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Not loving this new fraud based economy.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

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Petty moves from a petty man.

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It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

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You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Trump Crime Cartel / The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Reader Interactions

169Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    Now that his time is coming to an end, one hopes that many of his conversations were recorded and will soon be leaked.

  2. 2.

    cain

    I don’t think I can stand to hear an hour of this man’s voice. I already know he’s fucking crazy.

    I hope as Baud says that this is just the beginning of many more leaks. These supporters should be asked about every one of them especially fuckers like Cruz.

  3. 3.

    JPL

    @cain: I’m never gonna get this hour back.     just sayin    I like the part about movin out and movin in…

    trump is pretty repetitive so if they would just edit the tape and remove how many times he won the state and by how much, the entire tape would only be fifteen minutes.

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    You owe it to yourself to listen

    Have too much respect for myself and my blood pressure than to listen to an hour long lunatic tantrum. But thanks anyway.

    ;)

  6. 6.

    Tjlabs

    Remember that magic line that we’ve all been waiting for Trump to cross. Well he finally did. And when he crossed over it, he stripped off and took a giant dump.

  9. 9.

    Jeffro

    I hope it takes out the whole 2024 GOP “field”, such as it is.  Every last one of them knew exactly how corrupt this moron was/is, and how stupid/futile challenging the election results would be…and proceeded anyway.

  11. 11.

    JoyceH

    CNN is reporting that ALL living secs of defense are signing on to a letter condemning efforts to deny election results and rejecting talk of military use. Signers include Cheney.

  12. 12.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: wasn’t there a story from Michael Cohen that trump used to go through the motions of pretending to start a recording system in meetings to intimidate whoever was across the table from him, but he was too cheap to actually install one?

    also, too, no fire-breather is Dick Durbin

    Ryan Struyk @ryanstruyk 5m
    Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, says President Trump’s call with Georgia Secretary of State “merits nothing less than a criminal investigation.”

  13. 13.

    dr. bloor

    @Tjlabs: He crossed it several years ago.  The only question is whether his acolytes finally decide the emperor is naked enough to point and laugh, and the answer will be a resounding, “No.”

  14. 14.

    patrick II

    It strikes me how mob-bossish his conversation is.  He asserts lies as truth.  He asks Raffensperger to “find” more votes.  There is “evidence” of several instances of illegal or lost votes.  Find them or there could be legal consequences to Raffesnperger based on illegal voting.  It leaves Trump room for denial.  Cohen talked about this in his hearing.  People who follow his wishes and get caught pay the consequences, meanwhile Trump never says to do anything illegal, just “find” the lost votes that were illegally suppressed.

    I think he crossed the line this time, but he is a practiced liar and self-ass coverer.  If we give him credit for little else, he’s good at that, but might be playing above his rating.

  16. 16.

    mrmoshpotato

    @cain: I don’t think I can stand to hear an hour of this man’s voice. I already know he’s fucking crazy.

    Same.  I have to wait for captions on Seth Meyers’ A Closer Look if Dump is speaking in it, because I can’t stand his disgusting voice.

  17. 17.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @JoyceH:

    Signers include Cheney.

    Wow.

    I have been deeply skeptical of the idea of trump resigning in return for a pardon from Pence, in part because I think a self-pardon is just the kind of “strongly” show of dominance that would appeal to trump’s narcissism, but I wonder if this could scare him into it. Wouldn’t bet on it, but he’s not immune to panic.

  18. 18.

    LurkerNoLonger

    The WaPo story does a good job of conveying how pathetic Trump sounds practically begging the GA SOS to overturn the election.

  19. 19.

    patrick II

    @MazeDancer:

    Thank you. If it was a hardback version, I’d send it to Trump so he could put it on his nightstand next to his copy of Hitler’s speeches.

  20. 20.

    Amir Khalid

    @cain:

    You’d hear an hour of him desperately working the umpires two months after the game was decided. I can well understand deciding to give that a miss.

  23. 23.

    Mike in NC

    @cain:  I ‘m right there with you. I loath Trump’s body language, his clownish gesturing, the sound of his voice. Cannot stand to look at that bloated ugly orange-painted face. January 21st can’t arrive soon enough.

