Impeachment, Take Two (and Other Trump News)

[Annaamarth]

Relevant link given how one of the audits has gone.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wailing-and-gnashing-of-teeth-trumpers-react-to-draft-audit-report-showing-biden-win/ar-AAON1II?ocid=msedgntp

This is starting to feel like when the Flat Earth Society spent a ton of money to show their side of the argument, and ended up just proving (in yet another way) that the Earth was round.

Congrats Republicans. You played yourselves

I suspect three things keep the process going - one is as Glyph said; control of the narrative and fuel for the base on the base's own dime.

The other is that some amount of possible fraud might actually be found in a specific county - just enough to point at and say "see it really happened here, so it must also happen other places!"

Finally, there is the possibility that Trump etc. can find someone to play the game on their level - which means a willingness to be overtly corrupt and lie and bully as much as possible to manufacture evidence - because they absolutely will capitalize on false evidence produced by a third party.

Unrelated: Disloyal by Michael Cohen was a fascinating read.  I won't call it an enjoyable one, but fascinating.

[Oniya]

He wants his Twitter account back...

And so he's suing, stating that Twitter is in violation of his First Amendment rights.

Let's take a look at that. 

Congress shall make no law...

Welp.  There you have it, folks.  And I'm not even a constitutional scholar.

[Laughing Hyena]

He wants his Twitter account back...

And so he's suing, stating that Twitter is in violation of his First Amendment rights.

Let's take a look at that. 

Welp.  There you have it, folks.  And I'm not even a constitutional scholar.

Twitter much like YouTube and Facebook are not part of the US government. They are privately owned companies with their own ToS. He agreed to abide by them and he didn't. In fact Trump repeatedly ignored it. Even so he would have to file the last lawsuit in California. As such he has absolutely no leg to stand on. It's nothing but a S.L.A.P suite meant to tie up a party (in this case Twitter) in legality and waste money fighting the lawsuit.

[Annaamarth]

I think that was Oniya's joke.

It could have read

Congress shall make no law...

To underscore that Twitter wasn't Congress. At least, not last I checked.

[stormwyrm]

Trump might as well sue the New York Times for refusing to publish an unsolicited editorial (if he could even seriously write one himself). Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one, and more generally freedom of platform is guaranteed only to those who own one. For the government to compel Twitter to allow Trump back onto their platform would rather be a violation of Twitter's rights under the First Amendment. Twitter's decision to ban Trump was effectively an exercise of their editorial judgement, which is a protected activity under the First Amendment.

[TheGlyphstone]

Trump might as well sue the New York Times for refusing to publish an unsolicited editorial (if he could even seriously write one himself). Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one, and more generally freedom of platform is guaranteed only to those who own one. For the government to compel Twitter to allow Trump back onto their platform would rather be a violation of Twitter's rights under the First Amendment. Twitter's decision to ban Trump was effectively an exercise of their editorial judgement, which is a protected activity under the First Amendment.

But under the Freeman's Clause in Section Eight of the Magna Carta.....[/sarcasm intensifies]

Do you really expect the sort of people who scream to the high heavens about 'free speech' and 'consomatushinal rites' to actually be knowledgeable about the law?

[Oniya]

I think that was Oniya's joke.

It could have read

To underscore that Twitter wasn't Congress. At least, not last I checked.

Yep, that was it.  Technically, it also extends to 'state actors' - which Twitter still ain't.

But under the Freeman's Clause in Section Eight of the Magna Carta.....[/sarcasm intensifies]

Do you really expect the sort of people who scream to the high heavens about 'free speech' and 'consomatushinal rites' to actually be knowledgeable about the law?

No, not especially.  The judge hearing the case, however...  I expect at least a raised eyebrow and a glare over the rim of their reading glasses before the rubber stamp of 'Don't waste my fucking time' lands.

[Annaamarth]

Maybe Lin can get sanctioned! (Again)

[TheVillain]

I don't know how many times I've had to explain to people, the Freedom of Speech means that the Government promises not to arrest you based solely on the intellectual content of something you say - and that's it. If you believe anything else, that's you being a dummy.

[Oniya]

This falls under 'Other Trump News'

The SCOTUS has rejected Trump's claim of executive privilege on numerous documents related to the failed coup on January 6, 2021.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21182369-order-21a272

Among them are hundreds of pages from 'multiple binders of the former press secretary [Kayleigh McEnany] which is made up almost entirely of talking points and statements related to the 2020 election,'according to the court filing, as well as a 'draft text of a presidential speech for the January 6, 2021, Save America March; a handwritten list of potential or scheduled briefings and telephone calls concerning election issues; and a draft Executive Order concerning election integrity.'

[Vekseid]

Clarence Thomas, once again, proves he is the least qualified person ever to sit the Court.

Which is impressive considering the competition. Kavanaugh's addendum isn't really far behind, though I would have respected it if he made it clear that Congress certainly had that power.

