Patterico's Pontifications

7/9/2020

Trump Tax Return Cases: Wishy-Washy Rulings Will Push Issue Past Elections

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 8:29 am



The Supreme Court kinda sorta decided the Trump tax cases today. Mazars (congressional subpoenas) is here. Vance (state grand jury subpoenas) is here. Both are 7-2.

You’d think Trump lost. Vance holds: “Article II and the Supremacy Clause do not categorically preclude, or require a heightened standard for, the issuance of a state criminal subpoena to a sitting President.” Mazars does not uphold Trump’s absurd position that he is categorically immune from state grand jury subpoenas, but holds only that “[t]he courts below did not take adequate account of the significant separation of powers concerns implicated by congressional subpoenas for the President’s information.”

But grand jury material is secret, and the Vance opinion makes clear that Trump can still raise objections in the lower courts. As for the congressional subpoenas, no 5,496 factor balancing test (I exaggerate, slightly) can be applied and go through another round of appeals by November.

As with the Mueller grand jury materials, the effect is to run out the clock until after the election.

145 Responses to “Trump Tax Return Cases: Wishy-Washy Rulings Will Push Issue Past Elections”

  1. Why the Supreme Court can’t apply its own balancing test, I don’t really know. It’s not like they had a lot going on this Term.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  2. It’s a four-part test, but they also pretty much invite courts to make up more factors — with the justices cheerfully shrugging their shoulders and saying in essence “making up tests is hard!”

    Record low number of cases this Term, they went well into July, and this is the best they can do? Lazy.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  3. I’m on Trump’s side on this one. The requests are malicious, motivated solely by prurience and politics, and the claimed governmental interests might be valid in other instances but in these cases are purely pretextual.

    nk (1d9030)

  4. Trump is f***ing with the rule of law enough as it is. We don’t need Mazars and Vance putting the boot to it, too.

    nk (1d9030)

  5. Yes due process be damned, but remember vance covered for weinstein and epstein.

    Narciso (7404b5)

  6. I was hoping the SCOTUS would issue a strong ruling. We can’t have State DA’s and courts waging Lawfare on the POTUS and tying him up in local/State grand jury investigations and courts. As for House issue, I’m less concerned. House and POTUS should be able to fight it out without the courts getting involved.

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  7. Roberts strategy seems to let Liberals run the court as much as possible, while remaining nominally conservative so Republicans don’t get too upset. Notice how the lbierals almost always vote as 4 judge bloc and work as a team, while the other 5 can’t even write one opinion even when they agree. Kavanaugh and goresuch appear to be drama queens who always have a special opinion that needs to be heard and written about.

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  8. “ Notice how the lbierals almost always vote as 4 judge bloc and work as a team, while the other 5 can’t even write one opinion even when they agree.”

    I consider this a feature, not a bug.
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  9. Little discussed ruling about Indians will turn Oklahoma into chaos, since Ruling is that Indians can’t be tried by regular courts but only Indian courts. Who sided with liberals? GOrescuh of Couse. a crazy opinion, like the Judge BOlt ruling on fishing 50 years ago. Bit typical of Ivy league lawyers. We get these crazy decisions because people REFUSE to pay attention and force R Presidents to appoint REAL conservatives.

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  10. I consider this a feature, not a bug.

    Yeah, if you’re a liberal you would.

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  11. The left can through lawfare and boycotts shut down our energy production they can transform our society.

    Narciso (7404b5)

  12. I will make a bet that any damaging material that the NY authorities get will be leaked in late October. I will also bet that it will be cherry-picked.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  13. I consider this a feature, not a bug.

    How so?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  14. Record low number of cases this Term, they went well into July, and this is the best they can do? Lazy.

    Covid may have impacted things. It has for many of us.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  15. Because the left must prevail on important matters.

    Narciso (7404b5)

  16. Little discussed ruling about Indians will turn Oklahoma into chaos, since Ruling is that Indians can’t be tried by regular courts but only Indian courts. Who sided with liberals? GOrescuh of Couse. a crazy opinion, like the Judge BOlt ruling on fishing 50 years ago. Bit typical of Ivy league lawyers. We get these crazy decisions because people REFUSE to pay attention and force R Presidents to appoint REAL conservatives.

    Nope, tried in Federal court, not Indian court. Learn a thing. Treaties matter.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827)

  17. It sucks that it got pushed out, but I blame the American people who voted for him, pulling the lever for this huckster despite his tax return stonewall.
    His returns will out, and we’ll eventually see the extent of his defrauding state and federal government.

    Paul Montagu (c9d3c1)

  18. Another garbage decision affects energy priduction.

    Narciso (7404b5)

  19. I just think it’s amazing that Trump is fighting this hard against releasing his tax returns, all the way to the very highest court, all the way to election day, when he said he’d be happy to share the returns with us if he were nominated.

    It’s almost like he isn’t happy to share them, which is weird right?

    “I like this man. He fights!”

    Dustin (b62cc4)

  20. “ Yeah, if you’re a liberal you would”

    I’m not sure how political beliefs would be the issue here.
    __

    “How so?”

    Justices saying how they came to decision IMO is not a bad thing.
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  21. Trump says the tax return decisions are unfair to him. The decisions may not impact him before November but SCOTUS left the door open for prosecutors to get his returns in the future, maybe even next year. How much does he really care about those returns? I don’t think he cares enough to quit and I doubt he can accept he might lose. He probably will decide to worry about it next year.

    DRJ (aede82)

  22. of course they are, what is the predicate, just like with the flynn case, the accusation was false on it’s face, just like christopher steele was laughed out of a london court, buzzfeed caught a break, with their failure to fact check,

    narciso (7404b5)

  23. remember avenatti the silver bullet, kind of pewter now,

    narciso (7404b5)

  24. Poor mistreated fellow, narciso, right? He is besieged by everyone and he can’t catch a break, like a male Scarlett O’Hara (at least she was actually good at business).

    DRJ (aede82)

  25. Weakest President ever.

    nk (1d9030)

  26. naomi rao, did a very good summary of the facts, that strongly referred to separation of powers, so ‘lets leave it to the da who was investigating weinstein’s accusers for the longest time,

    narciso (7404b5)

  27. And Jimmy Carter smiled.

    nk (1d9030)

  28. Why the Supreme Court can’t apply its own balancing test, I don’t really know. It’s not like they had a lot going on this Term.

