I remember reading in a constitutional law class some years ago that, according to Article II, Section 5, Paragraph 4, if the sitting president disagrees with the results of an election he may appeal to the higher authority of whatever diety he chooses in declaring those results null and void, and henceforth declare himself the anointed one and the head of any and all nations and kingdoms he shall deem as worthy of his superior wisdom, insight, and administrative talents.
Sorry. Kenneth. Article II has only 4 sections. I have quoted verbatim Section 4 in my post. If your post is meant to be humorous, it is. And yes I can imagine Trump declaring himself to be in conference with god and exonerated. [As he declared himself exonerated after he was twice impeached. The only reason he wasn't twice convicted was the Senate refused to do its duty.
Trump sucks the oxygen out of every environment he’s in. How many thousands of hours have already been devoted to his legal problems? Why can’t the Republican Party see what a liability he is? The whole situation is bizarre.
And the repub voters in poll after poll still believe tfg’s lies about witch hunts and what about Hillary. Democrats have to pay attention and nationally and loudly and visually counter repub lies and highlight the great benefits of the Biden presidency.
Irenie, that is part of the purpose of the tour President Biden, First Lady Biden and Vice President Harris are taking to various States top let them know how much Joe Biden and the Democratic Legislators have already accomplished, with facts and data. And to tell them how much more can be accomplished in the years ahead with a Legislature concerned about the well being of American citizens. The problem is as the old saying goes: 'There are none so blind as those who will not see; and none so deaf as those who will not hear'.
Indeed it is and beyond my comprehension. The few bits about Joe the Best Ever gleefully sound the horror of his age and mental state. I know this is remarked upon among the like-minded often, so forgive the repetition, but the all trump all the time joe is not able, enrages me.
It all depends on how your get your news. I've heard reference to the tour on both CNN and MSNBC. Do an online search for 'Invest in America" tour and you'll see many links to stories, mostly dated today. Here are just a few that came up.
He's out there doing it right now, this week. We'll see more of it. Search online for either "Invest in America tour" or "Bidenomics tour". Quite a few links come up.
Every time I go out, as I close my front door, I remind myself "50% of the people you're about to meet are below average." I find that treating them all by the Code Napoleon (guilty unless proven innocent) until they demonstrate otherwise is a good policy.
Because RW propaganda spigot is still turned on. A scary portion of our country has been brainwashed by TV and radio personalities who sell out the country for ratings. Bring back The Fairness Doctrine!
"Why can't the Republican Party see what a liability he [Trump] is?"
Because the Republicans choose to isolate themselves in a bubble AND their orthodoxy has been found by a major study to DEHUMANIZE Trump!
Here is a summary of a devastating study as summarized by the great NYT columnist, Thomas B. Edsall:
"In the chapter “Truth” in “The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning,” Dan P. McAdams, a professor of psychology at Northwestern [University], provided an explanation for “why Donald Trump lies more than any other public official in the United States today, and why his supporters, nonetheless, put up with his lies.”
"For Trump, McAdams wrote,
"truth is effectively whatever it takes to win the moment, moment by moment, battle by battle — as the episodic man, shorn of any long-term story to make sense of his life, struggles to win the moment.
"Among the many reasons that Trump’s supporters excuse his lying is that they, like Trump himself, do not really hold him to the standards that human persons are held to.
"And that is because many of his supporters, like Trump himself, do not consider him to be a person — he is more like a primal force or superhero, more than a person, but less than a person, too."
See the astonishing full article at this link to the New York Times:
Thank you Joyce, we can sleep a little easier knowing that our votes will still matter, making it all the more apparent that John Eastman should lose his license. I hope he loses more than that.
As relieved as we were to learn that the Supreme Court had rejected the claims of an independent state legislature in NC case, we ought not lose sight of the fact that the ruling will have no effect in North Carolina, whose Republican-controlled State Supreme Court, as of 22, reinstated the gerrymandered map that the previous Democratically-controlled Court had rejected. The same non-effect applies to every other Republican-controlled state. My point is that we must continue to fight for federal voter protection safeguards that would supersede state law in conflict with any of its provisions.
