Comments by "TheEvertw" (@TheEvertw) on "MeidasTouch" channel.

  1. "Republicans hate law enforcement" Exactly right. The love laws (and enforcement) only as long as they use it against their enemies. But NOT when it is used against them. "Rules for You, Not for Me".
    264
  2. Kaplan should sue Habba for defamation.
    240
  3. I propose the judge does NOT let Trump go to Barron's graduation, and allow the kid to have a moment where his achievement is the center of attention, and not his deranged dad. It is the humane thing to do.
    229
  4. Someone invested 1.2 B$ to give Trump an additional bonus of 1.1B$. Sounds like laundry to me.
    178
  5. The USA has sunken deeply indeed to have people like her in Congress.
    173
  6. There are two things that continue to amaze me with Donald Trump: 1). That he is still at large. 2). That there are still people who believe him and would vote for him.
    161
  7. USA, know that what this judge is doing shames you, as a country. This must have serious consequences for Judge Cannon.
    139
  8. The man needs to be in jail. Much better for everybody, including the people of Palmbeach.
    126
  9. I will be disappointed if this doesn't result in a fine for Trump for Contempt, and recommendations for the disbarment of the attorneys defending Trump.
    96
  10. I am shocked that Trump and his lawyers are not punished for re-filing the same complaint for the THIRD time. Surely that must be frivolous!
    83
  11. I love how that Fox host announced his dismissal. It was like she was announcing his death. This was very unexpected.
    79
  12. The horrible Janine saying that Swift should not be allowed to influence other people made my jaw drop. Such blatant hypocrisy and lack of self-awareness still shocks me. These people should be in prison.
    78
  13. Thank you! But relegating Trump to History isn't enough, all of MAGA needs to be removed from the party.
    78
  14. Their faces are not straight. They are thinking "Oh no, he is at it again". They know it will end badly for him.
    52
  15. When will Trump be labeled a Vexatious Litigant?
    38
  16. Did that woman just say "Excuse me mister chairman, I am talking"? Please hold while I pick my jaw off the floor. She should have been removed from the room for that comment. She is Out of Order.
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  17. Judges have a lot of leeway to direct their own trials. Only actual decisions can be appealed and could be ground for her recusal. So she doesn't take any more decisions. Except this one. And I believe & hope that this is the one that will get her recused, because she has done irreparable harm to an active investigation.
    32
  18. Sometimes Republicans say sensible things. I also agree with Lindsey Graham who said: "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it."
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  19. The judge is showing a shocking lack of judgement in allowing this charade. He should be disbarred for this.
    23
  20. If they bear arms while doing violence, they should expect being shot by law enforcement
    22
  21. Part of this is the enormous backlog in appointees in the military and other key organisations. I can not believe how one man can keep hundreds of key positions open for a dictator. Get that senator removed from his position already!
    17
  22.  @ronpayne8293  "he would be a DEMOCRAT" No, you got that wrong. He would be much more radical than the Democrats. Bernie Sanders would probably get His vote.
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  23. I find it ridiculous that trump can get another judge to stay a court case. If he thinks he has total immunity, he should use that as a defense in this court case. Justice delayed is justice denied.
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  24. I don't understand how the officer in the back let him insult the court this way. Doesn't she have authority to stop this? She should have.
    14
  25. ​ @kimhoffmannandersen5477  If you read the Bible you can not fail to miss how much it speaks about caring for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the immigrant. It also says that Jesus came to fulfill the Law to free us from its curse, and that non-Jews do not need to follow the Jewish laws except a few specific areas listed in Acts 15. It also says that the Kingdom of Jesus is not of this world, and thus Jesus' disciples do not fight temporal authorities. If you compare these principles with the goals and acts of the Republican party, you will find they are opposites. Just an example: telling people they are criminals for aborting a pregnancy is the opposite of loving them. There is NOTHING in the Bible to suggest people who have abortions should be treated like criminals, in fact it specifically says they should not.
    13
  26. It isn't a crime for a judge to do nothing. So she is doing that: nothing. Actively wasting everybody's time.
    13
  27. Some think he did this on purpose, to claim he wasn't getting a fair trial. Anyway, it won't change the opinion of the Judge or the appellate court(s).
    12
  28. Hopefully the state Bar Association is paying attention.
    11
  29.  @joannemcardle1848  You see clearly. What "church" has become is not what God wants it to be. It has become an institution that focuses on power and money. It is deeply ingrained in our ideas of what Church should be. It has become an abusive institution. Our pastor nearly died because of the stress this put on him, and other pastors are burning out everywhere. He is now raising awareness of this, and seeking a way to break from the mold. If it means we need to stop having formal meetings, so be it.
    10
  30. Absolutely right. Jesus was very vocal in confronting the rich and powerful who abused the poor, and ESPECIALLY the religious fascists of the day (the pharisees).
    10
  31. In the Bible, those who make false accusations against somebody, must undergo the punishment they had wished on the falsely accused. It is important to prosecute frivolous claims.
    10
  32. All nations have either presidential or royal pardons. However, in most countries there are processes that put in safeguards.
    9
  33. This is great news. To quote Bill Barr, Trump is Toast. A man will reap what he has sown.
    9
  34. 💯💯
    8
  35. I love seeing the rants of Dump being picked apart by somebody who knows his stuff.
    8
  36. ​ John Doe  While in a criminal case that is not an admission of guilt, it does mean that the evidence presented by the prosecution stands unchallenged. Like if he is asked "which legal service did Cohen provide that you paid that money for", and he responds "I plead the 5th" or client-lawyer privilege, that is pretty strong evidence that Cohen was speaking the truth. Taking the stand is your only opportunity to contradict the testimony of others. If instead you plead the 5th, that adverse testimony will stand and weight pretty heavily during the Judgement.
    8
  37. There is a reason the Republican Congress is hell-bent on defunding the IRS...
    7
  38. I am not a US national, so I didn't vote either for or against Trump. I gave Trump the benefit of the doubt in 2016. Until his inauguration. I cried when I heard that on the radio. Because I heard a US president dedicate his country to greed and selfishness. And in doing that he placed a curse on the country. That curse has been eating away at the USA ever since. To the extent that when asked if they would enlist to defend the nation from an imminent invasion, only 17% says yes in a recent poll. How the mighty have fallen.
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  39.  @PatR2243  It should be MUCH easier to get rid of them. The Constitution says that they retain their seat "during good Behaviour". The bar for determining if they behaved well should be far lower than full-on impeachment in Congress. As with many things, the USA has strayed far away from the simplicity of the Constitution, and used it for Corruption.
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  40. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
    7
  41. It is outrageous that the judge allows this to happen in his court. Simply outrageous.
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  42. It is nothing but intimidation. Shame on them.
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  43. EXACTLY! That is why Lady Justice wears the blindfold.
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  44. The 6 radical justices who agreed with this ridiculous immunity opinion need to be removed from SCOTUS. The Constitution says that their tenure lasts "during good Behaviour" (sic, Article 3 section 1). Obviously, turning the USA from a democracy into a dictatorship is NOT good behavior. Nor is placing the Executive above the Judicial and Legislative when the Constitution says they are co-equal. Nor is writing new laws; that is the exclusive right of the Legislative.
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  45. Habba should be fined for contempt.
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  46.  @red.blue.seahorse1951  Withholding their salaries is unconstitutional. I am not kidding, the constitution specifically says Justices must be remunerated.
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  47. Ignorance of the Law is no excuse. Same for accounting best practices.
    6
  48. There is no reason whatsoever that would require these lawyers to see these documents, even in summary. The only need to see the TOP SECRET cover page of these documents, with all other details redacted. This is a very simple case. Trump is trying to make it complicated in order to delay, delay, delay.
    5
  49. Freedom of Religion includes Freedom from Religions. I am saying that as a Christian. Because I can see how Trump let fanatics take over SCOTUS, and we remember what similar fanatics did to us where I live. We fought an 80-years war to get out from under their persecution. It starts with the persecution of women, and ends with the persecution of those who don't subscribe to their form of religion. And that form of religion is not based on the Loving, Gracious God that I know.
    5
  50. I am against capital punishment, but by some measures the title "condemned" would be appropriate for him. Especially if he gave national and international security information to Putin and others that are enemies of the USA.
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  51. 3. Stop clicking on recommended video's from CNN in youtube. The algorithm will get the message after some time. ✔ 4. Ignore CNN on Twitter. ✔
    5
  52. Sick of the media not reporting Trump's word salads, but instead trying to interpret what they think he intended to say -- and claiming that was what he said.
    5
  53.  @AlbertWeijers  Boris ran to get attention, not to stay our of prison.
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  54. This figures. Trump sides with the crazies, who are not shy of incriminating themselves for him.
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  55. Being called "low information" by the professional liars is a badge of honour.
    4
  56. Most of all, VOTE! And encourage everybody else to VOTE!
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  57. At his inauguration, he dedicated the USA to greed and selfishness. That is something that has far-reaching consequences, which you are seeing right now (apart from the pandemic).
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  58. Sadly this is true. And not just within the USA. The USA desperately needs its Christian leaders to repent and return to Jesus.
    4
  59. Not so much "judicial" reform. The laws are fine, mostly. But there is a LOT of corruption in the USA, and a LOT of discrimination. In my country, if there is even a hint of the court treating a defendant differently from any other (e.g. is partial to the defendant or has already made up its mind before hearing the facts), that court is taken off the case and replaced within hours. That can be triggered by either the prosecution or the defense, depending on whether the court is extra lenient or extra harsh. A panel of senior judges decides whether the court does seem to be partial or not.
    4
  60. The only thing that worries me about this case is that she is trying to block other trials. I don't know how trials are scheduled in the USA, but I would expect each Judge to have authority to set his/her own dates. Especially when it is obvious what she is doing, and it is getting very obvious that she won't make the May date she set.
    4
  61. The FBI needs to become active in prosecuting Obstruction of Justice. At the very least, Merrick Garland must address the nation and point out what Obstruction of Justice is, and how representatives who comment on ongoing cases commit that crime.
    4
  62. I am absolute shocked how this show host let Haba spout ridiculous nonsense. THIS IS NOT NORMAL!
    4
  63. I am greatly puzzled why there is even a discussion whether self-pardons would be Constitutional. Letting a person, any person, self-pardon will place that person above the law. That would place the President above the Constitution itself, and goes against all legal principles established since the enlightenment. It would make the President an absolute ruler. US Democracy would end the moment a presidential self-pardon would be allowed to stand.
    3
  64. The Immunity defense is absurd. The USA Constitution was created for ONE reason and ONE reason alone: to create a country where EVERYBODY is subject to the Law. That is the ONLY difference with the Kings that the founding fathers so abhorred, that the President is subject to the Law, where a King used to not be subject to the Law or had considerable leeway to deviate from it.
    3
  65. It is a shame that the USA let Donnie get this far before correcting him. It shows that the USA is giving rich folk far too much deference / leeway. Trump is a child of the two-level justice system in the USA, where the ultra rich can get away with doing crime. Even now, Trump is getting FAR too much space to maneuver. Literally anyone else would be in jail pending trial right now.
    3
  66. I am disappointed by this letter. Jim Jordan is obstructing justice and abusing his power, which are both crimes. Jim Jordan should be indicted, not receive a polite slap on the wrist. The USA is FAR too lenient with officials who abuse their power to do crime.
    3
  67. Trump is again hoping that people will sacrifice themselves to save him. I pray to God nobody will be that crazy.
    3
  68.  @AdamBladeTaylor  Those lawyers are probably already being stiffed by Trump, have some mercy!
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  69. That a case could not be won does not mean the trial wasn't fair. It isn't a game where both sides have the same opportunity to score. A trial tries to determine whether a defendant actually did something, beyond any reasonable doubt. In many cases, that is obvious from the start, including in the Trump Trials. Trump thinks his stooges don't know the difference. Perhaps some don't, but the vast majority do.
    3
  70. And while he is at it, get the Republican SCOTUS members retire themselves. And those Senators who would oppose his appointments will suddenly feel the need to spend more time with their families.
    3
  71. Again the USA is demonstrating how it kowtows to rich people. This is absurd. A man who has to pay his victims hundreds of millions of dollars, is getting an allowance of 40,000 $ PER MONTH???? And is allowed to blow that by triple the amount????? Anything above minimum wage is RIDICULOUS. And he is allowed to handle his own finances? RIDICULOUS. ALL his assets should have been taken out of his control, all his bank accounts, and that minimum wage put in the only account he has access to. Giuliani is a convict, for crying out loud. The USA is corrupt. Deeply corrupt.
    3
  72. I am getting Lord Farquaad vibes...
    3
  73. It is wrong to say that there were no victims in this case. There were. Namely, the competitors who would have wanted to buy the properties that Trump bought, but couldn't get such good rates or such high loans with the banks because they didn't commit fraud. And also the banks, who unknowingly ran a bigger financial risk than they were aware of and their regulations allowed. Business rules are supposed to create a safe and fair playing field. By his fraud, Trump gave himself an unfair advantage. Similar to an F1 car being two pounds lighter than regulations allow. Those F1 cars get disqualified and lose all points he earned during the race, and Trump is going to pay back the profits he made fraudulently.
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  74. Wow. Handling confidential information about an active investigation to one of the parties involved in that investigation? That is totally outrageous. Defendant Trump has absolutely no right to such information, as it pertains to an investigation not this current case. Cannon has made herself an informant for Trump. If this isn't enough to have Cannon recused from the case, I will loose any respect I still have for the US justice system. This is just WRONG. In a real democracy, with active Rule of Law, Trump would have been arrested awaiting trial somewhere around April or May 2021.
    3
  75. Trump is such a generous person: he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for stories that never happened, and then committed crimes to hide that fact.
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  76. But he incriminated himself by doing as his Capo wanted. And he will pay the price -- unless he flips.
    3
  77. For a country where political party is so much part of one's identity, it is a hopeful sign to see Republicans walking away. The Republican party has changed. It now stands only for raw selfishness, greed and corruption, the things that are destroying the USA right now. The USA was not created to be a beacon of selfishness or greed, but to be a beacon of hope and democracy.
    3
  78. The USA should have learned from Europe, that a Constitution must have safeguards against parties who frustrate the democratic process. Things like voter rights and reproductive rights should have been put in concrete long ago. The Senate must either better reflect the People's will, or have less power. There must be guarantees that Congress and the Senate do their business promptly. If Congress is hung, unable to do its business, it must be possible to call for new elections. The role of Head of State and Head of Government must be separated so it becomes possible to let a government that does not have the confidence of Congress fall. Etc, etc, etc. But the USA knew better, they were the "home of democracy". Now we have in many parts of the USA, minority rule, imposing decisions on the Public that are not supported by the majority of the People. Time for reform. Radical Reform. Let successful democracies like France, Germany, Denmark or the Netherlands explain how it is done.
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  79. That depends on which people are affected, not on the rights themselves. "Rights for Me, Not for You". Which is just a form of lawlessness and corruption. Someone should school them on why Lady Justice wears a blindfold.
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  80. MTG is a blemish on the USA.
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  81. I don't think it is smart to pressure Weisselberg to testify. He perjured himself once to save Trump, he may well do so again. We do not know what leverage Trump has over him.
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  82. Some people won't know that you quoted the Bible: "The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son.” -- Ez 18:20. It seems especially the MAGAts, for all their Bible thumping, are not aware of this principle. MAGAts are no Christians. "Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals" -- 1 Cor 15:33
    2
  83. Finally, judges are putting a stop to the Delay, Delay, Delay tactics.
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  84. They would not. Not in their life. Not at gun point. There are a lot of people in the USA who think they are Christians, but are not. <edit:> I have many arguments to support this. But the most fundamental one is this: a Christian would NEVER, EVER, force people to do what is good. Which is exactly what the GOPhers are trying to do. Forcing people to do what is right is the opposite of loving them.
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  85. I am continuously amazed by the favours that the Prosecution gives to Trump. If they hope that Republicans will see that and moderate their comments, they are mistaken. They will attack anyway, and even more viciously because they see weakness.
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  86. ​ @chrisharris1522  No, rape carries the death sentence in Biblical Law. Except if the girl is not engaged or married, where it is assumed that there is no rape going on but that the pair is in love. In those days, single women were not normally without a female chaperone, so it is highly improbably that she got in a situation where she could be raped. Except if she sneaked off on purpose. Even then, it is assumed the man is at fault. It is assumed that he must have seized her without her consent, because a woman would not give herself to a man before marriage, no matter how much she was in love.
