;)
The Conversation -- December 15, 2023
** Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "A federal jury on Friday ordered Rudolph W. Giuliani to pay two former Georgia election workers more than $148 million for destroying their reputations and causing them extreme emotional distress by spreading baseless lies that they had tried to steal a victory from ... Donald J. Trump after the 2020 presidential election. The award came after Judge Beryl A. Howell of the Federal District Court in Washington had ruled that Mr. Giuliani, who helped lead Mr. Trump's efforts to remain in office after his defeat, had defamed the two workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. The jury in the civil trial had been asked to decide only on the amount of the damages.... Mr. Giuliani's net worth is unknown because he refused to comply with routine trial disclosures." The story has been updated & expanded. The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: So after the verdict, Rudy went out & told reporters a bunch of lies. He said, for instance, that he "was not allowed to put in one piece of evidence in defense." No, his lawyer chose not to mount a defense because he didn't have one. He said he didn't testify because the judge threatened him, maybe with jail time, if he made one little mistake during testimony. It's true Rudy might have been charged with perjury because he's a raving liar, but the judge didn't threaten to jail him if he misspoke & said it was raining the day he held a presser at Four Seasons Landscaping. And he said his comments implicating Freeman & Moss "were supportable." I'm sure a real reporter will write a real story about this, and I'll link it when it become available. ~~~
~~~ Politico's story, by Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney, has some of Giuliani's response to the verdict, including his telling reporters, "My country had a president imposed on it by fraud." And this anecdote: Giuliani's lawyer, John "Sibley left the courthouse by another door shortly after the verdict and was not at his client's side as he spoke to reporters."
Jeremy Herb, et al., of CNN: "A binder containing highly classified information related to Russian election interference went missing at the end of Donald Trump's presidency, raising alarms among intelligence officials that some of the most closely guarded national security secrets from the US and its allies could be exposed, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.... The binder contained raw intelligence the US and its NATO allies collected on Russians and Russian agents, including sources and methods that informed the US government's assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Trump win the 2016 election, sources tell CNN.... The binder was last seen at the White House during Trump's final days in office. The former president had ordered it brought there so he could declassify a host of documents related to the FBI's Russia investigation." Cassidy Hutchinson fingered Mark Meadows, testifying she saw him leave the White House with the unredacted file, but Meadows denies it. The file was not found among the stolen files the FBI found at Mar-a-Lago.
Jason Morris, et al., of CNN: "A federal appeals court appeared skeptical of former Donald Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows' attempt to move his Georgia election interference criminal case to federal court during a hearing Friday morning. Meadows attorney George Terwilliger argued that he should be protected because the Fulton County racketeering charges against him stem from his time in the White House and therefore were part of his role as a federal official. Moving the case to federal court could let Meadows get the charges dismissed altogether by invoking federal immunity extended to certain individuals who are prosecuted or sued for conduct tied to their US government roles.... Previously, US District Judge Steve Jones, an Obama appointee, found that his alleged actions in the sprawling Fulton County indictment weren't part of his federal responsibilities."
"Worst. Congress. Ever." Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "What do House Republicans have to show the voters for their year in power? A bipartisan debt deal (on which they promptly reneged) to avoid a default crisis that they themselves created. A pair of temporary spending bills (both passed with mostly Democratic votes) to avert a government-shutdown crisis that they themselves created. The ouster of their speaker, nearly a month-long shutdown of the chamber as they sought another, and the expulsion of one of their members, who is now negotiating himself a plea deal.... On Thursday, the House, exhausted from its labors, recessed for a three-week vacation, leaving behind a pile of urgent, unfinished business...." Read on. Milbank has a good deal to say on the Impeachment About Nothing, like how Jim Comer said he would bring in Hunter Biden to testify in a deposition or committee hearing, whichever he chose. But when Hunter chose a public hearing, Comer said no, and he & Gym Jordan announced they would charge Hunter Biden with contempt of Congress. ~~~
~~~ Marie: RAS has some breaking news that could (but won't) shut me up about the Impeachment About Nothing: "James Comer announces that they have proof that Christmas presents Hunter Biden received in 1976 were actually from Joe Biden and not in fact from Santa Claus. Several elves are expected to give depositions."
