occupydemocrats--2020-02-06--Trump posts video accusing Romney of being a “Democratic agent” hours after trial vote

Senator Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) stunned the nation this afternoon when he crossed the aisle and voted to impeach President Trump .
While his vote ended up being nothing but a performative if much-appreciated gesture , the President predictably did not take it well .
It took less than six hours for Donald Trump to begin trashing the defiant Senator , his obsessive urge to seek revenge against those who have wronged him kicking into overdrive as he became the first president in history to recieve a bipartisan impeachment vote .
Add your name to tell the ABA : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
Without context or caption , the president ’ s Twitter account fired off an attack ad against Romeny which he clearly had waiting in the chamber .
The surreal and outrageous video accuses Romney of being a “ Democratic agent ” despite having said in his speech that he loves the President ’ s agenda and has voted with him 80 % of the time .
The idea that Mitt Romney , the Republican nominee for president just eight years ago , is a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from reality the intensely territorial and fanatical president has become in his desperate efforts to enforce obedience and terrorize his critics into submission .
But it ’ s not going to work this time .
Utah does not provide citizens the ability to recall Senators and is not your average deep-red state .
Its Mormon population is very fond of Mitt Romney , and in any case , he isn ’ t up for re-election for another five years or so , longer than any potential Trump second term .
All this video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ petty this man is , and a sharp reminder yet again of how important it is we remove him from office in November .
What do you think ?

Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) stunned the nation this afternoon when he crossed the aisle and voted to impeach President Trump. While his vote ended up being nothing but a performative if much-appreciated gesture, the President predictably did not take it well.
It took less than six hours for Donald Trump to begin trashing the defiant Senator, his obsessive urge to seek revenge against those who have wronged him kicking into overdrive as he became the first president in history to recieve a bipartisan impeachment vote.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
Without context or caption, the president’s Twitter account fired off an attack ad against Romeny which he clearly had waiting in the chamber. The surreal and outrageous video accuses Romney of being a “Democratic agent” despite having said in his speech that he loves the President’s agenda and has voted with him 80% of the time.
The idea that Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for president just eight years ago, is a “Democratic agent” shows just how far from reality the intensely territorial and fanatical president has become in his desperate efforts to enforce obedience and terrorize his critics into submission.
But it’s not going to work this time. Utah does not provide citizens the ability to recall Senators and is not your average deep-red state. Its Mormon population is very fond of Mitt Romney, and in any case, he isn’t up for re-election for another five years or so, longer than any potential Trump second term.
All this video represents is just how emotionally volatile and petty this man is, and a sharp reminder yet again of how important it is we remove him from office in November.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-05--Trump celebrates acquittal by tweeting out meme depicting him staying in office forever

In what amounts to a historic betrayal of their oaths of office , the Republican-controlled Senate voted to acquit Donald Trump of his impeachment charges today .
Not only does it prove that the GOP cares more about maintaining power than upholding the rule of law , it ensures that an emboldened Trump will escalate his abuses of office ahead of the 2020 election .
Essentially , the Republican Party has told the American people that Trump can do whatever he wants so long as his minions control the Senate .
The president has been given carte blanche to run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Already , Trump is gloating about his crooked acquittal .
He took to Twitter to share a clip that he has shared in the past which shows his campaign signs stretching into the future forever .
The message is clear : now that he ’ s proven he get can get away with directly attacking our democracy he wants to escalate things even further .
He ’ s floated the idea of running for a third term despite the Constitutional restriction before and his circling back to the idea should be a cause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has already announced his intentions to affect a nightmarish scenario in which Trump could exceed the presidential term limit .
Their plan seems to be claiming that he deserves more time in the Oval Office beyond the legally permitted eight years because of the investigations that Democrats launched against him and his administration .
The rationale is completely ludicrous and feels much more like something out of a third world authoritarian dictatorship than the United States of America .
Add your name to tell the ABA : Disbar William @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abet Trump ’ s corruption !
The fact that Republicans have not publicly denounced this idea every time it rears its head indicates that at least on some level they ’ re okay with the idea of a de facto monarch .
Donald Trump represents a clear threat to our democracy .
If he is not voted out of office in 2020 he will push the limits of his power even further and before long this country could end up unrecognizable .
America does not and never will need a king .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abundantly clear this November .
What do you think ?

In what amounts to a historic betrayal of their oaths of office, the Republican-controlled Senate voted to acquit Donald Trump of his impeachment charges today. Not only does it prove that the GOP cares more about maintaining power than upholding the rule of law, it ensures that an emboldened Trump will escalate his abuses of office ahead of the 2020 election. Essentially, the Republican Party has told the American people that Trump can do whatever he wants so long as his minions control the Senate. The president has been given carte blanche to run ourx Republic straight into the ground.
Already, Trump is gloating about his crooked acquittal. He took to Twitter to share a clip that he has shared in the past which shows his campaign signs stretching into the future forever. The message is clear: now that he’s proven he get can get away with directly attacking our democracy he wants to escalate things even further. He’s floated the idea of running for a third term despite the Constitutional restriction before and his circling back to the idea should be a cause for concern to every Amerian.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has already announced his intentions to affect a nightmarish scenario in which Trump could exceed the presidential term limit. Their plan seems to be claiming that he deserves more time in the Oval Office beyond the legally permitted eight years because of the investigations that Democrats launched against him and his administration. The rationale is completely ludicrous and feels much more like something out of a third world authoritarian dictatorship than the United States of America.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
The fact that Republicans have not publicly denounced this idea every time it rears its head indicates that at least on some level they’re okay with the idea of a de facto monarch. Donald Trump represents a clear threat to our democracy. If he is not voted out of office in 2020 he will push the limits of his power even further and before long this country could end up unrecognizable.
America does not and never will need a king. It’s vital that we make that abundantly clear this November.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-09--Lindsey Graham outlines scheme to use Justice Department to investigate Trump’s enemies

One of Donald Trump ’ s most sycophantic supporters , Senator Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) , hit the Sunday morning talk shows and provided insight into the president ’ s plans to leverage the powers of the Justice Department to wage a retaliatory campaign of revenge on those responsible for seeking accountability for the proven crimes that Trump ’ s Republican cronies corruptly acquitted him of earlier this week .
Appearing on CBS ‘ s Face the Nation , Graham confirmed that the president ’ s complicit Attorney General William Barr and his maniacal personal Attorney Rudy Giuliani would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of vengeance that Trump is now seeking after he was given a free pass to violate any laws he wants to in the future through the cowardly refusal of fearful GOP senators to punish his blatantly illegal actions .
Graham explained the mechanism by which the retribution against those who haven ’ t already faced the consequences of their truth-telling — like the now-fired National Security Council aide Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland — would take place .
The Senator related that the Department of Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Ukraine , from Rudy , ” raising the prospects of Russian-influenced , corrupt Ukrainian oligarch-originated disinformation and conspiracy theories actually being taken seriously by the U.S. government after being delivered by a source on the payroll of both the American president and the foreign billionaires .
Senator Graham claims that Attorney General Barr has “ created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it ’ s verified ” by the Justice Department .
Graham ’ s admission confirms what the incomplete transcript of Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky already suggested — that Barr and Giuliani were the main points of contact in the Ukraine extortion scheme that only failed to end Trump ’ s presidency due to the obstruction of Congressional investigations , the illegal refusal to honor witness subpoenas , and the withholding of documents .
Add your name to tell the ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
The authoritarian purges and decimation of the president ’ s political enemies — that are now predicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system completely at Trump ’ s beck and call and no longer bound by the rule of law — was augured by Graham ’ s hypocritical failure to remember just who started the legacy of relentless investigations of political enemies by an opposition party in control of the House of Representatives as another statement he made indicates .
Graham was equally hypocritical in an interview with Maria Bartiromo of Fox News .
The senator conveniently forgets the six Trump associates who either pleaded guilty or were convicted as a result of the Mueller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own personal lawyer Michale Cohen , his campaign manager Paul Manafort , and his first National Security Advisor Michael Flynn as he falsely equates Trump ’ s acquittal by the subservient senate with exoneration of the crimes he clearly committed .
With all danger of accountability trounced by the senate vote , we can expect the pardons for his convicted cohorts to come flying down the pike shortly as the president continues to pretend that he did nothing wrong and is the true victim of an unwarranted persecution .
Trump ’ s lust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if one lends any credence to the old adage that pride comes before the fall .
Until then , he can rely on allies like Graham to continue to spread his lies to his gullible base .
Original reporting by Mark Sumner at Daily Kos and Alternet .
What do you think ?

