Tag: Crime & Punishment

Why Is There No Accountability?

This goes back many many years….ever wondered why when police kill someone they seldom pay for their action? (Yes I know not all the shootings are for no reason so cool your goddamn jets and read the post)

981: the number of people in the US shot and killed by police in 2020.

That is right….about 2% of all police killings come with a penalty for their action….

Ever wonder why? (I ask again)

In the US, police almost never face serious criminal charges for an on-duty shooting or killing.

Since 2005, 126 police officers have been arrested for murder or manslaughter due to an on-duty shooting, according to data from Philip Matthew Stinson, a criminal justice expert at Bowling Green State University who has been tracking the data for years. That amounts to fewer than eight prosecutions a year.

About 1,000 fatal police shootings are reported each year in the US — so the arrest rate is around 1 percent, never higher than 2 percent. Some, perhaps most, shootings are justified. But the number of police officers prosecuted “seems extremely low to me,” Stinson told me. “In my opinion, it’s got to be that more of the fatal shootings are unjustified.”

Of those 126 officers, just 44 were convicted (with 31 cases still pending). Many of those convictions came on lesser charges: Just seven officers have been convicted of murder in police shootings since 2005, with their prison sentences ranging from 81 months to life. The remaining 37 were convicted on charges ranging from manslaughter to official misconduct, in some cases serving no prison time.

After the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014, as the Black Lives Matter movement grew more prominent, there was an uptick in prosecutions: From 2005 to 2014, about five police officers were prosecuted a year. Starting with 2015, the average is up to roughly 13 a year — meaning cops are now prosecuted in less than 2 percent of fatal shootings, up from less than 1 percent. And convictions have increased from fewer than three a year before 2015 to more than three since 2015.

But that’s still a tiny fraction of fatal police shootings. “It’s very low,” Stinson said. As for the increase in prosecution numbers: “I don’t see systemic change.”

https://www.vox.com/21497089/police-prosecutions-black-lives-matter-breonna-taylor-george-floyd

Sadly this will never cease for the people we elect do not care about the justice they preach…..

There are ideas to improve things (not that they will ever be enacted)…..https://lobotero.com/2020/06/08/8-point-plan-to-end-police-brutality/

Every American should be appalled at the amount of police violence that goes unchecked….but that would not fir the pathetic narrative they want us to believe.

There is a bill in Congress that would make all allegations public…..

State, local, and federal governments have spent billions of dollars over the past decade settling police misconduct cases, which include everything from deadly shootings to neglect. For example, the Louisville Police Department paid out $12 million to the family of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police in her home in March.

But most settlements don’t make the news and law enforcement agencies are not uniformly required to make that information publicly available.

As a result, taxpayers in many localities are left to their own devices to ascertain how much of their money goes towards police settlements, and to what degree state and local government budgets are impacted by the payments is unclear. Also often obscured are important details about the people involved — what happens to the officers who commit misconduct, particularly when cases don’t receive national attention, and who the people affected by negative police action are.

https://www.vox.com/22174400/cost-police-misconduct-act-beyer-allegations-settlements-public

Let’s get behind this bill to make accountability mean something.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–15Feb21

Weeks ago during the protests in Kenosha Wisconsin the little dipshit Rittenhouse took his rifle and set about shooting and killing protesters….and now the a local judge said that with all the problems this little slug has caused he is now free to walk around a plot his next act of terrorism.

Kyle Rittenhouse doesn’t need to be arrested again, his bail doesn’t need to be increased, and he doesn’t have to publicly disclose his whereabouts, a judge in Wisconsin decided Thursday. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder rejected prosecutors’ request to issue an arrest warrant for the 18-year-old, who is charged with killing two men and injuring a third during protests in Kenosha last year, NPR reports. Prosecutors said Rittenhouse, who was freed in November after posting $2 million bail, violated bond conditions by failing to inform the court of a change in address. The teen’s lawyers said he withheld his new address out of safety concerns. They submitted an anonymous email warning that Rittenhouse would be raped in prison. Schroeder agreed that there were legitimate concerns for Rittenhouse’s safety.