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    So will the losing team of the Super Bowl be filing suit that they really won by 20 points and the game and broadcast was rigged by Hugo Chavez working in concert with Colin Kaepernick and Fu Manchu?

    //

  25. 25.

    MattF

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: The advantage of a Pence pardon is that it would be valid. But a self-pardon (signed at 11:59 AM Jan 20) would result in drawn-out legal arguments and would push Pence off-stage, which is more Trump’s style. One or the other, I’d bet, though.

  26. 26.

    Punchy

    I still need to understand how suddenly “winning” GA would change the election result.  Did he expect to extort ALL the swings?

  27. 27.

    joel hanes

    short of the Nixon tapes

     

    This is far far worse than anything Nixon ever did or said.

    It’s far worse than Iran-Contra, which itself was far worse than Nixon.

  28. 28.

    Ohio Mom

    And here I was, patting myself on the back for making it through the entire four-minute highlights recording.

    Which was painful enough, and all I knew about several hours ago when I left my screen and started cleaning out the basement.

    A whole hour of Trump digging himself into that hole of of his is an embarrassment of riches.

    For a sleepy weekend, the news is sure accelerating.

  29. 29.

    p.a.

    Who thinks this will effect anyone who yesterday was stupid and/or craven enough to be a tRump supporter?  Even at the margins?  Fox, OANN, Newsmax, hate radio,  will smooth over the issue for any small percentage who might waver.  Congressional Republicans?  Hah!  Fascists don’t embarrass.  Agree w 13 ^.

  30. 30.

    MisterForkbeard

    @JPL: This is, incidentally, usually what the press does when they cover him. They edit his words so it’s not a complete word salad and report on what they think he meant.

    They’ve been doing this since 2015, though they’ve gotten better about it recently.

  33. 33.

    Ruckus

    I’d listen to this if I was on a jury of my peers, having to make a decision about his future.

    I don’t want to have to excuse myself because I listened to it out of a courtroom.

  34. 34.

    Elizabelle

    There’s a transcript by the WaPost.  For those who cannot stand to listen to Trump.  (Faster, too.)

    And I put up a lot of long excerpts on TaMara’s original thread.  One interesting point was that almost all the overseas vote (non-military) goes to Democrats.  That actual fact, apparently, came from Ryan Germany, counsel to Secretary of State Raffensperger.  Trump thinks he gets 78% of the military vote.  Don’t know how they arrived at that.

    Notice this taunt by Trump:  “they’re” is Stacey Abrams and those who got voting protections enacted.  When people vote, it’s harder for Republicans to win.

    And they’re going around playing you and laughing at you behind your back, Brad, whether you know it or not, they’re laughing at you and you’ve taken a state that’s a Republican state, and you’ve made it almost impossible for a Republican to win because of cheating, because they cheated like nobody’s ever cheated before.

  35. 35.

    Elizabelle

    Trump thinks he won Georgia by 500,000 votes.  He says that several times.  So it should not be that hard to come up with the just shy of 12,000 votes he needs.  He bullshits.  He pleads.

  38. 38.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Ben White @morningmoneyben 2h
    Seems like a joint statement from our living former presidents might be a thing that’s in order.

    Not holding my breath, but I will hope that future historians note that George W Bush, as ex-president, was once again passive, lazy and indifferent to a major threat to the country.

  39. 39.

    Zelma

    Cannot bear to listen to him.  I know it’s historical and all that.  (Also apparently hysterical in many senses of the word.). But I can’t do it.  I will read the transcript.  I’ve always enjoyed fiction.

    The problem is that the great majority of his devoted followers will either remain unaware of his insanity because it will not be covered by Fox, Newsmax or AONN or they will believe he is doing the right thing.  None are so blind as those who will not see.

  40. 40.

    waspuppet

    @Tjlabs: He crossed it in about 2015. You mean the line the people who get paid siz and seven figures to cover national politics have been waiting for him to cross. Yeah, he crossed it.

