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John Santos's avatar

Oh shit. I expanded the totally off-topic comment about an overdue library book and lost my mostly written comment about this post.

The gist: Fuck the Fucking New York Times and there idiotic bothsiderism. Fuck the treasonous Jan 6th insurrectionists and their enabler-in-chief who should have been hunted down like dogs; their bullet-riddled corpses should be rotting in the streets. Fuck Todd Blanche, the most corrupt lawyer (I repeat myself) in America. And Fuck the Orange Shit Gibbon, who is an insult to gibbons (a clever primate with many admirable attributes), shit (a valuable fertilizer) and the color orange (rich in fiber and vitamin C.)

kasteel1's avatar

Is Susan Collins concerned?

Jen Is Not It's avatar

I have real concerns about this. What can you do to narrow the scope of the IRS settlement? How can you give us assurance that this anti-representation fund is truly dead?”

Curb, Lisa? CURB? It should not exist to begin with! There should be no curb cause there should be no street!

Daniel O'Riordan's avatar

Hey! NYT!

The public interest is no longer a factor in governing.

Carthago Delenda Est's avatar

Even assuming that both Cornyn's and Tillis' replacements are Republicans (and that is not a sure thing, especially Tillis) and that the Rs retain control of the Senate (again not a sure thing), neither of the newbies will have the seniority to be appointed to Judiciary.

Clearly, Fat Orange has no idea how the Senate works. Example, the filibuster. Neither side wants to do away with it, because they both know they will eventually be in the minority one day and the filibuster is a useful tool for the minority.

Hank Napkin's avatar

Todd aks "Should I open a Dollar Tree Franchise?"

🎱 sez "You may rely on it"

Robert Eckert's avatar

"a president’s personal interest, <strike>along with</strike> *instead of public interest, is now a factor in governing"

Erisian's avatar

Re the screen grab at the top of the story:

I realize that it's SOP to identify some of those testifying before Congress as "Hon," but there is nothing... zilch... nada... zero... bupkis that is honorable about Todd Blanche.

fnord

Karen Krebser's avatar

This citizen of California will be voting happily and proudly for James Talarico IN MY BRAIN!

Resist Herr GropenFuhrer's avatar

Sadly, this entire story is completely irrelevant. Unlike most cabinet officers, the acting AG can serve indefinitely, with the full power of a confirmed AG. There's even a federal law that spells all that out.

I can only wonder how brave those few R holdouts in the Senate would have been if their resistance had actually mattered in any meaningful way ... as it is, it's only performative nonsense. like most of what they've done lately. Buncha shitweasels, the lot of 'em ...

Jen Is Not It's avatar

Not sure it is completely irrelevant. There's a whole slew of things an appointed AG can do that an acting can't. Think of an acting as a place holder, like minding the store. Can't change things up, just have to keep a lid on it. While an appointee can shitcan and change things willy nilly.

That alone is worth something

Resist Herr GropenFuhrer's avatar

This is a very interesting angle. The google AI was hopeless in commenting on it -- self-contradictory all over the place.

I will only note that "acting" DNI Pulte started firing people immediately, which seems like something he should not have been able to do per this hypothesis, and yet ...

So, either they CAN change things up, or it's just more "break things fast and they can't stop you" fascist BS in that case, but either way, what's to stop Blanche from similar depraved acts?

PRW's avatar

"North Carolina [...] Republican Michael Whatley" I hadn't realized the Whatleys of Dunwich had a North Carolina branch.

Sue Fishkin's avatar

If Blanche is a “star” why was Trump convicted on 34 counts?

Majordomo Billy Bojangles's avatar

Being guilty as homemade sin may have something to do with it. A good lawyer might have gotten him off or a reduced sentence if Trump had kept his mouth shut.

Blanche is not a good lawyer. Trump cannot keep his mouth shut.

Therefore, status quo.

Wookiee Monster's avatar

Pedo47 has finally found his Roy Cohn. Bill Barr was corrupt, but he had a red line at stealing elections. Scammy Jo tried really hard to be his Roy Cohn, but she sucks too hard at lawyering. Todd Blanche, though, showed his willingness to be Roy Cohn when he moved a convicted sex trafficker to Club Fed and gave her therapy puppies.

So Cheeto really wants Blanche to be his Roy Cohn, but he also wants that immunity from any tax crimes he’s committed and to be able to pay off the J6 terrorists in case he needs another insurrection.

This has put him in a huge bind.

Lisa's avatar

Yes, those poor ugly white degenerates of our society have been treated worse than the Indigenous people, the Japanese and Chinese workers who helped build America alongside the Africans kidnapped in the slave trade, who all were forced laborers for the colonists. No reparations for these people, just the assholes who took a literal shit in our Capitol. J-6rs should all be ok with their get out of jail free cards and their cushy ICE jobs.

Vic's avatar

Their lives have been ruined. "Lives" so enjoyable they're reduced to worshiping a clown with tiny fingers. Uh-huh.

Bagels of Doom's avatar

Trump blanches, Blanche sauteed.

2Cats2Furious's avatar

Bondi was a shit AG. It’s almost impressive how much worse Blanche has been.

Bagels of Doom's avatar

It'll get worse with his next pick.

Resist Herr GropenFuhrer's avatar

Sadly, this entire story is completely irrelevant. Unlike most cabinet officers, the acting AG can serve indefinitely, with the full power of a confirmed AG. There's even a federal law that spells all that out.

I can only wonder how brave those few R holdouts in the Senate would have been if their resistance had actually mattered in any meaningful way ... as it is, it's only performative nonsense. like most of what they've done lately. Buncha shitweasels, the lot of 'em ...

Bagels of Doom's avatar

All of this is theater but at a time it can matter. They all know that and that's why they're all making their moves now.

Bagels of Doom's avatar

It's a political question that is already a liability. The underlying question that matters is how much will this influence the midterms (narrator: we will never know the answer)

Robert Eckert's avatar

Can the acting AG be impeached and removed?

2Cats2Furious's avatar

He was confirmed as Deputy Attorney General, so I would think he could be impeached and removed from that office. It would require an entirely different Congress than what we currently have, however.

Resist Herr GropenFuhrer's avatar

Fascinating Q. The ever-lying google AI basically sez "I dunno":

Yes, an acting U.S. Attorney General who has not been confirmed by the Senate can still theoretically be impeached, though it is legally unsettled whether "inferior" or purely temporary federal officers fall under the constitutional impeachment scope.

Banana Hammer's avatar

A great time to remind ourselves that for this go-round, Bondi and Blanche are choices 2 and 3 respectively. His first pick was Matt "sex/drug trafficker" Gaetz (allegedly)! Remember that?!

Bagels of Doom's avatar

Also, always keep in mind that these are the same people who speak of "meritocracy" as though they've earned any of the merit involved.