There is war in the streets of America tonight

[BoSoxGal]

[Darren]

can anyone show me even just *ONE* example of Trump firing someone and then replacing that person with someone who is objectively MORE COMPETENT (rather than just more loyal/subservient to Trump himself, personally)?

So let me get this straight, Darren: you're saying that Clayton (whose experience is as a corporate mergers & acquisitions lawyer) or Carpenito (who was appointed by Jeff Sessions and is a buddy and lawyer to Chris Christie) would have been MORE COMPETENT (rather than just more loyal/subservient to Trump himself, personally) as US Attorney for SDNY than Berman or Strauss—both of whom Trump wanted to get rid of. And this is apparently based solely on the fact that Berman and Strauss took longer than you think they should have on the indictment of Ghislane Maxwell.

Why did it take so long to arrest Maxwell?

Okay...I'll give up and let you enlighten us, based on your vast experience with the Southern District of New York and the inner workings of the U.S. Dept. of Justice. Go ahead.

Why do you think either Clayton or Carpenito will handle prosecuting Maxwell when it's being handled by the public corruption unit within SDNY?

Check the tweets of ex-US attorneys before you answer.

[Scooter]

I haven't the faintest fucking clue how to get out of this hole that I've dug for myself, so I'll just speak in meaningless riddles and imagine that people won't notice the evasion.

[RayThom]

We haven't the faintest fucking clue how to get out of this hole that we've dug for ourselves, so we'll just speak in meaningless riddles and imagine that people won't notice the evasion.

Don't forget "Doc." She's part of Darren's think tank, too.

[Crackpot]

you only have yourselves to blame wishing you could hear his "input" on these subjects.

[Econoline]

I will continue to re-post my question every time Darren returns to the subject of replacing "incompetent" "deep state" personnel.

can anyone show me even just *ONE* example of Trump firing someone and then replacing that person with someone who is objectively MORE COMPETENT (rather than just more loyal/subservient to Trump himself, personally)?

(I'm also curious as to whether he will ever answer Scooter's question about his use of the term "mediademic".)

[Crackpot]

really?! You think his continuing evasions and all around bullshit is just going to somehow magically stop someday? You're just as delusional as he is.

[Darren]

really?! You think his continuing evasions and all around bullshit is just going to somehow magically stop someday? You're just as delusional as he is.

As things develop there will be no reason to point out anything you've missed due to your eager consumption of anything the alphabet networks, Fox included, feeds the media shit fan.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Question for one of our legal folk. The indictment against G Maxwell references the Grand Jury. I know that proceedings of the GJ are confidential. On skimming the indictment I saw no reference to dates when the GJ was convened. Is even the existence of the GJ secret? So if, for example, the feds think I am involved in something they can convene a secret GJ who might indict me but I do not even know that this is going on? Asking for a friend . . .

[BoSoxGal]

Federal grand juries are essentially continuously in service, and hear evidence in numerous cases during their term. In other words, a federal grand jury isn’t convened specifically to hear one case, they are always sitting and hear whatever cases are brought to them. Their proceedings are secret and indictments are sealed until made public by the US Attorney’s office. Federal law requires the use of a grand jury in all felony matters.

A colleague of mine sat on a federal grand jury in Montana so I enjoyed the depiction of the process that she shared with us when she finally had the opportunity to rejoin us at the saloon; she served for several months, it’s a fairly grueling bit of public service - especially in Montana as it required her to travel several hours from her home to be at the US District Court.

So no, you wouldn’t know (or even get a hint) if a grand jury was convened specifically to hear evidence against you, at least not at the federal level - because they’d just be sitting to hear whatever cases were ready for presentment.

Each state jurisdiction has different rules and some don’t require grand juries to indict in felonies at all - though all states have provisions for grand juries in their laws. In many states felonies are presented to the court in adversarial preliminary hearings and thereby obtain the probable cause ruling to proceed; in Montana we used direct filing of an information to the court to obtain probable cause, a much easier process that is also, some would say, fraught with greater potential for prosecutorial abuse.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Thanks, BSG.

[Econoline]

[RayThom]

"The Pimping Of America"

This may make a good story if Maxwell gets a reduced sentence, or immunity from prosecution.

Sadly, "Li'l Dick Donald" won't lose one voter.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Fox News posted this pic in a story about Maxwell



I'm pretty sure that there was someone else in that photo, last time I saw it. It'll come to me . . .

[Darren]

The conundrum is why didn't Berman have Maxwell arrested but she was soon arrested after he was fired.

IOW why would Trump have Barr fire Berman if that would lead to Maxwell's arrest and his implication in Epstein's world?

The sealed indictment isn't dated. The oddity is that the indictment is for Maxwell's activities in the 1990s. So why didn't Berman have Maxwell arrested as soon as Epstein died if for no other reason than to have her in protective custody?

They knew where she was all of the time.

[Darren]

"ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Police are investigating an act of vandalism, after a statue of Frederick Douglass was removed from its base at Maplewood Park during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Leaders from Re-energize the legacy of Frederick Douglass are shocked a monument they worked so hard on will have to be replaced.

“This is all that is left at this particularly moment of a monument that we put so much work and thought and love and care into,” said Carvin Eison, Project director, re-energize the legacy of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commemoration.

Police say they found the statue placed over a fence near the gorge, feet from the statue’s original base, pieces of plaster could be seen left in a pile by the fence.

The act of vandalism comes on the 168th anniversary of Douglass’s speech titled, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” delivered in Rochester.

Leaders involved in the monuments creation believe that current national focus on race could have played a role in this.

“What comes of this? Is this some type of retaliation because of the national fever over confederate monuments right now? Very disappointing its beyond disappointing,” said Carvin Eison, Project director, re-energize the legacy of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commemoration."

[ex-khobar Andy]

The conundrum is why didn't Berman have Maxwell arrested but she was soon arrested after he was fired.

I'm guessing they were waiting for the grand jury. You know, due process and all.

[ex-khobar Andy]

From the Daily Telegraph:

Six F1 drivers decline to join Lewis Hamilton in taking knee ahead at Austrian Grand Prix

Let's see. There were 20 drivers in the race, so 13 decided to join Hamilton. This tells you something about the Telegraph. (Apart, of course, from their questionable grammar.)

[MajGenl.Meade]

Yeah but no. The Telegraph report is equitable and fair. Blokes kneeling isn't news now - blokes not kneeling is news. It's controversial, given Hamilton's earlier comments.

What do they mean by it? Is it racism? No, it is not. All of them support justice and equality (apparently) but not all support an organization called BLM, a name which has been pre-empted by a small group of left/anarchists (at least in the UK and probably in the USA as well) with a political agenda that has little to do with black lives mattering and everything to do with smashing capitalism.

I guess a few of the 7 chose not to kneel but to wear the slogans to show (a) they support the movement for justice and (b) they don't support operation BLM to end capitalism

Nor should any sane person

[Darren]

The conundrum is why didn't Berman have Maxwell arrested but she was soon arrested after he was fired.

I'm guessing they were waiting for the grand jury. You know, due process and all.

The indictment is for activities in the 1990's. You can't tell from the sealed indictment whether it was in the past or recent. Since it was sealed I'm thinking it wasn't recent.