• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

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

American history and black history cannot be separated.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

When I was faster i was always behind.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

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

This blog will pay for itself.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

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

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

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Politics / Trump Indictments / Well, I Picked a Hell of a Day To Have a Friend Over for Adult Beverages and Early Dinner

Well, I Picked a Hell of a Day To Have a Friend Over for Adult Beverages and Early Dinner

by WaterGirl|  June 8, 202310:07 pm| 135 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Trump Indictments

FacebookTweetEmail

So, what did I miss?  :-)

Open thread.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: «spy v. spy flyouts War for Ukraine Day 470: Another Day, Another Russian War Crime
Next Post: Late Night Silly Season Classics Open Thread: We *Want* to Believe ! »

Reader Interactions

135Comments

  1. 1.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    June 8, 2023 at 10:10 pm

    We are great again.

  2. 2.

    hilts

    June 8, 2023 at 10:11 pm

    Nice to hear from you. I thought you might have gone into cardiac arrest.

  3. 3.

    JWR

    June 8, 2023 at 10:12 pm

    I feel you, WG. I just woke up from another afternoon nap, only to have this sh*t crammed down my throat? I mean, c’mon, man! ;)

  4. 4.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    June 8, 2023 at 10:14 pm

    It’s my sister’s birthday tomorrow, but all the presents came today.

  5. 5.

    TaMara

    June 8, 2023 at 10:14 pm

    Reposting from botton of my thread:

    Okay. My official theory is that Pat Robertson dying released such a concentration of evil that it blew back through the Hellgate opened in 2016 when the Cubs won the World Series and closed it. https://t.co/U21tVANEHC

    — Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) June 9, 2023

  6. 6.

    EarthWindFire

    June 8, 2023 at 10:15 pm

    IKR? Went out to dinner like a normie and came back to this!

  7. 7.

    EarthWindFire

    June 8, 2023 at 10:16 pm

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Today’s my dad’s birthday. He’s loving this.

  8. 8.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    June 8, 2023 at 10:18 pm

    @EarthWindFire: Many happy returns to your dad and many just consequences to the former poseur President.

  9. 9.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 8, 2023 at 10:19 pm

    @TaMara: Has he also tweeted an apology to Garland. He was an enthusiastic member of the Do-Something Twitter.

  10. 10.

    Suzanne

    June 8, 2023 at 10:20 pm

    I went to yoga and got totally disgusting and sweaty and was feeling suuuuuuper-chill, and then I came out and checked the news and got all amped up.

  11. 11.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 8, 2023 at 10:21 pm

    @WG

    OT. Thanks for putting up a thread about my dear departed kitteh, exactly two years ago when he passed away rather suddenly. That was a lovely gesture.

  12. 12.

    zeecube

    June 8, 2023 at 10:22 pm

    no cake. But homemade cherry pie.

  13. 13.

    Sparkedcat

    June 8, 2023 at 10:23 pm

    Today my face is frozen into a perpetual shit eating grin. Dom Perignon for all!

  14. 14.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 8, 2023 at 10:23 pm

    What a day!

    So, to recap:

    1. Pat Robertson died
    2. James Watt died
    3. The SCOTUS reaffirmed the VRA, shifting several House seats from R to D
    4. The businessman Paxton was trying to protect has been arrested by the FBI
    5. And last but not least, Trump has been indicated!
  15. 15.

    Scout211

    June 8, 2023 at 10:23 pm

    I am having a hard time waiting for the charges, currently under seal. NBC  has a hint:

    Two sources briefed on the seven charges told NBC News the charges include false statements and conspiracy to obstruct. All charges are related to retaining documents and obstructing justice. One source notes that 7 charges doesn’t necessarily mean 7 counts-there can be multiple counts associated with each charge.

    ETA:

    CNN  has a Trusty quote:

    Donald Trump’s attorney Jim Trusty confirmed Thursday night that the former president has been charged with seven counts – and revealed that the charges “break out from an Espionage Act charge.”

    Trusty called the espionage charge “ludicrous,” and added that there are also “several obstruction-based-type charges and then false statement charges.”

  16. 16.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    June 8, 2023 at 10:24 pm

    Indicted at last, indicted at last, thank God almighty he’s indicted at last!

  17. 17.

    Jeffro

    June 8, 2023 at 10:24 pm

    @TaMara: that theory actually feels right!

    trumpov and his goons are so corrupt and evil, it’s made me question my own atheism from time to time, so…yeah, put me down for “Robertson/Hellgate closed”

  18. 18.

    Gin & Tonic

    June 8, 2023 at 10:25 pm

    That’s what you get for having friends.

  19. 19.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 8, 2023 at 10:25 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    No word yet from Sarah Doomzior on her Twitter

  20. 20.

    Jeffro

    June 8, 2023 at 10:25 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): good recap and yes, a new unofficial American holiday!

    “Hellgate Closing Day!”  LOL

  21. 21.

    WaterGirl

    June 8, 2023 at 10:26 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: You are most welcome.  That was a sad day.

  22. 22.

