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Where is the translator’s transcript of the President Trump/Putin private meeting?

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It is usually the little violations that catch big criminals. Mobsters for tax evasion, politicians for small bribes-gifts, etc. Perhaps because the big crimes are carefully covered up so smaller crimes become tedious de rigueur? Archival documents is a nice clean black and white factual crime to puncture the festering boil Trump's criminality. Ha ha The Plumbers make a cameo appearance both in Watergate and Trump's Toiletgate!

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Aug 9, 2022·edited Aug 9, 2022

Quite a remarkable news day. I admire how you highlighted the themes of accountability and deterrence, especially with the comparison of Nixon and now Trump all these years later. While Nixon skated, at least Trump is on a path — or more like an interstate highway — to justice.

I had an impromptu sidewalk chat with neighbors this evening about the Mar a Lago news. I observed that a former president's residence was searched by the FBI for the first time in our history, and we weren't revved up by the news. That's how jaded and difficult to shock we've become when it comes to Trump, and today's chat surely was at least the hundredth time we've talked about him and what he's done to the country.

Of course if he's convicted of some of his many crimes, we'll meet on the corner and with all who stroll by and probably high-five each other, then break out drinks.

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Of course! This is so obvious why the FBI searched Bozo's house today. I just realized this after listening to all the pundits yammering. None of them see it. Garland is brilliant. This will be the easiest charge to get a conviction on. No weaseling out of it, no lying or obtuse legal theories. It's so clear. The MOST important thing for Garland to accomplish is to make sure that Bozo can never again run for public office. The federal records act says that anyone who steals, destroys, yada yada yada public records shall be subject to max 3 years of jail time and/or a fine "**AND SHALL FORFEIT HIS OFFICE AND BE DISQUALIFIED FROM HOLDING ANY OFFICE UNDER THE UNITED STATES.**” . There it is.

Was he told not to take or destroy the documents? Yes and there is incontrovertible evidence to support that. Did the archivist demand their return and did he not return them all? Yes and there is incontrovertible evidence to support that. Did he destroy documents? Yes and there is incontrovertible evidence to support that. Did the FBI find some of those documents at his home? We have to assume so otherwise why raid it today. So yes and there is incontrovertible evidence to support that.

There you have it. A slam dunk guilty verdict and whether they ever send him to jail or not, he can never run for president or anything else ever again. Garland had 1 job. This is it. Sure, I suspect he'll go after him for the other stuff and so will Georgia and New York, but those are far more dicey to get a full conviction. But if he can nail him on this one little thing, he's done what he needs to do to save the country.

Remember, Al Capone was jailed for tax evasion.

Brilliant!

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Aug 9, 2022·edited Aug 9, 2022

Republicans, whom I will now call Neo-Confederates, complain that the January 6 committee is one sided and Trump hasn't had a chance to tell his side. Of course he's done little else since Jan 7. But of course never under oath. By his choice.

Mueller, following his colleague, friend, and fellow Republican Bill Barr's lead, never called Trump to testify under oath, and it prevented his committee from finding evidence of intent and therefore of collusion.

Trump is preparing to testify in NY. Now this. He may be brought to justice yet.

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Between now and Trump’s indictment and trial, we must expect MAGA partisans to “flood the zone “ with every sort of lie and fill in all the unknowns with self serving deceptions.

Be ready to question everything they say.

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The timing is pure poetry. Is this (finally) the fall of the house of Trump? We shall see...

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I know, we don't yet know enough about the FBI's visit to the Trump home to draw sweeping conclusions, but I feel as if a weight has been lifted, and now I can breathe again.

It also appears that our long heat wave in central Italy has finally broken, and there is a cool breeze blowing in from the west. Good morning everyone!

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So much to digest today!

Could it be we’re finally seeing TFG’s ending? It would be such a relief to know he’d never be able to hold an office in these United States again! Archivists are my new heroes!

In the case of Ahmaud Arbery, I hope this brings his family solace. The gall of them to hand over a video of them committing murder thinking it would absolve them all! Just a purely evil racist superiority on their part! Now they’re worried for their safety. How do they think Arbery felt?

How different our government landscape might look today had Nixon served a sentence! Deterrence indeed!

Thank you Heather!

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This hit my mailbox too soon in my evening (I prefer reading it with first cup of MORNING coffee!) and I’ve only read a few paragraphs. Anyway, yes I DO remember Heather’s admonishment about not messing with archivists, both in a letter and a fb discussion! I loved her description about the laws around documents and how they belong to us, the PEOPLE!!

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This paragraph had me laughing out loud. Some things never change. Tfg will squeeze out the last penny of fundraising till the very last. Now it's all just a hilarious pathetic show. Go to prison trump and stop wasting our time.

Tonight, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is expressing outrage, the Fox News Channel is talking about Hunter Biden, and Trump’s base is calling for war, but Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is silent. For his part, Trump is fundraising off the executed search warrant.

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The former president claims his loyalists will take to the streets at a level heretofore unseen. Oh, please do! Expose yourselves to the real law and order types, who will not abide such misguided notions about patriotism.

Whatever pain he experiences is richly deserved.

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What initially struck me upon hearing the news of the FBI’s search of Trump’s Florida residence was that August 8th was the date nearly 50 years ago when President Richard Nixon was forced to resign the office of the Presidency because of the evidence of crimes that had been discovered by investigators.

Throughout the evening, I particularly was struck, contrary to today, that back in 1974 the Republican Party did not rise to protect President Nixon when evidence of crimes was revealed. Fast-forward to today’s political world, wherein the top Republican in the House of Representatives threatened AG Garland, intimating, when Republicans retake the House, that House subpoenas would be coming his way.

Could we possibly need further convincing that this fall, aside from running on their accomplishments, Democrats, up and down the ballot, need to amplify the opposing Party’s lack of regard for the rule of law, for the balance of powers, and, last but not least, for truth itself?

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One of these days (soon, I hope), you will be telling us that they’ve come to lock him up - at least, I really, really hope so….

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Aug 9, 2022·edited Aug 9, 2022

There is much to be said about the incredible amount of news dumped on Monday. I will say only this:

Ahmaud Arbery, you will never be forgotten. Rest in peace

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Whew! What a day. And the passing of Olivia Newton-John was a gut punch to our youth to cap it off.

It’s just about too much to process.

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