Like many others, I expected that Special Counsel Jack Smith was going to file charges this week involving Donald Trump’s role in the January 6 insurrection and Capitol attack. Instead, he filed three additional charges in the classified documents case that particularly reveal the brazenness of Trump’s crime of obstruction of justice. What Smith alleges in the new “superseding indictment” is that Trump conspired with two accomplices to delete Mar-a-Lago security camera footage that had been subpoenaed by the Department of Justice. Seeking to destroy evidence is not just the behavior of a criminal, but a really lousy one.
Here’s how Washington Post legal columnist Ruth Marcus put it: “Even after Trump knew the FBI was onto his improper retention of classified information, and even after he knew they were seeking security camera footage from the Mar-a-Lago storage areas where the material was kept— in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes—Trump made matters infinitely worse.” Her conclusion: If the allegations (which she calls “the epitome of obstruction”) hold up, “the former president is a common criminal—and an uncommonly stupid one.”
Soon, possibly this week, we can expect a new Trump indictment involving his behavior on Jan. 6 and the days leading up to that dark day. Soon, possibly in the next week or two, we can expect charges coming from Fani Willis, the district attorney in Georgia’s Fulton County, involving election fraud to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
But I thought it worth pausing now to consider how Jack Smith has acted without fear or favor, how through the methodical collection of evidence and the resulting, plainly-stated charges he has demonstrated his fierce commitment to the rule of law. This is the essential work of a prosecutor, of course, but rarely one working so confidently under such intense pressure and unprecedented significance. (Recall the more hesitant Robert Mueller.) Jack Smith might be simply described as a badass.
What do you think? Has Donald Trump finally met his match? Do the latest charges convince you that he will finally be held accountable? And more, does Jack Smith’s fearless effort increase your optimism that justice will be served and help sustain the principle that no one is above the law? Or do you remain doubtful about even his ability to withstand the onslaught of corruption and crime?
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity of this community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful with each other in your comments.
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*Photo credit: Jack Smith on June 9, 2023, by Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images.
Steve,Jennie and “Team Steve”: my neighbor is an intelligent, college educated,well read woman in the SoCal political environment who fervently believes Joe made up all of these accusations because he is thoroughly corrupt with his son’s dealings in China. It is stunning and facts do not matter to her because he has persuaded that entire universe of Rs that the rest of us are delusional. After more than 70 years as a Democratic activist, I am stunned by this brand of republicanism. So it is what it is and we cannot change them but we can beat them! My foundation Inspire2Vote registered 104,000 high school seniors in 9 states over a period of 5 years.
But when I discovered www.turnup.us a year ago,I realized we can,and must, do far more and far better to save our democracy in 24! These brilliant Harvard students have technology that is far more successful-in one month in the midterms, they registered 180,000 young women!
Everyone, please click on the link, make a generous tax deductible contribution (we are a nonpartisan C3) and pass the message on to family and friends. We must act now and continuously over the next 16 months! Thank you thank you!
Thank you Diane; this group of Harvard students is amazing; they employ paid nonpartisan messages on Snapchat that reach specific age 18 to 29s in specific locations that deliver a direct message to save your abortion rights, swipe up on your cell and you will be registered to vote in less than 5 minutes! Powerful, effective that can be measured and highly personal!Abortion rights are potentially PERSONAL to every young woman and many young men rather than a matter of policy!Personal rights to control your own body wins over nationwide abortion ban! Please contribute generously:
Be careful about ageist assumptions. Just because there are more people who support Trump in the 60 plus age group, remember that Ron DeSantis who is every bit as vile and maybe more effectively evil is in his 40s. MAGAISM and American fascism is Gen X.
That’s impressive! I’m assuming they keep up with Victor Shi and the GenZ podcast (applicable to all young people wanting to hear and understand the facts about voting suppression)? All 50 states need the youth vote to fight for Democracy because too many older people are silent. Thanks for sharing, Ira.
Huh? A bit obscure for me. Or, has there actually been some China connection that I missed? When was Hunter supposed to have had any dealings in China??
I agree Jennie. The media is seemingly captivated by the man they love to hate. Common sense would dictate that Donald Trump should NEVER be considered or eligible to hold office in ANY capacity, EVER AGAIN. As a Canadian, we are dismayed that a twice impeached misogynist with blatant narcissistic tendencies, devoid of integrity and untethered from the truth, could even be considered.
Yeah, it feels like Trump somehow has insisted they must always refer to him as ‘front runner’ like Michael Jackson made everyone announce him as ‘king of pop’
Jack Smith is well versed in prosecuting the most horrifying criminals ever. He is the one and only man for this job IMHO. It’s chess vs checkers. No match for DJT. Waiting patiently for justice.