    Layer8Problem

    June 8, 2023 at 10:27 pm

    I spent two hours in a building shareholder’s group meeting, totally being a good kid and paying attention and not looking at my cell phone, and BOOM, this happens.  I mean jeez, man, I wanted to participate!

  23. 23.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 8, 2023 at 10:29 pm

    @Scout211: I’ve seen a few people on twitter speculating that witness tampering, which of course he did, but I don’t know the legal definition. Walt Nauta, the other MAL employee who helped Nauta move boxes (and IIRC flooded the IT room?), Mark Meadows. I wonder if Cassidy Hutchinson has any post-testimony communication she forwarded straight to Liz Cheney.

  24. 24.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    June 8, 2023 at 10:30 pm

    A song for Trump.

  25. 25.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 8, 2023 at 10:30 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: ​
      Good for him. Let’s how many others do that and how many move the goalposts.

  26. 26.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 8, 2023 at 10:31 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Indicated?

  27. 27.

    zhena gogolia

    June 8, 2023 at 10:33 pm

    Yale Law School, take a bow.

    Hawley: If the president in power can jail his political opponents, which is what Joe Biden is trying to do tonight, we don't have a republic anymore. We don't have the rule of law or constitution. pic.twitter.com/kORIHivlVg— Acyn (@Acyn) June 9, 2023

  28. 28.

    WaterGirl

    June 8, 2023 at 10:34 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Indicated was what Trump wrote in one of his tweets in the past 2-3 weeks.

    So “Indicated” is mocking Trump.

  29. 29.

    planetjanet

    June 8, 2023 at 10:34 pm

    Seen on the bird site…

    He so indicted…

    And he just can’t hide it..

    He’s about to lose control, and I think it like it.

  30. 30.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 8, 2023 at 10:34 pm

    @WaterGirl: One has trouble keeping up these days.

  31. 31.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 8, 2023 at 10:34 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I hate autocorrect lol

    It makes me look like Trump

    “I have been Indicated by the Corrupt Sleepy Joe Biden Administration!! Our Country is in a very dark place folks!!! Greatest Witch Hunt in history!!”

  32. 32.

    Almost Retired

    June 8, 2023 at 10:36 pm

    Oh my.  So I’m hiking in the Ozarks.  My wife and I got back to the hotel and were going to open a bottle of wine and do a mutual tick check (not a euphemism), and then I turned on MSNBC.  Wow!  Although we’re celebrating quietly, what with this being the Ozarks and all….

  33. 33.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 8, 2023 at 10:37 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Hate to say it, but it was completely coincidental 😅

    Wish I could say it was intentional

  34. 34.

    HumboldtBlue

    June 8, 2023 at 10:38 pm

    Mark Levin is melting down on Fox, so that’s always fun to watch.

  35. 35.

    Sister Golden Bear

    June 8, 2023 at 10:39 pm

    WaterGirl — You didn’t miss anything, you were just pre-gaming. I may or may not be working my way through a bottle of champagne myself.

  36. 36.

    Jeffro

    June 8, 2023 at 10:41 pm

    @HumboldtBlue: he also said that the Rubicon has been crossed twice now with prosecuting trump, so I dunno…he might need to read up on his history a bit

  37. 37.

    Jeffro

    June 8, 2023 at 10:42 pm

    Btw as I mentioned in the earlier thread (not that it was a hard guess) Asa Hutchinson is calling on trumpov to withdraw from the race in light of today’s indictments.

    Popcorn, O popcorn, where art thou?

    Let the GOP Hunger Games begin!!

  38. 38.

    WaterGirl

    June 8, 2023 at 10:42 pm

    It’s interesting (to me) to see my reaction, and to notice that I don’t feel relieved. I knew this day would come.  I felt absolutely sure of it.  I am super happy that this day has arrived, and I hope there’s another Indictment day from Jack Smith, and even another one after that.

    But for today, I’m just happy.  I imagine I will be wound up tomorrow as we start to learn more details.

    It’s true, though, that if the indictment is under seal until my birthday present on Tuesday :-) then probably the only people talking will be Trump’s people, all with a spin to help him, or a spin to help save themselves.

  39. 39.

    Jeffro

    June 8, 2023 at 10:43 pm

    PS apparently the 7 charges against trumpov include at least 1 espionage count

  40. 40.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 8, 2023 at 10:46 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I blocked her a long time ago. So I have no idea about her blathering.

  41. 41.

    WaterGirl

    June 8, 2023 at 10:48 pm

    @Jeffro: As I understand it, not all espionage charges are as sexy as that sounds.

    There’s some more mundane stuff that is covered under that act.  Still, I’m hoping for the “we have proof that you showed this classified to Saudi Arabia and that you sold out your country for cash” variety.

  42. 42.

    S Cerevisiae

    June 8, 2023 at 10:48 pm

    @HumboldtBlue: I heard Mark Levin on the radio 20 years ago and it sounded like he was heading for a sure stroke or an aneurysm, I can’t believe he’s still spilling out his bile.

  43. 43.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 8, 2023 at 10:50 pm

    @Jeffro:

    I love that!

