Merrick Garland has given an interview. He was asked about Judge Cannon's finding that the appointment of Jack Smith as Special Counsel was unconstitutional.
This is his response:
Look, I er - as you well know, I picked this room for this interview. This is my favourite room in the Justice Department. It is a law library. For more than twenty years I was a Federal Judge. Do I look like somebody who would that basic mistake about the law? I don’t think so! Um, our position is that it is constitutional and valid. That’s why we appealed it…
<snip>
…’till now, every single court that considered the legality of a Special Counsel appointment, including the Supreme Court, has upheld it.
Oh, I pray for him, sure. But justice would be sweet.
I don’t see it so much as “but justice would be sweet“ as “and justice would be sweet.“ I mean the fact is he’s done some truly awful things for a long time now, even before he got into politics. And I think that if he truly repented he would want to actually come clean about things that aren’t known and not try to find sneaky ways out of actually having justice done. I have trouble imagining him repenting of absolutely anything, but thank God that God has a better perspective in terms of such possibilities.
Oh, I pray for him, sure. But justice would be sweet.
I don’t see it so much as “but justice would be sweet“ as “and justice would be sweet.“ I mean the fact is he’s done some truly awful things for a long time now, even before he got into politics. And I think that if he truly repented he would want to actually come clean about things that aren’t known and not try to find sneaky ways out of actually having justice done. I have trouble imagining him repenting of absolutely anything, but thank God that God has a better perspective in terms of such possibilities.
Indeed.
This, to me, is the greatest hypocrisy of the Christian Right. If they believed what they preach, they would think a few specific things:
1. Trump is in need of God's forgiveness
2. To receive that he has to repent
3. Like David, Jonah, Peter, Cain and countless other biblical characters, they need to be confronted with their sin in order to come to repentance
4. Therefore any Evangelical who is honest would want Trump charged with everything possible and for the whole truth to come out as this is his only hope.
Oh, I pray for him, sure. But justice would be sweet.
I don’t see it so much as “but justice would be sweet“ as “and justice would be sweet.“ I mean the fact is he’s done some truly awful things for a long time now, even before he got into politics. And I think that if he truly repented he would want to actually come clean about things that aren’t known and not try to find sneaky ways out of actually having justice done. I have trouble imagining him repenting of absolutely anything, but thank God that God has a better perspective in terms of such possibilities.
Indeed.
This, to me, is the greatest hypocrisy of the Christian Right. If they believed what they preach, they would think a few specific things:
1. Trump is in need of God's forgiveness
2. To receive that he has to repent
3. Like David, Jonah, Peter, Cain and countless other biblical characters, they need to be confronted with their sin in order to come to repentance
4. Therefore any Evangelical who is honest would want Trump charged with everything possible and for the whole truth to come out as this is his only hope.
AFZ
He makes them feel validated. He speaks for them. The way singers express our feelings for us, as art, story telling does in general. A critique from outside, except a scholarly one, is a mirror image of that. Makes us feel better.
Oh, I pray for him, sure. But justice would be sweet.
I don’t see it so much as “but justice would be sweet“ as “and justice would be sweet.“ I mean the fact is he’s done some truly awful things for a long time now, even before he got into politics. And I think that if he truly repented he would want to actually come clean about things that aren’t known and not try to find sneaky ways out of actually having justice done. I have trouble imagining him repenting of absolutely anything, but thank God that God has a better perspective in terms of such possibilities.
Indeed.
This, to me, is the greatest hypocrisy of the Christian Right. If they believed what they preach, they would think a few specific things:
1. Trump is in need of God's forgiveness
2. To receive that he has to repent
3. Like David, Jonah, Peter, Cain and countless other biblical characters, they need to be confronted with their sin in order to come to repentance
4. Therefore any Evangelical who is honest would want Trump charged with everything possible and for the whole truth to come out as this is his only hope.
AFZ
There are US Evangelicals like that, but they don’t have the megaphone that the pro-Trump ones do.
