So the FBI has raided Trump’s club/home/heist room-Mar-a-Lago and the ex-president is none too happy about it. “They even broke into my safe!” Trump complained in a press release that is real, yes he really said this. If this raid sends us crashing into a civil war, at least we ha a few laughs along the way.
On Twitter,, lots of laughter. Here are some highlights. Then feel free to discuss the raid in the standard open thread way; add links to news articles, tweets, memes, whatev.
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@GSS ex-noob:
That’s what I’m worried about. If there’s anything worse than a second Trump term, it’s an actually-competent actual fascist getting in instead of a grifter of no fixed politics (other than “more money for me and my nepotistic brood”, that is) with a single-digit IQ in fascist drag.
And, given half a chance, DeathSentence will live up to his name, perhaps for all of us (climate change) and certainly for a vast number of poor, queer, female, and of-color people.
I don’t know who Scott Perry is, but the FBI have seized his phone too.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/09/scott-perry-says-phone-seized-fbi
@ gaebolga
I’d love someone with appropriate photoshop skills to rotoscope Hobbes over Brad Pitt.
He is a bit tigery.
Poor old Donald. Retaining classified documents used to just be a misdemeanour, but in 2018 some president signed a law making it a felony. Something about email servers.
@Alan Robertshaw:
Gaaaahhhh, why did you have to remind me about Conrad Black. He’s still doing columns for the National Post, and the only thing he seems to have learned after his stint caused by him removing documents on camera was that he needs to be even more of an aristocratic asshole. And Black is throwing his support behind the Pierre Poilievre, the candidate for the Conservative Party leadership who is in favour of normalizing BitCoin as currency in Canada and who was playing footsie with some of the Covid-19 anti-mandate protesters.
And the comments about deSantis remind me… there’s sadly a good chunk of the Republican party that’s like him, and they do want Trump out of the way solely so that they can inherit and more competently steer the mob that Trump generated. So we may be getting help from inside the Republican party to get rid of Trump so long as they don’t have to be obvious about it, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Had no idea Trump himself made his own behaviour a felony! What a perfect example of a villain hoist with his own petard.
(come to think of it, Trump much more so than Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who never knew what was in the original letter they were ordered to deliver)
And now they’re coming for his co-conspirators’ phones. The actual physical ones, not just the data.
Cheeto Benito’s niece (who loathes him and writes books about why) pointed out that the easiest way to prove how “innocent” he is would be to release his copy of the warrant. Of course, he can’t do that. Also, he’s pleaded the 5th to the civil case in NYC, which, being civil, is pretty much an admission of guilt.
Moscow Mitch might be wishing he didn’t keep Garland off the Supreme Court, but he’s pulled his head back into his shell. Turtled up, as it were. 🙂 🐢
They’re applying to unseal the warrant; so if the court allows that I’ll get a copy and post it here.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/11/politics/garland-announcement-justice-department/index.html
@Alan: I eagerly await that. Even though Mr. Mar-a-Lardo* himself could have released it instantly.
If they don’t wanna give it to you, I’m sure one of your US buddies can get it and forward it.
The downright most ridiculous court proceedings I ever read was the infamous “Cockygate”, where some romance author (not named Karen but Faleena) tried to get a judge to agree with her attestation than another author and indeed all writers were not allowed to use the word “cocky” in the titles of their books, that she held the copyright. Much laughing and extra publishing of books bearing just that word happened immediately, some for charity.
But read it here for yourself!
https://www.thefussylibrarian.com/newswire/for-authors/2018/06/01/cockygate-hearing-transcript-released
*one of the many, many names Colbert’s viewer have come up with — here’s a list from December, and they just keep coming.
@GSS ex-noob:
There’s an anecdote about Warner Brothers threatening to sue over the title of the Marx Brothers’ movie A Night In Casablanca, arguing that they had the rights to ‘Casablanca’ in movie titles. Groucho reportedly said that if they tried pulling that, “We’ll sue them for ‘Brothers.’”
@ moon custafer
There’s a film company that makes sort of lower budget independent films. One of their executive producers (i.e. financial backers) insisted that he have a part in every film.
So he gets a small scene each time.
But apparently he fancies himself as a bit of a ladies’ man; and sees it as an opportunity to impress women.
So, no matter what the role, they always credit him as “Gay delivery man”, “Gay police officer”, “Gay man on telephone” etc.
I know that’s petty, and possibly a bit homophobic, but it still makes me laugh. And as he does keep funding them presumably he’s not too bothered.
@ gss ex-noob
It transpires that, so long as I clock up less than $30 per quarter in document requests the US Govt refunds my money! :-). It was also pointed out to me that the cost will be $0.30, not $3.00. So I think I might risk the investment.
I’ll see you and raise.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/business/omegaverse-erotica-copyright.html
But thank you for that; I do love me a transcript. And I need some content for the new media law channel; and that really fits.
“I have in my hand a piece of paper…”
Well, a pdf anyway.
And for when people say “Show us the receipts!”
Ok
(They’re not very exciting)
Now expect the GOP to say “That doesn’t count. Unseal the supporting affidavits!”
@Alan: Good job!
Nothin’ dangerous about boxes of “miscellaneous top secret documents” lying around where foreign oligarchs (especially Russians) wander in and out.
LOCK HIM UP! (since we don’t hang people for treason any more)
I’ll be happy if they can just get him barred from public office.
According to one political server I lurk on, at least some of those documents are on the ‘if even one piece of paper gets misplaced lock down the entire base until it is found’ security level.
And Trump was keeping that stuff in an unsecured basement in his unsecured house? D:
Trump claimed yesterday that it’s okay for him to keep the documents, because he declassified them. There’s a formal process for that, and the National Archives wouldn’t be demanding them back if he had done so. Supposedly there are also limits to that, the president can’t declassify just anything, but I don’t feel like checking for certain. Regardless, I’m guessing that either this claim is performative for the Fox News crowd, or else he somehow thinks that deciding that they’re declassified and then not telling anyone is fine, because he was the President.
Although it seems a bit bare bones, we can glean something from the warrant.
These are the actual offences the FBI say they are investigating.
The first two are relatively innocuous. They just relate to having the documents.
But that last one. That’s all based on why you are retaining the documents. So what investigation do they mean? The warrant is promulgated on their being such an investigation in progress.
@RedSilkPhoenix:
But her emails …
@Alan Robertshaw:
I find it interesting that “classified documents about nuclear weapons are lying about where Russian agents can easily get at them” is insufficient “good cause” to be serving the warrant at any time even if it might disturb some poor orange bastard’s sleep …
FBI considers former POTUS to be flight risk. That’s normal, right?
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-claims-fbi-agents-took-his-passports-during-raid-2022-8?r=US&IR=T
@Surplus: Treasonous bastard wasn’t even there, he was in New Jersey. I suppose getting called by panicked Mar A Lardo staff might have awakened him.
@Alan: Doesn’t that happen to every ex-President?
Won’t help, he’s got private jets and “friends” with same, and you know Putin will be thrilled to take him in. No need for a passport in that case.
They’re still arguing about whether to release the affidavit that supported the application for the search warrant. Have managed to get hold of the front page of the application though.
Those are tick boxes you don’t want to see over your breakfast Maccy D’s.