    “Hellgate Closing Day”

    Oh, and the House GOP is in compete disarray after the debt ceiling was raised 😈

    Thank fuck Great Depression ll: Electric Boogaloo was averted

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    June 8, 2023 at 10:50 pm

    So, who’s gonna sleep like a baby tonight, and who’s too wound up to sleep?

    I am guessing that for me it’s the former, but it’s possible that it could be the latter.  I’ve been up since 5:30, though, so I think I will know the answer soon enough.  Heading for bed.

    Happy Indictment Day, everyone!

  45. 45.

    EarthWindFire

    June 8, 2023 at 10:53 pm

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: And celebrate with your sister tomorrow!

  46. 46.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 8, 2023 at 10:54 pm

    @HumboldtBlue:

    “It’s a documents case!”

  47. 47.

    Scout211

    June 8, 2023 at 10:54 pm

    @Jeffro: @WaterGirl:

    See quote from Trusty at #15.  He states the charges “break out” from the espionage act.

    CNBC

    What’s the Espionage Act?

    The Espionage Act was passed shortly after the United States entered World War I in an attempt to crack down on wartime dissent.

    It criminalized the collection of certain military information and the sharing of sensitive information with those who lacked the appropriate clearances. Many portions of it are still law.

    Now Donald Trump is accused of violating it, according to his attorney James Trusty.

    The law has been used in several prominent cases in the past decade, including when the U.S. charged former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange for leaking sensitive documents.

    The Department of Justice cited the act in the search warrant it used to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home for classified documents.

  48. 48.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 8, 2023 at 10:55 pm

    Speaking of meltdowns, does anyone know who this wannabe Jeanine Pirro is?

    Alexander nazaryan @alexnazaryan

    Fox News: Trump indictment is an insult to the soldiers who died at Gettysburg

    ETA: I don’t call her that to be mean, it’s the vibe I get. the meanness is gravy

  49. 49.

    Jeffro

    June 8, 2023 at 10:56 pm

    FWIW trump’s MAGAman Mark Levin wants to hear from The Turtle…no wait, I have that wrong…he just wants ol’ Mitch flat-out REMOVED for not rushing to trump’s defense.

    LOLOLOLOL

    Mark, m’man…please don’t hold your breath here!

  50. 50.

    tobie

    June 8, 2023 at 10:56 pm

    @WaterGirl: Don’t you feel vindicated in your confidence this day would come? Back when I had a Twitter account I was starting to block every person shitposting about Garland and the DOJ. That left me with Teri Kanefield and Barb McQuade. Not a bad set. It’s just amazing to me how few sane voices there were out there

    ETA: Emptywheel and Mueller, She Wrote were also trying to tamp down on the despair and rage.

  51. 51.

    hueyplong

    June 8, 2023 at 10:58 pm

    @Jeffro: On the contrary, I insist that Levin hold his breath until McConnell gives a full-throated defense of the shitgibbon.

    Pat Robertson could use some company.

  52. 52.

    WV Blondie

    June 8, 2023 at 10:58 pm

    Grinning from ear to ear! Just one long celebratory day! And this AP story about Paxton reads like a talking indictment: https://apnews.com/article/texas-ken-paxton-impeachment-nate-paul-e7c83297a0110cdb4502819568265ade

  53. 53.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    June 8, 2023 at 11:01 pm

    @Scout211:

    Our daughter was wondering if Jim Trusty’s middle name is “Notso”…lol!

  54. 54.

    smith

    June 8, 2023 at 11:04 pm

    @WaterGirl: Even if turns out to be less than full-on spying for a foreign power, I’m hoping the word “espionage” applied repeatedly to TFG will wake up the sleepy people still wobbly in their opinion of him.

  55. 55.

    jonas

    June 8, 2023 at 11:06 pm

    @S Cerevisiae: ​
      He was one of the ones who figured out early on that hyperventilating outrage gets ears/clicks and ran with it.

  56. 56.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 8, 2023 at 11:06 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Good choice 👍

  57. 57.

    Ruckus

    June 8, 2023 at 11:07 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    I just am having such a wonderful day.

    First SFB is indicted and then I had another episode of BPPV today, not as bad as the last time, where the world was spinning a lot more but my stomach and I have had 4 arguments in the last hr or so, and I lost every one. I just absolutely love the progress of me getting older. Oh well at least it’s still happening.

  58. 58.

    Alison Rose

    June 8, 2023 at 11:07 pm

    @Odie Hugh Manatee: Every time I see his name, this exact line goes through my head. Nothing to do with him, it’s just the word, LOL.

  59. 59.

    jonas

    June 8, 2023 at 11:07 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​
      I think it will probably be more along the lines of “you let a ton of people w/o proper clearance have access to this stuff” than “you auctioned off this intelligence to the highest bidder,” but I’m willing to be surprised!

  60. 60.

    geg6

    June 8, 2023 at 11:08 pm

    @TaMara:

    Elie bringing his A game. 🤣

  61. 61.

    Geoduck

    June 8, 2023 at 11:10 pm

    Julian Assange also lost a court case, evidently.

