Republicans have been performing their pearl-clutching outrage all week after the FBI raided Donald Trump’s Florida compound. They’ve been crying, screaming and throwing up about how unprecedented it is, how “politicized” it is, how the Democrat FBI is coming to hunt down every MAGA fascist. They blamed Joe Biden. They blamed Nancy Pelosi. They blamed Barack Obama. And for sure, they blamed Attorney General Merrick Garland. Keep in mind that two weeks ago, everyone agreed that Garland was a weaksauce slowpoke who wasn’t going to do anything about the Republican terrorists. Now those same people are calling him a violent communist operative who personally slapped the cheeseburger out of Trump’s mouth. The MAGA Mafia has been demanding that AG Garland beg for their forgiveness and allow Trump to do whatever illegal sh-t he wants. Garland said: lol, no. Garland stepped out on Thursday and made a very special statement (Garland’s speech starts around the 1:50-mark):
Garland makes several things clear at once:
1) he signed off on the FBI getting a warrant for Mar-a-Lago
2) since Trump refuses to release his copy of the warrant, DOJ has filed a motion in federal court to unseal the search warrant
3) Trump received a copy of the property receipt and search warrant
4) no one is above the law, not even Trump
5) Trump’s terrorist army needs to f–king chill out with all of their threats of civil war, violent retribution and terrorism, and the freak army really needs to stop threatening law enforcement. Aren’t these the same “blue line” douchebags?
In addition to that, the New York Times reports that DOJ served a subpoena on Trump this spring as they were trying to track down which classified documents Trump had. Considering the reporting prior to this, it would seem to indicate that Trump cooperated with the spring subpoena up to a point, but the national security experts and National Archives people were like “wait, there are still so many missing documents.” Thus, the FBI raid. Note: I’m covering the new reporting about nuclear weapons in a separate post.
I also think that TrumpWorld got played. They’ve been spreading hysteria for four days about what the raid means and how awful and fascist it all was and then Garland calmly comes out and says that sure, Justice will release the warrant so everyone can see what they were after. Will this calm down the Trump terrorists? Probably not.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Cover Images.
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- -Washington, District of Columbia – 20220513 United States President Joe Biden makes remarks highlighting state and local leaders who are investing American Rescue Plan funding to make communities safer, at the White House in Washington, DC -PICTURED: Attorney General Merrick Garland -PHOTO by: Chris Kleponis/CNP/startraksphoto.com -051322_Biden-ARC-CNP_003 This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Startraks Photo for licensing fee and rights information at sales@startraksphoto.com or call +1 212 414 9464 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Attorney General Merrick Garland Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 13 May 2022 Credit: Chris Kleponis/CNP/startraksphot
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- United States Vice President Kamala Harris makes remarks at the Online Harassment and Abuse Task Force announcement from the in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC. Featuring: Attorney General Merrick Garland Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 16 Jun 2022 Credit: Ron Sachs/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages/Cover Images
“slapped the cheeseburger out of trump’s mouth” lmao I’ll be laughing about that all day. I was hoping in the presser yesterday that Garland was going to announce trump had been arrested. trump world did get played big time. Notice how quiet they got all of a sudden.
There was one on Twitter: Garland just grabbed Trump by the Pu$$y. I laughed so hard my belly ached.
And: Garland is missing a shoe, it’s up Trump’s ass.
Lol! One of the many reasons I love Twitter, the laughs. It’s actually my favorite of SM.
yeah, that line got me, too.
it’s why I keep coming back – the writing is crackerjack!
I’m loving it!!!
Unfortunately, to go after someone with power and influence you have to proceed cautiously. MG seems to be proving himself capable of playing the long game. I enjoyed this burn on the R’s whining about things being secret.
Merrick Garland is playing 3-D chess against a man who can’t win at Tiddlywinks on a good day.
Excellent summation, Hoofrat!
Yes, but if there are any loopholes at all and there is a criminal prosecution, you know that those Rep judges will let him slide.
Bet ol’ Mitch really wishes he was on SCOTUS now. This was such a huge and satisfying flex. I laughed out loud when he gave that short speech and bounced after making the press wait for 30 minutes.
He’s coming out as a good guy and we need more of them.
