Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Youngkin on the Mar-a-Lago Raid

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James A. Bacon
in ,

https://twitter.com/GlennYoungkin/status/1556996346799919104?s=20&t=BKNJgQjJ3JJUf87_u536bw

What do you think of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s comparison? Does former President Trump’s behavior on Jan. 6, 2021, warrant special attention by federal law enforcement? Or have the DOJ and FBI become servants of the new ruling class, intent upon prosecuting only the transgressions of the political right? If the latter (remembering that this is a Virginia blog), how can Virginia, as a co-sovereign state in a federal system, push back?

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183 responses to “Youngkin on the Mar-a-Lago Raid”

  1. WayneS Avatar
    WayneS

    I was thinking more along the lines of selective, politically motivated actions having no place in our republic, but to each his own I suppose…

  2. kls Avatar
    kls

    A new day is dawning in Amerika.
    Flynn = Logan Act prosecution [1st time ever since it’s 1799 inception]

    Manafort = FARA violation prosecution [only the 7th one since it’s 1938 inception].
    Bannon = Contempt of Congress, though no one died like under Holder.

    45 = Presidential Archives Act [first time ever since it’s 1978 inception]; every other former POTUS involved negotiations.

    1. WayneS Avatar
      WayneS

      The Logan Act – talk about ‘Zombie Legislation’.

      1. kls Avatar
        kls

        That’s what the FBI notes state, as well as an attempt going into the interview to ‘get him to lie’. I can’t find that operational focus on the FBI web site anywhere.

      2. James C. Sherlock Avatar
        James C. Sherlock

        “Zombie legislation” is what Democrats call laws they find it inconvenient to enforce like the federal law against following judges home and trying to influence their decisions by picketing.

        1. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          I thought zombie legislation was old laws that are outdated, historically unenforced, or have been rendered moot : Like a town ordinance that requires every automobile entering town limits after dark to be preceded by a person holding a lit lantern.

  3. John Harvie Avatar
    John Harvie

    Things are a mite lively down here in PC County these days between DeSantis and Trump.

  4. James McCarthy Avatar
    James McCarthy

    There’s no indication that the Mar a Lago event is connected to Jan 6. From all available reports, the search warrant (not a raid, BTW) was issued to recover material the National Archives identified as not returned under a prior subpoena and transfer of material from Florida. If a crime we committed, we will likely learn that. Conflating the execution of a warrant with broader political issues is misleading. Youngkin might try to offer P45 sanctuary in the Commonwealth and pardon him for any crimes he may have committed. Then the Fed and Virginia can battle it out about the rule of law and states’ rights and sovereignty.

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Not quite sure any governor can pardon somebody of a federal crime, but you know that. Perhaps this is about letters from the Korean dictator that belong in the archives, and perhaps it is about Jan 6. Can be both. Nobody has seen the affidavit for the search warrant or the summary of what was removed. Whatever, it was an incredibly stupid move and has inflamed and empowered Trump and his True Believers as nothing else I could imagine would do so. Big mistake.

      I remain convinced all of this is not about preventing but about ensuring he runs again, announcing pre-November, with the Democrats convinced he crashes and burns and takes the entire GOP with him. They don’t want to run on issues or their record but just against him.

    2. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Not quite sure any governor can pardon somebody of a federal crime, but you know that. Perhaps this is about letters from the Korean dictator that belong in the archives, and perhaps it is about Jan 6. Can be both. Nobody has seen the affidavit for the search warrant or the summary of what was removed. Whatever, it was an incredibly stupid move and has inflamed and empowered Trump and his True Believers as nothing else I could imagine would do so. Big mistake.

      I remain convinced all of this is not about preventing but about ensuring he runs again, announcing pre-November, with the Democrats convinced he crashes and burns and takes the entire GOP with him. They don’t want to run on issues or their record but just against him.

      1. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        Interesting perspective. I had not thought of that.

      2. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        Interesting perspective. I had not thought of that.

      3. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        “They don’t want to run on issues or their record but just against him.”

        Is it don’t want to or can’t at this point. It’s been non-stop. The battle cry since he was voted out of office has been, we aren’t Trump.

      4. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        If we are speculating, perhaps they were NATO documents on Ukraine’s defenses. And, maybe copies were traded for hotel space in Moskova.

      5. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        If we are speculating, perhaps they were NATO documents on Ukraine’s defenses. And, maybe copies were traded for hotel space in Moskova.

      6. James McCarthy Avatar
        James McCarthy

        Dems can run on any record and take advantage of the insane loyalty to P45. RNC is committed to not participating in Presidential debates. Next, it may seek to conduct an alternate election run by Kellyanne Conway. Two White Houses And so forth.

        1. Stephen Haner Avatar
          Stephen Haner

          Damn, you’ve seen the memo!

      7. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        I always gave you credit for being smart. The GOP is rent, not the Democrats and fewer and fewer unaffiliated.

        On January 7th, my brother left the GOP after 46 years, and I guarantee he’ll not vote for any Trumper, or other disloyal American again. He’s not alone.

        The search warrant is a prelude to indictment.

    3. kls Avatar
      kls

      absolutely, because the FBI never lies, or makes up evidence, or entraps US persons, or tampers with documents….

      1. Stephen Haner Avatar
        Stephen Haner

        Certainly Hoover never condoned that….

        1. kls Avatar
          kls

          yeah…only dossiers on everyone in power, and black civil rights leaders….

        2. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          Never!

          Hoover was a straight shooter, alright.

          Okay, maybe not totally straight, but…

        3. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          Never!

          Hoover was a straight shooter, alright.

          Okay, maybe not totally straight, but…

        4. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Hoobert Hever?

  5. James McCarthy Avatar
    James McCarthy

    There’s no indication that the Mar a Lago event is connected to Jan 6. From all available reports, the search warrant (not a raid, BTW) was issued to recover material the National Archives identified as not returned under a prior subpoena and transfer of material from Florida. If a crime we committed, we will likely learn that. Conflating the execution of a warrant with broader political issues is misleading. Youngkin might try to offer P45 sanctuary in the Commonwealth and pardon him for any crimes he may have committed. Then the Fed and Virginia can battle it out about the rule of law and states’ rights and sovereignty.

  6. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Not fit for office. Republicans don’t trust government institutions because they know how to abuse them.

    If you want to know why this warrant was served, don’t bother with a FOIA, ask Trump for his copy.

    1. WayneS Avatar
      WayneS

      It would be nice if somebody would run a presidential candidate who is fit for office. I’m trying to remember the last time that happened…

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        David Rice Atchison. Although the most competent president, he did not run.

      2. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Washington? Come to think of it, did he run?

        1. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          He definitely ran for his second term.

          In his first election was unanimously chosen by the electors (69 electoral votes) from the ten states which participated. I’m not sure if that counts as “running” or not.

