More irony of this regime going after Jim Comey. After all, it was Comey who made the untimely, unethical revelation about Hillary Clinton's emails and, at the same time, kept silent about documented Russian interference for Trump in the 2016 election. It was Comey who helped elect Trump, but gratitude has a short life in this regime. No one is safe from Trumpian narcissism.
Let's stop the hypocrisy, corruption, and vengeance of this regime. Be at NO KINGS 2, the next national mobilization, on Saturday, October 18. Find a protest near you at www.nokings.org. If there isn't one, start one!
my thoughts exactly -- if not for Comey breaching protocol with the revelation about Clinton's emails, Trump never would have been President in the first place.
The administration’s rubes were not elevated for skill, integrity, or experience. They were chosen because they would respond as told, sneer when ordered, and parrot whatever falsehood the moment required. Credentials meant nothing; loyalty was everything. In place of statesmen, we got lackeys. Instead of leaders, we got frauds. Sycophantic liars, hand-picked to serve a demented felon. Dallas was not a leftist. Leftists don’t shoot immigrants.
Laurie, I keep wondering when the toddler pool will realize that Trump will turn on any one of them as soon as the other. In his dementia, he can't even remember who he is supposed to like, beyond the whisperers (we heard them at it when trying to help Trump pronounce the drug name for Tylenol(. It just proved what I have been saying for a couple of years now, that someone is whispering in Trump's ear what he has to say or do and pours in as much hatred and resentment as possible. I do keep wondering if Trump is wearing an earpiece from which he is being fed the crap he is spouting.
I disagree that Director Comey was unethical. He sought to make sure that not proceeding with prosecution was an exoneration. ⚖️
Though I voted for Mrs Clinton and blieve that she has a basic integrity, Director Comey held her to account. 💡
Director Comey did not lose the election. Secretary / Senator Clinton's seeming sense of entitlement to the office lost an election that was hers to lose. 💔
EDIT P.S., obviously, I am not striking a popular note, here. Nevertheless, I want to thank y'all for your respectful rebuttals. That is what 'Civil Discourse' is all about. Please also note that I use the double honorific out of respect for Hillary Clinton. Thank you for your patience.
You are entitled to your opinion Ned. But I respectfully disagree with you. Hillary Clinton had far and away more experience in government than the little king. She also very likely had more first-hand knowledge of just who the little king had been in New York and around the world. Women running for political office are in 'a damned if they do' and 'damned if they don't' when it comes to standing up and speaking forcefully. A lot of people are trained not to like a forceful woman. Look at the Evangelicals! By the same token, if Hillary had coward when DJT tried to bully her on stage, that would have certainly been seen as a sign of weakness. I give her credit for having a plan and knowing the facts and the countries and leaders she would be dealing with. I have never felt the little king cared a hoot about any of that. He has always been just in it for the branding and the money. Of course now, he is in to save his hide after all of the errors of his ways.
yeah but she was dumb about her emails...she knew they were after her and she was very careless. I voted for her but saw she didn't have the "awareness" needed to be president.
Patricia, I see a lot of GOP talking points from that era in the posts today. Things like saying Hillary acted as entitled. That was a GOP talking point that they said daily. About the email server, she spoke to what and why she had the server in her home. And she didn't do it blindly or stupidly, she had consulted people like Colin Powell about doing it. When asked about it she answered honestly and that was all hashed out earlier in the year of the campaign. Whatever Comey's reason for bringing it up 2 weeks before election day, there really was nothing new in what he said. But, it brought the whole issue up front and center to taint Hillary with, as you have said, 'being dumb'. (Another GOP talking point from that era that Trump often repeated.) Excuse me, but if you want to see being dumb on display look at the current president and his so called administration.
Sandy, calling trump simply dumb is not enough. he is the ruination of america, with the help of idiot americans.
Clinton knew some were out to get her. Like it or not women have to be smarter, better etc. I voted for her. She was dumb to not be more careful to protect herself. Just because powel got away with it she should have known the same standard would not be applied to her.
The "same" standard would never be applied to a woman, no matter if white, black, brown or any other color or ethnic group. The simple fact that she was female was enough. The prejudice remains strong still - no matter the excuse used.
I have to admit though as Patricia said knowing many (some?) were out to get her, should have made her doubly careful with her choices and her campaign people should have been on the ball.
But - no matter what - SHE understood government and how it is supposed to work. The ignoramus in the WH doesnt know and worse doesnt give a crap.
My hesitance with Senator / Secretary Clinton was that she came across to me as, possibly, another President Buchanan. President Buchanan had one of the best résumés of any president going in and he flopped. The circumstances were far different in 2016. The concern for me was that a President Clinton would be disappointing, though still far better than Trump.
I agree with you and Jocelyn. I am not saying that Secretary / Senator Clinton should not have won. I am saying that came across as feeling entitled. This perception hurt then Governor Romney and Vice President Gore. What you say about women not being elected president is true.
Trump won less because of the people whom voted for him than for those who did not show up to vote for Vice President Harris. It still shocks me. I was iffy on Senator / Secretary Clinton; I though Vice President Harris would be a great President. A time of sorrow.