And I now understand why he wasn’t appointed as SC Justice: he plays by the book and is showing to have ethics.
Just to be clear, that is not the reason why he didn’t become a SC Justice. In retrospect, it may be viewed as a “blessing in disguise” because he may be better suited in this role, but the reason he is not on the SC is solely due to Mitch McConnell.
I think Garland is where McConnell wants him to be. Remember, McConnell has praised him before and even voted yes on his AG confirmation. Keeping Garland off SCOTUS was a political game against Obama and a gamble in the hopes the winner of the 16′ election was Republican who would eventually have control over that SCOTUS pick. We all know McConnell wants to loosen Trump’s grip on the GOP and see him get charged, even if he can’t say it publicly. He is definitely rooting for Garland to succeed here.
I will not be giving McConnell any props for this. He’s glad Garland is doing what he’s doing, now that it suits his ambitions. But make no mistake, Trump was McConnell’s making. McConnell got exactly what he wanted in 2016, and is now attempting to keep himself out of the mess he created.
He’s a politician, and a slimy one.
I think those GOP assholes are going to seriously regretting not allowing Merrick Garland on the Supreme Court 🤣
Love how he is coming out and calling Trump’s bluff – let’s face it, this FBI raid was only made public by the Orange Cheeto. The DOJ and FBI did nothing to make this public!
Karma is a bitch and she is raining down hard on that POS finally!
Hi, just a polite pushback. The word raid is …not correct- it wasn’t a raid. It was a court-authorized search warrant. As for it being unannounced, every search warrant is unannounced, so the occupants don’t have an opportunity to move or destroy evidence. I just cannot stand the conservative talking heads yelling about a raid, and would rather not give them any amplification. ( I haven’t had coffee yet, so if my tone is harsh, that’s unplanned.)
Thank you. I was going to say exactly that. This happened in broad daylight with plain clothes agents knocking (or ringing) politely on a door, no weapons brandished. A search pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant.
As for a raid, those involve late night or pre-dawn loud banging, shouts of open or we force the door down, agents in tactical gear brandishing weapons. Think Oliver Stone and Elian Gonzalez.
Thanks, @Mimsy! I was going to say the same thing. Call it what it is, a search warrant. Letting them use the term “raid” has so many connotations that they can rally behind… search warrant means law and order. You know, Thin-Blue-Line stuff. Rub it in their faces.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You were not harsh, just factual.
Agree @Mimsy. The word ‘raid’ needs to be eliminated from this situation. A search warrant was executed in a legal manner. In this situation they’re trying to make it sound like a no knock warrant, surprise or something insidious. Not the case.
A few years ago we had an across the street view of a no knock. When we saw the vehicles coming around/near the house we were pretty sure why. When the pair of German Shepherds disembarked the vehicles our suspicions were confirmed.
If you’re not familiar with Larry the Cat/@Number10cat twitter-check it out. There’s a tweet with a GSD or Malinois with a paw on book captioned, “You’re going to jail, Donald.”. Pawsome.
All the Trumpublicans were quiet AF after this announcement yesterday….what a bunch of dipshits.
Unfortunately the MAGA spin that the documents were planted is in full gear. That will be their line on all the cable news shows,
I saw a clip from FoxNews where they were screaming about how “at least” these are paper documents but Hillary had a server that could be accessed from anywhere. They are literally going back to BUT HER EMAILS. I just… Jesus wept.
The conspiracy theory the Republicans are going to cling on from here on out is that the FBI agents executing the search warrant PLANTED the evidence to frame Donald Trump. Of course there is no evidence to prove such thing. Poor little Donnie boy, the evil liberal mafia has colluded with the FBI to make him appear guilty.
Trump’s mouthpiece Maggie at the New Times is saying (since trump was played by Garland) he is not objecting to the release.
Pity he didn’t release it on Tuesday, could’ve prevented one of of his nut jobs from going into the Cincinnati FBI’s office with a nail gun and results did not turn out favorable to him.
All this.
The press is STILL not getting it. How many more years of “both sides are equal” do we have to endure.
Maggie is & was one of the worst promoters of trump, yet she still has a platform.
It’s discouraging & frustrating.