    It’s one of those things that Chief Justice John Roberts didn;t like the consequences of ruling either way, so he kicked the can down the road. Just like he did with DACA and with the Electoral College (it was left open if an Elector could be bound if a candidate died)

    Also, the president;s lawyers argued absolute immunity so all they had to do was dismiss it.

    They also ruled the president had no special protection. They did say he had ordinary protection against subpoenas, and that Congress nee no unlimited right to subpoena.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  29. On the one occasion Trump’s docs were illegally leaked, we were treated to Rachel Maddow having no idea what she was reading. Suspect the new docs will also show that, like all realty concerns, what to a layman looks like absurd depreciation deductions and bonus depreciation on top of that. That is in fact perfectly legal. Trump is blessed with imbecilic enemies, always proposing the next big reveal will take him out. But it all comes down to November.

    Bugg (47841b)

  30. Trump reacts:

    Courts in the past have given “broad deference”. BUT NOT ME!
    7:38 AM · Jul 9, 2020

    …he said while shaking his tiny fist in the air…

    Dana (25e0dc)

  31. They want his 1099-INTs for his Bank of China and Deutsche Bank loans, as well as his 1099-NECs to/from foreign contractors, and I’d like the people to see those too, but that’s not the law.

    nk (1d9030)

  32. always proposing the next big reveal will take him out. But it all comes down to November.

    Bugg (47841b) — 7/9/2020 @ 10:22 am

    It really takes something special to think all these scandals just validate that Trump is a great guy being oppressed, over and over. Especially when so many of the scandals related to stomping on honest people who told the truth, or some other obstruction of an investigation, or a simple refusal to keep a promise (Which ultimately is what this post is really about: Trump is breaking his word to share his tax returns).

    No, I suppose it was unrealistic to expect the GOP to convict him. Other than that, there’s never been anything that could ‘take him out’. Like you said, it’s all about November, at which point we’ll be told it’s not Trump’s fault as usual.

    Dustin (b62cc4)

  33. I know Vance was going to be a loss at the SCOTUS because his absolute immunity argument is flat out dumb. I’m not so sure it’s a loss per se, as Roberts literally told Trump’s attorneys to make a different case and gave them a few directions.

    As for Mazars (congressional subpoenas), I’m actually surprised at this… and moreso with it being 7-2. Is it because the Justices didn’t think there was a legit congressional basis?

    whembly (c30c83)

  34. Huh… should’ve paid attention to my twitter feed. This just popped up and answers much of my question:
    https://twitter.com/jadler1969/status/1281233623216205826

    whembly (c30c83)

  35. Again, Trump’s problem is that he doesn’t understand how to make government work for him, nor is he willing to learn. He is singularly ineffective and keeps his diminishing base behind him with his vitriol and lies.

    Politics, Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  36. Is it because the Justices didn’t think there was a legit congressional basis?

    It was a pretty clear fishing expedition. IF they were serious about tax fraud among public officials, they’d subpoena all the returns from Congressfolk. They’d find bunches.

    BTW, this is one of the reasons why Trump is so ineffective. A not-moronic administration would respond by asking the IRS to review Congressional tax returns, starting with that committee.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  37. It really takes something special to think all these scandals just validate that Trump is a great guy being oppressed, over and over

    The flip side of “They just hate Obama because he’s black”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  38. …he said while shaking his tiny fist in the air…

    The courts, AGs, the media and lawfare peddlers are just waiting to get their piece of Biden. Oh, just wait… you’ll see….

    beer ‘n pretzels (ddfa85)

  39. Chuck Schumer
    @SenSchumer
    · Jul 18, 2018

    Brett Kavanaugh doesn’t think that a sitting president can be indicted, that they don’t have to follow laws they deem unconstitutional, and now this. Are these the real reasons @realDonaldTrump nominated him?
    __ _

    Pirate Gal
    @storyspinner
    ·
    That aged particularly well!

    _

    harkin (662f8d)

  40. The flip side of “They just hate Obama because he’s black”

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 7/9/2020 @ 11:03 am

    Well said! That argument was definitely a feature of his mistakes.

    All propaganda must accommodate the least intelligent. That’s why I’m so good at pointing it out to y’all!

    Dustin (b62cc4)

  41. 33# Don’t put words in my mouth. Trump is hardly oppressed. Readily acknowledge he is a egotistic narcissist who has done little to help his cause and much to hurt it. But he still is preferable to Biden and most of the GOPe.

    My point as to his tax returns is the people looking at them hoping for some smoking gun are innumerate and fiscal idiots. We have been told over and over and over this next big reveal will finally make him disappear. It has not happened. But he certainly could lose in November.

    Bugg (47841b)

  42. 40: Prospect Park Chuck made these statements while mentoring his brains out with inner city young ladies in the back seat of his car along Prospect Park West.

    Bugg (47841b)

  43. And Jimmy Carter smiled…

    Which looked like one more wrinkle.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  44. 24… but what does Al Jazeera have to say?

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  45. obama can’t be touched, that’s why hillary could not be prosecuted, that’s why his weaponizing of the entire bureaucracy isn’t punished,

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2020/07/pelosi-on-destruction-of-columbus-statue-in-baltimore-people-will-do-what-they-do/

    narciso (7404b5)

  46. My point as to his tax returns is the people looking at them hoping for some smoking gun are innumerate and fiscal idiots.

    Nah. I think they have a point that Trump pretended to be successful but wasn’t. Trump is an idiot’s idea of a great business leader.

    But he still is preferable to Biden and most of the GOPe.

    History will remember Romney as a much tougher man and more patriotic man than Trump. Lindsey Graham? Sure, he’s useless. Basically the GOP today will be organized into people who picked Trump vs people who picked America.

