I was ordering ballpoint pen refills the other day and was taken aback by the product recommendations allegedly related to items in my cart, which again, were ballpoint pen refills:
Maybe taking notes by hand is kind of old school, but Depends? Really?
***
In “if you can keep it” news, the House January 6th committee issued a new raft of subpoenas today, including for ghoulish kid-torture enthusiast Stephen Miller and compulsive liar Kayleigh McEnany. Will the subpoenas ever be enforced? We don’t know, but MSNBC legal analyst Joyce Vance says stop being so impatient with the DoJ about double-deck shirt-wearing evil diffuser Steve Bannon:
Moreover, while Bannon’s situation seems simple on the surface, it’s impossible to know whether allegations of other criminal conduct by Bannon or other people needs to be investigated and evaluated for prosecution as part of this same matter. That could complicate matters. Because we live in a system that protects those under investigation in the event it’s ultimately determined that they didn’t engage in wrongdoing, we aren’t going to be privy to the Justice Department’s conclusions until it acts…
So, as we wait, frustrated and concerned, we must remind ourselves that there are good reasons for prosecutors to take the time to do a thorough and thoughtful job. That we want a system of government in which the rule of law works, not one that responds to crowds that loudly chant “lock him up.” And that while it’s not easy to live through the struggle to restore a functioning democracy, the hard work and even the waiting are worth doing.
What she’s saying makes sense. But I don’t understand why compelling someone to testify (under penalty of incarceration or fines if they won’t comply) requires creating an ironclad case of that person’s guilt on related matters. Isn’t the point of testimony to further the investigation? Are potential criminal defendants in other cases allowed to ignore subpoenas?
More to the point in our current conundrum, how is a co-equal branch of government that lacks the authority to compel testimony supposed to conduct a timely investigation on a matter of grave national importance?
Vance says the wait is worth it if you want a credible system, and I believe that. But could it also be true that our system has a built-in fatal flaw that will allow the most shameless and depraved people who ever infested the executive branch to evade accountability — possibly to catastrophic effect?
Looks like we’ll find out. Interesting times, y’all.
Open thread.
lowtechcyclist
I’m with you, Betty. I really don’t understand why contempt of Congress can’t be dealt with independently of other offenses Bannon might’ve committed.
And it would seem the contempt of Congress charge would be open and shut. They subpoenaed him, he didn’t show up, end of story. What else do they need?
Nora Lenderbee
If there are disposable versions of something, ordering refills instead automatically marks you as an Old.
Likewise having shoes resoled.
WaterGirl
Maybe “refills” was the trigger?
Someone mentioned here once that you can go to Google and see how they have you pegged. Gender, age range, etc. Maybe someone can tell you how to do that and you can see Google’s best guess at analyzing Betty Cracker.
Good luck with that, Google.
MattF
Not to mention TFG himself.
Jeffro
So…one way to stay out of trouble is to commit so many offenses that the prosecutor won’t bring you in for your statement about any of them?
Huh.
I’ll have to try that next time I help plot an insurrection.
WaterGirl
@Nora Lenderbee: I see we had the same thought.
dmsilev
Years ago, I was ordering some random book or DVD off Amazon and was told “People who ordered (random book) also bought clean underwear from The Gap”. So many questions. Let’s start with why the Gap felt it necessary to have ‘clean’ as a category in their underwear department.
Baud
Weird. The other day I was buying Depends from Amazon and got a recommendation for ball point pen refills.
Algorithms are fascinating.
MattF
@dmsilev: ‘Used’ underwear is in an entirely different department.
Kayla Rudbek
@WaterGirl: I just signed up on Patreon for a monthly donation to this place.
Grumpy Old Railroader
If you really want an eye opener on Amazon, open the dropdown menu under “Accounts and Lists” and select “Recommendations.” It makes you wonder how in the world their algorithms can generate stuff you would never dream of buying.
Old School
@dmsilev:
There’s a market for other options. Gap is just heading off complaints.
Gin & Tonic
It was a gorgeous late fall day here in southern New England, so I put the top down and dear wife and I went motoring. Now it’s dark and chillier, so we’ve got a fire going in back and very soon will be having a glass of wine.
