I still think he'll "pull a runner" as the say on the other side of the pond.
He has an Oct. 2, trial date in New York for Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuit that could cost him a $ billion. He doesn't have a $billion -- in this country. Another trial on whether he defamed E. Jean Carroll is set to open on Jan. 15 — the same day as the Iowa caucuses. On Jan. 29, a trial begins accusing Trump, his company and three of his children of using the family name to entice vulnerable people to invest in sham business opportunities.
I'm hoping that all the witnesses to Jan 6 will be questioned. That includes all members of Congress and the staff on duty. 144 police officers were injured and if I were their lawyers I'd question not only the perps in the criminal cases, but everyone similarly situated. There are at least two civil rights cases, and people like the 5 House members referred for contempt by the Jan 6 committee should be questioned.
I'd want to know whether members of Congress, all potential witnesses have been colluding or conspiring with Trump to undermine his prosecution.
After their efforts to kill Fani Willis' case failed before the Georgia Supreme Court a few days ago, they have now stepped it up and filed a 650 (six hundred fifty) page "motion" to disqualify her from prosecuting this case. I expect that effort will meet the same fate as the previous efforts, but one never knows, in this charged atmosphere, what will happen.
This massive effort is taking place because this case is the most serious one he is facing so far, and it is a case that, once filed, cannot be pardoned under federal or Georgia law. So, unlike the federal cases, where, if he wins the presidency he can simply have the DOJ drop the cases., he cannot do that with Georgia, or the criminal case in New York. That criminal case remains on track to go to trial on March 25.
The criminal case in New York is serious, but not nearly a s serious as the potential charges that Fani Willis can level.
I agree with your comment “I'd want to know whether members of Congress, all potential witnesses have been colluding or conspiring with Trump to undermine his prosecution.” As the House Republicans have become so openly corrupt , I wouldn’t be surprised that they are doing something underhanded as to try to undermine the prosecution. One example is trying to explain away the FAKE electors as “alternate” electors, which we know are still FAKE.
As to pending legislation the Republicans may be immune, but citizen Trump is not. All of the Republicans in Congress are potential witnesses.
18 U.S. Code § 1512 - Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant
(a) (1)Whoever kills or attempts to kill another person, with intent to—
(A)prevent the attendance or testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(B)prevent the production of a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(C)prevent the communication by any person to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation, parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (3).
(2)Whoever uses physical force or the threat of physical force against any person, or attempts to do so, with intent to—
(A)influence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(B)cause or induce any person to—
(i)withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object, from an official proceeding;
(ii)alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the integrity or availability of the object for use in an official proceeding;
(iii)evade legal process summoning that person to appear as a witness, or to produce a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(iv)be absent from an official proceeding to which that person has been summoned by legal process; or
(C)hinder, delay, or prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation, supervised release, parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (3).
(3)The punishment for an offense under this subsection is—
(A)in the case of a killing, the punishment provided in sections 1111 and 1112;
(B)in the case of—
(i)an attempt to murder; or
(ii)the use or attempted use of physical force against any person;
imprisonment for not more than 30 years; and
(C)in the case of the threat of use of physical force against any person, imprisonment for not more than 20 years.
(b)Whoever knowingly uses intimidation, threatens, or corruptly persuades another person, or attempts to do so, or engages in misleading conduct toward another person, with intent to—
(1)influence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(2)cause or induce any person to—
(A)withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object, from an official proceeding;
(B)alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding;
(C)evade legal process summoning that person to appear as a witness, or to produce a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(D)be absent from an official proceeding to which such person has been summoned by legal process; or
(3)hinder, delay, or prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation [1] supervised release,,[1] parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.
(c)Whoever corruptly—
(1)alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding; or
(2)otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so,
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.
(d)Whoever intentionally harasses another person and thereby hinders, delays, prevents, or dissuades any person from—
(1)attending or testifying in an official proceeding;
(2)reporting to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation 1 supervised release,,1 parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
(3)arresting or seeking the arrest of another person in connection with a Federal offense; or
(4)causing a criminal prosecution, or a parole or probation revocation proceeding, to be sought or instituted, or assisting in such prosecution or proceeding;
or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 3 years, or both.
(e)In a prosecution for an offense under this section, it is an affirmative defense, as to which the defendant has the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence, that the conduct consisted solely of lawful conduct and that the defendant’s sole intention was to encourage, induce, or cause the other person to testify truthfully.
(f)For the purposes of this section—
(1)an official proceeding need not be pending or about to be instituted at the time of the offense; and
(2)the testimony, or the record, document, or other object need not be admissible in evidence or free of a claim of privilege.
