The Biden Era

[WillowLily]

More like Biden error

 

[Sandy Shanks]

“The opinion, I think, was wrong, and I think the government should appeal it. It’s deeply flawed in a number of ways,” Barr said on Fox on Tuesday.

A federal judge in Florida appointed by Trump interjected herself into a national security matter, halting the DOJ's investigation of the classified documents stolen by Trump.

This is dangerous, very dangerous.

It seems apparent the overwhelmed judge did it for political reasons because her legal opinions for doing so were flawed. Trump's attorney general indicated that was the case (see above).

The DOJ intends to stop her.

The Post reports, "The Justice Department said it would appeal a federal judge’s decision to appoint a special master to sift through thousands of documents the FBI seized from Donald Trump’s Florida residence on Aug. 8, according to a Thursday court filing.

"The notice of appeal arrived three days after Judge Aileen M. Cannon ruled in favor of Trump and said she would appoint a special master, slowing — at least temporarily — an investigation into the possible mishandling of extremely sensitive classified information, as well as possible hiding, tampering or destruction of government records.

"In a separate, simultaneous court filing, prosecutors asked Cannon to stay her Sept. 5 decision on two key points: her order to temporarily halt a significant portion of the FBI investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information, and to allow a special master to review the classified material that is among the documents seized as part of a court-authorized search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Aug. 8.

"Ultimately, the Justice Department said that a special master could be appointed, but argued that the judge should prohibit the special master from reviewing classified documents. The special master would be still able to sort through personal documents and other items the FBI also seized, setting aside materials as necessary, the filing says."

As further proof that Trump's judge had no idea what she was doing, the prosecutors were forced to point out to the judge "that allowing a special master to review the classified material would “cause the most immediate and serious harms to the government and the public,” noting that those documents have already been moved to a secure facility, separate from the rest of the seized Trump papers.

Put a different way, Trump's judge is a threat to our national security.

As can be readily seen, Trump is no stranger to providing threats to our national security.

The Jan. 6 committee hearings investigating Trump's attempt to overthrow our elected government will resume shortly.

It is no surprise to see that Trump's grassroots Republicans and Republican lawmakers are avoiding these issues entirely. The last one to speak out was a Republican Senator who threatened riots in the streets if Trump is indicted.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Steve Bannon joins a long list of Trump associates who have been guilty of a crime.

Weisselberg is the latest in a list of Trump allies who have faced criminal charges. Here's a guide to 10 Trump associates who have pleaded guilty or have been convicted of crimes. A guide to Trump allies who've pleaded guilty or been convicted of crimes

Politico reports, "Longtime Trump ally and right-wing firebrand Stephen Bannon, who dodged federal charges in a charity fraud case thanks to a last-minute presidential pardon, must now face the music in New York state court.

"Bannon, 68, arrived in handcuffs to a crowded arraignment in Manhattan’s New York County Supreme Court Thursday afternoon, hours after surrendering to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Moments before the controversial former Trump White House adviser entered, Bannon remarked, “They will never shut me up, they’ll have to kill me first.” But inside, he said little, other than acknowledging a judge’s instructions — a heavy contrast to the bombastic and inflammatory persona that has become his trademark.

"A six-count indictment charges Bannon with money laundering, conspiracy and scheming to defraud for his alleged role in We Build the Wall, a group that raised at least $15 million to construct a barrier along the border with Mexico but skimmed the donations.

"They’ll have to kill me first.” Geez, what an idiot.

A six-count indictment! Trump and Bannon deserve each other.

Hard to believe Americans voted to have these two run our country.

Unreal!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Is the Republican Party in trouble?

Julian Zelizer seems to think so.

He writes, "A public rift between Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has highlighted the ongoing debate within the GOP about how far the party should go to cater to former President Donald Trump and promote his role as kingpin.

"Last month, McConnell acknowledged the Republican Party had a better chance of winning control of the House than the Senate, citing the quality of the candidates, some of whom Trump endorsed and Scott played a role in recruiting. “Senate races are just different — they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome,” McConnell said.

"Scott then published an op-ed in the Washington Examiner last week, slamming members of the GOP who were “trash-talking our Republican candidates.” He added, “It’s an amazing act of cowardice, and ultimately, it’s treasonous to the conservative cause.”

It is painfully obvious who Scott was talking about, and the Republican Party abandoned the conservative cause when Donald Trump became their leader. One of those conservative principles is respect for law and order. Trump is fending off multiple state and federal criminal charges, and grassroots Republicans -- as well as most Republican lawmakers -- are defending him.

