'Friday Night Massacre': Experts Says Trump Firing of 3 Officials... Is a Criminal Offense

[ffr]

‘Friday Night Massacre’: Experts Says Trump Firing of 3 Officials Including Sondland and Vindman Is ‘Criminal’ Offense

President Donald Trump late Friday afternoon and evening ended the week by firing three administration and White House officials, he blames for his impeachment in a campaign of retribution that some experts are calling illegal.

Trump not only had Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman transferred out of the White House, he had him fired from his National Security Post and escorted out of the building. Vindman’s twin brother, who also works on the NSC, was summarily fired and escorted out as well, as The New York Times reports.

If that weren’t enough Trump then turned around and had his Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, fired as well.

Link to tweet

- New Civil Rights Movement

[UniteFightBack]

1. So far they have not fabricated evidence but this is the next step. nt

[5X]

10. what do you think Ukraine and Biden were all about?

That was fabrication.

[UniteFightBack]

11. True but I'm thinking documents and such. I was kinda surprised they cleared Hillary. nt

[SmartVoter22]

41. The DOJ is different under Barr than Holder

We shouldn't assume that the DOJ is determining criminal actions with a uniform egalitarian eye. Most Americans would hope there is a uniform standard for all crimes, but comparing Hillary's emails is more akin to Trump's kids using non-secure phones while on official business. Friday night massacre is like Nixon's, both are dumb Presidents who think cheating is better.

We could use some legislative action that prevents that option from higher ranking officials. IE: The govt issues them a secure phone and if they use a different one, they loose their security clearance immediately. Publicly hauled in front of the appropriate House & Senate Committee to explain themselves and why they violated their security clearance.

Congress should be able to fire any Executive appointees/employees for that level of risk taking.

[greyl]

54. Barr's Mueller Report summary and the redacted "perfect call" summary come close. nt

[USALiberal]

2. How many "criminal offenses" has hurt him at all!? Nt

[Corgigal]

3. The criminal is just crimey today.

America knows what he is. Republican Senators pretend he’s not.

[Ahpook]

4. Does it matter at this point?

Matter of fact I have MAGA fears for our upcoming elections. You think the PTB give one ounce of shit about stealing it now? They can and will and nobody can do a fucking thing about it.

[FirstLight]

15. +10000!!!!!!!

I honestly worry that we will even HAVE an election, they might allow it to go forward to create the semblance of normalcy, but I don't out it past the Prick at all to come up with a crisis and declare martial law

[Ahpook]

17. I am still curious

how one party, or even one man (Mcconnell) has been able to garner as much power as he has.

For arguments sake let's assume we win the next election. I certainly hope so! But the mere fact that this stain on our country was elected and has proven to be above the law is frightening.

How it happened, why it happened and it not happening again is scary as hell.

[Ford_Prefect]

21. Mitch is only the visible end of a much larger machine. He is not powerful alone.

He has power because others pay him to act for them. If he didn't control the dark money stream financing the GOP senate he would have been ousted. His power exists thanks to Justice Roberts' expansion of Citizens United v. FEC to enable dark money.

[crickets]

50. So on point, right there. nt

[DENVERPOPS]

74. Anyone

heard anything from Cheney/Rumsfeld/ et al since they left office........

Honestly I truly believe Putin had MAJOR Kompromat on all the Republican Senators that he has been collecting for decades.

Why else would Trump & Repubs be so lovey dovey with Russia??????????????/

My Russian friend says the people in Russia are laughing out loud daily about how Putin has played Trump, brought down the U.S. and how easily he did it without even firing a single missile..........................

[DENVERPOPS]

24. It is painfully obvious

that they now feel (justifiably) that they can do any thing they F***ing want, legal or illegal...............

the tsunami of shit is coming, just wait a few days. (actually it has already started) Trump & Repubs are on a roll now, completely emboldened with no reservation or hesitations.......and it will only gain momentum every week from here on.......

Forget about the election, they already castrated the Federal Election Commission, it is a nothing now. There were three Federal groups investigating campaign election fraud, and Mitch defunded them, so they are gone. And this impeachment proved that a president can solicit anything and everything he wants from any and all foreign governments to aid in his election..........

WASF

[Ahpook]

29. So what now?

I am asking in general concern.

I have a buddy that moved to Geneva and is asking me to come over. I mean we have read stories, and some still alive that have gone through this kind of bullshit in not distant past. Stay and fight?

Should we get the fuck out of here? I am truly freaked out by this! I started paying attention in 2000 when Dubya was selected. My wife and I flipped the fuck out then.

This is escalating exponentially!

On edit: I've said it before and it is starting to piss me off. All I hear is what we should be doing in this country. NOTHJING ever happens!

[DENVERPOPS]

31. The IRS publishes all kinds of statistics

Two years ago, they noted a very large increase in the number of the top income earning 1%ers moving to other countries.
This year, they said the number doubled.

Makes perfect sense, all of the uber wealthy off-shored all their money long ago, why not go join it in these turbulent times ????????

Go join your buddy in Geneva..........

[Ahpook]

33. Well I'm not loaded

But have a nest egg.

