Orange is the new President

[Eric the .5b]

I think the 25th amendment threats (or rather, the humiliation of them) got through to Trump, as evidenced by the (relative) sanity of his speech today condemning the protesters.

That or he's afraid that he's alienated 2/3 of the Senate.

[Aresen]

I don't think there is time for an impeachment before he leaves.

However, since impeachment is the only thing that can permanently bar him from the presidency, it is a pity that Congress can't impeach a past president. (Unless I am reading it wrong.)

[Eric the .5b]

I don't think there is time for an impeachment before he leaves.

Depends on how much time they take. I think having so little support in the Senate for fucking with the EC scared him.

Which is why my ragequit prediction was wrong. I thought he'd be content to flounce away and spend his last few years grifting Reds about how he's fighting the Deep State to pay the lawyers to stay out of prison. But that would be losing, and he can't imagine a world where anyone cares what he says if he lost, because he wouldn't.

[Mo]

I don't think there is time for an impeachment before he leaves.

However, since impeachment is the only thing that can permanently bar him from the presidency, it is a pity that Congress can't impeach a past president. (Unless I am reading it wrong.)

You can impeach anyone. Andy McCarthy, who thinks that any impeachment of a Republican no matter how egregious the conduct is a bridge too far, advocated impeaching Hillary Clinton while running for president to bar her from the presidency.

[Aresen]

An 'angry' Pence navigates the fallout of his rupture with Trump over election, Capitol riots

FFS Pence, you spent the last 4 years at his side. You know what a petty, vindictive ***** he is. You saw it. Why are you surprised when he turns on you for not breaking the law on his behalf?

DIAR.

[Jennifer]

An 'angry' Pence navigates the fallout of his rupture with Trump over election, Capitol riots

FFS Pence, you spent the last 4 years at his side. You know what a petty, vindictive ***** he is. You saw it. Why are you surprised when he turns on you for not breaking the law on his behalf?

Because like most of Trump's marks, he thought he was actually part of the con.

[JD]

It's true that the 25th does not define "unable", but I think the Constitutionally safest route is to take the narrowest interpretation of it. Anyway, per the 25th, the President can also just immediately say "nuh-uh, I'm not unable" and immediately regain power, and then there's a four-day period in which the VP and Cabinet members have to say "yes he is" again, and then 2/3rds of both houses of Congress has to agree within 21 days. It is not as simple as the "declare the 25th, Trump is out" some people want to make it sound like.

[Aresen]

It's true that the 25th does not define "unable", but I think the Constitutionally safest route is to take the narrowest interpretation of it. Anyway, per the 25th, the President can also just immediately say "nuh-uh, I'm not unable" and immediately regain power, and then there's a four-day period in which the VP and Cabinet members have to say "yes he is" again, and then 2/3rds of both houses of Congress has to agree within 21 days. It is not as simple as the "declare the 25th, Trump is out" some people want to make it sound like.

People have been hand-waving the technicalities on the 25th.

[Aresen]

Not unexpected, but I bet the Biden people heaved a sigh of relief when Trump confirmed it.

[Shem]

He's got a flight to Russia to catch.

[Eric the .5b]

The paranoid part of me worries about why he doesn't want to be there.

[D.A. Ridgely]

[Hugh Akston]

Guessing they hid the football in a bag marked "broccoli"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the nation’s top military officer assured her safeguards are in place in case President Donald Trump seeks to initiate a nuclear strike -- something he has the sole authority to do.

Pelosi relayed the assurance on a call with Democrats on Friday afternoon, without providing more details, according to a person who heard the briefing. She said she asked because many lawmakers and other Americans had expressed concern.

The comments came after Pelosi said in a letter to fellow Democrats that she spoke to General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about “available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike.”

[Shem]

"Lindsey Graham has been DJT's Flufr for the past 4 years"

Because go fuck yourself, if I have to picture it, so do you.

[Mo]

He's got a flight to Russia to catch.

Everyone knows he’s going to KSA

[Ellie]

Remember that really lovely couple of days where Trump had Covid and we all thought he might die?

[D.A. Ridgely]

Here's the Donald we've all come to know and love...

Trump has instructed aides not to pay Giuliani’s legal fees, two officials said, and has demanded that he personally approve any reimbursements for the expenses Giuliani incurred while traveling on the president’s behalf to challenge election results in key states.

[Pham Nuwen]

"May I address the court and this here jury, your honor? You see ... my client .... well he has a history. Much like that no good uncle of ours that we all have. He's always up to no good. Always. But it's consistent. You can set your watch by my client. He's a good and proud member of our community that way. You'll find no lies, no uppity talk, no fancy words. He means what he says because he means it. He believes it. But we all know our no good uncles. His actions don't change. Even when the words change. His actions don't. I say that's honesty. The sun don't change it's dawning or it's setting. But it does bring inclement weather oft times. I ask this jury to consider that this is a good man deep down. Unable to truly engage in the social niceties that we are all beholden to. Imagine having the bravery to tell our wives their food could use some spice. Or that grandma ... well grandma don't get out much and there might be a certain smell. We go on with our little lies and here sits a man. An openly honest almost to honest man. He has learned his lesson here. I can feel it. And I think the men and women of this jury can feel it too. Thank you all for taking the time to listen to my dawdle."

I am not happy or surprised by this pay situation with Giuliani. It's literally Trump being Trump. He telegraphs this stuff and I don't feel even a shred of pity for anyone taken in by such an obvious conman.

[Mo]

The Rudy thing is great. The thing about stuffing your goons is that they have a reason to flip, especially if Trump is petty enough to not grant Rudy a pardon.

[Hugh Akston]

I am not happy or surprised by this pay situation with Giuliani. It's literally Trump being Trump. He telegraphs this stuff and I don't feel even a shred of pity for anyone taken in by such an obvious conman.

Yeah anyone who enters into a business agreement with Donald Trump expecting him to uphold his end has no one to blame but themselves.

[nicole]

I mean obviously Rudy was scamming him with what turned out to be like the worst legal advice ever given so...

[JD]

I mean, it really couldn't have happened to a nicer guy...

Commenting on the report, Ken Frydman, who worked as Giuliani’s press secretary in the 1990s, said: “Lay down with dogs. Wake up with fleas and without $20,000 a day”.

I do wonder what happened to Giuliani, though. He was never a good guy, but becoming Donald Trump's lawyer and spewing bizarre conspiracy theories is not something I would have ever expected.

[Pham Nuwen]

My guess is that he's actually broke. Merely a guess.

[Pham Nuwen]

I mean obviously Rudy was scamming him with what turned out to be like the worst legal advice ever given so...

I've seen a number of adjacent twitter threads alongside popehat's. It was pretty awful advice.

[Warren]

I mean, it really couldn't have happened to a nicer guy...

Commenting on the report, Ken Frydman, who worked as Giuliani’s press secretary in the 1990s, said: “Lay down with dogs. Wake up with fleas and without $20,000 a day”.

I do wonder what happened to Giuliani, though. He was never a good guy, but becoming Donald Trump's lawyer and spewing bizarre conspiracy theories is not something I would have ever expected.

Yeah. He's in his mid 70's. Could be early stage dementia of some kind.

Larry Kudlow is worse though. He still speaks coherently and seems to be inhabiting the common world. But he just flipped in an instant and started saying "Everything I ever said or believed in I'm now against" the moment he joined the team.