१८ नोव्हेंबर, २०२२

"Trump is said to have told some allies that the idea of a special counsel infuriated him, given his experience with the length of the Mueller investigation."

"He believes it could hang over him for months. Nonetheless, it might make a prosecution more distant."

Writes Maggie Haberman, in "Live Updates: Garland Names Special Counsel for Trump Inquiries/The attorney general announced his decision to name Jack Smith, the former head of the Justice Department’s public integrity section, to to job just days after former President Donald J. Trump announced that he would seek the White House again in 2024" (NYT).

ADDED: Let me connect that with this WaPo piece from 4 days ago: 

Federal agents and prosecutors have come to believe former president Donald Trump’s motive for allegedly taking and keeping classified documents was largely his ego and a desire to hold on to the materials as trophies or mementos, according to people familiar with the matter.

As part of the investigation, federal authorities reviewed the classified documents... [and did not find] any apparent business advantage to the types of classified information in Trump’s possession.... FBI interviews with witnesses so far, they said, also do not point to any nefarious effort by Trump to leverage, sell or use the government secrets. Instead, the former president seemed motivated by a more basic desire not to give up what he believed was his property, these people said....

१०७ टिप्पण्या:

अनामित म्हणाले...

This is *nuts*. Nice way to have Trump over the next two years to portray himself as a victim, with him being persecuted because he'd be a formidable candidate in 2024... instead of hurting Trump, this will probably help him. Good job, Brandon.

wendybar म्हणाले...

Another Witch hunt to stop him from running, and to scare the Republicans from investigating the sacred Biden family. Sick of all of this. And the funniest thing is the Democrats who were complaining that the Republicans first press conference was about investigating Hunter. WHAT ABOUT the ECONOMY they cried as they ignored if for the last 2 years. They are hypocrites, they are liars, they are corrupt and I am sick of all of them. I am embarrassed to live in a Banana Republic of our own making.

Jersey Fled म्हणाले...

As Trump said, this is just an excuse to hang another investigation over his head for months, if not years, which will go nowhere like all the rest.

This is war.

Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...

Can anybody recall a Special Council ever retuning an indictment, let alone a successful prosecution of a target?

The highest indictment and prosecution I recall was Dick Cheney's chief of staff Scooter Libby found guilty of lying to the FBI. Woopty doo.

Naming a special council is the equivalent of naming a blue-ribbon panel to avoid the appearance of an intractable deadlock, while putting congressional politically connected bosom buddies on the government dole.

The Special Council looking into the outing of Valery Plame found out who did what within the first week on the job. It took him something like two years to "finish" the job.

That's what a Special Council does with subpoena powers and dam near unlimited budgets.

Kevin म्हणाले...

Still no special counsel for Hunter?

Just checking.

Mike Sylwester म्हणाले...

Most classified documents have an unclassified title (e.g. "Ukraine Situation on 11/18/22")

Give the public a list of all the unclassified titles.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

Everything old is new again.

I can only assume that the Demmies want to run against Trump again. Stuff like this pushes him closer to the GOP nomination.

Personally, I am done with Trump, but just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!

Drago म्हणाले...

The Special Counsel will be with us all the way to the Fall of 2024 and will be leaking "BOMBSHELLS" each and every week. We will be seeing "THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!", "TIPPING POINTS", "STUNNING REVELATIONS", "THE BEGINNING OF THE END" for as far as the eye can see.

It is Mueller 2.0 and is also intended to scare off potential campaign supporters, funders, volunteers, etc.

This is PRECISELY what our Althouse Blog Commissar (self-appointed) said would not happen, which is why you could be certain it would happen. And so it has.

And make no mistake about this: The GOPe, all of them, are firmly in favor of this and will be providing rhetorical and political support to the Banana Republic actions of the now irretrievably corrupt Biden administration, just as they did with the russia collusion hoax.

And why shouldn't they? They just actively sabotaged an entire national election and significant portions of the base simply handed them a Get Out Of Jail Free Card and began attacking Trump.

Talk about a win-win for the Dem/GOPe team. It doesn't get any better than that.

n.n म्हणाले...