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  87. It is essential that SCOTUS gets this right. If a President is found to be above the Law when acting in an official capacity, the USA is no longer a democracy, but a dictatorship.
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  88. The hypocrisy of the GOP is astounding. Here they are, parroting Chinese and Russian propaganda, all the while demonizing any moderate policy as "SOCIALISM!"
    2
  89. Trump is the embodiment of "give him a finger and he will take the hand". There can be no democracy if there is no rule of law. To keep a democracy, the Rules must be applied ruthlessly to who have (or want) power. Kowtowing to powerful / rich people by civil servants is corruption, which must be rooted out in order to protect Democracy.
    2
  90. The concept of other people sitting in Judgement over him is beyond Trump. He truly believes he is above the Law. For his sake, I hope his eyes are opened as he is convicted by this jury, so he can prepare his soul for meeting the final Judge whenever it is his time to go.
    2
  91.  @JohnDoe-vy5hh  In this life, perhaps. But in the next, no way.
    2
  92. The USA has many, many problems. Corruption, political interference in the judiciary, media who have a license to lie & promote hate, etc, etc. When is the USA going to learn that there must be sensible limits to certain freedoms?
    2
  93. ​ @blktarockstar818  Sending the first letter perhaps wasn't obstruction, as it seemed Jordan was ignorant on the bounds of his authority. The second was. And his utterances on television are also obstruction of justice, as these might influence a jury on the case. Politicians must always stay out of criminal investigations. Any involvement they have is obstruction of justice. That is why in a real democracy, politicians will ALWAYS respond with "I can't comment on an ongoing investigation", even when asked by a reporter. Which is also why in a real democracy, every politician who is indicted will step back so as to be able to defend themselves. Except in very rare cases like the "Minder, Minder" charge against Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, where the question was about what a politician can say without it becoming a hate crime, i.e. clarifying the bounds within which a politician must operate. 18 U.S. Code § 1503 (a) "Whoever corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication, endeavors to influence, intimidate, or impede any grand or petit juror, or officer in or of any court of the United State, ... shall be punished as provided in subsection b" So it is a crime for any politician to comment on any criminal case and say "this is a witch hunt" or "politically motivated". Or, Jim Jordan calling Braggs indictment of Trump an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority." That is threatening language, and language designed to influence and intimidate. So, respectfully, please refrain from calling for people to "research topics before making assertions", when in fact it is you who are wrong. There is plenty of evidence to indict a whole slew of MAGA politicians with regards to their Obstruction of Justice in this specific case.
    2
  94. The Trump-appointed justices need to be impeached, on two counts: lying to the senate re Roe v Wade, and for not recusing themselves in the trump cases. When people have been appointed by an individual, they must be assumed to be biased towards that individual. The next Congress must take its responsibility and impeach these frauds.
    2
  95. You are very right in expecting Trump to be labeled a vexatious litigant, but somehow I don't expect the Judge to grant that. The number of favours extended to Trump by the court system, that is vexatious indeed.
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  96. The authoritarian side of Catholicism is, sadly, well known in my country the Netherlands. We fought an 80-year war against the Catholic Spanish empire that cost the lives of about 200,000 people. Because these emperors believed it was their God-given duty to persecute Protestants. And the result was the blueprint for modern states, including for the US Declaration of Independence.
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  97. The goons are lucky they were not shot while committing their crimes.
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  98.  @mssouth1964  There are people waiting in line for food in the USA today. That is much better than having no food at all, which may well be what Sanders meant. And if you implicate Sanders for a joke made by one of his employees, you must be going nuts over an actual candidate who brags about sexually assaulting women -- which has in the mean time been certified as to be more than just an empty boast but actual fact. To be fair, I haven't looked seriously into Sanders life. But the points he raises and the arguments he makes are much more in line with what Christ would want than any other US politician I know of. Whether he is a Christian or not is not relevant. As all those Republicans say concerning Trump, who clearly is no Christian either. That is what gets me with the Republicans: their hypocrisy. They accept things from Trump they would never accept from a Democrat.
    2
  99. I wonder how long before Mr. Tacopina gets indicted and/or disbarred. And if he succeeds in escaping that fate, I hope Trump pays him.
    2
  100. For a rich guy like Trump, it should be no problem at all to get 82 M$. He has testified in the media and in court that he is much richer than that. It would be an insult to humanity if the payment of the bond for Trump is postponed just because he asked for it.
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  101. I do not understand why all this BS is necessary. The man didn't pay the bond. Give the company fronting the bond 5 working days to repair any possible human errors or for Trump to find a new bondsman. Then declare the bond unpaid, deny Trump's appeal to the verdict for not having fulfilled his bond duty, and start to collect the full amount of the verdict. Case Closed. Why on earth does the US legal system let Trump get away with things they would not let anyone else get away with? Such behaviour is incompatible with Democracy.
    2
  102. Ordering the Prosecutor to make public information that endangers the lives of federal officers and witnesses? That is a serious miscarriage of Justice, and should lead not only to the immediate recusal of Judge Cannon but her disbarment as well.
    2
  103. I do not rejoice in the personal suffering of Donald Trump. Seeing the wrath of the Law descend on someone who long thought himself above the Law is awesome and terrible to behold. But I am glad that it looks like the USA is robust enough to deal with this existential threat. Though it still is a close thing.
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  104. It is about time the Federalist Society is investigated. The organization sounds extremely dangerous to Democracy.
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  105. 24:00 -- Trump does these things not because he is a terrible person. He is banking on the chance that there will be a Republican president again in two years time who would stop any and all federal cases against him. His strategy is delay, delay, delay, delay, until the opponent gives up, runs out of money, or is stopped in another way.
    2
  106. You have to wonder how on earth Georgia would let a rookie judge handle the most momentous trial the state will likely see in a generation if not a century. And what got into this judge to think he could handle this case? Perhaps the other judges were scared to take it on. Well, let them be aware that Democracy and Justice are not for the faint of heart. If they can't handle sitting in Judgement over what may be the biggest criminal of the 21st century (so far), they shouldn't be judges.
    2
  107. "No pun intended" And you expect us to believe that? But with people like Pecker involved in this case, the puns come quicker than Trump!
    2
  108. The online threats and attacks on the Judge are OUTRAGEOUS! If Trump were innocent, he would speak up in court instead of on the media. If he thinks Engoron is biased against him, Trump can appeal or even have him recused of the case. Having your lackeys attack the Judge is not something an innocent man does.
    2
  109. I wonder when Americans will finally realize that what Trump is doing is un-American. And un-Republican. That Trump is un-American & un-Republican.
    2
  110. Cannon is destroying her career for Trump. You wonder why people do that. Cannon may even be prosecuted for aiding and abetting when all is said and done. She may be betting on Trump becoming Dictator for Life, in which case she is sure to become a Justice. But Trump will never again be President, and their plans will come to nothing.
    2
  111. I understand the Prosecutor has to fight the defense. But that the Prosecutor has to fight to keep the JUDGE from doing harm is outrageous. I would hope that this is the last strike for Judge Cannon, and that she will be removed from the case if Smith has to appeal a decision that would do irreparable harm to innocent people and to federal agents.
    2
  112. I hope Trump finds grace to repent. That might heal the country, if he were to simply take responsibility for his crimes. I know it is unlikely, but not impossible.
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  113. With regards to the selective prosecution claim, the DA should be able to argue that because Trump was President, a higher bar for complying with the Law should be applied, because he is an example for every American. Which is also why the Law is pretty strict with e.g. athletes. How on earth could anyone argue "yeah, I know Trump was let off for this, but we will convict you for it"? Going soft on Trump would undermine the fabric of society. "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" (Luke 12:48)
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  114. Yep. I hope he has a list prepared, with specific corrupt judges / justices, senators, representatives, and of course Public Enemy #1.
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  115. It will be bigger than his toadstool.
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  116. ​ Marie-rd1se  It is in his inauguration speech. He doesn't use those exact words, but that is what "America First" means: America taking even more money from the rest of the world, when it is already by far the richest country.
    2
  117. Also, he should have gotten the MAXIMUM sentences sequentially, not in parallel. I dare the courts to find a worse example of a subpoena-ignorer, so he definitely deserves maximum sentences.
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  118. Folks, we must remember that Trump is out on bail. It is high time to revoke his bail and remand him to jail immediately. That is what would happen to literally every other person in the USA who did these same things.
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  119. My dad taught me there are two people I should pay very well: my accountant and my lawyer.
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  120. "Absolute Immunity" is not compatible with democracy. The foundational principle in a democracy is that EVERYBODY is subject to the Law. Sure, some people are allowed to do some things others may not, like a cop can run a red light. But that does not mean that cop is allowed to just crash into any car that was on the intersection before he got there. If some people were to have "absolute immunity", those people would be the de-facto dictators of that society.
    2
  121. You state that the guard rails held. But in fact, they didn't. Trump committed heinous crimes, yet he is still a free man. He had a dozen Representatives help him, and they are still free people, and still able to sabotage the Government. A large part of the US voters still believe Trump was the rightful winner of the election. The media is now even more pro-Trump than before. An insurrection that fails but is not punished is a practice run.
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  122. Wow. Hearing this, I am stunned the judge didn't hold Trump in contempt. Yet another example of how the US legal system is treating a criminal with kid gloves. This is not good.
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  123. I can't remember how this story broke, but I don't think it was Daniels. First I heard of it was during the case against Michael Cohen.
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  124. This is not your grandpa's GOP. This is your toddler's party. Law and Order are no longer relevant for this GOP. They want Law but ONLY if it attacks their enemies, not to apply to themselves. Exactly as a toddler thinks before he learns right from wrong.
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  125. These talking heads are deranged. OF COURSE Biden is not trying to flog sneakers. He has an actual job to do, and he doesn't need money. For crying out loud, by Law Biden is forbidden to do that!
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  126. MAGA is purposefully destroying people in the hope that others will be too intimidated to do their duty, so I think it is GREAT that the damages awarded have gone up so much. I have NO PITY with these goons, because it is part of their plan to take over the country. However, I don't think damages in general have gone up. It is just that these women have been targeted for intimidation BECAUSE THEY DID THEIR DUTY, UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION. In my country, attacks on public officials doing their duty carry double punishment. To be honest, aside from the damages, these women should get some serious recognition by the government. Like the Congressional Freedom Medal, or the Medal for Valor (if the Republican traitors block the CFM).
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  127. I am not certain about that. Anyone is free to request something from the DA. And anyone is free to have their ears washed about whether or not the DA should accommodate that request. However, if these congressmen were to actually order Bragg to comply, or impose any consequences on the DA's refusal to accommodate them, that would most certainly be obstruction of justice. And I would imagine that their comments on the case ("witch hunt" etc) would also constitute obstruction of justice, but that is another matter. Politicians must be very careful not to comment on ongoing cases to prevent e.g. witness intimidation or prejudicing a potential jury.
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  128.  @courtneybrubaker9738  That is part of the job. If a judge is afraid to rule against a criminal, the fight for democracy is already lost.
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  129. The USA is quite tough on people who attack cops. It should be even tougher on people who target DA's and Judges.
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  130. That clip of the fake court setup by Giuliani is such a terrible thing. It reminds me of the fake people's courts in Nazi Germany. Giuliani should have lost his license just for that, cooperating with a perverse imitation of Justice.
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  131. My biggest fear is that when convicted, Trump will be granted house arrest instead of proper prison. Then, he would be free to communicate with his base and continue spreading his vitriol in society, as if nothing had changed.
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  132. Lawyers should by now know that everything Trump touches, is corrupted. They may get a few million (if Trump actually pays them), but those are gone quickly.
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  133.  @roysingh1345  That is for his KGB FSB handler to decide.
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  134. I wonder how this will influence her standing in her party. It is obvious she was doing a sex act in a public theater with kids present, and then lied about it. If this were a Democrat congress woman, this would be the end of her political career. In the old-fashioned GOP, it would as well. But in the MAGA cult? I doubt it. Like Trump could shoot someone without it costing him votes, she could probably have sex in public without loosing voters. Shows how hypocritical, corrupt and vile the MAGA movement is.
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  135. The "men" are so pathetic. Taylor Swift is an attractive, successful, independent person who is very wise in business affairs, she makes great music and uses her influence for the betterment of all. Trying to gaslight each other that she isn't these things are sad.
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  136. What amazes me is that there are still people following Trump. This "Presidential Immunity" that Trump claims is nothing less than dictatorship. Rule of Law is a prerequisite for democracy, and means that NOBODY is above the Law.
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  137. What I don't get is how Trump is treated so differently from ANYONE else who has done similar. Anyone else would have been lifted off their beds at gunpoint. Like that fool who revealed some secrets about Ukraine. But these documents are several classes more important and more damaging to US security. It would have been totally normal had Trump been thrown in jail even during the search of his house, as soon as the import of these documents was established.
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  138. They should know by now that the man is his own worst enemy and will try to make his lawyers destroy their careers for him. But I am pretty sure some really good lawyers did apply for the position, but were rejected by Trump because they either wanted to be paid in advance, or wouldn't kowtow to him. Like address him as "president", or humor his suggestions. A good lawyer would put Trump on notice that he must do as the lawyer says, and that is something Trump is too proud for. "Pride comes before a fall"
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  139. These court cases MUST be televised. The Public must be able to hear and see the Judge saying these things to the Trictator. Again, the US Justice system is doing him a great favour at the detriment of The People.
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  140. The fascists are finding out that the 1st amendment is not a license to lie. I wish Fox would find out that it is not a license to repeat lies as well. But most of all, I hope that the American public becomes more adept at recognizing lies, and refuse to support liars.
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  141. I am curious how the SS will react when their Leader is remanded to jail. Part of me is hoping to see them rebel against the Judge and be held in Contempt themselves. But I am sure the court staff has discussed this with the SS already.
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  142. There are circumstances where they aren't (e.g. insanity), but some bozo telling you on TV to do something bad isn't one of them.
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  143. Trump has taught MAGA to be bullies. They will bully the nation if he is re-elected.
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  144. What worries me is that she is taking the dysfunctional, hyper-partisan operation of Congress as fact. However, I am quite certain that if she were willing to submit sensible, non-controversial proposals, she would get broad support. There have been many attempts by Democrats to obtain support from Republicans, even watering down their proposals with Republican amendments to appease them, only to be met with further demands. She conceals that it is the Republicans who simply stone-wall any co-operation from Democrats.
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  145. God bless all of you as you try to get these cult members closer to rationality.
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  146. The test of whether a fetus is viable outside the mother is a very sensible one. Because it also covers late-term miscarriages. It is absurd to somehow "protect" the life of a deceased fetus, and thereby endanger the life of the woman. Also, whether the fetus is viable is a medical decision, and this gives doctors (in consult with their patients and some peer-review / second opinion process) the authority to make such decisions. Thus it also covers possible future improvements in the care for early-born children. I applaud this judge for such a well-balanced decision. And for taking on the fascists, and highlighting exactly where they are wrong.
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  147. Canon is applying for a seat in SCOTUS, should the orange menace come back in power. That is the only explanation for what she is doing.
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  148. I am pretty sure Dump regrets having her represent him. She turned a 10M$ claim into a 83M$ verdict. But I am sure Carroll is happy with her!
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  149.  @Patrick-h9q1v  Having limited immunity does not mean people must vote for him. And if you think SCOTUS opined that the president has full immunity you should take reading classes. It ruled that a president has immunity for official acts he/she performs. That is NOT "full immunity". Telling your lawyer to pay off a porn star is not an "official act". Nor is taking classified documents with you when you step down or instructing Georgia officials to falsify the election results. Donnie is going to Prison.
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  150.  @acreguy3156  Agreed. They have sworn to uphold the Constitution, and they didn't. They demolished the principle of the three co-equal branches of government.
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  151. USA, you are sleep-walking to your own destruction. The FBI should be arresting the leaders of the "heritage fund" right now for planning this. You can not wait until they actually do this. That is what Germany did in the 1930ies. Even planning this stuff is a crime. All you have to do is to UPHOLD THE LAW!
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  152. 6:50 -- Note that the subpoena was for any and all documents under the custody of Trump or his office, but Bobb only answers for the documents Trump moved to Florida. That is a red flag and should result in the search of all his other properties.
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  153. Like with any bully, that the Law would apply to him is a foreign concept to Trump. Time to get more popcorn.
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  154. When is Trump labelled a vexatious litigant? No-one has done more to deserve it (AFAIK).
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  155. I hope that the people who wouldn't vote for Hillary for whatever reason are thoroughly ashamed of themselves. They are responsible for the mess the USA is in.
