Trump gets gagged, McCarthy gets booted. What's next in Trumpworld?

[AcrossthePond55]

Roll up, roll up for the GOP Mystery Tour!! Trump thread lost-the-count!!!

Truss and Johnson are official endorsing TFG?

Well let's see if that endorsement survives TFG saying he encourages Russia to invade.

This sentence leapt out at me from the linked article in today's London Times:

"Habba also sought to suggest that Trump was merely exercising his right to free speech when he called Carroll a liar. “It’s an American right,” she said."

That seems to me to sum up the state of mind of much of the US voting population and also, to some extent, that of the UK. It terrifies me.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ashlee-humphreys-donald-trump-prosecution-social-media-expert-xzqkd9nbf

"Habba also sought to suggest that Trump was merely exercising his right to free speech when he called Carroll a liar. “It’s an American right,” she said."

Another attempt to remove consequences from actions.

@SerendipityJane - I see it as the complete and deliberate misunderstanding of the difference between fact and fiction. Even if you know it's dark outside, according to "my truth", you are wrong as I believe there is daylight at the same time and in the same place. It is beyond infuriating. "Because I say so."

Are we finally going to see Trump getting some sh*t that sticks?

Judge Arthur Engoron is expect to issue his long-awaited ruling in former President Donald Trump's $370 million civil fraud trial on Friday, a source told the New York Daily News Tuesday.
"Barring unforeseen circumstances," of course.
https://www.rawstory.com/amp/judge-engoron-trump-2667275150-2667275150

@Spandauer

From your keyboard to God's monitor.

A huge civil penalty isn't going to carry the weight of a criminal conviction, but it's a start!

Also good news.

Suozzi wins New York special election, replacing George Santos.

The Democrat prevailed in a race that centered heavily on immigration
https://wapo.st/3HZ2FFD

The win is a significant one for Democrats in that it flips a seat.
This was a district Republicans won just 15 months ago by eight points, and Suozzi’s win was comfortable enough that the race was called just over an hour after polls closed, with about half the vote in.

It means Republicans’ narrow House majority will become even narrower: 219-213. (Two GOP-leaning seats are vacant, as is one Democratic-leaning one. Republicans probably won’t have a chance to restore their seven-seat majority until June.)

Congress have voted 214-213 to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, though I am not at all sure what they impeached him for. Nor whether he therefore has to stop doing his job while they witter on about him.

Anyway, as far as I can make out it's the first thing they have managed actually to do (as opposed to prevent) since they gave McCarthy the boot, so I suppose they must be feeling pleased with themselves. Supposing Steve Scalise hadn't got back in the nick of time from his cancer treatment it would have been 213-213 and they would have looked all nohow yet again. What does happen if it's a dead heat? Do they have to take it away and try again?

My understanding is that it supposedly has something to do with the way he's handled the border crisis, alleging he's violated the law with certain actions he's taken and policies he's established.

He's not removed yet. It goes to the Senate who has the 'sole jurisdiction' to remove him from office. If the Senate decides to proceed, it goes through committee then to the floor to hold a vote on having a trial. Then trial and vote to remove.

I'm glad the Dems flipped Santos' seat.

Another race to watch is CA District 30 House seat (currently held by Adam Schiff). We really need to hold on to every House seat we can.

Adam is running for the Senate (for Feinstein's former seat), there are 2 terms on the ballot. A partial term of 2 years and then a full term of 6. Both will be decided this year.

Adam has been a House voice for sanity and for holding Trump and others responsible for their duplicitousness.

The primary for both House & Senate is 5 Mar, then the general election in Nov.

AcrossthePond55
He's not removed yet. It goes to the Senate who has the 'sole jurisdiction' to remove him from office. If the Senate decides to proceed, it goes through committee then to the floor to hold a vote on having a trial. Then trial and vote to remove.

Ah. I wasn't sure whether it might be a clever way to put someone they didn't want having the position that he does on ice for a bit. But "clever" and the current congressional clown-show don't seem all that congruent really.

