;)
The Conversation -- August 15, 2023
Reid Epstein & Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: "President Biden said on Tuesday that he would travel to Hawaii to inspect damage on Maui after deadly wildfires ripped through the island, killing at least 99 people and devastating an entire coastal town. 'My wife, Jill, and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can,' Mr. Biden said in a speech focused on the economy at a wind and electric power manufacturing plant in Milwaukee. 'That's what I've been talking to the governor about but I don't want to get in the way.'"
Michael Rothfeld of the New York Times: "The former head of counterintelligence for the F.B.I. in New York pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday to a single reduced charge of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and laundering payments from a prominent Russian oligarch. The plea by the former agent, Charles F. McGonigal, represented a remarkable turn for a man who once occupied one of the most sensitive and trusted positions in the American intelligence community, placing him among the highest-ranking F.B.I. officials ever to be convicted of a crime.... The conspiracy charge he pleaded guilty to was newly filed by prosecutors on Tuesday, replacing the original indictment handed up by a grand jury in January that had included more serious charges of violating U.S. sanctions and laundering money.... Mr. McGonigal still faces a second indictment brought by federal prosecutors in Washington on charges that accuse him of concealing his acceptance of $225,000 from a businessman and of hiding dealings in Eastern Europe while working for the bureau. Mr. McGonigal has pleaded not guilty to those charges but is in talks to resolve them...."
Here is the New York Times' liveblog for Tuesday's developments in Georgia's Trump crime family indictment. ~~~
~~~ CNN's live updates are here.
Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "On Tuesday morning, [Donald] Trump announced on Truth Social that he will hold a press conference next week where he will produce a 'Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia.'... In a statement posted to X...-Twitter -- [Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp] flatly declared: 'The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen.... For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward -- under oath -- and prove anything in a court of law.'..." ~~~
~~~ Marie: IOW, what Trump says he plans to do is exactly what Rudy did to get himself indicted in Georgia: tell big fat lies about Georgia election fraud. So, brilliant move! And, for a touch of verisimilitude, I do urge him to get the MyPillow Guy to provide charts and printouts to "back up" Trump's assertions. I can hardly wait.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: Trump is likely to try to move the Georgia case to federal court. And he could be successful.
Latest Trump Crime Family Made Man Pleads Not Guilty. Shawn Nottingham of CNN: "Carlos de Oliveira, the Mar-a-Lago property manager, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to multiple obstruction-related offenses tied to ... Donald Trump's alleged unlawful retention of documents after leaving office, including classified material at Trump's Florida resort."
Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "Hunter Biden attorney Christopher Clark is withdrawing from representing the president's son in a Delaware probe, pointing to a continuing legal battle over a plea agreement in the tax case that dissolved before it could be approved by a judge. Clark's notice to the court indicates he could be a witness in coming challenges over the disintegration of the deal, which the Justice Department moved to withdraw minutes after Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated Delaware prosecutor David Weiss to serve as a special counsel in the matter."
~~~~~~~~~~
** The Trump Crime Blotter -- Is Really, Really Long
The devil went down to Georgia,
He was lookin' for an election to steal.
