US Politics: Felon-in-Chief

[Fragile Bird]

Lol, Trump pleaded not guilty, what a surprise, right?

I was in the car and the radio host was saying Rod Stewart lives in the same Palm Beach neighborhood as Trump, and had a friendly relationship with him, going to Christmas parties for example. But the relationship started to worsen as the election approached and Stewart made negative comments about Trump. An interview with Rod Stewart just came out where he says his wife put her foot down on the friendship because of the things he said about women. Good move, guys!

[Gaston de Foix]

1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

It’s possible… but Trump will refuse to pay their bill.  If Nauta goes to prison he should sue for malpractice if he could have avoided jail time… but for… their attorney’s obvious conflict of interest.

Walt doesn't have local counsel yet.  He does have a lawyer, Stanley Woodward, who clerked on the DC Circuit, worked at Akin Gump for 10 years, and is now a member of a two person firm. 

He's also a MAGA-world lawyer with a profile in Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/30/legal-nerd-maga-bigwigs-stanley-woodward-00071385

I very much doubt Walt is going to get the independent legal advice he needs.  

[Zorral]

3 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Do the crowds at the courthouse seem small to anyone else?

Jan6 was a well coordinated, funded and organized action with planners, organizers, and LEADERS.  There was a specific purpose for it: to put a stop to certifying the election and use the delay to organized the rosters of other electors from the states.

This, isn't that.

Plus, many of those leaders, who were the planners, organizers and coordinators are in jail or waiting sentencing.

So we've moved on to coordinated attacks on LGBTQ instead of going where our targets are protected by well armed people with leaders themselves.

[LongRider]

3 hours ago, Gaston de Foix said:

I very much doubt Walt is going to get the independent legal advice he needs.  

I think about the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson before the J6C and her account of the Trump assigned attorney for her.  Bad advice aimed primarily at protecting Trump, is what I got from it.   Walt needs a good lawyer untainted by anything Trump.   Right now, I'd say he's basically screwed. 

[Mindwalker]

Prosecutors don't consider Trump, the coup-attempting friend of world dictators, a 'flight risk'

Donald Trump may be the first former "president" to face federal felony charges, but if you want proof of just how tilted our systems of justice are toward the wealthy and powerful, you're not going to find a better example than this one.

... But he's not a flight risk, even the federal prosecutors say. No chance of him trundling off in his 757, with or without more boxes of classified documents.

Now, maybe Donald Trump is a flight risk and maybe he isn't....

But it's still instructive to note what federal prosecutors do to anyone who is not a private jet-owning subject of magazine covers. In 2017 Reality Leigh Winner faced charges of "gathering, transmitting or losing defense information" under the Espionage Act, facing the same 10-year sentence Trump now faces, except Trump faces it several dozen times over, and Department of Justice prosecutors very much considered her too dangerous to be allowed out of a cell.

A federal judge on Thursday denied bail to Reality Leigh Winner, the 25-year-old Georgia woman accused of leaking classified information to the media, after prosecutors argued she remains a flight risk, a threat to the public and could possibly leak more government documents.

 

Meanwhile, the man who attempted a coup, has been lavishing the Russian kleptocracy with praise, has a history of trying to do favors for Vladimir Putin, owns his own intercontinental jet, is almost certainly still in possession of extraordinarily sensitive national security documents, and attempted a damn coup, just to emphasize that last part, isn't considered a flight risk.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/13/2175196/-Prosecutors-don-t-consider-Trump-the-coup-attempting-friend-of-world-dictators-a-flight-risk

 

An Appalling Moment, Even by Fox News’ Standards

In his first speech following his arrest on Tuesday, Donald Trump hit on a series of talking points. Hunter Biden and Burisma. Hillary Clinton’s emails. Bill Clinton’s sock drawer.

But for people who watched the speech on Fox News—MSNBC and CNN refused to air it—one moment stood out. The network showed a split-screen shot of Trump alongside President Joe Biden, who happened to be shaking his fist during an emphatic speech at the White House. The chyron read: WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED.

...

