Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Breccia]

Trump's deputy NSA Pottinger will testify publicly Thursday. So will one of Trump's many, many press secretaries.

Now, the name Pottinger probably doesn't stand out all that much. He was brought in early by Flynn, and resigned just after the murderous insurrection. That alone should make his testimony major, and also make it impossible to handwave (well, effectively handwave). He would not be asked to testify publicly by the panel if he didn't have something important to say, but as a deputy NSA I don't know what he actually witnessed. He doesn't sound like a "was in the room with Trump when--" kind of witness, but very likely heard/saw/talked to other major players while shit was going down. Since, you know, attempted treason sounds like something a National Security Advisor would be interested in.

But that's all secondary. Because while looking into Pottinger's past, I found the most beautiful, luckiest, most amazing line in any article I've ever read.

From May 30, 2018:

Matthew Pottinger must have been surprised to learn that he doesn’t exist. As the top official for Asia on President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, Pottinger had briefed dozens of reporters about North Korea two days before Trump angrily tweeted that a New York Times article citing his remarks had relied on an official who “doesn’t exist.” The president was furious that the Times had paraphrased Pottinger, who spoke on background and thus could not be identified in its story, as saying it would be “impossible” for Trump to go forward with his June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because there wasn’t enough time to prepare.

“Use real people, not phony sources,” Trump fumed.

A debate ensued online about whether the Times accurately characterized Pottinger, who never used the word “impossible,” although he did come close, saying that the summit date is “in 10 minutes, and it’s going to be — you know …” without finishing the thought.

But there is no debate about whether Pottinger is real. More than that, he is among Trump’s longest-serving aides. As the NSC’s director for Asia, the sandy-haired, boyish-looking 45-year-old is the president’s top adviser on North Korea and China. He organized Trump’s 12-day trip to Asia last fall, during which he was rarely far from the president’s side. He has played a central role in coordinating Trump’s North Korea policy since early last year — one reason he was among a handful of U.S. officials to fly into Pyongyang earlier this month with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And he has been in the thick of White House preparations for a possible summit with Kim.

Pottinger, says former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, is “one of the most significant people in the entire U.S. government.”

"Whoa, that looks bad for Bannon. Isn't he in court too?"

I mean, yes, but that's not the beautiful part. Click the spoiler, and you'll see why I'm taking a victory lap and cheering.

Oh, then read the rest of the article. Pottinger might not be top-tier Team Trump, but he's within arm's reach of it. He will be considered a solid, credible witness by everyone. Well, everyone reasonable. Some people will just ignore everything that's negative to Trump because they're cult members.

[Mihalik]

Well folks. Remember when I pointed out that none of the Republican insurrectionist elected officials will never get charged with anything? It's official now. Thanks AG Garland.

If anyone still expecting the Dems to save us from Gilead, you're all in for a disappointment.

https://www.businessinsider.com/merr...hearing-2021-6

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/u...ept-trump.html

https://www.salon.com/2022/07/19/sec...-barr_partner/

Feb. 2020 memo authored by then-Attorney General Bill Barr saying that anyone at the Justice Department who is investigating a political candidate has to run it by the Attorney General. That memo, she explained, was renewed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in May 2022.

"The Department of Justice has a strong interest in the prosecution of election-related crimes, such as those involving federal and state campaign finance laws, federal patronage laws, and corruption of the election process. As Department employees, however, we must be particularly sensitive to safeguarding the Department's reputation for fairness, neutrality, and non-partisanship," the memo says.

"Simply put," it continues, "partisan politics must play no role in the decisions of federal investigators or prosecutors regarding any investigations or criminal charges. Law enforcement officers and prosecutors may never select the timing of public statements (attributed or not), investigative steps, criminal charges, or any other actions in any matter or case for the purpose of affecting any election, or for the purpose of giving an advantage or disadvantage to any candidate or political party. Such a purpose, or the appearance of such a purpose, is inconsistent with the Department's mission and with the Principles of Federal Prosecution."

The new guidance from Barr said that any investigation for a declared candidate for president has to be run by the attorney general personally.