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind
And he was willin' to make a deal.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A grand jury in Georgia has indicted ... Donald Trump and 18 allies on racketeering charges for a sweeping attempt to corrupt the 2020 election by subverting Joe Biden's victory in the state. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis leveled the charges Monday night after a two-year investigation that also tagged Trump with allegations that he conspired to derail the Electoral College process, marshaled the Justice Department to bolster his scheme, pressured Georgia officials to undo the election results and repeatedly lied about fraud allegations to ratchet up pressure. In addition to Trump, Willis charged former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jeff Clark, Ken Chesebro and Jenna Ellis, key figures in Trump's bid to subvert the 2020 election. The 98-page indictment tracks several well-known aspects of Trump's conduct in the chaotic weeks that followed his defeat in the Nov. 3, 2020 election, many of which were aired by the House Jan. 6 select committee and, more recently, in a federal indictment obtained by special counsel Jack Smith. But Willis' indictment was breathtaking in its scope and is the first to charge the coterie of Trump's enablers with crimes for their efforts to help facilitate his bid to remain in power despite losing the election." ~~~
~~~ Key components of the indictment, via Cheney:
"Trump's bid to assemble false slates of presidential electors to foment a controversy aimed at derailing the transfer of power.... A pressure campaign by Trump, Giuliani, Eastman and others aimed at Georgia officials with responsibilities for certifying the presidential election. The filing of false claims of fraud in court documents associated with a last-ditch lawsuit by Trump to upend the results in Georgia. A breach of sensitive election equipment by Trump-aligned officials in Coffee County, Ga.... A campaign of harassment and false claims against Ruby Freeman, an election worker who became the target of pro-Trump conspiracy theories about voter fraud."
The Washington Post's story, by Holly Bailey & Amy Gardner, is here.
Here is the indictment, via Politico. (The caption itself is four pages long.) The New York Times has an annotated version of the indictment here. ~~~
Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. -- P. 14 of the indictment
The New York Times' liveblog of developments Monday and into the morning Tuesday is here. Reporters' commentary below, in FILO order. At the top of the liveblog, there is now a summary story, which probably will morph into a stand-alone story sometime today. ~~~
~~~ Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim: "... Donald J. Trump has until no later than noon on Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender to authorities in Fulton County, Fani T. Willis, the district attorney, said on Monday." ~~~
~~~ Fausset: "Trump's lawyers denounced the indictment in a statement, calling the day's events 'shocking and absurd.'" ~~~
~~~ James McKinley: D.A. "Willis ... said she had no political motive for bringing the indictment, as Trump has claimed." ~~~
~~~ McKinley: "The indictment spells out 161 separate acts that prosecutors say were taken to further the alleged criminal conspiracy, including events like Rudy Giuliani's false testimony about election fraud to Georgia lawmakers in early December and ... Donald Trump's telephone call in 2020 to the Georgia secretary of state in early January to urge him to 'find' about 12,000 votes." ~~~
~~~ Fausset: "The three electors charged in the indictment are David Shafer..., the former chair of the state Republican Party; State Senator Shawn Still; and Cathy Latham, who was the head of the Coffee County Republican Party at the time."
~~~ Maggie Haberman: "At the heart of this case, as in the federal one, is lying in service of using the apparatus of government to influence events."~~~
~~~ Fausset: "Prosecutors describe the 'criminal enterprise' as one that operated not only in Fulton County, Ga., but also in other states, including Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and in the District of Columbia. This underscores the power of a racketeering charge: Ms. Willis did not have to show that all of the acts took place in her jurisdiction." ~~~
~~~ Alan Feuer: "The indictment laid out eight ways the 'enterprise' obstructed the election: by lying to the Georgia state legislature, by lying to state officials, by creating fake pro-Trump electors, by harassing election workers, by soliciting Justice Department officials, by soliciting Vice President Mike Pence, by breaching voting machines and by engaging in a cover up."
~~~ Haberman: "Giuliani, who once prosecuted mobsters, has been indicted in a racketeering case."
CNN's live updates of developments Monday, and Tuesday morning, are here.
Who's Who in Georgia's (Alleged!) Criminal Elite. The New York Times has thumbnail bios of the (alleged!) perps here. The Washington Post's defendant sketches are less sketchy, than the Times'.
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "A core Trump defense in the federal Jan. 6 case is the idea that he was merely exercising free speech. But that defense won't work as easily in Georgia, which has a broad prohibition against making 'a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation ... in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of state government.'... The phrase 'false statement' appear[s in the indictment] more than 100 times.... Another frequently included crime is solicitation of violation of public oath by a public officer. Essentially, this amounts to asking someone to violate their sworn duties.... Unlike the federal trials (unless the rules change), [the Georgia trial] should be televised."
