Democrats Tie Trump Supreme Court Pick To Russia Investigation

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Some Democrats say the president shouldn't get to pick a Supreme Court justice while he's under criminal investigation

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Some Democratic senators and their allies are starting to make the argument that not only should there be no Supreme Court pick until after the November elections, but that there shouldn't be one at all while the president remains under criminal investigation.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating President Donald Trump as part of his probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 election to defeat Hillary Clinton. Trump is not, however, a criminal target of Mueller's.

During a judiciary committee hearing Thursday, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) noted that a challenge to the investigation could very well end up before the Supreme Court at some point potentially creating a conflict of interest for a president who has asked nonpartisan officials for their loyalty.

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This might have some power but more than likely it can be used as an election issue for the mid-term.

Kennedy drank the Trump kool-aid. He believed him...and screwed the country over. Yes, he's a just another Stanfurd assswhole. IDIOT, for god sake he's a SCOTUS and he bought this?

I'd argue counter to leaving a strong legacy...Kennedy just crapped all over his by buying what Trump sold and for believing a liar. Kennedy will be known as the justice who let Trump have his way. Really, if he had any sense or integrity he would have waited until after the mid-terms.

I use to think Kennedy was reasonable, a reasonable conservative. Well it turns out he wasn't and in the current environent, there might be no such thing as a reasonable conservative. 92% believe the media intentionally reports fake news.

Seriously, I can't get my head around a SC justice buying Trumps crap, and falling on his sword to screw democracy and the U.S. STANFURD FCCK YOU.

Inside the White House's Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening

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WASHINGTON President Trump singled him out for praise even while attacking other members of the Supreme Court. The White House nominated people close to him to important judicial posts. And members of the Trump family forged personal connections.

Their goal was to assure Justice Anthony M. Kennedy that his judicial legacy would be in good hands should he step down at the end of the court's term that ended this week, as he was rumored to be considering. Allies of the White House were more blunt, warning the 81-year-old justice that time was of the essence. There was no telling, they said, what would happen if Democrats gained control of the Senate after the November elections and had the power to block the president's choice as his successor.

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concordtom said:

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bearister said:

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I just want to know why Scalia's family made DAMN SURE there was no autopsy.

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My grandfather (Cal band, '38 rose bowl parade) had his corotid arteries clogged and a surgery to clean them out in '99 - was told he'd come home next day, easy procedure. He died 3 days later after never having his blood pressure stabilized and a heart attack. I was by his side as he passed. My dad was kinda pissed, thinking someone must have f'd up his meds, but the siblings ultimately decided to accept that he was gone and nothing they did would bring him back. Focusing on a doctor's error failed to accept that he was 80 and in poor health.

Now, what is the Scalia conspiracy theory? How is it different than my dear grandpa?, whose middle name I gave to one of my kids.

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Viagra for dude ranch hijinks was sloshing around in those fat filled arteries.

Another Bear said:

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Kennedy drank the Trump kool-aid. He believed him...and screwed the country over. Yes, he's a just another Stanfurd assswhole. IDIOT, for god sake he's a SCOTUS and he bought this?

I'd argue counter to leaving a strong legacy...Kennedy just crapped all over his by buying what Trump sold and for believing a liar. Kennedy will be known as the justice who let Trump have his way. Really, if he had any sense or integrity he would have waited until after the mid-terms.

I use to think Kennedy was reasonable, a reasonable conservative. Well it turns out he wasn't and in the current environent, there might be no such thing as a reasonable conservative. 92% believe the media intentionally reports fake news.

Seriously, I can't get my head around a SC justice buying Trumps crap, and falling on his sword to screw democracy and the U.S. STANFURD FCCK YOU.

Inside the White House's Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening

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WASHINGTON President Trump singled him out for praise even while attacking other members of the Supreme Court. The White House nominated people close to him to important judicial posts. And members of the Trump family forged personal connections.

Their goal was to assure Justice Anthony M. Kennedy that his judicial legacy would be in good hands should he step down at the end of the court's term that ended this week, as he was rumored to be considering. Allies of the White House were more blunt, warning the 81-year-old justice that time was of the essence. There was no telling, they said, what would happen if Democrats gained control of the Senate after the November elections and had the power to block the president's choice as his successor.

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It seems that I may owe WIAF an apology for my snarky retort to his suggestion that Kennedy and Trump had a gentleman's agreement. Amazingly, he may have been partially correct. How? I have no idea. Perhaps his wife is very well connected in that Stanfurd network?

sycasey said:

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Another Bear said:

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This seems correct. I will also add, this would be worse for the GOP than a redux of Prop 187 on a national level. This would mobilize women like nothing else, and would pull in even moderate GOP women who are pro-choice. Totally agree if choice effected men directly, it would be changed yesterday.

