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  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,786
     

    The Breakdown

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    The Facts About Merrick Garland

    Just the facts; free from outrage and unmotivated by profit.

    May 05, 2024
    126
    21
    15

    The goal of this post is to put all the facts about the investigation into the top of the coup in one place so that you can make up you own mind about Attorney General Merrick Garland. These facts seem to be conspicuously missing from public discourse and the media in favor of rage baiting for clicks and eyes. As much money as I could make by joining in the Garland bashing, that’s never been my motive. I defend facts and institutions, not a bottom line. If I’ve learned anything in the past 30 years of working - the number one lesson is that in the long run, profit should never be what drives your mission or vision. Ever.

    So here’s the facts:

    First, the Department of Justice Inspector General began investigating Jeffrey Clark and his role in the fraudulent elector scheme in January 2021 - less than two weeks after the insurrection.

    JP Cooney, who would go on to work in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office, wanted to begin investigating the ties between the White House and the Willard War Room in February, 2021, before Merrick Garland even got to the Department of Justice. He was interested in ties between the president and extremist groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

    But two trump allies at the FBI and DoJ, namely Mike Sherwin (the acting US Attorney in DC) and Steven D’antuono (second in charge of the Washington DC FBI Field Office) did not want the investigation to go forward.

    Here’s some background on Mike Sherwin. At one point, Jessie Liu was the DC US Attorney, and Trump didn’t like her because she wasn’t playing ball with him to indict Andrew McCabe. Trump and Barr had to trick her out of her job - which they did by offering her a position at the Treasury, then rescinding the offer after she resigned as US Attorney. Barr then installed Tim Shea.

    TIm Shea let Mike Flynn and Roger Stone off the hook, which caused a bunch of DoJ career prosecutors to resign in protest. Per the vacancy act, Tim Shea could only be in the job for 120 days. If he wanted to stay longer, he would need the DC District Court’s approval - and after what he did with the Stone and Flynn cases - there’s no way he would get that approval. So Trump and Barr circumvented career prosecutors and installed Mike Sherwin. To quote Douglas Adams - this made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

    GOP appointee and president of the DC Bar said Barr's "packing" of close associates into senior positions at DoJ undermined the independence of the USAO DC. Gerson, a Barr aide and GOP appointee said the move amounted to a "political coup". Sherwin Backed Barr in his bid to dismiss Flynn's guilty plea. Assistant US Attorneys complained they lost credibility and could't secure plea deals because trump installed this ally.

    Mike Sherwin was a trump installed ally as part of a political coup. Put a pin in that.

    Sherwin approved and communicated to prosecutors the decision to give Flynn’s defense internal FBI records cited in Barr's motion to dismiss Flynn's case. After 1/6, Sherwin went on TV and discussed potential charges in the OPEN and ONGOING Oath Keepers case, violating DoJ policy. He was referred to the DoJ's Office of Professional Responsibility for that major fuck up, and Judge Mehta called an emergency conference about with the attorneys for the Oath Keepers to tell them all he would not tolerate Sherwin's bullshit. I’m paraphrasing.

    "I called this hearing this afternoon to make clear to everyone that this case will not be tried in the media. If there are further public comments or stories of the kind that we've seen in the last 48 hours, I will not hesitate to consider a gag order. Let me just say at the outset that I was surprised — and I'm being restrained in my terminology — surprised to say the least to see Mr. Sherwin sitting for an interview about a pending case about an ongoing investigation. Whether his interview violated Justice Department policy is really not for me to say, but it is something I hope the Justice Department is looking into."

    The next day, Sherwin resigned to avoid being sanctioned for his behavior.

    Let’s talk about Steven D’antuono, who worked with Sherwin to block search warrants for the Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes and the Willard War Room, among other things. According to D’antuono’s testimony to congress, the DoJ wanted the FBI to immediately issue a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago after the National Archives formally referred the matter to the DoJ in the spring of 2022. D’antuono blocked Garland. “DOJ wants stuff. We were pushing back. That’s the beauty of our system, right. It’s like, that’s the judicial system in a sense.”

    Even more interesting, D’antuono was brought in by Jim Jordan to the House Judiciary and told them that the FBI had plants at the Capitol on January 6th. Naturally, that was highly misleading because these were Confidential Human Sources at the insurrection of their own volition. Remember, CHSs are not always the best people, but that didn’t stop Jim Jordan from running with his “FBI was in on it” narrative - bolstered by his friend D’antuono’s testimony.

    Jim Jordan is also using D’antuono testimony to make the allegation that the FBI doesn’t think Mar-a-Lago should have been “raided”, and Trump himself is using his testimony in his motions to dismiss the documents case against him. So that’s D’antuono.

    Sherwin and D’antuono worked together to stop JP Cooney from pitching his trump coup investigation ideas to Merrick Garland, and actively blocked him from a high level meeting during Garland’s first week. We’ve known that for a while - since Carol Loennig reported it in the Washington Post last year. But we recently learned from sources familiar, that Garland had another high level meeting, likely without the trump allies there, and ordered the investigation into ties between trump and the Willard War Room go forward. He said that he was aware this could lead to Trump, and he was fine with that. He gave the green light to a small handful of people to prevent the existence of the Trump investigation from becoming public. That was March, 2021. The week Garland arrived at DoJ.

    Two months later, June 2021, Garland was growing frustrated with the slow pace of the investigation. The FBI trump allies were refusing to execute search warrants, so Merrick garland called a meeting and set up a task force to investigate Trump called the “investigations unit”. But they didn’t yet have Biden’s DC US Attorney to assist and provide resources. The agency was still filled with Trump holdovers and Jim Jordan allies, so the amount of people investigating was relegated to a small group of people Garland could trust. What was taking the Senate so long to confirm the new DC US Attorney?

