Octopus Overlords

In the face of indictment, Trump attempts to summon his mob again.

NBC News

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday that "illegal leaks" have indicated that he will be arrested Tuesday and called on supporters to protest.

Trump, in posts on his social media platform Truth Social, referenced reports that he could soon face possible criminal charges in New York relating to a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump did not say whether he had been informed by law enforcement of a coming indictment.

...

Trump, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, decried "illegal leaks" that "indicate" he would be arrested on Tuesday.

"PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" Trump wrote.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the investigation by the Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office a continuation of the partisan “witch hunt” against him. He’s also accused Bragg, who is Black, of being a “racist.”

Were these statement made before or after he'd announced the first stop on his 2024 campaign tour would be in Waco, TX?

So strange that he picked Waco for next weekend. Thankfully the events of 1993 never inspired anyone to do anything hostile against the government.

Seeing folks already positing a possible indictment as the event that guarantees he'll be reelected.

Eh, Trump is gonna Trump. He can’t help himself. Over a thousand of his most zealous supporters are already in the process of being punished for the attempted coup. I don’t think there will be any widespread violence.

Most of us will be home celebrating with lots of alcohol.


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I really wish this was the Georgia case. That's a lot harder to say it's pointless. Nobody is giving up on him for paying off someone. Heck he's going to use it to make himself more popular.

Wow.

Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump.

I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.

McCarthy just cemented his legacy as a complete disgrace. It didn't take much but this is beyond the pale.

How many times are we going to fall for this?

RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:07 pm How many times are we going to fall for this?

Which part?

How do we still not have a word for "accuse your opposition for what you're actively doing"?

The Meal wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 2:25 pm How do we still not have a word for "accuse your opposition for what you're actively doing"?

Isn't that projection?

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:44 am Seeing folks already positing a possible indictment as the event that guarantees he'll be reelected.

I'm seeing this sentiment quite a bit today and admit that it's a bit perplexing to me.

Trump has the built-in MAGA base that will support him regardless. They will see this arrest as a badge of honor, but what are they going to do...vote more? They're already voting for him.

I have a harder time envisioning that there is this large, critical mass of independents who are saying "I was ready to abandon Trump entirely. But now that he's been arrested, then by god, I am fully behind him!"

Maybe I'm just trapped in my own bubble here, but do those people really exist?

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 2:45 pm

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:44 am Seeing folks already positing a possible indictment as the event that guarantees he'll be reelected.

I'm seeing this sentiment quite a bit today and admit that it's a bit perplexing to me.

Trump has the built-in MAGA base that will support him regardless. They will see this arrest as a badge of honor, but what are they going to do...vote more? They're already voting for him.

I have a harder time envisioning that there is this large, critical mass of independents who are saying "I was ready to abandon Trump entirely. But now that he's been arrested, then by god, I am fully behind him!"

Maybe I'm just trapped in my own bubble here, but do those people really exist?

I think the concern is more of a "rally around the flag" effect within the GOP. But honestly, if that's the reaction rather than an abandonment, it suggests that Trump was probably going to win the GOP nomination anyway. Plus I think it's mostly academic, as it would be a terrible reason to not indict Trump.

I certainly do not see how indictment helps his cause. May not hurt but he's not going to secure the nomination solely because he's indicted.


The deciding factor should be whether prison food is more or less healthy than a steady diet of KFC and steak & ketchup.

I'm quite (I'm sure we are all quite) certain that DeSantis is specifically waiting for this to happen before he actually makes any real move against Trump. So, if he has greased the right palms, they will flock to him if anything starts to take real hold on Trump. To me, that's what makes McCarthy's move interesting - in that he seems to be sorta 'going all in' with that. Of course, I'm sure he is already 'all in', so it's really not much else.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 11:48 am Wow.

Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump.

I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.

"Investigations" are to any legal recourse as engine lights are to modern vehicles.

El Guapo wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 2:12 pm

RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:07 pm How many times are we going to fall for this?

Which part?

The "he's going to be indicted or face consequences" part.

So how does one do "civil disobedience"? I'm afraid conservatives are far behind on this concept due to the need to work all the time. Is there a college class one can take? A particular store to buy the wardrobe? Obviously Buffalo head dress isn't a good idea. Maybe there's a "Dissent for Dummies" title out there?

Why would you need to?

Republican Party presidents can’t be prosecuted for crimes. It was written in the constitution by the founding fathers. (Democrats on the other hand….)

It is incredible to see Donald trump of all people willing to start a civil war to satisfy his own personal demons and how many people are willing to follow him. Dystopian nightmare writers couldn’t have dreamed this stuff up.

Alefroth wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 3:43 am Why would you need to?

I aspire to be a jack of all trades, master of none.

A24? Sure. Why not. Had to make room for a story about homeless camps in Phoenix. The Washington Post put the story on its front page.

Octavious wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 11:32 am I really wish this was the Georgia case. That's a lot harder to say it's pointless. Nobody is giving up on him for paying off someone. Heck he's going to use it to make himself more popular.

Yep. I agree it’s overblown to say this is going to be a decisive factor in favor of Trump getting the GOP nomination, but it’s going to be a great, great photo op for him and throw tremendous amounts of gas on the insurrectionists and their secessionist bon fire.

If Trump is arrested on this nothing-burger charge - after avoiding all legal consequences for staging a coup and interfering in an election - I don’t think it does anything to offset the narrative that Trump isn’t above justice. This doesn’t really look like an objective application of the law.

