Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Kaleredar]

As someone else said in a tweet that I can't be arsed to source; Joe Rogan is Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, for men.

Literally no one who follows Rogan's show has anything to say worth anyone hearing. Well, maybe if you're only following it to gawk at the insanity the same way you would a multi-truck pileup that's on fire.

It’s worth noting that Rogan’s expertise is... a college drop out comedian.

Now there’s nothing wrong with not finishing college. There’s nothing wrong with being a comedian. But when you claim some sort of expertise in political and medical fields with those two things being your only effective sobriquets? Yeah, color me skeptical.

[Endus]

It’s worth noting that Rogan’s expertise is... a college drop out comedian.

Now there’s nothing wrong with not finishing college. There’s nothing wrong with being a comedian. But when you claim some sort of expertise in political and medical fields with those two things being your only effective sobriquets? Yeah, color me skeptical.

What I was driving at, though, is that Rogan's so out to lunch, so willing to have literally anyone on his show and support literally any message without any critical awareness whatsoever, that his show's become a beacon that attracts the craziest conspiracy nuts out there. And they treat the guy like he's a prophet. It's not just that Rogan's kind of dim and doesn't think anything through; I honestly think he's not as crazy as the audience he's speaking to, he's just kind of passively ignorant and doesn't know enough to challenge obvious horseshit.

But his audience? They follow him because he platforms the craziest and meanest out there, and treats them respectfully, as if they have something worth saying. He's the kind of guy who'd bring Goebbels on his show, and then try and get some Jewish leader to come on there too, so the two could "debate" the necessity of the camps. And he's dumb enough to think that's "being fair". And if we're honest, half the time he just forgets to invite the counterpoint speaker, and it's just Goebbels sitting there, spewing his propaganda without opposition, while Rogan nods slack-jawedly at Goebbels' "wisdom".

He's an idiot. His audience is dangerous.

[minteK917]

I only watch Rogan when hes got absolute insane people like Alex Jones on personally. Rogan is not an interviewer, hes not a political pundit or anything. Hes an host at best. He doesent challenge who ever is on, hell when he does its super rare and amount to next to nothing. He usually nods and accept the most absurd stories. Problem is some people are fucking dumb and think this is some show where they can learn things lol. Its kind of like taking Jerry Springer has a educational show, which im willing to bet some people did. Now i think another problem is that hes the biggest podcast and people in public made these stupid ass rules in the media, that instead of taking someone like Rogan invitation to actually go there, they write him off as insane and let the Alex Jones of this world be on the biggest podcast all the time, while swearing off his podcast as insane while its the most watched in the freaking world.

Its prefer the approach some of the bigger streamers had on Tim Pool, when he said he would invite anyone. Destiny and Vaush went on his podcast in person, made him look like someone with very poor critical thinking skills. If you are a rich pundit or personality, you think Rogan Show is insane, you should be lining up to fucking be featured and blow that shit up live. Not whine about it from your news section or news website or worse twitter.

[cubby]

Feds Raid Rudy Giuliani’s NYC Apartment in Ukraine Probe (ignore the source - it's being covered widely already)
Whoopsi-daisies. Looks like Rudi might need some more campaign dollars for his legal fund.

[Ivanstone]

I haven't listened to a second of his podcast ever after hearing what a ridiculous dipshit he's become. He was good on NewsRadio. I'll keep the Rogan of the past in my memories.

On the problematic comedian's who've made me laugh scale from least worst to most worst:
Bill Maher
Joe Rogan
Dennis Miller
Bill Cosby

I'd say Rogan is less wingnutty than Miller but he does have a bigger megaphone. If you feel like swapping them go ahead.

[Edge-]

Feds Raid Rudy Giuliani’s NYC Apartment in Ukraine Probe (ignore the source - it's being covered widely already)
Whoopsi-daisies. Looks like Rudi might need some more campaign dollars for his legal fund.

Shit, it's a good thing I need to go to the store soon because I'm gonna need to stock up on popcorn.

Do you think he'll demand Trial by Combat instead of, you know, a normal jury trial, if charges are issued?

[ghotihook]

I only watch Rogan when hes got absolute insane people like Alex Jones on personally. Rogan is not an interviewer, hes not a political pundit or anything. Hes an host at best. He doesent challenge who ever is on, hell when he does its super rare and amount to next to nothing. He usually nods and accept the most absurd stories. Problem is some people are fucking dumb and think this is some show where they can learn things lol. Its kind of like taking Jerry Springer has a educational show, which im willing to bet some people did. Now i think another problem is that hes the biggest podcast and people in public made these stupid ass rules in the media, that instead of taking someone like Rogan invitation to actually go there, they write him off as insane and let the Alex Jones of this world be on the biggest podcast all the time, while swearing off his podcast as insane while its the most watched in the freaking world.

