Ken Paxton...dear god. His reasoning for dismissal of all charges going into the Senate trial: "Paxton has argued his reelection to a third term last November is reason enough to dismiss all of the articles of impeachment against him. He said it shows voters knew about the allegations surrounding him and voted for him anyway." Brilliant! Sharing the same degree of chutzpah as his hero, tRump, and perhaps the same "Kraken" legal team.
Excellent summary here, including the above quote:
Once again a or any Republican not taking into account all the people that they have worked so hard to disenfranchise from voting. How much effort they have expended in TX to keep ballots out of the hands of tens (maybe 100's) of thousands of people. To remove voting locations and disqualify ballots basically because they're in a non-republican favorable district.
All we can work towards is hoping their tunnel vision of our country is soundly trounced in the next election cycle by people who see and understand the damage they're doing to our country.
Paxton and Trump are birds of a feather. They do wrong but aren't at fault and blame others. They deserve an orange jump suit and decades behind bars. We have to ensure that happens.
You are so correct about Paxton; yhe depths of his perfidy may never be completely revealed, and his 3rd election is such an indictment of Texas Voters as to be astounding.And let us not forget Wheels Abbott, who is at least as corrupt as Paxton or Drumpf, just a little better at hiding it. How I wish we had the Late Great Molly back on the trail of these malefactors.
Hi Lance, I read the story in the link you pasted above. The public did NOT know much of what Ken Paxton was doing when they re-elected him; i.e., ditching security detail to meet his lover??? That put the entire state of Texas at risk with an attorney general at risk of being kidnapped. That is just poor judgment. Here's the statement the House managers included and this is just a smidgeon:
"Paxton frequently ditched his security detail so he could meet with Paul and others" and that "Uber records reflect drivers picked up Paxton under the alias of 'Dave P' a block from his home and ferried him to his lover's or Paul's properties more than a dozen times" in 2020. "
And he was doing some kind of financial quid pro quo with the Paul guy. They may not be going all 'blame-game' over the affair, but sneaking out to meet without security and paying off the Paul guy? He hid this from the voters. His staff reported him and he tried to brush that aside with 'Let's meet.' Right.
BTW, the TX Senate divides as 19 GOP, 12 Dem, but the fate of Paxton's wife's vote may still be contested, even though the Senate voted to bar her vote from the coming trial of hubs.
Hi Lance, In June 2023, the TX Ledge passed a law that said Paxton's wife could not vote. Are you suggesting that the division of 19 Repub 12 Dems would give the Senate some kind of ability to ignore the June vote? TY
Good evening Joyce. I continue in amazement to how low the bar has become for many of those holding public office. No Shame. No guilt. Only entitlement to something clearly undeserved for so many. And who flaunt their “privilege” with lies and corruption. What is it going to take to turn this ship around? Your details about Paxton highlight a need for accountability for so many of our public officials. The climate is dark but nevertheless we will get there. I’m counting on your newsletter to help hold things together with a base of followers who really care about saving our democracy. Thank you Joyce for being here with us. Your input is always immeasurable
Entitlement -- plus the ability to raise enough $$$ to run a successful campaign. Plenty of that $$$ comes from corporations and wealthy individuals who are more interested in their own well-being than anything else. To borrow a mantra from Watergate days: "Follow the money."
Hi, Joyce: You hit the nail on the head with: "Whether it’s Paxton or Trump, it’s time for Republican voters to start setting higher standards for their candidates. We all suffer when crooks and conmen are permitted to hold office." I see the only way to 'encourage' Republicans to set those higher standards for their candidates is to provide that party with an unmistakable 'need' to raise their bar. And that is for the Democrats to overwhelm them with votes. And with Electoral Votes. Appealing to their collective sense of propriety won't work. We have this within our power, do we not? Tim
Tim, it has been apparent to me for a while now that the reason why Paxton and Trump and others like them are as popular as they are might just be because their supporters are just as flawed as they are. These guys espouse some pretty execrable stuff and don't hide it, in addition to their wrongdoings. People who vote for them repeatedly cannot say they didn't know it. Our fine country appears to have a significant portion of its electorate with the same values and beliefs as your Paxtons and your Trumps. And that is a scary big deal. You cannot "encourage" these people; they are beyond listening except to continue to listen to the news sources that tell them exactly what they want to hear. I guess one must just recognize that this block of citizens is there, will be there for the foreseeable future, and must be kept under the rocks they crawled out from some years ago. And that means enthusiastic voter turnout.
In Trump's case, continued support reveals to me a meanness in a large swath of American society. That is a necessary element of racism too - meanness. Dislike of the other. Meanness and selfishness. It is sort of a nazism-lite. The more we understand that this exists, and that it cannot be reasoned with, the better we will be.
Trump gave them permission to act on their worst instincts. We need to make it too painful to do so. Maybe, with their leaders in hatefulness locked up, some will crawl back under their rocks. That's the best we can expect from them.
You’re right, Joyce, our union is fragile. Very much so, in fact. Fake 45’s hateful rhetoric spurned neo-Nazis to show up in Orlando. They were in full regalia. They are terrifying and sickening. Most if them wore no masks to hide themselves. Perhaps knowing who they are is advantageous for us. I mean, after all, do they not work for a living? Do their bosses know what they’re up to in their spare time?
Hi Marlene, Is there a way to save the pictures of the Nazis to send to the DOJ? I think they would do a follow-up investigation, if they are not already doing so. What was the date?
Oh, I am certain the FBI is following this group. The leader has been seen many times before. Also, check out Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as they have identified many hate groups in the US.
Thank you for this explanation on Paxton. And thank you as well for explaining 'colorable' in your September 1 post. I truly appreciate that you never forget that some of us do not have a legal background. That you are thoughtful toward us is especially meaningful. Until January 6, I had always been optimistic about our democratic process surviving. I understood that our democracy was an experiment from inception but I thought our checks and balances were so strong that democracy was not in danger. But the damage Trump has done to our democracy by nominating supreme court judges without a moral core has eroded that area of 'checks and balance.' And Mitch McConnel's shenanigans to ensure a vote on at least one ethically challenged individual has taken away every bit of my confidence that an equity based vote will be made on anything: votes follow the party line. Then we had January 6 and the show of violence - with the threat of retaliation from Trump. I think still to come are indictments of congressmen and congresswomen. We haven't seen that yet, and the MAGA (so far) have been relatively quiet during sentencings for the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and other sepremacists and extremists such as self-identified Nazi elements. But once the indictments start reaching the members of congress (and they are forced to become accountable), the MAGA will go nuts. That's when we need to be most vigilent. We who are on this blog with Joyce are together, but we need to do a little bit of reaching out to our friends and relatives and tell them it might not be a good idea to put bumper stickers on cars and yard signs that could be targets. We can break open the champagne (or chai tea or hibiscus tea) with blue balloons and such when we and Biden win in 2024. Not 'if' but 'when.' I think we have all seen a lot but holy moly, I think more is coming. I am contacting my brown and black and Asian friends now, saying: 'Be careful. Put your head on swivel and your phone on facetime and you may call me if you feel a threat because I am with you.' I want everyone to be safe.
That sounds like a full week to me! In addition to more ethically fit candidates, I would also like to see more competent candidates, that is, ones who know how our government is supposed to function beyond personal self-aggrandizement.
It took two readings for me to see the arc of Joyce's Week Ahead, ending as it did with the contrast of George Washington speaking to us as though in anticipation of a Trump, and then there was Trump.
“The unity of government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee that, from different causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth;…it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it;…discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.”
___George Washington.
“January 6 was a very interesting day, because, you know, they don’t report it properly…people in that crowd said it was the most beautiful day they’d ever experienced…I have never seen such hatred of what they’ve done to our country.” Carlson, who had previously asked Trump if he thought civil war could break out, reiterated the question, asking Trump if open conflict could break out. “There’s a level of passion I’ve never seen, there’s a level of hatred. And that’s probably a bad combination.”
___Donald J. Trump
'It’s important to remember what’s at stake as we move forward. It is nothing less than the future of our still fragile union."