Jack Smith and I competed in triathlons and time trials around Nashville for a few years before he moved his family to The Netherlands. I can tell you his intensity is metronomic - tick tock tick tock tick tock - and if you let up at all you're toast. I know. He was my 30 second man at Bells Bend TTs (alphabetically Smith is before Tate) and I would often pass him around mile 4, which would set up a series of passing and repassing. One thing I have been mindful of since learning that this is indeed THE Jack Smith that I know is how Jack would never draft me. No one was watching. It wasn't a USA Cycling sanctioned event and he could have drafted me, but he just wouldn't do it. Folks, integrity in the small seemingly meaningless things is indicative of integrity throughout a man's every day living. That is Jack Smith. He is indeed a badass. Thank you for saying so.
Outstanding! That is exactly how he comes across to those of us who will never have the privilege of meeting the man who, I believe, will save this country from the evil machinations of the person that Mary Trump called "The world's most dangerous man".
I admit that when I initially saw memes and stuff of Jack Smith I was confused and bothered by it. "He's such a good guy - why are they doing this to him?", I wondered. But when I realized what was going on, it filled me with pride and gratitude. We never know who we're working with, competing against, or standing in line with at the checkout counter. It pays to talk to people, honor your competitor (love your enemy?), see them as people; listen to them. In late summer of 2018 he told me he would likely be moving to The Netherlands and that his career might go places he'd never dreamed of. My God… can you even imagine what he's seen and heard? Pray for Jack and his sweet family if you do pray. Thanks.
So pleased To learn so much about Jack Smith. He’s becoming quite the hero in this house. He is solid to the core. He knows exactly what he’s doing--brilliant always.
Agreed--what an unexpected treat to learn about him from someone who actually knows him! I'm guessing that he is a very private person due to his profession. Not likely to be deluged with pics and rants from someone like that. I just hope he knows how much good will is being sent his way daily.
I certainly hope that Trump has met his nemisis. But I have no faith in the Republican party nor his supporters to ever ackowledge his guilt. If he is found guilty, they will make a terrific hullabaloo of it.
Hopefully seeing so many of the Jan 6 insurrectionists being jailed and fined will temper the violence somewhat. It is the lone wolf crazies that are the worry!
I believe that Trump will be found guilty on one of the pending cases and will be held accountable by half of the nation. It will be up to the ELECTED Republican Congressman and Senators to lead the other half of the nation to follow suit in dennouncing Trump. I am not opptomistic that this will unfold, as their main objective is to weaken Democracy and rule by power and decree.
It would help the anxiety of many to realize Republicans are NOT HALF the nation of voters. Empty Land isn’t Republican. Most voters aren’t affiliated with a party. Granted, many are voting ‘R’ because they only watch Fox but it’s still a minority of voters that support Trump becoming our supercilious Sacred Dictator of Love
I like what you said here: "empty land isn't Republican." Makes me think of election nights, seeing all that red on the maps. Remember, guys--most of all that red is actually populated by non-human life forms who don't vote!
But nearly empty STATES are republican and that is a big problem. Their voters for senators and for POTUS count more and their control of state legislatures allow for gerrymandering & voter suppression.☹️
Fox probably will shortly take a stand against T inasmuch as the WSJ just editorially denounced him particularly with respect to the newest indictment. Both owned by the same family of course!
you are right and I doubt that they get the courage to do so.
The Republicans, today, have no real program, a great weakness for all the young voters who look for a party connected to their life, so the abortion ban, to please the evangelical, was in fact a disaster for their party. Their only way to regain power would be to just go back to work, and be a serious party. They want power without the work. it's a bad spiral for them, and it's bad for us. Healthy democracy needs two serious parties.
Absolutely correct inasmuch as the nationwide abortion ban as well as unrestricted gun ownership are significant albatrosses around Kevin’s neck and virtually every MOC in the House and the Senate who are up for election in 24! Younger women age 18 to 36 as well as most younger men (and many conservative mothers) will be voting against all candidates who support the nationwide ban because it is now a PERSONAL ISSUE rather than a policy issue! It may put their lives in jeopardy; it may affect the way they live their lives; it is a real risk for them; it is a disastrous issue for most Republican candidates and officeholders and they will pay a terrible price--thankfully!
I see a classic flaw in the Republican mindset. They chose to stand behind an individual who NEVER should have become President of the United States. Deep-pocketed members benefited from Trump's Tax laws for the wealthy.. Rather than admit their error, they chose to perpetuate his claims of a stolen election. The GOP seem more intent on saving face, than saving the Country. Shame on them.
Jack Smith is playing three dimensional chess. Ex-POTUS is playing with Cheerios. And the media is reporting as if they have collectively ingested ‘shrooms.
If we have any hope at all that any republicans finally understand and ACCEPT that they have been thoroughly gamed by trump the court proceedings MUST be televised for all to see. When the suckers of trump mania finally realize they have been duped THEN the elected republicans in office will cease their spineless homage to DJT.
