The question came up earlier about clarifying the ways of dealing with the mess Trump and his cronies have inflicted on the nation. The options basically come down to two: a special investigator or a congressional investigation.
A special investigator can be appointed only by the Attorney General. That’s right, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions.
Investigative commissions are fairly rare, with just seven formed between 1989 and 2016. One major question is whether Congress would be willing to shell out money for an investigation.
Paying for a full-time staff to conduct interviews and hearings, sometimes over years, can run from several thousands of dollars to over $10 million, according to a paper released in January by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
The investigation into the intelligence failures of 9/11 — commonly known as the 9/11 Commission — employed 80 people and was initially approved for $3 million. But the panel asked for more money in order to complete the work, and after butting heads with the George W. Bush White House, an additional $9 million was allocated.
Since the money comes from the budget, it requires an approval from Congress through an appropriations bill.
The sooner this investigation is tasked out to a bipartisan team of respected citizens who do not have day jobs related to governing, the better for the Trump administration — and, I would argue, the better for a country desperately in need of policy solutions to the vexing problems we face.
Mary G
NOW I’m scared; Sarah Kendzior and Garry Kaspasrov have been calling it, but still…
zhena gogolia
@Mary G:
Please take Kendzior with a grain of salt. And Kasparov as far as I know has not gone over the panic line.
sigaba
All of them Katie.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mary G:
WHAT!?!?!
Eric U.
I remember when the people at The New REpublican printed an article saying that it would be good for Clinton that Starr was appointed special prosecutor. Haha.
Timurid
We may be getting closer to the nightmare scenario I’d worried about earlier… Trump, Sessions, McConnell and Ryan holding a joint presser to announce that the Russia investigation has been closed and that they are behind their President. The laurel wreath crown will be optional…
dm
@Mary G: Time to break out Tim Snyder’s On Tyranny: 20 lessons from the 20th Century. Also Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark.
Also, thanks, Cheryl. The best I could have done was Wikipedia block-quotes.
John Revolta
Who wrote this cockamamie program?
lamh36
So there is nothing that can be done…either way we are fuq’ed…smh.
I am so angry right now…I had been trying to not let my cynicism overtake my low threshold of optimism. That optimism level is now 0…
I’m seriously gonna need to consider moving to Canada after all…cause we still got 3 1/2 years of this bullshit…smh…with no repercussions…
lamh36
Per MSNBC: Schumer asking that all Dem Senators be in their seats tomorrow at 9:30 am.
lamh36
lamh36
This mofo…
different-church-lady
Suddenly checks and balances don’t seem so checky and balancy.
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: Got to do the 1st Quarter report back to the Home Office…
amk
@different-church-lady: Voters’ stupidity trumps them all.
Mnemosyne
As I said below, Congress could pass a new independent prosecutor statute and override Trump’s veto if they wanted to.
So what’s really happening is that Republicans have chosen treason over their country.
It’s as simple as that. The Republican Party is the party of treason.
jl
@lamh36: Trump is dumb as a post. He thinks that kind of BS gotcha is going to wash with anyone but his hardcore base.
We’ll see how Congress is willing to spend its time and fund if they hear enough outrage from their constituents.
SFAW
@lamh36:
Unlike Peter Quill, Shitgibbon really IS a total dick.
kindness
How much money was spent investigating Bill Clinton while he was in office? I suggest we allot at least that much.
Mnemosyne
@SFAW:
Ahem. “One hundred percent a dick.”
I took a Buzzfeed quiz that told me my GotG soulmate is Rocket. That sounded about right to me.
??? Martin
@lamh36: Well, federal officials should not be too confident that the next million+ march on D.C. comes off so peacefully. We have peaceful transitions of power because people have faith that our nation of laws works well enough. When that faith gets fully shattered, it will stop being peaceful. We’re not there but we’re on that train.
Bill Arnold
I’ve been presuming that J. Comey was smart and paranoid enough to have some sort of redundant dead man switch apparatus in place that will now screw Trump and the other Republicans involved. (Is JB Sessions involved/compromised by the Russians too?)
We shall see. Not happy, at all.
Gravenstone
@kindness: Don’t forget to adjust for inflation.
RepubAnon
A Republican Congress would probably hire Rudy Giuliani as a special prosecutor… or I hear Ken Starr is between jobs, too. In short, it would be a Tom Sawyer job – sucking up the taxpayers’ money to whitewash Trumpski.