Oops! Just Testing! Timothy Ahmann of Reuters: "The Fulton County, Georgia, court's website briefly posted a document on Monday listing several criminal charges against ... Donald Trump that appeared related to his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state, before taking the document down without explanation. The Fulton County District Attorney's office said in a statement that no charges had been filed against Trump. The document was dated Aug. 14 and named Trump, citing the case as 'open.'... The two-page document cites the 'Violation Of The Georgia Rico (Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations) Act,' 'Solicitation Of Violation Of Oath By Public Officer,' 'Conspiracy To Commit False Statements and Writings' and 'Conspiracy To Commit Forgery in the First Degree,' among other charges listed." (Also linked yesterday.)
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Donald Trump slammed the judge presiding over his newest criminal case early Monday, testing her three-day-old warning that he refrain from 'inflammatory' attacks against those involved in his case. In a Truth Social post just before 1 a.m., Trump assailed U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan as 'highly partisan' and 'very biased and unfair,' citing as evidence a statement she made during the sentencing of a woman who participated in the mob that breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Trump's lawyers must have read him the riot act. The last time a judge ordered him to put a lid on it, it took Trump less than 24 hours to defy the order. This time it took him like two-and-a-half whole days! Amazing! Akhilleus suspects (as do I) that we're going to be reading, "Trump D.C. Trial to Start Next Week" sooner rather than later.~~~
~~~ Common Dreams: "... Donald Trump on Monday told Georgia's former lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, not to testify before the Fulton County grand jury ... in the state's 2020 election interference case. 'I am reading reports that failed former Lt. Governor of Georgia, Jeff [sic] Duncan, will be testifying before the Fulton County Grand Jury. He shouldn't,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'I barely know him but he was, right from the beginning of this Witch Hunt, a nasty disaster for those looking into the Election Fraud that took place in Georgia.'... 'This is witness tampering and obstruction of justice,' wrote Glenn Kirschner, an NBC News legal analyst. 'Trump indicates he knows a witness is about to testify before the grand jury, and he states -- unequivocally and directly -- "he shouldn't.'... I expect we'll see these crimes charged.'" ~~~
~~~ Kirschner also noted on MSNBC that judges in his criminal trials have specifically warned him against tampering with witnesses, and said his engaging in witness tampering could lead to his bail's being revoked. MB: Trump does seem to want to go to jail where, with any luck, he could be taped for a campaign video clutching the bars and screaming, "Joe Biden stole my freedom of speech!"
Jamie Gangel & Jack Forrest of CNN: "Nearly a dozen Republican-appointed former judges and high-ranking federal senior legal officials on Monday endorsed the January 2, 2024, trial date proposed by special counsel Jack Smith in his 2020 election interference criminal case against Donald Trump. The amicus brief was submitted to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia as a project of the Democracy 21 Education Fund in the January 6, 2021, case against Trump. It comes as the former president and his team look to push the case until after the election, though the final decision on a trial date will come down to presiding Judge Tanya Chutkan. Her decision is likely to come by the end of this month. The brief, which stresses a speedy trial is in the American public's interest, amounts to a considerable rebuke of Trump's legal team's calls for the proceedings to be drawn out. The Republican credentials of its authors fly in the face of the former president's repeated argument that his trial's timeline is a partisan exercise against him."
Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "The New York judge [Juan Merchan] presiding over the criminal case against Donald J. Trump in Manhattan has declined to remove himself from the proceedings, a loss for the former president...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "Hunter Biden told a federal judge late Sunday that the Justice Department was trying to renege on a major part of his deal with the government -- his agreement to enroll in a diversion program for gun offenders -- that he signed and granted him broad immunity from future federal prosecutions. The move, included in a court filing by Mr. Biden's lawyer, Christopher Clark, is the latest salvo in the back and forth between Mr. Biden and David C. Weiss, a Trump appointee who is leading the long-running investigation into the president's son's conduct. Shortly after Attorney General Merrick B. Garland elevated Mr. Weiss to special counsel, government lawyers said in court papers on Friday that they and Mr. Biden were at an impasse over plea negotiations and that no agreement had been reached.... But in the filing late Sunday, Mr. Biden rebutted prosecutors' claim, saying that he had signed the agreement in court last month and that he planned to abide by it.... In June..., both sides announced that they had reached a deal." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Something is weird here, and I don't think it's Hunter. Clark & Weiss are both attorneys experienced in the fields in which they're working, so I don't see how they could so royally cock this up.
