It’s coming. I’m not talking about the Georgia indictment. That’s coming, too. I’m talking about Defendant Trump once again making an appearance in a federal courtroom, this time in Washington D.C., for an arraignment under charges that he did a whole bunch of illegal stuff attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which he knew the way he knows his name that he lost.
Hmmmmm . . . . On the one hand, defendant tRump claims he declassified all of the documents before he boxed them up and took them to ML. On the other hand, he needs the trial postponed indefinitely because of how complicated it will be to get the necessary security clearances for those involved in the trial. Which is it, defendant tRump??? Inquiring minds want to know.
I just heard this evening on Lawrence O'Donnell/The Last Word that some of tfg's attorneys already have clearance for lower-level classified materials but that they must obtain a higher level clearance to review materials that require a SCIF for viewing.
Tomorrow's (Tuesday's) hearing should be fascinating. The Special Counsel has submitted a request to the court (to Judge Loose Cannon) for a protective order that prohibits tfg's attorneys from revealing any classified content to anyone, anywhere etc. and that the protective order restrict the defendant from viewing certain classified materials (since all of us know tfg is incapable of restraining himself from bragging about national security secrets).
According to a WaPo article this evening: "On Monday, federal prosecutors asked in court filings for Cannon to issue an order that would require Trump, Nauta and their attorneys to sign an agreement that would prohibit them from divulging the classified material in any manner before they were able to examine the evidence as part of the pretrial discovery process."
one of the things I've been wondering about is how enforceable that order is. my understanding is that the people who violate it can be found in contempt. with this judge, how likely is that? and doesn't she have a lot of discretion about what the penalty for contempt would be?
and this was the slam-dunk case. but it sure sounds like Smith has gathered a real shitload of information about the much more serious charges.
and isn't Georgia, where he made the Immortal Perfect Phonecall, also pretty much a slam-dunk affair?
the lead story is today's NYT is pretty terrifying, so Smith's gotta get this right. based on how he's moved so far, I'm not losing any sleep...yet.
That makes me wonder: A person can hire anyone as their attorney. If Trump hired someone to represent him (assuming the person has bar certification, etc.) that person HAS to get clearance, correct? Or is Trump only able to have an attorney who can get clearance?
For example, let's say I'm Trump, and I have an Uncle Sergei who is not only an attorney, but has connections with FSB and the Kremlin. Previously with the New York mafia, too. Cool - great guy, but he is not going to get the security clearance to oil the White House gate. Obviously, I must have Uncle Sergei as my lawyer, because he is family and will not charge me.
It doesn't work like that. Uncle Sergei as your lawyer with all those "connections" he has is very unlikely to get top secret clearance. And it's not likely Uncle Sergei is going to like not getting paid when you are caught up in something as gnarly as Trump is. Besides, you have to pay every time you file something because Courts don't let you skate on their charges. Then there are the experts who you will need to hire to testify on your behalf. But the U.S. is circling the drain in so many ways, who knows. It wouldn't have worked favorably for Uncle for much of the country's history. But nothing makes a lot of sense anymore anyway.
They've all pretty much turned him down for reasons that would be amusing if the whole thing wasn't so serious. Some people even talking to him when approached got so much blowback from their firms, the whole notion was dropped immediately. We like the ETTD but there's a lot of truth to it. Why take a perfectly good reputation and throw it in the Trump perpetually burning bonfire.
It's good that Smith is pursuing all avenues of criminal action..because Trump thought that he'd get away with it all-and now he's going to be indicted on more than a few more charges in the future.
What I'm really wondering is that I've read that if Cannon even gives a inch into Trump's whinings, Smith has the obligation and the opportunity to have the Circuit Court remove her from the case and reassign a new judge, which would throw the entire thing off course for a few weeks.
I do hope she restrains herself, but if she doesn't I think Jack Smith has enough balls and law on his side to do what he must to get Donald Trump to face criminal charges that he's never had to face before, and I wouldn't wanna be the judge who tells him to go pound sand.
He's far more intelligent and powerful than even Robert Mueller was, and he doesn't take prisoners, either. He's going to hunt Donald Trump down just like he did those war criminals at the Hague.