Corner Stone
@zhena gogolia: What do you know about Kendzior that’s tweaked your tweakables?
Mnemosyne
@Bill Arnold:
Honestly, I’ve been assuming that Comey is stupidly naive and has enormous political blind spots, because that seems to fit most of his actions so far.
Timurid
We’re far too close to the point where the only choice for some people will be to cancel elections or go to prison.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Adam L Silverman: All this shit would get a “wishing you a nice janitorial career” response if submitted as a thriller manuscript. Seriously.
amk
@kindness: heck, they spent millions trying to repeal obamacare gazillion times.
Cheryl Rofer
As a number of you are pointing out, this event is far from over. There is also the possibility that someone might decide to take a thumb drive (don’t need large piles of paper anymore!) to a major newspaper or Josh Marshall or…
Mark Felt, also known as Deep Throat, spoke to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein because he was irritated at the way the FBI had been treated. I am seeing various media outlets tweeting their secure drop email addresses and such.
lamh36
@lamh36: SMH…Reporters should be asking GOP pols ON THE RECORD… is their loyalty to party more important than loyalty to the country! But will they?
This is all just disgusting…
ArchTeryx
I am very late to the party after an utterly brutal day, but it comes to this: Nobody likes or trusts traitors and double agents, including, especially, the people who benefit from their perfidy. Even Baron Harkonnen knocks off Yueh the moment he finishes off the Atreides. Traitors are too dangerous to be left simply lying around.
Comey was a dead man walking the moment Trump was elected. I’m astonished it took Trump this long to can him. Obama should have done him the favor.
LurkerNoLonger
@lamh36: Again with the cryin’ taunt. Crying involves empathy. Sociopaths don’t feel empathy, so it’s a foreign concept to Trump.
Bill Arnold
@lamh36:
Re Trump’s tweet, repeating just because:
No, realDonaldTrump, Comey screwed up and was trying to redeem himself with the American people. You just obstructed justice in the most transparent way possible, presumably because it was the least bad of your alternatives.
lamh36
@Cheryl Rofer: I just CANNOT imagine that this doesn’t piss off the 11,000+ FBI agents and staff…
All it takes is one, to let the shit fly…
? ?? Goku ? ?
So. All the recent scary news has got me thinking. I’ve said some threatening things against the GOP and the President. Does the govt monitor BJ? Can they find out who I am and connect me to my comments on this site and others. I fear the answer may be yes.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@? ?? Goku ? ?: Look, if Trump was that awesomely all powerful and had this planned out, do you seriously believe he would be facing a Grand Jury indictment because he got cuddly with a national enemy?
Mnemosyne
@ArchTeryx:
Nah, it’s better that Trump fired him. If Obama had done it, the MSM would still be screeching to this day about what a partisan firing it was, and we’d have Kris Kobach or a similar white supremacist asshole in charge right now.
This makes Trump look absolutely terrible to just about everyone. I’ve been saying for a couple of days that one of the ways narcissists get away with shit is by doing things no normal person would do and expecting everyone else to be too shocked to react. Unfortunately for Trump, he miscalculated and EVERYONE is pushing back immediately.
I tell the story here of my narcissistic sister in law’s showing up at my dead brother’s house within 6 hours of his passing, but I may not be emphasizing enough that quick and decisive action blocked her from succeeding.
Adam L Silverman
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: I could not make this stuff up.
Another Scott
Puppet is Twittering again:
He’s such a child.
He’s a continuing danger to the Republic. He brain damaged, and he needs to go.
Cheers,
Scott.
Mnemosyne
@? ?? Goku ? ?:
FWIW, Cole and the front pagers are the only ones with access to our IP addresses, and Cole has said many times that he will defend that information with his life if necessary. You’re probably safer here than on most websites.
lamh36
ArchTeryx
@Mnemosyne: Yeah, I had that thought too. The politics would have been horrible for Obama to fire him, but it would have been the responsible thing to do, and set a precedent: Traitors are not rewarded with their jobs.
Nonetheless, it really warmed the cockles of my heart to know that all Comey’s tongue-bathing of Trump, up to and including perjury, were rewarded by his termination and public humiliation. He was treated as a traitor should be. The only thing I was sad about was that he didn’t get the Baron Harkonnen treatment.