Didn’t think about politics at all.
delk
I got a ps5 this afternoon. Not much of a gamer. Any recommendations?
Baud
Re: Bannon, I don’t think the issue is other criminal matters. I think DOJ is preparing for the executive privilege claim that Bannon will raise. It should be a loser, but you don’t want to half-ass the response to it.
Roger Moore
@dmsilev:
There is a substantial market in gently used underwear. It’s big enough that, for example, used underwear is a standard category that is forbidden for sale on eBay. I think this statement from their general rules on selling used clothing gets at the heart of the issue:
One can see why this would be a special issue with underwear.
Baud
@Roger Moore: Suddenly, ivermectin users seem a tad less crazy.
Ben Cisco
NOBODY does this better than you, BCrack. NOBODY!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: He will have limitless funds and is, I imagine, counting on encountering a lot of friendly judges.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@delk: Skyrim
CaseyL
@Grumpy Old Railroader: Huh. I did as you suggested and have to say, the recommendations are pretty spot on. However, since they consist largely of items I’ve already bought – I really don’t need another swamp cooler, or another portable battery charger – their utility is still a bit lacking.
One funny thing is, I was idly looking at drones; and now my recommendations are full of not only drones, but replacement bits and augmentations. Which might be useful recommendations…. if I had actually bought a drone.
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: DOJ will be filing in DC, which is better than a lot of places, but still has enough GOP judges that it’s a bit of a crapshoot.
AliceBlue
Up in New Hampshire, it looks like Gov. Chris Sununu has dropped a big ol’ turd in the Republican punchbowl. He’s not going to make a run for Maggie Hassan’s senate seat (and didn’t bother to talk to McConnell beforehand about his decision).
scav
@Grumpy Old Railroader: Worse than the algorithms is imagining that they’re probably only reflecting (granted, simplistically and distortedly because of various theories) the actual buying habits of people walking the streets unaccompanied. That and any random page of Skymall is nothing so much as gazing into the Untempered Schism.
Baud
Also, the Bannon thing is a criminal referral. Even if he did a 180 tomorrow and spilled the beans, he’s still on the hook for violating criminal law. His only way out of that is some sort of plea bargain or non-prosecution agreement with DOJ in exchange for talking.
JPL
@Baud: It surprises me how many judges are willing to sell themselves to the highest bidder. It’s like we;re back in the wild, wild west. Or maybe back in the USSR.
Geminid
@Baud: Also, as people pointed out last night, yesterday was the first day of work for the new U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Matthew Graves’ confirmation was held up by five Republican Senators including Mike Lee and Ron Johnson. It should not take him very long to get up to speed and make decisions that the Acting U.S. Attorney has reserved for him.
I was interested to see that Graves earned his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University before going to Yale Law School.
topclimber
@Gin & Tonic: Vaya con Dios.
Baud
@JPL: I’m not aware of any judges being accused of on the take. Judges act the way they do mostly because of judicial ideology (often bad but legitimate), partisanship (hi, Alito), incompetence, or because, if they aren’t on the Supreme Court, they want to be appointed to a higher judicial office.
Baud
@Geminid: Yes, I recall you mentioned that. Makes a lot of sense to wait for him to get on board before taking action in this high profile case.
Geminid
@AliceBlue: That is good news! I was kind of sweating out a Sununu-Hassan contest. Sununu could have been a strong candidate. I wonder why he did not make the race.
Baud
@Geminid: Someone mentioned that the Dems did pretty well in local NH elections last week.
misterpuff
Dr. Grip is not Polygrip.
VeniceRiley
The slow moving frustration isn’t just DOJ, but also Judiciary. Trial scheduling takes what, the better part of a year or more? Come on.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Geminid: My guess: he didn’t want to get into a pig-wrestling trumpist primary with someone like Bob Smith
Roger Moore
@Baud:
People have all kinds of weird sexual fetishes, and used underwear is apparently a common one. That makes a lot more sense to me than using an anti-worm medicine that has been convincingly shown to be ineffective against viral infection.
SpaceUnit
I understand about Bannon. It would be wrong to want him locked up without due legal process. This all has to be done by the book. No shortcuts. We have to take the high road.
But in the meantime I hope he gets mauled by a bear.
