The "Great Unraveling" continues.

“We cannot have government officials making important policy as a result of corrupt exchanges that benefit them, rather than what is in the interest of the American people. That’s why the law is clear that a request for a benefit, including campaign contributions, in exchange for an official act is a bribe,” CREW President Noah Bookbinder said in a statement.

“Donald Trump’s actions here follow a pattern of Trump opening himself up to corrupt influence, courting conflicts of interest, and using official positions to enrich himself–and in this case may run afoul of the criminal law.”

Indeed.

 

Sixteen Nobel Prize-winning economists warn a second Trump term would ‘reignite’ inflation

Sixteen Nobel Prize-winning economists signed a joint letter Tuesday warning of what they see as economic risks if former President Donald Trump were to serve a second term, including reheated inflation.

“While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we all agree that Joe Biden’s economic agenda is vastly superior to Donald Trump’s,” the economists wrote. Axios was first to report the letter.

“There is rightly a worry that Donald Trump will reignite this inflation, with his fiscally irresponsible budgets,” wrote the group of politically progressive academics.

Trump has so far proposed making his first-term tax cuts permanent, imposing universal tariffs on all imports, with a China-specific tariff rate between 60% and 100%, and pressuring the independent Federal Reserve Board to cut interest rates.

Economists and Wall Street analysts alike have predicted that any or all of those proposals could reinflate prices, which remain vulnerable despite cooling slightly in recent months.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/25/nobel-prize-economists-warn-trump-inflation.html

More stuff for The Following to dismiss.

 

There are no Fortune 100 CEOs who are supporting Donald Trump, says Yale’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Yale School of Management senior associate dean for leadership studies, joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the CEO sentiment on the 2024 election, former U.S. president Donald Trump’s relationship with Fortune 500 CEOs, how corporate America is viewing the 2024 election, and more.
https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/06/...ald-trump-says-yales-jeffrey-sonnenfeld.html?

Did Trump say something that isn't true?

 

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump is entitled to some level of immunity from prosecution, a decision that will almost surely delay the trial of the case against him on charges of plotting to subvert the 2020 election past the coming election in November. The vote was 6 to 3, dividing along partisan lines.

Mr. Trump contended that he was entitled to absolute immunity from the charges, relying on a broad understanding of the separation of powers and a 1982 Supreme Court precedent that recognized such immunity in civil cases for actions taken by presidents within the “outer perimeter” of their official responsibilities. Lower courts rejected Mr. Trump’s claim, but the Supreme Court’s ruling may delay the case enough that Mr. Trump would be able to make it go away entirely if he prevails in November.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/01/us/trump-immunity-supreme-court

The Court has done Trump's bidding once again. Absolute immunity was never going to happen. But if he wins in Nov. there will clearly be no accountability for his failed coup thanks to the Court's delaying tactics.

 

Bannon Reports to Federal Prison After Conviction for Defying Congress

With a defiant flurry of speechifying, Stephen K. Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald J. Trump, reported to prison on Monday to begin a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress, days after the Supreme Court rejected his last-ditch effort to avoid incarceration.

Mr. Bannon arrived outside the federal lockup in Danbury, Conn. — a low-security facility about 60 miles north of Manhattan — before noon, and used his last moments of freedom to host a loud rally and live-streamed news conference, surrounded by supporters waving flags and ringing cowbells.

Standing alongside Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right congresswoman from Georgia, and Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York police commissioner who spent three years imprisoned on fraud charges, Mr. Bannon predicted big victories for Republicans in this year’s election. He slammed what he called “the ruling elite” in America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/01/...te=1&user_id=fecdfdffdaaa11107b72f0f4f6e429cc

What position in Don's new admin will Bannon get after he's pardoned if Trump wins?

 

Judge Merchants is due to sentence Don a week from this Thursday for the 34 felony convictions.

 

Maybe I should change the thread title to " Trump appointed judges are delaying The Great Unraveling."

Federal judge pauses some deadlines in Trump’s classified documents case after SCOTUS ruling

A federal judge paused some filing deadlines in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump in a brief order Saturday, and agreed to additional briefings on whether she should pause the case to consider what effect the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling may have on the criminal proceedings in Florida.

Judge Aileen Cannon set a two-week briefing schedule for those arguments and paused three unrelated filing deadlines that were scheduled to take place during that period.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/06/politics/trump-classified-documents-scotus-ruling/index.html

 

Not coincidentally, this thread began with Trump using his power, not authority, to delay the unraveling of abuses.

Trump officials hindered at least nine key oversight probes, watchdogs said. Some may finally be released in coming months.

Almost as soon as she opened a politically charged investigation in 2019 into whether the Trump White House blocked hurricane relief to a devastated Puerto Rico, the internal watchdog at the Department of Housing and Urban Development ran into obstacles.

HUD demanded that their attorneys sit in on witness interviews, a tactic inspectors general said was unusual and could shape witness testimony. White House officials told top agency appointees to withhold their communications, documents and interviews show. Other records took months to obtain.