    Dustin (b62cc4)

  47. But he certainly could lose in November.

    Bugg (47841b) — 7/9/2020 @ 11:16 am

    LOL

    Dustin (b62cc4)

  48. Dubya went to war against half the world, and had American citizens snatched off the streets of America and tortured in the hulls of U.S. Navy ships, and nobody was able to lay a finger on him. That’s a strong President.

    nk (1d9030)

  49. History will remember Romney as a much tougher man and more patriotic man than Trump.

    History will remember Romney like it remembers Wendell Willkie.

    beer ‘n pretzels (ddfa85)

  50. Romney is your man if you want to bust out a manufacturing concern to inflate it’s stock price and move the plant to China. Or keep US troops in Germany and Iraq forever. Germany is so fearful of the Russian bear that their former premier, Gerhard Schroeder, is CEO of Gazprom, Russia’s nationalized NG company. Yes, Romney’s so tough, if your his dog, perhaps. Long-suffering US taxpayers and needlessly deployed American soldiers, not so much.

    You need to understand; guys like Romney, McCain and the Bushes, ignoring our problems since the day Reagan went home, is how you get Trump.

    Bugg (47841b)

  51. Recall Pierre Delicto, taking a total powder in the debate vs. Obama. He put up such a fight against that Candy Crowley. A paragon of courage, I tell you!

    Bugg (47841b)

  52. Mitt Romney was bamboozled by Obama and onfused.

    He didn’t realize that throughout the first week after Benghazi, the administration gradually unlearned that it was a planned act of terrorism.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  53. 5. Narciso (7404b5) — 7/9/2020 @ 8:52 am

    Yes due process be damned, but remember vance covered for weinstein and epstein.

    He’s too interested in crimes that interest the Upper West Side maybe, like the Amy Cooper 911 case, to bother with serious crimes.

    https://nypost.com/2020/07/05/top-nypd-cops-call-for-da-cy-vance-to-appear-at-shooting-scenes

    Top cops in Manhattan demanded to know why Vance hadn’t shown his face at the scenes of shootings on the island over Fourth of July weekend.

    “Manhattan DA Cy Vance where are you? No show at any shooting scene!!!,” tweeted Assistant Chief Stephen Hughes.

    “Our community is being attacked, there have been 24 people shot in the city in the past 24 hours,” Hughes continued, adding: “Where Are You!!!”

    Assistant Chief Kathleen O’Reilly shared her colleague’s tweet, adding: “Complete No Show in Manhattan North!! Shame!!”

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  54. @47

    My point as to his tax returns is the people looking at them hoping for some smoking gun are innumerate and fiscal idiots.

    Nah. I think they have a point that Trump pretended to be successful but wasn’t. Trump is an idiot’s idea of a great business leader.

    Dustin (b62cc4) — 7/9/2020 @ 11:30 am

    Still not a justified reason to fish through his tax records though…

    whembly (c30c83)

  55. Of course, this particular complaint about Vance makes no sense.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  56. Jonathan H. Adler
    @jadler1969
    ·
    4h
    Fun fact: More justices embraced core of Judge Rao’s Mazars dissent than embraced Tatel majority opinion. Something for folks to think about.

    But…but…I thought Rao is a total hack?

    Me so confused…

    whembly (c30c83)

  57. They are hoping to find, if not some problematical claims on his tax returns that Trump got away with because he attempted so many, some novel, or rare, claims on his tax returns that would be embarrassing for Trump to reveal.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  58. @56

    Of course, this particular complaint about Vance makes no sense.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da) — 7/9/2020 @ 12:11 pm

    I thought Vance was all about Trump reimbursing Cohen paying hush money that may break NY state laws….

    whembly (c30c83)

  59. And in other court-related news, Judge Sullivan is appealing to the full DC Circuit, as expected.

    Paul Montagu (c9d3c1)

  60. They are hoping to find, if not some problematical claims on his tax returns that Trump got away with because he attempted so many, some novel, or rare, claims on his tax returns that would be embarrassing for Trump to reveal.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da) — 7/9/2020 @ 12:14 pm

    Best Case: Large loans to foreign banks at below market rate interest.
    2nd best: Evidence of tax fraud.
    3rd best: He’s worth much less than he claimed.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  61. Still not a justified reason to fish through his tax records though…

    whembly (c30c83) — 7/9/2020 @ 12:10 pm

    I don’t understand how this relates to my comment. I suppose you were just wanting to defend Trump.

    I’m not the one who promised to release Trump’s return. Trump is. It’s weird how hard Trump fights to break his promise, don’t you agree?

    Dustin (b62cc4)

  62. OT- JoeyBee delivers economic plan in speech to 6 reporters in Dunmore, PA on America’s ‘future…’ by babbling about the Great Depression and World War II and unions and the 33,000 Pennsylvanians killed in the Civil War– 20 years into the 21st Century.

    Then boast about how hard it was to be a single parent raising kids–on a Senator’s $42,000 salary in the early 1970’s.

    “A $42,000 salary might not sound like much today. In fact, Senate records show it was actually $42,500. But Biden joined the Senate after winning his seat in 1972. Adjusted for inflation, he was earning more than $256,000 in today’s dollars. That is more than four times the median household income.” -source cns.com

    He’s an idiot.

    “… while we sit with our thumb in our ear.” – JoeyBee, July 9, 2020

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  63. 56. 59. Vance doesn’t need to show up personally at crime scenes.

    A better complaint is that maybe he’s not prosecuting some things.

    https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/06/05/manhattan-da-vance-says-low-level-arrests-of-protesters-will-not-be-prosecuted

    city.

    Vance is apparently the first of the city’s five district attorneys to make such an announcement.
    Prior to Vance’s announcement, the policy of his office was to offer arrestees an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal….

    “Our office has a moral imperative to enact public policies which assure all New Yorkers that in our justice system and our society, black lives matter and police violence is a crime,” Vance said in a statement. “We commend the thousands of our fellow New Yorkers who have peacefully assembled to demand these achievable aims, and our door is open to any New Yorker who wishes to be heard.”

    This is political. Now it may be impractical to prosecute, and a one time thing for many people sometimes, but if he wants to outright forgive it, let the Governor at least issue a pardon fr certain offenses.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  64. Trump Luck is in the air; buy that lottery ticket.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  65. If it continues to look like Trump will lose, will he take the chance of leaving office without a pardon?

    noel (4d3313)

  66. After these rulings, it looks like the truth will come out eventually. If the President is in legal jeopardy with his taxes or anything else he has done these last four years, might he resign before this November’s election while he has the most leverage with Pence? He can justify it by claiming that the election is rigged or the media is unfair. There would be enormous Republican pressure for a pardon at that point.

