Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Poopymonster]

That's pretty much it. Now, to give them as much credit as I'm willing to stomach, I have no problem with people boycotting a product over a political stance. They'd hardly be the first, although buying Keurigs just to smash them might have been. But when they spent so much time and effort to get corporations a voice, and that voice sometimes says "women, interracial couples and LBGT are still human beings and we're going to treat them as such" and their fragile snowflake widdle feewings are hurt, it gives me joy that the First Amendment doesn't specifically say "you're only allowed to voice opinions the losing party agrees with".

- - - Updated - - -

And looks like there's one more.

Trump expected to testify under oath again

"Why are you still farming CNN points?"

I'm not, I have plenty. But if FOX News wants to be the one pointing out Trump's massive pile of issues, who am I to stop them? FAIR AND BALLANCED Y'ALL



Considering what this case is about -- Cohen saying things about the crimes he committed both for and with Trump -- his testimony under oath will address exactly that issue.

But even with that headline, FOX News admits it may not come to pass. Because Trump's lawyers are horrible.



"You capitalized 'boss'."

No. I didn't. That's just FOX News portraying Trump.



"That's a FOX News article?"

I mean, he and Murdoch aren't BFF's anymore.

"I'm sure he'll be fine as long as he gets one of his own judges."

The judge is an Obama appointee.

"Oh."

And African-American.

"Uh oh."

And gay.

"Fuck. Trump is screwed."

If the judge interprets the law as written, yes. But that's hardly new or different.

Now, ideally for me, would be Trump to sit under oath and lie about something Cohen can prove is true. I mean...duh.

I am also interested in the excuses Trump will make to not go to a Miami court. He's just down the street.

FOX News also points out the two are already due to face off twice. Cohen is suing for legal fees that, yeah hope you're sitting down for this massive surprise, Trump didn't pay.

Actually, I suppose in retrospect it's possible Parleratore also left because he wasn't being paid. Based on Trump's long history, it fits.

*question*
OBJECTION YOUR HONOR!
Judge: On what grounds counselor?
The minute my client opens his mouth, we're fucked. Utterly and completely.
Judge: Most likely. But out of morbid curiosity, let's see what he has to say.

[Breccia]

*question*
OBJECTION YOUR HONOR!
Judge: On what grounds counselor?
The minute my client opens his mouth, we're fucked. Utterly and completely.
Judge: Most likely. But out of morbid curiosity, let's see what he has to say.

First, this sounds a lot like what we saw in the Carroll case. It's funny, because it's on record as being true.

Secondly, I love that this isn't even possible. Apparently if you sue for defamation, you are required to take the stand in your own case. If anything, I'm wondering why he's allowed to just give a deposition again. You'd think something like this would require cross examination.

[Paranoid Android]

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/...390530048?s=20

Thank Donald!!

We was dodgy on this question lately and once more he don't give a shit about abortion rights. He was transactional in that you appoint these judges we get behind you. All Federalists judges he never picked them.

Yet now he is owing the shit out of this. To me the only thing that can maybe save the Dems is having their rights taking away on choice of their body. Having choice as we know by national and state polls that Pro-Choice is very popular. Laws have been shot down and only reason we have laws now is conservatives saying "eff the voters" and passing laws.

Keep running and talking about this Donald. Thanks!

[DarkTZeratul]

Willing to kill babies "even into their 9th month, and beyond"? What the absolute fuck?

[Edge-]

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opin...l/70229275007/

I'll share here since she's a potential VP pick apparently, but Kari Lake's lawsuit over her 2020 election loss is not going well. The court case started today and...yeah -

Kari Lake on Wednesday opened her (second) trial challenging the 2022 election ... with a complete and total fizzle.

Her attorney, Kurt Olsen, told the judge he’d be presenting evidence that Maricopa County didn’t verify the voter signatures on “hundreds of thousands” of early ballots, instead hiring signature reviewers who just went through the motions while the county looked on.

“This isn’t a question of not doing it well enough,” he told judge. “They’re simply not doing signature verification.”

Then Olson called his first witness: A “whistleblower” who proceeded to annihilate Lake’s case.

Jacqueline Onigkeit, who worked as a level one reviewer during last year’s election, spent more than an hour explaining the lengths to which county went to verify signatures -- the weeklong training of workers, the two shifts of level one reviewers, three levels of signature review, the admonition to get it right.

“They (supervisors) told us, ‘You need to be very cautious. You need to pay attention to what you’re doing and remember that whatever you reject or approve, you can be called in to testify,” Onigkeit testified.

