Writes Andrew McCarthy in "The FBI’s Mar-a-Lago Raid: It’s about the Capitol Riot, Not the Mishandling of Classified Information" (National Review).
Nevertheless, prosecutors investigating did want to search Trump’s premises for potential evidence of Capitol riot crimes. The former president’s apparent violations of government records and classified information laws gave the DOJ the pretext it needed.... I do not believe the DOJ contemplates prosecuting a former president for mishandling classified information, much less purloining other government records.... The Democratic base badly wants Trump to be charged with felonies. So does the House January 6 committee, heavily amplified by the media-Democrat complex.
I am also quite sure that within the Justice Department, high-ranking officials are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland that the equities favor indicting Trump because he persists in the stolen-election claims — arguing that a successful prosecution would put these divisive claims to rest.
Nevertheless, Garland and his top advisers know it’s not that simple...."
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129 comments:
So it's open "prosecute political opponents of the left" time in the "Free" United States of America.
Isn't this an open admission they are doing the Beria "Give me the man and I'll find a crime" approach?
The far left want Trumps head.
Meanwhile - not a peep about bad actors like John Sullivan and the other Antifa+ FBI infiltrators who helped and inspired people to enter the Capitol Building. Yes - some of Trump's supporters are stupid morons who ended up hurting their own hero that day - but there were plenty of provocateurs making it all happen.
If this is about the "insurrection," then short of "finding" planted evidence, the raid will look like Geraldo Rivera's Capone safe fiasco. I certainly hope that's how it turns out.
what ever happened to John Sullivan? After the media paraded him around - he has all but vanished.
John Sullivan(D-antifa) didn't fit the narrative.
That's not the only thing that they "lack proof" for. They lack proof for everything.
"(h)igh-ranking officials are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland that the equities favor indicting Trump because he persists in the stolen-election claims — arguing that a successful prosecution would put these divisive claims to rest."
FFS. Any honorable AG - or honorable person generally - would rise from the chair shaking with rage and throw these People's Commissars out into the street.
Ah, yes, the Andrew McCarthy who vouched for the honor of his former colleagues, despite said former colleagues repeatedly proving to either be bad actors or willing to do anything so as to not imperil their pensions. Yes, this is the man we should trust in this dark moment of the Republic. And nothing says conservatism like the National Review, the swamp's pet conservative publication, the controlled opposition that is there to meekly object to the leviathan while it negotiates surrender.
Pass.
This bears worth repeating. If you are going to kill the King, kill the King.
Trump will be indicted on multiple charges; records removal and the whole J6 thing.
The DC show trial will be epic and he will be convicted before November 2024.
DeSantis will win and pardon Trump.
Justice Department... high-ranking officials are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland that the equities favor indicting Trump because he persists in the stolen-election claims — arguing that a successful prosecution would put these divisive claims to rest.
Are they kidding?
I am also quite sure that within the Justice Department, high-ranking officials are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland that the equities favor indicting Trump because he persists in the stolen-election claims — arguing that a successful prosecution would put these divisive claims to rest.
So, they're idiots?
I think it was a fishing expedition hoping to find something to taint Trump and, by extension, his endorsements prior to November. The goal was to depress GOP turnout, while at the same time throwing some red meat to the progressive base in hopes of encouraging their turnout.
Trump's opponents would have already assassinated him if they could get away with it. Witness Kathy Griffin and his simulated decapitated bloody head, witness the NYC Julius Caesar play with his mock assassination. Years ago. Years ago.
Then, witness impeachment #1, impeachment #2, the January 6 unbalanced show trial, and the steadfast avoidance of all genuine dirty Clinton and Biden and Obama issues.
This is just more of the same naked aggression pretending to be authoritative government. Will this one be the straw that breaks a camel's back? Will Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan lead to the deaths of millions in a war? Us non-psychopaths who don't want to die need to know.
“high-ranking officials are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland that the equities favor indicting Trump”
Do these high-ranking officials have names or is Andrew McCarthy not quite sure about that?
"Garland and his top advisers know"
There's our Andy. The pros know! They wouldn't do anything underhanded or illegal or just plain political for political gain, law be damned. They know.
Actually, what they know is that the deep state can do anything with impunity. The Russia hoax was proof of concept. As Andy knows.
"Pretext" for a fishing expedition.
And who hacked Adrew Cuomo's account?
https://twitter.com/andrewcuomo/status/1556990308424028163
If FBI apologist McCarthy says that this is a pretext for a fishing expedition, well the die is cast then, it's a huge gamble; look for planted documents, since like at so many polling places, observers were barred, and they simply cannot afford to come up snake eyes.
Judge Bruce “Asshole” Reinhard signed off on this raid?
https://twitter.com/ComfortablySmug/status/1556987024485355520
"DeSantis will win and pardon Trump."
When DeSantis wins, his Vice President should resign. DeSantis should then appoint Trump Vice-President. And then DeSantis should resign. Trump becomes President again and appoints DeSantis Vice President (should anything untoward happen to Trump on his way through Dealy Plaza.)
Chickelit 😆
Andrew McCarthy has vouched for every DOJ and FBI bureaucrat in all of the investigations against Trump, assuring his readers that they are all "principled(TM)", law abiding officials who would never abuse their positions of trust. Even when proven wrong, he has twisted himself into a pretzel time and time again to justify their actions and double-standards in their investigations. Does he really still believe these are honest people?
Yeah, we're there. . . .
Wrong. You can be 100% assured that a successful prosecution of Trump would not put "these divisive claims to rest."
It would only prove the point.