(I might add, apropo of nothing, that Yueh had a hundred times more integrity then Comey ever did. He only did what he did because his wife was held hostage, and he STILL schemed to try and take the Baron with him when his inevitable death arrived. Nearly succeeded, too, and DID manage to kill the Baron’s confidant and Mentat).
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Adam L Silverman: None of us could. At least I don’t think we could. Truth, fiction, stranger and all that.
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: This thing isn’t over yet. It’s not just Trump I’m worried about. I believe more people are involved in this thing than just Pres and inner circle. Remember the RNC hack in July? They could be blackmailed. What would you rather have in their position: create a police state or go to prison and lose their power as well as wealth?
Steve in the ATL
@? ?? Goku ? ?: my understanding is that the government only monitors the top 10,000 blogs
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: This is the head of the Counterintelligence Division:
fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/stephen-laycock-named-special-agent-in-charge-of-the-counterint…
Mnemosyne
@ArchTeryx:
To quote a couple of wise men from New York State, “Can’t shake the devil’s hand and say you’re only kidding.”
Corner Stone
@lamh36:
They’ve been going along to get along so far, but the nuts haven’t been on the cutting block in any real way yet. We are now going to see very clearly who really is party over country.
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Mnemosyne: I suppose that makes me feel a little better. Thanks Cole and FPers
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Steve in the ATL: Thanks for that. I’m lecturing tomorrow morning so I’ll miss a lot of news. In the med school psych department…
Mnemosyne
@Adam L Silverman:
Hm. With that background, Mr. Laycock may have some experience with Chinese espionage. Interesting.
randy khan
@Cheryl Rofer:
Smart move. They may get a lot of traffic.
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Adam L Silverman:
This, right here, says a lot.
lamh36
@Adam L Silverman: you’ll have to help me out here…is that a good or bad thing?
lamh36
I’m going to bed…or at least I’m gonna try to…smh…on one day last November a bunch of racist, sexist bigots…voted to destroy what little moral high ground the US had…now those chickens are coming home to roost and there is fuq all we an do about it in the grand scheme of things…AND WE’VE GOT 3 1/2 YEARS MORE to look forward to…ugh…
To all those people, who let their bigotry, racism and xenophobia or hatred of HRC/PBO/whatever rule their “common sense” on November 8 Good night and…
Fuq all you fuq’ers
MomSense
@Mary G:
We got this. This started long before Dolt 45 and we know how to deal with it. 45s admin really isn’t competent or staffed up enough to win that fight. Doesn’t mean we rest, means we have to be ready to roll in the streets sit in at courthouses and municipal offices- whatever it takes.
Most important thing is that if your local group is not doing non violent resistance training, either find a group that is or come back here so we can try and connect you with people who can do trainings. We have to be impeccable in our conduct at any kind of protest or rally.
Adam L Silverman
@Mnemosyne: @? ?? Goku ? ?: He’s replacing a Special Agent in Charge that came up in the Oakland Field Office and was a specialist in counterintelligence focusing on China. His term ran from 2015 through to now when replaced by Special Agent in Charge Laycock. Both of them were excellent choices.
Another Scott
@lamh36:
I disagree.
IANAL, but there’s a good case to be made that the Special Prosecutor stuff was (is) unconstitutional.
We have a clear, inexpensive, and perfectly constitutional way to get rid of Trump. Impeachment. There are probably a dozen or more charges that could be easily found (Emoluments, Subverting the Constitution in N ways, Conspiring with a Hostile Power, etc., etc.).
“But he House won’t do it! But the Senate won’t convict!” The House and Senate listen to the voters. If the voters – ALL OF US – demand it, they will do it. Or they will be removed from office in favor of someone who will.
Yes, it won’t be easy. Politics takes time. But Trump is losing power every day. The Teabaggers are only using him as a figurehead to try to ramp through their precious tax cuts and gutting of social programs. But they’re so incompetent, they can’t figure out how to pass legislation among themselves even if he’ll sign anything put in front of him….
We have to keep fighting them. We can’t give up. Lack of a sensible DOJ head isn’t going to protect Trump – it will just make the inevitable take a little longer.
Don’t give in to despair. Fight!
Cheers,
Scott.
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: Very good thing.
amk
@Another Scott: Yup, their collective venal incompetence = impeachment is what I am hoping for.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mnemosyne: @? ?? Goku ? ?: It’s more that that Cole can torch the whole thing if it gets threatened.
