#trump pardons

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

A former aide to former Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani says he told her the ex-New York City mayor and then-president Donald Trump were offering to sell presidential pardons for $2 million apiece, according to court documents.

The bombshell allegation was levied in a complaint filed against Mr. Giuliani by Noelle Dunphy, a New York-based public relations professional who is suing him for “unlawful abuses of power, wide-ranging sexual assault and harassment, wage theft, and other misconduct” committed while she worked for him in 2019 and 2020.

The lawsuit also claims that she was subjected to sexual assault, harassment, wage theft and other misconduct by Mr. Giuliani, and alleges that she was forced to perform sex acts on him and work in the nude.

Ms. Duphy’s lawsuit details an interaction she allegedly had with Mr. Giuliani on or about 16 February 2019, when he was serving as Mr. Trump’s personal attorney and attempting to dig up overseas dirt on then-former Vice President Joe Biden, who at the time was two months away from entering the 2020 presidential race against Mr. Trump.

She writes that as they reviewed emails between him and Ukrainian government officials, she asked if he had to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and offered to do the required paperwork for him.

The former mayor replied that he was allowed to violate FARA and other US laws because “[he had] immunity”, according to the lawsuit.

She then states that Mr. Giuliani asked her “if she knew anyone in need of a pardon” because he was “selling pardons for $2 million, which he and President Trump would split.”

“He told Ms. Dunphy that she could refer individuals seeking pardons to him, so long as they did not go through 'the normal channels' of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, because correspondence going to that office would be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act,” the suit added.

During Mr Trump’s presidency, he frequently granted pardons to wealthy or well-connected individuals without the involvement of the Pardon Attorney, the Department of Justice official who is charged with reviewing petitions for executive clemency and making recommendations as to whether a given petition should be granted.

No evidence has ever emerged that either Mr. Trump or Mr. Giuliani were ever compensated for any presidential pardon granted during Mr. Trump’s time in office, but Ms. Dunphy’s allegation matches that made by another person who once sought a pardon from the then-president.

In August, The New York Times reported that former CIA officer John Kiriakou broached the topic with Mr. Giuliani during a meeting at the Washington D.C. hotel Mr. Trump’s company ran between 2016 and 2022.

Mr. Kiriakou, who in 2012 was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for disclosing classified information, told the Times that one of Mr. Giuliani’s associates at the meeting said the ex-New York City mayor could assist him — for a price.

“It’s going to cost $2 million — he’s going to want two million bucks,” he recalled the Giuliani associate as saying.

He also told the Times that he did not pursue a pardon through Mr. Giuliani because he could not afford to pay him $2 million.

“I laughed. Two million bucks — are you out of your mind?” Kiriakou told the outlet. “Even if I had two million bucks, I wouldn’t spend it to recover a $700,000 pension,” he said.

Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for and adviser to Mr. Giuliani, told The Independent in an email that the former New York mayor “unequivocally denies the allegations raised by Ms. Dunphy.”

“Mayor Giuliani’s lifetime of public service speaks for itself and he will pursue all available remedies and counterclaims,” he added.

The Independent has reached out to Mr. Trump’s team for comment.

[vyeoh]

(The Washington Post)

For those who don't know, the US Supreme Court just ruled that states are allowed to enforce trans healthcare for minors. Undoubtedly, this will trigger a wave of other states that either hope to pass or have already passed policies to do the same. This is going to kill children, and harm more in long-lasting ways.

So, how can you help?

FUCKING VOTE. I don't care if you don't like Biden, he's not the only one on the ballot. Vote representatives into your city council who will turn our city into a sanctuary city. Vote for governors and state reps who will, even if they don't pass new protections, oppose bans being pushed through. Chsllenge and kick out conservative incumbents who are banking on their races being obscure enough for people to not vote in.

Anyone telling you voting is useless is either lying to you or grossly uninformed and think saying this is the edgy new take that will make them look hip and informed. Yes, the system is broken. But short of burning the whole thing to the ground (which personally I'm not a fan of as I quite enjoy having like. Roads and the FDA) what we can do is to change it for the better, by starting with the local races and working our way up.