The Double Life of an FBI Spy. Michael Rothfeld, et al., of the New York Times: "Apart from his outward image as a wholesome and responsible G-man..., there was another, less visible side to [Charles McGonigal], federal prosecutors and his former colleagues say. He held off-the-books meetings with foreign politicians and businessmen and accepted illicit payments while doing favors for associates, according to federal indictments filed against him in two states earlier this year.... A close look at Mr. McGonigal's life and career reveals an arc that appears ... to be a quintessentially American story about greed.... Now, Mr. McGonigal, 55, appears set to become one of the highest-ranking F.B.I. agents ever to be convicted of a crime." Reads like a "B" spy movie: sleazy Russian oligarchs, shady Albanian wheeler-dealers, Paul Manafort (of course!) extra-marital affair with a "connected," vengeful woman. (Also linked yesterday.)
Presidential Race 2024
He Was For It Before He Was Against It Hours Later. Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Sunday that he supported a federal ban on abortion after the first trimester of pregnancy, then quickly backtracked -- underscoring both his ideologically uncomfortable position within the Democratic primary field and the deep salience of abortion in next year's election. Mr. Kennedy, who is running against President Biden, made his comments at the Iowa State Fair after an NBC News reporter asked whether he would sign a bill codifying the right to abortion once protected by Roe v. Wade." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ David Cohen of Politico: Kennedy's campaign said he "misunderstood the question." MB: That's funny, because here's his answer: "I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life.... Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child." Ali Vitali of NBC News: "So you would cap it at 15 weeks?" Kennedy: "Yes, three months." I don't think it was the question he misunderstood; I think he misunderstood Democratic voters' antipathy to a federal abortion ban, something about which his "campaign," in the form of someone living on Planet Earth, informed him. (Also linked yesterday.)
Arkansas. Dana Goldstein of the New York Times: "... the Arkansas Department of Education warned schools on Monday -- the first day of classes in many districts — not to offer Advanced Placement African American Studies. Like Florida, which refused to approve the class, the department suggested that the course violated state law. In Arkansas, new legislation, passed in March, prohibits 'teaching that would indoctrinate students with ideologies' such as critical race theory. In Little Rock, students at Central High School -- the site of a battle for school desegregation in 1957 -- had already enrolled in the Advanced Placement course when the district received word from the state over the weekend that it could be offered only for 'local credit.' That appears to mean that the state will not help students at six high schools pay the $98 fee to take the end-of-course A.P. exam, which is necessary if students wish to earn college credit for the class.... In a statement, the Little Rock School District said that it would 'explore options that will allow our students to fully benefit from this course' despite the decision, and that it would 'decide the next steps within 24 to 48 hours.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: We should all be stunned by the fear, hatred & bigotry at the heart of those responsible for depriving Central High students of a course on the importance of their own school to American history. They call themselves educators; they call themselves legislators; she calls herself governor. They are all dishonorable.
Kansas. Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "A lawyer for The Marion County Record, a Kansas newspaper that was raided by the police late last week, demanded that the town's Police Department not review any information on the devices it seized until a court hearing could be scheduled.... The searches were part of investigation into how a document containing information about a local restaurateur found its way to and was handled by The Record -- and whether the restaurant owner's privacy was violated in the process. A search warrant issued by a judge on Friday morning cited potential violations of laws involving identity theft and the illegal use of a computer.... A spokeswoman for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said that as of Monday the bureau was the lead law enforcement agency investigating the incidents in Marion County."