Bill Arnold
@Cheryl Rofer:
Yes, I’m also reasonably sure (no evidence) that there is damaging information cached by various interested actors in anticipation of this sort of action. Mostly against Republicans; much, maybe most, of the anti-Democratic ammo has already been used.
amk
some good news for a horrible day.
efgoldman
@Mnemosyne:
And as I asked LAO in a previous thread, who will sign it into law?
lamh36
@Another Scott: To be clear, I’m not giving in to despair…I’m just giving in TONIGHT…I’ve got to get to bed…but I wanted at the very least to give one last “online screaming” fuq you to those in the universe that through direct action, or indirect inaction led us to this current situation we find ourselves in…a number of which I will have to work along side with tomorrow…ugh
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Adam L Silverman: I assumed that “Eurasia” also referred to Russia. I’m glad you think he’s a good choice. Your word on these matters means a lot. Comey may be something of a weak leader, but he was not completely stupid, evidently.
What gets me is how he was shown the door. The media found he was fired before he did. Talk about bullshit
lamh36
@Adam L Silverman: I trust your judgement on these things Adam…so I’ll put my trust in you that it’s a good thing.
MomSense
@??? Martin:
Nonononono. Violence is an assist to authoritarians. We have to really train in non violence. Any kind of violence provides the prlerfect excuse and scary news clips on Sinclair and Fox that they use to justify taking away our right to assembly.
We can talk about tumbr rides and guillotines all day here at BJ but stay frosty in the streets.
efgoldman
@SFAW:
Yes, but a little, teeny.tiny one.
Adam L Silverman
@? ?? Goku ? ?: It does.
MomSense
@lamh36:
I’m surrounded by them! Try and get some rest and have a good day tomorrow. I have a feeling the trumpers are going to get super quiet pretty soon. Big hug.
Omnes Omnibus
@efgoldman: Trump, if it is presented to him as a way to prosecute HRC.
MomSense
@Omnes Omnibus:
Steve has server watch. It’s all set.
??? Martin
@MomSense: What’s likely to come before are some massive document dumps of classified info. We haven’t seen that yet.
? ?? Goku ? ?
@MomSense: A little late for that. There’s already been at least one street brawl between Antifa and Alt-reich in California a few weeks back.
How difficult would it be to raid a Natl. Guard armory? Imagine having access to tanks. Seriously asking just for curiosity’s sake. Being clear I would never do this
Timurid
@Omnes Omnibus: Hillary, Obama and anyone who held high rank in their campaigns/administration should be reviewing their bugout plans right about now. They probably won’t need them, but there’s an awful lot riding on that probably…
Timurid
@? ?? Goku ? ?:
Difficult.
Also; do you know how to operate a tank?
Omnes Omnibus
@Timurid: Get a grip.
efgoldman
@Steve in the ATL:
So when are you coming up? For how long (not counting three days in the airport waiting to go home)
lamh36
final thought of the night, if reports are true and Jim Comey was blindsided today by news of his firing, in the way that was reported by NYT and CNN, will Jim “the boy scout” tuck tail and hide or will he be pissed enough to make it his mission to help bring down Cheeto administration anyway he can…even if it means dropping some deep throat like revelations to susceptible press outlets?
Good night BJ…
satby
@Another Scott: all of this, well put!
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Timurid: Not a clue ?
Omnes Omnibus
@Timurid: Cole was a tanker. Armor is easy. Artillery is hard.
Adam L Silverman
And to think I was only planning on doing a Teachers’ Appreciation Day post today…
ArchTeryx
@Timurid: Heh. Our bloghost certainly does, but isn’t a likely candidate for breaking into a National Guard armory and stealing one, either.
The closest *I* get to tanks is World of Tanks, and that has as much in common with operating the real vehicles as an arcade racing game does to operating an actual race car.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Obama may be a stretch but I absolutely agree this is a prelude to a move against HRC. If they do not try and take legal action against HRC it will only be because they are ass deep in alligators and can’t get to the paperwork in time.
jacy
I’m checking out for some craft beer and a screening of The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Hopefully things will look better in the morning. Right now I’m in sensory overload. (Not least because my youngest turned 12 today — one year away from teenagerdom, and another notch taking me closer to the grave, LOL. Whee!)
ArchTeryx
@Omnes Omnibus: Tell that to us arty drivers in World of Tanks.