As a witness for the defense, Onigkeit was dynamite. The problem is, she was supposed to be the star witness for Lake.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson made it clear what Lake needs to do to win this, her second try at booting Gov. Katie Hobbs out of office.

“The Court can – and does – hold Plaintiff to her counsels’ representation of the scope of her claim at Trial, that no signature verification was conducted,” he wrote, in a ruling issued Tuesday.

No signature verification.

Two hours in and this trial is already over. Or it should be.

Olsen, in his opening statement, told Thompson that signature reviewers were clicking through images of comparison signatures “as fast as they could tap the keyboard.”

As a result, he said, more than 274,000 ballots were approved in less than three seconds each.

Then he showed a video of a guy who appears to be doing just that.

It might have been an impressive visual -- except for the fact that Deputy County Attorney Tom Liddy told the judge the guy was pulled from the job for not doing the job.

That just bolstered the county's case that it was taking signature verification seriously.

As Lake's "whistleblower" bolstered the county's case.

Onigkeit told Thompson that signature reviewers were “bombarded” with ballots the day after the election but that they were repeatedly warned about moving too quickly.

Any signatures they rejected were kicked up to level two reviewers who would sometimes kick them back for a second look. But even then, she said, there was no pressure on level one reviewers to accept those signatures. Meanwhile, there was a third level of people auditing their work.

“I don’t know who worked level 3,” she testified. “I just know we were informed … that we were being audited every day and if we were approving too many signatures or rejecting too many signatures we’d be called into an office and talked to and if it happened again, we’d be let go.”

Onigkeit said she was diligent in doing the work.

“I was very focused on verifying signatures and making sure the signatures matched,” she said.

As blockbusters go, Kari Lake is halfway there.

If you count the “bust” part.

Conservatives suck at this so fuckin much.

[Breccia]

Kari Lake's lawsuit over her 2020 election loss is not going well.

"Oh no! Anyway..." meme goes here.

AZCentral seems to have more than one article on the topic.

The first witness in the opening day of former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s trial, in which the Republican alleges Maricopa County didn’t verify signatures on ballots, was a woman who spent days verifying signatures.

“Your focus was on quality of signatures, not the quantity of signatures, is that correct?” Deputy County Attorney Jack O’Connor asked the woman, Jacqueline Onigkeit, who sat in the witness stand of a wood paneled courtroom in Mesa.

“That is correct,” Onigkeit said.

As a reminder, all of Trump's claims in court have been shut down except...hold on.

(re-reads article)

All of Lake's claims have been shut down except one.

In mid-February, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Lake’s assertions, concluding she presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote.

The state Supreme Court declined March 22 to hear nearly all of Lake’s appeal, saying there was no evidence to support her claim that more than 35,000 ballots were added to vote totals. Earlier this month, the court sanctioned Lake’s lawyers $2,000 for making false statements when saying more than 35,000 ballots had been improperly added to the total count.

And the one that's left shouldn't be, she missed the deadline. She got a second chance she neither earned nor deserves.

[Nymrohd]

Keep running and talking about this Donald. Thanks!

Did he just thank himself?

[Breccia]

Did he just thank himself?

You act like this is the first time. Or even the tenth.

[The Stormbringer]

You act like this is the first time. Or even the tenth.

This probably isn't even the millionth. I'm sure he passed that mark when he was in his 50s.

[Breccia]

CNN reports that--

"Fucking seriously?"

Look, people still go to them with leaks and I think they're trying to crawl out of the hole. Besides, it's an exclusive. CNN reports that Trump knew that "declassify with telepathy" was false.

And a grave many other things.

In a May 16 letter obtained by CNN, acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall writes to Trump, “The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records.”

The 16 presidential records, which were subpoenaed earlier this year, may provide critical evidence establishing the former president’s awareness of the declassification process, a key part of the criminal investigation into Trump’s mishandling of classified documents.

According to the letter, Trump tried to block the special counsel from accessing the 16 records by asserting a claim of “constitutionally based privilege.” But in her letter, Wall rejects that claim, stating that the special counsel’s office has represented that it “is prepared to demonstrate with specificity to a court, why it is likely that the 16 records contain evidence that would be important to the grand jury’s investigation.”

Related Article: Facts First: Fact-checking Trump’s CNN town hall in New Hampshire

Yeah, no, try facts second. You missed the boat on that one, but I appreciate that you're trying to swim.

The special counsel also told the Archives that the evidence is “not practically available from another source.”

The letter goes on to state that the records will be handed over on May 24, 2023 “unless prohibited by an intervening court order.”

A source close to Trump’s legal team told CNN that Trump has received several letters like this from the Archives over the course of the investigation.

