Patterico's Pontifications

4/9/2018

More TDS: Michael Cohen Edition

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 1:25 pm



This is the blog that did all those posts about Stormy Daniels. It was really about TDS, but we justified it using the fig leaf that Michael Cohen, who paid her off, might be facing some legal trouble as a result. What a bunch of TDS garbage that was, showing my TDS.

Oh, by the way, his office was just raided by the feds. (Note the link to the Big Media New York Times as if it were true. Where’s the critical thinking? Off to Conservative Treehouse.)

QUICK UPDATE: Me, March 29:

There’s really no scenario in which this plays out well for Cohen. We know that Robert Mueller is looking at some of Cohen’s involvement in Russia-related activities like Trump Tower Moscow. Mueller seems like a thorough guy, and if he runs across illegal activity by Cohen of any kind in the course of his investigation, he can at a minimum refer those matters to the Justice Department, and conceivably take them on himself.

Disbarment might be the least of Cohen’s worries at this point.

New York Times today:

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan obtained the search warrant after receiving a referral from the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, according to Mr. Cohen’s lawyer

Huh.

[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]

285 Responses to “More TDS: Michael Cohen Edition”

  1. Ding.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  2. When does SWC return?

    BuDuh (fc15db)

  3. lol that’s some serious police state sh!t right there

    failmerica’s fascist fbi slutboy trash going whole hog on the goosey goosey step step

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  4. swc does not come back for many moons Mr. BuDuh

    and i don’t understand about narciso

    and Diamond and Silk haven’t been seen for a couple days someone please to check on their cat

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  5. Ba-thumpa. Our Captain threw Cohen under the wheels of Air Force One last week.

    “Loyalty’s a fine thing.” – Gen. Frank Savage [Gregory Peck] ‘Twelve O’clock High’ 1949

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  6. “the president’s personal lawyer raided by the FBI on behalf of the US Attorny for the SDNY” is *not* something any president should want to be hearing, and in a normal political environment, it would be massive news for weeks.

    aphrael (e0cdc9)

  7. @3. failmerica’s fascist fbi slutboy trash going whole hog on the goosey goosey step step

    StormyTrooper, eh, Mr. Feet?

    “These boots are made for walkin’;
    And that’s just what they’ll do;
    One of these days these boots;
    Are gonna walk all over you.” – Nancy Sinatra, 1966

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  8. so today’s the day the coup mueller and his dirty fbi slutboys have been plotting had to move into high gear

    now that we’ve all learned that the “electronic communication” document the sleazy comey fbi predicated the phony “russia investigation” on shows how dirty they are

    they had no choice but to go full gestapo on Trump’s ass

    things should move very quickly now

    nazi america lol

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  9. yes yes i really wish Mr. narciso were here he can be very insightful, that one

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  10. @8. nazi america lol

    Skip the sauerkraut, Mr. Feet; try the franks and beans.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  11. elevated vol in after hours

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  12. @.9. he can be very insightful, that one

    But mostly incoherent, Mr. Feet.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  13. O.M.G.

    So my prediction, that Spanky will be out of office before the end of the year, looks a little more likely all-of-a-sudden. I’ll drink to that!

    Tillman (a95660)

  14. As the soviet saying goes “Name the person, and I’ll find the crime”. Stormy is relevant only for that reason. But, it seems the host sees nothing wrong with that, because the person is Trump.

    random viking (86a6f7)

  15. “Hah-ha” said Nelson Muntz. For what, the 300th time? We get it. You are right. As far back as March 29 2018 (11 days ago), you called it like a champ. Even Cassandra is impressed by your eerily prescient powers. No doubt you will soon correctly predict the arrival of summer.

    What could be wrong with a special prosecutor looking into Russia collusion in the 2016 campaign using the testimony of a porn actress to raid the president’s personal lawyer in order to secure ironclad evidence the president did….something or another? I mean, the theory of the crime is a little vague at this point, but whatevs’. I’m sure there are no problems at all with any of this. Everything on the up and up.

    C’mon Patterico. You are a better person than this. Put aside your dislike of Trump, put on your prosecutor hat, and tell me honestly, 1) Shouldn’t you have ironclad proof of something before going after the president’s personal lawyer, and 2) So far, there is exactly zero evidence that exists. The charges Mueller has brought to date have been less than credible or impressive, and he may well not get any convictions from any of this. Which is no special surprise, because Mueller has a rather…interesting record as an investigator.

    Cassandra (a815b9)

  16. Give them another 17 months to “investigate” and I can see Trumps tailor in Leavenworth.

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402)

  17. Preet Baharara’s office. More political games. Soros already owns this office.

    NJRob (0ff0ce)

  18. Is it legal to confiscate privileged documents and communications between lawyers and their clients? I would think the lawyers here aren’t too happy with this except it’s Trumps lawyer so I guess it’s okay.

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402)

  19. For anti-Trumpalos, hating Putin stops at loving Putinesque tactics.

    random viking (86a6f7)

  20. true that Mr. viking

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  21. > 2) So far, there is exactly zero evidence that exists.

    there is zero *public* evidence. That’s not the same thing at all.

    aphrael (e0cdc9)

  22. So with this precedent when can we expect the US attorney and FBI raids on Perkins Coie or the law firms handling the highly suspect (RICO and/or Logan Act anyone?) matters of the Clinton Foundation?

    Oh right… some animals are more equal than others.

    Nevyan (693812)

  23. > What could be wrong with a special prosecutor looking into Russia collusion in the 2016 campaign using the testimony of a porn actress to raid the president’s personal lawyer in order to secure ironclad evidence the president did….something or another?

    Technically, he didn’t. He didn’t request or authorize the raid; the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York did. He gave them the information they acted on, which isn’t quite the same thing, and the information was sufficiently substantive that a magistrate judge found there to be probable cause to raid an attorney’s office despite the threat to attorney-client privilege.

    EITHER the US Attorney *and* the magistrate judge are both irredeemably corrupt, or there’s something significant there. I don’t know how to tell which is true; how do you?

    aphrael (e0cdc9)

  24. there’s far more evidence that mueller and comey are criminal fbi slutboys what belong in jail than there is that President Trump did any collusions all up in it

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  25. Red Line Monday: FBI raid Trumps Syrian chemical gas attack.

    Bloody Tuesday?: fire missiles, fire Rosenstein.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  26. the Syrian chemical gas attack is as phony as Mueller’s Russian collusion hoax

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  27. Imagine that there was a suspicious fire at the Clinton Foundation the night before the FBI raided the place…certain peoples’ heads would asplode…

    Dave (8b82ff)

  28. According to the OP article, the search was initiated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which is headed by Geoffrey Berman, who was appointed by Trump to this position after Trump fired Preet Bharara.

    Davethulhu (fab944)

  29. 18.Popcorn, anyone?

    Nah. Strawberries!

    Our Captain goes full Queeg in comments after Syrian military briefing press avail.

    “They fought me at every turn…” – Capt. Queeg [Humphrey Bogart] ‘The Caine Mutiny’ 1954

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  30. @27

    Walrus Wednesday: The first rumors that Bolton will be fired emerge…

    Dave (8b82ff)

  31. Imagine if a bogus FISA warrant was used to eavesdrop on the Clinton campaign… Dave’s head would explode.

    random viking (86a6f7)

  32. Did they raid Hillary’s lawyers?

    AZ Bob (9a6ada)

  33. Clinton and his lawyers weren’t nearly as generous to his serohw.

    Dave (8b82ff)

  34. @34

    No. Even though they were uncleared for access to the classified emails on HRC’s home brew server but they “reviewed” each email before handing over “relevant” materials to investigators.

    Oh yeah…

    They were accused in an ethics probe of “destroying evidence” but I guess no US Attorney thought “Gee… lets call up the NY Times and Washington Post to come cover our FBI raid of the offices and homes of Cheryl Mills, Heather Samuelson and David E. Kendall for actually breaking real laws.”

    So there yah go… state bar ethics probes with no real consequences for HRC’s lawyers and FBI raids for DJT lawyers.

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/11/investigation-into-clinton-lawyers-accused-deleting-emails-is-ordered.html

    Nevyan (693812)

  35. Hillary has smart, competent and ethical lawyers, for whom no probable cause for a warrant could be developed. Trump’s lawyers are of the same quality as Trump, going back to Roy Cohn.

    nk (dbc370)

  36. I seem to recall some sort of campaign promise about investigating Hillary and locking her up, but I guess nothing came of it.

    #ifonlyTrumpknew

    Dave (8b82ff)

  37. But here’s a list of Ken Star’s scalps:

    Jim Guy Tucker: Governor of Arkansas at the time, removed from office (fraud, 3 counts)
    John Haley: attorney for Jim Guy Tucker (tax evasion)
    William J. Marks, Sr.: Jim Guy Tucker’s business partner (conspiracy)
    Stephen Smith: former Governor Clinton aide (conspiracy to misapply funds). Bill Clinton pardoned.
    Webster Hubbell: Clinton political supporter; U.S. Associate Attorney General; Rose Law Firm partner (embezzlement, fraud)
    Jim McDougal: banker, Clinton political supporter: (18 felonies, varied)
    Susan McDougal: Clinton political supporter (multiple frauds). Bill Clinton pardoned.
    David Hale: banker, self-proclaimed Clinton political supporter: (conspiracy, fraud)
    Neal Ainley: Perry County Bank president (embezzled bank funds for Clinton campaign)
    Chris Wade: Whitewater real estate broker (multiple loan fraud). Bill Clinton pardoned.
    Larry Kuca: Madison real estate agent (multiple loan fraud)
    Robert W. Palmer: Madison appraiser (conspiracy). Bill Clinton pardoned.
    John Latham: Madison Bank CEO (bank fraud)
    Eugene Fitzhugh: Whitewater defendant (multiple bribery)
    Charles Matthews: Whitewater defendant (bribery)

    nk (dbc370)

  38. Replace Sessions with Dershowitz.

    AZ Bob (9a6ada)

  39. Gonna be pretty tough for Spanky to put the legal toothpaste back in the tube now by firing everyone involved without openly declaring himself above the law ala Nixon.

