this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2023
561 points (97.8% liked)

politics

19120 readers
5299 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

  1. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  2. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  3. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
  4. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  5. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] SulaymanF 127 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Trump was going to push and threaten until this happened. It shouldn’t be a surprise after all this time and all his ranting and it should be granted. He’s accused of using his followers to stage an attack; of course he shouldn’t be allowed to again.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I suspect stochastic terrorism is the last card he has to play.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Wouldn't the real last card be organizing & mounting a full blown insurrection? Not like the first attempt where he could try to keep his hands relatively clean of it, as he's tried to do in a number of other criminal schemes related to his businesses.

[–] PolydoreSmith 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Part of me wishes he would try it, because you just don’t come for the US Federal Government. Trump talks a big game and has a following, but the Feds are fucking psychos. These people killed MLK. These people have overthrown countless foreign governments. They’ve been trafficking drugs, weapons, and humans since before you and I were born.

I’m not saying I’m happy about it. I’m ashamed to be American every day that I wake up. But Trump is small potatoes to them. If he ever tried a coup for real it would end very badly for him, I promise you.

[–] Riccosuave 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The system is designed to protect and preserve the status quo. Apparently he forgot that, I doubt he is up to date on his American history.

[–] DragonAce 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I doubt he knows the first thing about American history. Hes has several old teachers admit he was a fucking moron and IIRC there is documentation that Trump Sr paid his son's way thru school. So that moron probably knows less about US history than most middle school kids.

[–] Riccosuave 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

With the way the Republicans are speedrunning the destruction of the already fractured education system in this country I don't know if the middle schoolers are going to fare much better unfortunately.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Well if they can walk and talk at the same time they're already doing better than Donny.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I am convinced he wanted a full blown insurrection the first time around, and fully planned to enter the capitol as newly coronated emperor. He wanted armed protesters to hang around his rally, and he fully planned to go there. The reason he didn't is that once he got into his car the secret service over ruled his last-minute request (because he knew it would not be approved), and he got MAD. He tried to physically take control of the car, but yeah, apparently the president does not have the authority to put himself in harm's way.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Check out paragraph 81 of the indictment. One of his co-conspirators was having a discussion with a lawyer; the lawyer said staying in office past January 20 would trigger “riots in every major city in the United States, and the co-conspirator replied, “Well, [lawyer], that’s why there’s an Insurrection Act”.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

He and his merry band of idiot followers can't organise a coup, they don't have the collective brain power. IQ in the low 40s, no idea what's going on in the world outside of their bubble, and prone to infighting and arguing about whose conspiracy theory is the correct conspiracy theory.

They all think they would just march in waving their guns around, and automatically win, but what would actually happen is they'd end up getting cut to ribbons, then the rest would run away.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

you dont need millions of smart people. you only need a few hundred smart ones to guide the army of idiots

[–] timewarp 6 points 1 year ago

If I could describe the Republican party in two sentences, this would be it. They know they are liars too, but they just don't care as long as their voters do.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Wouldn’t the real last card be organizing & mounting a full blown insurrection? Not like the first attempt where he could try to keep his hands relatively clean of it, as he’s tried to do in a number of other criminal schemes related to his businesses.

I doubt he'd be capable of orchestrating that. he threw his insurrectionists under the bus last time by inciting them and then not pardoning them; Trumpers willing to do such a thing are in or going to prison. Makes it hard to incentivize the next batch.

He's lost support in the military. Can you imagine him trying to lead troops like a general? It would be the shortest coup ever. He'd probably change enemy troop locations with a sharpie because he doesn't like where they are.

Trump is good at spewing vile rhetoric, he's not competent or popular enough to carry out a successful violent insurrection.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] FuglyDuck 41 points 1 year ago (2 children)

naw. he's going to keep doing it until they lock him up and take his phone away. I say we just skip the end and lock him up until the trial. And then forget where the key was placed.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Riccosuave 29 points 1 year ago

I would put money on Trump violating the terms of this protective order. The question is will the court do what is necessary to prevent him from tainting a jury or tampering with witnesses which he has already warned about during his arraignment?

I want to believe that they will take these threats seriously given his track record of escalating violence when he has been backed into a corner. I just don't think it should require someone else getting injured or killed before they act. Multiple people have already lost their lives over this, and how many more is it going to take before he will be held accountable for that too?