    If Trump loses and then resigns…. would Pence be more reluctant to do so if it appears like the resignation was just a ploy to get that pardon?

    noel (4d3313)

  67. @62 he agreed to release it once the audits were over. Which is a bit weaselly way to get out of doing so because of course the IRS will audit him every year.

    Further more, this is a unicorn. The IRS would’ve found anything by now and the fact the the Weissman/Muller team didn’t find anything (nor leaked any) should tell us something.

    Frankly, if we care about a POTUS’ tax records and worried about him enriching himself, then ALL political critters should face the same scrutiny. FWIW, how did longtime Congressional folks started out poor/middle class end up being millionaires???

    This is the Trump’s critic version of the Obama birth certificate ordeal.

    whembly (c30c83)

  68. 59. whembly (c30c83) — 7/9/2020 @ 12:14 pm

    I thought Vance was all about Trump reimbursing Cohen paying hush money that may break NY state laws….

    There may be an element here of falsifying bsiness records, since his company paid Cohen but it was not a legitimate business expesse for the company. nd maybe Trump could have a problem if he subtracted that amount from his income.

    One caveat: Lawyer’s fees are not required to be done for the purposes charged and they are allowed to overpay him. Certainly the Clintons would do this without getting into any trouble.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  69. I agree that the Court shouldn’t get involved in the jockeying between 2 co-equal branches of government. I’m not sure about the fishing expedition going on in NY, but I expect that can be fleshed out further.

    I’m also not surprised that Joe Biden came down against religious liberty and said if elected he will continue to persecute the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious organizations.

    https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2020/07/09/biden-youd-better-believe-ill-make-nuns-account-contraception-im-elected/

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  70. In other news, Sec. Defense Esper says he wasn’t briefed on Russian Bounty program.

    Esper said no intelligence report he saw used the term “bounty,” although he later acknowledged the reports described payments. He said no military spy agency had corroborated the intelligence, which officials have said was developed largely by the CIA.

    He said he first learned about the intelligence in February, and that the military first saw it in January.

    Ahh, nobody told him specifically it was a bounty program, just that if the Taliban killed Americans they’d be paid by the Russians. Well then, totally different.

    The lengths these guys will guy to not directly calling Trump a liar, while saying he’s a liar.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827)

  71. because judge sullivan is a corrupt thug, who allowed ted stevens’ to be fraudulently convicted, he slapped the prosecutors a little bit, but nothing of any consequence, and of course stevens death made it a moot point,

    narciso (7404b5)

  72. because judge sullivan is a corrupt thug, who allowed ted stevens’ to be fraudulently convicted, he slapped the prosecutors a little bit, but nothing of any consequence, and of course stevens death made it a moot point,

    Almost every single word is wrong. Sullivan dismissed the conviction on 4/7/2009, four months before Stevens’ death, after getting completely fed up with prosecutorial misconduct.

    Paul Montagu (c9d3c1)

  73. so what it happened in his court room, when faced with lying prosecutors again, he punts, and it’s crystal clear that they lied,

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/07/in-the-floyd-case.php

    narciso (7404b5)

  74. so what it happened in his court room, when faced with lying prosecutors again, he punts, and it’s crystal clear that they lied,

    Yeah, and that’s why he’s requiring the liars to justify their dropping of the charges, escalating to the circuit and appealing. That’s what you’re talking about right?

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827)

  75. @18-Another garbage decision affects energy priduction.

    No, it is a criminal justice case, and only affects crimes listed in the Major Crimes Act.

    RipMurdock (d2a2a8)

  76. 3rd best: He’s worth much less than he claimed.
    That should be #1. With Trump, size is everything.

    RipMurdock (d2a2a8)

  77. BTW, this is one of the reasons why Trump is so ineffective. A not-moronic administration would respond by asking the IRS to review Congressional tax returns, starting with that committee.
    Going full Nixon, I see.

    RipMurdock (d2a2a8)

  78. Biden should announce that when elected, he’ll publicly post every tax return Donald Trump has ever filed. Unredacted.

    Article Two, dontcha know?

    Dave (1bb933)

  79. Even Clarence Thomas, in his dissent, scoffs at Trump’s claims of “absolute immunity”.

    Alito is apparently the only justice who would put the president above the law, arguing that the government can’t function if the president is indisposed, and ignoring the fact that the Constitution makes explicit provision for just that eventuality in the 25th Amendment.

    Dave (1bb933)

  80. 2. Patterico (115b1f) — 7/9/2020 @ 8:36 am

    Record low number of cases this Term, they went well into July, and this is the best they can do? Lazy.

    They were on a sort of hiatus for two months, as Kevin M offers at #14.

    SCOTUS BLOG says (on July 7) that’s it’s not all that unusual for Supreme Court decisions to be issued in July, even though that hasn’t happened since 1996, and it even sometimes goes past July 4.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  81. https://www.scotusblog.com/2020/07/symposium-a-better-way-to-limit-congress-subpoena-power

    I don’t think this is saying anything. He proposes more attention be paid to the limits oflegslatve power.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  82. Going full Nixon, I see.

    Dust for jowl prints…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vETxuL7Ij3Q

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  83. Feel-good news dept:
    A former high school football player dove and caught a child dropped from the balcony of a burning building
    As a teenager a decade ago at Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan, Phillip Blanks was a star football player. Last week, his athletic instincts helped save a toddler from an apartment fire that killed the child’s mother.

    Blanks, now 28 and a retired U.S. Marine, was at a friend’s apartment in Phoenix on Friday morning when he heard frantic screaming and a commotion. He immediately ran outside, barefoot, and saw the top floor of the apartment complex was ablaze and enveloped in smoke.

    He looked up and saw a petrified woman on a third-floor balcony with a child. Flames quickly crept up behind her.
    …..
    The mother dropped her son over the railing. As Blanks saw the small child falling, he dove forward, arms out.

    “I immediately got tunnel vision of the baby and somehow managed to catch him,” Blanks said.

