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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We still have time to mess this up!

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

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The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

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There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

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There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Holy Cow! Breaking News in the Mar-a-Lago Documents Case!

Holy Cow! Breaking News in the Mar-a-Lago Documents Case!

by WaterGirl|  March 21, 202310:26 pm| 280 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Trump Indictments

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Holy cow-ski!  Tomorrow should be interesting, to say the least.

BREAKING: Potential earthquake coming in Mar-a-Lago documents case. DC Circuit sets unprecedented schedule requiring Trump counsel to submit filing by midnight TONIGHT and then DOJ to reply by 6 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Did the court see evidence of national security threats?

— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) March 22, 2023

Corcoran/Trump appealed. The DC Circuit will hear the appeal — but normally that process would take MONTHS.

Instead they’re making the lawyers submit everything in HOURS.

This is completely unheard of.

— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) March 22, 2023

Also, this isn’t just a schedule from a single district court judge who’s just feeling cantankerous.

This is from a 3-judge panel of the DC Circuit, the second most important and prestigious court in America after the Supreme Court.

There is likely something brewing here.

— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) March 22, 2023

NEWS: An appeals court panel has temporarily blocked Judge Howell’s “crime-fraud” order against Trump attorney Evan Corcoran but set a series of rapid deadlines — including at midnight tonight and 6am tomorrow — to resolve the matter.

w @joshgerstein https://t.co/xKcvdjhxaM pic.twitter.com/KKmvtLfuMK

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 22, 2023

Updated to add more info: (Politico)

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed Howell’s order temporarily on Tuesday night, ordering an extraordinarily rapid series of filings in a matter of hours — including one from Trump’s team by midnight Tuesday.

The appeals court’s order — from Judges Cornelia Pillard, J. Michelle Childs and Florence Pan, all Democratic appointees — doesn’t identify Corcoran or the case at issue but makes clear that the government was on the winning side of the case in Howell’s court.

The three-judge panel is asking Trump’s attorneys to specify the precise set of documents at issue by midnight and for Smith’s team to respond by 6 a.m. Wednesday to the Trump team’s demand for a longer stay of Howell’s ruling.

A spokesperson for Smith declined to comment Tuesday on the closed-door fight.

The appeals court order followed the filing by Trump-linked attorneys of a pair of appeals and stay requests tied to Howell’s decision, which came on the final day of her seven-year tenure as chief judge of the federal District Court in Washington.

The parallel submissions asked the appeals court to block Howell’s decision while the appeals go forward, docket entries show. The appeals were first reported by CNN. The short-term “administrative” stay granted Tuesday night does not appear to signal whether the appeals court will decide to keep Howell’s order on ice as full legal briefing proceeds in the dispute.

The Trump campaign statement issued Tuesday evening also dismissed Howell, a former Democratic Senate aide appointed by former President Barack Obama, as a “Never Trump” judge.

Howell’s secret order on Friday required Corcoran to testify about matters he and Trump had claimed were subject to attorney-client privilege. Her order relied on the “crime-fraud exception,” which permits investigators to pursue evidence that would ordinarily be privileged but contains evidence of likely criminal conduct.

As chief judge, Howell supervised all disputes arising from grand jury proceedings happening in Washington. That responsibility passed Friday to U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, who succeeded Howell as chief, but only after Howell issued the potentially momentous privilege ruling in the Trump-related legal fight.

The Trump camp’s public attack on Howell appears to be its first aimed at the veteran jurist, with Trump notably avoiding attacks against her while she single-handedly presided over the numerous grand jury disputes arising from investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and into the classified documents.

Even after handing off the chief’s position, however, Howell continues to hold significant sway over matters connected to Trump’s inner circle. On Tuesday, she held a hearing in a lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers against Rudy Giuliani, chiding the longtime Trump ally and his lawyer for what she described as an inadequate approach to required exchanges of evidence in the matter.

Proceedings related to the classified-documents grand jury, including efforts by prosecutors to compel Corcoran’s testimony, are occurring under seal — typical for nearly all grand jury proceedings.

However, the appeals court’s docket shows that the rulings being appealed were issued on Friday and correspond to a dispute that was filed with the District Court on Feb. 7. That’s just days before media reports emerged of an effort by Smith to force Corcoran to appear before a grand jury investigating the handling of classified records by Trump and his aides.

Just before noon Tuesday, the appeals court consolidated the two appeals without further public explanation. Of the three judges assigned to the dispute, Pillard is an Obama appointee, while Childs and Pan are appointees of President Joe Biden.

(CNN)

On Tuesday, Trump’s team sought emergency intervention from the appeals court. Three judges from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals have moved fast to respond, as they are still considering whether to put the decision from Howell on hold.

Judges Nina Pillard, Michelle Childs and Florence Pan of the DC Circuit have demanded more information and arguments by early Wednesday morning, setting a deadline for Trump and his lawyers by midnight and for prosecutors to respond by 6 a.m.

The extremely tight deadlines – a turnaround essentially unheard of in this court – indicates the seriousness of the matter.

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Reader Interactions

280Comments

  1. 1.

    Kristine

    March 21, 2023 at 10:29 pm

    🍿🍿

  2. 2.

    Suzanne

    March 21, 2023 at 10:31 pm

    I am not seeing this reported anywhere….

  3. 3.

    different-church-lady

    March 21, 2023 at 10:33 pm

    Will hold all my enthusiasm until something really happens.

  4. 4.

    Raoul Paste

    March 21, 2023 at 10:34 pm

    And if the deadlines are missed?

  5. 5.

    bbleh

    March 21, 2023 at 10:35 pm

    @Suzanne: yet

    Assuming true, I guess I could come up with a few alternative hypotheses, from the very mundane to the more serious, but …

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfqCn9AjDtk

    See what tomorrow brings.

  6. 6.

    anitamargarita

    March 21, 2023 at 10:35 pm

    I am seeing reporting from Politico on this just now

    tweets from Kyle Cheney

  7. 7.

    PaulB

    March 21, 2023 at 10:36 pm

    Yeah, I’m a bit skeptical, personally, particularly with the “reply by 6 a.m.” bit. I can’t really think of an emergency that requires that the DOJ get a filing at midnight and respond 6 hours later.

    These documents were in Trump’s hands for years and now it’s an emergency that requires this kind of immediate action? I’ll wait for confirmation.

    Edited to add that it looks like Politico is confirming, anyway, based on the link below. I’m still a bit skeptical.

  8. 8.

    scav

    March 21, 2023 at 10:36 pm

    @Suzanne: here maybe?

    The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed Howell’s order temporarily on Tuesday night, ordering an extraordinarily rapid series of filings in a matter of hours — including one from Trump’s team by midnight Tuesday.
    The appeals court’s order — from Judges Cornelia Pillard, J. Michelle Childs and Florence Pan, all Democratic appointees — doesn’t identify Corcoran or the case at issue but makes clear that the government was on the winning side of the case in Howell’s court.

    ETA also CNN?

  9. 9.

    bbleh

    March 21, 2023 at 10:36 pm

    @Raoul Paste: not an expert in procedure, but my understanding is, “this is your chance to say something before we rule,” so if they don’t say anything, the ruling might happen more quickly.

  10. 10.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    March 21, 2023 at 10:37 pm

     

     

    @different-church-lady:

     

    @Suzanne: CNN reporting it.

  11. 11.

    Manyakitty

    March 21, 2023 at 10:39 pm

    Well dang. I was just dozing off. Now I’m wide awake 🤠🍿🍿

  12. 12.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 21, 2023 at 10:39 pm

    @anitamargarita: Yup, this tweet has a copy of the order, including the deadlines

  13. 13.

    Ruckus

    March 21, 2023 at 10:40 pm

    @bbleh:

    See what tomorrow brings.

    Tonight is bringing rain harder than I’ve seen in Los Angeles in a very, very long time. Lota decades long – it just started coming down a lot harder. The street in front of my unit is fully under water. It wasn’t 1 minute ago. It’s running about half way up the curb and like a river all the way across.

  14. 14.

    Steeplejack

    March 21, 2023 at 10:40 pm

    @Suzanne:

    Lawrence O’Donnell started talking about it at the top of the hour, but I got a phone call from a friend and missed the content. I assume Stephanie Ruhle will hit it big-time at 11:00.