  62. 62.

    jonas

    June 8, 2023 at 11:12 pm

    @tobie: ​
    Yeah, there was some “Oh, Smith and Garland are a pair of milquetoasty p*ssies who are too afraid to rock the boat and bring charges against Trump…” around here as well. Never understood where that was coming from. Garland prosecuted McVeigh FFS and Smith has taken on honest-to-dog war criminals at the Hague. I think they know what the fuck they’re doing.

  63. 63.

    smith

    June 8, 2023 at 11:14 pm

    @jonas: Given that the only reason I can think of for him to take and then so vigorously hold on to them would be to turn them into cash, I think we can at least hope there were witnesses to the transactions. There may even been some urgency to the feds acting now, as it’s become clear that quite a few documents are still unaccounted for, and may still be on the auction block.

  64. 64.

    jonas

    June 8, 2023 at 11:18 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ​
      Trump fought for bigotry and white nationalism and the Confederates at Gettysburg fought for the same cause. Ergo charging him with stealing classified government secrets and obstruction of justice is just wrong!

    This is iron-clad logic in MAGAworld.

  65. 65.

    tobie

    June 8, 2023 at 11:20 pm

    @jonas: It sometimes felt like a pile on, especially since Garland and Smith couldn’t and wouldn’t reveal anything that would compromise the investigation or infringe on the rights of someone who had not yet been indicted.

  66. 66.

    Redshift

    June 8, 2023 at 11:20 pm

    @geg6:

    Someone posted a clip of him doing a little chair dance from whatever show he was on when the indictment was announced. He responded that he thought he was off camera, and then tried to cover for it. It’s kind of adorable.

    (I’m on my phone, so I can’t embed.)

    https://twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/1666961681883201537?t=SI9pc7KSrJ6sX5CayGGsWQ&s=19

  67. 67.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 8, 2023 at 11:20 pm

    @jonas: I notice that none of them are around tonight.

  68. 68.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 8, 2023 at 11:20 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: somebody on twitter pointed out that Elie Mystal, and his fellow Garland-is-doing-it-wrong-er Ari Melber, each have less than five years experience actually practicing law, while Garland,  as @jonas: points out, put Timothy McVeigh away.

  69. 69.

    jonas

    June 8, 2023 at 11:23 pm

    @smith: ​
      You’re forgetting Trump’s Razor: all things being equal, the stupidest explanation is the most likely. I still maintain that he stole the documents he did for the absolutely, most narcissistically stupid reasons imaginable: he the thought they made him look badass, either because he “knew” about it, or authorized it or something. I actually don’t think the was interested in monetizing them. He really did hang on to them because he thought whatever was in them represented his awesome power and super-geeniuzness as POTUS and he could tell people about it and say stuff like “Well, the proof is in my office. Now of course I can’t *show* it to you, but let’s just say, if I really wanted to maybe I could….and. Hey, can you keep a secret?”

    And on this petard he shall be hoist.

  70. 70.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 8, 2023 at 11:23 pm

    @jonas: She also very dramatically cites the SLAP IN THE FACE! to WASHINGTON! MADISON! HAMILTON! ADAMS!

    cause if there’s one thing Enlightenment republicans believed in, it was that certain classes of citizens, like ex-presidents, should be above the law

  71. 71.

    HumboldtBlue

    June 8, 2023 at 11:24 pm

    If they actually go with the “intentional mishandling of classified material” charge, Trump got Paul Ryan to increase that penalty to a minimum 5 year sentence (per infraction) back when he thought he could use it against Hillary. So he screwed himself.

  72. 72.

    Redshift

    June 8, 2023 at 11:27 pm

    @jonas:

    Never understood where that was coming from.

    The most charitable explanation is they’d gotten accustomed to investigations of Democrats that leaked like sieves, and didn’t grasp that’s not something we should wish for when the shoe is on the other foot.

  73. 73.

    BeautifulPlumage

    June 8, 2023 at 11:28 pm

    (moved up from below)

    Just a wafer-thin bit of more schadenfreude: there was a hearing today for the lawyers who used Chat GPT for research and submitted non-existent cases for their legal doc.
    Thread

  74. 74.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 8, 2023 at 11:28 pm

    @smith: @jonas: I keep thinking of that time he told (probably) Hannity that Nixon got $18M for his papers, I wondered at teh time if that could/would play in court wrt motive

  75. 75.

    rikyrah

    June 8, 2023 at 11:29 pm

     

    Why have I been 😂😂😂😂 for ten minutes straight watching this?

    Praying over Bambi.
    ” tell your Mama we didn’t mean you no harm”
    😂😂😂👏🏾

    https://vm.tiktok.com/ZT81j4QkF/

  76. 76.

    Captain C

    June 8, 2023 at 11:30 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    Hawley: If the president in power can jail his political opponents, which is what Joe Biden is trying to do tonight, we don’t have a republic anymore. We don’t have the rule of law or constitution.

    Hawley here telling the world what his own fantasies are, projecting onto Biden.

  77. 77.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 8, 2023 at 11:32 pm

    Per MSNBC: Merrick Garland did not review or approve the charges filed against Trump.

    Jack Smith operated autonomously as Special Counsel.

