Trump 54: A Grand Jury Has Been Called For The Former Guy!

[fraurosena]

Trump lives in the now. He doesn’t look back to what he could have done differently, nor does he look to the future to what might happen. But, if he had a choice he’d run all over again.

He won. He won! For his narcissistic soul that high will never be topped. People love him, they revere him, they consider him the second coming. He has a cult slavishly following him. He’s finally got the recognition he so desperately craves.

He was the absolute center of attention for four years straight, and although he lost last year he’s still very much relevant and people are still talking about him. The fact that the left is still trying to get rid of and his party is still sucking up to him means he hasn’t lost his relevancy at all. And right now he’s still basking in the glory.

No, if even if he had the power of self-reflection (which he doesn’t) he wouldn’t regret running. It was the single most effective thing he’s ever done to assuage his desire for power and recognition. 

[Dandruff]

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

Trump lives in the now. He doesn’t look back to what he could have done differently, nor does he look to the future to what might happen. But, if he had a choice he’d run all over again.

I tend to agree that he doesn't introspect, but I'm not so sure he'd run again...except maybe to troll.  He had his high but was also trying to deflect humiliation for a lot of that time.  While he's very good at pretending things he doesn't like either aren't happening or don't matter, I think on some level he knows they're happening and that his facade isn't worth garbage to most of the world now.  If he didn't gaf I doubt he'd bother posing behind a tiny desk or calling world leaders names after they snubbed him.  Yes, he has his base (though some of the most ardent among them are in jail and good luck getting any help from him), but they alone can't win him an election and I don't believe he'd want to take the risk of losing again.  I do think he'll try to maintain influence, which doesn't require sticking his neck out too far.

[fraurosena]

3 hours ago, Dandruff said:

I tend to agree that he doesn't introspect, but I'm not so sure he'd run again...except maybe to troll. 

I agree with you that he might not run again next time. But if he had a time machine and could go back? For sure he would, in the conviction that this time around he'd get the better of the Dems and win in 2020. 

But a run in 2024? Well, that all depends on his own cognitive dissonance. Is he really that self aware that he knows he might lose again? I really couldn't say.

Although this discussion should be moot by that time. He should be so wrapped up in defending himself from prosecution and running away from his debtors that he has no time to run even if he wanted to.

Plus, if this House Committee investigation into January 6th is worth its salt (and I fervently hope it is), then it will unveil undeniable and irrefutable evidence of his guilt in fomenting an insurrection, which will kill any chances of him running for office ever again. 

[formergothardite]

11 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

But a run in 2024? Well, that all depends on his own cognitive dissonance. Is he really that self aware that he knows he might lose again? I really couldn't say.

I think Trump is in a bind. He wants to campaign. He wants to be president. He does not want to risk losing again. And he also doesn’t want to watch any other Republican win. I’m not sure what he is going to do. I doubt he even knows, but I do think he will absolutely not step back to allow any other member of his party to launch a campaign. 

[Dandruff]

8 hours ago, formergothardite said:

I think Trump is in a bind. He wants to campaign. He wants to be president. He does not want to risk losing again. And he also doesn’t want to watch any other Republican win. I’m not sure what he is going to do. I doubt he even knows, but I do think he will absolutely not step back to allow any other member of his party to launch a campaign. 

He may be willing to not be president as long as he's in charge.  If he maintains enough influence over the party perhaps he could get a puppet elected who will do his bidding.

[AlmostSavedAtTacoBell]

I truly appreciate all the different views and insights. I wonder what wins out in such a raging narcissist when facing such a huge crisis- self preservation at the cost of self aggrandizing, or the other way around. I guess we shall find out. 

[Flossie]

15 hours ago, Dandruff said:

He may be willing to not be president as long as he's in charge.  If he maintains enough influence over the party perhaps he could get a puppet elected who will do his bidding.

That's the stuff of wet dreams for both Don Jr. and Eric.

Ivanka might be play along until she's in the White House, and then flatter and placate him while she goes her own way.  Wouldn't be too hard, as I think she's essentially DJT in a dress.

 

[Alisamer]

On 8/1/2021 at 7:20 AM, formergothardite said:

I think Trump is in a bind. He wants to campaign. He wants to be president. He does not want to risk losing again. And he also doesn’t want to watch any other Republican win. I’m not sure what he is going to do. I doubt he even knows, but I do think he will absolutely not step back to allow any other member of his party to launch a campaign. 