The saddest part of his diminshed but continuing support IMHO is that it indicates how many Americans can be duped by such a con man. It simply makes me cringe when I hear them spouting his lies back to anyone who questions them...What does this say about the state of our education system: The death of rational thinking?? As he would say: SAD
As a life long educator, I blame some of this on the demise of the educational system that has evolved into teach for the test. We no longer teach kids to think rationally, analytically or critically. And I fear that it will not get any better as long as they teach to test rather than teach kids to love learning, curiosity and thinking, rather than rote learning and the gross distortion of our history.
Exactly. I was very excited when I read the same motto of my children's school district. And I am happy, and proud to see how my children have been shaped; curious, empathetic, kind, and respectful of learning and knowledge. It is sad re: FL, to see how public education is being destroyed. Teaching is hard, and being a good educator is difficult in those circumstances.
Sadly the oligarchs, via republicans want to rule the un/less educated, uninformed, ignorant, hence the destruction of public education, good jobs, and American middle class.
And it is Republicans in my state all for vouchers and charter schools to use public school taxpayer money. It’s a ploy to break public schools and depress good teachers everywhere.
I suspect you're talking about my state too -- NH. I truly hate to pay property taxes when I know most of that money is going to vouchers for private schools!
Electronic media coverage of criminal proceedings in federal courts has been expressly prohibited under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53 since the criminal rules were adopted in 1946.
Sue, I couldn't read the entire article, no longer being an Atlantic subscriber, but the gist I got from the beginning of it is that Souter was concerned that the proceedings would present an opportunity for grandstanding and playing to the camera, but that is what the radical Republicans in the House do every day, and most people are aware of it, however much many of us despise their histrionics, e.g., from Gym Jordan.
The difference with Trump's imminent trials is that they, for now, will not yet be before the Supreme Court and even if (when?) they get there, given the momentousness of the DOJ trial(s), I believe We, the People have a right every step along the way to witness this history in the making, to hear for ourselves all the apparently compelling evidence against him and witness the efforts of the defense, hopefully feeble, to exonerate him.
You're right, Mim. Grandstanding has always been a key argument against allowing them. The argument being that cameras' presence inevitably changes the action before them. But (I should have said this) ALL federal courts operate in the same fashion thereby leaving it to court artists to capture history there. In state courts the judges decide. It's been a hot topic for decades. (1946, as I recall. Disclosure: I wrote the book "The Illustrated Courtroom" re 5 top artists' work. One, Elizabeth Williams, was my artist co-author. She, for example, was in federal court in Miami for AP for DT's "not guilty" pleas in the classified documents case.) (Interesting note maybe: she drew Trump in court back in the 70s.) Yes, hopefully feeble. Wish I could stop worrying! As so many of us do!
I will pass on your thanks to the three still-living court artists: Elizabeth plus the magnificent Bill Robles and Aggie Kenny (the latter has covered Supreme Court proceedings for many years.) Thank *you*, Mim!
Trump? I have no inside knowledge but will hazard a guess that it's a situation he can't control. Perhaps one that even he finds deeply humiliating on some level? (And it will be complicated moving forward with so many cases in various courts. So we'll likely continue to get some photographs and some artwork.)
I believe that is the crux of the matter. People who won't accept that they made a mistake in judgement, may NEVER want to own up to their error. Look at all the GOP members of the House who believed that the Election was stolen, and many continue to do so, despite no evidence to that effect. Closed minds prevail mindlessly.
I would bet quite a bit that the GOP members in congress KNOW FIRST HAND that the election was, as ALWAYS, fair and without cheating. THEY KNOW. But, BUT, they also know Trump controls the GOP VOTERS and therefore they will do and say whatever to keep their cushy jobs on the hill! Every time one of them steps left, Trump starts talking about primarying them! We MUST, as Dems and independents and sane minded republicans, come out ENFORCE in the next elections and get this congress totally BLUE! Having the GOP in charge of anything is a peril to our country’s very democratic existence. This is not hyperbole by any means…it’s the scary truth.
I'm 75 and when I was born the Nuremberg Trials had been held only a couple years previously, so I'm really not that far removed from it. I've seen the photos and read about the high level Nazis being tried for their crimes. Trump is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. For the past 6 years or so, I've pictured the collaborators, the donors, the members of his administration and current members of the GOP Congress sitting before a tribunal, being tried and convicted of attempting to overturn Democracy and the Rule of Law in this country. Eventually, Trump will get what's coming to him, evil never wins in the long run, but even more importantly, the people who propped him up and continue to do so, also need to get their comeuppance. Without that, we're not going to be free of the specter of Fascism. Billionaires want control and the GOP is more than willing to be their servants to see it through. Trump is the figurehead. I want to see him go to prison, but I don't want it to stop there.
As I have said many times, I wish 45 the best of health... so he gets to spend a long time in prison. As to a match, how does one compare a two-bit criminal to an honest man. Matches are among equals.