    Dave (8b82ff)

  40. @37: The country needs to be in the hands of the most competent lawyers. Elections get in the way of that.

    random viking (86a6f7)

  41. You mean the most competent leftist democrat lawyers.

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402)

  42. I see another deep state player, Zyckerblow, slimed into DC today a day early for his “testimony”. He was surrounded with 20+ ARMED security as he winked and passed out money to the rest of the team. Been a banner day for the 1st, 2nd and 4th amendments.

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402)

  43. Stormy seas; you’re in the typhoon, Captain, sir! So what the hell, full speed ahead and clear the decks: fire missiles, fire Sessions, fire Rosenstein and fire Mueller.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  44. sometimes i find you to be perhaps a bit flippant Mr. DCSCA

    this is one of those times

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  45. Listened to Andy McCarthy and Levin discussing this today… both are deeply troubled.

    Colonel Haiku (8c2b3a)

  46. 29.Imagine that there was a suspicious fire at the Clinton Foundation the night before the FBI raided the place…certain peoples’ heads would asplode…

    On a high floor with no sprinklers– and a dead body involved?!

    “This is a conspiracy!” – ADA Tommy Chamberlain [Rudy Vallee] ‘The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer’ 1947

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  47. 40… not a bad idea, AZ Bob!

    Colonel Haiku (8c2b3a)

  48. @41: “Now” Dave? You mean, if he had fired Mueller/Rosenstein a year ago, you would’ve been fine with it? Who knew?

    random viking (86a6f7)

  49. 47.Listened to Andy McCarthy and Levin discussing this today… both are deeply troubled.

    =Haiku!= Gesundheit!

    No kidding.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  50. after hours nyse volume tonight was 27% higher than the volume of the highest volume session of the last four days

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  51. I pity the fool who has a defense lawyer or a prosecutor going after him that thinks all of this is above board, on the level.

    It stinks.

    Colonel Haiku (8c2b3a)

  52. 46.sometimes i find you to be perhaps a bit flippant Mr. DCSCA

    Cool your heels, Mr. Feet.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  53. @ Cassandra: Please provide us with links to the posts you made anywhere on the internet objecting to Mueller’s appointment, and then re-appointment, as FBI Director.

    What? You don’t have any?

    Situational, you are.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  54. @41. You gotta watch today’s Syrian military briefing press avail; Nixon had better body language than Trump; but w/t help of Purell, our Captain smells nicer.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  55. The crimes Cohen is reportedly being investigated for are bank fraud and campaign finance violations. He provided the probable cause for that out of his own mouth. You all know what he said. Said unethically and incompetently and stupidly. He had no business talking about his client’s affairs in any public forum other than a courtroom. (Double entendre unavoidable.)

    nk (dbc370)

  56. Both Levin and McCarthy were saying that if there were serious crimes committed, those charged will have to be held accountable. But this ticky tack in-search-of-a-crime when the Russian Collusion ended up amounting to a wet fart… to string this along in the manner it is being conducted is unfair and is not allowing Trump to perform his job the way it needs to be performed

    Colonel Haiku (8c2b3a)

  57. this is fascism dark and drippy

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  58. 59.this is fascism dark and drippy

    They were just ‘following orders,’ Mr. Feet:

    “You should ask him [Michael Cohen] about that.”- President Trump aboard AF1, Thurs., April 5, 2018

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  59. “Now” Dave? You mean, if he had fired Mueller/Rosenstein a year ago, you would’ve been fine with it? Who knew?

    Of course not where did I say anything about my being fine with it? I’m talking about public and congressional opinion.

    I was quite worried that he could quash the investigation by firing everyone and cause a 1-2 week fuss that led to no lasting consequences (i.e. impeachment hearings).

    Could still happen, of course, but the closer they get to Trump personally, the harder it is for his enablers to look the other way.

    The sleaze angle here is also helpful as he can’t really politicize it apart from whining unconvincingly about it all being unfair. And the check to Ms. Daniels really precludes any plausible denial.

    Dave (445e97)

  60. When does SWC return?

    BuDuh (fc15db) — 4/9/2018 @ 1:30 pm

    30 days in the cooler. May 7th. It’s my wife’s birthday.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  61. They took Trump’s communications with his lawyer. Boy, I bet the probable cause for THAT has to be astronomical. It almost seems like a fishing expedition by a special counsel desperate to have something to charge if he gets shut down.

    I’m sure we’ll find out in the leaks later in the week.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  62. 40.Replace Sessions with Dershowitz.

    Gee, haven’t we seen him on the TeeVee?!?!? Bet our Captain has, too.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  63. @8. nazi america lol

    Skip the sauerkraut, Mr. Feet; try the franks and beans.

    DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/9/2018 @ 2:11 pm

    Hanged em all.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  64. Give them another 17 months to “investigate” and I can see Trumps tailor in Leavenworth.

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402) — 4/9/2018 @ 3:07 pm

    Prison Orange gives a lot of room around the bunghole.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  65. not allowing Trump to perform his job the way it needs to be performed

    This is just part of a wider effort to obstruct the transfer of power. The Democrats in the Senate are suing every last delay available to avoid confirmation votes on uninteresting, not to mention uncontroversial appointments. This way Trump has to govern with the holdover Democrats in all the posts. IF the Dems get the Senate, they’ll just stop all the votes completely. The press will give them cover.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  66. Since Cohen claimed to NOT be acting as Trump’s attorney when he mortgaged his home for Ms. Daniels, doesn’t that leave him high-and-dry in regard to attorney-client privilege (in regard to those incidents)?

    Dave (445e97)

  67. so the fascist fbi suckboys are saying Mr. Cohen did a campaign finance violation by paying off a diseased blackmailing hooker

    this is one of those pedophile Mitt Romney “it’s the seriousness of the charge” crimes i think

    but how many hookers has bill “oozing herpes penis” clinton paid off over the years?

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  68. Red Line Monday: FBI raid Trumps Syrian chemical gas attack.

    Bloody Tuesday?: fire missiles, fire Rosenstein.

    DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/9/2018 @ 3:23 pm

    Tie me kangaroo down, sport.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  69. to string this along in the manner it is being conducted is unfair and is not allowing Trump to perform his job the way it needs to be performed

    Now, now Colonel, if Clinton had done the same, nothing would be different. This is being done “by the book” — the same book as used with Clinton. Though, Trump’s is the kindle edition with real time updates, like all the revised editions that suddenly materialized in a frenzy around the summer of 2016.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  70. @37. Trump’s lawyers are of the same quality as Trump, going back to Roy Cohn.

    From Cohn to Cohen; our Captain’s course follows a pattern. Like when he crosses his arms defensively when cornered on camera.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  71. Imagine that there was a suspicious fire at the Clinton Foundation the night before the FBI raided the place…certain peoples’ heads would asplode…

    Dave (8b82ff) — 4/9/2018 @ 3:31 pm

    I’m sure a CNN reporter would still find a diary lying out front.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  72. The press aren’t the only ones providing cover. The schiff-disturbing, anti-Trump Gimpinistas are also assisting.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  73. o there yah go… state bar ethics probes with no real consequences for HRC’s lawyers and FBI raids for DJT lawyers.

    Nevyan (693812) — 4/9/2018 @ 3:57 pm

    Was I not supposed to do that? George Costanza

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  74. The sleaze angle here is also helpful as he can’t really politicize it apart from whining unconvincingly about it all being unfair

    I see your point, Dave. Carlos Danger isn’t near as sleazy, which is why Huma isn’t in any hot water over mishandling classified info.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  75. This is just part of a wider effort to obstruct the transfer of power. The Democrats in the Senate are suing every last delay available to avoid confirmation votes on uninteresting, not to mention uncontroversial appointments.

    Do you have a link to the numbers? The last ones I saw (admittedly long ago) showed that the problem was primarily that people had not been nominated (because Trump had no competent transition team).

    You may have to view this as the price for filling Scalia’s seat with Gorsuch. I think the Dems were pretty pissed about Merrick, and their base views any concessions as a betrayal (just as many on “our” side do too).

    Dave (445e97)

  76. Stormy seas; you’re in the typhoon, Captain, sir! So what the hell, full speed ahead and clear the decks: fire missiles, fire Sessions, fire Rosenstein and fire Mueller.

    DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/9/2018 @ 4:32 pm

    Are you trying to Swift Boat or Wind Surf?

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  77. Beldar thinks he’s in a courtroom before a shopped judge, with an O.J. jury secured. The badgering of witnesses has just begun….

    random viking (6a54c2)

  78. Imagine Trump staff being allowed to destroy laptops, to lie on the record, and several other highly questionable actions.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  79. They took Trump’s communications with his lawyer. Boy, I bet the probable cause for THAT has to be astronomical. It almost seems like a fishing expedition by a special counsel desperate to have something to charge if he gets shut down.