However, the 2022 midterms aren't elections for presidents, and former President Donald Trump hasn't declared he's running in 2024 yet. Even if he had announced or if he announces ahead of 2022, the memo essentially says that any investigator looking into Trump has to run it by Garland. The theory is that if someone at the Justice Department was investigating a former president it likely would include the attorney general. It would have prevented FBI Director James Comey from announcing an investigation into Hillary Clinton in 2016, however.

Former Justice Department official Andrew Weissmann said that under a normal and reputable attorney general something like this would make sense.

"On the other hand, the Bill Barr Justice Department was anything but a Justice Department. The rule of law was so flouted that the idea of re-upping something that he put in place is one that I'm not sure if I were at the department I would look at with anything other than saying, 'I am not bringing a case against anyone at the White House until such time as I personally approve it' no matter how much evidence seems to be accumulated in the Jan. 6th committee hearings. So, you know, I think it's a plus/minus. You know, it probably could have been phrased a lot better and clearer to people at the Justice Department."

None of the people involved in Jan. 6 are at the White House anymore, however.

"Is it expanded to include all of the evidence of criminality that was laid out by the Jan. 6th committee? In other words, not just who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6th and not just fake electors, but what was going on at the Department of Justice in terms of beheading Jeffrey Rosenstein to get a lackey? What is going on in other states? The pressuring of the vice president of the United States?" he asked. "All of that seems to me to be appropriate for a criminal investigation."

Last week, Weissmann penned an op-ed saying that he was concerned by the reports that Justice Department officials were shocked by Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony. It led him to believe that their "shock" meant they didn't know about her comments to the Jan. 6 committee. That would thus mean that the DOJ isn't doing investigations into the White House role in Jan. 6, or if they are they hadn't brought in someone as key as Hutchinson.

Spineless pieces of shit.

[CastletonSnob]

I didn't really follow the 2016 election, so I didn't know much about Trump and his past actions. I just thought he would be a bad president because he didn't have any political experience.

[Breccia]

I’m thinking Trump will convince DeSantis to be his VP.

That is certainly another option, and a viable one.

I just don't see that happening, and not even for @Shadowferal 's reason. Well, not entirely.

DeSantis wants to be the next Trump, and knows full well he cannot be the current Trump. He's waiting in the wings for exactly that reason -- he knows he can't take on Trump at Trump's game. Right now, he has some easy victories because Trump's followers will back him -- because DeSantis hasn't turned on him, or more realistically, Trump doesn't view what DeSantis has done/is planning to do as a betrayal yet.

DeSantis will flat-out refuse to run, until Trump has said "I am not running" in a credible form. Such as by being arrested. Or dying. Or faking an illness when he realizes he can't win. DeSantis will throw his hat into the ring so hard the very second that happens, people will think Goldfinger is being rebooted¹.

Which brings me back to this point: DeSantis wants to be the next Trump. Other than the fact that he's not a failure in every single step he's taken, hasn't cheated on his wife...I think....is younger, healthier, and actually has governing experience, he basically is Trump.

VP picks have to widen the ticket, not double down on it. The GOP might nominate a woman this century, but an African-American, Hispanic, or Jew isn't looking good. DeSantis is a middle-aged white male, a demographic Trump already has locked up.

The Team Trump ticket gains literally nothing by having DeSantis as a running mate. They don't need a Trump, they already have one. As I said recently, if Trump loses even 10% of the votes he had in 2016, he loses the election. Having a Trump/Trump ticket, while so many Team Trump members are being hauled off in chains and while President Harris keeps saying "Trump's COVID pandemic" or "Trump's friend Russia" in every press briefing every question, is not a strong enough selling point.

Now I'll get back to Shadowferal. We all know Trump is a sociopathic narcissist, who sees betrayal in everything done by everyone which isn't in Trump's best interest. Untrustworthy people don't trust anyone.

What would Trump, who would at that point be even older, even fatter, and even less able to climb a small hill, think about having DeSantis within arm's reach? He would think, and no I'm not exaggerating, "DeSantis will try to kill me and take over the country."

Because Trump himself did the same thing. And sociopaths project themselves on everyone they view as human.