And armor ain’t that easy, either, though admittedly it did get easier once main battle tanks became a thing.
sharl
Meanwhile, some happier news, albeit from half a world away:
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Corner Stone: Obama’s too popular, honestly, to go after. Here and abroad
Bill Arnold
@lamh36:
Claude Taylor has been on a tear, and seems pretty sure that Comey was prepped for this. We shall see.
e.g. Claude Taylor @TrueFactsStated 3h3 hours ago Comey is still going to testify. In closed session. No holds barred. You may have heard me say this. Comey. Is. A. White Hat.
Claude Taylor @TrueFactsStated 3h3 hours ago Comey. Was. Ready.
Mike in NC
On MSNBC, former Bush lawyer calling this shit worse than Watergate. Trump must go to Levenworth.
randy khan
@Corner Stone:
I have no expectations one way or another about whether they’ll go after HRC, but it’s worth noting that the most likely places to try and indict her are New York and D.C., and good luck getting a jury in either place that would convict her. Even in the Eastern District of Virginia, they’d have some trouble.
Omnes Omnibus
@ArchTeryx: I actually worked in that world. I couldn’t give a shit about gaming.
Dog Dawg Damn
@Omnes Omnibus: If you were tuned into RWNJ news organizations you’d see that this is exactly where this is headed.
Hannity on Fox is saying that Trump dismissed Comey because he wasn’t brave enough to prosecute Hillary, and the only question now is whether the next FBI director will have the guys to do so.
If you haven’t seen the swamp reflected in the swamp creature before, then you need to get real.
Dog Dawg Damn
That said, if he switches to go after Hillary, I do think the shit will hit the fan. His numbers will tank.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: I anticipate alligators.
Elie
@Timurid:
That is not going to happen — They are in maximum defense mode. They would not expose themselves that way. Are we out of danger? Hell no! They are ruthless and desperate but there are a lot of sources that will spill beans in the next weeks and months. They are going to divide and run for the hills. Which pieces are pursued are unclear. Our country is very much in danger. Pray for us and each other. We can survive but luck will be required…
Another Scott
@lamh36: I think Comey showed with his actions and with his testimony that he doesn’t think about this stuff the way we do. He thinks he acted perfectly appropriately, that he did nothing wrong, that he was protecting the FBI and the integrity of the election, and all the rest, with his actions. He still doesn’t get it that he broke a system of non-interference in elections (the firing memo by Rosenstein was great in summarizing all the things he did wrong there, even though it’s clear that that’s not why Donnie fired him) and did so for no good reason.
Comey is not going to rat out Trump or anyone else important. He may save a few juicy tidbits for some “shocking” book, but he’s not going to throw Donnie, or Sessions, or Pence, or anyone else important under the bus. “Honorable men” don’t do that.
And if he did, it probably wouldn’t help. Donnie’s supporters would scream sour grapes, he’s a Democrat, he wanted Hillary to win, etc., etc. (just as they did in July when he didn’t announce an indictment of her). It wouldn’t change the dynamics of the real battles in Congress over what to do about Trump and his minions.
Comey’s done.
There’s no quick and easy solution to this. We have to grind it out, fighting every single day.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
(Who also thinks that we don’t want this to be easy. Trump was, after all, elected (at least by some measures).)
Omnes Omnibus
@Dog Dawg Damn: Get a grip.
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
@lamh36:
How are they gonna pry Wilmer out of his luxury beach house?
Cheryl Rofer
Good podcast by knowledgeable people on the possibility of appointing a special prosecutor, among other things. Lawfare Blog is generally helpful on the whole Trump mess.
??? Martin
@randy khan: let them do it. They’ll only dig their political hole deeper.
Corner Stone
@randy khan: They don’t have to convict her. The ultimate show trial.
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Another Scott: He was “elected” alright. How fair those elections were is still in question. I posted an article from the Nation earlier about a study about voter ID laws disenfranchising at least 200,000 registered voters in Wisconsin. Caveat: study done by Priorities USA and has not yet been peer reviewed. Has similar conclusions to GAO study about the election
chopper
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
no worries, his wife will bankrupt the place by tonight.
Another Scott
@Mike in NC: Some IC guy was saying in February that Trump would die in prison.
Maybe. Maybe not.
We can’t count on these things. And it will be a fight, to defend the Constitution and our Republic.
Cheers,
Scott.
amk
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: The key word here is dem.
Corner Stone
@Dog Dawg Damn:
He’s at under 40%. The people who are still with him are the kind who crush empty beer cans on their foreheads while they watch Jerry Springer re-runs or have Rush on the radio. They would absolutely love it if they charged HRC.