Michael Schaffer of Politico Magazine: For some reason, "Former first lady Melania Trump [is] slated to be the honored guest speaker today at a naturalization ceremony for new citizens in the rotunda of the [National] Archives' headquarters.... How did it happen that a resident of the same Mar-a-Lago estate whose bathrooms were used to store thousands of allegedly ill-gotten Archives documents won an invite to speak in the same room as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence? For that matter, how is it that a federal agency is giving the spouse of any presidential candidate a star turn in a heart-warming photo-op less than a month before the Iowa caucuses?" ~~~
~~~ Earlier this week (Dec. 11), Akhilleus wrote, in part, "First, Melanie ain't in no way, no how, in any conceivable universe, an exemplar for immigrants hoping to become American citizens. She cut the line by being Donald Trump's girlfriend and was given an Einstein Visa.... 'In March 2001, she was granted a green card in the elite EB-1 program, which was designed for renowned academic researchers, multinational business executives or those in other fields ... who demonstrated 'sustained national and international acclaim.' Also included are applicants who demonstrate 'exceptional abilities'. I'm pretty sure 'national and international acclaim' doesn't extend to 'nice ass' and 'exceptional abilities' don't include getting naked and rolling around on a rug.... As soon as Melanie became a citizen, she used chain migration to bring her parents here. But as soon as her fat asshole of a husband slithered into the White House, he put the kibosh on immigration of all kinds, including the EB-1 program and chain migration."
~~~~~~~~~~
Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed an $886 billion defense bill, clearing the measure for President Biden after pushing past a revolt from the far right over the exclusion of restrictions they had sought to abortion access, transgender care, and racial diversity and inclusion policies at the Pentagon. The 310-to-118 vote reflected the bipartisan nature of the bill, which earned the support of a majority of Democrats and Republicans despite the vocal opposition of hard-liners, who staged a last-ditch rebellion on the House floor to try to block its passage. Mr. Biden is expected to sign the measure into law, maintaining Washington's six-decade streak of approving military policy legislation on an annual basis." The Hill's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Trump-Proofing NATO. Laura Kelly of the Hill: "Congress has approved legislation that would prevent any president from withdrawing the United States from NATO without approval from the Senate or an Act of Congress. The measure, spearheaded by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), was included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which passed out of the House on Thursday and is expected to be signed by President Biden.... Trump's critics say the former president's rhetoric weakens the unity and force of purpose of the alliance. And they expressed concerns that Trump would abandon the U.S. commitment to the mutual defense pact of the alliance or withdraw the U.S. completely."
Connor O'Brien of Politico: "The Senate on Thursday approved legislation to grant back pay to senior military officers whose promotions were delayed for [about ten] months by Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on nominations.... The bill passed by unanimous consent before the Senate left for the week.... The measure must still pass the House, but will likely have to wait for a vote there. Lawmakers from the lower chamber left earlier Thursday for the rest of the year, but could take up the measure in January when they return to session."