    I’m sure we’ll find out in the leaks later in the week.

    Kevin M (752a26) — 4/9/2018 @ 5:07 pm

    Are you familiar with Dupont lures?

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  80. Carlos Danger isn’t near as sleazy, which is why Huma isn’t in any hot water over mishandling classified info.

    If only we had someone at the head of the executive branch who was sworn to see that the laws are faithfully executed. They could appoint people to conduct investigations and put wrong-doers behind bars. Someone to “preside,” as it were, over the nearly limitless power at the disposal of the federal government, and (most importantly) take responsibility for it.

    #ifonlyTrumpknew

    Dave (445e97)

  81. @78. Navigate Watergate.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  82. “It’s not fair!”, said no winner, ever.

    nk (dbc370)

  83. when your country’s beset by fascist creamcheesing fbi trash everybody loses

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  84. meanwhile right in the middle of a coup our hapless tatters have to go slaughter some rando syrians cause some panty-wearing pentagon piggies did a chemical gas hoax all up in it and trotted out drooling doddering John “war hero (lol)” McCain to vouch for it

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  85. Nothing defines fascism more than when the underlings of the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and Chief Executive of the government (including all the police and all the government lawyers) are being investigated by his other underlings.

    nk (dbc370)

  86. “Five aces beats four!”, said no winner, ever.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  87. Mr. Hinderaker, a famous law attorney noted for his legal acumen, nails it per usual

    Donald Trump allegedly spent one illicit evening with Ms. Daniels 12 years ago, when he was a private citizen. (Lacking personal knowledge, I assume the allegation is probably true.) That might be a big deal to Melania Trump, but to the rest of us it is utterly irrelevant. What makes the encounter “news” is the fact, acknowledged by Mr. Cohen, that he paid Daniels $130,000 for a non-disclosure agreement in October 2016. Such a payment is entirely legal and (relatively speaking) proper. I regard the claim that this payment was a “campaign contribution” as frivolous.

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  88. meanwhile right in the middle of a coup our hapless tatters have to go slaughter some rando[m] syrians cause some panty-wearing pentagon piggies did a chemical gas hoax all up in it and trotted out drooling doddering John “war hero (lol)” McCain to vouch for it

    Only Trump benefits from this hoax. Wag The Dog.

    nk (dbc370)

  89. no who benefits from this hoax are mostly the people what want to keep our tatters prancing around syria forever

    but also the nevertrump freaks what want a war with russia because ukraine or soccer hooliganism or something

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  90. In point of fact, I do believe that Mr. Trump the President tweeted about the alleged gas attack before Senator McCain the Vietnam War veteran press-released about it.

    nk (dbc370)

  91. 85.when your country’s beset by fascist creamcheesing fbi trash everybody loses

    That’s crimina, Mr. Feet: a smear goes best on a bagel.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  92. ^criminal

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  93. 86.meanwhile right in the middle of a coup our hapless tatters have to go slaughter some rando syrians cause some panty-wearing pentagon piggies did a chemical gas hoax all up in it and trotted out drooling doddering John “war hero (lol)” McCain to vouch for it

    Fake views, Mr. Feet.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  94. Fake views, Mr. Feet.


    Which part?

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402)

  95. it’s not all linear like that Mr. nk

    they trotted out cowardpig soros-fellator john mccain to undercut President Trump and set it up where panty-boi Mattis was the “adult in the room”

    that’s why you saw stories like this one today:

    Mattis won’t rule out airstrike over alleged Syria chemical attack

    but it’s not up to this sniveling panty-boi whether we do airstrikes or not is it?

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  96. I think it’s the decision of the local CinC — General McFarland.

    nk (dbc370)

  97. I find it odd that the same leftist who think we should go to war to protect Syria’s sovereignty aren’t willing to use our troops to protect our borders and our sovereignty.

    When democrats, leftists and “progressives” agree we should go to war we should not consider going to war.

    Rev.Hoagie (1b0402)

  98. General McFarland picks his boogers and keeps them all in an empty carmex container he keeps in his pocket

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  99. i love the whole story of this Byron Allen guy

    he’s large and also he’s in charge, so those are two very good positive attributes

    i’d heard of him but now all a sudden he’s on the radar on several different fronts

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  100. “protect Syria’s sovereignty”? The Russians are the ones doing that. We are trying to rip it to pieces.

    nk (dbc370)

  101. dirty-butt mueller’s making Mr. Drudge use up all his red pixels 🙁

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  102. If only we had someone at the head of the executive branch who was sworn to see that the laws are faithfully executed. They could appoint people to conduct investigations and put wrong-doers behind bars.

    Dave wishes Rosenstein was president.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  103. > 2) So far, there is exactly zero evidence that exists.

    there is zero *public* evidence. That’s not the same thing at all.

    aphrael (e0cdc9) — 4/9/2018 @ 3:21 pm

    Absolutely agree. BUT. Given the type of case this is, given the fact that a special persecutor is investigating a sitting president AND given there are already multiple documented instances of trumped up crap (see the Steele dossier), should we not, then, also, have a higher standard of transparency in the process? Shouldn’t we have some assurance that this investigation, which seems, at best, tangentially related to the Russian collusion stuff, is on track? After the house and senate committee reports, I must ask, as a voter, what the hell is Mueller pursuing here? What is my assurance that this investigation and escalation isn’t simply harassment?

    Now naturally Patterico will (quite simplistically) read this as a defense of Trump, when in fact it is not. If you are going to raid the president’s lawyer, you’d better have damn good evidence of a crime, or we have elevated prosecutors into de facto rulers.

    And I’ll be blunt – if nothing comes of this, say the Trump’s lawyer gets charged with obstruction of justice because he was less than fully truthful as they ransacked his office, then Mueller and the judge who gave him the warrant must resign in disgrace and face charges themselves. There is no middle ground to this kind of thing.

    Patterico – how is this any different than SWATing?

    Cassandra (a815b9)

  104. What could be wrong with a special prosecutor looking into Russia collusion in the 2016 campaign using the testimony of a porn actress to raid the president’s personal lawyer in order to secure ironclad evidence the president did….something or another? I mean, the theory of the crime is a little vague at this point, but whatevs’. I’m sure there are no problems at all with any of this. Everything on the up and up.

    Does the whole “what could be wrong with [insert made up story]” tactic usually work for you, “Cassandra”?

    First of all, Mueller did not authorize the raid.
    Trump’s DOJ and USA in SDNY did. And a federal magistrate. And if you somehow know the warrant was based on something Stormy Daniels said, lay it on us. My money is on her word being irrelevant and Cohen’s (and Trump’s!) own public statements being far more central.

    Nor do we have reason to believe the raid is because Trump did something illegal. Far more likely is that Cohen did.

    So you’re making a lot of stuff up here.

    C’mon Patterico. You are a better person than this.

    Oh, please. You’re pulling out the hoary Obama “we [you] are better than this” tactic? Come on. You’re better than that.

    You’ve spent a lot of time telling me all about how my criticisms are all lacking in substance and motivated by a petty and narcissistic desire to show I’m right. Whereas YOU nobly rise above such sentiments to kiss Trump’s posterior for the Good of the Country.

    So spare me the “you’re better than that” shtick.

    Put aside your dislike of Trump, put on your prosecutor hat, and tell me honestly, 1) Shouldn’t you have ironclad proof of something before going after the president’s personal lawyer, and 2) So far, there is exactly zero evidence that exists. The charges Mueller has brought to date have been less than credible or impressive, and he may well not get any convictions from any of this. Which is no special surprise, because Mueller has a rather…interesting record as an investigator.

    He has already gotten convictions, or had you not noticed? If my math is right, he has racked up five guilty pleas so far. Gates, Flynn, Papadopoulos, Pinedo, and van der Swaan

    Patterico (b9d253)

  105. Patterico – how is this any different than SWATing?

    That’s the dumbest thing you have said yet and the dumbest thing I have read here in some time.

    Patterico (b9d253)

  106. dirtybuttsuck Mueller’s trying to provoke his own firing

    cause the dirty FBI’s busted now with how they tricked a rubberstamp fat-slob FISA court using oppo info from the Hilstank campaign

    so this is his hail of the mary (good catholic girl)

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  107. He has already gotten convictions, or had you not noticed?

    Yeah, just ask Ted Stevens.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  108. well said Mr. viking

    perspicacious and on-point

    you can have one of my golden oreos

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  109. “It’s not fair!”, said no winner, ever.

    “It’s unethical!” said no lawyer, ever.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  110. this has nothing to do with the law Mr. Colonel

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  111. Mueller blew the anthrax investigation years ago… cost the US a substantial amount of money … and he’s screwing the pooch on this one.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  112. “It’s unethical!” said no Trump lawyer, ever. FIFY TML

    nk (dbc370)

  113. you can have one of my golden oreos
    happyfeet (28a91b) — 4/9/2018 @ 6:23 pm

    Don’t do it, Viking. IYKWIMAITTYD

    felipe (023cc9)

  114. again this is one of those times where both Mr. narciso and Mr. shipwreck would both add many value

    the needs of the one outweigh the many needs of the few cause of i hate it when people are banned it’s just so ott and not-benevolent

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  115. Did Cohen, or did he not, go out in front of cameras and microphones and, freely and of his own will, say what the President knew and when he knew it? How dumb is that?

