…how much more of this is it going to take before the sheer gall of the grift is enough to outweigh the paper-thin pretence of the paperwork & just call it what it is…because this murky “campaign finance” routine is a fucking travesty & there is no excuse for anyone to be making excuses about it at this point in proceedings….this asshole isn’t “considering” shit…he’s been fucking counting on this part as his hail mary to dig his way out of that hellacious pit of personal debt every god damn day since he declared his candidacy the first fucking time
but let’s be real…does anyone think he plans to color inside the lines where this shit is concerened…because it sure as shit isn’t just the asshole-in-chief that’s losing on this deal…even now he’s fucking lost
Federal agencies across the government are quietly moving ahead with an 11th hour plan to fill vacant, nonpartisan career jobs with political appointees as well as fire and replace civil servants with individuals loyal to President Donald Trump.
With only two months to go before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, agencies are rushing to implement an executive order that would undermine the merit-based, nonpartisan civil service system, eviscerate employee due process rights and replace professionals with partisans.
Trump wants to bring back a corrupt system of political patronage. Congress and Joe Biden must undo this attack on the capability of our government.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/wisconsin-recount-over/2020/11/29/story.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/30/trump-election-fraud-claims-aim-chris-krebs
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/30/krebs-60-minutes-election-trump
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/29/trump-election-fraud-lawsuit-defeats
…how does it go again
…I beg your pardon?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/01/hannity-trump-self-pardon
…probably ought to tack on some perjury-indemnity shit while they’re at it, too
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/01/william-barr-no-evidence-voter-fraud
…even Bill “you don’t need to read that Mueller guy’s report – take it from me it only says nice things about my boss” Barr can’t make this shit seem like it’s even pretending to be anything but complete bullshit…& yet
In the span of an hour, CNN’s “State of the Union” featured both new and old faces of the Republican Party. First, host Dana Bash interviewed Sen. Roy Blunt, who has held elective office from Missouri for most of the past 35 years. Then she welcomed Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), both newly elected members of the House. Though all three looked very different, they sounded much the same.
All three were in harmony when it came to supporting President Trump’s continued attempts to undermine democracy by questioning the election results. “The president should also use every legal avenue that he can to present evidence,” said Mace, after another week that saw Trump campaign lawsuits tossed out of court for lack of evidence. Even after Bash noted that “there is absolutely no evidence of widespread voter fraud,” Malliotakis simply repeated the talking point: “I believe that he is within his legal rights to be questioning any irregularities that have — may have surfaced.”
In response, Bash dryly noted, “I’m guessing it’s probably fair to say that neither of you thinks that the election that each of you won was rigged.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/29/gop-party-that-cannot-change
…not that they show any signs of wanting to
…so once again the rest of us are stuck hoping something else will
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/georgia-runoff-decide-john-lewis-short-term-successor
…& I don’t know about you but I’m not happy pinning hopes on this fucking court staying on the straight & narrow
…even when you’d think they’d have no reason not to
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/01/cocoa-supreme-court-child-labor
…despite still including some heads that aren’t up their own asses
…because if ever there were a clear cut candidate for a “fool me once – shame on you” routine it has to be this clowncar cavalcade of calamitous calumny
…so “fool me twice” needs to be clear off the fucking table already
…& let’s face it…if he really were even a little bit as rich as he likes to pretend he is he wouldn’t need to pull this shit in the first place
https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2020/nov/29/wealth-inequality-rich-richer-pandemic
…much the way that if the GOP were interested in a smarter future we eouldn’t have watched them let this bitch loose on the fucking education system
…& much as it’s nice to see some ladies going first
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/biden-harris-announce-all-female-communications-team
…& maybe even some more
…there still seem to be some priorities that are out of whack
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/29/coronavirus-surge-thanksgiving-travel
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/vaccine-distribution-alabama/2020/11/28/story.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/primary-care-offices-struggling-survive-during-covid-19
…& others that need tending to, too
…but then somehow these assholes seem all kinds of comfortable signing death warrants
…while we seem to be relying on kids to get our shit together for us
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/portuguese-youngsters-clear-major-hurdle-european-climate-lawsuit
…& maybe we knew this shit wasn’t aliens
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/01/utah-monolith-removed-by-humans
…but that doesn’t mean we should have let this shit go by the wayside
…so how about they stop dicking around & fucking do some shit we all know needs doing?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/12/01/stimulus-congress-coronavirus
…or does that have to wait on Joe, too?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/01/biden-stimulus-economic-team
…of fucking course it does…because mitch is a snivelling bitch
…& he isn’t the only asshole gratutiously pissing on a nation while claiming it’s raining
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/01/powell-mnuchin-congress-hearing
…also…not really sure where this might have fitted into all of the above but if you have the time do give it a read
…& speaking of things probably worth a read
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/01/mary-trump-book-the-reckoning-presidents-niece
As the four long years of the Trump presidency come to a close his unprecedented actions become more and more frequent. If Trump blows off the inauguration, as he’s expected to, it wouldn’t be the first time. The NBC News link tells me that John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Johnson did the same, and like Trump the term “sore loser” only comes close to describing their mood upon leaving the White House.