Montana Kid Power! Mike Baker of the New York Times: "A judge in Montana ruled on Monday that young people in the state have a constitutional right to a healthful environment, finding in a landmark case that the state's failure to consider climate change when evaluating new projects was causing harm. The case, brought by a group of young Montana residents ranging in age from 5 to 22, is the first of its kind to go to trial in the United States.... In her ruling, Kathy Seeley, a district court judge, found that the state's emissions 'have been proven to be a substantial factor' in affecting the climate." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: How do you suppose Clarence, Sam & Neil feel about that? And will John Roberts write a deciding opinion arguing that, "The way to stop climate change is to stop talking about climate change"?
In yesterday's Comments, RAS has some good news for Oregon voters: ~~~
~~~ Oregon. Sharon Zhang of TruthOut: "For years, Oregon Republicans have been blocking bill after bill in the state legislature through a drastic tactic: skipping town to break quorum. Now, Oregon officials are saying that the Republicans who have obstructed votes this way at least 10 times are going to be barred from running for re-election in 2024. This week, Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade confirmed that she intends to enforce Measure 113, which disqualifies lawmakers with more than 10 unexcused absences from serving in office next term. The measure passed in 2022 by a landslide, with nearly 70 percent of voters in favor." (Also linked in yesterday's Comments.)
Tennessee. Kyle Melnick of the Washington Post: "A former Tennessee state senator was sentenced Friday to nearly two years in prison for violating campaign finance laws while running for Congress -- charges the Republican once described as a 'witch hunt' before he pleaded guilty to them. Brian Kelsey, who unsuccessfully tried in March to take back his guilty plea, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after a hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. He was accused of concealing the transfer of $91,000 to a national political organization that supported Kelsey's 2016 congressional campaign. The 45-year-old can no longer run for state office, according to his attorney." (Also linked yesterday.)
Marie: Oh, my stars! Whoevah would think a lovely Christian Representative of the People would use foul language & show disrespect for the law? ~~~
~~~ Texas. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune: "Newly released video shows U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, being slammed to the ground by police and angrily confronting a state trooper with profanity during a hectic altercation late last month at a rodeo outside Amarillo. 'You are a fucking full-on dick!' Jackson told the trooper after being brought off the ground, according to bodycam footage provided by the Department of Public Safety. 'You better recalculate, motherfucker!'... Jackson tweeted Monday night that he was 'glad' the video was out and criticized the authorities for 'incompetence,' singling out the Carson County sheriff, Tam Terry.... His office has emphasized he was 'not drinking,' though the sheriff's report challenges that assertion." Includes short video & link to longer video. The audio is mostly missing from the video the Texas Tribune obtained in an FOIA request. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Of course I'm not a doctor, but I'm damned sure this is not how I would react if I were trying to convince someone I was a competent medical professional qualified to help a person in distress. My interpersonal skills are somewhat wanting, but I'm pretty sure that screaming "You are a fucking full-on dick!" is not persuasive. It's hardly surprising that the sheriff isn't convinced Ronny was sober. Ronny has a history; this was not his first rodeo.
Share Article
Reader Comments (29)
2017 recruiting ad
Hey, Right-Winger! Newly elected PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP (J for Jeenyus!) wants YOU!
Come to Washington, DC and spend time, lots of it, with President Trump. He’ll teach you all you need to know about government.
Yeah. And if you’re really lucky, you’ll be spending a lot of time with that Fat Fuck in courtrooms followed by years in adjacent cells. Although you might be locked up in a different prison, you’ll still be wearing the latest in hoosegow couture, those stunning, form fitting, runny hair dye resistant orange jumpsuits!
Seriously, none of these people learned that proximity to Trump is like making out with Typhoid Mary. That asshole Chesebro (hope he gets the max) came on to work for Fatty AFTER he lost!! What does that tell you?