Joe Biden, with a stank of doubt and illegitimacy hanging over his so-called Presidency, is in no position to take a hard line. He needed to be a unity "president",
We allowed a peaceful transition of power mostly because the Big Lie and Big Theft that Biden's supporters like Zuckerberg had the brass balls to inflict went beyond all previous norms and put the whole damn system on tilt. The machine shut down.
But we do not have to respect Joe Biden. And we do not. His popularity shows that, He is total disaster for our country. America is united on that by 30-70 margins
Nor do we have to believe in a justice system that on a daily basis turns its back on Lois Lerner and Eric Holder and Mark Zuckerberg and Hillary and Hunter while throwing the damn book at people rotting in jail for "parading" and other absolutely horseshoe "crimes" that were let in through the open doors by capitol police and have been left to rot by our system of "justice".
A republic if you can keep it...
The silent majority is watching this shtishow and we are not impressed
Donald Trump is getting a sorely needed primer on how to wield power.
You don't threaten to put Hillary Clinton in jail. You DO IT. You don't talk about it. You get it done. Doesn't matter if it's never been done before. They'll certainly do it to you the second you give them the chance. So you'd better get while the getting is good.
Trump should have put her in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and had her entire coterie of advisers, lawyers and co-conspirators put there too. Then blamed it all on Russia.
Trump (and a few other Republicans) needed this lesson. I hope the next Republican president is paying attention today on what will be needing to be done on Day One.
Andrew McCarthy always seems a day late and a dollar short.
Trump's opponents would have already assassinated him if they could get away with it.
Nope, it would be FAR more effective to disgrace him than to kill him. If only they could catch him in bed with a dead girl or a live boy, as they say...
David,
There are some here of whom we expect this. You are usually much better than this.
What are the "multiple charges" that you think our president emeritus will be convicted of?
Is there any charge other than "insurrection" that would prevent him from running?
And would he not have to be convicted of insurrection for it to keep him off the ballot?
John LGBTQBNY Henry
You LOST the last election! NO ONE voted for your reelection !!
(except more did than for Any other President, ever)
EVERYONE HATES YOU!!!
That is why
a) we are pressing to make it illegal for you to run again
b) we are PLANNING on arresting ANYONE that campaigns for you
c) we WILL execute the 100's of millions of americans that support you
"Isn't this an open admission they are doing the Beria "Give me the man and I'll find a crime" approach?"
As someone who took the time and trouble to vote against Trump in the primaries as well as 2 national elections, I would say that's exactly what it is. A liberal democracy shouldn't be doing this.
Bloomberg News said this morning that Trump should just release the warrant if he thinks it's overreach, but the warrant refers to a document under seal, apparently, for its "factual basis."
Dave Begley said...
This bears worth repeating. If you are going to kill the King, kill the King.
Trump will be indicted on multiple charges; records removal and the whole J6 thing.
The DC show trial will be epic and he will be convicted before November 2024.
DeSantis will win and pardon Trump.
God you Nevertrumpers are pathetic.
If you accept that the DOJ can persecute a candidate with lawless bullshit then Desantis is going to accomplish jack and shit.
This is about things that are much bigger than your hatred and condescension for Trump.
And Trump is smarter than you are too by the way.
DeSantis will win and pardon Trump.
Then name him as his Vice President.
Then resign.
I don't trust anything NeverTrumper Andy McCarthy says about DoJ or the FBI. His shtick for the last 5 years is to constantly reassure us that the FBI/DOJ are full of "reasonable" "Honorable" men who are out for justice and the rule of law.
And then being shocked and amazed when it turns out they are NOT.
We were constantly told by McCarthy that TRump Russia collusion had to be investigated, that Mueller had to given everything, that Trump should do nothing to interfere and Mueller was the MOST HONORABLE MAN IN DC, a LIFE LONG REPUBLICAN who was fair and honest.
Now, he's acting as if investigating an ex-POTUS for criminal behavior is somehow reasonable, and that DoJ won't charge Trump with a crime because they're reasonable men and the evidence isn't there.
Sorry, no sale. They will charge him before the elections. This is a vendetta to destroy Trump. They are hardcore leftists and they are NOT "reasonable men">
I would love to see a trial of Trump where his citations of election irregularities and illegalities were at issue and evidence could be brought in. It will never be allowed, the discovery would be a dream come true for Trump, so they will whip something else up and declare that issue out of bounds, try him in DC where a conviction is assured regardless of the evidence, and declare the matter settled.
This could have all been avoided if my rule had been followed:
If you vote for impeachment but the Senate doesn't convict, you must immediately resign.
We will skip the need to commit suicide to maintain your family's good name.
Because we're not a third-world country -- yet.
And WaPo's reporting on the raid on Trump's home is, as usual, the GOP's response to the raid and not the Biden's FBI's action itself. Not sure if this is the GOP "pouncing" or "seizing".
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/09/gops-inauspicious-knee-jerk-reaction-trump-raid/
Unless Andrew 'Jim Comey is a fine upstanding FBI agent' McCarthy has a well placed source in the DOJ or FBI, he's talking out his ass. I've already seen at least a dozen different speculations on the why behind the Gestapo raid on Mar-a-largo.
Fishing expedition by the Lavrentiy Beria's heirs is still the most likely.
I waiting for Hillary to be prosecuted for her claim that the Russians put Trump in office in a fraudulent election.
If TRump had committed a crime on Jan 6th, it would've been obvious to everyone. It would've come up during the "Impeachment". If trump's speech was an "incitement to violence", then Pelosi and Schumer should be in jail over their "incitement to violence" during the attack on the white house by Antifa, and the massive BLM/antifa riots in the summer of 2020.