One of Donald Trump’s most sycophantic supporters, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), hit the Sunday morning talk shows and provided insight into the president’s plans to leverage the powers of the Justice Department to wage a retaliatory campaign of revenge on those responsible for seeking accountability for the proven crimes that Trump’s Republican cronies corruptly acquitted him of earlier this week.
Appearing on CBS‘s Face the Nation, Graham confirmed that the president’s complicit Attorney General William Barr and his maniacal personal Attorney Rudy Giuliani would play important roles in executing the rampage of vengeance that Trump is now seeking after he was given a free pass to violate any laws he wants to in the future through the cowardly refusal of fearful GOP senators to punish his blatantly illegal actions.
Graham explained the mechanism by which the retribution against those who haven’t already faced the consequences of their truth-telling — like the now-fired National Security Council aide Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland — would take place.
The Senator related that the Department of Justice is already “receiving information coming out of the Ukraine, from Rudy,” raising the prospects of Russian-influenced, corrupt Ukrainian oligarch-originated disinformation and conspiracy theories actually being taken seriously by the U.S. government after being delivered by a source on the payroll of both the American president and the foreign billionaires.
Senator Graham claims that Attorney General Barr has “created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it’s verified” by the Justice Department.
Graham’s admission confirms what the incomplete transcript of Trump’s supposedly “perfect” phone call with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky already suggested — that Barr and Giuliani were the main points of contact in the Ukraine extortion scheme that only failed to end Trump’s presidency due to the obstruction of Congressional investigations, the illegal refusal to honor witness subpoenas, and the withholding of documents.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
The authoritarian purges and decimation of the president’s political enemies — that are now predicted through the misuse of a federal justice system completely at Trump’s beck and call and no longer bound by the rule of law — was augured by Graham’s hypocritical failure to remember just who started the legacy of relentless investigations of political enemies by an opposition party in control of the House of Representatives as another statement he made indicates.
“We’re not going to live in a world where as a Republican you get investigated from the day you’re sworn in, three years later they’re still coming after you,” said Graham, apparently reserving that fate for Democrats as he ignored the Whitewater, Benghazi, and Hillary Clinton email server “investigations” his own party refused to drop despite the actual cooperation of the accused parties.
Graham was equally hypocritical in an interview with Maria Bartiromo of Fox News.
“Here’s what amazes me. The Russian investigation, what happened? Half the people behind the Russia investigation are going to go to jail,” the Republican told Bartiromo. “And Trump was cleared.”
The senator conveniently forgets the six Trump associates who either pleaded guilty or were convicted as a result of the Mueller investigations, including the president’s own personal lawyer Michale Cohen, his campaign manager Paul Manafort, and his first National Security Advisor Michael Flynn as he falsely equates Trump’s acquittal by the subservient senate with exoneration of the crimes he clearly committed.
With all danger of accountability trounced by the senate vote, we can expect the pardons for his convicted cohorts to come flying down the pike shortly as the president continues to pretend that he did nothing wrong and is the true victim of an unwarranted persecution.
Trump’s lust for revenge will hopefully be his undoing if one lends any credence to the old adage that pride comes before the fall. Until then, he can rely on allies like Graham to continue to spread his lies to his gullible base.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Mark Sumner at Daily Kos and Alternet.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-09--Sunday Morning tweet roundup: despite acquittal, Trump furiously seeks vengeance on social media

While searching for any possible silver lining in the bogus acquittal of Donald Trump by the cowardly and constitutionally bereft Republican Senate , one may have hoped that the temporary elimination of the immediate threat of removal from office would have reduced the number of desperate social media posts proclaiming “ Fake News , ” Witch Hunt , ” and “ Impeachment Hoax ” sent by the tiny thumbs of the president .
As Trump ’ s post-acquittal rampage of vengeance demonstrates , however , there will be no respite from the onslaught of Twitter-posted presidential propaganda .
In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything to have actually increased this morning , with Trump having tweeted or retweeted over 45 times just in the few hours prior to the writing of this article alone .
His first order of business was to post a link to a post-Iowa caucus poll showing him leading every major Democratic presidential candidate in head to head matchups in that state .
What Trump fails to point out is that his predicted lead over every potential Democratic opponent has him leading by a margin significantly less than the nearly 10 points by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative Midwestern state in 2016 .
Add your name to tell the ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
Trump then bragged about his own record victory in the GOP caucuses — which the state apparently also held , but which escaped press scrutiny since the results were as forgone as his impeachment acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate – by retweeting a post he made previously , a tactic that allows him to hammer his lies home through repetition without all the extra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say .
Trump ’ s fear-mongering portrayal of Democrats as “ Radical Socialists ” presages his campaign strategy where he will try to leverage the Cold War-era fears of communism into an attack on the socialism of his opponents while hoping that the public doesn ’ t realize that the ideology he is demonizing is responsible for their Social Security , Medicare , police and fire departments , public schools , and the five-day workweek .
Continuing his vindictive rage against his Democratic prosecutors , Trump retweeted a few more attacks against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and taunted the Dems for their Iowa caucus results tallying fiasco .
How Trump would recognize honesty and truth , concepts that he has had no experience in dealing with during his entire life to date remains unstated by the president documented as the most dishonest in history .
He also decided to take a hit against the leadership in his former home state of New York , one of the jurisdictions where he still faces the most legal peril as the scene of some of his most egregious alleged financial crimes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Having exhausted his supply of original insults , Trump then moved on to a spree of retweets from members of his administration , campaign staff , and GOP luminaries all either singing his praises or denouncing his enemies in a hail of hogwash that demonstrates just how hard he has to spin reality to try to shed the stench of impeachment and unaccounted guilt that continues to linger around his sullied office .
Perhaps the most disturbing retweet that the president posted this morning was the Time Magazine cover that imagines the nightmare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional prohibition on a president serving more than two terms and posits a term in the White House beyond the normal lifespan that someone of Trump ’ s age , diet , and physical condition could rationally expect , portending a Trump dynasty passed on to his children , as any newly crowned king might imagine .
While it may not get old for Trump to imagine this scenario , for the majority of Americans who still believe in democracy , the very thought of the end of our system of government envisioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of anxiety that age extremely rapidly .
The rest of Trump ’ s Sunday morning Twitter output was in a similar vein , with attacks on the only Republican to vote for his removal from office , Senator Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) , and the one Democrat he had thought might break ranks and vote for acquittal , Senator Joe Manchin ( D-WV ) peppered in the spray .
The one new trend to emerge in Trump ’ s tweets this morning , however , is his decision to begin retweeting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finds in the comments sections of his own tweets , with “ Karen , ” “ Soulkin , ” and “ Dana Schoonover ” suddenly elevated to the level of presidentially-quoted pundits due to their partisanly positive posts supporting the president .
It ’ s just another gimmick that Trump has borrowed from reality TV as the game show president throws crumbs to his fans by offering them their 15 minutes in the limelight and building their loyalty .
Unfortunately , with the only prize available being another four years of Trump in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obvious that these misguided participants in Trump ’ s version of Let ’ s Make A Deal should have chosen what ’ s behind door number two instead .
What do you think ?

