Congressman Threatens Witness
Congressman Matt Gaetz:
Hey @MichaelCohen212 – Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) February 26, 2019
UPDATE: Here is a screenshot, since he has deleted it:
Gaetz should be censured. Norms matter. We can’t stand by when stuff like this happens and pretend it’s OK. It’s not.
But he’s just taking after his President, who already threatened the same witness’s family.
These people make me sick.
UPDATE: Ken White on why Gaetz’s tweet may have been a crime:
/2 It sure seems like you're threatening Michael Cohen that if he testifies before Congress you, or people aligned with you, will bring out embarrassing details about him. pic.twitter.com/6nZpuPaRZt
— WitnessTestingHat (@Popehat) February 26, 2019
/4 The United States Department of Justice seems to take those obstruction laws rather seriously, and know a lot about them.https://t.co/WJONcyR192
— WitnessTestingHat (@Popehat) February 26, 2019
/6 In short, lawyer up, dirtbag. /end
— WitnessTestingHat (@Popehat) February 26, 2019
[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]
I have to say I’m pleased not to have a certain commenter come on here and reflexively support Gaetz.
Patterico (115b1f) — 2/26/2019 @ 8:22 pmGood grief!
nk (dbc370) — 2/26/2019 @ 8:38 pmi’m wondering if that’s grounds for sanction by his state bar.
aphrael (33dc58) — 2/26/2019 @ 8:39 pmon another topic, congratulations to Justin Amash for his integrity.
aphrael (33dc58) — 2/26/2019 @ 8:39 pmElected lawyers think they can get away with anything.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/26/2019 @ 8:40 pmHe must’ve deleted his tweet it’s not there anymore…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/26/2019 @ 8:55 pmKinda like AOC threatened DT Jr.!
CK (97c12d) — 2/26/2019 @ 8:56 pmThis guy comes from generations and generations of low-grade politicians, mg.
Let’s see if this link works. It’s funny.
nk (dbc370) — 2/26/2019 @ 9:30 pmMeanwhile PayPal chase patron YouTube are unpdeplatforming like its 1931 moskva.
Narciso (58bdca) — 2/26/2019 @ 9:38 pmThat’s Florida’s 1st Congressional District, isn’t it? Basically Eastern Alabama? Joe Scarborough was its next to last Representative before him?
nk (dbc370) — 2/26/2019 @ 9:46 pmThis might be a big deal tomorrow if Cohen actually provides documents proving criminal conduct by our sitting so-called President. If so, what then?
Actually, Gaetz, it looks like we’re all about to learn a lot that will incriminate your Dear Leader.
Tillman (61f3c8) — 2/26/2019 @ 10:11 pmHeadline from The Hill:
Pat here got it right – there’s no weaselly “appears to” about it. It was a threat.
Tillman (61f3c8) — 2/26/2019 @ 10:44 pmMatt Gaetz, Republican, Florida; now on the short list to be America’s next Ambassador to Russia.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/26/2019 @ 11:15 pmI can’t tell whether that’s a threat of outright retaliation. He better have tweeted that from the floor of the House though.
Kevin M (21ca15) — 2/27/2019 @ 1:33 am*A threat OR outright retaliation.
Kevin M (21ca15) — 2/27/2019 @ 1:34 amThere’s a lot of this going around.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York proposed questioning banking executives in front of Congress on lending to private prisons that hold illegal aliens.
https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/26/ocasio-cortez-private-prisons/
Kevin M (21ca15) — 2/27/2019 @ 1:36 amcohen is pathetic and a toady to boot. gaetz mother should of had an abortion. cohen’s mother did have one.
lany (41c89f) — 2/27/2019 @ 2:13 amSeems as though congress is filled with low grade lawyers who are worse politicians. And that was funny, nk.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/27/2019 @ 3:19 amWas Harry Reid lying about mittens a crime?
mg (8cbc69) — 2/27/2019 @ 3:54 ammg, I think it ought to have been. Remember his response when called on it?
Mark Twain was right: Congress is America’s natural criminal class.
Ick.