(g)In a prosecution for an offense under this section, no state of mind need be proved with respect to the circumstance—
(1)that the official proceeding before a judge, court, magistrate judge, grand jury, or government agency is before a judge or court of the United States, a United States magistrate judge, a bankruptcy judge, a Federal grand jury, or a Federal Government agency; or
(2)that the judge is a judge of the United States or that the law enforcement officer is an officer or employee of the Federal Government or a person authorized to act for or on behalf of the Federal Government or serving the Federal Government as an adviser or consultant.
(h)There is extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section.
(i)A prosecution under this section or section 1503 may be brought in the district in which the official proceeding (whether or not pending or about to be instituted) was intended to be affected or in the district in which the conduct constituting the alleged offense occurred.
(j)If the offense under this section occurs in connection with a trial of a criminal case, the maximum term of imprisonment which may be imposed for the offense shall be the higher of that otherwise provided by law or the maximum term that could have been imposed for any offense charged in such case.
(k)Whoever conspires to commit any offense under this section shall be subject to the same penalties as those prescribed for the offense the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.
(Added Pub. L. 97–291, § 4(a), Oct. 12, 1982, 96 Stat. 1249; amended Pub. L. 99–646, § 61, Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3614; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7029(a), (c), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4397, 4398; Pub. L. 101–650, title III, § 321, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5117; Pub. L. 103–322, title VI, § 60018, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(O), (U), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1975, 2148; Pub. L. 104–214, § 1(2), Oct. 1, 1996, 110 Stat. 3017; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 604(b)(31), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3508; Pub. L. 107–204, title XI, § 1102, July 30, 2002, 116 Stat. 807; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title III, § 3001(a), (c)(1), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1803, 1804; Pub. L. 110–177, title II, § 205, Jan. 7, 2008, 121 Stat. 2537.)
I am one who rages at the contempt (even by so called lawyers) toward the law. We so tell ourselves that our Constitutional base is “the LAW”. This and the money driving power sickens me. I am having a hard time accepting the manipulation of EVERYTHING that we tell ourselves we believe in into just fixing it for those who want it all for themselves. Good God are we this shallow?
It's possible that Trump and his lawyers can be sanctioned for his threats to judges, prosecutors and witnesses. In the Trump v HRC et al case in the SDFL Judge Middlebrooks fined his lawyers almost a $ mil.
“This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim,” U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, an appointee of former President Clinton, wrote in the order. The case at hand had previously been dismissed.
“A continuing pattern of misuse of the courts by Mr. Trump and his lawyers undermines the rule of law, portrays judges as partisans, and diverts resources from those who have suffered actual legal harm.”
Thank you, Daniel for explaining all this. I don't understand how those attorneys? in Georgia can continue filing motions after they have lost in the State Supreme Court. Can this go on indefinitely until Trump dies? Does Fani Willis racial identity have anything to do with these endless attempts to discredit her?
Does Citizens United allow bribery of Supreme Court Justices? Or is it about elections with unlimited campaign contributions? Sickening to think our government can be bought by those with the most money. RFK Jr. should be irrelevant. When will passing a security clearance and actually having qualifications for the job of President be required in order to get on the ballot?
Trump is a social and political enigma. Fueled by hatred and deceit Donnie is a man who grew up with no respect for law and order, perhaps he was to busy licking from that silver spoon he found protruding from the hole in his face located just below his nose. He learned to lie his way out of any undesirable circumstance that confronted him. Trump relished abusing people, human bondage may have been out of style but this guy enjoyed using people then discarding them when they could no longer add to his agenda. Our moral codes meant nothing to a rich boy who never had to be held accountable for anything he got into because daddy was always there to fix his screw ups. With all the legal snags Trump is facing you would think he would consider changing his ways. Not so, Mr. Trump is as abrasive as ever. I question if this guy will ever be forced to face the music he's written. A concerto filled with sour notes.
Well, you got Trump's character down, but what about ours as a nation? How can we let ourselves be bullied into being his vassals? I am so grateful to the prosecutors who have not backed down and to E. Jean Carroll for depleting his treasure chest. Robert Reich was onto something when he started teaching about inequality, because all these billionaires seem to be willing to empty their wealth into the opportunity to end our democracy. We must hold the line here and make sure the recipients pay a price.
"It will be dangerous if Jack Smith sends me to jail". Start preparing for "Jan 6th part II- The Sequel". But, his Dog Whistle is starting to sound like a Kazoo.
Particularly the ones that are sitting in prison because they did Trumps bidding and he said he would protect them. Again, they drank the Trump-laced with lies- poisonous Kool Aide.
I always learn something from these little klatches. Even when you are 83, you can still think and even act. And we are gonna have to act and think something fierce in the next 16 months.
I would love it if you'd write on the substack about your experiences in various different administrations! I've really enjoyed reading what little you've written about your personal and professional history. I think many of your other subscribers would love to hear what you feel were your greatest successes, your many frustrations, as well as humorous and tragic (LOL) anecdotes during your tenure in each of the administrations you were a part of.