Some truth about having a sense of entitlement by Clinton (she would have been the better President) but Comey did not use good judgment in coming forth with his mealy opinion when he did . The timing… and it is really about timing for so many things.
The Electoral College was a contributing factor for sure, but let's not ignore the Citizens United decision (2010), racism, sexism, and a media landscape that makes it hard to get accurate information.
Jay, but that means more of us need to be in the streets everywhere. There are more of us than of them. We need to find ways to be sure our military does not fire on American citizens or anyone else unless we are at a declared war. Hegseth had no clue what that even means, but our good old Senate Republicans voted him in anyway. We need the people to get it that Republicans have nothing positive to offer anyone, particularly not their constituents! We see it all the time and we need to make sure people know that.
Thank you for the reminder, Jay Jay. That is really important. Dr Richardson has pointed out that Democrats draw more votes during Congressional elections but are foiled.
Ongoing investigations within the FBI are not supposed to be discussed publicly. Comey did not follow that rule, and that's why trump won that election.
Ned, I do have to disagree here. Comey did break a DOJ rule not to interfere in an election 60 days before election day. That may not have lost her the election, but he knew what he was doing and did it anyway. that does not mean he deserves indictment, but he is certainly no hero.
Good morning, all. Maybe one good thing we will get out of this so-called prosecution is the answer by Comey to this question: Why did you release the email info 5 days before the election? It violated the tradition of a NORMAL justice dept to release such info prior to an election. I don’t thing Hillary lost be because of a sense of entitlement. Yes, she made some supremely stupid comments. I think she lost because she ran a lousy campaign and was not well-served by her staff. She failed to realize what we all know now, in spades: the average voter isn’t interested in the candidate’s brains. They are interested in likeability, which she did not demonstrate, possibly because she thought the voters would go for experience and intelligence over that quality (bad advisors). She did not display a lot of empathy. Remember - she won the vote total by a respectable margin, but she lost the Electoral College. Bad advice again. She did not spend a lot of time in swing states.
You make a lot of sense, here. Per my shrinking grey matter (i.e., possibly incorrect), Director Comey had made a commitment to a Congressional Committee to report back it if any other developments arose. I agree with his going public and then clearing Senator / Secretary Clinton a day or two later.
Had Director Comey not done that, either someone in the F.B.I. or on the G.O.P. led committee might have gone public, shaping the story against Secretary / Senator Clinton. What does one do when conscience conflicts with policy?
It was an anxious time. People were suspicious about President Bill Clinton's howdy-counsellor meeting with Attorney General Lynch; l did not think it was a big deal.
For me, President Clinton was finding out if his wife were about to be indicted so she could withdraw from the race beforehand.
One other concern I had with Senator / Secretary -- my biggest -- was the thought of President Clinton coming back into the White House as First Gentleman. Not her fault, obviously. The treatment of Monica Lewinski, even at the time and especially after her Ted Talk seventeen years later, really turned me off. Unfortunately, Senator / Secretary had a hand in that.
Agree with you on many aspects of your comment, Ned. Looking back, I can say without a doubt that Bill Clinton was the biggest disappointment in my life of supporting presidential candidates. He really left behind no major legislation that helped our lives. All the after the fact memoirs by those in the WH said that he was pathologically disorganized, which made policy meetings into torture sessions. And of course Monica L. I too worried that if Hillary were elected, Bill would try to take over various aspects of her presidency. I can't say that she would have ever stopped him. However, when the shoe was on the other foot, those outraged Republicans who staged the impeachment have been completely mum about their child-molesting president. I wish the Democrats in Congress would make a bigger deal about that. All they have to do is show all the "impassioned" speeches during the impeachment about moral values, and then show what the president whom the Republicans support has done.
Thank you for a well thought-out agreement, Babydoc, particularly on the hypocrisy of my erstwhile Party. Had I been in the Senate in 1999, I would have voted to convict President Clinton and hated myself for doing so. Talk about an era evoking ambivalence.
Your idea of contrasting Republicans then-&-now would be telling; that is for sure. While I was surprised by Trump's victory in 2016, I feel a painful sense of loss that Vice President Harris lost.
Hers could have been a great presidency with open, civil debate about big questions of the day. I believe that she would have held a coalition together with many political stripes, reminding us that our first allegiance is to the Republic and to the Constitution, rather than to ideology or a Party.
"Better" than Trump? I would say we wouldn't be living this hell, would have changed the trajectory of this nation and world. There have been so many lives lost because of Trump (Comey).
Do you know for sure what Comey was seeking to do? I don't. A major issue with Comey's announcement in the immediate run-up to the 2016 election is that there's little time to refute it. Another is that negative statements (e.g., "not proceeding") inevitably call to mind the positive version. Think Nixon's famous "I am not a crook". Why, we wonder, is this even being said?
As to whether the 2016 election was "hers to lose" -- that's very much open to question. Clinton, after all, won the popular vote, so the Electoral College was a big factor. So was the Citizens United decision (2010) and good ol' sexism. In the years since, Donald Trump has shown the country exactly what he is and 77 million of us voted for him anyway.
No, I did not either; I supposed. Director Comey later testified about what he was thinking. https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/politics/comey-hearing-answer-clinton-emails He makes one point that many over-look: "And I sent a letter to Congress, by the way people forget this, I didn’t make a public announcement, I sent a private letter to the chairs and the rankings of the oversight committees." What this boils down to is one's assessment of Director Comey's motivation.