The self-pardon though. I wonder what the Supreme Court will make of it. That would be a first. On the one hand the conservatives are supposed to be “strict constitutionalists” and the Constitution does not address whether a president can pardon himself. The Founding Fathers probably thought that was an idea not worth entertaining, and in any event there is the (incredibly laborious) amendment process, through which, for example, civil rights were enshrined for ex-slaves after the Civil War, women were granted the franchise, the voting age was lowered, the date of the inauguration itself was moved back from March to January. So they might rule that this would be OK.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court has always been protective of its role in deciding what can and cannot be gotten away with. If presidential self pardons are allowed, America inches closer to the “divine right of kings” doctrine, where the sovereign cannot, by virtue of their role, do any wrong. I doubt they would go along with that. In addition, by receiving a presidential pardon, the recipient at least implicitly agrees that something fishy was engaged in. Nixon accepted his pardon but that was after he resigned and it was granted by his successor, Gerald Ford. He went on to live a quiet, blameless life, writing several perceptive and well-received books. Trump would be well-served to hand over the reigns to Mike Pence moments before the inauguration, accept his pardon, and fade into the sunset. HA HA! Never in a million years would his delusional ego allow for that.
There’s also the not-so-small fact that a presidential pardon only covers federal crimes up until the day that it is granted. President Trump does not have a good track history of retaining top legal talent. Private citizen Trump was good at it, but there’s a joke that been floating around NYC since the 80s that the only people Trump actually pays are his lawyers and tax accountants; everyone else gets screwed.
Several states are going to want to look into his shady dealings starting the evening of January 20th. New York is already looking into whether he actually is legally a citizen of Florida, for a half-dozen reasons, and that’s among the least of his problems. His dealings with the IRS are notoriously “complicated” so even if he pardons himself and all his children starting on January 21st they’ll have no pardon shield to protect themselves against the Wrath of the Tax Man going forward.
Just my thoughts on this chilly Wednesday morning.
My understanding is that presidential self-pardons hinge on the meaning of the word “grant.” The Constitution says the president may “grant pardons.” (I’m working from memory here.) “Grant” implies that the pardons are given to other people, not himself.
The current Supreme Court is highly likely to rule otherwise though. “Strict” followers of the Constitution are like “strict” followers of the Bible — both pick and choose the parts they like.
My understanding is that the person “granting” the pardon has to enumerate fairly specifically what actions are being pardoned. Therefore, Trump would have to admit his crimes in the process of pardoning himself. And knowing Trump’s inability to admit any fault, this could theoretically preclude any self-pardon.
It’s been said a lot, but pardons do not involve any admission of guilt.
For example, pardons can specifically say the person is innocent. The Supreme Court has ruled that even DNA evidence is not sufficient for getting a new trial after all appeals are exhausted. The only way for a scientifically undeniably innocent person in this situation to be released is a pardon of an innocent person.
Blanket pardons are also allowed. So if someone is under investigation but no charges are filed yet, a blanket pardon can go out just saying any crime is now pardoned.
A pardon does not have to be accepted or even acknowledged. In fact, dead people have been pardoned. The government is required to cancel fines, change records, end prison terms, etc. but the pardonee doesn’t have to say or sign anything, and they are free to say they were innocent all along, or even it was all a case of mistaken identity and their long lost identical twin was the true criminal.
…I’m under the impression that a lot of stuff about pardons is unclear…at least in so far as a lot hasn’t been ruled on at the level of the supreme court?
…while pardons have been issued posthumously the idea they have to be accepted is certainly tied to the idea they can be rejected…which was the basis of the case that prompted the ruling from which the only quote I know about the implied admission of guilt came up
…I guess if you’re already dead the point is moot…& certainly in some cases a claim of innocence does seem to be a part of some presidential pardons
…but I don’t think it’d fly if, for example, donnie boy decided to issue himself a literal get-out-of-jail-free card & announced that neither he nor any member of his family could be ruled guilty for anything they’d done to date while also claiming they were innocent & vidicated at the same time in a similar bout of incoherence to the one he had over the mueller report
…he can get away with saying all that shit but like the election stuff I think if he had to get it argued in court he’d find it ate itself?
I AM NOT A LAWYER (obligatory disclaimer and my fig leaf for when somebody smarter comes along and proves me utterly wrong)
I think that’s true for certain state governors (laws vary) but I don’t think it applies to presidential pardons. Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while president — Nixon wasn’t charged with any crimes at that point so none were listed. Trump will probably issue blanket pardons for every member of his cartel. Pardons also aren’t considered an admission of guilt either, which is a popular misconception.
Whether or not he can self-pardon is up in the air, because it’s never been tried before. So Trump will almost certainly do it because orange fuckhead. If he really wants it to take, he needs to resign and get Pence to pardon him, BUT Pence has no incentive to do that other than ingratiating himself with MAGAs (which might be enough). Some historians argue that the Nixon pardon cost Ford his chance for re-election, but norms are completely out the window now.