Thank you Joyce. This makes me think of the January 6th congressional hearings. I hope people don’t forget as time goes on. We must keep this outrage of traitors trying to destroy our democracy alive!
Trump’s opinion is that the sovereignty resided in him. He was the nation. Like a king, installed and ordained by god. He lacks the critical reasoning skills to articulate such a concept, but every action he took in office, and beyond, said “I am above the law, unassailable.”
Al, Frankly, I view all of Trump’s actions as a warning, particularly were Republicans to retain control of the House and win back the Senate, of a conceivable Presidency eager and able to consolidate power, wherein the rule of law would be subjugated to an individual. Accordingly, our only choice is to stay informed and to get to work.
Thank you for keeping us up to date on the happenings this week. So far a good week.I was kind of hoping you will address “judge” cannon ruling that the witness list doesn’t need to be kept under seal.I feel sorry for these people as their lives are probably going to be a living hell.
Christine, While I, too, am uneasy about Cannon’s ruling for the reasons you noted, her decision not to keep the witness list under seal was not out of synch, but instead was consistent with the public’s right to know about the contents of a public document. Though Cannon herself noted that the prosecution did not have to submit the list, I imagine prosecution had concluded, rightly or wrongly, that the ability of the Court to monitor Trump’s contacts superseded the consequences were the Court to reject prosecution’s request to keep the list under seal.
Admittedly, I’m as concerned as you about the ruling. My point in writing was to convey my understanding that in this case Cannon’s actions were not out of bounds.
Is there a voluntary phone surveillance option, so if wanted, so they can proactively monitor attempts of witness tampering? There is an established and ongoing pattern for cause.
Perhaps I used the wrong terminology, I recall a friend with a stalker issue being able to get tracing done by her local PD to identify origin of threatening calls, my intent was to protect the witnesses and the case integrity.
OK. It looked like you want preemptive surveillance, which is a violation of constitutional rights because generally, wiretapping cannot happen without probable cause. If those witnesses experience phone threats or attempts to influence their testimony, that's called witness tampering and would amount to probable cause for phone surveillance.
I have said that I think that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is making a difference on the Supreme Court. She is adding something that was missing before in whatever she is saying or doing. Probably just presenting a good contrast to the ingratiating InJustice Thomas. He and his buddy Coney Barrett are on the wrong side of history on this court. I wonder if they recognize that that is what they will be known for. As for FP Trump, he is so used to letting others take the fall for him. Let us hope that some of his acolytes and cronies are learning a lesson about that. Let us hope that they Prigozhin him.
Linda, As for Justice Brown Jackson, not only do I agree about her impact, but I also would add, in my view, that a major contribution will emanate from her dissenting opinions, which I expect, ultimately, will enhance the groundwork marking a shift in the Court’s direction.
Yes Barbara. That makes so much sense. I had read that she is using dissenting opinions to create a different foundation from the one that is being laid by many of her colleagues. I will be interested in hearing analysis of her dissenting opinions when they come about. Thanks for making this important point.
Thanks Joyce, I’ve learned so much from you. One question that I’ve been wondering, if Walt Nauta cannot find a lawyer to represent him, why isn’t a public defender assigned to him so the trial is not delayed?
It may come down to that. Before, Fake 45 was providing legal counsel for Nauta but not now. Maybe now, Walt will stop being so loyal to The Don and fess up to the crimes committed.
As much as I find joy in watching TFG squirming visibly these days as he tries to answer a question and launches the lie of the moment, Cult 45 and the GOP in general are still very much backing the nut job.
I keep hearing the defense surface that Trump had declassified the documents he had at Mara Lago, so he did not have them illegally. Even if he had done so, why would it be OK for him to have a document that could harm our national security or put intelligence agents at risk, regardless of the classification of the document?