Trump held unclassified, non-sensitive, no longer viable documents that were past due to a request with political motivations. Another trimester, another witch hunt, at the expense of civil rights, citizens' capital, and social order, only to discover a baby in the womb... room.

Maynard म्हणाले...

How long will we be subjected to our Democrat trolls bleating that "you don't know what Mueller, I mean the Special Counsel, knows"?

Mike Sylwester म्हणाले...

I would defend Trump in relation to documents related to the Russian-collusion controversy.

While he was the President, he tried to declassify those documents, but the bureaucracy delayed and frustrated his attempt. The US Government should explain why those documents still are not declassified.

Trump and the US Government should separately explain whether the disputed documents in Trump's Florida home are related to the old Russian-collusion controversy. If some of the disputed documents are related to that old controversy, then what portion of the disputed documents are they?

In regard to all the disputed documents, give the public a list of the unclassified titles.

Trump should explain himself to the public. Why has he not resolved this problem yet?

tim maguire म्हणाले...

I have a pet theory: Garland is trying to wall off the Trump investigation in anticipation of his own investigation by the House.

Mark म्हणाले...

what he believed was his property

First let's back the truck up and note that Trump himself did not take these items to Florida, either President Trump or private citizen Trump. Rather, GSA packed these items and transported them while Trump was still president and thus entitled to take them wherever he was.

Second, that belief that the items are his destroys any criminal case. Especially since that belief is shared by every past president who kept various papers, etc., because the federal government does not, actually, have a right to simply seize these papers either by Archives jackboots or by FBI jackboots.

Jaq म्हणाले...

Remember that the United States *ran* those banana republics, so don't go insulting them by saying we are copying them.

Roger Sweeny म्हणाले...

The undecided voters in the middle, who swing an election one way or another, aren't happy with the country under Biden. But they also don't like Trump. Which is why there was no red wave last Tuesday. This will keep Trump in the news and keep Biden's support from falling.

Good thing the Justice Department isn't political.

Shouting Thomas म्हणाले...

Let the sabotage of the 2024 election begin!

It actually already started with the in your face fraud in the AZ gubernatorial election. Dems couldn’t allow that bastion of late night vote fraud out of their grip.

Mr Wibble म्हणाले...

They're doing this because a) they need to appease the base, b) they're going to claim that any GOP investigation of hunters dealings is merely political payback, and c) they hope to scare off support for Trump among the GOP.

s'opihjerdt म्हणाले...

Trump is said to have told... How many layers of unsubstantiated hearsay is that.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

The Special Counsel will work super fast. Trump will be indicted and convicted by a DC jury within 12-18 months.

The Dems want to see Trump behind bars.

And he will be convicted. That I can tell you. DC voted 95% against Trump.

Gospace म्हणाले...


Totally a non-political investigation, as evidenced by Garland's very own words:

"Garland cited Trump’s announcement and Biden’s “stated intention” to run in 2024 as reasons for the special counsel,

Those are totally non-political reasons for appointing a special counsel Everyone can clearly see that. Right? Isn't it as obvious as the nose on your face this is a non-political totally unbiased appontment and investigation from that statement?

Quaestor म्हणाले...

"He believes it could hang over him for months. Nonetheless, it might make prosecution more distant."

An honest special counsel will make a prosecution impossible. How's that for "more distant", Maggie?

However, without a specific charge backed by a smidgen of creditable evidence behind it such a "special" counsel appointment amounts to nothing but an inquisitorial star chamber.

Meanwhile, the trafficker-in-chief sits drooling in the Oval Office.

Iman म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Beasts of England म्हणाले...

They got him this time!! The wheels are closing in! lol

lonejustice म्हणाले...

Roger Sweeny said: "The undecided voters in the middle, who swing an election one way or another, aren't happy with the country under Biden. But they also don't like Trump. Which is why there was no red wave last Tuesday. This will keep Trump in the news and keep Biden's support from falling."

You nailed it.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

The Dems want that perp walk. Trump in chains.

Nonyabidness म्हणाले...

Defund the DoJ.

Trump deserves all of this, frankly. He should have gotten these people when the getting was good. Now he's going to get it hard.