He definitely wants to campaign. I don't think he wants to be president, though. He wants to be the winner, he wants to be cheered and looked up to and lauded. He spent basically his entire four years as president campaigning, still, even after he'd won. In between golf games, of course. He, as always, wants the fame without the work or responsibility.

When he was elected I had hoped there was someone, anyone, with a conscience and a functioning brain who would do the actual work while keeping the former guy placated and occupied, but it didn't happen. The R's are mostly beyond help at this point I think. 

I'm sure the Secret Service are cramping his style a bit. He's beyond shady and always has been, but now he's basically got cops with eyes on him at all times. Even if they're not going to say or do anything personally, there are things you don't do in front of other people. 

And what Russian prostitutes are going to be willing to entertain him with Secret Service officers in the next room?

[GreyhoundFan]

Too funny:

He'll probably make all the cows wear MAGA hats.

[onekidanddone]

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Too funny:

He'll probably make all the cows wear MAGA hats.

Stick a MAGA hat and a red tie on a pile of cow pies and you have yourself a Trump doppelgänger 

[Cartmann99]

23 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Too funny:

He'll probably make all the cows wear MAGA hats.

It's after Mikey's cyberpalooza in South Dakota, so it's obviously Trump's "reinstallment" ceremony!

[WiseGirl]

 

[fraurosena]

US democracy really balanced on a knife's edge last year.

DOJ officials rejected colleague's request to intervene in Georgia's election certification: Emails

Quote

Top members of the Department of Justice last year rebuffed another DOJ official who asked them to urge officials in Georgia to investigate and perhaps overturn President Joe Biden's victory in the state -- long a bitter point of contention for former President Donald Trump and his team -- before the results were certified by Congress, emails reviewed by ABC News show.

The emails, dated Dec. 28, 2020, show the former acting head of DOJ's civil division, Jeffrey Clark, circulating a draft letter -- which he wanted then-acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen and acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue to sign off on -- urging Georgia's governor and other top officials to convene the state legislature into a special session so lawmakers could investigate claims of voter fraud.

"The Department of Justice is investigating various irregularities in the 2020 election for President of the United States," the draft letter said. "The Department will update you as we are able on investigatory progress, but at this time we have identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple States, including the State of Georgia."

The draft letter states: "While the Department of Justice believe[s] the Governor of Georgia should immediately call a special session to consider this important and urgent matter, if he declines to do so, we share with you our view that the Georgia General Assembly has implied authority under the Constitution of the United States to call itself into special session for [t]he limited purpose of considering issues pertaining to the appointment of Presidential Electors."

[link to the draft letter in the article]

The vote count in Georgia became a flashpoint for Trump and his allies and Trump at one point falsely claimed that it was "not possible" for him to have lost the state.

But to date, the Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would tip the results of the presidential election. Attorney General William Barr also announced in December that the department had "not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome of the election." A statewide audit in Georgia last year also affirmed that Biden was the winner.

The emails were provided by the DOJ to the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating efforts to overturn the election results. And they come as the DOJ investigator general looks at whether any officials in the department sought to overturn the outcome of the election.

Last week the Department of Justice sent letters to six former Trump DOJ officials telling them that they can participate in Congress' investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. One of those letters was to former Associate Deputy AG Patrick Hovakimian, who sources said sat for a transcribed interview Tuesday morning with the House Oversight Committee.

Notes from Donoghue released last week appeared to show that Trump tried to pressure the DOJ to assert that there was significant fraud in the election.

ABC News has requested comment from Clark but has not yet received a response. A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee did not immediately respond to request for comment, nor did an attorney for Donoghue.

Clark attached the draft letter in an email to Rosen and Donoghue telling them "I think we should get it out as soon as possible."

"Personally, I see no valid downsides to sending out the letter," Clark wrote. "I put it together quickly and would want to do a formal cite check before sending but I don't think we should let unnecessary moss grow on this."

Clark separately asked for Rosen and Donoghue to authorize them to receive a classified briefing led by then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe the next day related to "foreign election interference issues," while referencing an unspecified theory about hackers having evidence that a Dominion voting machine "accessed the Internet through a smart thermostat with a net connection trail leading back to China."