    The wrenching video, captured on a cellphone, shows Blanks sprinting toward the 3-year-old child and diving to catch him mere milliseconds before the boy would have hit the ground.
    …..
    After the child’s mother — identified by local NBC affiliate 12NEWS as Rachel Long — 30, dropped her son from the balcony, she turned and went back into the burning apartment where her 8-year-old daughter was. Long never came out.
    ……
    Her daughter was rescued by a bystander who ran inside the burning building. True heroes.
    Sarcasm alert: At least he didn’t spike the boy, like OJ in one of The Naked Gun films.

    RipMurdock (d2a2a8)

  84. Trump attacks Lindsey Graham after SCOTUS rulings
    President Donald Trump took a swing at Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday in the aftermath of two Supreme Court decisions involving his closely held financial records, lamenting that the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and close Trump ally was not doing enough to target the president’s political foes.
    ……
    “We have a totally corrupt previous Administration, including a President and Vice President who spied on my campaign, AND GOT CAUGHT…and nothing happens to them. This crime was taking place even before my election, everyone knows it, and yet all are frozen stiff with fear,” Trump wrote on Twitter. He specifically called out Graham’s committee, writing: “No Republican Senate Judiciary response.”

    The president’s claim doesn’t take into account the fact that Graham (R-S.C.) is running a wide-ranging investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation and was granted broad subpoena power to compel testimony from several former senior Obama administration officials.
    ….
    Earlier this year, Trump pushed Graham to issue a subpoena to Obama himself, demanding that he be put under oath…..
    …….

    RipMurdock (d2a2a8)

  85. From the George Floyd transcript:

    They’ll kill me. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. !
    Speaker 8
    We tried that for 10 minutes.
    George Floyd :
    Ah! Ah! Please. Please. Please.
    Lane:
    Should we roll him on his side ?
    Chauvin
    No, he’s staying put where we got him .
    Lane:
    Okay. just worry about the excited delirium or whatever.
    Chauvin
    Well that’s why we got the ambulance coming.
    Lane:
    Okay, i suppose

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  86. https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/7070-exhibit-final07072020/4b81216735f2203a08cb/optimized/full.pdf#page=1

    George Floyd had banged his head against the car. He was going to a hospital, anyway.

    Lane suspected him of being on some kind of drug.

    The charge he was being arrested for was forgery. (like he made the counterfeit $20 bill himself??)

    There is something where he says he is afraid of getting Covid-19 again. He says all kinds of things, such as that he just lost his mother (she died in 2018) and that he is claustrophobic, that he was once shot (by the police?)

    And he says they are going to kill him.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  87. Trump *did* lose, at least in Vance.

    Trump argued: “these kinds of subpoenas are categorically off limits because they per se intrude on Presidential prerogatives.”

    The Supreme Court said: “no, that’s simply not so. you’re welcome to argue that *this specific subpoena* is off limits because it intrudes, but you have to make an evidence-based argument on the specific merits of this subpoena. Go away and do that.”

    aphrael (f63619)

  88. Speaker 13: (these speakers are probably spectatrs)

    Get him off the ground, bro. Get him off the ground crosstalk

    00:16:16. He ain’t do any of that sxxx. He a (expletive deleted) bum bro. He enjoying that (expletive deleted) right now bro. You could have (expletive deleted) put him in the car by
    now , bro . He’s not resisting arrest or nothing. inaudible

    00:16:48] body language is crazy. crosstalk

    00:16:48] dudes at the academy bro. you know that bogus right now bro. You know it’s bogus. You can’t even look at me like a man because you

    00:16:48] bro. He’s not even resisting arrest right now bro.

    ShawandaReneeHill: (passenger in the car)

    He’s about to pass out.

    Lane: I think he’s passing out.

    Speaker 13

    He’snot even breathing right bro, you think that’s cool? You think that’s cool, right?

    [crosstalk 00:16:58]

    Chauvin:

    you guys all right though ?

    Lane:Yeah, I mean my knee might be a little scratched , but I’ll survive .

    Speaker 13 You’re a bum bro, you’re a bum for that. Can’t you be a man and see here he’s n oot breathing right now.

    Lane: He’s breathing

    Kueng He’s breathing.

    crosstalk 00:17:26).

    Chauvin : Don’t come over here. Don’t come over here.

    Lane: Up on the sidewalk!

    Kueng: We need you to keep some distance.

    Speaker 14 Is he responsive?

    Chauvin: yea, we have an ambulance coming

    Speaker 14 Does he have a pulse?

    Speaker 8 Get off

    crosstalk

    00:17:42 .

    Lane: Should we roll him on his side?

    He’s not responsive right now, bro.

    Speaker 14

    Does he have a pulse?

    Speaker 13 No, bro . Look at him , he’s not responsive right now , bro. Bro, are you serious?

    Lane: you got one?

    Speaker 14:

    Let me see a pulse.

    Kueng i couldn’t fine one

    Speaker 13

    Is he breathing right now ? Check his pulse. Check his pulse. Check his pulse. inaudible

    00:18:19 check his pulse.

    crosstalk 00:18:19). Check hispulse, bro.

    inaudible 00:18:21] drugs bro. What you think that is? crosstalk 00:18:25).

    You call what you doing okay? [inaudible 00:18:25

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  89. 89. aphrael (f63619) — 7/9/2020 @ 3:09 pm

    Trump *did* lose, at least in Vance.

    Maybe not.

    If he hadn’t used that argument, the litigation might be over by now.

    As it is, he can still use ordinary arguments and arguing “these kinds of subpoenas are categorically off limits because they per se intrude on Presidential prerogatives.” resulting in running out the clock past the election.

    Sammy Finkelman (1e81da)

  90. Twitter mob attacks business owner for praising Trump at White House:

    This is a great example of trying to destroy a business because the owner does not practice the approved Groupthink:

    igorvolsky
    @igorvolsky

    The CEO of @GoyaFoods is at a White House event saying we’re “blessed to have a leader” like Trump.

    Make your shopping decisions accordingly.

    https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1281341594323447808?s=20
    _

    From the company website:

    “Goya has a longstanding history of donating millions of pounds of food in times of disaster and desperate need through the company’s global program Goya Gives.

    We understand that this is going to be a tough time for many and we will continue to help support families, students, and our communities in need. We are prepared to do our part and help in any way we can.