This : "And I sent a letter to Congress, by the way people forget this,🔻I didn’t make a public announcement, I sent a private letter to the chairs and the rankings of the oversight committees."
— Thanks for that reminder. Perhaps just poor judgement regarding election timing & who he was dealing with - Trumpublicans.
— I feel sorry for most anyone caught in Trump’s crosshairs.
Another aspect is Trump’s fear that his *approval rating is nosediving *before he has firmly established his authoritarian rule — and he is getting effective pushback — see Jimmy Kimmel and increasing numbers of popular Dems.
Agree! And my guess is that his silent minions in Congress are guilty Epstein participants too, frantically protecting themselves not only from Trump's wrath but also their own constitutients. And because this is so potentially explosive, I worry that a lot of the evidence could somehow disappear the longer these delays go on.
I think for us to say the full "anti-fascist" phrase right now is a good idea -- the right is always good at sloganizing and the cult laps it up even (and often) when they have no idea what a word actually means.
I note that Bill Barr was the AG when Comey was alleged to have lied to that Senate committee and apparently decided not to pursue charges. That would make two sets of prosecutors who have declined to indict Comey. As I've pointed out before, Halligan's profile as a former Miss Colorado USA runner-up with legal experience in settling insurance claims which obviously schooled her in "bad faith" makes her the perfect Demento replacement
Will Lindsey Halligan benefit from the irresponsibility of the Florida Bar to enforce, or even investigate disciplinary actions should her pursuit of this indictment be deemed a violation of professional responsibility as Stetson Bondi apparently has? Halligan is also apparently admitted to the Florida Bar. I cannot imagine my bar, SC, being so irresponsible. Bars always have jurisdiction over their members.
Well, if the past is prologue, since the FL bar said it doesn't investigate sitting federal officials when it declined to investigate several ethics complaints against Pamela Jo, the chances of it reconsidering its position with Halligan is slim to none IMO.
Plus, she's just a fingurehead. She can assign it to a first day AUSA to take it to the grand jury. Despite what Joyce says, AUSAs win roughly 96% of all thier cases. Probably higher in Richmond.
Her boss in her former law firm is/was Tom Scott, who was a former USDC member in Miami and a former prosecutor.
First, as you no doubt know, that 96% "win rate" for AUSAs isn't for trials, but instead reflects the high percentage (90%+) of cases that are resolved without a trial, primarily through plea deals. That's not going to happen with Comey (or Schiff and James) as you can appreciate. Secondly, the "win" rate for trials per se is based almost entirely on the certainty of a conviction (and of course the quality of the evidence supporting it). Here even the acting USA (before Halligan) has apparently written a memo saying not only is there no evidence to support a trial and conviction, it's unlikely they could get an indictment. Two sets of prosecutors (the first apparently under Barr) have now declined to prosecute. Finally, apart from Nixon and the Manson case, this is the only situation I can remember where a president has publicly put his thumb on the scales, which could very well have just the opposite effect sought on a grand jury, let alone any possible trial.
The stats tell me exactly what the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the ABA and NACDL data tell me: more than 90% of cases are resolved through plea deals. The EDVA has a national reputation as a "rocket docket" for its fast-paced caseload. This reputation is partly due to the fact that the vast majority of cases are resolved through plea deals and is similar to 90%+ plea deal rate nationally. If the point you're trying to make is about a high success rate in the 3-5% of cases that actually do go to trial, the evidence to support even making it past the grand jury isn't here, as I said, according to two sets of prosecutors.
Going after Comey is sweet revenge for The Convict aka Rapist. He already threw his daughter out to the curb because she knows too much so he is seeking to bring Comey to his knees, just like he is doing to Bolton. George Soros must roll his eyes each time The Convict invokes his name. Good grief, the man is 96 for goodness sake! Give it up, already!
Off topic but how petty / cruel can one thing get. Hanging picture of President Biden auto pen rather than his picture like all other presidents. Oh I wake up every morning hopefully to see his name in obit
Forgot only thing that brings him joy is being cruel.
Believing in reincarnation, I hope to return as an ANTIFA [my dad - z”l in WWII like all fighting] social studies teacher when free speech, facts, books, and learning are encouraged and funded in schools and teach all this with all the zeal I’d bring to it. Living through it is torture.
Lying to Congress. How about indicting Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett, for lying to Congress when they said they would respect settle law regarding Roe v. Wade.
Well, I am ANTIFA. No one funds me. I’m not in an organization. I don’t care what the convicted felon designates me as. I am and will always be ANTIFA. And I wear paper clips.
Barbara, my family was talking about trump's idea of what antifa is, and my granddaughter said, "Grammy, we are ALL antifa!" True, that, and it applies even to people who don't think they are, or haven't realized it yet. My next carry sign is going to be "little old lady ANTI-FAscist". We don't need an organization. It's a state of being, and Trump & Co is going to have to face us all down.
Yes exactly. Kudos to your granddaughter. I will have this conversation with my family when I next travel to see them. They don’t know if, but they’re antifa, too.