Bonnie: the multiple violations of the Espionage Act do not depend on whether the documents were “classified” or not. The legal issue is that he took,and refused to return when requested, documents with respect to national defense whether officially classified or not. His alleged “defense” that he automatically declassified all documents that he took with him when he left the office of President is total legal nonsense--total BS! Similarly, his other defense that the Presidential Records Act protected him completely is more legal nonsense because that Act actually does the complete reverse! The PRE explicitly provides that all presential records automatically becomes and remains the property exclusively of the United States Government! The only exception are documents which are truly personal to the president such as photos, souvenirs, truly personal letters, etc and certainly not classified or national defense documents! I hope that helps?
I believe he purposely stuffed those boxes with his personal belongings intermingled with NARA docs to camouflage his real intent. It was a juvenile thing to do.
Maybe he didn't even stuff clothing in the boxes. Could be a stupid made up pretext as an excuse for retaining the boxes. "Oh I know . . . I'll tell them I kept golf shirts in there." Sounds about right for the legitimate stable genius?
And don't forget pants and socks. Yes, very helpful. I guess my confusion comes from the fact that this defense keeps being repeated. I suppose confusion is the preferred outcome to accountability.
I dunno Ira. “Souvenirs” is a pretty broad category. I’d like to know how many fancy presidential pens the guy made off with. Reagan said he paid for the microphone, so how many pens did trump pay for? Keep your eyes on eBay everybody.
There’s another point which is that “declassifying” some of these things (nuclear weapons ! Attack plans!) would be nuts. It’s a big reason why someone would say trump should never again be trusted with national secrets. We can’t afford for him to have declassification authority when he clearly doesnt have the first clue about what constitutes a risk to national security. Its shocking actually.
While the charges are specifically about the classified materials that he took with him, he had no legal right to take/keep ANY documents, classified or not, that weren't personal. Every document related to his term in the White House automatically became the property of the United States and should have been turned over to the National Archives immediately on the end of his term as president.
"NARA takes legal custody of records at the end of the President’s term. On January 20th at the end of the President’s final term, the Presidential records of the Administration are automatically transferred to the legal custody of the Archivist of the United States and the National Archives and Records Administration." https://www.archives.gov/files/presidential-records-guidance.pdf
"... trying to steal an election isn’t an official act of a president." I LOVE this! Trump might argue otherwise, of course.
I remember reading in a constitutional law class some years ago that, according to Article II, Section 5, Paragraph 4, if the sitting president disagrees with the results of an election he may appeal to the higher authority of whatever diety he chooses in declaring those results null and void, and henceforth declare himself the anointed one and the head of any and all nations and kingdoms he shall deem as worthy of his superior wisdom, insight, and administrative talents.
It is written.
Sorry. Kenneth. Article II has only 4 sections. I have quoted verbatim Section 4 in my post. If your post is meant to be humorous, it is. And yes I can imagine Trump declaring himself to be in conference with god and exonerated. [As he declared himself exonerated after he was twice impeached. The only reason he wasn't twice convicted was the Senate refused to do its duty.
You need to fine tune your snark-o-meter.
“Superior wisdom” does not in any way apply to 45.
Nor does insight and administrative talents. Humor it is. Laughable even!
Any minute now Governor Abbott will tweet your post as evidence... LOL.
Touché!
"Whatever deity he chooses"! Hurrah for religious freedom !! (very clever Kenneth)
🤣🤣🤣
I call, bullshit!
That statement caught my eye too. I read it and reread it and then celebrated with a beer. It’s a hot day today in SW Ontario⭐️
Trump sucks the oxygen out of every environment he’s in. How many thousands of hours have already been devoted to his legal problems? Why can’t the Republican Party see what a liability he is? The whole situation is bizarre.
And the repub voters in poll after poll still believe tfg’s lies about witch hunts and what about Hillary. Democrats have to pay attention and nationally and loudly and visually counter repub lies and highlight the great benefits of the Biden presidency.
