DL Open Thread: Saturday, June 20, 2020
BREAKING!: Barr Fires US Attorney For Southern District Of New York. The US Attorney Says He’s Not Leaving. The story of the firing first broke in the 9 pm hour last night. Here are the pertinent facts:
Mr. Berman, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, and his team have been at the forefront of corruption inquiries in Mr. Trump’s inner circle. They successfully prosecuted the president’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who went to prison, and have been investigating Mr. Trump’s current personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani.
Mr. Berman’s office has taken an aggressive approach in a number of cases that have vexed the Trump administration, from the prosecution and guilty plea obtained from Mr. Cohen to a broader investigation, growing out of that inquiry, which focused on Mr. Trump’s private company and others close to him.
Over the last year, Mr. Berman’s office brought indictments against two close associates of the president’s current lawyer, Mr. Giuliani, and began an investigation into Mr. Giuliani himself, focusing on whether his efforts to dig up dirt in Ukraine on the president’s political rivals violated laws on lobbying for foreign entities.
Now, you may say, ‘Well, El Som, that’s all well and good, but how can he simply refuse to resign’? Here’s how and why:
In 2018, the attorney general at the time, Jeff Sessions, appointed Mr. Berman as interim United States attorney in Manhattan. But Mr. Trump never formally sent Mr. Berman’s nomination to the Senate. After 120 days, his formal appointment to the post was made by the judges of the United States District Court.
Mr. Berman took note of the nature of his appointment to the position in explaining why he was refusing to step down.
This is gonna be fascinating.
Berman’s message to Barr:
I Am Dreading What Is Gonna Happen In Tulsa Today. The President chose the time and the President chose the place. Lest anyone doubt his motives:
Trump on Friday threatened protesters preparing to greet him in Tulsa, warning on Twitter: “Any protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma, please understand, you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle or Minneapolis. It will be a much different scene!”
In other words, he wants confrontation.
Tulsa Is A COVID-19 Hot Spot. Daily cases have gone from an average of 21.6 new cases per day to 81.9 new cases per day over the last two weeks. Here’s the new math some two weeks hence: When the Great Unwashed return home from the rally, the map will show where they traveled from to go to the rally b/c those locales will become new hot spots. Natural selection? You decide. BTW, just look at that map. Jeezusland is Ground Zero for the pandemic now. Also, remember those plans for MLB to play all their games in Arizona or Florida? How’s that looking right now? Right on cue, Florida Governor DeSantis blames spike on Hispanic agriculture workers. I’ve got an idea: Let the governor’s staff pick the fuckin’ oranges.
Being Tulsa’s Mayor Is A Tough Job. Now. Real good profile of Mayor G. T. Bynum.
Trump’s Bills Becoming Due. Literally. A must-read.
More Proof That Live Nation Is Ee-Vil. The amoral concert juggernaut shifts more risk to the artists.
Delaware Bond Bill Committee Approves Truncated Capital Improvements Bill. There will be less construction, fewer jobs.
What do you want to talk about?
“Mr. Berman took note of the nature of his appointment to the position in explaining why he was refusing to step down.”
So… this is typically an “at the pleasure of the President” type thing, but not in this case? Should be interesting.
Sure should be. Because Trump didn’t nominate him or anybody else to become the permanent officer, the judges did. Bill Barr is historically corrupt. And we are living through the strangest time in our nation’s history.
I’m beginning to think it will work out OK.
I believe Trump is trying to start a race war to get reelected. My opinion.
I am so proud of my kids’ generation. That dawg just don’t hunt no more.
And if not re-elected, “extended under a declaration of emergency”.
FWIW, You are right. He has already said that he would not be bound by an election that he regards as illegitimate. Although he said it as someone with a brain injury might say it.
BREAKING: Judge Rules That Bolton’s Book Can Be Released:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/judge-rejects-dojs-emergency-request-to-halt-bolton-book-release
The judge basically said that the horses have already escaped the barn, so there’s no practical reason to stop publication.
6 Members of Trump’s Tulsa advance team test positive for COVID-19:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/20/tulsa-trump-rally/
BREAKING: Trump Fires Manhattan US Attorney:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/nyregion/trump-geoffrey-berman-fired-sdny.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Barr sez that Berman “has chosen public spectacle over public service”.
We haven’t heard the last of this.
Barr fired Berman and now Trump has fired him? The question seems to be whether or not Trump can fire him. Good reporting.
Tweet just now from Velshi –
https://twitter.com/AliVelshi/status/1274432423154135042
2m
BREAKING: after he refused to step down, the United States Attonery for the Southern District of New York has been fired by President Trump
————-
Riech thinks it is all about Trump and the bank
RBReich
https://twitter.com/RBReich/status/1274383833266139138
Why does a president tries to fire his own hand-picked US Attorney less than 5 months before the election?
Two words: Deutsche Bank.
hmmm
https://twitter.com/johnson_carrie/status/1274427173416448006
Barr to US Atty Geoff Berman: “Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service. Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so.”
In the new letter, Barr says that Berman’s #2 in the Southern District of NY, Audrey Strauss, will become acting U.S. Attorney until a permanent successor has won Senate confirmation.
And now Trump says he had nothing to do with it.
The gang that couldn’t crime straight.
Yup:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-denies-involvement-in-berman-ouster-right-after-barr-told-berman-potus-fired-him
Berman Says He’ll Step Down–because his deputy has been appointed the acting Manhattan Federal Attorney:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/geoffrey-berman-us-attorney-william-barr-trump/2020/06/20/fcbfa3b4-b30f-11ea-8758-bfd1d045525a_story.html
And presumably, he was offered a book deal. Why am I always so disappointed in government?
Not to get all conspiratorial or nothin’, but this week trump did threaten to withdraw troops from Deutsche Bank Land pressuring Merkel to influence events.
Massive Trump Crowd–Doesn’t Show Up In Tulsa.
From the Washington Post:
But an overflow audience failed to materialize, as the area outside the arena emptied out and plans for an outdoor address were scrapped. Inside the stadium, the program began with a swath of seats still unfilled. The upper bowl of the stadium was almost entirely empty with less than an hour before Trump was set to appear. The lower bowl was mostly full but with sections of empty seats. The floor was of the arena was about two-thirds full.
The campaign blamed protesters, though there was little evidence the president’s fans were deterred by backlash to his visit.
“Sadly, protestors interfered with supporters, even blocking access to the metal detectors, which prevented people from entering the rally,” said Tim Murtaugh, a campaign spokesman. “Radical protestors, coupled with a relentless onslaught from the media, attempted to frighten off the president’s supporters. We are proud of the thousands who stuck it out.”
Out of the million RSVPs and reserved tickets purchased???? about 15,000 physically live (not necessarily brain-functioning live) cultists showed up. Now multiply that 15,000 live (sans mask and social-distancing) patriots by an average number of the infecteds and you can pretty safely project a rampant spreading of death and disease that will exponentially shrink Trump’s actual pool of hard-core acolytes. There’s hope for society yet.
Rep. Kowalko
Reportedly, teens who support BLM, including K-Pop fans, scarfed up a whole buncha tickets with no intention of showing up.
I LOVE it!
On another topic have you noticed that once again the Delaware online has shut down comments
They probably got tired of the “well, if he would just listen to the police, he’d be alive” and “the Demonrats are the REAL racists! Trump 2020!”
Those comment sections are fucking depressing sometimes