Schroeder said the violation wasn’t enough reason to arrest Rittenhouse. The judge declined the request to raise bail by $200,000, but told Rittenhouse’s lawyers to submit his new address to the court, which would keep it sealed. The judge said he didn’t want to risk further unrest. “After what this town has been through in the last six months I don’t want any more problems,” Schroeder said, per Reuters. “I’ve got two broken windows here, right here in this courtroom, the doors are all still covered with plywood, a good share of the community is still boarded up after millions of dollars of damage.” CNN reports that John Huber, father of one of the men allegedly shot by Rittenhouse, asked for bail to be increased to $4 million. “From the moment he became a killer he thought he was above the law,” Huber said.

This garden slug of a district judge sees no problem>

Maybe this will help……Rittenhouse’s bail conditions were changed after he was seen drinking with Proud Boys.

Still associating with hate groups….is a problem.

This is yet another example of the injustice in our justice system.

If this had been a crime committed by a black person they would be rotting in jail….but yet some little Nazi is free to continue his life of hate.

I say screw the little bastard….let him grow old and die in prison.

Better yet Biden needs to find out who appointed this slug to his judgeship and chastise them.

Your thoughts please.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Impeachment Trial–The Vote

First I would like to wish all my readers a very Happy Valentine’s Day…..

Surprise! Surprise!

Former Pres. Trump has been acquitted in the Senate.

I am aghast!

Who could have seen this coming? (BTW that is sarcasm in case you missed it)

Whiz Bang!

57-43 (a predictable outcome days ago)

The Senate voted Saturday to acquit Donald Trump of inciting insurrection, ending the effort to hold the former president responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. Seven Republicans voted with Democrats to convict, the AP reports, providing the largest show of bipartisan support for conviction of any of the four times a president has been impeached. But a two-thirds vote was required for conviction. Without a conviction, per New York Times, Senate Democrats were unable to move to what would have been the next step: voting on whether to disqualify Trump from holding office in the future.

House managers wrapped up their case before the vote by arguing that Trump sparked the Capitol riot in a desperate attempt to stay in office after arguing he lost the November election because of fraud. “If that is not ground for conviction, if that is not a high crime and misdemeanor against the republic and the United States of America, than nothing is,” Rep. Jamie Raskin told his colleagues. Defense lawyer Bruce Castor said Trump didn’t intend to turn loose the rioters: “He wanted them to support primary challenges” to bring about “sweeping election reforms.”

What a complete farce this was.

The Leader of the Senate GOP had something to say about the whole thing…

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a stinging indictment of former President Trump from the Senate floor on Saturday, but not until minutes after the impeachment trial ended in acquittal. Trump was charged with inciting an insurrection in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on Jan. 6. “Former President Trump’s actions that preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty,” McConnell said, CNN reports. “Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.” The Republican’s attack was more forceful than many of the floor speeches calling for conviction, the New York Times points out. In what appeared an internal compromise, he basically argued that Trump is guilty, but that the Senate can’t do anything about it because he’s out of office. “A mob was assaulting a Capitol in his name,” McConnell said. “These criminals were carrying his banners, hanging his flags and screaming their loyalty to him.” He pointed out that Trump remains subject to actions in criminal and civil court, per the AP. “He didn’t get away with anything yet,” McConnell said.

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Remember these names!

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Then it was Pelosi’s turn to mouth off….

At a press conference after the trial, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attacked the 43 of 50 GOP senators who voted to acquit Trump. “What we saw in that Senate today was a cowardly group of Republicans who apparently have no options, because they were afraid to defend their job, respect the institution in which they serve,” she said, per the Washington Post. The Democrat said she was unimpressed with the minority leader’s speech after the vote, saying it was McConnell who ensured the trial wouldn’t begin until Trump had left the White House. Democrats defended the House managers’ back-and-forth on whether to call witnesses. “We could have had 5,000 witnesses, and Mitch McConnell would be giving the same speech,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the lead manager. As the trial ended, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized the other party. “Just look at what Republicans have been forced to defend,” he said, per the AP. “Look at what Republicans have chosen to forgive.”

AS one would think….the King Snake came out of his hidey hole and thump his chest like some sex crazed baboon….

Former President Trump welcomed victory in his Senate impeachment trial on Saturday, suggesting he’s not finished politically. “This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country,” Trump said in a statement. “No president has ever gone through anything like it.” He did not include a condemnation of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack that prompted his impeachment or apolotize for anything, the Washington Post reports. The Senate acquitted Trump of one article of impeachment, inciting insurrection, on a 57-43 vote. Seven Republican senators voted to convict. In his statement, Trump blamed Democrats, per Politico, calling it “a sad commentary” that one party “is given a free pass to denigrate the rule of law, defame law enforcement, cheer mobs, excuse rioters, and transform justice into a tool of political vengeance, and persecute, blacklist, cancel and suppress all people and viewpoints with whom or which they disagree.”