"In a unanimous ruling, the court brushed aside a long-shot request to shut down the grand jury probe led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis."
Which means, she can now indict him on any election charge she wants. He's lost another case!
It’s my understanding that the Georgia SC slapped it down because they don’t have standing to rule on it. The same basic thing was filed with a lower court several weeks ago, and that judge hasn’t ruled on it yet. So, not as good news as it appears. 😩
But: if a higher court rules on an issue the lower court has not ruled on yet, the lower court will abide by the higher court's ruling-it's a matter of courtesy and 'we're bigger than you' working.
The Supreme Court of any state can do this, and I've not found a lower court yet to buck the rulings.
It's just not polite or done.
I've had enough dealings with courts to know that lower courts have to do this as a matter of keeping things friendly. Courts of appeal will always outrank district courts in the federal level, and the SC outranks both. If the SC of the US rules on a issue all courts are supposed to heed it as the final say unless the court asks that the case be remanded back to the lower courts.
Higher courts do not as a rule get involved unless this (as expressed in the ruling itself) happens:
" Instead, he is asking this Court to step in and itself decide the motions currently pending in the superior court. This is not the sort of relief that this Court affords, at least absent extraordinary circumstances that Petitioner has not shown are present here. " Page 3 of the ruling
It's very unusual and it is not appreciated by jumping in line ahead of the next guy as Trump's lawyers tried to do.
"I wanna talk to the manager right now!"
Trump has been trying to jump ahead in line for all of his life, and the courts are the last place that you want to try this. "Back in line, asshole!"
He is a big fat losing criminal. He can no longer hide behind his mafioso billionaires. Smith has sent this dunce to the corner of a room. Jack is requesting that even Thumper cannot view highly classified docs. All is not going well for Thumper. Good!
It's been a long, hard slog and I was close to losing hope defendant tRump would ever face legal repercussions for all his criminality. The doc indictments are just the beginning - thank you Jack Smith. He was most definitely the right man at the right time. I wasn't familiar with his background when he was appointed, but even a cursory read of his education, experience and successes reveals him to be an extraordinary public servant. Thee is hope fr our democracy, after all.
It's occurred to me that trump worked harder in December and January in the oval office to overturn the election than in the preceding 4 years combined failing to do his one job. serve the country.
I know I am not the only one thoroughly sick of TFG and his daily drama.I am also sickened by the thought of a POTUS battling legal woes while trying to lead our country.It is and always has been about him and so it continues but Geesh.The MAGA stench from leader on down is almost overwhelming and unrelenting.I think I need a timeout from all of this.
Oompa Loompa trump will get to see what he has wrought and very soon. He’s the biggest bullshit artist I’ve ever witnessed and I’m old, seen a lot of BS’ers, including the raft of lying liars who surround the orange faced creep and his GQP. Can’t wait for the anvil to fall on him and end any chance this festering orange cockroach has of surviving.
He's already casting himself in full martyr mode. Did you read the recent rambling where he compared himself to Jesus? Not dying, but suffering persecution for his worshipers, so they don't have to endure what he's enduring. Give him credit for this much: he can turn ANYTHING, including multiple indictments, to his own advantage!
If TFG somehow manages to become TNFG (the non former guy) he'll pardon himself and outlaw any further investigations or MAGA prosecutions. It will be total chaos.
As a person who tends to take things literally, I am imagining Jack Smith with a large hammer and a big, thick nail.... There's something like that in the Hebrew bible... Jael and Sisera. Jael drives a nail (actually, I think it's a tent peg) into the enemy's (Sisera's) skull.
I'm on a political blog where there is a federal criminal investigator and he and I have been comparing notes as to the "tells" with Trump. Of course he spots more tells than I do but I spot some good ones, too, like Trump has that look of sleep deprivation and his insane posts and comments have escalated let's not say upward, let's say hellward. He has gotten away with his crimes all of his adult life but here in his late 70s, even he knows his pockets are not deep enough and he's met a dog who is not going to be tempted in any way, shape or form to let the bone go. Smith the dog; Trump the bone. Smith has the gaunt look of a criminal hunter who always gets his prey. We knew what happened 1/6 and the prior four years. But not in this detail and not all put together in a chain so horrifying and disgusting, there's no excuse, no begging out, no buying out. May Trump have nothing but miserable days ahead. He can't "run for office" his way out of it this time.
