Ummm..we ALL saw what happened Jan. 6, 2021. We all heard Trump gin up the crowd of MAGA dupes at the Ellipse, a group who he himself had brought/ invited to come there. We all saw what happened next. Only a complete imbecile would argue in support of Trumps innocence. That is why fools like MTG and co. are the ones doing most of the squawking. It is also why Trump is always lying about Smith and trying to discredit him. It is the only card he has left to play. MAGA America, get your heads out of your deluded arses. The sooner the better.
I wish, but never gonna happen. The Kool-Aid drinkers have so much invested in supporting trump, they will never be able to say, oh, oops, gosh we were wrong. They will continue to buy the witch hunt, hoax crap and blame everyone else.
These religious right people have been duped for years by pastors of the MEGA churches they pour money into. GOP coined MAGA because it went so well with MEGA. They are so blinded by the grift they will never see the light.
What you saw was an entrapment scheme planned and executed by Nancy Pelosi and company. You’re just too fucking stupid to realize what you were looking at.
What is the criminal statute violated by telling people to go peacefully to the Capitol? Is that statute also violated when the President tells his followers that the opposition party is “fascist”, then his followers proceed to attempt multiple assassinations?
He didn't say that. He incited people by telling them to "fight like hell." The Republican/MAGA party is largely fascist when they support a wannabe dictator so nothing wrong with Biden's statement. There is no evidence that the assassination attempts were committed by democrats. In fact, the kid in PA was a registered republican.
Actually, he did say that. But again, is it a violation of any criminal or moral statute to tell people to “fight like hell”? The only fascist is your Potato Head. Fuck you, Carrie.
There is an element of sadness about this whole thing. So much work, the building of a case, the attacks on people's integrity for doing their jobs and nothing will come of it. There will be no prosecution, no punishment for wrong doing, no respect for the rule of law. What has the country learned, delay, delay, delay works for rich people, not poor people.
Excellent point. It works only if you have the capital to pay the lawyers for the delay. Trump's presidential campaign and takeover of the GOP were mainly about funding his legal bills that, in 2024, were well over $50 million.
Agree, disappointed that Trump was able to delay delay delay. I disagree, however, that the rule of law did not operate. To the contrary, Trump benefited from orderly legal procedures, and meticulous due process. The case was ultimately derailed because, in a free and fair election, Trump was chosen to be President. DOJ's policy not to prosecute a sitting President is based on Constitutional respect for the OFFICE of the President and the will of the People. An imperfect result, but an honorable one.
I could almost agree with you if the Supreme Court was not as corrupt as it’s been over the last several years. I also have a difficult time using the word “honorable” when it comes to anything involving Trump. It’s kind of like an oxymoron 😕
My point is: The American system of justice (and all who support it) behaved and functioned honorably, especially in light of the unprecedented and jarring assault on our democracy. This is why I emphasized the OFFICE of the President (not per se the occupant).
No they did not. Anyone who thinks Cannon acted honorably needs to re-look. And trump got away with it all because he had tens of millions of dollars (all supporters’ donations, none of his own) to hire teams of lawyers to employ all the delaying techniques. And - the FBI /DOJ treated him very deferentially. I worked for the military. I had a higher than Top Secret clearance. If I had ever been caught with even one document outside of a secured facility, I would have been apprehended immediately. And yet trump was given over a year to return hundreds of documents, and it still took an FBI raid to get them.
Dawn, I appreciate your unique insights and thank you especially for your military service. Whereas I agree with you the doj/FBI was deferential to the president in the documents case and Cannon was off-base in her rulings, I remain of the opinion that the investigators, spec pros Jack Smith and the courts deserve our recognition and appreciation for respecting the rule of law, especially given the unprecedented nature of these cases.
OK, yes, I see what you are saying and I agree completely. The DOJ and Smith did act honorably and always within the rule of law - although the MAGA folks portrayed it differently. My point, and I didn’t make it well, was that trump benefitted greatly from that, and he (ab)used it to his advantage so trump will avoid any accountability for any of his actions. Looking forward, I have great concern that the DOJ and FBI will continue in that honorable tradition. I believe trump will use them as tools for his personnel revenge campaign.
The case was derailed because he had a bought and paid for judge in Aileen Cannon. If she had proceeded the way Chutkan did in DC, that trial would have happened and been over. She made unconscionable delays, terrible rulings that the 11 Ct of Appeals reversed (all taking time). And because of the bought and paid for SCOTUS. An appeal was made to them, and instead of acting expeditiously as they should have in a case of this magnitude, they delayed months before making a ruling.