Baud
@Roger Moore: Yeah, I was just kidding. The antivaxxers are much, much worse.
@SpaceUnit: Bears = America’s only true sovereign citizens.
Mat
@SpaceUnit: Bannon has extensive connections outside the US. I’d expect him to go ex-pat and wait for a second Trump administration
ETA: My nym got truncated.
eclare
@delk: When did you order it? From where? Friend of mine ordered one in August, order was just cancelled.
Hildebrand
I wonder if our collective impatience/twitchiness about Bannon et al stems from the wretched way Mueller wrapped his investigation. We are all telling ourselves that Garland knows what he is doing, but it gives us flashbacks to Mueller.
Roger Moore
@JPL:
I think you misunderstand the situation. These aren’t people who were made judges because of their legal knowledge who have decided to sell out. These are hacks who were made judges with the anticipation they would rule based on partisan politics ahead of any kind of legal reasoning. If they sold out rather than being true believers, it happened long before they became judges.
Betty
@Jeffro: Puts me in mind of the Matt Gaetz seemingly never ending investigation.
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: That someone was me.
Baud
@schrodingers_cat:
?
JPL
@Baud: true.. shouldn’t accuse without proof.
Although there was a situation in PA where owners of private prison paid a certain local judge, Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) Judge Mark Ciavarella.
trump’s judges are different because some are just afraid of the tweet.
Baud
@Hildebrand:
Betty Cracker
@Baud: Isn’t the criminal contempt referral for defying the subpoena?
SpaceUnit
@Mat:
Not exactly my wheelhouse, but I’m guessing a guy who is currently defying a congressional subpoena is going to have trouble boarding an international flight.
I would hope so anyway.
UncleEbeneezer
The admissibility question is really big. I served on jury duty this Summer and while it was a civil trial for damages as a result of a head-on collision, we inadvertently found out that there was a ton of medical bills that were ruled inadmissible. This case was ALL ABOUT following the medical bills because the plaintiff was either 1.) an ambulance chaser exaggerating/milking the health system for years or 2.) a legitimate victim of a head-on collision (defended admitted all fault for accident) who had to get a ton of medical treatments for valid neck, shoulder and knee injuries from a major car accident.
It was a very complicated trial with a follow up accident so we had to not only figure out whether Plaintiff was full-of-it (he didn’t seem it) but also how much of the damages were from the first accident versus the second. Also Plaintiff made conflicting statements about his health in sworn deposition. Anyways, when we were deliberating, we were all over the place not just because of the complexities but also due to the constraints of the law. We all felt like: DAMN, we really wish we knew what was in that big bunch of medical bills that we were never allowed to see (covering several years of billings). Which is just to say that something that might be obvious in the real world becomes much harder when major pieces of evidence are prevented from ever seeing the courtroom, so I hope due diligence is being exercised in bringing Bannon and others to justice. I would really HATE to see these fuckers go free on technicalities that a Trump judge would go along with.
MattF
@SpaceUnit: I’d agree if he was indicted. I just don’t know, otherwise.
JPL
@Roger Moore: TRUE!!
zhena gogolia
@Hildebrand: As I said to a similar comment the other day, Mueller’s report was actually full of detailed, damning evidence. The attorney general buried it. It’s not really Mueller’s fault.
Jeffro
This stuff about Pence and his team having their access badges deactivated on 1/6 + Pence and his family subsequently having to hide from the mob in a Capitol loading dock is just unreal.
Hey DOJ, we really need you to enforce those 1/6 Commission subpoenas and get these clowns testifying publicly. Let’s. go.
delk
@eclare: ordered this morning from Sony. Should arrive Thursday.
JPL
@zhena gogolia: Mueller did make a statement afterwards though, that was not damning. That was his fault.
Amir Khalid
@MattF:
Used underwear also caters to a rather different need …
debbie
@WaterGirl:
I think “Gravity” was the trigger. Nowhere to go but down, down, down. Just like the aging process.
eclare
@delk: Thanks
Do you have to be a member of Sony direct?
WaterGirl
@Kayla Rudbek: Thank you!