While searching for any possible silver lining in the bogus acquittal of Donald Trump by the cowardly and constitutionally bereft Republican Senate, one may have hoped that the temporary elimination of the immediate threat of removal from office would have reduced the number of desperate social media posts proclaiming “Fake News,” Witch Hunt,” and “Impeachment Hoax” sent by the tiny thumbs of the president.
As Trump’s post-acquittal rampage of vengeance demonstrates, however, there will be no respite from the onslaught of Twitter-posted presidential propaganda.
In fact, the volume of posts seems if anything to have actually increased this morning, with Trump having tweeted or retweeted over 45 times just in the few hours prior to the writing of this article alone.
His first order of business was to post a link to a post-Iowa caucus poll showing him leading every major Democratic presidential candidate in head to head matchups in that state.
Leading also in New Hampshire and most states. The Fake News hates to report this, but you will see on November 3rd. https://t.co/IKPmbOyDZ8 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020
What Trump fails to point out is that his predicted lead over every potential Democratic opponent has him leading by a margin significantly less than the nearly 10 points by which he defeated Hilliary Clinton in the conservative Midwestern state in 2016.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
Trump then bragged about his own record victory in the GOP caucuses — which the state apparently also held, but which escaped press scrutiny since the results were as forgone as his impeachment acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate – by retweeting a post he made previously, a tactic that allows him to hammer his lies home through repetition without all the extra work of coming up with something new to say.
Thank you Iowa for the RECORD vote we just received in the Primary. The Dems were 25% down (although their votes are all fried!). https://t.co/xQb5ZKWVeT — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2020
Trump’s fear-mongering portrayal of Democrats as “Radical Socialists” presages his campaign strategy where he will try to leverage the Cold War-era fears of communism into an attack on the socialism of his opponents while hoping that the public doesn’t realize that the ideology he is demonizing is responsible for their Social Security, Medicare, police and fire departments, public schools, and the five-day workweek.
Continuing his vindictive rage against his Democratic prosecutors, Trump retweeted a few more attacks against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and taunted the Dems for their Iowa caucus results tallying fiasco.
Crazy Nancy Pelosi’s Impeachment Hoax has lifted Republican Congressional Polls (she lost the House once before!), and my Polls, WAY UP, which was expected, but it has had a great effect on Republican Senate races, including North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado and Arizona. Thanks! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2020
The Dems are crazed, they will do anything. Honesty & truth don’t matter to them. They are badly wounded. Iowa vote count was a disaster for them! https://t.co/HhhazMKEk3 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020
How Trump would recognize honesty and truth, concepts that he has had no experience in dealing with during his entire life to date remains unstated by the president documented as the most dishonest in history.
He also decided to take a hit against the leadership in his former home state of New York, one of the jurisdictions where he still faces the most legal peril as the scene of some of his most egregious alleged financial crimes, tax fraud, and sexual assaults.
I grew up in New York City and, over many years, got to watch how GREAT NYC’s “Finest” are. Now, because of weak leadership at Governor & Mayor, stand away (water thrown at them) regulations, and lack of support, our wonderful NYC police are under assault. Stop this now! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020
Having exhausted his supply of original insults, Trump then moved on to a spree of retweets from members of his administration, campaign staff, and GOP luminaries all either singing his praises or denouncing his enemies in a hail of hogwash that demonstrates just how hard he has to spin reality to try to shed the stench of impeachment and unaccounted guilt that continues to linger around his sullied office.
Perhaps the most disturbing retweet that the president posted this morning was the Time Magazine cover that imagines the nightmare of a Trump regime that ignores the constitutional prohibition on a president serving more than two terms and posits a term in the White House beyond the normal lifespan that someone of Trump’s age, diet, and physical condition could rationally expect, portending a Trump dynasty passed on to his children, as any newly crowned king might imagine.
This will never get old! https://t.co/u1CzwwIBvE — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020
While it may not get old for Trump to imagine this scenario, for the majority of Americans who still believe in democracy, the very thought of the end of our system of government envisioned by this flight of fancy engenders paroxysms of anxiety that age extremely rapidly.
The rest of Trump’s Sunday morning Twitter output was in a similar vein, with attacks on the only Republican to vote for his removal from office, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), and the one Democrat he had thought might break ranks and vote for acquittal, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) peppered in the spray.
Romney hurt some very good Republican Senators, and he was wrong about the Impeachment Hoax. No clue! https://t.co/J6rtaZYYxD — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020
They are really mad at Senator Joe Munchkin in West Virginia. He couldn’t understand the Transcripts. Romney could, but didn’t want to! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2020
The one new trend to emerge in Trump’s tweets this morning, however, is his decision to begin retweeting the posts of random Trump fans he likely finds in the comments sections of his own tweets, with “Karen,” “Soulkin,” and “Dana Schoonover” suddenly elevated to the level of presidentially-quoted pundits due to their partisanly positive posts supporting the president.
It’s just another gimmick that Trump has borrowed from reality TV as the game show president throws crumbs to his fans by offering them their 15 minutes in the limelight and building their loyalty. Unfortunately, with the only prize available being another four years of Trump in the White House, it’s obvious that these misguided participants in Trump’s version of Let’s Make A Deal should have chosen what’s behind door number two instead.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-08--Trump complains embarrassing viral photo of him with glaring spray tan line is doctored

No word describes Donald Trump more accurately than grotesque .
Whether the subject at hand is his appearance , his treatment of women , the food that he eats , or the way he governs this country , he is a monstrosity whose spite is only matched by his vanity .
That vanity was put on full display on Saturday morning in ridiculous fashion when the President of the United States took to Twitter to claim that a viral photo of his showing glaring spray-tan lines was “ photoshopped ” — but couldn ’ t help himself from proclaiming that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The image was first shared Friday night by a Twitter account that appears to belong to the photographer William Moon , a Trump enthusiast who , according to Vox , “ attends White House open press events.
” The image , which Moon says was not Photoshopped , quickly went viral as people ruthlessly mocked Trump ’ s thick spray-on tan .
While the viral version of the image used iPhone filters to increase the contrast and highlight the spray lines , it ’ s still pretty clear in the untouched version — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s desperate and truly pathetic attempt to burnish his ego was obviously met with a fresh wave of brutal trolling : What do you think ?

No word describes Donald Trump more accurately than grotesque. Whether the subject at hand is his appearance, his treatment of women, the food that he eats, or the way he governs this country, he is a monstrosity whose spite is only matched by his vanity.
That vanity was put on full display on Saturday morning in ridiculous fashion when the President of the United States took to Twitter to claim that a viral photo of his showing glaring spray-tan lines was “photoshopped” — but couldn’t help himself from proclaiming that the “hair looks good!”
It's not photoshopped. You can buy it in Getty images for a cool $499 https://t.co/Fm9JLwvleG pic.twitter.com/aPN579QUzY — Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) February 8, 2020
The image was first shared Friday night by a Twitter account that appears to belong to the photographer William Moon, a Trump enthusiast who, according to Vox, “attends White House open press events.” The image, which Moon says was not Photoshopped, quickly went viral as people ruthlessly mocked Trump’s thick spray-on tan.
While the viral version of the image used iPhone filters to increase the contrast and highlight the spray lines, it’s still pretty clear in the untouched version — and just as gross.
Today, @realDonaldTrump was dancing with the sunset and strong winds when he walked to the Oval Office from the Marine One on the South Lawn.. Photo by William Moon in the White House on February 7, 2020 pic.twitter.com/GURvi4UeSO — White House Photos (@photowhitehouse) February 8, 2020
The president’s desperate and truly pathetic attempt to burnish his ego was obviously met with a fresh wave of brutal trolling:
Mr. President this one was not photoshopped pic.twitter.com/YZCBSMZUsX — Eli Valley (@elivalley) February 8, 2020
Getty Images is apparently part of the conspiracy against the president pic.twitter.com/4StqYvhwcW — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-08--Trump Jr. gloats over Vindman firing, thanks Schiff for “unearthing those who need to be fired”

On Friday night , all pretense and deflection from the Trump administration about yesterday ’ s mini-purge of impeachment trial witnesses were thrown out the window by the President ’ s son , Don Jr .
While the White House ’ s defenders have tried to pass off the firing of Lt .
Colonel Vindman , his twin , and EU ambassador Gordon Sondland as part of a “ planned restructure ” of the State Department , the astonishingly tactless and clumsy Donald Trump Jr. made it clear that the firing of the president ’ s enemies was an act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to House Intelligence chair Rep. Adam Schiff .
Add your name to tell the ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
Snarkily thanking Schiff for “ his crack investigation skills , ” Don Jr. framed the entire impeachment trial and the mountain of evidence that Schiff meticulously assembled against President Trump as nothing but an elaborate way to expose his father ’ s enemies .
While he ’ s not entirely wrong — after all , Gordon Sondland is a hotelier who bought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donation to the Trump inaugural fund and absolutely needed to be fired — the glee with which he celebrates the politically motivated retaliation against a war hero like Vindman for doing the right thing and exposing the president ’ s misdeeds is absolutely revolting .
While it was inevitable that the acquittal of Donald Trump would open the door to a whole new era of flagrant corruption and authoritarian behavior from a supremely confident Trump , to see his son take the mask off and celebrate the punishment of his father ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more step down the road to banana republic .
What do you think ?