          Each elector had two votes, and John Adams received 39 of the “second” votes to become VP. John Jay, Robert Harrison, John Hancock, George Clinton and a few other guys divided up the remaining 30 votes.

          Note: New York failed to field a slate of electors (ironic since NYC was the first Capital of the U.S.); and N. Carolina and Rhode Island did not participate because neither had ratified the Constitution at the time of the election.

        2. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          He definitely ran for his second term.

          In the first election was unanimously chosen by the electors (69 electoral votes) from the ten states which participated. I’m not sure if that counts as “running” or not.

          Each elector had two votes, and John Adams received 39 of the “other” votes to become VP. John Jay, Robert Harrison, John Hancock, George Clinton and a few other guys divided up the remaining 30 votes.

          Note: New York failed to field a slate of electors (ironic since NYC was the first Capital of the U.S.); and N. Carolina and Rhode Island did not participate because neither had ratified the Constitution at the time of the election.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Not true, not true. Close. York. Not New York. Technically Yorktown, but not our Yorktown.

      3. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        David Rice Atchison. Although the most competent president, he did not run.

        1. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          Yeah, well, at that time a guy could only f%$#@ things up so much in one day.

          But wait. Wasn’t he a slave owner?

          And doesn’t that disqualify him from ever being considered competent about anything, ever?

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            It disqualifies a statue, but competency is strictly a function of how little they eff up.

  7. Tom B Avatar
    Tom B

    Alan Dershowitz’s take on the raid:

    https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/3594412-justice-department-should-have-subpoenaed-documents-not-raided-trumps-home/

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      “Searches and seizures should only be used when subpoenas are inappropriate because of the risk of evidence destruction.”

      Right. And photos of a toilet with Trump’s government property notes in it is evidence of that risk.

  8. James McCarthy Avatar
    James McCarthy

    P45 made this into a contest. It should have been no big deal to conform to the Presidential Records Act requirements….unless. Without Twitter refusal to comply gains free press coverage. What Youngkin should have compared is the insane GOP furor over HRC’s server. Let P45 spend contributor money for lawyers to prove he’s above the rule of law.

    1. Matt Adams Avatar
      Matt Adams

      “What Youngkin should have compared is the insane GOP furor over HRC’s server.”

      Sec. Clinton and her staff conducted themselves in a manner inconsistent with the Law’s regarding National Security Documents. If it were any other person who conducted themselves in this manner they would be charged and have been.

      The US by and large overclassifies things, but that is not a material to her case. The individual who classified gets to determine that, not the Sec. of State.

    2. Matt Adams Avatar
      Matt Adams

      “What Youngkin should have compared is the insane GOP furor over HRC’s server.”

      Sec. Clinton and her staff conducted themselves in a manner inconsistent with the Law’s regarding National Security Documents. If it were any other person who conducted themselves in this manner they would be charged and have been.

      The US by and large overclassifies things, but that is not a material to her case. The individual who classified gets to determine that, not the Sec. of State.

    3. Matt Adams Avatar
      Matt Adams

      “What Youngkin should have compared is the insane GOP furor over HRC’s server.”

      Sec. Clinton and her staff conducted themselves in a manner inconsistent with the Law’s regarding National Security Documents. If it were any other person who conducted themselves in this manner they would be charged and have been.

      The US by and large overclassifies things, but that is not a material to her case. The individual who classified gets to determine that, not the Sec. of State.

    4. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      “Youngkin should have compared is the insane GOP furor over HRC’s server”. But he did not. You did.

  9. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    Nothing new. Just like Eric Holder prosecuting Bob McDonnell using a hopelessly unconstitutional law for doing what all Va governors before him did. The judge was biased because McDonnell refused to support his wife for a judgeship. Then, the entire US Supreme Court overturned the conviction. Even Ruth Bader Ginsburg couldn’t stomach the BS Holder was trying to sell.

  10. walter smith Avatar
    walter smith

    Love all the legal “experts,” acting like this is normal.
    It’s banana republic, but at least they aren’t first world banana republics.
    There was no need for a raid, and the charges are at most ticky tack over the records and classification and he and his lawyers were cooperating. It was a show of force, conveniently leaked to the press…
    Come on, Lefties! Get real. Admit that Trump is not the danger to the Republic – we must save democracy by destroying all democratic norms!
    They are terrified…trying to get a petty felony judgment in the kangaroo DC courts to prohibit him from running for President…cuz they are so sure their ideas would work if only the mean Orange Man can be stopped from destroying their beautiful oligarchy…
    And Bob McDonnell was ruined, politically and financially, by corrupt people.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Robert W. Ray, JD. Bob McDonnell wasn’t ruint. Maureen was. The bus went right past him.

      1. walter smith Avatar
        walter smith

        $18 million in legal bills isn’t financial ruin?
        I thought the defense attorneys’ strategy was quite flawed to boot. In my opinion, they should have taken every politicians political receipts and compared to their votes and alleged each and every one was a bribe. In McD’s case, the prosecution could show no “pro quo.” McD’s real flaw was he wasn’t a corrupt crook and already rich from graft like Terry McAwful, which made him and his wife particularly susceptible to the baubles of Johnnie Williams. I think Maureen, being a female, noticed all the finery and accoutrements of the rich donors’ wives…

  11. Sam Avatar
    Sam

    I would like to see the reasoning behind it and why it wasnt negotiated as with past presidents. I think a very relative point is that if convicted he can no longer eligible to run for office. Even if he sues and wins. It would be a very good delaying his run tactic.

  12. William O'Keefe Avatar
    William O’Keefe

    Is he running for president? A very disappointing comment. To conduct this search, the FBI had to get Wray’s approval–a Trump appointee–the AG’s approval, and then a federal judge. Since all the senior people involved had to know how MAGA world would react, I am willing to bet that what was found and removed will represent a big deal. If Trump thinks it’s all political, he can appeal.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      You can bet they went shopping for a judge to sign off too — a judge with an impeccable GOP pedigree.

      1. JayCee Avatar
        JayCee

        Nope, a judge who was Epsteins attorney. Heads need to roll.

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Epstein? You can’t get more Republican than Epstein.

          1. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            Speaking of Epstein – why hasn’t the transparent Biden admin released Epstein’s client list now that Maxwell’s trial is over?

        2. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Guys like this?

          https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5d24f6c53fbe830009356917/16:9/w_1583,h_890,c_limit/jeffrey-epstein-and-donald-trump.jpg

          1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            Trump was a Democrat when that picture was taken. One of the biggest Democratic donors in New York. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t a jerk, just means he was a Democrat.

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Trump is still a Democrat. Didn’t you get the momo? Trump is a Ted Kennedy operative sent to destroy the GOP. Working like a champ.

          3. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            Ted is doing good work from the grave. Can’t drink there.

          4. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            That must have been taken before he banned Epstein from his properties.