Donoghue responded a little more than an hour later shooting down Clark's request to sign on to the draft letter.

"There is no chance that I would sign this letter or anything remotely like this," Donoghue said. "While it maybe true that the Department 'is investigating various irregularities in the 2020 election for President' (something we typically would not state publicly) the investigations that I am aware of relate to suspicions of misconduct that are of such a small scale that they simply would not impact the outcome of the Presidential Election."

Donoghue closed his email response by stating that, while he was available to speak to Clark directly about his request, "from where I stand, this is not even within the realm of possibility."

Donoghue cited former Attorney General William Barr's previous statements that the department had no indication fraud had impacted the election to a significant degree, and that no information had surfaced since Barr's departure that changed that assessment.

"Given that," he said, "I cannot imagine a scenario in which the Department would recommend that a State assemble its legislature to determine whether already-certified election results should somehow be overriden by legislative action."

He added that the draft letter's statement that DOJ would update lawmakers on the investigatory progress was "dubious as we do not typically update non-law enforcement personnel on the progress of any investigations."

Later that evening, Rosen responded as well, telling both Clark and Donoghue, "I confirmed again today that I am not prepared to sign such a letter."

The New York Times reported in January about Clark appealing to Donoghue and Rosen to co-sign the draft letter.

In the days after the exchange, as ABC News has previously confirmed, both Rosen and Donoghue thwarted an attempt by Clark to have Trump appoint him acting attorney general.

The letter in question is linked in full in the article.

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by fraurosena

[fraurosena]

Completely predictable Trump behavior.

 

[WiseGirl]

Worse than we thought....

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/05/politics/what-matters-trump-doj-coup/index.html

From CNN "we continue to learn new and disturbing details about his obstinate and pernicious efforts to poison the system from within, which included an "Apprentice"-style showdown between two top Justice Department officials at the White House and threats of resignation."

[fraurosena]

New details of Trump's coup attempt show 'an unnervingly plausible path to stealing the election'

Quote

Donald Trump isn’t just a sore loser. He isn’t even just a sore loser who indiscriminately lashed out and encouraged his supporters to riot. Donald Trump was at the head of an actual, methodical coup attempt last December and January, a fact that’s starting to draw more and more notice as details emerge.

There was “an actual, cognizable plan to overturn the election, an actual strategy to get Donald Trump declared the winner of the election, not just throwing stuff against the wall and tantrum tweeting and easily dismissed farkakte lawsuits,” MSNBC’s Chris Hayes said Thursday night. He added, “Now it’s clear that by late December, they had arrived at an actual plan in place they were trying to execute.”

Oh, Trump himself didn’t draw up a rigorous plan. Then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows played a major role, as Kerry Eleveld suggested Thursday and Hayes similarly argued. Meadows introduced Trump to Jeffrey Clark, the Justice Department official who drafted letters trying to get state officials to overturn their states' elections, letters that Jeffrey Rosen and Richard Donoghue, then the acting attorney general and acting deputy attorney general, refused to send out. After they refused, they then had to fight for their jobs as Trump considered making Clark the acting attorney general. If that had happened, Clark could have sent out those letters, giving state-level Republicans the excuse they needed to trash the election results and put in new electors for Trump.

All the while, Trump was making phone calls pressuring Rosen and Donoghue and state officials to help him overturn the election. “Just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen,” he told Rosen and Donoghue on Dec. 27, the day before Clark sent his draft letter around. On Jan. 2, in a phone call set up by Meadows, Trump was on the phone with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, begging him to “find 11,780 votes.” On Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, calls were made (but not answered) from the White House to the Republican chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

”This is not Rudy Giuliani at Four Seasons Landscaping, or Sidney Powell talking about the ghost of Hugo Chavez inhabiting the voting machines. No, this is an unnervingly plausible path to stealing the election,” Hayes said. “Luckily, it took them a while to get there.”

CNN’s Zachary Wolf likewise pointed to how … intentional, and truly coup-like, this is all looking, writing that the details that have recently emerged “show that Trump's assault on democracy, which looks more and more like an attempted coup, was even more reckless and insistent than previously thought.” 

Yeah. And we still may not have all the most damning details.