It’s far from the only politically sensitive work by government watchdogs — mandated by Congress to monitor federal agencies for waste, fraud and misconduct — that faced roadblocks or otherwise were dragged out during the Trump era.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...3d6d8c-828d-11eb-81db-b02f0398f49a_story.html

 

Trump Appoints Fake Elector As Campaign Advisor In Nevada, A State He Still Claims He Won In 2020

Donald Trump named election denier and indicted fake elector Michael McDonald as senior advisor to his Nevada campaign earlier this week, signaling that the battleground state will continue to be an area of Big Lie fixation if the Republican loses the state in November.

McDonald was one of six Republicans accused of falsely certifying the results of the 2020 election in Nevada in favor of Trump, despite the fact that Joe Biden won the state by more than 30,000 votes. A Nevada state court dismissed the criminal indictment in June of this year, but in response, Democratic Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has pledged to appeal the decision.

As recently as last month, Trump, during an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, repeated lies about the 2020 election in Nevada, claiming that he won the state: “And I really believe that bad things happened. … I really think we did incredibly, and we, somehow the vote wasn’t there. But I believe we won very strongly, by a lot.”
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/...nevada-a-state-he-still-claims-he-won-in-2020

An election denying criminal in waiting named a campaign advisor, sounds normal to me................for Trump.

 

Michigan Republicans Debunk Voter Fraud Claims in Unsparing Report

A committee led by Michigan Republicans on Wednesday published an extraordinary debunking of voter fraud claims in the state, delivering a comprehensive rebuke to a litany of accusations about improprieties in the 2020 election and its aftermath.

The 55-page report, produced by a Michigan State Senate committee of three Republicans and one Democrat, is a systematic rebuttal to an array of false claims about the election from supporters of former President Donald J. Trump. The authors focus overwhelmingly on Michigan, but they also expose lies perpetuated about the vote-counting process in Georgia.

The report is unsparing in its criticism of those who have promoted false theories about the election. It debunks claims from Trump allies including Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow; Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former president’s lawyer; and Mr. Trump himself.

Michigan Republicans Debunk Voter Fraud Claims in Unsparing Report (Published 2021)
The report, produced by a G.O.P.-led committee in the State Senate, exposes false claims made about the 2020 election by Trump allies in Michigan and other states.
www.nytimes.com

The belief Trump won the election is the lynchpin on which his candidacy depends. His supporters have internalized his fabricated grievance against "the rigged system." He claims the presidency was taken from him so they experience the powerful emotion that something was taken from them. It wasn't. Getting folks to believe it was, to borrow a phrase, is an essential falsehood. The essential utility of Trump's falsehoods.

The report from MI Repubs puts another stake in the heart of the Big Lie. It is conclusive evidence the voter fraud allegation is a con. I am not waiting for his following to have an epiphany on this matter. They are too invested in it. They need to be invested in it. Without it, all they have left is the recognition Don is a bloviating huckster controlling the smoke and mirrors from behind the curtain.

 

Judge ends Rudy Giuliani bankruptcy case, says he flouted the process with his lack of transparency

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge threw out Rudy Giuliani ’s bankruptcy case on Friday, slamming the former New York City mayor as a “recalcitrant debtor” who thumbed his nose at the process while seeking to shield himself from a $148 million defamation judgment and other debts.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane criticized Giuliani for repeated “uncooperative conduct,” self-dealing, and a lack of transparency. The judge cited failures to comply with court orders, failure to disclose sources of income, and his apparent unwillingness to hire an accountant to go over his books.

“Such a failure is a clear red flag,” Lane wrote.

Dismissing the case ends his pursuit of bankruptcy protection, but it doesn’t absolve him of his debts. His creditors can now pursue other legal remedies to recoup at least some of the money they’re owed, such as getting a court order to seize his apartments and other assets.
https://apnews.com/article/giuliani...020-election-3cf8d70d1dc2608705c9f938bbb8941d

Trump leaves another sycophant broke and broken.

 

It's take Biden and Garland almost FOUR YEARS to come up with THIS? Trump hasn't been President all that time what was the hindrance? Or is this another case of weaponizing the DOJ for political purposes as we have seen this administration and the previous Dem one so wanting to do?

 

Judge Dismisses Classified Documents Case Against Trump

A federal judge dismissed in its entirety the classified documents case against former President Donald J. Trump on Monday, ruling that the appointment of the special counsel, Jack Smith, had violated the Constitution.

In a stunning ruling, the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, found that because Mr. Smith had not been named to the post of special counsel by the president or confirmed by the Senate, his appointment was in violation of the appointments clause of the Constitution.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/15/us/trump-documents-case-dismissed

We are off to the races.

 

Trump says Taiwan should pay the U.S. for defense; shares of chip giant TSMC fall

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is vying for another White House mandate, said he thinks Taiwan should pay the U.S. for defense, claiming that the country “doesn’t give us anything.”

His comment was in response to a question on whether he would defend Taiwan against China, as part of an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published on Tuesday.

Beijing considers democratically governed Taiwan as a part of its territory, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has previously said reunification with the mainland was “a historical inevitability.”