It's not going to get through the Senate where it needs a 60% vote to impeach him, surely? Or is it only 50% that it has to have?

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

It's not going to get through the Senate where it needs a 60% vote to impeach him, surely? Or is it only 50% that it has to have?

It needs a 2/3 majority, so that's 67 votes. Right now the Senate is 48 Democrats,
49 Republicans, and 3 Independents. I believe all three Independents caucus with the Dems. The GOP would have to convince 18 Senators to cross the aisle. IMHO not gonna happen.

Good. It's just them being mean and unpleasant, which they are very good at.

How long will it be before the eight idiots decide to get rid of Johnson?

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

It's 'performance revenge' for the impeachment of Trump. Same with the 'impeachment inquiry' into Biden. If they could have made the Hunter Biden investigation into an 'impeachment' they would have. A group of spoilt children saying "Nyah nyah nyah, we can do worse stuff than you did!!!" ignoring the fact that Trump had, in fact, committed impeachable offenses.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jennifer-decker-white-father-slave-b2495694.html

Whilst it made me smile, it is a sign that having unelected foreign secretaries certainly doesn't bolster Britains influence in the world ...

https://metro.co.uk/2024/02/15/lord-dave-told-kiss-ass-us-republican-20284741/

I'm at the fact that MGT prefaced "he can kiss my ass" with "I think that’s rude name-calling, and I don’t appreciate that type of language".

That woman has the self-awareness of a peanut.

(I've read the Cameron piece: no names were called. She doesn't even have that as an excuse.)

I see Putin is now publicly trying to appear as though he is brown-nosing Biden.

I can't believe Putin genuinely thinks Biden is susceptible to such comments, and don't for a moment believe the Russians aren't working hard away from the camera to subvert the election and generally cause disruption.

Just last week there was this:
French security experts identify Moscow-based disinformation network
Network operating in western Europe is ‘paving way for new wave of online manipulation’ in crucial election year, French agency says
www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/feb/12/french-security-experts-identify-moscow-based-disinformation-network

I wonder if P is trying to trying to undo the damage Trump suffered in some US quarters from Putin's obvious level of influence over Trump.

Heh!

DJT has sent Melania a Valentine. In very public.

“Dear Melania. I love you!
“Even after every single indictment, arrest and witch hunt, you never left my side. You’ve always supported me through everything. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without your guidance, kindness and warmth. You will always mean the world to me, Melania! From your husband with love, Donald J Trump.”

Emphasis mine. Words fail.

I wait for the statement where he says 'I hardly knew her'

I quite agree. However, a USian attacking a British toff (and cunt to boot) is never going to be subject to serious self study.

The underlying point remains. By having an unelected twat as our foreign secretary, a lot of the UKs gravitas has been replaced (courtesy MTG) by simple ass.

It's hard to think of better way for Rish! to say "fuck you" to the world than to return to 1800s way of doing government.

I see Putin is now publicly trying to appear as though he is brown-nosing Biden.

Because that will drive the "vote Biden get Putin" narrative the GOP will feed on.

Accusations are admissions with the MAGA mob.

It's really noticeable that, whatever TFG gets accused of (usually on good evidence), they will accuse everyone else of.

And when they make accusations apparently out of the blue, that's almost always a tell that they are planning that very thing.

Biden has shown no sign whatsoever of being influenced by Putin. Trump, on the other hand...

Remember Helsinki in 2018?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-44852812

Steve Rosenberg in Moscow agrees with us: it's an attempt by Putin to damage Biden and protect Trump.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68303231

In fact, given Putin has said this, I'd now expect to see a really clunky "pro-Biden" campaign which is "discovered" to be Russian-led days before the election.

It was proven that Russia ran a pro-Trump campaign in 2026 (whether or not Trump was criminally involved in it) so Trumpies will be wanting to pin the same on Biden.

It's just how they roll.