There's no public policy reason for going after Trump. QUite the opposite. The historical norm is to NOT go after the losing President. No matter what he did. Trump committed one crime - he got elected without the support the Establishment. So, there's been a five year campaign to destroy him and his family.
Supported by your average gutless libtard who would put dissenters in concentration camps if they could get away with it. People need to stop giving the Left the benefit of the doubt. They cannot be trusted.
How do documents not marked CLASSIFIED in Trump's home constitute "obviously incriminating evidence" of a crime that was not included in the warrant, similar to "robbery tools, a mask, and a gun"?
If the court grants me the warrant for the comparatively minor crime of cocaine distribution, the agents are then authorized to search the whole apartment. If they find robbery tools, a mask, and a gun, the law allows them to seize those items. As long as agents are conducting a legitimate search, they are authorized to seize any obviously incriminating evidence they come across. Even though the warrant was ostensibly about drug offenses, the prosecutors can use the evidence seized to charge robbery.
The point of the raid is to "find" classified documents they claim were removed from the White House. Seeing on twitter they want to charge him for this and that there are laws that would prevent him from being able to run for President again.
No matter what they claim to "find" we know it will be planted. To believe anything else after the Russian Collusion hoax and the J6 committee is lunacy.
Then, of course, they can focus on DeSantis and raid his home.
McCarthy is a sellout...might as well be Lincoln Project.
Oh, ok, it's just a pretextual search being done related to an offense the DOJ almost never actually prosecutes and the true aim is to find evidence of a different possible crime for which there's almost no precedent for prosecuting and whose target just happens to be a key political opponent of the current Administration--no biggie, business as usual; carry on!
The Democrats today remind me of the Spanish Left in Spain in the 1930s. The Spanish Republic, led by Spanish Leftists, literally tried to obliterate political right of center Spain... which led to the Spanish Civil War. Democrats are behaving extremely dangerously.
Poor McCarthy. He was pretty good on Mueller. I think he was unpleasantly surprised at how lawless his colleagues back at "Main Justice" had become. But now he is back "home" with the NeverTrumpers at NR. Too much dishonesty in the quest to bring down a liar Andy. Lawlessness. Violations of the Constitution.
Spanish Civil War incoming?
If I was a betting man, I would wager that this is just a move to blunt what is about to come down on Hunter Biden. The media has done a 180 degree turn in recent days admitting that their is meat on that “nothing burger”. If Hunter is indicted in the next few weeks, I will see that as strong evidence that I am right.
Now, THIS is certainly NOT boring. This is more interesting than even 911!!!!! I really CANNOT! use enough CAPS and exclamation points to emphasize how riveted I am to current events today!
We certainly do live in interesting times.
Qui bono?
I've lost all respect for Tim Scott.
I always gave him the benefit of the doubt even though he was a bit of a centrist, but after his support for Murkowski and now his soft response to this raid, he is done...
He's right there with Graham, Collins, Romney, and the rest of the clueless R losers.
Nancy Pelosi has bigger balls than the entirety of the republican senate...
Andy was so wrong about the FBI and the Russia hoax that I have no faith in his real-time analysis of this episode. Ditto for his trust of the Mueller two-step.
We have seen this before right here in Wisconsin.
The "John Doe" investigations spearheaded by Milwaukee County, Dancing Granny killing, DA John Chisolm was all done in secret. Walker and his supporters/donors were directly targeted for harassment. It was all done in retaliation for the passing of Act 10.
The investigation produced nothing, but early morning raids of peoples' homes were conducted. Computers and documents confiscated. They had to shell our $$$$ for lawyers.
The population of Madison, WI LOVED it. They hated Walker and his supporters as much as they hate Trump. The problem isn't just those in power weaponizing law enforcement agencies and the IRS. The real problem is the amount of citizens in places like Madison, WI that think this shit is just fine. There's a shitload of them.
That's how you know the country you grew up in is probably gone. The Wisconsin I knew is certainly gone.
Essentially, McCarthy is saying that the raid was completely pretextual. The justification was based on that Trump removed classified documents on the way out of the WH - documents that he had the ultimate power to declassify, but somehow neglected to do so. And then he would have had to have stored them improperly. (Hence their breaking into his safe)
Former top government officials routinely remove classified documents when they leave office (or before) and they don’t have the classification authority to do so. For some, it is their insurance policy. For others, it is for their memoirs. Some evidence that both Comey and esp Clapper did so. And of course, Crooked Hillary improperly stored thousands of classified documents on her illegal personal e-mail server. Here’s an idea - revoke the security clearances for Clapper, Comey, Crooked Hillary, Wray, Garland, etc, and raid their houses a week later.
Back to the pretextual search warrant. That is legally borderline, and morally repugnant. It is far worse when it is done for political reasons, as appears to be the case here. The FBI and DOJ know full well that the J-6 “riots” weren’t. Most, if not all, of the violence was at least initiated by federal actors, many apparently controlled by the FBI itself (though the Capital Police were, and are, controlled by Pelosi). They have the 17k hours of video being withheld from the public. They were the ones supplying the instigators, who were caught on video encouraging violence, but were somehow never charged. Garland’s DOJ is also the agency keeping so many of the protesters in jail, without a chance for their Constitutionally required preliminary and bail hearings, in horrific conditions, by essentially lying to the judges about the evidence they have - they have it all, and only giving the federal judges and (worse) magistrates what they think will further their partisan purposes. Blatant lying through omission.
Andrew McCarthy. Wasn't he the guy that touted the sound processes within the Justice Department, the FBI, and the FISA Court that made sure that nothing untoward happened in connection with the Carter Page FISA warrant? Yeah. That's the guy. I am sure he has this straight.