Hi Mary Harriet, at least with the Smith report availa le, historians and future generations can digest the real truth (not the DJT story) about what happened.
You’re wrong, there will be prosecution for wrongdoing. Starting with the Russia, Russia, Russia, collusion bullshit for any of the crimes where the statute of limitation hasn’t already run out (as planned by the Biden administration by piece of shit Merrick Garland who just sat on it for four years and did nothing but Weaponized his department to go after Joe Biden’s political enemies)
Yes, convicted on charges that would never have been brought unless the defendant's last name was the same as the sitting President at the time. How many other gun owners are drug users or abusers? How many others have failed to pay taxes on time, but then later paid up and the fines associated, only to be tried for tax evasion? Apples to oranges comparison that smacks of "what-aboutism."
Regarding HB, the sticking points for me are the chaos surrounding custody of the laptop, the "almost-settlement" (good catch by the presiding judge), and of course the JB's pardon. What is your take?
Trump continues with the Roy Cohn playbook because the facts prove he's guilty, so you pound on the desk and scream like Hell because that is all you can do.
Look at the post released from the Oscars today. Trump threatened to sue but its been released anyway. It's about his relationship with Cohn and his aids diagnosis.
Trump lies & Republicans lie in service to him, contrary to their oath of office as they are cowards. Every journalist should write, after referring to Trump, as convicted felon, each & every time. I wish we could add insurrectionist also, but Garland & Smith took too long & all the delays worked in his favor...again.
“Not entitled to his own facts.” Trump keeps saying that the Jan6 committee deleted and got rid of evidence. When has he EVER produced one shred of evidence? He just gets to make up stuff out of whole cloth, and never gets called on it?
Trump and his buddies have been saying for awhile now that the Jan 6 committee destroyed all the evidence. They are saying this because that is what they intend on doing. Then they’ll continue blaming the democrats for the destroyed evidence which they will claim would have exonerated Trump.
I voted for Harris, but I am not with you. Trump won a free and fair election and should assume office on Jan 20th. And I'm (almost) certain that he will leave when his term expires. As distraught as we may be over the election results, we can't become what we hate.
As Daniel Kimmel rightly notes, the pre-existing "law-free zone" around sitting Presidents does not come from the The Constitution. What former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith calls "The Department’s view that the Constitution prohibits" prosecution is not supported anywhere in The Constitution. And, unless I'm mistaken, this policy limiting rule of law came not from the Office of The Attorney General, "the people's lawyer," but from the Office of the White House Counsel, the President's lawyers, in this case lawyers specifically protecting Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. Does anyone think the Founding Fathers would want to give those 2 Presidents Get Out of Jail Free cards?
The problems are with Garland taking his sweet time and not Smith. I can't speak to if Smith is good at his job or not but Garland taking so long meant that he never had a chance.
It really doesn’t matter what Trump says. The majority of Americans, even many that voted for him know how deranged he is. What gets me is those who are professionals, with intelligence that still support him! And those like MTG and others are just boot lickers that want to ride his ass into power!
First I'll say that I think Trump was guilty. However the fact that Smith thought he could get a conviction is not a surprise since presumably he wouldn't have brought the case otherwise. Robert Hur didn't think he could get a conviction so didn't pursue the case against Biden.
Ummm..we ALL saw what happened Jan. 6, 2021. We all heard Trump gin up the crowd of MAGA dupes at the Ellipse, a group who he himself had brought/ invited to come there. We all saw what happened next. Only a complete imbecile would argue in support of Trumps innocence. That is why fools like MTG and co. are the ones doing most of the squawking. It is also why Trump is always lying about Smith and trying to discredit him. It is the only card he has left to play. MAGA America, get your heads out of your deluded arses. The sooner the better.
Couldn't say it better than you! My hat is of...well said!!!!
I wish, but never gonna happen. The Kool-Aid drinkers have so much invested in supporting trump, they will never be able to say, oh, oops, gosh we were wrong. They will continue to buy the witch hunt, hoax crap and blame everyone else.
These religious right people have been duped for years by pastors of the MEGA churches they pour money into. GOP coined MAGA because it went so well with MEGA. They are so blinded by the grift they will never see the light.
Well said
What you saw was an entrapment scheme planned and executed by Nancy Pelosi and company. You’re just too fucking stupid to realize what you were looking at.