Trump has never had remorse for any of his actions. He will deny, claim it is fake news, and attack the Biden administration for trying to swing the voters against him. Typical for a Narcissist.
It's possibly horrible of me, but I'm really looking forward to seeing Harris win, and a year of All Will Be Revealed. O please, Lord...
I wouldn't call wanting the truth to be revealed "horrible". Sounds perfectly sensible to me. Also necessary for self-government.
As an interesting coincidence, while January 20, 2025 is Inauguration Day it also happens to fall on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day that year. Seeing Kamala Harris sworn in as the 47th president after Ketanji Brown Jackson swears in [ vice president TBD ] on MLK Day would be pretty sweet.
Oh, I pray for him, sure. But justice would be sweet.
I don’t see it so much as “but justice would be sweet“ as “and justice would be sweet.“ I mean the fact is he’s done some truly awful things for a long time now, even before he got into politics. And I think that if he truly repented he would want to actually come clean about things that aren’t known and not try to find sneaky ways out of actually having justice done. I have trouble imagining him repenting of absolutely anything, but thank God that God has a better perspective in terms of such possibilities.
Indeed.
This, to me, is the greatest hypocrisy of the Christian Right. If they believed what they preach, they would think a few specific things:
1. Trump is in need of God's forgiveness
2. To receive that he has to repent
3. Like David, Jonah, Peter, Cain and countless other biblical characters, they need to be confronted with their sin in order to come to repentance
4. Therefore any Evangelical who is honest would want Trump charged with everything possible and for the whole truth to come out as this is his only hope.
AFZ
Nah, they don’t like Trump for himself, they like him for what he can give them. I imagine most of them would be quite content to see him rot in Hell with all the other unrepentant sinners once he’s done giving them the theocracy they want. He’ll have had his reward in this life, and all that.
Oh, I pray for him, sure. But justice would be sweet.
I don’t see it so much as “but justice would be sweet“ as “and justice would be sweet.“ I mean the fact is he’s done some truly awful things for a long time now, even before he got into politics. And I think that if he truly repented he would want to actually come clean about things that aren’t known and not try to find sneaky ways out of actually having justice done. I have trouble imagining him repenting of absolutely anything, but thank God that God has a better perspective in terms of such possibilities.
Indeed.
This, to me, is the greatest hypocrisy of the Christian Right. If they believed what they preach, they would think a few specific things:
1. Trump is in need of God's forgiveness
2. To receive that he has to repent
3. Like David, Jonah, Peter, Cain and countless other biblical characters, they need to be confronted with their sin in order to come to repentance
4. Therefore any Evangelical who is honest would want Trump charged with everything possible and for the whole truth to come out as this is his only hope.
AFZ
Nah, they don’t like Trump for himself, they like him for what he can give them. I imagine most of them would be quite content to see him rot in Hell with all the other unrepentant sinners once he’s done giving them the theocracy they want. He’ll have had his reward in this life, and all that.
I agree with that. Doesn't stop it being horrendous hypocrisy though.
As an Evo Charismatic I don’t see how anyone who says they are Christian can support Trump. That could be because, as discussed often British Charismatics have a different attitude. If there is an anti-Christ he is prime candidate for it.
As to political points. We look on with interest as the US not only has a strong influence over here but the right wing here will be emboldened if Trump does win. We are currently experiencing a spate of right wing lead riots. I fear that if Trump gets in things could get worse.
As an Evo Charismatic I don’t see how anyone who says they are Christian can support Trump.
I've recently stumbled across a series of podcasts from a retired evangelical (Baptist for a while - I'm not altogether sure) pastor in the US called Pat Kahnke, on Youtube. He's a thoughtful, calm guy, previously a lifelong Republican, and he's very upset by what Trumpism has been doing to parts of the American church. I would expect most readers here would get something out of his analysis - so I leave this here in case it is useful to anyone. The episode where he sets out a case for comparing Trump to Herod Antipas is perhaps a good place to start - I got a lot out of it. It's not at all 'yaa-boo' - he's interested in trying to bring people along with him who know their bibles, who are resistant to political ideas being pushed from a pulpit, but who might be receptive to some carefully-drawn biblical parallels. I'll not link it as they are long episodes, to spare the mods here, but they are easy to find on Google or Youtube's own search thing - the podcast is called 'culture, faith, and politics'.