Trump’s team may challenge this in court, this person said, but claimed in the past the Archives has handed over documents before the Trump team has had a chance to challenge the release in court.

Jim Trusty, an attorney for Trump in the classified documents case, told CNN that the former president relied on constitutional authority to take the documents to Mar-a-Lago.

“At the end of his presidency, he relied on the constitutional authority as commander-in-chief, which is to take documents and take them to Mar-a-Lago while still president as he was at the time, and to effectively declassify and personalize them,” Trusty told CNN’s Sara Sidner of the former president. “He talked about declassifying them, but he didn’t need to.”

Last year, after the FBI seized classified and top secret documents from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump and his allies claimed that Trump had a “standing order” to declassify documents he took from the Oval Office to the White House residence.

But 18 former top Trump administration officials said they never heard any such order issued during their time working for Trump, telling CNN that the claim was “ludicrous” “ridiculous,” and a “complete fiction.”

In the CNN town hall last week, Trump misrepresented the Presidential Records Act, falsely claiming that--

Man, you can smell the desperation just wafting off CNN. Yes, Trump falsely claimed. Yes, CNN basically sat back and watched it happen.

So, yeah. Trump intentionally stole the documents, that prove he stole the documents. He was informed on how to declassify and just didn't do it. And has since claimed he did everything correctly, despite being specifically and directly told by the people who handle exactly that, no, he didn't.

We've been over the concept of criminal intent plenty of times. First of all, I don't know that it would have mattered in this case. Trump did not pack up those boxes of documents by accident. We know that because his response, when asked nicely to return them and given proof they weren't his, was to hide them and lie about it. This remains in stark contrast to Biden, who basically said "Whoops, I found this under the sofa cushions, sorry about that." He is guilty either way, it might have affected sentencing, tops. And "I didn't read the memos" is as poor an excuse as "I thought the octagonal sign with STOP on it was green". Second of all, Smith now has proof of intent. The FBI has the 16 records that prove Trump knew he couldn't just declassify things with telepathy and then take them.

And everyone knows it.

But former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday that the latest CNN reporting surrounding the National Archives was a sign that Smith was taking steps that could signal he may soon move against Trump.

“I think this is ‘i’ dotting and ‘t’ crossing. I think that this case is ready to go,” Cobb said.

“The simple fact is there is a process … and (Trump) totally ignored that and believes that the mere fact he took them declassifies (the documents). That is not the law.”

"Another CNN article?"

Yeah, and it's crawling slightly faster. Regardless, Ty Cobb going on CNN to say "Trump done fucked up" while twirling that magnificent moustache is proving a point. That knife is more than twisted, it's sprained.

Smith moving against Trump is going to be brutal, but only if it happens. Mueller, Smith, and Garland have all demonstrated restraint and the standard rule about not prosecuting someone who's running, but 2023 isn't really a campaign year. Otherwise, why not just declare you're running for President every Nov 10th and be covered forever?

The NYTimes reports that Georgia may be ready to make its decision by August. This article is extensive. Willis is not fucking around.

Trump declared Sept 2015, so an August indictment would not be against someone effectively running, only someone who declared he was then sat around the house "tweeting" about his governor.

While I've described the Mar-a-Lago raid as the starter's pistol, it could still draw blood -- blanks can hurt or even kill at close range. Trump could be facing Espionage Act charges, but is more likely facing obstruction of justice. And it seems unlikely that any judge other than a Trump cultist will say "the criminal acts Trump committed when thrown out of the White House, cannot be prosecuted when he tries to get back in".

We now know that Trump wasn't just wrong about telepathy, but he knew he was wrong and kept lying about it for years. We now know there's proof of this about to be handed over to Smith. And we know Smith has a timeline. Meanwhile, Trump gains in the polls against people who aren't running, possibly leading to a situation where the GOP's only candidate is hauled off in handcuffs to three different courthouses. Oh, right, he appealled the Carroll decision. Four different courthouses.

Guaranteed? Of course not. But name literally anyone else in the last 100 years trying to get into the WH while facing charges from two states, a special federal prosecutor, and of course the civil sexual assault "conviction".

The Republican Party has spoken up about their priorities. Why it's saving one soon-to-be felon over helping the country is beyond me, but then, I'm not a Trump supporter. Both my brain and my dick still work.

[Nymrohd]

5) Is there no safe beer for conservatives in America to drink right now?!



I honestly can't remember the last time a beer company posted, say, a dude with a gun or pickup truck or farm or something and me and my fellow "librul elites" stopped drinking that beer because of that commercial. I remember stopping drinking Bud and Miller because they didn't taste good, but that's different.