    (Stares)

    Wait — you didn’t expect them to DO anything about it when he crossed it, did you? At best they’ll call a couple of Republicans who will say they haven’t heard it, and Susan Collins will say “Yeah but I think he’s learned his lesson.”

  41. 41.

    Ruckus

    @patrick II:

    but might be playing above his rating.

    He has been playing above his rating for 4 yrs now.

    Way fucking above.

    This is just a few notches above what he’s been doing. Which in no way has been anywhere near actually presidential.

  44. 44.

    Barbara

    @Punchy: Yep.  If I had to speculate it’s that he believes that if one state changes the outcome it will trigger a lot of pressure on the others to “find” new votes or disqualify other ballots, and, if nothing else, lend some kind of momentum to whatever the seditionists are planning for Tuesday.

    I listened to all the excerpts that WaPo first published enough to have heard him wheedle Raffensberger to “recalculate” the votes by “finding” enough new ballots to shift the outcome.  And telling him that the consequences for him and his lawyer if they don’t would be “costly.”

    Fucking agent of chaos until the last.

  45. 45.

    The Moar You Know

     Did he expect to extort ALL the swings?

    @Punchy: Yes.  He thinks if he can get one to crack he’ll then be able to take it to the Supreme Court and get crowned for two more terms.  He really does.

    I think the Supreme Court, if put to it directly, would 9-0 deny his ass.  You don’t want to be that guy in the history books.

  50. 50.

    debbie

    I never thought I could be more appalled than I was when I listened to Nixon’s tapes. I was wrong.

  52. 52.

    NotMax

    IANAL, but extortion (which this mound of muck includes) is a criminal offense, and Dolt 45’s colleagues on the call probably qualify as culpable accessories.

    @BillinGlendaleCA

    Unbroken string of PERFECT phone calls. Greatest phone calls in American history, bigly.

    //

  53. 53.

    m.j.

    I listened for almost a half an hour. It was all I could take.

    He really believes what he is saying is true. He really, really does.

  56. 56.

    Elizabelle

    The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

    John.  That is such a perfect blogpost title.  LOL.  Props.

  57. 57.

    Mary G

    @Punchy: He seems to be operating on the domino theory – get Georgia and PA, MI & WI will see the light and fall in line. Just as stupid as any other idea he has.

  58. 58.

    patrick II

    @Ruckus:

    I understated that.  For the people who read this blog his lies are clear and evident.  But does his manner of speaking give enough cover for the Republicans or for his base?  It sounds strange, I know, but I think any shred they can grab onto helps them deny the truth.

  64. 64.

    Skepticat

    You owe it to yourself to listen

    I owe it to myself to protect my psyche from the dental drill of his voice, which I go to great lengths to avoid. I’ll wait for a transcript. I’ll also wait for consequences, but I don’t expect any.

  65. 65.

    zhena gogolia

    @Mike in NC:

    Upon reflection, I won’t even give him the title “mobster” — at least mobsters put themselves in danger. It’s too good for him.

  69. 69.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Ben White @morningmoneyben 2h
    Seems like a joint statement from our living former presidents might be a thing that’s in order.

    Not sure if a joint statement by Carter, Clinton, Cheney and Obama would have an impact.

  70. 70.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Lapassionara:

    Where is Barry Goldwater when you need him?

    I just imagined the ghost of Barry Goldwater appearing before Trump to tell him it’s over, only for Trump to call him a loser and tell an aide to call the Ghostbusters

  71. 71.

    Elizabelle

    Jen Rubin in the WaPost: It’s impeachable. It’s likely illegal. It’s a coup.

    ]

    … I have never favored prosecuting Trump for his conduct in office. [Learn up, Jen!] But pressuring a campaign official to change the vote tally is a federal offense, as former Justice Department inspector general Michael Bromwich tweeted Sunday, citing Title 52 U.S. Section 20511. That law states: “A person, including an election official, who in any election for Federal office … knowingly and willfully deprives, defrauds, or attempts to deprive or defraud the residents of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process, by … the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held” is subject to imprisonment of up to five years.