 

With the impeachment trial over, Trump hinted at a return to the political spotlight in his statement, issued shortly after the Senate’s vote. “Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to make America Great Again has only just begun,” he said. “In the months ahead, I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all our people. There has never been anything like it!” Trump didn’t say anything specific about his plans. He also thanked his lawyers, after being critical of them earlier in the week.

It is mercifully over except for the endless analysis by the media.

Move On!

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–12Feb21

Part of the evidence that the Dems are presenting to make a case for an impeachment….part of that evidence is that Trump incited the mob to commit these breaches…..an accusation that Trump denies.

As the trial of Trump proceeds some of the participants in the breach of the Capitol have now seen the light and the errors of their actions….or so they claim….

They broke through barricades, shattered windows and seized control of the U.S. Capitol, some making death threats against members of Congress hiding inside, others brutalizing the police officers who stood in their way.

As the cases against nearly 200 of the Capitol rioters begin to wind through federal court, many of the defendants blame the commander in chief they followed for the violence that left five dead during the insurrection Jan. 6.

In court documents, media interviews and through official attorney statements, staunch supporters of former President Donald Trump who carried out the attempted coup argue they were merely doing what they thought the nation’s leader had asked, some citing a cult-like loyalty.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2021/02/10/trump-blamed-capitol-riot-some-who-were-arrested/4361411001/

Go figure!

Stupidity does not excuse the action.

The trial continues and the result is all but written in stone…..he will be acquitted because the GOP does not have the courage to act in the best interest of the country.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Impeachment Trial–Day 3

And the beat goes on…..

More evidence presentation by the House……

Once again the House managers presented a compelling case….compelling to anyone with a spine and half a mind……

The House impeachment managers wrapped up their case against former President Trump on Thursday, arguing that rioters who descended on the Capitol did so because they were obeying the president. One repeated sentiment from the day is expressed in this quote from Rep. Joe Neguse: “We humbly, humbly ask you to convict President Trump for the crime for which he is overwhelmingly guilty of. Because if you don’t, if we pretend this didn’t happen, or worse, if we let it go unanswered, who’s to say it won’t happen again?” Trump’s defense team will begin its defense on Friday. Some highlights from Thursday:

  • Rep. Diana DeGette said the rioters on Jan. 6 were following Trump’s directives. “Their own statements before, during and after the attack make clear the attack was done for Donald Trump, at his instructions and to fulfill his wishes,” she said, per USA Today. “Donald Trump had sent them there.” DeGette displayed quotes and interviews from those who participated to that effect. “They said so,” she said, per Politico. “They were invited here. They were invited by the president of the United States.”
  • Rep. Jamie Raskin, the lead manager, warned senators that if Trump is not impeached, the US could see a repeat of the Jan. 6 violence, reports the Washington Post. “Is there any political leader in this room who believes that if he is ever allowed by the Senate to get back into the Oval Office, Donald Trump would stop inciting violence to get his way?” he asked. “Would you bet the lives of more police officers on that? Would you bet the safety of your family on that? Would you bet the future of your democracy on that?”
  • Raskin also asserted that Trump has a history of inciting violence that predates the riot. He used clips of Trump encouraging backers to rough up anti-Trump protesters at rallies and accused Trump of rhetoric that contributed to an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor. Managers frequently cited Trump’s own words and tweets to make similar points. DeGette, for instance, said Trump inflamed domestic extremist groups. “This must be our wake-up call,” she said. “We must condemn it, because the threat is not over. President Trump refused to condemn this type of violence. Instead, over and over again, he’s encouraged it. Our response must be different this time.”
  • Rep. Ted Lieu faulted Trump for a “lack of remorse” in the aftermath of the riot, per the Hill. He also echoed a point made by Raskin. “You know, I’m not afraid of Donald Trump running again in four years,” Lieu said, per the New York Times. “I’m afraid he’s going to run again and lose, because he can do this again.”
  • Raskin said Trump can’t use the First Amendment for protection. “President Trump is not even close to the proverbial citizen who falsely shouted fire in a crowded theater,” he said, per the Wall Street Journal. “He is like the now-proverbial municipal fire chief who incites a mob to go set the theater on fire, and not only refuses to put out the fire, but encourages the mob to keep going as the blaze spreads.”