Trump needs to learn how to play hard ball.

Nonyabidness म्हणाले...

Defund the DoJ.

Trump deserves all of this, frankly. He should have gotten these people when the getting was good. Now he's going to get it hard.

Trump needs to learn how to play hard ball.

Christopher B म्हणाले...

Bank shots are hardly ever good explanations but after Russia Russia Russia/tax returns/emoluments/Ukraine/insurrection/nuclear secrets, I am inclined to believe the Democrats are blatantly lying about "keeping Trump from becoming President again". They firmly believe he would lose in a landslide to anybody if he managed to get nominated and are doing this just to keep him in the news as stray voltage.

iowantwo म्हणाले...

Trump should explain himself to the public. Why has he not resolved this problem yet?

Mike Sylwester;
Resolved what issue? No crime has been charged. You are demanding Trump do the DoJ's work.

What is the purpose of the special counsel. The facts are all there. Our host linked to the WAPO article explaining no crime has been committed. There are no facts in question, and no unanswered questions.

My only conclusion for both of these special counsels is to hang the sword of Damocles over the neck of Trump until exactly 24 months from now and admit there are no crimes.

Tank म्हणाले...

Another step into the third world.

Temujin म्हणाले...

Is there anyone who does NOT think Merrick Garland is a Democratic Party tool?

Anyone still think he's the moderate who should have been on the Supreme Court? Yikes.

Wince म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
pacwest म्हणाले...

Like him or not. Trump has to be the cleanest politician and businessman alive. I never would have figured it, but I want to thank the Dems for that clarity at least.

Enigma म्हणाले...

Yawn. Yawn. Said Chicken Little.

Special Counsel #1 -- hmmm.
Impeachment #1 -- huh?
Impeachment #2 -- ugggg

Now. Who cares? Really, who?

I want Stacey Abrams to be in charge.

Rabel म्हणाले...

You folks can keep trying, but I'm not abandoning the man after the criminal abuse he has taken for doing the things I voted for him to do.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

"The undecided voters in the middle, who swing an election one way or another, aren't happy with the country under Biden. But they also don't like Trump. Which is why there was no red wave last Tuesday. This will keep Trump in the news and keep Biden's support from falling."

that.

Drago म्हणाले...

Wince: "Garland thinks this will deter the Republicans from investigating/impeaching... Garland?"

The chances of McConnell/McCarthy allowing any sort of thorough investigation, much less impeachment, is zero.

Zero.

Meade म्हणाले...

“Personally, I am done with Trump, but just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!“

We’ll that’s it then. They pull Amadeus in, they pull me in. All in.

Wince म्हणाले...

Garland thinks this will deter the Republicans from investigating/impeaching Garland, by making it look like retribution on Trump's behalf?

Drago म्हणाले...

Roger Sweeny: "The undecided voters in the middle, who swing an election one way or another, aren't happy with the country under Biden. But they also don't like Trump. Which is why there was no red wave last Tuesday. This will keep Trump in the news and keep Biden's support from falling."

lonjustice: "You nailed it."

No, he didn't.

Drago म्हणाले...

Temujin: "Is there anyone who does NOT think Merrick Garland is a Democratic Party tool?"

The entire staff at The National Review.

They adore Garland, vouched for him, swore up and down he was a straight shooter and was a fantastic choice to lead the DOJ.

The National Review is fully on the trajectory of the now defunct Weekly Standard, though the National Review is receiving significant funding from Google and other lefty billionaires so they will last a bit longer.

Drago म्हणाले...

Nonyabidness: "Trump deserves all of this, frankly"

The NPC bots have arrived.

Josephbleau म्हणाले...

I never thought the Democrats would be so brazen, so assholey, but I was wrong. They are slashing the roots of the country. At long last, have they no shame? They have come up busted five times, but again they wabble back to the table.

Then they laugh and say f you. The latest sick ploy impresses me, both negatively and little. All the demos have left is to repeatedly inflict blunt force trauma.

Why do they need a special counsel? Those are needed when the government is biased in favor of a person.