[Oniya]

Not long ago, Donald had a rally where he suggested that the Jan 6 defendants were being treated 'unfairly' (his favorite word), and that if he's elected again, he would make sure that they were 'treated fairly', floating the idea of maybe pardoning them if necessary.

This week alone, following Trump's comments, seven people have cut guilty plea deals.

[TheVillain]

Not surprised. Like I’ve pointed out before, there’s more than a few reasons historians and political experts are directly comparing 1/6 to the Nazi’s Beer Hall Putsch of 1923.

[Oniya]

Little Oni clued me into this one - turns out that the National Archives obtained 15 boxes of presidential communications that had been taken down to Mar-a-lago. 

Mishandling of classified material pretty much ended Poindexter and North's careers after the Iran Contra affair.  (Both were convicted of destroying documents, but the convictions were overturned with help from the ACLU, based on the judge's explanation of 'document destruction' to the jury.)

[TheVillain]

Unfortunately it’s well established that the list of things Republican say they’re against but are actually just fine with as long as they’re the ones doing it includes “directly giving national secrets to other countries for cheap political points”, so just mishandling national secrets aren’t going to be an issue for them.

It’s a little lower then “Child Molestation” and a little above “Actual Treason” but it’s there.

[Beorning]

Okay, I just found this bit on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1496221147729481732

If these are Trump's actual words, then he (along with the guys interviewing him, whoever they are) seems to think that Putin's latest actions against Ukraine aren't a big deal. Apparently, they think "invasion" is too strong a word to use...  Even worse, Trump actually congratulates Putin on being "genius" and "savvy" - and he seems to suggest that the States should use Putin's tactics against Mexico.

I mean, what the actual f*ck? How did this guy end up being POTUS? And why does he have any kind of support these days?

[Humble Scribe]

I really hope that Putin has a kompromat video of a prostitute pissing on Trump. The alternative explanation is that Donald really believes the stuff that comes out of his mouth, and that's just too depressing a thought.

[Oniya]

I suspect it's something slightly less salacious - like how much Russian money Trump has laundered through his various businesses.  I mean, the Mazars accounting firm has ditched him as a client saying that the last ten years of records are unreliable.

[Laughing Hyena]

Okay, I just found this bit on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1496221147729481732

If these are Trump's actual words, then he (along with the guys interviewing him, whoever they are) seems to think that Putin's latest actions against Ukraine aren't a big deal. Apparently, they think "invasion" is too strong a word to use...  Even worse, Trump actually congratulates Putin on being "genius" and "savvy" - and he seems to suggest that the States should use Putin's tactics against Mexico.

I mean, what the actual f*ck? How did this guy end up being POTUS? And why does he have any kind of support these days?

Honesty I doubt even Trump for as radical and tone deaf as he is is stupid enough to tweet that much less say it. Even if he wasn't banned from Twitter, he wouldn't say it. His followers flipped out on him when he endorsed the vaccination after it being too little too late. If he said that it's political suicide and the con man will never stop a good grift.

[TheGlyphstone]

Honesty I doubt even Trump for as radical and tone deaf as he is is stupid enough to tweet that much less say it. Even if he wasn't banned from Twitter, he wouldn't say it. His followers flipped out on him when he endorsed the vaccination after it being too little too late. If he said that it's political suicide and the con man will never stop a good grift.

I must be missing something. It has always been Trump's M.O. to downplay the threat posed by Russia and amplify the threat posed by China. Why would continuing to do so cause his followers to turn on him, when they're taking cues from him in the first place?

[TheVillain]

I really hope that Putin has a kompromat video of a prostitute pissing on Trump. The alternative explanation is that Donald really believes the stuff that comes out of his mouth, and that's just too depressing a thought.

A *bunch* of Intelligence Groups and Organizations at this point have flat out said "we don't know for a fact that the pee tape is real - but Trump and Putin are definitely acting in exactly the same way you'd expect them too if something on par with a pee tape was real".

[Laughing Hyena]

I must be missing something. It has always been Trump's M.O. to downplay the threat posed by Russia and amplify the threat posed by China. Why would continuing to do so cause his followers to turn on him, when they're taking cues from him in the first place?

One quick look at the Lincoln Project and what I gleam from my mother and aunt and I am sadly disappointed and you were right Glyph. It deeply saddened me to see my loved ones still praise Trump and Space X.

[Thufir Hawat]

I really hope that Putin has a kompromat video of a prostitute pissing on Trump.

Now that's a refreshing idea, and I really hope it gets released at some point !

[Sara Nilsson]

Like people would care? Many of his followers drink their own piss to cure/prevent covid. They will just say he was ahead of the curve that is how smart he is.

Seriously though, Trump wasn't kidding when he said he could shoot someone and not lose voters. They know they are hypocrites, it was ANTIFA/FBI/true Trump followers and patriots.. They claim all of those about the January 6 people and feel no shame in either taking credit or giving blame. As long as they stick it to the libs.

[Beorning]

I wonder what Trump is going to say NOW??? Is he going to compliment Putin's genius once more???