What is the criminal statute violated by telling people to go peacefully to the Capitol? Is that statute also violated when the President tells his followers that the opposition party is “fascist”, then his followers proceed to attempt multiple assassinations?
He didn't say that. He incited people by telling them to "fight like hell." The Republican/MAGA party is largely fascist when they support a wannabe dictator so nothing wrong with Biden's statement. There is no evidence that the assassination attempts were committed by democrats. In fact, the kid in PA was a registered republican.
Actually, he did say that. But again, is it a violation of any criminal or moral statute to tell people to “fight like hell”? The only fascist is your Potato Head. Fuck you, Carrie.
There is an element of sadness about this whole thing. So much work, the building of a case, the attacks on people's integrity for doing their jobs and nothing will come of it. There will be no prosecution, no punishment for wrong doing, no respect for the rule of law. What has the country learned, delay, delay, delay works for rich people, not poor people.
Excellent point. It works only if you have the capital to pay the lawyers for the delay. Trump's presidential campaign and takeover of the GOP were mainly about funding his legal bills that, in 2024, were well over $50 million.
Agree, disappointed that Trump was able to delay delay delay. I disagree, however, that the rule of law did not operate. To the contrary, Trump benefited from orderly legal procedures, and meticulous due process. The case was ultimately derailed because, in a free and fair election, Trump was chosen to be President. DOJ's policy not to prosecute a sitting President is based on Constitutional respect for the OFFICE of the President and the will of the People. An imperfect result, but an honorable one.
I could almost agree with you if the Supreme Court was not as corrupt as it’s been over the last several years. I also have a difficult time using the word “honorable” when it comes to anything involving Trump. It’s kind of like an oxymoron 😕
My point is: The American system of justice (and all who support it) behaved and functioned honorably, especially in light of the unprecedented and jarring assault on our democracy. This is why I emphasized the OFFICE of the President (not per se the occupant).
No they did not. Anyone who thinks Cannon acted honorably needs to re-look. And trump got away with it all because he had tens of millions of dollars (all supporters’ donations, none of his own) to hire teams of lawyers to employ all the delaying techniques. And - the FBI /DOJ treated him very deferentially. I worked for the military. I had a higher than Top Secret clearance. If I had ever been caught with even one document outside of a secured facility, I would have been apprehended immediately. And yet trump was given over a year to return hundreds of documents, and it still took an FBI raid to get them.
Dawn, I appreciate your unique insights and thank you especially for your military service. Whereas I agree with you the doj/FBI was deferential to the president in the documents case and Cannon was off-base in her rulings, I remain of the opinion that the investigators, spec pros Jack Smith and the courts deserve our recognition and appreciation for respecting the rule of law, especially given the unprecedented nature of these cases.
OK, yes, I see what you are saying and I agree completely. The DOJ and Smith did act honorably and always within the rule of law - although the MAGA folks portrayed it differently. My point, and I didn’t make it well, was that trump benefitted greatly from that, and he (ab)used it to his advantage so trump will avoid any accountability for any of his actions. Looking forward, I have great concern that the DOJ and FBI will continue in that honorable tradition. I believe trump will use them as tools for his personnel revenge campaign.
The case was derailed because he had a bought and paid for judge in Aileen Cannon. If she had proceeded the way Chutkan did in DC, that trial would have happened and been over. She made unconscionable delays, terrible rulings that the 11 Ct of Appeals reversed (all taking time). And because of the bought and paid for SCOTUS. An appeal was made to them, and instead of acting expeditiously as they should have in a case of this magnitude, they delayed months before making a ruling.
I agree. I don't like it but I agree.
Hi Mary Harriet, at least with the Smith report availa le, historians and future generations can digest the real truth (not the DJT story) about what happened.
True, and it is more difficult to rewrite history, at least I hope it is. He certainly is trying to do so with the January 6 pardons.
You’re wrong, there will be prosecution for wrongdoing. Starting with the Russia, Russia, Russia, collusion bullshit for any of the crimes where the statute of limitation hasn’t already run out (as planned by the Biden administration by piece of shit Merrick Garland who just sat on it for four years and did nothing but Weaponized his department to go after Joe Biden’s political enemies)
All of the new laws that Biden has made before he put in place, Trump will do his best to revoke them, he’s pardoning all of the J6 hostages, etc
Reminds me a bit of the Hunter Biden cases, you too??
No. Hunter went to trial and was convicted. D
Yes, convicted on charges that would never have been brought unless the defendant's last name was the same as the sitting President at the time. How many other gun owners are drug users or abusers? How many others have failed to pay taxes on time, but then later paid up and the fines associated, only to be tried for tax evasion? Apples to oranges comparison that smacks of "what-aboutism."
