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pbmus
pbmus's Journal
pbmus's Journal
December 11, 2019
Time's 2019 Guardians of the year...
https://twitter.com/time/status/1204745148007157765
December 11, 2019
As Attorney General, Barr is a threat to democracy. He has distorted facts and misled the public. He appointed Durham to run a concurrent investigation because he knew the Inspector General would debunk his conspiracy theories, and he needed someone he could control. /1
Durham revealed much about his own character when he issued a transparently political message challenging the IG's report before completing his investigation. Barr, who deceived the public about the contents of the Mueller report, has similarly tried to undermine the IG report./2
Barr's crackpot theory boils down to the idea that the last administration tried to sabotage Trump's candidacy by keeping its investigation of Trump's campaign completely secret while colluding with Jason Chaffetz to leak information about its investigation of Hillary Clinton. /3
Barr bizarrely argues it'd be bad if a president abused his power to sabotage a rival's campaign with an investigation. The notion that Obama came anywhere near doing this is the debunked lunacy of pizzagate enthusiasts, but it's exactly what the "transcript" shows Trump did. /4
Barr's comments also suggest a plan to take personnel actions against individuals tied to the investigation of Trump. Whether action is warranted or not, an Attorney General commenting on personnel actions that must be taken by lower level managers suggests the fix is in. /5
Whether he ultimately intervenes in personnel matters is almost beside the point. His remarks were intended to intimidate the DOJ attorneys and FBI agents investigating others associated with the president. And there's something far more ominous that his remarks have signaled. /6
Barr, who traveled the world looking for ways to defend the politician he serves instead of the rule of law, has also signaled he may use the criminal investigative apparatus of the state to go after perceived enemies of his boss—weaponizing it as a tool of a political party. /7
Even the mere suggestion that he would do this is a direct assault on democracy and a betrayal of the public trust. It is extremely dangerous and may chill legitimate investigations. It's the stuff of autocracies. It must not be tolerated. It cannot be tolerated in a republic. /8
(Barr even talks like an authoritarian. He said he'd ignore any ethics guidance he disagreed with. He ignored the 1st amendment and blamed "secularism" for society's ills. He told certain "communities" [wink] they need to show more respect or live without police protection.) /9
In this context, it's important to remember that Trump fired Sessions the day after the election because he would not stop the Russia investigation. A president firing someone for failing to treat him as though he is above the law should have been viewed as an impeachable act./10
Instead, Barr was greeted warmly as a stabilizing force by people who should have known better. But, as the beneficiary of a slow motion Saturday Night Massacre, Barr was hired to do what Sessions wouldn't do. He was hired for this moment in history. /11
Stop Trump's slow-motion Saturday Night Massacre
Walter Shaub writes that the Senate should demand that attorney general nominee William Barr promise to recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation to preserve the principle that a presi…
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/14/opinions/senate-must-stop-trump-slow-motion-saturday-night-massacre-shaub/index.html
It's important not to make the same mistake twice. Some people underestimated Barr's ruthless partisanship before. No one should do that again. Like Trump, Barr is capable of doing anything he can get away with—and that includes interfering in the 2020 election, if we let him./12
Stop Trump's slow-motion Saturday Night Massacre...
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1204601743415369732.htmlAs Attorney General, Barr is a threat to democracy. He has distorted facts and misled the public. He appointed Durham to run a concurrent investigation because he knew the Inspector General would debunk his conspiracy theories, and he needed someone he could control. /1
Durham revealed much about his own character when he issued a transparently political message challenging the IG's report before completing his investigation. Barr, who deceived the public about the contents of the Mueller report, has similarly tried to undermine the IG report./2
Barr's crackpot theory boils down to the idea that the last administration tried to sabotage Trump's candidacy by keeping its investigation of Trump's campaign completely secret while colluding with Jason Chaffetz to leak information about its investigation of Hillary Clinton. /3
Barr bizarrely argues it'd be bad if a president abused his power to sabotage a rival's campaign with an investigation. The notion that Obama came anywhere near doing this is the debunked lunacy of pizzagate enthusiasts, but it's exactly what the "transcript" shows Trump did. /4
Barr's comments also suggest a plan to take personnel actions against individuals tied to the investigation of Trump. Whether action is warranted or not, an Attorney General commenting on personnel actions that must be taken by lower level managers suggests the fix is in. /5
Whether he ultimately intervenes in personnel matters is almost beside the point. His remarks were intended to intimidate the DOJ attorneys and FBI agents investigating others associated with the president. And there's something far more ominous that his remarks have signaled. /6
Barr, who traveled the world looking for ways to defend the politician he serves instead of the rule of law, has also signaled he may use the criminal investigative apparatus of the state to go after perceived enemies of his boss—weaponizing it as a tool of a political party. /7
Even the mere suggestion that he would do this is a direct assault on democracy and a betrayal of the public trust. It is extremely dangerous and may chill legitimate investigations. It's the stuff of autocracies. It must not be tolerated. It cannot be tolerated in a republic. /8
(Barr even talks like an authoritarian. He said he'd ignore any ethics guidance he disagreed with. He ignored the 1st amendment and blamed "secularism" for society's ills. He told certain "communities" [wink] they need to show more respect or live without police protection.) /9
In this context, it's important to remember that Trump fired Sessions the day after the election because he would not stop the Russia investigation. A president firing someone for failing to treat him as though he is above the law should have been viewed as an impeachable act./10
Instead, Barr was greeted warmly as a stabilizing force by people who should have known better. But, as the beneficiary of a slow motion Saturday Night Massacre, Barr was hired to do what Sessions wouldn't do. He was hired for this moment in history. /11
Stop Trump's slow-motion Saturday Night Massacre
Walter Shaub writes that the Senate should demand that attorney general nominee William Barr promise to recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation to preserve the principle that a presi…
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/14/opinions/senate-must-stop-trump-slow-motion-saturday-night-massacre-shaub/index.html
It's important not to make the same mistake twice. Some people underestimated Barr's ruthless partisanship before. No one should do that again. Like Trump, Barr is capable of doing anything he can get away with—and that includes interfering in the 2020 election, if we let him./12
December 9, 2019
Thank God for mute buttons...👍👍👍👍👍
I have been muting the liars and listening to our truth tellers...but I am really concerned about our country because we cannot continue like this..where one side respects the rules of law and the other side says so what....