      2. William O'Keefe Avatar
        William O’Keefe

        Total right wing speculation. Why don’t you wait and see the facts?

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          News agencies are reporting the likely judge.

          He was appointed in 2018. Who had the WH and the Senate in 2018? And, appointed a record number of judges in 2017 and 2018? Mitch must’ve liked him.

          1. William Respess Avatar
            William Respess

            Sorry Nancy. Federal magistrates are not Article III judges and are not appointed b the president or confirmed by the senate. They are appointed by the federal court in the district in which they will serve.

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Florida then.

          3. William Respess Avatar
            William Respess

            Actually, it requires a majority of the sitting judges, in this case the District Court Judges of the Southern District of
            Florida to approve the appointment of a magistrate, in this case the Honorable Bruce Reinhart. Reinhart took the bench as a magistrate in 2018. That would be in the second year of Trump’s presidency. It is known that he contributed to Obama’s 2008 election run. I suppose he could have changed his stripes after that. Also, I don’t know, but perhaps you do, whether the makeup of the Southern District Bench had a majority of Republican or Democrat appointees. However, my guess would be that, since Obama had been president for 8 years (2009-2017) it is likely the majority of sitting judges were Democratic appointees. Knowing you are diligent in running down answers to questions like this, you can identify the party affiliation of the judges on that court in 2018.

          4. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            If you want to hang your hat on the DoJ acting politically, fine. Legal warrant signed by a federal magistrate. Legal search.

          5. William Respess Avatar
            William Respess

            Nancy, you seem to have a short fuse and are very defensive. I thought, in view,of the taut logic that you typically demonstrate in your frequent postings, you would appreciate knowing that the premise of your posting to which I replied was erroneous might cause you to rethink that it was important that the “Bacon” community know that the magistrate owed his office to the Trump administration. Since that was not true, I thought you would welcome the clarification since it afforded you the opportunity to address your mistake. But, instead, you sought to recover from your mistake by dragging the state of Florida into the discussion to buttress your prior posting. I assumed, therefore, that I could help you by pointing out that the state in which he sat had no role in his appointment since he was in effect “hired” by the Court for which he was to be a magistrate might have been controlled by Democrats since in your initial posting you appeared to think it important that if he were appointed by Republicans that would diminish the possibility that his opinion was affected by his political background. So, I thought you would welcome knowing that it is at least a possibility that the body that confirmed him as a magistrate was likely to lean to Democrat, wrongly thinking that the impartiality you usually show would cause you address that possibility. Thus, I fail to see why you would infer from my effort to be helpful concerning how magistrates receive their position, that I had any position on whether the DoJ acted, as Secretary Garland is so fond of saying, “without fear or favor.” After all, if there is reason to believe it didn’t then shouldn’t we also believe the magistrate would have denied the search warrant?

          6. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Paragraphs. Use ’em.

            I really don’t care. When the Republicans tear the country apart, I’m leaving. If they fall short, as I’m sure they will, then I’ll stay happily. Doesn’t matter.

          7. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Better then that the DoJ followed typical procedures and looked to the local magistrate for the warrant as they would any other potential criminal. Unlike Sherman who seems wrapped about the axel on classification, the warrant could be nothing more than the government taking back its property.

          8. William O'Keefe Avatar
            William O’Keefe

            Paranoia run wild!

          9. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            You mea Trump. At the very least, this was just the FBI pulling an OJ. They wanted their property back. The Donald still has his 1st Amendment right to redress. Don’t hold yer breath.

    2. RKW Avatar
      RKW

      If you read the news reports, no federal judge was involved. A magistrate signed off on the search warrant.

      1. William O'Keefe Avatar
        William O’Keefe

        Check further. The magistrate was a federal judge.

      2. William O'Keefe Avatar
        William O’Keefe

        That is not at all clear.

        1. RKW Avatar
          RKW

          Saw the updated story. You are correct. They also updated the story to highlight that this federal magistrate is an Obama appointee and donor. That gives me even more confidence that the judicial system is being weaponized.

          1. William O'Keefe Avatar
            William O’Keefe

            I’m going to wait until all the facts come out. Your implication that all Obama appointed judges do not have judicial integrity is at best far fetched.

          2. RKW Avatar
            RKW

            You implied, I just stated fact. He also donated to Jeb Bush, but I don’t know his motivation. My concern is what is happening at the top of our justice system. We are starting to act like some third world dictatorship.

          3. William O'Keefe Avatar
            William O’Keefe

            Neither of us has enough facts to reach a definitive conclusion. Let’s wait for them to come out.

          4. RKW Avatar
            RKW

            New story says the magistrate is a pretty sharp, straight shooting judge that is now giving the FBI/DOJ until Monday to provide arguments on why he shouldn’t release the affidavit and the warrant to the public. A few news outlets have requested the docs. We may know more before too long.

  13. JayCee Avatar
    JayCee

    When is the march on the Hoover building? In 2025 I expect to see Hunter and the Big guy raided after the FBI gets audited.

  14. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    He ignored the law and took Presidential records home with him, instead of turning them over to the National Archives. Furthermore, some of those records reportedly were classified. I seem to remember another occasion in which a prominent official had classified material in her private residence against policy. In that situation, Trump and his followers were calling “Lock her up! Lock her up!”

    I agree with Steve, however, it seems like a political blunder. Although you could perhaps admire the FBI and DOJ for not paying attention to the politics and just doing their job.

    As far as Youngkin is concerned, his comment makes his intentions clear.

    1. Tom B Avatar
      Tom B

      Has it been confirmed that he improperly took records home, or are you getting ahead of the known facts?
      In re Hillary – there was no raid that I remember, and she was allowed to cleanse the data before she turned it over to the FBI. Regardless what the mob may have chanted, the law should be applied equally – or is unequal treatment a new progressive standard?
      Youngkin’s comment makes his intentions clear, as does your comment.

    2. kls Avatar
      kls

      Look what happened to Petraeus and Webster who had classified info… on a computer at home….hooked to the internet …

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Right. And so Trump should have known at least about this as you.

        1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
          James C. Sherlock

          Neither Petreus nor Webster had personal, unchallengeable declassification authority that the President has.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            He does have that authority but he can’t unilaterally declassify data he has without the process of declassification across the govt occurring.

            When he declassifies things in his possession that govt classification authorities don’t even know what it is – how do they update the Classification Guide and re-issue it to all govt agencies?

          2. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            You are wrong on the facts, Larry. To quote from an article on the subject:

            The majority ruling in the 1988 Supreme Court case Department of Navy vs. Egan — which addressed the legal recourse of a Navy employee who had been denied a security clearance — addresses this line of authority.

            “The President, after all, is the ‘Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States’” according to Article II of the Constitution, the court’s majority wrote. “His authority to classify and control access to information bearing on national security … flows primarily from this constitutional investment of power in the President, and exists quite apart from any explicit congressional grant.”

            Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy, said that such authority gives the president the authority to “classify and declassify at will.”

            In fact, Robert F. Turner, associate director of the University of Virginia’s Center for National Security Law, said that “if Congress were to enact a statute seeking to limit the president’s authority to classify or declassify national security information, or to prohibit him from sharing certain kinds of information with Russia, it would raise serious separation of powers constitutional issues.”

            The official documents governing classification and declassification stem from executive orders. But even these executive orders aren’t necessarily binding on the president. The president is not “obliged to follow any procedures other than those that he himself has prescribed,” Aftergood said. “And he can change those.”

            “Indeed, the controlling executive order has been rewritten by multiple presidents. The current version of the order was issued by President Barack Obama in 2009.”

            “The national-security experts at the blog Lawfare wrote in the wake of the Post’s revelation that the “infamous comment” by President Richard Nixon — that “when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal” — “is actually true about some things. Classified information is one of them. The nature of the system is that the president gets to disclose what he wants.”

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            You were military leadership. Surely you had a Classification Guide and promulgated it to your folks. right?

          4. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            Most people don’t understand that the Office of the President holds the power of Original Classification. That Office for a better lack of words Trumps all others with the ability to classify and can classify and declassify on a whim.

            Now, with all powers it’s not about the can, it’s about the should.

          5. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            The ironic aspect of Petreus was that the Officer her was having an affair with had the required Classification, just not the need to know.

    3. James A. Bacon Avatar
      James A. Bacon

      I seem to remember another occasion in which a prominent official had classified material in her private residence against policy. In that situation, Trump and his followers were calling “Lock her up! Lock her up!”

      And Democrats were saying, nothing to see here. This is no big deal. Now when it’s Trump, it’s a crime for the ages!

      So, your point is?

      (I’m just looking for consistency. Maybe the search of Mar-a-Lago was totally justified, and Trump is guilty as sin. If he is, he needs to be held accountable. I just detest double standards.)

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Oh yeah. In 40 years, I was gigged twice for security violations, once for willfully working with a document above the clearance on my badge. I had the clearance, just not the badge.

        The other had the investgator laughing. Way too long to go into, but I had to resort to dropping a Secret document between the safe and the wall.

      2. Eric the half a troll Avatar
        Eric the half a troll

        There actually was nothing to see there… apparently there are 25 boxes of material to see this time…

        Also, she was SoS at the time… Trump is not POTUS, y’ know…

      3. Eric the half a troll Avatar
        Eric the half a troll

        There actually was nothing to see there… apparently there are 25 boxes of material to see this time…

        Also, she was SoS at the time… Trump is not POTUS, y’ know…

      4. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        This happens
        https://irp.fas.org/cia/product/ig_deutch.html
        every time.

        There was no double standard. She was investigated for security violations. See comment to Dick. If you care. Like all “white collar” crimes, security violations are investigated for intent, i.e., willful disregard.

        BTW, on classified documents.
        1) Open Safe,
        2) Fill out safe open time and date sheet. Sign it.
        3) Take document to approved desk.
        4) Immediately realize you have to pee.
        5) Put document back in safe,
        6) Lock safe.
        7) Document safe locking, sign
        8) take break
        9) go to 1 skip 4.

        1. kls Avatar
          kls

          or as Sandy Berger did… stuff them into your boxers and socks.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            You’re thinking of Fawn Hall.

            “In 2005, Berger pleaded guilty to illegally removing classified documents from the National Archives by stuffing some papers in his pants leg.”

            Okay. We’re waiting.

        2. James C. Sherlock Avatar
          James C. Sherlock

          Unless you are the President. Who can on his own unchallengeable authority declassify anything he wishes and put it in his home safe when he leaves. Or his library, or his sock drawer.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            There’s still a process, even for him. Theft of government property is still a crime. The president has no power to “disown” the public’s rights to the public’s goods.

          2. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            No, there is not “still a process for him”. All presidents define the security classification process for their subordinates, the entire Executive Branch. They is not subject to it. No president is.

            The Supreme Court – a liberal one in 1988 – has ruled that Congress has no authority in that matter. No Congressional action such as a “Government Records Act” can affect the President’s constitutional de-classification authority.

            So if the warrant specified that it was issued in search for classified material, it was specious.

            The facts (1) that the same result, as presumptively illegal as it was, could have been obtained with a subpoena upon which a court could have ruled after proper due process; and (2) that the warrant was in violation of that Supreme Court ruling, will soon be pointed out to the magistrate.

            In the fullness of time perhaps the magistrate, a federal judge, will be himself impeached.

          3. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            The only reason the bastard didn’t take the pictures on the wall was because there was only one he liked.

          4. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            When then, you have a king.

    4. Tom B Avatar
      Tom B

      Has it been confirmed that he improperly took records home, or are you getting ahead of the known facts?
      In re Hillary – there was no raid that I remember, and she was allowed to cleanse the data before she turned it over to the FBI. Regardless what the mob may have chanted, the law should be applied equally – or is unequal treatment a new progressive standard?
      Youngkin’s comment makes his intentions clear, as does your comment.

      1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
        Dick Hall-Sizemore

        Trump’s lawyer says that is what they were looking for.

        1. Tom B Avatar
          Tom B

          You wrote: “He ignored the law and took Presidential records home with him, instead of turning them over to the National Archives.”
          1- Your statement treats an allegation as a fait accompli.
          2- All presidents take stuff home – it forms the basis of their libraries. It’s alleged, but not proven, that he took stuff he shouldn’t have.
          3- In re your answer above – so what? That he repeats what they said proves nothing about the veracity of their claims.
          4- What are the odds that we will see a dossier slipped into the documents seized by the FBI? Perhaps one created by Hillary in a continuation of the insurrection she started in 16.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            note the date on this :

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/67ffd8851d95e80a328c0b328da2e568474a910d47b8b673faa1879773047566.jpg

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8d63982e0db627ddca93f1d75b6a8fee08615580412a4018de9a29bbd2684329.jpg

            https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-national-security-9c1f6dca7e3e8073ee029604c8253a5c

          2. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            Note the date here:

            https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/05/05/documents-mar-a-lago-marked-classified-were-already-declassified-kash-patel-says/

            and here:
            https://yournews.com/2022/08/08/2392344/smoking-gun-biden-admin-sued-for-not-releasing-docs-declassified/

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Thank you. So all of that stuff had been already “declassified” but labels not updated and archive not notified? When?

            And do the appropriate people know what words and phrases have been declassified so they can update their records so that others using those words and phrases are not sited for violating classification ?

            It’s across the govt, not just one place.