  15. 15.

    bbleh

    March 21, 2023 at 10:43 pm

    Per CNN, it’s a response to an emergency appeal.  And amusingly, they’re demanding an emergency response from the lawyers.  Really, this is more fun than we deserve on a Tuesday at 10pm.

  16. 16.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 10:44 pm

    I have to say that my heart rate is up!

  17. 17.

    Quinerly

    March 21, 2023 at 10:49 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    That’s what I am waiting for. Larry O now interviewing Mary Trump.

    O’Donnell annoys me. Used to like him.

  18. 18.

    Carlo Graziani

    March 21, 2023 at 10:51 pm

    Unpicking the tweets, it seems that the hurry-up schedule applies to the appeal of Corcoran’s stripped immunity (I had to read it three times to get it).

    So, they really, really want Corcoran, under oath. Now.

    And by stripping his immunity they’ve as good as announced that DOJ showed compelling evidence that Corcoran committed a crime. A serious, leisurely-court-schedule-breaking crime. By inference, his immunity would be instrumental to the crime.

    Hush-money II: The Return of Michael Cohen, maybe? Fruman got sentenced to a year, but never agreed to testify. What moved him to do that?

  19. 19.

    Mike in NC

    March 21, 2023 at 10:52 pm

    Does Fat Bastard have a plane on call to take him and his vile spawn to Moscow?

  20. 20.

    bbleh

    March 21, 2023 at 10:54 pm

    @Ruckus: yeah this whole global warming thing …

    Water has a high specific heat, which makes it a very good medium for transporting energy, and since global warming means a lot more energy in the atmosphere, it kinda follows that a lot more water’s gonna be moving around.  And by all accounts, it’s only just starting.

    Hope nothing is getting soaked that can’t be dried out.  And likewise, I hope there’s enough water for LA (and AZ, and and and) in the years to come.

  21. 21.

    Splitting Image

    March 21, 2023 at 10:54 pm

    @bbleh:

    See what tomorrow brings.

    Maybe a diamond ring.

  22. 22.

    piratedan

    March 21, 2023 at 10:54 pm

    as seen elsewhere…..

    “the dildo of consequences, rarely arrives lubed”……

  23. 23.

    bbleh

    March 21, 2023 at 10:55 pm

    @piratedan: lol omg

  24. 24.

    C Stars

    March 21, 2023 at 10:56 pm

    @Ruckus: It’s coming down hard here in Alameda County, has been since this morning and our power has been out since 5pm. If what hits you is anything like what we’re getting, best to be prepared. I.e. charge up your phone and computer.

  25. 25.

    Jackie

    March 21, 2023 at 10:58 pm

    @Suzanne: Lawrence O’Donnell is covering it…

  26. 26.

    twbrandt

    March 21, 2023 at 11:00 pm

    @piratedan: actual lol. I am so stealing that.

  27. 27.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:01 pm

    Could it be a simple as the DOJ and the courts are realizing that they can’t let Trump’s bullshit delays delay prosecution until it’s too late?

  28. 28.

    bbleh

    March 21, 2023 at 11:01 pm

    @Carlo Graziani: So, they really, really want Corcoran, under oath. Now.

    Or they’re just sick of the BS, and they’re saying ok, you said it’s an emergency, show us the emergency.

    Or the prosecutors have convinced them that since a HUGE and reasonably urgent effort is near the end, there are legitimate reasons to bring it to a conclusion quickly, and if that means bulldozing over meritless last-minute pro-forma objections, let’s do it.

    Or maybe it has something to do with Howell retiring.

    Or whatever.  I guess I’m skeptical that Corcoran’s testimony is that crucial.  But it’s too late to make a new batch of popcorn.

  29. 29.

    Steeplejack

    March 21, 2023 at 11:02 pm

    @Quinerly:

    😹 Reverse for me. I used to think he was lazy, but something about Trump energized him, and he has been better the last few years. His permasmirk may be offputting, however.

  30. 30.

    kalakal

    March 21, 2023 at 11:02 pm

    @piratedan: lol!

  31. 31.

    A Good Woman

    March 21, 2023 at 11:03 pm

    @Carlo Graziani:

    This is Steve Vladeck’s take

  32. 32.

    Jackie

    March 21, 2023 at 11:03 pm

    Six a.m. ET? I guess that’ll time nicely with my middle of the night trip to the bathroom lol

    Morning Joe might be interesting!

  33. 33.

    Steeplejack

    March 21, 2023 at 11:05 pm

    And Symone Sanders-Townsend is subbing for Stephanie Ruhle. Mostly rehashed stuff so far.

  34. 34.

    redoubtagain

    March 21, 2023 at 11:05 pm

    “He’s the Man Who Broke The Bank In Monte Carlo Who Broke The Law At Mar-A-Lago”

  35. 35.

    A Good Woman

    March 21, 2023 at 11:06 pm

    @Mike in NC:

    His 757 is airworthy but he would likely need to refuel somewhere before finding shelter in a friendly nation with no extradition.  Having to refuel could be a real problem if he wanted to escape the country.

  36. 36.

    Carlo Graziani

    March 21, 2023 at 11:08 pm

    @A Good Woman: Makes sense.

    Also, from the CNN story:

    The DC Circuit judges also mention documents involved in the dispute, asking that Trump’s side “specify” them. The court order doesn’t explain any further what’s happened with documents. But Corcoran also was ordered to hand over a number of documents, including handwritten notes and notes transcribed of a verbal conversation.

    Someone present at a private, criminal conversation snitched on them. DOJ has a witness.

  37. 37.

    Quinerly

    March 21, 2023 at 11:09 pm

    @piratedan:

    How have I lived this long and never heard this?

  38. 38.

    Eduardo

    March 21, 2023 at 11:10 pm

    @WaterGirl: I have to say that you have me now in a state incompatible with sleeping 😆

  39. 39.

    prostratedragon

    March 21, 2023 at 11:10 pm

    @WaterGirl:  That has occurred to me. I’ve been happy lately to see  a lot less patience with his bullshit.

  40. 40.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:11 pm

    @Jackie: That made me laugh.

  41. 41.

    trollhattan

    March 21, 2023 at 11:12 pm

    “SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING YAAAAAAAH!”

    Or so I guess.

  42. 42.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    March 21, 2023 at 11:13 pm

    Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop doing meth

  43. 43.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:14 pm

    @A Good Woman: Which grand jury?  Dammit, they need to be specific!

  44. 44.

    Redshift

    March 21, 2023 at 11:15 pm

    @Carlo Graziani:

    Someone present at a private, criminal conversation snitched on them. DOJ has a witness.

    So you’re saying someone took notes on a criminal conspiracy? 😀

  45. 45.

    Another Scott

    March 21, 2023 at 11:16 pm

    @A Good Woman: Thanks.

    IANAL, but that makes sense to me.

    Sensible courts, no matter how far they’re pushed, don’t like doing unusual things that cause difficult problems for other government functions.  If them doing anything at all would interfere with an investigation in a bad way, they’re going to try to act to prevent any disruption – in this case, to the grand jury.

    We’ll see!

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:16 pm

    @Carlo Graziani: Can you say more?

  47. 47.

    Quinerly

    March 21, 2023 at 11:16 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    I remember him before 2016 saying over, and over, and over that Trump would never be President. Used to like LOD but he grates on me now. He was just so confident pre 2016. And it’s like the same shtick. He was very, very wrong then as we all know.

  48. 48.

    Layer8Problem

    March 21, 2023 at 11:17 pm

    @piratedan:  Curses; this would be rotating-tag-worthy if it wasn’t a family-friendly blog.

  49. 49.

    prostratedragon

    March 21, 2023 at 11:18 pm

    @Redshift:  I guess you have to do it if your fugazy plan is to jump up and down and point, saying, “He did it!”

  50. 50.

    Steeplejack

    March 21, 2023 at 11:19 pm

    Ugh. That was a pretty worthless A-block on MSNBC. Guess we’ll get more information—or scorching hot takes 🙄—in the morning.

  51. 51.

    Captain C

    March 21, 2023 at 11:21 pm

    @A Good Woman: Not to mention that whichever pilot flew him out could have some real career-ending-grade problems soon after.