Betty Cracker
@Jeffro: Link? I missed that somehow.
debbie
@zhena gogolia:
Honestly, I blame Schiff for allowing Mueller to testify when he knew about his cognitive decline (which, trust me, happens to us all). I think it compromised the integrity of the investigation — or at least allow it to be impugned by the RWNJs.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JPL: it wouldn’t have mattered if his statement was damning. The problem with trumpist corruption was, and remains, that too few people care. Obama couldn’t make them care, Mueller couldn’t make them care, Schiff and Rankin couldn’t make them care.
Edmund Dantes
@Baud: they should have already been prepared for it. It’s not like you couldn’t see that play coming from the next galaxy over. It’s a bullshit excuse that “oh no. We never thought that might happen. Now that he refused to show what should we do. Time to actually get our ducks in a row now”.
patrick II
The more crimes you commit, the longer it takes to OK a suboena.
JPL
@debbie: I wonder if Adam understood the difficult time Mueller would have. Others involved could have presented a better case.
debbie
@Geminid:
Good god, will that family never disappear?
JPL
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That doesn’t bode well for the future of democracy.
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
Yes. Doesn’t change what I said. He’s already defied the subpoena. The crimes done been committed.
Edmund Dantes
@Baud: the analysis of by judges where they should have recused from cases where they had financial incentive (owning stock) a couple months ago (covid time throws that estimate off) disagrees with that take.
Baud
@Edmund Dantes:
People have other duties besides waiting to prosecute Bannon.
patrick II
I was reading about Mike Pence today, and about having his security card turned off and refusing to get into a secret service car that would take him safely away from the Capitol Building, afraid he would be unable to return and lead the vote count. What a strange bird he is, one night of courage surrounded by a lifetime of cowardice.
Baud
@Edmund Dantes:
That’s not being on the take. That’s mostly being sloppy.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JPL: it does not. But the ugly probability is the price of gas a year from now will have a greater impact on the mid-terms than anything the 1/6 Commission does.
debbie
@JPL:
He may not have at the beginning, but when he was interviewed on NPR for his book, he knew shortly before. He still could have stopped it.
Jeffro
@Betty Cracker: here you go: Pence/loading dock
@patrick II: or, what I said at #54 ;)
The part about the cards has yet to be verified, and yet, the ‘inside job’ stuff (panic buttons removed, rioters heading straight to Clyburn’s usual office instead of the one with his name on it, etc) keeps mounting up.
Not trying to go all full reverse Q here, but still.
MattF
@patrick II: Apparently Dan Quayle was one of the people who told Pence that he had to do his duty.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@SpaceUnit: I don’t think we should lock him up for the other criminal stuff he hasn’t been tried and found guilty of, but I don’t see how that prevents us from locking him up for contempt of Congress. Contempt is not something that gets tried like a criminal charge…the judge, or in this case Congress, finds you guilty of contempt and you are guilty – there’s no trial necessary to prove guilt or innocence. At least that’s how it always works in legal potboilers. Being a layman that’s all I know about the topic but it won’t stop me from spouting off about it on the internet like I’m an expert.
Geminid
@Betty: The Gaetz prosecutors got a judge to postpone the sentencing of key witness Josh Greenberg until next March. Reporting at the time was that prosecutors have developed new criminal avenues to exploit, and that they have added a couple experienced prosecutors to their team.
In any event, the prosecutors who indict Gaetz will need a sound case. Gaetz Senior has the money to hire his son an all-star defense team.
burnspbesq
@lowtechcyclist:
I don’t mean to be more of an ass than I usually am, but you might try reading the statute.
delk
@eclare: not sure. I got an email yesterday (really not sure why) with a one time use link that would be good today. Said I needed a PlayStation account so I signed up. Almost didn’t bother with it especially since my internet was down this morning.
RandomMonster
They’re tracking you both as Balloon Juice readers.
UncleEbeneezer
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
The problem with trumpist corruption was, and remains, that too few
peopleRepublicans care.Baud
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:
Again, this is a criminal referral.
captnkurt
That’s what you get for having Herve Villechez order those things. “Siri, de pens! de pens!”
Thank you for allowing me to make a timely Fantasy Island joke that no one under 50 would get.
Big Picture Pathologist
@delk: I’ve been a long-time gamer (4+ decades) and got one of those earlier this year for my son.