On Friday night, all pretense and deflection from the Trump administration about yesterday’s mini-purge of impeachment trial witnesses were thrown out the window by the President’s son, Don Jr.
While the White House’s defenders have tried to pass off the firing of Lt. Colonel Vindman, his twin, and EU ambassador Gordon Sondland as part of a “planned restructure” of the State Department, the astonishingly tactless and clumsy Donald Trump Jr. made it clear that the firing of the president’s enemies was an act of political retaliation in a taunting tweet to House Intelligence chair Rep. Adam Schiff.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
Snarkily thanking Schiff for “his crack investigation skills,” Don Jr. framed the entire impeachment trial and the mountain of evidence that Schiff meticulously assembled against President Trump as nothing but an elaborate way to expose his father’s enemies.
https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1225941861765918720?s=20
While he’s not entirely wrong — after all, Gordon Sondland is a hotelier who bought his ambassadorship with a $1 million donation to the Trump inaugural fund and absolutely needed to be fired — the glee with which he celebrates the politically motivated retaliation against a war hero like Vindman for doing the right thing and exposing the president’s misdeeds is absolutely revolting.
While it was inevitable that the acquittal of Donald Trump would open the door to a whole new era of flagrant corruption and authoritarian behavior from a supremely confident Trump, to see his son take the mask off and celebrate the punishment of his father’s political enemies is dragging our country one more step down the road to banana republic.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-07--Prominent figures immediately explode in outrage over Trump’s firing of Vindman

On Friday , the Trump administration took the first of what is certain to be a substantial amount of retaliatory actions against the government officials who dared to testify against him during the impeachment hearings .
Lt .
Colonel Alexander Vindman , who became a national hero for his impassioned testimony to the House , was escorted out of the White House by security and told he no longer held a position on the National Security Council .
His twin brother , Yevgeny Vindman , was also fired from his position as an NSC attorney .
Add your name to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
It represents the ugly beginning of the post-impeachment Trump era .
The coming weeks will doubtlessly be charachterized by Donald Trump ’ s spiteful efforts to exact revenge against all those who have wronged him , a lengthy list which we know includes former NSA John Bolton and Senator Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) .
While no tears will be shed for notorious warmonger John Bolton , it is appalling to see the President abuse the levers of his office in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enemies .
Prominent voices on social media immediately issued a chorus of outrage at the move and honored Vindman for sacrificing his career in order to do the right thing for his country : What do you think ?

On Friday, the Trump administration took the first of what is certain to be a substantial amount of retaliatory actions against the government officials who dared to testify against him during the impeachment hearings.
Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, who became a national hero for his impassioned testimony to the House, was escorted out of the White House by security and told he no longer held a position on the National Security Council. His twin brother, Yevgeny Vindman, was also fired from his position as an NSC attorney.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
It represents the ugly beginning of the post-impeachment Trump era. The coming weeks will doubtlessly be charachterized by Donald Trump’s spiteful efforts to exact revenge against all those who have wronged him, a lengthy list which we know includes former NSA John Bolton and Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT).
While no tears will be shed for notorious warmonger John Bolton, it is appalling to see the President abuse the levers of his office in order to pursue petty feuds against his enemies.
Prominent voices on social media immediately issued a chorus of outrage at the move and honored Vindman for sacrificing his career in order to do the right thing for his country:
Trump’s retaliation against LTC Vindman is more than just petty revenge. He is clearing out someone who he knows will hold him accountable for future criminality while simultaneously sending a message to others about the cost of doing what’s right. — Jason Kander (@JasonKander) February 7, 2020
This is disgusting. An insult not just to LTC Vindman, but to our entire military and to all Americans. @realDonaldTrump does this to LTC Vindman. While he pardons war criminals. These are very dangerous times for America. #IYNAYNPA https://t.co/Mlvi2yAaFD — Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) February 7, 2020
You can serve honorably or you can serve Trump, but it is impossible to do both. Forever grateful that Vindman chose honor. https://t.co/EbqY7y1Dt3 — Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) February 7, 2020
Escorting Lt. Col. Vindman from the White House today was Trump’s petty idea of revenge against the holder of a Purple Heart. I’d urge Vindman to see it as a badge of honor. — Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) February 7, 2020
The Russian agent in the White House, @realDonaldTrump has just purged American patriot, war hero solider, Lt. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council and removed him from the @WhiteHouse for doing his duty and defending the Constitution. — Fernand R. Amandi (@AmandiOnAir) February 7, 2020
From Gallagher to Vindman and everyone in between, the messages this Administration is sending to the men and women in uniform about duty, loyalty, and the rule of law is pretty clear—and pretty terrifying. — Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) February 7, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-07--FOX host wonders if Pelosi speech tear “lacked more in decorum” than Trump “p*ssy-grab” tape

The right-wing propaganda empire has made it clear that there ’ s no defense too outrageous , too absurd , or too offensive when it comes to excusing the president ’ s misdeeds and complaining about his critics — but FOX ’ s streaming service really hit rock bottom when it came to the infamous Pelosi speech-tearing .
Media Matters for America , those brave and tireless patriots who force themselves to watch countless hours of mindless FOX programming in order to document what the enemy is saying , discovered a very disturbing exchange between FOX Nation co-hosts Tom Shillue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tell the ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
Shillue essentially argues that the spectacle of Pelosi tearing up that speech “ lacked more in decorum ” than anything Trump has ever done , including bragging about sexually assaulting women about “ grabbing their p*ssies : ” Shillue wonders “ Is there anything , I ’ m trying to think , because the idea , I don ’ t think people should clutch their pearls over it .
But the idea you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people seem to talk about is Donald Trump and his lack of decorum .
Has he ever done anything in the ballpark of ripping up a speech like that on TV ?
I ’ m trying to think of the worst thing Trump has ever done , including that tape of him from NBC .
What has he done that is lacking in decorum more than that ?
” His co-host Britt McHenry agreed that “ Not more than that.
” It is truly mind-boggling to hear the president ’ s sycophantic yes-men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exoneration for his sexual assault brags into a condemnation of the Speaker ’ s powerful gesture of defiance .
Any rational person can see that the president violates “ decorum ” worse than the speech-tear on a weekly basis ; he usually does it first thing in the morning when he picks up his phone !
What do you think ?

The right-wing propaganda empire has made it clear that there’s no defense too outrageous, too absurd, or too offensive when it comes to excusing the president’s misdeeds and complaining about his critics — but FOX’s streaming service really hit rock bottom when it came to the infamous Pelosi speech-tearing.
Media Matters for America, those brave and tireless patriots who force themselves to watch countless hours of mindless FOX programming in order to document what the enemy is saying, discovered a very disturbing exchange between FOX Nation co-hosts Tom Shillue and Britt McHenry.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
Shillue essentially argues that the spectacle of Pelosi tearing up that speech “lacked more in decorum” than anything Trump has ever done, including bragging about sexually assaulting women about “grabbing their p*ssies:”
Shillue wonders “Is there anything, I’m trying to think, because the idea, I don’t think people should clutch their pearls over it. But the idea you should bring attention to it because all people seem to talk about is Donald Trump and his lack of decorum. Has he ever done anything in the ballpark of ripping up a speech like that on TV? I’m trying to think of the worst thing Trump has ever done, including that tape of him from NBC. What has he done that is lacking in decorum more than that?”
His co-host Britt McHenry agreed that “Not more than that.”
It is truly mind-boggling to hear the president’s sycophantic yes-men stoop so low as to work an exoneration for his sexual assault brags into a condemnation of the Speaker’s powerful gesture of defiance. Any rational person can see that the president violates “decorum” worse than the speech-tear on a weekly basis; he usually does it first thing in the morning when he picks up his phone!
Original reporting by Media Matters for America.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-07--Florida Bar confirms active inquiry into Matt Gaetz for impeachment hearing stunt

Authorities at the Florida Bar have confirmed that they have an active misconduct investigation into the controversial Republican Representative who bills himself as “ Trump ’ s ultimate defender.
” Yesterday , the Miami-Dade Democratic Party filed a complaint against Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) with the Florida Bar , who previously admonished the Congressman for his attempt to intimidate Trump ’ s former lawyer Michael Cohen to and prevent him from publicly testifying about the president ’ s crimes .
The complaint is over an October incident when the Florida man led a group of thirty House Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s secure , compartmented information facility ( SCIF ) .
The childish attempt to derail Trump ’ s impeachment hearings ended with them ordering pizza and bragging about it on Twitter .
“ I don ’ t work for Miami Democrats or the Florida Bar .
I work for the Northwest Floridians who have overwhelmingly elected me , ” Gaetz responded to his local Northwest Florida Daily News .
“ They seem pleased with my vigorous defense of the president.
” “ He may not work for the Florida Bar , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an interview with Occupy Democrats .
“ But all attorneys in our state need to abide by Bar rules because we are a profession with ethics , even if the Congressman is primarily a sycophantic member of Trump ’ s DC swamp and not a lawyer anyone would hire.
” However , a follow-up inquiry into yesterday ’ s complaint against Gaetz revealed that he is already under investigation for the incident !
FloridaPolitics.com reports : As Simeonidis explained with his complaint , the House ’ s impeachment process is a legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida Bar has previously expressed in writing that lawyers are subject to its discipline while in Congress .
A spokesman for the agency said that they will continue investigating the initial , only-now-known complaint against Trump ’ s ally .
Just last year , Florida Bar investigators described Rep. Gaetz as “ unprofessional , reckless , insensitive , and demonstrated poor judgment , ” when he threatened Trump ’ s convicted former attorney .
Indeed , having narrowly escaped punishment last year , the northwest Florida Congressman who got into office because daddy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of scrutiny , since he , like his benefactor Trump , is a rich kid who appears not to have learned any lesson by getting away with his first offense .
Indeed , Gaetz ’ s latest idiotic stunt is filing a bogus ethics complaint against Speaker Pelosi for tearing apart Trump ’ s lie-filled State of the Union address earlier this week .
Both Politifact and Snopes.com have fact-checked Gaetz ’ s claims and found them utterly devoid of legal basis .
That didn ’ t stop Donald Trump from falsely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyways in a press conference on the White House lawn .
“ Future former lawyer Matt Gaetz isn ’ t defending Donald Trump , ” said the Miami-Dade Democratic party chair .
“ He ’ s promoting propaganda , creating a real national security threat and disgracing his office by attacking the legal process , ” If the Florida Bar finds that Gaetz violated its rules , punishments could range from fines and written reprimands all the way up to suspension of his license to practice law which is known as disbarment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a member of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee .
What do you think ?