  52. 52.

    bbleh

    March 21, 2023 at 11:22 pm

    @Redshift: a criminal fucking conspiracy.

  53. 53.

    Steeplejack

    March 21, 2023 at 11:23 pm

    @Quinerly:

    Yes, well, a lot of people were wrong in 2016. Including some here, hard as it is to believe.

  54. 54.

    Redshift

    March 21, 2023 at 11:24 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    His permasmirk may be offputting, however.

    That was always it for me, going back to the Keith Olbermann days, even though Lawrence does pretty good work. I was asked why I liked Keith and not Lawrence, when they covered pretty much the same things. And it was because Keith (whatever his faults) came with an attitude of righteous indignation, and Lawrence’s was smug self-certainly. He’s gotten better, but he still has a bit of it.

  55. 55.

    Mai Naem mobile

    March 21, 2023 at 11:25 pm

    @piratedan: sounds like a rotating tag for BJ.

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:25 pm

    I assume when you guys are saying grand jury, you mean NY not GA?

    Is there any reason that the DC Circuit Court would know if/when the NY plans to indict Trump?

    If this is related to that, then whoever picked 8am on Wednesday for the indictment to be handed down probably wins the pool. :-)

  57. 57.

    Redshift

    March 21, 2023 at 11:26 pm

    @bbleh: I bow to your superior on the spot memory.

  58. 58.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:26 pm

    @Mai Naem mobile: There’s no synonym for dildo, so we can’t even make it G-rated.

  59. 59.

    dmsilev

    March 21, 2023 at 11:27 pm

    @WaterGirl: Seems doubtful; neither the NY case nor the GA one is in Federal court.

  60. 60.

    Gvg

    March 21, 2023 at 11:28 pm

    This was posted here a few hours ago, but I didn’t know enough to see it as a big huge deal. It just seemed funny. Someone made a joke about he’d never seen judges order lawyers to pull an all-nighter before.

    There was a link then.

    I don’t even know enough to know if these people in the tweets know what they are talking about. So far not names I recognize. If it’s a big deal, we’ll know soon I guess.

  61. 61.

    CaseyL

    March 21, 2023 at 11:29 pm

    @WaterGirl: No, this appears to be related to the classified documents case.

    Judge Howell had ruled there was sufficient evidence of a crime that client-attorney privilege was broken, that Trump may have lied to his attorney at the time (Corcoran) who then (un?)wittingly lied to the Justice Department about whether any more classified docs were being withheld.  She ordered Corcoran to produce any handwritten notes, memos, and etc., pertaining to discussions of the classified documents.

    Trump appealed her ruling.

    The Appeals Court has ordered Trump’s team to file their appeal brief by midnight tonight, and the DOJ to respond by 6:00 AM.

  62. 62.

    eclare

    March 21, 2023 at 11:30 pm

    @Splitting Image:   Love the Wilburys.

  63. 63.

    tobie

    March 21, 2023 at 11:30 pm

    Good thing I have lots of dishes to do. This will keep me up till midnight to see what’s reported regarding Trump’s filing.

  64. 64.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:30 pm

    @Redshift: Is you takin’ notes on a criminal fuckin’ conspiracy?

  65. 65.

    oldgold

    March 21, 2023 at 11:31 pm

    I have seen tight filing/briefing deadlines, but never a deadline running from midnight until 6:00 AM. Completely crazy. Something must be up.

  66. 66.

    sdhays

    March 21, 2023 at 11:31 pm

    @bbleh: No, no. That’s the other crime for which Dumpy Dump is awaiting imminent (?) indictment.

  67. 67.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:32 pm

    @sdhays:

    That’s the other crime for which Dumpy Dump is awaiting imminent (?) indictment.

    This is Trump.  I think you need to be more specific. :-)

  68. 68.

    Redshift

    March 21, 2023 at 11:33 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Is there any reason that the DC Circuit Court would know if/when the NY plans to indict Trump?

    As I understand it, no. There can be coordination about who goes first or who has the better case if they’re investigating the same conduct, but not just for different matters involving the same target.

  69. 69.

    Another Scott

    March 21, 2023 at 11:34 pm

    @WaterGirl: The Mar-a-Lago classified documents stuff is in federal court.  IIRC, because it involves classified documents, by law it is assigned to a federal specific court in DC (that’s one reason why Judge Cannon was slapped down for interferreing with it).  It’s also assigned to a federal grand jury in DC.

    APNews.com (from March 17):

    Corcoran had already appeared weeks ago before the federal grand jury in Washington investigating the Mar-a-Lago matter, but he had invoked attorney-client privilege in declining to answer certain questions. That privilege protects lawyers from being forced to share with prosecutors details of the conversations they have with clients.

    Prosecutors can get around that privilege if they can convince a judge that an attorney’s services were being used in furtherance of a crime — a principle known as the crime-fraud exception. The Justice Department invoked that exception in this case, arguing to Beryl Howell, the outgoing chief judge of the federal court in Washington, D.C., that more testimony was needed.

    Howell issued her order granting at least some additional testimony before the end of her tenure Friday as chief judge. She is being replaced as chief judge by James “Jeb” Boasberg, a fellow Obama appointee who has served on the federal bench since 2011.

    HTH!

    [eta:] – remember a grand jury is the body that issues indictments.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  70. 70.

    eclare

    March 21, 2023 at 11:34 pm

    @Steeplejack:   I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, I may be up when Morning Joe comes on here at 5 am.

  71. 71.

    NotMax

    March 21, 2023 at 11:35 pm

    Much as I am loath to cite John Erlichman, the phrase “twisting slowly, slowly in the wind” comes to mind.

  72. 72.

    Jackie

    March 21, 2023 at 11:36 pm

    ABC News just published their take and TFG didn’t care for it lol

    “In response to ABC News, a Trump campaign spokesperson said, in part, “Shame on Fake News ABC for broadcasting ILLEGALLY LEAKED false allegations from a Never Trump, now former chief judge, against the Trump legal team.””

    “”The real story here, that Fake News ABC SHOULD be reporting on, is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever,” the spokesperson said.“

    https://abcnews.go.com/US/sources-special-counsel-claims-trump-deliberately-misled-attorneys/story

  73. 73.

    eclare

    March 21, 2023 at 11:37 pm

    @piratedan:   Sentiment forwarded on…

  74. 74.

    BenCisco 🇺🇸🎖️🖥️♦️

    March 21, 2023 at 11:37 pm

    @WaterGirl: Steely Dan begs to differ.

  75. 75.

    Mallard Filmore

    March 21, 2023 at 11:38 pm

    @bbleh:

      This channel has some interesting data on winds, currents, anomalies, data from buoys …

    Geared toward surfers and waves but also intriguing for plain weather.

    https://www.youtube.com/@Stormsurf001

  76. 76.

    CaseyL

    March 21, 2023 at 11:38 pm

    @WaterGirl: The one hearing the documents case, which I guess is in DC.  We haven’t heard much about that one since Jack Smith took over.

  77. 77.

    Omnes Omnibus

    March 21, 2023 at 11:38 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​
      It is the federal grand jury that is hearing evidence on the classified documents case.

  78. 78.

    Steeplejack

    March 21, 2023 at 11:38 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    I believe it’s the federal grand jury related to the Mar-a-Lago documents case. Jack Smith, in short.

  79. 79.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:38 pm

    @Another Scott: Yeah, I know all that. This is the part that leaves me confused.

    Yes, it’s very unusual for a court of appeals to set a briefing schedule, even on an emergency stay, with deadlines at midnight and 6 a.m.

    One explanation is that something strange is afoot.

    But another is that the panel is just trying to avoid interfering with the grand jury.

    — Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) March 22, 2023

    I don’t know what grand jury he is suggesting they are trying to avoid interfering with.  NY? DC?

  80. 80.

    eclare

    March 21, 2023 at 11:39 pm

    @CaseyL:   Good summary in non-lawyer speak, thank you!

  81. 81.

    Another Scott

    March 21, 2023 at 11:40 pm

    @WaterGirl: No.  The DC grand jury.

    :⁠-⁠)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  82. 82.

    CaseyL

    March 21, 2023 at 11:40 pm

    Midnight on the East Coast is only 9:00 here on the West Coast, but I very much doubt the filings will be made public that quickly.

