67 Comments

Once again, *rump proves that while he may have the *right* to remain silent, he totally lacks the ability.

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He simply can't help help himself or his legal problems...give him an audience and off he goes, on a Burroughsian stream-of-consciousness rant in an act of self-immolation...LOL!

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He seems to genuinely believe that somehow if you say something on TV it CAN’T be used against you.

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Same thing Shrek said to another ass.

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🤣🤣🤣

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“People think you have to go through a ritual. You don’t — at least in my opinion, you don’t.”

I mean, who would know more about the classification process than a game show host? That’s definitely the opinion I trust.

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Sep 15, 2023·edited Sep 15, 2023

I mean he was president, even if in name only (can we call him PINO?) so any and all "rituals" should have been explained to him early on since we all know he knew nothing about civics or the constitution. And I like how he calls it a ritual as though even if, in his opinion, he had to do something it would have been just for show. But I agree, I wouldn't trust his opinion on anything

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I’m so stealing “PINO”!

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I was kind of proud of that one LOL

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Short for Pinocchio, fits also!

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With the long e sound, of course!

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I may never drink wine again.

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Ha! Prosecco works nicely.

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DUDE - THIS NEEDS TO BE A SHIRT!!! Seriously! I'd buy it!

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The reason we give deference to presidents’ opinions is because they have access to experts and knowledge that we don’t. Trump %*+= all over that. His entire pitch, starting in 2015, was that he already knew more than anybody about everything, and that he wouldn’t have to listen to anyone or learn anything. (And by extension, his followers didn’t have to either. It’s an entire political movement composed of people who peaked at 13.)

I know he was (sort of) elected president. But that’s why I will only ever call him a game show host.

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100% agree

He still doesn't listen to anyone... not even his lawyers who he is paying. HAHAHA that part about paying is a joke.

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To his credit, not many other game show hosts are also mob boss con men!

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Sep 15, 2023·edited Sep 15, 2023

Like the song says (NoFX): “The Idiots are taking over”.

Sadly appropriate lyrics for the times, even though it was written in/about the Shrub years.

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+idiots+are+taking+over+lyrics

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But the question is, did the explanation include a puppet show so Cheetolini could understand it????

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And, tRump says that he will "testify under oath that he didn't order surveillance tapes at MAL destroyed"...I mean, WTAF? His lawyers would NEVER put him on the stand, knowing his penchant for serial lying and self-incrimination. Sure, add perjury to the charges...LOL!

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Trump to an oath is like a vampire to a cross.

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Am I missing something? It seems to me that the "ritual" is a legal process, thus making it's requirement a *fact* rather than an *opinion*. In my opinion, this is the crux of Trump's hyperflexible approach to truth: he appears to perceive no difference between fact and opinion, believing instead that whatever his opinion is, it is the truth simply because it's what works best for him.

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Re: Judge Shutkan: SC Smith and his team did a quite marvelous effort in opposing the recusal motion by citing the sentencing of multiple Jan6 defendants who invoked the "He made me do it!" pleas, and Judge Shutkan's very reasonable comments about "highers-up" who promoted the violence in line with defendants' claims.

Re: Hunter Biden: The recent decision by the 5th CA, Daniels v United States, could bear heavily on the Biden case, as a three-judge panel vacated the conviction of Patrick Daniels on firearms possession by a drug user by citing the Supreme Court's Bruen decision, which greatly broadened 2nd Amendment protection for gun possession. Daniels was charged under circumstances nearly identical to those of Hunter Biden, and in fact in another case, Rahimi v United States, where a person convicted of domestic violence was later found guilty in federal court of illegal firearms possession based upon the earlier verdict, the 5th CA also threw out the possession charge, citing Bruen. Both appellate decisions are headed to SCOTUS to test the expansive limits of Bruen, but there is a decent chance that the Biden charge might be tossed, if there is a motion to dismiss at the time of Hunter Biden's arraignment.

All those Repubs who hold to the "sacredness" of the 2nd Amendment may be disappointed to find that a political target of theirs could successfully beat a charge by invoking that self-same Amendment.

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BTW, for a really deep dive into DOJ's responses to tRump's recusal motion, please check out the detailed commentary by Marcy Wheeler at her Emptywheel site - she has the prosecutors' receipts!

https://www.emptywheel.net/2023/09/15/by-asking-for-tanya-chutkans-recusal-trump-invited-a-lesson-in-his-centrality-to-january-6/

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Wow! Thanks for sharing.

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Certainly if scOTUS sides with the 5th Circuit, Hunter will walk. The GOP faces the perennial problem of having cake and eating it too.