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
On Confirmation of Rod Rosenstein to be Deputy Attorney General
Wilmer – Yea
Warren – Nay
(link)
Heck of a job,
BrownieBernie? ?? Goku ? ?
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Fuck Berniebaby. Loser. Fake progressive
Adam L Silverman
@Bill Arnold: He is still going to testify. Taylor has been pretty reliable, or, rather, his sources have. But as is always the case we will see what happens.
chopper
@Corner Stone:
would you say they’re the sort of people that piss into empties in their own living rooms?
SiubhanDuinne
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
He said Dems.
efgoldman
@randy khan:
Good luck getting a federal judge who wouldn’t grant a defense motion for dismissal with prejudice,
@Corner Stone:
Since the outcome of such batshittery would likely be dismissal, it would be another huge pile of pigshit fail for Peach Pimple and Evil Leprechaun. They can indict whoever the hell they want, but presenting actual evidence in court is another matter.
Keith P.
Imagine how much damage President Ted Cruz could have done….almost identical policies but without stepping on his own shoelaces every other day.
Suzanne
@Corner Stone: A distressingly high percentage of the people in this country are horrible. And as much as I want to help people live meaningful, happy lives, this election has broke that in me, to an extent. The Trump voters I know are really low-grade shitty people—not smart or funny or kind or interesting—and I kinda wouldn’t mind if their lives sucked and everyone knew it.
Omnes Omnibus
@Dog Dawg Damn: I don’t see it happening.
efgoldman
@Omnes Omnibus:
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Omnes Omnibus
@Suzanne: Do you have a point? Or are you just bitching?
lamh36
twitter.com/ericholder/status/862155546081845248
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Omnes Omnibus: That’s a no-no word. Misogynist actually. And yes, she’s venting
lamh36
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Dem Senators. Sanders is NOT a Dem
amk
@Keith P.: As long as we are talking hypotheticals, prez cruz would not have happened.
efgoldman
@Another Scott:
I am really past giving a dozen flying fucks what anybody on their side – voters, grifting “ministers”, media supporters/enablers, congresscritters, cabinet members, family, WH staff – any of them that say anything about anything. Whatever it is will be a conscious lie, or at best uninformed bullshit.
Fuckem
Steve in the ATL
@efgoldman: June 1-4, Thursday through Sunday. The wife will be with me; don’t know yet what all is on our agenda, but I would love to see some geeen balloons!
efgoldman
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
He said “Dems”
Omnes Omnibus
@? ?? Goku ? ?: She and I can resolve that. And I know about venting. Who are you?
Suzanne
@Omnes Omnibus: Just bitching. Thanks, ombudsman.
seaboogie
@Cheryl Rofer: This. Media loves a story, and this one is super juicy. Admin mis-steps and over-reach will increase, lots of marching in the streets, and mid-terms coming. ACLU and Actblue are rolling in cash – it’s going to be a hot hot summer in ways that have nothing to do with climate change.
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Omnes Omnibus: Me? I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am the protecter of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth. ALLY TO GOOD! NIGHTMARE TO YOU!
Suzanne
@Another Scott: That would be awesome, for Trump to go to jail. He can be in there with OJ and Blago and maybe some gangsters.
I know he’d go to a federal prison that was more posh than Club Med, but a girl can dream.
Smitty
@Another Scott: Trump will die in prison. Today Trump stuck a stick in the eye of the IC and it will not be forgiven.
It is important that progressives do not lose sight of soon-to-be president Pence. If he goes down w/Trump, Ryan comes into play and that is not a good thing. Better to have president Pence knee-capped by 2018 elections. Elect a progressive president in 2020.
Trump and family must be shown that it is not good business to try to fuck over the American public. Investigate them all and prosecute where warranted.
efgoldman
@Steve in the ATL:
Keep us posted. Anne Laurie has my email, and she’s a real good facilitator
Sab
@Omnes Omnibus: Claims to be from Youngstown OH
Suzanne
@? ?? Goku ? ?: He’s just in a pissy mood. Thread after thread after thread is filled with similarly impotent complaints and expressions of anger and ever-more-too-clever-by-half nickname slurs, yet I get called out for “bitching”. Whatever. I get it. This shit has pissed me off, too. The POTUS is going to get away with borderline treason, and that is anger-inducing.