    OTOH, 6:00 AM is 3:00 AM here, and I have to be in the office tomorrow, so I probably won’t be awake for the DOJ rebuttal filing.

    Maybe some news will have broken by the time I’m in the office.

  83. 83.

    dmsilev

    March 21, 2023 at 11:41 pm

    @Jackie:

    “”The real story here, that Fake News ABC SHOULD be reporting on, is that prosecutors Trump lawyers only attack lawyers prosecutors when they have no case whatsoever,” the spokesperson said.“

    Slightly more truthful.

  84. 84.

    sdhays

    March 21, 2023 at 11:41 pm

    If only Merrick Garland would DO something.

  85. 85.

    eclare

    March 21, 2023 at 11:41 pm

    @WaterGirl:   Are you still watching The Wire?  I know at one point you had started it.

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:43 pm

    @CaseyL: @Omnes Omnibus: @Steeplejack:

    See the tweet at #79, where the fellow seems to be saying maybe this is no big deal.

    There have been delays of month after month with everything.  What could possibly be going on that they have to have resolved before 8am tomorrow, because otherwise it would interfere with the Jack Smith grand jury?

    That’s my sticking point; obviously I am having trouble communicating about it.

  87. 87.

    A Good Woman

    March 21, 2023 at 11:44 pm

    @WaterGirl: the Mar a Lago classified docs case from what I have read.

  88. 88.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:45 pm

    @eclare: I gave up after 2 or 3 episodes – it was hard to keep all the characters straight, especially since I had seen many of them for years as the characters.

    So the attorney from Suits is is a detective and not an attorney.  And the Lt from Bosch was not a cop.  I felt like i needed a scorecard.

    Since then, several people have suggested that it takes about 5 episodes for the puzzle pieces of who’s who fit together.  So at some point I will try again.

    So many great actors!

  89. 89.

    oldgold

    March 21, 2023 at 11:48 pm

    Tapes!

    “Sources added that Howell  ordered Corcoran to hand over a number of records tied to what Howell described as Trump’s alleged “criminal scheme,” echoing prosecutors. Those records include handwritten notes, invoices, and transcriptions of personal audio recordings.”

  90. 90.

    eclare

    March 21, 2023 at 11:49 pm

    @WaterGirl:   Could also be that the judge doesn’t want to give TFG’s team time to manufacture stories and lies.  Kind of a pop strip search.

    IMHO

  91. 91.

    Steeplejack

    March 21, 2023 at 11:49 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    “Just trying to avoid interfering” sounds like bullshit. Someone else on legal Twitter said that with that schedule something big is definitely afoot.

  92. 92.

    Tom Levenson

    March 21, 2023 at 11:49 pm

    @WaterGirl: Consoladar.

  93. 93.

    CaseyL

    March 21, 2023 at 11:50 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    If the GJ is currently in session, and waiting on Corcoran’s testimony, then the Appeals Court may want to resolve the appeal in time for Corcoran to testify on schedule.  (Or not, if the Trump lawyers prevail.)

  94. 94.

    Omnes Omnibus

    March 21, 2023 at 11:52 pm

    @WaterGirl: I have no idea.  Obviously some piece or pieces of evidence are rather inflammatory.  We will find out.  But it’s probably nothing since Garland and Smith are secret GOP moles who are betraying their oaths by even continuing to breathe or something.

  95. 95.

    eclare

    March 21, 2023 at 11:52 pm

    @WaterGirl:   Gotcha.  For me it took four episodes and the arrival of Omar.  Then I was hooked.

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:54 pm

    This is interesting.

    Big day coming up.

    An indictment in NY might be the second worse thing that happens to him.

    — Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) March 22, 2023

  97. 97.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:55 pm

    And this.

    Upholding Judge Howell’s ruling on the crime-fraud exception is a big deal.

    It essentially locks in a felony charge in the MaL docs case.

    We will probably know the appeals court decision within 24-48 hours.

    — Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) March 22, 2023

  98. 98.

    NotMax

    March 21, 2023 at 11:55 pm

    @WaterGirl

    There are rotating tags which include the F word and you’re skittish about dildo?
    ;)

  99. 99.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 21, 2023 at 11:56 pm

    Lock them up! Throw them all! – into the Sun!

    Back to my movie.

  100. 100.

    MisterForkbeard

    March 21, 2023 at 11:57 pm

    @Suzanne: I’m seeing reporting on it, but I haven’t seen Tristan Snell’s “national security implications” read on it anywhere else yet. Not sure how reliable he is.

  101. 101.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 21, 2023 at 11:58 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​
     Artificial penis?

  102. 102.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:58 pm

    @eclare: So after episode 4 or 5 did you have to go back and rewatch the first 3-4 episodes before moving on?

  103. 103.

    WaterGirl

    March 21, 2023 at 11:59 pm

    @NotMax: Dildo seems much worse to me.  Plus, I think that one would make Cole skittish.

  104. 104.

    Sister Golden Bear

    March 22, 2023 at 12:00 am

    @WaterGirl:

    Could it be a simple as the DOJ and the courts are realizing that they can’t let Trump’s bullshit delays delay prosecution until it’s too late?

    Since it’s the DOJ that’s having to do the midnight to 6 a.m. shift, it seems like there’s something else going on. If the court was simplely sick of Trump’s delay tactics, they’d probably set a deadline of end of day tomorrow, and DOJ having another day to respond. Or maybe requiring Trump to reply by noon tomorrow and the DOJ midnight.

  105. 105.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:00 am

    @mrmoshpotato:   Substitute Steely Dan.

  106. 106.

    Carlo Graziani

    March 22, 2023 at 12:01 am

    @WaterGirl:

    Can you say more?

    It’s inference, not knowledge. It takes a spectacular—and spectacularly-well evidenced—claim to bust attorney-client privilege, the more so with an extraordinarily politically-freighted case such as this one. Smith must have showed the court something really eye-opening, concerning a meeting at which Corcoran allegedly took notes.

    It seems extremely likely that this meeting had more participants than just Corcoran and Trump, or DOJ wouldn’t know about it. Since the court is ordering Corcoran to produce his notes, they likely know he took some. They could only know this from witness testimony.

    The inference, then, was that the meeting was between trusted consiglieri, one of whom has been leaned on by DOJ until he (or she) cracked. That person is now a DOJ witness.

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 12:01 am

    I think I’m gonna head to bed.  Somebody please wake me if something exciting happens.  (Steep, you’re the only one still up who has my phone number.

    edit: I see taht Carlo is also up!

  108. 108.

    Mai Naem mobile

    March 22, 2023 at 12:02 am

    @oldgold: ‘invoices’ you say? Was he billing Vlad, MBS and Xi for each  classified secret he was handing out? Was there a menu with prices like Duke Cunningham’s for favors?

  109. 109.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:02 am

    @WaterGirl:   I didn’t, but I have watched it all the way through at least three times, and each time I noticed something new/foreshadowing that I did not pick up on earlier.  Probably would have clicked more quickly if I had done that.

  110. 110.

    Splitting Image

    March 22, 2023 at 12:03 am

    @WaterGirl:

    There’s no synonym for dildo, so we can’t even make it G-rated.

    Steely Dan

    ETA: Beaten to the punch!

  111. 111.

    oldgold

    March 22, 2023 at 12:04 am

    The length of time granted, particularly in an appellate setting, is very unusual.  What  is breathtakingly shocking is that the time allotted runs from midnight to 6:00 AM. I mean, what in the name of hell?!?

  112. 112.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 12:04 am

    @Carlo Graziani: Thank you for that.

    At this point it’s all inference or speculation, but I trust yours more than most.

  113. 113.

    Another Scott

    March 22, 2023 at 12:04 am

    @CaseyL: IANAL.

    But similarly, if the grand jury is about to drop an indictment and that indictment depends on testimony that is subject to the crime-fraud exception, and a court just decided – hey wait a minute, let’s make sure we get this right before something unprecedented happens (like indicting a former president) – then that would seem to be a reason for expedited handling.

    Grand juries exist to hand down indictments.

    All this seems to point TFG getting indicted on the classified documents stuff in the next few hours/days.

    But, IANAL.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  114. 114.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:06 am

    @oldgold:   Yeah.  As someone noted the judge has ordered the DOJ to pull an all-nighter.  Gotta think that is serious.