Its prefer the approach some of the bigger streamers had on Tim Pool, when he said he would invite anyone. Destiny and Vaush went on his podcast in person, made him look like someone with very poor critical thinking skills. If you are a rich pundit or personality, you think Rogan Show is insane, you should be lining up to fucking be featured and blow that shit up live. Not whine about it from your news section or news website or worse twitter.

I watch him exclusively when he has a guest on that I am interested in like Alex Honnold, Elon Musk, Lance Armstrong etc. I enjoy his interviews, but I still have had moments where I've said "did he really say that?". I am completely uninterested in his political or ideological views.

[Paranoid Android]

Feds Raid Rudy Giuliani’s NYC Apartment in Ukraine Probe (ignore the source - it's being covered widely already)
Whoopsi-daisies. Looks like Rudi might need some more campaign dollars for his legal fund.

If this moron kept any electronic device or hard drive past 2019, then he is as stupid and drunk as I figured.

I'm a skeptic.

[Edge-]

If this moron kept any electronic device or hard drive past 2019, then he is as stupid and drunk as I figured.

I'm a skeptic.

Remember that time that, as a cybersecurity advisor to Trump, he had to go to the Apple Store to help him unlock his phone?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...after-n1074241

So yeah, he is extremely likely dumber than that while also likely being day drunk pretty routinely.

[cubby]

If this moron kept any electronic device or hard drive past 2019, then he is as stupid and drunk as I figured.

I'm a skeptic.

Rudi is such a blatant moron he might actually have a written note sitting on his desk saying "refuse aid to Ukraine unless President helps with Hunter election info".

[Edge-]

Don’t forget his numerous butt dials, including discussing *checks notes* Ukraine. Weird.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...-cash-n1071901

Shit, I forgot about that one. I'm glad we have our collective brainpower here, because I wonder if any one of us individually can remember everything that happened over the past four fuckin years.

[cubby]

Shit, I forgot about that one. I'm glad we have our collective brainpower here, because I wonder if any one of us individually can remember everything that happened over the past four fuckin years.

I really hope there is someone/-group that is doing exactly that. Interestingly, this thread would be a fantastic source for putting something like that together.

- - - Updated - - -

It feels impossible to keep track of it all when they were cramming so much grift in with endless stupidity. I hope I never forget Rudy’s string of hilarious press conferences though. The leaky hair and dingy alleys were truly surreal.

The whole four year shit show was equal parts horror and hilarity. If our better angels can win out the history books will be fantastic.

[Milchshake]

Hopefully housecleaning at DOJ is ongoing.

• NYT: Under Trump, senior political appointees in the Justice Department repeatedly sought to block such a warrant on Guiliani, slowing the investigation.
• After Merrick Garland was confirmed, the Justice Department lifted its objection to the search.

Fire the Trump operatives.
Also fire all the Comeys and Muellers that enabled this for decades.

[Breccia]

Feds Raid Rudy Giuliani’s NYC Apartment in Ukraine Probe (ignore the source - it's being covered widely already)

This is why you pay me the big bucks.

Federal investigators in Manhattan executed search warrants early Wednesday at the home and office of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who became President Donald J. Trump’s personal lawyer, stepping up a criminal investigation into Mr. Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine, three people with knowledge of the investigation said.

The investigators seized Mr. Giuliani’s electronic devices and searched his apartment on Madison Avenue and his office on Park Avenue at about 6 a.m., two of the people said.

Executing a search warrant is an extraordinary move for prosecutors to take against a lawyer, let alone a lawyer for a former president. It is a major turning point in the long-running investigation into Mr. Giuliani, who as mayor steered New York through the Sept. 11 attacks and earlier in his career led the same U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan that is now investigating him.

Mr. Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert J. Costello, called the searches unnecessary because his client had offered to answer questions from prosecutors, except those regarding his privileged communications with the former president.

“What they did today was legal thuggery,” Mr. Costello said. “Why would you do this to anyone, let alone someone who was the associate attorney general, United States attorney, the mayor of New York City and the personal lawyer to the 45th president of the United States.”

The federal authorities have been largely focused on whether Mr. Giuliani illegally lobbied the Trump administration in 2019 on behalf of Ukrainian officials and oligarchs, who at the same time were helping Mr. Giuliani search for dirt on Mr. Trump’s political rivals, including President Biden, who was then a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The United States Attorney’s office in Manhattan and the F.B.I. had for months sought to secure a search warrant for Mr. Giuliani’s phones.

Under Mr. Trump, senior political appointees in the Justice Department repeatedly sought to block such a warrant, The New York Times reported, slowing the investigation as it was gaining momentum last year. After Merrick B. Garland was confirmed as President Biden’s attorney general, the Justice Department lifted its objection to the search.