Maggie tries to keep all avenues of communication open.
That way she can profit on all sides.
Did you notice that her tweet about Trump’s reply was marked 0 minute? It’s almost like she was there when it posted posted.
She made money off oh withholding information for her book,
Absolutely nothing prevents Trump from releasing the warrant and the list to the public right now. Nothing.
@Jan – THIS!!!! He continues to prove that he has no regard for others and will use them to his benefit even if it means lives are lost. And that must really feed his ego – the fact that people are willing to die for his cause – for him.
He’s such a textbook Dark Triad–all his actions are based on what benefits him, with no regard for others or the consequences of his actions. He pushed the vaccine because it made him look good, he got to think of himself as a hero (I imaging Fauci and others for played into his vanity to get it done). He reacts like a literal 2 year old when he’s confronted, saying it’s someone else’s fault and raging. He likes/cares about people as long as they praise him and hates/reviles them when they stop. Says he loves the military/law enforcement but says people who died or were captured or exercise legal options against him when he breaks the law are losers. Poor people are losers. Anyone who doesn’t love him is a loser. Loves all his MAGA people because they worship him, quite literally, and won’t say anything bad about them as long as they keep it up. If they turn on him, he’ll target that viciousness in their direction. He doesn’t care about the country, he just wants to be seen as the savior of the country, make tons of money, and do whatever he wants with no consequences.
This will work better if it is not called a raid. A raid entails that some of your rights were violated.
Breonna Taylor’s murder was the result of a raid.
This was a legally executed search per a warrant. After given several chances to make it right before the warrant was issued
Again, not a raid.
Using that word can be the same as gaslighting when the truth says otherwise.
Yes. The correct terminology is so important. Thank you
TFG won’t object to releasing it, but I’m sure he’ll say his lawyers objected to it for him. Just like how he can’t release his tax returns.
My estimation of Merrick Garland just keeps rising. If the Repugs hadn’t gone way out on their brittle limb all week, ranting and raving about their latest conspiracy fantasies, the violence in Cincinnati yesterday might not have happened. Garland coming out to call their bluff and to speak up on behalf of FBI and DOJ employees had to happen.
He has definitely been playing the long game. It’s been irritating to hear criticism of him but maybe that will subside some now.
I have family melting down over this. They’ve been bleating about how unfair, what a witch hunt, blah blah blah.
I told my one cousin about how the AG filed a motion to have the search vwarrant unsealed so that way everybody and their dang dog could see what they were looking for. Shut him up for about 10 seconds. I also drug him and most of my family over the coals about how all of a sudden they went fro “law enforcement can do no wrong, they absolutely have to do what’s best” to “law enforcement has overstepped their bounds. They should be held accountable and every last one that was in that unlawful raid should be fired”
When the warrant is unsealed I offered to read it to them since they have trouble with the basic understanding of legalese. Then I had to explain what legalese meant at which point I rested my case.
But the stupid is strong with these people, and they’re gonna believe what they want. There it will be, in black and white and they still ain’t gonna accept it
You certainly have more patience than I do. Some days I wanna slap the asshats. Like hard. I have a neighbor that I can barely look at some days. Besides being in the cult he’s rude and thoughtless. Since he’s said racist ish before I refuse to talk to him. I’m not blatant about it. I probably shouldn’t being admitting to this but I’m have zero room in my life for human garbage.
@Southern Fried
Nah. I don’t really, but my cousin (the sister of the above idiot) genuinely wanted to know about said “raid” and why the AG did it and was it even necessary and do I think it was fair. It was a respectful question and I started out patiently and calmly explaining when her brother and a couple of other cousins got all foul and all trumpy with me. (I should note she is a trumper as well, but she always comes to me with questions about what and why. We have a good relationship and I am trying to slowly wean her away from them)
That’s when I went scorched earth and used small words so they could understand, interspersed with mf’ers and other ugly words.
I have now been blocked and banned from attending any functions with above family.
Can you feel my devastation?
At this point, they cannot accept any evidence. They have made MAGA their identity and their psyche will fight against it until the bitter end (or with a cult-aware therapist).
“Then I had to explain what legalese meant…” lolol! Keep fighting the good fight.