I’m guessing a trial with 19 defendants, all of whom are weaselly sacks of shit liars and schemers, will be a circus as each and all of these traitors file motion after motion, try delay tactics, scream on Fox about their martyrdom for the ‘merican people, and blah, blah, blah.
Who cares?
I’m just beyond happy that these despicable curs will be appearing in a court of law, charged, under a statute usually reserved for the worst organized crime racketeers, with conspiracy to steal an election.
Release the Kraken!
@Akhilleus: According to his LinkedIn page, Ken "Chesebro, a Wisconsin native, graduated from Northwestern University (B.S. 1983) and Harvard Law School (J.D. 1986), where he was an editor of the Law Review." Very impressive!
And now, according to the Washington Post defendant sketches linked above, Kenny Boy can add these criminal indictments to his LinkedIn Page: "Violation of the Georgia RICO Act; conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery; two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; conspiracy to commit filing false documents." Gosh, Harvard Law editor AND racketeer & forger. Ken does mention his diverse experience in his LinkedIn bio. Monday's indictments totally flesh that out!
I'd like to make a suggestion to the fellow who now holds Elena Kagan's old job as dean of Harvard Law: add a required course called, "How to Represent Stupid Clients & Other Criminals." There could be like two or three sessions explaining that just because your client is a stupid criminal engaging in a stupid criminal enterprise, you don't have to be a stupid criminal, too.
This and other law schools -- or at least those who accept "conservative" (i.e., those leaning toward treason) students -- also should offer a course on "How to Avoid Participating in or Instigating Criminal Schemes." Chesebro will do very nicely as a Case Study for the kids to work up.
Consider this my contribution-in-kind to the Harvard Endowment Fund.
The absolute height of irony. Lindsey Graham thinks that trump's
future should be left up to the voters, not a bunch of judges and
jurors.
Lindsey, child, trump's future was decided by the voters in the last
election. He lost. Biden is now president.
https://news.yahoo.com/sen-lindsey-graham-defends-donald-
073852831.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=0_00
~~~~~~~~~~
Marie: The link doesn't work. I'm not sure why, and it's not Forrest's fault. Yahoo has done something to screw it up. Anyhow, here's a link to the Hill's story on the same topic.
This morning we find a confluence of mendacious, misleading (and meant to mislead), entirely chimerical right-wing tropes, the shifty, shopworn shibboleths that have lost all meaning, or whose original meanings have been eroded down to mere syllabic sounds by the rabid overuse by uncomprehending dunderheads and liars.
Today we have more screams of “witch hunt” from Fatty and some gibbering crook from Tennessee; in Arkansas, one of the most disgraceful, reptilian liars in modern GQP history, the current goobernator there, former official Liar for Trump, has decided that black history cannot be taught, at least not in any factual manner, because “Hummeda, hummeda, hummeda critical race theory”.
These charlatans somehow believe these terms and words provide protection from criticism and cover for sleazy authoritarian schemes. But this magical thinking serves only to identify users with the horde of losers, liars, traitors, and ignoramuses. To the rest of us, well, the same: identifies them with losers, liars, traitors, and ignoramuses.
A short glossary:
Witch hunt:
deserved investigation and punishment for actual crimes
CRT:
scheme to stop sacred white supremacy
Soros backed _____:
Jew lover
Radical left:
Any non-authoritarian who didn’t vote for Trump
Liberal elites:
As opposed to confederate elites
BLM supporters:
niggers and nigger lovers
Legitimate political discourse:
Violent insurrection
First Amendment rights:
Evangelicals rule, and “aspirational” conspiracies
Marxism:
Aieeeeee!!
Antifa:
“
Good people:
Murderous Nazis
Patriots!:
Traitors!
Wesponization of the Justice Department:
It’s working as it should
Political war crimes:
Legitimate indictments of Donald Trump
Nazi Germany:
America under Joe Biden
Stolen elections:
Any election lost by a Republican
And of course….
Woke:
Cyjfyhgrdhuyh%!*~|€*!’ii!!
Hope that clears things up.