    Keep in mind we had a 50/50 senate, and Mitch McConnell was slow-walking the power sharing agreement. Additionally, Senators Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Tommy Tuberville, Rick Scott, and Mike Lee sent a letter to Merrick Garland informing him that they would be blocking Biden’s DC USAO nominee unless and until Garland started treating the Black Lives Matter protestors the same way he was treating the insurrectionists.

    Can you think of any reason why Lee, Cruz, Johnson, Scott, and Tuberville would want to delay the full investigation of the attack on the Capitol?

    So that all happened in June 2021. Garland stood up the “investigations” unit in June, and traitorous senators that participated in January 6th were blocking the new DC US Attorney’s confirmation.

    November, the US Attorney for DC was finally confirmed, and Windom - who also works now with Cooney in the Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office. But D’antuno was still blocking search warrants and subpoenas. He refused to subpoena the Willard. So Windom went to the Inspector General and even the postal cops to get his search warrents executed. Meanwhile, Garland was trying to figure out a way to get around these trump allied roadblocks, and eventually was able to install a friendly Chief of Staff to Christopher Wray (since he really can’t fire the head of the FBI - the guy who refused to investigate 1400 sexual assault tips on Kavanaugh and somehow didn’t see January 6th coming.)

    That’s when the floodgates opened, and here’s a non-exhaustive list of what Merrick Garland was able to get done once the trump allies were neutralized.

    Seized John Eastman's phone

    Seized Jeffrey Clark's phone

    Seized Scott Perry's emails

    Seized Eastman's emails

    Seized Epshteyn's phone

    Seized Mike Lindell's phone

    Seized Mike Roman's phone

    Seized Scott Perry's phone

    Got Kash Patel's testimony

    Appointed Windom

    Appointed Cooney

    Subpoenaed the fraudulent electors

    Subpoenaed 7 state's election officials

    Subpoenaed Sidney's PAC

    Subpoenaed Rudy

    Opened IG probe into Clark

    Opened IG probe into DoJ response to 1/6

    Negotiated subpoena for Meadows

    Battled the 11th circuit for classified docs

    Subpoenaed trump for classified docs

    Subpoenaed trump for surveillance video

    Executed a search warrant on trump

    Convicted Bannon of contempt

    Indicted Navarro for contempt

    Subpoenaed the speakers from 1/6

    Subpoenaed the organizers of 1/6

    Secured seditious conspiracy convictions

    Subpoenaed records for any member of congress involved in 1/6

    Subpoenaed info on Jenna Ellis

    Secured testimony from Mark Short

    Secured testimony from Jacob Engel

    Secured testimony from Philbin

    Secured testimony from Cippollone

    Subpoenaed info on trump's PACs

    Won privilege battles for Short, Engel, and the Pats

    Negotiated for Pence's subpoena

    Seized the phone records of Meadows

    Secured the 1/6 committee transcripts

    Subpoenaed 7 secretaries of state

    D’antuono would not resign until December, 2022 - almost a year after the new Wray Chief of Staff was installed to overcome obstacles at the FBI.

    Now, are there things Merrick Garland has done that I disagree with? Absolutely. But this post is about the coup investigation and the obstacles he had to overcome. I disagree with his appointment of Robert Hur, and Andy McCabe and I discussed that on the Jack podcast the week he was appointed. I disagreed with Merrick Garland carrying the Barr arguments for DoJ representing Trump in the E Jean Carroll Case. He eventually did the right thing. I disagreed with Garland fighting to keep the Barr Mueller Obstruction memo under seal. He lost that battle, but he also didn’t fight it very hard. He could have used new and better arguments, but he stuck with the weak Barr arguments.

    But as far as the coup investigation goes, he did not wait two years, or 18 months, or even six months. He began investigating trump when he got there. It’s also untrue that he wanted a bottom up investigation. That was an incorrect assumption the media made. It’s also untrue that he didn’t do anything until Jack Smith was appointed - as evidenced by my non-exhaustive list above. That list was off the top of my head so I’m certain there’s more. It’s also incorrect that the January 6th committee “shamed” Garland into investigating - as evidenced by the timeline of events. In fact, the committee delayed the DoJ investigation by refusing to hand over their materials in a timely manner.

    If knowing these facts, you still think Merrick Garland is an ineffective Attorney General, that’s totally fair. But I thought you should know the facts.

    PS: Sally Yates would have likely recused from an investigation into Trump if she were named the Attorney General

    Subscribe to The Breakdown

    By MuellerSheWrote · Hundreds of paid subscribers

    A breakdown of legal proceedings by Mueller, She Wrote



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    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • Halifax2TheMax
    Halifax2TheMax Posts: 42,672
    mickeyrat said:
     

    The Breakdown

    Read in the Substack app
    Open app

    The Facts About Merrick Garland

    Just the facts; free from outrage and unmotivated by profit.

    May 05, 2024
    126
    21
    15

    The goal of this post is to put all the facts about the investigation into the top of the coup in one place so that you can make up you own mind about Attorney General Merrick Garland. These facts seem to be conspicuously missing from public discourse and the media in favor of rage baiting for clicks and eyes. As much money as I could make by joining in the Garland bashing, that’s never been my motive. I defend facts and institutions, not a bottom line. If I’ve learned anything in the past 30 years of working - the number one lesson is that in the long run, profit should never be what drives your mission or vision. Ever.

    So here’s the facts:

    First, the Department of Justice Inspector General began investigating Jeffrey Clark and his role in the fraudulent elector scheme in January 2021 - less than two weeks after the insurrection.