Unfortunately, Jack Smith cannot prosecute all the Trump enablers who continue to present the fiction to MAGAts that this is some strange Biden plot to undermine democracy. The way that McCarthy, Stefanik, and others so cynically parrot this line makes me want to shred their nasty little mouths as they speak—oh so religiously— how we need to stop Biden from undermining the rule of law. If only, Smith could get those guys!!
When we heard "from the ground up" I took that to mean the people that pulled the permits knowing they were giving false numbers for attendance, bought/used burner phones, danced and drank champagne while our officers fought for their lives against the mob who had been fueled by lies. Those people should have been held to account already, if truly following the evidence, plus MOC.
Excerpt: ". . . in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes—Trump made matters infinitely worse.” Her conclusion: If the allegations (which she calls “the epitome of obstruction”) hold up, “the former president is a common criminal—and an uncommonly stupid one.” Close excerpt.
I will start with "uncommonly stupid", and add "uncommonly arrogant". The more disturbing reality is how many continue to buy into the Trump scheme & scam. One of my favorite quotes: Chinese philosopher/Warrior Sun Tzu said, "An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes." That describes Trump and his minions in a nutshell.
1. I pray Trump's reign is at an end. Hearing his name as a possible candidate is incomprehensible.
2. Nothing will convince me of his accountability until he is behind bars for years. I guess I am a pessimist but I have been fooled too many times with the commuting of a sentence, due to their money and status. Guilty is guilty and I do not want to hear his sentence being pardoned. He is a traitor and has no intention of not causing chaos to be a dictator of the United States.
I'd like to suggest a newsletter topic for @StevenBeschloss if I may be so bold, Steven.? I'd love you to take a swing at "An Open Letter to Mainstream Media." They would read it. (You write, we America, Americans circulate your words.) This past year I've canceled the New York Times in disgust and will no longer watch Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes." Etc., etc. Time to snap them all out of their trance.
That would be something I would support. All their ratings chasing brought trump to the forefront of the discussion. Unfortunately, we all pay the price for more trump news. We should be talking about Bidenomics and his successes. Let’s put trump in the review mirror, for good.
I believe he has met his match, but living in Florida part time and in northwest Georgia the part time gives me pause imagining the (violent?) response from people around me! It’s frightening to think about!!!
America will be ready this time to face down any and all insurrectionists that are stupid enough to try it again! Years in jail for the liar in chief? How ignorant would you have to be after seeing how little he cares for anyone but himself?
I sincerely hope you are right! People in my surrounding area view these circumstances completely differently from you and me. They see him as a victim of the present administration and think the charges are bogus and a result of him being attacked because he is a political opponent.
Trump screwed up bigly on his own time at the end of his debacle of a presidency. He has ALWAYS tried to blame others for his own screw ups.Trump made them his victims too. Hopefully they will wake the hell up.
50% will grumble to friends & family, 40% will fly trump flags on their pickup and complain on Truth Social etc, and the last 10% scares the crap out of me.
All we can do is hope that he is the badass that will bring the golden one to his knees, and just as importantly, all those sycophants around him. Hopefully he also goes after the MAGA Congressmen, including their leader, who were instrumental in the effort to overthrow the government. I believe Jack Smith is fully aware of what he is about and its importance to our future..
Jack Smith is the best. He is just one of those incorruptible people that no one can stop from doing what is right. it is just magnificent to watch him. How lucky are we.
Well, Robert Mueller got totally ambushed by Bill Barr, and so we never saw how truly guilty and implicated Trump and the GOP were despite over 20 of his people being convicted- this time Jack Smith will finish what he started. Everyone except the cult knows Trump is guilty, but unless we expose all the GOP traitors, who, aided and abetted him?
They will simply do it again with a different candidate
49 of Nixon's cronies went to prison. Halderman, Erlichman, Mitchell, etc. No matter what happens (or doesn't) to trump, all the enablers, including congressional ones, should be indicted too. ps I was Cronkite's sound engineer during Watergate.
My biggest frustration is that the media reports on Trump’s presidential candidacy as if this is so normal. I hate hearing the term “GOP front-runner”
Steve,Jennie and “Team Steve”: my neighbor is an intelligent, college educated,well read woman in the SoCal political environment who fervently believes Joe made up all of these accusations because he is thoroughly corrupt with his son’s dealings in China. It is stunning and facts do not matter to her because he has persuaded that entire universe of Rs that the rest of us are delusional. After more than 70 years as a Democratic activist, I am stunned by this brand of republicanism. So it is what it is and we cannot change them but we can beat them! My foundation Inspire2Vote registered 104,000 high school seniors in 9 states over a period of 5 years.
But when I discovered www.turnup.us a year ago,I realized we can,and must, do far more and far better to save our democracy in 24! These brilliant Harvard students have technology that is far more successful-in one month in the midterms, they registered 180,000 young women!