Anyone who doesn’t take this seriously, at this point, is laying the groundwork for a successful coup next time. Republicans from Congress to state legislatures are laying that groundwork very intentionally. But pretending it didn’t happen, and failing to see the continuing work Republicans are doing toward 2022 and 2024, is almost as dangerous.

 

[fraurosena]

Still desperately trying to say something relevant… 

 

[WiseGirl]

Truth!

 

[fraurosena]

5 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

Why isn't he under criminal investigation?

To be honest, we don't know that he isn't. 

[Xan]

I'm not quite sure where to put this but there's an excellent article by Mary Trump on the New Republic website.  In part of it, she says that it makes sense that the Trumpies deny the reality about Covid.  They believe it makes them look stronger and the liberals, weaker.

Spoiler

As a politician, Donald has benefited greatly from his rabid base of supporters. He embodies their fear and gives expression to their grievance. He doesn’t just give them permission to indulge in their white supremacy; he champions it. He makes them feel good about their prejudices. Following him by denying the virus or claiming immunity from it is another way for them to feel superior. It’s bizarre, because in the process they are putting themselves and those they love at risk, but it is similar to the function lynching has historically served for white people. Lynchings are not only about showing the power of the aggressor but also about demonstrating the other person’s weakness and total subservience. That makes sense in the context of what white supremacists and white supremacy were trying to accomplish, because, in an incurably racist society, the power so clearly belonged to the one race, and the vulnerabilities so clearly belonged to the other. The response to Covid—the denialism and disdain for science—functions the same way, but in this case, whether they acknowledge the reality and the risk or not, the denialists are victims, too. These are devout (for lack of a better word) Republicans. If the people they’ve voted for, at every level of government, equate mask-wearing with being liberal or claim that worrying about catching a deadly virus somehow makes you weak, you will follow their lead. Donald took it a step further. In order to demonstrate their allegiance and support, it was no longer enough for them to attend a rally. They had to do so in the middle of a deadly pandemic without social distancing or wearing a mask

And this part about what the Republicans are trying to do:

Spoiler

Every undemocratic facet of our system—from the filibuster to the Electoral College to voter suppression to failing to make the District of Columbia a state—favors Republicans. They have no incentive to change anything. Tens of millions of voters may be effectively disenfranchised by their legislation and faux-audits, but their voters are not. The endgame is to make it impossible for people who would vote against them to vote at all. In a country of changing demographics and increasing openness to diversity, at a time when elected Republicans are on the wrong side of almost every issue—gun safety, taxes, voting rights—they know the only way for them to cling to power is to cheat, and if there is one skill the de facto leader of their party has, it’s his ability to cheat his way out of—or into—just about anything.

Trumpism doesn’t need to scale. Republicans just need to keep that 35 percent so riled up that the base seems bigger than it is while they quietly make sure the rest of us don’t have a voice.

The whole article is worth a read.  Link:  https://newrepublic.com/article/163115/donald-trump-plot-against-america

[AmazonGrace]

Has Trump been reinstated yet?

[fraurosena]

This certainly implies Trump is under investigation… for a lot of different things.

 

[danvillebelle]

I would love to know if he sat around waiting for someone to come pick him up and whisk him away to the White House on Friday.  Because I really hope that's what happened, and that he threw a toddler tantrum at the end of the day when it didn't happen. 

[church_of_dog]

2 hours ago, danvillebelle said:

I would love to know if he sat around waiting for someone to come pick him up and whisk him away to the White House on Friday.  Because I really hope that's what happened, and that he threw a toddler tantrum at the end of the day when it didn't happen. 

I'm not sure which is more frightening -- the thought that he actually thought he was going to be reinstated, or the thought that he knows damn well it doesn't work that way, but still thinks it's acceptable to keep claiming otherwise even while knowing it's riling people up toward more violence.

Edited August 15, 2021 by church_of_dog

[47of74]

19 hours ago, danvillebelle said:

I would love to know if he sat around waiting for someone to come pick him up and whisk him away to the White House on Friday.  Because I really hope that's what happened, and that he threw a toddler tantrum at the end of the day when it didn't happen. 

Or if he sat watching some reich wing channel waiting for the breaking news announcement that the Supreme Court just put him back in.  Unless his handlers found something to distract him with.