    JP Cooney, who would go on to work in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office, wanted to begin investigating the ties between the White House and the Willard War Room in February, 2021, before Merrick Garland even got to the Department of Justice. He was interested in ties between the president and extremist groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

    But two trump allies at the FBI and DoJ, namely Mike Sherwin (the acting US Attorney in DC) and Steven D’antuono (second in charge of the Washington DC FBI Field Office) did not want the investigation to go forward.

    Here’s some background on Mike Sherwin. At one point, Jessie Liu was the DC US Attorney, and Trump didn’t like her because she wasn’t playing ball with him to indict Andrew McCabe. Trump and Barr had to trick her out of her job - which they did by offering her a position at the Treasury, then rescinding the offer after she resigned as US Attorney. Barr then installed Tim Shea.

    TIm Shea let Mike Flynn and Roger Stone off the hook, which caused a bunch of DoJ career prosecutors to resign in protest. Per the vacancy act, Tim Shea could only be in the job for 120 days. If he wanted to stay longer, he would need the DC District Court’s approval - and after what he did with the Stone and Flynn cases - there’s no way he would get that approval. So Trump and Barr circumvented career prosecutors and installed Mike Sherwin. To quote Douglas Adams - this made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

    GOP appointee and president of the DC Bar said Barr's "packing" of close associates into senior positions at DoJ undermined the independence of the USAO DC. Gerson, a Barr aide and GOP appointee said the move amounted to a "political coup". Sherwin Backed Barr in his bid to dismiss Flynn's guilty plea. Assistant US Attorneys complained they lost credibility and could't secure plea deals because trump installed this ally.

    Mike Sherwin was a trump installed ally as part of a political coup. Put a pin in that.

    Sherwin approved and communicated to prosecutors the decision to give Flynn’s defense internal FBI records cited in Barr's motion to dismiss Flynn's case. After 1/6, Sherwin went on TV and discussed potential charges in the OPEN and ONGOING Oath Keepers case, violating DoJ policy. He was referred to the DoJ's Office of Professional Responsibility for that major fuck up, and Judge Mehta called an emergency conference about with the attorneys for the Oath Keepers to tell them all he would not tolerate Sherwin's bullshit. I’m paraphrasing.

    "I called this hearing this afternoon to make clear to everyone that this case will not be tried in the media. If there are further public comments or stories of the kind that we've seen in the last 48 hours, I will not hesitate to consider a gag order. Let me just say at the outset that I was surprised — and I'm being restrained in my terminology — surprised to say the least to see Mr. Sherwin sitting for an interview about a pending case about an ongoing investigation. Whether his interview violated Justice Department policy is really not for me to say, but it is something I hope the Justice Department is looking into."

    The next day, Sherwin resigned to avoid being sanctioned for his behavior.

    Let’s talk about Steven D’antuono, who worked with Sherwin to block search warrants for the Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes and the Willard War Room, among other things. According to D’antuono’s testimony to congress, the DoJ wanted the FBI to immediately issue a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago after the National Archives formally referred the matter to the DoJ in the spring of 2022. D’antuono blocked Garland. “DOJ wants stuff. We were pushing back. That’s the beauty of our system, right. It’s like, that’s the judicial system in a sense.”

    Even more interesting, D’antuono was brought in by Jim Jordan to the House Judiciary and told them that the FBI had plants at the Capitol on January 6th. Naturally, that was highly misleading because these were Confidential Human Sources at the insurrection of their own volition. Remember, CHSs are not always the best people, but that didn’t stop Jim Jordan from running with his “FBI was in on it” narrative - bolstered by his friend D’antuono’s testimony.

    Jim Jordan is also using D’antuono testimony to make the allegation that the FBI doesn’t think Mar-a-Lago should have been “raided”, and Trump himself is using his testimony in his motions to dismiss the documents case against him. So that’s D’antuono.

    Sherwin and D’antuono worked together to stop JP Cooney from pitching his trump coup investigation ideas to Merrick Garland, and actively blocked him from a high level meeting during Garland’s first week. We’ve known that for a while - since Carol Loennig reported it in the Washington Post last year. But we recently learned from sources familiar, that Garland had another high level meeting, likely without the trump allies there, and ordered the investigation into ties between trump and the Willard War Room go forward. He said that he was aware this could lead to Trump, and he was fine with that. He gave the green light to a small handful of people to prevent the existence of the Trump investigation from becoming public. That was March, 2021. The week Garland arrived at DoJ.

    Two months later, June 2021, Garland was growing frustrated with the slow pace of the investigation. The FBI trump allies were refusing to execute search warrants, so Merrick garland called a meeting and set up a task force to investigate Trump called the “investigations unit”. But they didn’t yet have Biden’s DC US Attorney to assist and provide resources. The agency was still filled with Trump holdovers and Jim Jordan allies, so the amount of people investigating was relegated to a small group of people Garland could trust. What was taking the Senate so long to confirm the new DC US Attorney?

    Keep in mind we had a 50/50 senate, and Mitch McConnell was slow-walking the power sharing agreement. Additionally, Senators Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Tommy Tuberville, Rick Scott, and Mike Lee sent a letter to Merrick Garland informing him that they would be blocking Biden’s DC USAO nominee unless and until Garland started treating the Black Lives Matter protestors the same way he was treating the insurrectionists.

    Can you think of any reason why Lee, Cruz, Johnson, Scott, and Tuberville would want to delay the full investigation of the attack on the Capitol?

    So that all happened in June 2021. Garland stood up the “investigations” unit in June, and traitorous senators that participated in January 6th were blocking the new DC US Attorney’s confirmation.