  78. 78.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 8, 2023 at 11:33 pm

    @TaMara: Fuck Elie Mystal and his two-years of obsessive, shit-on-Garland bullshit.

  79. 79.

    piratedan

    June 8, 2023 at 11:33 pm

    it’s been quite a day and in a way it feels like it’s a tipping point….

    Enforcement of our laws is a real thing…. will hope that if proven guilty, convictions follow, for all of those involved.

    a part of this that is likely to be overlooked is the fulcrum that the supposed Meadows flip will end up being….

    as I understand it, Meadows would be able to shed light on just who did what on J6.  If he’s been promised a limited immunity for what has been filed today, it makes me wonder what else he had to give up considering the considerable amount of criming that had to be taking place.  I ponder just who else may now have reason to worry with Meadows talking and just who else’s names may be showing up on indictments in DC.

  80. 80.

    smith

    June 8, 2023 at 11:33 pm

    @jonas: Yes, he’s just that stupid. However, I still doubt he’d pass up any chance to make a dishonest buck. I think it’s quite likely he was making deals for secrets while in office, and was unwilling to give up a lucrative grift. We may never know, but it pays to never bet on him being any better than the worst he can possibly be.

  81. 81.

    jonas

    June 8, 2023 at 11:34 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ​
     

    cause if there’s one thing Enlightenment republicans believed in, it was that certain classes of citizens, like ex-presidents, should be above the law

    IKR? Like if only we could be governed by some figure who cut through all these “rule of law” knots and could just make law by fiat! Take action and do whatever they want! And pass that power on to their children! And not be answerable to his subjects in any way.

    Yes, this perfectly captures what our Founders were striving for…

  82. 82.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 8, 2023 at 11:34 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: But I was assured that Garland was too Feckless to allow Trump to be indicted.  FECKLESS!!1!

  83. 83.

    Jeffro

    June 8, 2023 at 11:35 pm

    @hueyplong: I approve this plan

  84. 84.

    Scout211

    June 8, 2023 at 11:35 pm

    @jonas: I would think that the US military plans for war with Iran would be “appreciated” by a few very wealthy countries. I think Trump knows this and how valuable those plans are.

  85. 85.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 8, 2023 at 11:36 pm

    @UncleEbeneezer: F.E.C.K.L.E.S.S!

    ETA:  I feel just a little, I don’t know, less than charitable about some of those people.  I am not sure why….

  86. 86.

    Captain C

    June 8, 2023 at 11:37 pm

    @jonas:

    I actually don’t think the was interested in monetizing them.

    Jared, on the other hand, managed to land himself a nice, large fund manager gig (which with what I expect would be very generous compensation terms) from some people who have an interest in such things.  (Edited for clarity)

  87. 87.

    Jeffro

    June 8, 2023 at 11:37 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: personally I loved it, nothing makes them look stupider than those kinds of nonsensical, hyperbolic rants

    “YOU’RE DISGRACING WASHINGTON, ROOSEVELT, AND FOR GAWD’S SAKES THE DEAD AT OMAHA BEACH BY INDICTING AN OBVIOUS CRIMINAL WITH A WELL-SUPPORTED CASE OF OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE GAHHHHHHH!!!!!1!”

  88. 88.

    cain

    June 8, 2023 at 11:40 pm

    Did fox cover Trump with a (D) instead of a (R)?  :-)

  89. 89.

    Redshift

    June 8, 2023 at 11:41 pm

    @jonas: Yeah, but there are so many possible stupidest explanations, though. He also sincerely seemed to believe that he was elected to be CEO and owner of America, Inc., and all of its personnel and property were his. And he’s really greedy and has a history of not caring who the money comes from.

  90. 90.

    opiejeanne

    June 8, 2023 at 11:42 pm

    @Sparkedcat: There’s a report that the Safeway in DC has run out of Veuve Cliquot.

  91. 91.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 8, 2023 at 11:42 pm

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    I remember Sarah Kendzior called Merrick Garland a mob lawyer or something once. She really went off the deep end

  92. 92.

    Redshift

    June 8, 2023 at 11:43 pm

    @jonas:

    Yes, this perfectly captures what our Founders were striving for…

    They were all about having a new king. Everybody knows that.

  93. 93.

    jonas

    June 8, 2023 at 11:44 pm

    @smith: ​

    I think it’s quite likely he was making deals for secrets while in office

    Oh, I think that’s absolutely right. But remember when he disclosed the existence of a top-secret Israeli intelligence operation against ISIS to the Russian ambassador? In the fucking Oval Office? It wasn’t for a monetary grift — he does enough of that with this real estate business — it was to act cool in front of the cool kids. He wanted to impress Lavrov so he bandied about a “big huge secret” that he happened to know about. Trump is pathologically insecure and narcissistic and access to the top secrets of the US government is NPD crack.
    In this sense, Trump constitutes perhaps the biggest national security threat the counter-intelligence community has ever faced: A intellectually-deficient former President with an ego so fragile that to shore it up he will reveal absolutely any vital intelligence secrets to whomever he thinks he needs to impress — golf buddies, Saudi businessmen, hookers he sees. Whomever. It’s not about money. It’s about his self-esteem. And it’s a bottomless black hole.​

  94. 94.

    karen marie

    June 8, 2023 at 11:47 pm

    Welp.

    newly uncovered photos and video footage of January 6 show that [George Santos‘] attorney, Joseph Murray, was in the angry pro-Trump mob that trespassed on Capitol grounds.