Simon Jester (23bcf6) — 2/27/2019 @ 5:23 amThe simple terse title of this post lead me to think it was a threat along the lines of bodily violence or assassination. Yes, Gaetz should be dealt with, but this seems more a threat of blackmail.
urbanleftbehind (d333d8) — 2/27/2019 @ 6:04 amPretty sleazy….I’m surprised his chief of staff doesn’t insist on reviewing Tweets. Did he think he was only speaking to partisan supporters? People’s thoughts used to stay in their heads a bit longer….or might be shared privately….where they could actually hear and process what they are saying….and consider its appropriateness. I wonder where else his judgment is lacking…
Cohen has obvious credibility problems….he is the quintessential sleazy lawyer. I’m no Trump apologist…but the bimbo payoff just doesn’t mean that much to me. Maybe it deserves a fine for campaign finance issues….but otherwise it seems small fish. Will this be generally a bad day for Trump? Sure, but the character peccadillos are well understood….nothing here will surprise me….and a good bit of it may come across as convenient and self serving for Cohen….if not staged. Sleaze is our new currency…..
AJ_Liberty (165d19) — 2/27/2019 @ 6:06 amYep. “Trump is a Conman.” We already knew that dude, and collectively decided we didn’t care. Yay us.
JRH (fe281f) — 2/27/2019 @ 6:14 am1. Not sure why anyone would believe Cohen. He wasn’t credible when he worked for Trump. He’s not credible now.
Time123 (7cca75) — 2/27/2019 @ 6:20 am2. This threat is crap. The congressman should be censured.
I absolutely agree that Gaetz should be censured. You can’t ignore that the underlining premise from Gaetz was “Nice family you got there…it would be a shame if something were to happen“.
As for Cohen, read his leaked opening statement. I’m not seeing anything new except for a supposed “found” check signed by Trump that could substantiate Cohen’s allegations. (timing of this is iffy…as this presume that SDNY and Mueller crews missed it). I suspect much of the fireworks would be the congressional questioning.
whembly (51f28e) — 2/27/2019 @ 6:25 amThese sorts of barely and incompetently disguised threats are only the beginning. Wait till after Cohen testifies before Congress. Then there will be an avalanche of smears, attacks and probably threats by Trump supporters, all in an effort to defend the indefensible.
Cohen is a man with nothing left to lose. He’s already lost millions and is going to prison. An admitted and convicted liar, he cannot lie anymore, not under oath before Congress. That would violate his plea agreement and vitiate his sentencing. The SDNY has ongoing investigations into his business practices, crimes for which he has not yet been charged or prosecuted, as per his plea agreement to cooperate. A ton of bricks will fall on him if he testifies falsely. Mueller and the SDNY have documentary evidence to back up everything he will testify to, and he knows it.
This is the end, my friend, the end. Cohen has hit rock bottom, but if he slips up now, he could fall even farther, into the depths of hell. So the liar has no choice but to finally tell the truth.
Trump is like Pig Pen in Peanuts, walking around with a cloud of dirt. Except with Trump, it’s not just dirt, it’s sleaze. He is a corrupting corrupter. An anti-Midas, everything he touches and everyone associated with him turns to mold.
In every mob prosecution, the strategy is very simple. First, get the consigliere (Cohen) and the accountant (Weisselberg) to cooperate, then take the whole family (Trump) down.
It’s coming, because the SDNY does not mess around.
Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1) — 2/27/2019 @ 6:46 amIf Cohen had criminal goods on Trump, he wouldn’t waste time calling him a racist.
Ingot9455 (74ce6e) — 2/27/2019 @ 6:59 amAn admitted and convicted liar — of lying under oath before Congress.
(To steal a little bit of Gawain’s Ghost’s turns of phrase which are “I wish I’d said that” quality.)
That is what Trump’s friends and defenders should repeat endlessly and shout from the rooftops. Cohen lied before to please Trump and he is lying now to please Mueller. He is nothing but a liar.
This clown Gaetz, he distracted and detracted from that defense. A huge defense. A great defense. The best defense. He helped Cohen and hurt Trump.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:02 am“Gaetz should be censured. Norms matter. We can’t stand by when stuff like this happens and pretend it’s OK. It’s not.”
If only he had gone about it the right way and put it in a dossier, then get some DOJ’s spouse to peddle it.
Munroe (a5391e) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:14 am“It’s coming, because the SDNY does not mess around.”