Let's hope that the "No Labels" 'party" flops! It will end our Democracy experiment and the chance of freedom for us human people to self rule, if obscene amounts of money allow a 'win' for fascism, and the worst 'president' and 'republican party ' we have ever seen.
Don't these "No Labels" people understand that their actions could result in Trump being elected to a second term? If they are really a group of "Never Trumpers" they are very foolish.
I think a larger question is Do they want to end any efforts to curb big oil? Joe Manchin as president would mean more pipelines (now I wonder if Biden didn't mean to buy him off with the one he agreed to) and more fossil fuel in the air. I don't know about Huntsman. His name is plastered over all kinds of good things in Salt Lake City and he served as ambassador during a Democratic administration, so I'm curious about his long game.
Huntsman was also born with a silver spoon in his mouth, which was further burnished by being born a Mormon male. Papa Huntsman increased his multi-millions with huge chemical factories worldwide poisoning the water and air. I wouldn't look to Huntsman for redemption. Be very wary of the smiling, polite Republicans. And yet Utah ended up with Mike Lee - I wouldn't say he is polite.
But, no one seems to want to see the huge elephant in the room: we have 5 billion more people on the planet that it can sustain. Here is this mornings fact ..in a torrent of records being broken:' the North Atlantic surface water temp has reached an unprecedented high'. The global 'puppet masters' have been and are more so now a larger cabal of narcissistic sociopathic Machiavellians ..who are willfully blind to what is about to hit them ..and they will take most life on the planet with them. Even a child can extrapolate where we are going sooner than ever: mass heat related deaths, starvation, drought, extreme weather damage, mass migrations & pandemics. I recommend they watch 'Don't Look Up' ...
While worrying about the elephant, don't ignore the 800 lb gorilla standing in the corner hiding under a lampshade!
The Unitary Executive theory is transparently unconstitutional, since it subsumes the judicial branch under the executive, thus violating the separation of powers which is one of the Constitution's foundational principles.
One of the problems with "green energy" is that it relies on toxic "rare earths," that lead to pollution and labor excesses at the point of extraction where they're mined from the earth. In many ways - and consistent with the "real world" I've come to know and become mightily impatient with - it begins to look like another exercise in replacing strychnine with cyanide!
So many questions, so few answers and so little time. Yes, the Unitary Executive movement, which dovetails into Illiberal Democracy, is the gorilla in an already rather crowed room (the elephant is taking up most of it). The elephant is the 5 billion too many people on the planet. Until that is 'solved', we will continue to consume 5x our planet's resources. 'Fixing' that problem, given our current global 'growth' economy, will be too painful regardless of how and when we deal with it. Connecting the dots, one can postulate (predict) that we will continue to grow until we reach a wall that none of us can rationalize away. What I have gleaned from watching 'all this' from the sidelines for many decades is that our global ruling class 1) still has the ability to make the changes required to maintain some semblance of a Goldilocks Zone and 2) but does not have the will....it has a collective head so far up its self-serving, greedy ass, that when they finally pull it out to see reality, it will be too late. A good analogy is the current aging issue ...the Healthspan Curve ...a 5-20 year painful , miserable and expensive decline into death ..with big Healthcare and Pharma not doing much except harvest riches applying bandaids instead of 'fixing' the problem. Has anyone checked the Irish betting site on the future of our existing life on the planet?
True enough. But I ask: what stands to be done about the elephant if we lose track of the gorilla, when the filthy rich are confident they can "weather the storm" of climate change in their climate-controlled yachts and personal fortresses located on remote estates? The elephant and gorilla are joined at the hip. Just sayin'. Thanks for your reply.
Amazing and scary how many science fiction books/movies have been written/made over the last few decades dealing with this and related issues(some back into the 50's) that are now looking like non-fiction documentaries.
Bob, in all the discussions, surveys, rants, lectures, pleas, usw, that I have seen about what we must do to save the planet, except on sites specifically targeted at population and reproductive issues, yours is the first public statement about this that I have seen. This issue isn't one elephant, it's a herd of them., and the gorillas are with them. Why isn't EVERYBODY talking about this???
Don't Look Up- good movie. Whatever happened to the Zero Population Growth movement of decades ago? Our government is reactive, not proactive on so many issues. And we have the crazies banning abortion & access to contraception, as well as opposed to funding common sense climate solutions.
There was a reason they made the movie; as a parody of sorts to the what was/still is the situation. A few narcissistic elites calling all the shots, not listening to 'science', and taking the planet and themselves out as a result. There is no will to control population growth ... in fact, China and Japan as examples are going exactly the opposite way. Until and unless we do so...quickly ..it will be curtains for most life on the planet.