    Save your sympathy for Lindsey Buckingham who was kicked off Fleetwood Mac, better.

    nk (dbc370)

  116. i was just kidding Mr. felipe oreos have carbs and carbs are of the devil

    all my carbs this week is from grapefruit and french cut frozen green beans and cabbage

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  117. Do you suffer from amylase deficiency, happyfeet?

    nk (dbc370)

  118. the grapefruit from both mariano’s and gene’s sausage shop have been really wonderful (gene’s is better)

    the mariano’s says it’s “rio red” not ruby red, but they still been very good

    and i learned this week if you sprinkle cocoa on grapefuit slices that yes, this is a good thing to do

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  119. nonono I’m not deficient two things number one i wanna be super thin for when we do rooftop cubs game cause i might see NG there

    number two if i lose massive amounts of weight while I finish up this legal imbroglio then it sorta makes it all … i dunno – I just think it improves the odds of me not developing resentments about the situation

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  120. it’s just so ott and not-benevolent

    i just realized people probably wouldn’t get ott it’s short for over the top

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  121. @106. First of all, Mueller did not authorize the raid. Trump’s DOJ and USA in SDNY did. And a federal magistrate. And if you somehow know the warrant was based on something Stormy Daniels said, lay it on us. My money is on her word being irrelevant and Cohen’s (and Trump’s!) own public statements being far more central. Nor do we have reason to believe the raid is because Trump did something illegal. Far more likely is that Cohen did… He has already gotten convictions, or had you not noticed? If my math is right, he has racked up five guilty pleas so far. Gates, Flynn, Papadopoulos, Pinedo, and van der Swaan.

    P, you shudda been playin’ in the Masters; no hooks or slices– you’re drivin’ them down the fairway straight and true.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  122. seen at Mr. Instapundit’s

    Ron • 4 minutes ago

    Since this had nothing to do with Russia, why did Mueller go to Rosenstein instead of Sessions?

    stanky stinky stank is how this smells

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  123. Narciso suspended too? Seriously?

    NJRob (0ff0ce)

  124. yes Mr. Rob and i’m not at all comfortable with Mr. narciso, the gentlest of souls if you don’t count Mr. Finkelman, being vacationed

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  125. 116.again this is one of those times where both Mr. narciso and Mr. shipwreck would both add many value the needs of the one outweigh the many needs of the few cause of i hate it when people are banned it’s just so ott and not-benevolent

    Careful. Bit of a fib, Mr. Feet; believe they were provided ‘time outs’ and not ‘banned.’

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  126. > should we not, then, also, have a higher standard of transparency in the process?

    during the *investigative* phase? absolutely not. that kind of “transparency” potentially undermines efficacy; in the event that there *is* something to hide, it clues the people who would do the hiding in to what they should hide and how to do it.

    > Shouldn’t we have some assurance that this investigation, which seems, at best, tangentially related to the Russian collusion stuff, is on track?

    this investigation was referred by Mueller to Rosenstein, who then told him to send it to the USA for the SDNY, who then obtained approval to serve this warrant from an independent judge. That’s a lot of people, appointed by at least three different people, who had to sign off on it. It’s *possible* that there’s some sort of corrupt collusion between Mueller, Rosenstein, a USA appointed by (and interviewed by) Trump last year, and a federal magistrate, but that strikes me as being the kind of extraordinary claim which should only be accepted with evidence, rather than presumed.

    > If you are going to raid the president’s lawyer, you’d better have damn good evidence of a crime, or we have elevated prosecutors into de facto rulers.

    agreed. where you and i differ is that I assume that the process ensures that there’s something there, and you seem to me to be assuming that there can’t possibly be anything there so the process must be broken.

    > And I’ll be blunt – if nothing comes of this, say the Trump’s lawyer gets charged with obstruction of justice because he was less than fully truthful as they ransacked his office, then Mueller and the judge who gave him the warrant must resign in disgrace and face charges themselves. There is no middle ground to this kind of thing.

    i’m not sure that an obstruction of justice charge means “nothing comes of this”, but if nothing comes of this, then I agree that the USA for the SDNY and the magistrate judge should resign. *Mueller*, on the other hand, seems to have done nothing wrong here; it appears that he found something interesting that was beyond the ambit of his investigation, and referred it to a more proper individual for further investigation — EXACTLY the kind of process I would want and expect.

    aphrael (3f0569)

  127. One news report mentioned some sort of screening process by a magistrate to sort out what should be protected by attorney client privilege before the investigators see the material.

    And just a reminder to Mr Feets and others: a corrupt FBI does not negate a corrupt Trump.

    Kishnevi (b1c03d)

  128. I can dig it, HF. Y’know the human body runs “only” on carbs (sugar). I say “only” because it can run on protein and fat, but only after they have been converted into sugar. Fat, in particular, is a most in efficient fuel, because the body receives the least amount of energy from it because the body must use the most energy to convert it.

    You can induce benign dietary ketosis, by eliminating all carbs from your diet, in about 48 hours. You can test for this condition ( for the presence of ketones in the urine) by the use of ketone test strips.

    felipe (023cc9)

  129. yes yes i’m in keto a lot these days you can tell cause you can taste it when you exhale

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  130. Narciso suspended too? Seriously?
    NJRob (0ff0ce) — 4/9/2018 @ 6:56 pm

    Yes. Because “sorry,I was wrong” are the hardest words for some people.

    felipe (023cc9)

  131. a corrupt FBI does not negate a corrupt Trump

    that’s sound logic but it doesn’t account for all the good that this dear man has done on America

    whereas without him we’d all be raped with a hillary strap-on both viciously and nigh-on to eternity

    it’s good for the soul to find a little love in your heart for Mr. Trump that’s for sure

    seen it with my own eyes i have

    it’s a balm and a tonic

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  132. Yeah, ammonia in the breath is a pretty dire thing to experience.

    felipe (023cc9)

  133. So a prosecutor looking into Russian collusion is now going after anything he can find to swing the midterms and 2020 general?

    This is beyond TDS, this is treason.

    harkin (607a84)

  134. @133 it’s good for the soul to find a little love in your heart for Mr. Trump that’s for sure

    Your bank account, too, Mr. Feet; for ‘a little love’ you’ll find an extra $130,000/$150,000 there.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  135. >So a prosecutor looking into Russian collusion is now going after anything he can find to swing the midterms and 2020 general?

    To me it looks like a prosecutor looking into Russian collusion inadvertently ran across something else, and referred it to a different prosecutor to follow up on. What, should he simply have *ignored* whatever else he ran across? If you’re looking for a missing dog and you find someone else’s missing cat, do you ignore it?

    aphrael (3f0569)

  136. This is beyond TDS, this is treason.

    this is the ecstatic traitorpig dream what doddering cowardslut john mccain was almost almost almost (so close) able to muster an erection up for when he delivered his naughty drippy saucy dossier to the fbi poofterboys

    this is the dream come to fruition

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  137. should hitler have ignored those pesky gays when he was mostly looking for jews

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  138. Yes, yes, it’s in the Constitution: “Treason shall consist only in a federal prosecutor investigating a fixer’s payoff to a hooker.”

    nk (dbc370)

  139. It’s a fascist, treasonous pogrom that it is being perpetrated against Mr. Trump the President!

    nk (dbc370)

  140. Within hours of the sentencing, President Trump tweeted, “The decision on Sergeant Bergdahl is a complete and total disgrace to our Country and to our Military.”

    If we can’t muster the balls to punish a tatter deserter, how could failmerica ever hope to punish a traitor?

    that ship has sailed

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  141. it

    nk (dbc370)

  142. It’s a fascist, treasonous pogrom that it is being perpetrated against Mr. Trump the President!

    ok so maybe i over-reached a bit but the syllogism is still sound

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  143. oops sorry i didn’t catch the it thing

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  144. Real estate development is often used as a vehicle for money laundering…honest developers try to avoid it, others just put the telescope to their blind eye, ala Nelson. Guess which category Trump probably falls into?

    And perhaps it’s more than that. Trump had more than a few dealings with persons from the former USSR, both in the US and ex-USSR, and my guess is that Mueller is looking into those, and referring out cases as they develop. Cohen’s role as Trump’s fixer fits into that.

    Kishnevi (b1c03d)

  145. Within hours of the sentencing, President Trump tweeted, “The decision on Sergeant Bergdahl is a complete and total disgrace to our Country and to our Military.”

    I didn’t know that. And I thought there was nothing that could make me detest the orange-skinned eunochoid more.

    nk (dbc370)

  146. not a bergdork fan personally

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  147. To me it looks like a prosecutor looking into Russian collusion inadvertently ran across something else
    To me, it’s more like he ran across something advertently* and referred it out.

    *I am supposing that’s a real word.

    Kishnevi (b1c03d)

  148. real estate development is wealth creation at it’s most primal

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  149. ugh its most primal

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  150. I didn’t want to say so at the time, but I never took the “undue command influence” criticism of Trump’s statements about Bergdahl very seriously. The Army takes care of its own, in both senses of the term, regardless of what some civilian who is the President for now might say.

    nk (dbc370)

  151. Narciso suspended too? Seriously?

    I don’t want him to be. All he has to do is apologize for an accusation that he undeniably made that was undeniably wrong.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  152. i liked it when you could imagine the us military had integrity

    ship, sailed

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  153. This is beyond TDS, this is treason.