Anyway, back to Zelizer. "Former President Donald Trump has inserted himself in the midterms and endorsed several inexperienced and unfit candidates who are now struggling to pull ahead. Mehmet Oz’s campaign against Lt. Governor John Fetterman in Pennsylvania is faltering, former football star Herschel Walker is locked in a dead heat with incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and bestselling author JD Vance has been running a low-visibility campaign in Ohio.

"McConnell, a master tactician who criticized Trump during the 2016 campaign, surprised many onlookers by working closely with the former president once he was in the White House. But the truth is that McConnell has always been driven by the pursuit of partisan power, and his more recent decision to break with Trump may be fueled by the growing sense that the former president is a bigger liability than he’s worth."

Unfortunately for McConnell, against all logic, the education challenged, uninformed rural voter is staying with Trump in a cult-like manner.

They can't even respond to the issues contained in this thread. Reality is not their forte. They try to avoid it.

Which explains their undying loyalty to Trump.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Time reports, "When the Jan. 6 committee wrapped its eighth public hearing on July 21, the plan was for the committee to break through August while its investigators continued their inquiry. The members would return after the congressional recess for a final slate of hearings that were expected to conclude the investigation before the panel released its report.

"While it seemed over the summer that the final hearings would all take place in September, the uncertainty over the schedule and the deliberations over how to factor in new information (Trump's theft of classified documents) means the final hearings could bleed into October, while most of Congress will be focused on campaigning for the midterm elections.

"Most of the final hearings will follow the same style of the previous eight, in which the members reveal selected portions of the committee’s findings and take public testimony from key witnesses. According to the members, they will include significant revelations. “We will complete the investigative hearings to try to fill in some gaps that have been left even though the basic storylines are well understood,” Raskin says."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A long time ago, in another century, I was the intelligence officer at regiment, the S-2 so to speak. Since I have heard it nearly all my adult life I am able to recognize propaganda when I hear it.

We are allied with Ukraine. We have spent billions in support of Ukraine in its fight against Russia, our decades old mortal enemy.

And, of course, we are winning. That is to say, Ukraine is winning.

Would it surprise anyone that there is a lot of Ukrainian propaganda going around in the American media?

Ukraine is outmanned and outgunned. We should treat any talk of Ukrainian victories with a grain of salt along with a wait-and-see attitude. Russia was surprised by the offensive. Russia will get un-surprised. Then we will see what happens.

That said, CNN reports, "The last week has seen a stunning transformation of the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, as a swift armored offensive by Ukrainian forces rolled through lines of Russian defenses and recaptured more than 3,000 square kilometers (more than 1,100 square miles) of territory.

"That is more territory than Russian forces have captured in all their operations in Ukraine since April.

"As much as the offensive was brilliantly conceived and executed, it also succeeded because of Russian inadequacies. Throughout swathes of the Kharkiv region, Russian units were poorly organized and equipped – and many offered little resistance.

Well, okay, yeah, what do I know?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Things could get real interesting around here real quick.

First, as a consequence of Donald Trump's theft of classified documents, and the legal confrontation over the special master ordered by a late term judicial appointment by Trump.

Then we have the Jan. 6 committee starting up again soon. It is investigating Trump's coup attempt to overthrow the elected government.

All of this just in time for the November mid-terms.

More on that as CNN reports, "As the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack nears its final chapter, members plan to meet in person on Tuesday and one of the most pressing questions they’ll address is whether the committee should formally request that former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence appear before them."

However, it is extremely unlikely that Trump will show up to defend himself from the charges made against him. He will offer some B.S. excuse that the panel is partisan and his appearance would be a sham.

The panel is partisan because Trump and the Republican minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, wanted it that way.

CNN continued, "Such appearances are exceedingly rare in US history. According to multiple sources, the committee does not expect either man to testify, but some members and staff believe the invitations should be extended for the record."

“How do you create a historic record without including formal requests for the two top witnesses,” said one source familiar to the committee’s work.

"Members of the committee, including Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, have consistently said they’d like to hear from Pence and would welcome Trump’s testimony should he offer it on their terms but internal discussions about formally reaching out to both men has intensified in recent weeks now that the panel’s investigation will soon come to an end, the sources said.

"A source close to Pence’s team told CNN that there have been intermittent conversations between the committee and legal counsel for Pence, but nothing has changed, meaning it’s unlikely he would testify."