That wrapped up the House case…..now it will move on to the defense team…..

But before they present their case the Trump lawyers met with some senators in private before they begin (think about that for a moment)…..

Dismissing the appearance of conflict—and again demonstrating that an impeachment trial is unlike any other—President Trump’s lawyers met with three of his jurors Thursday afternoon to plan strategy. The meeting was “just very nice,” said David Schoen, one of the lawyers, the Washington Post reports. Trump supporters and Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee, and Ted Cruz huddled in a room in the Capitol with the lawyers after the trial adjourned for the day. Calling the senators “friendly guys,” Schoen said the group was “talking about procedure.” Republicans have been critical of the Trump lawyers’ performance so far. Schoen said the senators didn’t tell him what questions they’ll ask during the trial. The discussion was about “just how this format goes, you know, the question-and-answer period, all that,” he said.

On the other hand, Cruz said after the meeting that they were “discussing their legal strategy and sharing our thoughts.” Few senators of either party appear to be undecided, but when they’re sworn in as jurors, they vow to administer “impartial justice” in the case. The three senators were following the example of their leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had promised Senate Republicans’ “total cooperation” with the defense team during Trump’s first impeachment trial. Schoen said the meeting Thursday was appropriate, per CNN. “I think it’s the best practice here in impeachment,” he said, suggesting the bar is low. “There’s nothing about this thing that has any semblance of due process whatsoever.” Cruz said: “I think the end result of this impeachment trial is crystal clear to everybody. Donald Trump will be acquitted.”

This is a perfect example of just what a sham this trial is turning into…..when do jurors tutor the lawyers?

Minds are made up….evidence means nothing to these spineless slugs.

Friday will be the day that we get to see just what the defense has to say…..the first amendment will be front and center.  (We can talk about that later)

Watch This This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–10Feb21

You still do not believe that there two justice systems in this country?

Let’s look at recent events…..

Terrill Thomas died in April 2016 after being denied water for seven days at Milwaukee County Jail.

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And silly ass white boy gets moved so he can have organic food……Jacob Chansley stormed the U.S. Capitol and was moved to a Virginia jail so corrections officials can provide him with organic food.

A man who stormed the U.S. Capitol while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns was moved to a jail in Virginia on Thursday after a federal judge ordered authorities to provide him with organic food while he’s in custody.

Jacob Chansley was transferred to the Alexandria Detention Center after his attorney argued that his client had gone nine days without eating because organic food wasn’t served at the jail in Washington. A judge ordered corrections officials to provide the special diet.

Chansley lost 20 pounds since being transferred from Arizona to Washington last week, his attorney, Albert Watkins, told the judge. Chansley, who calls himself the “QAnon Shaman,” considers eating organic food to be part of his “shamanic belief system and way of life,” the lawyer said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-who-wore-horns-capitol-riot-moved-virginia-jail-serves-n1256836

Explain that!

Two separate systems….and this is not a one off event….this happens all the time…..

This is pathetic!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

‘Insurrection’ News

The events on 06 January 2021 has been labelled an ‘insurrection’ and the situation is rolling along with the FBI identifying those criminals and arresting and charging them with a wide array of charges.

And the conspiracy to commit insurrection is running deeper than many of us thought.

Of course the words of Trump are most mentioned then followed by the antics of congressional members like Sen Cruz and Hawley……who face ethic charges…..

 
(Newser) – Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz face an ethics investigation over their roles in fighting the certification of President Biden’s electoral victory and the Jan. 6 rally that turned into an attack on the US Capitol. “By proceeding with their objections to the electors after the violent attack, Senators Cruz and Hawley lent legitimacy to the mob’s cause and made future violence more likely,” a group of Democrats wrote Thursday to the Senate Ethics Committee. Hawley, of Missouri, called the complaint in a statement “a flagrant abuse of the Senate ethics process and a flagrant attempt to exact partisan revenge,” Politico reports. Cruz, of Texas, didn’t issue a response. Seven Democratic senators signed the letter.