Everyone, please click on the link, make a generous tax deductible contribution (we are a nonpartisan C3) and pass the message on to family and friends. We must act now and continuously over the next 16 months! Thank you thank you!
I just made a generous donation. I believe in this project!
Thank you Marge could you please send me an email at iralechner@yahoo.com to discuss a ground effort in competitive CDs
Bravo, Ira. You captured the goal in a nutshell. Vote Blue!
Thank you Diane; this group of Harvard students is amazing; they employ paid nonpartisan messages on Snapchat that reach specific age 18 to 29s in specific locations that deliver a direct message to save your abortion rights, swipe up on your cell and you will be registered to vote in less than 5 minutes! Powerful, effective that can be measured and highly personal!Abortion rights are potentially PERSONAL to every young woman and many young men rather than a matter of policy!Personal rights to control your own body wins over nationwide abortion ban! Please contribute generously:
Www.turnup.us
The young ppl will have to save this country from another DT term. The older ppl seem to be brainwashed onto DT cult.
Be careful about ageist assumptions. Just because there are more people who support Trump in the 60 plus age group, remember that Ron DeSantis who is every bit as vile and maybe more effectively evil is in his 40s. MAGAISM and American fascism is Gen X.
That’s impressive! I’m assuming they keep up with Victor Shi and the GenZ podcast (applicable to all young people wanting to hear and understand the facts about voting suppression)? All 50 states need the youth vote to fight for Democracy because too many older people are silent. Thanks for sharing, Ira.
Deflection and denial are the best of friends and the worst as enemies.
Inspiring! Donated and plan to follow this effort.
Wonderful thank you; I’m trying to form a group that will focus on turnup’s efforts in 40+ competitive CDs; you in?
Not China--Burisma in Ukraine.
What is your favorite flavor of Kool-Aid, Linda?
Huh? A bit obscure for me. Or, has there actually been some China connection that I missed? When was Hunter supposed to have had any dealings in China??
I agree! It's unreal to witness this willful denial of truth. They have no shame.
I agree Jennie. The media is seemingly captivated by the man they love to hate. Common sense would dictate that Donald Trump should NEVER be considered or eligible to hold office in ANY capacity, EVER AGAIN. As a Canadian, we are dismayed that a twice impeached misogynist with blatant narcissistic tendencies, devoid of integrity and untethered from the truth, could even be considered.
I agrée. That’s what’s so infuriating about all this. They make all this nonsense seem normal.
Yeah, it feels like Trump somehow has insisted they must always refer to him as ‘front runner’ like Michael Jackson made everyone announce him as ‘king of pop’
Bad marketing.
Donald ‘front butt’ Trump is running like hell.
It’s mind boggling. The repetition serves to etch these ridiculous concepts into the minds of those who are prone to absorbing « alternative facts. »
Me too. It’s like the media exists in a different reality. Incredibly frustrating and downright dangerous given the situation.
Jack Smith is well versed in prosecuting the most horrifying criminals ever. He is the one and only man for this job IMHO. It’s chess vs checkers. No match for DJT. Waiting patiently for justice.
Jack Smith and I competed in triathlons and time trials around Nashville for a few years before he moved his family to The Netherlands. I can tell you his intensity is metronomic - tick tock tick tock tick tock - and if you let up at all you're toast. I know. He was my 30 second man at Bells Bend TTs (alphabetically Smith is before Tate) and I would often pass him around mile 4, which would set up a series of passing and repassing. One thing I have been mindful of since learning that this is indeed THE Jack Smith that I know is how Jack would never draft me. No one was watching. It wasn't a USA Cycling sanctioned event and he could have drafted me, but he just wouldn't do it. Folks, integrity in the small seemingly meaningless things is indicative of integrity throughout a man's every day living. That is Jack Smith. He is indeed a badass. Thank you for saying so.
Outstanding! That is exactly how he comes across to those of us who will never have the privilege of meeting the man who, I believe, will save this country from the evil machinations of the person that Mary Trump called "The world's most dangerous man".
I admit that when I initially saw memes and stuff of Jack Smith I was confused and bothered by it. "He's such a good guy - why are they doing this to him?", I wondered. But when I realized what was going on, it filled me with pride and gratitude. We never know who we're working with, competing against, or standing in line with at the checkout counter. It pays to talk to people, honor your competitor (love your enemy?), see them as people; listen to them. In late summer of 2018 he told me he would likely be moving to The Netherlands and that his career might go places he'd never dreamed of. My God… can you even imagine what he's seen and heard? Pray for Jack and his sweet family if you do pray. Thanks.
So pleased To learn so much about Jack Smith. He’s becoming quite the hero in this house. He is solid to the core. He knows exactly what he’s doing--brilliant always.
Agreed--what an unexpected treat to learn about him from someone who actually knows him! I'm guessing that he is a very private person due to his profession. Not likely to be deluged with pics and rants from someone like that. I just hope he knows how much good will is being sent his way daily.