The contrast between how Usha dressed and acted while at Yale and her apparent public persona now is interesting- but then don't we all after college as we seek to establish who we really are. But I don't think she's caved altogether. She was JD's mentor at Yale- he seems to have found one at each stage of his emergence from what admittedly was a traumatic youth. I give him credit for being able to create a life from that, but at what cost? I don't think he actually has a sense of self, but derives how he defines himself based on those who mentor him.
Usha helped him learn to navigate the social demands at Yale, and that self merged into his nascent political self. She could still help him transition into a different sense of self. I have been watching her specifically, when they make public (or semi-public) appearances. The look on her face reads to me both concerned and assessing, which suggests that she, in spite of Trump's influence, still provides Vance's foundation. BTW, she was born in America, and grew up and educated here, undergrad in history and has a JD (in other words, she is a lawyer). So a pretty sharp lady. I wouldn't underestimate her capacity to manage her life.
Trump is already undeniably incapacitated but denial (or fear) is still driving those around him. His deterioration is escalating, and at some time probably sooner than later, he will either die or the 25th amendment will be used. Barring even odder circumstances (I can think of a few), Vance will become President. I suspect that he will be dependent on Usha even more than before. That could be a good thing for us, depending on her ability to convince Vance to resist the sycophants and manipulators around him, and his capability for insight. Not holding my breath, but it is a possibility. I've seen it in others. When it does, it can lead beyond mediocrity, and even can lead to unexpected discernment.
He also has no following. Peter Thiel paid for his Ohio election. He is not trusted by anyone. He was chosen because of his lack of charisma and lack of backbone. He won't be able to command either the Speaker of the House or the Majority Leader to do his bidding. MAGA is a cult of the personality - he has none.
The best case right now is for Trump to gimp along to 2028; lose the houses of Congress in 2026; and, try to shoe-horn in one of his children ahead of Vance to explode the base.
Clear info that may just help me sleep. Thank you, ma’am. Congrats on your book. Sorry I missed the signed copies. Soc. Sec. timing just didn’t work out. 📎
Who could have predicted in January that this administration would become this out of control in less than a year? Antifa? Does Trump NOT understand, even though it's been said about a million times, that there IS not group named Antifa? It is simply an acronym, like his cult MAGA. He has gone off the rails so many times this week that it's just mind boggling. Just can't be spending time actually doing his job and running the country vs chasing boogey men and the dreaded "left". Well, at least Jimmy is back for now.
SSsssshhhhh. Don't tell Pam Bondi. "U.S. law does not permit terrorist designations for domestic groups like it does for foreign ones. That was deliberately done for reasons Trump’s new move lays bare—the risk posed by criminalization of opposition political activity."
More irony of this regime going after Jim Comey. After all, it was Comey who made the untimely, unethical revelation about Hillary Clinton's emails and, at the same time, kept silent about documented Russian interference for Trump in the 2016 election. It was Comey who helped elect Trump, but gratitude has a short life in this regime. No one is safe from Trumpian narcissism.
Let's stop the hypocrisy, corruption, and vengeance of this regime. Be at NO KINGS 2, the next national mobilization, on Saturday, October 18. Find a protest near you at www.nokings.org. If there isn't one, start one!
my thoughts exactly -- if not for Comey breaching protocol with the revelation about Clinton's emails, Trump never would have been President in the first place.
The administration’s rubes were not elevated for skill, integrity, or experience. They were chosen because they would respond as told, sneer when ordered, and parrot whatever falsehood the moment required. Credentials meant nothing; loyalty was everything. In place of statesmen, we got lackeys. Instead of leaders, we got frauds. Sycophantic liars, hand-picked to serve a demented felon. Dallas was not a leftist. Leftists don’t shoot immigrants.
https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/rights-hate-unmatched?r=3m1bs
But, designers of false flags might.
Laurie, I keep wondering when the toddler pool will realize that Trump will turn on any one of them as soon as the other. In his dementia, he can't even remember who he is supposed to like, beyond the whisperers (we heard them at it when trying to help Trump pronounce the drug name for Tylenol(. It just proved what I have been saying for a couple of years now, that someone is whispering in Trump's ear what he has to say or do and pours in as much hatred and resentment as possible. I do keep wondering if Trump is wearing an earpiece from which he is being fed the crap he is spouting.
"Proud to be racist" Stephen Miller is one of them.
I think it's something we could easily find out. Maybe Little Goebbels is whispering in his ear.
I disagree that Director Comey was unethical. He sought to make sure that not proceeding with prosecution was an exoneration. ⚖️
Though I voted for Mrs Clinton and blieve that she has a basic integrity, Director Comey held her to account. 💡
Director Comey did not lose the election. Secretary / Senator Clinton's seeming sense of entitlement to the office lost an election that was hers to lose. 💔
EDIT P.S., obviously, I am not striking a popular note, here. Nevertheless, I want to thank y'all for your respectful rebuttals. That is what 'Civil Discourse' is all about. Please also note that I use the double honorific out of respect for Hillary Clinton. Thank you for your patience.