Authorities at the Florida Bar have confirmed that they have an active misconduct investigation into the controversial Republican Representative who bills himself as “Trump’s ultimate defender.”
Yesterday, the Miami-Dade Democratic Party filed a complaint against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) with the Florida Bar, who previously admonished the Congressman for his attempt to intimidate Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to and prevent him from publicly testifying about the president’s crimes.
The complaint is over an October incident when the Florida man led a group of thirty House Republicans in a breach of the Intelligence Committee’s secure, compartmented information facility (SCIF). The childish attempt to derail Trump’s impeachment hearings ended with them ordering pizza and bragging about it on Twitter.
“I don’t work for Miami Democrats or the Florida Bar. I work for the Northwest Floridians who have overwhelmingly elected me,” Gaetz responded to his local Northwest Florida Daily News. “They seem pleased with my vigorous defense of the president.”
“He may not work for the Florida Bar,” replied Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chair Steve Simeonidis in an interview with Occupy Democrats. “But all attorneys in our state need to abide by Bar rules because we are a profession with ethics, even if the Congressman is primarily a sycophantic member of Trump’s DC swamp and not a lawyer anyone would hire.”
However, a follow-up inquiry into yesterday’s complaint against Gaetz revealed that he is already under investigation for the incident! FloridaPolitics.com reports:
The Florida Bar has confirmed it has a file open regarding Rep. Matt Gaetz‘ conduct during the House impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump.
As Simeonidis explained with his complaint, the House’s impeachment process is a legal matter precedent to a trial and the Florida Bar has previously expressed in writing that lawyers are subject to its discipline while in Congress. A spokesman for the agency said that they will continue investigating the initial, only-now-known complaint against Trump’s ally.
Just last year, Florida Bar investigators described Rep. Gaetz as “unprofessional, reckless, insensitive, and demonstrated poor judgment,” when he threatened Trump’s convicted former attorney.
Indeed, having narrowly escaped punishment last year, the northwest Florida Congressman who got into office because daddy is rich might face a significantly higher level of scrutiny, since he, like his benefactor Trump, is a rich kid who appears not to have learned any lesson by getting away with his first offense.
Indeed, Gaetz’s latest idiotic stunt is filing a bogus ethics complaint against Speaker Pelosi for tearing apart Trump’s lie-filled State of the Union address earlier this week.
Both Politifact and Snopes.com have fact-checked Gaetz’s claims and found them utterly devoid of legal basis. That didn’t stop Donald Trump from falsely claiming that the Florida man was right anyways in a press conference on the White House lawn.
“Future former lawyer Matt Gaetz isn’t defending Donald Trump,” said the Miami-Dade Democratic party chair. “He’s promoting propaganda, creating a real national security threat and disgracing his office by attacking the legal process,”
If the Florida Bar finds that Gaetz violated its rules, punishments could range from fines and written reprimands all the way up to suspension of his license to practice law which is known as disbarment.
Author’s disclosure: I am a member of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee.


occupydemocrats--2020-02-07--Trump incorrectly whines to reporters that Pelosi’s speech-ripping was “very illegal”

President Trump is clearly still sour about House Speaker Pelosi ’ s dramatic ripping up of his speech during the State of the Union this Tuesday .
On his way to Marine One for yet another speech in North Carolina before inevitably flitting off to Mar-a-Lago for another arduous weekend of television and golf , the President of the United States complained that the House leader had done a “ terrible thing ” and said that it was , in fact , “ very illegal ” and that it was “ very disrespectful to the chamber , to the country.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the State of the Union speech is an “ official document ” is a popular talking point on right-wing Twitter that , as usual , is absolutely ridiculous .
Add your name to tell the ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
Legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner told the Hill that “ The federal law prohibiting the destruction of public records or government documents does not apply , ” and that a photocopy does not count as an official document @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting to Democrats the next day .
“ He shredded the truth so I shredded his speech , ” said Pelosi , correctly labeling Trump ’ s ramblings as a “ manifesto of mistruths , ” and added that she felt “ liberated ” after she did it .
“ I didn ’ t go in there to tear up the speech , and I didn ’ t even care that he didn ’ t shake my hand .
In fact , who cares ?
” Judging from his comments today , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cares .
What do you think ?

President Trump is clearly still sour about House Speaker Pelosi’s dramatic ripping up of his speech during the State of the Union this Tuesday.
On his way to Marine One for yet another speech in North Carolina before inevitably flitting off to Mar-a-Lago for another arduous weekend of television and golf, the President of the United States complained that the House leader had done a “terrible thing” and said that it was, in fact, “very illegal” and that it was “very disrespectful to the chamber, to the country.”
Trump on Pelosi ripping up his State of the Union speech: “First of all, it’s an official document, you’re not allowed, it’s illegal what she did. She broke the law." pic.twitter.com/cOOKJzGvdu — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 7, 2020
The idea that the photocopy of the State of the Union speech is an “official document” is a popular talking point on right-wing Twitter that, as usual, is absolutely ridiculous.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
Legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner told the Hill that “The federal law prohibiting the destruction of public records or government documents does not apply,” and that a photocopy does not count as an official document.
Pelosi explained herself in a closed-door meeting to Democrats the next day.
“He shredded the truth so I shredded his speech,” said Pelosi, correctly labeling Trump’s ramblings as a “manifesto of mistruths,” and added that she felt “liberated” after she did it. “I didn’t go in there to tear up the speech, and I didn’t even care that he didn’t shake my hand. In fact, who cares?”
Judging from his comments today, it appears that at least one person really cares.
Follow Colin Taylor on Twitter.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-17--More than 2,000 ex-DOJ officials sign letter demanding the firing of AG Barr

