;)
August 10, 2022
Reality Chex was down for a couple of hours today, so don't be all surprised if it goes down again. If worse comes to worst, I'll post a few entries on Twitter @CONSTANTWEADER tonight & tomorrow morning. In the meantime, if all goes well, it's bizniz as usual. -- Marie
Trumpidy-doo-dah, Trumpidy-ay, My Oh My ...
Late Morning Update:
The mob takes the Fifth. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment? -- Donald Trump, September 2016 (WashPo link) ~~~
~~~ Trump Surprised Constitution Can Come in Handy. From the New York Times liveblog, also linked below: "Donald J. Trump declined to answer questions from the New York state attorney general's office on Wednesday, a stunning gamble in a high-stakes legal interview that is likely to determine the course of a civil investigation into his company's business practices. In a statement released shortly after the questioning began on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, explaining that he 'declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.' After the deposition began, two sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed that he was refusing to answer questions, citing the Fifth Amendment." The Hill's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Thanks to Ken W. for the link. MB: As Ken points out in today's Comments, there's a bit of irony in this development -- Trump spent four years as president* (and in his telling, he is still president) ignoring the laws & the Constitution, but suddenly he finds a part he likes. I suppose Ken & I are being unfair inasmuch as Trump was fond on that part of the Article II -- apparently written in invisible ink, as no one else has seen it -- that said he could do whatever he wanted.
Perry Stein of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department has charged a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in connection with a plot to murder former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, accusing him of attempting to pay individuals $300,000 to kill Bolton in D.C. or Maryland. The suspect, Shahram Poursafi, 45, remains at large abroad, the Justice Department said. If found and convicted, he would face up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000 for the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, and up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000 for providing and attempting to provide material support to a transnational murder plot. Federal officials said the attempted assassination of Bolton would have been retaliation for the U.S. military killing in January, 2020 of Qasem Soleimani, a top commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is a branch of Iran's military. Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad."
Jordan Williams of the Hill: "President Biden on Wednesday signed into law a bill to expand benefits for millions of veterans who were exposed to toxins during war and are suffering illnesses as a result. The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act also expands presumptions of service connections for a variety of conditions related to toxic exposure -- meaning veterans don't have to prove their illness was service-connected." ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~
Devlin Barrett, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the months before the FBI's dramatic move to execute a search warrant at ... Donald Trump;s Florida home -- and open his safe to look for items -- federal authorities grew increasingly concerned that Trump or his lawyers and aides had not, in fact, returned all the documents and other material that were government property, according to people familiar with the discussions.... Over months of discussions on the subject, some officials also came to suspect Trump's representatives were not truthful at times.... On Tuesday, a lawyer for Trump said the agents who brought the court-approved warrant to Mar-a-Lago a day earlier took about 12 more boxes after conducting their search.... By [this past spring], officials at the National Archives had been aggressively contacting to people in Trump's orbit to demand the return of documents they believed were covered by the Presidential Records Act.... [A Trump lawyer] said the Justice Department officials commented [in June 2022] that they did not believe the storage unit was properly secured, so Trump officials added a lock to the facility." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "The search carried out on Monday by the F.B.I. at ... Donald J. Trump's Florida home, a law enforcement action with explosive legal and political implications, was the culmination of a lengthy conflict between a president proud of his disdain for rules and officials [of the National Archives] charged with protecting the nation's records and secrets.... [Mr. Trump's] habit of transporting material around [the White House public spaces & residence] in cardboard boxes, with either a personal aide or a valet carrying them, was well known, but the contents were not always clear. Discussions were held within the White House by top staff members about how to get Mr. Trump to surrender his boxes.... When he left the White House, Mr. Trump took the boxes with him to Mar-a-Lago, packed with paperwork including letters from the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his 'Sharpie-gate' map of the path of a hurricane, along with personal items like golf balls and a rain coat and various other things stuffed in. The National Archives ... determined last year that many important presidential documents that archivists knew existed were missing and believed to be in Mr. Trump's possession. That set off a lengthy back and forth between the National Archives and Mr. Trump's lawyers...." The details in both the WashPo & NYT stories are interesting.