  115. 115.

    Another Scott

    March 22, 2023 at 12:07 am

    @WaterGirl: You could substitute
    🍆
    HTH!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  116. 116.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 12:08 am

    Indictments from Alvin, Fani, and Jack Smith, all in the same day or the same week?

    Hat trick!

    Does god love us that much?

  117. 117.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 12:08 am

    @Another Scott: Ha!  I have not tried to see if an emoji would work inside a rotating tag.

  118. 118.

    RaflW

    March 22, 2023 at 12:09 am

    @Jackie: I know these statements don’t make sense – they don’t need to, because the MAGA rubes just see “Trump pissed, something something ILLEGAL blah blah LEAK” and they have their badgering-point for social media and for water cooler talk.

    But try as I might, I’m scratching my head.

  119. 119.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    March 22, 2023 at 12:10 am

    @WaterGirl: Steely Dan.

  120. 120.

    Ken

    March 22, 2023 at 12:11 am

    @Mai Naem mobile: Was he billing Vlad, MBS and Xi for each  classified secret he was handing out?

    “Is you keeping QuickBooks for a criminal fuckin conspiracy?”

  121. 121.

    RaflW

    March 22, 2023 at 12:11 am

    @WaterGirl: Indeed, what we cannot know, but may wonder about: Is the D.C. Grand Jury about to bust out?

  122. 122.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:12 am

    @Ken:   Is you aging accounts receivable for a criminal fuckin conspiracy?

  123. 123.

    Mai Naem mobile

    March 22, 2023 at 12:13 am

    Rand Paul is demanding that Alvin Bragg be arrested. Anybody else think Rand Paul seems a little overly worried. The guy who was hand picked by TFG to hand carry a super secret letter to Vlad.

  124. 124.

    Origuy

    March 22, 2023 at 12:14 am

    Going for alliteration, what about fabricated phallus?

    A propos of this, I came across an interesting web page

    Sex Toys:  A Brief History

  125. 125.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 12:15 am

    @BenCisco 🇺🇸🎖️🖥️♦️:

    💜

  126. 126.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:17 am

    And TFG’s deadline has passed.

  127. 127.

    oldgold

    March 22, 2023 at 12:18 am

    @eclare:  What about the staff? This is going to impact a lot of folks beyond the lawyers. If you are a single parent, tough to find spot “daycare” from midnight to 6:00 AM. Really crazy.

  128. 128.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:21 am

    @oldgold:   I know.  But I bet people who work there, especially on this case, have backup plans.

  129. 129.

    frosty

    March 22, 2023 at 12:24 am

    @piratedan:​ @twbrandt: ​ You and me both. I’m still laughing.​​

  130. 130.

    Ruckus

    March 22, 2023 at 12:24 am

    @bbleh:

    Just north and west of my place there is a river out of the mountains  that has a river bed about 200 ft wide as it goes under the freeway. Normally there is maybe a 10 ft or so wide channel with water in it that is not very deep. Today as I rode the train home I noticed that the water went from side to side and was considerably deeper. And just the south side of the RR tracks there are settling grounds that hold a lot of water. A hell of a lot of water. They were only about half full but I’d bet if I went up there tomorrow it would be a LOT more water. The settling grounds are to save the water and have it drain into the water table rather than just run off to the ocean.

  131. 131.

    Omnes Omnibus

    March 22, 2023 at 12:25 am

    @WaterGirl: ​
      Detachable penis?

  132. 132.

    dmsilev

    March 22, 2023 at 12:25 am

    @Mai Naem mobile: You’d think that it’d be impossible for Mitch McConnell to be the less obnoxious of a state’s two Senators, but I guess good job Rand, you made it happen.

  133. 133.

    dmsilev

    March 22, 2023 at 12:28 am

    @Ruckus: The San Gabriel River? The LA Times has a pretty dramatic photo of what it looks like right now leading off their article on the storm.

    I stopped saying “well, we really need the rain” two or three storms ago. Right now, no we don’t. Save it for next year please.

  134. 134.

    oldgold

    March 22, 2023 at 12:29 am

     

    @eclare: No one has a plan for a filing schedule that runs from midnight to 6:00 AM. It is beyond crazy.

  135. 135.

    Jackie

    March 22, 2023 at 12:30 am

    @WaterGirl: Maybe we’ll be celebrating back to back indictments??? 🤞🏻🤞🏻

  136. 136.

    frosty

    March 22, 2023 at 12:30 am

    @WaterGirl:Go with Bored of the Rings and call it the Bilbo of consequences.

  137. 137.

    Eolirin

    March 22, 2023 at 12:31 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: While we’re at it we can break out Failure for our Republican friends facing down indictment.

  138. 138.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:32 am

    @frosty:   Hahaha…

  139. 139.

    Steeplejack

    March 22, 2023 at 12:35 am

    @WaterGirl:

    Shaft. “The shaft of consequences retribution [or karma] rarely arrives lubed.”

  140. 140.

    Alison Rose

    March 22, 2023 at 12:37 am

    @frosty: I say just go hell bent for leather and use dildo. Plenty of the tags have the word fuck in them, so like…we’re not pretending to be family-friendly here.

  141. 141.

    tobie

    March 22, 2023 at 12:37 am

    Did Trump’s team make the deadline or are they going to claim their computers crashed???? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

    P.S. My search history is ruined. I had to look up the connection between Steely Dan and dildo. If I ever get into trouble, I’m going to blame Balloon Juice.

  142. 142.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:39 am

    @Steeplejack:   Old school.  I like it.

  143. 143.

    dmsilev

    March 22, 2023 at 12:39 am

    @tobie: Their dog ate their homework.

  144. 144.

    Ruckus

    March 22, 2023 at 12:39 am

    @dmsilev:

    Yep that’s it, the San Gabriel. When I passed over it this afternoon it had more water in it.

  145. 145.

    Steeplejack

    March 22, 2023 at 12:41 am

    @eclare:

    You know the H-Dog, Herbert Kornfeld, would give you a beatdown for that!

  146. 146.

    tobie

    March 22, 2023 at 12:43 am

    @dmsilev: Classic. Or they drank too much RedBull and had to go to the hospital because they overdosed on caffeine.

  147. 147.

    Steeplejack

    March 22, 2023 at 12:43 am

    “The Steely Dan of consequences” sounds ridiculous. You should all be ashamed.

  148. 148.

    Another Scott

    March 22, 2023 at 12:45 am

    @WaterGirl: It looks like Google has crawled the site again after the Troubles.  Yay!

    I don’t think you need to worry about using the world “dildo”. Cole Open Thread in 2015.

    HTH!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  149. 149.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 12:51 am

    @Steeplejack:   Oh yeah!

  150. 150.

    Alison Rose

    March 22, 2023 at 12:52 am

    @dmsilev: Trump flushed it all down the toilet.

  151. 151.

    John Revolta

    March 22, 2023 at 12:54 am

    @WaterGirl: “Personal massager”

  152. 152.

    frosty

    March 22, 2023 at 12:55 am

    @Alison Rose: ​Oh, I’m with you there! It’s not like we’re a bunch of fucken* snowflakes.
    *h/t Suzanne and Vicente Fox. I love this spelling.​

  153. 153.

    tobie

    March 22, 2023 at 12:55 am

    @Alison Rose: Or he ate it. I remember Omarosa said she saw him eating documents, presumably so no one else would see them. Yucko.

  154. 154.

    SectionH

    March 22, 2023 at 1:02 am

    WG:

    You were way ahead of most media. Go You!

  155. 155.

    Amir Khalid

    March 22, 2023 at 1:02 am

    @Mai Naem mobile:

    Rand Paul is demanding that Alvin Bragg be arrested.

    On what charge? Or does he, being admitted to Rand Paul’s Own Private Kentucky State Bar, reckon that that can be decided later?

  156. 156.

    Alison Rose

    March 22, 2023 at 1:03 am

    @frosty: Plus, if some unsuspecting noob happens upon the site and the first thing they see is a tag with the word dildo in it and it scares them off…that’s probably for the best. As one of the tags states (and I’m paraphrasing a bit), Balloon Juice has never been a haven for the linguistically delicate.