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  156. ​ @What_do_I_Think  Reagan did well internationally. But he put a time-bomb under the US economy, accelerated the self-enrichment of the wealthy at the cost of the working people.
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  157. FINALLY! The MAGAts have been fighting dirty for many years. It is about time the targets put a stop to it, using the legal avenues available to them. What Trump does is not normal and not acceptable. Defamation of character is bad enough, but when it can lead to physical harm that should NEVER be accepted. There are limits to the freedom of speech, and rightly so. Trump's freedom to speak ends where it endangers Hunter Biden's freedom to live.
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  158. Excellent point about evangelical leaders stoking fear. This is the exact opposite of what a Christian leader would do. Christian leaders stoke FAITH, not fear. Here is some good advice for Christians who find themselves in a church that stokes fear: LEAVE! IMMEDIATELY! If your feel less confident about the future or society after going to a specific church, DON'T GO TO THAT CHURCH! God will never say that society is going to break down, because it isn't as long as there are praying Christians. God will never say that we should worry about people turning against us, because they aren't while Christians pray for them. Except in areas where the Gospel is newly introduced and/or rivaling a dominant religion, which is NOT the situation in the US or any western nation. Leaders warning of persecution in the USA are liars. Fear is a hallmark of the Devil. Faith and trust is the hallmark of God.
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  159. I continue to be amazed at how these big fish are able to play the justice system. Imagine being a private person who was defrauded or injured by him. There is no way you will be able to get Justice...
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  160. You wonder why these lawyers destroy their careers like this. Apparently disbarment is not enough of a punishment.
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  161. This SCOTUS opinion has turned the USA into a dictatorship. The first step to take is to impeach the six justices who concurred with this, all six of them, for serious misbehaviour undermining the Rule of Law and elevating the Executive above the Legislative & Judicial. Because Justices are not appointed for life, they "shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour". That is the literal text from the Constitution.
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  162. "Pride comes before a fall". The reason all these right-wing nuts are all worked up about Carlson is that they know they can be next. These people have gone too far and now it is time to pay the piper. When they fall, they fall hard.
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  163. These people repeat "retail investors" a bit too much. Makes me think they have hardly any retail investors, but are depending on a few big players, probably outside the USA who want to buy influence. And that makes sense, as no-one in their right mind would invest in this stock at any price point.
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  164. Trump needs to go to jail. He is wrong, and he needs to face the consequences of being wrong. I don't think Trump will ever accept responsibility for anything, but he MUST face the consequences. Or the USA is not worth to be called a democracy, because the Rule of Law is a condicio sine qua non for democracy.
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  165. The Trump family is taking total control of the GOP. Very, very scary. People, this is now officially NOT your father's GOP. It is a different party, and what they want is not good for you.
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  166. We need to get to the bottom of how Putin was able to corrupt the GOP, which inroads and incriminating evidence he used to do it. And we need to get to the bottom of what motivates Murdoch, how his strings are pulled and how money flows in and out of his emporium.
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  167. I have no pity with the USA. You made your bed, you lie in it. That includes Democrats, who were far too nice to Republicans that did wrong. Like those in Congress and SCOTUS who did crimes.
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  168.  @chrisharris1522  Yes you did, the rule you mentioned is from the Bible. Deut 22:29. However, like many others, you misunderstood it. Even some who claim to live by the Bible misunderstand it.
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  169. ​ @chrisharris1522  That is very true. There is nothing "christian" about what the cultists want. For example, there is no Biblical principle or rule that would prohibit abortion. In fact, the whole idea of using the Law to prevent abortion is contrary to Christianity. Laws do not promote righteousness. Same for their treatment of immigrants. That is something the Bible warns very strongly about: a society that does not care for immigrants will be judged by God. Same for the poor and the sick.
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  170. NEVER forget nor forgive that the Republican Senators failed to condemn Trump for these blatant crimes. If ever there has been a President that should have been impeached, it was Donald Trump. And most of them still kowtow to him. These details would have been the immediate end of anyone's political career -- except for Trump. Why is that? Why don't the media make more of this? This is not normal. Seriously, think about it. Someone with a LOT of money and a LOT of power and a LOT of leverage must be behind this. There is only one man that rich, that powerful and that well informed: Vladimir Putin. Trump and his Republican Party must be his chosen vehicle to control the USA.
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  171. Good. Republicans need to be held accountable for what they did to the USA. As they say, "LOCK THEM UP!"
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  172. I am praying the Federalist Society will be unmasked and prosecuted. Sounds like it is a very, very dangerous group of people.
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  173. Just realized, through one of the other comments here (thanks, @angrysquirrel187), that this may not just be a grift from his marks. It is potentially also a perfect money laundering scheme. Bitcoins can come from anywhere and anyone.
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  174. The results are in: Trump was the WORST US PRESIDENT EVER, according to people who's job it is to evaluate presidents.
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  175. I can't bear hearing Trump talk. Literally every sentence he makes is a lie. "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
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  176. Each person is liable for his own actions. No-one can claim "Befehl ist Befehl" and deny any personal responsibility. If someone asks you to do crime, even if he/she has authority over you, it is your duty before the Law to reject those instructions. And it is also your personal responsibility to know what is a crime. Ignorance of the Law is no defense either. Obviously, you can then no longer stay in that organization. Which is why you should resign immediately when asked to do crime by your boss.
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  177. No. Jim Jordan needs to be indicted, now. He has committed a crime. Ignorance of the Law is no excuse, as the Republicans love to remind everyone when it suits them.
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  178. If Trump or one of his cronies ever gets back into the White House, it will be game over for democracy in the USA. They will turn the USA into a kleptocratic fascist dictatorship. And after a short while, they will start wars against their neighbors and against any other free people, working together with Russia and China. That would be the end of freedom world-wide for a long, long time.
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  179. The idea that the Secret Service will prevent the Don from being incarcerated is ludicrous. But they are welcome to try and prevent his arrest. It would mean the end of the Secret Service. "End" as in the most definite and permanent type of end.
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  180. Another game that Cannon may be playing, is that she is planning to exonerate Trump, so that he can wave that result during the elections. Than she would actually be trying to expedite the trial.
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  181. I love how the Judge cuts the BS from the Trump lawyer. "We need to establish some context ... bla bla" -- Judge interrupts the BS -- "Can you name me one example where equitable jurisdiction was exercised pre-indictment?" And that is just the first knock-out blow. The judges called BS again and again. That lawyer is looking at disbarment for a frivolous case, and all those present know it.
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  182. He still tries those things. Hoping that some right-wing nutjob will go after the DA or the judge.
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  183.  @markusbrauns4274  We are seeing Trump's sins catch up with him. "When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall." Or as we Dutch put it, "Honesty lasts the longest".
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  184.  @markusbrauns4274  Greetings from Amersfoort! I have been to Canada a couple of times half a lifetime ago. My dad had a Dutch colleague who moved to Ottawa. Amazing country!
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  185. Bets are in, how long do you think Trump will be able to hold his mouth shut and not break this order?
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  186. Well done calling out the madness of MAGA the way you did. Trump is being denounced by everybody who has been close with him -- "but I will vote for him anyway". I pray that enough people's eyes will open to the madness to make him and the other Republicans lose bigly.
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  187. It is absolute BS that Pence can claim immunity for speech. Because the purpose of that statute is that senators and congressmen are free to debate any issue without fear of repercussions. But the PM does not engage in debate, not even in his ceremonial role. By the letter of the Law, it ONLY applies to senators and congress(wo)men, and that Pence is NOT.
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  188. Like Trump's previous schemes to make money, this looks like another set-up for white-washing Russian money.
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  189. This is so funny. It is not for nothing that lawyers council people to Shut Their Mouth. But Trump can't help himself. He has to maintain his own image of grandeur.
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  190. These tugs are full of big words when talking to the media, knowing they are not liable for lies said therein, but become very silent when they would perjure themselves.
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  191. This is a good day for the USA. This does not reflect badly on the USA, because that Trump is corrupt is no news to anybody that doesn't do the Koolaid. In fact this will start to restore our opinion of the USA.
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  192. The two-tier justice system is being exposed. And I mean the one where the rich are treated differently than the poor. You know, the one that actually exists. Not like the version that Trump invented where he is treated worse than everybody else. Which is the opposite of what is actually happening.
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  193. So in this case, Trump is unlucky in the judge that was selected. In contrast, he has been very lucky in how the judge for his Florida case was selected, and landed us the Cannon disaster. Karma is a bitch.
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  194. If you want the right to life-saving medical care back on the books, Americans will need to give Biden a 2/3 majority in the Senate and Congress. Vote blue like your life depends on it, women, because it does. Men, vote blue like the lives of your daughters depend on it, because they do.
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  195. I find it disturbing that criminal cases could be made to wait on one another. Justice delayed is Justice Denied. The only time where the agenda of a defendant becomes relevant is when he needs to actually take the stand. I fear it may be Trump's tactic to force cases to a later date because of a case that he will then have delayed, so that delaying one trial (e.g. with the help of Cannon) can delay all the others as well. The US Legal System must not fall for this tactic: Cannon will happily delay his trial until long after the 2024 election. She can not be given precedence over all the other cases: let hers come last.
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  196. I am pretty sure that she is a better Christian than these bitter and immature boys. That she is fed up with the American Churches is something I can fully understand. Because I am as well. And I do follow Christ. Many US churches have confused building themselves with building the kingdom of God. No, the two are NOT the same.
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  197. 10:30 "I am sure I can come up with some creative accounting tricks" I bet he can.
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  198. I continue to be appalled by how these Trumpsters lie and twist the facts. The damages & penalties can't come too soon.
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  199. Rudi f@cked around and had now found out. Judged by a jury of his peers. Having gotten all opportunity to defend himself but refusing to take the stand.
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  200. So true about "inflection points". For me, it was him talking about assaulting women "Grabbing them by the p###y". But everybody has a different point at which they realize that Trump is just not worthy of the Office of President. You are doing great work, keep it up!
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  201. In my country, a judge can be taken off a case very easily when there is the semblance of bias. Canon would have been taken off the case a looooong time ago. Probably around the first time the 11th circuit overruled her, before the actual appeal.
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  202. Sometimes you wonder if judges can read. That Colorado judge needs to be disbarred. Absolutely absurd ruling. Surely the presidency is an "Office, civil or military, under the United States" as specified in the 14th Amendment. As the Constitution states in its second article: "The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years." The USA is a very, very, very sick country. Its mind has been poisoned.
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  203. Trump is not the most important person in that court room, nor the one with the most authority. That will be a huge shock to his system. I'd better get some more popcorn. This will be fun.
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  204. The main reason the USA is in the sorry state it is in, constitutionally, is the billionaire media (Fox, NewsMax). Anyone with half a brain can tell that what Tacopina is saying is the truth, and that what Team Trump is saying is dangerous, insurrectionist, rebellious nonsense. So why is the billionaire media giving Trump a platform, and not Tacopina? At some point, the billionaire media needs to be prosecuted for inciting or conspiring to incite an insurrection.
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  205. So, he is now in Contempt of Court. Haul his ass to jail already.
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  206. Everybody deserves good representation to ensure a fair trial. But I hope they insist Trump pays up front.
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  207. In my country, you can get a judge removed from the case if there is an appearance of being partial or predisposed to either the defense or the prosecution. The process to do this is very quick. So, if one of our judges did this, she would be removed from the case a few hours later, at the latest by the next day.
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  208. People who violate the terms & conditions of their bail should not walk around as a free man.
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  209. MAGA stands for cruelty, indecency, selfishness, abuse of power. I am shocked so many in the USA have fallen for it. Perhaps they want the right to act like that themselves. Well, fine, but don't call yourselves Christians. Because those traits are ANTI-Christian.
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  210. Shame on the Judge for allowing this farce going on. Shame on him for forcing the DA to defend herself against these spurious accusations. A DA is supposed to be adversarial in the US system. Willis obtained no information from her boyfriend she didn't already have access to. There is no way in which their relationship could have influenced the decision of the Grand Jury to indict. That means there was no way in which Trump was disadvantaged by all this. Which means this should have simply been dismissed by the Judge.
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  211. Alina Habba is Trump's main attorney now? I'll need to get myself more popcorn! This is going to be entertaining.
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  212. "I re-negotiate the debt" Right. So you force your creditors to take a loss by putting pressure on them, and thus manage to not go bankrupt. Making use of the maxim: "If you borrow 100,000 $ you have a problem, but if you borrow 100,000,000 $ your bank has a problem. He calls it smart, I call it corrupt. And I am happy it has finally come to an end.
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  213. ​ @IgnoreMeImWrong  So how do you plan to organize an election when the Russian terrorists target people congregating to bury someone and people doing their morning shopping? When they are actively trying to assassinate the incumbent? When many thousands of people are on the front in active battles and possibly captured, wounded or dead? When large parts of your country are occupied by the enemy without any way to access them? When another large group has evacuated the country to shelter in other countries? You need peace to congregate, to campaign, to vote, to register those eligible to vote, to get ballots to them and back to the polling stations while ensuring their integrity, to process those votes, etc.
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  214. So, if I understand it correctly, a case can be remanded to federal court if it is conceivable that a certain action was legal under federal law and within the purview of a federal official's job. This means that none of the removal cases is likely to succeed. There is no way that tampering with the result of an election, or appointing fake electors meets that criterion. Delay, delay, delay... The MAGA crowd disgusts me. Don't give them an inch!
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  215. There are, but the two criminal cases that seek to convict Trump for it have been held up by Trump-appointed judges in the Supreme Court. The next Congress should impeach each and every one of them for not recusing themselves, as should judge Canon who holds up the documents case.
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  216. The MAGAts are terrorists. Their sentencing should be aggravated.
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  217. Judge Cannon is on her second strike. If Smith successfully appeals her a third time, that will be her third, and grounds to have her removed from the case.
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  218. I hope the people in the USA learn not to believe everybody that talks tough, looks good or wears a fancy suit on TV. Trump has done a lot to confirm the stereotype Europeans have of Americans: that they are superficial and insincere.
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  219. While a lot of attention is focused on Trump, most other Republicans are just as bad and potentially even worse candidates for political office. Just look at how they treated Liz Cheney, one of the few upright republicans that was left.
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  220. Don't think that e.g. Ron DeSantis is better than Trump. It isn't Trump persé that is doing the damage. He has a lot of help. E.g. Mitch McConnell, and that smirking devil-worshipper Johnson, and a thousand other politicians that need to face legal consequences for their acts.
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  221. That the world still needs to pray and hold their breath that the SCOTUS of the USA does the right thing in ruling that the Law means what it says it means, instead of just crossing out the parts MAGAts don't like, scares me. Mitch McConnel has done terrible evil in appointing such corrupt people to the courts. Shame on him.
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  222. Trump, Putin et al imagined they lived in a "post-truth" world. Thing is, there is no such thing. Truth is Eternal. Jesus Himself said that the day would come when things that were said in back rooms would be shouted from the roof tops. Trump is about to experience the truth in that. As we Dutch say, "no matter how swift the lie, truth will overtake it".
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  223. Cannon considering to dismiss the case? YES, PLEASE, BY ALL MEANS! Then Smith will simply appeal and take the case out of her hands. So, we already know what will happen: Cannon will NOT dismiss the case, and Team Trump knows this and agrees with it. This all is a frivolous exercise only intended to run down the clock.
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  224. "Absolute Presidential Immunity" does not exist in a country that has the Rule of Law. Even if this is not explicit in the Constitution, this is so fundamental that no-one with any legal knowledge would consider it even for a second. The Rule of Law, a concept that was written down in the Magna Carta in 1215, means that the Leader / King / President is himself subject to the Law. It is a conditio sine qua non for democracy. If SCOTUS allows this defense, the USA is done as a democracy. If it happens, Biden should immediately remove the Trump appointments from SCOTUS and prosecute them for insurrection and failing to protect and uphold the Constitution, using the authority SCOTUS just gave him.
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  225.  @mssouth1964  Well, at least he is saying the right things. And he is saying how he wants to accomplish his plans and finance them. Trump never says anything about his plans, and the few things he does say are either immoral, illegal or impractical. Remember that wall that would be so great, and that Mexico was going to pay for? When he made that promise in 2016 everybody with half a brain knew it was utter rubbish. Never trust a politician who isn't clear about his plans.
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  226. ​ @mssouth1964  You seriously think an American president would send people to a gulag? Please, have yourself checked into a mental hospital. You need care.
