406 Comments

The CONVICTED FELON, and ADJUDICATED RAPIST as "president", the MAGA party is proud.

This is an embarrassment to the World.

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What is an embarrassment to the US is we did not have an AG to have Trump arrested on 6 January or at least by the 7th of January and charged with an attempted coup, whether that be sedition or treason. We need a constitutional amendment that clearly states a president can be arrested, charged and prosecuted for crimes s/he commits as president.

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It seems we want to hold others around the world to standards we refuse to hold our own elected officials accountable for, in fact, not even people running for office. And I will guarantee you the world is watching.

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Don't forget, all his behavior was evidently just fine with Mitch McConnell who spiked any impeachment efforts. Guess he just loved the smell of money too much.

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McConnell wanted the courts to do his dirty work.

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That worked out well. McConnell just didn't want blood on his hands. He's a GOP partisan far more than he is a patriot. And I'm sure he knows it.

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Trump smeared him repeatedly. Smeared his wife. And he just took it. Bottom line trumps everything. When I was a child, in the Fifties, government seemed a noble occupation; now it’s just a platform and a profit motive.

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I know. Smeared his wife. Has he no dignity?

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Garland has been a complete failure, Hillary would've been far better.

Both Putin and Un are beaming with joy.

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I think formesr senator and Federal prosecutor Doug Jones would have been outstanding in the role.

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Yup, the Garland turn as AG turned out to be pretty pathetic for our country. Sigh... Not as bad as Jeff Sessions or William Barr but still pretty awful.

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I absolutely agree. It goes along with the premise that no one is above the law. Something that some of us keep seeming to forget.

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Because it affects everyone else, not me …

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He HAS committed treason, and AG Garland should have charged him, reactions be damned. The man is a traitor and should have paid for it. Instead, he wants to unleash his accomplices from prison. What a mess.

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Absolutely true but the blame for that goes to Garland and Biden. They dragged their heels and the country now has to pay the price.

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Actually they would have had to wait until Jan 20 when Trump left office as he would have had immunity while he was still President (between jan 6 and Jan 20, 2021) but basically you have it right. The minute Biden took office and Garland was sworn as AG, Trump should have been charged with the Jan6 riot and he would have been on trial at least a year earlier than the 2024 election. Biden and Garland failed this country badly in this case

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The endless bashing of The AG, Jack Smith and the like is both unpersuasive and just wrong. If they had rushed the case, there would have been strong arguments about denial of due process and we would have ended up with Trump walking which is not going to happen . Mark Lane wrote a book about the investigation of the assignations of JFK called "Rush To Judgment." It was ignored by all serious legal scholars . So too should these complaints that it is all Garland-Smith's fault.

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Or please sign the prenup….

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Apparently King Trump believes his droit de seigneur is valid law outside the fantasy realm too.

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I do hope she collects in short order. And please be aware of the People’s March on Washington January 18, Saturday, 10-3 PM or local marches.

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I wish her very good luck collecting from the convicted felon..

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I’ll be with you in Spirit!

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Keep thinking Jan 6 might be a more appropriate date, the final days of the republic seems to be flying past!

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As well as obviously within any given marriage. Wonder what vows he actually says? Anything about "to have and to hold until death do you part?"

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Maybe until "death do we part" and "I have you buried along with national security documents at one of my golf courses." Awww, love🫣

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Thank You David for giving me a phrase to look up. droit de seignuer✅

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Not quite Andy, this is an embarrassment to US in the world.

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Indeed, he has. If we can't charge a president for an attempted coup than we are no example to the world and should stop talking out of both sides of our mouths, that is hypocrisy.

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On that I totally agree!..

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A world we once led …

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Not only an embarrassment, but to borrow a quote , they are all “weird”, too.

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Will he be required to register as a sex offender? If not, WHY not?

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The White House is less that 500 feet from an elementary school, too.

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Proximity to a school: Let’s not forget Trump’s old influential pals Jeffrey & Matt …

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Registration is part of a criminal sentence. This case was a civil case. So, no, he is not subject to sex offender registration requirements.

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Ah yes. Good point. He lucked out — again.

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No sadly because the Carroll case is civil, not criminal. He has not yet been convicted of any sexual predator crimes that require registration. In fact he hasn't even been CHARGED with any, mostly because the statute of limitations has run out on virtually all crimes committed before Trump was first elected in 2016.