So much for the notion that Fox News had turned against Trump. It’s back, and slimier than ever.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/06/trump-arrest-fox-news-chyron/

Edited June 14, 2023 by Mindwalker

[Gaston de Foix]

39 minutes ago, Mindwalker said:

So much for the notion that Fox News had turned against Trump. It’s back, and slimier than ever.  https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/06/trump-arrest-fox-news-chyron/

I think the best thing that can be said about this is that it's a strategic mistake by Fox.  It has always had an abusive-boyfriend relationship with Trump, and this is just Example 999.  

[DMC]

Saw the FNC chyron last night.  I don't know why anyone would ever think "turning against Trump" meant they'd be any less viciously unfair to a Democratic president.  It just means they're open to other evil Republicans ruining the country.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

4 hours ago, Mindwalker said:

Prosecutors don't consider Trump, the coup-attempting friend of world dictators, a 'flight risk'

Donald Trump may be the first former "president" to face federal felony charges, but if you want proof of just how tilted our systems of justice are toward the wealthy and powerful, you're not going to find a better example than this one.

... But he's not a flight risk, even the federal prosecutors say. No chance of him trundling off in his 757, with or without more boxes of classified documents.

Literally the best thing that could happen is that he skips the country. That would be amazing.

[polishgenius]

4 hours ago, Mindwalker said:

So much for the notion that Fox News had turned against Trump. It’s back, and slimier than ever.

 

 

Fox can't go cold-turkey on Trump because they'd just lose their completely culted viewers to even wilder sources, but in this case it's irrelevant whether they support Trump - in the sense of him being the Republican figure they're behind- anyway. They're just using this as a stick to beat Biden with. 

[Mindwalker]

Column: Five ways Judge Aileen Cannon could protect Trump from the classified documents prosecution

... It’s of paramount importance that this case be assigned to another judge — any other judge.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-06-12/trump-judge-aileen-cannon-classified-documents-case-harry-litman

I've since heard of another one: Rule 29...

Edited June 14, 2023 by Mindwalker

[Ormond]

50 minutes ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

Literally the best thing that could happen is that he skips the country. That would be amazing.

It is really hard for me to see Trump fleeing the country until AFTER he is convicted, because his super-narcissism will prevent him believing he will be convicted until it happens. I do think he would be at risk for flight inbetween conviction and sentencing.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, polishgenius said:

 

Fox can't go cold-turkey on Trump because they'd just lose their completely culted viewers to even wilder sources,

This. All they care about is money and if the demonstrated a fraction of journalistic integrity they'd lose most of their viewers. They're terrified of being outflanked by an even crazier network. Fox will never change as long as their viewers enjoy being lied to and want to hear more and more wild shit about the people they've been groomed to hate. 

[Gaston de Foix]

19 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

This. All they care about is money and if the demonstrated a fraction of journalistic integrity they'd lose most of their viewers. They're terrified of being outflanked by an even crazier network. Fox will never change as long as their viewers enjoy being lied to and want to hear more and more wild shit about the people they've been groomed to hate. 

I agree they won't change their business model, but they will move on.  Remember how Fox was against the cheese-eating surrender monkeys on Iraq and Afghanistan and then did a 180 when Trumpism arrived?

If we are hoping for repentance and acknowledgement, we'll be waiting a long while. 

The best we can hope for is gradual shifts over time.  I'm not in general a big fan of the "even Bill Barr says Trump is guilty" strain of argument because it launders the dirty reputations of some truly colossal shitheads and is essentially argument by authority.  BUT the man who supposedly didn't believe in Homeric immortality is out there laundering his reputation as best he can, and that's a good thing for the intellectually lazy to hear. 

The presidential candidates are putting their toes in the water, and there is a journalistic urge to cover those like Chris Christie who are the most forceful in voicing their criticisms.  That too is a good thing and it should be encouraged.  

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, Ormond said:

his super-narcissism will prevent him believing he will be convicted until it happens.

People who have spent a great deal of time with him, whether in the past or now, are saying he's "scared shitless."

Does he actually own a private jet?  I'd heard it was in need of extensive, expensive repair and refitting, which he'd not done coz he had the White House jet? 

As for Faux -- it's lost a large number of viewers since TC was fired, so they are hoping going down and down and downer on the dump will help.

