Who are you, who are you, where have you been, where are you going to? Don McLean Legend of Andrew McGrew
If you’re wondering just how extreme the polar opposite ends of the Republican party are, then you’re in luck. But you’re going to want to take a picture, because this kind of political celestial alignment only takes place once in a lifetime.
On the one hand you have Donald John Trump. He just got nicked by writer E Jean Carroll for a cool $5 mil for his big mouth, and there is on a townhall on CNN giving her serious thoughts of skinning him for another $5 mil if he doesn’t learn to shut up. And for an encore, he literally dared Special Counsel Jack Smith to come after him on the Mar-A-Lago documents case, or anything else for that matter. Trump the eternal bad*ss.
And on the other side of the GOP political spectrum, you have one George Devolder Santos. The Alfred E Neuman of disorganized crime. You might have read how he recently won the DOJ booby-prize, a 13 count fraud based box set of indictments. But the real beauty is in what came next.
Did you see Santos” little impromptu presser when he walked out of the courthouse and was immediately engulfed in a piranha swarm of media? If you haven’t seen it, you really should look it up online and watch it. I’m not sure it can actually be effectively described.
To start with, Santos whined like a jet engine from start to finish in the questioning. He seemed like a seven year old on the way to the principal’s office, almost in tears. And a couple of times he nearly lost it altogether. At one point he whined, I’ve been here for what?, four months, five months? It’s ridiculous! I sh*t you not, when Santos whined five, he sounded like a pubescent whose left nut hasn’t dropped yet. And when he moaned ridiculous, I was literally expecting him to break down in tears.
And the media was having the time of their lives, batting Santos around like a tetherball. At one point Santos tried the tried and true Trump/HOP mantra, The Biden family has been getting millions of dollars in foreign money deposited in their accounts for decades, and where’s the investigation into them? And from the moment the media heard the word Biden, they immediately booed and jeered santos down. Santos didn’t know whether to sh*t, go blind, or wind his watch. (Hint from one who knows. Wind your watch) santos was stunned. When does Trump ever get booed? Hell, even Squeaker Cavein McCarthy doesn’t get booed down by the media.
Here’s how I know that Santos is going to fold and plead out, and probably sooner than later. Previously I wrote about about one of Santos’s earlier attempts at juvenile delinquency, In which he stole more than a dozen checks from an elderly family friend, and used them to buy himself expensive clothing and jewelry. The case went dormant when the Brazilian police couldn’t locate Santos, who had emigrated to the US, but they never officially closed it.
But now that the Brazilian police know where Santos is, and he’s apparently engaged in more felonies, they have notified the US that they’d like us to return George Santos back to Rio for a little chat. And if the Brazilian system is anything like ours, then when they made the case dormant, it stopped the statute of limitations clock, since they couldn’t access the suspect, just like Alvin Bragg did with Trump in Manhattan.
Here’s the McGuffin. On the day after santos’ arraignment, his attorney announced that they had settled the outstanding case in Brazil. No sh*t. From what I heard, Santos is going to pay some $5000 in restitution in return for a non prosecution agreement from the prosecutors. Why? Why Western Union $5K to brazil to solve a problem that isn’t even a problem as long as you don’t go to Brazil? Santos is jumping at shadows, since the US doesn’t have an extradition agreement with Brazil.
That’s one reason why I can’t imagine Santos not copping a plea deal. He’s so weak! When Trump was indicted, he considered whether to smile or not for his mug shot and during his perp walk. santos almost cried outside of court. He wanted his mommy. But here he shares something with his Glorious Bleater. Both of them have spent their lives never facing any serious criminal consequences for their actions. It’s just a game. But Trump has narcissism, egotism, and cash. Santos has nothing to fall back on.
And the DOJ will want to make a 3rd rate criminal poster child out of Santos. Because he’s too loud, too arrogant, and too insultingly boastful. Santos is facing 13 criminal charges. He can negotiate through his lawyer until the cows come home, but he’s going to do time. The DOJ wants to be able to point to Santos and say to every other 3rd rate Skel out there, See this? This orange blob was a sitting US congressman. Now he’s a convicted felon. Think twice about how smart you think you are. It won’t be long time, but I’m figuring 2-3 years if he pleads out, longer if he goes to trial.
Which leads me top my last point tonight. Which is my earlier question, why would Santos jump through hoops to settle a dormant criminal case in Brazil when he’s in so much hot water here? And as I went through this pathetic tale, I think I might have found the common thread, and the reason why.
A month or so there was a report that appeared in the media. about a former Santos associate and, what else, former roommate who had been convicted of pressing and reconstructing stolen credit cards. Remember? And the convict was pissed because he claimed that it was Santos who taught him to do it, and supervised the operation. Which with Santos long and checkered criminal accusation history doesn’t sound quite as ridiculous as it would from another MOC.
Here’s my question. If Santos has the kinds of skills to press and reprocess stolen credit cards, and the necessary connections go get them back in circulation so they get paid for it, If Santos has those kinds of connections in the criminal world, might it not be possible that he knows somebody who could put together a passable counterfeit passport? One good enough to get him back down to Rio if the heat gets too high here? Just something to think about.