In the best world Trump would say, I am going to work to tame the dragon, and fellow republicans can work on 2024. That would short circuit the demoswine cluster of an evil plan. Trump the avenger.

Josephbleau म्हणाले...

I never thought the Democrats would be so brazen, so assholey, but I was wrong. They are slashing the roots of the country. At long last, have they no shame? They have come up busted five times, but again they wabble back to the table.

Then they laugh and say f you. The latest sick ploy impresses me, both negatively and little. All the demos have left is to repeatedly inflict blunt force trauma.

Why do they need a special counsel? Those are needed when the government is biased in favor of a person.

In the best world Trump would say, I am going to work to tame the dragon, and fellow republicans can work on 2024. That would short circuit the demoswine cluster of an evil plan. Trump the avenger.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

Impeach Garland.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

Hey the Good Mark showed up.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

Don't forget it is also to reinvestigate the same fucking J6 bullshit he has already been impeached for. What morons. Is that YOU Biden voters wanted? Is this "back to normal"?

Leland म्हणाले...

If the documents in Trump's possession serve no apparent business purpose to the government (they are not reading his mind to make an assessment on his purpose regardless of what they tell readers), then why does the US Government care to get them back? Don't tell me about "Presidential Records", because photocopy machines have been around a long time and not quite as long as Microfiche. There is a much cheaper solution for taxpayers that will solve this problem.

I agree with this:
What is the purpose of the special counsel. The facts are all there. Our host linked to the WAPO article explaining no crime has been committed. There are no facts in question, and no unanswered questions.

Rory म्हणाले...

"instead of hurting Trump, this will probably help him. Good job, Brandon."

The dems have been alternately promoting and attacking Trump since 2015.

pacwest म्हणाले...

Defund the DoJ.
Trump deserves all of this, frankly. He should have gotten these people when the getting was good. Now he's going to get it hard.
Trump needs to learn how to play hard ball.


It's not quite that easy. He can replace Wray and Garland, but it's a lot harder to root out the rot at the lower levels. I'm assuming you didn't know that Trump and team have been working on a solution to this for over a year now? While the process involves changing some laws involving federal employees I don't know all the details. Just that it will be his main priority. They've been pretty clear about that.

Paul Zrimsek म्हणाले...

We should all be able to agree that Trump hasn't been this doomed since the last time he was doomed.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

"We’ll that’s it then. They pull Amadeus in, they pull me in. All in."

Welcome to the party, pal.

rcocean म्हणाले...

Wow, so Trump doesn't like a special counsel being appointed 2 years after he left the Presidency? I never would have believed it! Thanks NYT for this shocking bit of news.

MacMacConnell म्हणाले...

DOJ & FBI found nothing in Maralago to get Trump on. So they appoint a Special Counsel to taint Trump's candiacy and fincially bleed him. The same thing the deep state to taint and retard his governance. The process is the punishment, DOJ & FBI is the Democrats' Stasi.

Nonyabidness म्हणाले...

So, lemme get this straight:

An attorney who was deliberately excluded from a seat on the Supreme Court by a President now has the power, years later, to order the investigation and prosecution of that same now ex-President, after he's no longer President, because that ex-President, now a private citizen, has announced that he would like to be President again? And the "investigation" was only announced AFTER that ex-President announced he is running again to be President. Not before, after.

And there's this thing called "legal ethics" that you speak of? Nice little occupation you chose for yourself, Ann. It seems a lot like The Mafia.

Nonyabidness म्हणाले...

So, lemme get this straight:

An attorney who was deliberately excluded from a seat on the Supreme Court by a President now has the power, years later, to order the investigation and prosecution of that same now ex-President, after he's no longer President, because that ex-President, now a private citizen, has announced that he would like to be President again? And the "investigation" was only announced AFTER that ex-President announced he is running again to be President. Not before, after.

And there's this thing called "legal ethics" that you speak of? Nice little occupation you chose for yourself, Ann. It seems a lot like The Mafia.

MacMacConnell म्हणाले...

Maybe Donald, Hunter and Joe can share a cell. ;-)

Moondawggie म्हणाले...

Sometimes I think I'm watching another bad remake of an old Warner Brothers cartoon:

Trump is the Roadrunner.