I love how people on the Center-right, love to give us these "20,000 foot" views on on Trump's situation. Why, they're NOT in the fight, just up in the stands, giving us "smart takes" and "wry comments".
Yeah, there's just no connection between Biden and the D's and the state of the USA. And no matter what happens or what the D's do with their power, they'll be safe in their castle with their guns. And counting their money.
Reading twitter, I see R's coupling the FBI raid with the hiring of 87,000 IRS agents. The R's seemed more concerned about the IRS. But guess what, no one cares dude. The R's never get upset about anything, so the base gets demoralized and says "why should we care, if you don't?"
Anyway all this talk about Civil war, or how "They'll sorry they ever did this" is just typical Center-right hot air. They will do NOTHING. They'll be Gulags before a civil war.
“I am also quite sure that within the Justice Department, high-ranking officials are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland that the equities favor indicting Trump because he persists in the stolen-election claims — arguing that a successful prosecution would put these divisive claims to rest”
As Tim said - the discovery would be great there. Also, the trial would be epic - because there is significant evidence that there was a significant amount of election fraud. For example, in AZ, between the senate investigation and the audit, well over a half million questionable ballots cast, and Biden “won” there by 10k votes. In GA, there is plenty of evidence of county election workers running stacks of ballots through the counting machines multiple times, after Republican poll watchers had been evicted, as well as video of people (illegally) dropping off hundreds of ballots at a time. If intent is required, they won’t have a chance in proving that Trump’s belief in the election having been stolen was unreasonable -because it wasn’t. And 21 months later, it’s even more reasonable.
Which, in the end, is why prosecution of Trump for the J-6 “riots” is still, I believe, highly unlikely.
Basically this is the Carter Page warrant all over again, it's a fishing license, nothing more.
Achilles:
I'm not a Never Trumper. Voted for him twice and wrote many posts about him at Power Line. I'm just predicting what I think will happen.
Andrew McCarthy is scum. He is a bad faith actor.
He is on the same team as the NYT's and James Comey et al.
He just lies to a different group of people.
He is just as much an enemy of freedom as Garland is.
Some of you are misinterpreting Begley's comment- he is predicting what is going to happen, not supporting it happenning. I for one agree with Begley- Trump will be indicted and tried in D.C., and a D.C. jury will convict him. The Rubicon was crossed with the injustice perpetrated against the January 6th protestors who are true political prisoners now in a real-life US gulag. They can't not indict Trump now- the boats were burned on the opposite shore.
Andrew McCarthy who vouched for the honor of his former colleagues
It is hard to admit that you worked with the Sith.
And, just as I post that, Begley answers for himself.
Joe Smith said...
I've lost all respect for Tim Scott.
I always gave him the benefit of the doubt even though he was a bit of a centrist, but after his support for Murkowski and now his soft response to this raid, he is done...
He's right there with Graham, Collins, Romney, and the rest of the clueless R losers.
Nancy Pelosi has bigger balls than the entirety of the republican senate...
Pelosi is just being honest about what she wants.
Mitch McConell leads a coterie of about 14 Republican Senators. They are all traitors and scumbags and liars.
They are democrats that have different people to lie to.
"As Tim said - the discovery would be great there."
There would be no discovery allowed, even if the the indictment was dumb enough to make the election's validity a material issue. This would be a show trial only- only the prosecution would get to make a case, the defense's attempts to get the appropriate discovery and make a stand would be ruled invalid by the judge. See the Bannon trial- that was a trial run. Navarro's is the next trial run, and it is all being done to make sure Trump is convicted without a defense being allowed.
I like Andrew McCarthy but it's worth noting his original position that people were off base for complaining about FISA warrant problems related to the Russian collusion investigation--he said as someone with personal knowledge of DOJ personnel and FISA procedures he couldn't imagine they were anything but on the level. He eventually came around to the truth and, commendably, is one of the few who've provided good follow up coverage as well as apologizing for his earlier credulity. Still, I'm not sure he has lowered his esteem for the DOJ/FBI quite far enough yet.
For reference: NR: Clinesmith Guilty Plea Perfect Snapshot of Crossfire Hurricane Duplicity
Can we just stop with these masturbatory fantasies about future POTUS DeSantis firing his VP, DeSantis appointing Trump VP, then DeSantis resigning to make Trump VP, etc?
The POTUS doesn't have the power to "fire" a VP or "appoint" anyone VP.
The Vice President is a constitutional officer **elected** under Article II, Section 1.
He/she cannot be "removed" except via impeachment.
If a VP resigns, dies or is removed after being impeached, tried and convicted, the POTUS *nominates* a replacement candidate who must be confirmed by a majority vote in both houses of Congress. The 25th Amendment lays out this process.
Anyone who thinks a VP would (wink wink) resign to make way for Trump, and the Congress would (wink wink) go along with it in order to install Trump as VP with the ultimate goal of having him become POTUS----has had waaaay too many bananas for breakfast.
Q: is the search warrant 'classisfied' or sealed by court?
Q: is this document in Court database? / file / docket /
Q: is there a process to release it to public since DOJ is acting in the name of the people
Dave Begley said...
Achilles:
I'm not a Never Trumper. Voted for him twice and wrote many posts about him at Power Line. I'm just predicting what I think will happen.
If Trump is prevented from running like this Desantis will not win the election. The entire system of trust that is built into the elections will collapse.
A fundamental part of a Republic is that people accept and abide by the results of elections.
If the elections are this corrupt then the whole system fails.
And Desantis just doesn't have the savvy that Trump has. If Desantis was under the pressure and had the resources sent against him that Trump has had to deal with he would not handle it as well. He would likely fold.