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  227. ​ @joannemcardle1848  Exactly. That is what happens whenever religious leaders meddle with temporal power and money (the two are inseparable). That is why Jesus instituted the separation of church and state, clearly saying "My Kingdom is not of this world", and taught us to be wary of rich people, and to not give them any special privileges. The Bible has several very clear warnings against church leaders who fleece the sheep. Which is what many church leaders in the USA are doing, sadly. People building their own kingdoms, not Jesus' Kingdom. For example the teaching to keep your giving private is not followed in the USA, unspiritual people like to boast about their giving, or try to manipulate others into giving more.
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  228.  @melvinsatterwhitejr575  "Reality" Nope, Corruption. From Money and Power. Happens periodically. Then the corrupted church withers away while something new that is alive and vibrant with God's Grace starts. God doesn't destroy places where He is no longer welcome. He simply moves to places where he is.
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  229. I am convinced this SPAC is a money-laundering vehicle. And a way to grift more from Trump's base.
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  230. "Unifying the Republican Party" Good luck with that. Trump has drawn deep from the well of division, and it will continue dividing the Party. Because he isn't just attacking a specific, small group like the "illegal" immigrants. He is attacking women, "rhinos", veterans, disabled people, etc, etc. Those are not small groups that the party can bear antagonizing.
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  231. A question: as Trump and his council continue to use language in the media that the judges do not permit in court, is that permissible as evidence that Trump and his council are acting in bad faith?
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  232. "We don't need that" Yeah, sure, we don't need evidence. I can respect a lawyer who does his best for his client. But lawyers who lie need to lose their license.
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  233.  @alisonhouse2929  In the UK it is called the "Royal Prerogative of Mercy". Famous recipients include Alan Turing, undoing his 1952 conviction for "gross indecency" -- i.e. homosexuality. That was 2017, quite recently imho.
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  234. Miss Habba is behaving extremely unprofessionally. I hope she is reprimanded for her behaviour throughout this trial and during this "press conference" rant.
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  235. Trump is a test for the USA. How will you deal with this piece of dirt? Will you do what is right? Will you uphold the Law? Or will you treat this man differently than anyone else because of his status? Will you prove that the USA has an unjust two-tier system? Will you yield to the threats from fascist goons? Make sure you pass the test. Because to fail it would mean very hard times for the USA.
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  236. When Jesus said: "My Kingdom is not of this world. Otherwise, my disciples would fight", he meant it. Anyone who abuses Christianity to meddle in worldly politics, is NOT serving Jesus. Anyone who calls on people to fight for a political leader is NOT serving Jesus. You are absolutely right in calling this woman out as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Jesus does not use sleazebags like Trump to build His Kingdom.
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  237. The goal of all these shenenigans is not to win. It is to delay and run out the clock and be able to run for President as a free man. If Trump manages to become President, he will remain president until he dies, and one of his cronies after that. And that will have been the last free and fair election the country will have had for a loooooong time.
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  238. You wonder when "moderate" republicans will have had enough. There are more of them than of the MAGA crowd. As it stands, they are complicit to a fascist party.
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  239. For an "alpha male", that a woman can not tell the difference between your finger and a pen!s, is a very poor defense.
    1
  240. Also, a self-pardon will not stand. Because by self-pardoning, the President would put himself above the law and elevate himself above the two other co-equal branches of government. Which would contradict the Constitution. So while I expect that Trump has already self-pardoned, that will not be his get-out-of-jail card. Apart from the cases in Georgia and New York which are state-level.
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  241. I love how the defense of Trump is introducing tweets as evidence. They don't seem to realize that that is a double-edged knife. There are dozens if not hundreds of tweets / messages in which Trump either admits to committing a crime, or flat out commits crime.
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  242. Trump broke faith with the American people in so many ways. However, he is just the tip of the iceberg. To root out the rest of the filth will take much effort. Some of the driving elements seem to be Vladimir Putin, Catholic movements, and Rupert Murdoch. But we need to understand how these are interconnected.
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  243. The sycophancy of the MAGA Media never fails to shock me. What a bunch of lying pigs. All serious media & journalists would hold their judgements until the Jury has reached a verdict. The fact that they call for the assassination of Biden and for a violent insurrection would get them off the air immediately in civilised countries. That that is not happening is THE fundamental weakness of the USA.
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  244. "If the rule of law is the thing we hold highest, then indictments need to be forthcoming" ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! By being overly thorough, Garland is pissing away the time needed to actually have Trump in court. I am afraid that a conviction will be too little, too late. Democrats needs to realize that there is a war going on, and Democracy is still in clear and present danger in the USA. The floodgates of lies are still open, Americans are still being radicalized, election laws are still being passed that massively advantage the Republicans. I still fear for the USA.
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  245. The way MAGA thinks they can demand media coverage worries me. They showed this tendency also while Trump was in power. It is an actual breech of the 1st amendment to order media to cover something or someone. Media is free to platform anyone they like as long as they are not aiding and abetting criminals, conspiring to do crime, produce hate speech or slander with actual malice. NO-ONE has to right to order media to cover something or not to cover something. That is called the freedom of the press and is codified by the 1st amendment.
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  246. It is NOT OK to describe a political opponent as a vulture. That is pure evil and should not be accepted.
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  247. There is something seriously wrong with the US justice system: why on earth do other judges think they can interfere with another case? There is the appeals system, that should be enough. If you think you have "absolute immunity", argue so before the court where a case is brought against you, and let Justice have its course. After the trial is completed, you can appeal its verdict if you think you have been unfairly treated. But a ruling not to dismiss a case should not be something that can be appealed: letting a case proceed is always the safe option that does not violate anyone's rights. It is fundamentally impossible for injustice to be done by letting a court case proceed.
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  248. About the 60 minutes interview: where I live, in the Netherlands, MTG would be indicted for that interview. You can not call fellow politicians "pedophiles" without some serious proof. And even with that proof, you'd have to present your case in court, not in the media. Probably she would get a fine, and a warning that if she persisted in such high-profile name-calling she would get a gag order. Not all speech should be protected: there must be consequences for demonizing people. But it looks like first some people need to die before the USA will adopt sensible anti-hate speech laws. MTG should be able to make her point without making wild accusations of crimes. And you wonder why we think the USA is backward.
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  249. The misinformation campaign that Trump is allowed to pursue is both disgusting and extremely dangerous. Time to haul his ass into jail.
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  250. Asking a judge a-priori if certain communications are permissible is asking a judge to break the 1st amendment. Good thing he didn't play along.
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  251. "If she has proof that they didn't have an affair" As usual, the MAGAts are disgustingly dishonest. It is impossible to prove you don't have a romance. That is why it is up to the accusation to prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was an improper relationship. Which they haven't. Anyone who knows anything about law and justice would know that. Which is why I am disgusted by these hacks, and by the journalists who give them a platform.
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  252. Great point about people voting for Trump because he is a Republican. They are incredibly frustrating to me as well. Many of these consider themselves Christians, and they are voting for a servant of the Anti-Christ.
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  253. Why do you assume Trump will pardon himself and thus be successful in making this case go away? A self-pardon is just as much a violation of every principle of Law as a judge presiding over his own trial. A self-pardon should be challenged, and should be rejected.
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  254. Wow. Jenna Ellis has woken up from the cult, the delusion that has been spun by MAGA, the GOP and corrupted church leaders. Her tears are cleaning her soul. God bless her. May many, many more follow.
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  255. Trump is making fun of the NY courts. Fact is: he didn't post bond within the time frame allotted to him, so the full consequence of not posting the bond should be made effective immediately. We all have known for more than a week that the bond was not acceptable, and Trump was formally notified of the shortcoming by James, so Trump has had plenty of time to make alternate arrangements. No need for any further delays. It is Trump's responsibility to post an acceptable bond on time, not the court's responsibility.
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  256. Looks like Jack Smith keeps giving Cannon new shovels for her to dig her own figurative grave. I am pretty sure she will break the law at some point, and will join her boss in prison.
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  257. 5:00 I don't understand why the DOJ lets The Former Guy make these pronouncements. It is pure rebellion against the government of the USA, and isn't that a crime in itself?
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  258. ABSOLUTELY! As the USA presumes to lecture other nations on democracy and the Rule of Law, well, they have lost any moral rights they had left after the presidency of the younger Bush to do so. For at least a generation. By this absolute Sh!t shw. Where they failed to impeach him twice in spite of clear wrongdoing, then failed to prosecute him for two and a half years, and now do him legal favours by the bushel that are in direct contradiction of the Law. All the while his co-conspirators, instead of singing in prison, block all policies of the current president, causing the USA to betray its promises to help Ukraine and instead support a real dictator. I am disgusted with the USA.
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  259. Trump and his lawyers are so hypocritical. Their appeals etc caused these delays, and now they complain that because of the delays they caused and demanded that the trial must be delayed some more. And the argument that this interferes with the election is asinine and unrespectful. The Judicial is a separate, co-equal branch of Government. That the defendant is trying to become head of the Executive is of no concern to the Judicial branch. In fact, normally it is the other way around. All politicians I know of that were somehow in hot waters with the Judicial have stepped down immediately. The fact that Trump is under 80+ indictments (and counting) should have made him drop out of the race long ago.
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  260. Now, of course, we will see all the MAGAts immediately shut up about the big lie, and Dump Trump like a brick.
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  261. The USA has been corrupted by politicians who receive unlimited bribes ("campaign contributions") and corrupt news media with a license to lie. Take that license to lie away, and get the money out of politics, and the USA will restore itself.
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  262. There are a lot of people regretting that they used Trump-provided lawyers to defend them in court. However, if Weisselberg can demonstrate that his lawyer advised him to perjure himself, that would be the end of the career of that lawyer, and we would see that lawyer hold up the MAGA slogan -- Make Attorneys Get Attorneys.
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  263. Politicians harassing DA's is extremely dangerous. And it is a crime: Obstruction of Justice. THIS LAW NEEDS TO BE UPHELD! The USA is handing power to the f@scists, by not upholding the Laws that it has available.
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  264. That justification for firing JAGs is particularly evil. What the Trump administration didn't like was that these people were a-political, and their appointment was a-political (which it should be in a democracy). Politicians interfering with Prosecution is a violation of the Separation of Powers. Yet another step by the trump regime to turn the USA into a totalitarian state.
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  265. Turns out Graham was absolutely right in 2016. So sad he doesn't remember what he said anymore, he has jumped on the MAGA bandwagon.
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  266. Truth. Just the fact that he lies so much. Jesus told us who the Father of Lies is. And it ain't God.
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  267. Law forbids Biden from using his position to make money. It would be a crime if he started selling stuff like this.
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  268. They called it meidas touch because truth is golden? I thought it was because everything Trump touches, dies, which is like Meidas' curse. The Meidas touch in the legend turned out to be a curse in disguise, like Trump....
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  269. Just look up the laws on what exactly is Obstruction of Justice. It is obvious that these house republicans are guilty. Why are they not indicted? Probably a combination of priority, not wanting yet another media fest and an unhealthy deference for powerful people that is pervasive in the USA.
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  270. ​ @willybones3890  The federal government didn't do capital punishment anymore -- until Trump himself reinstated it, and had 13 people executed in his last 6 months. Biden stopped it as soon as he got in power. Lucky for Trump. Personally, I would make an exception for that pig. You reap what you sow.
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  271. Guys, it is nice to have complex discussions about why Trump's behavior is wrong, but all that is needed is the upholding of the Obstruction of Justice laws. These already make any communication that threatens any person involved in a court case, be they a judge, a clerk, the prosecution, the FBI, a jury member etc, a felony crime. The language describing the crime is quite broad, Trump's behavior certainly falls within it. This is what is WRONG with the USA: the Law is no longer upheld when crimes are committed by the rich and powerful. When you see a person committing a serious crime, they are arrested. So why is Trump not arrested when he commits the crime of Obstruction of Justice? And if a person is out on bail, and he commits a crime, his bail is revoked. So why is Trump's bail not revoked? Again, every day that this hood is out on the streets committing crime after crime after crime, is an indictment against the USA.
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  272. Declare the bond unpaid and start collecting, NY. Show some balls. You are being played by Donald.
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  273. There is ample jurisprudence that "he made me do it" is not a viable defense. Even if Trump had authority to directly order these acts. But he doesn't, so these people had freedom to make their own choices, and will be held responsible for them.
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  274. These manchilds are so pathetic. They are so obviously wrong, it is almost funny. What makes it disgusting is their anti-women agenda. Vote blue, people! Especially women!
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  275. Finally! The are the key crimes that should put Trump away for life. Trump tried to steal the election, using various Mafia practices. I hope the judge recognises the man as a threat to society and lock him up pre-trial without bond. That is what would happen to any other person.
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  276. The Republicans are reaping the consequences for electing loonies. It may make a few extremists happy, but more and more moderates are seeing that the GOP is no longer the GOP they used to know and love. Something very bad happened to the GOP: they got under the influence of Putin. They need to break those ties, suck up the scandals from the dirt Putin has collected on them, make integrity a priority, and start representing the voters again.
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  277. Sounds like some people have had enough of being hung out to dry by Trump. Too many careers have been broken through shielding that man.
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  278. Of course, Trump does not offer to take any drug tests. He demands things of others that he will not do himself.
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  279. There is hope he will implicate his children in his crimes...
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  280. Well done calling this out. There is so much garbage being pushed to Americans, and people don't see it. For starters "Christian Nationalism" is a contradiction in terms. The notion that the USA is a "Christian" country, and that it needs to be "defended", is an anti-Christian idea. Christianity can not be spread by force. Governments can not be "Christian", because Jesus Himself instituted separation of Church and State. Any Christian movement that seeks temporal power either will quickly become corrupt, or already is corrupt and no longer serving Christ. For those wondering about the state of the Republican Party, it already is deeply corrupted. It is anti-Christian, and its policies are anti-Christian.
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  281. We can't put our trust in the military anymore. A large number of senior appointments are currently on hold with the purpose of reserving those spots for Trump loyalists. Should Trump ever gain office, the military will be turned into a tool for his personal use.
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  282. Great news. The Trump defense seems to be unaware of the principle "Lex dilationes abhorret" -- Justice Delayed is Justice Denied. Or perhaps that is exactly why they want more delays.
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  283. If Cannon did indeed sideline the Special Prosecutor, she put him in a situation where he has nothing more to lose. He will have no option but to request her removal. Unless the Judicial system is even more corrupt than it seems to be, this will have severe consequences for her career.
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  284. Looks like Trump's future will be determined by 12 voters, not 300 million.
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  285. About whether the President is an officer of the United States: That is a moot point: the Constitution itself calls the Presidency an office of the United States, in Article 2, Section 1, second sentence. "He [the President] shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years".
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  286. Sometimes you wonder if people like Judge Nichols can actually read. Misinterpreting the Law in such a way should be cause for impeachment / disbarment, whatever is the quickest to get him out of his office. SCOTUS should confirm the outcome of the appeal in summary judgement, or simply refuse the case.
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  287. Usually you get the government you deserve. The USA has been VERY lax in maintaining its democracy. It allows gross corruption. Partizan judges. Politicians dependent on large companies, pressure groups and rich individuals for election. Blatant propaganda lying all the time to the public. Laws that disenfranchise large groups of the population. Blatant intimidation of people exercising their democratic rights. A very low interest of people in the political process. This is not new. This has been going on for half a century. Make America a Real Democracy Again.
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  288. Trump is causing a lot of grief all over the world. But most of the grief will be with those who voted for him.
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  289. "We have a very hostile judge" Only to criminals...
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  290. The GOP has sold its soul to Putin. I don't know how or why, but that is the situation, and this GOP is NOT your granddad's GOP. This GOP is evil. Pure evil. Reagan is knocking on his coffin trying to get out and beat some SENSE into you lot. He would be disgusted with all current GOP incumbents and candidates for any office, with the possible exception of Christie, Cheney and some others I am not aware of -- most of whom are keeping a disgustingly low profile. The current GOP is UN-AMERICAN. Traitors to the Constitution. No Patriot who loves the USA should vote for the GOP, and those who do vote GOP have lost the right to call themselves patriots. Thank God, Americans are slowly waking up to it.
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  291. I don't understand a). why Fox is still on air, and b). why lying by fox is protected by the judges. Lies have consequences. Right now, about half of the Republic has their brains washed and are no longer able to think critically because of Fox. Misleading the public like this should have severe consequences. That is what Europe found out after WW2, when we banned specific papers because they spread extreme propaganda. Fox is no better than these, and needs to be taken off the air. Same for NewsMax.