    IT’S JUST LIKE SWATTING ASK CASSANDRA

    Patterico (115b1f)

  154. i don’t understand

    Cassandra’s a fresh interesting new voice

    i would nurture her like a baby carrot

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  155. Appears our Captain “went to the mattresses” a few too many times and his Tom Hagen is going to pay the price.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  156. he porked a hooker 15 years ago one time

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  157. 154.i liked it when you could imagine the us military had integrity

    Was that before or after they marched through Georgia, Mr.Feet; GWTW.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  158. The destiny of carrots is to be eaten. I am fairly sure Cassandra would object to being eaten.

    In fairness, she may have no idea of our host’s experience with swatting…

    Kishnevi (b1c03d)

  159. georgia’s my favorite place afterlLouisiana but the people are much less accessible it’s almost like georgia has a caste system

    but i still love just being there

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  160. ““As the defense counsel observed in the motion, the state was aware that recovered memories may have accounted for K.S.’s recollection, but state prosecutors failed to turn that obviously exculpatory evidence over to the defense. K.S. also failed to so share this revelation with the House committee investigating Greitens.”

    https://sentinelksmo.org/breaking-greitens-accuser-admits-photo-session-may-dream/

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  161. afterlLouisiana

    ???

    that’s just sloppy

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  162. nk (dbc370) — 4/9/2018 @ 7:23 pm

    It was part of Trump’s standard campaign schtick – in between the beautiful wall that Mexico was going to pay for “100%” and locking up Hillary Clinton – that back in the good old days Private Bergdahl “a traitor, a dirty-rotten traitor” (he always said those exact words) would have been shot by a firing squad (at this point Cadet Bonespurs would pretend to aim and fire either a rifle or a pistol).

    Trump would then promise to have Bergdahl thrown out of a helicopter over Afghanistan without a parachute, if elected.

    Another lie to his supporters, and another broken campaign promise.

    Dave (445e97)

  163. In fairness, she may have no idea of our host’s experience with swatting…

    mostly i like how she writes

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  164. @162. but i still love just being there

    You Georgia pine, eh, Mr. Feet. So did Sherman.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  165. i really do it has so much much, georgia does

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  166. poor Mr. Drudge

    ran plum out of red pixels

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  167. @168. Sherman made neckties in Georgia; our Captain has his made in China, Mr. Feet.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  168. I pity the fool who has a defense lawyer or a prosecutor going after him that thinks all of this is above board, on the level.

    It stinks.

    What if a prosecutor doesn’t immediately conclude that it stinks because the prosecutor is not a partisan hack? Are you saying that prosecutor is a bad prosecutor, simply because he doesn’t automatically conclude that a duly authorized search warrant must be corrupt?

    Measure your words carefully.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  169. i don’t understand

    Cassandra’s a fresh interesting new voice

    i would nurture her like a baby carrot

    Cassandra is a moron who said this duly authorized search warrant was just like SWATing.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  170. Shaking my head at all the Never Trumpers celebrating the fact that a rogue prosecutor is trying to nullify an election after Obama got a pass for multiple instances of very real treason.

    Somebody please convince me that anything to do with Stormy is more serious malfeasance than (just for example) the pallets of cash to Iran, using the IRS illegally to target conservatives or Fast & Furious.

    The same can be said for the acts of the Clintons.

    Cheer Mueller on you ignorant sheep.

    harkin (607a84)

  171. if you were inside huddling under a desk with a teddy bear and a cordial of fernet while the mueller gestapo thundered in maybe you’d have a different think about it

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  172. this happened to my cousin once

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  173. mueller gestapo

    StormyTroopers, Mr. Feet?

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  174. Mr. DCSCA that sad hooker has one thing going for her and it’s the same singular asset John McCain’s daughter Meghan has:

    ungodly large breasts

    they should both play the stunt double for that chick on The Magicians (love her)

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  175. Atty client privilege

    Born, 15 June, 1215

    Died, April, 9, 2018

    EPWJ (9957a2)

  176. yeah she’s cooler than all the pickles

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  177. I used to go to Atlanta for business at one of the Hiltons at the edge of the boonies. I’d walk and walk and walk down a semi-dirt road to find a convenience store where I could buy cigarettes, snacks and a bottle. There’d be a dog slinking around outside. The store owner would say “Don’t feed it”. Then a guy in a pickup would pull up and ask me, “Is that your dog?” I’d say, “No”. He’d get a bag of dogfood out of the back of his truck and give some to the dog. The store owner would come out and yell “Don’t feed it!”

    The convenience store did not sell liquor. I’d walk and walk and walk some more till I came to place that looked like a bait shop but said “Liquor Store” on the sign. Inside there would be a long counter with a lady behind it who had a gun strapped to her hip. She would smile politely and I would smile politely. I’d ask “A fifth of Jack Daniels, please”, and she would go to a shelf and bring it. I would pay and we would both say “Thank you”.

    But that was a long time ago.

    nk (dbc370)

  178. Cassandra is a moron who said this duly authorized search warrant was just like SWATing.

    We’ve reached the point where the only defense Trump and his partisans can muster is to claim everyone and everything (except Trump of course) are as corrupt and dishonest as he is.

    It is projection on a scale never before imagined or witnessed. Even officials hand-picked and appointed by Trump himself are denounced as pawns in the anti-Trump conspiracy simply for doing their jobs.

    Because when your guy is covered in sh!t, the only thing you can do is throw sh!t at everyone and everything else.

    Looking forward to Jonah Goldberg’s upcoming book on tribalism and how it is destroying us:

    Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy

    Coming out on April 24, but you can pre-order now (Patterico-friendly Amazon link)

    Dave (445e97)

  179. i’ve never really done atlanta but you know what

    that’s where chik-fil-a started

    i’ve always wanted to go

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  180. Hillary is probably loving this after having the FBI re-word a report to avoid a criminal referral.

    Guess they don’t provide this service to Republicans.

    harkin (607a84)

  181. that’s where chik-fil-a started

    Coca-Cola too.

    Dave (445e97)

  182. actually go to Vicksburg, Mississippi

    that’s where you find the birf-pace of the cokie coler

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  183. the FBI re-word a report to avoid a criminal referral

    You’ve got it backwards.

    They decided against a referral, and then re-worded the report to reflect that.

    Dave (445e97)

  184. zerohedge
    @zerohedge
    Mueller is investigating Victor Pinchuk for donating $150K to Trump. Will he investigate Pinchuk for donating $13 million to the Clinton Foundation?

    harkin (607a84)

  185. i love america no matter what obscene acts robert mueller and his creepy-ass narnian white witch dykey wife do on it

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  186. Dave (445e97) — 4/9/2018 @ 8:12 pm

    The other thing is the constant bad-mouthing Trumpkins do of lawyers. Until it’s Trump’s lawyer. Then it’s treason.

    nk (dbc370)

  187. “They decided against a referral, and then re-worded the report to reflect that.

    “Wipe? Like with a cloth?”

    harkin (607a84)

  188. Will he investigate Pinchuk for donating $13 million to the Clinton Foundation?

    Is that within the scope of Mueller’s appointment as special counsel? And what’s keeping Trump’s non-special Justice Department from doing it?

    nk (dbc370)

  189. The other thing is the constant bad-mouthing Dems do of anyone saying Russia is a threat, Until 2016. Then it’s Cold War II”

    harkin (607a84)

  190. He has already gotten convictions, or had you not noticed? If my math is right, he has racked up five guilty pleas so far. Gates, Flynn, Papadopoulos, Pinedo, and van der Swaan.

    Wow, those are damn impressive scalps. For some serious malfeasance. My goodness, Mueller has blown this whole Russia business wide open. He’s proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that our vaunted media and pundits were right all along. There’s a there, there.

    Thank God….now we can all sleep well.

    What’s coming next is immeasurably worse than Trump. And the unelected in Washington who actually run the show will make sure we get it good and hard. Sleep well.

    Lenny (5ea732)

  191. Dan Bongino
    @dbongino
    Fascinating that Trump’s actual attorney’s office is raided for “evidence” while Cheryl Mills, Hillary’s “lawyer” (and potential co-conspirator) was allowed to act as Hillary’s lawyer so she could sit in on an interview and so she could later TAKE CUSTODY of real evidence.

    Keep cheering Mueller, the FBI and their Dem masters on never-Trumpers……

    Until they come for you that is.

    harkin (607a84)

  192. nevertrump wants us focused on mere russia whilst the dirty filthy chinesers do unspeakable things on us (with their tiny-yet-painful dirty chineser sexual organs)

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  193. From what I read, the Pinchuk donation to Trump is being looked at because it occurred while Trump was a candidate and represented a larger than usual figure for a very brief speech.

    And what’s keeping Trump’s non-special Justice Department from doing it?

    “This must be a product of a great conspiracy, a conspiracy on a scale so immense as to dwarf any previous such venture in the history of man.”

    Dave (445e97)

  194. barbed

    i think they must be barbed

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  195. Wow, those are damn impressive scalps. For some serious malfeasance. My goodness, Mueller has blown this whole Russia business wide open. He’s proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that our vaunted media and pundits were right all along. There’s a there, there.

    Thank God….now we can all sleep well.

    This is a classic move that I call “Hitler didn’t kill 50 million Jews.” Old-timers remember it, but for the newcomers, here’s how you do it. You allege Hitler killed 50 million Jews. That’s obviously false. When I say it’s false, now you got me! Now you can dance around and say: “Oh, Patterico thinks Hitler isn’t so bad, because he ONLY killed six million Jews!”