Over two thousand former federal prosecutors and Justice Department employees have signed an open letter calling for Attorney General William P. Barr to resign over his intervention in the sentencing of Trump political advisor Roger Stone last week .
The move comes days after senior Democratic leaders in Congress made the same demand and after the New York City Bar Association filed a formal complaint to the Justice Department ’ s inspector general about the attorney general ’ s actions to reduce the DOJ ’ s sentencing recommendations in the case involving a friend of the president .
The group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the apparent political interference in the application of the unbiased rule of law also urged all current employees of the Department of Justice to act as whistleblowers and report any indications of unethical practices or behavior to the department ’ s inspector general .
“ Each of us strongly condemns President Trump ’ s and Attorney General Barr ’ s interference in the fair administration of justice , ” the bipartisan group of former Justice Department prosecutors wrote in an open letter published on Medium.com earlier today .
“ We welcome Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the DOJ ’ s law enforcement decisions must be independent of politics ; that it is wrong for the President to interfere in specific enforcement matters , either to punish his opponents or to help his friends ; and that the President ’ s public comments on DOJ matters have gravely damaged the Department ’ s credibility .
But Mr. Barr ’ s actions in doing the President ’ s personal bidding unfortunately speak louder than his words .
Those actions , and the damage they have done to the Department of Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule of law , require Mr. Barr to resign .
But because we have little expectation he will do so , it falls to the Department ’ s career officials to take appropriate action to uphold their oaths of office and defend nonpartisan , apolitical justice.
” the letter continues .
The sheer number of dedicated civil servants signing the harshly critical letter indicates how large a rupture the departure from the normal ethical conduct of the administration of justice Attorney General Barr ’ s actions have created within the department he oversees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
It also signals the failure of the attorney general ’ s attempts to tamp down the controversy over his meddling in the Stone sentencing by complaining about the president ’ s Twitter campaign to influence public opinion about the fairness of the judicial system .
Barr ’ s whining about Trump ’ s social media harping did little to stop the president from continuing to comment on the Roger Stone case and from declaring that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right ” to step into any legal proceeding , although Trump claims that he never asked the attorney general to “ do anything in a criminal case.
” As the noted “ never Trump ” Republican lawyer George Conway explained in his op-ed in The Washington Post on Saturday , William Barr doesn ’ t need a specific order from Donald Trump to know exactly what he needs to do to keep his boss happy , given the president ’ s constant public declarations of his opinions .
For that reason , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials and coordinated by the advocacy group Protect Democracy lauds the decision by the four prosecutors to resign from the case rather than follow the attorney general ’ s directives to reduce their sentencing recommendations from that which the applicable laws specify .
The signatories commend the prosecutors and issued a clarion call to all the other Justice Department employees to follow their example in the conclusion of their letter .
“ For these reasons , we support and commend the four career prosecutors who upheld their oaths and stood up for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Stone case and/or resigning from the Department .
Our simple message to them is that we — and millions of other Americans — stand with them .
And we call on every DOJ employee to follow their heroic example and be prepared to report future abuses to the Inspector General , the Office of Professional Responsibility , and Congress ; to refuse to carry out directives that are inconsistent with their oaths of office ; to withdraw from cases that involve such directives or other misconduct ; and , if necessary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a manner consistent with professional ethics — to the American people the reasons for their resignation .
We likewise call on the other branches of government to protect from retaliation those employees who uphold their oaths in the face of unlawful directives .
The rule of law and the survival of our Republic demand nothing less.
” When over 2000 former prosecutors warn us about the survival of our democracy and the rule of law , it ’ s time to pay attention .
Every citizen in America should be demanding the resignation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if he refuses to do so , then his immediate impeachment .
Original reporting by Katie Benner at The New York Times and by Devlin Barrett at The Washington Post .
What do you think ?

Over two thousand former federal prosecutors and Justice Department employees have signed an open letter calling for Attorney General William P. Barr to resign over his intervention in the sentencing of Trump political advisor Roger Stone last week.
The move comes days after senior Democratic leaders in Congress made the same demand and after the New York City Bar Association filed a formal complaint to the Justice Department’s inspector general about the attorney general’s actions to reduce the DOJ’s sentencing recommendations in the case involving a friend of the president.
The group of concerned former officials who were outraged over the apparent political interference in the application of the unbiased rule of law also urged all current employees of the Department of Justice to act as whistleblowers and report any indications of unethical practices or behavior to the department’s inspector general.
“Each of us strongly condemns President Trump’s and Attorney General Barr’s interference in the fair administration of justice,” the bipartisan group of former Justice Department prosecutors wrote in an open letter published on Medium.com earlier today. “We welcome Attorney General Barr’s belated acknowledgment that the DOJ’s law enforcement decisions must be independent of politics; that it is wrong for the President to interfere in specific enforcement matters, either to punish his opponents or to help his friends; and that the President’s public comments on DOJ matters have gravely damaged the Department’s credibility. But Mr. Barr’s actions in doing the President’s personal bidding unfortunately speak louder than his words. Those actions, and the damage they have done to the Department of Justice’s reputation for integrity and the rule of law, require Mr. Barr to resign. But because we have little expectation he will do so, it falls to the Department’s career officials to take appropriate action to uphold their oaths of office and defend nonpartisan, apolitical justice.” the letter continues.
The sheer number of dedicated civil servants signing the harshly critical letter indicates how large a rupture the departure from the normal ethical conduct of the administration of justice Attorney General Barr’s actions have created within the department he oversees.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
It also signals the failure of the attorney general’s attempts to tamp down the controversy over his meddling in the Stone sentencing by complaining about the president’s Twitter campaign to influence public opinion about the fairness of the judicial system.
“I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me,” Barr told ABC News on Thursday in an interview.
Barr’s whining about Trump’s social media harping did little to stop the president from continuing to comment on the Roger Stone case and from declaring that his presidential powers gave him “the legal right” to step into any legal proceeding, although Trump claims that he never asked the attorney general to “do anything in a criminal case.”
“The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.” A.G. Barr This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2020
As the noted “never Trump” Republican lawyer George Conway explained in his op-ed in The Washington Post on Saturday, William Barr doesn’t need a specific order from Donald Trump to know exactly what he needs to do to keep his boss happy, given the president’s constant public declarations of his opinions.
For that reason, the letter signed by the former Justice Department officials and coordinated by the advocacy group Protect Democracy lauds the decision by the four prosecutors to resign from the case rather than follow the attorney general’s directives to reduce their sentencing recommendations from that which the applicable laws specify. The signatories commend the prosecutors and issued a clarion call to all the other Justice Department employees to follow their example in the conclusion of their letter.
“For these reasons, we support and commend the four career prosecutors who upheld their oaths and stood up for the Department’s independence by withdrawing from the Stone case and/or resigning from the Department. Our simple message to them is that we — and millions of other Americans — stand with them. And we call on every DOJ employee to follow their heroic example and be prepared to report future abuses to the Inspector General, the Office of Professional Responsibility, and Congress; to refuse to carry out directives that are inconsistent with their oaths of office; to withdraw from cases that involve such directives or other misconduct; and, if necessary, to resign and report publicly — in a manner consistent with professional ethics — to the American people the reasons for their resignation. We likewise call on the other branches of government to protect from retaliation those employees who uphold their oaths in the face of unlawful directives. The rule of law and the survival of our Republic demand nothing less.”
When over 2000 former prosecutors warn us about the survival of our democracy and the rule of law, it’s time to pay attention. Every citizen in America should be demanding the resignation of William Barr right now, and, if he refuses to do so, then his immediate impeachment.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Katie Benner at The New York Times and by Devlin Barrett at The Washington Post.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-17--Obama subtly trolls Trump on President’s Day by reminding him who gave him a strong economy

The last president to fit the job description trolled his unqualified successor on Twitter today on this holiday celebrating our nation ’ s greatest executive branch leaders with a pointed reminder of just who was responsible for the economic recovery from the disaster created by the last Republican administration .
Barack Obama celebrated both President ’ s Day and the eleventh anniversary of the signing of the Recovery Act — the bill that helped America dig its way out of the enormously economically perilous Bush financial market collapse and set us on the unprecedented unbroken stretch of employment expansion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public who rightfully deserves the credit for the current health of the U.S. economy .
Add your name to tell the ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
While the current occupant of the White House likes to pretend that his policies are responsible for the continued economic expansion in our country over the past three years , a closer look at the numbers undermines Donald Trump ’ s constant boasts with the hard facts that President Obama ’ s tweet serves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are less than three years old , however , what you ’ ve seen is a decline in the rate of job creation compared to the last three years of the Obama administration .
While in general , the U.S. economy under Trump has benefited from the momentum generated from the Obama administration , thanks to the massive Republican tax cuts primarily benefiting billionaires and the tariff-inducing trade wars initiated by this president , America is facing a national debt that has increased by nearly 50 % under Trump and a massive subsidy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his trade policies— a subsidy that would be decried as “ socialism ” if it were being implemented by a Democrat .
With record homelessness and an obscene number of medical expense-induced bankruptcies plaguing the nation , it ’ s obvious that any upside from the Trump economy has primarily benefited corporate interests and domestic oligarchs and that we are only one market crash away from another Republican-inspired recession that will not be as easy to climb out of as the one that Obama rescued us from .
On this Presidents Day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the man truly responsible for launching the positive trajectory of our current economic situation which has continued until now despite Trump ’ s massive missteps — and work towards ensuring that we remove the current president before he can do more damage .
What do you think ?