The Democrats want the committee to look into whether Hawley and Cruz encouraged the mob attack on the Capitol; coordinated with organizers of the rally supporting President Trump that preceded the riot; received donations from anyone or any group that also supported the pro-Trump rally; and “engaged in criminal conduct or unethical or improper behavior.” Both Republican senators have faced demands to resign from the Senate since they voted against accepting the electoral results of Arizona and Pennsylvania that night. Hawley and Cruz have said they didn’t incite the riot, and both denounced the violence after it happened, per CNBC.

The new leader of the Senate, Schumer, is being pressured to punish those two Senators…..

Progressive advocacy group MoveOn is calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to deny committee seats to Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and other Republicans who attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and incited the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol Building earlier this month.

“Elected officials like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and other senators who sought to use their power to promote the big lie to overturn the results of the 2020 election—and who incited a deadly insurrection—have no place in the U.S. Senate and most certainly should not be rewarded for their deadly attacks on democracy with seats leading important committees in the next Congress,” Rahna Epting, MoveOn’s executive director, said in a statement late Thursday.

“Senate Majority Leader Schumer must work to ensure that any power-sharing agreement with Mitch McConnell keeps these insurrectionist senators from committee positions where they can use their influence to further undermine our democracy,” Epting continued. “Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and their allies in the Senate must be held accountable for their attacks on our democracy.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/22/schumer-urged-deny-committee-seats-hawley-cruz-and-other-republicans-who-incited

Good idea….but it does NOT go far enough.  There needs to be punishment And accountability.

It seems that new breaking news comes out every day……

Here is a scary thought…..about 20% of those that participated in the insurrection have military experience.

Nearly 1 in 5 people charged in connection to the violent Jan. 6 raid on the U.S. Capitol has some form of a military history, according to an NPR analysis.

Of the more than 140 individuals charged in the attack thus far, at least 27, or nearly 20 percent, have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military, NPR found.

The numbers are startling as only 7 percent of all American adults are military veterans, according to the Census Bureau.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/535321-nearly-one-in-five-people-charged-in-capitol-riot-have-military-history

Organizers of the Trump rally prior to the breach were paid handsomely…..

Former President Trump’s campaign had paid out more than $2.7 million to several individuals and firms behind the Jan. 6 rally in Washington that devolved into a violent insurrection at the Capitol, the Center for Responsive Politics reported on Friday.

Several organizers listed on the event permit granted by the National Parks Service (NPS) and posted online by the Center for Responsive Politics previously held positions within the Trump campaign or had ties to those who did. 

Federal Election Commission filings show that the former president’s reelection campaign made payments to several of those individuals through Nov. 23, the most recent day for which financial disclosures are available.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/535440-trump-campaign-paid-27-million-to-organizers-of-rally-ahead-of-capitol-riot

We all are appalled at the events on 06 January and most of us want them punished and future ‘incidents’ quelled before they do any damage to the nation.

Well Biden has seemed to make ‘domestic terrorism’ a policy focus.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced that President Biden ordered three US intelligence agencies to review the threat of “domestic violent extremism.”

Since pro-Trump demonstrators stormed the US Capitol building on January 6th, calls to combat “domestic terrorism” have been growing. Before January 6th, Biden’s transition team had said they were planning to pass laws against domestic terrorism, and the Capitol incident has made it a top priority.

“The January 6th assault on the Capitol and the tragic deaths and destruction that occurred underscored what we have long known. The rise of domestic violent extremism is a serious and growing national security threat,” Psaki said.

Psaki went on to outline the first steps the Biden administration is taking. She said Biden ordered the newly confirmed Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to conduct a threat assessment along with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Psaki said the assessment will produce a “fact-based analysis on which we can shape policy.” In addition to the intelligence analysis, the National Security Council is being tasked with finding ways to disrupt “extremist networks.”

It’s not clear if the assessment will lead to US government agencies being granted new authorities to counter domestic terrorism.

Congress is onboard with prioritizing domestic threats. Earlier this week, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act was introduced in the House with bipartisan sponsors. The bill would establish offices within the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the Justice Department to combat domestic terrorism.

(antiwar.com)

An excellent idea!

I will watch this promise and write on the outcome in the future.

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–25Jan21

I have made my feelings known that I think the traitorous slugs that participated in the insurrection of 06 January should pay a heavy price for their assault on the country.

I mean everyone!

There is a movement started by a Congressman from New Jersey to make the penalties should be doubled…..

A new bill introduced Friday by a Democratic lawmaker would double the prison time faced by rioters like those who stormed the Capitol, upping the maximum penalty for insurrection from 10 to 20 years.