A first-person shooter we both play (I have an Xbox) is Fortnite, and it looks amazing on the PS5.
One game he has that isn’t out for Xbox yet is Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. I haven’t played it yet but it looks like a blast.
It Takes Two is another great-looking game but it *requires* a second player.
burnspbesq
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:
Contempt of Congress is different from contempt of court.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/192
Cameron
I have nothing for the discussion, just for the title of the post.
https://youtu.be/837-0_8jWAk
Old School
@Betty Cracker:
Here’s Jonathan Karl telling the Mike Pence parking garage story on last night’s Late Show. (Story starts at 2:30.)
burnspbesq
You really won’t believe this.
Louie Gohmert is considering a run for Texas AG.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/09/louie-gohmert-texas-attorney-general-2022/
Eolirin
@delk: Spiderman is probably one of the best things on there atm. Hard to make a lot of recommendations without knowing what you’re into though. Do you have a PS4? There’s still not a ton of stuff out that’s PS5 exclusive, but if you missed the PS4 generation all of those games also work on it, so there’s a ton of stuff to look at.
JoyceH
Congress needs to bring back inherent contempt, the ability of Congress to handle its own contempt rulings. As I understand it, the process just fell into disuse, there was never any legislation doing away with it. The House could pass some sort of resolution of intent – we stopped using inherent contempt, but we’re going to be using it now. Then send out the federal marshals to round up the offenders within several days of a contempt vote passing. Do that once or twice and their subpoenas will start being obeyed.
eclare
@captnkurt: Hahaha….
M31
bought a new drive belt for my old gas dryer a while back and Amazon recommend that I buy a cocktail shaker and some books about mortality to go with it
SpaceUnit
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:
I don’t understand it either. I’d actually be fine with having Bannon tossed in the can for contempt, but I don’t think congress really has that power. A judge has authority over the bailiffs in order to enforce order in the court, but congress only has the sergeant at arms and I imagine that’s a pretty limited jurisdiction. Again, I really don’t know.
But I’m not altogether sure you’d want to grant such powers to such a politicized institution as the US congress. Imagine a republican majority with that weapon at their disposal.
delk
@Eolirin: at the moment I’m looking for something easy, lol. Never used a ps. Stopped playing Xbox about 15 years ago.
trollhattan
With Boebert going after Buttigieg for gay paternity leave what’s she gonna have to say about Newsom skipping Scotland to go trick or treating?
Guessing something about liberal mooch children expecting free candy for free.
Another Scott
@Hildebrand: Mueller was knee-capped from the beginning by Barr and Rosenstein. That’s not going to happen under Garland.
Cheers,
Scott.
trollhattan
@burnspbesq:
Huh. If he leaves congress the median IQ goes up a couple ticks, but has Texas not suffered enough? Suppose it’s possible the current AG is literally worse than Gohmert, Texas being Texas.
trollhattan
@M31: That’s just wonderfully, randomly goofy.
I looked up a particular coffee gizmo to get the dimensions (in a store wondering if a cup would fit) and for the next month Amazon bombarded me with offers for that coffee gizmo, plus accessories, supplies, the works. They really thought they had me on the ropes.
Sure Lurkalot
I find myself agreeing with those who find all this similar to the Mueller investigation as it limped along and ultimately got rammed into the ground. Bobby Three Sticks doing everything “by the book”. Including the embrace of an old DOJ memo putting a sitting president above indictment which rendered the whole investigation moot even as it was being conducted.
While patiently awaiting the T’s to be crossed and I’s to be dotted, Bannon, Flynn and others of their ilk not only roam free unlike other criminals who have done far, far less, but also have megaphones to spout their consipracy theories and incite their followers to violence. We have all seen the headlines about election officials and school board members being threatened. And an election where the price of milk and gas was to some deemed more dire than an insurrection that is slowly fading from public scrutiny.
trollhattan
Jesus, that movie really is cursed.
Cameron
@trollhattan: May have something to do with how long current AG can kick his legal problems down the road.