    November, the US Attorney for DC was finally confirmed, and Windom - who also works now with Cooney in the Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office. But D’antuno was still blocking search warrants and subpoenas. He refused to subpoena the Willard. So Windom went to the Inspector General and even the postal cops to get his search warrents executed. Meanwhile, Garland was trying to figure out a way to get around these trump allied roadblocks, and eventually was able to install a friendly Chief of Staff to Christopher Wray (since he really can’t fire the head of the FBI - the guy who refused to investigate 1400 sexual assault tips on Kavanaugh and somehow didn’t see January 6th coming.)

    That’s when the floodgates opened, and here’s a non-exhaustive list of what Merrick Garland was able to get done once the trump allies were neutralized.

    Seized John Eastman's phone

    Seized Jeffrey Clark's phone

    Seized Scott Perry's emails

    Seized Eastman's emails

    Seized Epshteyn's phone

    Seized Mike Lindell's phone

    Seized Mike Roman's phone

    Seized Scott Perry's phone

    Got Kash Patel's testimony

    Appointed Windom

    Appointed Cooney

    Subpoenaed the fraudulent electors

    Subpoenaed 7 state's election officials

    Subpoenaed Sidney's PAC

    Subpoenaed Rudy

    Opened IG probe into Clark

    Opened IG probe into DoJ response to 1/6

    Negotiated subpoena for Meadows

    Battled the 11th circuit for classified docs

    Subpoenaed trump for classified docs

    Subpoenaed trump for surveillance video

    Executed a search warrant on trump

    Convicted Bannon of contempt

    Indicted Navarro for contempt

    Subpoenaed the speakers from 1/6

    Subpoenaed the organizers of 1/6

    Secured seditious conspiracy convictions

    Subpoenaed records for any member of congress involved in 1/6

    Subpoenaed info on Jenna Ellis

    Secured testimony from Mark Short

    Secured testimony from Jacob Engel

    Secured testimony from Philbin

    Secured testimony from Cippollone

    Subpoenaed info on trump's PACs

    Won privilege battles for Short, Engel, and the Pats

    Negotiated for Pence's subpoena

    Seized the phone records of Meadows

    Secured the 1/6 committee transcripts

    Subpoenaed 7 secretaries of state

    D’antuono would not resign until December, 2022 - almost a year after the new Wray Chief of Staff was installed to overcome obstacles at the FBI.

    Now, are there things Merrick Garland has done that I disagree with? Absolutely. But this post is about the coup investigation and the obstacles he had to overcome. I disagree with his appointment of Robert Hur, and Andy McCabe and I discussed that on the Jack podcast the week he was appointed. I disagreed with Merrick Garland carrying the Barr arguments for DoJ representing Trump in the E Jean Carroll Case. He eventually did the right thing. I disagreed with Garland fighting to keep the Barr Mueller Obstruction memo under seal. He lost that battle, but he also didn’t fight it very hard. He could have used new and better arguments, but he stuck with the weak Barr arguments.

    But as far as the coup investigation goes, he did not wait two years, or 18 months, or even six months. He began investigating trump when he got there. It’s also untrue that he wanted a bottom up investigation. That was an incorrect assumption the media made. It’s also untrue that he didn’t do anything until Jack Smith was appointed - as evidenced by my non-exhaustive list above. That list was off the top of my head so I’m certain there’s more. It’s also incorrect that the January 6th committee “shamed” Garland into investigating - as evidenced by the timeline of events. In fact, the committee delayed the DoJ investigation by refusing to hand over their materials in a timely manner.

    If knowing these facts, you still think Merrick Garland is an ineffective Attorney General, that’s totally fair. But I thought you should know the facts.

    PS: Sally Yates would have likely recused from an investigation into Trump if she were named the Attorney General

    Subscribe to The Breakdown

    By MuellerSheWrote · Hundreds of paid subscribers

    A breakdown of legal proceedings by Mueller, She Wrote



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    Elect POOTWH and you’ll get that times ten. All without legislation being passed. Good night democracy.
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  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,786
    https://apnews.com/article/bob-menendez-bribery-trial-gold-bars-401b5ac79ab2f87956dccb600403b307   Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial begins, his second in the last decade

     
    Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial begins, his second in the last decade
    By LARRY NEUMEISTER
    Today

    NEW YORK (AP) — Sen Bob Menendez, a Democrat, went on trial in Manhattan federal court Monday, accused of accepting bribes of gold and cash to use his influence to deliver favors that would help three New Jersey businessmen.

    Menendez, 70, sat with his lawyers and listened as Judge Sidney H. Stein told two separate groups of 50 prospective jurors about the charges against Menendez and two of the businessmen.

    The judge told them the “sitting U.S. senator from the state of New Jersey” had been charged in a conspiracy in which he allegedly “agreed to accept bribes and accepted bribes.”

    After he warned them that the trial was expected to last up to seven weeks, Stein let jurors raise their hands if they believed they could not serve for that length of time. Then, he took them one at a time into a separate room to ask them why.

    Menendez is on trial with two of the businessmen who allegedly paid him bribes — real estate developer Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. All three have pleaded not guilty. A third businessman has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. The senator’s wife is also charged, but her trial is delayed until at least July.

    Stein had not finished questioning prospective jurors who said they could not serve when he finished for the day without yet beginning the process of asking general questions of all jurors, such as whether they know any of the parties to the case, including lawyers, the defendants and possible witnesses.

    The judge gave no indication whether he thought it was likely that openings would occur Tuesday.