    See, you take my factual correction and dishonestly turn it into a defense of the bad guy.

    Here, the move is Cassandra claiming Mueller will end up with no convictions. So I point out that he already has five. I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that people would then act like I was saying the convictions were highly serious. Of course, all I was doing was correcting a false claim.

    It’s a great rhetorical move, if you don’t care about being intellectually honest.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  196. Atty client privilege

    Born, 15 June, 1215

    Died, April, 9, 2018

    My GOD

    It’s just so AWFUL

    Patterico (115b1f)

  197. 171… I’m saying what has gone on for over a year in Rosenstein’s case and nearly a year in Mueller’s case stinks to high heaven. And I’m saying highly selective investigations and prosecutions are a stain on the profession. And I’m saying if this is what justice is then the law is an ass.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  198. Harkin:
    a corrupt FBI does not negate a corrupt Trump.
    Why can’t you comprehend that simple idea?

    Kishnevi (b1c03d)

  199. Wow, those are damn impressive scalps. For some serious malfeasance. My goodness, Mueller has blown this whole Russia business wide open. He’s proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that our vaunted media and pundits were right all along. There’s a there, there.

    Mueller has also indicted 13 Russians who were actively engaged in meddling in the election and attempting to throw it to Donald Trump. The indictment documents the most minute details of their criminal activities. These are likely only the tip of the iceberg (i.e. the ones with sufficient evidence to convict in a court) and do not include other supporting personnel based in Russia whose identities remain unknown.

    So yes, Mueller has certainly established that there’s a there, there.

    Dave (445e97)

  200. It’s a great rhetorical move, if you don’t care about being intellectually honest.

    you sound like rupert from buffy

    that’s how i’m gonna picture you now

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  201. @202 Hey Dave, indicting 13 people who you know will never show up in court is really something, especially when you know you can make any allegation but never be forced to prove it.

    pete (a65bac)

  202. good point “pete” if i may call you pete

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  203. @196. Seems Pinchuk liked to spread his money around. From the same NY Times article (but buried many paragraphs down) it is reported Pinchuk gave $13 million to the Clinton foundation starting in 2006.

    pete (a65bac)

  204. @205 As long as I can call you “happyfeet”

    pete (a65bac)

  205. So yes, Mueller has certainly established that there’s a there, there.

    Indicting 13 ham sandwiches certainly establishes that there are sandwiches there.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  206. them clintons is trailer trash with a park avenue appetite i tell you wut

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  207. See, you take my factual correction and dishonestly turn it into a defense of the bad guy.

    This happens to me all the time when I correct false statements about Obama or Clinton.

    e.g. “Obama claimed he’d reverse the rise of the oceans” (false) or “Clinton sold 20% of our Uranium to Russia” (false)

    Obama and Clinton (and Hitler for that matter) are bad enough without making stuff up.

    Dave (445e97)

  208. Why does all this excuse-making for Trump remind me of all the Hollywood twatwaffles’ excuse-making for Roman Polanski and Woody Allen?

    nk (dbc370)

  209. 211… what has Trump done – other than his every day buffoonery – that needs to be excused, nk?

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  210. hang in there Mr. pete you make good points

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  211. Good grief, there really is someone out there calling herself Junglepussy. And I had just barely come to terms with Angelababy.

    nk (dbc370)

  212. Dave,

    where’s your evidence they were throwing the election to Trump? I will wait patiently for your evidence.

    *Sets sundial.*

    NJRob (0ff0ce)

  213. So yes, Mueller has certainly established that there’s a there, there.

    Dave (445e97) — 4/9/2018 @ 8:49 pm

    I have come to the conclusion that you are from academia. It’s the only plausible explanation for your breathtakingly idiotic thoughts. Cue the game show host from Billy Madison.

    Lenny (5ea732)

  214. Hey Dave, indicting 13 people who you know will never show up in court is really something, especially when you know you can make any allegation but never be forced to prove it.

    Yeah, sure. Mueller and a bunch of career prosecutors just framed up a bunch of video gamers or something, and the whole indictment is a fabrication with no basis in fact.

    All those documented Russian front sites and paypal accounts are hoaxes too, right? And Trump’s hand-picked CIA and FBI directors, former Secretary of State, and Secretary of State designate, are part of the conspiracy too.

    Because Trump is corrupt, everybody else must be corrupt – especially the people Trump himself appointed!

    Dave (445e97)

  215. 211… what has Trump done – other than his every day buffoonery – that needs to be excused, nk?

    Exactly, Haiku. “Trump has done nothing more that his everyday buffoonery but he saved us from Hillary and will save us from the EPA and Muslims and the NEA and Mexicans and the IRS and China and ….”

    nk (dbc370)

  216. Jungle Boogie Pussy Fool and teh Gang

    Get down, Get down, get down, get down get down get down
    Ahhhhhhhhhhh !
    Jungle Pussy
    Jungle Pussy
    Get It On
    Jungle Pussy
    Jungle Pussy
    Get It On
    Jungle Pussy
    Jungle Pussy
    Jungle Pussy
    Get Down With Teh Pussy
    Jungle Pussy
    (Come & Shake It Around)
    Jungle Pussy
    Help & Get Down
    Jungle Pussy
    Pussy Baby
    Jungle Pussy
    Teh Pussy
    Jungle Pussy
    Bruhuhuhu
    Jungle Pussy
    Get Down
    Jungle Boogie
    Get Boogie
    Jungle Boogie
    Let Me Jump In
    Jungle Boogie
    Down With The Pussy
    Get down, Get down, pussy boogie, get down, get down X6
    Uh, Yeah
    Feel The Funk You’ll
    Let Me Feel The Load
    Get Down With The Pussy
    I’m Gonna Knock With The Jungle Pussy
    Get Down
    Get Down With The Pussy Say
    Ough!
    Get Down Say Ugh
    Get Down Say Ugh
    Till You Feel It You’ll
    Get Down You’ll
    Get Down
    Get Funky Ya’ll
    With The Get Down

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  217. 219… many folks believe he’s done some good things, nk. You don’t? So what.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  218. fine y’all can all go to bed pretending like the dark night of fascist anal rape wasn’t visited on america by the slutty creamcheese fbi today

    but we both know better

    whilst anne frank screams plaintively against a closing closet door

    no she screams

    no

    but nobody heard til like 40 years later 🙁

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  219. I knew I’d heard that song and cadence before…

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  220. It’s a great rhetorical move, if you don’t care about being intellectually honest.

    Thanks for calling it great. But you misunderstand. I was mocking your sarcasm. But hey, you’re right, you made an incredibly important point by correcting a serious misconception. It certainly elevated the conversation to a higher level.

    Lenny (5ea732)

  221. where’s your evidence they were throwing the election to Trump? I will wait patiently for your evidence.

    There is sworn testimony to that effect from multiple officials, as well as an intelligence summary report that says the same thing, as you know perfectly well.

    (to save you the trouble of your next reply: the fact that you disagree with the testimony and the report does not disqualify them as evidence)

    Dave (445e97)

  222. No, no, no, don’t get me wrong, I think both Roman Polanski and Woody Allen have made some very good movies. I really liked “Pirates” and “Bananas”.

    nk (dbc370)

  223. Cue the game show host from Billy Madison.

    That guy is already too worn out from Cassandra’s statement that the raid on Cohen was like a SWATting.

    A comment that seems to have offended nobody here but me.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  224. @218 Again, slowly, it’s one thing to allege a crime and spell out your allegations, it is quite another to prove it (beyond a reasonable doubt) in court. The easiest thing to do is allege crimes and lay out a story (excuse me, allegations) of how the crime occurred when you know you will never, ever, have to prove those allegations in court.

    pete (a65bac)

  225. But hey, you’re right, you made an incredibly important point by correcting a serious misconception.

    You guys used to (seem to) care about getting the facts right. Now I have learned you cared only if it was done in service of a partisan agenda.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  226. @177. that sad hooker has one thing going for her and it’s the same singular asset John McCain’s daughter Meghan has: ungodly large breasts.

    Don’t knock-hers, Mr. Feet!?!

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  227. people, american people, is flocking to a movie about raped-ass kennedy-trash drowning in a lake

    or a river

    or a sea

    wtf is a chappaquiddick

    a creek?

    nobody tells me anything

    a rivulet?

    pls to explain

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  228. is it a bayou?

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  229. A comment that seems to have offended nobody here but me.

    I don’t take Cassandra seriously.

    nk (dbc370)

  230. A comment that seems to have offended nobody here but me.

    I wouldn’t say I was offended (but I’ve never been SWATted).

    When a poster addresses you directly I don’t feel like it’s my place to respond. And after you demolish someone, it looks kind of petty to pile on.

    I agree it is one of the dumber things I’ve read here in a while, but there’s plenty of competition.

    Dave (445e97)

  231. So no evidence Dave, gotcha.

    NJRob (b00189)

  232. Patterico 4/1/2009: There’s an old phrase: “Where do I go to get my reputation back?” More relevant here is this question: Where do we go to get our election back?

    This was after the conviction of Ted Stevens, not indictment — nor merely a raid on Stevens’ attorney.

    Trumpkins are the consistent ones, applying the same standards then as now.

    “Name the person, and I’ll find the crime” finds a welcome home with the anti-Trumpalos.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  233. Again, slowly, it’s one thing to allege a crime and spell out your allegations, it is quite another to prove it (beyond a reasonable doubt) in court.