Philip Bump of the Washington Post: Now that the House has voted to initiate an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, Rep. Jim Comer (R-Ky.) & his cronies are trying to conjure up a list of (largely imaginary) crimes supposedly committed by Joe Biden and "the Bidens." Bump knocks down the efforts. ~~~
~~~ Brian Slodysko of the AP: "Rep. James Comer, a multimillionaire farmer, boasts of being one of the largest landholders near his rural Kentucky hometown.... But there are 6 acres (2.4 hectares) that he bought in 2015 and co-owns with a longtime campaign contributor that he has treated differently [from his other landholdings], transferring his ownership to Farm Team Properties, a shell company he co-owns with his wife.... [Comer's] ... finances and relationships have begun to draw notice..., including his ties to prominent local figures who have complicated pasts not all that dissimilar to some of those caught up in his Biden [impeachment] probe.... The AP found that Farm Team Properties functions in a similarly opaque way as the companies used by the Bidens, masking his stake in the land that he co-owns with the donor from being revealed on his financial disclosure forms.... [In an appearance on Fox, Comer] also falsely claimed that the donor, Darren Cleary, 'wasn't a campaign contributor' at the time the property was purchased. Cleary and his family have donated to Comer's political campaigns since at least 2010.... Interviews with allies, critics and constituents ... reveal a fierce partisan who has ignored wrongdoing by friends and supporters if they can help him advance in business and politics." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: This isn't even a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Joe Biden has not been embroiled in any of the type of shady deals and political relationships that Comer is trying to hide from the public.
Questions for a Situationally "Concerned"TM Susan Collins Member of Congress. After Rep. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) made hay of asking university presidents to provide some "moral clarity" about antisemitism on college campuses. So Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), in a CNN opinion piece, challenged Stefanik to provide "moral clarity" to how she would answer five yes/no questions about presidential* antisemitism: Sample questions: "Is a candidate qualified to be president who hosted at his home for dinner Nick Fuentes, an avowedly pro-Hitler, Holocaust revisionist calling for a 'holy war' against the Jewish people, and Kanye West, who vowed to go 'death con 3' against Jews? Yes or no, Ms. Stefanik?... Do you regret endorsing Donald Trump for president in 2016 just days after he tweeted an image of the Star of David superimposed over Hillary Clinton's face and a thick pile of cash? Yes or no, Ms. Stefanik?" CNN adds Stefanik's "answer," which unsurprisingly does not respond to the questions. Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)
The Door Hit Him on the Way Out. Mia McCarthy of Politico: "On Thursday, [former House Speaker Kevin] McCarthy wrapped up his 2023 on Capitol Hill with a farewell speech [on the House floor].... 'It's kind of bittersweet,' McCarthy told reporters Thursday. 'It's not the timing I wanted.'" ~~~
~~~ John Parkinson of ABC News: "As the House embarks on a three-week holiday recess, McCarthy's resignation will take effect at the end of the year. But with no more votes anticipated in the lower chamber this year, Thursday was effectively the end of an era.... Thursday afternoon, McCarthy invited a half-dozen congressional reporters to the ornate office for an off-camera exit interview. For more than an hour, McCarthy shared his final thoughts on everything from his place in history to the rivals who brought him down."
Former Fraudster-in-Chief Made Fraud Victims Pay. Michael Laris of the Washington Post: "To find savings to cover some of the cost of [Trump's] deep tax cuts in 2017, GOP lawmakers scaled back or eliminated many itemized deductions that targeted specific groups of taxpayers, including those that help crime victims like Florida retirees Suzy and Dennis Gomas. In a succession of scams tied to a pet food operation..., the couple was defrauded out of nearly $2 million by Suzy Gomas's daughter, who is serving a 25-year sentence, according to federal court filings in Tampa. In a July decision, U.S. District Judge Tom Barber, who was appointed by ... Donald Trump, ruled that, 'astonishingly,' the couple was required to pay federal income tax on the stolen money. He cited the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that Trump signed in 2017, which temporarily repealed deductions for losses from storms, fires, earthquakes -- and theft.... Former law enforcement officials and some tax experts said the real-world results of Congress's actions have been unfair."