@Forrest
I think I know where Lindsey got his inspiration. He's hoping that leaving the Pretender's fate up to the voters would be akin to letting the Senate declaring a twice-impeached president guilty. That sure worked well....
Had just submitted this to the NYTimes on a related subject, the televised RICO trial in Georgia:
"The trial should make great entertainment, but not all the entertainment will be in the courtroom.
What I'm most looking forward to is seeing how Trump defenders like Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, and the loudmouthed do-nothings in the House, his proud public lackeys, many of whom served as cospirators in the attempted coup, and whose entire focus is now on sabotaging the government or on sad sack Hunter, will be forced to react as the trial goes on.
Their ducking, squirming and denials at reporters' questions will be a joy to watch."
Ho-hum, another day, another indictment.
Hey, kids, let’s do a quick review of the Orange Monster’s recent legal problems.
He’s currently under indictment for obstructing federal business, fraud against the American people, stealing and retaining top secret documents, attempts to steal an election and encouraging elected officials to engage in a conspiracy to overthrow the government, fraudulent business practices in New York, and recently, he was convicted of rape.
But millions of people can’t wait to vote for this con man, fraudster, traitor, and rapist?
What’s that word I’m thinking of? Hmmm…hold on…I just had it…
Oh yeah…nadir. And not the Ralph kind either.
@Forrest & @Ken: I think you missed a page of the GOP rule book, the one that reads:
Trump cannot be investigated, indicted, impeached or tried while he's president* because he's busy gaslighting, grifting & golfing.
Trump cannot be investigated, indicted, impeached or tried after he's president* because he's busy gaslighting, grifting & golfing.
Trump cannot be investigated, indicted or tried while he's running for president* because he's busy gaslighting, grifting & golfing.
Corollary: re: anything Trump, be afraid. Be very afraid. He will ruin you before he's had his egg McMuffin.
Marie: That should be gaslighting, grifting, golfing, gorging,
goofing off and grumping.
Did we miss any?
Akhilleus,
Nice summary of Republicans' aspirational language.
Have to give them credit for their sunny outlook.
@Forrest Morris: Correction duly noted. Not being as fair-minded as you are, I didn't realize how really, really busy the Dear Leader is.
Gish galloping. You forgot Gish galloping.
@Patrick; But the Gish Gallop is a dishonest and deceptive
technique.
Who would deploy that? Don't answer that.
A prediction: The Donald will never see the inside of a cell. If he thinks there is any chance of that, he will take his plane to Moscow.
There, his pal Putin will provide him a palatial suite in the Kremlin, and a TV studio with a 24/7 link to Faux News. Donny and Tsar Vlad will then continue their efforts to divide, conquer, and transform the US into the Don's image of Vlad's Russia.
@Still Skeptical: I don't disagree for a minute with your skepticism, but the scenario you envision presumes Vlad has not been forcefully urged to an open sixth-floor window before some American law enforcement officer slaps the cuffs on Donald.
Marie, I admire your optimism that Vlad will be walking on air before the Donald bolts. I've been thinking about those who try things in a small town versus those who don't but admire those who break laws in a larger venue. Evidence, which apparently Trump supporters can't even fake, will be introduced, and the Fat Hacker will need to take the 5th more times than Dean Martin. This will be must-see TV.
Never say die (and thanks for your patience...).
How about this?
This WaPo column (Rampell) is a few weeks old, but I missed it then.
It is about how R's are seeking big cuts in food assistance programs, specifically WIC which is to assist new mothers and their new babies.
A year after R assurances that, after Dobbs, we'd be sure to help out families with new or unplanned children.
"... There’s a twist of irony in all this, though. If your priority is really fiscal rectitude, WIC is a terrible program to cut.
Available research suggests that every dollar spent on WIC saves much more than a dollar on other government spending programs. That’s because investing in maternal and early childhood nutrition is associated with fewer preterm births, higher birthweights and other improvements in mental and physical development."