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Not however an embarrassment to Mike Johnson who seems to close his eyes and his bible when he is in the presence of his Dear Leader. Kinda revolting, frankly.

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"But the Supreme Court doesn’t have to take the case and, in fact, it would be surprising if it did."

After *tRump v United States*, never say never with this ridiculously partisan-hack Court cutting the shite bastard even more slack.

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She didn't say never.

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The most embarrassing fact is that 49.5% of the voters, put their vote of confidence in this orange colored man. Unbelievable if it were not true.

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E. Jean is a role model for citizens in a democracy. If we keep insisting on it, justice will prevail. If we fail to demand our rights, we will lose them.

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"E. Jean is a role model for citizens in a democracy. If we keep insisting on it, justice will prevail. If we fail to demand our rights, we will lose them."

So is Joyce Vance. To protect our rights we must know what they are - what the laws are and how the law works. These days especially - in order to advocate for our democracy. It is not common sense or common knowledge. This is why JV's work is essential for our informed resistance. ThankYou!

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Agree wholeheartedly. Whether in an interview on MSNBC or in this Substack, Joyce Vance is constantly clear, dispassionate, and precise. What you do, Professor Vance, is exceptional and exceptionally hard work. Thank you. Proud to be a paid subscriber.

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Agree! Thank you for your timely newsletters…and for work on MSNBC

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Many stand with u this!

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🙏🏼

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Of course, E Jean Carroll has facts on her side…Donald Trump has lies on his. Great way to end the year!

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What worries me is the corrupt Supreme Court possibly hearing the case. After all, did we ever think they would hear the case after 3 state Supreme Courts disqualified him from running for president? They went a step further and granted him immunity, shocking everyone.

That is probably why ABC relented. They know Trump has the Supreme Court in his pocket.

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I thought the SCOTUS immunity ruling was for acts related to presidential duties. Since when is sexual assault, rape, insurrection, etc. part of a president’s duties???

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It isn't & never will be - the Supreme Court is corrupted & was allowed to become corrupt when the lead sees-hears & has solid evidence of the breaking of the rules & does nothing to clean it up & stop it then they themselves should be pulled immediately from their privileged seat & never allowed back into any level of government-city-state-federal etc..Once u discipline the actual person(s) in charge of over seeing & correcting corrupte & bad behaviors & we act swiftly without delays - the corruption within these privileged seats will decline hughly..its when we sit around & talk about it - analyze it to death - sends the message of we don't care - so we encourage instead of discourage - which is totally the reason why we r in the situation we r in today🤷‍♀️

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Since when trump came to power.

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Regrettably!

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And an assault that occurred before he was president.

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I still think ABC should've gone up against him. Their settling was embarrassing to all media! He had no case because the Judge said he raped her, too. He knows what he did to her but he dos nothing but lie about his entire life!

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SCOTUS typically doesn’t take up cases where the main complaint is the trial judge’s ruling on admission of fact evidence. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals opinion is a strong solid one.

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There’s nothing usual about the Roberts’ court.

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The Supreme Court will in the end destroy itself!..watch for it!

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Hopefully. We shall see.

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I don’t think we schools hope for a destroyed Supreme Court. Much as I hate what the Roberts court has done, don’t we need a final authority?

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I'm fed up with the corrupt Supreme Court. We pay their salaries, and they are working for us. We pay hugely for our judicial system, and it's time we got our money's worth instead of obscene, and obscenely wealthy folks scamming the system.

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And if everyone continues to fold because they fear 45, we will be surrendering our country to everything that we most despise. ABC gets no pass for doing the absolutely wrong thing. Too bad that George didn't resign rather than sell his soul also.

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I don't think even Alito would agree to hear this

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Don't be too sure. It's impossible to underestimate Thomas or Alito.

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But they would need two more Justices to accept the case. It really is unlikely.

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Ditto!

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ABC SOLD THEIR RIGHTS & DID NOT DEFEND THEIR EMPLOYEES RIGHTS!..ABC WAS COMPLETELY WRONG..U CAN NOT CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED JUST BECAUSE U SUPPORT trump - HE DID WHAT HE DID & WILL FACE THE MOST RIGHTOUS OF ALL JUDGES - HIS OWN CREATOR!

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PLEASE don't yell indoors.

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Some people use caps due to vision issues. Just an FYI.

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Interesting. I didn’t know that I thought she was copying trump.

