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“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

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

If you’re gonna whine, it’s time to resign!

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Fear and negativity are contagious, but so is courage!

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

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

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

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

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

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

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

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Too little, too late, ftfnyt. fuck all the way off.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Buckle Up (Open Thread)

Buckle Up (Open Thread)

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As best I can make out, Trump, a cornered rat, is trying to invent an even BIGGER scandal so people will stop talking about the HUGE scandal he’s currently embroiled in because he won’t release the files on his close personal friend, deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Trump thinks he’s come up with just the thing, but his brain is mush, so it’s really stupid.

Check it out: during a Gold-Flocked Office press availability this morning, Trump took his late night social media show live on camera, accusing Presidents Obama and Biden, Hillary Clinton and others of treason, citing the extremely weak-tea press release Tulsi Gabbard put out over the weekend:

Trump: "This is like, proof. Irrefutable proof that Obama was seditious. That Obama was trying to lead a coup. And it was with Hillary Clinton, with all these other people. But Obama headed it up … this is the biggest scandal in the history of our country."

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 22, 2025 at 12:08 PM

Again, I cannot emphasize enough that this is just banana-pants stuff. The press release was a squirrel Gabbard conjured to make angry MAGA dopes stop wondering why their favorite president won’t release government files on his close personal friend, the dead pedophile.

Its central argument was such an obvious ploy* that it wouldn’t take a lawyer to vaporize it in court — a reasonably bright second grader could spot the switcheroo that marks it as bad-faith bullshit. I figured they figured it might suffice with the smooth-brained intended audience.

Did Gabbard know Trump would run with it in a press availability with another world leader, which arguably commits the administration to taking some sort of action? Who knows.

Maybe this was the plan all along, and the Gabbard dodge was really they best they could come up with. Or maybe President Crazypants is just riffing as he succumbs to narcissistic injury and his brain, never robust in the first place, disintegrates.

REPORTER: Gabbard has submitted a criminal referral. Who should the DOJ target?

TRUMP: It would be President Obama. And Biden was there with him … the leader of the gang was Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. He's guilty. This is treason.

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 22, 2025 at 11:57 AM

Trump even sort of admits this is a response to the Epstein scandal before going on to ramble about how he actually won in 2020 blah blah blah, bullshit absolutely no one except the dead-end cultists believe:

Trump: "We caught Hillary Clinton. We caught Barack Hussein Obama … you ought take a look at that and stop talking about nonsense."

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 22, 2025 at 12:00 PM

Later, Trump tells reporters that filing charges will be up to Pam Bondi. That’s low-key hilarious because Trump’s deranged base is already furious at Bondi for not releasing the Epstein files.

How can Bondi charge Obama, who hasn’t committed a crime? She’ll either have to file frivolous charges in what would be the most high-profile case in U.S. history and become a global punchline when it’s laughed out of court. Or else she’ll have to falsify evidence that isn’t cited in the Gabbard press release, i.e., just make shit up.

I’m not a lawyer, but I’m pretty sure falsifying evidence is a crime? However, if Bondi doesn’t charge Obama with treason, the MAGA loons might literally descend on her with tiki torches for giving the Deep State yet another pass. Sucks to be her!

This morning, commenting on Trump’s deranged tweets on the same subject, I said I thought it was angry bombast and that these morons wouldn’t dare act upon it — the country wouldn’t stand for it. I still think that, but now I’m somewhat less sure they won’t at least try. What do y’all think?

Open thread.

*Short version: Gabbard cites a statement from James Clapper that says the intel community didn’t find evidence that Russian agents were able to hack into systems and change votes and says that means Russian agents didn’t meddle in the 2016 election at all. 

Reader Interactions

77Comments

  2. 2.

    laura

    Stop talking about how I raped all those little girls because they lied and were also acting all slutty every time I got near enough to rape them. Geez, have an ounce of magnitude for once.

  3. 3.

    Spanky

     I’m pretty sure falsifying evidence is a crime?

    Of course it’s a crime! The DOJ is going to come down on her like a ton of bricks! Guaranteed. Yessirreebob.

  4. 4.

    suzanne

    “This is like, proof. Irrefutable proof that Obama was seditious.”

    Oooooh, somebody learned a new word!!!

    It’s hilariously pathetic how he throws “Hussein” in there, just to replay the old hits. Can we bring back Nasty Woman or Bleeding From Her Wherever? It’s so fun.

  6. 6.

    Spanky

    Seems like choosing the lady with the sign over there on the side was the right move today.

    Or any day ending in “y”, really, I guess.

  7. 7.

    zhena gogolia

    I do recommend watching the Hunter Biden interview. I’m learning a lot from it.