Irenie, that is part of the purpose of the tour President Biden, First Lady Biden and Vice President Harris are taking to various States top let them know how much Joe Biden and the Democratic Legislators have already accomplished, with facts and data. And to tell them how much more can be accomplished in the years ahead with a Legislature concerned about the well being of American citizens. The problem is as the old saying goes: 'There are none so blind as those who will not see; and none so deaf as those who will not hear'.
The problem is, I see not one iota of coverage of this tour :( It’s all trump all the time with our media.
Indeed it is and beyond my comprehension. The few bits about Joe the Best Ever gleefully sound the horror of his age and mental state. I know this is remarked upon among the like-minded often, so forgive the repetition, but the all trump all the time joe is not able, enrages me.
I would vote for a braindead Biden over a bellicose Trump any day. A N Y D A Y.
Good thing is, Liesa, he is not braindead. But i get what you are saying.
And over RFK Jr too, for sure.
It all depends on how your get your news. I've heard reference to the tour on both CNN and MSNBC. Do an online search for 'Invest in America" tour and you'll see many links to stories, mostly dated today. Here are just a few that came up.
There's a story in the Chicago Tribune though you have to be a subscriber to read it: https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/elections/ct-biden-in-chicago-bidenomics-2023-20230628-usfj64zdf5chbc2cxjpdoqtw7e-story.html
Here's a CNN story link from last week: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/24/politics/biden-invest-in-america-tour/index.html
Here's a gifted link to today's Washington Post story: https://wapo.st/3Nnza2A I expect we'll hear more on the evening news.
... and yet there ARE those who will listen and hear Biden’s message.
Yes, thank goodness there are; just not the cult Trumpists
Biden's weakness is still the fact that he doesn't use his bully pulpit to the best advantage.
He's out there doing it right now, this week. We'll see more of it. Search online for either "Invest in America tour" or "Bidenomics tour". Quite a few links come up.
30% of any group studied will always be on the lower end of the bell curve.
50% of any group is of below average intelligence.
Every time I go out, as I close my front door, I remind myself "50% of the people you're about to meet are below average." I find that treating them all by the Code Napoleon (guilty unless proven innocent) until they demonstrate otherwise is a good policy.
But damn, there are just so many below 80...
Yes! Simon Rosenberg has GREAT resources:
https://open.substack.com/pub/simonwdc/p/biden-kicks-off-big-campaign-to-sell?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=ktt63
What polls? I don't think there are any. Whoever claims to be quoting poll results is just part of the right wing nightmarish dream world.
Polls are a waste of time, and even if they weren't, the election is 18 months away so who the hell cares about polls?
Because RW propaganda spigot is still turned on. A scary portion of our country has been brainwashed by TV and radio personalities who sell out the country for ratings. Bring back The Fairness Doctrine!
The Republican party is just a frintvforvthe oilygarchy. The rule of law means nothing to them. They prefer their whimsical rules.
There is no more Republican Party. It's now the cult of Trump.
Because the Republicans are no better than he is!
Sooner or later they will.
I think it's because he makes them so happy.
"Why can't the Republican Party see what a liability he [Trump] is?"
Because the Republicans choose to isolate themselves in a bubble AND their orthodoxy has been found by a major study to DEHUMANIZE Trump!
Here is a summary of a devastating study as summarized by the great NYT columnist, Thomas B. Edsall:
"In the chapter “Truth” in “The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning,” Dan P. McAdams, a professor of psychology at Northwestern [University], provided an explanation for “why Donald Trump lies more than any other public official in the United States today, and why his supporters, nonetheless, put up with his lies.”
"For Trump, McAdams wrote,
"truth is effectively whatever it takes to win the moment, moment by moment, battle by battle — as the episodic man, shorn of any long-term story to make sense of his life, struggles to win the moment.