I was thinking, actually, of Wesley Snipes as the ultimate vampire hunter. You've got to get used to being a bit different and living a very dangerous life and ready to take the fight all the way. If Smith were after me for something, I'd just save time and confess to anything and beg for mercy.
I would like to see a spreadsheet plotted with the times of Trump's tweets. I think, like you, that it would be revealing. And then correlate those times with Tweet length and estimation 1 through 10 by a single judge of their craziness.
When he was President I was always surprised by his nighttime tweets, but I've always thought he was a lunatic.
An insightful piece of writing. Thank you Lucian. It often seems cosmically inexplicable that we are confronted with a psychopathic leader of some kind of fiercely ignorant personality cult. And then we have something called AI. Philip K. Dick could not come up with a more unnerving panorama of fear and uncertainty.
Good summary of what is coming down the road in the judicial arena. But I think we should all spend less time on speculating about what may or may not happen and more time on making sure this Former Guy never sees the inside of the White House again.
Seeing that New York Times article today about Trump’s intentions once he gets back into the WH - to eliminate independent federal agencies and essentially become a dictator - is a scary echo of how Hitler consolidated power in the early 1930s in Germany. November 2024 is an existential moment - we need to be laying the groundwork NOW to ensure he gets nowhere near the office of the presidency ever again. One way is for the Dems to hire the best that Madison Avenue has to offer to repeatedly hammer home all the positive things Biden has accomplished, notwithstanding the traitorous GQP obstructing at every turn. Targeting specific components of the coalition that elected him in 2020, reinforcing how they are better off now than in 2016-20, should be a central core of such marketing, together with well-thought out plans to GOTV on Election Day to overcome the voter suppression in so many red states.
It’s truly time for all hands on deck, with that miserable excuse for a human being still such a threat to us all.
Well said. We might have thought that 2020 was our "existential moment" -- but now it comes round again! And bigger and louder than ever, like an unwanted movie sequel!
I’m wondering if the amount of bushwa Trump is going to have to come up with to feed his little cultists is going to strip either his gears or theirs. Considering what his rambling sounds like now, I can’t wait to hear it after the coming one-two punch.
Glad you mentioned golf, Lucian. Reminded me share this. I know Defendant Trump would want as many people as possible to see it. Enjoy. You won’t be able to watch only once.
Speaking of his ramblings, his cult is eating it up. He's now comparing himself to Jesus Christ-- saying he's going to suffer so they won't have to suffer the same things he's suffering. (Whatever TF THAT means!) Still, they cheer him and cheer him and cheer him and will not hear a word against him.
The same people who like the simplistic rules and beliefs of fundamentalism in any religion also love having a hero they can just turn off their brain and worship. It simplifies life tremendously. Trump, good. Everyone who doesn't support Trump, evil. These folks are not into shades of gray, complex analysis, or critical thinking skills. It isn't related so much to measurable intelligence as to affinity for tribalism.
Exactly. JPV Oliver is right on. I saw this bumper sticker on a pickup truck (!) in Hudson, MA, a year or two into the Flaming Dumpster Mis-administration: " Does Your Trump Sticker Make You Feel Stupid Yet?"
I know that any time I see one in public, I stay away from the person wearing it, because it's literally a billboard sign saying,
"Kick me, I'm stupid!"
In fact I have a red baseball cap which has "Moosehead Lake" on it, and I hope it doesn't look even vaguely like the MAGA hat. I'd hate to be punched out for it!
I keep trying, and failing, to come to terms with the reality of the situation. Taking up the oxygen, and giving many of us agita, is a man who perhaps won a jiggered election and is now a target in multiple jurisdictions! How did this happen to us, this real life horror movie starring a sociopathic rich kid with delusions of adequacy. He's an emotionally disturbed and stunted rich kid for whom cheating and lying are lifelong habits. I, for one, feel assaulted, not to mention offended, by this textbook example of mental disturbance and criminal instincts in a veerry large suit.