(I haven't been around here for a while, and I won't be for another while - but I have found these podcasts helpful, so I thought this would be a good place to make a recommendation).
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) reached a cooperation agreement Monday with Jenna Ellis, who was a legal adviser to Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign and was one of 18 defendants indicted in April on felony charges related to alleged efforts to try to subvert President Biden’s victory in the state four years ago, according to prosecutors.
The attorney general has agreed to drop nine felony charges against Ellis in exchange for her full cooperation with the investigation into the GOP plan to try to deliver Arizona’s 11 electoral votes to Trump instead of the rightful winner, Biden.
The deal allows Ellis to avoid potential jail time in exchange for providing prosecutors with evidence that could implicate other defendants. She could provide information about former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani’s knowledge and participation in the elector strategy. According to the agreement, Ellis has also agreed to “completely and truthfully” testify in any future trials. She will also provide documents and any other material tied to the elector strategy that could help state prosecutors secure verdicts favorable to them in the high-profile case.
“This agreement represents a significant step forward in our case,” Mayes said in a statement. “I am grateful to Ms. Ellis for her cooperation with our investigation and prosecution. Her insights are invaluable and will greatly aid the State in proving its case in court.”
This is unsurprising since Ellis did the same thing in the Georgia fake elector case, though in that instance the deal required Ellis to plead guilty to one felony count in return for full cooperation and a probationary sentence. Still I'm guessing that the weakening of Trump omertà is going to be very closely linked to the weakening of Trump's electoral prospects.
As an Evo Charismatic I don’t see how anyone who says they are Christian can support Trump. That could be because, as discussed often British Charismatics have a different attitude. If there is an anti-Christ he is prime candidate for it.
As to political points. We look on with interest as the US not only has a strong influence over here but the right wing here will be emboldened if Trump does win. We are currently experiencing a spate of right wing lead riots. I fear that if Trump gets in things could get worse.
A very good podcast called The Holy Post has talked about how the heck this happened in this and other episodes:
Conspiracy theories, political idolatry, church divisions, and pastoral burnout. How do we explain what’s happened to the evangelical movement in America? Tim Alberta is a political journalist and staff writer for The Atlantic. His new book, “The Power, the Glory, and the Kingdom,” looks at how evangelicalism lost its way. As an evangelical himself, Alberta says fear and greed created the conditions for extremism to take over the movement. Also this week, surprising data after the Dobbs decision shows birthrates are up in states that banned abortion, but overall abortion rates nationwide are also higher. And should we use ChatGPT to interpret the Bible? Kaitlyn’s new article says probably not.
A prominent conservative Calvinist has denounced white Christian Nationalism as heretical and racist, but the movement is still gaining popularity within theologically Reformed circles. How deep is this divide among the anti-woke theobros? New data says the massive rise in loneliness and depression is linked to the rise in singleness, and that marriage remains the best predictor of happiness. Then, Russell Moore is back to discuss his new book, “Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America.” He explains how evangelical churches form people to value authoritarian leadership, why evangelicalism’s response to market forces is a great strength and its fatal weakness, and how the fear that drives so many evangelicals is a betrayal of the faith. Plus, cows in cars getting caught.
Back to the Egyptian bribe, it is my understanding that the statute of limitations has been passed. But, there are sa couple of interesting indications that it happened. While advised against it, the Egyptian president was the first foreign leader Trump visited. Obama had held up a military aid package for Egypt because of human rights violations. Trump, though, allowed the aid package to go through with no change in the behavior of the Egyptian government. Quid quo pro anyone?