Never thought I would have to deal with this shit for real

[DENVERPOPS]

48. I guess that we always

believed that this couldn't happen in our country.....land of the free and home of the brave, etc etc etc

It's happening to hundreds of millions of people around the world in other countries. If we hear about it, we just shrug our shoulders and say: "they have a corrupt government"........now so do we.........

[Ahpook]

62. Loudly and clearly

Thank you for that.

Such a strange sensation

[DENVERPOPS]

63. The people that have

taken over our government and country couldn't give a rat's ass less about us citizens. It is now painfully obvious to any one with and IQ over 80 and those that they have successfully brainwashed.

WASF

[Ahpook]

65. I didn't want to sound like an asshole

I guess I am lucky enough to have a friend in Geneva. I type words with a heavy heart. And my wife is not onboard.

We have family and things. Fuck this!

[I_UndergroundPanther]

78. Wish I had family in geneva

Trump cuts medicaid and ssi I' ll be dead in a few years or less anyway..

[Grasswire2]

59. Comey, Coats, Wray, Mueller all told us UNDER OATH that election 2020 is rigged..

.."as we sit here."

And legislation for safe elections is stalled on Mitch's desk.

1. Hand marked paper ballots, voter verifiable.
2. Strong audit trail.
3. Strong ballot security.
4. No apps, wifi, optical scans, machines of any kind.

States are still buying hackable systems.

[DENVERPOPS]

64. I was thinking

that at 9:00 am, on January 21st, the first morning of Obama's administration that he would order the government to start a nationwide MASSIVE INVESTIGATION into our countries voting machines. Especially after what we witnessed in 2000 and 2004. It was THE most obvious defect in our government, and needing a complete overhaul from top to bottom.

EIGHT YEARS LATER, nothing had been done by Obama, the DOJ, the FBI, or the FEC.....................

I think that Obama did an incredible job despite being obstructed every day for eight years by Moscow Mitch and his groupies.
But I think he could have done something about the voting that Mitchie couldn't have stopped or prevented him from investigating.

[rockfordfile]

5. He's getting more desperate

[JohnBoltonsmustache]

9. Nope, he feels empowered and invincible

I’m sure Susan Collins will speak out against any retribution

[wnylib]

22. That's it exactly. He knows he's got ii wrapped up.

Nothing and no one to stop him from anything he does.

Don't know how we'll get out of this, but if we do, it won't be a pretty process.

[EndlessWire]

32. She thinks it's inappropriate. n/t

[MontanaMama]

51. She's most likely concerned.

Or not. Never know with Susan.

[DENVERPOPS]

66. There are words

to describe her that I never use. I cannot write them down here, because the DU Police would stomp me as disrespecting women.
That could not be further from the truth. That having been said, there are certain females that are more than deserving of those words and she is one of those females.

[DENVERPOPS]

67. JBM, Truer words were never stopped on all points.....N/C

[cwydro]

6. Vindictive piece of trash, ain't he?

Probably tooting up the Adderal in celebration.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

12. certainlyl was snorting and snuffling yesterday nt

[nature-lover]

28. Speaking of that, did the MSM comment on Pelosi's comment about him being sedated?

You would think that her comment would have been as big a deal as the paper ripping.

[DENVERPOPS]

68. that is more than obvious

If you watched the SOTU or his Prayer breakfast babbling...........

[Karma13612]

7. This is bad.

BUT, just remember.

We need to clean house (Presidency, Senate, and House) in November and then start fresh next January.

Seriously!

#VoteBlue2020

No if’s, and’s or but’s!

[SlogginThroughIt]

36. What happens when November doesn't save us?

Of course we all need to vote and work our asses off to get everyone to vote.... What happens when that doesn’t work?

[Karma13612]

37. We keep trying. Nevertheless we persist. Nt

[SlogginThroughIt]

60. Yep! We do. We have to.

I am just worried about what we are going to have to do to protect our way of life.

[dware]

49. Calm down there Sparky.

No need to get nasty.

[DENVERPOPS]

69. Like hell

it isn't a reason to get nasty........

[dware]

80. Ok. nt

[walker59]

8. It's not criminal if Trump does it

What are they, or anybody, going to do about it?

[Talitha]

13. It's time... 25th Amendment, Section 4

[wnylib]

26. Oh, it's past time for that. Long overdue.

But who will declare it and enforce it?

What's the process for it? Whose responsibility is it?

We know he's out of touch with reality and doped up. But we'd have to have solid proof of the dope. How do we get that? I mean, it's not like we could slip someone in to surreptitiously get a urine sample or steal some used depends from his trash.

[DENVERPOPS]

70. Any one out there know what 25 takes

It's been sixty years since my civics class, but I seem to remember that it either takes his entire cabinet voting to do it or a two thirds majority of both the house and senate.

Anyone out there a history/civics/constitution expert on this?????????

[coti]

14. If we can cite the law and theory of illegality, we can impeach him again nt

[dweller]

16. just wait till the heads on pikes begin

Mitt, and the inevitable turning of a repug, or two ...
you know it's gonna happen

✌🏼

[DENVERPOPS]

71. It took less

than one day for him to start and he is just getting warmed up. Get ready for the full vindictive roll out in a few days or weeks.....