Justice Stevens: Roe Will Be Overturned if Kennedy Retires

The question really is, what is Trump trying to accomplish with this and the trade war and general chaos? It's not nation building or even economy building. It looks like destruction, so the question is WHY?

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This is why I'm a bit doubtful the Court will want to do a straight repeal of Roe. I suspect Roberts is more cautious than that (his decision on Obamacare suggests a desire to avoid creating chaos).

I think the more likely approach will be to do the "death by a thousand cuts" thing. They will allow a lot more restrictions on abortion access to stand, case-by-case. This also means that the battle for pro-choicers really moves to the state level. Much more incentive to vote for Dem governors and state-house reps now.

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I don't think you will ever see a repeal of Wade - not gonna happen politically. What you will see is a narrowing of the decision around the edges, and probably by Roberts who likely will take on the role of Kennedy, if Trump appoints an originalist in the Scalia vain.

NYCGOBEARS said:

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Another Bear said:

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Kennedy drank the Trump kool-aid. He believed him...and screwed the country over. Yes, he's a just another Stanfurd assswhole. IDIOT, for god sake he's a SCOTUS and he bought this?

I'd argue counter to leaving a strong legacy...Kennedy just crapped all over his by buying what Trump sold and for believing a liar. Kennedy will be known as the justice who let Trump have his way. Really, if he had any sense or integrity he would have waited until after the mid-terms.

I use to think Kennedy was reasonable, a reasonable conservative. Well it turns out he wasn't and in the current environent, there might be no such thing as a reasonable conservative. 92% believe the media intentionally reports fake news.

Seriously, I can't get my head around a SC justice buying Trumps crap, and falling on his sword to screw democracy and the U.S. STANFURD FCCK YOU.

Inside the White House's Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening

Quote:

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WASHINGTON President Trump singled him out for praise even while attacking other members of the Supreme Court. The White House nominated people close to him to important judicial posts. And members of the Trump family forged personal connections.

Their goal was to assure Justice Anthony M. Kennedy that his judicial legacy would be in good hands should he step down at the end of the court's term that ended this week, as he was rumored to be considering. Allies of the White House were more blunt, warning the 81-year-old justice that time was of the essence. There was no telling, they said, what would happen if Democrats gained control of the Senate after the November elections and had the power to block the president's choice as his successor.

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It seems that I may owe WIAF an apology for my snarky retort to his suggestion that Kennedy and Trump had a gentleman's agreement. Amazingly, he may have been partially correct. How? I have no idea. Perhaps his wife is very well connected in that Stanfurd network?

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Gentleman's agreement or drank the "partial" kool-aid? Regardless of what WIAF might have known via his wife, I think history will erase any gentleman's agreement and view it as a massive error on Kennedy's part. You simply can't/don't bargain with liars and cheats, even if he's POTUS, and even if he brown noses you with flattery. I would think someone like Kennedy would be above that or at least wiser.

Quite seriously, Trump's notorized signature isn't worth anything...that's why no American bank will do business with him. I don't know how you make an agreement with him. Kennedy's legacy was mixed before this. Now it's crap...because he made a deal with Trump.

wifeisafurd said:

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I don't think you will ever see a repeal of Wade - not gonna happen politically. What you will see is a narrowing of the decision around the edges, and probably by Roberts who likely will take on the role of Kennedy, if Trump appoints an originalist in the Scalia vain.

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I would pick that as the most likely thing, because on some level Republicans have to know that if Roe were outright reversed that would be unbelievably galvanizing to liberal voters (while losing them one of their biggest campaign issues).

But that said, in the Trump Era I'm no longer so convinced that the GOP is a cautious, reasonable party that thinks about the future. So there is a non-zero chance that they do go all the way here..

Did Anthony Kennedy Just Destroy His Own Legacy?

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17 legal thinkers argue about why the retiring justice matteredand what his exit could mean for his most consequential decisions.

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Summary: he made some decisions that have lead to progress like gay rights. He defended the first amendment like few others. Bu he punted on race. He was a smart and creative jurist...but his resignation and timing might kill much of his own work.

Like I said, a gentleman's agreement with Trump just seems dumb on so many levels, like he believed Trump and that Trump would keep his word. This from a respected Supreme Court justice?

Maybe he's ill or dying. Or maybe he just decided to phone it in and look the other way.

Would those complaining about Kennedy here have preferred the one Kennedy subbed in for--Robert Bork?

NYCGOBEARS said:

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Another Bear said:

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Kennedy drank the Trump kool-aid. He believed him...and screwed the country over. Yes, he's a just another Stanfurd assswhole. IDIOT, for god sake he's a SCOTUS and he bought this?

I'd argue counter to leaving a strong legacy...Kennedy just crapped all over his by buying what Trump sold and for believing a liar. Kennedy will be known as the justice who let Trump have his way. Really, if he had any sense or integrity he would have waited until after the mid-terms.

I use to think Kennedy was reasonable, a reasonable conservative. Well it turns out he wasn't and in the current environent, there might be no such thing as a reasonable conservative. 92% believe the media intentionally reports fake news.

Seriously, I can't get my head around a SC justice buying Trumps crap, and falling on his sword to screw democracy and the U.S. STANFURD FCCK YOU.

Inside the White House's Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening

Quote:

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WASHINGTON President Trump singled him out for praise even while attacking other members of the Supreme Court. The White House nominated people close to him to important judicial posts. And members of the Trump family forged personal connections.

Their goal was to assure Justice Anthony M. Kennedy that his judicial legacy would be in good hands should he step down at the end of the court's term that ended this week, as he was rumored to be considering. Allies of the White House were more blunt, warning the 81-year-old justice that time was of the essence. There was no telling, they said, what would happen if Democrats gained control of the Senate after the November elections and had the power to block the president's choice as his successor.

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It seems that I may owe WIAF an apology for my snarky retort to his suggestion that Kennedy and Trump had a gentleman's agreement. Amazingly, he may have been partially correct. How? I have no idea. Perhaps his wife is very well connected in that Stanfurd network?

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Kennedy went to school with my wife's mother at .......... Stanford.

Is your mother-in-law still living?

kjkbear said:

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Would those complaining about Kennedy here have preferred the one Kennedy subbed in for--Robert Bork?

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I don't think people are complaining much about Kennedy's tenure, just the way he went out.

The plot thickens:

https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/anthony-kennedys-son-loaned-trump-one-billlllllion-dollars/

No plot here (Deutsche Bank). I will assume you were joking. Even the article suggests there is nothing there, given the timing.

Yup....

Trump's business career is more connected to retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy than we ever knew

I guess everyone has their price or connections that look bad. If Kennedy wasn't a SC justice it would be one thing, but to have connections like this soils this legacy and the Supreme Court...but that process of crapping on the SCOTUS started with Bork, Thomas and Scalia.

What would be more interesting is to see if Kennedy's son's name shows up on the Trump Russia investigation.

Is Donald Trump's Dark Russian Secret Hiding in Deutsche Bank's Vaults?

sycasey said:

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kjkbear said:

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Would those complaining about Kennedy here have preferred the one Kennedy subbed in for--Robert Bork?

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I don't think people are complaining much about Kennedy's tenure, just the way he went out.

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Only in spirit. But Kennedy's own politics (especially on social issues) is more progressive, so the timing of his resignation is suspect. Especially true since he asked to go on senior status, which means he can hear cases at the circuit level (what I'm saying is that this not health related if he put in for senior status).

You are correct. Prosecuting white collar criminals would go a long way to restoring economic balance in this country. The mortgage derivatives debacle is a good example of how white collar criminals screwed the country...Nearly sank the world economy. And tax payers and consumers end up paying for the crimes and incompetence. The criminal behavior simply continues. Lock up a few criminal CEO's for 15 years of hard time and things will change quickly.

How many bankers did the Obama administration prosecute?

Anarchistbear said:

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How many bankers did the Obama administration prosecute?

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He should have done a lot more of this. Would have helped his popularity a ton.

But I also suspect other corporate influences within the Democratic Party steered him away from it.

Bankers gave him the most money of any candidate plus they were a big part of his administration. He took care of them.

Obama gave his Ivy League buddies a pass, plain and simple. The rationale he used was going after them would create more havoc while the economy was being fixed. The same logic used not to go after Dubya and Cheney. Obama wrongly made the assumption this was part of bipartisanship. But he might have been right about moving forward.

The only thing I can vaguely say in Obama's defense is he did right the economy but he let a lot of criminals off the hook and the long term repercussions are negative. The right thing would have been to chase down a few examples and hold them up to the corporate crowd.

Another Bear said:

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Obama gave his Ivy League buddies a pass, plain and simple. The rationale he used was going after them would create more havoc while the economy was being fixed. The same logic used not to go after Dubya and Cheney. Obama wrongly made the assumption this was part of bipartisanship. But he might have been right about moving forward.

The only thing I can vaguely say in Obama's defense is he did right the economy but he let a lot of criminals off the hook and the long term repercussions are negative. The right thing would have been to chase down a few examples and hold them up to the corporate crowd.

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This tweet has been making the rounds today. In retrospect, Obama and the Dems should've played dirtier/tougher.

But who knew two years ago we'd be this far down the rabbit hole today?

Even now, I can't imagine Obama going after Bush or Cheney. I also can't imagine it working.

okaydo said:

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Even now, I can't imagine Obama going after Bush or Cheney. I also can't imagine it working.