Kurth wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:14 pmIf Trump is arrested on this nothing-burger charge - after avoiding all legal consequences for staging a coup and interfering in an election - I don’t think it does anything to offset the narrative that Trump isn’t above justice. This doesn’t really look like an objective application of the law.

I don't know if this is/isn't an objective application but Josh Marshall wrote something with some decent thoughts on it. The big takeaway that I think he gets right is that this uncertainty goes away if/when more indictments come in and it is one of several.

Imagine a world where a former sitting President isn't above the law. To rephrase, I'm hoping all the elected officials that enabled and continue to enable TFG are sweating bullets at the idea.

malchior wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:31 pm

Kurth wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:14 pmIf Trump is arrested on this nothing-burger charge - after avoiding all legal consequences for staging a coup and interfering in an election - I don’t think it does anything to offset the narrative that Trump isn’t above justice. This doesn’t really look like an objective application of the law.

I don't know if this is/isn't an objective application but Josh Marshall wrote something with some decent thoughts on it. The big takeaway that I think he gets right is that this uncertainty goes away if/when more indictments come in and it is one of several.

Just read that. I get what he’s saying and agree with most of it. His main takeaway is that there’s nothing to be done about this. Bragg is at the controls on this one and made the decision to move forward now for whatever reason. He agrees that the optics will be favorable for Trump, with lots of objective analysts agreeing that it’s “a shaky prosecution,” and he agrees it would have been much better if one of the serious cases went first.

I also agree that if more indictments for serious crimes are piled on soon, the negative effect of this Stormy Daniels case will be somewhat abated. I guess I just see that as a big “if.”

I disagree with his point about the triviality of the current felony charge, which he only really makes by appealing to an alternate reality where this charge was made way back in the waning days of Trump’s election campaign. That simply didn’t happen, and imagining “what if it did?” doesn’t help his argument that bringing the charge now is not a bad look.

The party of scofflaw and disorder.

Kurth wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:14 pm If Trump is arrested on this nothing-burger charge - after avoiding all legal consequences for staging a coup and interfering in an election - I don’t think it does anything to offset the narrative that Trump isn’t above justice. This doesn’t really look like an objective application of the law.

A big factor in this is that it will eliminate the precedent of not indicting a former president.

Two things I think:

1) If Trumpworld has received news that he will be arrested on Tuesday, doesn't that mean that he has already been indicted (even if it isn't announced until tomorrow or Tuesday)?

2) Charging Trump with crimes might be a motivator for the core MAGA base, but it is *great* news for Ron DeSantis. So many Republicans are looking for an off-ramp from Trump, and now Trump will be tainted not as a criminal but as a "distraction." The argument will be a sad shaking of the head about how these complicated charges hurt Trump's electability in a time when electability matters most of all. DeSantis becomes the safe pick.

Holman wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 2:53 pm2) Charging Trump with crimes might be a motivator for the core MAGA base, but it is *great* news for Ron DeSantis. So many Republicans are looking for an off-ramp from Trump, and now Trump will be tainted not as a criminal but as a "distraction." The argument will be a sad shaking of the head about how these complicated charges hurt Trump's electability in a time when electability matters most of all. DeSantis becomes the safe pick.

This might require a rational, not insane Republican base. Don't get me wrong, it could help DeSantis still. It's just that we would be in unexplored waters. It's hard to know what'll actually happen.

Alefroth wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 2:23 pm

Kurth wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:14 pm If Trump is arrested on this nothing-burger charge - after avoiding all legal consequences for staging a coup and interfering in an election - I don’t think it does anything to offset the narrative that Trump isn’t above justice. This doesn’t really look like an objective application of the law.

A big factor in this is that it will eliminate the precedent of not indicting a former president.

Yeah, I see it as an icebreaker for filing charges for trying to steal Georgia and inciting insurrection, which are much more serious crimes.

Wife asked me today exactly what the crime was in paying off Stormy Daniels, and I'll admit I had to look it up. It's not that paying her off was illegal, but rather how he did it.

And many in the derposphere are trying to play it off as merely paying for sex.

If he's convinced it will be Tuesday, and I were in charge, I'd get him on Friday. Let all the protests dissolve and the news cycle to move along. Bonus points would be him not getting in front of a judge until after the weekend.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 5:10 pm If he's convinced it will be Tuesday, and I were in charge, I'd get him on Friday. Let all the protests dissolve and the news cycle to move along. Bonus points would be him not getting in front of a judge until after the weekend.

Bravo!

I bet dick Wolfe is working out how to make this an episode of Law and Order SVU.

It's really difficult to hit the nail on the head as well as that.

Some people replying to that tweet seem to think that the DoJ runs the Manhattan District Attorneys office. Clearly they went to school in a district that banned all books.

RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:11 pm

El Guapo wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 2:12 pm

RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:07 pm How many times are we going to fall for this?

Which part?

The "he's going to be indicted or face consequences" part.

This isn't Louise Mensch or anything. At this point there's a pretty high chance that Trump gets indicted. I wouldn't bet the bank on him getting specifically indicted on Tuesday (not sure if there is any specific reason why NY would have for indicting him then, or whether Trump's statement changes that at all). But it's likely.

Now, will he ultimately face consequences? That's a harder and more complicated call.

El Guapo wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:32 pmNow, will he ultimately face consequences? That's a harder and more complicated call.

That is infinitely easier, and the answer is "no".