The Trials of the Trump Mob
Lauren del Valle & Kara Scannell of CNN: "A New York appellate court rejected Donald Trump's challenge of the gag order in his civil fraud trial Thursday. Trump's attorneys petitioned the court over the gag order that bars him and the attorneys from speaking publicly about Judge Arthur Engoron's court staff. In rejecting the challenge Thursday, the appeals court said Trump didn't use the proper legal vehicle to challenge the gag order and sanctions." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Trump & the (Alleged) Stalker. Adam Klasfeld of the Messenger: "The saga of ... Donald Trump's first gag order began with a social media post by an account called 'JudicialProtest.' 'Why is Judge Engoron's Principal Law Clerk, Allison R. Greenfield, palling around with Chuck Schumer?' @JudicialProtest wrote on Sept. 27, 2023, showing the clerk and the Senate Majority Leader posing for a picture.... On Oct. 3, 2023, the second day of his civil fraud trial, Trump attached a screenshot of that post to his own social media website Truth Social, with a message falsely labeling Greenfield the 'girlfriend' of Schumer. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to delete the 'untrue' and 'disparaging' post, leading to an unprecedented gag order against a former U.S. president.... An investigation by the Messenger has found that 40-year-old Wisconsin resident Brock Fredin -- the man behind the @JudicialProtest account on X ... -- has a prolific history of civil and criminal litigation over his harassment of women that echoes his attacks on Greenfield. Fredin has been hit with 50-year restraining orders barring him from contacting three women, and he has been criminally convicted multiple times for violating two of those orders. He is currently under criminal investigation for more suspected restraining order violations and possible stalking." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The Trump mob just keeps looking sleazier & sleazier. And so, of course, does Trump.
Craig Mauger of the Detroit News: "Testifying in court Thursday, top Michigan Republicans linked the organization and execution of a false certificate saying Donald Trump won the state's 2020 presidential election directly to Trump's campaign. While the Trump campaign has previously been tied to the overall strategy of crafting electoral certificates in seven battleground states, the testimony Thursday described campaign staffers as being involved in recruiting attendees and running the meeting of the false electors in Lansing on Dec. 14, 2020.... The revelations came on the second day of preliminary examinations for six of the Republican electors as Attorney General Dana Nessel's office pursues criminal forgery charges against those whose names appeared on the false certificate." The question here is whether or not the fake electors had the intent to defraud when they signed the fake certificate. One fake elector, Meshawn Maddock, said outside of court that "the Republicans signed only one page of the false electoral certificate that was later submitted to Congress. The first page, which claimed Trump won Michigan's electoral vote, wasn't presented with the signature page in the basement [meeting of Dec. 14, 2020]."
He has no right to offer defenseless civil servants up to a virtual mob in order to overturn an election.... The cost that has [been] imposed on Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss, on all those he has deceived, and to the public confidence in our democracy are incalculable. -- Plaintiffs' attorney Michael Gottleib, in closing arguments in the civil defamation case against Rudy Giuliani, yesterday ~~~
~~~ Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A Washington jury is considering how much to award two Georgia election workers who became targets of violent threats and smear campaigns after Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump falsely accused them of manipulating ballots in the 2020 election. The eight-member jury deliberated for 3.5 hours on Thursday after closing arguments in Giuliani's trial. Jurors will return on Friday morning to continue deliberating.... [Giuliani's attorney Joseph Sibley] rested his case without calling any witnesses.... In an unusually concessionary closing, Sibley seemed to admit that some of Giuliani's statements about the election workers and election fraud -- including things he said this week -- were out of touch with reality. 'Rudy Giuliani's a good man,' Sibley said. 'He hasn't exactly helped himself with some of the things that have happened in the last few days.'" MB: Sibley described Giuliani to the jury as a bitter old man. That seems right. ~~~