    In March and April 2020, Goya donated over 300,000 pounds of food, equivalent to over 270,000 meals, to organizations, food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens, as well as over 20,000 protective masks across the nation to those facing hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Donations were made directly to Catholic Charities of New York and Newark, Food Education Fund, The Sisters of Life, The NY Common Pantry in partnership with New York City FC, City Harvest in New York City, The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Secaucus Food Pantry, families of Cristo Rey High School, Jersey City Medical Center, The City of Jersey City for the Homeless, Holy Name Hospital, and Kingsborough Community College; Caring for Friends in Philadelphia; Feeding South Florida; The Houston Food Bank, Latino Learning Centers Inc., Tejano Center for Community Concerns, Texas Feeding Alliance and Catholic Charities of San Antonio in Texas; The Salvation Army Little Village, Catholic Charities Casa Latina and Children’s Hunger Fund in Chicago. With the support of each organization, the food has been and will continue to be distributed to families, children, homeless and the elderly communities.

    On March 13, 2020, Goya donated 18,225 meals through the Food Education Fund to students and families of six public high schools in New York City including Food & Finance High School, Facing History High School, Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction, Manhattan Bridges High School, P.S. 138 – District 75, and High School for Hospitality Management.“
    __ _

    IOW – typical Trumpkin deplorables
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  91. whembly (c30c83) — 7/9/2020 @ 12:43 pm

    This is the Trump’s critic version of the Obama birth certificate ordeal.

    Winner winner chicken dinner. At least it’s not as bad as the russiagate garbage. That’s almost at the same level with the moon landing hoaxers.

    frosty (f27e97)

  92. This is the Trump’s critic version of the Obama birth certificate ordeal.

    Definitely, Trump is making another moronic argument and getting dismissed as such. He just keeps doing it.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827)

  93. I don’t know what Trump’s particular reason for this stonewall is, but I could speculate on what an honest man might have issues with.

    Someone involved in multiple business operations, partnerships, with multiple competitors (not all of whom are scrupulous) and several levels of government all with their hands out needs might have a return that divulged considerable details that do not really enlighten anyone except those who would do him dirt.

    Consider the cancel culture, the likelihood that grandstanding and/or crooked city/state officials would use it for their gain, and the reticence of many partners to do business inside a fishbowl.

    This is yet another way that the Statists aim to drive businessmen from the political arena.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  94. The invasion of privacy that is required to administer an income tax is ONLY acceptable by the taxing authority maintaining the strictest confidence. It should be held — for all people, not just Trump — at a level akin to attorney-client work product. The sole investigator for the State should be the taxing authority itself, not any pissant DA with a political bone to pick.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  95. Of course, Trump hires crooks as lawyers, and cheap crooks at that.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  96. 96. And yet, courts have held time and again that “privacy” means something different for public figures than it does for most individuals. The expectation of privacy can be very situational.

    Gryph (08c844)

  97. Kevin, I know you love Trump despite the fact that you don’t want to, but he’s corrupt and a liar and having to show solid facts about his income would at a minimum, embarrass him.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  98. And the person to protect when the State comes rooting around in private papers is not the honest man, but the scoundrel. Otherwise it has no meaning.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  99. At one point I defended the odious Larry Flynt and his right to utter odious speech. Same thing here. I defend the crook because defending saints isn’t necessary.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  100. Where is this on the scale of “faint praise”?

    https://news.yahoo.com/nikki-haley-dont-president-trump-015559207.html

    urbanleftbehind (e86115)

  101. Kevin, I know you love Trump despite the fact that you don’t want to, but he’s corrupt and a liar and having to show solid facts about his income would at a minimum, embarrass him.

    And this comment here is odious and despicable. The day the State can pick and choose whose rights to run roughshod over because they want to “embarrass” him, is the day before they do it to you or me.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  102. The emoluments clause in the constitution is brief and there isn’t much law based on it. I wish the dems had done their damn job and started working on disclosure and oversight laws based on enforcing it. At a minimum it would have required the release of the presidents recent taxes, and maybe taxes after the leave office.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  103. That’s the secret sauce, Harkin…both of the recent Supreme Court decisions decided against state restriction on religious education have involved programs and schools that would likely have a large Hispanic clientele.

    urbanleftbehind (e86115)

  104. Off-topic: The market has quite clearly decided that Trump is going to lose. If he were to win, President Vindictive would be hitting half of the tech world with anti-trust, starting with Bezos, Amazon and particularly Amazon Web Services.

    Amazon’s valuation has increased by over $700 BILLION since mid-March. Apparently the market isn’t worried. Today’s Market cap: $1.587 Trillion. Microsoft and Apple are slightly higher still. Guess Apple’s China problem will disappear, too.

    Me, I’m still hoping he somehow leaves the race, allowing serious contenders to take on Slow Joe.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  105. The emoluments clause in the constitution is brief and there isn’t much law based on it.

    Washington sold land to the government while President. Nobody batted an eye. Hillary’s foundation got tips from all kinds of foreigners (even though she promised Obama theat wouldn’t happen). Nobody batted an eye.

    Only the most dead-ender Trump-hater would call his hotels getting rooms booked as “emoluments”, when the clause was clearly meant to avoid things like what Clinton did. Or do you really believe that Saudi Arabia was just so taken with the woman that they wanted to donate to her causes (but only did so right after she did then a favor).

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  106. Why are conservatives so dead set on financial disclosure laws that only serve to drive entrepreneurs and other businessmen out of the political arena? It’s like they want it set up so that ONLY life-long political hacks can serve. The type of businesses that can be run by lawyers and accountants is very limited. Nothing in Silicon Valley would survive long that way.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  107. I don’t think conservatives feel that way Kevin. I do think partisans, who think it’ll benefit their current situation, feel that way.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  108. Kevin M, at 96: if my tax returns might plausibly contain evidence of a legal violation by my former employer (for example), then the local DA investigating my employer has an *absolute right* to subpoena my tax returns.

    The President is no different.

    aphrael (f63619)

  109. Thomas/Alito/2020

    mg (8cbc69)

  110. 107… Only the most dead-ender Trump-hater would call his hotels getting rooms booked as “emoluments”, when the clause was clearly meant to avoid things like what Clinton did.