The American Constitution is set up for minority rule. Need I say more than California gets as many seats in the Senate as Wyoming. This keeps America stuck with a crazy minority who are inclined to vote and have far more power and influence then they should. Americans take pledges of allegiance to their constitution, almost like like a 'Sieg Heil' to something that is pathetically antiquated. It is held more sacred than the values and intentions of the time it was written.
It pains me to hear you gossip about Ralph Nader. To mention him in the same sentence as Robert Kennedy Jr... unless you were contrasting the values and accomplishments of the two men. Very tribal, very small. I am quite familiar with the work of Citizen Advocate Nader, while you are bad mouthing him he has actually accomplished a lot for the common good.
(Pancha Chandra) : a harsher penalty than what? Just curious! I agree that the penalty should be significant, but am curious what you think it should be. I wonder what the 'options' or possibilities are under the law?
The right wants Armageddon and oppose a Utopia. They are bat feces crazy! Religion and capitalism and the family unit have to strong of a hold. I see very little hope for the future and suggest everyone prepare for the worst, starting now. The living will envy the dead and the aborted fetuses will be the lucky ones. Mad Max on steroids! And the right wingers phony religion and supernatural fake GOD, is not coming back to save them or their children. You can't help those who won't help themselves. Garland and Biden are not up to it, they seem to be enabling the right.
Mother Nature is coming. She has already started the house cleaning of the planet. Human beings don't get it - but they will as the train is on the tracks and will not be stopped if what we are doing continues. And all the BS in the world from the liars and deniers will mean not one damn thing as they too are taken out along with everyone else. The question is - will we be get smart enough soon enough to stop the destruction (and our own destruction) before it is too late to stop it. And stand up to the liars and deniers and stop letting them control our future and our fate. Right now things are not looking good. The youngest human beings (and the rest of all life on the planet) is about to pay a terrible price for our ineptitude. "Mother Nature ALWAYS bats last, and she ALWAYS bats a thousand"
The climate affects younger people more than us over 70 folk. To them this is real, it may affect their longevity, their careers, where they can safely live, and the affordability. It is constantly on their minds. I am 90 so it won't affect me. But, as a science major, I fully understand their fear, and also their disgust with my generation and their parents, for leaving this mess.
I really fervently hope Trump is convicted. I expect if Jack Smith gets an early trial date on the January 6, seditious actions in a DC court, Trump will be convicted. Of course he will appeal, and eventually the conviction will be overturned 6 to 3 by the Supreme Court injustices. So, I'm very glad he will lose a fortune in New York and I wish good luck to Fani Willis. I appreciate very much that a conviction cannot be appealed in GA.
The "unitary executive" fraud is a frightening prospect. I do not understand why anyone in America (other than the MAGA non-thinkers) could accept an authoritarian dictatorship of any kind.
I wish we did have 3 real parties - liberal progressives, moderate centrists, and fiscal conservatives. But the 'No Labels' is disgusting, Even the founders have acknowledged it is intended to be a spoiler party. Their only platform is to throw the election to "a" so far unnamed, but compliant Republican.
Somehow, we have to address the underlying enormous inequality that has created these nation-warping billionaires. Without that, there will be countless more instances of those with their big-money purchasing power.
Who knows when or how it will end?
I still think he'll "pull a runner" as the say on the other side of the pond.
He has an Oct. 2, trial date in New York for Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuit that could cost him a $ billion. He doesn't have a $billion -- in this country. Another trial on whether he defamed E. Jean Carroll is set to open on Jan. 15 — the same day as the Iowa caucuses. On Jan. 29, a trial begins accusing Trump, his company and three of his children of using the family name to entice vulnerable people to invest in sham business opportunities.
I'm hoping that all the witnesses to Jan 6 will be questioned. That includes all members of Congress and the staff on duty. 144 police officers were injured and if I were their lawyers I'd question not only the perps in the criminal cases, but everyone similarly situated. There are at least two civil rights cases, and people like the 5 House members referred for contempt by the Jan 6 committee should be questioned.
I'd want to know whether members of Congress, all potential witnesses have been colluding or conspiring with Trump to undermine his prosecution.
After their efforts to kill Fani Willis' case failed before the Georgia Supreme Court a few days ago, they have now stepped it up and filed a 650 (six hundred fifty) page "motion" to disqualify her from prosecuting this case. I expect that effort will meet the same fate as the previous efforts, but one never knows, in this charged atmosphere, what will happen.
This massive effort is taking place because this case is the most serious one he is facing so far, and it is a case that, once filed, cannot be pardoned under federal or Georgia law. So, unlike the federal cases, where, if he wins the presidency he can simply have the DOJ drop the cases., he cannot do that with Georgia, or the criminal case in New York. That criminal case remains on track to go to trial on March 25.
The criminal case in New York is serious, but not nearly a s serious as the potential charges that Fani Willis can level.
DanieI Solomon ; I hope she gets RICO charges on the whole mob!