    Threatening Raffensperger with criminal consequences is also arguably extortion. Title 18 Section 875 of the U.S. Code reads: “Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”

    Alternatively, the state attorney general of Georgia might investigate and bring applicable charges under state law. That would have one clear advantage: Trump cannot receive a federal pardon for state crimes.

    There must be a response to a president who exploits his office for the purpose of overthrowing an election. The evidence is on tape. The next attorney general should move forward, if for no other reason, to deter further attempts at such reprehensible conduct. I would suggest impeachment as well, which could include a ban on holding office in the future, but we know already Republicans will defend anything Trump does.

    Maybe we are about to find out if Republicans will defend anything Trump does, when it’s clearly on tape — on youtube — for anyone to listen to.

  73. 73.

    cain

    @patrick II:

    Shit mob bosses talk like that in hollywood movies. Every one will recognize that conversation for what it is.

    What’s happening right now is – the right wing noise machine is looking for a way out, an explanation, something – and then when it finds one that might pass the smell test – it will start cranking in all channels – Fox News, OANN, Limbaugh – creating FUD – giving cover for Trump supporters to repeat those liars over and over again.

    This is how it all works. Fox News has nothing because they need to figure out how to spin t – their viewership will not be able to put up with this – they need a way to cover it. Messaging is happening in 4-chan and 8-chan.

  75. 75.

    Jay C

    @NotMax:

    So will the losing team of the Super Bowl be filing suit that they really won by 20 points and the game and broadcast was rigged by Hugo Chavez working in concert with Colin Kaepernick and Fu Manchu?

    That will probably depend on whether or not the team’s owners are Republicans…

     

    BTW, also being considerably far less of a masochist than to want to submit myself to listening to an hour of Donald Trump, I read the transcript as published in the Post.

    Lordy! The script is bad enough – it really doesn’t need the visuals or a soundtrack…..

  76. 76.

    RSA

    @patrick II:

    I understated that.  For the people who read this blog his lies are clear and evident.  But does his manner of speaking give enough cover for the Republicans or for his base?  It sounds strange, I know, but I think any shred they can grab onto helps them deny the truth.

    I suspect you’re correct, that to Trump supporters this will sound like a reasonable man making the case that he’s been treated unfairly.

  77. 77.

    cain

    @debbie:

    She’s angling for President – I reckon and needs to look more centrist. She knows that there is no way that Americans are going to do a Trumpist style candidate  – the next 4 years is going to be filled with oozing excrement of bad faith, mendacity of the highest calibre – drip drip drip.

  78. 78.

    debbie

    @Mary G:

    He’s doing his transactional thing. One step at a time.

    Also, I didn’t hear any bullying. What I hear him doing is that Art of the Deal thing where if you restate a lie often enough, it will be perceived as a truth.

    Nice to see he’s finally disproven that himself.

  81. 81.

    Zelma

    Below is the list of former Secretaries of Defense who have warned against involving the military in election matters.  Sort of impressive.

    Ashton Carter, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld

  82. 82.

    Punchy

    @cain: their viewership will not be able to put up with this

    I disagree.  I think they LOVE this.  Here’s a man strong-arming a nancy from GA.  Tuff Talkin’ Trump tells toady to tank tally.  They’d eat this shit up.

  83. 83.

    Patricia Kayden

    This tape of the Trump phone call is amazing. Unless you’re drunk on the Kool Aid, it’s glaringly obvious they just want to cheat. That’s it. Nothing clever. Nothing about patriotism or some higher calling. They’re just trying to cheat. t.co/3TOVetI6J5— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) January 3, 2021

  84. 84.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Dump doesn’t know who Barry Goldwater was – he was never in a porno.

    The lameos in the Senate would dismiss him as a RINO because he was pro-choice, pro gay rights, and hated the fundies.

  86. 86.

    cain

    @Punchy:

    But it’s only strength if he wins. He didn’t win – he’s a loser – and it does look bad – as a group they have lost face.

  88. 88.

    rikyrah

    If you listen to the tape of Trump’s call, you will hear that Mark Meadows, his White House chief of staff — whose salary we all pay — got into the act. Trump has been enabled and abetted by people like Meadows for four long years.— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) January 3, 2021

  89. 89.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Punchy:

    I disagree.  I think they LOVE this.  Here’s a man strong-arming a nancy from GA.  Tuff Talkin’ Trump tells toady to tank tally.  They’d eat this shit up.