  10. 10.

    lowtechcyclist

    Can’t see there could be a whole lot of legal difference between perjury and falsifying evidence, so IANAL but I’d assume it’s a crime.

  11. 11.

    Spanky

    I took a peek over at the WaPo to see if there was news of Powell. The only thing was an article headline saying Trump will let him serve out his turn.

    The other, new thing, however, is a chyron at the bottom with headlines, all prefaced with “Fox Washington DC”.

    So now you know who wapo wants you to get your news from.

  12. 12.

    Captain C

    @laura:

    Stop talking about how I raped all those little girls because they lied and were also acting all slutty every time I got near enough to rape them

    i.e. existing while female and underage

  14. 14.

    gratuitous

    I think it’s time to gin up a companion campaign to the “release the Epstein files” one. Let’s keep reminding MAGA and their favorite news [sic] outlets that their beloved president has declared Obama, Clinton and Biden (oh my!) to be traitors to the country. If it’s true, that’s a very serious charge that has been leveled by the President of the United States, and yet the Department of Justice is not doing anything about it. If it’s not true, what does that say about the felon’s mental acuity that he would broadcast such a lie?

  20. 20.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Steve LaBonne:

    A simpler version: Obama, the Clintons, and Biden committed treason, so where are the charges? What’s Trump/Bondi/whoever hiding now?

  21. 21.

    Belafon

    Gabbard cites a statement from James Clapper that says the intel community didn’t find evidence that Russian agents were able to hack into systems and change votes and says that means Russian agents didn’t meddle in the 2016 election at all. 

    Um, we knew that Donny. We talked about Russia’s interference through social media in 2016, 2017, 2018… They interfered in ways you thanked them for.

  22. 22.

    Deputinize America

    The mediots, as usual, fail to ask or point out anything about the federal statute of limitations.

    Let me help, if any of the mediots come to see this. Here’s the statement: “Mr President, are you insisting that the Attorney General ignore the federal statute of limitation on alleged crimes that don’t involve capital punishment or sex offenses? Wouldn’t that be a fruitless waste of resources?”

  24. 24.

    schrodingers_cat

    Gabbard was a fellow of the Sanders Institute until very recently. She and RFK Jr were both a part of Sanders 2016 primary campaign. Now they are full on MAGA. The horseshoe is real. Thanks for nothing Shouty Senator who is supposedly authentic and a great communicator. He is an authentic white grievance monger for sure.
    We are in T2.0 in no small measure because of the the senator from VT and his 2016 campaign that hobbled the eventual nominee.

  26. 26.

    sab

    Gold flocked office. My husband and I watch everything from the Oval Office with the sound muted, because we are anxious to see what new gold is there. That side table with the very gold  eagle and the marble top: was it always there and invisible there in otherwise tasteful surroundings, or did Trump have a table spray painted gold?

    We watch it because we are appalled and he is our president.

  27. 27.

    The Audacity of Krope

    🎶Cranks keep on cranking, cranking, cranking…

    …into the future🎶

  32. 32.

    KrackenJack

    Doesn’t the Philippines have some recent history with prosecuting ex-presidents? Did Duterte and the ICC come up in the press conference?

  36. 36.

    pajaro

    OMG.

    Treason is making war on the US.  If Obama had made up all kinds of bad stuff himself and ordered the DOJ to go forward, it wouldn’t be treason, since candidate Trump, whatever he thinks of himself, isn’t America.

    ALSO, HE’S IMMUNE.  That’s right, someone should tell Trump that his buddy John Roberts handed Obama a get out of prosecution card about a year ago.  Obama’s actions in connection with his powers concerning US Defense, foreign relations and domestic security are the kinds of things that you don’t even get to bring to trial, if you’re the government.

  37. 37.

    sab

    Back when I was a naive youngster of 70 years old I truly believed that however vile Trump is he is anti-war because wars are expensive.

    As he gets more embattled (personality disorder) and more confused (dementia) I don’t believe any of the things he wouldn’t have done are still off the table.

  38. 38.

    Ruckus

    @Spanky:

    About as right as it gets.

    Although she had some expectations, low or otherwise. I believe that zero expectations would have been a better concept. I guess that it’s always good not to think there is ZERO positive about an important person but doesn’t that leave out the concept of only negative expectations? I mean that’s all I’ve ever had about our loser president. NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS.

    Although it is difficult to be completely disappointed about shitforbrains words and actions if all one has is negative expectations. Because you are then already in the correct range of expectations for or about him.

  39. 39.

    sab

    @KrackenJack: Ali Velshi has had Phillipino journalists  on a lot. But you have to have cable to watch him.