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  292. Trump hasn't grasped the concept of Win-Win. He only knows Win-Loose. Which means he is a terrible businessman. And a terrible politician.
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  293. The final verdict is from the Voters. I have no doubt it will be GUILTY -- if everybody does his duty to register to vote, check they are still registered, and then actually vote.
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  294. Shocked by how the Republicans try to spin the "two-tier justice system". There is one, and the two tiers are one for the rich, and another for the poor.
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  295. Every time I hear about the crimes and fraud surrounding the MAGA movement, I shake my head that there are still voting for them. I know some people are idiots. But to have so many idiots in your country really puts the USA to shame.
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  296. Trump should be regretting all those bills from lawyers he DIDN'T pay. And all those times he demanded his council did crime for him. And all those times he threw his council under the bus and let them be disbarred. But I don't think he has the reflective capabilities to see the link to the lousy work Habba is doing. He probably thinks his base is going to save him.
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  297. TRUTH IS THE ANSWER! Slowly, Democrats are discovering something that is worth fighting. Go for it, the USA needs renewing, and you have found the way to do it. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." Truth that contradicts facts, is not truth. The super-natural does not contradict the natural, it enhances it.
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  298.  @bmohin  The judge not intervening when Trump endangers the lives of law enforcement officers IS egregious.
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  299.  @johnguest4525  You get the point. This is exactly what the rest of the world is thinking. By what we know of the case, this looks like the most egregious case of espionage and treason the USA has ever seen. It would not surprise us if Trump got condemned for this, not just convicted to do a long time in prison. We are shocked Trump is out on bail at all, literally anyone else would be in jail pending trial. And now the judge lets him attack the FBI with impunity? NUTS!
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  300. "Yeah, but Biden" they say. Well, Biden didn't have piles of highly sensitive military and nuclear secrets in a building frequented by known Russian, Chinese and Saudi spies, sitting in a room next to an FF-ing COPYING MACHINE. Biden's actions didn't lead to the disappearance of thousands of CIA operatives & informants around the world. Biden had mislaid some personal notes he used for his memoirs, discovered it himself and contacted the appropriate authorities to have them returned. Trump had requested specific information that a president normally doesn't get to see (need-to-know compartmentalized information), and refused to return them when the authorities asked them back.
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  301. It will be VERY interesting to see where Trump gets his money from. Because if he has been taking dirty money from the Russians, they will also be the ones to foot this bill.
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  302. They must be impeached before anything else can be done. Impeachment is the only way to get them off the bench. And which laws did they break? AFAIK, they are allowed to take money and gifts from supplicants, because SCOTUS said they could. No matter that this is as corrupt as heck, SCOTUS decided this is legal.
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  303.  @heinleinreader  Actually, you are full of it. Have a read of the Third Article of the Constitution, section 1, and be enlightened.
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  304. Having these polls, while very newsworthy, are a flaw in the US election system. In real democracies, it is illegal to speculate on the vote until the voting stations are closed.
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  305. Habba is begging to be reprimanded.
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  306. Disgusted by these "business people" who claim they don't know anything about accounting. Like hell they don't. Well, it won't save them from fraud convictions, because as CEO you are also responsible for the accounting side of things. Unless you can prove that CFO disobeyed your instructions.
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  307. I am shocked that some Republicans let the half-life of a fetus weight stronger than that of the mother on whom it depends. If the mother dies, the fetus dies as well. Otherwise she could be delivered with an emergency caesarean. Therefore the life of the mother MUST weight more heavily than that of the fetus. The condition that she must be at death's door is too strong, because then there is a significant chance for her to die anyway while the officials are dithering. As soon as there is a significant danger to the woman's life (above that what is normal for any pregnancy) that should be enough to have the pregnancy aborted.
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  308.  @MartineReed  She hopes to be the next Justice, should Trump win the election (God Forbid!) Probably after Trump uses his new-found immunity to cleanse SCOTUS of opposing voices.
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  309. Either he is completely blinded by his hubris, or he is challenging Willis. As in "I did it. Now what are you going to do about it?". I pray she will have the balls to have his bond revoked.
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  310. Do not believe people who make big claims in the media, then don't follow through. What they say in the media doesn't count.
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  311. "Haste makes waste" I have another quote: "Justice Delayed is Justice Denied". Or if you want the proper legal principle, "Lex dilationes abhorret" -- the Law hates delays. Thankfully, the courts are wising up to Donnies 'delay, delay, delay' tactic.
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  312. People, don't look at the words they speak. Look at the way they vote.
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  313. Trump lets deadlines expire in order to delay the case. He expects the rules to be waived for him, and that he will be allowed to do things even after the deadline. Because he feels above the rules that apply for everybody else, and people have all his life bent over backwards to accommodate him. But I love how in this case, a deadline is a deadline. That is the sign of a Judge who takes himself, his court and Justice seriously.
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  314. These "plugs" are a big deal. It means that Trump is trying to hide what he actually did with that money. It may also be an attempt to defraud the IRS, by claiming parts of Trump Org located outside the USA loaned parts inside the USA money.
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  315. In any case, that is the assumption in a company: that the underlings work as instructed by the line of authority, which ends with the CEO. It is the responsibility of the CEO to prevent and stop fraud.
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  316.  @mick8888V  🤣 The line the Don tries works in mobs where there are no formal lines of authority and the Don stays in the shadows, but not in business where there are.
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  317. What I find hard to understand is how so many people in the USA would want to be ruled by a mobster. Already in 2015 it was obvious what a despicable human being Trump is, and yet they nominated him. And then almost half of the electorate voted for him. And still he has his groupies worshiping him, after all he has done. It is sickening. Personally, I blame Fox "news". That channel should have been taken off the air a long time ago. You can not allow such rabid propaganda to affect your society without consequences. Europe discovered this in the 1930ies. But the USA thought it is "special" so it shouldn't put sensible restraints on the 1st amendment. And still I get Americans who think Europe is less democratic than the USA for this reason. Well, democracy in the USA is currently on life support. But for the brave actions of e.g. Mike Pence it would be a authoritarian dictatorship right now. But Trump or DeSantis or any number of wannabees will try again. It was a miracle Pence found it in himself to resist Trump on 1/6. Don't count on a second miracle, fix things!
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  318. Nepotism is a hallmark of a dictator. They believe that their blood-relatives would never betray them. Usually, they are right -- until they aren't.
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  319. It is inconceivable that this "vindictive prosecution" claim will stick. The indictment was approved by a Grand Jury of Trump's Peers, not by Jack Smith. It is inconsistent with the US Legal System that the Grand Jury would be "vindictive". Even if it were biased against Trump, that would be his own fault. That is how Juries work. WHEN WILL TRUMP BE PUNISHED FOR MAKING FRIVOLOUS CLAIMS????
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  320. I pray that Trump will learn to repent and take some responsibility for his actions. Only that will save his soul. And only a conviction can help him see the error of his ways.
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  321. That there are still people supporting Trump shows the USA has been seriously compromised by its enemies. Especially the media. Enemies of the USA are abusing the 1st amendment to hurt the USA, using it as a License to Lie and deceive the American People.
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  322. In a court, the Judge is not just a spectator. He (she) is also the chairperson presiding over the proceedings. When he tells you to stop speaking because your speech is irrelevant to what is being discussed, you stop speaking. When he tells you to sit down, you sit down. If you don't, you are liable to be held in Contempt of Court and fined or even imprisoned.
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  323. "The independent monitor was not stayed" Good, the appellate judge didn't lose his/her mind completely. Otherwise Trump would have moved his companies and assets out of state.
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  324.  @kac2868  While he doesn't have the brains or charisma to be the actual Anti-Christ, he sure is an image of him. I don't laugh at the evangelicals following him. I weep. Like I wept when he dedicated the USA to greed and selfishness during his inauguration.
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  325.  @christopherjq7414  He is not just a test for the evangelicals, he is also a test for the rest of the nation. There are so many things deeply broken in the USA, it isn't funny. Like the blatant corruption of e.g. the NRA giving so much money to politicians. Allowing Fox "news" to poison the hearts and minds of so many. Allowing the disenfranchising of so many people in red states. Partisan hacks as judges appointed by politicians for politicians. The gerrymandering. Churches who preach politics instead of Faith. The disproportionate power of red states in the Senate. Etc, etc, etc, etc. Trump has brought it all to a head. Now it is time to act to clean up the country. First of all, ensure proportional representation in all elections. Every person should have the same amount of influence in things that affect his life. Not like now, where 49% of people living in a district where the other side has 51%, have NO representation in Congress or the Senate.
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  326. I can not stand the Habba person. She is so aggressive, it scares me. And all the time she is scaring me, she is spouting utter nonsense and insulting the USA, the Jury and the Judge. And violating the gag order. Hold her in contempt already!
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  327. It is always great to see Trump compromise himself. Wish the DOJ would act on it. Trump can't shut up when he should, and clams up when he shouldn't (i.e. take the 5th in a civil court case).
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  328. The Rule of Law is the foundation of any good government, democratic or not. The principle of Rule of Law MUCH is older than the Constitution. Rule of Law means that EVERYBODY is subject to the Law, including the acting Sovereign, and that the Law is applied equally to all. Rule of Law is why Lady Justice carries a blindfold. Trump is demanding that for each case, Lady Justice peeps from under her blindfold to check whether it is a former president standing before her. That violates all principles of good government established since the 12th century. Rule of Law is also why this Republican doctrine of "a sitting president can not be indicted" is hot garbage. It is a violation of the Rule of Law.
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  329. Canon is playing the delay, delay, delay game by which Trump hopes to postpone these cases until they no longer are relevant. Shameful, but this was to be expected. She needs to be removed from the case.
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  330. The orange turd is circling the drain. Mrs Daniels has done humanity a great service.
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  331. And let the public foot the bill for his defense? No way. Public defenders are for people who can not pay for a legal defense. Not for pigs who refuse to pay their lawyers and ask them to commit crimes. Him "not being able to find one" is no excuse. There are always lawyers who want to represent the worst criminals out of principle because they also deserve a fair trial. They will probably demand to be paid in advance, though. Poor Johnny. The judge will probably tell him to either provide a lawyer or waive his right to counsel.
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  332. Me, I question the faith of everybody who supports Trump. The words, actions and policies of Trump are NOT at all compatible with Christianity. In fact, they are the direct opposite. No Christian can support Trump.
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  333.  @josephmarkese8563  If upholding the Rule of Law starts a revolution, so be it. Remember, the Lefties also have guns.
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  334. I can't stand these MAGAts spouting lies being angry for being hit with facts and actual law&order. I pray to God they are humbled, and learn to repent of their sins.
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  335. Sorry, I appreciate your efforts, but I can't stand to hear the Loser in Chief Tiny Dump repeat lie upon lie upon lie.
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  336. The way crooks like Dump can abuse the legal system to delay they cases against them is shocking. The justice system should be a lot less tolerant of frivolous cases. There must be consequences for the claimant personally, and the lawyers who start these cases and then appeal and appeal when they are laughed out of court. Justice delayed is justice denied.
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  337. I am disgusted by the corporate media. How on earth can they speak positively in any way about somebody who has a string of convictions? For serious crimes like business fraud, sexual assault and election fraud?
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  338. A heads-up: In many jurisdictions where this video is available, making advertisement for a product like prizepicks is illegal.
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  339. This proves that there are people in the USA who can read. The 14th amendment is not lacking in clarity, and can hardly be interpreted in any other way. The Constitution calls the Presidency an "Office", so to argue that the President isn't an "officer" is absurd. But I am glad this has been confirmed from the historical context of the 14th amendment.
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  340. Fox should be litigated into bankruptcy. Go, Dominion!
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  341. When my child yells at me that I must exclude one of his brothers from family activities, I tend not to listen.
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  342. The best thing for the USA is if Trump splits the Republican party. America is ready for it.
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  343. This is very clear Obstruction of Justice. I do not understand why the DoJ does not prosecute this as a crime. This is not acceptable in a country where there is the Rule of Law. I know what the House Republicans call this, but it is up to the Judge to determine if they are right or not. If the DoJ simply lets this go, the Judge does not get a chance to rule on it. Congress does not have the right to obstruct the work of the Executive, as it is a co-equal branch. In normal countries, politicians will never comment on an ongoing case for this very reason. The USA is still a very, very sick country.
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  344. Great stuff. I especially love how there is a fixed data for his testimony. His options to play the "delay, delay, delay" game are running out.
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  345.  @PhilipMuench-w6c  Shame on the USA that for the high and mighty, "selective prosecution" is a thing. If you are high and mighty, it should be absolutely normal to be more heavily scrutinized than normal people, because crimes by these people have much greater impact than crimes by Joe Slim living in some small corner somewhere. If Trump can get away with crime, so should every other citizen in the USA. That is how examples work. The USA has become bewitched by these people. There IS a two-tier justice system that is the opposite to how it should be. The rich and mighty are destroying the USA, not the regular people.
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  346. Get this fraud removed off the case already. It seems to me that she is prejudiced in favour of the defendant, which should be enough to get her removed. It is in my country: the semblance of prejudice is enough, and the procedure to remove lasts about 1 day. Learn from other countries, USA. There is much you can learn.
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  347. Someone should tell the MAGAts that China is a communist dictatorship. And that apparently, their idol likes how China is run.
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  348. It is great to hear so many "evangelicals" reacted positively to the book! Very encouraging. Sad to hear many of them are persecuted. I hope they realize that that is suffering for Christ, and will earn them a crown.
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  349. Moscow Mitch McConnell has wreaked the USA. Never forget.
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  350. This again demonstrates why we need to be extremely suspicious of anyone claiming a they are the victim of a crime, that is going to the media instead of to the courts.
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  351. Trump is begging to be spanked again, this time by the Judge. I have one request, though: that it be televised!
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  352. Mrs Daniels says some sensible things. This reminds me of Al Capone, who was finally gotten by a tax man. Also poetic justice.
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  353. I can't stand this woman taking the precious name of Jesus in her mouth. Sorry, I had to skip that bit. If my pastor were to invite a person like that, I would leave the church. She is corrupt, and letting her speak in a church is a sign of that church's corruption.
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  354. The acceptance of violence to intimidate other parties is the dividing line between a "normal" ultra-right party, and full-blown fascism.
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  355. I love how pleading the 5th in a civil case can be used to infer culpability. And it makes sense. Questions in a civil case are usually about things you should have done according to certain rules, and the court wants to establish if you acted according to the rules or not. If you can't explain your actions without incriminating yourself, obviously you did not act according to the rules. It is not relevant what actual criminal acts you committed, but how much your actions defrauded the claimant. In lieu of a full explanation by the defendant, the court can and will estimate those damages. Criminal cases are usually about things you definitely should not have been doing. However, it is up to the Prosecution to prove that you actually did a specific crime. When pleading the 5th it is not obvious that it is because you actually did that specific crime, or another, unrelated crime of which the Prosecution still knows nothing. I.e. it is possible the question would uncover a new crime. So in lieu of a full confession by the defendant, the court can not infer which specific crime defendant committed without additional evidence.
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  356. This woman sickens me every time I hear her speak. She looks so pretty, but underneath she is an aggressive, manipulative, liar. She has lied countless time to the US people, whereas it is her job to inform them. She needs to go down and go down hard. She should not be able to get away with her mendacity.
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  357. Cannon needs to be disbarred. She is abusing her authority, endangering the public and obstructing justice.
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  358. I am amazed by these MAGA people. The amount of entitlement they display is off the chart. The expect all the rules to be waived for them, and claim everybody is at fault except them. I start to think they are either deranged or demon possessed. Normal people grow out of this behaviour when about 10 years old.
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  359. I used to think it was a cop-out to say "I can't comment on an ongoing case". However, I now know that for Garland to make any statement concerning the case, that would constitute Obstruction of Justice, which is a crime. Political appointees are to keep themselves separate from specific cases, in a country where there is the Rule of Law. Prosecutors must be unobstructed in the pursuit of Justice, the Judge and Jury must remain free from outside influence and witnesses must be free from intimidation. That Republican politicians continuously violate this principle reflects their opinion of the Rule of Law. Very, very, very disturbing.
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  360. "Competence matches corruption" People who are competent don't need to be corrupt.
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  361. This is some of the best news we got in a long time. The most disgusting thing about Trump is how he scammed the nation. Glad to see the IRS walking up and dealing with the fraud. Hopefully they won't stop there but go after all the billionaires.
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  362. Most of them would bail him out if they stood to gain from it. It seems their assessment is that Trump is a lost case. He will be defeated in November, and then lose his court cases and be removed from public life. Trump has become a money pit.