            This is how it is done:

            (U) Office of the Director of National Intelligence Classification Guide (ODNI CG)

            https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/FOIA/DF-2015-00044%20(Doc1).pdf

          4. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2022-07/Meadows%20Memo%20to%20AG%20re%20Declassification%20of%20FBI%20Binder.01.20.2021.pdf

      2. kls Avatar
        kls

        Hillary never turned any documents over, except to the foreign governments which hacked her server….

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          the “documents” were content of emails sent to her, some of which she never had even read, they were CC.

        2. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          the “documents” were content of emails sent to her, some of which she never had even read, they were CC.

    5. kls Avatar
      kls

      Obama spent $30M fighting to keep his documents. Bush43 also used lawyers…. both instances was resolved through negotiations – which this was on track for a similar outcome… no armed raids before….. now a House member has had his phone confiscated without a warrant…. hmmmmmmm

    6. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      I don’t recall her having classified documents at home, per se. What I recall was emails from others sent to her in which paragraphs from a classified document were copied and pasted into the email. The person who copied the paragraph definitely violated handling procedures.

      Ms. Clinton claimed not to know, or did not make the association with, the marking techniques of the included paragraphs with those of a classified document.

      All paragraphs in a classified document begin and end with “(U)” for unclassified, or “(C)”, “(S)” meaning the content is at the document classification. I was never cleared for TS.

      For example; Dick, please note that James stated,
      “(U) And Democrats were saying, nothing to see here. This is no big deal. Now when it’s Trump, it’s a crime for the ages! (U)”

      In the mail sent Hillary were (C)s. She should have known.

      Or did you mean John Deutch? https://irp.fas.org/cia/product/ig_deutch.html

      1. kls Avatar
        kls

        Lack of a classification does not make the info unclassified/declassified. It’s up to the person in possession to take responsibility… most of the time…

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          If someone sent you something that was classified, would you be responsible? Would your computer contain classified info and be hacked?

          1. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            If I was Sec State and someone on my staff violated classified doc procedures, I would make sure it didn’t happen again and would report it. It was her job to enforce the rules in the department she oversaw. She had hundreds of those ‘mistakes’ on her computer. That’s at least gross incompetence and total disregard for the law and her responsibility as Sec State.

          2. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            If I was Sec State and someone on my staff violated classified doc procedures, I would make sure it didn’t happen again and would report it. It was her job to enforce the rules in the department she oversaw. She had hundreds of those ‘mistakes’ on her computer. That’s at least gross incompetence and total disregard for the law and her responsibility as Sec State.

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            She received email communications from hundreds/thousands of sources.

            None of it was labeled as classified.

            It was “content” that someone included in their email. They may not have known themselves that the words they were using had been deemed classified or determined to be classified later.

            This happens all the time on unclassified computers in organizations that also have classified systems.

            Certain phrases and words can be retroactively classified essentially causing classification violations on computers that contain the previously unclassified data.

            How can each individual who receives emails with content be deemed “irresponsible” if they don’t have every email checked by someone for content that is classified but not labeled as so?

            What do you do with the computers that the info came from – and the unclassified servers those computer were connected to?

            How come it was ONLY HER that was accused and called irresponsible and no one else, not the folks that sent it nor the folks who maintain the other unclassified servers?

            Why couldn’t she do what Trump has done and just “declassified” whole batches of info unilaterally instead of the normal process of determining each item’s classification one by one?

          4. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            Hillary knew that she was exposing classified information. She had requested a strengthened Blackberry, but NSA declined the request and offered a different phone. She refused it and continued to use her unsecured phone.
            The FBI found that she had sent and received classified data, including data that was marked classified at the time she sent it.
            Also, she received and sent data that had the classification markings in the message.

            As president, Trump had absolute control over classified data. Hillary was constrained by Executive Order 13526, signed by President Obama in 2009, which says that only the agency that classified the material can remove that classification.

      2. Tom B Avatar
        Tom B

        Of course, we don’t know what was on the server before she was allowed to cleanse the data. And, the mere use of an unauthorized server was a violation of policy, if not law. Which also begs the question of why she was allowed to decide what she gave to the gov’t, as opposed to the way such breaches are usually handled.

    7. WayneS Avatar
      WayneS

      And on what date did the FBI serve a search warrant on Hillary Clinton’s office and/or home?

    8. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      You are better than that, Dick. You hate Donald Trump. As you know, I don’t like him myself. But Tom B. had it right. Read Alan Dershowitz’s take on the raid and comment. His take on what Justice and the FBI should have done is what was in the nation’s best interest.

      I am very afraid this raid will make Mr. Trump not only the Republican nominee, but also president for a second time. Are you? Or do you think he can’t win again, and this is a ploy to get him nominated?

      Again, you are a trained lawyer. Read Dershowitz and comment.

      https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/3594412-justice-department-should-have-subpoenaed-documents-not-raided-trumps-home/

  15. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    re: ”
    A stunning move by the DOJ and FBI.

    This same DOJ labeled parents in Loudoun County as terrorists and failed to enforce federal law to protect Justices in their homes. Selective, politically motivated actions have no place in our democracy.”

    Wow! So much for that “center right” guy !

    This is Youngkins’ hat in the ring moment, no?

    Trump/Younkin 2024?

    Looks like :

    1. – A significant number of conservatives believe the FBI is crooked and partisan and a weapon to whoever is POTUS.

    2. – Can’t wait to take over and use the FBI as their partisan weapon. Threats to indict both Bidens!

    Can’t wait to see what happens if Trump is actually indicted!

    1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
      Eric the half a troll

      “Selective, politically motivated actions have no place in our democracy.”

      Has to be a contender for Ironic Statement of the Year…

    2. kls Avatar
      kls

      Remember the FBI Agent in charge of the DC Field Office running this op ran the FBI-supported kidnapping plot up north…. where none of the four suspects were found guilty. In fact there were more FBI uncover agents and informants in the ring than suspects — almost 2:1 ratio.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        sounds like some serious kool-aid…

        1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
          Eric the half a troll

          It is getting very Bull Elephantish around here these days to be sure…. probably the memes…

        2. Eric the half a troll Avatar
          Eric the half a troll

          It is getting very Bull Elephantish around here these days to be sure…. probably the memes…

  16. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    “My home was raided by FBI. Quick, send me money!” — Donald Trump

    Only one question, Governor Youngkin, “How much money are you going to send Trump?”

    There is only one issue on the 2024 ballot. It’s whether the November 5, 2028 headlines read “Election Still Too Close To Call,” or “Donald Trump, Jr. Wins With 99.9% Of The Vote”.

    Your choice.

  17. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Uh yep! 70% of Republicans are riled up and wild eyed in support of Trump. Why, that’s a full 25% of the populace. Good luck with that.

    January 6 was a rousing success… Now try it without the president.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      but, but, the were just saying last week they were not on the Trump Train….

  18. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    “My home was raided by FBI. Quick, send me money!” — Donald Trump

    Only one question, Governor Youngkin, “How much money are you going to send Trump?”