You are entitled to your opinion Ned. But I respectfully disagree with you. Hillary Clinton had far and away more experience in government than the little king. She also very likely had more first-hand knowledge of just who the little king had been in New York and around the world. Women running for political office are in 'a damned if they do' and 'damned if they don't' when it comes to standing up and speaking forcefully. A lot of people are trained not to like a forceful woman. Look at the Evangelicals! By the same token, if Hillary had coward when DJT tried to bully her on stage, that would have certainly been seen as a sign of weakness. I give her credit for having a plan and knowing the facts and the countries and leaders she would be dealing with. I have never felt the little king cared a hoot about any of that. He has always been just in it for the branding and the money. Of course now, he is in to save his hide after all of the errors of his ways.
What you said. Sadly, the US was not ready to vote for a woman. Even though she’s white.
Sad reality, but diversity is really what has made our nation great; it’s time to acknowledge this and move forward from the white patriarchy.
gene, agreed but how to fight all the charlie jerk clubs OF YOUNG PEOPLE ??
Ignore them and dare to confront injustice
Great point, Gene. These days, *l tune into Pharrell Williams for a morale-booster shot. https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs
yeah but she was dumb about her emails...she knew they were after her and she was very careless. I voted for her but saw she didn't have the "awareness" needed to be president.
Patricia, I see a lot of GOP talking points from that era in the posts today. Things like saying Hillary acted as entitled. That was a GOP talking point that they said daily. About the email server, she spoke to what and why she had the server in her home. And she didn't do it blindly or stupidly, she had consulted people like Colin Powell about doing it. When asked about it she answered honestly and that was all hashed out earlier in the year of the campaign. Whatever Comey's reason for bringing it up 2 weeks before election day, there really was nothing new in what he said. But, it brought the whole issue up front and center to taint Hillary with, as you have said, 'being dumb'. (Another GOP talking point from that era that Trump often repeated.) Excuse me, but if you want to see being dumb on display look at the current president and his so called administration.
Sandy, calling trump simply dumb is not enough. he is the ruination of america, with the help of idiot americans.
Clinton knew some were out to get her. Like it or not women have to be smarter, better etc. I voted for her. She was dumb to not be more careful to protect herself. Just because powel got away with it she should have known the same standard would not be applied to her.
This is what you choose to believe. I believe otherwise.
The "same" standard would never be applied to a woman, no matter if white, black, brown or any other color or ethnic group. The simple fact that she was female was enough. The prejudice remains strong still - no matter the excuse used.
I have to admit though as Patricia said knowing many (some?) were out to get her, should have made her doubly careful with her choices and her campaign people should have been on the ball.
But - no matter what - SHE understood government and how it is supposed to work. The ignoramus in the WH doesnt know and worse doesnt give a crap.
My hesitance with Senator / Secretary Clinton was that she came across to me as, possibly, another President Buchanan. President Buchanan had one of the best résumés of any president going in and he flopped. The circumstances were far different in 2016. The concern for me was that a President Clinton would be disappointing, though still far better than Trump.
with a note I know nothing about pres buchanan...
I agree with you and Jocelyn. I am not saying that Secretary / Senator Clinton should not have won. I am saying that came across as feeling entitled. This perception hurt then Governor Romney and Vice President Gore. What you say about women not being elected president is true.
Trump won less because of the people whom voted for him than for those who did not show up to vote for Vice President Harris. It still shocks me. I was iffy on Senator / Secretary Clinton; I though Vice President Harris would be a great President. A time of sorrow.
Some truth about having a sense of entitlement by Clinton (she would have been the better President) but Comey did not use good judgment in coming forth with his mealy opinion when he did . The timing… and it is really about timing for so many things.
Clinton didn’t lose the election.
The Electoral College lost the election.
— and with Trump ‘n Chump’s ongoing gerrymandering ALL elections may be ‘lost’.
At the rate he-they are going … even the No King’s March May be greeted with jackboots.
The Electoral College was a contributing factor for sure, but let's not ignore the Citizens United decision (2010), racism, sexism, and a media landscape that makes it hard to get accurate information.
Jay, but that means more of us need to be in the streets everywhere. There are more of us than of them. We need to find ways to be sure our military does not fire on American citizens or anyone else unless we are at a declared war. Hegseth had no clue what that even means, but our good old Senate Republicans voted him in anyway. We need the people to get it that Republicans have nothing positive to offer anyone, particularly not their constituents! We see it all the time and we need to make sure people know that.
Thank you for the reminder, Jay Jay. That is really important. Dr Richardson has pointed out that Democrats draw more votes during Congressional elections but are foiled.
Count on it.
Ongoing investigations within the FBI are not supposed to be discussed publicly. Comey did not follow that rule, and that's why trump won that election.
Ned, I do have to disagree here. Comey did break a DOJ rule not to interfere in an election 60 days before election day. That may not have lost her the election, but he knew what he was doing and did it anyway. that does not mean he deserves indictment, but he is certainly no hero.
Good morning, all. Maybe one good thing we will get out of this so-called prosecution is the answer by Comey to this question: Why did you release the email info 5 days before the election? It violated the tradition of a NORMAL justice dept to release such info prior to an election. I don’t thing Hillary lost be because of a sense of entitlement. Yes, she made some supremely stupid comments. I think she lost because she ran a lousy campaign and was not well-served by her staff. She failed to realize what we all know now, in spades: the average voter isn’t interested in the candidate’s brains. They are interested in likeability, which she did not demonstrate, possibly because she thought the voters would go for experience and intelligence over that quality (bad advisors). She did not display a lot of empathy. Remember - she won the vote total by a respectable margin, but she lost the Electoral College. Bad advice again. She did not spend a lot of time in swing states.