The Dems/DOJ/swamp bureaucracy plays Wile Coyote.

And the ending is always the same, with Trump "Beep-Beeping" as he scoots away into the sunset...

Readering म्हणाले...

It sounds like the federal investigations are about wrapped up, which makes this appointment different from others. He is mainly there to give Garland cover on decision up or down on indictments of 45 and possibly others in same schemes.

I predict first charging decision in seperate GA investigation. (NYC seems zombified.)

Inga म्हणाले...

Despite what “federal authorities” found regarding Trump’s motives for taking the classified documents, it still has to be determined if stole the documents or he was entitled to them as he claims. As for the Jan.6th issue, no president is above the law and if he indeed did incite or participate in a coup he needs to be held responsible for his actions. A special council takes it out of a political arena and allows an investigation to go forward.

It seems to be a good move by Garland, it’s fair, maybe too fair. If anyone else took classified documents( for whatever purpose) they would be sitting in jail already. Trump is being given special treatment above what any other citizen of this country would be given.

Readering म्हणाले...

Smith background includes prosecuting CIA agent for giving defense information to journalist and for obstruction. (At time of sentencing ex CIA chief Petraeus was being sentenced in unrelated case for giving defense info to his biographer/lover.)

Lance म्हणाले...

...the former head of the Justice Department’s public integrity section

What in the world is a "public integrity section"? Is that an admission that the Justice Department is privately dishonest?

Drago म्हणाले...

Mike Davis twitter:
"In 2010, Obama Attorney General Eric Holder picked Jack Smith to run Public Integrity Section.

Smith took out VA Gov. Bob McDonnell as a potential Republican presidential candidate--on bogus corruption charges.

Supreme Court reversed, 9-0.

Now Smith is back--to take out Trump."

Drago म्हणाले...

Josephbleau: "In the best world Trump would say, I am going to work to tame the dragon, and fellow republicans can work on 2024. That would short circuit the demoswine cluster of an evil plan. Trump the avenger."

One big problem with that: the entire GOPe and leadership are working hand in glove with the democraticals to get rid of Trump.

Michael म्हणाले...

Well, since the Democrats lost the House in the Midterms the uncontrollable and unaccountable J6 investigation is on the chopping block, so they had to come up with another uncontrollable and unaccountable forum to pound on Trump, and I'm sure Garland was happy to oblige.

n.n म्हणाले...

We should all be able to agree that Trump hasn't been this doomed since the last time he was doomed.

He was declared a burden from announcement, and after more than 24 trimesters, nationwide insurrections, allegations of diversity, attempted indictments, and multiple impeachments through projection, the baby, the child, the man, the President Trump is still viable. Progress, I suppose.

n.n म्हणाले...

Still viable after betrayal brayed nightly, published daily, directed from the deep state, and steered from the dark recesses of the web, and bad advice from domain experts to Americans to take a knee. At worst, we can say he didn't follow through, delayed correction in his ranks, and didn't change course soon enough to meet everyone's expectations.

BUMBLE BEE म्हणाले...

Treehouse sez... DOJ NOT WEAPONIZED?
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/11/18/im-impressed-biden-doj-assigns-special-counsel-to-investigate-republicans-in-congress-and-president-trump-for-insurrection-additionally-investigate-trump-for-doj-defined-classified-documents-and/

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

Every president has done the same or worse with their records over the last 40 years but THIS president must be treated differently, more harshly, subject to damning and usually false “leaks” by the people in charge of making sure no case springs a leak, othered by the Speaker publicly in a childish display, threatened with prison because he’s Trump. Not because he broke a rule or tradition or law but because he’s Trump. Inga is wrong with. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that presidents do have the absolute right to keep the records they want. It’s on you defenders of this fascist abuse to explain how the exact same absolute right the courts affirmed for Clinton and Obama should not extend to Trump.

Jim at म्हणाले...

If anyone else took classified documents( for whatever purpose) they would be sitting in jail already. Trump is being given special treatment above what any other citizen of this country would be given.

Anyone else isn't President, you stupid, stupid person.

Drago म्हणाले...

Readering: "Smith background includes prosecuting CIA agent for giving defense information to journalist and for obstruction."

Smith's background includes having his corrupt prosecution of Gov McDonnell being reversed unanimously by the Supreme Court.

Hey, that sounds PRECISELY like your hero Andrew Weissman.

Of course, all those reversals came far too late for the victims of their corruption.

Of course, the Althouse Blog Commissar (self-appointed) probably thinks all those folks "walked into it" and had it coming.

narciso म्हणाले...

ministry of love and compassion, doesn't haberman's act get old,

Jaq म्हणाले...

Wait wut? The House just transferred all of the video and documents from J6 to the Special Counsel so that the new House will not have access to them?

The Special Counsel is authorized to conduct the ongoing investigation into whether any person or entity violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021, as well as any matters that arose or might arise directly from this investigation or that are within the scope of [Special Counsel Regulations 28 C.F.R. § 600.4(a)]. (pdf)

Doesn't smell like a coverup to me. At. All.

There must be some seriously incriminating stuff in those files for them to do this.

Drago म्हणाले...

Russia Collusion Truther and Hillary/FBI Hoax Dossier Dead Ender Inga: "It seems to be a good move by Garland, it’s fair, maybe too fair. If anyone else took classified documents( for whatever purpose) they would be sitting in jail already. Trump is being given special treatment above what any other citizen of this country would be given."

Your combined ignorance, gullibility and mendacity is always a marvel to behold.

Jack Smith has a deserved reputation for corrupt and improper prosecutions of his political opponents, as the Supreme Court unanimously determined.

Unanimously.

Jaq म्हणाले...

"A special council takes it out of a political arena and allows an investigation to go forward." but in control of partisan democrats who will continue to withhold evidence just like the J6 committee has, and to selectively leak whatever they can spin, stripped of context, as damaging.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Garland turned out to be such an empty suit. It's good he's not a justice.

Jaq म्हणाले...

This is hardball payback for the fact that Hunter Biden is coming under investigation. As Bill Clinton once said, "The best way to keep your opponent from badmouthing you is to keep your fist in his mouth". You can almost hear him say it, can't you.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

This never ending pursuit of Trump comes directly from their refusal to accept he was president. They said “not my president” and “illegitimate” and they meant it. Democrats in DC will not say his name. Nancy said she worked with three presidents. It was four put her pettiness is persistent and consistent with DC morés. Perfectly. Inga does not to this day accept that Trump was actually president. Her refusal to admit he was and will always enjoy some perks is at the root of her wanting him pursued and prosecuted for routine presidential actions. Democrats refusal to admit he won is aided by the despicable treatment Ryan and McConnell demonstrated.

Jaq म्हणाले...

"If anyone else took classified documents( for whatever purpose) they would be sitting in jail already."

Hillary Fucking Clinton, and she wasn't even POTUS.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

Donald Trump has to be the most investigated individual in the history of the United States. And they've found nothing. So they keep looking. How do we end this crap? People should not be subjected to interminable investigations when the instigators of the investigations already know that there is nothing there.

Over on another website I read the following:

"The NY Times frames this as an attempt by the DOJ to avoid criticism of the investigation as politically motivated ..."

Trust me, this fools no one who doesn't desperately want to be fooled.

Moondawggie म्हणाले...

Inga said: "If anyone else took classified documents (for whatever purpose) they would be sitting in jail already. Trump is being given special treatment above what any other citizen of this country would be given."

Really? Then why didn't Bill Clinton's hatchet man Sandy Berger end up in the slammer after he pled guilty to unauthorized removal and retention of classified material in 2005?

Or was that OK because he was just protecting Bill?

CStanley म्हणाले...

As part of the investigation, federal authorities reviewed the classified documents... [and did not find] any apparent business advantage to the types of classified information in Trump’s possession.... FBI interviews with witnesses so far, they said, also do not point to any nefarious effort by Trump to leverage, sell or use the government secrets.

Sounds like no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.

Right?

Inga म्हणाले...

“Anyone else isn't President, you stupid, stupid person.“

What an incredibly undemocratic unAmerican statement. The president is not above the law, you imbecile.

