The Donald Trump Score Card

Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago Inquiries Converge in Fights Over Executive Privilege

excerpt:

"The issue under debate in the two Trump cases, presidential communications privilege, can protect a president’s discussions with White House aides — or their interactions with each other — that relate to presidential decision-making.

Such communications may be vital evidence in determining Mr. Trump’s actions in the period between the 2020 election and the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

In the Jan. 6 investigation, the Justice Department has obtained grand jury subpoenas for several former aides to Mr. Trump seeking testimony about his conversations. Mr. Trump’s lawyers have instructed them not to answer questions, based on a broad conception of his residual powers of executive privilege, even though Mr. Biden has rejected the idea as not in the best interests of the United States."

 

Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago Inquiries Converge in Fights Over Executive Privilege

excerpt:

"But Judge Cannon has also hedged, writing that Mr. Trump should have the ability to invoke the privilege “as an initial matter” but also suggesting that any assertion in this context might ultimately fail. For its part, the Trump legal team has shied away from explaining why material covered by executive privilege would be off limits to investigators with the Justice Department, a component of the executive branch.

“Trump’s team has not been entirely clear in asserting their executive privilege claims in their early briefs,” said Michael Stern, a former counsel with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence who writes on issues involving investigations, national security and the law. “They have laid out a broad argument, but it remains to be seen how, exactly, they are going to make their case as these issues move up to appellate courts.”"

 

Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago Inquiries Converge in Fights Over Executive Privilege

excerpt:

"No president has ever successfully invoked executive privilege to hide information from members of the executive branch, like Justice Department investigators, as opposed to outsiders, like members of Congress. And no former president has ever successfully invoked executive privilege when the current president opposes it."

 

Trump has a chance at being the first.

 

Judge Dearie told Trump bluntly, "Where's the beef?"

Judge Cannon later ruled that Trump doesn't have to show the beef, at least not until about 200,000 pages are examined.


Youtube video:

 

I've been considering this. I can say Graham will not be reelected, because of his loyalty to Trump and the majority of voters are now saying Trump should be prosecuted for 1/6 and the scam to overturn the election and the classified docs fiasco. I don't know about Cruz and Jordan; however, the Ian storm path is right through the Republican heart of Florida and then went into Graham's South Carolina. So, at least this mid-term vote in these two states will be short of Republican voters who would have more pressing needs related to rebuilding and would have confusion about where to go vote or have lost their ballot. This November is going to be Unprecedented.

 

Writer E Jean Carroll says Trump is stonewalling over defamation case

excerpt:

"Trump sought to put Carroll’s case on hold on Wednesday, after the second US circuit court of appeals in Manhattan left it to a Washington DC appeals court to decide whether Trump acted as president when he branded Carroll a liar in 2019.

A determination could take months, and a ruling in Trump’s favor could end Carroll’s defamation case.

“He should not be permitted to assert at the last minute that he is entitled to avoid a deposition because it remains on appeal,” Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, wrote. “It could hardly be clearer that defendant hopes to ‘run out the clock’ until he is elected president again.”

A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kaplan also accused Trump of seeking an improper leg up in pre-trial discovery, saying Carroll has turned over 30,469 pages of documents and 19 substantive responses to questions over four months, while Trump has produced eight documents and four “incomplete” responses."

 

Trump's counterpart in Brazil.


If Brazilian voters do reject Jair Bolsonaro, don’t expect him to go quietly | James N Green

excerpt:

"As Brazil prepares to head to the polls in early October, the country is bracing for a change of course. Its far-right incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, will have to pull off the seemingly impossible to defeat his centre-left rival. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the two-term former president, is consistently polling between 45% and 47%. Currently, Bolsonaro trails Lula’s 10-party coalition by 12 points. A run-off election on 30 October seems likely.

But, on the defensive, Bolsonaro has borrowed a page from Donald Trump’s playbook. If you lose, simply blame the press, the polls and the voting machines. If you can get the armed forces or militias to intervene, all the better. After all, Brazil has experienced four successful military takeovers since the country became a republic in 1889, one of which lasted 21 years. Although in the United States generals refused to aid Trump in overturning the election results, it is still not clear if their Brazilian counterparts will do the same. So far, the electoral campaign has been marred by violence from Bolsonaro’s supporters towards Lula’s Workers’ party, which has led to at least two deaths."

 

If Brazilian voters do reject Jair Bolsonaro, don’t expect him to go quietly | James N Green

excerpt:

"In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has tried to soften his image in order to appeal to women and undecided voters. Polls indicate that his hyper-masculine bravado and ongoing attacks against female journalists have turned off many potential supporters. As a result, Lula has a 20% advantage among female voters.