    But it didn’t work. The “nancy from GA” held firm and even hung up on Trump.

    ETA: @cain: beat me to it, whoops

  90. 90.

    rikyrah

    New on @MSNBC: Statement from Biden Senior Advisor Bob Bauer: "We now have irrefutable proof of a president pressuring and threatening an official of his own party to get him to rescind a state's lawful, certified vote count and fabricate another in its place."— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 3, 2021

  91. 91.

    dmsilev

    Impeach him, this week. If nothing else, the House will make its unequivocal condemnation part of the historical record. And who knows, maybe by the end of this week Chuck Schumer will be Senate Majority Leader (cut a deal with Pence there; play ball and you get to be President for a week…).

  92. 92.

    Princess

    There are calls like this from Trump to AZ, MI, WI, PA, NV too. We know about this one since Raffensperger released the tape and the others didn’t.

    I love this whole story. I love how Trump is making those GOP Congressmembers wear his stink and dirt around their necks.

  94. 94.

    Punchy

    @cain: I admit….I realy dont know any longer how the neckbeards think about this shit.  It always seems like they excuse all his actions as 113-dimensional chess (see Qanon).  But WhoTF knows anymore…

  95. 95.

    LuciaMia

    just edit the tape and remove how many times he won the state and by how much,

    And what do you think the content of Monday’s rant in Georgia will mostly entail?

  97. 97.

    Ruckus

    @patrick II:

    If they haven’t figured it out by now (which includes this tape) they are never going to, they are willingly wanting him to do whatever to remain in power, because they LOVE his racism and his ability to always, always be wrong. Even the dipshit he’s talking to, threatening, knows that this is wrong and that he can’t go along with it, and he’s one of the anti-freedom fighters, he’s proved that, and he’s not going along. This is insane, this level of just plain bullshit he’s saying. I don’t need to hear it to know that. Just the fact that the republican SoS of GA knows it’s pure, insane bullshit is enough. And it’s not that I trust the GA SoS, it’s just that shitforbrains is insane, demented, deranged, disgusting and deluded, and the Republican, SoS of GA knows it.

  98. 98.

    Elizabelle

    @Princess:

    I love this whole story. I love how Trump is making those GOP Congressmembers wear his stink and dirt around their necks.

    Yep.  And those seditious Senators.  My first thought when the tape broke. This will splash back on them.

     

  99. 99.

    debbie

    I don’t have the stomach to listen to the whole thing, but apparently at about the 46-minute mark, Trump tells the SOS counsel he’s sure he’s a good lawyer because of his last name. I don’t know what the name is, but there are people on FB who see it as an anti-Semitic crack.

  102. 102.

    Patricia Kayden

    Technology Pro Tip: You can totally prevent the person on the other end of the line from recording you making criminal statements by……just not being a fucking criminal.— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) January 3, 2021

  104. 104.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Punchy:

    I admit….I realy dont know any longer how the neckbeards think about this shit.  It always seems like they excuse all his actions as 113-dimensional chess (see Qanon).  But WhoTF knows anymore…

    I’m old enough to remember when youngish people who normally wouldn’t follow politics actually called Barr, “Beast Mode Barr” right after the election when the lawsuits were being filed. I admit I don’t understand these people either

  106. 106.

    Patricia Kayden

    @debbie: Knowing Trump, it most certainly is a compliment with bigoted connotations since that’s just how he rolls.

  109. 109.

    Mike in NC

    ABC News is playing excerpts of Fat Bastard’s phone call and he sounds like a fucking deranged drunk.

  111. 111.

    scav

    @debbie: Germany.  So, anti-Semitic or anti-Semantic?  The latter somehow feels more probable. I’m really missing the sequitur.

  112. 112.

    Suzanne

    @Patricia Kayden: I know we (the royal we) have wondered, with every Trumpy disaster, what would finally, finally be the thing that caused his base to be done with him.