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Big difference though. The jurisdiction of the state courts in 14th Amendment cases was (and should have been) in question so that is prime subject matter for the court to get involved. The issues that revolve around the Carroll case are nothing like that and there will be little justification for the Supreme Court to take it up.

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It give us HOPE that na matter how dark it becomes here ' TRUTH WILL ALWAYS SHINE THRU - WE JUST NEED TO GRAB HOLD & DEFEND! DEFEND! DEFEND!

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This report is literally jaw-dropping. And this guy is now president? Again? What does that say about this country?

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Racists and misogynists elected this POS.

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Hey Sharon, that and young guys who spend an inordinate amount of time online getting their news from social media the poison of our time.

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Yes, the ones who are terrified of smart women….

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When they're not engrossed in the porn sites...

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Oh you mean like Mark Robinson, soon to be the FORMER Lt. Gov. of N. Carolina?😀 and not a moment to soon!

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Or the “butt sniffer”

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And our nation is flooded with them!

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The election was stolen. Of course, that he had any real votes at all is due to racism and misogynists, but the reason he "won" is that Harris votes were flipped. Google Stephen Spoonamore's Duty to Warn letters to find out how.

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I agree! Amazing very few people are talking about this. Mostly flipped in the swing states. Biden needs to STOP this transfer and announce the findings. We need hand recount in the swing states.

Read also: “Nine Ways to Prove the 2024 Election Was Stolen” by Tin Foil Matt who writes the Substack newsletter “Tin Foil Times.” You can also listen to it.

https://open.substack.com/pub/tinfoilmatt/p/nine-ways-to-prove-the-2024-election

You can email him with relevant information here:

tinfoilmatt@proton.me

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These arguments that somehow the 2024 election was "stolen" by Trump are about as specious and nonsensical as the pro Trump conspiracy arguments were in 2021. If you actively support this nonsense then why didn't you support the same arguments made by Trump in 2021 when he claimed that Biden "stole"the election?

Please people, we are all mad about the election but DON'T let nonsensical conspiracy arguments make you forget your sanity.

Then you become JUST LIKE THEM!

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Tracey- Anger and fear are a normal response to the shock of the election when we thought we had the election in our grasp. We were wrong. We underestimated the level of misogyny and racism among our people. Spoonamore’s claims have been fully debunked. When we engage in the same false behavior as our opponents, we become more like them and abandon our own moral compass. Please take care of yourself. We need you in this fight on the side of truth.

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Snopes has debunked Spoonamore.

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The last I heard, Snopes said that there has been no evidence presented to back up Spoonamore. Not exactly the same as proving he is wrong.

Spoonamore was asked to “show his work” and asked where he got his statistics, as secret ballots do not identify the voter or party. All of the analysis of why people voted as they did depends mostly on exit polls. However, what Spoonamore found suspicious was a supposedly high number of people voting president/v.p. and leaving the rest of the ballot blank. Other people like Snopes have found no unusual percentage of ballots like that.

Election officials each day check that ballots handed out equal the number of votes counted. However, for vote by mail, there is information available about which ballots have been returned and counted. Identities of people who have not turned in their ballot to be counted could potentially be used to cast fraudulent votes by electronic tampering.

Another security expert warned that the voting machines accessed by Republican operatives in 2020 could be used to discover vulnerabilities that they could make use of.

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"Could potentially" is not an indication of anything.

In my state, all ballots are separated from any identification when received (mail and drop-off ballots arrive in two envelopes, an interior one containing the ballot and one for mailing the interior envelope. The ballot are counted by electronic machines that are not linked to each other or to any network. In person ballots can be entered by the voter directly into the machine. Counted ballots drop into a lockbox to be kept as records in case of recount.

If lockboxes need to be changed, the full one is moved into a safe by the clerk, and an empty lockbox is secured in the machine in view of observers. There is NO WAY for electronic tampering to occur. Yet in my state, there were still attempts to claim that tampering had taken place. It's a meme for election deniers. The claims were quickly dispelled.

I can't say that the methods of counting are as secure in other places, especially when there is no paper ballot, or the ballot record is printed out from a machine that takes votes onscreen. Those make me leery. I want a piece of paper I can see going into the machine, not the other way round. My understanding, such as it is, is that this type of voting machine, not linked electronically, with ballots retained, is rapidly becoming the standard, and was widely used in the 2024 Presidential election.