Desantis will not motivate the new Republican electorate the way Trump does. Desantis is a slick lawyer who has spent his entire life running for President. He is attractive to politically active lawyers like you. Desantis hasn't done or built or created anything. He is a lifetime politician.
He should go start a business or do something in the real world. Until then pass.
Kari Lake looks like a much better and much more likely VP pick for Trump. She speaks well on TV and has a sharp wit. She also has had a real world career.
Desantis can try to be her VP in 2028 if nobody better shows up. But he needs to go out and get a real job first.
I have friends and family who have lived through the same things I have in recent years whose disdain for Trump and his supporters and desire to see them suffer is not a bit less than it was in 2016. In some cases it may be more pronounced.
I really fear for the next few months. The D's spent four years straight trying to frighten and intimidate Trump with the full force of the imperial bureaucracy, and this is just more of the same.
McCarthy has always struck me as lawyer-bright but narrow. The kind of guy who who wants to think the best about his guild-brothers, is always stumped when they do something untoward, and spends most of his time parsing tactics. (And what the hell is 'equities' doing in there? Is that common lawyer jargon?)
Perfect NR thumb.
These threads have been funny lately, today Dave Begley of all commenters, lol, has been denounced as a Never Trumper! Yesterday it was some other doofus who accused a few known conservatives here of being RINOs, or some such thing.
chuck said...
Andrew McCarthy who vouched for the honor of his former colleagues
It is hard to admit that you worked with the Sith.
=========
this is way off target >>>>
my impression is that culturally since StarWarFans would view Trump as SupremeSith.
in StarWars Saga level of medicine [SithCare] could not even manage pregnancy / deliver a baby safely
By raiding Trump’s place, Biden just made Trump’s claims that the election was stolen more believable.
'obstruction of Congress and conspiracy to defraud the government '... cause he objected to the ballot box stuffing???
Whoa.... they could use that on ANYONE WHO DISAGREED WITH THE GOVERNMENT!!!
Just like the USSR did and Russia/CCP does. To the Democrats free speech does not include disagreeing with those in power.
Have any members of the esteemed Former President's Club weighed in on this?
No?
Shocking.
I am also quite sure that within the Justice Department, high-ranking officials are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland that the equities favor indicting Trump because he persists in the stolen-election claims — arguing that a successful prosecution would put these divisive claims to rest.
===========
I am not understanding the chain of reasoning here! other than WrongThink and WrongSpeak against FJB win
Spitballing.
This would be a show trial only- only the prosecution would get to make a case, the defense's attempts to get the appropriate discovery and make a stand would be ruled invalid by the judge. See the Bannon trial- that was a trial run. Navarro's is the next trial run, and it is all being done to make sure Trump is convicted without a defense being allowed.
I agree and the DC jury would convict a Republican cheese sandwich. They would not even require ham. Bannon will appeal but that will be too late.
Achilles (to Begley): "Desantis will not motivate the new Republican electorate the way Trump does."
This is something that most DeSantis fans (and don't me get me wrong, I'm one of them) don't comprehend is that Trump's incredible, and I would argue unique, ability to motivate mass numbers of voters who currently don't even know who DeSantis is (a common problem for Governors who wish to run) and don't follow the day to day of politics is not transferable to DeSantis.
I'm not saying that can never happen. I'm hoping it does. I'm also hoping there are alot more republican candidates who end up motivating the base voters as Trump does.
But DeSantis has a ways to go and, as pointed out above, Kari Lake is particularly effective at that and she grows on audiences extremely quickly. The more people see her, the more they like her.
Sort of the opposite of Hillary and Inga and Hunter Biden's underage hooker escapades with crack and cocaine.
Interestingly, Inga called Hunter and the Biden family "completely normal", so, you know, I guess that underage hookers with blow and crack is quite common on the democratical side.
Election rigging, billionaire bucks and the corrupt mediaswine will bring the Senate Democrats through in 2022. Non-Democrats and Non-Lefties must stop kidding themselves that somehow decency and the law will prevail. Hillary's 2016 get out of jail free card and Impeachments 1&2 should have dispelled any delusions about that.
Rank and file Democrats not only ignore that their elite are shameless, grifting scofflaws, they expect and excuse it. Corrupt federal law enforcement is just part of the deal.
Judge Who Approved Mar-A-Lago Raid Was Obama Donor, Linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
we can't make this sh*t up.
Inga got nothing about her party being Soviet.
They've been looking for something to 'charge' him on for the better part of 6 years. And they've got nothing. Still nothing. Not that they won't keep looking. Because they've co-opted the full force of government to put down their political opponents. Just like a Banana Republic.
When DeSantis wins, his Vice President should resign. DeSantis should then appoint Trump Vice-President. And then DeSantis should resign. Trump becomes President again and appoints DeSantis Vice President
... followed by effinay's very useful and timely comments on how a VP is actually replaced in our system.
Come on, people. We are not a monarchy and we are not - all of us, anyway - Chicago, with dynasties and all. If you wanted a government of the anointed you should've picked a different country. Trump is a former president and he may run again, and he may win or he may lose in our electoral system, but it's the electoral system, not Trump, that most needs defending.
If Trump had done what he foolishly promised he would do to Hillary!, it would have been almost as harmful - not quite, I think, because she hadn't been his predecessor and opponent, only his opponent (therefore she didn't have that same right to classify and declassify). And there is her actual guilt to be considered. But on balance, I'm still glad he didn't do it.
It is my fond wish that my side will continue to behave like adults and stakeholders in our nation's health, and that the excesses and depredations of the other side increasingly will be recognized as the nation-threatening disease that they are.
Trump is only the symptom.