While the warrants are not an explicit accusation of wrongdoing against Mr. Giuliani, it shows that the investigation has entered an aggressive new phase. To obtain a search warrant, investigators need to persuade a judge they have sufficient reason to believe that a crime was committed and that the search would turn up evidence of the crime.

As part of the investigation into Mr. Giuliani, the prosecutors have explored whether he was working not only for Mr. Trump, but also for Ukrainian officials or businesses who wanted the ambassador to be dismissed for their own reasons, according to people briefed on the matter.

Under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, it is a federal crime to try to influence or lobby the United States government at the request or direction of a foreign official without disclosing it to the Justice Department.

The prosecutors have scrutinized Mr. Giuliani’s dealings with Yuriy Lutsenko, one of the officials who helped Mr. Giuliani and his associates in their dirt-digging mission while also urging them to work to get the ambassador removed.

Among other things, the prosecutors have examined discussions Mr. Giuliani had about taking on hundreds of thousands of dollars in apparently unrelated consulting business from Mr. Lutsenko, which resulted in a draft retainer agreement that was never executed.

As the investigation heated up last summer, prosecutors and F.B.I. agents in Manhattan were preparing to seek the search warrant for Mr. Giuliani’s records about his efforts to remove the ambassador, but they first had to notify Justice Department officials in Washington, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Federal prosecutors must consult Justice Department officials in Washington about search warrants involving lawyers because of concerns that they might obtain confidential communications with clients. The proposed warrant for Mr. Giuliani was particularly sensitive because his most prominent client was Mr. Trump.

Career Justice Department officials in Washington largely supported the search warrant, but senior officials raised concerns that the warrant would be issued too close to the election, the people with knowledge of the matter said.

Under longstanding practice, the Justice Department generally tries to avoid taking aggressive investigative actions within 60 days of an election if those actions could affect the outcome of the vote.

The prosecutors in Manhattan tried again after the election, but political appointees in Mr. Trump’s Justice Department sought once more to block the warrant, the people with knowledge of the matter said. At the time, Mr. Trump was still contesting the election results in several states, a legal effort being led by Mr. Giuliani, those officials noted.

To recap: everyone saw this coming, including of course Giuliani himself. He used Trump's authority to slow the damage as much as possible. Maybe that's why he was so desperate to push the Kraken's theories -- anything that continued the election, continued his self-granted immunity.

Normally I would say "the FBI won't find anything, he's had timet o clear stuff out" but um...Giuliani's competence has been called into question a lot. They went right for his electronic devices. If I had 100 days before the cops were coming, they'd arrive to find a pile of Best Buy receipts and some suspiciously clean computers, while my phone number would just happen to have changed. Not that this grants immunity, it's not like I own the electrons my email was printed on, but I'd know it granted me some extra time, while they wrestle with subpoenas from Apple and Google, while I use smoke signals or land lines to tell the rest of my secret underground tortoise death battle group they need to get out of town, quickly.

It's also possible this was merely a warning shot, and they're either giving Giuliani, or Giuliani's co-conspirators, a chance to cooperate before the hammer comes down.

[Edge-]

Hopefully housecleaning at DOJ is ongoing.

• NYT: Under Trump, senior political appointees in the Justice Department repeatedly sought to block such a warrant on Guiliani, slowing the investigation.
• After Merrick Garland was confirmed, the Justice Department lifted its objection to the search.

Fire the Trump operatives.
Also fire all the Comeys and Muellers that enabled this for decades.

If they're political appointees, they're likely gone already. Though sadly I doubt they could be charged with anything.

What do Comey and Mueller have to do with this?

[Breccia]

I doubt they could be charged with anything.

I respectfully disagree. "Block this search warrant" is obstruction of justice. Maybe the DoJ don't want to turn against their own, even their completely bought and paid for corrupt own, but there could 100% be charges filed if they chose to.

- - - Updated - - -

So McConnell's having a bad day.

McConnell ticked through what has become a familiar list of Republican grievances with Biden: his decision to shut down the Keystone XL pipeline; passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan without any Republican votes; introduction of H.R. 1, a Democratic proposal to overhaul the nation’s election laws; the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan; and his handling of the migrant surge at the southern border.

“President Biden pledged he would be ‘A president for all Americans’ with plans to repair, restore and heal,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, noting that Congress remains closely divided with a 50-50 Senate and a slim Democratic majority in the House.

“But the first hundred days have left much to be desired,” McConnell said. “Over a few short months, the Biden administration seems to have given up on selling actual unity in favor of catnip for their liberal base, covered with a hefty coat of false advertising.”

Let's count 'em down.

1) The Keystone Pipeline was already in trouble. SCOTUS already basically stopped construction, after all, and Trump broke multiple promises on the subject. Remember when it was going to be made from US steel?