Back to the Egyptian bribe, it is my understanding that the statute of limitations has been passed. But, there are sa couple of interesting indications that it happened. While advised against it, the Egyptian president was the first foreign leader Trump visited. Obama had held up a military aid package for Egypt because of human rights violations. Trump, though, allowed the aid package to go through with no change in the behavior of the Egyptian government. Quid quo pro anyone?
Even if the statute of limitations is expired, this seems like the kind of thing that the Senate (or whichever house of Congress Democrats control in 2025) should put some time into investigating. The implications go well beyond the alleged criminality of one president.
Agreed. Rachel Maddow, in her sign off last night, as she was handing off to Lawerance O Donnell raised the theory that while the federal statute of limitations has expired, the New York State Statue of Limitations may still be applied. To which, O Donnell said once Trump moved to Florida he can no longer claim statute of limitations protection in New York.
I took that to mean if this alleged crime happened while Trump was a resident of New York, the NY AG could go after him should there be any violation of NY law.
Something does smell fishy if $10 mil suddenly appears in a Trump account--allegedly, he then supposedly loans it to his campaign and then hypothetically calls in the loan after he is elected.
Agreed. Rachel Maddow, in her sign off last night, as she was handing off to Lawerance O Donnell raised the theory that while the federal statute of limitations has expired, the New York State Statue of Limitations may still be applied. To which, O Donnell said once Trump moved to Florida he can no longer claim statute of limitations protection in New York.
It sounds to me like either you misunderstood O’Donnell or he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Agreed. Rachel Maddow, in her sign off last night, as she was handing off to Lawerance O Donnell raised the theory that while the federal statute of limitations has expired, the New York State Statue of Limitations may still be applied. To which, O Donnell said once Trump moved to Florida he can no longer claim statute of limitations protection in New York.
It sounds to me like either you misunderstood O’Donnell or he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Indeed. The federal statute of limitations can be tolled (a.k.a. paused) in cases where the accused is a fugitive, meaning that they are actively avoiding the law, but that doesn't describe Mr. Trump's move to Florida. Everyone knows where to find him.
Indeed. The federal statute of limitations can be tolled (a.k.a. paused) in cases where the accused is a fugitive, meaning that they are actively avoiding the law, but that doesn't describe Mr. Trump's move to Florida. Everyone knows where to find him.[
And I think that was O Donnell's point. He claims Trump moved to Florida to avoid New York law, or so Trump thought. However, the NY AG prosecuted him for miss use of campaign funds. O'Donnell is saying personally receiving $10 mil from a foreign entity (and not reporting it as income), loaning it to his campaign fund, and calling it in once he won the office is also likely a violation of New York law.
Indeed. The federal statute of limitations can be tolled (a.k.a. paused) in cases where the accused is a fugitive, meaning that they are actively avoiding the law, but that doesn't describe Mr. Trump's move to Florida. Everyone knows where to find him.[
And I think that was O Donnell's point. He claims Trump moved to Florida to avoid New York law, or so Trump thought. However, the NY AG prosecuted him for miss use of campaign funds. O'Donnell is saying personally receiving $10 mil from a foreign entity (and not reporting it as income), loaning it to his campaign fund, and calling it in once he won the office is also likely a violation of New York law.
Even if the statute of limitations is tolled because Trump moved out of the state (for whatever reason), as I understand it, resumption of the time limit only happens if Trump moves back to New York.
But given that everyone has known where Trump is, and given that his residency in Florida didn’t stop an indictment in New York for the Stormy Daniels payments, I’m not at all convinced that this is a case where tolling applies, and—again as I understand it—the statute of limitations for this offense would probably be 5 years. Granted, there might be an argument about whether it was tolled while Trump was president.
Unsurprisingly, Jack Smith has filed an appeal [PDF] of Judge Cannon's dismissal of the Trump purloined documents case.
Congress has bestowed on the Attorney General, like the heads of many Executive Departments, broad authority to structure the agency he leads to carry out the responsibilities imposed on him by law. Two statutes provide the Attorney General the specific authority to appoint special counsels to carry out his law-enforcement missions. 28 U.S.C. §§ 515(b), 533(1). Two other statutes confer on the Attorney General the necessary overarching authority to staff, structure, and direct the operations of the Justice Department, which includes the power to appoint inferior officers and assign specific matters to attorneys such as the Special Counsel. 28 U.S.C. §§ 509, 510. Precedent and history confirm those authorities, as do the long tradition of special-counsel appointments by Attorneys General and Congress’s endorsement of that practice through appropriations and other legislation. The district court’s contrary view conflicts with an otherwise unbroken course of decisions, including by the Supreme Court, that the Attorney General has such authority, and it is at odds with widespread and longstanding appointment practices in the Department of Justice and across the government. This Court should reverse.
That's the introduction that lays out Smith's basis of appeal. The filing does not request the removal of Judge Cannon from the case, but this is the third time Smith has had to appeal rulings that were obviously erroneous and the appeals court has the authority to remove Cannon without being asked. If I were the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals I would seriously consider a "three strikes and you're out" policy for judges overstepping the law so egregiously.
For those who are interested the superseding indictment can be read here. Smith's team seems to have tailored it to work around the Supreme Court recently putting six of its nine thumbs on the scales of justice.
It argues Trump acted as a private citizen - and not as president - when he undertook the alleged scheme to sway the election.
“The defendant had no official responsibilities related to the certification proceeding, but he did have a personal interest as a candidate in being named the winner of the election,” reads one new line in the indictment.
Another new line refers to a lawsuit filed by Trump's campaign in Georgia. The old language said the suit was “filed in his name”, but the updated indictment says it was “filed in his capacity as a candidate for president”.
On Xitter, James Fallows notes the difference between the New York Times' coverage of James Comey investigating Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Donald Trump being indicted on four felony counts in 2024. Seriously, WTF is up with the NYT lately?
Let us pause to remember the trials and tribulations of another president ten years ago. This is the anniversary of the biggest scandal of Barack Obama’s presidency: tan suit day! Thoughts and prayers to everyone who lived through the horrors of that day.
According to a report in today's Times (London), Trump has told his followers that he suspects God saved him fopm assassination so that he could save the world. If such is the case, he should expect crucifixion.
Former President Donald Trump’s social media fortune is shrinking.
The value of Trump’s stake in the corporate owner of Truth Social has dropped by $900 million since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race for the White House on July 21. Trump Media & Technology Group’s share price has tumbled by about 23% since then, including another sharp drop on Thursday amid a broader market selloff.
The value of Trump’s dominant stake in the conservative social media company stood at just over $4 billion as of July 19, the final trading day before President Joe Biden exited the race and endorsed Harris. It has since dropped to about $3.1 billion.
To be clear here, the wild over-valuation of Trump Media & Technology Group (the owner of Truth Social) has long been known. It has the revenues of a moderately successful franchise restaurant and the costs/expenses of about forty franchise restaurants, so the question of why "the market" considers it so valuable has always puzzled those who refuse to consider non-market explanations.
To what degree is it reasonable to conclude that the direct link between the market value of TM&TG and Trump's electoral fortunes indicates that the former is little more than a conduit for bribes? The value attached to being able to put money into Donald Trump's pocket has declined, so the value of TM&TG has similarly declined.
Trump Media Shares Plummet 15% To Record Low After Debate
Shares for Trump Media on Wednesday dropped more than 15%, falling to what would be a new record low for the stock, after Vice President Kamala Harris became the betting favorite to win the election after a debate with former President Donald Trump, the majority stakeholder in the Truth Social parent.
This has to be frustrating for Trump. The lockup provision preventing him from selling shares of TM&TG expires on September 19. I guess the question is how much, if anything, Trump's shares in his media company will be worth when he's finally legally allowed to sell them. Of course analysts have long theorized that any sign of Trump selling off stock in his media company would immediately tank the value, but if he waits much longer that might be an academic consideration.