[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Justice Department Special counsel Jack Smith appealed to the federal judge overseeing former President Trump’s election fraud case Friday evening to issue a protective order for evidence, citing social media threats.

“IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” the former president posted earlier on Truth Social — a move which has already drawn criticism with a former spokesperson for Trump calling it “chilling” and “witness intimidation.”

“Such a restriction is particularly important in this case because the defendant has previously issued public statements on social media regarding witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him,” Smith wrote in the filing.

“If the defendant were to begin issuing public posts using details — or, for example, grand jury transcripts — obtained in discovery here, it could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case,” he added.

Prosecutors claimed the attempts to reach an agreement on a protective order with Trump’s legal team have been fruitless, and have prevented the prosecution from supplying documents to the defense as quickly as they would like.

Trump was indicted on four federal charges Tuesday, alleging that he attempted to orchestrate a fake electoral college vote scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election.


I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (32 children)

Man. What absolute asshat. What I could do with one iota of his confidence and self righteousness

[–] Riccosuave 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Bravado (!=) Confidence. He is a spineless coward who has thrown every single person in his orbit to the wolves the minute that it suited his interests, insulated him from the consequences of his actions, or protected his fragile ego. I'm sure you're already a better person than Trump could ever hope to be.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (31 replies)
[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Protective order, not a gag order, as I understand it.

[–] mjhelto 9 points 1 year ago

He really needs a, "choke this mother fucker out" order.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] anthoniix 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

FTFA:

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the strict order preventing the former president from mentioning details and evidence from the case against him in public is a protective order.

[–] chaos 4 points 1 year ago

I read this in Arnold's voice

[–] sheilzy 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

I'm hardly an expert, just someone who loves studying law by myself until I can afford formal law school, and I did a little PR work during my internship, but despise my rudimentary exposure, Trump, his spokespeople, and legal team are approaching these indictments in the completely wrong way. They are too adversial and argumentative. Speaking little and gently would be much more helpful, and maybe even opting for a guilty plea. Trump needs to stop whining about how much he hates being prosecuted and the publicists and attorneys on his payroll need to stop regurgitating his bellyaches. It's not like I think he won't be sentenced for being agreeable. He likely will, but maybe they'd be able to make some compromises. Now I know why Ivanka will not work on her father's current campaign. Her style of arguing is much more reserved, while her two eldest brothers have an aggressive style which seems to be the only one their father seems willing to emulate. I bet Trump did not listen to his daughter's advice often enough. Edited a word.

[–] allroy 9 points 1 year ago

he WANTS to be a victim. he does these things to be targeted. so he can cry about being victimized.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I think your post is mostly sensible until I reached “guilty plea”. Not going to happen, in any universe. Guy has thinner skin than obese moulting orange lobster.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I bet Trump did not listen to his daughter’s advice often enough.

I read somewhere that she was one of the voices asking him to call off the Jan 6 rioters (because let's call them what they were; they may have started out protesting, but a bunch of them very much became rioters).

[–] davepleasebehave 4 points 1 year ago

he is just lining up the next part of his big lie. the next part of his victimisation.

he is a narcissist. so he will never voluntarily admit anything.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] anonymoose 6 points 1 year ago

Getting a 404 error on that link.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What exactly can they do or enforce

[–] Riccosuave 37 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well if you or I made veiled threats we would be imprisoned while awaiting trial for violating the terms of our release on personal recognizance. My question is what happens if someone else is injured or killed as his violent rhetoric once again escalates. Will he be held to account for that, or will the court act in an attempt to prevent that? It remains to be seen, but I firmly believe that if he causes any more violence they will be forced to detain him in house arrest at a minimum.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Any normal person charged with 60+ felonies would be held without bond. Trump unfortunately doesn’t really deal with the same punishment conventions

To be honest I’m shocked we’ve gotten this far in charging him

[–] banneryear1868 5 points 1 year ago

He's just taking advantage of what's already granted to people in these positions of power, it's just more absurd because it's Trump.

[–] Riccosuave 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You only get so many chances at poking the bear before the bear decides to eat you.

load more comments
view more: next ›