[Ferrets are Cool]

18. Nothing is a crime when you are a dictator. nt

[dchill]

53. Well, we're already there.

[pangaia]

19. Of course it's going to get worse. MUCH worse... think STALIN !!!

without a brain...

[MerryBlooms]

20. Let me guess, DOJ would be in charge of an investigation?

I agree with the sentiment, and yes, it absolutely will get worse.

[DENVERPOPS]

72. You aren't watching the news:

BARR yesterday ordered that no one in the DOJ, including the FBI or any division of the DOJ can even BEGIN an investigation with out his personal approval........Tyranical Dictatorship Anyone.........

[DeminPennswoods]

23. The Vindmans are active duty US Army

Their details were ended; they weren't fired. Sondland was a political appointee as an ambassador serving at Trump's pleasure.

It's unseemly, but it doesn't rise to the level of Nixon's Saturday night massacre.

[Crabby Appleton]

39. Correct.

[dware]

42. You are 100% correct,

so those that are saying this is a criminal act are 100% wrong, it's unseeming, vindictive, asinine, but not illegal or criminal.

[DENVERPOPS]

73. Anyway

As far as the military, Trump only admires the soldiers that are convicted of murder and international war crimes.

His favorite SEAL that he pardoned never better go near the Netherlands/Hague...............

[yaesu]

25. Maddow is doing an excellent job right now covering this very subject. nt

[ooky]

27. Yeah, well I hate it, but Republicans crowned him King of the United States this week.

A KOTUS cannot be charged with crimes. He can do anything he wants, and these disgraceful Republican Senators will look the other way.

November can't come soon enough.

[Wednesdays]

55. If "KOTUS" means "king of the United States,"

and if he's a king, then we're no longer the United States, but rather the EX-United States.

In that case, wouldn't he be more appropriately be called a KOTEX?

[dware]

56. Oh, I love your play on words.

[roamer65]

30. Send up 3 more articles of impeachment for abuse of power.

[dware]

44. This was not an abuse of power,

the Vindmans are active duty, their details ended, and the Ambassador serves at the Presidents pleasure.

It's asinine, vindictive, but it doesn't meet the standard of abuse of power.

[roamer65]

45. There are other articles they can send up.

Keep sending them.

[dware]

47. On that, I 100% agree.

Keep sending them up until something finally sticks and the Mango Menace is convicted and removed.

[Blues Heron]

79. Agree - It's not abuse of power

if Trump does it.... lol

[gibraltar72]

34. it has happened here!!

[Pepsidog]

35. This is the last thing I want to read. Trump is a criminal so let's get him out and prosecute him.

[herding cats]

38. Thanks to Barr and Republican obstruction.

[blakstoneranger]

40. Nothing Trump Does is Illegal--Not Anymore

We now know why trump says he didn't do anything wrong. Using his brain, he thinks, either because he's been told, or because he is crazy or both, he doesn't see laws as we know them. In his mind, he can do whatever he wants so, no, he didn't do anything wrong. Fire those 3 individuals is not illegal because trump, in his twisted, crazy a*s brain, believes he can do whatever he wants so firing them is not illegal. HE DID NOTHING WRONG!! Seriously folks do we really want this man to be our POTUS in 2021? Considering the fact that he thinks he can do whatever he wants, and the fact that he's surrounded by an army of knuckle headed little rascals who will follow him into a pit of lions, HE IS GOING TO CHEAT HIS WAY BACK INTO THE WHITE HOUSE!! HE AND WILLIAM BARR AND HIS SCHIFTY CROOKED LOOPHOLE LAWYERS ARE GOING TO CHEAT AND THEN TRUMP WILL SAY.....YOU GUESSED IT, HE DID NOTHING WRONG. AS LONG AS HE WINS, THATS ALL THAT COUNTS. It will be the worst 4 years of his dumba*s life!

[Roland99]

43. #NightOfTheLongTweets

[milestogo]

52. Its RETALIATION...and witnesses are supposed to be protected from it.

But we have a totally lawless president and AG.

[ecstatic]

57. He's eliminated the possibility of anyone ever reporting (blowing the whistle) on him ever again

Who the hell would put their neck on the line at this point?! Who?!

Vindman could be killed tomorrow and nothing would happen. That's where we are now.

It's really chilling and depressing to know that rethugs are OK with the complete lawlessness.

What's worse is that my fellow Americans don't seem to understand the dangerous predicament that people like me are in as the rule of law goes down the drain. Or maybe they don't give a shit.

[DENVERPOPS]

75. Couldn't agree more....thx

There was a russian journalist that continually criticized Putin. A few days ago, he was found dead in his hotel room with his throat slit.....

Trump reads those stories and he so admires Putin, he cums in his lard ass shorts.........

[Grasswire2]

58. I've been saying. First the purges, then the putsch. nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

61. NSC full of yes men.

What could go wrong?

[CentralMass]

76. The crime du jour.

[emmaverybo]

77. Who will charge him? How many impeachable and criminal offenses does it make that he won't

be held accountable for now?