The bill, named Stopping Domestic Terrorists Act and introduced by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), comes as the White House has directed agencies to undertake a sweeping interagency effort to root out domestic extremism.

“Two weeks ago, the world witnessed a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, incited to overturn our democracy and the will of the American people,” Gottheimer said on a call with reporters.

“With the new Congress in place and with the new administration in the White House, we must redouble our efforts to prioritize the serious threat domestic terrorism is in our nation,” he said.

“We are not a land of lawless thugs and if you attempt to overthrow it, through violence, you will pay the price,” he added.

If enacted, the doubled sentence would accompany increased efforts by the Biden administration to root out domestic extremism. 

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/535475-lawmaker-eyes-doubling-penalty-for-insurrection-following-riot-at

I say DO IT!

And that includes those slimy toads in Congress that have assisted the insurrection to come to a head.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Final Pardons

The last day of the Trump debacle that some call a presidency……Donald the Orange has made his list of pardons public.

Pardon day is here. The White House was expected to announce a slew of pardons and commutations on Tuesday, President Trump’s last full day in office, but instead the list came out early Wednesday, hours before his term ends at noon, CNN reports. The most notable name on the list of people being granted clemency in some form: Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist charged with fundraising fraud. Sources say there was much debate at the White House over whether to include the controversial pick, even until the last minute. Not on the list: Trump himself, members of his family, or Rudy Giuliani, NBC News reports; there had been speculation he might issue preemptive pardons in those cases. There are a total of 143 names on the list, the Washington Post reports. Among them:

  • Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who are jailed on weapons charges
  • Elliott Broidy, a former top fundraiser for the Trump campaign who pleaded guilty in a corruption and bribery case
  • Conservative political operative Paul Erickson, the ex-boyfiend of alleged Russian spy Maria Butina, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges
  • North Carolina political donor Robin Hayes, who was convicted of trying to bribe officials
  • Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, convicted of racketeering, extortion, corruption, and other charges
  • Professional sports gambler William Walters, found guilty of insider trading
  • Israeli air force officer Aviem Sella, whom the US accused of spying
  • Casey Urlacher, brother of former NFL star Brian Urlacher, accused of helping to run an illegal offshore gambling ring

Prior to this group, Trump had only granted clemency to 95 people; the only one-term president to have a lower number is George HW Bush.

Not a person listed deserves a presidential pardon.

If they accept then they admit they committed the crimes they are accused of doing.

I guess those pardoned kissed enough ass for Trump to take notice….and wrote a big enough check.

These pardons are not about justice but rather about money.

Learn Stuff!

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“lego ergo scribo”

More Pardons?

Today is Donald Trump’s last day as president of the United States. (Celebrate when he is gone)

Trump has been on pardoning frenzy for the last couple of months as the leader of the Free World and his last in office may be NO different.

Word has come out that he plans many for his last day.

President Trump’s pardoning spree will continue until pretty near the bitter end, sources say. Three people familiar with the matter tell CNN that the POTUS will issue somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 pardons and commutations on Tuesday, his last full day in office. He has until noon on Wednesday, Inauguration Day, to grant clemency. Aides don’t currently expect that list to include himself, members of his family, or his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, though they warn that could change; all of the above had been speculated as possibilities. Rather, CNN says the list will include “white collar criminals, high-profile rappers and others.” Sources tell the Washington Post the names are largely expected to be “uncontroversial.” Trump granted clemency to 49 people in the week before Christmas; the total number of his presidency so far is 94, mostly friends and allies.

Not many specific names are being reported, other than Dr. Salomon Melgen, a prominent eye doctor from Palm Beach, Florida, who is jailed on health care fraud convictions. He is seen as “wealthy and influential” in South Florida, CNN says, and sources say that’s a common theme in the list: “Everything is a transaction. He likes pardons because it is unilateral. And he likes doing favors for people he thinks will owe him,” one says. Julian Assange is not expected to be on the list, and it’s not clear whether Steve Bannon will be. Trump met with daughter Ivanka, Jared Kushner, and other aides at the White House Sunday to discuss the list, which is seen as fluid and could change before it’s finalized. As for why he isn’t likely to pardon himself, a source tells Reuters there’s a concern that could make him look guilty regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Once again he will pardon people that can be of benefit to him….not those people that necessarily deserve a pardon.

Will any of the 06 January crowd be included?

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“lego ergo scribo”