Today’s Supreme Court decision on Donald Trump’s immunity claim is far worse than anything I imagined...
Effectively giving a president immunity for any crimes committed while in office as long as that president can plausibly claim the action was taken in some form of official capacity.
It must now be presumed that the president, as king, is immune from accountability.
The rule of law applies to everyone except the most powerful person on Earth.
It would be difficult to overstate how much this opinion shifts the balance of power away from Congress and towards the presidency, and how unshackled a corrupt president will now be. The Court gives the president absolute power, and it will corrupt him, absolutely.
As Justice Sotomayor says so powerfully, this new immunity ‘now lies about like a loaded weapon’ for any President that wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the Nation.’
The Court holds that when a president acts within his ‘core’ authority, he is fully immune.
And when he acts outside his core authority, but in an official capacity, the presumption of immunity is so strong as to be nearly absolute.
Even if he acts in a purely personal capacity, and the Court majority gives no indication of when that would be, his statements while acting officially may not be used as evidence, and his motives may not be questioned.
Having taken up a case they never should have, having waited until the last day to issue the opinion, having known it was the defendant’s strategy to deny justice by delaying it, the Court now remands the case for further proceedings of indeterminate length, ensuring there will be no accountability for Trump’s insurrectionist crimes before the election.
During his abortive coup attempt, Trump told his acting attorney general and other top Justice Department officials to ‘just say that the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.’
Now the Supreme Court says he is immune from ordering his Justice Department to lie, and the evidence of his malice, his very words, may not be used as evidence against him.
Under this ruling, a president can order the assassination or jailing of their political rival, and be immune. They can take a bribe in exchange for an official act, and still be immune. They can organize a military coup to hold onto power, and still be immune. If that sounds mad, that’s because it is.
This is a day that will live in legal infamy.
When justices on the Court that bears Roberts’ name, paid back their appointment by a corrupt president with an opinion that provides immunity to all corrupt presidents, and weakened our democracy and the rule of law for the ages.
Our only remedy is the ballot box, a new congress, and a new Court — that has more reverence for the Constitution than the lust for power.
Trigger alert –
The video of the female observers’ abduction, is a wake-up call to the civilized world. We must condemn those actions and we can not abandon the hostages held captive for 229 days.
This video, captured by the body cameras of Hamas terrorists on October 7th, has been edited and censored to exclude the most disturbing scenes, such as the numerous murdered young men and women at the Nahal Oz base and inside the bomb shelter from which the female observers were taken.
The Israeli government and the international community can’t waste another moment – we must get back to the negotiation table today!
#BringThemHomeNow
BREAKING: According to former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr , Donald Trump on multiple occasions floated the idea of executing individuals who disagreed with him. Every American needs to see this so they know how dangerous Trump is.
The presidents of @Harvard, @MIT, and @Penn were all asked the following question under oath at today’s congressional hearing on antisemitism:
Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate [your university’s] code of conduct or rules regarding bullying or harassment?
The answers they gave reflect the profound moral bankruptcy of Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth.
Representative @EliseStefanik was so shocked with the answers that she asked each of them the same question over and over again, and they gave the same answers over and over again.
In short, they said:
It ‘depends on the context’ and ‘whether the speech turns into conduct,’ that is, actually killing Jews.
This could be the most extraordinary testimony ever elicited in the Congress, certainly on the topic of genocide, which to remind us all is:
“the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group”
The presidents’ answers reflect the profound educational, moral and ethical failures that pervade certain of our elite educational institutions due in large part to their failed leadership.
Don’t take my word for it.
You must watch the following three minutes. By the end, you will be where I am.
They must all resign in disgrace.
If a CEO of one of our companies gave a similar answer, he or she would be toast within the hour.
Why has antisemitism exploded on campus and around the world?
Because of leaders like Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth who believe genocide depends on the context.
To think that these are the leaders of Ivy League institutions that are charged with the responsibility to educate our best and brightest.
On the bright side, our congressional leaders deserve accolades for showing tremendous leadership and moral clarity in their statements, by the questions they asked, and the respectfulness with which they conducted the hearing.
It was a masterclass of how our government and democracy should operate.
If you have time, please watch the entire hearing. Throughout the hearing, the three behaved like hostile witnesses, exhibiting a profound disdain for the Congress with their smiles and smirks, and their outright refusal to answer basic questions with a yes or no answer.
The news is out! I'll be joining Scholastic as executive editor on 10/11. Agents, send me your wonderful picture books and graphic novels. I'm looking for lyrical, joyful, empowering stories from BIPOC and marginalized creators. Let's go! I'm ready.😎
January 6 happened. We all saw it. It was a violent attack on American democracy, incited by a president and his enablers and abetters. I want to know what the hell happened. Who the hell was behind it. And I’m certainly not ready to turn any page.
Buddy Bolden created a sound that set the the world on fire. Witness the compelling, powerful and tragic journey of an unsung hero—in theaters this Friday! #BoldenMovie
"I just hope it brings people's attention to who he was and highlights his genius and achievement."
@WyntonMarsalis spoke to @Billboard about @BoldenMovie: https://t.co/RksNNjpy8y Soundtrack is out now on @BlueEngineJazz: https://t.co/41lajCB2wc #boldenmovie
😱❤️😭 RT @thugmajesty: there’s been a groundhog living under the shed at my parents house and apparently she just had GROUNDBABIES and omfg they’re the cutest fucking things I’ve ever seen https://t.co/5kE4mkkMUg
If you are turned away at the polls because your name is not on the register, don’t walk away. Say this: I REQUEST A PROVISIONAL BALLOT AS REQUIRED BY LAW.
Don’t let them steal your vote.
Gnight
Tell the ones you love you love ‘em.
Pick up the phone, shout down the hall.
Because you DO, and it’s now, and when else is promised?
Tell ‘em you love ‘em.
Let it be awkward if it is. Let it out, let it ring.
Have the best night.
(hey I love you rest up)