The last president to fit the job description trolled his unqualified successor on Twitter today on this holiday celebrating our nation’s greatest executive branch leaders with a pointed reminder of just who was responsible for the economic recovery from the disaster created by the last Republican administration.
Barack Obama celebrated both President’s Day and the eleventh anniversary of the signing of the Recovery Act — the bill that helped America dig its way out of the enormously economically perilous Bush financial market collapse and set us on the unprecedented unbroken stretch of employment expansion in history — with a tweet that reminded the public who rightfully deserves the credit for the current health of the U.S. economy.
Eleven years ago today, near the bottom of the worst recession in generations, I signed the Recovery Act, paving the way for more than a decade of economic growth and the longest streak of job creation in American history. pic.twitter.com/BmdXrxUAUf — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 17, 2020
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
While the current occupant of the White House likes to pretend that his policies are responsible for the continued economic expansion in our country over the past three years, a closer look at the numbers undermines Donald Trump’s constant boasts with the hard facts that President Obama’s tweet serves to remind us of.
“We’re producing jobs like you have never seen before in this country,” Trump bragged during a speech in Michigan recently.
Unless you are less than three years old, however, what you’ve seen is a decline in the rate of job creation compared to the last three years of the Obama administration.
“During Trump’s first 36 months in office, the US economy has gained 6.6 million jobs. But during a comparable 36-month period at the end of Obama’s tenure, employers added 8.1 million jobs, or 23% more than what has been added since Trump took office,” according to CNN, reporting verifiable figures that will surely be labled as “Fake News” by the current president.
While in general, the U.S. economy under Trump has benefited from the momentum generated from the Obama administration, thanks to the massive Republican tax cuts primarily benefiting billionaires and the tariff-inducing trade wars initiated by this president, America is facing a national debt that has increased by nearly 50% under Trump and a massive subsidy being paid to farmers squeezed dry by his trade policies— a subsidy that would be decried as “socialism” if it were being implemented by a Democrat.
With record homelessness and an obscene number of medical expense-induced bankruptcies plaguing the nation, it’s obvious that any upside from the Trump economy has primarily benefited corporate interests and domestic oligarchs and that we are only one market crash away from another Republican-inspired recession that will not be as easy to climb out of as the one that Obama rescued us from.
On this Presidents Day, let’s thank Barack Obama — the man truly responsible for launching the positive trajectory of our current economic situation which has continued until now despite Trump’s massive missteps — and work towards ensuring that we remove the current president before he can do more damage.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-17--Social media erupts in fury as Trump attends white nationalist wedding at his hotel

“ Hey little sister , what have you done ?
Hey little sister , who ’ s the only one ?
Hey little sister , who ’ s your superman ?
Hey little sister , who ’ s the one you want ?
Hey little sister , shotgun !
It ’ s a nice day to start again It ’ s a nice day for a white wedding It ’ s a nice day to start again.
” “ It ’ s a nice day for a white wedding ” takes on a whole new meaning when the wedding in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official in the Trump administration — outside of perhaps the president himself — Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller .
As the architect of Donald Trump ’ s draconian immigration policies that have sought to reduce or eliminate entirely any influx of foreign-born people from entering the country and resulted in the separation of refugee families and the internment of children in cages , Miller is one of the most reprehensible among the plethora of morally despicable people working in the White House .
When Miller announced his pending nuptials , Twitter was abuzz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could overlook his hateful ideological predilections , his insidious behavior , and , frankly , his physical attributes enough to decide that they wanted to enter into a permanent , non-transactional relationship with such a person .
Love , however , they say moves in mysterious ways and this weekend the big day arrived for Miller and his new bride , Katie Waldman , another Trump administration official who has served as the press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence and who had previously defended the administration ’ s heinous immigration stance as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kirstjen Nielsen .
As one would expect from members of this administration , the wedding and the reception following kicked back a portion of its costs directly into the Trump family coffers due to its location at the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC and the President himself , accompanied by his First Lady Melania , was on hand to celebrate the occasion .
Also attending was former White House Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Republican party Reince Priebus who posted this photo from the event on Twitter .
Other social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments on a union they often considered as an example of unholy matrimony .
People can be so cruel sometimes , but they get to marry and reproduce nonetheless .
Whatever level of mockery Stephen Miller and his new bride are forced to endure , however , it is little recompense for the damage he and his literally fascist policies have inflicted upon the separated refugee families , caged children , and the soul of our nation .
We can only hope that Miller ’ s accessibility to the levers of power will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wishes the US population to be restricted to and his honeymoon away from his White House duties extends past the next inauguration day .
As for Ms. Waldman : “ Hey little sister , what have you done ?
… ” Hey little sister , who ’ s your uber-mensch ?
” What do you think ?

“Hey little sister, what have you done?
Hey little sister, who’s the only one?
Hey little sister, who’s your superman?
Hey little sister, who’s the one you want?
Hey little sister, shotgun!
It’s a nice day to start again
It’s a nice day for a white wedding
It’s a nice day to start again.”
— “White Wedding” – Billy Idol
“It’s a nice day for a white wedding” takes on a whole new meaning when the wedding in question involves arguably the leading white nationalist official in the Trump administration — outside of perhaps the president himself — Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller.
As the architect of Donald Trump’s draconian immigration policies that have sought to reduce or eliminate entirely any influx of foreign-born people from entering the country and resulted in the separation of refugee families and the internment of children in cages, Miller is one of the most reprehensible among the plethora of morally despicable people working in the White House.
When Miller announced his pending nuptials, Twitter was abuzz with amazement that there was anyone who could overlook his hateful ideological predilections, his insidious behavior, and, frankly, his physical attributes enough to decide that they wanted to enter into a permanent, non-transactional relationship with such a person.
Love, however, they say moves in mysterious ways and this weekend the big day arrived for Miller and his new bride, Katie Waldman, another Trump administration official who has served as the press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence and who had previously defended the administration’s heinous immigration stance as the spokeswoman for former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
As one would expect from members of this administration, the wedding and the reception following kicked back a portion of its costs directly into the Trump family coffers due to its location at the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC and the President himself, accompanied by his First Lady Melania, was on hand to celebrate the occasion.
Also attending was former White House Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Republican party Reince Priebus who posted this photo from the event on Twitter.
Spectacular and very special wedding tonight with new bride and groom Stephen and Katie Miller! So much fun and still going with @realDonaldTrump having fun and the band is going strong! pic.twitter.com/1LreZhe2pd — Reince Priebus (@Reince) February 17, 2020
Other social media denizens were less kind in their comments on a union they often considered as an example of unholy matrimony.
https://twitter.com/panhandleprims/status/1229356039226765312?s=20
Why help HER? Children in cages need god’s help a little more urgently. — Toto Burrito (@tautau_anaue) February 17, 2020
Poster of Birth Control ad — Denise Wu (@denisewu) February 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/povey_heath/status/1229382939768573955?s=20
https://twitter.com/docdvr/status/1229378803450994689?s=20
Surprised he didn't spray on some hair. pic.twitter.com/kR7M07HkJ4 — Dawn WTFAmerica? (@DumboRat4000) February 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/HereToResist/status/1229289076357910528?s=20
Stephen miller grooms men be like pic.twitter.com/mqzzpzkbLq — Steve J (@SteveO072) February 17, 2020
When #StephenMiller and his wife have a baby, will they keep it in a cage or a crib? #StephenMillerWedding — marc murdock (@marcmurd) February 17, 2020
People can be so cruel sometimes, but they get to marry and reproduce nonetheless.
Whatever level of mockery Stephen Miller and his new bride are forced to endure, however, it is little recompense for the damage he and his literally fascist policies have inflicted upon the separated refugee families, caged children, and the soul of our nation.
We can only hope that Miller’s accessibility to the levers of power will be as limited as the gene pool he wishes the US population to be restricted to and his honeymoon away from his White House duties extends past the next inauguration day.
As for Ms. Waldman: “Hey little sister, what have you done?…”Hey little sister, who’s your uber-mensch?”
White wedding, indeed.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by David Edwards at RawStory.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-17--Barr tried to interfere in criminal probe of Turkish bank after Erdogan went to Trump