~~~ In yesterday's Comments thread, Akhilleus speculated that a safe was "the last place Trump would stash documents. He'd leave that stuff lying around on coffee tables and pinned up on the walls so guests could marvel at the wonderfulness of the Dear Leader who had all those papers stamped 'top secret' and 'eyes only' in his possession." Right again! According to the NYT reporters, agents "cracked a hotel-style safe that was said by two people briefed on the search to contain nothing of consequence to the agents." AND "For the rest of 2021..., Mr. Trump would wave things like the North Korean leader's letters at people, as if they were collectors' items he was showing off." MB: When you joke about something stupid Trump might do, Trump obliges & actually does the stupid thing. ~~~
~~~ Holmes Lybrand, et al., of CNN have composed a timeline of the DOJ's criminal inquiry into Trump's theft of classified documents that incorporates some of the info included the the WashPo & NYT stories linked above. MB Note: I realize journalists are not calling Trump's actions "theft." But if you (or some of your henchmen) put something in your luggage that doesn't belong to you and refuse to return all or part of it when asked nicely, what is that but theft? And the fact that you flagrantly flash around some of the prized items in your booty does not make the theft an "appropriation" or some other euphamistic characterization.
~~~ Marie: I heard on TV Tuesday that among the items Trump stole from the White House were a model of Air Force 1 as Trump had redesigned it -- and some paper cocktail napkins. If true, here's this supposed billionaire who could easily afford to have another model made & could buy his own damned napkins down at the Palm Beach Publix (although I don't suppose any Publix napkins sport the presidential seal, as the ones Trump lifted may have). But no. So besides just a few other shortcomings you might have noticed, Trump is also a petty thief. Pathetic! I hope the plane model & napkins are returned to the White House. Joe & Jill's grandchildren can play with the model, and Joe himself, after enjoying some savory canapés, can delicately wipe his mouth with the napkins.
Amber Phillips of the Washington Post looks at some of the implications of the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago: "Prosecutors could be probing whether the former president or his aides violated the Presidential Records Act, mishandled classified material or lied to investigators about whether they returned all the material to the archives when they were asked to do so.... For the FBI to search someone's home -- let alone a former president -- requires the government to show an extraordinary amount of evidence that they have reason to believe a crime has potentially been committed. That evidence was presented to a federal judge, who signed off on a court order okaying the search.... The relevant law regarding public documents says that a violator 'shall forfeit his office and and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.' [But there would certainly be a challenge if the government attempted to apply that law] because the Constitution sets the qualifications for president -- and nowhere does it say that being convicted of a crime -- including one involving public documents -- would bar someone from holding office." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Katie Benner & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. had scarcely decamped from Mar-a-Lago when ... Donald J. Trump's allies, led by Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, began a bombardment of vitriol and threats against the man they see as a foe and foil: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. Mr. Garland, a bookish former judge who during his unsuccessful Supreme Court nomination in 2016 told senators that he did not have 'a political bone' in his body, responded, as he so often does, by not responding.... 'Garland has said that he wants his investigation to be apolitical, but nothing he does will stop Trump from distorting the perception of the investigation, given the asymmetrical rules,' said Andrew Weissmann, who was one of [Robert] Mueller's top aides in the special counsel';s office.... 'Playing by the Justice Department rules sadly but necessarily leaves the playing field open to this abuse.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: While Weissmann certainly is right, the problem is grotesquely exacerbated by Republicans' complete lack of integrity & respect for the truth. I'm sure they can't fathom why people would ever govern themselves by a moral compass. Republicans' idea of "honor" is a teenager shooting protesters. BTW, I heard Weissman on the teevee earlier in the day expressing the opinion that the purpose of the raid on Mar-a-Lardo was to retrieve & secure presidential* documents & that it was unlikely DOJ would bring criminal charges against Trumpolini or his mob for stealing government property. ~~~
~~~ Scott Lemieux, in LG&$, republishes some Q&A from New Yorker writer Isaac Chotiner's interview of Andrew Weissmann. Weissmann explains why he thinks AG Merrick Garland approved a search warrant for Trump's Florida residence. As Lemieux writes, "... , the idea that [Trump] would comply voluntarily with a subpoena is absurd."
