Judge Not That Ye Be Not Judged

That is at least for the next four years but one should always have a back-up plan just in case.


Attribution: Pardoning of the turkeys by John Darkow, Columbia Missourian

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22 thoughts on “Judge Not That Ye Be Not Judged”

  1. Judge dismisses charges against Trump in D.C. election case after Jack Smith request – CBS News

    ashington — The federal judge overseeing the 2020 election case against former President Donald Trump agreed to dismiss the charges following a request from special counsel Jack Smith, bringing to a close the historic and unprecedented prosecution of the nation’s 45th and 47th president.
    U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted Smith’s request just hours after he said in a filing that he is seeking to close Trump’s case because Justice Department policy forbids the prosecution of a sitting president.
    “After careful consideration, the department has determined that [the Office of Legal Counsel’s] prior opinions concerning the Constitution’s prohibition on federal indictment and prosecution of a sitting president apply to this situation and that as a result this prosecution must be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” Smith wrote in his filing. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the government stands fully behind.”
    The special counsel noted the historic nature of Trump’s prosecution and subsequent election to the presidency, writing that the “department and the country have never faced the circumstance here, where a federal indictment against a private citizen has been returned by a grand jury and a criminal prosecution is already underway when the defendant is elected president.”
    But after consultation with the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, the special counsel said “the department’s position is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated.”
    Smith said in his six-page motion that he conferred with Trump’s lawyers, and they did not object to the request to drop the case. The special counse sought to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could decide to charge Trump again after he leaves office in January 2029.
    Chutkan said in a brief opinion that dismissing the case without prejudice is “appropriate” in part because it is “consistent with the government’s understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting president is temporary, expiring when they leave office.”
    In response to Smith’s request to drop the charges, Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesman, said in a statement, “The American people re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate to make America great again. Today’s decision by the DOJ ends the unconstitutional federal cases against President Trump and is a major victory for the rule of law. The American people and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country.”
    The judge’s approval of Smith’s request to dismiss the case and toss the four federal counts against the president-elect was expected. The special counsel is also likely to submit a final report to the attorney general and resign before Trump takes office. Smith’s request was not a surprise, as he and the Justice Department were in talks about how to wind down the prosecution after Trump was elected to a second term earlier this month. The special counsel consulted with Attorney General Merrick Garland about the decision to drop the case.
    […]
    The White House declined to comment on Smith’s filing to dismiss the charges.
    “I’d refer you to the Department of Justice, and I would just underline that the president is proud to have restored the independence of the Department of Justice when it comes to critical matters — criminal matters,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said.
    […]
    Now, with both of Smith’s cases closer to being settled, he is likely to file a final report with the attorney general, as is required by special counsel regulations, and is expected to resign from his post before Trump is sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2025, two sources familiar with Smith’s plans previously told CBS News. Garland pledged to publicly release all special counsel reports completed during his tenure — a commitment he has so far upheld — and he is likely to do so in the Smith cases, too. Prior special counsels have testified before Congress about their reports, and Smith could, as well.
    Should the public release of Smith’s report stall for any reason and be delayed into the Trump administration, the odds of its disclosure become increasingly slim, since the president-elect has said he intends to nominate many of his top defense attorneys to leadership roles within the Justice Department.
    Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who defended Trump in the two federal cases and other matters in New York, are set to serve as deputy attorney general and principal associate deputy attorney general respectively, two powerful posts within the Justice Department. Trump has said he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the top job as attorney general.
    He has also selected D. John Sauer to serve as solicitor general, who represents the government before the Supreme Court. Sauer argued the immunity case on behalf of Trump in April.

  3. but wait!  for an added bargain, FREE while they last, get a buddy for your First Buddy

    On Dec. 21, Jimmy Kimmel introduced the world to Fauci on a Couchi in a hilarious and very on-brand 2020 remix to the beloved Elf on the Shelf helper. Except unlike the smiley and spirited elf, Fauci is not messing around.

  4. and speaking of the 1st buddy and co-president-elect, here’s Seth last night talking about Elon and other DOTUS buddies

    Seth takes a closer look at Trump claiming he would declare a national emergency and use the military to round up migrants when he takes office while Republicans try to cover up a bipartisan ethics report on sex trafficking allegations against Trump’s attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz.

  5. back to thread topic as others see us:

    from BBC Triumph over over Jack Smith legal cases seals Trump’s comeback

    It was not a legal or political earthquake so much as a reflection of the new balance of power in the nation’s capital.
    […]
    After years of living in legal jeopardy, Trump’s election victory appears to have all but wiped away those concerns, leaving four years to focus on governing and implementing his agenda. It is perhaps the most immediate and tangible consequence of his return to the apex of political power.
    More than a year of work by dozens of government lawyers, including hundreds of interviews and subpoenas and millions of dollars spent, has ended not with the bang of a gavel, but with the click of an electronic court filing.

  6. Even with the charges dropped Trump will probably still need to pardon himself past and future. So many crimes yet to commit. And when he orders others to break laws he can go back to his first term promise, pardon them too.

  7. Somewhere the DOJ has gone off the track.  The self-imposed rule to destroy itself combined with a court that used to be supreme has now created a dictator.  There is nothing left to control the low intelligence orange idiot. Well, maybe one of the veins will blow out during a temper tantrum. There is little else left.

  8. DOTUS-elect is known for his reluctance to pay bills and fees for jobs done for him. even for those that have favorable outcomes, it has been reported he sometimes doesn’t pay, discounts them or makes other arrangements.

    this excerpt from the CBS report at top of thread is perhaps an example of his “creativity” financing such bills and fees:

    Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who defended Trump in the two federal cases and other matters in New York, are set to serve as deputy attorney general and principal associate deputy attorney general respectively, two powerful posts within the Justice Department. Trump has said he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the top job as attorney general.
    He has also selected D. John Sauer to serve as solicitor general, who represents the government before the Supreme Court. Sauer argued the immunity case on behalf of Trump in April.

  9. ProPublica: How Trump Plans to Seize the Power of the Purse From Congress

    His plan, known as “impoundment,” threatens to provoke a major clash over the limits of the president’s control over the budget. The Constitution gives Congress the sole authority to appropriate the federal budget, while the role of the executive branch is to dole out the money effectively. But Trump and his advisers are asserting that a president can unilaterally ignore Congress’ spending decisions and “impound” funds if he opposes them or deems them wasteful.

    https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-impoundment-appropriations-congress-budget?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature

     

  11.  

    Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

     

    Allies of President-elect Trump are taking aim at Denver Mayor Mike Johnston over his pledge to protect undocumented immigrants from possible mass deportations under the incoming administration.
    Why it matters: Colorado already had a target on its back in the wake of exaggerated claims of Venezuelan gang activity in Aurora — where Trump has vowed to start his deportations — and Johnston’s recent defiance may make that bull’s eye even bigger.
    Catch up quick: In a Denverite interview published last Wednesday, Johnston said he would use Denver police to stop federal forces from deporting migrants.

    “More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston said. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right?”
    Two days later, Johnston softened his stance in a 9News interview but insisted his administration and local residents would resist those deportations. He also said he is “not afraid” to go to jail to stop Trump’s efforts.

    The other side: Johnston’s remarks sparked criticism from Trump’s allies, including Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk, who Trump tapped to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency.

    Trump Jr. mocked the mayor on X, writing on Saturday: “Your terms are acceptable.” Musk responded in agreement to Trump Jr.’s post with the “100” emoji.
    On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) added fuel to the controversy when he suggested on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Johnston could be removed from office if he blocks federal plans.

    The latest: In a statement to Axios Denver yesterday, Johnston held firm: “If Donald Trump tries to break the law and abuse his power, he will get no help from us.”

    Johnston also said his administration is “considering a number of options to strengthen protections” for immigrants.

    What we’re watching: Johnston’s bold stance could set up a clash between federal and local authorities and position Denver as a litmus test for how other sanctuary cities resist Trump’s immigrant enforcement in his second term.
    Full story

  13. https://www.vulture.com/article/questions-for-hollywood-trump-mergers.html

    “After all, it was Trump’s White House that slow-walked AT&T’s acquisition of the old Time Warner because, per reporting from The New Yorker in 2019, Trump personally asked for it to be blocked because of his anger at CNN. And with tech figures like Elon Musk heavily allied with Trump, plus folks like Jeff Bezos and Apple’s Tim Cook rushing to congratulate and praise Trump’s wins, it’s quite possible Trump’s team will not want to do any favors to old media companies. The further disintegrations of legacy media is something they probably welcome.”

    “As for CNN: The network that made fighting back against Trump’s endless lies part of its whole identity back when Jeff Zucker was in charge is now controlled by Zaslav, who has made no secret of his belief that CNN was too tough on Trump. Under his watch, CNN became more boring and more open to platforming Trump apologists, and the result has been catastrophic to its ratings.”

    “But we’ve also seen platforms start pushing to find shows that serve audiences that might be more, let’s just say, Trump friendly: Amazon earlier this year did a deal to make “faith-based” programming, while Netflix has gotten into making biblical docuseries (and of course Paramount+ has long been turning into the Real America Streamer with its endless Taylor Sheridan content).”

     
     
     
    *Orange Adolf (the adjudicated rapist who paid hush money to a porn star and bragged about grabbing women by the p***y) and  his Chicken-fried Taliban (who all seem to have a graveyard full of skeletons) won’t ask “WWJD?” but “what would the actual Taliban do?”

  15. It’s hard to imagine how terrifying it must be to be a trans person, or the parent of one, in America right now.
    Donald Trump and his party, having triumphed in an election in which they demonized trans people, seem hellbent on driving them out of public life. Democrats, some of whom blame the party for staking out positions on trans issues that they couldn’t publicly defend, are shellshocked and confused. Democratic leaders have been far too quiet as congressional Republicans, giddy and vengeful in victory, seek to humiliate their new colleague, Representative-elect Sarah McBride, a Democrat from Delaware, by barring her and other trans people from using the appropriate single-sex bathrooms in the Capitol. -Michelle Goldberg

     
    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/opinion/democrats-trans-issues-sarah-mcbride.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c04.je77.Fv5zX1d5v_Kd&smid=url-share

  18. Sarah McBride was on The View, and she was magnificent.   The Dem bench is always so deep, and now Ed add another amazing, smart person to the roster.  Sadly, half of America is just made up of bigots. 

  19. https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-transition-news-11-26-24/index.html
    “At her daily news conference, Sheinbaum started by reading out a letter to Trump, who had threatened tariffs if Mexico didn’t stop “criminals and drugs” from entering the US.

    “President Trump, neither threats nor tariffs will solve the issue of migration or drug consumption in the United States,” Sheinbaum said. “Cooperation and shared understanding are required to face these important challenges.”

    “Imposing one tariff would mean another comes in response, continuing like this until we put shared companies at risk,” she added.
    “For example, some of the largest exporters from Mexico to the United States are General Motors, Stellantis and Ford Motor Company, which arrived in Mexico 80 years ago,” Sheinbaum said. “Why impose a tax that puts them at risk? It’s unacceptable and would cause inflation and job losses in Mexico and the United States.”
     
     
    I’m so glad he has to deal with a woman President.  I hope she bests him at every turn. 

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