That’s not what Ray Charles said… https://youtu.be/iNe5npkid-s
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:15 am29… munroe… you are a funny man, get down wit’ yo bad self!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:17 amUPDATE: Here is a screenshot, since he has deleted it:
Patterico (115b1f) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:28 amNK: if he’s lying, then why are people bothering to threaten him?
aphrael (33dc58) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:30 amUPDATE: Ken White on why Gaetz’s tweet may have been a crime:
Patterico (115b1f) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:32 amThis whole Cohen business is an interesting dynamic for me. Here’s why:
Cohen is going to Congress to (if you believe the New York Times) accuse President Trump of being “…a racist, a cheat, and a liar.” This would mean that not only did Cohen execute financial transactions of dubious legality, but that he did them for someone he knew to be a racist, a cheat, and a liar.
While it is possible that Trump is everything Cohen claims him to be, Cohen has also admitted to lying to Congress before. Are we going to take everything he says at face value now? His actions, as Trump’s lawyer as-now, are those of a person looking out for #1. And if that means throwing Donald Trump under the bus, then so be it. If that requires criminal conduct along the way? Oh well…
Gryph (08c844) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:38 am“The United Ststes Department of Justice seems to take those obstruction laws rather seriously”
McCabe’s book deal and talk show circuit taught Gaetz nothing it seems.
Munroe (b2f076) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:43 amThat would make sense if we didn’t already know Trump was a cheat and a liar. Cohen’s just reinforcing what we know and perhaps adding some new details. Whether or not he has evidence, I dunno.
JRH (fe281f) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:44 amWatching the hearing…
Cohen is laying it thick here… Lanny David is doing a great job in trying to re-build Cohen’s credibility.
whembly (51f28e) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:49 amHe was either lying then or he’s lying now. I chose the former, now that he’s no longer under the influence of the Liar-in-Chief.
Paul Montagu (eab766) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:49 amNow we’re learning Trump didn’t actually have bonespurs. So many newsflashes. Soon Cohen will testify that water is wet.
JRH (fe281f) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:56 am39. I don’t think Cohen’s lies then or now were necessarily mutually exclusive. Most of Trump’s most ardent supporters know he’s a scumbag, and many of them will even freely admit to it. It just doesn’t matter. I don’t think Cohen could say anything now that would hurt Trump’s chances in 2020. Trump will just have to find a new bunch of lackeys to campaign with. That won’t be hard. Money talks.
Gryph (08c844) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:57 amHe’s in the Jailhouse
NowSoonHe’s in the jailhouse soon, he’s in the jailhouse soon
He’s in the jailhouse soon, he’s in the jailhouse soon
They call him a lyin’ louse, but he’s crazier than a sh*thouse mouse
He’s in the jailhouse soon
Well Trump had a guy named Bribe’emall Mike he’d pay ‘em off and they’d take a hike
He thought he was the smartest guy in town
But Mike found out last Monday that Mike gets locked up Sunday
They’ll put him in the jailhouse way downtown
He’s in the jailhouse soon, he’s in the jailhouse soon
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 7:59 amHe’s in the jailhouse soon, he’s in the jailhouse soon
They told him once or more to quit playin’ cabs and a runnin’ hoars
He’s in the jailhouse soon
Mr. Cohen is under oath for his three days of testimony this week. It doesn’t seem likely that he would compound his prior perjury transgression by lying again to members of Congress.
Paul Montagu (eab766) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:19 amOK, so far the only crimes committed have been process crimes, right? I wonder if Cohen’s appearance is nothing more than bait for more crimes to be committed. Because it is all Meuller has left, I’m guessing.
felipe (5b25e2) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:20 am43. How likely did you think it was that he would lie to Congress the first time? Questionable credibility doesn’t mean he’s lying; it just means he shouldn’t be believed without further corroboration.
44. Process crimes are usually a majority of the charges special counsels end up with. Sometimes it’s all they end up with.
Gryph (08c844) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:21 amNK: if he’s lying, then why are people bothering to threaten him?
Because they’re doodyheads?
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:28 amGiven all the other individuals busted for lying by the Special Counsel, I’d say highly likely. So far in his testimony today, he’s been clear about what could and could not corroborate.
Paul Montagu (eab766) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:31 am“NK: if he’s lying, then why are people bothering to threaten him?”
– aphrael
Because his statements will be damaging to their overlord, regardless of the truth or falsity of those statements.
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:32 amWhat Congressman Gaetz did is certainly deplorable. It is also self defeating. If you are going to threaten someone to reveal his secrets (about his girlfriends), you might not want to do that on Twitter, where it can be read by millions of people. Kind of takes the sting out of the threat when you already revealed it.