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  363. When the courts award crime-fraud exceptions you know you are in DEEP legal trouble...
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  364.  @JeanGillespie-fp7rs  If the Antichrist is walking in this world today, it will be Putin not Trump. However, Trump is his servant.
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  365.  @makesmewonder6497  He does. Until he no longer has any use for them.
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  366. The USA has a too-wide interpretation of the concept of qualified immunity. Some examples that I know go wrong: * A senator on the campaign trail or talking to journalists and smears other people should NOT have immunity from slander charges. * A cop who uses deadly force when his (or anyone else's) life is not directly threatened should NOT have immunity from manslaughter charges. * A government spokesperson who lies to the public should NOT have immunity but be liable for the consequences.
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  367. "They don't know what they are doing" That is absolutely right. These people are only focused on short-term profit for them only at the expense of everybody else. Whereas the democrat's route of a fair(er) economy will ensure growth for everybody, including the richest 1%, and in fact there will be MORE growth for them this way. Short-term focus is a negative-sum game which means the pie gets smaller. Long-term focus is a positive-sum game, which means the total pie gets bigger and EVERYBODY is better off INCLUDING THE 1%.
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  368. This is the final straw. The 11th circuit will finally have to remove her from the case for perpetrating manifest injustice.
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  369. "Congress doesn't try cases -- except impeachment" The same terminology may be used, and there are some similarities to a regular trial -- like the defendant is judged by a jury consisting of all Congressmen -- but there are fundamental differences. Courts of Law can PUNISH, the impeachment court can not. It can only declare somebody unworthy of fulfilling high office, which is not a punishment but a natural consequence of bad behaviour. The difference also exists for regular people. If a worker defrauds his boss, he is dismissed at once. That is not a punishment but the consequence of betraying the trust the boss has vested in him. The worker is then punished by the Court of Law. This is exactly how the Constitution describes impeachment. The president has betrayed the public trust, so the representatives of the public dismiss him. However, if a worker is never found out by his boss, or for some reason his behaviour is kept under wraps, he can still be prosecuted. A case in point is Weisselberg who was prosecuted for fraud before being fired by his boss. The USA should remember that the President has a boss. It is We the People, represented by Congress.
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  370. FINALLY. It has been obvious that Trump has been trying to obstruct Justice by his media communications, it has taken Smith long enough to take action against it. But I wonder why Smith doesn't just ask the Judge to revoke Trump's bail and haul his ass to jail -- as they would literally every other person on earth who had done the same thing. Trump was specifically admonished not to do these things as a condition for being released on bail. The Justice System is still treating this dangerous criminal with kid gloves.
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  371. Trump claims that he is above the Law -- because he has effectively been above the law all his life. USA, you need to seriously prosecute white collar crime in high profile people. They must be held to the same standard that is applied to any other person. That goes for the IRS as well.
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  372. Medical records, those are important. But even more important are his recent tax returns. We have a right to know who finances him, and how.
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  373. The stock price is tanking? That may mean that trump has lost the patronage of Putin and or the Saudis.
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  374. I hope judge Cannon realises God does not take corruption lightly, and least of all, corrupt judges.
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  375. Don't mince your words. It is actual blasphemy. The position of Saviour has already been taken and He does not need help. God will never tell people to expect salvation from a political leader, let alone a sleaze ball like Trump. I think it is fair to say that those who claim he would are serving Satan.
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  376. The day Trump comes up against some real consequences for his behavior will be a day of healing for the USA.
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  377. The Democrats could have voted to keep the Speaker -- IF he had not done everything he could do to hurt the democrats, like appoint the worst of MAGA crazies to positions of responsibility, display p0rn to try and shame Biden's son, and a bogus "impeachment" hearing where the witnesses could not name a single "high crime or misdemeanor" that the President had committed. McCarthy was a very bad speaker, and the Democrats were glad to be rid of him.
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  378. If find Trump's ability to challenge an ongoing court case by filing various suits shocking. There should only be a very limited number of suits that could be brought to disrupt an ongoing case. Habeas Corpus being one, a prejudiced judge being another. But appealing each and every ruling or decision in the context of a case is ridiculous. About the "appearance of prejudice", that is something that can be brought in my country. It is very effective. The challenge is brought before a committee of judges, and they hear all three sides (judge, accused, prosecutor) in a brief hearing, then rule. Usually within a few hours. In my country, judge Cannon would long have been removed from her Trump case using this instrument.
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  379. McCarthy is the worst human being who ever defiled the Seat he is holding. He is holding the country hostage, without telling anyone what he wants. He has no desire to do his job, he just wants to make Biden look bad and hold on to his seat. But this will all come down on his own head.
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  380. That "hearing" with Higgins speaking just makes me wonder about the sanity of the USA. In a country with any democratic standards, he would have been shut up immediately by the chairman. Because the man is making completely unverifiable claims that should be made in a court of law, under oath, under the rule of Audi alteram partem, and in a way that gives the other party time to do their own fact finding with regards to the claims. A hearing is NOT the time to launch wild accusations, but to ask simple questions and listen to the answers. The moment Higgins refused to let the expert speak, he should have been shut up by the chairman. What is the point of a hearing if you refuse to listen to the answer? That is a violation of the principle of Audi alteram partem and thus of truth finding. This hearing is a farce, that one would expect in a kangaroo court, not in the highest level of truth-finding in the USA. But it is all too common in congressional / senatorial committees. Committee members like Higgins are not interested in the truth, they want to grandstand and make vile accusations without any consequences if they are false. Shameful. The USA needs to change how these hearings are held. Because this is how the People of the USA are misled. By news media that take this segment and tell it as if it is truth, which it so clearly isn't. But also in the media the accused party should have the opportunity to respond to the accusation. Audi alteram partem is also a basic journalistic principle. But journalism in the USA is just as terrible as its political system.
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  381. There has never been a liar like Donald Trump. Put him in prison already!
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  382. This is a polite letter, more polite than it should have been. Jim Jordan knows he is breaking the law, and should be treated accordingly. Especially the use of hate language against the judge and prosecutors must not remain unpunished. This is obstruction of Justice, and that is a crime. ESPECIALLY when done by an elected official, because it is then also abuse of power. The USA is far to accepting of elected officials abusing their power. I know that in a real democracy, an indictment for Jim Jordan would already be in the making. Jim Jordan is not above the law.
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  383. Let this be the start of the end of the two-tier justice system in the USA.
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  384. "Christian-Nationalist" is an oxymoron & contradiction in terms. Christians are sojourners and pilgrims on earth seeking a better, heavenly, country. And know that it is dangerous for men to try to establish a "godly" kingdom. Because it would be corrupted in a heartbeat. In fact, any church that tries to install "godly" leaders is already corrupted. Mark my words. You can not serve Christ and vote for Trump. Trump stands for everything that Jesus hates.
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  385. Trump isn't trying to convince the Judge of his innocence. He is trying to convince his base that his is being unfairly treated. With the help of his cronies at Fox who will agree that it was very unfair of the Judge to hold Trump to the rules that apply for every other human being. At what point does misrepresenting facts become a crime? Before or after some idiot takes matters into his own hand, spurred on by these demagogues?
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  386. I am truly shocked by how any Christian could vote for Donald Trump. Jesus has said that a tree brings forth fruit after its own kind, and that you can't pick good fruit from a bad bush. You can't pick apples from an nettle. We can not expect somebody who acts godlessly, to further the Kingdom of God. Jesus does not use a "Cyrus" to further Christianity. He did that twice to help the Jews (in Cyrus' days, and in 1948), but that is not how Christianity works. Christianity is furthered through people working selflessly for the benefit of others. Not through political means. Also, it says nowhere that Cyrus was a bad ruler. In fact, it seems like he was a wise and considerate ruler who listened to good advice. The total opposite of Dump.
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  387. A lawyer asking a judge to provide evidence? That is ridiculous. It is the job of the defense to provide evidence in defense of their client. And now they probably blame the judge for not granting their request. These MAGAts are deranged. And they have no understanding of how the legal system works. Please ensure people understand how ridiculous these people are.
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  388. The two workers are completely right to clean Rudy out. He could have done his best to stop the barrage of hate on these women, by apologizing for his lies about them. But he didn't even do that. Time to pay up, Rudy.
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  389. There is no way that Trump will be elected in 2024. The USA is crazy, but not that crazy. So if she plays games to try and delay other cases, she is only hurting her own career. Trump will go to prison regardless of what she does.
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  390. I would think that it would be impossible to have a case moved or changed in any way between conviction and sentencing. After conviction, both the prosecution and the defense are DONE. In fact, they were done when they had concluded their closing statements. The Jury has reached a verdict, and the only step to be taken is for the judge to determine the sentence. The only thing the defense can do is to patiently wait and sit in court at the appointed time, and afterwards file for an appeal.
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  391. The next congress will have to impeach the three Trump appointees. If they can't find any better argument, let it be for lying to the Senate during their appointment interviews about Roe v Wade.
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  392. It is a rude awakening for these fat cats to discover that they are not above the Law. May if become the norm for the USA, that also the fat cats do the time when they do the crime. Let this be the end of the 2-tier justice system.
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  393. I used to think Trump is just a cynical fraud, and a pathological liar, a narcissist on a power trip. Now I wonder if perhaps he is suffering from a Saviour Complex. Or perhaps it is dementia changing his personality. Anyhow, for his sake and ours, I hope he will soon be behind bars, in whatever institution the officials deem appropriate.
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  394. Vance is such a !@#$%^. Says you that you can't say that Donald Trump would end democracy, when he himself has promised that. We are just repeating what Trump has promised! Go out and vote 💙, people!
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  395. Canon needs to be investigated for corruption. What did Trump promise her in return for her services?
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  396. Repealing safety regulations because of financial benefits? That is corruption in its purest form. The USA has become so corrupt, it is disgusting. You wanna fix the USA? Get big money out of politics. If you don't, the USA will only continue to go to hell in a handbasket.
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  397. Donald Trump is pathetic. So many journalists and politicians are destroying their careers shilling for the oaf, it is a shame.
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  398. The justices who wrote this opinion need to be disbarred. That would be a prerequisite to declaring this opinion unconstitutional. You can not use the Constitution to declare other parts of the Constitution ineffective.
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  399. It doesn't matter that Meadows didn't understand his own role. It is that he committed crime for his Capo. Men of integrity don't do crime, even when asked by one with authority over them.
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  400. As usual, Dump is projecting himself on those he doesn't like. This unhinged fool will do great, irreparable damage to the USA if he ever holds another office than Chief Potato Peeler in the kitchen gang.
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  401. If he gets convicted for these crimes, he will be banned from running according to the 14th amendment.
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  402. Impeachments incoming... You wonder if these goons can even read. They are a blemish on the USA. Vote blue, impeach them, then investigate them for corruption.
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  403.  @davebrown9725  I understand that, but I have also seen clips of some Karen ignoring instructions from the Judge and being hit with a fine for Contempt. So why is that done with little people but not with this oaf? That is what I mean with kid gloves. Also that Haba woman, she could do with a good fine.
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  404. Cannon is not going out of the way, she is purposefully trying to block other cases. She will likely accept a motion to delay days before the May trial starts. The judge in the Fanni Willis case can decide now that the May trial for Cannon is unrealistic and simply take that date. Synchronizing agendas is a courtesy, not a legal right (AFAIK). Because Trump is free on his own recognizance, Habeas Corpus is not a thing that can be abused by the Trump defense.
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  405. ​ @joecopas6218  There is no way Rittenhouse would have been out in an armed mob in my country. Such a mob would have been neutralized by our marines, most likely. Nor would those riots have taken place. There would have been a curfew that would have been enforced by riot police. But before that, we would have prevented those protests from escalating in the first place. Our police knows how de-escalate situations, and how to keep protesters & counter-protesters separated. We also have non-lethal means of dispersing crowds.
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  406. I hope that the woman has independent witnesses that can corroborate her story. If it boils down to his word against her word, the benefit of the doubt will be given to Trump, and this will have been a huge waste of time.
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  407. In a democracy, the judiciary must be independent of the government. That means that the judiciary decides who to put forward for vacancies, with politicians choosing from a shortlist. It also means the Judiciary should have the authority to dismiss corrupt judges like Cannon. That politicians are able to appoint unqualified, extremist judges is one of the biggest problems in the USA today.
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  408. A hatred that has been artificially created and continuously fed by Fox news and some other media.
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  409. That Trump is having such success in manipulating the US legal system is a HUGE disappointment. In most other democracies, he would have been arrested and detained pre-trial shortly after the transfer of power. As in on 1/21/2021. The USA needs to get its act together. No more two-tier legal system!
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  410. Trump is Obstructing Justice. He needs to be in jail right now.
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  411. Trump does everything he can to save himself. But he can not save those who do crime for him. Like Cheney said, Trump will soon be gone. But your shame for helping him will remain for ever. How do you think God will judge you when you do crime to help a criminal? And don't be deluded thinking the Blood of Jesus would save you. Jesus only saves those who repent of their sins and acknowledge Him as Lord. And doing crime to help a criminal is DEFINITELY a sin, and not something Jesus would want you to do.
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  412. Trump is literally taking the Mickey with the US Justice system. He knows what he is doing. There is only ONE thing to do: enforcing the law. Inaction will cause this to escalate and will make it ever harder to take action. We all know these are crimes (Obstruction of Justice, Witness Intimidation or Jury Tampering depending on who he targets). If someone acts on these dog whistles, that is 20 years in prison for Trump. Without violent action, the max punishment is 10 years. It also violates the terms of his bail in the other cases. Trump MUST be locked up pending trial.
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  413. For Trump special rules apply. His crimes need to be proven beyond the slightest sliver of doubt. And still you risk a civil war by people who shout UNFAIR. But IMHO, it is better to confront that risk than to try and appease them. Trump is a criminal and needs to suffer the consequences, or else the Justice system in the USA has been proven totally corrupt.
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  414. Great hot-take, Michael. I love how Dump is crying a river for things he is himself responsible for. Accountability is finally catching up with him.
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  415. True, but that has no value in any future criminal fraud case. With this testimony, there will no doubt be a criminal case that takes up where this trial leaves off, using his own testimony under oath. Or should I say "Oaf". If he had stayed silent, he only would have lost some money. But now, he stands to loose his freedom. Not that it matters much, he's liable to get multiple 20-year sentences for the documents case, and a dozen or so years for the Georgia one. Trump will be off the streets for ever pretty soon -- if there is justice to be found in the USA.
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  416. Well said. Trump is not normal. Nor are those who still think he would be a suitable candidate for high office. He did crime, and needs to be punished accordingly.
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  417. You have integrity, so he would never ask you to be his lawyer.
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  418. Well said. We will see full-blast continuous mis-information from the right-wing MSM, facebook and twitter like we have never imagined, many false accusations, loads of FUD, and far too many people will be enthralled (using the old meaning of the word). Also, Republicans nationwide have been rigging laws and procedures and systems to disenfranchise as many Democrat-voters as possible. We can NOT sit back on our laurels and expect things to work out like they did in 2020.
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  419. I do not think there is a theological answer as to why the American church has backsliden this badly. The closest you will get is warnings in the NT against e.g. wolves in sheep's clothing, who are people trying to mislead the Church. The theological explanation is that the American Church has replaced the Biblical Jesus with a "god" of their own making, be that America or Trump. The moment it did that, it left the confines of Theology and became detached from Christianity. Many of the tenents of the "evangelicals" are directly opposite to the Teachings of Jesus. Much of it is from fear, fear of violence, fear of being persecution, fear of foreigners, etc. The Bible says "Whatever is not from faith is sin". So, packing heat, and voting Trump because you fear Wokeism, are sins. And a church that preaches these are not the Church of Christ.
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  420. My dad always told me to really take good care of two people in my professional life: My Accountant and my Lawyer. I guess Trump used to do that as well, but he is no longer able to.