Nonetheless, at government-sponsored political rallies in September, Bolsonaro reverted to his traditional sexist rhetoric. He declared he was the envy of all because his third wife was a “princess”. He also boasted that he could keep it up, in an allusion to his supposed sexual prowess that left many dumbfounded."

 

Bolsonaro should tell women that he fixed their dishwashers.

 

U.S. Justice Dept seeks expedited ruling in Trump special master case

excerpt:

"In a court filing late on Friday, the Justice Department said its inability to access the non-classified documents held at Trump's estate is still hampering significant aspects of its investigation that pertain to the classified records.

The Justice Department is asking the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to finish briefing in the case by Nov. 11, and hold any necessary hearing in the case as soon as possible.

Trump's lawyers are opposing the request, the government said.

The Justice Department said an expedited schedule may allow the government, if it wins the appeal, “to more quickly resume its full investigation without restraints on its review and use of evidence seized pursuant to a lawful search warrant.”

The government attorneys added that, if the Atlanta-based appeals court rules in the Justice Department's favor, it would end the litigation over materials seized in the search as well as the outside review of those documents.

That outside review, being conducted by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie, is currently set to end by Dec. 16."

 

Trump's self-described 'love letters' to Kim Jong-un seized from Mar-a-lago have been published

excerpt:

"The two leaders exchanged letters actively for about a year, halting only after their second summit in Hanoi failed to make progress. In Kim’s final letter in August 2019, he complained to Trump that North Korea had gained nothing from the U.S.

“As of now, it is very difficult for me and my people to understand the decision and behavior of you and South Korean authorities,” read Kim’s letter, dated Aug. 5, 2019.

Kim expressed how “offended” he was by the “paranoid” war exercises jointly conducted by the U.S. and South Korean soldiers.

“As your excellency indicated at some point, we have a strong military … and it is a matter of common knowledge that the [South Korean] armed forces are no match for our military,” Kim added. “Setting aside the differences in military power, I have no intention to attack South Korea or start a war. I have no inclination to do that indeed.”"

 

Youtube video:

Pat Boone - Love Letters in the Sand

 

Former NYPD cop Thomas Webster tries to gouge out the eyes of a Capitol Police officer.

He faced 17 years in jail but only got 10 years - a damn shame

 

The attorney for rioter Webster said in court that he was showing his hands to the police officer to calm him by displaying that he didn't have any weapons.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/04/30/thomas-webster-police-jan6-trial/

excerpt:

“Your testimony is you put your hands on [Rathbun’s] head to pull of his gas mask and helmet so he knew you were not going to hurt him?” Nielsen asked Webster on cross-examination in a tone of mocking disbelief, adding to jurors in closing arguments, “All we see from an officer of 20 years is no de-escalation on his part, but escalation at every possible turn.”

 

Trump refers to McConnell's wife as Coco Chow.

After serving four years, Elaine Chao resigned from the Trump administration the day after his insurrection at the Capitol.


Trump threatens top Republican politician, makes racial slur against his wife

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"Trump then levelled what appeared to be a veiled threat against McConnell.

"He has a DEATH WISH," Trump wrote.

"Must immediately seek help and advise (sic) from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!"

McConnell's wife is Elaine Chao, who served as the Secretary of Transportation in the Trump cabinet for four years."

 

'Thinly-veiled incitement to violence and overt racism': Trump's Truth Social post sparks outrage (msn.com)

 

Rioter at Capitol pleads guilty.


'You’re going to die': Jan. 6 rioter who filmed himself assaulting officers pleads guilty

excerpt:

"WASHINGTON — A Donald Trump supporter who filmed himself assaulting police officers and breaking into the Senate chamber during the Jan. 6 riot pleaded guilty Friday to two felony charges.

Tennessee resident Ronald Sandlin, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.

Sandlin's friends and co-conspirators, Nathaniel DeGrave and Josiah Colt, previously pleaded guilty: DeGrave to the same two felonies as Sandlin, Colt to felony obstruction."

 

Trump has expertise at radicalizing people.


How a Respected N.Y.P.D. Officer Became the Accused Capitol Riot #EyeGouger (Published 2021)

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"His case was one of more than 500 others from the riot. It seemed to come as a surprise to those who lived and worked beside Mr. Webster over the past 30 years. He was not known for voicing political extremes, had no social media presence or ties to extremist groups, and once worked to protect the halls of New York City governance. Now he had attacked an officer doing essentially the same duty in Washington, charging at a man who, one may imagine, looked to be both enemy and mirrored reflection.

As for the attacked officer: “He was doing nothing other than his job — a job that Mr. Webster himself did for years,” said Judge Amit P. Mehta of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, during the hearing in late June. “It’s really quite something. You want to talk about some of the worst behavior, some of the most horrific conduct someone has engaged in, it’s there on video.”"