SiubhanDuinne
@Jeffro:
Wow. I knew about their hiding in an underground parking lot/loading dock, but this is the first I’ve heard about their badges being deactivated. Is that a fresh tidbit from Jon Karl’s new book? That’s really wild.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@SiubhanDuinne:
I’m torn between extreme curiosity and knowing that the book would be very bad for my mental health
eclare
@trollhattan: Saw that. The very definition of bad hoodoo.
zhena gogolia
@captnkurt: Hahaha!
Almost Retired
@captnkurt: Now do the “Love Boat”
Another Scott
@trollhattan: You mean he didn’t get Blepharmospasmic* Ebola (or whatever it was) from the vaccine booster??!
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
* – h/t Tony J
Kay
Biden doesn’t get enough credit for this. Biden beat Trump in a re-elect although Trump used all of his appointees as campaign workers.
I include it in my personal election analysis and you should too.
Even with that illegal and unfair advantage. That we paid them all for.
Big Picture Pathologist
@delk: Based on the games I’ve seen my son play, I’d recommend Fortnite, Fall Guys, and It Takes Two.
EDIT: The only one of the three I can play on my Xbox is Fortnite and even though first-person shooters aren’t really my thing, I do enjoy its action and witty, often surreal humor
Mike in NC
When do Roger Stone and Rudy Giuliani get their very own subpoenas?
Just Chuck
Yunno, all these admonishments to just be patient and wait for the wheels of justice to grind away would go over a lot better if those wheels every actually ground anyone or anything. But all I have seen is them get away with it, year after year, every time. So yeah sorry if I check in on the people who supposedly work for us people once in a fucking while.
The Pale Scot
@Gin & Tonic:
That’s Nice
gene108
No system can function, when one major component of that system decides to act in bad faith 100% of the time. Enron couldn’t withstand the CEO and CFO doing this to investors, and neither can governments.
This is the problem institutionalists do not want to acknowledge, it seems. Republicans tried to overthrow the government on January 6, 2021. This is the ultimate act of bad faith.
Omnes Omnibus
How so? What if they think that, because of the importance of getting it right and only having one shot at it, they should make sure that they don’t fail? It is an equally valid interpretation of what is happening.
Starfish
Let me tell you about how shopping carts work. These items are “sponsored products related to items in your cart.”
The first part of that says “sponsored” so someone is paying Amazon to show these things to people. They are related in that someone with a thing you have in your shopping cart may have looked at (or possibly bought) this item. They can be related because someone inside Amazon is tagging all the sponsored offers, and the sponsored offered and something in your shopping cart fall into the same category due to someone screwing up the tags. They can also be related due to a sophisticated machine learning algorithm that has you pegged as an old and puts this higher up in the list of what it shows people because this sponsor is paying them the big bucks.
Elie
Believe me, Betty, I get how you feel. On Facebook I was invited to be a member of the crones and Wickens — those are supposed to be my affinity groups. I tell ya, I felt just great seeing that…. we just have to laugh…
NotMax
@Grumpy Old Railroader
Will chime in to say that the Recommended For You (by whatever name it goes on varying services) results on Prime are immensely more on point than the same category on Netflix.
Ditto times a hundred for the What Other People Who Watched This Viewed listings.
JaneE
Recommendations are close to free association tests. Refill + “grip” in product name = old person who can’t hold things = Depends probably needed. The things that bother me are the ads and recommendations for something I looked at and bought already months ago. Considering how much they do know, you would think they can drop something off after a purchase for it goes through.
Kosh III
Why can’t Pelosi send the Sgt at Arms to drag his ass before the committee or toss him in jail?
Seems that they just passed the buck to Justice.
Congress subpoenaed several Trump cabinet secretaries, they refused, the Democrats caved like they always seem to do
Someone posted this
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/192
which seems clear
“willfully makes default, or who, having appeared, refuses to answer any question pertinent to the question under inquiry, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor”
beckya57
Vance, DOJ, etc, aren’t recognizing the political context. Bannon et al are dragging this out until the GOP retakes Congress in 2022. That will of course stop all these investigations cold. I just read about the report on the multiple Trump administration violations of the Hatch Act. They’re all just laughing at us good government types. No high ranking GOP/Trump official will pay any penalty for anything they did, and thanks to our Constitutional structures they will almost certainly regain control of the federal government in 2024.