___Joyce Vance
There could not be a stronger message to us. Thank you, Joyce Vance, for spelling out the importance of us being in this together.
Kenneth Chesebro and Sydney Powell are named together in only one of the 41 counts of the Georgia indictment, and in none of the 161 acts. This isn't surprising, as they worked in different branches of the conspiracy, Chesebro on the fake electors scheme and Powell on the Coffee County computer break-in. So Powell might appear to have an argument for separating the two at trial. But they do meet in Count 1, the RICO charge, and that's the 800-pound gorilla of the indictment. I expect that most of the time in any trial of these charges will be spent on Count 1, where the prosecution must first prove that a "racketeering enterprise" existed, using evidence that may not involve either Chesebro or Powell, before tying each into the conspiracy. So it makes sense to try the two together and avoid having to repeat all that. Nor is it likely that hearing testimony concerning Chesebro's misdeeds, in which Powell played no part, and which are so far removed from her own, would prejudice the jury against her.
Whether it's one trial or two, however, I think this one wins the "Most Important Trial" title because it will be televised and because it will be complete before Iowa. I'm looking forward to it!
You gave an excellent rendition of the Paxton impeachment issues. Even the Republicans made an effort to defeat Paxton in the Republican primary, running a former Texas Supreme Court Justice, alas the Republicans did not choose an Hispanic woman with excellent credentials over incumbent Paxton. But several factors added up to Paxton’s reelection: incumbents win most elections, only liberal big-city media covered his many transgressions, Texas is a very conservative state, and the Democrats have not won a state-wide election since 1992, largely because they run candidates who are too far to the left, and scare off conservatives with statements such as, “I’m coming to take your guns.” I may take heat for this comment but as a Democrat I have “standing” to express this opinion. BTW, thanks for the clear explanations of “standing” and “arraignment.” Even Trump who never saw a camera he wouldn’t get in front of, has the good sense (or give credit to his lawyer) to not appear for his perfunctory arraignment.
"Whether it’s Paxton or Trump, it’s time for Republican voters to start setting higher standards for their candidates. We all suffer when crooks and conmen are permitted to hold office." We seem to be emerging from a time when we accepted a level of lawlessness from leaders. Paxton is seeing the effect of that emergence in Texas; Trump in the courts. Trump threatening us with civil war should not prevent us from supporting a law abiding society.
Your inclusion in this Civil Discourse of George Washington's caution is very valuable. The divisiveness we are facing in our country today, instigated and encouraged by those who will do anything to remain in power, is frightening and very sad.
We needed some deep snark this morning! Thank you :-D
"Chesebro has filed a motion of his own, insisting he shouldn’t be tried with Sidney Powell because he doesn’t know her. Perhaps he should have avoided committing crimes with her if he didn’t want to run the risk of being tried alongside. "
Chesebro (I guess we’re supposed to say ‘allegedly’) masterminded the fake elector scheme. So now Chesebro is making a scale of who’s the ‘better’ deviant? He wanted separated from all the rest of the crooks to have a speedy trial and now he wants to run the show and decide who else gets to have a speedy trial? I know he is innocent until he is proven guilty in a court of law. And I’m not an attorney. I hope the judge has his passport. I wouldn’t trust him to go across the street. I would put him in home confinement just because of who he is.
Ken Paxton...dear god. His reasoning for dismissal of all charges going into the Senate trial: "Paxton has argued his reelection to a third term last November is reason enough to dismiss all of the articles of impeachment against him. He said it shows voters knew about the allegations surrounding him and voted for him anyway." Brilliant! Sharing the same degree of chutzpah as his hero, tRump, and perhaps the same "Kraken" legal team.
Excellent summary here, including the above quote:
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/ken-paxton-impeachment-trial/
Once again a or any Republican not taking into account all the people that they have worked so hard to disenfranchise from voting. How much effort they have expended in TX to keep ballots out of the hands of tens (maybe 100's) of thousands of people. To remove voting locations and disqualify ballots basically because they're in a non-republican favorable district.
All we can work towards is hoping their tunnel vision of our country is soundly trounced in the next election cycle by people who see and understand the damage they're doing to our country.