 

[westwall]

A long time ago, in another century, I was the intelligence officer at regiment, the S-2 so to speak. Since I have heard it nearly all my adult life I am able to recognize propaganda when I hear it.

We are allied with Ukraine. We have spent billions in support of Ukraine in its fight against Russia, our decades old mortal enemy.

And, of course, we are winning. That is to say, Ukraine is winning.

Would it surprise anyone that there is a lot of Ukrainian propaganda going around in the American media?

Ukraine is outmanned and outgunned. We should treat any talk of Ukrainian victories with a grain of salt along with a wait-and-see attitude. Russia was surprised by the offensive. Russia will get un-surprised. Then we will see what happens.

That said, CNN reports, "The last week has seen a stunning transformation of the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, as a swift armored offensive by Ukrainian forces rolled through lines of Russian defenses and recaptured more than 3,000 square kilometers (more than 1,100 square miles) of territory.

"That is more territory than Russian forces have captured in all their operations in Ukraine since April.

"As much as the offensive was brilliantly conceived and executed, it also succeeded because of Russian inadequacies. Throughout swathes of the Kharkiv region, Russian units were poorly organized and equipped – and many offered little resistance.

Well, okay, yeah, what do I know?

Yeah, the demofascists spew propaganda all the time. Just like you are now.

Scream a lie loud enough, often enough and the people will begin to believe it.

You clods have been doing nothing but vomit out lie after lie, after lie.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Things could get real interesting around here real quick.

Matters are already heating up.

The Times reports, "Justice Department officials have seized the phones of two top advisers to former President Donald J. Trump and blanketed his aides with about 40 subpoenas in a substantial escalation of the investigation into his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, people familiar with the inquiry said on Monday.

"The seizure of the phones, coupled with a widening effort to obtain information from those around Mr. Trump after the 2020 election, represent some of the most aggressive steps the department has taken thus far in its criminal investigation into the actions that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

"The names of those receiving the latest round of subpoenas in the investigation related to Jan. 6 have dribbled out gradually, with investigators casting a wide net on a range of issues, including Mr. Trump’s post-election fund-raising and the so-called fake elector's scheme.

"For months, associates of Mr. Trump have received subpoenas related to other aspects of the investigations into his efforts to cling to power. But in a new line of inquiry, some of the latest subpoenas focus on the activities of the Save America political action committee, the main political fund-raising conduit for Mr. Trump since he left office.

"The fact that the Justice Department is now seeking information related to fund-raising comes as the House committee examining the Jan. 6 attack has raised questions about money Mr. Trump solicited under the premise of fighting election fraud."

How many Republicans just want Trump to go away? We will never know. As this thread shows, Republicans don't say a damn thing. It might be an intelligence issue.

 

[westwall]

Matters are already heating up.

The Times reports, "Justice Department officials have seized the phones of two top advisers to former President Donald J. Trump and blanketed his aides with about 40 subpoenas in a substantial escalation of the investigation into his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, people familiar with the inquiry said on Monday.

"The seizure of the phones, coupled with a widening effort to obtain information from those around Mr. Trump after the 2020 election, represent some of the most aggressive steps the department has taken thus far in its criminal investigation into the actions that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

"The names of those receiving the latest round of subpoenas in the investigation related to Jan. 6 have dribbled out gradually, with investigators casting a wide net on a range of issues, including Mr. Trump’s post-election fund-raising and the so-called fake elector's scheme.

"For months, associates of Mr. Trump have received subpoenas related to other aspects of the investigations into his efforts to cling to power. But in a new line of inquiry, some of the latest subpoenas focus on the activities of the Save America political action committee, the main political fund-raising conduit for Mr. Trump since he left office.

"The fact that the Justice Department is now seeking information related to fund-raising comes as the House committee examining the Jan. 6 attack has raised questions about money Mr. Trump solicited under the premise of fighting election fraud."

How many Republicans just want Trump to go away? We will never know. As this thread shows, Republicans don't say a damn thing. It might be an intelligence issue.

None. Fascist democrats weaponizing the government against their pitical opponents is very banana republic.

I suggest you read up on what happens in banana republics.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Republican Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, simply is not very bright.

A little while ago he threatened that if Trump is indicted there will be "riots in the streets." Imagine, a U.S. Senator saying something like that. Hard to imagine, but Graham said it.