  157. 157.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 1:04 am

    @tobie:   While he lived in a place with 28 fireplaces.  What a maroon.

  158. 158.

    Alison Rose

    March 22, 2023 at 1:04 am

    @tobie: I wonder if he put ketchup on them first. Make ’em go down a bit easier.

  159. 159.

    Alison Rose

    March 22, 2023 at 1:05 am

    @Amir Khalid: On the charge of Being Black and I Don’t Like You.

  160. 160.

    Origuy

    March 22, 2023 at 1:06 am

    This is incredible. Click the link for a short video of a volcano eruption from a drone.

     

    Volcán de Fuego. INSANE close-range drone footage of one of Fuego’s largest eruptions in the days I spent there. The blast propelled massive rocks RIGHT past my drone as thousands of rocks rained down. This is my @NatGeo moment. A 🧵 below…

    VIDEO LINK: https://t.co/gT4VDgoFIx pic.twitter.com/6FcrZuN61p
    — Alex Spahn 🌋🌪️☄️ (@spahn711) March 21, 2023

  161. 161.

    SectionH

    March 22, 2023 at 1:06 am

    @Ruckus: What’s called a “Frog Strangler” in certain parts of ~~~ well, where the south meets the midwest. Not from there but lived there for a while.

    The nice young woman at our Hillcrest TJ’s – they had buckets all over the place because roof leaks – did laugh.

  162. 162.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 1:10 am

    @Origuy:   I can’t believe the drone survived!

  163. 163.

    tobie

    March 22, 2023 at 1:10 am

    @eclare: heh. Even Mark Meadows figured out how to burn documents in the White House.

  164. 164.

    RaflW

    March 22, 2023 at 1:13 am

    @Splitting Image: Likely a niche thing for people of a certain age and sexual orientation in the 90s in Texas, but we had to be sure to call them “educational models” at gay safer sex classes that showed with simulated realism, rather than bananas, how to put on a condom.

    Texas had (and maybe still does) some very restrictive, prudish and stupid laws about dildos. The main one I remember was that no person could own more than five. >5 was “possession with intent to distribute.”

  165. 165.

    rikyrah

    March 22, 2023 at 1:13 am

    🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

  166. 166.

    Craig

    March 22, 2023 at 1:14 am

    @WaterGirl: the Cucumber of Consequences…?

  167. 167.

    Steeplejack

    March 22, 2023 at 1:18 am

    @Origuy:

    On what planet is that “incredible close-range footage of a powerful eruption”? The linked video is a mostly static two-minute teaser from a distance.

  168. 168.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    March 22, 2023 at 1:18 am

    @oldgold: Lordy their are tapes

  169. 169.

    Craig

    March 22, 2023 at 1:19 am

    @dmsilev: is that the bridge in Chinatown where the Jake sees the boy on a horse?

  170. 170.

    rmjohnston

    March 22, 2023 at 1:24 am

    Yeah, I’m a bit skeptical, personally, particularly with the “reply by 6 a.m.” bit. I can’t really think of an emergency that requires that the DOJ get a filing at midnight and respond 6 hours later.

    You can’t imagine that Trump retained documentation of secret locations of nuclear weapons and lied to his lawyer about it? I can. First thing that came to mind.

    There are many, many , easy to imagine things that could justify a briefing schedule of hours when you consider what Donald Trump might do.

  171. 171.

    RaflW

    March 22, 2023 at 1:26 am

    @dmsilev: Speaking of McConnell, I think he’s entitled to medical privacy. But, as one of the most powerful* people in the Senate is in a rehabilitation hospital and largely incommunicado (*yes, minority leader, but in a joint that needs 60 votes for a lot of stuff, powerful).

    One of the Republican senate leaders (Daines, maybe?) when asked on Monday, said he’d been ‘in communication’ with McConnell but they hadn’t spoken. Maybe that means they’re texting BFFs. But I don’t think so. I think Mitch is in rougher shape than is being let on. And precious few in the press seem even remotely curious about that.

    I recall Hillary having pneumonia and the press was practically on deathwatch.

  172. 172.

    Steeplejack

    March 22, 2023 at 1:29 am

    @rmjohnston:

    Yes. Someone on law Twitter speculated about the discovery of evidence pointing to a serious, ongoing threat to national security. Just speculation, of course, but probably more plausible than a mere scheduling gambit.

  173. 173.

    Steeplejack

    March 22, 2023 at 1:31 am

    @Another Scott:

    “It looks like Google has crawled the site again.”

    Oh, good. I’ll have to run some queries to see if the really old stuff is showing up again.

  174. 174.

    Dangerman

    March 22, 2023 at 1:37 am

    After my thoughtful and thorough analysis, it’s my expert opinion that this could be something or could be nothing.

    I’ll send my bill later.

    It’s not only pouring, it’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. I was promised Spring!

  175. 175.

    Kristine

    March 22, 2023 at 1:41 am

    @WaterGirl: “appliance”

  176. 176.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    March 22, 2023 at 1:48 am

    @bbleh:

    a criminal fucking conspiracy

    I thought that was the Stormy Daniels hush-money case, not the documents case. Then again, there are so many criminal conspiracies involving TFG, it can be hard to keep them all straight.

  177. 177.

    RaflW

    March 22, 2023 at 1:52 am

    Dunno how much the judges will make Donnie’s lawyers suffer for this, but Bradley Moss says they filed 30 minutes late.

    Hopefully DOJ gets till 6:30 after that crap.

  178. 178.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 1:57 am

    @RaflW:   Thanks for the update.

  179. 179.

    RaflW

    March 22, 2023 at 2:00 am

    @eclare: Well, now Chris Geidner (aka Law Dork) says the appellants emailed before midnight but docketed around 12:30 eastern.

  180. 180.

    RaflW

    March 22, 2023 at 2:01 am

    @eclare: Well, now Chris Geidner (aka Law Dork) says the appellants emailed before midnight but docketed around 12:30 eastern.

  181. 181.

    SectionH

    March 22, 2023 at 2:46 am

  182. 182.

    Origuy

    March 22, 2023 at 2:53 am

    @SectionH: On the other hand, The Scotsman had a link to a story about it on the front page.  Of course, the Scots have a particular interest in Trump.

    What happened to SectionH’s comment?

  183. 183.

    SectionH

    March 22, 2023 at 2:56 am

    The actual old Guardian was a really good newspaper. Despite the typos.

  184. 184.

    rikyrah

    March 22, 2023 at 2:56 am

    @RaflW:

    If this was a Democrat, the press would be all over it.😒

  185. 185.

    SectionH

    March 22, 2023 at 3:01 am

    @Origuy: I don’t know, I can’t get it back. I tried.

    The Scotsman, otoh, I should have looked for them before.

    eta: Looked, um their take is still kinda sensational , but it’s a start.

  186. 186.

    kalakal

    March 22, 2023 at 3:03 am

    @WaterGirl: Sex toy

  187. 187.

    JaySinWA

    March 22, 2023 at 3:14 am

    @kalakal: A broom stick had some notoriety a while ago.

  188. 188.

    SectionH

    March 22, 2023 at 3:16 am

    @kalakal: Women tend to want vibrators. In… in coolest neighborhood I know, there’s a store that advertises that kinda thing.

  189. 189.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    March 22, 2023 at 3:20 am

    @WaterGirl: “Penetrator”, perhaps? “The penetrator of consequences is seldom lubricated”?

  190. 190.

    Shalimar

    March 22, 2023 at 4:16 am

    Re: the 6am filing deadline.  No way a court does that if it wasn’t requested by DoJ.  They wanted to respond before the business day started, for whatever reason.

  191. 191.

    MrKite

    March 22, 2023 at 4:26 am

    @WaterGirl: Some men are terrified of women’s sexuality.

  192. 192.

    MrKite

    March 22, 2023 at 4:29 am

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR: Phallus. Surprised this didn’t occur to you, given your location. Or is it from Latin? As usual I’m too lazy to look it up. [Ahhh. Both]

  193. 193.

    MrKite

    March 22, 2023 at 4:42 am

    @MrKite: Ahh, I see origuy at 124 got there first.

  194. 194.