    When Menendez left the courthouse at the end of the day, he gave a friendly wave toward reporters who asked him to speak as he walked quickly to a waiting car, but he left any meaningful comment for another day.

    In the morning, Menendez, in a suit with a red tie, was dropped off in front of the courthouse at 8:15 a.m., forty minutes before former President Donald Trump's motorcade passed by on its way across the street to state court, where he is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to a porn actor before the 2016 election.

    Menendez did not speak to reporters who were kept behind barricades as he entered a security pavilion where everyone entering the courthouse is scanned.

    The trial, the second in seven years for Menendez, has already sent the senator's political stature tumbling. After charges were announced in September, he was forced out of his powerful post as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    The three-term senator has announced he will not be seeking reelection on the Democratic ticket this fall, although he has not ruled out running as an independent.

    The previous corruption prosecution of Menendez on unrelated charges ended with a deadlocked jury in 2017.

    In the new case, prosecutors say the senator's efforts on behalf of the businessmen led him to take actions benefitting the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez has vigorously denied doing anything unusual in his dealings with foreign officials.

    Besides charges including bribery, extortion, fraud and obstruction of justice, Menendez also is charged with acting as a foreign agent of Egypt.

    Among evidence his lawyers will have to explain are gold bars worth over $100,000 and more than $486,000 in cash found in a raid two years ago on his New Jersey home, including money stuffed in the pockets of clothing in closets.

    The Democrat's wife, Nadine Menendez, was also charged in the case, but her trial has been postponed for health reasons. She is still expected to be a major figure. Prosecutors say Nadine Menendez often served as a conduit between the men paying the bribes and Menendez.

    The senator's lawyers in court papers have said they plan to explain that Menendez had no knowledge of some of what occurred because she kept him in the dark.

    According to an indictment, Daibes delivered gold bars and cash to Menendez and his wife to get the senator's help with a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund, prompting Menendez to act in ways favorable to Qatar's government.

    The indictment also said Menendez did things benefitting Egyptian officials in exchange for bribes from Hana as the businessman secured a valuable deal with the Egyptian government to certify that imported meat met Islamic dietary requirements.

    In pleading guilty several weeks ago, businessman Jose Uribe admitted buying Menendez's wife a Mercedes-Benz to get the senator's help to influence criminal investigations involving his business associates.


    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • Halifax2TheMax
    Halifax2TheMax Posts: 42,672
    mickeyrat said:
    https://apnews.com/article/bob-menendez-bribery-trial-gold-bars-401b5ac79ab2f87956dccb600403b307   Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial begins, his second in the last decade

     
    Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial begins, his second in the last decade
    By LARRY NEUMEISTER
    Today

    NEW YORK (AP) — Sen Bob Menendez, a Democrat, went on trial in Manhattan federal court Monday, accused of accepting bribes of gold and cash to use his influence to deliver favors that would help three New Jersey businessmen.

    Menendez, 70, sat with his lawyers and listened as Judge Sidney H. Stein told two separate groups of 50 prospective jurors about the charges against Menendez and two of the businessmen.

    The judge told them the “sitting U.S. senator from the state of New Jersey” had been charged in a conspiracy in which he allegedly “agreed to accept bribes and accepted bribes.”

    After he warned them that the trial was expected to last up to seven weeks, Stein let jurors raise their hands if they believed they could not serve for that length of time. Then, he took them one at a time into a separate room to ask them why.

    Menendez is on trial with two of the businessmen who allegedly paid him bribes — real estate developer Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. All three have pleaded not guilty. A third businessman has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. The senator’s wife is also charged, but her trial is delayed until at least July.

    Stein had not finished questioning prospective jurors who said they could not serve when he finished for the day without yet beginning the process of asking general questions of all jurors, such as whether they know any of the parties to the case, including lawyers, the defendants and possible witnesses.

    The judge gave no indication whether he thought it was likely that openings would occur Tuesday.

    When Menendez left the courthouse at the end of the day, he gave a friendly wave toward reporters who asked him to speak as he walked quickly to a waiting car, but he left any meaningful comment for another day.

    In the morning, Menendez, in a suit with a red tie, was dropped off in front of the courthouse at 8:15 a.m., forty minutes before former President Donald Trump's motorcade passed by on its way across the street to state court, where he is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to a porn actor before the 2016 election.

    Menendez did not speak to reporters who were kept behind barricades as he entered a security pavilion where everyone entering the courthouse is scanned.

    The trial, the second in seven years for Menendez, has already sent the senator's political stature tumbling. After charges were announced in September, he was forced out of his powerful post as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    The three-term senator has announced he will not be seeking reelection on the Democratic ticket this fall, although he has not ruled out running as an independent.

    The previous corruption prosecution of Menendez on unrelated charges ended with a deadlocked jury in 2017.

    In the new case, prosecutors say the senator's efforts on behalf of the businessmen led him to take actions benefitting the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez has vigorously denied doing anything unusual in his dealings with foreign officials.

    Besides charges including bribery, extortion, fraud and obstruction of justice, Menendez also is charged with acting as a foreign agent of Egypt.

    Among evidence his lawyers will have to explain are gold bars worth over $100,000 and more than $486,000 in cash found in a raid two years ago on his New Jersey home, including money stuffed in the pockets of clothing in closets.

    The Democrat's wife, Nadine Menendez, was also charged in the case, but her trial has been postponed for health reasons. She is still expected to be a major figure. Prosecutors say Nadine Menendez often served as a conduit between the men paying the bribes and Menendez.

    The senator's lawyers in court papers have said they plan to explain that Menendez had no knowledge of some of what occurred because she kept him in the dark.