Multiply the Ga interference by 6 other states where Trump et al set up fake electors.
E,G, 16 of Trump's fake electors charged by Michigan AG in alleged 2020 election scheme https://www.freep.com/.../trump-fake.../70424150007/
I agree with your comment “I'd want to know whether members of Congress, all potential witnesses have been colluding or conspiring with Trump to undermine his prosecution.” As the House Republicans have become so openly corrupt , I wouldn’t be surprised that they are doing something underhanded as to try to undermine the prosecution. One example is trying to explain away the FAKE electors as “alternate” electors, which we know are still FAKE.
As to pending legislation the Republicans may be immune, but citizen Trump is not. All of the Republicans in Congress are potential witnesses.
18 U.S. Code § 1512 - Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant
(a) (1)Whoever kills or attempts to kill another person, with intent to—
(A)prevent the attendance or testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(B)prevent the production of a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(C)prevent the communication by any person to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation, parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (3).
(2)Whoever uses physical force or the threat of physical force against any person, or attempts to do so, with intent to—
(A)influence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(B)cause or induce any person to—
(i)withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object, from an official proceeding;
(ii)alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the integrity or availability of the object for use in an official proceeding;
(iii)evade legal process summoning that person to appear as a witness, or to produce a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(iv)be absent from an official proceeding to which that person has been summoned by legal process; or
(C)hinder, delay, or prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation, supervised release, parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (3).
(3)The punishment for an offense under this subsection is—
(A)in the case of a killing, the punishment provided in sections 1111 and 1112;
(B)in the case of—
(i)an attempt to murder; or
(ii)the use or attempted use of physical force against any person;
imprisonment for not more than 30 years; and
(C)in the case of the threat of use of physical force against any person, imprisonment for not more than 20 years.
(b)Whoever knowingly uses intimidation, threatens, or corruptly persuades another person, or attempts to do so, or engages in misleading conduct toward another person, with intent to—
(1)influence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(2)cause or induce any person to—
(A)withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object, from an official proceeding;
(B)alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding;
(C)evade legal process summoning that person to appear as a witness, or to produce a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(D)be absent from an official proceeding to which such person has been summoned by legal process; or
(3)hinder, delay, or prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation [1] supervised release,,[1] parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.
(c)Whoever corruptly—
(1)alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding; or
(2)otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so,
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.
(d)Whoever intentionally harasses another person and thereby hinders, delays, prevents, or dissuades any person from—
(1)attending or testifying in an official proceeding;
(2)reporting to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation 1 supervised release,,1 parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
(3)arresting or seeking the arrest of another person in connection with a Federal offense; or
(4)causing a criminal prosecution, or a parole or probation revocation proceeding, to be sought or instituted, or assisting in such prosecution or proceeding;
or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 3 years, or both.
(e)In a prosecution for an offense under this section, it is an affirmative defense, as to which the defendant has the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence, that the conduct consisted solely of lawful conduct and that the defendant’s sole intention was to encourage, induce, or cause the other person to testify truthfully.
(f)For the purposes of this section—
(1)an official proceeding need not be pending or about to be instituted at the time of the offense; and
(2)the testimony, or the record, document, or other object need not be admissible in evidence or free of a claim of privilege.
(g)In a prosecution for an offense under this section, no state of mind need be proved with respect to the circumstance—
(1)that the official proceeding before a judge, court, magistrate judge, grand jury, or government agency is before a judge or court of the United States, a United States magistrate judge, a bankruptcy judge, a Federal grand jury, or a Federal Government agency; or
(2)that the judge is a judge of the United States or that the law enforcement officer is an officer or employee of the Federal Government or a person authorized to act for or on behalf of the Federal Government or serving the Federal Government as an adviser or consultant.
(h)There is extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section.
(i)A prosecution under this section or section 1503 may be brought in the district in which the official proceeding (whether or not pending or about to be instituted) was intended to be affected or in the district in which the conduct constituting the alleged offense occurred.
(j)If the offense under this section occurs in connection with a trial of a criminal case, the maximum term of imprisonment which may be imposed for the offense shall be the higher of that otherwise provided by law or the maximum term that could have been imposed for any offense charged in such case.
(k)Whoever conspires to commit any offense under this section shall be subject to the same penalties as those prescribed for the offense the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.
(Added Pub. L. 97–291, § 4(a), Oct. 12, 1982, 96 Stat. 1249; amended Pub. L. 99–646, § 61, Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3614; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7029(a), (c), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4397, 4398; Pub. L. 101–650, title III, § 321, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5117; Pub. L. 103–322, title VI, § 60018, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(O), (U), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1975, 2148; Pub. L. 104–214, § 1(2), Oct. 1, 1996, 110 Stat. 3017; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 604(b)(31), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3508; Pub. L. 107–204, title XI, § 1102, July 30, 2002, 116 Stat. 807; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title III, § 3001(a), (c)(1), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1803, 1804; Pub. L. 110–177, title II, § 205, Jan. 7, 2008, 121 Stat. 2537.)