    I don’t wonder, because the answer is “none of them, Katie”. But I do enjoy the mental and spiritual discomfort that I see out of the few who do peel off.

  114. 114.

    Cheryl Rofer

    Just finished listening to the whole thing.

    I expected something more Mob-like from some of the quotes, but it’s all from “Used Car Sales For Dummies.”

  117. 117.

    dmsilev

    @Mike in NC: Only ‘sounds like’? I know he doesn’t drink, or at least that’s the claim, but he’s probably wired on God knows how many other mood-altering drugs at this point.

  118. 118.

    Patricia Kayden

    @zhena gogolia:
    Another good response to Collins:

    Imagine having your chance to get rid of this guy, blowing it, and then thinking co-signing a strongly worded letter shows political courage.— Harry (@DocEgonSpengler) January 3, 2021

  119. 119.

    Elizabelle

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):   I think it’s Germany.

    As in:  gave rise to the Nazis. Although:  Trump’s father’s family is from Germany.  His mom was Scottish.

    Could be nothing more than that, too, but “Nazis” is probably in the top 3 word associations with Germany.  For those who are not German or don’t spend a lot of time there.

  120. 120.

    different-church-lady

    Remember when you were five years old and you did something wrong, and when you got accused you just lied and said you didn’t do it, but then your parents presented evidence, and you knew you were caught, but because you were five you decided the best strategy was to just stick to your insistence that the lie was true to the point that you had yourself convinced that it was?

    Well, the President of the United States is a five year old.

  121. 121.

    Elizabelle

    @Cheryl Rofer:   Yes.  Did you notice he moves the “ask” a lot.  At some point, to just 11,000.  Which would not put him over Biden.

    Didn’t listen, but the disreputable (car) salesman came through loud and clear.  Just the language.

  124. 124.

    jonas

    @Punchy:  They’d eat this shit up.

    It’s tough to have a functioning democracy when 40% of your fellow citizens are straight-up fascists. I don’t know that it’s ever been any different, though. The difference now is that the politicians of a certain national party have decided to give in and indulge all the little authoritarians in our midst instead of telling them to stfu like they used to.

  126. 126.

    burnspbesq

    @cain:

    I already know he’s fucking crazy.

    This is way beyond crazy. If this recording is ever played for a grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia, Trump is getting indicted. He probably won’t go to prison because it only takes one Trumpkin to hang a jury, but the cost of two trials could go a long way toward bankrupting him.

  128. 128.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Susan Glasser @sbg1
    The very worrisome question is why all 10 living former Secretaries of Defense, including Trump officials Esper and Mattis, chose to speak out now. What is the scenario they are worried about?

    Honest to god, I had forgotten about Mattis. When I saw ten former SecDef had signed a letter, he never crossed my mind. Cheney and even Esper were the ones who stood out.

    Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom 4m
    Suggests that someone in the building made phone calls. Could be anything from election interference to Iran, or both, or more. Because 2020 isn’t over until January 20.

  130. 130.

    dmsilev

    Have any GOP Reps or Senators come out to say ‘nothing to see here, folks, go about your business’? Usually at least a few crawl out from under a rock immediately after Trump did something horrible, but I haven’t seen any yet.

  131. 131.

    Yutsano

    Need a palate cleanser?

    Listen to Bryan Tyler Cohen interview Jaime Harrison about what’s happening in the Georgia race, needed a cigarette after I did. And it made me feel for Leto’s people. This man is brilliant.

  132. 132.

    Mary G

    More pollution of our sacred traditions:

    NEW: Trump is expected to give Rep. Devin Nunes the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — on Monday, and to give the same award to Rep. Jim Jordan next week. t.co/mtk1u7JL9z— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) January 3, 2021

  133. 133.

    Elizabelle

    I was thinking of Angela Merkel laughing — perhaps uncomfortably after a minute’s reflection, on the damage the madman can do in his remaining days — on hearing Trump’s call.

    I think Putin might be laughing too.  And he would be thinking “no one would ever survive releasing that tape against me.”

  136. 136.

    WaterGirl

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom 4m
    Suggests that someone in the building made phone calls. Could be anything from election interference to Iran, or both, or more. Because 2020 isn’t over until January 20.