    According to an indictment, Daibes delivered gold bars and cash to Menendez and his wife to get the senator's help with a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund, prompting Menendez to act in ways favorable to Qatar's government.

    The indictment also said Menendez did things benefitting Egyptian officials in exchange for bribes from Hana as the businessman secured a valuable deal with the Egyptian government to certify that imported meat met Islamic dietary requirements.

    In pleading guilty several weeks ago, businessman Jose Uribe admitted buying Menendez's wife a Mercedes-Benz to get the senator's help to influence criminal investigations involving his business associates.


    WHICH HUNT!
    09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN; 05/04/2024 & 05/06/2024, Vancouver, BC; 05/10/2024, Portland, OR;

    Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.

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  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,786
    https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-live-nation-ticketmaster-antitrust-lawsuit-df9b552d127e1494db13e3cd625787a8   Government sues Ticketmaster owner and asks court to break up company's monopoly on live events


     
    Government sues Ticketmaster owner and asks court to break up company's monopoly on live events
    By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
    13 mins ago

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department sued Ticketmaster and its parent company Thursday, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America and asking a court to break up the system that squelches competition and drives up prices for fans.

    Filed in federal court in Manhattan, the sweeping antitrust lawsuit was brought with 30 state and district attorneys general and seeks to dismantle the monopoly they say is squeezing out smaller promoters, hurting artists and drowning ticket buyers in fees. Ticketmaster and its owner, Live Nation Entertainment, have a long history of clashes with major artists and their fans, including Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen.

    “It's time for fans and artists to stop paying the price for Live Nation’s monopoly,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “It is time to restore competition and innovation in the entertainment industry. It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The American people are ready for it.”

    The government accused Live Nation of tactics — including threats and retaliation — that Garland said have allowed the entertainment giant to “suffocate the competition” by controlling virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing. The impact is seen in an “endless list of fees on fans," the attorney general said.

    “Live music should not be available only to those who can afford to pay the Ticketmaster tax,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division. “We are here today to fight for competition so that we can reopen the doors to the live music industry for all.”

    Live Nation, which has for years denied that it is violating antitrust laws, said the lawsuit “won’t solve the issues fans care about relating to ticket prices, service fees and access to in-demand shows.”

    “Calling Ticketmaster a monopoly may be a PR win for the DOJ in the short term, but it will lose in court because it ignores the basic economics of live entertainment,” Live Nation added. It said most service fees go to venues and that outside competition has ”steadily eroded" Ticketmaster's market share. The company said it would defend itself against the “baseless allegations."

    The Justice Department said Live Nation's anti-competitive practices include using long-term contracts to keep venues from choosing rivals, blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers and threatening venues that they could lose money if they don't choose Ticketmaster.

    In 2021, the concert giant threatened to financially retaliate against a firm if one of its portfolio companies didn't stop competing with Live Nation for artist promotion contracts, the Justice Department alleged.

    Live Nation has also scooped up smaller promoters it viewed as a threats, officials said. Live Nation's chief strategy officer told executives that one acquisition deal was not “super exciting” financially but felt like “more of a defensive move,” according to the complaint.

    Michael Carrier, a professor at Rutgers Law School who specializes in antitrust litigation, said the Justice Department has a strong case. He expects Live Nation to “try to cast blame elsewhere,” such as arguing that prices are set by artists or venues, but he said those explanations are weak.

    “The DOJ showed how Live Nation really has its tentacles in each element of the supply chain, which means that it has a lot more control than it is letting on,” he said. “And, in terms of justifications, there is really very little that (Live Nation) can offer in terms of how they’re helping the consumer.”

    The complaint said a breakup between Live Nation and Ticketmaster is on the table. That, combined with other remedies such as preventing some exclusive deals that shackle competition, could potentially help fans see lower ticket prices, give artists more agency in choosing venues and boost smaller promoters' success in the long run, Carrier said.

    Ticketmaster, which merged with Live Nation in 2010, is the world’s largest ticket seller across live music, sports, theater and more. During its annual report last month, the company said Ticketmaster distributed more than 620 million tickets through its systems in 2023.

    Around 70% of tickets for major concert venues in the U.S. are sold through Ticketmaster, according to data in a federal lawsuit filed by consumers in 2022. The company owns or controls more than 265 of North America's concert venues and dozens of top amphitheaters, according to the Justice Department.

    Live Nation’s footprint has grown substantially over the past 10 years, according to the company's annual financial reports. Between the end of 2014 and the end of 2023, Live Nation reported a worldwide increase of more than 136% in terms of venues the company “owned, leased, operated, had exclusive booking rights for or had an equity interest over which we had a significant influence.”

    The ticket seller sparked outrage in November 2022 when its site crashed during a presale event for a Taylor Swift stadium tour. The company said the site was overwhelmed by both fans and attacks from bots, which were posing as consumers to scoop up tickets and sell them on secondary sites. The debacle prompted congressional hearings and bills in state legislatures aimed at better protecting consumers.

    The Justice Department allowed Live Nation and Ticketmaster to merge as long as Live Nation agreed not to retaliate against concert venues for using other ticket companies for 10 years. In 2019, the department investigated and found that Live Nation had repeatedly violated that agreement. The government then extended the prohibition on retaliating against concert venues to 2025.

    “It’s a failure of past antitrust. And it’s something that rips customers off every day,” said John Kwoka, a professor of economics at Northeastern University who was also a consultant for the states that ran a 2009 investigation in parallel with the Justice Department into Live Nation and Ticketmaster's original merger.

    Kwoka, who is among those who have long advocated for a breakup, notes that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have remained “largely unchecked” over the last 15 years. He points to complaints that have continued to pile up.