Bored Lawyer (998177) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:32 am“I have lied. But I am not a liar.” – Michael Cohen, lawyer w/suspended lisc., opening statement under oath to Congress, 2-27-19
Okay then.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:32 am47. Oh, I get it. Like those checks that were made out to him that he claimed were reimbursement for hush money.
“‘Irrefutable?’ I do not think that word means what you think it means…”
Gryph (08c844) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:34 amPeople throw the term “process crimes” around like it means something. Can someone offer a definition?
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:34 amUnlike say keeping classified info on unsecure servers which breaks a whole series of statutes
Narciso (464705) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:38 am52. Process crimes are those crimes charged in the process of an investigation. They can happen years after the fact during an investigation in which someone misremembers something, and is charged with perjury upon an accusation of lying. Perjury charges are often leveled thusly in special counsel investigations on people that were not under investigation for any other crimes, hence the cynicism concerning “process crimes.”
Gryph (08c844) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:38 am@19. Ask Roger Clemens.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:43 amA process crime is a crime that would not have occurred had the investigation never been launched.
Munroe (31ed0e) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:44 am56. Thanks Munroe. 😀
Gryph (08c844) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:44 amI am not the Shadow. I do not know what evil lies in the hearts of men. I meant that attacking Cohen’s credibility is where the ducks are for Trump’s friends and defenders, and threats distract and detract from that defense strategy.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:45 am58… yes, squatting duck that he is, they need to focus on said duck.
What a sad sack he looks like up there.
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:53 amHahaha… so, like, witness intimidation (if it occurred during an investigation) would be a “process crime.” But if it occurred prior to an investigation, would it be something else? Like a “substance crime”?
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:57 amDamn “process,” making me commit all these crimes!
/sarc
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:59 amLOL, Leviticus. Hence, the cynicism.
felipe (5b25e2) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:01 amCrimes committed after a routine traffic stop are like process crimes. Some are totally unforced errors.
felipe (5b25e2) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:04 am“Show us the man and we’ll show you the crime”
—- SDNY
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:07 amIf it’s largely process crimes there’s a reason for that. The investigation isn’t over. Mueller’s keeping his powder dry. Y’all know that though. BTW it’s not only process crimes. Rick Gates pled to conspiracy for instance.
JRH (fe281f) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:09 amMeanwhile, our brave Captain is fighting in Vietnam to end the Korean War.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:09 amThe Valiant Sad Sack!
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:10 amBut if you’re eager for more than process crimes, be patient. I think you’re going to be richly rewarded.
JRH (fe281f) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:10 am‘Hahaha… so, like, witness intimidation (if it occurred during an investigation) would be a “process crime.” But if it occurred prior to an investigation, would it be something else? Like a “substance crime”?’
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:57 am
Against all common sense, if you murder a witness it’s something more than a process crime. I know, hard to fathom.
Munroe (9ac6d0) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:12 amThere is a famous case in Illinois on valid service of process. The defendant not only refused to accept the summons, he was very abusive towards the process server. The process server overpowered him, pulled down his pants, and shoved the summons up his ass. The published case only discussed whether it was valid service of process. It was. I don’t know whether the process server was charged with any crime.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:14 amPerjury is not a process crime.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:15 am“He is a racist…a con man… and he is a cheat.”
Bill Clinton… COME ON DOWN!!!
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:16 amI can. Felony.
Paul Montagu (eab766) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:17 amobama resembles that remark, Col.
mg (8cbc69) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:17 am“Against all common sense, if you murder a witness it’s something more than a process crime. I know, hard to fathom.”
– Munroe
There’s a difference between “murdering” (which you said) and “intimidating” (which I said). There are even separate statutes for murder in many jurisdictions! I know, hard to fathom.
Let’s agree that “murder” is not a “process crime,” and address the actual example I used.
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:32 am“Crimes committed after a routine traffic stop are like process crimes.”
– felipe
Crimes committed, or crimes discovered? Is resisting arrest a “process crime”? Fleeing? Assaulting a cop?