Him going to Rio isn’t going to save him from the authorities there, when he inevitably crimes again.
Nothing to save PJ…He just SETTLED the case…$5000 for a Non Prosecution Agreement…
The whole “Club Fed” thing about almost comfy federal prisons has always been a myth. Still, there are levels of criminal and there are in fact still minimum security federal prisons where conditions and life aren’t nearly as harsh as in other federal pens. Not fun, and not particularly comfy prison is the best Santos can hope for. IF he pleads and relatively soon and doesn’t try to get cute with any “Queen for a day” conference with prosecutors in which he confesses all and agrees to testify against others he committed crimes with yes, he can cut a deal for a couple of years and maybe less in a minimum security prison.
If they haven’t already I suspect prosecutors have sat down with his lawyers for a chat about that indictment, started providing the discovery they are legally required to turn over AND if as I’m sure we both suspect they have other stuff they are looking at and already have some evidence on Santos will face an ultimatum. A “This is the best you’re going to get and pleading guilty & confessing all AND cooperating in prosecution of others will get you this deal – listen to your lawyers and jump at it!” BUT, it will be followed by a warning – “The longer you wait, the more you try and keeping getting away with your sh*t and the less generous our offer will become. Do you REALLY want us to go all out and put you in a prison with hardened federal convicts for either or ten years? Again – talk to your lawyers and they will tell you that’s what we can do. And will if you don’t agree to our very, VERY generous initial offer.”
The only question is if Santos finally gets it through his head that he’s legally screwed, and that he can lose little or lose “bigly.” Since this is Santos I’m not sure he’ll have his Come to Jesus moment. But, the thing with Brazil makes me think he’s scared and might want to get the hell out of the U.S. if he’s scared, then maybe he’s drifting back to some semblance of being in tough with reality.
Yeah, just Ask Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort abpout that one…
Yep. Manafort tried to get cute and the jury which included an admitted hard-core Trump voter nailed his butt at trial. I will NEVER forgive that a-hole judge (clearly a Trump supporter) who ignored the sentencing guidelines which the prosecutors followed carefully (which still left a serious sentence to be served) and revised it DOWN (way the hell down) stating something to the effect that generally Manafort was an ok guy who’d lived a decent life. WTF? As a jarhead THAT really set me off! Among his MANY transgressions against decency and the law for that matter during his ugly career Manafort’s work for the Party of Regions in Ukraine way back (aa pro-Russia/Putin group) had him helping organize a large protest aimed specifically as U.S. service members. Mainly Sailors and Marines who docked in port and were headed to a conference to plan joint exercises between Ukraine and other countries in the Black Sea. That protest was intended to be violent and it was. Police response was “delayed” even and buses with our troops got overturned. Fortunately the cops did show up and dispersed the crowd enough to be able to get our personnel back to the Naval base. Where the stayed until the ships sailed out but the purpose had been accomplished. The proposed joint exercises which Putin most definately did NOT want to take place were cancelled. Our people could have been killed if the police (intentional) delayed response hadn’t shown up just in the nick of time. That judge retired shortly after the trial and if I still lived in Alexandria or nearby I’d have hung out in his neigborhood whenever I wasn’t working so I could shout (if necessary) to him what “good guy” Manafort had done. And shove proof in news stories and DOD records (there were folks I could have called on to get me unclassified reports) in his face. And my cussing would have made an “old Corps” Gunny blush!
As for Cohen, he only did time because when his own “Queen for a day” time happened he was fine with giving up stuff on Trump and other politicos but you have to confess ALL. And the feds certainly wanted to know what he could tell him about folks he’d gotten to know via his wife – HER family which was in the texicab business and the shady dealings with those NYC tqxi medallions were a great money laundering front. THAT was a subject Cohen refused to discuss and that’s why he wound up doing time. Cohen knew better than to cross those people, and that even prison would be better than what would happen if he talked. And going to prison to protect them meant he’d have protection in prison so I can see why he did what he did and took his medicine so to speak.
Santos’ lawyers will probably mention these very two people to Georgie. And make it clear to him that unlike Managort who was still rich enough to buy some protection in prison or Cohen who “bought” it with silence ole Georgie will have to fend for himself. Without the guards making a special effort on his behalf even in a minimum security place he’s going to have a VERY unhappy existence if he doesn’t play ball with prosecutors. And as I said do so pretty soon. The more he tries to screw with them the more THEY will screw him!
The federal prison at What going AFB,where I taught, used to be a barracks for zEs. If it was good enough for enlisted
men, who are prepared tp.for for their country try, it’s way too.good for white collar criminals
Ah, finally, we’re getting to the stage of “connecting the dots.” If Santos has “connections”, could they be the same “connections” as the Mango Mussolini’s? It’s “All in the Family” dontcha know?
The Bidens can call it: The Republican Crime Family.
No, I didn’t say that…What I said was that if SANTOS had the criminal connections to press and resell stilen credit cards for profit, MAYBE he could find a connection to someone who could create a bogus passport…It is inconceivable to me that a small time moron like Santos could have ANY connections into Trump’s elevated circle…Try again…and
I haven’t heard anything on who posted bail for Santos. I think your theory is ingenious, but who stands to lose if he flees?