This will not calm the Trump terrorist down. We just had that horrible man get shot after a stand-off after trying to enter the FBI’s Cincinnati office. He announced that on that KKK social platform Trump is on that it was time for Civil War and even went back and for with Marjorie Green. We could have and SHOULD have had Hilary as our president and got this.
I am so grateful for how methodical and focused AG Garland has been and appreciate how he is not about to take any sh*t from ANYONE.
I saw that guy and a couple of his posts in the news yesterday. He was at the Capitol on Jan 6th supposedly. My question is why in the holy hell is he along with the others not being closely surveilled by authorities? All of them are domestic terrorists. If so that guy would have been picked up immediately after his glaringly dangerous posts about going to “war” before he ever got to the FBI bldg.
My first thought was, how stupid/deluded do you have to be to think you can singlehandedly take out a group of highly trained, armed FBI agents? While I understand there would be clerical/ administrative staff present, my mind just boggles.
I’m trying to be positive about these latest developments. I’m trying to remember that the number of Trumpers advocating violence, etc. is actually a very small number of people. But it is big enough. And the blatant hypocrisy is maddening. We had to listen to “lock her up” even after Trump won the election, but these people call foul on this? They claim the DEMOCRATS have weaponized the justice system? The DEMOCRATS want to turn this country into a facsist state? Are you kidding me? I can only hope that if it is shown Trump took documents to sell/blackmail, that some of these congress idiots will begin to jump ship. But there have been so many times I thought they would, and they didn’t. I’m still discouraged. Glad the intelligent people on this site have more faith!
It is scary, especially after that nut job tried to invade the Cincinnati field office of the FBI in body armor. You will never convince me he was y influenced by the crazies on the Trump train
they always claim the Democrats are doing the bad things that they are actually doing! it’s narcissistic abuse 101. blame the victim for your own bad acts. this redirects attention and puts the victim on the back foot of defense. so frustrating to see how well it works!
Calling Trump’s bluff was smart on Garland’s part. Hoping the docs are released and prove the nuke story.
It was such an elegant power move by Garland, especially the way he ended his statement that he wouldn’t say any more and, as he stepped away from the podium and reporters started shouting questions, he just flashed the sweetest smile and the most polite reiteration of his “that’s all, folx” statement. A perfect illustration of what Teddy Roosevelt meant about speaking softly and carrying a big stick.
It’s usually the ones without a big stick that do not speak softly.
Trump’s the one who released that all of this was happening, if you want to talk about politicizing it. Trump has the ability to release all these documents himself. This is just more of the same Jan. 6 handbook… drum up the anger, stir the violence, leave the right-wingers hanging when there are consequences for their actions. We’ve seen this one.
That’s it exactly. The one thing Trump is good at is muddying the waters, stirring up the most violent, bone-headed MAGA followers to the point where it’s TiME foR CIviL wAR!!!!! He wants another insurrection, a few assassination attempts, burning buildings, bombs — all to divert attention from the actual fact that he committed a treasonous act of the worst kind.
I read a NYT article today repeatedly stating that some of the documents were stored in a “basement” of “the club.” If this is accurate, I’m having difficulty accepting that anyone would house mementos or things they valued in such a way, or that a former President of the United States would be so careless. This “club” is open for application to the public and god only knows what the vetting process is or who has access to the “basement.” Scary.
The FBI insisted on a lock for the basement or storage area on a previous visit, when the FBI was trying to get the documents previously. (“You’re not giving it to us? That better be under lock and key.”) Trump even mentioned it this week, phrasing it as if he’d been the picture of compliance, instead of the true story of someone refusing to cooperate.
I desperately want Keegan-Michael Key to come out and Luther out that speech.
@Owlsyn YAAAAAAS!!! Luther it up right nice!!!! That would be most enjoyable!!
An interesting article from VOX about Trump’s deliberate radicalization of his far-right MAGAts and America’s devolution into civil conflict: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/12/23302835/trump-fbi-mar-a-lago-search-warrant
I never got around to saying it yesterday, but I really loved how Merrick Garland never mentioned The Donald by name; he always referred to him as ‘the former president’. That was a brilliant touch.