[3cheerlinding-zebras]

Just a reminder that this is not just “for the next four years”. It takes YEARS, if not DECADES, to undo conservative damage. Take the examples of Thatcher and Reagan. Besides, trump will most likely get to pack the Supreme Court with far right conservative judges who will stay there for the next forty years. Also, the UN is in a massive liquidity crisis because the Republicans won’t give it the money the US OWES the UN, and that’s not likely to change any time soon now. And let’s not forget about the fact that the window to address the climate crisis is closing

[madammaursa]

[megamindsecretlair]

This is the last time I'm engaging in this bullshit.

Please take care of yourselves. Do not feed the circus. Do not yell and scream and engage in anyway with that shit stains supporters. Block, don't answer, don't feed the circus 👏🏽

Be honest about what you can and cannot handle. Reach out for help when you need it. Engage with something creative to take your mind off. Write, sing, dance, go outside, get some sun on your bones. Live your life as best as you can, achieve your dreams, look for a better tomorrow.

Its ass right now. And it's gonna be ass for the next 4 years. I cannot stress this enough. Do not feed the circus. They get off on being energy vampires. And we aint got time for that. Its time to survive. It's time to thrive.

Do what YOU need to survive. Stop giving them attention. Stop pleading with them. They've shown you that it will always fall on deaf ears. This country isn't interested in progress. It's comfortable being the laughing stock of the world because of insecure, cry baby, woe is me, wanna be oppressed so damn badly white incels and the bitches that love them.

Do what YOU need to survive. Hang in there folks. We survived this shit stain before. We'll mf do it again.

[onlyancunin]

I'm scared.

It's scary to see someone who doesn't consider you a human being to have so much power.

As a Pole I'm literally scared of what does it mean for Russia and future of Europe.

I fear for Ukraine. I fear for any country near Russia. I fear for Poland, historically invaded by Russia many times, and already mentioned by Russians as a possible next target.

I fear for women in US. We already have our almost-total abortion ban in Poland. And it doesn't matter that under some circumstances the abortion is permitted if the medical staff is too scared of legal repercussions to do anything. It doesn't matter that it's permissible if the country allows the OBGYN and others to follow the "conscience clause", which is just a fancy word for forcing religion down women's throats. If performing a medical procedure goes against your religion, do not become a fucking doctor.

Women die over this. It's not just religion. It's not just politics. Along with the abortion ban goes the penalization of any help anyone can offer to women wanting to terminate pregnancy. We are left alone with this.

And don't even get me started on the minorities in the US. You know, I remember, there was a guy in Europe, a Prussian artist-visionaire, who had similar ideas about mass segregation of people. They even set up places for them to stay. I wonder how did that one go, hmmmm.

I... I just need a nap.

Seasonal depression hits especially hard this year.

[porterdavis]

Now charged with domestic violence

[hale-nathan]

Trump Weird News - Pardon Me Kamala, Please Pardon Me?

[lasseling]

Trump Vows to Consider Pardoning Assange if Reelected

Donald Trump announced that he would seriously consider pardoning WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he wins the 2024 presidential election

[vintageseawitch]

a reminder that Russia is a huge problem still. they want trump back in charge. Michael Flynn was found guilty about his contacts in Russia & trump pardoned him.

jill stein is not a savior. she's a putin puppet. she has never attempted to get any position in local or state level. she's there to incite discord & division especially in key swing states. she's only there to make you feel good about yourselves meanwhile she gets money from Lockheed Martin. wtf.

then this horseshit? look at the nonsense in Georgia, Arizona, & other counties in swing states. they're obvious pro trump shenanigans. it's the GOP who are willing to cheat & will do so publicly & proudly. she's fucking lying here.

look, there are many who support freeing Palestine. it's understandable to want to speak up & hope for change. but to those who aren't voting at all, telling everyone who is truly vulnerable in THIS country that they can fuck off & that they're pro-genocide for preferring to have Kamala Harris as president, you're actually awful. truly. this little tweet collection from stein is a load of bullshit. why aren't you angry about this set of lies? are you gonna use this as some kind of messed up "proof" that you claiming both parties are the same, especially in this election, is true?