I doubt tonight's vice president debate will decide people's vote. I think most minds are made up at this point. As there will be no more debates by Trump and Harris, I might watch.
I know we have talked about Trump's God Bless USA Bible before. Can't find the thread now. Bet you can guess where it was printed. If you said China, you .win the prize. Story here. AP figured if Trump sold all the Bibles, he would earn $7 mil.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Superintendent wants to purchase 55,000 Bibles for public school instruction. Bidders must supply a King James Version (KJV) of the Bible containing the Old and New Testaments, be bound in “leather or leather-like material,” and include the full text of the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Pledge of Allegiance, but no pre-written study guides or other “additional commentary.”
There are only two such editions on the market today. The Trump USA Bible or the We The People Bible endorsed by Donald Trump junior.
And, then we have Bob Woodwards new book War. Something about Trump supplying Putin with American made Covid test kits, and the two of them talking on the phone long after Trump was forced out of office which is illegal under American Law. Story here
And, then we have Bob Woodwards new book War. Something about Trump supplying Putin with American made Covid test kits, and the two of them talking on the phone long after Trump was forced out of office which is illegal under American Law. Story here
Bit of a clarification on what Trump is said to have sent to Putin. It wasn’t those little swab kits you can buy at the pharmacy. Indeed, it was way back at the beginning on the pandemic before home test kits had been developed. Multiple sources are saying that Trump sent Covid testing equipment made by Abbott Labs, when such equipment was in scarce supply in the US. The Kremlin has confirmed this part of the story, although they are denying the phone calls took place.
When I listen to Trump's stump speech, I do not sense a high energy level. I hear boredom by an old man droning on. I would expect to hear this from someone in a nursing home who does not know no one is listening to him.
It seems like more information on Trump's January 6 prosecution will be released today. Trump's attorneys filed for a stay on various grounds, mostly "it will make our client look bad before the election. Judge Chutkan found this unconvincing [PDF]:
Finally, and relatedly, Defendant claims that the “asymmetric release of charged
allegations and related documents during early voting creates a concerning appearance of election interference.” Motion at 5. There is undoubtedly a public interest in courts not inserting themselves into elections, or appearing to do so. See id. at 6. But litigation’s incidental effects on politics are not the same as a court’s intentional interference with them. As a result, it is in fact Defendant’s requested relief that risks undermining that public interest: If the court withheld information that the public otherwise had a right to access solely because of the potential political consequences of releasing it, that withholding could itself constitute — or appear to be — election interference. The court will therefore continue to keep political considerations out of its decision-making, rather than incorporating them as Defendant requests. Any argument about “what needs to happen before or shouldn’t happen before the election is not relevant here.” Tr. of Arraignment and Status Conference at 29, ECF No. 232.
For these reasons, Defendant’s Motion to Continue Stay of Order, ECF No. 264, is hereby DENIED. In a separate order on October 18, 2024, the court will lift the stay and direct the Clerk of the Court to docket the Appendix, with the Government’s proposed redactions.
Since a decision either way might incidentally effect the election, Judge Chutkan simply opted to do the right thing and apply the law as it exists.
The other day a person on Telemundo asked Trump about his involvement with the January 6th capital riot. Trump responded by calling it a day of love, but then he said "we did not come with guns. They (meaning the police) had guns." (BBC report)
That simple pronoun indicates he admits he was complicit in that event. I hope Smith gets to use Trump's words against him.
So Trump has suggested that Presidential candidates take a competency test of some kind. Does he not want to be President?
This doesn't deserve an answer, but I'll give one anyway. He does in fact want to be president, because the presidency is his get-out-of-jail-free card, something he needs -- the 65 pages of this thread are but one minor testament to that.
