Donald Trump just decided he cares more about keeping Roger Stone quiet than winning

[Cow Poke]

Biden's best days are probably behind him. I trust him to rely on advisors where necessary. I think he will probably be more hands off and rely on those he appoints to do a lot of the work (e.g. he says Fauci will have free rein (*smack* not reign) from day 1). He'll be more serving as the conscience of America to repair the harm caused by the past years, help future Democratic stars develop (e.g. Beto, Buttiegeg), and set up his VP to take over in 2025 (or 2023). His #1 job, of course, is to get elected and I think he was probably the best candidate for that. This is all just from my head and I'm not a political scientist.

The insanity of those "on the right" claiming that Biden has dementia is just embarrassing though. It's spoken by people who are either gullible, clueless, or actively malevolent (e.g. MM). Biden just went though a bunch of debates and only got stronger after each one (I did not watch much of the debates but I think that was the general conclusion. I did watch the last one in full). If his alleged dementia was such a slam dunk people wouldn't have put so much effort into Tara Reade (remember her?) or getting impeached for trying to fabricate evidence against him.

Warren was my #1 (you know I'm hard left) until she blew it with going all in on Medicare for All which would have been a nonstarter in the only states which matter.

Thanks.

I just don't think Biden is "with it" enough to be anything other than "the ticket" - then his puppetmasters take over with there extreme leftist agenda.

[Mountain Man]

Obamessiah was very good at it, and you couldn't criticize him because, well.....

My favorite example was when he gave a short speech ostensibly about Hillary but ended up referring to himself an obscene number of times.

[Mountain Man]

...criticism of this commutation immediately seemed to be decoupled from any foundation in history or in the Constitution. Indeed, Toobin also declared, “This is simply not done by American presidents. They do not pardon or commute sentences of people who are close to them or about to go to prison. It just does not happen until this president.” In reality, the commutation of Stone barely stands out in the old gallery of White House pardons, which are the most consistently and openly abused power in the Constitution. This authority under Article Two is stated in absolute terms, and some presidents have wielded it with absolute abandon.

Thomas Jefferson pardoned Erick Bollman for violations of the Alien and Sedition Act in the hope that he would testify against rival Aaron Burr for treason. Andrew Jackson stopped the execution of George Wilson in favor of a prison sentence, despite the long record Wilson had as a train robber, after powerful friends intervened with Jackson. Wilson surprised everyone by opting to be hanged anyway. However, Wilson could not hold a candle to Ignazio Lupo, one of the most lethal mob hitmen who was needed back in New York during a mafia war. With the bootlegging business hanging in the balance, Warren Harding, who along with his attorney general, Harry Daugherty, was repeatedly accused of selling pardons, decided to pardon Lupo on the condition that he be a “law abiding” free citizen.

Franklin Roosevelt also pardoned political allies, including Conrad Mann, who was a close associate of Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast. Pendergast made a fortune off illegal alcohol, gambling, and graft, and helped send Harry Truman into office. Truman also misused this power, including pardoning the extremely corrupt George Caldwell, who was a state official who skimmed massive amounts of money off government projects, like a building fund for Louisiana State University.

Richard Nixon was both giver and receiver of controversial pardons. He pardoned Jimmy Hoffa after the Teamsters Union leader had pledged to support his reelection bid. Nixon himself was later pardoned by Gerald Ford, an act many of us view as a mistake. To his credit, Ronald Reagan declined to pardon the Iran Contra affair figures, but his vice president, George Bush, did so after becoming president. Despite his own alleged involvement in that scandal, Bush still pardoned those other Iran Contra figures, such as Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.

Bill Clinton committed some of the worst abuses of this power, including pardons for his brother Roger Clinton and his friend and business partner Susan McDougal. He also pardoned the fugitive financier Marc Rich, who evaded justice by fleeing abroad. Entirely unrepentant, Rich was a major Democratic donor, and Clinton had wiped away his convictions for fraud, tax evasion, racketeering, and illegal dealings with Iran.