Trump shouldn't take DeSantis, but also, Trump won't take DeSantis. Trump will see too much of Trump in DeSantis, which he should. This is why Pence turned out to be perfect. He broadened the base...slightly...but he rarely challenged Trump on anything. Flynn, at the beginning, that's it. Pence never took the initiative. He never formed policies that took effect, never formed task forces or committees that mattered, and was once mistaken for a potted plant.

Pence let Trump attempt to murder him, and did nothing.

Trump will want that, now knows he can have that, and is no longer in a position where he will allow the classic Republicans to dictate terms. He's going to find an attractive white woman who will do everything he says, probably for $130,000. Yes, we're looking for a whore, so naturally my first thought is Stefanik. But as this thread has shown, he has his pick of the brothel.

Quite frankly, DeSantis is a bigger threat to the country if he does run with Trump's blessing (or implied blessing). He would have all of Trump's followers, and also would be able to coax some Republicans to return to the voting booth.

---

¹ Batista would have made a fantastic fucking Oddjob. Too bad they already used him.

[Edge-]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/18/b...th-social.html

Months before former President Donald J. Trump’s social media company unveiled an agreement to raise hundreds of millions of dollars last fall, word of the deal leaked to an obscure Miami investment firm, whose executives began plotting ways to make money off the imminent transaction, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The deal — in which a so-called special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, would merge with Mr. Trump’s fledgling media business — was announced in October. It sent shares of the SPAC soaring.

Employees at the Miami investment firm, Rocket One Capital, had learned of the pending deal over the summer, long before it was announced, according to three people familiar with the firm’s internal discussions. Two of the people said that Rocket One officials at the time talked about ways to profit off the soon-to-be-announced transaction with Trump Media & Technology Group by investing in the SPAC, Digital World Acquisition Corporation.

A top Rocket One executive, Bruce Garelick, was on the board of Digital World until he resigned in recent weeks.

In the days before the Trump Media deal became public, there was a surge in trading in a type of security known as warrants, which entitled investors to buy shares of Digital World at a preset price in the future.

Federal prosecutors and regulators are now investigating the merger between Digital World and Trump Media, including the frenzied trading in the SPAC’s warrants, according to people familiar with the investigation and public disclosures. Digital World said in a recent regulatory filing that a federal grand jury in Manhattan had issued subpoenas seeking information about Rocket One, among other things.

The exact scope of the federal investigations remains unclear. Authorities have not accused anyone of wrongdoing, and representatives of Mr. Garelick and others denied doing anything improper.

A lawyer for Rocket One and its founder, Michael Shvartsman, denied that they had any advance knowledge of the merger between Digital World and Trump Media. He added that “any assertion otherwise is untrue.”

A lawyer for Patrick Orlando, who runs Digital World, declined to comment, as did representatives for the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.

Representatives for Mr. Trump and Trump Media did not respond to requests for comment. The company said in a recent news release that neither Mr. Trump nor Devin Nunes, the former California congressman who is the company’s chief executive, received grand jury subpoenas. (The release identified the men only by their job titles.)

The investigation into unusual trading in Digital World securities is the latest blow to Mr. Trump’s social media venture, which has struggled with technological problems and slow user growth.

Federal authorities are also investigating whether Digital World’s disclosures about the merger talks with Trump Media violated rules governing SPACs. And the Securities and Exchange Commission is considering whether to block the merger, according to regulatory filings by Digital World. If the deal doesn’t go through, it would deprive Trump Media of $1.3 billion.

There is scant public information about Rocket One, which has fewer than 10 employees and has made about 20 early-stage investments over the past decade, according to a review of archived web pages and an analysis by PitchBook, a data company. Rocket One disabled its website soon after its name appeared in a Digital World regulatory filing.

Two of the people familiar with Rocket One’s internal discussions said Mr. Garelick, a former Boston hedge fund manager who is now Rocket One’s chief strategy officer, mentioned the possible deal with Trump Media to some employees last summer. Around that time, a Rocket One employee was told to conduct a financial analysis of Digital World, including its warrants, one of the people said.

