With sorrow for victims, but otherwise glee: Donald Trump is a rapist

benfell

I am not caught up.

Gilead

Donald Trump

Hush money


Fig. 1. Cartoon by Jesse Duquette, undated, via “Minneapple23” [pseud.] on Imgur, April 1, 2023, fair use.

A United States District Judge has now formally held, in a lengthy written opinion, that it is perfectly appropriate, and, indeed, entirely accurate, to call a certain former President of the United States a rapist.[1]

Prem Thakker, “Judge in E. Jean Carroll Case: Yes, Donald Trump Is a Rapist,” New Republic, July 19, 2023, https://newrepublic.com/post/174448/judge-e-jean-carroll-case-yes-donald-trump-rapist

Imperialism

Russia

Ukraine


Fig. 1. “Destroyed Russian military vehicles located on the main street Khreshchatyk are seen as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine in Kyiv, August 24.” Photograph by Gleb Garanich for Reuters, August 24, 2022,[2] fair use.

The blurry clip, apparently filmed at dusk, showed a man resembling [Yevgeny] Prigozhin addressing a crowd of at least several hundred men in military fatigues. He vowed to continue operating the Wagner Group in Africa and turn the military of Belarus, his new host country, into “the second army in the world.”

“Congratulations on the arrival to the Belarusian land. We fought well. You have done a lot for Russia,” Prigozhin said in the clip, posted by the ‘Wagner Unloading” Telegram channel and verified by The Washington Post. “Now, what is happening at the front line is a disgrace in which we do not need to participate. And now we need to wait for the moment when we can prove ourselves in full.”[3]

Vladimir Putin is strong, wrote Julia Ioffe.[4] but a ‘collective Putin’ settled with Yevgeny Prigozhin following the Wagner mutiny rather than having him, as we would expect, killed,[5] even as a purge of upper Russian military ranks proceeds,[6] all because Russia needs Wagner to fight in Ukraine.[7] Putin himself admits failure to “oust” Prigozhin.[8] And now Prigozhin says Wagner won’t fight in Ukraine.[9]

It’s possible that Prigozhin isn’t as stupid as everyone seems to think. It’s also possible that he just isn’t as stupid as Putin and the Kremlin.

Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Daniel Victor, and Ivan Nechepurenko, “Russia Pulls Out of the Black Sea Grain Deal,” New York Times, July 17, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/world/europe/ukraine-russia-grain-deal.html

Nicolas Camut and Veronika Melkozerova, “Blasts reported on key bridge linking occupied Crimea to Russia,” Politico, July 17, 2023, https://www.politico.eu/article/kerch-bridge-blast-reported-link-occupied-crimea-russia-war-ukraine/

Fredrick Kunkle, David L. Stern, and Mary Ilyushina, “Ukraine hits Crimean Bridge, but railway undamaged; Russia halts grain deal,” Washington Post, July 17, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/17/kerch-bridge-crimea-grain-ukraine-russia/

Shaun Walker and Emma Graham-Harrison, “Two dead after explosions on Kerch Bridge linking Crimea and Russia,” Guardian, July 17, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/17/explosions-reportedly-hit-crimeas-kerch-bridge-as-russia-cites-emergency-situation

Mirko Fuchs, “Russian men keep fleeing abroad to avoid fighting in Ukraine,” Deutsche Welle, July 18, 2023, https://www.dw.com/en/russian-men-keep-fleeing-abroad-to-avoid-fighting-in-ukraine/a-66277704

Julia Ioffe, “Ukraine’s Summer War of Attrition,” Puck, July 18, 2023, https://puck.news/ukraines-summer-war-of-attrition/

Mary Ilyushina, “Prigozhin says Wagner mercenary group for now will not fight in Ukraine,” Washington Post, July 19, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/19/prigozhin-wagner-belarus-ukraine-putin/

  1. [1]George Conway, quoted in Prem Thakker, “Judge in E. Jean Carroll Case: Yes, Donald Trump Is a Rapist,” New Republic, July 19, 2023, https://newrepublic.com/post/174448/judge-e-jean-carroll-case-yes-donald-trump-rapist↩
  2. [2]Reuters, “Ukraine puts destroyed Russian tanks on display in Kyiv,” August 25, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/ukraine-puts-destroyed-russian-tanks-on-idUSRTSALV9Q↩
  3. [3]Mary Ilyushina, “Prigozhin says Wagner mercenary group for now will not fight in Ukraine,” Washington Post, July 19, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/19/prigozhin-wagner-belarus-ukraine-putin/↩
  4. [4]Julia Ioffe, “Putin vs. Prigozhin: The Post-Coup Report,” Puck, June 27, 2023, https://puck.news/putin-vs-prigozhin-the-post-coup-report/; Julia Ioffe, “Putin’s Post-Prigozhin Clean Up,” Puck, July 5, 2023, https://puck.news/putins-post-prigozhin-clean-up/↩
  5. [5]Ivan Krastev, “There is now a ‘collective Putin’ in the Kremlin,” Financial Times, July 11, 2023, https://www.ft.com/content/9a7d8d5f-a332-41e8-9845-db805dfc7ed4↩
  6. [6]Thomas Grove, “Russia Detained Several Senior Military Officers in Wake of Wagner Mutiny,” Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2023, https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-detained-several-senior-military-officers-in-wake-of-wagner-mutiny-35a696e4↩
  7. [7]Ivan Krastev, “There is now a ‘collective Putin’ in the Kremlin,” Financial Times, July 11, 2023, https://www.ft.com/content/9a7d8d5f-a332-41e8-9845-db805dfc7ed4↩
  8. [8]Andrew Roth and Pjotr Sauer, “Putin says he tried but failed to oust Prigozhin after Wagner mutiny,” Guardian, July 14, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/14/putin-says-he-tried-but-failed-to-oust-prigozhin-after-wagner-mutiny-figters-ukarine-war↩
  9. [9]Mary Ilyushina, “Prigozhin says Wagner mercenary group for now will not fight in Ukraine,” Washington Post, July 19, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/19/prigozhin-wagner-belarus-ukraine-putin/↩

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