DeSantis and Kari Lake (if she’s elected) need to remain Governors. In many ways they have more power than our President and their administrations are less susceptible to the machinations of the deep state. Strong Governors have the ability - if they have the inclination - to stand up to the power of Washington bureaucrats. Trump 2024.
I see pundits saying this raid on Mar-a Lago is deliberate provocation and cautioning Trump supporters not to take the bait, They're saying a violent response is what the Regime wants in order to justify further crackdowns and restrictions of liberty.
Why would the Regime wait for conservatives to act out violently? That hasn't been their MO in the past. Perhaps the Mar-a-Lago raid is Act 1 and Act 2 will be the FBI-orchestrated violent response.
Paranoid? Maybe.
Crowd management rejected, an invitation extended, a riot ("disorder") forced, at least two unarmed women aborted in prone positions (i.e. cold-blooded murder), civil rights/due process denied, and a select committee to hold warlock trials for crimes committed ex post facto. Surely, an enlightened legal standard of evicting people... persons received then deemed unwanted.
Andy is being mealy-mouthed. What he's saying without being willing to say it is that the FBI lacks evidence of a crime that would rise to the level of a prosecution but has undertaken a pretextual raid in the hope of finding such evidence. He justifies this by comparing the ex-President to a drug dealer who is well-known to law enforcement (i.e., you know you'll find evidence of crimes if you just look). Lavrentiy Beria smiles.
Dave Begley said...
I'm not a Never Trumper. Voted for him twice and wrote many posts about him at Power Line. I'm just predicting what I think will happen
Achilles:
If Trump is prevented from running like this Desantis will not win the election. The entire system of trust that is built into the elections will collapse.
I think Achilles is right about this. The system of trust is already collapsing. How would DeSantis answer, "Do you support Donald Trumps ban from running or holding office? Do you see yourself as beneficiary of his ban?". "Mr. DeSantis, do you plan on pardoning Donald Trump"?
Millions will chose not to participate in a fraudulent system. Silence and self-preservation will be the priority. Plus, if they can pull this on Trump quickly...it leaves them 18 months to raid DeSantis' house and frame him.
The witches are hunted and the warlocks are on trial, but will the establishment catch a baby or a fetus?
Just like the USSR did and Russia/CCP does.
USSR/CCCP
Nazi Germany. The republic dies with socialist progress.
Getting hard to tell. They've ditched the hobnails and armbands.
McCarthy’s analysis is spot-on. Although it’s unlikely that the FBI found evidence proving that Trump conspired in or aided and abetted the Capitol riot, if they did, DOJ will indict him. I don’t think Garland will bring an indictment on less than overwhelming proof of guilt based on an ironclad legal theory.
‘I don’t think Garland will bring an indictment on less than overwhelming proof of guilt based on an ironclad legal theory.’
Have you considered stand-up? That was fucking hilarious!!
As usual, Left Behind on the Charles garbles the facts:
"Sources told Fox News on Tuesday that investigators from the Justice Department visited Mar-a-Lago in ** June** for a meeting about turning over records as part of an investigation into documents former President Trump allegedly took with him from the White House to his private residence when he left office in January 2021.
Trump's attorneys were present at **that** meeting and the sources say the former president himself stopped in to say hello for a few minutes.
The meeting came months after the National Archives -- with assistance from the Justice Department -- was able to get 15 boxes of documents sent back to Washington, D.C. after expressing concern they were in Florida.
The *June* meeting was about additional documents that were being sought. But following it, the Justice Department and FBI felt they weren't getting the same cooperation they had been receiving earlier in the probe, according to a source with knowledge of negotiations between Trump's team and the federal entities.
The perceived lack of cooperation is why a search warrant was requested and ultimately executed on Monday, Aug. 8 at Trump's Palm Beach property."
Enough of these masturbatory fantasies about a future DeSantis POTUS firing his VP, appointing Trump as a replacement, and then stepping aside to allow Trump to assume the presidency.
The POTUS has no power to fire or remove a VP, who is an "elected" Constitutional officer removable only via impeachment and conviction by Congress.
Even if a VP were "in on" such a plot and voluntarily stepped down, DeSantis could only nominate a replacement and submit the name to Congress, which would have to approve the choice by a majority in both houses. It's all laid out in the 25th amendment.
Not happening.
Some people obviously had waaay too many bananas for breakfast this morning.
Christina Bobb, Trump's attorney, sweltering in the Palm Beach heat (while Donnie practiced descending on the Trump Tower escalator in full-blown air-conditioning), said the FBI seized documents.
Not a good sign that the warrant resulted in the finding of top-secret papers that should not have been at 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480.
Violation of the Presidential Records Act is a felony that has dire consequences from Trump's standpoint:
A violation requires the individual to “forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.”
Isn't this an open admission they are doing the Beria "Give me the man and I'll find a crime" approach?
First, they came for the babies, then the men, then the women, and there has been social progress ever since.
Judge Who Approved Mar-A-Lago Raid Was Obama Donor, Linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Pedophile Protection (PP) appears to be an equitable and inclusive club.
gadfly
Where were you when Hillarys servers were found?
The more they do this stuff, the more I think they really were willing and able to rig an election.
And Desantis just doesn't have the savvy that Trump has. If Desantis was under the pressure and had the resources sent against him that Trump has had to deal with he would not handle it as well. He would likely fold.
Let's add another name to the list of people greatly underestimating Ron DeSantis' intellect and savvy.
Violation of the Presidential Records Act is a felony that has dire consequences from Trump's standpoint:
A violation requires the individual to “forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.”