There is this delightful, fun boardgame (a cooperative game; all the players are working to beat the "game", not each other) called HORRIFIED! and it's based around the threat of the classic Universal Studios movie monsters (Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon). I have been suggesting to friends that we could incorporate Trump as the "Boogeyman" from Halloween and it would work just as well and be even scarier.
Thanks, Lucian, for providing us with a lucid preview of what we can expect. It sounds as if at least one of the upcoming federal indictments of Defendant Trump will take place outside the reach of Judge "my-name-is-Aileen-and-I'll-be-servicing-uh-serving-you-today-Mr.-Trump" Cannon. Should Defendant Trump be sweating as much as you predict he should be in the next weeks, he might want to lay in a large supply of SweatBlock antiperspirant wipes, a product endorsed by the International Hyperhidrosis Society. That non-profit organization, by the way, has a three-page list of "Diseases and Conditions that can Cause Hyperhidrosis." I didn't see "fear of an orange jumpsuit" on the list when I skimmed it, but they could have used a Latin term.
One thing that I believe every judge in every jurisdiction in this country has in common is that none of them like people assuming he or she is corrupt. That very likely includes Judge Cannon. I think she is tired of it. And I think she may surprise us.
I also believe that the acts of depravity the DOJ will introduce into evidence will come as an absolute shock to us all, even in comparison to daughter abuse, rape, sedition and everything else we already know about Trump.
Lastly, I heard reporting that Arizona and Michigan are both looking into fake electors scheme. I can think of 4 possible federal districts that have or could bring charges. Add 4 states and you have the possibility of Trump having to defend himself from criminal charges in 8 jurisdictions.
As is probably obvious, I am obsessing about our National Mess. "I'm being indicted for you," is the latest nonsense from Lardass. Anybody else get the Jesus allusion?
See my comments about this, above. "I am suffering for you, so you don't have to suffer what I'm suffering, etc." An outrageous, sacrilegious analogy that should have gotten him laughed (or thrown) off the stage, but which was instead greeted with rapturous cheers and applause from his worshipers.
While out driving today I thought that we cannot possibly survive another term of Trump as president. We are counting on you, Special Counsel Smith.
I've still got my fingers and toes crossed that we manage to survive the first one.
Hmmmmm . . . . On the one hand, defendant tRump claims he declassified all of the documents before he boxed them up and took them to ML. On the other hand, he needs the trial postponed indefinitely because of how complicated it will be to get the necessary security clearances for those involved in the trial. Which is it, defendant tRump??? Inquiring minds want to know.
(credit to Lawrence Pertillar)
Having it both ways.
Isn’t realistic.
But,
Trump wishes he could be living.
...
Trump wishes he could be living.
Having it both ways.
Whenever he wished it.
And everyday.
Plain spoken Jack Smith: Not today. Not any day. Nice try, guy.
I just heard this evening on Lawrence O'Donnell/The Last Word that some of tfg's attorneys already have clearance for lower-level classified materials but that they must obtain a higher level clearance to review materials that require a SCIF for viewing.
Tomorrow's (Tuesday's) hearing should be fascinating. The Special Counsel has submitted a request to the court (to Judge Loose Cannon) for a protective order that prohibits tfg's attorneys from revealing any classified content to anyone, anywhere etc. and that the protective order restrict the defendant from viewing certain classified materials (since all of us know tfg is incapable of restraining himself from bragging about national security secrets).
According to a WaPo article this evening: "On Monday, federal prosecutors asked in court filings for Cannon to issue an order that would require Trump, Nauta and their attorneys to sign an agreement that would prohibit them from divulging the classified material in any manner before they were able to examine the evidence as part of the pretrial discovery process."
one of the things I've been wondering about is how enforceable that order is. my understanding is that the people who violate it can be found in contempt. with this judge, how likely is that? and doesn't she have a lot of discretion about what the penalty for contempt would be?
and this was the slam-dunk case. but it sure sounds like Smith has gathered a real shitload of information about the much more serious charges.
and isn't Georgia, where he made the Immortal Perfect Phonecall, also pretty much a slam-dunk affair?
the lead story is today's NYT is pretty terrifying, so Smith's gotta get this right. based on how he's moved so far, I'm not losing any sleep...yet.