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I really want to believe votes were flipped … sigh …

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😔😔😔

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Only if you ignore all the reasons why the trump campaign's attempts to prove the election was "stolen" in 2020 were dismissed. There is no evidence that anyone can "steal" a presidential election in the US.

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It also should be pointed out that we actually hold 50 different elections (one in each state plus DC) and each state has its own voting machines and counting process. In this election there were 7 swing states with voted closer enough to even contemplate a potential misconduct. Flipping just one states' count wouldn't change the election outcome nationally. You'd need to flip at least 3 or 4 states. To do that would involve a massive intrusion in 3 or 4 different counting processes. It's just ludicrous to believe that could actually be done without SOMEONE getting drunk or stupid enough to talk about it.

As far as i can see the only ones talking about it are the ones who want to get people to believe it, no one who was actually involved has stepped forward with evidence that it was done. Just like in 2021.

Talk to us when you have the goods. Otherwise shut the f**k up. Please....

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And "Christians" and "Catholics" and..

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It reveals to us that Elon Musk's Starlink and Putin's brilliant Russian tech hacking team had their way, and now let Trump know that "he owes them." I gather that we do not have anyone with the expertise to unravel what Starlink did and can do.

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Or do we?

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What it says about at least 78 million people who voted for this Melon-Felon (which is merely 22% of the whole 345million) is that these people are vile puke lawless-wanna-be racist, misogynist, POS…. But also, we will now all pay bc at least 15 million who voted Blue in 2020 couldn’t be bothered to go vote Blue again for 2024…. so, the ugly problem is that these vile people are not just members of the fascist party… our Blue party has a major problem that I believe is also racist and misogynist.

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Well, I am not likely to use exactly the same descriptors that you did, Brenda, but I do agree that something is wrong when factions of people prefer to use their vote for foolish "protest" statements than vote to protect Democracy itself.

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Once again Australia leads the world - laws were passed in 1912, 1918 and 1924 that require every person 18 years of age to enroll and vote in all elections. If you don't, you have to complete a form explaining why you did not enroll or vote. Failure to provide an acceptable reason or to complete the forms results in escalating consequences starting with monetary fines and can, in the most severe cases result in imprisonment.

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Its citizenry is getting stupider by the day....

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Such a wonderful feeling to know that some of the normal judicial systems are still functioning appropriately. Thank you for always keeping us informed Joyce, your mail in my inbox is always a welcome sight!

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Horrors! The Second Circuit follows the law! What is becoming of America where justice is sometimes served? And bombast not a reason for a court reversal?

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Would that it was the rule rather than the exception...

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With Jimmy Carter's passing yesterday, the news is full of stories about his consequential presidency and post-presidency life of service. The contrast between Carter's exemplary life and Trump's criminality could not be more profound. What a sad place this country is in.

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It's almost as though Carter's final act of service to the country was to firmly plant the image in our minds of who a president is supposed to be and what he's supposed to do.

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I completely agree. Thank you for your comment and for all you do, Joyce. You are beacon of light in this dark time in our politics!

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Was I the only one that was disgusted that 45 was even allowed to say anything about Jimmy Carter? He's not fit to shine his shoes. He shouldn't be allowed to talk to anyone or have anything to say about anything until he actually takes office on that terrible day. That is unless President Biden is able to somehow stop him from doing that which would be preferable.

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I agree but I also think that the posting was not written by Trump!

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He didn't say anything. His statement obviously was written by someone else.

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Breaks my heart. I really admired Carter as a teenager. He and his wife are TRUE CHRISTIANS as exemplified by their lifetimes of service. I need friends like this.

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Sorry, I loved the Carters but the only thing I ever questioned was their devotion to Christianity. They are, to me, TRULY GREAT HUMAN BEINGS which is what we ALL should strive to be.

Labeling then as you do to me demeans the importance and value of their lives given that many of us consider religion to be fantasy. I am absolutely NOT interested in Christianity especially as related to public service which should be held to the same independence from religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

If there was one thing I was offended by every time Joe Biden spoke it was his sign off of "God bless America and our troops" given that many of us do not believe there is a god who "blesses" anything or anyone.

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Thanks for explaining the crime and the circumstances so very clearly, Joyce.

I can't wait to see the documentary being made about E.Jean's fabulous life (of which DJT is a sad, tiny sliver of her glorious pathbreaking parade of adventure).