I’ve been trying to stay focused on other things besides politics and governance lately, because it’s making me miserable. So I bought a new rug.
? ?? Goku ? ?
@Sab: Around there anyway. Live in the suburbs
@Suzanne:
I just thought “bitching” was a really poor word choice. I doubt Trump will get away with it. Grand juries have issued subpoenas for Mike Flynn and others to testify in court. This isn’t going away.
What kind of rug?
Corner Stone
@Suzanne: What style is it? Does it have any green in it?
Miss Bianca
@lamh36: yoou really like to leave us with these cliffhanger issues before bugging out, don’t you? //
Ruckus
@efgoldman:
And as usual in these cases, overcompensates on a massive scale.
Suzanne
@? ?? Goku ? ?: @Corner Stone: It is gray, with a knockoff Persian design. Very geometric, not flowery. I got a cheap rug from Wayfair, as my cats still barf up hairballs, and I didn’t want to invest a lot.
Miss Bianca
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: you did notice that it said “*Dem* Senators”, right?
Peter H Desmond
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: ha ha!
Chet Murthy
@Suzanne:
QFT
Eric U.
I was riding my bicycle trainer in the basement, and when I come upstairs I find that you kids broke twitter
Lyrebird
@lamh36: If one or another such aghast employees does share information, let’s call them whistleblowers, bc that would be true – blowing the whistle on attacks on the independent judiciary branch.
Corner Stone
@Suzanne: One of my regrets includes not buying a rug from a friend of mine who goes through Turkey and/or Iran all the time and can bargain the fuck out of a buying deal. I had done him a solid and he said, “pick one and let’s work something out”. I chose a perfect sized rug (for me) from Persia that had beautiful small green inflections in the patterns. He said something like, “That’s the balls.”
I basically could have bought a decade or two old rug worth above $25K for under $5K but I just couldn’t spend the money at that time. Still kills me. Aaarrrggghhh!!! It’s killing me again right now!
Peter H Desmond
@Timurid:
i was reading an article about how weak ISIS/Daesh is militarily. no air force, no armor. and yet the iraqi army fled Mosul two years ago leaving all its hardware behind. but if you don’t know how to operate the equipment, it’s no good to you.
amk
SgrAstar
@ArchTeryx: woot! Kudos for the smooth Dune reference.
Suzanne
@Corner Stone: I love rugs from that part of the world. My pets and my children would make short work of one if I bought one, so I won’t, but DAMN, they are beautiful.
I have a similar regret about a historic home that was for sale when I was looking to buy my first house. It was about $20K out of my budget at the time, but I was about to get a huge (well, relative, but more than enough) raise and I would have been able to handle the mortgage easily. And that neighborhood gentrified and the value skyrocketed. DAMN thinking about it pisses me off.
Percysowner
@kindness:
Only if we also tack on “but her EMAILS!” and BENGAHZI! money as well.
Percysowner
@Timurid: Yes, this may be a good time for Hilary and Obama to take a nice vacation out of the country, just to be safe. However, I think both of them will stay and fight. At least I hope Michelle and the kids get out of town. Chelsea and her family too.
socraticsilence
The reaction to even trying to go after Obama would end the Republic. I mean its possible that Clinton has been torn down enough that they could get away with an investigation but moving on Obama– I doubt anyone gets out of the Fox News Building alive if that happens much less DC.
cckids
@Mnemosyne:
Not to mention, he believes, firmly and absolutely, in his Last Honest Man rep. I doubt the idea that he might need some sort of dead man’s switch ever occurred to him. After all, who would doubt him and his righteousness?
Bruce K
@efgoldman: With a two-thirds majority vote for the veto override in both houses, it becomes law even if it isn’t signed. US Constitution, Article 1, Section 7, Clause 3.
D58826
@lamh36: Putin wants a status update. Don’y you have to report status to your boss at your job?
TenguPhule
@Another Scott:
Sure. That’s why the House passed ACHA 3.14 and the Senate looks to pass the same thing with only a little less American bloodshed.
TenguPhule
@? ?? Goku ? ?:
Very difficult and not helpful. Regime change would require removing all of the points of power in the Regime.
Trump, his family, his appointees, the Republican line of succession, the Republicans on the SC, any generals/admirals still standing by Trump as their superior, probably more then a few Republican governors and state legislatures.
Everyone else would be bad targeting and counterproductive.
TenguPhule
@Elie:
You keep using that word but I don’t think it means what you think it means.