Well laid out. Thank you Daniel.
I am one who rages at the contempt (even by so called lawyers) toward the law. We so tell ourselves that our Constitutional base is “the LAW”. This and the money driving power sickens me. I am having a hard time accepting the manipulation of EVERYTHING that we tell ourselves we believe in into just fixing it for those who want it all for themselves. Good God are we this shallow?
It's possible that Trump and his lawyers can be sanctioned for his threats to judges, prosecutors and witnesses. In the Trump v HRC et al case in the SDFL Judge Middlebrooks fined his lawyers almost a $ mil.
“This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim,” U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, an appointee of former President Clinton, wrote in the order. The case at hand had previously been dismissed.
“A continuing pattern of misuse of the courts by Mr. Trump and his lawyers undermines the rule of law, portrays judges as partisans, and diverts resources from those who have suffered actual legal harm.”
No,Bunkerboy and the maga crowd are!
Thank you, Daniel for explaining all this. I don't understand how those attorneys? in Georgia can continue filing motions after they have lost in the State Supreme Court. Can this go on indefinitely until Trump dies? Does Fani Willis racial identity have anything to do with these endless attempts to discredit her?
I think it’s because she is upholding the law, and succeeding. Just like he does all the time, Trump is trying to evade justice.
And let's be clear for all Bunkerboy's liddle drones here: he WILL pardon himself. He will NOT pardon YOU.
Does Citizens United allow bribery of Supreme Court Justices? Or is it about elections with unlimited campaign contributions? Sickening to think our government can be bought by those with the most money. RFK Jr. should be irrelevant. When will passing a security clearance and actually having qualifications for the job of President be required in order to get on the ballot?
RFK’s own family is speaking up AGAINST him. He is an embarrassment to them. It was all over the news.
The Republicans used him as a political pawn but it is backfiring. He won’t survive.
Marlo ; They want to use him to hurt Biden's election chances, since they have nothing but trouble to offer.
Trump is a social and political enigma. Fueled by hatred and deceit Donnie is a man who grew up with no respect for law and order, perhaps he was to busy licking from that silver spoon he found protruding from the hole in his face located just below his nose. He learned to lie his way out of any undesirable circumstance that confronted him. Trump relished abusing people, human bondage may have been out of style but this guy enjoyed using people then discarding them when they could no longer add to his agenda. Our moral codes meant nothing to a rich boy who never had to be held accountable for anything he got into because daddy was always there to fix his screw ups. With all the legal snags Trump is facing you would think he would consider changing his ways. Not so, Mr. Trump is as abrasive as ever. I question if this guy will ever be forced to face the music he's written. A concerto filled with sour notes.
Well, you got Trump's character down, but what about ours as a nation? How can we let ourselves be bullied into being his vassals? I am so grateful to the prosecutors who have not backed down and to E. Jean Carroll for depleting his treasure chest. Robert Reich was onto something when he started teaching about inequality, because all these billionaires seem to be willing to empty their wealth into the opportunity to end our democracy. We must hold the line here and make sure the recipients pay a price.
progwoman--Give me a target and lets put some holes in their philosophy.
And pay they will.
Remember the Midterms,no President in power ever does well,look how that turned out.And the red wave never happened.
You are totally correct in asking “what about ours as a nation” concerning character. Well stated prigwoman! Thank you.
God willing,he'll be on the chow line serving slop at Leavenworth.
"It will be dangerous if Jack Smith sends me to jail". Start preparing for "Jan 6th part II- The Sequel". But, his Dog Whistle is starting to sound like a Kazoo.
I'm sure it sounds like a kazoo to a great many former supporters. Let's hope so.
Particularly the ones that are sitting in prison because they did Trumps bidding and he said he would protect them. Again, they drank the Trump-laced with lies- poisonous Kool Aide.
Look what happened in Manhattan and Florida,same big mouth bluster and not much happened.We are well prepared for him this time.
You had me at hello! Love that line from? Looking forward to Robert’s book being on Substack. Good weekend, friends!
I always learn something from these little klatches. Even when you are 83, you can still think and even act. And we are gonna have to act and think something fierce in the next 16 months.
News about Heather’s family reunion is probably the best bet on some good news! Tell us all about it, Heather, pictures would be a nice touch, also!
I would love it if you'd write on the substack about your experiences in various different administrations! I've really enjoyed reading what little you've written about your personal and professional history. I think many of your other subscribers would love to hear what you feel were your greatest successes, your many frustrations, as well as humorous and tragic (LOL) anecdotes during your tenure in each of the administrations you were a part of.