Perhaps Jack Smith could become our next AG.
I certainly hope that Trump has met his nemisis. But I have no faith in the Republican party nor his supporters to ever ackowledge his guilt. If he is found guilty, they will make a terrific hullabaloo of it.
Hullabaloo: guaranteed.
No question there will be considerable violence
Empty threats from a group of coward traitors
Hopefully seeing so many of the Jan 6 insurrectionists being jailed and fined will temper the violence somewhat. It is the lone wolf crazies that are the worry!
I believe that Trump will be found guilty on one of the pending cases and will be held accountable by half of the nation. It will be up to the ELECTED Republican Congressman and Senators to lead the other half of the nation to follow suit in dennouncing Trump. I am not opptomistic that this will unfold, as their main objective is to weaken Democracy and rule by power and decree.
It would help the anxiety of many to realize Republicans are NOT HALF the nation of voters. Empty Land isn’t Republican. Most voters aren’t affiliated with a party. Granted, many are voting ‘R’ because they only watch Fox but it’s still a minority of voters that support Trump becoming our supercilious Sacred Dictator of Love
I like what you said here: "empty land isn't Republican." Makes me think of election nights, seeing all that red on the maps. Remember, guys--most of all that red is actually populated by non-human life forms who don't vote!
But nearly empty STATES are republican and that is a big problem. Their voters for senators and for POTUS count more and their control of state legislatures allow for gerrymandering & voter suppression.☹️
Agree. Wonder what we can do about places like Wyoming to even out the representation....
Fox probably will shortly take a stand against T inasmuch as the WSJ just editorially denounced him particularly with respect to the newest indictment. Both owned by the same family of course!
Too late, too much. Fox needs to be shut down, Murdochs stripped of assets in America for their part.
Fox needs to Fade Out. Plug pulled on seditious & lying transmissions
WSJ just reversed course editorially so it is likely that Fox will do so soon
@Ken Richards
you are right and I doubt that they get the courage to do so.
The Republicans, today, have no real program, a great weakness for all the young voters who look for a party connected to their life, so the abortion ban, to please the evangelical, was in fact a disaster for their party. Their only way to regain power would be to just go back to work, and be a serious party. They want power without the work. it's a bad spiral for them, and it's bad for us. Healthy democracy needs two serious parties.
Absolutely correct inasmuch as the nationwide abortion ban as well as unrestricted gun ownership are significant albatrosses around Kevin’s neck and virtually every MOC in the House and the Senate who are up for election in 24! Younger women age 18 to 36 as well as most younger men (and many conservative mothers) will be voting against all candidates who support the nationwide ban because it is now a PERSONAL ISSUE rather than a policy issue! It may put their lives in jeopardy; it may affect the way they live their lives; it is a real risk for them; it is a disastrous issue for most Republican candidates and officeholders and they will pay a terrible price--thankfully!
I so agree Ira.
Perhaps also a sense of community being threatened will lead to a renewal of civic sense, of all we care for.
I see a classic flaw in the Republican mindset. They chose to stand behind an individual who NEVER should have become President of the United States. Deep-pocketed members benefited from Trump's Tax laws for the wealthy.. Rather than admit their error, they chose to perpetuate his claims of a stolen election. The GOP seem more intent on saving face, than saving the Country. Shame on them.
Jack Smith is playing three dimensional chess. Ex-POTUS is playing with Cheerios. And the media is reporting as if they have collectively ingested ‘shrooms.
…chess…cheeseburgers…
If we have any hope at all that any republicans finally understand and ACCEPT that they have been thoroughly gamed by trump the court proceedings MUST be televised for all to see. When the suckers of trump mania finally realize they have been duped THEN the elected republicans in office will cease their spineless homage to DJT.
The saddest part of his diminshed but continuing support IMHO is that it indicates how many Americans can be duped by such a con man. It simply makes me cringe when I hear them spouting his lies back to anyone who questions them...What does this say about the state of our education system: The death of rational thinking?? As he would say: SAD
As a life long educator, I blame some of this on the demise of the educational system that has evolved into teach for the test. We no longer teach kids to think rationally, analytically or critically. And I fear that it will not get any better as long as they teach to test rather than teach kids to love learning, curiosity and thinking, rather than rote learning and the gross distortion of our history.
Exactly. I was very excited when I read the same motto of my children's school district. And I am happy, and proud to see how my children have been shaped; curious, empathetic, kind, and respectful of learning and knowledge. It is sad re: FL, to see how public education is being destroyed. Teaching is hard, and being a good educator is difficult in those circumstances.
Sadly the oligarchs, via republicans want to rule the un/less educated, uninformed, ignorant, hence the destruction of public education, good jobs, and American middle class.
And it is Republicans in my state all for vouchers and charter schools to use public school taxpayer money. It’s a ploy to break public schools and depress good teachers everywhere.