So, yeah. Not only is Trump losing every case in court and apparently some elections, his followers can't even cry into their beers anymore.

Trump, of course, never could. He doesn't drink. His vices cost $5 million and/or divorce proceedings.

I mean Pride month isn't even here yet and companies are starting their promotions. Let's see if conservatives are ready to boycott everyone who sponsors things during June cause damn, they will starve to death.

[Edge-]

That reminds me, I do wonder if anyone ever confirmed if Ultra Right beer, the "anti-woke" beer company was brewed at a facility owned by Budweiser. It's be quite hilarious if it was.

[postman1782]

That reminds me, I do wonder if anyone ever confirmed if Ultra Right beer, the "anti-woke" beer company was brewed at a facility owned by Budweiser. It's be quite hilarious if it was.

I believe they tried to get a more permanent brewery, in Illinois, but they were removed. Now they are being brewed in Big Kettle Brewing in Georgia.

https://www.newsweek.com/ultra-right...lvaney-1796277

[AntiFascistVoter]

Sources are saying that Chris Christie will be announcing a run for President in the coming days.

A few notes:
They're in direct competition for conservtive-NYPD-thugs-that-actually-live-in-Jersey voters.
Trump will chew him up and spit him out in about 4 scaramucci cycles.

[Kathandira]

Trump will chew him up and spit him out in about 4 scaramucci cycles.

Since he likely won't be a VP candidate for Trump, nor would he be groomed for a job in the administration, there isn't much to lose. Christie can be just as snide, or crass as Trump. I would be very amused watching the two of them in a gloves off verbal battle.

[Poopymonster]

Sources are saying that Chris Christie will be announcing a run for President in the coming days.

A few notes:
They're in direct competition for conservtive-NYPD-thugs-that-actually-live-in-Jersey voters.
Trump will chew him up and spit him out in about 4 scaramucci cycles.

Bullshit.
He ain't running anywhere.

[Edge-]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donal...b06749be12d6c7

Keeping up with the times, Donnie Jr. is announcing a...men's lifestyle magazine? Like, in physical print? In the year of our lord 2023?

Someone should probably tell him print has been dying a fairly rapid death for the past decade+.

[Breccia]

a...men's lifestyle magazine? Like, in physical print?

It doesn't need to turn a profit. He wants to take in advertising money for cash.

The Trumps are losing money and the focus of law enforcement investigations on nearly every possible level. This includes their campaign funds. They've been looking for ways for people to just hand them large piles of cash for a while. Truth Social is failing, but they likely sold all their stock. The NFTs are a joke but the first batch sold. They keep shifting what they're "selling" and yes, each time it fails, but in the sense of "they got a little money at the start in exchange for doing the bare minimum effort to sustain life". And,

If this sounds familiar, it should. It's most commonly used in two areas: fashion, and fraud.

You can't copyright "little black dress" so when you make the next big fashion statement, you have to expect everyone from Forever 21 to Old Navy to have their version within months. So you keep designing, and designing, hoping something else is the next big thing. You ever see a fashion show, and see 99 Lady Gaga parade float dresses and one actual flattering design?

Look back over your spam call list. Look back through your junk email folder. Scams come in batches. Most of them are childishly obvious. The first person to come up with, say, a real-looking logo and registers amazontechsuppport.com is going to land a few fish. Shortly thereafter, everyone copies that. Shortly thereafter, spam filters pick it up automatically. You probably also got the same spam call about your student loans/car warranty from 20+ different numbers before that stopped suddenly.

The Trump family is fully aware what they're doing is shotgun merchandizing. And they're fully aware of how both fashion and fraud works. The Trumps don't care if the magazine fails, because they'll put up next to nothing for it. It might work, landing a fair amount of advertisers on 12-issue contracts, just before their magazine circulation drops lower than Trump's and they cancel after six issues. Or, it might never get off the ground and they'll just fire the staff.

The Trumps need cash and they need it now. They don't care if 99 of their 100 attempts fail, they won't lose anything of value. They just need one or two to land for a nice payout. Those loans are coming due and nobody gives extensions to rapists who fake paperwork.

[Edge-]

It doesn't need to turn a profit. He wants to take in advertising money for cash.

You need to actually have a readership/circulation numbers to be able to ask for much in the way of advertising fees.

[Belize]

Tangentially Trump (GOP) related:
there are only 3 Republicans in the Oregon State Senate left eligible to ever run for office in the state.
Voters passed a measure that after 10 unexcused absences you become blocked from ever running for office again. The GOP in their haste to be cunts and block any bills from passing have been walking out so the Senate doesn't have the numbers to vote on anything.
Killing your career in a state to own the libs.