    Our last cable bill was $266. Yikes. Husband pays it. I had no idea.

    ETA Phillipines had a monster murdering people, but they are a democracy and threw him out. Took many years, but it is doable in an actual democracy, however corrupt.

  41. 41.

    MattF

    @suzanne: This whole pedophilia+ satanism+ cannibalism+ Obama+ Biden+ Hillary+ treason+… I guess piling crazy on top of crazy is the secret sauce here, but what do I know.

  44. 44.

    New Deal democrat

    I cannot believe I am the first person to bring up the fact that according to Roberts, Chief Justice, and a majority of the All Hallowed < genuflecting > Supreme Court, former Presidents have immunity for official acts while in office!. See: Trump vs. US.

  45. 45.

    sab

    @Old Man Shadow: If you do that you must also sign on to serious training.  Otherwise you might accidentally shoot your wife or your cat.

    ETA As a cat owning wife I am relentless on gun training. If he doesn’t do it he sleeps on the porch for all eternity.

  46. 46.

    Baud

    Sounds like a good time for Obama, Hillary, and Joe to have a televised round table discussion about Trump and his relationship to Epstein.

  47. 47.

    Dave

    @sab: I figured it was because he at some level he knows wars can go wrong and in a way that he might not be able to dodge responsibility for.

     

    That calculation changes if he is sufficiently worried that he is screwed then the role of the dice becomes not only acceptable but enticing.

  48. 48.

    Lord Fartdaddy (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    Uh, I don’t believe faking evidence is against the law any more if a Republican does it.

  51. 51.

    Martin

    @pajaro: You’re acting as though the machine and it’s rules are functional. If they were, we wouldn’t be here right now. The machine doesn’t spit out justice. It spits out power now. It’s not going to save us. Not USSC, and not Congress. They’re afraid of Trump and MAGA. They all saw Jan 6, too.

    Congress just recessed for 2 months to avoid voting on Epstein. They and USSC work for Trump. That should be pretty obvious by now.

  56. 56.

    Ruckus

    @sab:

    First, he’s always been at least minimally delusional about who and what he is, his entire life.

    Second, since he’s no longer anywhere near rational, which a while ago he at least seemed to understand what rational at least looked like from a distance, which he no longer does and therefore can’t learn anything even close to doodly squat. Most of us end up at least near there if we live long enough to pass because we’ve lived long enough, as even somewhat rational humans. I’d bet you see there is more than one issue with what I just typed, let me know if you see what it is….

  57. 57.

    gvg

    @MattF: and I am starting to think there is something he didn’t expect or know about or know there was proof or even rumors of. I mean sure he has often not fulfulled promises before, but he was not at al cautious about what he said before. So what does that mean?

    Last week I assumed he realized too manyother peope he needed like Congressmen or rich donors were in the files, now I wonder because he is not that strategic when it’s inconvienent to him. As for a straight forward he raped little girls too, that seemed unlikely to me. If he had, it seemed like he would not have been encouraging these rumors all along. Shrug, I don’t know. Hope it all brings him down and plenty of others too.

  58. 58.

    AMagicianNamedGob

    @Old Man Shadow: I think you should.  And you should invest in a safety training course if you are not already well versed.  And then practice, so you know your tool.  (It is also fun going to the range).

    This is a right of all Americans, and I was of the mind that in the modern world maybe we needed less of these tools lying around.  I have changed my thinking on that and would encourage anyone willing to commit to safe gun ownership to exercise their rights too.

  61. 61.

    hotshoe

    @MattF:

    Personally I favor the theory that there is nothing “really bad” in the Epstein files as far as Trump — that is, there aren’t actual videos of him having sex with a little girl. Maybe somewhere along the way Trump knew he had been photographed in his underwear with a girl, and he knew he didn’t want that to get out. But with his brain rotting now, he can’t exactly remember what part of the files he was trying to hide, so he has yell “forget it, there’s nothing there” at the same time he uses the fed govt to suppress everything.

    The part that I wonder about being really bad: whichever part is making the RePug House go home for the summer rather than allow Dems to propose a bill about the Epstein files.

    Epsteins “little black book” had 97 pages of contact names/phone numbers/addresses, a few thousand of them:

    … for every Jordanian princess there are three reflexologists from Boca … Epstein collected people, and if you ever had any interaction with him or Ghislaine Maxwell, his onetime girlfriend and alleged accomplice, you more than likely ended up in this book …

    Unless you believe that each of the RePug House members was in Epstein’s book (before 2019) and could be linked to sex offenses — then what is the fear of Epstein which has such a hold upon them?

  62. 62.

    sab

    I am British/Irish/ Swiss. Very white in North America.

