euclides

Fearful of our brave new world; Doing my best to learn, and to help educate others. Grateful for the courage of our patriots.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

@20committee People who live in glass houses shouldn't play with matches.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

Mr. Bates refers to SDNY's nickname, derived from its history of asserting independent authority to pursue matters within its jurisdiction.

[Stephen Bates @batess]

Sovereign District of New York

[euclides @euclidesM25]

The judge who seals an indictment may specify conditions under which it may be disclosed

[Tim Hogan 浩勤 @TimInHonolulu]

1. If there are existing sealed Trump related indictments, IMO it would be contempt of court to disclose them in the report to Congress. If I were Barr faced with how to deal with that, I'd want the prosecutors to assist me. So far that's may be what Barr is doing. We'll see.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

Memo to Dave: Sharpen claws.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

@LouiseMensch @RepAdamSchiff Mueller always had a tiny staff, about a third of the Watergate staff, for a more complex investigation. This allowed him to fly somewhat under the radar and protect the investigation by embedding its threads in various DOJ districts.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

The DOJ Office of Legal Counsel has a (now famous) opinion that a sitting President cannot be indicted. It argues that the distraction of an indictment incapacitates the President and violates the Constitution.

A SEALED indictment does not distract. https://t.co/XZmqHLLDp2

[euclides @euclidesM25]

@MaddogSpicy Spicy has excellent radar for fine points such as this one.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

Obviously, Mueller is wrapping things up...

[euclides @euclidesM25]

The operation to degrade our readiness proceeded as planned. This was a feature, not a bug. h/t @ninaandtito

[Julia Davis @JuliaDavisNews]

Marine Corps commandant says deploying troops to the border poses ‘unacceptable risk’ to Marine Corps combat readiness and solvency. https://t.co/N0zPoAA8eE

[euclides @euclidesM25]

@ninaandtito Thank you Louise.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

H/T @BatGirlAwoke

[euclides @euclidesM25]

Buried lede: How did @ProPublica obtain a sealed search warrant? They don't say. Two possibilities: 1). The searchers leaked. (Unlikely). 2). The "searchee" leaked.

Who benefits by alerting co-conspirators?

[ProPublica @propublica]

The sealed warrant we obtained that the Feds used to raid Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy’s office cites three potential crimes:
• Conspiracy
• Money laundering
• Violating the law that bans covert lobbying on behalf of foreign officials https://t.co/bhkpXukUbs

[euclides @euclidesM25]

@20committee Oy vey.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

A Senator who wishes to abstain must ask the Senate for permission, except in cases of conflict of interest.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

The Senate requires voting in person. Senators in legal trouble might still be present on the floor. Under the rules, a Senator is permitted to refuse to vote if she or he believes it would be a conflict of interest. The Senate could change the rules to require such a recusal.

[random facts girl 🇺🇸🚜🇺🇦🌻🔪 @soychicka]

So, if 80 senators are present?

It will only take 54 senators to remove him from office.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

The Senate also requires a 2/3 majority of those voting in order to expel a Senator. It could change its rules to require a recusal from voting in cases of conflict of interest, to prevent co-conspirators from protecting each other.

[random facts girl 🇺🇸🚜🇺🇦🌻🔪 @soychicka]

It's a 2/3 threshhold for impeachment among those present, not of all elected senators, but only a quorum of 51 senators is required.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

@WizardEightThem Graham is playing the front man here, but if he were to leave office, someone else would step forward to block that vote. The enemy controls more than just one chess piece on this board.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

@WizardEightThem One Senator can't block a vote. It often appears that way, but this is a sort of procedural optical illusion. Behind it is the implicit willingness of the Majority to vote as a bloc to support the one Senator. To save time, both sides often decline to force a roll call vote.

[euclides @euclidesM25]

McConnell is a natural target for criticism, but the rest of the GOP Conference is hiding behind him. Focus on the other GOP Senators, what they are willing to say on the record. That's where we get a little bit of visibility into the real battles behind the scenes. /7x

[euclides @euclidesM25]

Interesting thoughts from T. But I think we tend to place too much emphasis on McConnell. He rules at the mercy of the GOP Senate Conference. A Senate Majority Leader who loses support of the Conference (or Caucus, as the Dems call their group,) will be gone quickly. /1

[euclides @euclidesM25]

If there is enough grumbling, the Leader has to cave, because if the Conference opposition is serious enough, they can elect a different Leader. The Leader only has power if the Conference will vote with him. /6