You make a lot of sense, here. Per my shrinking grey matter (i.e., possibly incorrect), Director Comey had made a commitment to a Congressional Committee to report back it if any other developments arose. I agree with his going public and then clearing Senator / Secretary Clinton a day or two later.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/13/james-comey-clinton-investigation-poll-numbers-522958 (this article shows that Director Comey had not made a commitment but decided to to inform Congress; the case was re-closed nine days, not two days late. Well, I am busted on that bias.)
Had Director Comey not done that, either someone in the F.B.I. or on the G.O.P. led committee might have gone public, shaping the story against Secretary / Senator Clinton. What does one do when conscience conflicts with policy?
It was an anxious time. People were suspicious about President Bill Clinton's howdy-counsellor meeting with Attorney General Lynch; l did not think it was a big deal.
For me, President Clinton was finding out if his wife were about to be indicted so she could withdraw from the race beforehand.
One other concern I had with Senator / Secretary -- my biggest -- was the thought of President Clinton coming back into the White House as First Gentleman. Not her fault, obviously. The treatment of Monica Lewinski, even at the time and especially after her Ted Talk seventeen years later, really turned me off. Unfortunately, Senator / Secretary had a hand in that.
Agree with you on many aspects of your comment, Ned. Looking back, I can say without a doubt that Bill Clinton was the biggest disappointment in my life of supporting presidential candidates. He really left behind no major legislation that helped our lives. All the after the fact memoirs by those in the WH said that he was pathologically disorganized, which made policy meetings into torture sessions. And of course Monica L. I too worried that if Hillary were elected, Bill would try to take over various aspects of her presidency. I can't say that she would have ever stopped him. However, when the shoe was on the other foot, those outraged Republicans who staged the impeachment have been completely mum about their child-molesting president. I wish the Democrats in Congress would make a bigger deal about that. All they have to do is show all the "impassioned" speeches during the impeachment about moral values, and then show what the president whom the Republicans support has done.
Thank you for a well thought-out agreement, Babydoc, particularly on the hypocrisy of my erstwhile Party. Had I been in the Senate in 1999, I would have voted to convict President Clinton and hated myself for doing so. Talk about an era evoking ambivalence.
Your idea of contrasting Republicans then-&-now would be telling; that is for sure. While I was surprised by Trump's victory in 2016, I feel a painful sense of loss that Vice President Harris lost.
Hers could have been a great presidency with open, civil debate about big questions of the day. I believe that she would have held a coalition together with many political stripes, reminding us that our first allegiance is to the Republic and to the Constitution, rather than to ideology or a Party.
Couldn’t agree more! Thanks for this interesting conversation, compliments of our friend Robert Reich.
Clinton was a terrible campaigner - and yes, there was that unpleasant sense of entitlement, but I do believe she would have made a good President.
Such a terrible campaigner that won the popular vote ny 2.9 million.
Good point there, Vijaya.
Though I voted for Senator / Secretary without hesitation, I had my concerns. I any case, she would have been better than Trump.
"Better" than Trump? I would say we wouldn't be living this hell, would have changed the trajectory of this nation and world. There have been so many lives lost because of Trump (Comey).
Do you know for sure what Comey was seeking to do? I don't. A major issue with Comey's announcement in the immediate run-up to the 2016 election is that there's little time to refute it. Another is that negative statements (e.g., "not proceeding") inevitably call to mind the positive version. Think Nixon's famous "I am not a crook". Why, we wonder, is this even being said?
As to whether the 2016 election was "hers to lose" -- that's very much open to question. Clinton, after all, won the popular vote, so the Electoral College was a big factor. So was the Citizens United decision (2010) and good ol' sexism. In the years since, Donald Trump has shown the country exactly what he is and 77 million of us voted for him anyway.
No, I did not either; I supposed. Director Comey later testified about what he was thinking. https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/politics/comey-hearing-answer-clinton-emails He makes one point that many over-look: "And I sent a letter to Congress, by the way people forget this, I didn’t make a public announcement, I sent a private letter to the chairs and the rankings of the oversight committees." What this boils down to is one's assessment of Director Comey's motivation.
This : "And I sent a letter to Congress, by the way people forget this,🔻I didn’t make a public announcement, I sent a private letter to the chairs and the rankings of the oversight committees."
— Thanks for that reminder. Perhaps just poor judgement regarding election timing & who he was dealing with - Trumpublicans.
— I feel sorry for most anyone caught in Trump’s crosshairs.
My assessment at the time too.
I'm going
Truth and sound advice, something we need more than ever these days.
Be fully aware that all chaos from Trump is to divert from the Epstein files which are more likely every day to be exposed one way or another.
Partially true.
Another aspect is Trump’s fear that his *approval rating is nosediving *before he has firmly established his authoritarian rule — and he is getting effective pushback — see Jimmy Kimmel and increasing numbers of popular Dems.