    There is only one issue on the 2024 ballot. It’s whether the November 5, 2028 headlines read “Election Still Too Close To Call,” or “Donald Trump, Jr. Wins With 99.9% Of The Vote”.

    Your choice.

  19. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    “Selective, politically motivated actions have no place in our democracy.”

    So, does that mean your hotline didn’t happen? Or, does this mean you are in favor of the law enforcement agencies enforcing the law without politically motivated retribution?

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      Mr. Miyares seems to be on that same track.

  20. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    It appears that Trumps story is that when he moved all those boxes, they were automatically declassified by himself unilaterally.

    He’s never ever done anything like that before, eh?

    1. walter smith Avatar
      walter smith

      You mean do what a President has historically done? Leave with a bunch of papers?
      Get a grip.
      Ooh…after the unchecked Floydapalooza where Trump had to go in the bunker, he walked over Lafayette Square to St. John’s… with a Bible! The horror!
      Joe refuses to follow Supreme Court rulings…snooze. Joe denigrates the Supreme Court…snooze. Joe refuses to enforce the immigration laws…snooze. Joe’s DOJ and FBI are corrupt and being used against political enemies…snooze. Apply the same standards to all people.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        There’s a process for leaving with papers. They’re inventoried and checked for classified.

        They don’t take them and tell others, “it’s okay, I’m POTUS and none of your beeswax”

        The National Archives has a complete inventory of what you took.

        As far as I can tell, Joe follows the law unlike his predecessor who acts more like a gangster than POTUS.

        1. Jack Lucas Avatar
          Jack Lucas

          Mr. Good, see my response to Mr. Sherlock above. Prior to noon on Jan 20th, 2021, then President Trump had the authority to automatically declassify any and all documents. Whether he did so (and documented his declassification decisions) is a topic for another discussion. NARA would not necessarily been an authoritative source for whether or not the records were still classified or whether they had been declassified by then President Trump.

          NARA is supposed to inventory the papers but that practice has not always been followed. See for example, former Senator Biden’s practice of having all of his Senate records sealed until two years after his departure from public life. NARA was not involved in the donation of 1850 boxes of Senatorial papers to the University of Delaware.

        2. walter smith Avatar
          walter smith

          There is a reason your eyes are brown…
          Naked assertions with no facts to back it up…
          When my Lefty team cheats, YAY for the good guys!
          When the evil Righties are in power, OMG they might do what we do! (and don’t because they are scared of the ComPost and NY Slimes) Be careful what you wish for… if Orange Man comes back, he just might be as authoritarian as your team ALWAYS is…

      2. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        There’s a process for leaving with papers. They’re inventoried and checked for classified.

        They don’t take them and tell others, “it’s okay, I’m POTUS and none of your beeswax”

        The National Archives has a complete inventory of what you took.

        As far as I can tell, Joe follows the law unlike his predecessor who acts more like a gangster than POTUS.

    2. oromae Avatar
      oromae

      What about the cellphones his staff hammered before turning those over and – oh wait. That was Hillary. Nevermind, everyone.

  21. James C. Sherlock Avatar
    James C. Sherlock

    From the majority majority ruling in the 1988 Supreme Court case Department of Navy vs. Egan —

    “The President, after all, is the “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States.” U.S.Const., Art. II, § 2. His authority to classify and control access to information bearing on national security and to determine whether an individual is sufficiently trustworthy to occupy a position in the Executive Branch that will give that person access to such information flows primarily from this constitutional investment of power in the President, and exists quite apart from any explicit congressional grant.” ” (emphasis added)

    “This Court has recognized the Government’s “compelling interest” in withholding national security information from unauthorized persons in the course of executive business. The authority to protect such information falls on the President as head of the Executive Branch and as Commander in Chief”

    If the magistrate had followed the law as defined in Department of Navy vs. Egan, he never would have issued a warrant for “classified documents” that Mr. Trump had the constitutional right to declassify on his own unchallengeable authority without any of the restrictions set by him or other presidents on people that worked for him – the entire executive branch.

    So it that is what the warrant specified, the courts will throw out all materials siezed as a result of that warrant.

    One reason the proceeds of the warrant will be thrown out is that there was a less drastic remedy. The magistrate could instead have issued a subpoena, which Mr. Trump’s lawyers could and would have challenged. He was way out of bounds issuing a warrant, a fact of which federal courts will soon inform him.

    If the issue works its way through the lower federal courts, certiorari by the Supreme Court is virtually assured.

    Alternately, the Supreme Court can assert original jurisdiction without the matter having gone through rulings and appeals in a lower court. On a case so directly offensive to the constitutional separation of powers, it may do so here.

    In either event, the magistrate will, if that was his motivation, soon get even more famous.

    1. Matt Adams Avatar
      Matt Adams

      He already is, as his contact information from Southern District of Florida’s website has been scrubbed.

    2. Jack Lucas Avatar
      Jack Lucas

      Mr. Sherlock, there is one issue with your statement above. Classification authority resides in the President (and the Vice President), not in a former President. If Mr. Trump declassified all of the documents prior to his departure from office, that would have been his right and therefore he would have no classified documents in his possession (assuming that the declassification memo exists and pre-dates noon on Jan 20th.)

      However, the reporting I have seen (primarily from the NARA website) indicates that Mr. Trump had classified records in his possession that were not declassified. Hence the wording being used (in some places) of “mishandling of national security information”. If Mr. Trump truely had properly classified information in his possession and he was not handling them appropriately (for example, storing them in a GSA-approved safe), then he may have some legal issues.

      I am waiting for greater clarity on the terms contained in the search warrant before making any judgements. The FBI has been known to “fudge” the justification for their search warrants (see the FISA warrant applications for Mr. Page as an example.) But, when NARA states that they found classified material in the 15 boxes of records they retrieved from Mr. Trump’s possession in February 2022, there exists a rebuttal presumption that there might be other classified documents in Mr. Trump’s possession.

      Whether or not a raid by FBI agents is the best way to determine if such documents exists and to obtain those documents is however a topic that can be discussed in fora such as this one.

      1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
        James C. Sherlock

        Do you want to go to court with the contention that he did not declassify them before leaving office?

        His lawyers will respond that he did so, and was under no obligation to inform anyone.

        They will be right in their contention that he was under no obligation to tell anyone, so, given his constitutional authority, that makes the contention presumptively true.

        To which there is no response that any court will accept.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          He would have had to go through a process with the National Archives to do that.

          Where is the record of that ?

          You know as a retired military guy that Classification is a process with a Guide.

          What the POTUS does can affect this guide if they KNOW what it was he declassified and when.

          The POTUS has the authority. HE must still follow the law.

          https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9bcb7fb75e2707e7508236741ff8d060e9acc7f137e4017ed21718931e4aa21c.jpg

          You’re basically advocating for autocratic rule here IMO.