Ever since Trump's Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade" the Republican Party has been losing ground on the abortion issue. It seems that Americans do not like the idea of the government being in charge of a pregnant woman's health, which, of course, is the Republican position. A Republican President made it all possible with three Supreme Courts picks who were dedicated to reversing Roe.

So, what does Graham do? He introduces a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide.

Just what the GOP needs with less than 60 days before the November mid-terms.

The Post reports, "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday introduced a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide, the most prominent effort by Republicans to restrict the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June."

“I think we should have a law at the federal level that would say, after 15 weeks, no abortion on demand except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother,” Graham said at a news conference. “And that should be where America is at.”

His surprising and rather foolish announcement comes "just weeks after he and most Republicans defended the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe by arguing that allowing states to decide on abortion rights would be the most “constitutionally sound” way of handling the issue," the Post.

Adding to his stupidity -- if one is a Republican, that is -- "Graham vowed that if Republicans took back the House and the Senate in the midterm elections there would be a vote on his 15-week abortion bill."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"Justice Department officials have seized the phones of two top advisers to former President Donald J. Trump and blanketed his aides with about 40 subpoenas in a substantial escalation of the investigation into his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, people familiar with the inquiry said on Monday."

CNN reports, "A strikingly broad subpoena sweep against more than 30 former officials and campaign aides of ex-President Donald Trump represents the clearest sign yet of the seriousness of the Department of Justice’s criminal probe into events surrounding the US Capitol insurrection.

"The gambit, revealed on Monday, also shows that while Trump may succeed in slowing a separate investigation into the retention of classified information at Mar-a-Lago, his potential exposure to legal consequences is deep and threatening. Trump has not been charged with a crime in either probe.

"But the subpoenas show that the DOJ’s investigation is far more expansive than was previously known. And it appears to be intensifying, with investigators apparently narrowing their focus based on other subpoenas, evidence and witness testimony."

“They are now encompassing individuals closer and closer to the President to learn more and more about what the President knew and when he knew it,” David Laufman, former chief of the Justice Department’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

CNN continued, "The twice-impeached former President has typically been successful at wriggling free of legal scrutiny and scandals that would long have ended the careers of conventional politicians. But it is clear that he is facing legal concerns on multiple fronts, some related to his attempt to overthrow the result of the 2020 election, and all in some ways arising from his view that as president, and even back in civilian life, his position granted him almost unlimited power free of scrutiny."

Republican voters are mostly from the rural areas of our country. Mostly farmers, ranchers, and shopkeepers, they are educationally challenged and are largely uninformed. Consequently, their philosophy is to see no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil. Jan. 6 is just another date to them, and they know little or nothing about the FBI search for stolen classified documents at Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago.

For reasons they cannot explain, they picked Trump as their hero.

For countless reasons, some of which are shown above, grassroots Republicans try to avoid Trump all the while staying loyal to him.

They don't have the intelligence to explain that conundrum to others ... as is the case within this forum.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is a surprise. Trump and the DOJ agree on something.

No doubt the DOJ made this decision to save time, but, in the end, Trump may rue the agreement.

insider reports, "The Department of Justice has signed off on one of former President Donald Trump's candidates to serve as special master and sift through the thousands of White House documents Trump stored at Mar-a-Lago.

"The DOJ said in court filings that it would allow Raymond Dearie, 78, former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, to act as special master.

"Dearie, 78, was nominated by Ronald Reagan and served in the US District court from 1986 to 2011. In 2012, he was appointed by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts to a 7-year term on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, where he oversaw requests by federal investigators for surveillance warrants against suspected foreign intelligence agents inside the United States."

From the DOJ viewpoint, Dearie appears to be well-qualified.

"In his role as a judge in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Dearie was one of five Republican-appointed judges who signed off on FISA warrants to surveil a former Trump advisor, Carter Page, to investigate his ties to the Russian government," Insider.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Ever since Trump's Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade" the Republican Party has been losing ground on the abortion issue. It seems that Americans do not like the idea of the government being in charge of a pregnant woman's health, which, of course, is the Republican position. A Republican President made it all possible with three Supreme Courts picks who were dedicated to reversing Roe.
So, what does Graham do? He introduces a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide.

Politico reports, "A North Carolina-based GOP pollster is issuing a warning to Republican legislators: Voters are ready to punish the party for restricting access to abortion too much.