Leviticus (efada1) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:33 amYes, they are all like that. They all happen during a process, of arrest, of discovery, of reaction.
felipe (5b25e2) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:38 amThe entire idea, process crime, is nebulous, I agree.
felipe (5b25e2) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:40 amSo then the discovery of a toddler in the back seat without a proper car seat would be process crime as well?
urbanleftbehind (d333d8) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:40 am“Process crime” is a term invented by partisans to minimize the fraud and lies of their fellow tribalists when the authorities are investigating the suspected commission of a crime. Basically, a meaningless slur.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:42 amThere goes nk, harshing our buzz. I don’t know why anybody listens to me; I know nothing.
felipe (5b25e2) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:49 am79… as would the gak discovered in said toddler’s diaper…
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:53 amThat or the “powdered formula”
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:54 amNow I don’t mind having a category of “process crime”, the way we have categories of “sex crime”, “violent crime”, or “property crime”. What I mind is the implication that “process crimes” should not be crimes or be prosecuted. Anybody with a different opinion, go ahead and defend the charges against Jussie Smollett for me, please.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:55 amThat would justifiably be considered assault.
Narciso (464705) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:56 am@28
An admitted and convicted liar — of lying under oath before Congress.
(To steal a little bit of Gawain’s Ghost’s turns of phrase which are “I wish I’d said that” quality.)
That is what Trump’s friends and defenders should repeat endlessly and shout from the rooftops. Cohen lied before to please Trump and he is lying now to please Mueller. He is nothing but a liar.
Tom M (954e56) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:58 amThe strange thing about calling him and “Liar and Convicted Felon” is that he’s convicted of lying to congress, correct?
Isn’t that a process crime?
The type crime everyone is blowing off for George P, for Flynn, for Manafort, for Gates, for Stone?
I know he got convicted other stuff too, but only he’s the “convicted liar” to the partizans.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:55 am
I agree!
felipe (5b25e2) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:59 amIf any of those were testifying to that matter, now as to papadopoulos who was the predicate for this investigation there are sons interesting questions
Narciso (464705) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:02 amMr. Cohen, did you tear that tag off that mattress? Answer the question!
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:04 amThe GOP congresscritters are so incredibly foolish; they really need some training in television production techniques. ‘Cause Cohen is winning. They’re not going to the discredit his commentary, only heighten his visibility and content of his comments. The smart move would be to waive their five minutes, minimize Cohen’s TeeVee time, let him bleed out for a few hours and in two days he’ll be in the backwash of the cable news cycle. Badgering the dude only gives him more opportunities to respond with soundbites to harpoon the whale— and he’s very adept at it.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:13 am@89. That is a mythical crime. It’s the polite way of answering “None of your business” to the question “What are you in for?”. In England, it’s “Mopery” — exposing yourself to a blind person.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:14 am@91. Of course it is. But it makes for a great TeeVee moment.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:16 amWhat are these GOP congresscritters trying to signal by not wearing their suit coats?
Dress for success, fellas.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:20 amAt least Jordan isn’t wearing his wrestling singlet.
JRH (fe281f) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:24 amIt’s not a real hearing, if everyone’s favorite niece is present.
Narciso (395960) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:26 amLovechild… never meant to be
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:47 amLovechild (scorned by) society
Lovechild (different than) all the rest
Lovechild (Donald Trump) never second best
94, Jim Jordan wont meet his match until one of these “beauties” replaces Rose DeLauro:
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:49 amI can tell you Cohen won’t have to dodge a bullet from Jackie Speier!
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 10:51 amApparently ‘Charlie McCarthy’ suggested to the other GOP puppets to open their questioning with sympathy lines for the family to dampen down flames from Gaetz’s goof.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 2/27/2019 @ 11:27 amsh*t attracts flys. nuff said!
lany (956fff) — 2/27/2019 @ 12:41 pmOkay then:
Also, at today’s Cohen hearing, Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y. went on record to ask that there be an investigation into Gaetz:
Dana (023079) — 2/27/2019 @ 1:30 pm101… hopefully, she’ll be as rigorous in helping to clean up corruption in her own backyard.
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/27/2019 @ 1:38 pmShe promised to vote against Norma Desmond, did she?
Narciso (1eb6be) — 2/27/2019 @ 1:45 pmLeviticus is trying to reason with Munroe. Adorable. Let’s all see how that works out.
Patterico (115b1f) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:31 pmA crime committed by someone on my team.
Patterico (115b1f) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:32 pmDana (023079) — 2/27/2019 @ 1:30 pm
Speaking as a member of the Florida Bar, I would suggest their investigation of this episode does probably qualify as virtue signalling.
This is after all an organization whose presidents are supposedly elected for a one year term, but mysteriously only offer one candidate for the election. I can recall only one year in the last decade or so in which an annual election was held.
Kishnevi (aa8b14) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:42 pmIt seems to me that Congressman Matt Gaetz was not threatening Michael Cohen: He was gloating.