“Tfg’s attorneys...higher level clearance?” OMG, I can hardly catch my breath, I’m laughing sooooo hard.
He should try hiring attorneys whose backgrounds and ethics aren't so sketchy they'll have a hard time getting that level of secret clearance.
That makes me wonder: A person can hire anyone as their attorney. If Trump hired someone to represent him (assuming the person has bar certification, etc.) that person HAS to get clearance, correct? Or is Trump only able to have an attorney who can get clearance?
For example, let's say I'm Trump, and I have an Uncle Sergei who is not only an attorney, but has connections with FSB and the Kremlin. Previously with the New York mafia, too. Cool - great guy, but he is not going to get the security clearance to oil the White House gate. Obviously, I must have Uncle Sergei as my lawyer, because he is family and will not charge me.
Who wins - Uncle Sergei or the government?
It doesn't work like that. Uncle Sergei as your lawyer with all those "connections" he has is very unlikely to get top secret clearance. And it's not likely Uncle Sergei is going to like not getting paid when you are caught up in something as gnarly as Trump is. Besides, you have to pay every time you file something because Courts don't let you skate on their charges. Then there are the experts who you will need to hire to testify on your behalf. But the U.S. is circling the drain in so many ways, who knows. It wouldn't have worked favorably for Uncle for much of the country's history. But nothing makes a lot of sense anymore anyway.
Amen on not making any sense! Everyday we fall into uncharted territory.
Don't give him any ideas! 😉
They've all pretty much turned him down for reasons that would be amusing if the whole thing wasn't so serious. Some people even talking to him when approached got so much blowback from their firms, the whole notion was dropped immediately. We like the ETTD but there's a lot of truth to it. Why take a perfectly good reputation and throw it in the Trump perpetually burning bonfire.
But...we’re making Smores!
We need some really big marshmallows.
No “higher level attorneys” will work with Trump.
It's good that Smith is pursuing all avenues of criminal action..because Trump thought that he'd get away with it all-and now he's going to be indicted on more than a few more charges in the future.
What I'm really wondering is that I've read that if Cannon even gives a inch into Trump's whinings, Smith has the obligation and the opportunity to have the Circuit Court remove her from the case and reassign a new judge, which would throw the entire thing off course for a few weeks.
I do hope she restrains herself, but if she doesn't I think Jack Smith has enough balls and law on his side to do what he must to get Donald Trump to face criminal charges that he's never had to face before, and I wouldn't wanna be the judge who tells him to go pound sand.
He's far more intelligent and powerful than even Robert Mueller was, and he doesn't take prisoners, either. He's going to hunt Donald Trump down just like he did those war criminals at the Hague.
He won, too.
Just saw this: The Georgia Supreme Court has rejected Donald Trump's bid to not be indicted by Fani Willis: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/17/georgia-supreme-court-trump-indictment-00106710
"In a unanimous ruling, the court brushed aside a long-shot request to shut down the grand jury probe led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis."
Which means, she can now indict him on any election charge she wants. He's lost another case!
It’s my understanding that the Georgia SC slapped it down because they don’t have standing to rule on it. The same basic thing was filed with a lower court several weeks ago, and that judge hasn’t ruled on it yet. So, not as good news as it appears. 😩
But: if a higher court rules on an issue the lower court has not ruled on yet, the lower court will abide by the higher court's ruling-it's a matter of courtesy and 'we're bigger than you' working.
The Supreme Court of any state can do this, and I've not found a lower court yet to buck the rulings.
It's just not polite or done.
I've had enough dealings with courts to know that lower courts have to do this as a matter of keeping things friendly. Courts of appeal will always outrank district courts in the federal level, and the SC outranks both. If the SC of the US rules on a issue all courts are supposed to heed it as the final say unless the court asks that the case be remanded back to the lower courts.
Same with state courts.
Thanks for clarifying; I always enjoy learning 😁
Do higher courts rule on matters that have not gone through lower courts? I thought they all started at the bottom and worked up.