Jim at म्हणाले...

If anyone else took classified documents( for whatever purpose) they would be sitting in jail already.

Sandy Berger - who was never President, by the way - was given two years probation and community service for stuffing classified documents down his pants.

Never served a second of jail time.

Inga म्हणाले...

“Inga does not to this day accept that Trump was actually president. Her refusal to admit he was and will always enjoy some perks is at the root of her wanting him pursued and prosecuted for routine presidential actions.”

Of course he was president, I don’t know any Democrat who says he did not win the 2016 election. He was president, he wasn’t King, or God, even though he was your cult leader.

boatbuilder म्हणाले...

The purpose of the Special Prosecutor, like the purpose of the Mueller Investigtion, is to prevent Trump from defending himself. It keeps suspicion alive while keeping from the public the truth--which is that there was no basis for this crap in the first place.

Interesting that the new talking point is that there was nothing to see anyway. Aside from the fact that it makes Garland, the FBI and the magistrate who authorized the raid out to be dishonest, craven, gullible and/or foolish, as well as reckless and arrogant; it also seems to be a stalling tactic to try to get in front of the potential disclosure that the documents blow wide open the corruption behind the "Russian Collusion" hoax.

Also an effort to distract from the House investigation of Hunter and "The Big Guy."

Ambrose म्हणाले...

"is said to have" I call BS. Who said what to whom?

Ambrose म्हणाले...

"is said to have" I call BS. Who said what to whom?

boatbuilder म्हणाले...

"“Anyone else isn't President, you stupid, stupid person.“

What an incredibly undemocratic unAmerican statement. The president is not above the law, you imbecile."

Ask yourself: Who (what Constitutional authority) has the power to determine whether documents are classified?

Hint: It's not Congress, and it's not the Judiciary. Think about it for a while.

And if you come back with the answer that Trump is guilty because the documents are "retroactively" classified, you are at least getting close to understanding the law, while admitting just how wrong this all is.

Readering म्हणाले...

Usual bs from Drago. Nothing corrupt about VA Gov theft of honest services prosecution. USSC remanded for consideration of prosecution on narrower charges. DOJ elected not to.

Readering म्हणाले...

Agnew never served time after pleading no contest. Confident 45 would be offered same or similar deal.

Gk1 म्हणाले...

Interesting that the DOJ leaked to the washington post that there was no financial motive for keeping the alleged classified documents. Furthermore they think Trump was keeping it as "part of his ego" So what's the point of trying to have a show trial since we are so afar afield of "Trump was stealing nuclear codes to sell to Russia!"

boatbuilder म्हणाले...

Paul Zrimsek: We should all be able to agree that Trump hasn't been this doomed since the last time he was doomed.

Heh.

Mason G म्हणाले...

"Paul Zrimsek: We should all be able to agree that Trump hasn't been this doomed since the last time he was doomed."

"The walls are closing in" sequels have surpassed those of the "Rocky" franchise. No mean feat.

ken in tx म्हणाले...

When Trump was president, he was the ultimate declassification authority. He could declassify anything he wanted to. He didn’t have to ask someone else to do it. He also had the authority to waive any and all procedures surrounding declassification. To make it a crime for him to reveal or possess classified information, you have to prove he did not have or use his authority to declassify the material. That would require mind reading.

The material concerning the Russia Dossier was not in his possession and maybe he could have declassified it without seeing it first, but that would not have been wise. He directed others to declassify and reveal the appropriate parts of it, but they didn’t do it.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...

How staggeringly moronic was the “nuclear codes” thing, anyway? They go two years without changing the codes? I bet they change them weekly, at the least. Democrats, where not incredibly corrupt, are incredibly stupid.

Drago म्हणाले...

Readering: "Usual bs from Drago. Nothing corrupt about VA Gov theft of honest services prosecution. USSC remanded for consideration of prosecution on narrower charges. DOJ elected not to."

LOL

Usual bs from readering.

USSC remanded for consideration of prosecution on narrower charges, and the democratical corrupted DOJ knew their BS wasn't going to work under "narrower charges" (read: more precise charges) so they bailed.