Matt Gertz of Media Matters: "The FBI and Justice Department have declined comment [on the search of Mar-a-Lago], following their typical procedure for press requests confirming active federal investigations. Trump is using that information vacuum to put his own spin on the events, describing himself in his release as the victim of 'prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don't want me to run for President.' And his loyal henchmen at Fox News quickly adopted his talking points, denouncing the judge-approved search in the most demagogic terms imaginable on their Monday night programs as they sought to poison the well against any potential consequences for their beloved president." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
David Gilbert of Vice: "After news broke that the FBI searched ... Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Monday, his supporters openly called for an armed violent response, and ultimately, civil war. 'Civil War 2.0 just kicked off,' one user wrote on Twitter, with another adding, 'One step closer to a kinetic civil war.' Others said they were ready to take part: 'I already bought my ammo.' MAGA, QAnon, and far-right message boards and Telegram channels lit up Monday night with calls for a violent response to what some extremists see as a political attack directed by the Biden administration.... Within hours of the FBI search..., the term 'civil war' was already trending on Twitter, and hundreds of Trump supporters had already gathered outside Mar-a-Lago. Some claimed on Telegram channels that they were there to protect the former president." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Ben Collins & Ryan Reilly of NBC News have more on the violent rebel yells responding to the the Mar-a-Lago search. ~~~
~~~ Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "... the reckless response by the GOP-Fox News axis to the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago makes it feel as though we're falling into the abyss. The threat of political violence from far-right extremists has been growing for years, but calls to arms reached a fever pitch in pro-Trump social media after Monday's court-ordered search at ... Donald Trump's Florida compound.... Fox News and other conservative outlets exploded with talk of 'war' and 'assassination,' an 'attack' on the country and Trump supporters, and calls for revenge against a 'corrupt' American 'KGB.' Elected Republicans erupted in cries about the 'weaponized politicization' done by a Democratic 'Gestapo' and a 'tyrannical FBI,' and about the need to 'make sure these tyrants pay the price.' They called for retribution: 'Destroy the FBI.' 'No one is safe.' 'You’re next.' 'They're coming for YOU.'... These are open invitations to the violent and the unstable to take matters into their own hands."
New York Times liveblog: "Donald J. Trump will face questioning under oath from the New York attorney general's office on Wednesday, a crucial turning point in a long-running civil investigation into his business practices.... "In New York City tonight. Seeing racist N.Y.S. Attorney General tomorrow, for a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history!' he wrote. 'My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic!'[, he added, as if to demonstrate his great self's misapprehension of the use of reflexive pronouns. Perhaps his penchant for employing the royal 'we' has confused him. -- MB]" ~~~
~~~ A CNN report is here.
** Nicholas Wu, et al., of Politico: "Rep. Scott Perry, a top ally of ... Donald Trump, said on Tuesday that FBI agents seized his phone.... Perry's statement didn't detail what the FBI wanted from his phone, but he has been a figure of interest to congressional investigators probing Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election. Perry, a key ally in that effort, pressed Trump to replace Justice Department leaders and install a little-known official, Jeffrey Clark, atop the department.... 'This morning, while traveling with my family, 3 FBI agents visited me and seized my cell phone,' the Pennsylvania Republican said in a statement issued through his office. 'They made no attempt to contact my lawyer, who would have made arrangements for them to have my phone if that was their wish.'" MB: "Also, that would have given me time to toss the phone in the Susquehanna." An AP story is here.