Let's hope that the "No Labels" 'party" flops! It will end our Democracy experiment and the chance of freedom for us human people to self rule, if obscene amounts of money allow a 'win' for fascism, and the worst 'president' and 'republican party ' we have ever seen.
Don't these "No Labels" people understand that their actions could result in Trump being elected to a second term? If they are really a group of "Never Trumpers" they are very foolish.
They need to be told how the action of voting as a third party will shift the balance of power will not reflect the will of the majority.
I think a larger question is Do they want to end any efforts to curb big oil? Joe Manchin as president would mean more pipelines (now I wonder if Biden didn't mean to buy him off with the one he agreed to) and more fossil fuel in the air. I don't know about Huntsman. His name is plastered over all kinds of good things in Salt Lake City and he served as ambassador during a Democratic administration, so I'm curious about his long game.
Huntsman was also born with a silver spoon in his mouth, which was further burnished by being born a Mormon male. Papa Huntsman increased his multi-millions with huge chemical factories worldwide poisoning the water and air. I wouldn't look to Huntsman for redemption. Be very wary of the smiling, polite Republicans. And yet Utah ended up with Mike Lee - I wouldn't say he is polite.
Hardly. I guess Lee represents the rising class, which has thrown civility out the window. His ignorance takes my breath away.
I'm praying about that,and prayer does work,I've lived the MIRACLES!
No labels=the milk toast party
No labels=the fence sitters
No labels=Republicans who are afraid to say they are Republicans
Why we're busy with "No Labels" - a worthy distraction, to be sure - consider: https://youtu.be/I3ViDuTQsLg
But, no one seems to want to see the huge elephant in the room: we have 5 billion more people on the planet that it can sustain. Here is this mornings fact ..in a torrent of records being broken:' the North Atlantic surface water temp has reached an unprecedented high'. The global 'puppet masters' have been and are more so now a larger cabal of narcissistic sociopathic Machiavellians ..who are willfully blind to what is about to hit them ..and they will take most life on the planet with them. Even a child can extrapolate where we are going sooner than ever: mass heat related deaths, starvation, drought, extreme weather damage, mass migrations & pandemics. I recommend they watch 'Don't Look Up' ...
While worrying about the elephant, don't ignore the 800 lb gorilla standing in the corner hiding under a lampshade!
The Unitary Executive theory is transparently unconstitutional, since it subsumes the judicial branch under the executive, thus violating the separation of powers which is one of the Constitution's foundational principles.
Concerning the 3rd party,
JFK'S GRANDSON COMMENTS OF RFK JR:
https://youtu.be/h8-HKzzhB8M
As for your elephant:
One of the problems with "green energy" is that it relies on toxic "rare earths," that lead to pollution and labor excesses at the point of extraction where they're mined from the earth. In many ways - and consistent with the "real world" I've come to know and become mightily impatient with - it begins to look like another exercise in replacing strychnine with cyanide!
So many questions, so few answers and so little time. Yes, the Unitary Executive movement, which dovetails into Illiberal Democracy, is the gorilla in an already rather crowed room (the elephant is taking up most of it). The elephant is the 5 billion too many people on the planet. Until that is 'solved', we will continue to consume 5x our planet's resources. 'Fixing' that problem, given our current global 'growth' economy, will be too painful regardless of how and when we deal with it. Connecting the dots, one can postulate (predict) that we will continue to grow until we reach a wall that none of us can rationalize away. What I have gleaned from watching 'all this' from the sidelines for many decades is that our global ruling class 1) still has the ability to make the changes required to maintain some semblance of a Goldilocks Zone and 2) but does not have the will....it has a collective head so far up its self-serving, greedy ass, that when they finally pull it out to see reality, it will be too late. A good analogy is the current aging issue ...the Healthspan Curve ...a 5-20 year painful , miserable and expensive decline into death ..with big Healthcare and Pharma not doing much except harvest riches applying bandaids instead of 'fixing' the problem. Has anyone checked the Irish betting site on the future of our existing life on the planet?
True enough. But I ask: what stands to be done about the elephant if we lose track of the gorilla, when the filthy rich are confident they can "weather the storm" of climate change in their climate-controlled yachts and personal fortresses located on remote estates? The elephant and gorilla are joined at the hip. Just sayin'. Thanks for your reply.
And that is why the outlook for our species ..and most life on the planet ...looks dire.
Ever seen "Soylent Green?" If not, look it up and watch. It could be visionary. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/
I still think we're on track for something like that - since '73!
The Post seems to agree: https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/01/09/soylent-green-2022-predictions/ (If you can get past the pay wall for a sample read, if you don't subscribe.)
Here's another from a blogger I don't know, but seems to hold the same kind of view: https://medium.com/narrative/soylent-green-a-scary-film-about-2022-made-50-years-ago-are-we-there-yet-8035200c1a1f
Amazing and scary how many science fiction books/movies have been written/made over the last few decades dealing with this and related issues(some back into the 50's) that are now looking like non-fiction documentaries.