Carl Schoeppl, a lawyer representing Mr. Garelick, declined to comment. “We expressly reserve any and all rights to assert claims for defamation for any article that states, suggests, and/or otherwise implies that Bruce J. Garelick committed insider trading or any violation of the law,” Mr. Schoeppl said in an email.

Federal prosecutors and securities regulators are trying to determine why traders snapped up millions of warrants issued by Digital World days before the Oct. 20 announcement of the merger with Trump Media. Shares and warrants of Digital World surged the next day, with the stock rising 350 percent and the warrants soaring nearly 1,300 percent.

Digital World shares closed Monday at $29.51, well off the stock’s $97 high set in March, but well above its $10 I.P.O. price.

By merging with Digital World, Trump Media would gain access to about $300 million that Digital World had raised in its September I.P.O. The companies secured commitments from other investors to kick in an additional $1 billion if the merger is completed.

Trump Media’s sole product is Truth Social, a Twitter-like social media platform. Over the past several weeks, it has become the primary means for Mr. Trump to communicate directly with his supporters. Among other things, he has used Truth Social to blast the congressional committee that is investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. With Mr. Trump banned by Twitter, the platform could grow in importance as the former president considers another White House bid.

In addition to the investigation into the unusual trading, federal authorities are continuing to investigate whether the leaders of Digital World and Trump Media started negotiating a potential merger before Digital World sold shares through an initial public offering in September. At the time of Digital World’s initial public offering, the company said in public filings that it had not yet identified a merger target. But The New York Times previously reported that talks between Mr. Orlando and Trump Media officials were already underway.

If Digital World didn’t disclose ongoing merger talks to investors, that would have violated S.E.C. rules.

The issuance of grand jury subpoenas usually is an indication that prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation.

Among those who received subpoenas from the grand jury in late June were Wes Moss and Andy Litinsky (also known as Andy Dean), two former contestants on “The Apprentice,” the reality TV show that Mr. Trump hosted, according to people briefed on the matter.

Shortly after Mr. Trump left office, Mr. Moss and Mr. Litinsky pitched the idea of a Trump-branded social media company to the former president. The Times previously reported that they were involved in some of the early talks with Mr. Orlando.

Mr. Moss and Mr. Litinsky, who at one time were senior executives with Trump Media, didn’t respond to requests for comment. Mr. Litinsky no longer works for Trump Media; Mr. Moss’s job status is unclear.

Securities regulators also have asked for information from Digital World about the role played by the SPAC’s financial adviser, Shanghai-based ARC Group, according to regulatory filings. Federal regulators previously have reprimanded ARC. In 2017, the S.E.C. stopped ARC’s executives from listing shares of three companies, citing “material misstatements” in their securities filings and a lack of cooperation from the executives.

Relevant bit -

In the days before the Trump Media deal became public, there was a surge in trading in a type of security known as warrants, which entitled investors to buy shares of Digital World at a preset price in the future.

Sure sounds like some insider trading to me.

[Breccia]

Sure sounds like some insider trading to me.

The entire deal has been shady from the start. DWAC and Trump weren't supposed to talk first.

That said, one of two things happened.

One, they bought early, the stock shot up to its entry-level peak, they sold, there are records of that, and they're going to jail.

Two, they still have their stocks and have lost money. DWAC stock price has gone up 9% or so since Musk did to the deal what Trump spent $130,000 to do, but it's still sub-30.

[cubby]

I just don't see that happening, and not even for @Shadowferal 's reason. Well, not entirely.

DeSantis wants to be the next Trump, and knows full well he cannot be the current Trump. He's waiting in the wings for exactly that reason -- he knows he can't take on Trump at Trump's game. Right now, he has some easy victories because Trump's followers will back him -- because DeSantis hasn't turned on him, or more realistically, Trump doesn't view what DeSantis has done/is planning to do as a betrayal yet.

DeSantis will flat-out refuse to run, until Trump has said "I am not running" in a credible form. Such as by being arrested. Or dying. Or faking an illness when he realizes he can't win. DeSantis will throw his hat into the ring so hard the very second that happens, people will think Goldfinger is being rebooted¹.