"Among the many reasons that Trump’s supporters excuse his lying is that they, like Trump himself, do not really hold him to the standards that human persons are held to.
"And that is because many of his supporters, like Trump himself, do not consider him to be a person — he is more like a primal force or superhero, more than a person, but less than a person, too."
See the astonishing full article at this link to the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/28/opinion/donald-trump-presidency-lies.html
Thank you Joyce, we can sleep a little easier knowing that our votes will still matter, making it all the more apparent that John Eastman should lose his license. I hope he loses more than that.
As relieved as we were to learn that the Supreme Court had rejected the claims of an independent state legislature in NC case, we ought not lose sight of the fact that the ruling will have no effect in North Carolina, whose Republican-controlled State Supreme Court, as of 22, reinstated the gerrymandered map that the previous Democratically-controlled Court had rejected. The same non-effect applies to every other Republican-controlled state. My point is that we must continue to fight for federal voter protection safeguards that would supersede state law in conflict with any of its provisions.
However, the ruling does give a narrow window for federal court review of NC.
TC, I wasn’t aware. Accordingly, I will review the ruling.
Amen to that ✨
Thank you Joyce. This makes me think of the January 6th congressional hearings. I hope people don’t forget as time goes on. We must keep this outrage of traitors trying to destroy our democracy alive!
Trump’s opinion is that the sovereignty resided in him. He was the nation. Like a king, installed and ordained by god. He lacks the critical reasoning skills to articulate such a concept, but every action he took in office, and beyond, said “I am above the law, unassailable.”
Al, Frankly, I view all of Trump’s actions as a warning, particularly were Republicans to retain control of the House and win back the Senate, of a conceivable Presidency eager and able to consolidate power, wherein the rule of law would be subjugated to an individual. Accordingly, our only choice is to stay informed and to get to work.
Thank you for keeping us up to date on the happenings this week. So far a good week.I was kind of hoping you will address “judge” cannon ruling that the witness list doesn’t need to be kept under seal.I feel sorry for these people as their lives are probably going to be a living hell.
Christine, While I, too, am uneasy about Cannon’s ruling for the reasons you noted, her decision not to keep the witness list under seal was not out of synch, but instead was consistent with the public’s right to know about the contents of a public document. Though Cannon herself noted that the prosecution did not have to submit the list, I imagine prosecution had concluded, rightly or wrongly, that the ability of the Court to monitor Trump’s contacts superseded the consequences were the Court to reject prosecution’s request to keep the list under seal.
Admittedly, I’m as concerned as you about the ruling. My point in writing was to convey my understanding that in this case Cannon’s actions were not out of bounds.
Is there a voluntary phone surveillance option, so if wanted, so they can proactively monitor attempts of witness tampering? There is an established and ongoing pattern for cause.
No. Good grief, this is America, not North Korea.
Perhaps I used the wrong terminology, I recall a friend with a stalker issue being able to get tracing done by her local PD to identify origin of threatening calls, my intent was to protect the witnesses and the case integrity.
OK. It looked like you want preemptive surveillance, which is a violation of constitutional rights because generally, wiretapping cannot happen without probable cause. If those witnesses experience phone threats or attempts to influence their testimony, that's called witness tampering and would amount to probable cause for phone surveillance.
However, as Shire Jansen suggests, the witnesses themselves can request call tracing if they begin to receive threatening phone calls.
I have said that I think that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is making a difference on the Supreme Court. She is adding something that was missing before in whatever she is saying or doing. Probably just presenting a good contrast to the ingratiating InJustice Thomas. He and his buddy Coney Barrett are on the wrong side of history on this court. I wonder if they recognize that that is what they will be known for. As for FP Trump, he is so used to letting others take the fall for him. Let us hope that some of his acolytes and cronies are learning a lesson about that. Let us hope that they Prigozhin him.
I have said the same! Justice Brown Jackson is making a difference!