That should be obvious.
It was far too late to even remotely be considered a threat.
I also think that Matt Gaetz was most likely the victim of a hoax: Nothing was going to happen; no one was planning to expose any extramarital affairs of Michael Cohen. And is there anything we know about them even taking place?
Sammy Finkelman (b0ece0) — 2/27/2019 @ 9:59 pm“Leviticus is trying to reason with Munroe. Adorable. Let’s all see how that works out.”
Patterico (115b1f) — 2/27/2019 @ 8:31 pm
Didn’t think it merited a response.
Nobody in the entire thread alleged that witness intimidation was a process crime. So, why not go full tilt and go for murder?
Munroe (505c89) — 2/27/2019 @ 11:03 pmWhen Gaetz said this it really made me angry too and I know Patty and Popey wrote about it at the time as well:
” Barack Obama meant by “I’m the only one standing between you and the pitchforks”
The threat is readily apparent.
jb (681926) — 2/28/2019 @ 8:36 am“Process Crimes in the Time of Beria”… directed by Roger Corman, from American International Films.
Colonel Haiku (ac91f9) — 2/28/2019 @ 8:49 amI fail to see how anything in that tweet constitutes a threat, much less a crime. Was the statement boorish and imprudent? Absolutely. Criminal? Hardly.
By publicly revealing the supposed existence of Cohen’s alleged girlfriends in the tweet, the congressman had already shot his bolt. The statement “[s]he’s about to learn a lot…” seems to relate what she’ll experience when Cohen’s serving his sentence, and not to the pending testimony.
There’s an old expression that goes: “To a hammer, everything’s a nail.” The response to this makes me wonder if that expression could also go: “To an Orange Man Bad adherent, everything’s crime.”
Advocaat (e4b31b) — 2/28/2019 @ 9:15 amAlso, to violate US criminal code, 18 U.S. Code § 1512, is a crime.
Colonel Klink (Ret) (6e7a1c) — 2/28/2019 @ 11:39 amRealistically though, he’s not getting prosecuted, and the Bar may give him a slap on the wrist, but he’s not practicing anyway.
Gaetz has been a tool, is a tool, and will probably be forever a tool, it’s sort of baked in.
Colonel Klink (Ret) (6e7a1c) — 2/28/2019 @ 11:41 amA pin cite and some analysis would be helpful to your argument, Herr Oberst.
Advocaat (e4b31b) — 2/28/2019 @ 1:15 pmRep. Gaetz, overheard in a telephone conversation with Trump regarding Cohen:
Gaetz is a bad person, prioritizing personal loyalty to a bad person over any sense of morality or principle.
Paul Montagu (eab766) — 3/1/2019 @ 8:19 amThe Atlantic is always a good, unbiased source of information. They have no axes to grind with conservatives or Republicans.
Colonel Haiku (903a0b) — 3/1/2019 @ 8:26 amAd hom in lieu of substance noted.
Paul Montagu (eab766) — 3/1/2019 @ 8:50 amAs it happens, “you keep killing it” is the same phrase Democrats tell abortion doctors and also what Trump tells his besties, Supreme Leader Kim and President Putin. It’s so hot right now.
JRH (fe281f) — 3/1/2019 @ 8:53 amThe Atlantic was part of the ad hom anti-MAGA/smirk torch and pitchfork brigade, so there’s instant cred there.
Munroe (5a11f7) — 3/1/2019 @ 9:04 amThe Atlantic was who hired foul mouthed reporter who engaged in insinuations that the daily mail and the telegraph was forced to disavow.
Narciso (790c29) — 3/1/2019 @ 9:08 amNo brag, just fact, Paul.
Colonel Haiku (903a0b) — 3/1/2019 @ 9:24 amRe; Matterss label: in 1970, I think, they changed the wording on the label of the mattress tags.
It now reads “….except by the coonsumer.”
But the mattresses nowadays are “flame resistant” and can cause death in fires from toxic fumes.
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 3/1/2019 @ 9:38 amPaul Montagu (eab766) — 3/1/2019 @ 8:50 am
Where is the ad hom?
You may have missed the sarc in: Colonel Haiku (903a0b) — 3/1/2019 @ 8:26 am
felipe (5b25e2) — 3/1/2019 @ 9:43 amRe: process crimes: The objection to process crimes is when and if there is an accusation that there never was any underlying crime to prosecute.
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 3/1/2019 @ 9:46 am