          1. Jack Lucas Avatar
            Jack Lucas

            Mr. Good, when it comes to National Security, the President does have autocratic authority. See for example the commitment of US troops to military action without an Authorization for Military Use or a declaration of War from the US Congress.

            More to point, past Presidents have done a unilateral declassification of material. See the material released by then President Reagan relating to the Soviet shooting down of KAL 007, or the material presented by then President Kennedy relating to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Or the material presented to the UN by Secretary of State Powell justifying the invasion of Iraq. Any declassification memo of this material, as far as I know, would have been done after the fact.

        2. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Not under oath he wouldn’t.

      2. Tom B Avatar
        Tom B

        Here is a copy of the memo to Justice from Trump’s chief of staff on Jan 20, 2021 in re the declassification on 1/19:

        https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2022-07/Meadows%20Memo%20to%20AG%20re%20Declassification%20of%20FBI%20Binder.01.20.2021.pdf

        The Biden admin has been slow walking the release of the declassified docs, and on the day of the raid, Judicial Watch filed a suit to force them to release.
        Trump has been working with the feds on the ownership of the docs for months, the feds had seen the docs in Mar-a-Lago and had asked for extra locks on the room they were stored in; Trump complied with the request. Why the need to stage a massive raid?
        Perhaps this is all an attempt to recover, and prevent the release of, anything which would document the democrats complicity in the false Trump Collusion narrative and illegal spying on the Trump campaign.

    3. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Yeah, one problem — “reasonable man”. Even SCOTUS didn’t count on a dirtbag like trumpery. Hamilton did. But I think he lost that debate.

    4. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      The POTUS has that authority but he still has to follow the law for de-classifying.

      You know this as a former military person.

      There is a process and a procedure for doing it.

      You cannot unilaterally declare whatever you took as unclassified without even identifying what it was.

      You KNOW this guy.

      Are you really THIS partisan?

  22. James C. Sherlock Avatar
    James C. Sherlock

    That was an appropriate comment by the Governor, a state chief executive, a politician and a non-lawyer.

    His citing of the selective enforcement he has seen in Virginia is an appropriate comparison.

    He did not bring up the prosecution and conviction of Governor McDonnell, which was overturned unanimously by the Supreme Court, but he could have done so. That case was highly politicized. What McDonnell did was sleazy, but deemed not illegal. The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling clarified – and dramatically narrowed – the scope of federal anti-corruption law.

    The issue with the warrant on President Trump’s home is of infinitely greater consequence. And, unlike the McDonnell case, direct confronts the Supreme Court ruling in Department of the Navy v. Egan. The Supreme Court will not be amused.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      What you have confirmed here is that Youngkin is CLEARLY NOT a center-right guy. He’s on the right alongside the partisans.

  23. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Another week in Trump World. A search warrant at Mar a Lago. Today, it’s a deposition by the NY Atty. Gen. in a civil fraud case. Ho-Hum.

    1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      Thanks for the reminder, if one was needed, that the former President remains under full court assault by the “resistance” – progressive FBI directors, federal judges and state and federal prosecutors – still competing with one another for progressive street cred after seven years. I don’t think ho-hum covers it. Someone with surely “get” him soon, don’t you think?

      What is now more likely to happen is that these morons will make him a martyr and the next President of the United States. The same crowd, thinking they were promoting a sure loser, made him president the first time.

      I find that now-more-likely outcome chilling, and the progressive participation in helping that it come true both self destructive and destructive to what is left of our nation. Don’t you, Peter?

  24. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Captain. Sherlock. If a judge gives the FBI a search warrant, they have to carry it out. Nothing political. What is political is Trump himself. He’s been pulling crap for decades. In 1989, I left my post in Moscow for a job at the international desk at Business Week’s New York HQ. It was the time of Trump and Marla Maples (“Best Sex I Ever Had.”) Trump would do anything for publicity and was suing everyone in town. He would call up reporters and claim to be Trump’s pr agent. He was considered such a buffoon that our editor in chief had a strict order. No Trump stories without my person approval. That’s the kind of reputation he had in NYC.

  25. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    Youngkin should have learned from Trump that “governance by Tweet” is a poor approach. Beyond that, he has not even been governor for a year yet. Maybe he should focus on Virginia-specific issues for a while more.

    While Youngkin should back down on the non-Virginia, federal issues, this does again point out the folly of not allowing a governor to seek re-election (at least once). All Virginia governors are lame ducks on the day they are inaugurated. There’s a good reason that 49 other states allow their governors to seek at least one additional, consecutive term.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      And I agree with you but apparently most of the GA – both GOP and DEM like it this way.

      I don’t know about other states, but the fact that a Va Gov can write his/her own amendments or even proposed law is a powerful thing even for a one-term deal.

      Thanks for being honest about Youngkin. Clearly he is not really a center-right gov with this admission … he’s all in for Trump and allies.

      1. DJRippert Avatar
        DJRippert

        The GA does like it this way. It opens the door for any of them to run for governor almost twice as often as would be the case if the sitting governor could run for re-election. I suspect this is a holdover from the Byrd Machine. The basic philosophy of that organization was to quietly grift in plain sight. It’s much easier to control a state with control of many constitutional officers and 140 General Assembly members (with NO term limits, off-year elections and unlimited campaign contributions) than to depend on being able to convince the electorate to vote for the chosen governor. This, despite “the nod”.

        I doubt Youngkin is “all in” for Trump. He didn’t campaign with Trump. I see this as his way of appealing to the Trump base with a relatively innocuous Tweet.

        And remember, Tim Kaine certainly did not resign his US Senate seat to run for Vice President.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          re: ” I see this as his way of appealing to the Trump base with a relatively innocuous Tweet.”

          Oh, you don’t see this as also appealing directly to Trump?

          I think he is helping Trump to run again – no contest. And now Trump can pretty much be assured that DeSantis or Youngkin will be his running mate and pick up votes from those who say they are not Trumpsters.

          anything wrong with this logic?

  26. oromae Avatar
    oromae

    Calling balls and strikes. Kudos, Gov.

  27. Kathleen Smith Avatar
    Kathleen Smith

    Divide and conquer, Trump’s motto.

    I think we should leave politics out of schools and law enforcement and the judicial system.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Now that Trump is outta office there is no “my Justice Department”, or “my generals”, etc.

      So, your wish is granted.

  28. beached Avatar
    beached

    Virginia is not co-sovereign. That is simply wrong.

  29. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    And these are Republicans… perhaps the last ones left…
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GcVSC-BgTww&ebc=ANyPxKpGg_U8sGAwkWWeuMFVYpXG9nWUxdS7TlKHdQ_C-OsjOPqin_fkb5BOYVH9Nmq7Z-q38G4mA4MDhiBUxTCB9dkqYzORFg&feature=emb_imp_woyt

  30. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
    James Wyatt Whitehead

    Dear Glenn Y,
    Can you have the state police raid Uncle Ralph’s residence for me. We are looking for the shoe polish.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      😉

  31. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Captain Jim. You right wingers are trying hard to conjure up a progressive police state. A couple of extra points. Trump took the Fifth hundreds of time yesterday in his civil fraud deposition. Also, Christopher Wray, the FBI director you are accusing of being “progressive” was actually nominated by Trump in 2017.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      The extreme right has hated the FBI since Ruby Ridge and Waco. Now, it’s moving from Josh Hawley to Lindsey Graham.

      1. Tom B Avatar
        Tom B

        True, but begs the question of why the anger against the institution? I blame it on innocence lost. Prior to the actions at Waco / RR, I think most believed the FBI had integrity. When it refused to discipline the individuals involved, anger transferred from the individuals to the organization.

        Both the individuals the FBI was seeking could have been detained easily and safely, but the FBI chose to employ military tactics and risk armed confrontation.

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Waco was ATF. By the time the FBI got in, there was no “easy” or “safe”.

          Besides, what is it y’all constantly say to black Americans? Oh yeah, just obey the officers.

          1. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            You chose the example and the agency. Had I known you wanted to be more inclusive, I would have gladly included ATF, which also started the RR incident with its entrapment of Weaver.

            If your best defense of the FBI is the claim that the ATF started it, then you have no defense. The FBI had many options at its disposal. Hunger and thirst would have eventually driven a surrender. My own opinion is that Clinton/Reno/FBI, stung by criticism and ridicule (WACO = we ain’t coming out) grew impatient and children died as a result. Having failed to protect the innocent, they succeeded in the campaign to CYA.

            More clear-cut examples of FBI misconduct would have to start with the trial of Sen Ted Stevens, whose indictment was timed to provide Obama with the 60th senate seat he needed.
            The judge in the case called it the worst case of prosecutorial misconduct he had ever seen, and initiated a contempt investigation against 6 members of the prosecution team (FBI and DOJ) because he said he did not trust the DOJ to conduct a proper investigation.

            The Special Counsel report on the case said:
            “The investigation and prosecution of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens were permeated by the systematic concealment of significant exculpatory evidence which would have independently corroborated Senator Stevens’s defense and his testimony, and seriously damaged the testimony and credibility of the government’s key witness.”

            There are numerous other examples of FBI bad behavior:
            The alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer (MI-Gov), in which 60% of the plotters were FBI informants who provided the $.
            Spying on the Trump campaign using FISA warrants obtained with documents the FBI knew were false.
            etc.

            It seems to me that rational people would question the FBI’s actions; those who refuse to question them seem to be in denial, or are allowing their political agenda to overcome their morality.

            Saying that someone’s own actions made the situation worse does not mean that law enforcement does not have to obey the rules. That you imply that it does strikes me as more of an angry, emotional response than a reasoned argument.

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Again. Don’t wanna get shot by a cop? Follow his commands; don’t shoot at them. Works for white folks too.

          3. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            I can safely assume that you agree with me about the FBI’s culpability? (Since you chose to ignore the body of my reply.)

            I already answered you – failure to obey doesn’t give law enforcement carte blanche. They still have to follow the rules.

          4. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            What? They never make a mistake? They’re not the Catholic Church. Richard Jewel. ‘Nuff said, but given a choice between Trump’s word or the lowest, lying FBI agent, it’s not a choice.

          5. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            Lying to the FISA court was a deliberate action, not a mistake. Lying to the jury in the Stevens trial and hiding evidence from the defense in the trial was a deliberate action, not a mistake. They are the product of an agency that believes that the end justifies the means, and the law is whatever they want it to be.
            How naive are you?

            Are you claiming that the Catholic Church thinks itself infallible? If so, you are very naive. Progressives, OTOH, believe they are infallible.

            The FBI lied about Trump; Trump called them out, and was proven right. I’ll believe the man who didn’t lie to me. If you’re a liberal, CDC studies show that TDS is more contagious than Covid.

          6. Tom B Avatar
            Tom B

            Lying to the FISA court was a deliberate action, not a mistake. Lying to the jury in the Stevens trial and hiding evidence from the defense in the trial was a deliberate action, not a mistake. They are the product of an agency that believes that the end justifies the means, and the law is whatever they want it to be.
            I’m not naive enough to believe that it was a mistake.

            Are you claiming that the Catholic Church thinks itself infallible? Progressives, OTOH, believe they are infallible.

            The FBI lied about Trump; Trump called them out, and was proven right. I’ll believe the man who didn’t lie to me. If you’re a liberal, CDC studies show that TDS is more contagious than Covid.

    2. Tom B Avatar
      Tom B

      The left is always outraged when someone they are targeting exercises his constitutional rights – blacks voting, individuals owning guns, defendants taking the fifth, etc.

  32. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Judging from the increased calls for violent attacks on the law enforcement and government facilities, I have to admit this has riled the right, but other than violence, don’t expect much else.

    1. Tom B Avatar
      Tom B

      Right wing violence tends to be individual and disorganized. Left wing violence tends to be groups and highly organized (KKK, BLM, Antifa, etc).

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Disorganized? Like J6? Yeah, right.

        1. Tom B Avatar
          Tom B

          BS. If they were organized, they would have gone in with plans to occupy the building until their demands were met, not wander around taking selfies and leave in an hour.

          When the left takes over a state capital, they exhibit organization – signs, demands, food and water, chants, chaining themselves to doors, etc. None of that was in evidence on 1/6.

          The weakness of your argument is shown by the fact that Pelosi could not allow the republicans to appoint their representatives to her 1/6 star chamber proceedings; she appointed 2 Trump haters because fair and impartial would have destroyed the narrative she wanted to spoon-feed the mob that backed Hillary’s insurrection (the illegal spying on the Trump campaign and the Steele Dossier and its aftermath).

  33. Tom B Avatar
    Tom B

    Sundance, writing at the Conservative Treehouse, takes a look at the Mar-a-Lago raid, the memo to DOJ on 1/20/20, and what was in the papers the gov’t seized. Far too long to quote or summarize, but it does explain a lot.

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/08/11/part-4-what-was-in-the-trump-documents-creating-such-fear-in-doj-and-fbi/#more-236424

  34. Tom B Avatar
    Tom B

    For those who feel the need to lighten the mood, may I offer:

    https://youtu.be/gnAUs-ms3-Y

  35. Tom B Avatar
    Tom B

    This is the memo Trump sent to the AG, DNI, CIA regarding the declassification. The link is to the National Archives copy. Hopefully, this will ease the minds of those who thought that Trump did not follow procedures.

    https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-declassification-certain-materials-related-fbis-crossfire-hurricane-investigation/?utm_source=link

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