Trump having a normal one while the country burns.
As aides urged Mr. Trump to issue a strong condemnation on Wednesday and he rejected that advice, the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, warned Mr. Trump that he could face legal exposure for the riot given that he had urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight” beforehand, according to people briefed on the discussion. The president had appeared to White House aides to be enjoying watching the scenes play out on television.
Have you been to DC before? It’s unlike any other city. There’s probably 25 different police forces that all have different jurisdictions and responsibilities. Federal police, DC police, National Park police, Capitol Police, Secret Service, etc etc. Any of the federal property, which is where all of this took place yesterday, would not be policed by the city, even though it all intertwines with non-federal property.
The Justice Department said in a short August 1974 opinion, just four days before Mr. Nixon resigned, that “it would seem” that presidents cannot pardon themselves “under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case.” But the president is not bound by those opinions, and there is nothing stopping Mr. Trump from signing a pardon for himself.
White-collar defense lawyers said that Mr. Trump would be best served by citing specific crimes if he pardoned himself, but such details could be politically damaging by suggesting that he was acknowledging he had committed those crimes.
“The Biden Justice Department will not want to acquiesce in a Trump self-pardon, which implies that the president is literally above federal law,” said Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard law professor and former top Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.
“Only a court can invalidate a self-pardon, and it can only do so if the Biden administration brings a case against Trump,” Mr. Goldsmith said. “A Trump self-pardon would thus make it more likely the Biden team prosecutes Trump for crimes committed in office.”
After thinking about it I think there is a good chance Mitch gets outed as Minority leader. He is SUPER toxic to the Trump base now and if he is leading the party I think it would cost them a ton of votes in 2022. I think they will need to choose someone the Trumpers still like.
Pretty surprised we haven’t heard from him like 8 hours after his account was unlocked what is he doing? I guess he’s done this a couple times before but yikes. Trying to figure out how the football works?