Tierney Sneed & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "A federal appeals court on Tuesday signed off on a House Ways and Means Committee request to obtain ... Donald Trump's tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service. The 3-0 ruling from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is a blow to Trump, who has argued for years in court against releasing his tax returns to any investigators. A trial-level judge he appointed while president previously rejected his arguments in the case. But Trump still could appeal, making the litigation unlikely to end at this time. The court said the judgment would not issued for seven days, giving Trump time to appeal." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Danny Hakim & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: :Rudolph W. Giuliani..., a central figure in the investigation into election interference in Georgia, has been telling = prosecutors that he cannot travel to the state to appear before a = special grand jury because he is not healthy enough to fly. But - on Tuesday, a judge in Fulton County, Ga., said that Mr. Giuliani, who = had two coronary heart stents implanted in early July, could travel from New York to Atlanta some other way, and tentatively ordered him to show up to deliver in-person testimony on Aug. 17. 'Mr. Giuliani is not cleared for air travel, A-I-R,' Judge Robert C.I. McBurney of Fulton County Superior Court said. '... So one thing we need to explore is whether Mr. Giuliani could get here without jeopardizing his recovery and his health. On a train, on a bus or Uber, or whatever it would be,' he said.... In a hearing on Tuesday afternoon, the judge also told prosecutors they should let Mr. Giuliani, 78, know whether he was a target of the criminal investigation.... If Mr. Giuliani is considered to be a target, that could prompt him to invoke his Fifth Amendment right and decline to give testimony after potentially making a lengthy road trip."
MEANWHILE, a Real President Was at Work. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "President Biden signed measures on Tuesday approving the expansion of NATO to include Sweden and Finland, an effort to bolster the Western alliance after President Vladimir V. Putin's invasion of Ukraine. 'Today, we see all too clearly how NATO remains an indispensable alliance for the world of today and the world of tomorrow,' Mr. Biden said from the White House. 'Our alliance is closer than ever,' he added. 'It is more united than ever. And when Finland and Sweden bring the number of allies to 32, we'll be stronger than ever.'... Last week, the Senate voted 95 to 1 to give its approval [to the expansion of NATO], with only Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, opposing the move.... The approval in Washington was another pivot away from the foreign policy of ... Donald J. Trump, who openly criticized the alliance."
Wilfred Chan of the Guardian: "The conservative campaign against LGBTQ+ rights has found a new fixation for its hatred: monkeypox. On TV, rightwing commentators openly mock monkeypox victims -- the vast majority of whom are men who have sex with men -- and blame them for getting the disease. On social media, rightwing users trade memes about how the 'cure' to monkeypox is straight marriage while casting doubt on monkeypox vaccines' efficacy. This aggressive stigmatization of monkeypox -- reminiscent of the homophobic response to HIV/Aids in the 1980s -- poses a serious challenge to public health advocates and community leaders trying to have honest conversations about the disease with the gay and bisexual men who are most at risk during the current outbreak." ~~~
~~~ Marie: It does seem to me that -- if they have not already done so -- it's time for mental health professionals to start labeling -- and treating -- this and other forms of bullying as mental disorders & register these disorders in the DSM. You have to be one sick fuck to make fun of people who are suffering from a painful physical illness.
Beyond the Beltway
Primariy Elections. The New York Times is liveblogging developments in primary races in Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont & Wisconsin. MB: A big night for the Trumpettes:
"Wisconsin. Republican primary voters upended their party's establishment in Wisconsin on Tuesday, choosing a Trump-backed candidate for governor who has entertained overturning the 2020 election results as the challenger to Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, in one of the most consequential November contests in the country. Tim Michels, a wealthy construction magnate endorsed by ... Donald J. Trump, defeated former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who had support from former Gov. Scott Walker, former Vice President Mike Pence and dozens of state legislators, as well as the state's largest business organizations.... Mr. Trump's followers gave a serious scare to the powerful Republican speaker of the State Assembly, Robin Vos. In recent weeks, Mr. Vos had become the former president's chief antagonist among Wisconsin Republicans because he refused to indulge Mr. Trump's false claims that the 2020 results can still be decertified. Mr. Vos inched past a far-right challenger and political neophyte who was desperately short on money but was buoyed by a Trump endorsement just a week before the primary....
... "Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has won Wisconsin's Democratic primary for the Senate. Barnes was widely expected to prevail after his three leading opponents dropped out of the race and endorsed him late last month. [An NBC News story is here. MB: Oh, let us all hope that in the Land of Joe McCarthy, a man named Mandela dispatches with the Stupidest Senator, a/k/a Ron Johnson.] ...
"Connecticut. A late endorsement from ... Donald J. Trump helped catapult Leora Levy on Tuesday from a second-tier Senate candidate to the Republican nominee in Connecticut. Levy, a Republican National Committee member from Greenwich who called Trump 'vulgar' in 2016 but eventually embraced his movement, defeated the party-endorsed moderate Themis Klarides, the former Connecticut House Republican leader....
"Minnesota. Kim Crockett, who called the 2020 presidential election a 'train wreck' and cast doubt on the counting of the votes during the pandemic, won the Republican nomination for secretary of state in Minnesota on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. She will face Steve Simon, the Democratic incumbent, in the November general election that will determine who will be the state's top election official.... [A Huffington Post story is here.]
"Washington State. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, a Republican who voted to impeach ... Donald J. Trump and sharply criticized his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, conceded her primary Tuesday in a crowded race that included a Trump-backed challenger and other 2020 election deniers. Marie Perez, a Democrat, and Joe Kent, the Republican endorsed by Mr. Trump, were leading in the race, which had not yet been called. The eventual winners will square off in November to represent Washington's Third Congressional District, which encompasses the southwestern corner of the state." A Politico story on Herrera Beutler's loss is here.
Maryland Gubernatorial Race. Ovetta Wiggins & Erin Cox of the Washington Post: "Maryland Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox on Tuesday called the FBI search of ... Donald Trump's residence 'criminal' and said if elected he would use the full force of government -- including the state police and Maryland National Guard -- to oppose President Biden."
Mississippi Is Still Mississippi. Michael Goldberg & Allen Breed of the AP: "A Mississippi grand jury has declined to indict the white woman whose accusation set off the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till nearly 70 years ago, most likely closing the case that shocked a nation and galvanized the modern civil rights movement. After hearing more than seven hours of testimony from investigators and witnesses, a Leflore County grand jury last week determined there was insufficient evidence to indict Carolyn Bryant Donham on charges of kidnapping and manslaughter, Leflore County District Attorney Dewayne Richardson said in a news release Tuesday."
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Wednesday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here: "Tuesday's airfield explosion in Crimea was the work of Ukrainian special forces, a Ukrainian official told The Post.... The Ukrainian air force said in a separate statement that nine Russian aircraft were destroyed in the blast, without any claim of responsibility. A Ukrainian attack in Crimea would mark a dramatic escalation in the war. It would demonstrate a remarkable ability by Ukrainian forces, or their allies, to strike at Russia far from the front lines."
Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "Ukraine ... has adapted a wide array of small [drone] craft ranging from quadro-copters, with four rotors, to midsized fixed-wing drones, using them to drop bombs and spot artillery targets. Ukraine still uses advanced military drones supplied by its allies for observation and attack, but along the frontline the bulk of its drone fleet are off-the-shelf products or hand-built in workshops around Ukraine -- a myriad of inexpensive, plastic craft adapted to drop grenades or anti-tank munitions."
News Ledes
New York Times: "For days, the news that someone might be killing Muslim men in Albuquerque spread fear among the city's Muslim residents some of whom were so afraid of becoming the next target that they fled town or hunkered down in their homes. On Tuesday, the police said they had arrested a man who was himself Muslim and who may have targeted at least two of the victims because he was angry that his daughter had married a man from the other major branch of Islam. The police said the man Muhammad Syed, 51, would be charged in two of the killings and that he was a suspect in the other two deaths."
CNBC: "Prices that consumers pay for a variety of goods and services rose 8.5% in July from a year ago, a slowing pace from the previous month due largely to a drop in gasoline prices. On a monthly basis, prices were flat as energy prices broadly declined 4.6% and gasoline fell 7.7%. That offset a 1.1% monthly gain in food prices and a 0.5% increase in shelter costs." A New York Times report/liveblog is here.
Share Article
Reader Comments (10)
Dems need to get the message out about what they have done
with the recent legislation:
1. Reduce inflation
2. Lower prescription drug prices
3. Make large corporations pay their fair share
4. Create millions of clean energy jobs
5. Make the biggest investment in climate action in history
And zero republicans voted for it.
This should be on billboards, front pages of newspapers, and on
Fox news to get to those who can't read.
" ... 'This morning, while traveling with my family, 3 FBI agents' ... shot an elephant in my pajamas. What it was doing in my pajamas I'll never know. We were on our way to Alabama, because their Tuscalaoosa. ... 'Pennsylvania Republican said in a statement' ..."