~~~ Hmm, It Seems Rudy's Lawyer Muzzled Him. Devan Cole & Holmes Lybrand of CNN: "... Rudy Giuliani will no longer testify in his defamation damages trial over how much he should pay two Georgia election workers millions of dollars in damages for spreading conspiracy theories about them after the 2020 election.... The decision not to appear comes after the Georgia election workers -- Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss -- provided gut-wrenching testimony over the course of two days about how the lies spread by him damaged their reputations and upended their lives." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Just two days ago, Rudy told reporters outside the courtroom, "When I testify, the whole story will be definitively clear that what I said was true, and that, whatever happened to them -- which is unfortunate about other people overreacting -- everything I said about them is true." Giuliani also asserted that Moss and Freeman "engaged in changing votes." And when a reporter argued there was no proof the women tampered with ballots, Giuliani shot back, "You're damn right there is.... Stay tuned." Well, Rudy, we tuned in and we got radio silence. Two things stand out here: (1) Rudy's attorney obviously thinks his client is to senile and out of touch with reality to testify; and (2) a senile, out-of-touch lawyer was one of Donald Trump's chief advisors in Trump's efforts to retain power by force. ~~~
~~~ Rachel Weiner, et al., of the Washington Post: "But jurors still heard the words of ... [Rudy Giuliani], dating back to the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and extending to as recently as this week.... [Plaintiffs' attorney Michael] Gottlieb said Giuliani continued to lie about Ruby Freeman and Wandrea ArShaye 'Shaye' Moss, mother and daughter election workers who testified that they were inundated with vicious threats and racist insults after he falsely accused them of helping fake the Georgia election results to the detriment of Republican incumbent Trump.... He said Giuliani's defense strategy was to convince jurors he was more important than the women he defamed: 'Rich famous people have valuable reputations, and ordinary people are irrelevant, replaceable, worthless. Mr. Giuliani's defense is his reputation, his comfort and his goals are more important than those of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. That is a fiction, and it ends today.... He called them drug dealers and criminals.'..."
Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Federal prosecutors don't appear to be done with John Eastman just yet. On Monday, a paralegal for special counsel Jack Smith's office ordered transcripts from the recent disbarment trial of the former Donald Trump attorney.... Eastman is one of six alleged co-conspirators in the federal indictment that Smith obtained against Trump in August in Washington, D.C. Eastman has not been charged in that case, but he has been charged alongside Trump and other allies in a separate criminal case involving election interference in Georgia."
Larry Neumeister of the AP: "A former top FBI counterintelligence official was ordered Thursday to spend over four years in prison for violating sanctions on Russia by going to work for a Russian oligarch seeking dirt on a wealthy rival after he finished his government career. Charles McGonigal, 55, was sentenced to four years and two months in prison in Manhattan federal court by Judge Jennifer H. Rearden, who said McGonigal harmed national security by repeatedly flouting sanctions meant to put economic pressure on Russia to get results without military force. He was also fined $40,000 and ordered to forfeit $17,500."
** Jodi Kantor & Adam Liptak of the New York Times piece together how Sam Alito engineered the plot to overturn Roe v. Wade: "Justice Alito appeared to have pregamed it among some of the conservative justices, out of view from other colleagues, to safeguard a coalition more fragile than it looked.... The most glaring irregularity was the leak to Politico of Justice Alito's draft. The identity and motive of the person who disclosed it remains unknown, but the effect of the breach is clear: It helped lock in the result, The Times found, undercutting Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Breyer's quest to find a middle ground."
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Former New York Times editorial-page editor James Bennet, in an essay in the Economist, criticizes Times leadership for "illiberalism." If you don't care to read a 16,000-word essay by a conservative, disgruntled former employee -- publisher A.G. Sulzberger and former executive editor Dean Baquet forced Bennet to resign -- then Ian Ward in Politico Magazine summarizes Bennet's complaints. Ward's piece also includes a statement from the Times.
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Florida. Lori Rozsa of the Washington Post: "Republican leaders in Florida are expressing outrage over a reported proposal that party chairman Christian Ziegler be paid as much as $2 million before he'll step down amid a sexual assault investigation. Ziegler is battling to keep his powerful position despite dual scandals, one of which has also ensnared his wife, Bridget Ziegler, a Moms for Liberty co-founder who sits on the Sarasota County School Board. The couple, whose political influence has grown along with the ascent of the Florida GOP, have been asked to quit their jobs, even by friends and allies as well as political opponents. Each has refused. Party members say a buyout for Christian was floated more than a week ago.... On Tuesday, Bridget Ziegler sat through a heated meeting of the Sarasota County School Board as her colleagues, as well as many speakers from the community, pressed her to resign." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Republicans should stop acting all surprised & outraged when one of them tries to shake down the party or otherwise behaves, well, deplorably. They're all greedy bastards.