December 9, 2019
MAJOR BREAKING NEWS (MSNBC): DOJ Inspector General Horowitz Completely Exonerates FBI of Political Bias in Russia Investigation
1/ The first result of this report should be that Donald Trump gets the names "Lisa Page" and "Peter Strzok" the hell out of his mouth. Forever. The purpose of mentioning those two a million times was to imply a politically biased conspiracy at the FBI we now know NEVER HAPPENED.
2/ Comey wasn't politically biased. McCabe wasn't politically biased. Page and Strzok weren't politically biased. *No one* at the FBI was politically biased. There *was* no deep-state conspiracy. All that nonsense and libel is over now. The GOP must drop it from ALL its rhetoric.
3/ That said, everyone in America should now turn their attention immediately back to the impeachment hearings on television right now, which establish a long-term scheme by the President of the United States to *undermine American national security for his own personal benefit*.
Seth Abramson....DOJ Inspector General completely exonerates FBI
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1204099654608134144.html?refreshed=yesMAJOR BREAKING NEWS (MSNBC): DOJ Inspector General Horowitz Completely Exonerates FBI of Political Bias in Russia Investigation
1/ The first result of this report should be that Donald Trump gets the names "Lisa Page" and "Peter Strzok" the hell out of his mouth. Forever. The purpose of mentioning those two a million times was to imply a politically biased conspiracy at the FBI we now know NEVER HAPPENED.
2/ Comey wasn't politically biased. McCabe wasn't politically biased. Page and Strzok weren't politically biased. *No one* at the FBI was politically biased. There *was* no deep-state conspiracy. All that nonsense and libel is over now. The GOP must drop it from ALL its rhetoric.
3/ That said, everyone in America should now turn their attention immediately back to the impeachment hearings on television right now, which establish a long-term scheme by the President of the United States to *undermine American national security for his own personal benefit*.
December 6, 2019
Justice Kennedy involved in quid pro quo...?
https://twitter.com/slate/status/1203051124854525955
December 6, 2019
The GOP still trying to manufacture dirt...
https://twitter.com/tpm/status/1203047337729376256
December 6, 2019
https://twitter.com/motherjones/status/1203047337188352006
Tax fraud, bank fraud, money laundering...
https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/1203048241094414338https://twitter.com/motherjones/status/1203047337188352006
December 6, 2019
BREAKING NEWS: Some Republican Senators Said to Be Open to Convicting Trump of High Crimes and Misdemeanors and Removing Him From Office
1/ While getting to 67 votes, the number needed for conviction and removal, is another matter, Democrats only need four Republican senators to vote with them to create the historical record of a bipartisan impeachment in which a majority of the Senate voted to convict and remove.
2/ Moreover, if it becomes clear the vote to convict and remove will be bipartisan and represent a majority of the Senate, it theoretically makes it slightly easier for other GOP senators to vote for conviction and removal, though they will still think of their re-election first.
3/ Trump is, as ever, the wild card. If he makes the cataclysmically bad decision to testify himself, which he won't, it'll go so poorly that it could lead to a collapse of support for him. Even GOP senators don't want to watch the president commit perjury over 100 times on TV.
Seth Abramson... Breaking News
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1202957657189101568.htmlBREAKING NEWS: Some Republican Senators Said to Be Open to Convicting Trump of High Crimes and Misdemeanors and Removing Him From Office
1/ While getting to 67 votes, the number needed for conviction and removal, is another matter, Democrats only need four Republican senators to vote with them to create the historical record of a bipartisan impeachment in which a majority of the Senate voted to convict and remove.
2/ Moreover, if it becomes clear the vote to convict and remove will be bipartisan and represent a majority of the Senate, it theoretically makes it slightly easier for other GOP senators to vote for conviction and removal, though they will still think of their re-election first.
3/ Trump is, as ever, the wild card. If he makes the cataclysmically bad decision to testify himself, which he won't, it'll go so poorly that it could lead to a collapse of support for him. Even GOP senators don't want to watch the president commit perjury over 100 times on TV.
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Member since: Wed Aug 22, 2012, 08:01 PMNumber of posts: 12,422
