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  • Trump wants Xi to buy agricultural goods so that he's re-elected. Trump is not fit to hold any constitutional post.
    Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

    Comment


    • Originally posted by astralis View Post
      back during the impeachment he made it clear that he was willing to testify...but only if Congress "compelled" him to do so.

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...u-might-think/

      he thought that it was a done deal because it would have only taken 4 GOP Senators to get him to testify. only 2 voted for it.

      it's not a matter of him being a coward. Bolton betrayed his country for money.

      as did 51 other GOP Senators.
      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

      So much this
      “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
      Mark Twain

      Comment


      • Donald Trump fires US Attorney for Southern District Who Was Investigating Giuliani

        WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a surprise move, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday that it was replacing Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan whose office has been investigating Rudolph W. Giuliani, the personal lawyer of U.S. President Donald Trump.

        Attorney General William Barr said in a press release late on Friday evening that Trump intends to nominate Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton to replace Berman as head of the Southern District of New York.

        The reason for Berman's departure could not be immediately determined.

        "I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight that I was 'stepping down' as United States Attorney. I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning my position, to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York," Berman said in a statement.

        He said that until a presidentially appointed nominee was confirmed by the Senate, the office's "investigations will move forward without delay or interruption."

        Since being appointed to the post in January 2018, Berman has not shied from taking on powerful figures in Trump's orbit.

        He oversaw the prosecution of Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, indicted two Giuliani associates and launched a probe into Giuliani in connection with his efforts to dig up dirt in the Ukraine on Trump's political adversaries.

        While the Senate considers Clayton's nomination, Trump has appointed Craig Carpenito, currently the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, to serve as the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District, Barr said in his statement.

        Berman, who served on Trump's transition team, could not immediately be reached for comment. Berman had replaced Preet Bharara, who was himself fired soon after Trump became president.

        Bharara said the timing and manner of the move to replace Berman was strange.

        "Why does a president get rid of his own hand-picked US Attorney in SDNY on a Friday night, less than 5 months before the election?" Bharara wrote on Twitter.

        Clayton, a former Wall Street lawyer seen as a bipartisan consensus-builder during his time leading the SEC, also could not immediately be reached for comment.
        ___________________

        Just gets more and more blatant every single day.
        “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

        Comment


        • Later on Berman then tells Barr kiss my ass....

          Comment


          • Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
            Donald Trump fires US Attorney for Southern District Who Was Investigating Giuliani
            That man makes it impossible say anything positive about his Administration.
            Chimo

            Comment


            • Trump distances himself from Geoffrey Berman firing after AG Barr says president was behind decision

              President Donald Trump dismissed Manhattan's chief federal prosecutor Geoffrey Berman on Saturday after the prosecutor who had launched a series of criminal inquires targeting the president's allies refused to resign, Attorney General William Barr said in a letter to Berman.

              "Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so," Barr wrote.

              Barr said Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss would serve as the acting chief of the office until a permanent successor could be seated.

              Almost as soon as the letter was made public, however, Trump appeared to distance himself from the attorney general's statement, saying that the decision to remove Berman was Barr's to make.

              "I'm not involved," Trump told reporters before departing for a campaign rally in Oklahoma.

              The action comes after an extraordinary confrontation late Friday night in which Barr first announced that Berman would be "stepping down," only to have the prosecutor fire back that he had no intention of resigning his post.

              The clash thrust the Justice Department into fresh turmoil, raising new questions about its independence from a White House that has sought to remove members of the administration it has cast as disloyal.

              Barr and Berman discussed his tenure earlier Friday while the attorney general was in New York meeting with New York Police Department officials, a person with knowledge of the matter said Saturday. At that time, Berman was offered other positions in the administration, including chief of the Justice Department's Civil Division in Washington. The source who is not authorized to comment publicly said Berman believed that the conversation was only the start of a longer conversation about possible personnel changes.

              "Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service," Barr said in the letter, referring to the prosecutor's refusal to capitulate.

              "Your statement also wrongly implies that your continued tenure in the office is necessary to ensure that cases now pending in the Southern District of New York are handled appropriately. This is obviously false. I fully expect that the office will continue to handle all cases in the normal course and pursuant to the Department’s applicable standards, policies, and guidance. Going forward, if any actions or decisions are taken that office supervisors conclude are improper interference with a case, that information should be provided immediately to Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justice’s Inspector General."

              Barr said he was asking Horowitz to review any claims of improper interference.