Bob, in all the discussions, surveys, rants, lectures, pleas, usw, that I have seen about what we must do to save the planet, except on sites specifically targeted at population and reproductive issues, yours is the first public statement about this that I have seen. This issue isn't one elephant, it's a herd of them., and the gorillas are with them. Why isn't EVERYBODY talking about this???
Don't Look Up- good movie. Whatever happened to the Zero Population Growth movement of decades ago? Our government is reactive, not proactive on so many issues. And we have the crazies banning abortion & access to contraception, as well as opposed to funding common sense climate solutions.
What happened in China with the one child policy is that there is a huge shortage of females, thus a declining population growth.
It’s because the Republicans BLOCKED everything that we are not further ahead.
There was a reason they made the movie; as a parody of sorts to the what was/still is the situation. A few narcissistic elites calling all the shots, not listening to 'science', and taking the planet and themselves out as a result. There is no will to control population growth ... in fact, China and Japan as examples are going exactly the opposite way. Until and unless we do so...quickly ..it will be curtains for most life on the planet.
The American Constitution is set up for minority rule. Need I say more than California gets as many seats in the Senate as Wyoming. This keeps America stuck with a crazy minority who are inclined to vote and have far more power and influence then they should. Americans take pledges of allegiance to their constitution, almost like like a 'Sieg Heil' to something that is pathetically antiquated. It is held more sacred than the values and intentions of the time it was written.
It pains me to hear you gossip about Ralph Nader. To mention him in the same sentence as Robert Kennedy Jr... unless you were contrasting the values and accomplishments of the two men. Very tribal, very small. I am quite familiar with the work of Citizen Advocate Nader, while you are bad mouthing him he has actually accomplished a lot for the common good.
Surely, Donald Trump should be given a harsher penalty for his disgusting actions!
My suggestion? Toss him in a BLUE-COLLAR, FEDERAL PRISON. He IS a "man of the people," yeah?
. . . I'd give him 130 seconds in there.
He'd look very stylish w/ an orange jumpsuit and that shade of'makeup' he wears!
(Pancha Chandra) : a harsher penalty than what? Just curious! I agree that the penalty should be significant, but am curious what you think it should be. I wonder what the 'options' or possibilities are under the law?
The right wants Armageddon and oppose a Utopia. They are bat feces crazy! Religion and capitalism and the family unit have to strong of a hold. I see very little hope for the future and suggest everyone prepare for the worst, starting now. The living will envy the dead and the aborted fetuses will be the lucky ones. Mad Max on steroids! And the right wingers phony religion and supernatural fake GOD, is not coming back to save them or their children. You can't help those who won't help themselves. Garland and Biden are not up to it, they seem to be enabling the right.
When was the last time you paid attention to nature,even your favorite flower.How about cuddling w/ a puppy?All this helps us all!
Mother Nature is coming. She has already started the house cleaning of the planet. Human beings don't get it - but they will as the train is on the tracks and will not be stopped if what we are doing continues. And all the BS in the world from the liars and deniers will mean not one damn thing as they too are taken out along with everyone else. The question is - will we be get smart enough soon enough to stop the destruction (and our own destruction) before it is too late to stop it. And stand up to the liars and deniers and stop letting them control our future and our fate. Right now things are not looking good. The youngest human beings (and the rest of all life on the planet) is about to pay a terrible price for our ineptitude. "Mother Nature ALWAYS bats last, and she ALWAYS bats a thousand"
The climate affects younger people more than us over 70 folk. To them this is real, it may affect their longevity, their careers, where they can safely live, and the affordability. It is constantly on their minds. I am 90 so it won't affect me. But, as a science major, I fully understand their fear, and also their disgust with my generation and their parents, for leaving this mess.
I really fervently hope Trump is convicted. I expect if Jack Smith gets an early trial date on the January 6, seditious actions in a DC court, Trump will be convicted. Of course he will appeal, and eventually the conviction will be overturned 6 to 3 by the Supreme Court injustices. So, I'm very glad he will lose a fortune in New York and I wish good luck to Fani Willis. I appreciate very much that a conviction cannot be appealed in GA.
The "unitary executive" fraud is a frightening prospect. I do not understand why anyone in America (other than the MAGA non-thinkers) could accept an authoritarian dictatorship of any kind.
I wish we did have 3 real parties - liberal progressives, moderate centrists, and fiscal conservatives. But the 'No Labels' is disgusting, Even the founders have acknowledged it is intended to be a spoiler party. Their only platform is to throw the election to "a" so far unnamed, but compliant Republican.
Climate change affects me *because* it affects my children.
Somehow, we have to address the underlying enormous inequality that has created these nation-warping billionaires. Without that, there will be countless more instances of those with their big-money purchasing power.