"In a poll of 800 likely North Carolina voters conducted by Paul Shumaker, a longtime GOP consultant who works on congressional and state races across the country, only a quarter of the respondents said that abortions should either not be legal in any circumstance or only be legal if the life of the mother is endangered.

"Even among Republicans, the poll found, only 40 percent support a near-total abortion ban.

"The data comes at a fraught moment for the Republican Party, which is split on how to proceed on abortion policy following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June. This week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced a 15-week national abortion ban, dividing the Senate GOP conference. State legislators around the country have pushed through even more stringent restrictions on abortion access. Last month, Tennessee passed a near-total abortion ban, providing no exemptions for cases of incest or rape, and other state legislatures continue to debate “heartbeat bills,” banning abortion at six weeks.

"Meanwhile, Democratic candidates in the midterms have seen an uptick in support in public and private polls, and the party has enjoyed a number of overperformances in House special elections this summer since the Supreme Court’s ruling came out."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"In a poll of 800 likely North Carolina voters conducted by Paul Shumaker, a longtime GOP consultant who works on congressional and state races across the country, only a quarter of the respondents said that abortions should either not be legal in any circumstance or only be legal if the life of the mother is endangered.

"Even among Republicans, the poll found, only 40 percent support a near-total abortion ban."

With the November mid-terms just around the corner, the GOP seems to be going in the wrong direction.

That probably is a good thing as Chris Cillizza writes, "Don Bolduc, who put election denialism at the center of his campaign, defeated establishment favorite Chuck Morse in New Hampshire’s GOP Senate primary, the latest in a series of blows to Republicans’ hopes of winning back the majority in the chamber this fall.

"Bolduc now joins the likes of Herschel Walker in Georgia, J.D. Vance in Ohio, Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Blake Masters in Arizona as Republican candidates who ran – and won – primary campaigns by aligning themselves with the coalition built by former President Donald Trump but who appear to have much work to do when it comes to courting a general election audience. (Sidebar: Trump did not endorse Bolduc – or any other candidate – in the New Hampshire primary.)

"Throughout the campaign, Bolduc embraced a series of controversial positions – most notably, contra facts, that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. He has also called for the repeal of the 17th Amendment, which allows voters to directly elect their senators. After the FBI executed a search warrant on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, Bolduc questioned whether the agency was needed."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Things could get real interesting around here real quick.

The Hill reports, "The House committee investigating the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, aims to hold another hearing Sept. 28, the panel chairman told reporters Tuesday."

"The Select Committee has developed a massive body of evidence," Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.,said in a statement Monday. "It hasn’t always been easy... because the same people who drove the former President’s pressure campaign to overturn the election are now trying to cover up the truth about Jan. 6th."

Politico reports, "A week after federal prosecutors bombarded Trump world with Jan. 6-related subpoenas, the chair of Congress’ Capitol attack committee said members are actively discussing how quickly to deliver its evidence trove to the Justice Department."

“I think now that the Department of Justice is being proactive in issuing subpoenas and other things, I think it’s time for the committee to determine whether or not the information we’ve gathered can be beneficial to their investigation,” Rep. Thompson said.

"Though it’s unclear whether the committee will ultimately opt to send more of its 1,000-plus witness transcripts to the Justice Department, Thompson’s comments represent a significant recognition from the panel; namely, that the agency’s probe has now — at least publicly — begun making significant inroads into Trump’s inner circle. Last week, prosecutors rained more than 40 subpoenas onto key figures who aided Trump in his efforts to subvert President Joe Biden’s win," Politico.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Without fanfare, without controversy, our President quietly goes about his job.

ABC reports, "The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell again last week to a four-month low even as the Federal Reserve continues its aggressive interest rate cuts to bring inflation under control.

"Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Sept. 10 fell by 5,000 to 213,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That's the fewest since late May.

"The four-week average for claims, which offsets some of the weekly volatility, fell by 8,000 to 224,000.

"Hiring in the U.S. in 2022 has been remarkably strong even in the midst of rising interest rates and weak economic growth. The Federal Reserve has aggressively raised interest rates in an effort to bring down inflation, which generally also slows job growth.

"Earlier this month, the Labor Department reported that employers added still-strong 315,000 jobs in August, though less than the average 487,000 a month over the past year. The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.7%, its highest level since February, but for a healthy reason: Hundreds of thousands of people returned to the job market, and some didn’t find work right away, so the government’s count of unemployed people rose."

Interesting that naysayers are dinging the President for his handling of the economy, particularly when one realizes that Republican administrations have a nasty habit of creating recessions during their run.