Unlike many of these cases, there were legitimate questions raised about the Stone case. The biggest issue was that the foreperson of the trial jury was also actually a Democratic activist and an outspoken critic of Trump and his associates who even wrote publicly about the Stone case. Despite multiple opportunities to do so, she never disclosed her prior statements and actions that would have demonstrated such bias. Judge Amy Berman Jackson shrugged off all that, however, and refused to grant Stone a new trial, denying him the most basic protection in our system.

[...]

There is lots to criticize in this move without pretending it was a pristine power besmirched by a rogue president. Indeed, Trump should have left the decision to a successor or, at a minimum, to the attorney general. But compared to the other presidents, this commutation is not even a distant contender for “the most corrupt and cronyistic act” of clemency.

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-ho...-as-some-think

[DivineOb]

...criticism of this commutation immediately seemed to be decoupled from any foundation in history or in the Constitution. Indeed, Toobin also declared, “This is simply not done by American presidents. They do not pardon or commute sentences of people who are close to them or about to go to prison. It just does not happen until this president.” In reality, the commutation of Stone barely stands out in the old gallery of White House pardons, which are the most consistently and openly abused power in the Constitution. This authority under Article Two is stated in absolute terms, and some presidents have wielded it with absolute abandon.

Thomas Jefferson pardoned Erick Bollman for violations of the Alien and Sedition Act in the hope that he would testify against rival Aaron Burr for treason. Andrew Jackson stopped the execution of George Wilson in favor of a prison sentence, despite the long record Wilson had as a train robber, after powerful friends intervened with Jackson. Wilson surprised everyone by opting to be hanged anyway. However, Wilson could not hold a candle to Ignazio Lupo, one of the most lethal mob hitmen who was needed back in New York during a mafia war. With the bootlegging business hanging in the balance, Warren Harding, who along with his attorney general, Harry Daugherty, was repeatedly accused of selling pardons, decided to pardon Lupo on the condition that he be a “law abiding” free citizen.

Franklin Roosevelt also pardoned political allies, including Conrad Mann, who was a close associate of Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast. Pendergast made a fortune off illegal alcohol, gambling, and graft, and helped send Harry Truman into office. Truman also misused this power, including pardoning the extremely corrupt George Caldwell, who was a state official who skimmed massive amounts of money off government projects, like a building fund for Louisiana State University.

Richard Nixon was both giver and receiver of controversial pardons. He pardoned Jimmy Hoffa after the Teamsters Union leader had pledged to support his reelection bid. Nixon himself was later pardoned by Gerald Ford, an act many of us view as a mistake. To his credit, Ronald Reagan declined to pardon the Iran Contra affair figures, but his vice president, George Bush, did so after becoming president. Despite his own alleged involvement in that scandal, Bush still pardoned those other Iran Contra figures, such as Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.

Bill Clinton committed some of the worst abuses of this power, including pardons for his brother Roger Clinton and his friend and business partner Susan McDougal. He also pardoned the fugitive financier Marc Rich, who evaded justice by fleeing abroad. Entirely unrepentant, Rich was a major Democratic donor, and Clinton had wiped away his convictions for fraud, tax evasion, racketeering, and illegal dealings with Iran.

Unlike many of these cases, there were legitimate questions raised about the Stone case. The biggest issue was that the foreperson of the trial jury was also actually a Democratic activist and an outspoken critic of Trump and his associates who even wrote publicly about the Stone case. Despite multiple opportunities to do so, she never disclosed her prior statements and actions that would have demonstrated such bias. Judge Amy Berman Jackson shrugged off all that, however, and refused to grant Stone a new trial, denying him the most basic protection in our system.

[...]

There is lots to criticize in this move without pretending it was a pristine power besmirched by a rogue president. Indeed, Trump should have left the decision to a successor or, at a minimum, to the attorney general. But compared to the other presidents, this commutation is not even a distant contender for “the most corrupt and cronyistic act” of clemency.

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-ho...-as-some-think

You know this is an unbiased article because they leave out the most analogous case, which was the commutation of Scooty Libby's sentence. That case, too, was done as a favor for protecting the president (well, vice president).

The fact that those two examples were done as direct favors for protecting the Executive is what makes them so much worse than the other examples form this article. Surely we agree that no nation of laws can stand if we accept that someone can break the crime on behalf of the (vice) president and then be rewarded with an unjust reduction in their punishment.