Trump said “Taiwan should pay us for defense.”

“You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything,” he added.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/17/tru...y-the-us-for-defense-shares-of-tsmc-fall.html

And so begins chaos Part 2.

 

‘The United States of America hereby gives notice’: Jack Smith takes 1st step to appeal Trump Mar-a-Lago case dismissal

Making good on a series of promises, special counsel Jack Smith on Wednesday filed notice that his office was appealing the recent dismissal of the Mar-a-Lago indictment against Donald Trump.
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profil...ep-to-appeal-trump-mar-a-lago-case-dismissal/

Does Aileen really care if the 11th Circuit vacates one of her rulings for the third time? Doubt it. She's willing to die on the cross of Trumpery.

 

All Dirtbag Merrick had to do was transfer the case to a US Attorney and continue to prosecute the case. But instead they chose to fight to keep Lying Jack on the case even though he is not an officer of the United States and so is not constitutionally or legally qualified to prosecute anyone.

And they have an election to fix, so Lying Jack asked the 11th Circuit to move him to the front of the line. The 11th Circuit told Lying Jack to pound sand.

Remember when we were assured that Lying Jack would just go to the 11th Circuit with a writ of Mandamus and get Good Judge Cannon thrown off the case, @Patricio Da Silva?

Lying Smith is appealing U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s decision last week to dismiss the case, because Lying Jack is qualified to prosecute the case. 'The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals — laid out a schedule Thursday that requires Smith and Trump to file legal briefs through mid-October.'

'After all the briefs are in, the court will likely hear oral arguments, with a decision weeks or potentially months after that.'

They certainly do not seem to be in the big rush to reverse Good Judge Cannon's dismissal that we were assured they would be.

 

Judge Chutkan Has Trump’s Jan. 6 Case Back And Is Ready To Roll

After its ponderous sojourn at the Supreme Court, the Jan. 6 case against Donald Trump was officially returned Friday to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., and she immediately picked it back up again and started moving it forward.

Among her initial actions, notably undertaken over the weekend, Chutkan:

1. set a Friday, Aug. 9 deadline for the parties to submit a proposed scheduling order for pretrial proceedings;
2. set a status conference for next Friday, Aug. 16,
3. denied a pending Trump motion to dismiss the case on statutory grounds, but gave him the chance to re-up it once the immunity questions in the case are resolved.
4. denied a pending Trump motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of selective and vindictive prosecution.

And just like that, the case was up and running again. But don’t hold your breath that this will go to trial before the election. Time is simply too short at this point.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morni...s-trumps-jan-6-case-back-and-is-ready-to-roll

But, and this is a big but, the SCOTUS successfully dragged its feet..........delaying the immunity ruling for months........making it impossible for the case to come to trial..........just like the majority wanted.

 

Arizona AG drops election subversion charges against former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis in exchange for testimony

Former Donald Trump 2020 campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the Arizona election subversion case, the state’s attorney general announced Monday, and charges against her will be dropped.

Ellis is expected to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against other defendants in the criminal case as part of her deal. She was originally charged with multiple felony counts in Arizona related to her alleged role in the effort to put forward fake slates of electors as part of a broader conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results on Trump’s behalf.

Last year, Ellis pleaded guilty in the Georgia election case and was sentenced to five years of probation and $5,000 in restitution. Ellis was charged alongside several Trump allies, including his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani in both Arizona and Georgia. Meadows and Giuliani have pleaded not guilty in both cases.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/05/politics/jenna-ellis-arizona-election-subversion-trump/index.html

Don says he hates people who flip on him. Because they serve the purpose of bringing him to justice.

 

MINORITY … CONservatives are a minority!

 

Judge in Trump's hush money case delays date for ruling on presidential immunity

NEW YORK -- The judge in Donald Trump's hush money trial is pushing back a date for a key ruling on presidential immunity until two days before Trump's scheduled sentencing.

The immunity decision had been due Sept. 6, with the sentencing set for Sept. 18. But then Trump’s lawyers asked Judge Juan M. Merchan last week to rule first on their renewed bid to get the judge to step aside from the case.

In a letter made public Tuesday, Judge Juan M. Merchan postponed the immunity ruling to Sept. 16 — if it's still needed after he decides next week whether to recuse himself.

Merchan said the Republican presidential nominee is still due in court Sept. 18 for “the imposition of sentence or other proceedings as appropriate.”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-trumps-hush-money-case-delays-date-ruling-112610053

Merchan has an extremely difficult task before him. No one is going to be happy with his decision.

 

Trump’s hush money judge refuses third recusal request

The New York judge who oversaw former President Trump’s criminal trial declined the former president’s latest request to recuse himself from the case over the judge’s daughter’s work for Democrats.

It marks the third time that Judge Juan Merchan has refused to recuse himself, again insisting there is no conflict and that he will remain on the case as it proceeds to sentencing in September.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4823780-trump-hush-money-judge-recusal/

Merchan to trump, "You have no case for recusal, GFY."