Linda, As for Justice Brown Jackson, not only do I agree about her impact, but I also would add, in my view, that a major contribution will emanate from her dissenting opinions, which I expect, ultimately, will enhance the groundwork marking a shift in the Court’s direction.
Yes Barbara. That makes so much sense. I had read that she is using dissenting opinions to create a different foundation from the one that is being laid by many of her colleagues. I will be interested in hearing analysis of her dissenting opinions when they come about. Thanks for making this important point.
Thanks Joyce, I’ve learned so much from you. One question that I’ve been wondering, if Walt Nauta cannot find a lawyer to represent him, why isn’t a public defender assigned to him so the trial is not delayed?
It may come down to that. Before, Fake 45 was providing legal counsel for Nauta but not now. Maybe now, Walt will stop being so loyal to The Don and fess up to the crimes committed.
Great question.
Love the ending line “ ... trying to steal an election isn’t an official act of a president.”
😝
A bad day in court for Trump today, and a good day for the rule of law! Thanks for the update.
Finally he may begin to be held accountable for his actions!!!
As much as I find joy in watching TFG squirming visibly these days as he tries to answer a question and launches the lie of the moment, Cult 45 and the GOP in general are still very much backing the nut job.
Power but not to the people.
Yes, a good day for our Constitution and for the rule of law!
T
I keep hearing the defense surface that Trump had declassified the documents he had at Mara Lago, so he did not have them illegally. Even if he had done so, why would it be OK for him to have a document that could harm our national security or put intelligence agents at risk, regardless of the classification of the document?
Bonnie: the multiple violations of the Espionage Act do not depend on whether the documents were “classified” or not. The legal issue is that he took,and refused to return when requested, documents with respect to national defense whether officially classified or not. His alleged “defense” that he automatically declassified all documents that he took with him when he left the office of President is total legal nonsense--total BS! Similarly, his other defense that the Presidential Records Act protected him completely is more legal nonsense because that Act actually does the complete reverse! The PRE explicitly provides that all presential records automatically becomes and remains the property exclusively of the United States Government! The only exception are documents which are truly personal to the president such as photos, souvenirs, truly personal letters, etc and certainly not classified or national defense documents! I hope that helps?
I believe he purposely stuffed those boxes with his personal belongings intermingled with NARA docs to camouflage his real intent. It was a juvenile thing to do.
Maybe he didn't even stuff clothing in the boxes. Could be a stupid made up pretext as an excuse for retaining the boxes. "Oh I know . . . I'll tell them I kept golf shirts in there." Sounds about right for the legitimate stable genius?
Hope he laundered his unmentionables before stuffing them in the boxes 😈
And don't forget pants and socks. Yes, very helpful. I guess my confusion comes from the fact that this defense keeps being repeated. I suppose confusion is the preferred outcome to accountability.
That’s his M O; I think he believes it as he has repeated it so often and so passionately! Truly a sickness
I dunno Ira. “Souvenirs” is a pretty broad category. I’d like to know how many fancy presidential pens the guy made off with. Reagan said he paid for the microphone, so how many pens did trump pay for? Keep your eyes on eBay everybody.
There’s another point which is that “declassifying” some of these things (nuclear weapons ! Attack plans!) would be nuts. It’s a big reason why someone would say trump should never again be trusted with national secrets. We can’t afford for him to have declassification authority when he clearly doesnt have the first clue about what constitutes a risk to national security. Its shocking actually.
While the charges are specifically about the classified materials that he took with him, he had no legal right to take/keep ANY documents, classified or not, that weren't personal. Every document related to his term in the White House automatically became the property of the United States and should have been turned over to the National Archives immediately on the end of his term as president.
"NARA takes legal custody of records at the end of the President’s term. On January 20th at the end of the President’s final term, the Presidential records of the Administration are automatically transferred to the legal custody of the Archivist of the United States and the National Archives and Records Administration." https://www.archives.gov/files/presidential-records-guidance.pdf
A good day for the home team!!!