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  421. That MAGA has been twisting Christianity is obvious, at least to me. Thank you for dissecting it, because far too many Christians have been deceived. Good also to expose the evil work of Opus Dei. There is so much wrong with this Opus Dei / MAGA infected "christianity": * They are afraid of persecution. There is no reason for Christians to be afraid of persecution: that is part of being a real Christian. * They believe Trump will "save" christianity. But there is no vacancy for a "saviour" in Christianity, that position has been filled for 2 thousand years already. To propose a second "saviour" is literal sacrilege & idolatry. * They believe God will punish them for abortions. But God has made very clear that he will not punish the righteous for the acts of the ungodly. * They presume they have the right to create laws for unbelievers. That concept is anti-Christian. The Law has no power to increase godliness, and a Christian has no authority to judge others. Period. Do not judge lest you be judged. * Same for their attitude against the LGBTQ+ community. God told us to LOVE people, not to judge them according to their sexual preferences. * They are afraid of immigrants and want to treat them badly. But according to Matthew 25, how you treat immigrants is one of the tests God applies to see who follows him or not. * They believe Christians & the Church should govern the country. But the separation of Church and State is something Jesus himself instituted: "My Kingdom is not of this world, otherwise my disciples would fight". Jesus Himself submitted to the secular authorities, without trying to replace them. Woe to anyone who thinks they can do what Jesus Himself refused to do. There will be a time when the Church takes over power, but that will be AFTER THE SECOND COMING, and it will not be "the church" grabbing power, it will be Jesus Himself. Any "church" that tries to take secular power, or any secular leader who thinks he is doing God's work is an enemy of Christ. This is the biggest heresy that the Catholics have embraced and which has caused much, much evil against humanity. Think inquisition. The USA is heading straight for it, if you let these people fulfill their designs.
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  422. Committing a crime as a result of following advice from council is a good reason to fire your councilor, but no excuse for committing a crime.
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  423. "Guys, I am no expert in all this stuff but my research shows that..." It takes a special type of idiot to go on a podium and say those words. But to listen to such a person is ludicrous. "I don't know what I am saying, I don't have facts, I don't have a clue, but believe me when I say that Biden = bad". Jesus have mercy on the USA.
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  424. For those wondering why it took so long to get this case together, it is that these are some of the most complex legal trials ever held in the USA. There are so many witnesses, so many different crimes committed, they are HUGE. And, of course, Trump has been fighting tooth and nail to delay things even more.
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  425. There are plenty of Presidents that get away with much worse. But these are not leading a democracy.
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  426. The @sshole McCarthy is again blaming Democrats. That is such a low, vile act. If he hadn't done everything he could have to hurt Democrats while Speaker, he might have had some support from them. But as it stands, he did nothing to earn their support, and much to loose it. Democrats have far more reason to want him gone than the MAGA crowd.
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  427. I love that in a civil case you can infer adversely from pleading the 5th. And it makes sense. The question in a civil case is not whether Trump needs punishment, but whether someone else was mistreated by Trump. Usually this comes down to having to explain acts by Trump. Why did he (or those in his employ) act in a certain way towards the claimant? If Trump can not answer those questions without incriminating himself, than obviously Trump mistreated the claimant. Unlike with a criminal case, there can be no reason for Trump not to answer that question unless said behaviour was directly part of a crime. Otherwise he should be able to answer the question without incriminating himself.
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  428. Whenever a lawyer sees a "violation of justice" for a client, they don't run to the gathered journalists. They run to the appellate court instead.
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  429. I never cease to be outraged by these SCOTUS justices undermining the Constitution. They swore to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic" (assuming they took office after 1861). They also broke their oath to "administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich". They claim to be Christians. But then they should know that breaking an oath is a great sin. People who break their oaths are no Christians.
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  430. "When faith conflicts with politics these days people leave behind their faith" Which demonstrates that these are NOT christians. A Christian would rather be killed than leave behind their faith. But these people like to be associated with Christians, the idea of being Christians, BUT THEY ARE NOT CHRISTIANS. And our Lord will tell them so plainly when they meet face to face. Some may think that is harsh, judgemental. But warning people of their fate and trying to get them out of self-deception is a Christian duty.
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  431. While we can grin about Trump getting money out of his marks --- I mean voters, it is criminal how he defrauds them. Lock him up already!
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  432. The end is near for Trump. He is starting to reap the harvest of the bad things he has done. Because of his delay, delay, delay tactics, his defense must now work on a tight schedule. Because of his witness & prosecution intimidation, the jury gets protection. Because he Makes Attorneys Get Attorneys, his lawyers are reluctant to defend him. Etc. God can not be mocked, a man will reap what he has sown.
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  433. I hear he pled not guilty. If God wants to take down a leader, He harden his heart.
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  434. While true that the cross-examination is the chance for the defense to make their point, it is not an opportunity for rambling rants irrelevant to the case. In order not to waste time, the Judge will still cut it short unless the lawyer can explain relevance. Just like any sensible chair will do in any meeting. The USA Senate is the only place I know of where this isn't the case, leading to e.g. filibusters. Which is an insult to democracy, just like letting a witness ramble on indefinitely or read from a book would be an insult to the court system.
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  435. If the House of Representatives were to command Jack Smith to stop his prosecution of Trump "stay", all representatives approving that motion would be in hot legal waters. That would be a very obvious case of Obstruction of Justice. The representatives are immune from prosecution for what they say during debates, but not for what they do. However, I think the government will simply ignore any such order, as the President will veto it.
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  436. Great news. The AG has now the proof that Mr Trump was fully aware of and directly responsible for all malfeasance in his company.
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  437. Be strong, my friend. Freedom from Fascism is worth fighting for. The first fight is not to be intimidated, but to continue to do stand up for what is right, and do the right thing. I do not believe God wants the USA to go down into another civil war, or that it would succumb to fascism. I believe He wants to cleanse it from the evil that has been allowed to fester for too long. Trump is exposing that ulcer (of which he is a part), and FINALLY something is being done about it. This episode will turn out for the good of the people of the USA. Do not despair! (to be clear: the MAGAts call themselves Christians, but they are not. MAGA and "christian nationalism" are incompatible with Christianity.)
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  438. I hope the Democrats are ready to take an amendment to the Constitution to Congress, it may well be that the Voters will give them a mandate to put an end to the rot. Like making explicit in the Constitution that EVERYBODY is subject to the Federal Law, including the President, SCOTUS, Senators and Representatives, when acting in function as well as when not. That means that e.g. SCOTUS is subject to emoluments and anti-corruption laws, which would mean the end for at least two of them. And to boot, they should put a hard limit on any donations, promises or loans in money or kind any legal entity can give to a political party, an individual politician or that would benefit their campaign(s) in a single year. A limit of 1,000 USD sounds reasonable.
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  439. Severing cases in a RICO case sounds disingenuous. It would mean a lot of double work for the court, the DA, juries and the witnesses. Which is probably why the defendants want it: clogging up the system, delay, delay, delay. It would be great if the judge will not separate the 2 from the other 17 and whole case got underway before the 1st. It is in the public's interest that these trials are handled quickly. Obviously the DA will need to keep track of how much evidence is presented for each defendant, but that should be no problem for them. I long to see these bags of filth locked up.
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  440. Do not accept that Trump can pardon himself. I'd argue that that would be an unconstitutional act, because it would violate many legal principles such as the Rule of Law and people not being allowed to judge themselves (pardoning someone is also an act of judgement). In fact, I'd argue that to pardon anyone who is part of the executive would violate the principle of three co-equal branches of government, as it would place the executive above the Judicial.
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  441. "An IPO has all many regulations, and a SPAC is a way to by-pass them -- Many companies who went public through a SPAC did very badly" Who is surprised about this? What I am surprised about is that SPACs are legal. The Government is not doing its job in protecting the public from fraudsters.
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  442. Vote Blue, people. The GOP is working only for the rich and powerful, NOT for The People.
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  443. Apart from upending the Rule of Law and terminating Democracy, this abominable ruling has also given SCOTUS the power to prosecute any president who breaks the law in a way that court does not like. Because SCOTUS has given itself the power to determine what exactly is an official act, on a whim. They refused to give a clear test for determining what is an official act and what is not. That means that should Biden use his powers to remove Trump from the equation, they could rule that to be an unofficial act. But if Trump did the same (as president), they could rule that it would be an official act. This means that Trump can abuse his power with abandon, but Biden can not. Meaning the USA has now a partizan system of (in)justice. Except if Biden removes the 6 radicals from SCOTUS in one fell swoop, and replace them with decent people.
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  444. You are so right in calling out how anti-Christian the MAGA movement is. I am a Christian man, and I am disgusted by them. They are the literal opposite of Christ: selfish, hateful, spiteful, arrogant, angry, have no respect for others, violent, bullies. They are EVIL. The first thing that Trump did as President, in his inaugural speech, was dedicate the country to Greed and Selfishness. That was a demonic act. Anyone who says or preaches that Trump would lead the USA back to Christ is either deluded, or serving Satan outright. If you love Jesus, you can not vote Republican.
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  445. How SPACs are still legal is beyond me. They are the perfect vehicle for money laundering and simply defrauding people.
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  446. Yep. It had been prophesied that Trump would cause the salvation of the USA, or something like that. And that is true. But not because he would lead the nation to righteousness, but because he would unveil how deeply corrupt the various institutions (esp the GOP) have become, and that people need to turn away from that. When the darkness increases, the light shines ever brighter. Trump caused Darkness to increase so that people can see the light more clearly. What is Right and what is Wrong. What is Democracy and what is Dictatorship. What is Faith and what is Fear. What is Love and what is the GOP. Trump has played his part, now it is time for people to recognize him for what he is: a deeply corrupt, deeply criminal wannabee dictator who only became great through the help of Putin. And to likewise recognize those who grew up in his shadow, and partake in that same corruption. And to honour those who stood up to him and payed the price.
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  447. No, Trump being prosecuted is NOT double jeopardy. Because at the Senate "trial", Donald Trump was not in jeopardy. To be in jeopardy means that you are danger of punishment related to crimes you are accused of. Being fired is NOT punishment, it is a consequence in order to prevent future crimes. If you rob your boss and he finds out, you are fired on the spot. That is equivalent to being impeached & removed from office. But subsequently, your boss would bring charges against you in court. That is what is happening to Trump right now. The People fired him after his cronies in the Senate refused to, and now The People have brought charges for the many crimes he committed in office.
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  448. 26:34 No, judge Luttig is not right here. By giving a prosecutor the right to try and prove holding a president to account for breaking the law does not impose on his authority, they have in effect given themselves the right to make that determination. Because in the end, it is the Judge -> i.e. SCOTUS who makes that call, not the prosecutor. And because SCOTUS refused to provide a clear test, they now have considerable freedom to make that call on an individual, case-by-case basis. That means that this immunity applies to presidents whom the court favours, but not to presidents the court does not favour. Details like this make this opinion extremely devious.
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  449. 2:13: Habba is thinking "Damn, he is at it again. I'd better not be seen with him." Lovely, just lovely.
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  450. That the way the Supreme Court will answer this petition is in question, shows how deeply the USA has fallen. Hopefully you can survive this episode as a democracy and without letting WW3 start by your inaction when allies need help. The Law (Rules)-based World Order is only over if we are no longer willing to uphold the Law, through cowardice or selfishness. Trump is the exponent of lawlessness, he should have been put in jail years ago. Three, to be exact. I am praying for you, you need it.
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  451. The most shocking thing is that there are still people who would vote for a Republican.
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  452. FINALLY Trump is getting confronted with his actions. NOBODY is above the Law in the USA.
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  453. Coney-Barrett's opinion is just outrageous. "A time not amplify disagreement with stridency"? WTF? That is a political consideration, not a legal one. The LAW brings division between what is right and what is wrong. That is what an opinion of the SCOTUS is supposed to do. If you disagree in any way with a decision, to voice that opinion and document it for posterity. She is not arguing the Law, but arguing politics. SCOTUS has lost its legitimacy.
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  454. The GOP is playing theatrics. They are not interested in immigrants. They are not interested in the economy. They are not interested in democracy. They are not interested in allies. They ONLY want POWER, to enrich themselves.
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  455. The DOJ should give Jim Jordan a fishing rod. He seems to like fishing expeditions.
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  456. I will be amazed if Trump actually goes through with this debate. But if he does, I'll be scrambling for popcorn!
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  457. So, next steps should be that Trump goes to jail and that all his properties are thoroughly searched by the FBI. Question: is there anyone on earth who knows exactly which properties are owned by Trump? I doubt even Trump knows it all. But his organization should be able to produce a more-or-less complete list.
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  458. I am pleased and a little surprised to hear you pronounce a very Dutch name properly, even though its spelling violates English spelling rules, and the Latin root of the name is pronounced differently by English people. Well done!
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  459. The USA not only needs to deal with MAGA. It also needs to deal with the corruption that enabled MAGA. There are laws against corruption & Obstruction of Justice which the MAGAts are continuously breaking. UPHOLD THE LAW!
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  460. This, Americans, is what Journalism looks like. Not letting anyone get away with lying. Nailing them with FACTS. Shame on any TV host who lets lies pass unchallenged. Which is the only way these FRAUDS get in power.
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  461. Time to indict these house Republicans. It will not be difficult to prove Obstruction of Justice. One of the things that are wrong in the USA is the deference they show to powerful people. If someone else would have done this, their asses would already have been hauled to jail.
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  462. Walt Nauta can be commended for his loyalty. Except that his principal is not worthy of loyalty. The lawyer that Trump gave him, threw him under the bus, missing his opportunity to co-operate with the prosecution.
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  463. And in the Nuremberg trials, subordinates had a choice between obedience and death. But they still got condemned. In this case, there would have been no consequences had an individual not complied. If there would have been, we should have heard about it in their defense pleas.
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  464. The purpose of this subpoena is to shut all this garbage of the hearings being one-sided or partisan up. This is his chance to tell his side of the story.
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  465. 4:00 -- This is what Magats do: they take one fact and one lie, and use the fact to somehow prove the lie??? It is illogical, it is propaganda, and a warning not to believe a single word a person who uses such a fallacy says.
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  466. ​ John Doe  They should have believed him when he said "Only crooks plead the 5th". However, optics can never be a reason for not applying the Law. And if propaganda channels like Fox "news" continue to repeat Trumps lies it will be all the more reason to take them off the air.
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  467. Eileen Canon is spending any goodwill she may have. Apparently, Trump is extremely worried about this one. It may delay this work a bit, but it will not change the outcome for Trump and result in impeachment & disbarment for Canon. The justice system does not deal kindly with judges who overstep their jurisdiction.
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  468. He won't: he claims to have to much money, so he must provide one himself. The Public is not going to pay for his defense when he could do so himself.
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  469. The Trump family is an organized crime family. Take them to jail already!
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  470. That Trump is still walking around a free man is a direct indictment against the state of the Rule of Law in the USA. He is a clear and present danger for the USA. Shame, USA. Shame.
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  471. I hope, deeply hope, that these child-trafficking politicians are put behind bars. Trump pretended it were the Democrats who did these things, but we all know he always accuses others of things he does himself. Running for or having high office should not mean you are held to lower standards than regular people. It should mean you are held to higher standards, as any crimes committed by such a person impact more people AND destroy trust in the Rule of Law.
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  472. When is the DOJ going to uphold the Obstruction of Justice statutes? I'd think that what Jordan is doing crosses that line. He has no legal authority to make these demands on Bragg.
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  473. Chris Licht can not put the "fear of God" in his employees by intimidating them. The Bible says to fear God, NOT MEN, and urges people to do what is morally right in spite of what men might do to you. The worst Licht can do is fire Darcy for being a man of integrity. So what. Darcy can find a new job. Licht has sold his soul to the MAGA cult, and this may well be his last job, the way he is driving CNN into insolvency.
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  474. The Republicans are a Clear and Present Danger to the USA.
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  475. How does this make the JD look like a fool? This was directed at Congress, not the JD. The JD is just being (overly) thorough in their treatment of citizen Trump.
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  476. I envy these Jury members.
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  477. Though she is right about the difficulty of understanding how a democracy works, the effort to turn the USA into a dictatorship ALMOST WORKED! And still, almost 50% of the nation desires to have that dictatorship. Also, the media is far more corrupted than she thinks. Democracy in the USA is still hanging in the balance. The MAGAts have not yet realized how different living in a country like Russia is to living in the USA.
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  478. The USA needs some sensible limits to the first amendment. Government officials lying to the public and hate speech should carry to legal jeopardy.
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  479. FINALLY the US legal system is getting fed up with all the frivolous law suits with which Trump tries to delay his convictions. Justice delayed is justice denied.
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  480. "This should have been the trial of the century" It is a bit early to determine that, that honour will probably go to the trial against Trump for leading an insurrection in 2021, or perhaps even 2024. But this is certainly a significant trial, it will probably get its own movie. Cannon is deciding how she will be represented in that movie: as an hero or a villain. Right now, she will be the stooge.
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  481. Because Trump selects lawyers that have no integrity, he saves the various bar associations a lot of work in pointing out those who should be disbarred.