2) If McConnell is upset about one party passing something without any votes from the other party, is he willing to go back through, I dunno, the last decade or so and look over what he signed? Because I'm pretty sure he passed along multiple things that had low/no Democrat votes. Like, say, Trump judges.

3) Multiple US states are taking up the opportunity to overhaul their own laws. McConnell saying it is wrong to overhaul election laws, therefore, is hypocritical until he condemns those states, too.

4) Did McConnell agree with Trump's decision to leave Afghanistan? (checks news) Oh...no, repeatedly and publicly fought it. Well, gotta give him that one.

5) The migrant surge is, for the lack of a better term, "the numbers became real" of Biden's first 100 days. Is it a problem? I honestly don't know how big of a problem this is. Did Biden directly cause it? Other than "not being Trump", no. In fact, I've neither heard nor read anything about Biden burning ICE to the ground, so the assumption is he still has enough people there. If Trump didn't leave him with enough border agents, 100 days is not enough to raise a small army. If Trump did, and they're not doing their job, then Trump hired the wrong people (say it with me @Edge- ) But Biden didn't do what the rabid fanbase is claiming, dangling free phones and voting rights over the border. It's a problem thrown on his doorstep, but you don't just stomp on the flaming bag. Everyone knows that's a trick.

But of course:

6) McConnell has zero to negative standing to call someone else divisive. What he did with SCOTUS nominations during the end of Obama's term forever shit-stains him as a willing participant, if not team leader, in the partisan divide. So until he says "And I'm also a partisan divider, so I would know!" this comes down to one-point-five counts of blaming Biden for Trump's failures, two counts of hypocrisy, a lack of self-awareness visible from space, and honestly one good point.

- - - Updated - - -

Hey remember when Trump said everything Obama did, could be undone by the flick of a pen?

Good times...good times...

Justice Department ends Trump-era limits on grants to ‘sanctuary cities’

Oh noooooooooo.

In an internal memo seen by Reuters, acting head of the Office of Justice Programs Maureen Henneberg said that prior grant recipients, including cities, counties and states that were recipients of the department's popular $250 million annual grant program for local law enforcement, will no longer be required to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a condition of their funding.

She also ordered staff to take down any pending Justice Department grant applications with similar strings attached and start the process over again.

In the memo, Henneberg, who leads the department's largest grant-making arm, said she had instructed staff to "pull down and revise all solicitations that describe requirements or priority consideration elements or criteria pertaining to immigration."

"Wait, what about all those lawsuits?"

Biden called SCOTUS and said the DoJ would no longer press forward. Apparently he did it a month ago.

- - - Updated - - -

Reuters has more insight about the FBI tossing Giuliani's lair.

"This is a seismic moment in the investigation," said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

"It's a big deal to execute a search warrant concerning an attorney because of issues of attorney-client privilege," she added. "It's a bigger deal to execute a search warrant of an attorney who worked for the former president."

As per usual, asking @cubby to weigh in.

This is something that probably should have come up earlier. We've seen other Team Trump lawyers raided before, haven't we?

[Ripster42]

This is something that probably should have come up earlier. We've seen other Team Trump lawyers raided before, haven't we?

This is rhetorical right?

[cubby]

Reuters has more insight about the FBI tossing Giuliani's lair.

"This is a seismic moment in the investigation," said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

"It's a big deal to execute a search warrant concerning an attorney because of issues of attorney-client privilege," she added. "It's a bigger deal to execute a search warrant of an attorney who worked for the former president."

As per usual, asking @cubby to weigh in.

This is something that probably should have come up earlier. We've seen other Team Trump lawyers raided before, haven't we?

The DoJ under Trump not only stymied the warrants they flat out blocked them. And the FBI does not search attorney offices without DoJ approval, because of the privilege issues inherent in any attorney files. Rudi will more than likely be facing several federal felony indictments after these seized files have been reviewed.

I doubt Rudi will "flip" because he's insane, but he could turn the corner from "attorney" to "fellow co-conspirator" meaning all his communications with Trump will be available to prosecutors to review in relation to seeking charges against Trump. Something as simple as Trump telling Rudi to "get the Ukraine President to play ball on Hunter or we will withhold aid" would do it.

This investigation will take months and it's possible both targets will stroke out before then. Either way it's a win for us. Everyone gather their popcorn.

[Hinastorm]

r/conservative seems to now be fully on board with masking children is child abuse, and will and is causing mental damage.

Obviously that's pants on head moronic, but can anyone explain to me why they think this? Do they think kids are feeling like they're the victims of tyranny, so it'll hurt their self-esteem, or something? I'm fully confused on this line of thinking.

[Edge-]

r/conservative seems to now be fully on board with masking children is child abuse, and will and is causing mental damage.

Were they all masked as children? If not, then I think we can conclusively rule out that masks were the cause of their brain damage.