Paxton and Trump are birds of a feather. They do wrong but aren't at fault and blame others. They deserve an orange jump suit and decades behind bars. We have to ensure that happens.
At least 4 dedicated Prosecutors & Staff are diligently working on just that Donna.
You are so correct about Paxton; yhe depths of his perfidy may never be completely revealed, and his 3rd election is such an indictment of Texas Voters as to be astounding.And let us not forget Wheels Abbott, who is at least as corrupt as Paxton or Drumpf, just a little better at hiding it. How I wish we had the Late Great Molly back on the trail of these malefactors.
They need a younger version of Ann Richards to kick their sorry butts.
Hi Lance, I read the story in the link you pasted above. The public did NOT know much of what Ken Paxton was doing when they re-elected him; i.e., ditching security detail to meet his lover??? That put the entire state of Texas at risk with an attorney general at risk of being kidnapped. That is just poor judgment. Here's the statement the House managers included and this is just a smidgeon:
"Paxton frequently ditched his security detail so he could meet with Paul and others" and that "Uber records reflect drivers picked up Paxton under the alias of 'Dave P' a block from his home and ferried him to his lover's or Paul's properties more than a dozen times" in 2020. "
And he was doing some kind of financial quid pro quo with the Paul guy. They may not be going all 'blame-game' over the affair, but sneaking out to meet without security and paying off the Paul guy? He hid this from the voters. His staff reported him and he tried to brush that aside with 'Let's meet.' Right.
If only somebody with real juice had kidnapped Paxton. Karma stings, Kenny Boy.
Yikes! I think he will have it with law and order accountability. At last. So will his buddy. 💛
Good one Lance; your Link details a Paxton Campaign donor DAVID COALE, is now under Federal indictment on another matter.
BTW, the TX Senate divides as 19 GOP, 12 Dem, but the fate of Paxton's wife's vote may still be contested, even though the Senate voted to bar her vote from the coming trial of hubs.
Hi Lance, In June 2023, the TX Ledge passed a law that said Paxton's wife could not vote. Are you suggesting that the division of 19 Repub 12 Dems would give the Senate some kind of ability to ignore the June vote? TY
I don't know about that but two-thirds of 19 + 12 is 21, while two-thirds of 19 + 12 - 1 is 20.
Good evening Joyce. I continue in amazement to how low the bar has become for many of those holding public office. No Shame. No guilt. Only entitlement to something clearly undeserved for so many. And who flaunt their “privilege” with lies and corruption. What is it going to take to turn this ship around? Your details about Paxton highlight a need for accountability for so many of our public officials. The climate is dark but nevertheless we will get there. I’m counting on your newsletter to help hold things together with a base of followers who really care about saving our democracy. Thank you Joyce for being here with us. Your input is always immeasurable
🇺🇸🗽
Entitlement -- plus the ability to raise enough $$$ to run a successful campaign. Plenty of that $$$ comes from corporations and wealthy individuals who are more interested in their own well-being than anything else. To borrow a mantra from Watergate days: "Follow the money."
Always follow the money.
Hi, Joyce: You hit the nail on the head with: "Whether it’s Paxton or Trump, it’s time for Republican voters to start setting higher standards for their candidates. We all suffer when crooks and conmen are permitted to hold office." I see the only way to 'encourage' Republicans to set those higher standards for their candidates is to provide that party with an unmistakable 'need' to raise their bar. And that is for the Democrats to overwhelm them with votes. And with Electoral Votes. Appealing to their collective sense of propriety won't work. We have this within our power, do we not? Tim
Tim, it has been apparent to me for a while now that the reason why Paxton and Trump and others like them are as popular as they are might just be because their supporters are just as flawed as they are. These guys espouse some pretty execrable stuff and don't hide it, in addition to their wrongdoings. People who vote for them repeatedly cannot say they didn't know it. Our fine country appears to have a significant portion of its electorate with the same values and beliefs as your Paxtons and your Trumps. And that is a scary big deal. You cannot "encourage" these people; they are beyond listening except to continue to listen to the news sources that tell them exactly what they want to hear. I guess one must just recognize that this block of citizens is there, will be there for the foreseeable future, and must be kept under the rocks they crawled out from some years ago. And that means enthusiastic voter turnout.