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  482. A president who has absolute immunity for his official acts, is an absolute dictator. The Executive MUST stay within the confined of the Law AT ALL TIMES. The biggest and most important function of the Law is to protect the People from a corrupt Executive.
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  483. This is no news to anyone who has been paying attention. We all knew Trump is living on borrowed money and on white-washing Russian dirty money. He is a very small example of a ponzi-scheme.
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  484. As long as there are no convictions, it is right to ignore such accusations. People are sometimes falsely accused, especially people in a high position. It is wrong to think "where there is smoke there must be fire" in such cases. As proven by the Depp -- Heard case. Now that Trump has been found liable by a jury of his peers, after consideration of all the evidence, things have changed.
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  485. Because the underlying issues have not been resolved, the USA is still in danger. Those issues are, amongst others, the constant extremist propaganda by Fox that continues to this day, the growing inequality in the USA, and churches that do not preach the Gospel but politics. Those three are related. Fox's only purpose is to sow division among people groups so they will attack each other, instead of the ones who are taking their money. Sadly, far too many preachers have been sucked into this scam as well, also because of Money.
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  486. I hope Cannon will be disbarred for this. Abuse of power is unacceptable.
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  487. So, Habba argued that it is none of Justice Engoron's business to know whether Weisselberg perjured himself in his court, and that it is not her responsibility to tell him (Justice E) even if he (W) did, and she knows he did? Wow. Just WOW. Truly, this woman has no business being in a court of Law -- except as a defendant.
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  488. Judge Cannon is the perfect illustration why appointing a judge should NOT be under control of a politician. Because that violates the Separation of Powers. If you want some political influence on what judges are appointed, let the politician(s) select the candidate from a short-list drawn up by the Judiciary itself.
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  489. "God help us" You will need it. The USA is very, very, very slow in upholding the Rule of Law with regards to Trump. To deserve the name "democracy", the Law MUST be upheld regardless of who breaks the Law. The Rule of Law is a conditio sine qua non for democracy. Which is why Lady Justice is always displayed with a blindfold on. Well, in the USA that blindfold is not just worn thin, it has holes in it. It is in tatters. It is obvious Trump has blatantly broken the law many many times, we have all seen him literally break the Law dozens of times live on TV. Yet he still walks around a free man. THAT CAN NOT BE in a democracy. And that is not even mentioning the many ways in which Trump acted unconstitutionally towards Congress, rejecting any Congressional Oversight, not co-operating with the peaceful transfer of power, interfering with Justice, giving pardons for money, etc, etc, etc, which are extremely serious matters against which the USA needs to protect itself in the future. Shame, USA. Shame on you.
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  490. Melania is a smart woman. Utterly corrupt and selfish, but smart.
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  491. FINALLY he is in a situation he can not bluff or intimidate his way out of. The realization hasn't fully sunk in yet, but it is glorious to see it start to. I so hope that the judges and the prosecution will stay true to the Law and Justice and the People. They need our prayers right now.
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  492.  @jimotto1134  🤣 Well said, thank you!
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  493. We need the DOJ to deflate this ball of hot air. There is no other way to deal with the lies he spouts.
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  494. The House may be full of clowns, but people voted for them. Let them demonstrate what clowns they are, and let's deal with the broadcaster who gaslights the People into thinking these clowns are actually doing some good.
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  495. You will still have a part of your nation that is scared of real democracy, afraid of losing power. And rampant corruption in the political and judicial systems.
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  496. Where I live (Netherlands) it is VERY easy to have a biased judge removed from a case. We consider the damage a biased judge can do to Justice, much more important than any waste of resources.
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  497. Mark Levin should be held in contempt of court.
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  498. You are right to be angry. Trump is a danger to world peace, a threat to the whole planet. A friend and protector of international criminals and dictators. A spreader of corruption. An international-level white-washer of black money. He has already damaged all our lives, in his terrible COVID response that made the USA a main transmission center, damaging the global economy, and in his acts against the global climate.
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  499. You'd imagine that most judges know how to handle narcissistic men. But I am glad that Trump has finally met his match.
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  500.  @katieking8830  I didn't know that, in my country they are always on weekdays. But that just goes to show what an incredible, pathetic, liar Trump is.
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  501. Funny how Haba claims that the law is on her side, but without actually quoting the Law. That is because her stance is NOT supported by the Law.
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  502. Trump would never have become anything except a petty fraudster without LOADS of Russian support.
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  503. Trump speaks? Trump lies. For me this is the clearest indication that the man is NOT anointed of God and that no Christian has any business supporting the man. He is a liar and a thief, who has come to kill, steal and destroy. As we have seen during his regime. No US president has ever directly caused as much death as this man.
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  504. I thought it would take a decade to untangle all the corruptions of Trump. I was mistaken. It will take a generation. Not helped by the glacial pace with which the legal system is dealing with him.
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  505. Europe learned in the previous century that there must be limits to free speech. Freedom of Speech is no license to lie, spread fear and hate, or demonize a group of people. If left unchecked, these lead to the undermining of democracy and violence. As we have seen happen in the USA. It would be nice for once if the USA learned from the experiences of others. Fox is just as evil as the Völkischer Beobachter.
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  506. FINALLY! These churches are almost dead spiritually, for them to take so long to recognize what has been obvious to everyone since 2015.
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  507. For a representative of the Law and Order party, she is pretty lawLESS. Which is on-par, compared to the many, many crimes we see other MAGAts commit -- including but not limited to human trafficking, indecent behaviour, ignoring congress subpoenas, insurrection, etc, etc, etc.
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  508. Most atheists live better lives than these MAGA "christians". It is not mine to judge whether they are actual goats as in Matthew 25, but they sure fit the descriptions Jesus gave us. Thus we must assume that they are those who say "Lord, Lord" without knowing Him, who will be condemned for all eternity. They need to be called out as anti-christians.
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  509. GOPhers condemned Bill Clinton for fooling around with an intern, Monika Lewinsky. However, that was totally consensual, and he didn't touch her. But they don't condemn Donald Trump for actually r@ping women? That is weird.
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  510. The Koolaid drinkers hailed Trump as their Saviour in 2016. Turns out, he is saving the USA. By exposing how obscenely corrupt the Republican Party is.
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  511. The moment I saw fox repeat those brazen lies, I knew that was going to cost them big time. I have never heard of a clearer defamation case.
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  512. Meadows being sued by his publisher for lying to them is such great news! Clean up the swamp!
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  513. In a democracy, there is the rule that no action that would break the Law, can be an official act. Because the Will of the People is crystalized into the Law, and the government is to execute that will, not go against it. A government that moves against the expressed Will of the People has lost its democratic legitimacy. This corrupt SCOTUS has put the Rule of Law on its head and terminated Democracy. It isn't just the worst SCOTUS opinion anytime, it is unprecedented in any democratic country.
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  514. While I agree that the right to privacy of a defendant should be protected, that must come with the responsibility for the defendant to refrain from giving false representations of the trial. If Trump or his representatives or e.g. MAGA politicians are allowed to comment on the substance of the case in any way, then the trial MUST be televised to keep the public record straight. But then I think the USA is extremely lax in its prosecution of Obstruction of Justice / Witness Tampering / Jury Influencing laws. ANY elected official who comments on the substance of ANY case breaks these laws, and should be punished. But the MAGAts are doing this brazenly, practically every day. Of course there is the debate immunity clause -- but chats with reporters definitely do not come under that. The Constitution nowhere says that representatives should speak to reporters as part of their Duty. The US legal system should be ashamed of itself!
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  515. "The historic position of the Christian Church..." What total rhubarb. The historic (and current) position of the Christian Church is "let mercy triumph over judgement". Also, there are several a logical flaws in the argument that abortion is the killing of a human is murder and thus deserves the highest punishment. Not all killings are murder. And the Bible never recognizes an unborn child as a human. Life formally starts at birth, according to the Bible. NOT at conception. Abortion is not a crime, again according to the Bible. But then, the Catholic faith has historically never been strong in their knowledge of the Bible or their ability to apply it.
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  516. I still find it incredible that the USA elected a piece of filth like Trump for President. It shows how sick that nation was in 2016. At the moment it is slightly better, but I fear not by much.
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  517. The Bible warms us not to be jealous of evildoers. What is happening to trump demonstrates why.
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  518. I will never understand why the FBI didn't raid all other Trump residences when such a huge set of classified documents were found at Mar-A-Lardo. But it seems my mind is smaller than that of Jack Smith.
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  519. I wonder how it can be hearsay when official B reports to official C that a certain instruction is on the authority of official A. That is a necessary part of an instruction, especially controversial ones. In a company, it is the assumption that official B always works on the authority of official A as those are the normal lines of authority in a company. The principle is that a CEO is always responsible for everything that happens in a company, except when people explicitly disobey the CEO, and the CEO does everything in his power to punish & rectify the wrongdoing. The burden of proof is inverted in these situations. The CEO must prove that underlings disobeyed him, not that the underling must prove that they were operating as instructed by the CEO and the line of authority under him. The latter is the assumption, that underlings operate as instructed.
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  520. I will never understand why there is still ANYONE voting for Trump except his direct family. I suspect even Melania might not vote for him, if she got the chance. Looks like people's ability to think has been compromised by Fox News and NewsMax. Those "news" agencies are VERY dangerous, they should be shut down. The 1st amendment is NOT a license to lie. And even if it were, the purpose of the Constitution is to prevent a dictator taking over the United States, not enable him.
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  521. Donald Trump is such a fool. I doubt the DOJ would have changed their opinion if Trump had simply kept his mouth shut, as a government should not contradict itself. HOWEVER, with the new defamations by Trump, which were clearly made while he was no longer in the employ of the Government, things have certainly changed. As Trump has demonstrated that his behaviour towards Mrs Carroll was clearly unrelated to his Presidential duties, those duties having terminated in Jan 2021, the DOJ will now most likely change its opinion on the matter.
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  522. These people act like there are no rules. Then when they are confronted by the consequences they act outraged. She deserves to be disbarred and prosecuted for what she has done.
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  523. Forget the people he jeopardized. Just the people he had killed should put him in prison for ever. It wasn't by accident that the CIA noticed a lot of their informants being burned, that was Dump letting other nations read these documents. They may have a rule against assassinating heads of state, but what about former heads of state that got hundreds of their assets wasted?
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  524. In case of a jury trial, NO. In case of a non-jury trial, he probably could but that would be very unprofessional. He might as well disbar the attorney then and there (not that judges have that authority, but anyway).
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  525. Trump likes to style himself as the Saviour of the Church in the USA. I have good news for the USA: That position has already been taken, 2000 years ago. The Church doesn't need a new saviour, and anyone pretending to be one is a false messiah.
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  526. The true identity of Trump is being unveiled. It will not change the minds of his base, not even the so-called "christian" base -- who are at best deceived, at worst no Christians at all, but it will change the mind of enough floating voters. But the ONLY way to protect your democracy is to VOTE in number too real to steal, too big to rig.
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  527. While Trump seems to have the support of the "christian" vote, I have NEVER heard him quote Scripture. But Harris did, right here, and even in the right context. Biden we know is a committed Christian. Harris may well be as well, identifying as a life-long Baptist. Walz is a Lutheran. Trump is not. So how on earth can these false christians pretend Trump will be better for Christianity?
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  528. There should be consequences for that Trump judge. You have to wonder if he can read.
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  529. The way Trump has been treating his lawyers is coming back to haunt him. It couldn't happen to a more deserving person. If you can't get good lawyers because you have a history of not paying them and throwing them under the bus, that is all on you. Not the fault of the Judge, not the fault of the Prosecution. Public defendants are ONLY provided to people who can not afford a lawyer, not to those who can afford lawyers but mistreat them.
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  530. Declared to be the WORST US president, ever. He is literally running for president in order to stay out of prison. What I can not understand is how people still vote for him. Fox News has turned people's brains into mush.
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  531.  @thaisstone5192  As they say with domestic violence, if he beats you once, that is his fault. If he beats you twice, that is your own -- for not leaving when he hit you the first time. I can forgive the US voters for voting for Trump in 2016. But that now, according to the polls, about 50% of the nation would still vote for him, and that he is winning the primaries handsomely, is a deep indictment. The USA is a very, very, VERY sick nation.
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  532. In fact, I find it deeply offensive. Don't they realize that Donnie would happily let a tyrant invade democratic nations? That he doesn't care that this may well lead the world into another World War?
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  533.  @thaisstone5192  #45 was the worst ever. At least the worst US president ever.
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  534. Larry Hogan's behaviour is not caused by Trump's support. It is caused by the media that are shamelessly shilling for Trump. As long as the media supports Trump, the republicans can not get rid of him. The USA has a media problem, not a political problem. It is time to do something about those who abuse the 1st amendment to undermine USA democracy, spreading fear and hate using nothing but lies. There is reason Fox is banned even in the UK. Personally, I would get rid of some of the protections "news" and "entertainment" media have from the libel and defamation laws. It is not right to repeat a lie, when you know it is a lie, no matter who said it. The USA will quickly come to its senses when that constant deluge of misinformation coming out of Fox is stopped. Until then the best you can do is to "mop while the tap is running" as the Dutch say (Dweilen met de kraan open).
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  535. Delaying a trial to ensure everything is in order is not a crime or proof of bias or incompetence.
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  536.  @kathcasey2090  I'd rather see Dump in prison today than tomorrow, but before you can ask for a judge to be dismissed you have to provide some pretty damning evidence. Otherwise the likes of Trump would be doing this all the time.
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  537. Personally, I am not comfortable with the person who has a 50-50 chance of becoming the next President of the USA, being up to his neck in class action law suits that will probably bankrupt him. USA, why the F are there still people supporting this liability?
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  538. US society has been prepared for corruption for a long time. Musk offering many millions to Trump would land both in pr!son in most other democracies.
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  539. I agree with McCarthy that an indictment in and of itself should not be enough to have a member of congress expelled or suspended. There are insufficient checks and balances on the indictment process to prevent abuse as a political tool. A conviction, however, should definitely be cause to expel a member. I don't think people with convictions, except perhaps for misdemeanors, should be allowed to serve in congress.
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  540. These reactions are scary. We have lies, we have gaslighting, we have calls for violence. The biggest lie is that this would be somehow special or outrageous. I didn't hear Fox say these things when Michael Cohen was convicted for his part in this crime. Fox needs to be shut down.
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  541. This case is absurdly simple. The US Constitution was created with the explicit purpose of preventing a despot taking power. The one thing that discriminates a despot from a democratic leader is that a democratic leader is subject to the (Criminal) Law at all time. And that he doesn't get to determine the Law himself. But if the despot is not subject to the Law, it is irrelevant who determines the Law. The despot has become a law unto himself. Trump should be indicted for making a frivolous appeal, and this argument should no longer be allowed to delay his other cases.
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  542. I disagree. Like what we see in Russia, there would be elections. And the outcome of those elections would be honoured. It is just that the outcome is known before hand: a 85% vote in favour of the incumbent.
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  543. I pray that the US citizens will wake up to see what has become not just of Trump but of the whole MAGA party. This is not your grandpa's GOP, even though that was bad enough. But this is a full-on fascist party who will cancel democracy in the USA if they get the chance and turn it into something like Iran or Pakistan.
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  544. You can not have a Democracy if the president is above the Law.
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  545. Merrick Garland may well cause the USA to become a dictatorship. But he will have the comfort of knowing that he was more pious than the Pope.
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  546. I am AMAZED and honestly SHOCKED that the US Justice system is taking this seriously. Drumpf should be prosecuted for a frivolous argument instead. Anyone with even a limited understanding of the Rule of Law knows that his claim of absolute immunity is frivolous. Such immunity is fundamentally incompatible with Democracy, and even with enlightened despots. If Trump were immune, the Constitution would be useless, not worth the paper it is written on. Congress a stage for high-paid actors. The Senate a charade. SCOTUS a collection of fools engaging in therapy sessions. The USA would have become a dictatorship with one preeminent Power: the President. And the second it would be found that the President has immunity even from criminal acts, Biden will act on his new-found rights to remove his opponents from the equation.
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  547. Whenever Trump or Haba accuse somebody of something, it is pure projection. Just imagine somebody sitting in an interview, accusing somebody else of seeking publicity? That is hypocrisy to the next degree.
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  548. The deference with which Trump is treated is the most shocking fact about this whole farce. It didn't make any difference in how Trump spoke about the event, so I hope they learn from this. NOBODY is about the Law.
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  549. Every accusation by Trump is a confession.
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  550. Trump is trying to hypnotize people. This is pure suggestion, something leaders of religious cults do.
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