More ignorance from the #2 idiot here. There is already a court case about Hillary's theft of secret documents. The ONLY qualification for president is in the Constitution. That is not one of them. That's why I believe they will assassinate him if the Gestapo fails.
A violation requires the individual to “forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.”
Two points.
1) There is a difference between holding an Office of the United States and one under the United States, and also a difference between the President, Vice-President and other Officers since all three are listed in the Impeachment Clause.
2) A statute can not remove or add to the qualifications for office laid out in the Constitution. Absent impeachment, there is no statutory bar to a person convicted of any crime from running for President.
There could be debate over whether State conditions on placing an individual's name on a ballot constitute additional qualifications as expressed in the Constitution, the gambit California tried to force Trump to release his tax records.
Hey, effinay,
I love bananas. For breakfast on cereal, for lunch mashed into some rice and beans, fried green (tostones) or ripe (amarillos) Platanos, technically.
I'm the guy who saw the meme about Gordon Ramsay calling the cops because someone put bananas on pizza and thought "Hmmmm, interesting. I'm going to try that."
What you are describing is the political difficulties of President Emeritus Trump becoming President by the VP route. I agree it would be hard.
But what was desceibed and what I have talked about previously is certainly legal and constitutional.
If timed correctly, He could serve almost 2 years now and still be eligible to run in 2024.
John "Let's Get Brandon to Quit But Not Yet" Henry
Hey, effinay,
I love bananas. For breakfast on cereal, for lunch mashed into some rice and beans, fried green (tostones) or ripe (amarillos) Platanos, technically.
I'm the guy who saw the meme about Gordon Ramsay calling the cops because someone put bananas on pizza and thought "Hmmmm, interesting. I'm going to try that."
What you are describing is the political difficulties of President Emeritus Trump becoming President by the VP route. I agree it would be hard.
But what was desceibed and what I have talked about previously is certainly legal and constitutional.
If timed correctly, He could serve almost 2 years now and still be eligible to run in 2024.
John "Let's Get Brandon to Quit But Not Yet" Henry
The Crackers are particularly riled today. Poor Andy (Andy finds an acorn) McCarthy.
Remember Ross Perot?
I liked him a lot. Then the deep state came after him and he caved. The excuse was they were gonna disrupt his daughter's wedding which really sounded wimpy. I suspect it was something more but we will never know.
Does DeSantis have the balls to stand up to what the deep state will throw at him? Does anyone? Besides PEDJT.
How clean is DeSantis background if the deep state comes after him? He may be clean enough for governor, but is there really nothing they can hang him with?
John LGBTQBNY Henry
No, Gadfly. A conviction requires him to forfeit office.
But that would go head to head with the Constitution and would not be enforceable.
PEDJT is 35, 14 years resident and natural born citizen. No other qualifications are needed or permitted.
John LGBTQBNY Henry
Everyone needs to understand the background here.
Grassley has whistle blowers inside the FBI and DOJ that are pointing out blatant corruption in both agencies in suppressing the Hunter Biden Laptop.
I know that Ann doesn't like to get outside her bubble much. But this post is for everyone else who wants to know some of the context surrounding this event. Grassley has the DOJ and FBI dead to rights.
This post goes into great detail about these events.
This is what real reporting looks like Ann.
Mutaman: "The Crackers are particularly riled today. Poor Andy (Andy finds an acorn) McCarthy."
I don't think the Tacox are pleased that you are calling them crackers.
But hey, the republican's are perfectly okay with you continuing to expose yourself....but not in a Joe Biden likes showering with his own daughter type of exposing.
I know hearing that upsets you. Please double up on your pronouns as therapy.
Rusty: "gadfly
Where were you when Hillarys servers were found?"
Do you mean where was gadfly physically, or in his/her/xer's videogame?
“Crackers”
Liberals think that their political opponents are subhuman, basically, just like nazis do.
Effinay,
Another path to President Trump
Pedjt gets elected speaker in the next congress.
Kamala and Brandon both resign, are impeached or otherwise leave office.
I used to think Speaker was a bit farfetched. There will likely be a lot of Magaistas in the next House.
So maybe not as farfetched as it was 6 months ago. Added benefit is that it bypasses the Senate and any hearings.
John LGBTQBNY Henry
Peanut butter and banana goes together like Forest and Jenny.
Darkisland said...
"What you are describing is the political difficulties of President Emeritus Trump becoming President by the VP route. I agree it would be hard.
But what was desceibed and what I have talked about previously is certainly legal and constitutional."
******************
"certainly" my ass.
Unsupported assertions are not an "argument". Tell us HOW the Constitution could be gotten around. The issue is not "political"; it's a matter of adherence to constitutional law.
gadfly said...
Not a good sign that the warrant resulted in the finding of top-secret papers that should not have been at 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480.
**************
"The FBI seized documents" does not mean "top secret" documents were seized.
You have the intellect of a little-neck clam.
Make that a pencil-neck clam.
They likely will try to impeach him again to try to keep him out of office.
“If he gets elected, we’ll all swing from nooses.” - HRC
Anyone who thinks a VP would (wink wink) resign to make way for Trump, and the Congress would (wink wink) go along with it in order to install Trump as VP with the ultimate goal of having him become POTUS----has had waaaay too many bananas for breakfast.
Let's be clear. Pelosi and the Dems could pull that off for their side if they wanted to.
And given Joe's antics of late, they may just have to.
So it's possible.
Let Inga and her ilk chew on that for a while.
@Beasts of England: Whom has Garland indicted on less than very strong evidence and a sound legal theory? No one as far as I can tell. The January 6 perps haven’t been charged with insurrection or treason, but with lesser felonies for which there is an abundance of evidence. To indict a former president, he’ll want overwhelming evidence and an ironclad legal theory. That’s because Garland is an institutionalist, not a radical. If you don’t understand the difference, try to imagine what it would be like if Keith Ellison were the Attorney General.