I suspect you're talking about my state too -- NH. I truly hate to pay property taxes when I know most of that money is going to vouchers for private schools!
Sadly- the GOP thrives on the dumbing down of America
We need better education in this country
Well to be fair, it’s not just one man but the relentless drumbeat of Fox and talk radio spewing lies and conspiracies.
Does anyone know if there is any movement toward allowing the trial to be televised?
Federal no but perhaps yes in GA and NY
Why not Federal too, Ira? Please see my response a moment ago to Sue's comment.
Well taken point but I believe federal judges just don’t permit it
That’s unfortunate.
From the US courts website:
Electronic media coverage of criminal proceedings in federal courts has been expressly prohibited under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53 since the criminal rules were adopted in 1946.
It is more unlikely now than ever, I'm guessing. In the words of former Associate Supreme Court Justice, David Souter: 'cameras entering the court would have to "roll over my dead body."' https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/11/cameras-in-the-supreme-court/66183/
Sue, I couldn't read the entire article, no longer being an Atlantic subscriber, but the gist I got from the beginning of it is that Souter was concerned that the proceedings would present an opportunity for grandstanding and playing to the camera, but that is what the radical Republicans in the House do every day, and most people are aware of it, however much many of us despise their histrionics, e.g., from Gym Jordan.
The difference with Trump's imminent trials is that they, for now, will not yet be before the Supreme Court and even if (when?) they get there, given the momentousness of the DOJ trial(s), I believe We, the People have a right every step along the way to witness this history in the making, to hear for ourselves all the apparently compelling evidence against him and witness the efforts of the defense, hopefully feeble, to exonerate him.
You're right, Mim. Grandstanding has always been a key argument against allowing them. The argument being that cameras' presence inevitably changes the action before them. But (I should have said this) ALL federal courts operate in the same fashion thereby leaving it to court artists to capture history there. In state courts the judges decide. It's been a hot topic for decades. (1946, as I recall. Disclosure: I wrote the book "The Illustrated Courtroom" re 5 top artists' work. One, Elizabeth Williams, was my artist co-author. She, for example, was in federal court in Miami for AP for DT's "not guilty" pleas in the classified documents case.) (Interesting note maybe: she drew Trump in court back in the 70s.) Yes, hopefully feeble. Wish I could stop worrying! As so many of us do!
Many thanks for what you and court artists do to make court proceedings more visible to the public and for history.
I will pass on your thanks to the three still-living court artists: Elizabeth plus the magnificent Bill Robles and Aggie Kenny (the latter has covered Supreme Court proceedings for many years.) Thank *you*, Mim!
Exactly my question - why is he opposed?
Trump? I have no inside knowledge but will hazard a guess that it's a situation he can't control. Perhaps one that even he finds deeply humiliating on some level? (And it will be complicated moving forward with so many cases in various courts. So we'll likely continue to get some photographs and some artwork.)
History kept secret from the masses for all time.
Does he want that to happen? What is he afraid we will see?!
I hope so
oh, god, yes--what I'd give to watch Jack Smith annihilate #45 on TV! This would make a fortune on pay-per-view, if we still had that thing!
I believe that is the crux of the matter. People who won't accept that they made a mistake in judgement, may NEVER want to own up to their error. Look at all the GOP members of the House who believed that the Election was stolen, and many continue to do so, despite no evidence to that effect. Closed minds prevail mindlessly.
I would bet quite a bit that the GOP members in congress KNOW FIRST HAND that the election was, as ALWAYS, fair and without cheating. THEY KNOW. But, BUT, they also know Trump controls the GOP VOTERS and therefore they will do and say whatever to keep their cushy jobs on the hill! Every time one of them steps left, Trump starts talking about primarying them! We MUST, as Dems and independents and sane minded republicans, come out ENFORCE in the next elections and get this congress totally BLUE! Having the GOP in charge of anything is a peril to our country’s very democratic existence. This is not hyperbole by any means…it’s the scary truth.
My sense is that they will never feel duped except by the present administration
Don’t hold your breath while waiting for republican
suckers to realize they’ve been duped.
I'm 75 and when I was born the Nuremberg Trials had been held only a couple years previously, so I'm really not that far removed from it. I've seen the photos and read about the high level Nazis being tried for their crimes. Trump is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. For the past 6 years or so, I've pictured the collaborators, the donors, the members of his administration and current members of the GOP Congress sitting before a tribunal, being tried and convicted of attempting to overturn Democracy and the Rule of Law in this country. Eventually, Trump will get what's coming to him, evil never wins in the long run, but even more importantly, the people who propped him up and continue to do so, also need to get their comeuppance. Without that, we're not going to be free of the specter of Fascism. Billionaires want control and the GOP is more than willing to be their servants to see it through. Trump is the figurehead. I want to see him go to prison, but I don't want it to stop there.
Here, here! Well said.