Higher courts do not as a rule get involved unless this (as expressed in the ruling itself) happens:
" Instead, he is asking this Court to step in and itself decide the motions currently pending in the superior court. This is not the sort of relief that this Court affords, at least absent extraordinary circumstances that Petitioner has not shown are present here. " Page 3 of the ruling
It's very unusual and it is not appreciated by jumping in line ahead of the next guy as Trump's lawyers tried to do.
"I wanna talk to the manager right now!"
Trump has been trying to jump ahead in line for all of his life, and the courts are the last place that you want to try this. "Back in line, asshole!"
Oh....yessss.
Do higher courts rule on matters that have not gone through lower courts? I thought they all started at the bottom and worked up.
It’ll be rainin’ Trump in Georgia...yesssssss!
He (tfg) better paddle faster, I hear banjo's.
Ooo. “Deliver” me from that image!
He is a big fat losing criminal. He can no longer hide behind his mafioso billionaires. Smith has sent this dunce to the corner of a room. Jack is requesting that even Thumper cannot view highly classified docs. All is not going well for Thumper. Good!
It's been a long, hard slog and I was close to losing hope defendant tRump would ever face legal repercussions for all his criminality. The doc indictments are just the beginning - thank you Jack Smith. He was most definitely the right man at the right time. I wasn't familiar with his background when he was appointed, but even a cursory read of his education, experience and successes reveals him to be an extraordinary public servant. Thee is hope fr our democracy, after all.
It's occurred to me that trump worked harder in December and January in the oval office to overturn the election than in the preceding 4 years combined failing to do his one job. serve the country.
Indeed! Quite an observation.
EXACTLY! Bravo!
He had many co-conspirators although, certainly, he was the Big Cheddar Cheese.
Here's hoping Prosecutor Smith nails this one - right thru his orange tinted head.
I know I am not the only one thoroughly sick of TFG and his daily drama.I am also sickened by the thought of a POTUS battling legal woes while trying to lead our country.It is and always has been about him and so it continues but Geesh.The MAGA stench from leader on down is almost overwhelming and unrelenting.I think I need a timeout from all of this.
Oompa Loompa trump will get to see what he has wrought and very soon. He’s the biggest bullshit artist I’ve ever witnessed and I’m old, seen a lot of BS’ers, including the raft of lying liars who surround the orange faced creep and his GQP. Can’t wait for the anvil to fall on him and end any chance this festering orange cockroach has of surviving.
Maybe Trump will spend some time in jail and All of us will have a long break.
You don't really believe that, do you???
I don't believe that would happen, it may just turn him into some sort of martyr to the MAGA cause if he were incarcerated.
He's already casting himself in full martyr mode. Did you read the recent rambling where he compared himself to Jesus? Not dying, but suffering persecution for his worshipers, so they don't have to endure what he's enduring. Give him credit for this much: he can turn ANYTHING, including multiple indictments, to his own advantage!
He's not unintelligent he just doesn't have a conscience. That makes him dangerous in my opinion.
Thank you for the heads up on the Jesus speech. I don't think I could stomach that. Now. I can avoid it when I see it
Amen to that thought!
Your lips...gawd’s ears!
Feel ya, but we have to see this through.
If TFG somehow manages to become TNFG (the non former guy) he'll pardon himself and outlaw any further investigations or MAGA prosecutions. It will be total chaos.
Just for DOJ stuff. Any of the state stuff will stand.
But that will depend on who's "in charge" of the State....
Or how much deference they give to SCROTUS which would definitely dismiss any charges.
We've all been warned. The MAGAs are coming with or without TFG:
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/july-17-2023?r=4wug3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
We don’t like to address that. Let us have our moment, please.
As a person who tends to take things literally, I am imagining Jack Smith with a large hammer and a big, thick nail.... There's something like that in the Hebrew bible... Jael and Sisera. Jael drives a nail (actually, I think it's a tent peg) into the enemy's (Sisera's) skull.
I do like that image! If Smith invited the public to take a whack, the line would circle the globe.
Ditto!
