DL Open Thread Wednesday August 2 2023
One thing Trump and defenders forget to mention when they go on about “election interference” and the deep state is that Trump may have avoided all of this by not doing so many crimes.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said Tuesday its civil fraud case against former President Trump, his two elder sons and his business “is ready for trial,” according to a court filing Monday.
The big picture: The $250 million lawsuit adds to the legal woes and mounting legal bills Trump faces, including three indictments — the latest coming Tuesday in relation to the Jan. 6 probe.
Lock them up
Pence took notes. This will make his very popular among Republican primary voters:
The indictment notes that after it became clear Vice President Mike Pence “would not fraudulently alter the election results,” the attack on the U.S. Capitol halted the Electoral certification. “As violence ensued,” the indictment claims, “the Defendant and co-conspirators exploited the disruption by redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince Members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims.”
Why would any lawer ever sign up to work for Trump?
Trump’s Plan to Save Himself: Scapegoat His Coup Lawyers
“John [Eastman] and Rudy [Giuliani] gave a lot of counsel,” one Trump advisor says ominously. “Other people can decide how sound it was”
According to the indictment, the Justice Department lawyers, all appointed by him, (as opposed to those from outside who only told Trump what he wanted to hear) told him over and over again that he had lost the election, and that the spurious claims he continued to spout were just flat-out wrong.
So did numerous state officials, mostly Republicans, who told him that there was no voter fraud, no voting machine irregularities, and that he had lost their respective states.
The January 6 violence was part of the plan to force a government shutdown while states could approve ‘phony electors’.
Either he’s sunk, or we are.
Sad agreement, and perhaps a portent of the future of democracy and the rule of law. As in it’s either Trump and his many enablers or, quite frankly, us. Have rarely been accused of being an optimist, or a fan of America’s “justice system” that I see as terminally skewed to favor the rich and powerful. But, also believe believe the tide is turning and picking up speed as Jack Smith and a trial or two grow nigh.
US credit rating downgraded
Thanks, Tea Party and MAGA.
MAGA logic: We’re the greatest country in the world, and we’re going to prove it by being not-great on purpose.
This is what happens when you read fantasist bullshit like “Atlas Shrugged” and pretend it’s philosophy.
Since this downgrade happened during Biden’s reign of terror, I’m sure the media will react appropriately.
“deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years” is not an arbitrary period.
– 20 years ago the US launched a deficit-funded war and occupation on Iraq. Iraq involvement ultimately cost the US $3 trillion, give or take a few hundred billion.
– Also in 2003 the US implemented a second round of tax cuts for the rich.
– Economic pain was partly masked by the securities bubble created by unregulated mortgage brokers and investment banks. which were busy forming the Great Recession which would become evident by 2008.
Trump perp walk: 4 pm tomorrow. I’ll be watching.
i keep waiting for him to pull a Weinstein (well, in another sort than he probably usually does) and show up with a walker. We’ll know he knows its over if he is *suddenly a frail old man, too weak for prison.
No chance. This is his stage for putting on his tough guy act for his groupies.
Update: we all got COVID in Myrtle Beach! Fun!
I’m feeling better and Mom and Dad are… okay. Could be worse. Regardless, not the way I planned my vacation.
coulda been worse for sure.. you could have gotten leprosy in florida. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/leprosy-may-be-endemic-florida-cdc-rcna97567
As a Republican, I reject Trump, and all his opportunistic minions. This is insanity, for God’s sake.
well, that makes one of ya.
On the Joe and Hunter front, Joe Klein has an excellent WaPo op-ed that says very well what a lot of us have been thinking:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/01/hunter-biden-joe-mental-health/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_opinions&utm_campaign=wp_opinions
To oversimplify, wish Joe should have said, “Hunter, you’re family, but we’re going to socialize at the beach house, not the White House. And, next time you come to visit, bring Navy too. Jill and I are sure she’d love to play in the sand.”
There is no Joe and Hunter front or thing. Hallucinating Coons and Republican psychos.
i mean, Hunter Biden plead guilty to avoid getting convicted on more serious shit. that is something that happened.
He’s a liability and whether or not its fair, or reality, will be effectively used against the president. (not for nothing, but warning about fake shit being effectively used was something i got laughed at for, then Hilary Clinton became president in spite of a massive disinfo campaign)
I think it actually would have been better for him to go to prison and not be pardoned by his dad. He’d have been well protected in a rich white guy jail, spent at least the election year out of the headlines, and the already baseless charges that Dad shielded him would have been even more ridiculous. Hes a rich white man getting off easy for something a not rich white man would absolutely spend time in jail for.
they are pyschos, but a full 45% of the nation rabidly agrees with them and another ( at least) are too fucking stupid to not be swayed by it.
There is a very small window of time left, but this can still be Biden’s off-ramp and someone better can step up.
Not 45% of the nation. 45% of the assholes, not normal people. And what crime, Rep Jordan, or whoever you’re channeling is Hunter actually guilty of that merits prison, chief.