As I have said many times, I wish 45 the best of health... so he gets to spend a long time in prison. As to a match, how does one compare a two-bit criminal to an honest man. Matches are among equals.
Yes! Just reading other replies and mine was quite similar - his match would be as despicable as he!
Unfortunately, Jack Smith cannot prosecute all the Trump enablers who continue to present the fiction to MAGAts that this is some strange Biden plot to undermine democracy. The way that McCarthy, Stefanik, and others so cynically parrot this line makes me want to shred their nasty little mouths as they speak—oh so religiously— how we need to stop Biden from undermining the rule of law. If only, Smith could get those guys!!
When we heard "from the ground up" I took that to mean the people that pulled the permits knowing they were giving false numbers for attendance, bought/used burner phones, danced and drank champagne while our officers fought for their lives against the mob who had been fueled by lies. Those people should have been held to account already, if truly following the evidence, plus MOC.
Accountability for these scofflaws is tantamount to prove that we do live in a functioning democracy maintained by the rule of law.
Excerpt: ". . . in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes—Trump made matters infinitely worse.” Her conclusion: If the allegations (which she calls “the epitome of obstruction”) hold up, “the former president is a common criminal—and an uncommonly stupid one.” Close excerpt.
I will start with "uncommonly stupid", and add "uncommonly arrogant". The more disturbing reality is how many continue to buy into the Trump scheme & scam. One of my favorite quotes: Chinese philosopher/Warrior Sun Tzu said, "An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes." That describes Trump and his minions in a nutshell.
1. I pray Trump's reign is at an end. Hearing his name as a possible candidate is incomprehensible.
2. Nothing will convince me of his accountability until he is behind bars for years. I guess I am a pessimist but I have been fooled too many times with the commuting of a sentence, due to their money and status. Guilty is guilty and I do not want to hear his sentence being pardoned. He is a traitor and has no intention of not causing chaos to be a dictator of the United States.
I'd like to suggest a newsletter topic for @StevenBeschloss if I may be so bold, Steven.? I'd love you to take a swing at "An Open Letter to Mainstream Media." They would read it. (You write, we America, Americans circulate your words.) This past year I've canceled the New York Times in disgust and will no longer watch Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes." Etc., etc. Time to snap them all out of their trance.
I agree Sue. The media should be doing a lot more.
It’s as if they’re afraid of something so they don’t address it, which is pure cowardice.
Same
That would be something I would support. All their ratings chasing brought trump to the forefront of the discussion. Unfortunately, we all pay the price for more trump news. We should be talking about Bidenomics and his successes. Let’s put trump in the review mirror, for good.
Amen on all fronts, Donna. I, for one, can't wait for that rear view mirror. Hope I live that long!
I believe he has met his match, but living in Florida part time and in northwest Georgia the part time gives me pause imagining the (violent?) response from people around me! It’s frightening to think about!!!
America will be ready this time to face down any and all insurrectionists that are stupid enough to try it again! Years in jail for the liar in chief? How ignorant would you have to be after seeing how little he cares for anyone but himself?
I sincerely hope you are right! People in my surrounding area view these circumstances completely differently from you and me. They see him as a victim of the present administration and think the charges are bogus and a result of him being attacked because he is a political opponent.
Trump screwed up bigly on his own time at the end of his debacle of a presidency. He has ALWAYS tried to blame others for his own screw ups.Trump made them his victims too. Hopefully they will wake the hell up.
50% will grumble to friends & family, 40% will fly trump flags on their pickup and complain on Truth Social etc, and the last 10% scares the crap out of me.
All we can do is hope that he is the badass that will bring the golden one to his knees, and just as importantly, all those sycophants around him. Hopefully he also goes after the MAGA Congressmen, including their leader, who were instrumental in the effort to overthrow the government. I believe Jack Smith is fully aware of what he is about and its importance to our future..
A Magat on the jury ruins all Jack's hard work.
My biggest fear, no question. But if anyone can bring justice, I do believe it is Jack "Without Fear or Favor" Smith.
I trust in Jack Smith. He is a NINE time Ironman Triathlon Winner. He’s got more mental toughness than needed to convict
TFG and all his stupid henchmen together.
#GoJackGo
Jack Smith is the best. He is just one of those incorruptible people that no one can stop from doing what is right. it is just magnificent to watch him. How lucky are we.
Well, Robert Mueller got totally ambushed by Bill Barr, and so we never saw how truly guilty and implicated Trump and the GOP were despite over 20 of his people being convicted- this time Jack Smith will finish what he started. Everyone except the cult knows Trump is guilty, but unless we expose all the GOP traitors, who, aided and abetted him?
They will simply do it again with a different candidate
49 of Nixon's cronies went to prison. Halderman, Erlichman, Mitchell, etc. No matter what happens (or doesn't) to trump, all the enablers, including congressional ones, should be indicted too. ps I was Cronkite's sound engineer during Watergate.