    I understand that. But short of launching a commando raid on St. Petersburg to grab these people @ssholes, the best Mueller can do is what he did. If you haven’t read the indictment, you should.

    It is far likelier than not that the bulk of it is accurate.

    If you want to believe the entire Justice Dept. and FBI, including many Trump-appointed officials, are all engaged in a huge frame job against poor innocent Russians who dint do nuffin, then go ahead.

    Here in the real world, Mueller outlined a detailed and compelling case showing exactly what the Russians did, and how.

    Dave (445e97)

  234. So no evidence Dave, gotcha.

    Why lie about what I said just a few lines above? Get a grip dude.

    This is an official US intelligence summary report, currently posted on the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and citing the consensus of the CIA, FBI and NSA:

    We assess with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the consistent goals of which were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. When it appeared to Moscow that Secretary Clinton was likely to win the election, the Russian influence campaign then focused on undermining her expected presidency.

    We also assess Putin and the Russian Government aspired to help President-elect Trump’s election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him. All three agencies agree with this judgment.

    […]

    We assess Putin, his advisers, and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump over Secretary Clinton.

    […]

    We assess the influence campaign aspired to help President-elect Trump’s chances of victory when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to the President-elect.

    Dave (445e97)

  235. i’m married to emily blunt and i need to be really quiet

    are we all on the same page?

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  236. Trumpkins are the consistent ones, applying the same standards then as now.

    That’s odd, I don’t recall bragging about sexual assault and peeping at naked little girls being OK in 2008.

    I don’t recall insulting POWs, cruelly mocking the handicapped, attacking judges for their ethnicity, bragging about the size of your sex organ during a debate, cynically lying about your religious beliefs or insulting the mothers of soldiers who gave their lives in combat being OK back then either.

    Dave (445e97)

  237. @ 237. Rather than going back and forth all night, let me leave you with some words of wisdom from the jury instructions given in California state court in criminal cases.

    From CalCrim 104

    “You must decide what the facts are in this case. You must use only the evidence that is presented in the courtroom [or during a jury view]. “Evidence” is the sworn testimony of witnesses, the exhibits admitted into evidence, and anything else I tell you to consider as evidence. The fact that the defendant was arrested, charged with a crime, or brought to trial is not evidence of guilt.

    Nothing that the attorneys say is evidence. In their opening statements and closing arguments, the attorneys will discuss the case, but their remarks are not evidence. Their questions are not evidence. Only the witnesses’ answers are evidence. The attorneys’ questions are significant
    only if they help you understand the witnesses’ answers. Do not assume that something is true just because one of the attorneys asks a question that suggests it is true.”

    Oh, and from the start of the reasonable doubt instruction that would be read to the jury (CalCrim 103): “I will now explain the presumption of innocence and the People’sburden of proof. The defendant[s] (has/have) pleaded not guilty to the charge[s]. The fact that a criminal charge has been filed against the defendant[s] is not evidence that the charge is true. You must not be biased against the defendant[s] just because (he/she/they) (has/have) been arrested, charged with a crime, or brought to trial.”

    I will say, though, that as a former DDA for 26 years I would love to have you on my jury. I’m already more than halfway to conviction and haven’t even presented any evidence!

    pete (a65bac)

  238. @ 237. Rather than going back and forth all night, let me leave you with some words of wisdom from the jury instructions given in California state court in criminal cases.

    Preaching to the choir.

    Hillary Clinton was never convicted either – so is it your position that there’s no basis to believe she did anything wrong?

    Dave (445e97)

  239. “Hillary Clinton was never convicted either – so is it your position that there’s no basis to believe she did anything wrong?”

    Well, as you know proving she did something wrong won’t be difficult–what with the e-mails, phones, and computer hard drives the FBI seized via search warrant before talking to her or other witnesses…oops, my bad. Yep, there is a basis to believe she did something wrong. Proving it would be a different kettle of fish.

    pete (a65bac)

  240. Good article at National Review makes a point that narciso, of all people, was trying to make (I think) recently:

    Don’t Blame D.C. Republicans for a Stalled Agenda

    [T]he cause for the legislative stall [of the Republican agenda] is to be found in the various maladies and mistakes of state Republican parties all across the country. To put it bluntly: Republicans have run too many lousy candidates for the United States Senate, and they are now paying the price: gridlock. Time and again over the past decade, the GOP has lost eminently winnable races, allowing Senate Democrats to pad their caucus. This has, in turn, stymied the Republican legislative agenda.

    If we look at the Senate from the perspective of statewide partisanship, the occupants of most seats make sense. Strongly Democratic states such as California elect two Democrats, while strongly Republican states like Idaho elect two Republicans. Meanwhile, purple states such as Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania have one Democrat and one Republican. That doesn’t always hold across the purple states — New Hampshire has two Democrats while Iowa has two Republicans — but the deviations more or less cancel out.

    The main exception to this is a group of six Senate Democrats who come from strongly Republican states. These are: Doug Jones of Alabama (which Trump won by 28 points); Joe Donnelly of Indiana (Trump by 19 points); Claire McCaskill of Missouri (Trump by 19 points); Joe Tester of Montana (Trump by 20 points); Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota (Trump by 36 points); and Joe Manchin of West Virginia (Trump by 42 points). On the other hand, the only Republican from a strongly Democratic state is Susan Collins of Maine, which actually gave Trump an electoral college vote in 2016.

    […]

    That’s not to say Republicans should have won all six of these seats. But they should not have lost all six of them. I would say that three to four should be in Republican hands right now. Imagine a Senate where that was the case. For starters, the chances that Republicans could lose the Senate in November would be practically zero. Beyond that, the GOP would probably have managed to do some kind of Obamacare repeal-and-replace via budget reconciliation last year. And looking forward to the 2018 legislative calendar, they probably could manage something else via reconciliation. It would be an entirely different legislative landscape.

    But no. Lousy candidates and missed opportunities have cost the GOP seat after seat. The failure rests not with McConnell and the Beltway establishment, but with Republican voters and leaders in these states: They failed to select good candidates, and now the party is paying the price.

    Dave (445e97)

  241. That’s odd, I don’t recall bragging about sexual assault and peeping at naked little girls being OK in 2008.

    Gee Dave, I didn’t know that was the reason for the raid. Looks like the Feds are after some very substantive crimes.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  242. @241

    You’re making a circular argument. Your definition of evidence only includes items presented in a court against a defendant. So, by your definition, there’s no evidence against Trump, because there can’t be any evidence, because he’s not on trial.

    Davethulhu (081885)

  243. Yep, there is a basis to believe she did something wrong. Proving it would be a different kettle of fish.

    In the case of the Russians, there is also evidence – emails, phone records and financial transactions, among (probably) other things.

    It is a serious crime to knowingly indict someone on the basis of false grand jury testimony or evidence, isn’t it? And grand jury testimony is given under oath, under penalty of perjury, isn’t it? My point isn’t that this makes it automatically true, but that falsifying it would require a substantial number of professionals to risk their careers, or even jail time. We’re not just talking about a couple cops agreeing to back up each others’ false testimony; this would require falsifying a huge volume of electronic data that is likely archived in multiple places. A conspiracy that requires dozens, if not hundreds, of law enforcement officials to agree to commit serious felonies and keep them secret seems pretty implausible.

    Since we’re not sitting on a jury trying the Russians, we are not obligated to apply the high standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt (and without being on the jury, and having every piece of evidence placed before us, it would likely be impossible to meet that standard even in very clear-cut cases of guilt). Just like Hillary, it is highly likely that the Russians did all or most of what is alleged.

    Dave (445e97)

  244. i love the whole story of this Byron Allen guy

    he’s large and also he’s in charge, so those are two very good positive attributes

    i’d heard of him but now all a sudden he’s on the radar on several different fronts

    happyfeet (28a91b) — 4/9/2018 @ 6:07 pm

    You must not be old enough to remember Real People

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  245. Save your sympathy for Lindsey Buckingham who was kicked off Fleetwood Mac, better.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/9/2018 @ 6:39 pm

    He’s not all up in it?

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  246. Careful. Bit of a fib, Mr. Feet; believe they were provided ‘time outs’ and not ‘banned.’

    DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/9/2018 @ 6:57 pm

    Neither Shanghaid nor keelhauled, as you and Bill Ayers favor the nautical themes.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  247. omfg byron allen was in real people with them other ones

    all up in the tv!

    but now he’s like a billionaire

    me and several others apparently did not use our time wisely

    apparently 🙁

    I HAD A DREAM MY LIFE WOULD BE

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  248. Your bank account, too, Mr. Feet; for ‘a little love’ you’ll find an extra $130,000/$150,000 there.

    DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/9/2018 @ 7:10 pm

    She didn’t even have to pull an all nighter.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  249. should hitler have ignored those pesky gays when he was mostly looking for jews

    happyfeet (28a91b) — 4/9/2018 @ 7:13 pm

    These are not the referrals you are looking for, Herr Mueller.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  250. ship, sailed

    happyfeet (28a91b) — 4/9/2018 @ 7:35 pm

    Into a freighter.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  251. afterlLouisiana

    ???

    that’s just sloppy

    happyfeet (28a91b) — 4/9/2018 @ 7:45 pm

    Apres Louisiana

    Le Deluge

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  252. But that was a long time ago.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/9/2018 @ 8:09 pm

    Why aren’t you writing novels?

