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Trump is going Down -- But I Hope it Happens Slowly: Saturday's GNR [1]

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Date: 2022-12-17

The big news of the week may have been overlooked with all the attention to garbage that the press tends to push, but Trump is doing down. Do I know this for a fact? No. But the combo of the special prosecutor and the recommendations (and evidence) from the Jan 6 panel makes it very very likely that he will face some charges.

Jan. 6 panel to vote on urging DOJ to prosecute Trump on at least three criminal charges

The Jan. 6 select committee is preparing to vote on urging the Justice Department to pursue at least three criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, including insurrection. The report that the select panel is expected to consider on Monday afternoon, described to POLITICO by two people familiar with its contents, reflects some recommendations from a subcommittee that evaluated potential criminal referrals. Among the charges that subcommittee proposes for Trump: 18 U.S.C. 2383, insurrection; 18 U.S.C. 1512(c), obstruction of an official proceeding; and 18 U.S.C. 371, conspiracy to defraud the United States government. DOJ, which is already pursuing a criminal probe of Trump’s Jan. 6-related actions, is not required to consider referrals from Congress, which have no legal weight. However, the select committee plans to act in the hopes that lawmakers’ input can influence prosecutorial decision-making. Panel chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has also raised the possibility of referrals to outside entities like bar associations for the constellation of lawyers involved in election subversion efforts. The enormous cache of evidence the panel plans to release next week, including transcripts of over 1,000 witness interviews, could prove to be an even more significant development by helping federal prosecutors determine which leads to track and which witnesses may have committed crimes themselves.

They 👏🏻have 👏🏻 receipts. 👏🏻

A moment of truth is fast approaching for both Trump

Donald Trump is heading for a period of maximum legal and political risk over his role in the US Capitol insurrection and hoarding of classified documents that will collide with his efforts to electrify a low wattage 2024 White House bid. A quickening special counsel probe, now focusing on the alleged attempt to steal Georgia’s election, the climax of the House January 6 committee and a new trial of pro-Trump Oath Keepers extremists underscore the breadth of attempts to secure accountability over one of the darkest days in modern American history. These new signs of a net possibly closing around Trump and his allies come a month after voters sent a signal of disapproval with his obsession over the 2020 election by repudiating many midterm candidates in swing states who bought his claims of voter fraud.

x MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: The Jan. 6 committee will vote Monday to refer (at least) 3 criminal charges against Donald Trump to the DOJ



1. insurrection.

2. Conspiracy to defraud the US.

3. obstruction



Merry Christmas, Donald! 🤣 — Republicans against Trumpism (@RpsAgainstTrump) December 16, 2022

Why do I hope it takes its time? Because Trump is a cancer on their party. For example:

Kari Lake was unflinchingly loyal to Trump. Then her campaign unraveled.

After Kari Lake rode former president Donald Trump’s endorsement to the Republican nomination for governor of Arizona, some of her aides and allies urged her to moderate her campaign to compete in the November election. Now, her failed campaign offers a case study in how Trump has warped the GOP’s electoral prospects. The positions adopted by candidates to win his endorsement — often necessary to get through the gantlet of GOP primaries — appear untenable in the battleground states that Republicans would need to win to reclaim the White House.

He is weakening the Republican majority in the house

McCarthy’s impossible GOP math

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is far from assured of winning sufficient support in his party to become House speaker next month. But even before the vote, his authority is already weakening by the day – in a way that could make him a speaker who is in office but not in power. The tiny GOP House majority that takes over in January, after a disappointing midterm performance, would mean a fragile governing mandate for any party at any point in American history. And the ideological struggle being waged by pro-Donald Trump extremists inside the party would have made even a more comfortable majority volatile.

He is weak

x Quinnipiac poll:



Just 31% of registered voters have a favorable opinion of Trump — his lowest number since July 2015.



25% of Independent voters have a favorable opinion — Trump's lowest score on since May 2015. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 15, 2022

And he is doing what is good for him, not his party

Trump’s NFT venture befuddles allies and fuels concerns over direction of 2024 campaign

Allies of Donald Trump are distancing themselves from his latest business venture, hours after the former president debuted a series of digital trading cards that befuddled and exasperated his own campaign aides and were roundly mocked by some of his most ardent supporters. The out-of-the-blue announcement comes on the heels of several high-profile blunders since Trump launched his 2024 presidential bid last month, leaving those around him concerned that he is not prepared for another campaign. “I can’t do this anymore,” Bannon said, reacting to a video released by Trump on Thursday that contained images of some of the digital collectibles, depicting Trump as a cowboy, an astronaut and a superhero. “I know this will anger some in Trump world but come on! Can we all just admit this is not great for Donald Trump’s first major announcement since announcing he’s running again?” tweeted Michael Biundo, a New Hampshire-based GOP strategist and former senior adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign. “I kind of feel like we’re being punked,” Biundo added.

So yah, charge the man. But if he weakens the fascists a little more on his way out… that would be fine too. ;-)

Meanwhile, whatever happens to the failed reality TV show host turned trading card grifter, the grownups are doing some awesome governing:

The Democrats are doing great things

Biden Signed the respect for Marriage Act

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/17/2141814/-Trump-is-going-Down-But-I-Hope-it-Happens-Slowly-Saturday-s-GNR

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