I don’t want to get your hopes up, but late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered the Departments of Justice and State to reopen investigations into Hillary Clinton’s email scandal.

What Judge Lamberth wants to know is whether Clinton deliberately used a private email server while secretary of state in order to evade federal records laws and Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) requests.

The answer, of course, is “YES!” And judging from the language in his order, I think Judge Lamberth knows it too.

Lamberth blasted the bureaucrats at Justice and State, saying their efforts in the previous investigations “smack of outrageous misconduct” and “negligence born of incompetence,” adding:

“At worst, career employees in the State and Justice departments colluded to scuttle public scrutiny of Clinton, skirt FOIA, and hoodwink this court.”

There has been a gnawing concern among many that Hillary Clinton was conducting a “pay-to-play” scheme – cashing in on her influence at the State Department in order to enrich the Clinton Foundation.

Well… Rep. Mark Meadows told Fox News Thursday that three whistleblowers have come forward with serious allegations of financial impropriety at the Clinton Foundation. (Read more here.)

It’s premature to start chanting, “Lock Her Up!” But this much we know for certain: Anyone else who compromised classified information the way Hillary did would have been locked up a long time ago!

Funding Fight

Congress has dodged a government shut down for now. After President George H.W. Bush’s funeral dominated Washington for the past week, the politicians punted and passed a short-term funding bill that will keep the government open for another two weeks.

But there is a big fight brewing over funding for President Trump’s border wall. The president is demanding at least $5 billion, but Nancy Pelosi is adamantly against the “immoral” wall.

What is truly immoral is the failure of the government to adequately protect and defend our citizens from the crime and drugs that come across the border every single day.

And here’s something else to keep in mind: New data from the Census Bureau find that “63% of noncitizen-headed households got some form of welfare benefit in 2014, compared with 35% for citizens.”

Kudos to Senators Cruz (R-TX), Kennedy (R-LA), Inhofe (R-OK) and Rounds (R-SD). They have introduced a bill to fully fund the president’s border wall – $25 billion – paid for by eliminating loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to access welfare benefits and tax credits meant for U.S. citizens. This ought to be a slam dunk, but I won’t hold my breath.

By the way, a new poll this week asked voters what they wanted the lame duck Congress to focus on. Border security was the top issue.

Hamas & Chanukah

Thursday an assortment of dictators at the United Nations refused to condemn Hamas. Funded by Iran, Hamas has waged a constant campaign of terror against Israel. Just a few weeks ago, Hamas fired 500 rockets at Israeli civilians.

The U.N. resolution condemning Hamas was introduced by the Trump Administration. Ambassador Nikki Haley made a compelling case for why it should pass. Speaking directly to Arab delegates, she asked:

“Is the hatred toward Israel so strong that you’ll defend a terrorist organization, one that is directly causing harm to the Palestinian people? Isn’t it time to let that go?”

Sadly, the issue was never about facts. More nations voted against the resolution or abstained (88) than voted for it (87). This is just another sign of the deep rot at the U.N. and the deep hatred for the Jewish people of Israel.

The good news is that the U.S.-Israel alliance is stronger than ever. Thursday night, after the U.N. failed to condemn Hamas, President Trump and Vice President Pence hosted Holocaust survivors at the White House for a Chanukah celebration.

During the event, President Trump said this:

“Today, I am thrilled to commemorate the miracle of [Chanukah]. More than 2,000 years ago, a band of Jewish patriots, led by Judah Maccabee, reclaimed their freedom from an oppressive dictator who had persecuted the Jewish people and ransacked the Holy Temple.

"Throughout history, the Jewish people have suffered unthinkable repression and terrible violence. Yet, in the face of this hardship, the Jewish people have endured, overcome, and thrived…

"Five weeks ago, our nation mourned a horrific tragedy. Eleven Jewish-Americans were brutally murdered in a sinister anti-Semitic attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh… In the aftermath of that wicked assault, we reaffirmed our solemn duty to confront anti-Semitism everywhere it occurs. We must stamp out this vile hatred from the world…

"From the depths of despair, the Jewish people built a mighty and majestic nation, a thriving democracy in the heart of the Middle East, and a light of hope to all of the world. My administration will always stand with our cherished friend and partner, the state of Israel…

"Civilization is indebted to the Jewish people for their incredible contributions to art and science, history, culture, and society. Since the founding of America, Jewish communities have uplifted every aspect of our national life.

"Today, we renew our gratitude for those amazing blessings and we reaffirm our unbreakable solidarity with the Jewish people.”

We are blessed to have such a pro-Israel president in the White House.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Friday was Pearl Harbor Day, and keeping with the pattern of recent years, very little has been said about it. (You may have noticed that there is no “Google doodle” Friday.) That is more than frustrating; it’s dangerous. Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

People from my generation can tell you where they were and what they were doing when news broke that John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King were assassinated. For younger people, it’s the same for 9/11.

But for the Greatest Generation, December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy,” was just such a day.

It was a sunny Sunday morning at Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii. At 7:48 AM local time, as some men ate breakfast and others were at church, hundreds of Imperial Japanese planes descended from the sky and attacked.

Eight U.S. battleships and 188 planes were destroyed in the surprise attack. Some 2,403 Americans were killed.

The next day, tens of thousands of men responded by enlisting in the military. It’s no exaggeration to say that the attack on Pearl Harbor united America like no other event in our history.

Every day, fewer men and women from that generation remain with us. This week America said farewell to the last president to have served in that war, or any war. As USA Today noted, Bush’s funeral was “America’s goodbye to the Greatest Generation.”

If you know someone who was alive on that day 77 years ago, talk to them, record their recollections, and pass on to your children the importance of what happened, and how America responded.