    Layer8Problem

    March 22, 2023 at 5:35 am

    @WaterGirl: ​”Marital aid.” A nice, delicate ’50s euphemism, although my understanding is that unmarried people have been known to use these too.
    Is it 6 a.m. EDT yet?​

  195. 195.

    brantl

    March 22, 2023 at 5:37 am

    @WaterGirl: Wank?

  196. 196.

    SWMBO

    March 22, 2023 at 5:42 am

    @Another Scott: Didn’t our esteemed Blogfather find a box of dildos in a box in his basement when he started renovating his house?

  197. 197.

    lowtechcyclist

    March 22, 2023 at 6:03 am

    It’s 6:03am. Has DOJ filed yet?

  198. 198.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 6:07 am

    Watching Morning Joe.

  199. 199.

    lowtechcyclist

    March 22, 2023 at 6:09 am

    @frosty: ​

    Go with Bored of the Rings and call it the Bilbo of consequences.

    And to think that when I first read that classic, back in the spring of 1970, I had no idea what either ‘dildo’ or ‘bugger’ meant.

    And until this morning, I had no idea that ‘Steely Dan’ was a euphemism for ‘dildo.’ The things that pass for knowledge, and all that.

  200. 200.

    lowtechcyclist

    March 22, 2023 at 6:13 am

    @eclare: ​

    Old school. I like it.

    I’m still never going back to mine.

    ETA: Meanwhile, instead of California tumbling into the sea, the sea is busily dumping itself on California.

  201. 201.

    Baud

    March 22, 2023 at 6:14 am

    @RaflW:

    Texas had (and maybe still does) some very restrictive, prudish and stupid laws about dildos.

     
    Dildo? Dildon’t!

  202. 202.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 22, 2023 at 6:14 am

    @eclare:

    Watching Morning Joe. 

    Did the remote break? :)

  203. 203.

    Baud

    March 22, 2023 at 6:19 am

    Dear Betty Cracker,

    The former Florida lawmaker who sponsored the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” pleaded guilty Tuesday to committing $150,000 in COVID-19 relief fraud.

    Enjoy.

  204. 204.

    NotMax

    March 22, 2023 at 6:19 am

    @WaterGirl

    Pleasure drone?
    :)

  205. 205.

    Manyakitty

    March 22, 2023 at 6:24 am

    @eclare: same

  206. 206.

    Shalimar

    March 22, 2023 at 6:31 am

    @mrmoshpotato: Yeah, Joe is an asshole, but it’s a good show on days like this.  everyone there despises Trump.

  207. 207.

    eclare

    March 22, 2023 at 6:31 am

    @Manyakitty:   Well shoot, they didn’t talk much about the documents case.  Guess we’ll see what unfolds today.

  208. 208.

    lowtechcyclist

    March 22, 2023 at 6:36 am

    You’d think the nets would have had the courthouse staked out this early a.m., just waiting for the DOJ lawyers to show up.

  209. 209.

    sab

    March 22, 2023 at 6:44 am

    @Quinerly: One of the pleasanter aspects of aging out of ladydom into old ladydom is I can laugh away at dirty comments instead of blushing.

  210. 210.

    Manyakitty

    March 22, 2023 at 6:49 am

    @eclare: I’m sure it will be wall-to-wall analysis once the lawyer talking heads get a chance to review the filings.

  211. 211.

    Geminid

    March 22, 2023 at 7:02 am

    Now I’m starting to be curious about what Trump will say at the Waco Whine Festival this Saturday. His act has needed new material for a while now.

  212. 212.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 7:05 am

    @sab:

    I have never been a blusher…

    Morning chuckle. Facebook Memories tells me 3 years ago, Rand Paul was diagnosed with Covid. My FB comment was a cool quote I picked up from Dog knows where.

    “Karma finished filing her nails to sharp points and sashayed her way over to knock on a few doors…”

    Kinda works for today and this week!

  213. 213.

    lowtechcyclist

    March 22, 2023 at 7:09 am

    Serious overcast out there this morning, here in the SE exurbs of DC.

    “The next day was hangin’ indictment day, the sky was overcast and black…”

  214. 214.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 7:09 am

    @Shalimar:

    The only way to deal with Joe is to listen to the show in the AM on Alexa Tune In app. Can’t stand to look at him.

    Mika covering classified docs and Trump’s atty now. Repeating ABC reporting.

  215. 215.

    Geminid

    March 22, 2023 at 7:17 am

    @lowtechcyclist: It’s overcast here too. I’ll take indictments, but I hope we’ll at least get some rain today. The ground’s getting dry.

  216. 216.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 7:25 am

    @Geminid:

    Mud, snow here outside of Santa Fe. I am so ready for Spring.

    I’m off to Costco in Albuquerque shortly. Out of wine and food. Need provisions for Indictment Week.

  217. 217.

    lowtechcyclist

    March 22, 2023 at 7:45 am

    Supposed to not rain until tomorrow here, but then you’re a ways to the west of me, so it should reach you at least several hours earlier than here.

    But yeah, the ground’s pretty dry here too.

  218. 218.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 7:53 am

    Another atty blows out his ethics for Trump.

    https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/politics/joe-tacopina-trump-lawyer-stormy-daniels/index.html

  219. 219.

    prostratedragon

    March 22, 2023 at 8:09 am

    UPDATE: Trump lawyers made two midnight filings to stave off effort by DOJ effort to piece Trump’s attorney-client privilege in Mar-a-Lago documents cast.At 5:36AM, DOJ filed a 6,400-word response, meeting the appeals court’s 6AM deadline. https://t.co/xKcvdjhxaM pic.twitter.com/RKGTlcRW5X— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 22, 2023

  220. 220.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    March 22, 2023 at 8:33 am

    @sab: You can even make them!

  221. 221.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 8:33 am

    While we wait.

    Lawyer Joseph McBride, who is representing a handful of Jan. 6 defendants, thinks that the timing of Trump’s likely arrest is notable.

    “President Trump will be arrested during lent—a time of suffering and purification for the followers of Jesus Christ,” McBride wrote on Twitter. “As Christ was crucified, and then rose again on the 3rd day, so too will @realdonaldtrump.”

    And

    Other Trump supporters see eerie similarities between the Manhattan DA and the Romans who crucified Jesus.

    “Rome tried to silence a peaceful leader via political persecution, and ended up creating the most pervasive & permanent religious figure in all of world history,” MAGA-world influencer Reanna Dilley wrote on Twitter.  “Good fucking luck, New York.”

     

    https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5ypd4/donald-trumo-arrest-jesus-christian-nationalism

  222. 222.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    March 22, 2023 at 8:35 am

    @RaflW: I’ve wondered about McConnell too. It’s hard to imagine him being shut away from things for so long except for something serious. We’ll see.

  223. 223.

    Baud

    March 22, 2023 at 8:37 am

    @Quinerly:

    I like to think of Trump’s arrest as an extended Mardi Gras.

    ETA: I like the idea of Trump as martyr be because that means he’ll be punished.

  224. 224.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 8:39 am

    @Baud:

    Hurricanes and paper towel rolls for everyone!

  225. 225.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 8:41 am

    @Quinerly:

    Seriously, this Christian Nationalist/Fascism scares the shit out of me.

  226. 226.

    azlib

    March 22, 2023 at 8:41 am

    @bbleh: Hope nothing is getting soaked that can’t be dried out. And likewise, I hope there’s enough water for LA (and AZ, and and and) in the years to come.

    Wish that was true. Here is a good article on Lake Powell and the dire straights it is in.

    https://www.hcn.org/issues/55.2/features-water-glen-canyon-revealed

    It would need 6 years of really good snowpack to even prtially recover. AZ gets a lot of its water from the Colorado River.

  227. 227.

    2liberal

    March 22, 2023 at 8:42 am

    Texas had (and maybe still does) some very restrictive, prudish and stupid laws about dildos. The main one I remember was that no person could own more than five.

     

    Did they have a limit on wetsuits also?

  228. 228.

    Ken

    March 22, 2023 at 8:45 am

    @Quinerly: Almost makes you wish for the days when the Inquisition would have a long, serious talk with them before the auto-da-fé.

  229. 229.

    Ken

    March 22, 2023 at 8:46 am

    @Baud: Also, “martyr” is the Greek word for “witness”, and I like the thought of Trump testifying under oath.

  230. 230.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 8:47 am

    @Steeplejack: that’s a good one.