Pennsylvania. Lab Rats. Jacey Fortin of the New York Times: "Republicans in Pennsylvania's House of Representatives voted this week to withhold millions of dollars from the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school amid an uproar over the school's response to antisemitism on campus. The money, more than $30 million, would have been part of an annual appropriation to the School of Veterinary Medicine, which is partly funded by the state. The rest of the private university does not receive state appropriations." MB: Reflecting the legislators' reasoned belief, no doubt, that quite a few lab rats are antisemites.
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Israel/Palestine. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "The United States agrees with Israel that the war against Hamas 'is going to take months,' White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday in Tel Aviv, adding that he had discussed with Israeli leaders plans to transition from the 'high intensity phase' of Israel's offensive to 'more targeted operations.' Sullivan did not specify a timeline for the transition, but said that while Israel had the intention of reducing civilian casualties, 'we want to see the results match up to that.'... President Biden said earlier that he wants Israel 'to be focused on how to save civilian lives' and to 'be more careful,' amid growing international criticism of the toll of Israel's assault. The Israeli military said Friday that its forces in Gaza recovered the bodies of three hostages taken captive during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 and returned them to Israel, including two abducted soldiers and 28-year-old Elia Toledano. Israeli media reported that Toledano was taken in the attack on the Tribe of Nova music festival." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Friday are here. CNN's live updates are here.
Ukraine, et al.
Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "Senate Democrats announced on Thursday that they would put off their upcoming holiday break and stay in Washington next week to press for passage of a bill pairing military assistance for Ukraine with a crackdown on migration at the U.S. border with Mexico, as lawmakers on both sides of the talks reported progress toward a compromise. The move, announced by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, was a bid by Democrats to intensify the pressure on Republicans to drop their opposition to the Ukraine funding bill, after House G.O.P. leaders left Washington for the year without acting on the matter. It also reflected fresh optimism among Senate negotiators who had been haggling over a border enforcement package that they were inching closer together...." An AP report is here.
Matina Stevis-Gridneff & Steven Erlanger of the New York Times: "Hungary on Friday blocked the European Union from approving a financial aid package for Ukraine, though E.U. leaders agreed to officially open accession negotiations for Ukraine to join the bloc, an important breakthrough for Kyiv as it tries to bolster support from its allies. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said that all but one of the E.U.'s 27 countries backed the package of 50 billion euros, about $52 billion, in financial support for Ukraine. 'One leader couldn't agree on this,' Mr. Michel said at an impromptu 3 a.m. news conference, referring to Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary." A Reuters story is here. MB: Orban, of course, is one of the leaders of the Western Dictators Club, along with Vladimir Putin & dictator hopeful Donald Trump. In the U.S., Speaker Mike Johnson is bidding for membership in the Dictators' Little Helpers Club.
U.K. Alexandra Topping of the Guardian: "Prince Harry has landed a significant blow in his battle with the British tabloid press, after winning a substantial part of his phone-hacking case and damages against the Daily Mirror. In a judgment that will have profound implications for the British media landscape, a high court judge has ruled that there was 'extensive' phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers from 2006 to 2011, 'even to some extent' during the Leveson inquiry into media standards. Mr Justice [Timothy] Fancourt found that 15 out of 33 articles related to the Duke of Sussex [i.e., Harry] which were focused on during the trial were the product of hacking from his mobile phone or unlawful information gathering. He concluded that Harry's phone was hacked 'to a modest extent' from the end of 2003 to April 2009, which was carefully controlled by senior individuals at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People newspapers.' Recognising the 'distress' caused to Harry as a result of published articles containing information that had been illegally gathered, the judge awarded him £140,600 in damages."
