Octopus Overlords

El Guapo wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:25 pm I like the implication that an hours long interview is unusually long. Lots of these interviews go like 9 - 5.

You could imagine a 5 minute meeting:

"Ah, Dunkin' Donuts, my favorite."
"So is he guilty?"
"As fuck."

tee-hee

This:

John McCormack
@McCormackJohn

Say a president is impeached during the middle of his first term.

One hour before the Senate is set to vote 100-0 to convict and disqualify the president from future office, he resigns.

Does the Senate lose its ability to convict and disqualify?

In that case, what would be the difference between the President resigning, and the President finishing his term? In either case, he no longer holds the office. And my understanding is that they can still convict even if he no longer holds the office.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 2:54 pm In that case, what would be the difference between the President resigning, and the President finishing his term? In either case, he no longer holds the office. And my understanding is that they can still convict even if he no longer holds the office.

The differences is the Repugnicans are arguing you can't convict after he leaves office.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 2:57 pm

YellowKing wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 2:54 pm In that case, what would be the difference between the President resigning, and the President finishing his term? In either case, he no longer holds the office. And my understanding is that they can still convict even if he no longer holds the office.

The differences is the Repugnicans are arguing you can't convict after he leaves office.

Because of course they are.

Yeah I'm sure the excuse is going to be the same as it was for the House impeachment. "He's already gone, why bother with this circus?" It's crazy how the "party of personal responsibility" refuses to take any.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:09 pm Yeah I'm sure the excuse is going to be the same as it was for the House impeachment. "He's already gone, why bother with this circus?" It's crazy how the "party of personal responsibility" refuses to take any.

It also helps when the sub-heading of why we might want to just let bygones be bygones is that there's a sizeable chunk of the GOP remaining in office whose guilt-by-association instincts are very twitchy right now. Avoiding personal responsibility is very much a requirement for the party to remain in any semblance of power.

Heh, as the thread OP, I just realize that though this thread may never be longer than the "Trump Presidency" thread, it will definitely outlive it Lots of investigations, lots of investigations.

Grifman wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:27 pm Heh, as the thread OP, I just realize that though this thread may never be longer than the "Trump Presidency" thread, it will definitely outlive it Lots of investigations, lots of investigations.

When I made the "Transfer of power" thread I didn't really expect the worst-case scenario to play out. The games that inspired it seemed alarmist at the time. Fortunately, it's probably self-limiting as of Wednesday.

I really hope that SDNY isn't too polite to start talking indictments this afternoon.

Holman wrote: ↑Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:31 am I really hope that SDNY isn't too polite to start talking indictments this afternoon.

+1

I just wanted to say, I would like for this thread to stay and remain really, really active.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Jan 20, 2021 1:54 pm I just wanted to say, I would like for this thread to stay and remain really, really active.

I would prefer it to be renamed The Trump Conviction(s) Thread.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Wed Jan 20, 2021 2:56 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Jan 20, 2021 1:54 pm I just wanted to say, I would like for this thread to stay and remain really, really active.

I would prefer it to be renamed The Trump Conviction(s) Thread.

When it happens, it will be done!

From the Biden inauguration thread:
No Large Protests in DC on morning of Inauguration

I saw this bit:

In some states, organizers have warned their supporters that police could use new protests as "false flag" events, concocted to gather people for potential arrest.

"I think in some cases, they think that the events that are planned are honey pots that are created to get them in trouble," Oren Segal of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism recently told NPR.

If a sufficient number of users join these right-wing social media apps, we could post "Honey Pot" warnings and diffuse a lot of planned events!

Defiant wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:06 am

Their time of "standing back and standing by" is over. This is their time to file charges and arrest.

Some of the people who stormed the Capitol earlier this month have said did so on the instructions of President Donald Trump, which some legal experts say could open him to criminal charges of incitement, the Washington Post reported.

Multiple people who the FBI arrested in the wake of the failed insurrection on January 6 have told the agency that they did so on the instructions of the president, according to the Post, which cited both court documents and video footage from the failed insurrection.

https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol ... ton-2021-1

Defiant wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 4:23 pm

Some of the people who stormed the Capitol earlier this month have said did so on the instructions of President Donald Trump, which some legal experts say could open him to criminal charges of incitement, the Washington Post reported.

Multiple people who the FBI arrested in the wake of the failed insurrection on January 6 have told the agency that they did so on the instructions of the president, according to the Post, which cited both court documents and video footage from the failed insurrection.

https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol ... ton-2021-1

The woman who got shot in the neck and killed was following her commander in chief. Yeah, it was nonsense but she was doing what she was trained to do. I'd put a decent portion of the blame on him.

Eric Trump hits out at MSPs over Scottish wealth debate

Donald Trump's son Eric has hit out at plans for MSPs to debate whether his father's business interests in Scotland should be investigated.

MSPs will vote on a motion calling for an investigation into the former US president's business interests during a debate led by the Scottish Greens on Wednesday.

The party wants the Trump Organisation's golf courses investigated via an unexplained wealth order.

The Scottish government says only the Lord Advocate can decide if such an order can be made.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said there were "serious concerns" about how Donald Trump financed the cash purchases of his Scottish golf courses.