Then our President dealt with a severe threat to our economy.

ABC explains, "American railway companies and unions have reached a tentative labor agreement amid the threat of strikes.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced the news on Twitter early Thursday. He said the tentative agreement "balances the needs of workers, businesses, and our nation's economy."

"The Biden Administration applauds all parties for reaching this hard-fought, mutually beneficial deal," Walsh added. "Our rail system is integral to our supply chain, and a disruption would have had catastrophic impacts on industries, travelers and families across the country."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The net is closing on Trump.

The Guardian reports, "The former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who served under Donald Trump, has complied with a subpoena from the justice department investigation into the events surrounding the January 6 attack on the Capitol, CNN reported on Wednesday.

"That makes him the highest-ranking Trump official known to have responded to a subpoena in the federal investigation, CNN said.

"The attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters led to several deaths, injured police officers and delayed certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the 2020 election.

"Meadows provided the same materials he gave to the House January 6 committee, satisfying the obligations of the subpoena.

"Meadows initially cooperated with the January 6 committee in 2021 but later sued over the subpoenas.

In recent polls, American voters ranked “threats to democracy” as the most important issue facing the country. At a time of climate collapse, inflation and a pandemic, this is a remarkable statement on the fragility of America’s fundamental rights and freedoms.

Thank you, Mr. Trump.

"The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office." https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is surreal! In a half-century of following American politics, this is a first. What this politician did also ranks first in stupidity.

During the Republican primary campaign, the politician emphatically staked out a certain position.

Following his victory, attaining the Republican nomination, the politician completely reversed himself.

CNN reports, "New Hampshire Senate candidate Don Bolduc won the Republican nomination on Tuesday after months campaigning on false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

“I signed a letter with 120 other generals and admirals saying Trump won the election, and damn it, I stand by [it],” Bolduc said during the mid-August debate.

Two days after his nomination, on Fox News, Bolduc change his mind.

“I’ve come to the conclusion, and I want to be definitive on this: The election was not stolen,” Bolduc said, adding that “Elections have consequences and, unfortunately, President Biden is the legitimate president of this country.”

The arrogance of Bolduc. He is convinced the people of New Hampshire are stupid.

Bolduc now joins the likes of Herschel Walker in Georgia, J.D. Vance in Ohio, Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Blake Masters in Arizona as Republican candidates who ran – and won – primary campaigns by aligning themselves with the coalition built by former President Donald Trump.

“Senate races are just different — they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome,” Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Trump's federal judge who is in the process of interfering in the DOJ investigation of national security matters has approved the special master and is effectively slowing down the investigation of Trump's theft of classified documents.

The Times reports, "A federal judge on Thursday rejected the Justice Department’s request to resume a key part of its inquiry into former President Donald J. Trump’s handling of sensitive government records and appointed an outside arbiter to review thousands of documents seized last month from his Florida residence.

"The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, declined to lift any part of an order she issued last week that barred the department from using the documents, including about 100 marked classified, in its investigation until the arbiter, known as a special master, had completed a review.

"In her 10-page decision, Judge Cannon appointed a special master suggested by the Trump legal team and agreed upon by the government: Raymond J. Dearie, a semiretired judge from the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

"Judge Dearie will now have the authority to sift through more than 11,000 records the F.B.I. carted away from Mr. Trump’s estate, Mar-a-Lago, on Aug. 8. The move was a blow to the Justice Department, almost certain to significantly delay its investigation into whether the former president unlawfully retained national defense records or obstructed repeated attempts by federal officials to retrieve them."

In her order, Trump appointed Judge Cannon took pains to describe herself as mindful of the traditional reluctance of the judicial branch to intrude on executive authority in national security matters.

Then she did exactly that.

The Times continued, "She said that Judge Dearie should first look at the classified documents and “thereafter consider prompt adjustments to the court’s orders as necessary.” That raised the possibility that Judge Dearie might quickly clear the items and the F.B.I. would then regain unrestricted use of them in its criminal inquiry. In her order, Judge Cannon said the special master should try to finish his review by Nov. 30.

She did exactly what Trump's lawyers wanted her to do. The November mid-terms take place on November 8th.

However, her effectiveness in slowing things down has been marginalized by two important factors. The DOJ had possession of the classified documents for over three weeks before the judge's initial order. Also, as a matter of policy, the DOJ does not make any significant pronouncements within the 60 days before a general election.