Edited June 14, 2023 by Zorral

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

28 minutes ago, Gaston de Foix said:

I agree they won't change their business model, but they will move on.  Remember how Fox was against the cheese-eating surrender monkeys on Iraq and Afghanistan and then did a 180 when Trumpism arrived?

If we are hoping for repentance and acknowledgement, we'll be waiting a long while. 

The best we can hope for is gradual shifts over time.  I'm not in general a big fan of the "even Bill Barr says Trump is guilty" strain of argument because it launders the dirty reputations of some truly colossal shitheads and is essentially argument by authority.  BUT the man who supposedly didn't believe in Homeric immortality is out there laundering his reputation as best he can, and that's a good thing for the intellectually lazy to hear. 

They'll move on when their viewers do. Fox surveys the shit out of them and they're still mostly ride or die with him. I watched a hit they did at a restaurant in FL not too long ago gaging support between him and DeSantis and basically everyone was for Trump despite the host trying to gin up support for the latter. They've picked their cult leader and either really love him or are too afraid to admit they fucked up royally. 

Quote

The presidential candidates are putting their toes in the water, and there is a journalistic urge to cover those like Chris Christie who are the most forceful in voicing their criticisms.  That too is a good thing and it should be encouraged.  

It is a good thing, but they're being rather tepid for the most part and deflecting a lot of blame from Trump. Furthermore, we're probably going to see a repeat of 2016 with so many candidates in the race and this time Trump controls the party from the jump and they'll try to help him when and where they can.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

19 minutes ago, Zorral said:

People who have spent a great deal of time with him, whether in the past or now, are saying he's "scared shitless."

Trump is and always has been a coward. That's why he blusters and attacks others when knowing full well they can't really do anything to him. Typically he becomes incredibly meek once he realizes he's on the wrong end of any power dynamic. The reporting I saw from the courtroom is Smith was staring him down the whole time while Trump refused to look at him. Because at the end of the day he's a weakling and Smith likely knows that he has him dead to rights unless the judge interferes or a member of the jury goes rouge. 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Tywin et al.

[Zorral]

3 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Smith was staring him down the whole time while Trump refused to look at him.

Smith busted one mafia don after another from  Queens and all around our region back in the day.  He knows the moves, the plays, that this particular 'don ' apes himself.

Edited June 14, 2023 by Zorral

[Gaston de Foix]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

They'll move on when their viewers do. Fox surveys the shit out of them and they're still mostly ride or die with him. I watched a hit they did at a restaurant in FL not too long ago gaging support between him and DeSantis and basically everyone was for Trump despite the host trying to gin up support for the latter. They've picked their cult leader and either really love him or are too afraid to admit they fucked up royally. 

Yeah I saw the hit too, and while one (informal) survey doesn't really tell us anything, it's where the polls are too.  The best we can hope for is that time like water will erode that support. 

1 hour ago, Zorral said:

People who have spent a great deal of time with him, whether in the past or now, are saying he's "scared shitless."

 It really reminds me of Succession S3Ep1 where Logan is flying around the world trying to find a country without a US extradition treaty.  May that day come soon. 

Perhaps Melania's Slovenian citizenship will come in useful?

Edited June 14, 2023 by Gaston de Foix

[Varysblackfyre321]

I like Dylan triggering the worst people in the world by virtue of getting paid and existing 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

2 hours ago, Zorral said:

People who have spent a great deal of time with him, whether in the past or now, are saying he's "scared shitless."

Does he actually own a private jet?  I'd heard it was in need of extensive, expensive repair and refitting, which he'd not done coz he had the White House jet? 

As for Faux -- it's lost a large number of viewers since TC was fired, so they are hoping going down and down and downer on the dump will help.

Ohmygawd Venezuela! He could escape to Venezuela! They don’t have extradition to the USA. Just think of the MAGA tourism!!! Economy: solved.

Thousands of these idiots will make the pilgrimage every year. They’ll gather at his feet and listen to him doing hours of stream-of-consciousness political commentary. They’ll wear saffron robes and change their surnames to “Covfefe”. January 6 will be their holy day. My god the possibilities. 

-

Can someone address the elephant in the room? That is, the fucking chandelier in the shitter? That’s some tacky try-hard bullshit right there. Was a mirror on the ceiling just not tasteful? 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Deadlines? What Deadlines?