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Nah, I don't think he could have or should have done that. Too much grey area in between prosecuting them for "war crimes" and simply going after your political enemies.

The bankers are another matter. Deserved and also politically smart to go after them.

Agree, going after Duby and Cheney as war criminals would have been problematic. If you think there's hypocritical GOP pushback now...it would be nothing if Obama went after them. Clearly the Dubya admin were packed with chickenhawk war criminals but how do even start go after them WHILE fixing a recession/depression? At least Obama was smart enough to know what would move things forward. If it were a GOP in there like Dubya or Trump...it would be over right now. We'd be in a massive depression.

Another Bear said:

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Agree, going after Duby and Cheney as war criminals would have been problematic. If you think there's hypocritical GOP pushback now...it would be nothing if Obama went after them. Clearly the Dubya admin were packed with chickenhawk war criminals but how do even start go after them WHILE fixing a recession/depression? At least Obama was smart enough to know what would move things forward. If it were a GOP in there like Dubya or Trump...it would be over right now. We'd be in a massive depression.

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Watch Hulu series Looming Tower. Several government officials should have been executed for allowing the 9/11 attack to occur in first place. I was aware of the John O'Neill story from seeing the Frontline episode The Man Who Knew several years ago. Disgusting. The dramatic rendering with Jeff Daniels is A+.

https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-the-man-who-knew/


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6474236/

I've seen the Frontline piece. O'Neil was a little eccentric/intense and they didn't trust him...but he was right on target. If there's blame to be assigned, part of it's the institutions and how they operate. They guy was an outlier but there should have been a better environment or process to pull in that information.

Broadly speaking, the military industrial complex profits greatly off war and it creates more demand for newer and more expensive weapons. So in a way the establishment didn't care...they were going to make money off the deal.

dajo9 said:

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In the long view, a big lesson from this ordeal will be that white collar crimes have to be prosecuted. They used to be, but somewhere along the way we began glorifying CEO's and other white collar types and catering to them. That has only emboldened white collar criminals, such as the type that destroyed our economy a decade ago and are now criminally running the country.

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My dad once explained to me 30 years ago the S&L scandal/crisis.
He told me that if he knew about the rules and opportunity he'd have done it, too.
Easy money, no risk or exposure.

The Iraq War was the greatest foreign policy debacle in American history. Hundreds of thousands killed, hundreds of thousands of refugees and utter chaos that still exists in the Middle East. The war was started under false pretenses.

The idea that there should be no investigation into how this war started is notionally insane, particularly since it's likely to happen again. The excuse that it is partisan, and de-stabilizing is lame; the country is nothing but partisan and unstable.

If you want to know how Trump happened look no further than how the elites of this country coddled and protected criminals in the banking industries and in the Bush administration. The people know our institutions are totally rotten which is why they know the whole Russia investigation is another joke.

Anarchistbear said:

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The Iraq War was the greatest foreign policy debacle in American history. Hundreds of thousands killed, hundreds of thousands of refugees and utter chaos that still exists in the Middle East. The war was started under false pretenses.

The idea that there should be no investigation into how this war started is notionally insane, particularly since it's likely to happen again. The excuse that it is partisan, and de-stabilizing is lame; the country is nothing but partisan and unstable.

If you want to know how Trump happened look no further than how the elites of this country coddled and protected criminals in the banking industries and in the Bush administration. The people know our institutions are totally rotten which is why they know the whole Russia investigation is another joke.

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Before he lost his sh@t:

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/whose-war/

Another Bear said:

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I've seen the Frontline piece. O'Neil was a little eccentric/intense and they didn't trust him...but he was right on target. If there's blame to be assigned, part of it's the institutions and how they operate. They guy was an outlier but there should have been a better environment or process to pull in that information.

Broadly speaking, the military industrial complex profits greatly off war and it creates more demand for newer and more expensive weapons. So in a way the establishment didn't care...they were going to make money off the deal.

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....and any roads leading to the House of Saud were off limits because of the Bush family and other Texas oilmen.

NPR: Justice Kennedy May Soon Find Himself Disappointed And His Legacy Undermined

Another Bear said:

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...The only thing I can vaguely say in Obama's defense is he did right the economy but he let a lot of criminals off the hook and the long term repercussions are negative. The right thing would have been to chase down a few examples and hold them up to the corporate crowd.

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I worked in a building in Oakland for 8 years with the two fine citizens depicted in the SNL Alec Baldwin skit. They sold off $24 billion in toxic assets which gave them the muscle to kill the skit.

https://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/nbc-edits-saturday-night-live-sketch/

Anarchistbear said:

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. The people know our institutions are totally rotten which is why they know the whole Russia investigation is another joke.

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So, you think nothing will happen re: Mueller or impeachment or anything?

Pray for a heart attack.