Comments
This is his response:
You can watch this exert here: https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/garland-responds-to-federal-judge-tossing-trump-classified-documents-case-216017989630
AFZ
I don’t see it so much as “but justice would be sweet“ as “and justice would be sweet.“ I mean the fact is he’s done some truly awful things for a long time now, even before he got into politics. And I think that if he truly repented he would want to actually come clean about things that aren’t known and not try to find sneaky ways out of actually having justice done. I have trouble imagining him repenting of absolutely anything, but thank God that God has a better perspective in terms of such possibilities.
Indeed.
This, to me, is the greatest hypocrisy of the Christian Right. If they believed what they preach, they would think a few specific things:
1. Trump is in need of God's forgiveness
2. To receive that he has to repent
3. Like David, Jonah, Peter, Cain and countless other biblical characters, they need to be confronted with their sin in order to come to repentance
4. Therefore any Evangelical who is honest would want Trump charged with everything possible and for the whole truth to come out as this is his only hope.
AFZ
He makes them feel validated. He speaks for them. The way singers express our feelings for us, as art, story telling does in general. A critique from outside, except a scholarly one, is a mirror image of that. Makes us feel better.
Can we embrace with them where they are?
There are US Evangelicals like that, but they don’t have the megaphone that the pro-Trump ones do.
I wouldn't call wanting the truth to be revealed "horrible". Sounds perfectly sensible to me. Also necessary for self-government.
As an interesting coincidence, while January 20, 2025 is Inauguration Day it also happens to fall on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day that year. Seeing Kamala Harris sworn in as the 47th president after Ketanji Brown Jackson swears in [ vice president TBD ] on MLK Day would be pretty sweet.
It looks impossible to me, but I understand God seems to like a challenge. We’ll see.
Nah, they don’t like Trump for himself, they like him for what he can give them. I imagine most of them would be quite content to see him rot in Hell with all the other unrepentant sinners once he’s done giving them the theocracy they want. He’ll have had his reward in this life, and all that.
I agree with that. Doesn't stop it being horrendous hypocrisy though.
They are oxymorons.
As to political points. We look on with interest as the US not only has a strong influence over here but the right wing here will be emboldened if Trump does win. We are currently experiencing a spate of right wing lead riots. I fear that if Trump gets in things could get worse.
I've recently stumbled across a series of podcasts from a retired evangelical (Baptist for a while - I'm not altogether sure) pastor in the US called Pat Kahnke, on Youtube. He's a thoughtful, calm guy, previously a lifelong Republican, and he's very upset by what Trumpism has been doing to parts of the American church. I would expect most readers here would get something out of his analysis - so I leave this here in case it is useful to anyone. The episode where he sets out a case for comparing Trump to Herod Antipas is perhaps a good place to start - I got a lot out of it. It's not at all 'yaa-boo' - he's interested in trying to bring people along with him who know their bibles, who are resistant to political ideas being pushed from a pulpit, but who might be receptive to some carefully-drawn biblical parallels. I'll not link it as they are long episodes, to spare the mods here, but they are easy to find on Google or Youtube's own search thing - the podcast is called 'culture, faith, and politics'.
(I haven't been around here for a while, and I won't be for another while - but I have found these podcasts helpful, so I thought this would be a good place to make a recommendation).
This is unsurprising since Ellis did the same thing in the Georgia fake elector case, though in that instance the deal required Ellis to plead guilty to one felony count in return for full cooperation and a probationary sentence. Still I'm guessing that the weakening of Trump omertà is going to be very closely linked to the weakening of Trump's electoral prospects.
A very good podcast called The Holy Post has talked about how the heck this happened in this and other episodes:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BKrOlqlqsTQ
There’s also this really creepy “Seven Mountains” thing I should dig up.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UUSNIFRE5KM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Mountain_Mandate#:~:text=It holds that there are,entertainment, business, and government.
Even if the statute of limitations is expired, this seems like the kind of thing that the Senate (or whichever house of Congress Democrats control in 2025) should put some time into investigating. The implications go well beyond the alleged criminality of one president.
I took that to mean if this alleged crime happened while Trump was a resident of New York, the NY AG could go after him should there be any violation of NY law.