    Ticketmaster's clashes with artists and fans date back three decades. Pearl Jam took aim at the company in 1994, years before the Live Nation merger, although the Justice Department ultimately declined to bring a case. More recently, Bruce Springsteen fans were enraged over high ticket costs because of the platform’s dynamic pricing system.

    Live Nation has maintained that artists and teams set prices and decide how tickets are sold. The company's executive vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs, Dan Wall, said in a statement Thursday that factors such as increasing production costs, artist popularity and online ticket scalping are “actually responsible for higher ticket prices.”

    The Justice Department lawsuit filed Thursday is the latest example of the Biden administration’s aggressive antitrust enforcement. The effort has targeted companies accused of engaging in illegal monopolies that box out competitors and drive up prices. In March, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that the tech giant has monopoly power in the smartphone market. The Democratic administration has also taken on Google, Amazon and other tech giants.

    __________

    Grantham-Philips reported from New York. Associated Press reporters Michelle Chapman and Maria Sherman in New York and Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, also contributed to this report.


    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,786
    https://apnews.com/article/merrick-garland-congress-republicans-justice-department-02ed2ff53f75e3ed9bc955f9f15d87bb   Garland slams attacks on the Justice Department, telling lawmakers: 'I will not be intimidated'


     
    Garland slams attacks on the Justice Department, telling lawmakers: 'I will not be intimidated'
    By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER
    1 hour ago

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland rebuked Republicans Tuesday for what he described as unprecedented attacks on the Justice Department, telling lawmakers who have sought to hold him in contempt that he will “not be intimidated.”

    Appearing before a House panel led by allies of Donald Trump, Garland condemned as a “conspiracy theory” the claim that the department was behind the New York state court prosecution that led to the former Republican president's conviction last week on 34 felony charges. And Garland slammed other “baseless and extremely dangerous falsehoods" being spread about law enforcement.

    His unusually fiery testimony amounted to a forceful defense of the independence and integrity of the Justice Department at an unprecedented moment in which it is prosecuting both Trump and President Joe Biden’s son. Amid an onslaught by Trump and his Republican allies, Garland said his agency will not be deterred in its commitment to uphold the rule of law.

    Garland described a Republican effort to hold him in contempt as the latest in “a long line of attacks" on the Justice Department." Those attacks “have not, and they will not” influence the department's decision making, Garland told lawmakers.

    “I will not be intimidated,” Garland said. “And the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our jobs free from political influence. And we will not back down from defending our democracy.”

    Republicans used the House Judiciary Committee hearing to push the claim that Biden has weaponized the department to go after Trump, even as the Democratic president's son Hunter stands trial on federal firearms charges in Delaware. Trump — who is charged in two criminal cases brought by the Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith — has cast himself as the victim of a politically motivated legal system as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee vies to reclaim the White House in November.

    Since his conviction in the New York trial last week, Trump and his supporters have escalated their attacks on the criminal justice system, slamming prosecutors, the judge and the jury. Trump and his allies have suggested the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a state-level prosecutor, was orchestrated by Biden.

    Garland described that unsupported assertion as an "attack on the judicial process itself."

    The attorney general also slammed as dangerous Trump's distorted claim that the FBI agents who searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022 were “authorized to shoot" him and were “locked & loaded ready" to take him out. The former president was referring to the disclosure in a court document that the FBI, during the search, followed a standard use-of-force policy that is actually meant to limit the use of deadly force.

    Garland appeared nearly overcome by emotion at one point when asked about the department’s role in upholding the rule of law, pausing with his hands clasped on the table in front of him.

    “I have devoted my entire career to ensuring that the rule of law is the rule that the Justice Department applies and the courts apply — that we follow the precedents, that we treat like cases alike, that we do not have enemies or friends, that we do not pay attention to the political parties or the wealth, or the power, or the influence that we are investigating,” the attorney general said.

    His appearance came as Republicans have moved to hold him in contempt for the administration's refusal to hand over audio of President Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur, which focused on the president's handling of classified documents.

    A transcript of Biden's interview has been made public, but the president asserted executive privilege over the audio last month to block its release. The White House has said Republican lawmakers only want the audio so they can chop it up and use it for political purposes.

    Republicans, meanwhile, have accused Biden of trying to suppress the audio because he doesn't want the public to hear it before the election. In his report concluding that Biden should not face charges for his handling of classified documents, Hur wrote that the 81-year-old president would likely present himself to a jury “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

    The Justice Department has argued witnesses might be less likely to cooperate if they know their interviews might be heard by the public. And in recent court filing, it raised concerns that releasing the audio could spur deepfakes and disinformation that trick Americans.

    “I view contempt as a serious matter,” Garland told lawmakers. “But I will not jeopardize the ability of our prosecutors and agents to do their jobs effectively in future investigations.”

    Shortly after the hearing began, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a “three-pronged” plan to address what he described as the “weaponization” of the justice system against Trump. The approach, according to the Louisiana Republican, will look to circumvent the authority of the Justice Department and local prosecutors in the Trump case through legislation, funding and oversight.

    Rep. Jim Jordan, the committee’s top Republican, criticized Garland in his opening statement for a broad array of what he depicted as politically motivated decisions by federal law enforcement -- including the conclusions by different special counsels that Trump criminally mishandled classified documents while Biden did not.

    “Many Americans believe there’s now a double standard in our justice system. They believe that because there is,” Jordan said.

    Garland strongly pushed back on Republican questions he said were underpinned by false premises, and Republicans seemed exasperated at some points by his refusal to be drawn into extensive back-and-forth. When at one point, Garland asked for the ability to finish his answer, Rep. Andy Biggs, a conservative Arizona Republican, said no because he was being “nonresponsive.”