Which brings me back to this point: DeSantis wants to be the next Trump. Other than the fact that he's not a failure in every single step he's taken, hasn't cheated on his wife...I think....is younger, healthier, and actually has governing experience, he basically is Trump.

VP picks have to widen the ticket, not double down on it. The GOP might nominate a woman this century, but an African-American, Hispanic, or Jew isn't looking good. DeSantis is a middle-aged white male, a demographic Trump already has locked up.

The Team Trump ticket gains literally nothing by having DeSantis as a running mate. They don't need a Trump, they already have one. As I said recently, if Trump loses even 10% of the votes he had in 2016, he loses the election. Having a Trump/Trump ticket, while so many Team Trump members are being hauled off in chains and while President Harris keeps saying "Trump's COVID pandemic" or "Trump's friend Russia" in every press briefing every question, is not a strong enough selling point.

Now I'll get back to Shadowferal. We all know Trump is a sociopathic narcissist, who sees betrayal in everything done by everyone which isn't in Trump's best interest. Untrustworthy people don't trust anyone.

What would Trump, who would at that point be even older, even fatter, and even less able to climb a small hill, think about having DeSantis within arm's reach? He would think, and no I'm not exaggerating, "DeSantis will try to kill me and take over the country."

Because Trump himself did the same thing. And sociopaths project themselves on everyone they view as human.

Trump shouldn't take DeSantis, but also, Trump won't take DeSantis. Trump will see too much of Trump in DeSantis, which he should. This is why Pence turned out to be perfect. He broadened the base...slightly...but he rarely challenged Trump on anything. Flynn, at the beginning, that's it. Pence never took the initiative. He never formed policies that took effect, never formed task forces or committees that mattered, and was once mistaken for a potted plant.

Pence let Trump attempt to murder him, and did nothing.

Trump will want that, now knows he can have that, and is no longer in a position where he will allow the classic Republicans to dictate terms. He's going to find an attractive white woman who will do everything he says, probably for $130,000. Yes, we're looking for a whore, so naturally my first thought is Stefanik. But as this thread has shown, he has his pick of the brothel.

Quite frankly, DeSantis is a bigger threat to the country if he does run with Trump's blessing (or implied blessing). He would have all of Trump's followers, and also would be able to coax some Republicans to return to the voting booth.

---

¹ Batista would have made a fantastic fucking Oddjob. Too bad they already used him.

I very much agree with the analysis above.

DeSantis is frightening in his combination of Trump-level idiocy and ability to build his own following, outside or with Trump's blessing or ignorance. I agree that DeSantis probably won't accept any VP slot, and will stay in the shadows of the national campaign until Trump is sidelined - either by death or imprisonment or "poor health" (although I don't see him ever admitting that - his narcissism wouldn't allow it).

However, if Trump is sidelined, I see DeSantis surging forward, with Nikki Haley as his VP.

[Breccia]

DeSantis probably won't accept any VP slot

Oh, he might. We'll never know, it'll never be offered, but he might. Trump could actually be correct that DeSantis would kill him and take the Oval Office.

- - - Updated - - -

Bannon fails to have the trial delayed.

"You already posted that."

He keeps trying. Near as I can tell from reading five articles, the latest attempt by Trump ally and not-at-the-relavent-time advisor Bannon objected because communications between his lawyers and the Jan 6th panel mentioned privilege, therefore, he thought he didn't need to comply. Yes, that's stupid, he still argued that. The communication will be allowed but all discussion of privilege will be redacted.

Bannon's team arguments before the judge strongly suggests Bannon's team has multiple, conflicting defenses, and doesn't want to get halfway through one when they have to swap to another, contradictory one. This redaction forces their hand. Bannon's team still seems concerned, but the jury is now pooled so they're out of options.

Incidentally, while my own courtroom experience is limited, I can't off the top of my head think of a worse thing to do in court, than to outright tell the judge "we haven't decided which defense to go with". Because if you have only one defense, it's one you believe in that might actually be true. If you have multiple, you're a criminal.

Bannon is being asked why he felt the deadlines for complying with a subpoena were flexible. Since we know full well he didn't have privilege, and can no longer even broach that topic, he's got nothing less but a Congressional letter saying "By this date, or else" and his response which was "I just don't want to".