Agree! And my guess is that his silent minions in Congress are guilty Epstein participants too, frantically protecting themselves not only from Trump's wrath but also their own constitutients. And because this is so potentially explosive, I worry that a lot of the evidence could somehow disappear the longer these delays go on.
Joyce, isn't it time for you, HCR and others to start referring to "antifa" as The Boogeyman? That's the only true function of the word right now.
Agreed, refer to it's true meaning anti-fascist I would hazard a guess that at least 75% of us are anti-fascist.
I think for us to say the full "anti-fascist" phrase right now is a good idea -- the right is always good at sloganizing and the cult laps it up even (and often) when they have no idea what a word actually means.
The Right loves slogans and name calling. I agree we should stop using the acronym altogether.
totally agree….
I note that Bill Barr was the AG when Comey was alleged to have lied to that Senate committee and apparently decided not to pursue charges. That would make two sets of prosecutors who have declined to indict Comey. As I've pointed out before, Halligan's profile as a former Miss Colorado USA runner-up with legal experience in settling insurance claims which obviously schooled her in "bad faith" makes her the perfect Demento replacement
Her experience likely only qualifies for supporting big business over people with smaller claims who can’t afford a court fight.
Will Lindsey Halligan benefit from the irresponsibility of the Florida Bar to enforce, or even investigate disciplinary actions should her pursuit of this indictment be deemed a violation of professional responsibility as Stetson Bondi apparently has? Halligan is also apparently admitted to the Florida Bar. I cannot imagine my bar, SC, being so irresponsible. Bars always have jurisdiction over their members.
https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article308320710.html
Well, if the past is prologue, since the FL bar said it doesn't investigate sitting federal officials when it declined to investigate several ethics complaints against Pamela Jo, the chances of it reconsidering its position with Halligan is slim to none IMO.
Plus, she's just a fingurehead. She can assign it to a first day AUSA to take it to the grand jury. Despite what Joyce says, AUSAs win roughly 96% of all thier cases. Probably higher in Richmond.
Her boss in her former law firm is/was Tom Scott, who was a former USDC member in Miami and a former prosecutor.
First, as you no doubt know, that 96% "win rate" for AUSAs isn't for trials, but instead reflects the high percentage (90%+) of cases that are resolved without a trial, primarily through plea deals. That's not going to happen with Comey (or Schiff and James) as you can appreciate. Secondly, the "win" rate for trials per se is based almost entirely on the certainty of a conviction (and of course the quality of the evidence supporting it). Here even the acting USA (before Halligan) has apparently written a memo saying not only is there no evidence to support a trial and conviction, it's unlikely they could get an indictment. Two sets of prosecutors (the first apparently under Barr) have now declined to prosecute. Finally, apart from Nixon and the Manson case, this is the only situation I can remember where a president has publicly put his thumb on the scales, which could very well have just the opposite effect sought on a grand jury, let alone any possible trial.
Here are the stats. https://www.justice.gov/usao/media/1399686/dl?inline
What do you know about Richmond? Ans. Nothing.
The stats tell me exactly what the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the ABA and NACDL data tell me: more than 90% of cases are resolved through plea deals. The EDVA has a national reputation as a "rocket docket" for its fast-paced caseload. This reputation is partly due to the fact that the vast majority of cases are resolved through plea deals and is similar to 90%+ plea deal rate nationally. If the point you're trying to make is about a high success rate in the 3-5% of cases that actually do go to trial, the evidence to support even making it past the grand jury isn't here, as I said, according to two sets of prosecutors.
The venire panel in Richmond is probably far more compliant than the one in Alexandria -- or most other sites.
We have the same thing here. E.G. Miami vs Ft. Pierce.
Thanks for posting this. I think my head was spinning as I read it.
Going after Comey is sweet revenge for The Convict aka Rapist. He already threw his daughter out to the curb because she knows too much so he is seeking to bring Comey to his knees, just like he is doing to Bolton. George Soros must roll his eyes each time The Convict invokes his name. Good grief, the man is 96 for goodness sake! Give it up, already!
Bring Bolton Comey and Soros to their knees. Good luck with that. He’d have better luck with MTG and her space lasers
Trump doesn’t care too much if he’s successful or not,
— he’s happy just making their lives miserable.
He’s on his vengeance tour.
Off topic but how petty / cruel can one thing get. Hanging picture of President Biden auto pen rather than his picture like all other presidents. Oh I wake up every morning hopefully to see his name in obit
Forgot only thing that brings him joy is being cruel.
christine, 12 year old bullshit for sure !
Believing in reincarnation, I hope to return as an ANTIFA [my dad - z”l in WWII like all fighting] social studies teacher when free speech, facts, books, and learning are encouraged and funded in schools and teach all this with all the zeal I’d bring to it. Living through it is torture.
I also believe and want to come back as one of my mother in law's cats...
Oh what a good wish! They must be treated well.
you have no idea !
Costumes? Specially made beds or other furniture? Prams? I’m envisioning over the top!
keep going !
Wow! It sounds like a Jackson Galaxy nightmare!
Lying to Congress. How about indicting Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett, for lying to Congress when they said they would respect settle law regarding Roe v. Wade.
Well, I am ANTIFA. No one funds me. I’m not in an organization. I don’t care what the convicted felon designates me as. I am and will always be ANTIFA. And I wear paper clips.