    There are a number of these dead-ender NeverTrump hyperactive types selling snake oil here.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  111. I think Trump’s intransigence regarding his tax information revolves around two real simple reasons:

    1. He’s not as “independently” wealthy as he’s always bragged about being,

    and

    2. He’s done things that would put most (legal) tax avoiders to shame in order to maintain his illusion of wealth.

    Note well, Trump humpers, I am not accusing him of having done anything illegal. In fact, I think Donald J. Trump is as close as you can get to a certified expert in skirting the boundaries of the law when it comes to federal tax filing. That doesn’t change the fact that Trump worries first-and-foremost about what makes him look bad. And I’m sure there is plenty in his business dealings that the Dems could make hay of if it came to light.

    Gryph (08c844)

  112. Bubble Boy Biden emerges from the basement and gives a speech loaded with stumbles and nonsense.

    Go get ‘em, Tiger !!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  113. damned if cyrus vance
    didn’t get his bottom lanced
    and it weren’t no boil

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  114. Bubble Boy Biden
    where teh f*ck you been hidin’
    you’re their only hope

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  115. Burma Shave…

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  116. The President is no different.

    Except that nobody would pretend to go after your employer when the real target was you.

    They pull that kind of corrupt nonsense because it’s a president they don’t like.

    beer ‘n pretzels (a73d0d)

  117. If it is literally impossible to compel a president to serve any sentence absent an impeachment conviction, I simply do not understand how any indictments against one can or should stand. Nothing precludes anyone from going to Congress with evidence of a crime. I dare say if a president committed a violent felony, he would almost certainly be convicted in the Senate and ousted. Rightly. Short of some major, major crime, the president must be shielded from prosecution by anyone excepting the House.

    One thing Roberts did do was kill, at least for a considerable time, the theory of the Unitary Executive in the law. It’s a power grab by him and the Judiciary. It should not stand.

    Ed from SFV (f64387)

  118. Winner winner chicken dinner. At least it’s not as bad as the russiagate garbage. That’s almost at the same level with the moon landing hoaxers.

    Well, we’ll just have to wait for John Duram to find the “deep state” folks for this. He’ll definitely get to the bottom of it, because it must have been Obama, or something, and there’s lots of evidence and he’ll get it…

    U.S. Attorney John Durham is under pressure to wrap up his investigation into the origins of the Russia probe by the end of the summer, but if he doesn’t, he could wait to reveal his findings or initiate prosecutions until after the 2020 presidential election, Fox News has learned.

    Two sources familiar with Durham’s investigation told Fox News this week that Durham is working expeditiously to try to finish the probe by the end of summer, but that several lines of investigation are not yet complete.

    “He believes it’s critical to do them,” one source said. “He is feeling more pressure to get this done and wrapped up.”

    The source also told Fox News that Durham “does not want this to be viewed political,” and the closer it gets to November, Durham could “punt it to after the election.”

    A spokesman for Durham declined to comment on the status of the investigation.

    The president himself on Thursday appeared to express anger over the Russia probe, tweeting “PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!” and lamenting how “it is a disgrace that nothing happens.”

    Some Republicans are pushing for the probe to come to a conclusion soon. Earlier this week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said it was “SAD” that Attorney General Bill Barr and Durham could wait until after Election Day to initiate prosecutions.

    “@realDonaldTrump #CommonSense IF NO PROSECUTIONS TIL AFTER ELECTIONS SAD SAD //just think Flynn Mueller Impeachment/ The deep state is so deep that ppl get away w political crimes/Durham shld be producing some fruit of his labor [sic],” Grassley tweeted

    I’m sure that he’s just a deep state guy doing this to make sure Biden gets elected.

    Does Donald Trump not deserve to get some prosecutors finding evidence of things that he thinks exists? I mean really.

    Russian election interference, HOAX, his own intelligence agencies confirm it.
    Coronavirus, HOAX, we have a total handle on it, contrary to all the health professionals in his own administration.
    Russian bounties, HOAX, never heard about it, was told in 2019, 2020, his own intelligence agencies confirm it.

    Why, oh why, can he not just get people to make reality conform his tantrums…wishes?

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827)

  119. BY FAR the funniest thing about this is that Trump’s supporters are certain Trump is fighting so hard, all the way to the Supreme Court, breaking a promise that everyone else has kept, this extreme to fight beyond any legal fight any of us have personally had, to keep these docs private… because there’s nothing bad in them.

    Dustin (b62cc4)

  120. Fifteen years after Fitzgerald, the Supreme Court held in Clinton v. Jones that the President does not possess absolute immunity from civil litigation surrounding acts he took before becoming President. The 2020 Supreme Court decision in Trump v. Vance held that the president is subject to subpoenas in criminal prosecutions for personal conduct with the same legal threshold as anyone else.

    He’s a fighter, I mean he’s a loser, but he fights. He’s the legal version of Kristian Laight.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827)

  121. Bo Erickson CBS
    @BoKnowsNews

    Public address loudspeakerNoteworthy: @JoeBiden defends fracking. “Well, fracking is not going to be on the chopping block,” he tells @chelseastrub
    .
    Sanders, Warren, Harris, Steyer, Booker all wanted to ban fracking.
    __ _

    Josh Kraushaar
    @HotlineJosh

    Biden gets politics.
    __ _

    Stephen L. Miller
    @redsteeze
    ·
    Journalists don’t remind people of Biden’s comments during primary debate about getting rid of fracking.

    __

    harkin (5af287)

  122. , the Supreme Court held in Clinton v. Jones that the President does not possess absolute immunity from civil litigation surrounding acts he took before becoming President.

    I did not realize that’s where that came from. Imagine the gall of arguing you’re just plain immune for anything you ever did because you’re president.

    Trump’s a different breed from Clinton though. Bill Clinton was at least competent. Hell, Camacho from Idiocracy was wise enough to seek and follow the advice of someone smarter than him. Trump is one of a kind.