The January 6 perps haven’t been charged with insurrection or treason, but with lesser felonies for which there is an abundance of evidence.
Most of the Jan 6 political prisoners are charged with misdemeanors.
That’s because Garland is an institutionalist, not a radical. If you don’t understand the difference, try to imagine what it would be like if Keith Ellison were the Attorney General.
Suuuure his is and Biden was elected in the cleanest election ever.
Blogger Mutaman said...
The Crackers are particularly riled today. Poor Andy (Andy finds an acorn) McCarthy.
The left lives off idiots like you. They used to call you "social climbers."
Democrats want war. They will get it.
Americans will cheer their screams.
Effinayright,
The constitution is not "gotten around" in either scenario. Pedjt is qualified to be speaker of the house.
If he is elected by congress people he is 3rd in line to the presidency.
If the offices of president and vp become vacant, he would automatically become president.
Vacancies could occur by resignation, impeachment, 25th amendment (maybe) or even death.
Explain how that gets around the constitution, please.
My other scenario, vp becomes vacant because kamala leaves or is promoted.
The prez nominates pedjt for vp and he is confirmed by both houses. Voila, he is vp.
President leaves and pedjt automatically becomes president. This process too is exactly as specified by the constitution.
If it is somehow unconstitutional, please explain how.
It may be unlikely for political reasons. But not impossible and perfectly constitutional in both cases.
John LGBTQBNY Henry
I am also quite sure that within the Justice Department, high-ranking officials are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland that the equities favor indicting Trump because he persists in the stolen-election claims — arguing that a successful prosecution would put these divisive claims to rest.
you know what would put those "divisive claims to rest"?
Actual investigations that the Democrats didn't fight against.
You know what is absolutely guaranteed to bolster the stolen election claims?
Prosecuting Trump for saying what they dont' want to hear.
In Fulton County, GA, the Democrat "vote counters" announced they were done counting for the night, kicked out all the press and poll watchers, and then started counting again.
Are they in jail?
Have they all been fired, and blacklisted from ever having anything to do with elections, ever again?
Was an audit put on where they collected all the claimed voters, and 10% of the non voters, and then sent people to ask every single one of those people, under oath, if they voted in 2020?
Was ANYTHING done to validate that the people who corruptly got unmonitored access to ballots didn't do something corrupt with those ballots?
No, doing another count on the ballots that can no longer be trusted does NOT count as a "validation"
You have poll watchers because they keep the poll workers from engaging in activities that otherwise can't be caught (like adding more ballots, and then marking off people as having voted, who didn't).
Has anyone come to WI and visited the home of every single "indefinitely confined" 2020 voter, and confirmed that they are who they say they were, and did vote absentee in 2020?
No, none of the Democrats who claim that the election was "perfectly honest" have done anything to prove that?
But they still expect us to swallow their bullshit?
Not going to happen
John henry said...
Effinay,
Another path to President Trump
Pedjt gets elected speaker in the next congress.
Kamala and Brandon both resign, are impeached or otherwise leave office.
I used to think Speaker was a bit farfetched. There will likely be a lot of Magaistas in the next House.
So maybe not as farfetched as it was 6 months ago. Added benefit is that it bypasses the Senate and any hearings.
I don't think the GOPe would let it happen. They would try to install anyone else. Even Desantis although they will probably pick Haley or Pence or some combination of those 2.
I think it is more likely the democrats do this in the lame duck session to replace Joe.
He was having trouble walking and they aren't letting him out in public. He has to hide his eyes very frequently now. The drugs he is taking are too strong and he goes buggy eyed at times.
He will probably not last the year.
So Trump had already declassified the documents that they were searching for because he wanted the American people to have them. A power he had.
And Garland couldn't even get a warrant from a real judge. Garland had to shop this to a Magistrate Obama donor who quit as a federal prosecutor and the next day went to work for the people he was prosecuting.
This was a desperate move from a desperate regime.
It wont be long now.
@Achiles - I don’t see how replacing Biden works, in a Lame Duck Congress. VP Harris replaces FJB. Confirmed by party line votes, with her breaking the tie. Then what? She is then no longer acting as VP, so presumably can’t break the partisan tie when confirming her successor. That presumably puts a Republican House Speaker one heart beat away from the Presidency. The one thing that waiting until the Lame Duck session to replace FJB does do is to kinda take the issue off the table before the election, so that maybe fewer voters vote Republican in order to get the Dems away from power quicker.
Trump will not be summoned by any R candidate. Or rather, he will not respond to someone else's complicated constitutional lateral arabesque. Not his style to play second fiddle to anyone, even if he survives (in all senses) what is in store until '24.
IMHO it's a waste of time to talk about it, but y'all be y'all.
Note, BTW, there is NO requirement that the Speaker of the House be a member of the House.
So yes, House Republicans could make Trump Speaker of the House, and 2nd in line for President, after they take the House this year.
Oh, and The President, Vice President, and Members of Congress are NOT "Officers of the United States".
There is absolutely NOTHING that Dems could convict Trump of that could keep him from taking the Presidency if so elected / appointed.
Oh, and as of next year there will be over 280 Electoral votes worth of States where the Governor and the State Legislature will all be controlled by Republicans.
So you idiots can try to play games to keep Trump off the ballot. But if you do, you could easily end up with no Democrat on the ballot in enough States wot win the Presidency
As Alex the Chick says: Play Stupid Will to Power games, get stupid Will to Power prizes
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