A Line To Remember
The Washington Post did an opinion piece on the man likely to be the next speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy of California.
The Post lambasted McCarthy for his inability to say that Trump was wrong to lie to the American people about the Trump Tower meeting.
There was a line that tickled me.
McCarthy seems to be more of a memory-foam Republican — taking the exact shape of presidential pressure.
The column also says, “When the king is a liar, truth becomes treason.”
There is a simple, yet powerful, explanation how under Republican reasoning, Trump truly is above the law and can shoot some guy on Fifth Avenue and nothing will happen.
Give it a read if you can. But if TL;DR —
According to Trump and his lawyers, the president’s role as chief law enforcement officer gives him “absolute” power to fire investigators, terminate investigations and pardon himself at any time, for any reason. This means obstruction of justice by the president is a practical impossibility, because his actions are the definition of justice.
Since, in this view, any violation of federal law by the president (including, according to his lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, the shooting of former FBI director James B. Comey) could be immediately self-pardoned — and any resulting investigation ended on his order — the only relevant legal check during his time in office is impeachment. And because the Constitution makes impeachment so difficult — requiring a two-thirds supermajority vote in the Senate for conviction and removal — any president who retains the loyalty of his party has essentially no practical limits on his power in criminal matters.
Including imprisoning children in the Rio Grande Valley. Here is the story from the McAllen Monitor. Can we call in the Red Cross?
The Rethugs better pray the Dems don’t take back the House this year, because heads are gonna roll i they do.
BTW: That picture of Merkley in The Monitor was at the same event–in front of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau when the acting Director was ousted last year–that SPW Warren spoke at. If the camera has shifted an inch or two to the right, you would have seen me right behind him.
1Trump is a pig, eating where he sleeps.
https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2018/05/29/joaquin-castro-pulls-together-a-san-antonio-wherearethechildrenrally
2I hope there is a lawyer looking at this and willing to respond.
Does a Presidential Pardon power extend to convictions in State Courts?
3No, pardons are for crimes against the United States, i.e. Federal Crimes…that’s why Mueller is sending things to New York State attorneys.
4If youda told us the author, I would have been filled with the soft bigotry of low expectations.
It’s occasionaly worth glancing at Gerson, if only to anticipate what happens after the train wreck.
5A pardon is a third party act. The president’s pardon power extends to granting absolution to others facing or having suffered federal criminal consequence. Even Nixon understood that despite his view that the President stood above criminal processes. He had to obtain his pardon in a deal that very much politically damaged Gerald Ford. Pardon is qualitatively different than the absolute impunity of kings.
6JJ, I read that article earlier and tweeted the “memory foam” line. It’s so apt! The entire column fits the scum snacilbupeR have become.
I very much want some decent conservatives to trash that pathetic excuse for a political party and found American Conservatives, or whatever they want to call it.
7“Can we call in the Red Cross?”
maybe it’s close to the time to call in the Red Brigade instead.
8I don’t get how the “chief law enforcement officer” becomes “chief law maker.” Because that’s what they’re arguing. And that is the job of Congress.
9Did Dump repeal the Magna Carta when we weren’t looking?
10Has the Constitution of the United States been repealed?
Somehow, the rethugs think that this is the case and that King Dump has Divine Right to do as he pleases.
Until that happens, he is a mere mortal and must abide by the laws of this country. I firmly believe that Mueller and the attorney general of New York State will see that he does.