But as usual, R cutters don't see the investment benefit of any federal outlays. Unlike with tax cuts, where they can easily make up BS ("aspirational?" is that the new patois?), they can only see "expense" but rarely "opportunity cost avoided." And they tell their voters that they're looking out for them.
Gish galloping! Yes! As I mentioned a while back, this is a favorite technique of RFK, Jr. on one of his many rants. Throw up an enormous volume of crap at an interlocutor, and while they’re trying to make sense if the first five of your 28 spurious claims, ask them at what point they stopped beating their wife, poisoning the kids, paying for porn, selling baby parts, etc. this was also a favored technique of Loofah Boy O’Reilly.
@Ken Winkes: How about what, Ken? How about what?
Test your link in a preview post to see if it works. It didn't this time.
I know you can do it, Ken. I know it.
Type (or paste) whatever you want to say into the Comments box, frame the bit of text you want to associate with your link with html linking code following the code formula I've posted. Hit "Preview Post." If it works, create the post.
Wow! I can't remember when I have enjoyed the comments section so much. It was an all out alliteration fest and I read it three times just to glory in the sounds.
Donna,
I posit prez Putin picked a pompous prez pretender for platinum pompadoured prostitutes pee-pee pranks, and profited from peddling the proof.
@Ken, my most common mistakes are:
1. using an apostrophe ' instead of a quote "
2. missing the space between a and h (ahref)
3. inserting a space where one doesn't belong ()
If the text doesn't turn blue and underlined, somethings wrong with your start tag. If the underlined blue text doesn't stop where you wanted it to, the problem is in you end tag. Keep trying, you'll get it.
I'd offer to show you directly but I've cancelled my GoToMeeting subscription.
Oh-ho! Alliteration Smackdown time, eh?
Okay…
Duncecap Donnie’s dust up with dutiful denizens of duly deemed deliverers of destiny drives demented douchebags of the debauched and deranged demographic to denounce and disparage data demonstrating Donnie’s dissolute and destructive duplicity re: democracy. Doo-doo debulliates. Done.
Oops, I confused the editor with item 3. Using a caret in places for spaces turns () into (<^a^h or href^" or <^/a^>).
I used Preview Post this time, before Create...
Akhilleus: OK, now sing that to the tune of "I am the very model of a modern Major General."
Then breathe.
@Patrick: Perfect musical accompaniment. When you think about it, for all the great comics we have today, perhaps what we really need is a Gilbert & Sullivan to turn the Trials of Trump into a classic comic operetta. Trump's pomposity is of a piece with Maj. Gen. Stanley's, although the Gilbert & Sullivan's general's boasts of his mastery of superfluous assets are presumably accurate, whereas Trump almost always boasts of fake accomplishments, and he would never admit, as Maj. Gen. Stanley does, that he doesn't know much at all about the job he holds. Still, I'm sure a very fine librettist can work it out. Last verse:
For my presidential knowledge, I am plucky and adventury,
And can never be brought down by the mischief of Jack Smithery;
Because no matter how the Jacks & Fannys try to bring me down,
I am the very model of a modern presidential clown.
Patrick,
Hahaha. That would be good.
Patter songs have always been a favorite of mine. In one of my bands I tried to get the guys to do Frank Zappa’s “Let’s make the water turn black”. They nixed that. With prejudice.
G&S have a bunch of them, “Modern Major General” being the best. Sondheim had a few good ones too, but right after G&S’s MMG, I’d put Noel Coward’s “Mad dogs and Englishmen”. In my Irish band days I used to do “The Rattling Bog”, which can be trying/tiring. Then of course there’s Tom Lehrer’s song about the Periodic Table…
Be funny to do that dressed as Oppenheimer. Dressed up like Mendeleev would be more appropriate, but who’d get it?
But hey, I’d be happy to adapt a G&S tune to a Trump is Screwed lyric. I’ll let you know if it works…
@Akhilleus: Beacha2it.
Marie,
Yes you did.