    Dustin (b62cc4)

  123. Journalists don’t remind people of Biden’s comments during primary debate about getting rid of fracking.

    The economy, and by economy I mean unemployment, and by unemployment I mean the oilfields, was a lot healthier during the debates. But then, what wasn’t? It’s going to be a long hard grind to bring the country back to where it was before Trump’s beautiful telephone call with Xi Jinping.

    nk (1d9030)

  124. Sekulow’s argument from the the oral arguments:

    “A president is not to be treated as an ordinary citizen. He has responsibilities. He is himself a branch of government. He is the only individual that is a branch of government in our federal system, our position is that the Constitution itself, both in structure and text, supports the position that the president would be temporarily immune from this activity from a state proceeding while he is the president of the United States.”

    Something that was never going to fly, and SCOTUS voted 9-0 saying that absolute immunity while president is not a thing.

    “The President is neither absolutely immune from state criminal subpoenas seeking his private papers nor entitled to a heightened standard of need”–Roberts.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827)

  125. Trump’s beautiful telephone call with Xi Jinping.

    I thought that was Ukraine’s president, or Vlad, or maybe Kim…Jong…Yoon.

    I gave it a googs, the Ukraine call was perfect, not beautiful.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827)

  126. Do you ever wonder how different things might have been if, after escaping from the galactic prison, Experiment 626 had met a little Hawaiian girl named Lilo, instead of a New York couple named Fred and Maryanne Trump?

    nk (1d9030)

  127. Camacho from Idiocracy was wise enough to seek and follow the advice of someone smarter than him. Trump is one of a kind.

    I’m perpetually astonished at how many people choose to endorse and espouse Trump’s own belief that he is smarter and wise than all others on any question without actually studying it.

    Radegunda (cd8c8c)

  128. Also off-topic: Democrats are talking about packing the Courts (not just the Supreme Court) if they regain power.

    Democrats must not be fooled by their fleeting wins this term. If and when they take back power in Washington, they must use their full constitutional power to move forward with adding seats to the Supreme Court and dramatically expanding the size of the district and appellate courts. If they do not, their policy agenda will be wrecked and their stay in power will be brief. Nothing less than the survival of American democracy is at stake.

    https://theweek.com/articles/924540

    It seems that Roberts & Co not exerting their power recently is seen by the Left as just a delaying action. Blissfully unconcerned about the one-sided nature of the courts as the result of the mid-century Democrat hegemony, now that the shoe has been on the other foot for a whole 4 years, they plan on kicking over the table.

    Every time I think that I cannot POSSIBLY vote for Trump, some Democrat clown comes up with a new reason. It may be a race between Trump and the Dems for most repellent.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  129. Can Trump just quit and let the grownups run against Biden? Pleeeaaassse?! The proof of his mononicity is that he just doesn’t see the calamitous damage he is doing to his own cause. It should be pointed out to him that if he runs again, and loses, there will not be a hand raised in his defense when they legal system comes to crush him.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  130. poor little kevy can’t have his cake and eat it
    fricking baby
    man-up you biden sucker

    mg (8cbc69)

  131. Gorsuck is the new liberal judge, it won’t be long before kavanaugh folds. Nice going McConnell, you number 1 pos.

    mg (8cbc69)

  132. I had both folding, but on different case types. Gorsuch is squishy on immigration, Kavs would go swishy washy on Roe v Wade when it counted. And Roberts probably calculated, by his own algorithms, to decide in favor of religious education funding mechanisms and hiring practices when its primary beneficiary is young hispanic youth.

    And mg, you should have followed your own advice (to Kevin M) with regard to Scott Brown.

    urbanleftbehind (e86115)

  133. Gorsuck is the new liberal judge, it won’t be long before kavanaugh folds. Nice going McConnell, you number 1 pos.

    And they say I’ve gone over the bend.

    nk (1d9030)

  134. shark jumper!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  135. yes gorsuch proved he didn’t care about the law, with daca, roberts has long since fitted up with a serfs collar, now he’s for bills of attainments, now an earlier supreme court, let a terrorist walk out of prison based on some bull story, he found marks willing to fund his story, and sought to attack anyone who would challenge him, susan rosenberg is the same sort, on a bigger scale, she got the schools and the hr departments, to grow her army, but Trump is the problem, this is the endgame for me and my family, there’s no other place I can go, a relative was betrayed on giron beach many moons ago, served a stint in fidel’s gulag,

    narciso (7404b5)

  136. if my tax returns might plausibly contain evidence of a legal violation by my former employer (for example), then the local DA investigating my employer has an *absolute right* to subpoena my tax returns.

    Suppose your attorney’s legal work would show the same things? Why is that more sacrosanct? An anwer other than “that’s the law” would be preferred.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  137. He’s a fighter, I mean he’s a loser, but he fights.

    He’s an idiot who loses cases he might win. I see that his lawyer was given hints at a better argument by Roberts, but chose not to heed them.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  138. … because there’s nothing bad in them.

    Well, perhaps, but this smacks a bit of the old “If you’ve done nothing wrong then you shouldn’t have a problem with this anal probe.”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  139. poor little kevy can’t have his cake and eat it
    fricking baby
    man-up you biden sucker

    I pity those people who think that Trump is smarter than them.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  140. Often, they’re right.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  141. 141. 142. Kevin M (ab1c11) @ 11:53 am & 11:54

    I pity those people who think that Trump is smarter than them.

    Often, they’re right.

    That’s an interesting twist – and yet it’s probably true. >/i>

    Now another thought: Is that generally true? That when someone thinks someone else is smarter than them – they’re generally righr?

    Caveat: If they have that impression because of a publicity machine.

    The problem is thinking tat Donald Trump is smarter than a lot of other people in positions. He miht be a bit smarter than some of his critics. although that may not be saying much.

    Sammy Finkelman (bd89d5)

  142. Record low number of cases this Term, they went well into July, and this is the best they can do? Lazy.

    SCOTUSblog:

    All of the cases scheduled for argument in October had originally been scheduled for oral argument in March or April of this year but were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    https://www.scotusblog.com/2020/07/court-releases-october-calendar-3/#more-295265

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  143. He might be a bit smarter than some of his critics.

    I think he’s working with diminished capacity. He seemed a lot more reasonable in the 90’s. Now he’s bloody-minded stupid. I’d guess his IQ is around 100 these days (and yes, sorry, but I consider that rather dull, elitist that I am).

    Here’s a question: Is it the Congresses business if the President is mentally impaired? If not, whose is it? Do his doctors have a duty to withhold that information, or do they have a duty to report it?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)


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