- - - Updated - - -

In the ongoing catastrophe that is Musk's failed attempt to get Trump back on Twitter, Twitter as predicted gets a fast-track trial to force Musk to pay up, one way or the other.

Musk tried to delay the trial on the grounds that the final deadline was April. The judge disagreed, saying that this trial was only part one of what could be a dozen parts. Twitter also said the delay was hurting their business and the judge agreed.

Musk also tried arguing that he needed time to go through that discovery thing we keep talking about, which he claimed would normally take three to four years. The judge didn't buy that, either. Also, if it would take you several months to go through discovery, why the fuck would you be screaming that they didn't have it in a couple months? It's a pretty transparently false defense.

Like, one day into this and Musk is already being eviscerated. He's going to beg for a settlement, isn't he?

[Poopymonster]

Like, one day into this and Musk is already being eviscerated. He's going to beg for a settlement, isn't he?

I can almost hear this in his voice.

[Breccia]

I can almost hear this in his voice.

That may be what it comes to, simply throwing Twitter over a billion dollars so he doesn't have to pay double its market value.

- - - Updated - - -

Fulton County names 16 targets of its investigation, or to use language Trump supporters will understand, "Fake Electors".

As our investigation has matured and new evidence has come to light, in a spirit of integrity we feel it only fitting to inform you that your clients' status has changed to 'Target'

-- letter from Georgia to the 16 Fake Electors

It's also worth noting that one of the Fake Electors and late night name mashup David Shafer (and also a state senator) has filed to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the investigation, on the grounds that Willis wants to find criminals and Shafer doesn't want to be found guilty of the crimes he committed.

- - - Updated - - -

McConnell "gently" tells Trump not to run.

I think we’re going to have a crowded field for president. I assume most of that will unfold later and people will be picking their candidates in a crowded primary field

Just a reminder, Trump has said this:

I feel very confident that if I decide to run, I’ll win. Well, in my own mind, I’ve already made that decision, so nothing factors in anymore

Since Trump is claiming he has already decided, and also claiming that if he runs he'll win...why hasn't he announced yet? By his logic, he'd win.

Or, he knows he'll lose if he runs.

Or, he's lying.

[Kaleredar]

McConnell "gently" tells Trump not to run.

That's precisely what netted them Trump as the candidate in 2016. And could very well end up making him the nominee again in 2024, unless the GOP makes major moves to disallow it.

However, unlike 2016, people's "what's the worst that could happen?/Maybe we need an outsider/Really the dems and republicans are just the same/Hillary is icky!" apathy that hung over that election no longer exists. People know exactly how bad a Trump presidency is.

Since Trump is claiming he has already decided, and also claiming that if he runs he'll win...why hasn't he announced yet? By his logic, he'd win.

Or, he knows he'll lose if he runs.

Lose the primary? I'm actually somewhat doubtful. I suppose it would have to come down to whether people were actually running against Trump. DeSantis is a dangerous ultra-conservative and would be a terrible president, but he's more shrewd than Trump is and I don't doubt that he'd put the screws to Trump's failures in whatever they would pass off as "debates." But at the same time, Trump would do the same back, describing how Florida is a refugee haven for Cuban communists and liberal sanctuaries like Orlando and Miami reliant on mickey mouse tourist dollars, all to the drunken, belching accolades of his followers. And Trump is popular throughout every bumfuck borough in the United States; that only holds true for DeSantis in Florida.

Lose the election, however? That's far more likely. Like I said, Trump lost once already. People aren't so prepared to be apathetic about a second Trump term. Neither of those things bode well for Trump, and rednecks yelling "let's go Brandon" at a tractor pull aren't likely to change that. The most earnest critique about Biden is that he isn't being progressive enough, and nobody deciding between voting for Trump or Biden is going to care much about that particular aspect.

Or, he's lying.

Or he's just a bloviating moron who has the incessant need to claim he's the most bestest at everything without giving such claims any actual thought.

I'll give the pumpkin man enough credit to know that he currently has the GOP by the balls, and the more in the air he keeps them about what he's going to do by not committing the more control he has over them, as they're effectively unable to make a move.