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Reader Comments (13)
Today in Batshit Lunacy.
A new Gallup poll out states that 79% of us believe that our elected
officials are out of touch with us. 69% believe they are focused on
the needs of special interests rather than us, and we believe that
52% are corrupt.
When we get that new dictator back in office (DJT) will those
percentages reach 100? Who knows.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/185918/majority-americans-congress-
touch-corrupt.aspx
@D in MD: Okay, I read the J-6ers rationale, and I think I get it. In order to oppose bedrock Constitutional principles -- like the orderly transfer of power -- you have to conform to some higher order. So the J-6 guy is going with God and Jesus, who -- it turns out -- are total Trumpbots. Never mind that Joe Biden, a church-going Roman Catholic, won the election over Donald Trump, who can't find two Corinthians in the Bible, it turns out Joe is a Chinese communist puppet who staged a coup by getting more Electoral College votes (not to mention 7.5 million more votes from actual voters) than Jesus's candidate.
To deny objective facts requires adherence to a belief system that is more potent than reality. So once you've managed to leapfrog over reality, you're home free and every crazy thing you do makes sense and jibes with a consistent, if bat-shit crazy, worldview.
I've always said that people do crazy things for a reason, and once you've figured out that reason, the crazy stuff makes some kind of sense. This J-6er makes my point. He does not, after all, have to have a good reason. Just a reason.
For sale to the highest bidder: A binder of highly classified Russian
intel relating to Russian election interference.
It went missing as Trump was leaving office.
You can probably call 1-800-maralago and make an offer.
https://democraticunderground.com/100218528357
Comer has finally found the smoking gun on Biden's imaginary crimes.
The detail about McCarthy's ornate office that he was showing off before he leaves reminded me of how he took the office from Pelosi while she was on the other side of the country attending Feinstein's funeral. That incident pretty well sums up the kind of classless loser Kevin is or in other words a typical Republican.
The Nutcracker at the White House
Marie,
The worse news is that all of these lunatics are cozily bunked in together in the DC jail, reinforcing and building on each others delusions, writing love notes to The Donald, and planning their moves for when they're released.
If reelected, Tsar Donnie will doubtless make them the core of federal lawless enforcement.
Axios
"Shadow majority: House Democrats outvoted GOP on every major bill passed"
I'v wondered why Mark Meadows hasn't been featured more in the trials, but a connection noted in this story just might explain it. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/us/politics/trump-binder-classified-material-russia.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20231215&instance_id=110281&nl=from-the-times®i_id=78347739&segment_id=152728&te=1&user_id=36d08ad2b1e78559d088f24154b2009e
Sounds like one hell of a negotiating lever to this old man....if he has it or knows where it is.
So.. this time not a binder full of women, but a binder of classified information on Russian interference in the 2016 election, of which there is only one copy?
Call me (and my wife) a bit skeptical.
@Ken Winkes: I don't think the problem is that there's only one copy. The problem is that someone in that criminal gang that was the Trump administration has one copy of a 10"-thick file chock-full of highly-classified info to sell to or otherwise share with their criminal friends/U.S. enemies.
Um, tell me again why the Saudis gave Jared $2 billion??
I was wondering, who in the sam hill puts strictly classified secrets in a binder, which can be toted anywhere anyone likes?? I can understand the "organizing" bug that someone had, to get everything in pristinely alphabetical order, or maybe by date or whatever, but a BINDER? Also known as a notebook, or a Trapper Keeper...WTH? That damn administration couldn't administer its way out of a Dunkin' Donuts bag. What a bunch of incompetent yahoos...So who has it? My money is on Meadows, since he has lied on several occasions about his residence, his kid's wedding during Covid lockdown, he vows his "work" was all federal work, and he was burning stuff in the fireplace at work...again, WTF?? I am so annoyed that nothing ever happens to these people.