    But the attorney general also appeared uneasy at some friendly questions from Democrats who tried to underscore the Justice Department’s independence by discussing specific cases. Garland repeatedly refused to respond to questions about specific investigations. For example, when one lawmaker asked Garland whether Trump had been interviewed by federal prosecutors before his indictments, he refused to answer, even though the answer is known to be no.

    ____

    Associated Press reporter Farnoush Amiri in Washington contributed.


    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,786
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • gimmesometruth27
    gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 24,424
    i thought the doj was weaponized against republicans?

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/rep-ocasio-cortez-says-york-210801781.html

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted, sources say


    NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a grand jury on federal criminal charges, according to two people familiar with the matter.

    The indictment detailing the charges against Adams, a Democrat, was still sealed late Wednesday, according to the people, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

    The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan declined to comment. The indictment was first reported by The New York Times.

    “I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Adams said in a statement that implied he hadn't been informed of the indictment. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”

    In a speech recorded at his official residence, Adams acknowledged that some New Yorkers would question his ability to manage the city while he fights the charges, but he vowed to stay in office.

    “I have been facing these lies for months ... yet the city has continued to improve," Adams said. "Make no mistake. You elected me to lead this city and lead it I will.”

    It was not immediately clear when the charges would be made public or when Adams might have to appear in court.

    The indictment marks a stunning turn for Adams, a former police captain who won election nearly three years ago to become the second Black mayor of the nation’s largest city on a platform that promised a law-and-order approach to reducing crime.

    For much of the last year, Adams has faced growing legal peril, with multiple federal investigations into top advisers producing a drumbeat of subpoenas, searches and high-level departures that has thrust City Hall into crisis. In the last two weeks alone, the police chief who oversees the country’s largest police force and the schools chancellor who is in charge of the nation’s biggest school district both announced their resignations.

    He had repeatedly said he wasn’t aware of any wrongdoing and vowed as recently as Wednesday afternoon to stay in office.

    Adams, who is expecting a tough primary election next year, faced immediate calls to resign from many of his declared or expected Democratic challengers.

    Brad Lander, the city’s comptroller, said the indictment marked “a sad day for New Yorkers.” Sen. Zellnor Myrie also called the indictment “sad” and added that it was “especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this Mayor.”


    continues..

    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    My lefty/ socialist kid is giddy over this. Me? I’m unsurprised. I still can’t figure out how Adams was elected. 
    The DOJ somehow managed to get (dirty AF) Bob Menendez, too, go figure.
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • i thought the doj was weaponized against republicans?

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/rep-ocasio-cortez-says-york-210801781.html

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted, sources say


    NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a grand jury on federal criminal charges, according to two people familiar with the matter.

    The indictment detailing the charges against Adams, a Democrat, was still sealed late Wednesday, according to the people, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

    The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan declined to comment. The indictment was first reported by The New York Times.

    “I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Adams said in a statement that implied he hadn't been informed of the indictment. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”

    In a speech recorded at his official residence, Adams acknowledged that some New Yorkers would question his ability to manage the city while he fights the charges, but he vowed to stay in office.

    “I have been facing these lies for months ... yet the city has continued to improve," Adams said. "Make no mistake. You elected me to lead this city and lead it I will.”

    It was not immediately clear when the charges would be made public or when Adams might have to appear in court.

    The indictment marks a stunning turn for Adams, a former police captain who won election nearly three years ago to become the second Black mayor of the nation’s largest city on a platform that promised a law-and-order approach to reducing crime.

    For much of the last year, Adams has faced growing legal peril, with multiple federal investigations into top advisers producing a drumbeat of subpoenas, searches and high-level departures that has thrust City Hall into crisis. In the last two weeks alone, the police chief who oversees the country’s largest police force and the schools chancellor who is in charge of the nation’s biggest school district both announced their resignations.

    He had repeatedly said he wasn’t aware of any wrongdoing and vowed as recently as Wednesday afternoon to stay in office.

    Adams, who is expecting a tough primary election next year, faced immediate calls to resign from many of his declared or expected Democratic challengers.

    Brad Lander, the city’s comptroller, said the indictment marked “a sad day for New Yorkers.” Sen. Zellnor Myrie also called the indictment “sad” and added that it was “especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this Mayor.”


    continues..

    False flag to cover and justify the treatment of POOTWH. All an act.
    09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN; 05/04/2024 & 05/06/2024, Vancouver, BC; 05/10/2024, Portland, OR;

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  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,786
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,786
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,786
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • Gern Blansten
    Gern Blansten Mar-A-Lago Posts: 22,469
    mickeyrat said:
    I was a bit surprised by this. If I were Wray I would make him fire me.
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
    2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
    2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
  • josevolution
    josevolution Posts: 31,801
    mickeyrat said:
    I was a bit surprised by this. If I were Wray I would make him fire me.
    Yeah why tuck rail and run 
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • Gern Blansten
    Gern Blansten Mar-A-Lago Posts: 22,469
    He only hires the best...
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
    2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
    2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
  • shecky
    shecky San Francisco Posts: 2,812

  • shecky said:

    Are these your markers that you’re throwing down?
    09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN; 05/04/2024 & 05/06/2024, Vancouver, BC; 05/10/2024, Portland, OR;

    Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.

    Brilliantati©
  • josevolution
    josevolution Posts: 31,801
    shecky said:

    Groupie 
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • josevolution
    josevolution Posts: 31,801
    What did he do for humanity or what has he ever done to help humanity to deserve it? 
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....