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  253. When you say “business”, you mean you were a hitman for the Dixie Mafia, right?

    “Allegedly”.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  254. The other thing is the constant bad-mouthing Trumpkins do of lawyers. Until it’s Trump’s lawyer. Then it’s treason.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/9/2018 @ 8:30 pm

    You’re right, we can’t start making exceptions.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  255. So yes, Mueller has certainly established that there’s a there, there.

    Dave (445e97) — 4/9/2018 @ 8:49 pm

    A there, there that ain’t never getting extradited or prosecuted here, here.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  256. > That guy is already too worn out from Cassandra’s statement that the raid on Cohen was like a SWATting.

    > A comment that seems to have offended nobody here but me.

    Well, it *was*, in the same way that a piece of orange (the fruit) is like an orange colored crayon. They share some attributes, but not the ones that ought to be considered the *essential* attributes.

    The essential attribute of SWATting is that it is a dangerous practice that carries a seriously high risk of resulting in bodily injury to, or death of, the person being SWATted or their family. That attribute is utterly absent in this case.

    I can only conclude that Cassandra considers some other aspect of SWATting to be the essential attribute. Which I view as being like considering the color to be the essential shared attribute of a crayon and a fruit: yeah, ok, that’s valid in this extremely limited context that I don’t think is relevant to almost anything, and only there.

    aphrael (3f0569)

  257. is it a bayou?

    happyfeet (28a91b) — 4/9/2018 @ 9:30 pm

    Some folks call it a branch. Or a swimmin’ hole. Or a cement pond.

    Pinandpuller (d20ede)

  258. @ 247 Might be highly likely, might not be. Point is that Mueller knows he will never have to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, which is what I pointed out at the start of our whole back and forth.

    @ 246. Your point is inapposite to the discussion at hand. To repeat, it is one thing to allege something in an indictment where the masses can pass judgment; it is another to then prove those allegations beyond a reasonable doubt in court, where evidence is required. Mueller has done the easy part with his indictment laying out his allegations and theory of the crime; he knows he will never have to do the other part.

    pete (a65bac)

  259. You may have to view this as the price for filling Scalia’s seat with Gorsuch.

    As I said, they will be given cover. It is NOT the same thing to refuse to fill one seat and to refuse to fill them all. But scoundrels like Dave will use what they can use.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  260. > As I said, they will be given cover. It is NOT the same thing to refuse to fill one seat and to refuse to fill them all. But scoundrels like Dave will use what they can use.

    I’m a lot closer to the Democratic base than you are, Kevin, and what I see is that the Democratic base is *beyond furious* over the refusal to hold hearings on Garland. Their anger is at least as strong as the Republican anger over Bork was in the late 1980s.

    I don’t approve of their proposed responses, but McConnell baked those responses into the cake when he did what he did.

    aphrael (e0cdc9)

  261. He did what he did

    Before Trump came to town

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  262. Not only that hf, Byron Allen, unlike Denzel Washington of St. Elsewhere, heeded the call for duty on Battle of the Network Stars.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  263. 210 Dave (445e97) — 4/9/2018 @ 8:57 pm

    e.g. “Obama claimed he’d reverse the rise of the oceans” (false)

    He claimed is winning the Democratic nomination in 2008 was the start of reversinbg the rise of the oceans. I heard it live on radio.

    Obama never claimed he could reverse the rise of the oceans alone. I assume he understood that required an Act of Congress and maybe an international agreement.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2pZSvq9bto

    Right at the end of that clip.

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  264. But the Waxman-Markey bill died in the Senate and Obama aopparently gave up on halting the rise of the oceans.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Clean_Energy_and_Security_Act

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  265. Near as I can tell, “TDS” is an equal-opportunity syndrome, affecting both supporters and opponents.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  266. He claimed is winning the Democratic nomination in 2008 was the start of reversinbg the rise of the oceans. I heard it live on radio.

    This is what he said:

    this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal;

    (emphasis added)

    He did not say he would reverse the rise of the oceans. He said the rise would begin to slow.

    Slowing the rate of increase of a quantity is not the same as reducing the value of the quantity to zero, or even making the rate of increase negative.

    If h is the sea level, Obama suggested that he would change the *second derivative* of h from positive to negative.

    I have the impression that you have sufficient technical background to understand the distinction.

    Dave (445e97)

  267. h is stupid

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  268. As I said, they will be given cover. It is NOT the same thing to refuse to fill one seat and to refuse to fill them all.

    What cover do they need? It is within the rules of the senate, just like Reid’s nuclear option was. They have basically changed the precedent for cabinet confirmations going forward, just as the GOP changed the precedent for Supreme Court confirmations, and Reid changed the precedent for cloture on other nominations.

    I’m not defending it, I’m just pointing out that, in the Dems eyes, it is reciprocation for similar miscreant behavior. Presumably they have a price for abandoning the tactic, but I’ve not heard mention of what it is.

    Dave (445e97)

  269. it’s not the same without Mr. narciso

    there’s less substance

    he was so good with links

    key links

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  270. I’m not defending it, I’m just pointing out that, in the Dems eyes, it is reciprocation for similar miscreant behavior.

    What’s next? Someone plants a bomb in the cloakroom? This kind of escalation, 12 tits for each tat, is what leads to a total breakdown in the institution.

    The GOP could, with a majority vote “thermonuclear option”, decide that there is NO debate after cloture and call for an up or down vote on all appointees. They’ve already cut it down from 30 hours.

    This is all counter-counter-counter-payback for Bork. Ir is it Fortas?

    Kevin M (752a26)

  271. I’m not defending it, I’m just pointing out that, in the Dems eyes

    Of course not, but you are just the guy to see through Dem eyes. Sadly, you are unable to see it though the GOP’s eyes.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  272. Again, the Democrats are refusing to allow a peaceful transfer of power. Making it so that the President cannot fill his administration is the same as denying him the powers of his office.

    It’s a very dangerous game. As someone once said, ballots are better than bullets. When you ignore the ballots, things can spin out of control.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  273. Sadly, you are unable to see it though the GOP’s eyes.

    I don’t know what makes you say this. Of course it is destructive and harmful.

    At the end of the day, this is a political dispute, and it should be amenable to a political solution. As I said, it seems like it would be best for all concerned to make a deal. I can only assume the GOP do not see a solution as being worth whatever price the Dems are asking.

    Again, the Democrats are refusing to allow a peaceful transfer of power. Making it so that the President cannot fill his administration is the same as denying him the powers of his office.

    The Democrats might say that appointing Supreme Court justices is also part of the president’s powers, and the GOP denied that to Obama.

    Another example of political karma in action is the end of recess appointments. A motion to adjourn the senate can be filibustered, so the minority party can prevent it with 41 votes. The GOP did this to Obama (and the Dems did it to Bush before that), and in 2012 Obama tried to do recess appointments anyway during the “pro forma” sessions, claiming they were a sham. In 2014, the Supremes ruled against Obama and there was great rejoicing among the GOP. Now it is preventing Trump from making recess appointments.

    Dave (445e97)

  274. The Democrats might say that appointing Supreme Court justices is also part of the president’s powers, and the GOP denied that to Obama.

    Dave (445e97) — 4/10/2018 @ 10:32 pm

    IDK, pretty sure Obama appointed him…

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  275. Not only that hf, Byron Allen, unlike Denzel Washington of St. Elsewhere, heeded the call for duty on Battle of the Network Stars.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 4/10/2018 @ 11:59 am

    That’s Incredible!

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  276. IDK, pretty sure Obama appointed him…

    IDK, pretty sure Trump can nominate anyone he wants too.

    *rolls eyes*

    Dave (445e97)

  277. IDK, pretty sure Trump can nominate anyone he wants too.

    *rolls eyes*

    Dave (445e97) — 4/10/2018 @ 10:38 pm

    There you go.

    You’ve got almost sexy eyes, Dave.

    Pinandpuller (2d6b5f)

  278. The Democrats might say that appointing Supreme Court justices is also part of the president’s powers, and the GOP denied that to Obama.

    And again, you are so quick to see things through a Democrat’s eyes. As opposed to the “Eff that!” reaction that most of us have.

    And you are also wrong. NOMINATING justices is the President’s power. This is fundamentally different than refusing to let him staff his OWN branch of government.

    If Trump and the GOP Senate had any brains, there would be a list made up, then the senate would adjourn for a couple of weeks. Three thousand recess appointments, good through the end of 2020, would clear everything right up.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  279. Further, Garland was unlikely to be confirmed, and Obama knew it. His 2nd Amendment position was impossible for the GOP — approving him would have been a betrayal to their base. It would be like expecting a Democrat majority to approve a nominee hostile to abortion. Garland would have been voted down.

    Obama could have pulled down the Garland nomination and picked someone closer to the center, like Reagan did with Kennedy after Bork and Ginsberg.

    But he didn’t, because it was about galvanizing the Democrat base, not about getting Garland on the court.

    And again, it was a nomination for another branch, with a opposition MAJORITY, not filling his own branch, with a senate majority.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  280. Trump has only gotten 57% of his administration appointees voted on. This is below the level of any of the prior administrations. It takes 5 months to confirm an uncontroversial ambassador.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  281. If Trump and the GOP Senate had any brains balls, there would be a list made up, then the senate would adjourn for a couple of weeks.
    FIFY TML

    nk (dbc370)


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