Much of last week ’ s news cycle revolved around the blatant corruption displayed by Attorney General William Barr .
After he interfered in the Roger Stone to get the Trump ally ’ s sentence reduced , apparently at Trump ’ s behest , four prosecutors resigned from the case in protest .
Barr gave a face-saving interview and acted frustrated over the president ’ s tweets , only for Trump to shoot out a tweet saying that while he didn ’ t interfere in Stone ’ s case he has every “ legal right ” to do so if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to testify before Congress about the clearly crooked saga next month and calls for his resignation are building .
Unfortunately for the American people , this is not the first time Barr has prioritized his personal loyalties to the president who appointed him over his duty to impartially uphold and enforce the law .
As former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates pointed out in her recent op-ed , Barr misrepresented special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s findings to help Trump , equivocated on the undeniable fact that Russia interfered in our 2016 election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a backchannel to deliver dirt on Democrats to the Department of Justice .
Now , this disgraceful list has grown a little bit longer .
CNN reported over the weekend that Barr sought to terminate the prosecutorial efforts against Turkish bank Halkbank for Iran sanction violations after the country ’ s authoritarian President Recep Erdoğan asked Trump to step in .
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has confirmed that Trump instructed Barr and him to handle Erdogan ’ s request .
Add your name to tell the ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s corruption !
Geoffrey Berman , the U.S. Attorney in charge of the Southern District of New York , has reportedly resisted several attempts by Barr to control his cases and put his foot down over the Halkbank case as well .
Barr wanted the SDNY to allow a simple civil settlement to make the case go away , Berman pushed for criminal proceedings .
Despite Barr ’ s efforts , Halkbank was charged with fraud , money laundering , and sanction violations .
The fact that Trump ’ s efforts to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t lessen the disturbing nature of the requests .
Why is the president—a man whose businesses and real estate ventures span the globe and so rely upon the goodwill of foreign governments to function—doing personal favors for a bloodthirsty strongman like Erdogan ?
Was he getting something in return or perhaps laying the foundation to request favors in the future ?
We still don ’ t have a good explanation for why Trump suddenly and unnecessarily withdrew U.S. forces along the Syrian border , essentially greenlighting a Turkish invasion of the region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kurdish allies .
The full picture has yet to emerge , but what we can see already is a deeply disturbing pattern of a president known for ruthlessly pursuing his own interests regardless of the costs , bending over backward to cultivate the affections of a mass murderer .
As is usually the case with Trump , the worst possible explanation is probably the correct one .
What do you think ?

Much of last week’s news cycle revolved around the blatant corruption displayed by Attorney General William Barr. After he interfered in the Roger Stone to get the Trump ally’s sentence reduced, apparently at Trump’s behest, four prosecutors resigned from the case in protest. Barr gave a face-saving interview and acted frustrated over the president’s tweets, only for Trump to shoot out a tweet saying that while he didn’t interfere in Stone’s case he has every “legal right” to do so if he chooses. Barr is now slated to testify before Congress about the clearly crooked saga next month and calls for his resignation are building.
Unfortunately for the American people, this is not the first time Barr has prioritized his personal loyalties to the president who appointed him over his duty to impartially uphold and enforce the law. As former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates pointed out in her recent op-ed, Barr misrepresented special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings to help Trump, equivocated on the undeniable fact that Russia interfered in our 2016 election, and allowed Rudy Giuliani to establish a backchannel to deliver dirt on Democrats to the Department of Justice. Now, this disgraceful list has grown a little bit longer.
CNN reported over the weekend that Barr sought to terminate the prosecutorial efforts against Turkish bank Halkbank for Iran sanction violations after the country’s authoritarian President Recep Erdoğan asked Trump to step in. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has confirmed that Trump instructed Barr and him to handle Erdogan’s request.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney in charge of the Southern District of New York, has reportedly resisted several attempts by Barr to control his cases and put his foot down over the Halkbank case as well. Barr wanted the SDNY to allow a simple civil settlement to make the case go away, Berman pushed for criminal proceedings. Despite Barr’s efforts, Halkbank was charged with fraud, money laundering, and sanction violations.
The fact that Trump’s efforts to help the bank failed in the end doesn’t lessen the disturbing nature of the requests. Why is the president—a man whose businesses and real estate ventures span the globe and so rely upon the goodwill of foreign governments to function—doing personal favors for a bloodthirsty strongman like Erdogan? Was he getting something in return or perhaps laying the foundation to request favors in the future?
We still don’t have a good explanation for why Trump suddenly and unnecessarily withdrew U.S. forces along the Syrian border, essentially greenlighting a Turkish invasion of the region that resulted in the slaughtering of our Kurdish allies. The full picture has yet to emerge, but what we can see already is a deeply disturbing pattern of a president known for ruthlessly pursuing his own interests regardless of the costs, bending over backward to cultivate the affections of a mass murderer. As is usually the case with Trump, the worst possible explanation is probably the correct one.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-02-16--Judge in Roger Stone trial calls new hearing Tuesday as accusations of political meddling fly

The judge in the Roger Stone trial today ordered an emergency phone call involving both the convicted Trump political advisor ’ s defense lawyers and the prosecution attorneys picked to replace the four career prosecutors who resigned in protest after Attorney General William Barr intervened in the case to fulfill Donald Trump ’ s wishes .
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled the call for Tuesday , according to an article at Politico .
Stone ’ s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday but may be delayed yet again after his lawyers filed a second motion for a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on one count of obstruction of an official proceeding , five counts of false statements , and one count of witness tampering and awaiting sentencing , was facing a sentence recommended by the original prosecutors in the case of seven to nine years and had already had his initial motion for a new trial overturned by the judge using the exact same phony accusations of a biased “ deep state ” conspiracy behind his indictment and conviction that the president has tried to pass off as true on a regular basis .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern how to proceed with the case going forward and is scheduled to take place on the same day that the Justice Department faces a deadline to respond to Stone ’ s second petition for a new trial .
With a new prosecution team joining the case at the last minute , the DOJ may elect to ask for a postponement of sentencing to allow time for the new prosecutors to get up to speed in the details of the case .
Despite Barr ’ s intervention and his ordering of the submission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these new Justice Department prosecutors assigned to the case , Judge Jackson can make the decision to issue whatever sentence she deems appropriate in the case .
Add your name to tell the ABA : Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump ’ s corruption !
That judicial discretion is likely what Stone fears most as he tries to file another motion for a new trial , particularly since the judge — who was forced to issue a gag order preventing the Republican political dirty trickster from using social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her with a gunsight ’ s crosshairs superimposed over the judge ’ s face — may see fit to ignore the new politically-motivated sentencing guidelines from the Barr contaminated Justice Department and sentence Stone to the statutory maximum sentence as the original prosecutors recommended , given the seriousness of the charges against Stone and his misbehavior during the trial .
Whatever the eventual sentence passed by the judge , you can be certain that Stone will file an appeal in the case and will be looking to the White House for the pardon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he will grant through his numerous tweets complaining about the “ unfairness ” of his friend ’ s conviction .
With this unprecedented level of intervention in the judicial system by both the president and his eager-to-please attorney general , it ’ s no surprise that more than 1100 former federal prosecutors have signed an open letter calling for Barr ’ s resignation .
What do you think ?

The judge in the Roger Stone trial today ordered an emergency phone call involving both the convicted Trump political advisor’s defense lawyers and the prosecution attorneys picked to replace the four career prosecutors who resigned in protest after Attorney General William Barr intervened in the case to fulfill Donald Trump’s wishes.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled the call for Tuesday, according to an article at Politico. Stone’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday but may be delayed yet again after his lawyers filed a second motion for a new trial.
Stone, who was convicted on one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, five counts of false statements, and one count of witness tampering and awaiting sentencing, was facing a sentence recommended by the original prosecutors in the case of seven to nine years and had already had his initial motion for a new trial overturned by the judge using the exact same phony accusations of a biased “deep state” conspiracy behind his indictment and conviction that the president has tried to pass off as true on a regular basis.
The conference call on Tuesday is likely to concern how to proceed with the case going forward and is scheduled to take place on the same day that the Justice Department faces a deadline to respond to Stone’s second petition for a new trial. With a new prosecution team joining the case at the last minute, the DOJ may elect to ask for a postponement of sentencing to allow time for the new prosecutors to get up to speed in the details of the case.
Despite Barr’s intervention and his ordering of the submission of a more lenient sentencing guideline from these new Justice Department prosecutors assigned to the case, Judge Jackson can make the decision to issue whatever sentence she deems appropriate in the case.
Add your name to tell the ABA: Disbar William Barr for abusing the Justice Department to abet Trump’s corruption!
That judicial discretion is likely what Stone fears most as he tries to file another motion for a new trial, particularly since the judge — who was forced to issue a gag order preventing the Republican political dirty trickster from using social media after he posted a photo of her with a gunsight’s crosshairs superimposed over the judge’s face — may see fit to ignore the new politically-motivated sentencing guidelines from the Barr contaminated Justice Department and sentence Stone to the statutory maximum sentence as the original prosecutors recommended, given the seriousness of the charges against Stone and his misbehavior during the trial.
Whatever the eventual sentence passed by the judge, you can be certain that Stone will file an appeal in the case and will be looking to the White House for the pardon that Donald Trump has been broadly hinting he will grant through his numerous tweets complaining about the “unfairness” of his friend’s conviction.
With this unprecedented level of intervention in the judicial system by both the president and his eager-to-please attorney general, it’s no surprise that more than 1100 former federal prosecutors have signed an open letter calling for Barr’s resignation.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter. Original reporting by
Original reporting by Josh Gerstein at Politico.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts