a previous post.

The Federal Vacancy Act also stipulates that “the President can select a senior “officer or employee” of the same executive agency who is equivalent to a GS-15 or above on the federal pay scale, if that employee served in that agency for at least 90 days during the year preceding the vacancy.” Matt Whitaker satisfies this requirement and, therefore, his appointment is valid.

Since Election Day, this man is showing up everywhere. And we’ll have to get used to him. But after watching his performance earlier this year when the House Intelligence Committee debated whether or not to release the “Nunes Memo,” it will not be easy.

Schiff argued that the release of Nunes’ memo would reveal “sources and methods,” which turned out to be a lie. Democrats used this scare tactic to prevent Americans from seeing the first real evidence that, rather than colluding with the Russians to steal the 2016 election, Trump had been “set-up”  by a network of high level Obama era intelligence officials.

Second to only Hillary Clinton, Schiff is a serial liar. He manages to maintain a very measured demeanor which, I suppose, is what makes him sound convincing. He appears as the adult in the room. But all the while he is lying and spinning. He is ambitious and ruthless and cannot be underestimated. When he promises he takes his constitutional duty for oversight seriously, he means it. Come January, we will see endless Congressional investigations and every news cycle will contain soundbites of Schiff spewing his latest hypocrisy.

Like them or not, Trump’s habit of nicknaming his adversaries has actually been quite effective in diminishing powerful people. The names seem to stick. We still hear many references to Crooked Hillary, Rocket Man and Little Marco. After all, according to famed community organizer Saul Alinsky, ridicule is a very effective political weapon.