I became an Executive Producer MAINLY because it gives me a better chance of meeting her! At the premiere, maybe...

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Keep us posted!

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I'm sure Susan Collins is deeply concerned, troubled and hope he's learned his lesson.

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Susan Collin’s is a joke.

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He is never going to pay or be punished in any way possible, is he? I detest him.

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Question: weren't some of Trump's assets put in escrow for Carroll?

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Yes, $5.5M was put into a court-controlled account.

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So that is good but the 83.3mill? And when does the money ACTUALLY get transferred? After several more appeals..... I won't hold my breath.

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That is secured by a bond but payment too must await the exhaustion of all appeals. In theory, the 2nd Circuit could reduce the judgment, but it unlikely to overturn what was again a jury verdict and especially since $65M of it was in punitive damages for continuing to defame E. Jean Carroll. The purpose of punitive damages is to not only punish a defendant for particularly malicious behavior, but to deter any such behavior in the future. The $280,000 in punitive damages awarded in her first defamation and sexual abuse trial was clearly not enough to deter him from continuing to make defamatory statements. And remember, the presiding judge found those statements to indeed be defamatory and Demento liable for them, even before the second trial began, which was then only to set the amount of the judgment debt.

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Today's Appellate Court decision bodes well for the $83.3 Million defamation award which is based separate Wreck conduct.

A trial Judge's evidentiary decisions are rarely overturned particularly with the solid evidentiary foundarion built by Kaplan -- E.Jean's counsel.

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Somewhere I read that there is a belief that when you die you experience EVERY thing you had done for another good or bad. Of course, I remember that for every action I take but I also figure that he is building his own hell. There will be no number of Bibles he can sell that will save him from his fate. Not unless he sincerely repents in this life. I’m not sure he is capable of that.

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Ha! Trump repent?

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Malignant narcissists are never wrong in their own eyes.

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Joyce, you are the very best. Keep up the great work of clarifying the news.

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Hopefully this will be end of the struggle except the battle to collect and it will be an epic battle

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Yes. See Alex Jones......

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Don't forget Rudy. He should spend time in jail for contempt of court. Hearing on Friday

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Now that would be justice.

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Justice? For Trumpists? Nevah happen GI!

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ad infinitum- ad nauseam!

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Now let’s see if this SCOTUS 6 takes the case and rules in Trump’s favor.

Yes, that would be unusual and unprecedented; but the majority on this Bench has shown a propensity for both where Trump is concerned.

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In other words - our incoming WH occupant is a disgusting piece of S**t!

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YEP!

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Thank you so much, Joyce. You answered questions I didn't even know I had! I hope we live long enough to see him reap what he has sown (and so richly deserves).

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The bad news is that all the rest of us are going to reap what a small plurality of the voters have sown.

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It wasn't a small plurality. It was 49.9% of the votes with a 2.5 million vote plurality. I don't consider that small at all. Sad but not small. It wasn't huge either but it was significant..

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Reading this again makes me nauseous. If a felon can't vote, how is it possible that such a person can become POTUS? What is wrong with this country? The people who disbelieve these reports, who deny them and the people who say, "He's correct. A famous person can do whatever they want," are part of the problem. The "religious right" who have zero integrity don't care either. How many TV shows have I see where the man doesn't "believe in" divorce because it is against his church so he kills his wife? Everyone, if you are unfamiliar with what is behind the evangelical rise please read "The Power Worshippers" by Katherine Stewart and "Republican Jesus" by Tony Keddie. They are both scholars and explain quite a bit of how we got to where we are. The most dangerous evangelical people who have helped empower DJT are Mike Johnson, Betsy DeVos, James Dobson, David Green, Leonard Leo, Ginni Thomas, Dennis Prater, David Barton and Kristen Waggoner. There are others like the two billionaires in Texas, Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks. Trump, unfortunately, will never see the inside of a jail, but being really informed lets us push back much more effectively on those that allow him to keep slipping through the structures we have that should have caught him years ago. Thank you, Joyce, for keeping us all up to date.

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Felons can vote, at least my father who is a convicted felon is allowed to vote in Indiana. Kind of wish they couldn't.

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They couldn't for years. I should remind everyone that (a) most of the laws which changed to permit felons and former felons to vote were pushed by us liberals, and (b) technically Trump is not yet a felon who has lost his right to vote because he had not yet been incarcerated for his convictions.

So as they often say, be careful what you wish for.

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