I also find it humorous that Turley wastes most of the article talking about examples which aren't even relevant (the motivating quote of the article explicitly mentioned "modern" history, not all of history).

[Mountain Man]

You know this is an unbiased article because they leave out the most analogous case, which was the commutation of Scooty Libby's sentence. That case, too, was done as a favor for protecting the president (well, vice president).

The fact that those two examples were done as direct favors for protecting the Executive is what makes them so much worse than the other examples form this article. Surely we agree that no nation of laws can stand if we accept that someone can break the crime on behalf of the (vice) president and then be rewarded with an unjust reduction in their punishment.

I also find it humorous that Turley wastes most of the article talking about examples which aren't even relevant (the motivating quote of the article explicitly mentioned "modern" history, not all of history).

Scooter Libby was a scapegoat who got railroaded by an unscrupulous prosecutor, just like Roger Stone.

https://www.hoover.org/research/fals...-scooter-libby

[Mountain Man]

"Stone's no saint and he has been in the gutter for decades, but he is not a criminal either," Jesse Watters said Monday. "He is an old man who likes to talk a lot of trash and got caught up in a frame job."

Watters pointed to Obama commuting the sentence of Chelsea Manning, the former Army Intelligence analyst who was found guilty of espionage and theft after giving classified information to WikiLeaks.

Co-host Greg Gutfeld, meanwhile, brought up that Obama commuted the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, the leader of Puerto Rican terrorist group FALN.

Townhall columnist Joe Connor, whose father was murdered when the terror group blew up the Fraunces Tavern in New York City, has reminded readers about how Rivera was so unrepentant over his actions that he refused Clinton’s clemency.

[...]

Watters also recalled other controversial pardons.

"Bill Clinton, didn't he pardon his brother [Roger Clinton]? Or his business partner?" Watters asked. "But this is the craziest thing: He pardoned the biggest tax cheat [financier Marc Rich] because his wife gave $1 million to the Clinton Foundation. Come on! A little perspective."

Speaking to Bret Baier, Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume pointed to Rich and others, saying critics appear to be suffering from a "staggering case of memory loss."

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahba...doned-n2572428

[JimL]

It's a pinko commie left wing site.

This appears more and more to be a pinko commie right wing run site. Anyone (who is paying close attention) and is still supporting Trump and his corrupt authritarian regime is an enemy to democracy whether they admit to it or not.

[Cow Poke]

This appears more and more to be a pinko commie right wing run site.

That's like "jumbo shrimp", Jim. There is no such thing in the US.

Anyone (who is paying close attention) and is still supporting Trump and his corrupt authritarian

I think you know as much about authoritarianism as you do how to spell it.

regime is an enemy to democracy whether they admit to it or not.

Have you stopped supporting NAMBLA?

[DivineOb]

Scooter Libby was a scapegoat who got railroaded by an unscrupulous prosecutor, just like Roger Stone.

https://www.hoover.org/research/fals...-scooter-libby

So that case is even *more* analogous to Stone. Interesting that he was omitted then.

[DivineOb]

"Stone's no saint and he has been in the gutter for decades, but he is not a criminal either," Jesse Watters said Monday. "He is an old man who likes to talk a lot of trash and got caught up in a frame job."

MM, it's beyond dispute that Stone intimidated a witness (I know you've seen the quotes). If you insist on dying on the hill that he didn't do *any* of the crimes that he was found guilty of (by a jury!) then how can I take your position seriously?

[JimL]

That's like "jumbo shrimp", Jim. There is no such thing in the US.



I think you know as much about authoritarianism as you do how to spell it.



Have you stopped supporting NAMBLA?

Moscowpoke! You must have that treasonous gene inherited of those southern ancestors who's statues you revere so much.

[Cow Poke]

Moscowpoke! You must have that treasonous gene inherited of those southern ancestors who's statues you revere so much.

Wow! You managed to put together a sentence that, although full of moronic bird-brained crap, is actually grammatically tolerable!

Good Job, Comrade Moronskovitch!