And it was a unanimous decision by the USSC to kick that crap to the curb. And so they did.

Hey, you know who else had a corrupted prosecution case tossed out UNANIMOUSLY at the USSC?

Andrew Weissman.

Anybody seeing a pattern here?

We all know what's going to happen: a corrupt prosecutor working with a corrupt DC Grand Jury will indict and then Trump will get dragged for some non-crime before an even more corrupt DC Judge (Harry Reid did his job in getting DC turned into a 1 party kangaroo court jurisdiction) with a corrupt All Dem DC jury and they will convict on some BS basis.

All of which will likely get tossed out at the USSC by an 8-1 or 7-2 majority (KBJ ain't never going to rule against the democraticals) but.....it will be long after the damage is done.

And it will have been pulled off with the full support of Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy.

So if any of you Althousians have any illusions that Kevin McCarthy and his bestest pal roommate/Landlord Frank Luntz are going to allow the republicans to actually investigate the Biden's, the corrupted flow of cash to Ukraine, the corrupted Jan 6 proceedings or where COVID originated, or anything else, you'd better screw your heads on a bit tighter because absolutely none of that is ever going to happen.

Get ready for Investigative Failure Theater across the board.

BTW, as we speak, the GOPe-ers in the Senate and the House are looking for ways to deliver DACA amnesty to the dems because of course they are. Of. Course. They. Are.

Next up for AMDG/lonejustice/Althouse Blog Commissar (self-appointed), figuring out someway to blame that on Trump while still praising the GOPe leadership for their "conservative" values.

Readering म्हणाले...

I'm not clear on whether, should Smith put together indictment(s) of 45/confederates, Garland still has to give green light before case(s) filed. Will Smith be expected to write report(s) like the one we await with bated breath from Durham?

wendybar म्हणाले...

Of course he was president, I don’t know any Democrat who says he did not win the 2016 election. He was president, he wasn’t King, or God, even though he was your cult leader.

11/18/22, 7:26 PM

Oh Inga...You are lying again. Your Princess said it over and over again. Your princess who belongs behind bars for doing a lot worse with classified documents than Trump EVER did...when she bleachbit and smashed her hard drives with hammers. Hammers are a things for Democrats...aren't they??

wendybar म्हणाले...

Hey Inga...Remember this?? "Hillary Clinton dismissed President Trump as an “illegitimate president” and suggested that “he knows” that he stole the 2016 presidential election in a CBS News interview to be aired Sunday." https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hillary-clinton-trump-is-an-illegitimate-president/2019/09/26/29195d5a-e099-11e9-b199-f638bf2c340f_story.html

Remember when it was okay to be an election denier???

lonejustice म्हणाले...

Drago wrote: "The chances of McConnell/McCarthy allowing any sort of thorough investigation, much less impeachment, is zero."

And Trump endorsed McCarthy to be Speaker of the House.

wendybar म्हणाले...

Newly appointed supposedly "impartial" special counsel Jack Smith secretly worked with Obama IRS chief Lois Lerner to target conservative "Tea Party" non profit groups for investigation internal emails reveal. Also, Smith used the New York Times as guidance in his investigation.- Paul Sperry

They are all in one big MESSY ORGY together in DC. Prove me wrong.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Anybody who's been through what Trump has been through would be "infuriated" by another special counsel. That's not anything specifically Trumpian, and you don't need inside sources to make that conjecture. If Mar-a-Lago insiders really are leaking to the Times, it's a sign that Trump's next presidency would be messy, or even that he probably won't win this time. Maybe Maggie is just listening to other journalists' tweets, and that where the "is said to have" comes from. It might just be the person in the next cubicle to hers who is saying it.

Jim at म्हणाले...

The president is not above the law, you imbecile.

How many times do you need to be told it's the President who can declassify information?

How many times does it need to be pounded into your thick skull the President is not just 'anyone' when it comes to this?

Ingacile.

Rusty म्हणाले...

Agnew wasn't president.
Care to start over?

Readering म्हणाले...

No need

~ Gordon Pasha म्हणाले...

Biden must have seen Becket

https://youtu.be/mrKfsUeQj4I