              It wasn't immediately clear whether Barr's letter would represent the final word on the Berman's tenure and whether the prosecutor would challenge the action, as he was not nominated by a president or confirmed by the Senate. And with Trump now distancing himself from Barr, it also wasn't clear who had directed the prosecutor's removal.

              Berman was appointed as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in 2018 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions following a purge of federal prosecutors in the early days of the Trump administration.

              When the interim term of 120 days lapsed without a formal nomination by the president, the judges in the New York district exercised their authority to make Berman’s appointment official, at least until another candidate is nominated and confirmed.

              Since Friday night, Berman has leaned heavily on that judicial authority to maintain control over the Justice Department’s most prestigious office outside of Washington, D.C.

              “I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position to which I was appointed by the judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York,” Berman said after Barr abruptly announced that the prosecutor was “stepping down."

              “I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate," he said.

              The crucial Justice Department office has prosecuted Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen and is heading an investigation of the president's lawyer and close adviser Rudy Giuliani.

              The Giuliani inquiry has focused in part on the former New York mayor's work with business associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who helped Giuliani seek damaging information in Ukraine about the family of Joe Biden, the former U.S. vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee for president in the 2020 election.

              This week, Trump national security adviser John Bolton revealed in a book that the president once sought to interfere in a federal investigation of a Turkish bank to pacify Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The inquiry also has been headed by Berman’s office.

              More: Judge clears way for John Bolton to publish his book, rejecting Trump administration effort to block it

              A Justice Department opinion, although authored more than 40 years ago, addresses the lines of authority in such unusual cases. It concludes that the president — not the attorney general or a consortium of judges — has the power to remove a U.S. attorney who holds the position by judicial appointment.

              In such cases, the opinion states, "the power of removal may be even more important to the president than the power of appointment.

              "Indeed, it is the power to remove, and not the power to appoint, which gives rise to the power to control," the memorandum states. The document raised potential conflicts of interest if judges were authorized to remove prosecutors.

              "Due process problems could arise if a court, through the exercise of its removal power, (was) enabled to control the manner in which a prosecutor performs his official duties. We therefore are of the opinion that the power to remove a court-appointed U.S. Attorney rests with the president," the memo states.

              In his letter to Berman Saturday, the attorney general also asserted that the president had unquestioned authority to remove a judicially appointed U.S. attorney

              "Indeed, the court’s appointment power has been upheld only because the Executive retains the authority to supervise and remove the officer," Barr wrote.

              Some legal analysts, however, disagreed, saying that provisions of the law allowing for the judicial appointments of U.S. attorneys should control.

              "Berman is the Acting U.S. Attorney by dint of a 'judicial' appointment," University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck tweeted Saturday. "There’s a pretty good argument that, per the plain language of (the law) he gets to keep serving in that post until the 'vacancy' is filled through Senate confirmation of a permanent successor."

              David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor in Miami, believed Berman's interpretation is "correct."

              "The Department of Justice opinion is simply that — an opinion," Weinstein said, adding that the document is not binding. He said Trump lost his control over Berman when he failed to nominate a candidate during Berman's interim tenure.

              "This all falls back on the president because of his failure to act," Weinstein said, adding that a resolution may be up to the courts.


              The urgency of Barr's Friday night action also was not immediately clear. Equally unexpected was the accompanying announcement that Trump intended to nominate Jay Clayton, the Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, who has no experience as a federal prosecutor.

              Instead, Barr hailed Clayton's "management experience and expertise in financial regulation."

              A person familiar with Clayton's selection said the former SEC chairman had expressed an interest in the prosecutor's job, as he planned to leave the administration and his position in Washington.

              Until Clayton's nomination is considered by the Senate, the attorney general said Friday night that the president was appointing New Jersey's chief federal prosecutor, Craig Carpenito, to take Berman's place, beginning July 3. On Saturday, Barr walked that announcement back, saying that Berman's top deputy, Strauss, would take charge as acting U.S. attorney until a replacement was seated.

              Rather than argue that Berman was being removed for cause, the attorney general lavished praise on the prosecutor, saying he performed with "tenacity and savvy."

              "The attorney general, himself, acknowledged that there was no reason for his removal," Weinstein said. "I think we're in for a battle. I think Berman should stand his ground. What does he have to lose? If he does, this could end up in the Supreme Court."
              ____________

              And right on time, the dumpster fire continues to burn brightly.

              Trump probably threw Barr under the bus for admitting that he fled to the White House bunker like a little bitch.
              “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

              Comment


              • Apparently, in San Francisco Ulysses S. Grant is offensive?
                https://www.foxnews.com/us/ulysses-g...-san-francisco

                Comment


                • So it looks like kiss my ass lasted 24 hours.