[Breccia]

Or he's just a bloviating moron who has the incessant need to claim he's the most bestest at everything

Hey, we don't know for sure he had sex with Ivanka.

Oh, incessant. I thought you said something else.

Trump might think he has the GOP by the balls, but...does he? We are seeing a slow but solid migration away from him. And it's not like he's doing great in court, either.

[Kaleredar]

Hey, we don't know for sure he had sex with Ivanka.

Oh, incessant. I thought you said something else.

Trump might think he has the GOP by the balls, but...does he? We are seeing a slow but solid migration away from him. And it's not like he's doing great in court, either.

At the end of the day I think he still does.

The GOP can’t come out and say “we are removing trump from the party.” His followers will turn on them like vicious dogs. I mean, if people think that the Bernie bros who got their panties in a twist about Hillary supposedly “stealing” the nomination from Bernie were bad, at least they weren’t willing to assault and possibly kill people like Trump’s sycophants clearly are.

If trump tells his followers “don’t vote GOP, write me in or sit it out” he tanks their chances in any purple states and certainly the presidency. Because if even 10% of any population of republicans listen to him, the GOP can kiss those races goodbye.

I don’t doubt that the gop is trying to oust trump. They know he’s toxic. They know he’s too hard to control. They know he’s a loser. He, as an incumbent, lost them the presidency, an event that hasn’t happened in three decades.

But they need him (or more specifically, his voters) and they can’t craft a strategy to tactfully remove him if they don’t know what he’s going to do next. And I think trump knows both those things, and is prepared to milk it for all it’s worth.

[Breccia]

But they need him (or more specifically, his voters)

This is where they agree. Trump can't win on his own, but he can sink the GOP's chances on his own. They need his rabid fanbase, in a way that doesn't involve him running. Honestly, some of them should be considering, well...killing him. If Trump were to die, hundreds of GOP members could suddenly claim Trump loved them and endorsed them.

[Kaleredar]

This is where they agree. Trump can't win on his own, but he can sink the GOP's chances on his own. They need his rabid fanbase, in a way that doesn't involve him running. Honestly, some of them should be considering, well...killing him. If Trump were to die, hundreds of GOP members could suddenly claim Trump loved them and endorsed them.

As I said earlier, trump kicking the bucket would be the best possible situation for the GOP. The second best is that they somehow convince trump to not run, either by giving him a ton of money or promising him some cushy do-nothing job where he feels important, and then have trump officially endorse the GOP’s next chosen.

But even that would require Trump to keep his word, which is a toss-up.

[Gorsameth]

As I said earlier, trump kicking the bucket would be the best possible situation for the GOP. The second best is that they somehow convince trump to not run, either by giving him a ton of money or promising him some cushy do-nothing job where he feels important, and then have trump officially endorse the GOP’s next chosen.

But even that would require Trump to keep his word, which is a toss-up.

Nothing the GOP can offer would weigh up against the protection from prosecution that being the President would give Trump.

I 100% believe that if he runs it won't be because of money, it will be to avoid criminal investigations.

[Breccia]

The second best is that they somehow convince trump to not run, either by giving him a ton of money or promising him some cushy do-nothing job where he feels important, and then have trump officially endorse the GOP’s next chosen.

Pushing Trump to the side also helps the GOP in the increasingly likely chance he goes bankrupt or gets arrested. It hurts them less if he's not the figurehead.

[PrimiOne]

The only plausible scenarios where Trump does not run in 2024 are incapacitating illnes and death. Period.

This narcissistic megalomaniac with a messiah complex that would scare Jim Jones and David Koresh won't have any problems in setting the GOP ( or the country) in fire if he gets to reign over the ashes and although in a "normal" (...what does that term means now?) political ambient one could always say "Man plans...god laughs" pointing at the many things that can happen in these 2.5 years we must not forget he has forged ( his biggest sucess) an aura of political inmunity over his persona. No matter what could happen in this period will be fake news, irrelevant or less worrysome than whatever talking point about Biden is hot at the moment.