Regarding HB, the sticking points for me are the chaos surrounding custody of the laptop, the "almost-settlement" (good catch by the presiding judge), and of course the JB's pardon. What is your take?
Trump continues with the Roy Cohn playbook because the facts prove he's guilty, so you pound on the desk and scream like Hell because that is all you can do.
When you have the facts pound the facts. When you have the law pound the law. When you have neither pound the table.
Look at the post released from the Oscars today. Trump threatened to sue but its been released anyway. It's about his relationship with Cohn and his aids diagnosis.
Just makes you wonder if Roy groomed him which is why he is so focused on grooming of people.
Trump lies & Republicans lie in service to him, contrary to their oath of office as they are cowards. Every journalist should write, after referring to Trump, as convicted felon, each & every time. I wish we could add insurrectionist also, but Garland & Smith took too long & all the delays worked in his favor...again.
Where are the Walter Kronkite’s and Dan Rather’s? Did they lie? I watched them as a kid.
“Not entitled to his own facts.” Trump keeps saying that the Jan6 committee deleted and got rid of evidence. When has he EVER produced one shred of evidence? He just gets to make up stuff out of whole cloth, and never gets called on it?
Thanks again, Chris, for an excellent essay.
Totally agree. It was illuminating.
Trump and his buddies have been saying for awhile now that the Jan 6 committee destroyed all the evidence. They are saying this because that is what they intend on doing. Then they’ll continue blaming the democrats for the destroyed evidence which they will claim would have exonerated Trump.
Our Country is crumbling and make no mistake, it's over as of Jan 20 if Trump sworn in.
They will permanently dismantle democracy. They will not leave.
Garland messed up but it should NOT cost us our Nation!
Inauguration of Donald Trump should NOT proceed. Who's with me?
I will be wearing these kinds of shirts the next four years 👇
https://libtees-2.creator-spring.com
I voted for Harris, but I am not with you. Trump won a free and fair election and should assume office on Jan 20th. And I'm (almost) certain that he will leave when his term expires. As distraught as we may be over the election results, we can't become what we hate.
We can hope👏🏻
Yes! Like how said that!
4 years? More like 4 ever. You said it yourself - he ain't leaving the WH except in a box.
4 years will *seem like* forever.
The Constitution does NOT prevent the prosecution of a sitting president. That is only a policy of the Department of Justice. It is NOT law.
As Daniel Kimmel rightly notes, the pre-existing "law-free zone" around sitting Presidents does not come from the The Constitution. What former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith calls "The Department’s view that the Constitution prohibits" prosecution is not supported anywhere in The Constitution. And, unless I'm mistaken, this policy limiting rule of law came not from the Office of The Attorney General, "the people's lawyer," but from the Office of the White House Counsel, the President's lawyers, in this case lawyers specifically protecting Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. Does anyone think the Founding Fathers would want to give those 2 Presidents Get Out of Jail Free cards?
It's the Office of Legal Counsel. They advise all POTUS' staff&members of executive branch
And NO....Founders would offer up no such get out of jail free card! Great point.
The problems are with Garland taking his sweet time and not Smith. I can't speak to if Smith is good at his job or not but Garland taking so long meant that he never had a chance.
IIRC Garland took a year and half to appoint Smith, then Smith took another year to proceed with the case, so neither were exactly speed demons.
Wait...............MTG lied and/or said something ridiculous?!?!
I'm shocked! SHOCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!
It really doesn’t matter what Trump says. The majority of Americans, even many that voted for him know how deranged he is. What gets me is those who are professionals, with intelligence that still support him! And those like MTG and others are just boot lickers that want to ride his ass into power!
Of course Jack Smith is not “partisan” in any way, shape or form.
But, in Trump Infested Bizarro World anyone who is NOT a shameless Trump (or Republican) ass kisser they are “partisan”.
Republicans demand a fellow Republican to investigate Democrats.
Republicans demand a fellow Republican to investigate Republicans.
Worse yet, ANY criticism of Convicted Felon Trump WILL NOT BE TOLERATED and it is a requirement to smear and lie about them.
Spot on, Chris.
First I'll say that I think Trump was guilty. However the fact that Smith thought he could get a conviction is not a surprise since presumably he wouldn't have brought the case otherwise. Robert Hur didn't think he could get a conviction so didn't pursue the case against Biden.