  95. 95.

    eversor

    June 8, 2023 at 11:47 pm

    @Jeffro:

    Nobody cared when he wouldn’t go to the Omaha graves because it was raining and would fuck up his hair and was all “screw them they died”.  Never mind that the French (those cheese eating wine drinking cowards who beat the British for us when we fought for independence) show up each fucking year to carry sand from the beach up to the graves to rub it back into the names on the graves.  So the names still can be read, and are stood out in dark sand over white marble at least once a year with a flower placed before them.

    It was just a blip, and then off we went to the next issue.  But that speaks volumes.

  96. 96.

    karen marie

    June 8, 2023 at 11:51 pm

     

    @HumboldtBlue: He must have missed the whole “lock her up” thing.

  97. 97.

    jonas

    June 8, 2023 at 11:52 pm

    @Captain C: ​
      Sure, but Jared wasn’t trading (as far as we know) on US intelligence secrets, but access/influence. Which apparently, when Hunter Biden does it, is the crime of the century. But IOKIYAR, as ever.

  98. 98.

    C Stars

    June 8, 2023 at 11:58 pm

    I want to skip to the part where they exhume Ivana’s grave in the golf course and find a bunch of classified documents there.

  99. 99.

    opiejeanne

    June 8, 2023 at 11:59 pm

    @WaterGirl: I was working on a quilt for my step-grandson, since the one I made him originally has ended up on the wall, because I got carried away and it turned into Art. This one will go on his bed. I was puzzling out how to create blocks using fabric that had various-sized vignettes from Rogue One, and missed the announcment because I got tired and watched some Star Trek Voyager. I glanced at my phone at about 5pm, thinking we needed to close up the greenhouse, and saw the news. We got our flag out, hung it up, and have been watching MSNBC ever since. Can’t stand Ari Melber, but there were lots of great guests on tonight. Lawrence managed to find Rachel somewhere, and she looked like she hadn’t had time to put on much makeup. It wasn’t her usual look, and we speculated that she was fishing and this was the earliest they could get her in front of a computer. I thought this would be coming next week, so SURPRISE!

    Today was a great day for Democracy. Tomorrow we will fly the flag again in celebration again, and again on Tuesday.

  100. 100.

    karen marie

    June 9, 2023 at 12:01 am

    These motherfuckers have no pride.

    DeSantis says his rival is victim of political ‘weaponization’
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is condemning the indictment of Donald Trump, his chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination, as a political hatchet job.
    “The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society. We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation,” DeSantis tweeted.
    “Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?” he adds.
    DeSantis also promised to end what he called political bias and to “bring accountability” to the Department of Justice if elected.
    Other high-ranking Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have used similar language in their responses to the indictment, which they are portraying as political persecution.
    ____
    McCarthy says indictment ‘unconscionable’
    House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted that “it is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him.”
    The Republican added, “I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice.”

    McCarthy said the House GOP “will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.”
    House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, meanwhile, said the indictment was a “sham” and “the continuation of the endless political persecution of Donald Trump.”
    “Let’s be clear about what’s happening: Joe Biden is weaponizing his Department of Justice against his own political rival,” Scalise tweeted.

    DeSaster appears to be campaigning to be TFIG’s VP. Scalise and McCarthy are giving him a run for his money.

  101. 101.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 9, 2023 at 12:03 am

    @C Stars:

    Speaking of Ivana:

    Ivana Trump’s Immigration Records Stumped the FBI

  102. 102.

    Jim Vandewalker

    June 9, 2023 at 12:04 am

    @jonas: Bingo. You can find picture on line of Trump’s desk in Trump Tower piled high with stuff: reports, proposals, publicity, stuff. Stuff he obviously didn’t read; stuff he kept on his desk because if made him look like a busy important businessman. And I will guarantee that there was a desk in the President’s Study off the Oval Office that looked like that: piled with stuff. Probably one in the Residence too. I think there have been reports that after briefings he kept materials. And of course no briefer can say, “Sorry Mr. President, you have to give that back now.”

    So on Jan 20 when he finally realized he was going to have to leave the White House he just ordered all the stuff swept into boxes and shipped to MAL.

    And now he can’t explain why he kept all that stuff. Not even to himself. Trump’s Razor: “ascertain the stupidest possible scenario that can be reconciled with the available facts” and that answer is likely correct.(Josh TPM)

  103. 103.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 9, 2023 at 12:07 am

    @karen marie:

    McCarthy said the House GOP “will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.”

    House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, meanwhile, said the indictment was a “sham” and “the continuation of the endless political persecution of Donald Trump.”

    “Let’s be clear about what’s happening: Joe Biden is weaponizing his Department of Justice against his own political rival,” Scalise tweeted.