    Went reluctantly yesterday to buy pillow cases to match my sheets at Target..

    I was shocked. No Black people at all. One old person with a cane. No Black employees.

    When the CEO apologized thst was bullshitt. They still don’t have any Black employees In my loxal ztore

     

    ETA I am sorry I went there. Without Black customers their merchandise will always suc

    Black people have taste above their paygrade. This Is just a fact.

  64. 64.

    ruckus

    @gratuitous:

    If it’s not true, what does that say about the felon’s mental acuity that he would broadcast such a lie?

    He has mental acuity?

    You’re kidding, of course.

    Listen I’m an old, not all that many years behind shitforbrains. Now we all age at different rates, and some/most humans lose mental acuity as they age. The loss often speeds up as the aging out human gets older. shitforbrains is aging out, seemingly rather rapidly. But then he has taken on pressure that most of us never or rarely get nearly that close to. And most humans if they DO have that kind of pressure, retire earlier than many others, because of that pressure. Of course not shitforbrains. He’s intelligent, he’s tough, he knows everything. Just ask him. OH WAIT! Will he understand the question? I’ll give it 35% possibly, 65% not likely. (I may be giving him too much credit. But then he does have staff that will explain it to him. Maybe not rationally or realistically but still someone there surely speaks infant/very old fartitus.)

  65. 65.

    Anonymous At Work

    QUESTION: Does anyone have a link to the names of signatories of the House’s discharge petition for Epstein papers?  It’d be a good to call local Democrats and urge them to sign if they haven’t.

  67. 67.

    WTFGhost

    I’m not a lawyer, but I’m pretty sure falsifying evidence is a crime?

    According to Better Call Saul, it is, after he said he had a client make a pie dance video to sell a story for a client.

    Telling the *cops* his client was a secret pie dancer, and that’s why his client had pulled his couch out to check his (drug, not video) stash before calling to report a robbery, seemed to be okay. But creation of evidence was when his lady lawyer friend said he’d crossed a serious line.

    Telling even a minor fib to The Courts can get you disbarred – an attorney is an officer of the court. Of course, an attorney is allowed to lie and obfuscate on behalf of their client, but, there are limits to that. This is why you have an attorney insisting his client was innocent, a perfect boy scout, and then insists the only reason his client committed the crime was his horrible past, filled with abuse, and “bad influences” that led to criminal conduct, without the judge throwing the gavel at him (or her – sorry, my brain just “himmed” and I’m not going back to change it).

  68. 68.

    ruckus

    @sab:

    I’m British, Irish, Sicilian. As far as I’ve been told. And as I’m the only one left in the immediate family and oldest in the extended family, there isn’t anyone to correct me.

  70. 70.

    Anonymous At Work

    @WTFGhost: You cannot lie to the court, but you can poke holes in evidence you know to be true by pointing out the holes and inconsistencies.

    Also, if you don’t know something is a lie, you can portray it as the truth, so many defense attorneys don’t ask their clients if they are guilty or innocent for that reason.

  71. 71.

    Pennsylvanian

    So that presidential immunity doesn’t apply to ALL presidents? Asking for the whole fucking country…

  73. 73.

    jlowe

    As Mencken said, “one horse laugh is worth ten thousand syllogisms.” Martin Gardner would say the same thing about how to respond to people who claimed they were telepathic or telekinetic. Of course, the joke would be lost on most MAGAts as they wouldn’t know what the fuck a syllogism is.

  74. 74.

    Geminid

    @hotshoe: I think it’s the House Republicans’ fear of Trump that is at work here.

    There may also be some fear for Trump. Damage to their party leader could come around to bite them in the midterms. They’ve all “hitched their wagon to a star;” but what happens if it’s a falling star?

  75. 75.

    artem1s

    he’s basically using the “I know I am, but what are you?” defense now. he’s such a low brow, middle school bully.

  76. 76.

    trnc

    Did Gabbard know Trump would run with it in a press availability with another world leader …?

    If she doesn’t understand the way Trump functions by now, add it to the list of disqualifiers for any national intelligence job whatsoever.

  77. 77.

    Ken_L

    Trump didn’t invent a new scandal. He simply trotted out a bedtime story that’s been a MAGA fave since 2017, slowly perfected ever since. To read them tell it now, Obama and his tame intelligence/FBI chiefs along with Hillary made ‘Trump-Russia collusion’ a huge 2016 election issue; then pushed it so hard after Hillary lost that it utterly consumed poor Mr Trump’s entire presidency, preventing him from Making America Great Again.

    Their talent for creative fiction is something the media has never been able either to convey to the public or to respond to effectively.

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