Bigger problems for Trump are the fact that pardons don’t affect state-level charges and prosecution. So he’s not going to be able to stop the State of New York. And, while pardons are essentially a get-out-of-jail free card, they only cover crimes committed up to the date of the pardon. I don’t believe Trump will suddenly turn honest on Jan. 19 — he’s already scamming people with his “reelection campaign.”
So any crime he commits on Jan. 20 or after is fair game. And he will commit crimes — he can’t help it. And he’s going to find out that shit that got swept under the rug when he was a reality-television buffoon are going to get a whole lot more scrutiny now that he’s an ex-president. He’s moved from penny-ante to the high stakes table, and he’s completely unprepared for it.
…don’t seem to have a link to hand but I also read something to the effect that the pardon granted to flynn contained language vague enough that it might be subject to challenge…which again seems to argue that the get-out-of-jail-free style of pardon isn’t a clear cut kind of a thing
…the more specific the details of what indemnity is being granted are the more secure that indemnity would seem to be…& vice versa, it would seem?
https://crooksandliars.com/2020/11/language-mike-flynns-pardon-way-too-broad
…cheers for that
I think there are political considerations which may give them a pause One is that they may well want to start tying Biden’s hands and we may start seeing a lot of flip flops on presidential power.
I’m also not sure the Court’s right wingers have any deep loyalty to Trump, and by the time the issue comes up they may be ready to move on to clearing the path for a new guy with less baggage. He holds no leverage over them.
I also think they may want to protect their own power. Self pardons give a president a lot of new power and I don’t know if they are eager to hand that over.
I’m making a prediction right here and now: When Trump does his campaign announcement during the inauguration, the major media outlets will run split screens to show both events while talking about how “important” it is for them to cover a con man conning his rube followers into giving him more money so he can keep the debt collectors at bay.
Well, now we’re having fun. A Georgia Republican is decrying Trump and other Republicans for their efforts to overturn elections. Seems people are facing threats of violence. In other words the stochastic terrorism Trump is known for.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/12/1/1999354/-Watch-Georgia-GOP-election-official-excoriate-Senate-Republicans-for-abetting-Trump-s-fantasy-fraud
So where was this asshole when there were “good people on both sides”? Where was this guy when Trump inspired the Dayton shooter who (checks notes) killed nine people? Where was this guy when Kyle Rittenhouse was murdering people? I’m going to stop because it’s too horrible to list dozens of incidents.
In other words, for this guy, stochastic terrorism is fine as long as they’re not after my rich, white ass.
Hard to believe that this show went off the air a few years ago, when we needed it most. Crazy how accurate it was though. I spent way too much time yesterday watching him prank call the voter fraud hotline repeatedly in Trumps voice. This though, is pure Nostradamus stuff…
I thought this was a very funny ad-algorithm botch:
Aaaargh, I still can’t figure out how to load images. Teaser headline:
‘RHOBH’ star sued for allegedly embezzling money in ‘sham’ divorce
Ad image: A photo of Mel and Don. WISH THE TRUMP FAMILY A MERRY CHRISTMAS! [then a line to “sign” the “card’.]
So my phone keeps eating my comment (Google must be updating again, soon🙃), AND I don’t have time to get into it too much, ‘cuz I gotta get ready for work…
But I have a name for the C U Next Tuesday! List…. MN Republiwon’t Senator Julie Rosen😠😡🤬🤬🤬🤬
State REP (DFL, Mpls), Mohamud Noor is asking for the state to help out, in paying Mpls’s share of the stupid USBANK stadium, next year, since the ways the goddamn thing is supposed to get paid FOR by the city are taxes on tourism & hospitality…. our restaurant & hotel-room taxes, along with iirc, some downtown PROPERTY taxes…
You can see WHY Noor’s asking, if you have even HALF a brain🤨
‘Ol Jules was the sponsor/cosponsor on the proposal to FUND the goddamned waste of money… yet she basically just SAID, that she thinks Mpls doesn’t deserve any help paying that bill right now, “Because they KNEW this bill was gonna come due starting in 2021…” and a WHOLE lot of other BULLSHITTERY, too…..
Fucking SEEYOUNEXTTUESDAY!!!!
We’re in our SECOND Bar & Resto shutdown RIGHT NOW.
FuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccLYSISTRATA THAT WOMAN–FOREVER PUHLEEEEEEEAAAASSSSE!!!I just…. this BAGGAGE pushed for that goddamned football stadium to be BUILT–ONLY for NFL games!🙄🤨😒🤬, and SHE benefits from it, because SHE gets to watch the goddamned Vikes play, every weekend she wants to, at home on her TV, while folks in MY city have to shell out THROUGH THE NOSE in city & county taxes, for her to WATCH those goddamned games…
But while we don’t HAVE any fucking tax revenues coming into the kitty that’s supposed to PAY THE BILL, for goddamned TV SHOW(🤬🤬🤬), she doesn’t wanna help cover the mother fucking bar tab…
C U Next Tuesday!🤬