    I seem to be missing his point.  What does this have to do with the Defense secretaries writing the letter?

  137. 137.

    MomSense

    I was busy doing chores and then took a nap.  The family text was full of Lordy there are tapes and blackmail dialogue that sounded like it was from a bad movie.
    Then I found out it was real life.  Incredible.

  139. 139.

    jonas

    @Mary G: What’s next? Johnny Manziel voted into the NFL Hall of Fame? Milli Vanilli inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

    I keep wondering what the new low will be. Last week it was pardoning those Blackwater Einsatztruppen in Iraq. Now it’s the felonious call to the GA SOS. This can’t get worse. Yet it does. Every time.

  140. 140.

    zhena gogolia

    @WaterGirl:

    Someone “in the building,” i.e. in the government now (I assume he means the Pentagon by “building”), called one of them to warn them something horrible was afoot. Nichols has been beating the drum that he’s going to start a war with Iran.

  141. 141.

    dmsilev

    @WaterGirl: I think he’s saying that someone in the Pentagon was worried enough about …something that they organized this response from the Secretaries.

  142. 142.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @debbie:

    an anti-Semitic crack.

    Trump has a history, from before being President, of spouting anti-semitic tropes.  The thing is, he thinks being greedy and conniving are admirable traits and sees no problem with not being loyal to America.  He is deeply racist, but I believe that Jews are his ‘model minority’.

    EDIT – @WaterGirl:

    Suggests that someone in the building made phone calls.

    It suggests to me that the former defense secretaries read the Joint Chiefs issuing that statement that the military will not interfere with the election, one decided they should second that, and they got into contact with each other.

  144. 144.

    Elizabelle

    Here’s the letter from the Defense secretaries, published in WaPost today:

    Ashton Carter, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld are the 10 living former U.S. secretaries of defense.

    As former secretaries of defense, we hold a common view of the solemn obligations of the U.S. armed forces and the Defense Department. Each of us swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We did not swear it to an individual or a party.

    American elections and the peaceful transfers of power that result are hallmarks of our democracy. With one singular and tragic exception that cost the lives of more Americans than all of our other wars combined, the United States has had an unbroken record of such transitions since 1789, including in times of partisan strife, war, epidemics and economic depression. This year should be no exception.

    Our elections have occurred. Recounts and audits have been conducted. Appropriate challenges have been addressed by the courts. Governors have certified the results. And the electoral college has voted. The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived.

    As senior Defense Department leaders have noted, “there’s no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of a U.S. election.” Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory. Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.

    Transitions, which all of us have experienced, are a crucial part of the successful transfer of power. They often occur at times of international uncertainty about U.S. national security policy and posture. They can be a moment when the nation is vulnerable to actions by adversaries seeking to take advantage of the situation.

    Given these factors, particularly at a time when U.S. forces are engaged in active operations around the world, it is all the more imperative that the transition at the Defense Department be carried out fully, cooperatively and transparently. Acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller and his subordinates — political appointees, officers and civil servants — are each bound by oath, law and precedent to facilitate the entry into office of the incoming administration, and to do so wholeheartedly. They must also refrain from any political actions that undermine the results of the election or hinder the success of the new team.

    We call upon them, in the strongest terms, to do as so many generations of Americans have done before them. This final action is in keeping with the highest traditions and professionalism of the U.S. armed forces, and the history of democratic transition in our great country.

  146. 146.

    Suzanne

    @Mary G:

    Trump is expected to give Rep. Devin Nunes the Presidential Medal of Freedom 

    Maybe Biden can give a Best Bovine Award to Devin Nunes’ Cow.

  149. 149.

    debbie

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    A couple of years ago, he was speaking to some pro-Israeli group (not AIPAC or J Street), and he said something like, “You’re horrible* people, but you have to support me.”

    (or terrible, maybe)

  150. 150.

    WaterGirl

    @Elizabelle: Okay, that was more than just about the peaceful transition of power.  They are also warning about the military getting involved in the election disputes would be danger, unlawful and unconstitutional  And that people who did so would be held accountable.

