A bullying president tries it with a special prosecutor

benfell

Updates

  1. Originally published June 3, 1:44 pm.
  2. June 4, 12:41 am:
    • The New York Post has what is probably worthwhile coverage of the question whether Donald Trump can pardon himself. Here, for me, is the money line: “‘For every person who confidently asserts that [Trump] can [pardon himself], there is another person asserting just as confidently that he can’t,’ [Michigan State Professor of Law Brian] Kalt said. ‘Without a real case, both of those people are wrong.’”[1]
  3. June 4, 7:39 am:
    • In a previous installment, I pointed to a story in which CalFire had found PG&E power lines at fault in fires other than the Sonoma County wildfires[2] but drew a link to claims made against the companies in these fires.[3] Now the San Francisco Chronicle has a story suggesting that these claims pose an existential threat to the company.[4]
  4. June 4, 2:37 pm:
    • Donald Trump claimed an “absolute right” to pardon himself[5]
    • Jennifer Rubin calls out Republican congressional leaders for their hypocrisy in failing to stand up to Donald Trump.[6]
  5. June 6, 1:54 pm:
    • Some text formerly posted under Donald Trump has been edited and incorporated into a new blog post entitled, “I, Donald.”
    • The taxi business is ugly anyway, but competition from Ridesharing services is apparently (and probably) a contributing factor in taxi driver suicides.[7]
    • A federal judge ruled against the federal government’s move to cut some funds from Philadelphia, a “sanctuary city.”[8] (Unauthorized migration)
  6. June 7, 1:05 am:
    • CNN’s coverage of the Philadelphia “sanctuary city” case[9] offers a bit more detail. (Unauthorized migration)

James Comey

Michael S. Schmidt, Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Matt Apuzzo, “Trump’s Lawyers, in Confidential Memo, Argue to Head Off a Historic Subpoena,” New York Times, June 2, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/02/us/politics/trump-lawyers-memo-mueller-subpoena.html

Brett Samuels, “Admission that Trump dictated statement on Trump Tower meeting raises new questions,” Hill, June 3, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390464-admission-trump-dictated-statement-on-trump-tower-meeting-raises-new

Maegan Vazquez and Veronica Stracqualursi, “Preet Bharara says Trump pardoning himself would be ‘almost self-executing impeachment,'” CNN, June 3, 2018, https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/06/03/politics/rudy-giuliani-donald-trump-pardon-himself/index.html

Morgan Winsor, “President Trump ‘probably does’ have the power to pardon himself: Giuliani,” ABC News, June 3, 2018, https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/president-trump-power-pardon-giuliani/story?id=55611418

Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s pardons have a message—for Robert Mueller.[10]

But I think the scenario many worry about is becoming clear: One morning, probably on Twitter….

The text formerly here has been incorporated in a new blog entry entitled, “I, Donald.”

What happens next, I think, is anybody’s guess.

Matt Ford, “The Problem With Trump’s Pardons,” New Republic, May 31, 2018, https://newrepublic.com/article/148651/problem-trumps-pardons

Nikki Schwab, “Experts split on whether Trump can pardon himself,” New York Post, June 3, 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/06/03/experts-split-on-whether-trump-can-pardon-himself/

Jennifer Rubin, “What GOP cowering has gotten us: Talk of self-pardon and absolute power,” Washington Post, June 4, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/04/what-gop-cowering-has-gotten-us-talk-of-self-pardon-and-absolute-power/

Jordan Fabian and Mallory Shelbourne, “Trump: I have the right to pardon myself,” Hill, June 4, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390516-trump-i-have-the-right-to-pardon-myself

Sonoma County wildfires

David R. Baker, “PG&E’s survival hinges on Wine Country fire reports,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 3, 2018, https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/PG-E-s-survival-hinges-on-Wine-Country-fire-12963191.php

Ridesharing

Reihan Salam, “Taxi-Driver Suicides Are a Warning,” Atlantic, June 5, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/taxi-driver-suicides-are-a-warning/561926/

Unauthorized migration

Associated Press, “Federal judge sides with Philadelphia in “sanctuary city” immigration fight,” CBS News, June 6, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/philadelphia-sanctuary-city-fight-judge-rules-2018-06-06/

Tal Kopan, “Judge slaps Sessions, feds over ‘sanctuary cities,'” CNN, June 6, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/06/politics/sanctuary-cities-court-ruling-sessions-immigration/index.html

  1. [1]Nikki Schwab, “Experts split on whether Trump can pardon himself,” New York Post, June 3, 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/06/03/experts-split-on-whether-trump-can-pardon-himself/↩
  2. [2]Taryn Luna, “PG&E responsible for three Northern California wildfires, Cal Fire alleges,” Sacramento Bee, May 25, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article211958659.html↩
  3. [3]David Benfell, “Most of those 1500 kids are probably okay. Please don’t try to find them,” Irregular Bullshit, June 1, 2018, https://parts-unknown.org/reading/2018/06/01/most-of-those-1500-kids-are-probably-okay-please-dont-try-to-find-them/↩
  4. [4]David R. Baker, “PG&E’s survival hinges on Wine Country fire reports,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 3, 2018, https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/PG-E-s-survival-hinges-on-Wine-Country-fire-12963191.php↩
  5. [5]Jordan Fabian and Mallory Shelbourne, “Trump: I have the right to pardon myself,” Hill, June 4, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390516-trump-i-have-the-right-to-pardon-myself↩
  6. [6]Jennifer Rubin, “What GOP cowering has gotten us: Talk of self-pardon and absolute power,” Washington Post, June 4, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/04/what-gop-cowering-has-gotten-us-talk-of-self-pardon-and-absolute-power/↩
  7. [7]Reihan Salam, “Taxi-Driver Suicides Are a Warning,” Atlantic, June 5, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/taxi-driver-suicides-are-a-warning/561926/↩
  8. [8]Associated Press, “Federal judge sides with Philadelphia in “sanctuary city” immigration fight,” CBS News, June 6, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/philadelphia-sanctuary-city-fight-judge-rules-2018-06-06/↩
  9. [9]Tal Kopan, “Judge slaps Sessions, feds over ‘sanctuary cities,'” CNN, June 6, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/06/politics/sanctuary-cities-court-ruling-sessions-immigration/index.html↩
  10. [10]Matt Ford, “The Problem With Trump’s Pardons,” New Republic, May 31, 2018, https://newrepublic.com/article/148651/problem-trumps-pardons↩

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