When Nixon was reelected, I had that same thought about people who voted for him. He validated their own lack of moral behavior.
In Trump's case, continued support reveals to me a meanness in a large swath of American society. That is a necessary element of racism too - meanness. Dislike of the other. Meanness and selfishness. It is sort of a nazism-lite. The more we understand that this exists, and that it cannot be reasoned with, the better we will be.
Trump gave them permission to act on their worst instincts. We need to make it too painful to do so. Maybe, with their leaders in hatefulness locked up, some will crawl back under their rocks. That's the best we can expect from them.
You’re right, Joyce, our union is fragile. Very much so, in fact. Fake 45’s hateful rhetoric spurned neo-Nazis to show up in Orlando. They were in full regalia. They are terrifying and sickening. Most if them wore no masks to hide themselves. Perhaps knowing who they are is advantageous for us. I mean, after all, do they not work for a living? Do their bosses know what they’re up to in their spare time?
Hi Marlene, Is there a way to save the pictures of the Nazis to send to the DOJ? I think they would do a follow-up investigation, if they are not already doing so. What was the date?
Oh, I am certain the FBI is following this group. The leader has been seen many times before. Also, check out Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as they have identified many hate groups in the US.
I believe the date was about 2-3 days ago.
Thank you.
Dear Joyce,
Thank you for this explanation on Paxton. And thank you as well for explaining 'colorable' in your September 1 post. I truly appreciate that you never forget that some of us do not have a legal background. That you are thoughtful toward us is especially meaningful. Until January 6, I had always been optimistic about our democratic process surviving. I understood that our democracy was an experiment from inception but I thought our checks and balances were so strong that democracy was not in danger. But the damage Trump has done to our democracy by nominating supreme court judges without a moral core has eroded that area of 'checks and balance.' And Mitch McConnel's shenanigans to ensure a vote on at least one ethically challenged individual has taken away every bit of my confidence that an equity based vote will be made on anything: votes follow the party line. Then we had January 6 and the show of violence - with the threat of retaliation from Trump. I think still to come are indictments of congressmen and congresswomen. We haven't seen that yet, and the MAGA (so far) have been relatively quiet during sentencings for the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and other sepremacists and extremists such as self-identified Nazi elements. But once the indictments start reaching the members of congress (and they are forced to become accountable), the MAGA will go nuts. That's when we need to be most vigilent. We who are on this blog with Joyce are together, but we need to do a little bit of reaching out to our friends and relatives and tell them it might not be a good idea to put bumper stickers on cars and yard signs that could be targets. We can break open the champagne (or chai tea or hibiscus tea) with blue balloons and such when we and Biden win in 2024. Not 'if' but 'when.' I think we have all seen a lot but holy moly, I think more is coming. I am contacting my brown and black and Asian friends now, saying: 'Be careful. Put your head on swivel and your phone on facetime and you may call me if you feel a threat because I am with you.' I want everyone to be safe.
Your articulate comment has aptly expressed my concerns and fears.
More people could be informed and vote. That is where the work is to be done.
That sounds like a full week to me! In addition to more ethically fit candidates, I would also like to see more competent candidates, that is, ones who know how our government is supposed to function beyond personal self-aggrandizement.
If someone severs their case from the others, how is it still RICO? Thanks for these weekly updates. They’re important 🙏
Yes. Same charges as if the case were not severed.
Thanks
Bravo!
Good question!
It took two readings for me to see the arc of Joyce's Week Ahead, ending as it did with the contrast of George Washington speaking to us as though in anticipation of a Trump, and then there was Trump.
“The unity of government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee that, from different causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth;…it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it;…discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.”
___George Washington.
“January 6 was a very interesting day, because, you know, they don’t report it properly…people in that crowd said it was the most beautiful day they’d ever experienced…I have never seen such hatred of what they’ve done to our country.” Carlson, who had previously asked Trump if he thought civil war could break out, reiterated the question, asking Trump if open conflict could break out. “There’s a level of passion I’ve never seen, there’s a level of hatred. And that’s probably a bad combination.”
