Roger Stone walked yesterday, after Donald Trump commuted his sentence, setting a precedent that obstruction of justice, witness tampering and lying to Congress are no big deals, if you’ve got the right connections in the White House. No, getting convicted of seven felonies is the same as a parking ticket, if you’re cronies with the right crooked elected official. We might have known that before, but we never saw it so blatantly demonstrated as we did Friday night.
Trump vowed to drain the swamp, but he didn’t say he intended to do it by pardoning it. Remember Trump’s infamous post-impeachment clemency spree when he pardoned a slew of white-collar criminals convicted of corruption, gambling fraud and racketeering? My favorite among those was former Illinois governor, and Celebrity Apprentice guest Rod Blogojevich, who tried to sell Barack Obama’s senate seat.
The message that Donald Trump sent last night was crystal clear. Corruption and abuse of power is nooo problemo — if and when you’re connected. If you’re a working class black man, you can be executed in the street on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, but if you’re an old rich white guy, with the right friends, you can be convicted of multiple felonies, threaten a judge, and still walk.
In all events, one lone Republican actually came out in opposition to this most recent demolition derby of the rule of law and that was Mitt Romney.
Unprecedented, historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) July 11, 2020
And Jim Jordan joined Lindsey Graham in ginning up the conspiracy theories.
Roger Stone’s prosecution by overzealous Special Counsel prosecutors was an outgrowth of the Obama-Biden misconduct.
Like every president, President Trump has the constitutional right to commute sentences where he believes it serves the interests of fairness and justice.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 11, 2020
Not to belittle Romney’s tweet, at least it is better than the crickets we hear from the rest of his party, but maybe he better get more proactive with his colleagues since the constitution is in flames, Putin is paying the Taliban to kill American soldiers, and the number of coronavirus cases is skyrocketing.
But here is the tweet you really need to see. Curiously, Lindsey Graham has not deleted it.
If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 3, 2016
Before Lindsey Graham became a traitor to America, he was a prophet.
All the comments I’ve seen are “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
U mean YOUR post. Must be another “empty barrel”. Think you guys will EVER come up with a valid point, or an argument to support it? Naw
Several things we know about jimmie, he knew athletes were being sexually assaulted at Ohio st, & did Nothing. Wait, no, actually he lied, despite some of the many victims coming out to testify They told him directly. Guess he’s more like the shop owner in Pulp Fiction, who kidnapped Bruce & Vin, then called the rapist in so he could watch. I believe someone mentioned something about “a generation of vipers” a couple thousand years ago. All I hear out of mouth is hissssssss.
Which is why I always encourage everyone to refer to him as ‘Gym’ Jordan, so that he will always be remembered for his sole memorable life achievement.
Lindsay Graham is a toady. A sidekick. Nothing more. ALWAYS has been. That 2016 tweet? While it ain’t much I’d bet all I have he didn’t think up that statement, but rather got it from his then master John McCain and got permission to run with it. He got all his “bravery” from McCain and was probably terrified when McCain got sick because he knew he’d be without his “shield” so it’s no surprise he’d promised and do whatever it took to get on Trump’s good side.
New on my list of weird fantasies is CINDY McCain publicly stepping up and denouncing Graham, and by extension Trump. I’d love hearing her make clear that she not only believes Graham has betrayed her husband’s memory and ideals, but has proven he never was really John McCain’s friend in the first place. That Graham is no longer welcome at the McCain home in AZ or anywhere else, and even that visiting McCain’s grave at the Naval Academy would be desacrating it and would the Command Structure and Midshipmen PLEASE keep him away from it.
Basically, do to him what Nancy Reagan did to Ollie North only in stronger terms. North knew better than to fight back and let the matter go. I suspect Graham would try to handle such a gut punch from Cindy McCain in the same way, but here’s the delicious part. Trump himself would get involved and tie it around Graham’s neck like an anchor for one of the aircraft carriers McCain flew from! Given the slanderous manner in which SC voters were suckered (by their own racism) into blowing up McCain’s candidacy in the 2000 primary and ultimately giving us Bush 43, it might have the effect twenty years later of a new electorate in that state deciding they can do better, and that Graham needs to be gone even at the cost of him being replaced (for six years anyway) with a Democrat!
Like I said, I have weird fantasies.
I would love it if Cindy McCain did what you suggest. I read a few months ago that Joe and Jill Biden don’t have Lindsey over to the house anymore. That’s a shame. I’m quite sure that McCain and Graham and the Bidens all got along just fine at one point. And I’m sure Graham’s praise of Joe Biden was totally sincere. But Graham is somebody else these days.
We certainly have come a long ways from the days when the President (Ronald Reagan) and the Speaker of the House (Tip O’Neill) could represent vastly different philosophical and political points of view and still socialize and be civil towards each other, especially in a public setting.
Gym “See No Evil” Jordan is one of the biggest pieces of trash ever elected to Congress.