Tapes about him explicitly telling the Proud Boys to kill Pence could release and it wouldn't mean shit ( Mike laid his own bed). We could see him planning the 2024 strategy directly with Putin and it wouldn't mean shit ( he is playing a chess game with the russian).If he gets charged ( wich won't happen) is a political witch hunt...and he will still run.

Trump ,for his cult, is a paladin with a permanent divine shield on ( and this one allows you to attack). There's nothing the GOP can do about it but waiting death stops the cooldown.

[Edge-]

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/07/...-nearest-tree/

A Florida school board candidate argued in a public meeting that doctors who provide care for transgender children “should be hanging from the nearest tree.”

Alisabeth Janai Lancaster, who is running for a spot on the Santa Rosa County School Board, made the violent comments this past Monday at a political forum organizes by the far-right organization Gulf Coast Patriots at the St. Sylvester Catholic Church in Navarre, Florida.

“I am a conservative and hold Christian values and beliefs,” Lancaster said in her speech. “I would love to see the prayer reinstated instead of the moment of silence. Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values and beliefs that I believe should be respected and encouraged.”

“The children should not be burdened with the woke agenda that is leaving a path of destruction everywhere it goes,” she said.

“Just to mention what has recently surfaced, the pharmaceutical companies are paying $1.3 million for each gender reassignment,” Lancaster continued. It’s unclear what she’s referring to or where she got her number.

“These doctors that are going along with mutilating these children and prescribing hormone blockers to these kids, in my opinion, they should be hanging from the nearest tree,” Lancaster told the crowd, getting loud applause.

Just another reminder that Republican candidates for public office continue to out themselves as violent, murderous, hateful bigots. Also, liars that just make shit up to justify their violent, murderous, hateful bigotry.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...-was-fbi-agent

Herschel Walker seems to be campaigning to be the most dishonest candidate of all time, at this rate. His latest lie?

Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker falsely claimed that he was an FBI agent in a newly resurfaced video, another blunder for a campaign plagued by its candidate’s missteps.

In the 2019 clip, Walker can be seen telling an audience, “I worked for the law enforcement. Y’all didn’t know that either?”

“I spent time at Quantico at the FBI training school,” he said. “Y’all didn’t know I was an agent?”

It was not, and has never been an FBI agent. His campaigns response?

Walker’s campaign told the Washington Post earlier this year that he had led “women’s self-defense training, participating in the FBI Academy at Quantico.” Such a role is not the same as being an FBI agent, as Walker claimed in the video.

So...yes, still a lie. Then we have this gem -

He proceeded to tell a story in which he said he considered killing a man before a “honk if you love Jesus” sign on a truck “calmed me down.”

Ex-fucking-scuse me? He was ready to murder a man over some apparent road rage incident? And Republicans think this guy should be a Senator?

Worth noting: This is the conservative Washington Examiner reporting this, not some liberal rag.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.newsweek.com/kari-lake-m...upport-1726226

Trump-backed AZ governor candidate Kari Lake is encouraging voters to vote by mail! Great stuff!

Except that she has previously demanded that mail in ballots be outright banned. Because we should never expect honesty or consistency from these dishonest pieces of shit.

[bladeXcrasher]

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/07/...-nearest-tree/



Just another reminder that Republican candidates for public office continue to out themselves as violent, murderous, hateful bigots. Also, liars that just make shit up to justify their violent, murderous, hateful bigotry.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...-was-fbi-agent

Herschel Walker seems to be campaigning to be the most dishonest candidate of all time, at this rate. His latest lie?



It was not, and has never been an FBI agent. His campaigns response?



So...yes, still a lie. Then we have this gem -



Ex-fucking-scuse me? He was ready to murder a man over some apparent road rage incident? And Republicans think this guy should be a Senator?

Worth noting: This is the conservative Washington Examiner reporting this, not some liberal rag.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.newsweek.com/kari-lake-m...upport-1726226

Trump-backed AZ governor candidate Kari Lake is encouraging voters to vote by mail! Great stuff!

Except that she has previously demanded that mail in ballots be outright banned. Because we should never expect honesty or consistency from these dishonest pieces of shit.

Wonder if she holds the same stance on circumcision, since she's against mutilation of children...or does "judeo-christian" mutilation get a pass.