    And then moved into pointing out that they aren’t fulfilling their legal obligations because they are not carrying out the transition that allows Biden and company to know what the hell is going on.

    Now it all makes perfect sense.  Thanks for saving me from having to search for the letter.

  152. 152.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Princess: There are calls like this from Trump to AZ, MI, WI, PA, NV too.

    AZ, maybe, but I believe the Secretaries of State for MI, WI, PA and NV are Democrats who would politely tell him to get fucked.

  154. 154.

    Elizabelle

    @WaterGirl:   This line stood out for me.  The “a party.”  It’s not just Trump.

    Each of us swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We did not swear it to an individual or a party.

  156. 156.

    Brachiator

    So listening to the tape, Trump is saying that he is going to “release” this crap about Georgia voter fraud during the Monday rally. Sounds a bit like a veiled threat that he expects the GA officials to give him what he wants.

    Blabbers on about “what you’ve done to the president” and “people hate what you’ve done to the president.”

    Disgusting.

  157. 157.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Elizabelle:

    @Cheryl Rofer:   Yes.  Did you notice he moves the “ask” a lot.  At some point, to just 11,000.  Which would not put him over Biden.

    Common tactic among Turkish carpet salesmen: If you can move the customer mark even by a dollar, the whole negotiation resets at the higher price and the salesman gains confidence he can eventually nudge, drag or bludgeon you into paying too much for the shmatte. (I had it tried on me when I was there in ’96: “Can’t you even offer me a dollar more?” Nuh-uh, champ.)

  158. 158.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    The AZ SOS is a Dem too, so she would also tell Trump to get fucked. Trump has tried to call Doug Ducey, the AZ Governor lol, but that hasn’t worked either

  160. 160.

    Jay C

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Apparently, Trump DID call somebody in Arizona (probably Kelli Ward, their Official GOP Looney-tune); at least the Party has issued huffy tweets about the Grand Damn Shame of GA peeps “leaking” the call, and noting how “strong and clear” President Clown-ass sounded on the phone…

  161. 161.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Brachiator:

    Trump is saying that he is going to “release” this crap about Georgia voter fraud during the Monday rally.

    One of the signs to me that he truly believes his own conspiracy theories.  He thinks their pathetic bullshit data dumps are damning evidence and everyone will be sorry for doubting him!

  163. 163.

    RepubAnon

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Trump won ‘t resign and have Pence pardon him, because Trump would need to trust Pence to actually sign the pardon.  Trump doesn’t trust anyone… he’d expect Pence to say “Thanks, Donny!  Officers, please arrest this man and take him to the New York Attorney General’s office for processing…”

    I could see Trump claiming that he really won, and having the My Pillow Guy administer the oath of office to Trump…

  165. 165.

    dww44

    @p.a.: Interestingly, Fox has been backing away from Trump.  Don’t know how they’re treating the release of this recording, though.

  166. 166.

    RSA

    @Elizabelle:

    Could be nothing more than that, too, but “Nazis” is probably in the top 3 word associations with Germany.  For those who are not German or don’t spend a lot of time there.

    …which is ironic, right? Given that Germans today think more highly of democratic ideals than do Americans, based on some measures at least.

  167. 167.

    Bill Arnold

    Maybe of interest. (I’m not absolutely sure this is the current code; just what google found)
    GEORGIA CODE (Last Updated: August 20, 2013)
    Title 21. ELECTIONS
    Chapter 2. ELECTIONS AND PRIMARIES GENERALLY
    Article 15. MISCELLANEOUS OFFENSES

    Section 21-2-604. Criminal solicitation to commit election fraud; penalties

    (b) (1) A person convicted of the offense of criminal solicitation to commit election fraud in the first degree shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than three years.

  168. 168.

    joel hanes

    @patrick II:

    This is a direct attack on the democratic form of American government under the Constitution,  and on the rule of law.

    I stand by my claim.

  169. 169.

    dnfree

    @geg6: I was obsessed by Watergate also, and I’ve been obsessed by Trump the same way for more than four years. I am so looking forward to getting some space in my head back.

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