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Their current problem is doing a face-plant into that cake - see Kevin McCarthy.

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Seems the hypocrisy of the GQP ammosexuals is showing . . .

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Another gem from that interview, thanks to Jim Wright for picking it up.

"In an interview with Megyn Kelly today on Kelly's podcast, Donald Trump said he didn't know who gave Dr. Anthony Fauci a presidential commendation.

He did.

It was him."

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Sep 15, 2023Liked by Jay Kuo

HUNTER BIDEN IS NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!

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Sep 15, 2023·edited Sep 15, 2023

but the people buying the BS don't care. It just adds to their "Biden crime family" scenario

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Sep 15, 2023Liked by Jay Kuo

He was and always will be an idiot. He uses magical thinking like a child, which is what he is

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At least children are cute and sweet sometimes; the former guy, not ever!

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Trump claims ELECTION INTERFERENCE!! for "Biden’s DoJ weaponization" against his alleged wrongdoings, which are, (checks notes,) in fact well documented.

Trump also claims the "Biden Crime Family's" corrupt actions, which are, (checks notes,) literally non-existant, justify opening an impeachment inquiry.

Who is truly engaged in Election Interference??

Ding!

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How people still support this man is beyond my comprehension!

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My God. To think this egotistical maniac at one time had the nuclear codes. 🤦‍♀️. “A ritual”. JFC!!!

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the hypocrisy of the pro gun GOP pushing for gun charges. But hypocrisy is their specialty

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Trump's lawyers really should know better than ask him to sit quietly. Not going to happen. I mean.... have they MET the guy?

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I've said elsewhere that the Orange Horrorclown couldn't keep quiet even if his life depended on it. So far he's proving me right.

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I just can’t imagine being his attorney!

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I can’t imagine why anyone would be his attorney!!

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You are DEFINITELY not alone. I honestly don't understand why anyone in their right mind would take him on. I would love it if they got fed up and walked out on him... and he got stuck with an assigned public defender, like the rest of us.

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I definitely wouldn't wish that on any public defender.

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I sincerely hope that they ALL insisted on getting paid upfront - it’s the only way that they’ll get any money out of him!

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Thank you. I've been waiting all day for the NRA to come to Hunter's defense. After all, he's the epitome of what they want. A white guy who can get a gun whenever he wants, no matter what. Jeez. The media, on the other hand can't get enough of this. They're practically drooling when the report that the son of the President of the United States has been indicted on gun charges. This is a first... Ugh. Sadly, we should be talking about Ivanka and Jared along with cokehead Jr and all the weapons he loves showing off, mostly by killing defenseless animals, being charged with something, but on and on they ramble about Hunter and his father's age. Oy.

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Jay, can you point to a time when this gun charge has EVER been adjudicated in court as a stand alone charge?

It will be fun to see the heads of the MAGA cult explode if he gets off because of the case in federal court. I think he will get off anyway, it's clear he would not have been prosecuted for his taxes or the gun charge if his last name wasn't Biden.

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author

Legal affairs columnist Harry Litman addressed this head on. He wrote that “the charges Weiss brought are rarely pursued for their own sake. The department does bring such charges against defendants who use improperly obtained firearms to commit other crimes. And in one or two instances, prosecutors appear to have used such charges against defendants whom they knew to be particularly dangerous. But this indictment over an isolated lie by a relatively harmless firearm applicant seems to be without precedent.”

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Thanks Jay! We can always count on you to bring the facts.

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Thanks Jay! Let’s play again soon.😁

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If accomplishing recusal of a judge is so difficult, does that mean getting Judge Cannon off the documents case will be difficult, or more or less impossible? Or is Smith waiting because he expects her to say or do something so egregious it will be a slam-dunk?

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author

It won’t be by recusal but by error that shows her prejudice. So far, she has not shown cause for that.

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However, *Judge* Cannon has still not scheduled a Garcia hearing AFAIK, which bears heavily upon "fairness of representation" by counsel regarding defendants Nauta and De Olveira, and previously, defendant Taveras, now a witness for the prosecution. This hearing could be critical, especially regarding the testimony of Taveras and the attempt to destroy incriminating videos showing shifting of boxes containing classified papers away from FBI searches.

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I do think that, selective as the indictment of Hunter may be, what it does NOT include any charges that his business dealings were illegal--much less that President Biden was involved. Gaetz is going on about all the evidence--the laptop, the bank records, etc etc. But Weiss HAD all that, ever since the trump years. And clearly doesn't consider it to be evidence worthy of prosecuting.

Gaetz, in turn, hasn't even SEEN the actual laptop or what might be on it. And the bank records Comer found turned out to be a nothingburger.

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