The party will renew calls for an investigation into the purchase of estates at Turnberry and Menie during their opposition debate.

Mr Harvie said: "As entertaining as Eric Trump's tantrum is, he doesn't say where his dad got the money to buy his Scottish golf courses, which is exactly why I'm calling on the Scottish Government to seek an unexplained wealth order."

Max Peck wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:09 am Eric Trump hits out at MSPs over Scottish wealth debate

Donald Trump's son Eric has hit out at plans for MSPs to debate whether his father's business interests in Scotland should be investigated.

MSPs will vote on a motion calling for an investigation into the former US president's business interests during a debate led by the Scottish Greens on Wednesday.

The party wants the Trump Organisation's golf courses investigated via an unexplained wealth order.

The Scottish government says only the Lord Advocate can decide if such an order can be made.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said there were "serious concerns" about how Donald Trump financed the cash purchases of his Scottish golf courses.

The party will renew calls for an investigation into the purchase of estates at Turnberry and Menie during their opposition debate.

Mr Harvie said: "As entertaining as Eric Trump's tantrum is, he doesn't say where his dad got the money to buy his Scottish golf courses, which is exactly why I'm calling on the Scottish Government to seek an unexplained wealth order."

He paid in cash ?
Oh that’s not at all sus

I demand audio of Trump-trashing Scots trashing Trump in Scottish accents. I want to hear profanities we can't pronounce.

Still a classic.

That farmer is definitely a true Scotsman.

Pathetic.

The rich and powerful will continue to crime. Why not? My take on the story is the the problem is same one that sunk any 2008 crisis prosecutions. Federal prosecutors are too risk averse to take on big targets. They only want slam dunk cases that they can plea out.

In the end, this is incredibly disappointing and corrosive but utterly predictable. We have multiple systems of justice. And it just puts more pressure on a failing system. People will continue to watch the big fish get away with crime and it will eat away at confidence in our system.

Edit: Some will say that NY or Manhattan took it over and will bring the case. I still feel this will not happen either.

Prosecutors said “Individual-1” directed Cohen to make the payments, which they said should have been subject to campaign finance laws because they were made for the purpose of helping Trump win the election.

That's a thin thread to hang a case upon.

Prosecutors also believed it was far from clear that Trump could be convicted of a campaign finance crime, even if a jury believed Cohen’s allegations that he directed the hush-money payments.

Campaign finance prosecutions are fraught with challenges, as evidenced by a similar case over hush-money payments to a woman that the government brought — and ultimately dropped — against former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, a Democrat.

The Edward's case is a reasonable comparison but that was a risk averse decision too. They've essentially thrown out any hope of prosecuting anything but the most cartoonish political corruption. You practically have to hand money to a party in a sack with a dollar sign on the side.

Something like this?

Once the QOP Senators acquit Florida Man, Georgia is coming after him for...election fraud!

There is a degree to which the impeachment, while unlikely to yield a conviction, could impact the overall political environment around this by contributing to it being a more mainstream belief that Trump committed unpunished crimes. A number of prosecutors are going to be considering charges against Trump over the next couple years, and obviously any such charges would have a huge political impact. If there's a general sense that Trump is getting off on things he should be punished for...that may well help steel prosecutors' spines.

El Guapo wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 2:04 pm There is a degree to which the impeachment, while unlikely to yield a conviction, could impact the overall political environment around this by contributing to it being a more mainstream belief that Trump committed unpunished crimes. A number of prosecutors are going to be considering charges against Trump over the next couple years, and obviously any such charges would have a huge political impact. If there's a general sense that Trump is getting off on things he should be punished for...that may well help steel prosecutors' spines.

Maybe. The other side of the coin is that prosecutor's are risk averse creatures. In the end, they are likely watching Vance. Vance is *still* fighting for Trump's tax returns. Prosecutors know what the system allows for people who want to win by not losing and don't want to get wrapped up when they can do 'more good' by moving on to slam dunk cases. On top, Vance has announced he is retiring. If he doesn't bring a case, then I expect no case will ever see the light of day.

So aren't there any up and coming prosecutors who want to make a name for themselves by taking down Florida Man?

Jaymann wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 3:37 pm So aren't there any up and coming prosecutors who want to make a name for themselves by taking down Florida Man?

Heard a name being bandied about, but no idea how good they are, or who they are...Howard Dean? No...Hobart Glenn? That's not right. Oh, I found it, HARVEY DENT.

Hello Fani! Our nation turns it's desperate eyes to you...

Jaymann wrote:Hello Fani! Our nation turns it's desperate eyes to you...

Oh lord....again, man?! You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.

NAACP sues Florida Man.

Washington — A Democratic congressman and the NAACP filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday alleging former President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani, along with far-right extremist groups, conspired to incite the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol to block Congress from reaffirming President Biden's win in the presidential election.

Civil matter = "preponderance of the evidence."

Jaymann wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 6:28 pm NAACP sues Florida Man.

Washington — A Democratic congressman and the NAACP filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday alleging former President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani, along with far-right extremist groups, conspired to incite the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol to block Congress from reaffirming President Biden's win in the presidential election.

Civil matter = "preponderance of the evidence."

Anyone want to guess the outcome? There are no damages? No standing?