Something does smell fishy if $10 mil suddenly appears in a Trump account--allegedly, he then supposedly loans it to his campaign and then hypothetically calls in the loan after he is elected.
The Statue of Limitations.
Indeed. The federal statute of limitations can be tolled (a.k.a. paused) in cases where the accused is a fugitive, meaning that they are actively avoiding the law, but that doesn't describe Mr. Trump's move to Florida. Everyone knows where to find him.
And in what I am sure is completely unrelated news, we have learned of yet another previously undisclosed luxury vacation provided to Clarence Thomas by Harlan Crow.
And I think that was O Donnell's point. He claims Trump moved to Florida to avoid New York law, or so Trump thought. However, the NY AG prosecuted him for miss use of campaign funds. O'Donnell is saying personally receiving $10 mil from a foreign entity (and not reporting it as income), loaning it to his campaign fund, and calling it in once he won the office is also likely a violation of New York law.
But given that everyone has known where Trump is, and given that his residency in Florida didn’t stop an indictment in New York for the Stormy Daniels payments, I’m not at all convinced that this is a case where tolling applies, and—again as I understand it—the statute of limitations for this offense would probably be 5 years. Granted, there might be an argument about whether it was tolled while Trump was president.
That's the introduction that lays out Smith's basis of appeal. The filing does not request the removal of Judge Cannon from the case, but this is the third time Smith has had to appeal rulings that were obviously erroneous and the appeals court has the authority to remove Cannon without being asked. If I were the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals I would seriously consider a "three strikes and you're out" policy for judges overstepping the law so egregiously.
He’s been indicted! 🎶
(Again.)
Trump indicted again in federal election interference case following Supreme Court immunity ruling
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna168503
On Xitter, James Fallows notes the difference between the New York Times' coverage of James Comey investigating Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Donald Trump being indicted on four felony counts in 2024. Seriously, WTF is up with the NYT lately?
Following up on the above post with this latest information from Forbes:
This has to be frustrating for Trump. The lockup provision preventing him from selling shares of TM&TG expires on September 19. I guess the question is how much, if anything, Trump's shares in his media company will be worth when he's finally legally allowed to sell them. Of course analysts have long theorized that any sign of Trump selling off stock in his media company would immediately tank the value, but if he waits much longer that might be an academic consideration.
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/02/nx-s1-5137303/trump-election-interference-jack-smith-immunity-jan-6
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Superintendent wants to purchase 55,000 Bibles for public school instruction. Bidders must supply a King James Version (KJV) of the Bible containing the Old and New Testaments, be bound in “leather or leather-like material,” and include the full text of the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Pledge of Allegiance, but no pre-written study guides or other “additional commentary.”
There are only two such editions on the market today. The Trump USA Bible or the We The People Bible endorsed by Donald Trump junior.
Nothing like lining the Trump family pocket. This story here.
And, then we have Bob Woodwards new book War. Something about Trump supplying Putin with American made Covid test kits, and the two of them talking on the phone long after Trump was forced out of office which is illegal under American Law. Story here
Bit of a clarification on what Trump is said to have sent to Putin. It wasn’t those little swab kits you can buy at the pharmacy. Indeed, it was way back at the beginning on the pandemic before home test kits had been developed. Multiple sources are saying that Trump sent Covid testing equipment made by Abbott Labs, when such equipment was in scarce supply in the US. The Kremlin has confirmed this part of the story, although they are denying the phone calls took place.
Gee, what a coincidence.
Since a decision either way might incidentally effect the election, Judge Chutkan simply opted to do the right thing and apply the law as it exists.
https://t.co/NMMF5eStsw
That simple pronoun indicates he admits he was complicit in that event. I hope Smith gets to use Trump's words against him.
He'll cheat!
This doesn't deserve an answer, but I'll give one anyway. He does in fact want to be president, because the presidency is his get-out-of-jail-free card, something he needs -- the 65 pages of this thread are but one minor testament to that.