And WHY were those agents traveling with his family, eh?
A standard outrage banner flying over the fetid walls of Republican treason towers is “If they can do that to the president(*), they can do it to anyone!”
So here’s my question. What’s so special about Trump, or any president, that puts him above the law? I realize that confederates believe that they should never be held responsible or accountable for anything (unlike Democrats), and should be given carte blanche at all times, even for treason, but they hounded Bill Clinton for years over a blow job. Trump tries to overthrow the government and its an outrage if anyone says a word.
Sorry, assholes, but yes, presidents can be investigated, just like anyone else who breaks the law and brags about it.
Forrest,
Not a billboard and still having a little trouble with the last line, but will send some version of this one off to the paper this morning:
"It’s only August but the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act has me thinking of Christmas. There they are, the decorated tree, the presents, and the kids eagerly waiting for their parents to say it’s finally, finally okay to unwrap them.
Eager hands tear off the paper, open the boxes, and voices ring out. “Just what I wanted,” one child says. “Thank you, thank you,” says another, and parents look on, pleased they have made their children so happy by giving them things they’ve asked for and a few pleasant surprises that they hadn’t. It would be an odd parent who wouldn’t find fulfillment in a moment like that.
I don’t know if such odd parents exist, but I do know there are plenty of Senators who do, fifty of them in fact. Americans have long sought federal legislation on climate issues, on prescription drug costs, on more equitable taxation, and fifty Senators and one Vice-President delivered. Fifty Senators did not.
The IRA and other recent accomplishments do resemble Christmas miracles. Unexpected and surprising. But Democrats, with a razor-thin edge in the Senate, a bare majority in the House, and a President whose poll numbers are in the tank have accomplished more for the American people than any administration in memory.
Before the IRA, it was already a long list. In May Fox News cited the passage of the long-awaited bi-partisan infrastructure bill, the recovering economy (which added more than 500,000 additional jobs just last month), a lowered child poverty rate, the revitalization and expansion of NATO, the budget deficit reduced (then reduced again by the IRA), and the lowest level of unemployment recipients since 1970 (foxnews.com).
Most of this was done without Republican support, because today’s Republicans believe government should work for them, not for the people.
@Ken Winkes: Excellent. And I was joking about Fox news. But
how to get to those who only believe what comes out of trump's
pie hole?
Oh you guys! right on target this morning. Here's some old clips from the little Foxes showing hypocrisy in all its glory!
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/daily-show-fox-news-hypocrisy_n_62f32edde4b001e175d8a4ef
Yesterday when we voted I asked the gal who was checking our identification whether we needed to wear our masks. Her answer:
"Nah–––we know the virus is still out there but we just don't care anymore."
Admit I did take especial pleasure in citing Fox News in this one...wonder if local readers of the red stripe will notice.
I'll bet trump was stealing documents and artifacts for his presidential*
LIE-brary to go alongside that one book he claimed to have written.
Had my round one of monkey-pox vaccinations yesterday. No ill
effects yet, other than I wanted to eat all the bananas at the supermarket and I don't even eat bananas. (A joke the neighbor lady
didn't get).
A man of courage and principle.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/10/nyregion/trump-testimony-investigation-news?
Hiding behind the Constitution (which he swore to uphold) and the laws he tramples on.
I am coming around to the idea -- pushed by Trumpbots -- that Merrick Garland should address, at least vaguely, the reasons for obtaining a search warrant on Mar-a-Lardo. Normally, I would say that such remarks were unnecessary and unfair to a person whose premises were searched, so my reason for agreeing with Trumpbots is because of them.
With their near-universal & unrelenting false charges against the DOJ & FBI, I believe Republican politicians, Fox "News" & other right-wing outlets are endangering law enforcement officials, especially federal officials. These lies, coming from Trump on down, are designed to rile up the volatile, violence-prone radicals, and some or one of those radicals will probably decide to retaliate.
Therefore, somebody in a position of authority -- either Garland or President Biden -- needs to explain to the liars and those nitwits who listen to them why it was necessary and proper for the FBI to obtain a warrant & carry out the search. It won't make much difference, of course, but it could save some lives. And that's worth breaching ordinary protocol.