    Good luck doing that with the crazies shutting down the House.

    McCarthy says indictment ‘unconscionable’

    House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted that “it is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him.”

    Then it’s a good thing the President didn’t actually do that, the independent DOJ through a legally appointed special counsel did by convincing a federal judge with evidence

  104. 104.

    Redshift

    June 9, 2023 at 12:09 am

    My pet wingnut I follow retweeted one of his compatriots responding to an FBI recruitment tweet. He was ranting about “Yeah, get trained to hate your country, lock up political enemies,” blah blah blah.

    It’s just so bizarre. I mean, leaving aside that all law enforcement and especially the FBI is heavily right wing, there’s the J6 thing where they showed that “blue lives matter” only when they’re beating up brown people, and on top of that that they’ve been braying for their political opponents to be locked up immediately.

    I guess I shouldn’t be shaking my head so much, it’s not hypocrisy because they don’t really have principles, just desired outcomes.

  105. 105.

    Jackie

    June 9, 2023 at 12:10 am

    @HumboldtBlue: So true and so fitting TIFG gets to reap what he has sown 😁

  106. 106.

    Raoul Paste

    June 9, 2023 at 12:10 am

    I went to the live taping of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me in Chicago tonight.    They managed to sneak in a news question about Donald Trump‘s indictment.
    The show will probably air Saturday

  107. 107.

    opiejeanne

    June 9, 2023 at 12:10 am

    @Ruckus: I hate that. I had a very nasty case of it about 6 weeks ago. It was debilitating. I lost 2 pounds really quickly, but I’d rather not lose weight that way.

  108. 108.

    RaflW

    June 9, 2023 at 12:12 am

    @WV Blondie: Yeah, just seeing that this day has whipped cream and a Luxardo cherry (not some red dye maraschino crap) on top:

    AUSTIN — Jun 8, 2023 — Nate Paul, the man at the center of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment, is in jail on an FBI detainer, according to jail records.

    Paul, 36, was booked into the Travis County jail at 4:25 p.m. Thursday on “undetermined” felony charges. The arresting agency is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. No attorney for Paul was listed. …

    One of Paxton’s impeachment attorneys, Dan Cogdell, said he didn’t know what the charges were and that the FBI did not reach out to him ahead of time. But he assumes they involve Paxton in some way, and added that he believes the FBI is going to try to get Paul to turn on his client.

    “You don’t have to be Nostradamus to assume that they’re going to try to flip Nate Paul to testify against Ken [Paxton].

  109. 109.

    Jackie

    June 9, 2023 at 12:14 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I did too. He told Jack Smith in his own way he expected to be paid to return any classified documents he still had.

  110. 110.

    Captain C

    June 9, 2023 at 12:17 am

    @jonas: Jared likely would see having access to whatever TFG pilfered as a business opportunity, I would think, and probably wouldn’t have too much trouble making copies or just swiping them, given the level of security and general cluefulness at Trump’s various properties.

  111. 111.

    karen marie

    June 9, 2023 at 12:19 am

    So nice! Sound up!

    200+ South African firefighters landed in Edmonton, Canada to assist in the fight against the raging wildfire.

  112. 112.

    C Stars

    June 9, 2023 at 12:19 am

    @Redshift: yeah, it really seems like they are living in reality TV world, where everything is transparently scripted and the loudest and most venal contestant wins. It’s not really about personal values for these GOPers, just about putting on a good show. Hence their stupid catchphrase that everyone who isn’t on their side “hates America”

  113. 113.

    opiejeanne

    June 9, 2023 at 12:20 am

    @UncleEbeneezer: The Rs used to throw Feckless! at Obama all the damned time, and I wondered if they knew the definition of that word.

  114. 114.

    Matt McIrvin

    June 9, 2023 at 12:21 am

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Man if I ever run for President I’m going to do so many crimes! It’ll be unconscionable to lock me up!

  115. 115.

    Jackie

    June 9, 2023 at 12:22 am

    @opiejeanne: YES hang the flag! I’m taking flowers and a mini USA flag out to my Dad’s niche tomorrow. He’d hoped to outlive TIFG to pee on his grave, but flowers and a flag will be a close substitute.

  116. 116.

    RaflW

    June 9, 2023 at 12:22 am

    @Jeffro: I had to google Asa Hutchinson’s name, because I’d totally forgotten who he is. Good for him for (the appearance of) having values. But it’s a desperate hail mary for attention.

  117. 117.

    RandomMonster

    June 9, 2023 at 12:24 am

    @jonas: all things being equal, the stupidest explanation is the most likely

    I can do that one, too, though. Donald Trump is only concerned about getting money, because he’s a collasal fuckup who loses more money than he makes. So he was shopping secrets for cash, plain and simple. He already knew it worked for Jared.

  118. 118.

    scav

    June 9, 2023 at 12:25 am

    @Matt McIrvin: You got the order wrong! Criming first, then the get out of consequences maneuver. Don’t want to waste a minute — time is profit.

  119. 119.