Barbara, my family was talking about trump's idea of what antifa is, and my granddaughter said, "Grammy, we are ALL antifa!" True, that, and it applies even to people who don't think they are, or haven't realized it yet. My next carry sign is going to be "little old lady ANTI-FAscist". We don't need an organization. It's a state of being, and Trump & Co is going to have to face us all down.
Yes exactly. Kudos to your granddaughter. I will have this conversation with my family when I next travel to see them. They don’t know if, but they’re antifa, too.
"President JD Vance..." Well, now.
Oh no - the WH would smell of curry! Wasn’t that what they said of Kamala?
There no longer is a white house..it's the BIG HOUSE..convicts and rapists ALL welcome!!
Well written!
Mrs Vance impressed me as quite refined; 😢 I had hoped she would have a mitigating effect on our latter-day Alcibiades. 💔
she appears to have caved -- dropped her high profile job to stand behind her husband and gaze at him with Nancy Regan eyes.
The contrast between how Usha dressed and acted while at Yale and her apparent public persona now is interesting- but then don't we all after college as we seek to establish who we really are. But I don't think she's caved altogether. She was JD's mentor at Yale- he seems to have found one at each stage of his emergence from what admittedly was a traumatic youth. I give him credit for being able to create a life from that, but at what cost? I don't think he actually has a sense of self, but derives how he defines himself based on those who mentor him.
Usha helped him learn to navigate the social demands at Yale, and that self merged into his nascent political self. She could still help him transition into a different sense of self. I have been watching her specifically, when they make public (or semi-public) appearances. The look on her face reads to me both concerned and assessing, which suggests that she, in spite of Trump's influence, still provides Vance's foundation. BTW, she was born in America, and grew up and educated here, undergrad in history and has a JD (in other words, she is a lawyer). So a pretty sharp lady. I wouldn't underestimate her capacity to manage her life.
Trump is already undeniably incapacitated but denial (or fear) is still driving those around him. His deterioration is escalating, and at some time probably sooner than later, he will either die or the 25th amendment will be used. Barring even odder circumstances (I can think of a few), Vance will become President. I suspect that he will be dependent on Usha even more than before. That could be a good thing for us, depending on her ability to convince Vance to resist the sycophants and manipulators around him, and his capability for insight. Not holding my breath, but it is a possibility. I've seen it in others. When it does, it can lead beyond mediocrity, and even can lead to unexpected discernment.
laurie, she won't br looking at him like that when he drops her cause she's brown....
Here’s an eye opening piece on Mr Vance from NPR back in May I’m not so sure we’ll see the last of him when the president implodes.
Understanding JD Vance's meteoric rise, from 'Hillbilly Elegy' to the White House
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/28/nx-s1-5413292/understanding-jd-vances-meteoric-rise-from-hillbilly-elegy-to-the-white-house
An excellent interview & read. Thanks!
Alcibiades … that’s a name which rarely comes up these days 😏
Liar-liar-Vance-on-fire (Shady J.D., that is) is worse than Trump. 😱 The latter has the dubious virtue of being obvious. 🤬
He also has no following. Peter Thiel paid for his Ohio election. He is not trusted by anyone. He was chosen because of his lack of charisma and lack of backbone. He won't be able to command either the Speaker of the House or the Majority Leader to do his bidding. MAGA is a cult of the personality - he has none.
The best case right now is for Trump to gimp along to 2028; lose the houses of Congress in 2026; and, try to shoe-horn in one of his children ahead of Vance to explode the base.
Problem there, we don't know when his contract with devil is up.
Clear info that may just help me sleep. Thank you, ma’am. Congrats on your book. Sorry I missed the signed copies. Soc. Sec. timing just didn’t work out. 📎
Make your voice heard!!!
JOIN THE ROAR!!!
There will be a No Kings demonstration on October 18. Spread the word! 👑👑👑👑👑
To find a location, follow this link--
https://www.nokings.org/
Who could have predicted in January that this administration would become this out of control in less than a year? Antifa? Does Trump NOT understand, even though it's been said about a million times, that there IS not group named Antifa? It is simply an acronym, like his cult MAGA. He has gone off the rails so many times this week that it's just mind boggling. Just can't be spending time actually doing his job and running the country vs chasing boogey men and the dreaded "left". Well, at least Jimmy is back for now.
He doesn’t care about the reality of it.
If he SAYS it, writes up an EO and gives his lackeys their orders — it becomes reality.
— the courts push back, it goes to the supine Supremes, they give a ‘shadow’ OK without writing their rationale … and life goes on … for some.
SSsssshhhhh. Don't tell Pam Bondi. "U.S. law does not permit terrorist designations for domestic groups like it does for foreign ones. That was deliberately done for reasons Trump’s new move lays bare—the risk posed by criminalization of opposition political activity."
She thinks Trump is the monarch.
The EO going after ANTIFA by Trump is basically an admission that he is in fact a Facist.
Anti fascist needs to replace the easy to type, easy say acronym. Every time, all the time.
Make your voice heard!!!
JOIN THE ROAR!!!
There will be a No Kings demonstration on October 18. Spread the word! 👑👑👑👑👑
To find a location, follow this link--
https://www.nokings.org/