I'm on a political blog where there is a federal criminal investigator and he and I have been comparing notes as to the "tells" with Trump. Of course he spots more tells than I do but I spot some good ones, too, like Trump has that look of sleep deprivation and his insane posts and comments have escalated let's not say upward, let's say hellward. He has gotten away with his crimes all of his adult life but here in his late 70s, even he knows his pockets are not deep enough and he's met a dog who is not going to be tempted in any way, shape or form to let the bone go. Smith the dog; Trump the bone. Smith has the gaunt look of a criminal hunter who always gets his prey. We knew what happened 1/6 and the prior four years. But not in this detail and not all put together in a chain so horrifying and disgusting, there's no excuse, no begging out, no buying out. May Trump have nothing but miserable days ahead. He can't "run for office" his way out of it this time.
wow "Smith has the gaunt look of a criminal hunter who always gets his prey."
He's Solomon Kane! Or a Mountie.
I was thinking, actually, of Wesley Snipes as the ultimate vampire hunter. You've got to get used to being a bit different and living a very dangerous life and ready to take the fight all the way. If Smith were after me for something, I'd just save time and confess to anything and beg for mercy.
I would like to see a spreadsheet plotted with the times of Trump's tweets. I think, like you, that it would be revealing. And then correlate those times with Tweet length and estimation 1 through 10 by a single judge of their craziness.
When he was President I was always surprised by his nighttime tweets, but I've always thought he was a lunatic.
I always though he might have a touch of
Bipolar disorder.
How about personality disorder.
An insightful piece of writing. Thank you Lucian. It often seems cosmically inexplicable that we are confronted with a psychopathic leader of some kind of fiercely ignorant personality cult. And then we have something called AI. Philip K. Dick could not come up with a more unnerving panorama of fear and uncertainty.
You are right. You can't make this shit up. Truly incredible.
Good summary of what is coming down the road in the judicial arena. But I think we should all spend less time on speculating about what may or may not happen and more time on making sure this Former Guy never sees the inside of the White House again.
Seeing that New York Times article today about Trump’s intentions once he gets back into the WH - to eliminate independent federal agencies and essentially become a dictator - is a scary echo of how Hitler consolidated power in the early 1930s in Germany. November 2024 is an existential moment - we need to be laying the groundwork NOW to ensure he gets nowhere near the office of the presidency ever again. One way is for the Dems to hire the best that Madison Avenue has to offer to repeatedly hammer home all the positive things Biden has accomplished, notwithstanding the traitorous GQP obstructing at every turn. Targeting specific components of the coalition that elected him in 2020, reinforcing how they are better off now than in 2016-20, should be a central core of such marketing, together with well-thought out plans to GOTV on Election Day to overcome the voter suppression in so many red states.
It’s truly time for all hands on deck, with that miserable excuse for a human being still such a threat to us all.
Well said. We might have thought that 2020 was our "existential moment" -- but now it comes round again! And bigger and louder than ever, like an unwanted movie sequel!
Indeed. May he and his ilk suffer the same fate of such sequels like, say, "Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol" - unwatched and forgotten.
I’m wondering if the amount of bushwa Trump is going to have to come up with to feed his little cultists is going to strip either his gears or theirs. Considering what his rambling sounds like now, I can’t wait to hear it after the coming one-two punch.
Glad you mentioned golf, Lucian. Reminded me share this. I know Defendant Trump would want as many people as possible to see it. Enjoy. You won’t be able to watch only once.
https://twitter.com/NUCLRGOLF/status/1679634739647459330?s=20
Speaking of his ramblings, his cult is eating it up. He's now comparing himself to Jesus Christ-- saying he's going to suffer so they won't have to suffer the same things he's suffering. (Whatever TF THAT means!) Still, they cheer him and cheer him and cheer him and will not hear a word against him.
The same people who like the simplistic rules and beliefs of fundamentalism in any religion also love having a hero they can just turn off their brain and worship. It simplifies life tremendously. Trump, good. Everyone who doesn't support Trump, evil. These folks are not into shades of gray, complex analysis, or critical thinking skills. It isn't related so much to measurable intelligence as to affinity for tribalism.
JPV Oliver, “Musings of a Dissolute Wastrel” addressed this in a ‘clothes make the man’ substack recently:
“A red MAGA baseball cap, of course, telegraphs your complete absence of intelligence.”
Exactly. JPV Oliver is right on. I saw this bumper sticker on a pickup truck (!) in Hudson, MA, a year or two into the Flaming Dumpster Mis-administration: " Does Your Trump Sticker Make You Feel Stupid Yet?"