    JWR

    June 9, 2023 at 12:29 am

    I wish those WATB writer’s would get their lazy asses back to work, cuz I’m really jonesin’ for some fresh Colbert and Seth Meyers!

    //s, jk, KIDDDING! ;)

  120. 120.

    RaflW

    June 9, 2023 at 12:41 am

    @karen marie: Since it is patently obvious that DeSantis has no interest whatsoever in “a free society”, all the blather surrounding that phrase is as null and as void as his moral compass.

  121. 121.

    mvr

    June 9, 2023 at 12:43 am

    @Almost Retired: Are the ticks also celebrating?

  122. 122.

    Nettoyeur

    June 9, 2023 at 12:46 am

    @zhena gogolia:  Yale Law school has some ‘splaining to do. There is also the charming bit that for years,  Trump and his supporters have been threatening to lock up (or worse) their opponents en masse without any due process at all.

  123. 123.

    NotMax

    June 9, 2023 at 12:49 am

    Will Ivanka find an excuse to leave Miami on Tuesday?

    “I- I- I had to wash my hair. In Texas.”

  124. 124.

    RaflW

    June 9, 2023 at 12:50 am

    @Redshift: How long will the right wingers stay working at the FBI if all they hear from their fellow travelers is how terrible it is. They might sustain four years thinking they can ‘outlast’ Biden, but the rising hatred of the FBI by the GOP — including some pretty high level electeds — is not that likely to abate either way. They were already developing some of this pathology before J.6.

  125. 125.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2023 at 12:51 am

    @mvr: ​
    Ticks are nasty little creatures. They are probably pro-Trump.*

    *Dear ticks, my apologies if that was going too far for even your disease carrying, blood sucking, little souls.

  126. 126.

    Soprano2

    June 9, 2023 at 1:07 am

    @Almost Retired: Hope you’re enjoying it. If you dodged the rain you’ve had great weather for hiking.

  127. 127.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 9, 2023 at 1:10 am

    Many People Are Saying Tweeting that Marge confessed to a crime on national television tonight

    Acyn @Acyn

    Greene: The FBI is stonewalling us and they would only let us see it in a scif. What I did after reading the document is made notes when I walked out and went to the table. I wrote down everything that I had just read.

  128. 128.

    thruppence

    June 9, 2023 at 1:26 am

    Just got home after a stop at a late night beverage store. Now, to pop that cork!

  129. 129.

    NotMax

    June 9, 2023 at 1:36 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist

    She can read and write?

    Assumes facts without evidence.
    //

  130. 130.

    Sally

    June 9, 2023 at 4:07 am

    @C Stars: It is not only transparently scripted, but then edited to hell and back so that the person they choose to win, looks like they might have won. I’m sure some of them think this works IRL too.

  131. 131.

    Kay

    June 9, 2023 at 6:01 am

    I’m thrilled he was indicted. We were at a patio table at a bar in Cleveland and suddenly everyone was looking at their phones.

    Spot on prediction, Watergirl.

  132. 132.

    Geminid

    June 9, 2023 at 6:27 am

    @karen marie: I doubt that DeSantis is campaigning to be Trump’s VP. He needs to beat Trump while alienating Trump’s hard-core followers as little as possible, though. DeSantis can’t win the general election if they stay home. The Republicans’ numbers problem is bad enough as it is.

  133. 133.

    Barry

    June 9, 2023 at 6:31 am

    @jonas: “Garland prosecuted McVeigh FFS and Smith has taken on honest-to-dog war criminals at the Hague. I think they know what the fuck they’re doing.”

     

    The thing is that that meant *nothing*.  Going after politically and economically helpless people who the US Govt opposed is different than taking on politically well-connected people.

  134. 134.

    Geminid

    June 9, 2023 at 6:34 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: If ticks are Republicans- which does seem likely- then possums are Democrats, because they are voracious eaters of ticks.

  135. 135.

    Uncle Cosmo

    June 9, 2023 at 11:01 am

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): And last but not least, Trump has been indicated indicted!

    FTFY, boychik.

    It’s the kind of day that must make some of the less savory amongst us lament the fact that indicted is not pronounced as spelled – i.e., “in-dick-ted” – for values of “dick” including “rusty chainsaw dusted with anthrax spores.”

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - Albatrossity - Serengeti Day 2, Round 3 9
Image by Albatrossity (6/12/25)

PA Supreme Court At Risk

We did it!

We raised the 25,000 for The Civics Center, and with the external matches, that gives them $60,000 for this Spring effort!

You guys rock!

Recent Comments

  • prostratedragon on Well, This is Fucking Horrifying (Jun 13, 2025 @ 5:29am)
  • Aussie Sheila on Well, This is Fucking Horrifying (Jun 13, 2025 @ 5:17am)
  • Baud on On The Road – Winter Wren – Gozo Countryside – Part 2: Wied il-Għasri (Jun 13, 2025 @ 5:16am)
  • Baud on Well, This is Fucking Horrifying (Jun 13, 2025 @ 4:59am)
  • Martin on Well, This is Fucking Horrifying (Jun 13, 2025 @ 4:14am)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
War in Ukraine
Donate to Razom for Ukraine

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!