___Donald J. Trump
'It’s important to remember what’s at stake as we move forward. It is nothing less than the future of our still fragile union."
___Joyce Vance
There could not be a stronger message to us. Thank you, Joyce Vance, for spelling out the importance of us being in this together.
Kenneth Chesebro and Sydney Powell are named together in only one of the 41 counts of the Georgia indictment, and in none of the 161 acts. This isn't surprising, as they worked in different branches of the conspiracy, Chesebro on the fake electors scheme and Powell on the Coffee County computer break-in. So Powell might appear to have an argument for separating the two at trial. But they do meet in Count 1, the RICO charge, and that's the 800-pound gorilla of the indictment. I expect that most of the time in any trial of these charges will be spent on Count 1, where the prosecution must first prove that a "racketeering enterprise" existed, using evidence that may not involve either Chesebro or Powell, before tying each into the conspiracy. So it makes sense to try the two together and avoid having to repeat all that. Nor is it likely that hearing testimony concerning Chesebro's misdeeds, in which Powell played no part, and which are so far removed from her own, would prejudice the jury against her.
Whether it's one trial or two, however, I think this one wins the "Most Important Trial" title because it will be televised and because it will be complete before Iowa. I'm looking forward to it!
Wasn’t Chesebro the mastermind for using fake electors? Just wondering. And I’m also wondering if Chesebro went down the rabbit hole.
You gave an excellent rendition of the Paxton impeachment issues. Even the Republicans made an effort to defeat Paxton in the Republican primary, running a former Texas Supreme Court Justice, alas the Republicans did not choose an Hispanic woman with excellent credentials over incumbent Paxton. But several factors added up to Paxton’s reelection: incumbents win most elections, only liberal big-city media covered his many transgressions, Texas is a very conservative state, and the Democrats have not won a state-wide election since 1992, largely because they run candidates who are too far to the left, and scare off conservatives with statements such as, “I’m coming to take your guns.” I may take heat for this comment but as a Democrat I have “standing” to express this opinion. BTW, thanks for the clear explanations of “standing” and “arraignment.” Even Trump who never saw a camera he wouldn’t get in front of, has the good sense (or give credit to his lawyer) to not appear for his perfunctory arraignment.
This iconic cartoon reminds us of the struggle that preceded Labor Day. https://forgottenfiles.substack.com/p/rigged-against-the-workers-1883
Thanks for the advance update Joyce.
Happy Labor Day to all.
Hope we can still hold on to democracy when this is all played out.☮️🙏🏼☮️
Inshallah!
Another terrific explanatory post,. thank you, Joyce
"Whether it’s Paxton or Trump, it’s time for Republican voters to start setting higher standards for their candidates. We all suffer when crooks and conmen are permitted to hold office." We seem to be emerging from a time when we accepted a level of lawlessness from leaders. Paxton is seeing the effect of that emergence in Texas; Trump in the courts. Trump threatening us with civil war should not prevent us from supporting a law abiding society.
Bravo. Time for law and order.
Thank you. If you would like to get my free newsletter, you can sign up at my website: Len's Political Notes https://lenspoliticalnotes.com.
Your inclusion in this Civil Discourse of George Washington's caution is very valuable. The divisiveness we are facing in our country today, instigated and encouraged by those who will do anything to remain in power, is frightening and very sad.
We needed some deep snark this morning! Thank you :-D
"Chesebro has filed a motion of his own, insisting he shouldn’t be tried with Sidney Powell because he doesn’t know her. Perhaps he should have avoided committing crimes with her if he didn’t want to run the risk of being tried alongside. "
Chesebro (I guess we’re supposed to say ‘allegedly’) masterminded the fake elector scheme. So now Chesebro is making a scale of who’s the ‘better’ deviant? He wanted separated from all the rest of the crooks to have a speedy trial and now he wants to run the show and decide who else gets to have a speedy trial? I know he is innocent until he is proven guilty in a court of law. And I’m not an attorney. I hope the judge has his passport. I wouldn’t trust him to go across the street. I would put him in home confinement just because of who he is.