Yay for Massachusetts. Where can I get one? I’m safe.
Amazon.com sells them!
I want one, too! I wish I knew where to get one. I bet they can be ordered online.
It does a lot more than that. It ALSO says you're a racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, morally worthless piece of human garbage!
I know that any time I see one in public, I stay away from the person wearing it, because it's literally a billboard sign saying,
"Kick me, I'm stupid!"
In fact I have a red baseball cap which has "Moosehead Lake" on it, and I hope it doesn't look even vaguely like the MAGA hat. I'd hate to be punched out for it!
I know...I've stopped wearing my Washington Nationals cap. And made certain that I got a blue Red Sox hat!
So SO true.
YES, HE SHOULD DIE FOR THEIR SINS. LIKE JESUS, YA KNOW?
Isn't he the guy who is so bad at golf that he cheats and demands do-overs and mulligans or whatever they're called in golf, all the time?
Just brilliant! I hate to think in the midst of all of this that the Giant Orange Turd could run and hide in Scotland. “UK!? Rise up!”
I keep trying, and failing, to come to terms with the reality of the situation. Taking up the oxygen, and giving many of us agita, is a man who perhaps won a jiggered election and is now a target in multiple jurisdictions! How did this happen to us, this real life horror movie starring a sociopathic rich kid with delusions of adequacy. He's an emotionally disturbed and stunted rich kid for whom cheating and lying are lifelong habits. I, for one, feel assaulted, not to mention offended, by this textbook example of mental disturbance and criminal instincts in a veerry large suit.
PSYCHOPATH, not sociopath or narcissist. Those terms are far too mild to adequately describe t-Rump.
Exactly. This, as a screenplay, would have “rejected” in bold, caps all over it.
There is this delightful, fun boardgame (a cooperative game; all the players are working to beat the "game", not each other) called HORRIFIED! and it's based around the threat of the classic Universal Studios movie monsters (Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon). I have been suggesting to friends that we could incorporate Trump as the "Boogeyman" from Halloween and it would work just as well and be even scarier.
The lucian truscott Newsletter comments section feels like a fireside chat, and I'm in good company.
I agree. It’s a balm in the midst of atomic Trump.
Thanks, Lucian, for providing us with a lucid preview of what we can expect. It sounds as if at least one of the upcoming federal indictments of Defendant Trump will take place outside the reach of Judge "my-name-is-Aileen-and-I'll-be-servicing-uh-serving-you-today-Mr.-Trump" Cannon. Should Defendant Trump be sweating as much as you predict he should be in the next weeks, he might want to lay in a large supply of SweatBlock antiperspirant wipes, a product endorsed by the International Hyperhidrosis Society. That non-profit organization, by the way, has a three-page list of "Diseases and Conditions that can Cause Hyperhidrosis." I didn't see "fear of an orange jumpsuit" on the list when I skimmed it, but they could have used a Latin term.
Don’t forget the diapers.
One thing that I believe every judge in every jurisdiction in this country has in common is that none of them like people assuming he or she is corrupt. That very likely includes Judge Cannon. I think she is tired of it. And I think she may surprise us.
I also believe that the acts of depravity the DOJ will introduce into evidence will come as an absolute shock to us all, even in comparison to daughter abuse, rape, sedition and everything else we already know about Trump.
Lastly, I heard reporting that Arizona and Michigan are both looking into fake electors scheme. I can think of 4 possible federal districts that have or could bring charges. Add 4 states and you have the possibility of Trump having to defend himself from criminal charges in 8 jurisdictions.
Please let this dream come true.
As is probably obvious, I am obsessing about our National Mess. "I'm being indicted for you," is the latest nonsense from Lardass. Anybody else get the Jesus allusion?
See my comments about this, above. "I am suffering for you, so you don't have to suffer what I'm suffering, etc." An outrageous, sacrilegious analogy that should have gotten him laughed (or thrown) off the stage, but which was instead greeted with rapturous cheers and applause from his worshipers.
Not only got it, but sickened by it.
You just couldn't make this shit up. I hope I don't live long enough to see all 12 seasons of "The Idiot "