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by surfgun View Post
                    Apparently, in San Francisco Ulysses S. Grant is offensive?
                    https://www.foxnews.com/us/ulysses-g...-san-francisco

                    Clueless again. Forget Fox and read directly from the City. Vandals did lots of damage that day to not only statues but also commemorative benches, Apple Cider Press sculpture, a sphinx statue, drinking fountains, pathways and a balustrade. They damaged everything, comprende... Oh, Spanish for understand.

                    Comment


                    • Due to Fox News phobia,
                      Here is another source.
                      https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sa...ue/ar-BB15KtqI

                      Comment


                      • Apparently its the unions that stop reform

                        How Police Unions Became Such Powerful Opponents to Reform Efforts | NYT | Jun 06 2020

                        But listen to what the NYPD union is saying and you get a different message.



                        Did anyone think to ask the cops what they think ? No, because they are the problem

                        As a result of the protests they have to go light. Know what happens then, crime goes up

                        The crooks won. The community & the cops lost.

                        The pols interfere in the job of the cops.

                        So this so called reform is bills getting passed, hundreds of pages long that no one read.

                        Nobody thought to involve the cops when they were being drafted.

                        Quick fix, make the problem go away.

                        The cops read them and they're seeing stars.
                        Last edited by Double Edge; 22 Jun 20,, 03:14.

                        Comment


                        • I think it's pretty basic; use 'reasonable force'. This does not include kneeling on the back of a persons neck when they say they cannot breathe for however long. Cuff them and let them breathe. It does not include shooting a person you know to be unarmed since you have no reason to believe they are an immediate danger to you or anyone else.

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by tbm3fan View Post
                            So it looks like kiss my ass lasted 24 hours.
                            He forced the issue to be done IAW the law and the Constitution.

                            IAW the regulations the Deputy DA for the SDNY takes over until a Senate confirmed replacement occurs and not the Administration's hand picked successor who may or may not allow the investigations to continue.

                            A solid win for the Constitution.
                            “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                            Mark Twain

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by surfgun View Post
                              Due to Fox News phobia,
                              Here is another source.
                              https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sa...ue/ar-BB15KtqI
                              Don't read them either.

                              I have one very great advantage over you being that I have lived 30 miles from the City for 50 years and in it for 10 years. If I want to know what happens locally I have the local news and not national sources that over dramatize anything having to do with the Bay Area particularly San Francisco and Berkeley. So yes we did have vandals, not BLM protestors of any kind, decide to rampage through that section of Golden Gate Park which I know well having lived 6 blocks from it. I have sat in those park benches, used those water fountains, walked and biked those pathways, and wasn't aware they had racist connotations. In the future your best source on Bay Area news is me.

                              Comment


                              • U.S. Army soldier charged with plotting to help neo-Nazis attack his own unit

                                WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a 22-year-old U.S. Army private with plotting to attack his own military unit abroad by sending sensitive details about the unit to a neo-Nazi group.

                                The Justice Department said Ethan Melzer of Louisville, Kentucky, had sent details about his unit's location, planned movements and security to members of the Order of Nine Angles (O9A), which the department described an "an occult-based neo-Nazi and white supremacist group."

                                Melzer is charged with conspiring and attempting to murder Americans and U.S. military service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to murder and maim in an undisclosed foreign country.

                                One of Melzer's federal public defenders, Jonathan Marvinny, did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

                                According to the indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, the FBI and the U.S. Army thwarted Melzer's plot in late May, and the FBI arrested Melzer on June 10.

                                It described Melzer as "the enemy within," who allegedly attempted "to orchestrate a murderous ambush on his own unit," said Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss for the Southern District of New York.

                                After learning about the overseas assignment of his unit, investigators say Melzer used an encrypted app to send messages containing information about his unit to members and associates of O9A and a related group known as the "RapeWaffen Division".

                                Melzer and his co-conspirators planned what they referred to as a "jihadi attack" during the deployment, with the objective of causing a "mass casualty" event victimizing his fellow service members, prosecutors alleged.

                                In a voluntary interview with investigators, Melzer said that he wanted the planned attack to result in the deaths of as many of his fellow service members as possible, prosecutors said. Melzer also described his conduct as tantamount to treason, they said.
                                ________________

                                Another one of Trump's "very fine people". He'll be fine, Trump will pardon him.
                                “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                                Comment

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