  231. 231.

    oldgold

    March 22, 2023 at 8:48 am

    @2liberal: This explains why so many Texans only have one hand.

  232. 232.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 8:48 am

    @Steeplejack: Perhaps…

    Karma’s shaft of retribution rarely arrives lubed.

  233. 233.

    Josie

    March 22, 2023 at 8:51 am

    @WaterGirl: ​
     By George, I think you’ve got it!

  234. 234.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 8:52 am

    @Ken:

    Ah, yes….no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

  235. 235.

    Baud

    March 22, 2023 at 8:52 am

    @Ken:

    Won’t happen in a criminal trial.

  236. 236.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 8:59 am

    @Craig:

    the Cucumber of Consequences

    That elicited a hearty laugh out loud from me this morning.

  237. 237.

    Ken

    March 22, 2023 at 9:06 am

    @Baud: If you’re basing that on “no competent lawyer would let him take the stand,” I suggest examining the assumptions.

  238. 238.

    TerryC

    March 22, 2023 at 9:13 am

    The “Strap-On of Consequences”?

  239. 239.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 22, 2023 at 9:17 am

    @Ken:

    Also, Trump doesn’t listen much to his lawyers.  He’s gone far too crazy and senile for that.  He demands they file documents that are stupid, self-destructive, and so personal to his desires that even incompetence can’t explain why a lawyer would do it.

    So, we’re left with the coin flip.  Trump thinks he can outwit the DA in verbal sparring, or Trump is going to use any possible justification to answer absolutely nothing.  Sadly, he’s been doing more of the latter lately.

  240. 240.

    kalakal

    March 22, 2023 at 9:18 am

    @Craig: Lol! Brilliant!

  241. 241.

    JPL

    March 22, 2023 at 9:23 am

    If an indictment is issued today, we might not know unless trump tells us.

  242. 242.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 9:24 am

    @Craig:

    The Phallus of Fate.

    I’ll see myself out.

  243. 243.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 22, 2023 at 9:27 am

    @JPL:

    He’s not great at keeping his phone shut.

  244. 244.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 22, 2023 at 9:30 am

    Also, folks, if you water down the witty line, there’s no point in using it anymore.  Take the dildo as it is, or let it go.

  245. 245.

    Almost Retired

    March 22, 2023 at 9:36 am

    I woke up and checked out this thread on the legal filings to see if there are any updates. As a bonus, I got Dildo Roget.

  246. 246.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 22, 2023 at 9:39 am

    @Frankensteinbeck: Sage advice from a professional wordsmith!

  247. 247.

    Kay

    March 22, 2023 at 9:39 am

    Religious fundamentalists/far Right Republicans suing to keep a pro choice amendment off the ballot in Ohio.

    They’re terrified voters might have a say on whether women should have basic bodily autonomy and agency -if it’s on the ballot they know they’ll lose.

    Republicans in the statehouse and Mike DeWine are also working to silence voters- they hope to force a change where the abortion amendment would require a 60% majority to pass – the far Right religious fundamentalists need special rules or they lose. They can’t compete under the rules everyone else plays by.

  248. 248.

    Quinerly

    March 22, 2023 at 9:41 am

    TPM updates last night. Good synopsis as of 8:30 this AM.

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/doj-argues-for-first-time-it-has-evidence-trump-may-have-committed-a-crime

  249. 249.

    MikefromArlington

    March 22, 2023 at 9:45 am

    Pee pee tape has surfaced!

  250. 250.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 22, 2023 at 9:45 am

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Use it or leave it alone.  Fiddling with it is just going to frustrate everyone.

    EDIT – Not three minutes after typing this, I said the words “I’ll take the twelve inch today.”

  251. 251.

    JPL

    March 22, 2023 at 9:49 am

    @Quinerly: Thanks for the link and it was informative.

  252. 252.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 9:52 am

    @RaflW: Practically???

    Totally agree with everything you wrote.  Except for that one word. :-)

  253. 253.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 9:53 am

    @RaflW: Even though Trump’s filing was late, the DOJ filing was early by 24 minutes or so. :-)

  254. 254.

    Manyakitty

    March 22, 2023 at 9:54 am

    @Quinerly: because it’s fucking terrifying.

  255. 255.

    zhena gogolia

    March 22, 2023 at 9:56 am

    @MikefromArlington: Are you kidding?

  256. 256.

    Ken

    March 22, 2023 at 9:59 am

    @WaterGirl: I’m just surprised they managed to stretch “You have got to be kidding me” to 6400 words.

  257. 257.

    Baud

    March 22, 2023 at 10:04 am

    @Ken:

    Did you see The Shining?

  258. 258.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 10:07 am

    @NotMax: hahaha

  259. 259.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 10:09 am

    @Quinerly: Oh. My. God.

    Can’t decide if this gets a slap your forehead response or a bang your head against the wall response.

  260. 260.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 10:12 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I find myself wondering about the fall.

    Was there an event that made him fall?  Or are all of his injuries the result of the fall?

  261. 261.

    schrodingers_cat

    March 22, 2023 at 10:22 am

    Ochre Ogre is Jesus???.  How cray cray do you have to be to believe that. Jesus wept.

  262. 262.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 22, 2023 at 10:33 am

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Also, folks, if you water down the witty line, there’s no point in using it anymore. Take the dildo as it is, or let it go.

    Well then.  We all know how you like your dildos now.

  263. 263.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 10:36 am

    @Almost Retired: Full service blog!

  264. 264.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 22, 2023 at 10:36 am

    @schrodingers_cat: Shrek is Jesus?

  265. 265.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 10:37 am

    @schrodingers_cat: Jesus wept, indeed.

  266. 266.

    Steeplejack

    March 22, 2023 at 10:41 am

    @WaterGirl:

    That sounds too complicated—overloaded. You want to keep it simple.

  267. 267.

    NotMax

    March 22, 2023 at 10:46 am

    @Steeplejack

    Simple, you say?

    Karma’s f*ck stick rarely arrives lubed.
    //

  268. 268.

    Nettoyeur

    March 22, 2023 at 11:01 am

    @Ken: They went to expensive law schools to learn how to do that.

  269. 269.

    zhena gogolia

    March 22, 2023 at 11:04 am

    @NotMax: I read that as “Kamala’s” and wondered what was going on.

  270. 270.

    NotMax

    March 22, 2023 at 11:08 am

    @zhena gogolia

    Double heh. Totally different thread, that.
    :)

  271. 271.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 11:26 am

    Who thinks the DOJ already had their filing mostly written by midnight, and then they continued to edit through the night to shoot down the ridiculous stuff that was surely in Trump’s filing?

  272. 272.

    Manyakitty

    March 22, 2023 at 11:28 am

    @WaterGirl: you know it! Bet it was all full of “furthermore” too. That’s when people know it’s about to get real. 😂😂😂

  273. 273.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 11:31 am

    @Manyakitty: I wonder if we’ll ever get to see the sealed documents.

  274. 274.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 11:53 am

    I wonder what this is about.

    BREAKING: as I said on today’s @dailybeanspod, expect the unexpected. https://t.co/SDNtD3mJaR

    — Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) March 22, 2023

  275. 275.

    leeleeFL

    March 22, 2023 at 12:17 pm

    @bbleh: Sounds like Dan Savage?!

  276. 276.

    jimmiraybob

    March 22, 2023 at 1:33 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​

    @WaterGirl: ​
     

    “I wonder what this is about.”

    Probably need the extra time to bring in a wooden cross for the perp walk.

  277. 277.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 1:58 pm

    @jimmiraybob: That would be Trump wanting more time so he could have the wooden cross, right?

  278. 278.

    jimmiraybob

    March 22, 2023 at 2:07 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​
     

    Yes. He’s leaning pretty hard in the savior-martyr direction to rally the cult. Next stop, Waco.

  279. 279.

    WaterGirl

    March 22, 2023 at 2:20 pm

    @jimmiraybob:  No kidding.  He’s a real piece of work.

  280. 280.

    Death Panel Truck

    March 22, 2023 at 3:22 pm

    @Mike in NC: Late to the party, but Fat Bastard isn’t going to any country where he can’t get a Big Mac, a Diet Coke, and those godawful Mickey D’s apple pies. Both McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have pulled out of Russia.

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