you solve nothing by wasting your votes on someone like this who is also a traitor. Project 2025 will make this place hell for everyone, including you, holier-than-thou protestors. mass deportations. no reproductive rights at all. no contraception. no Medicare or social security. NOAA will be disbanded because climate change "isn't real" (are you just as angry about this??? well why the fuck not????). anyone trump doesn't like will be sent to prison or deported like a good dictator would.

you say you don't want trump in office. well, voting for stein will help him get there. but hey, at least your conscience will be clear.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) insisted Monday he never sought a blanket pardon from Donald Trump even though multiple former Trump administration officials testified under oath that he did.

Gaetz clashed with MSNBC’s Ari Melber on “The Beat” as the host repeatedly pressed him on the allegation. Gaetz said he had been involved in pardon negotiations for other people but never sought one for himself.

Melber noted that several witnesses close to the Trump White House had testified last year to the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that Gaetz was among several Republican lawmakers who sought pardons over their involvement in then-President Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election.

“Here’s some of the under-oath testimony from Trump insiders,” Melber said, bringing up video.

“We’ve got multiple people. The director of White House presidential personnel, [Johnny McEntee], who’s a Trump loyalist. Lawyer Eric Herschmann. Cassidy Hutchinson, famously. They all testified under oath that you specifically requested a pardon.”

After showing the footage, Melber continued: “So the question is, can you really say that all of them are committing perjury, lying on you? A. And B, if a pardon was requested, why not just tell us what were you worried about? What was it that you thought you or others might be indicted for?”

Gaetz responded by disparaging Hutchinson, who was a top aide to Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, and saying that he recalled things differently than did Herschmann.

“Cassidy Hutchinson is a known liar,” Gaetz said.

“I do not remember it the same way Eric Herschmann does,” he added. “I did have conversations with Eric Herschmann about different groups of people that could potentially receive pardons ― even including some of the people who may have committed a technical violation of federal law, but they weren’t engaged in violence on Jan. 6.”

Asked if he advocated for pardons for other lawmakers, Gaetz was vague.

“No. There were discussions about pardons for President Trump, his family members, his allies, and presumably members of Congress could have fallen in that group,” he said.

The New York Times first reported in April 2021 that Gaetz had, in the final weeks of the Trump administration, privately asked the White House to pardon himself and others for any crimes they may have committed. Last June, the Jan. 6 committee aired testimony from Trump insiders that backed that reporting. According to The Washington Post in September, one Trump aide, McEntee, testified that Gaetz sought a preemptive pardon regarding a sex trafficking investigation in which he was a target.

Prosecutors have since recommended against charging Gaetz in the matter, reportedly in part due to credibility concerns with two central witnesses. His former associate Joel Greenberg has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in the investigation.

[chamerionwrites]

Of all the unhinged Supreme Court decisions that one sure was a doozy

[your-local-vampire]

genuinely you are all so fucking stupid

[samaelwinchester]

[sophieinwonderland]

No one should have the power to pardon themself, not even the President of the United States. That sounds like a dictatorship in the making.

Yeah, the very idea that this could be a power the President has is kind of ridiculous.

Honestly, the pardon itself is such a dangerous power for politicians, and opens the door for all sort of abuses. I'm not necessarily against the pardon existing given the number of times it's been used to help people who need it, but it's actually terrifying to think how this could be abused and how it already was by Trump.

So much happened in Trump's presidency, I wonder how many people even remember his pardoning of Joe Arpaio, a sheriff who was held in contempt of court and sentenced to six months due to racial discrimination.

Arpaio also ran a massive outdoor jail in the Arizona desert that was overwhelmingly filled with latino people, called Tent City, which Joe Arpaio referred to as a "concentration camp."

The fact that the pardon, in the wrong hands, can be used to set people like this loose is terrifying.

In Trump's first term, he reportedly praised Hitler's generals according to his own top generals, and used his pardon power to free a man who bragged about running a concentration camp who was jailed for racial discrimination. The message this sends is that he can pardon any crimes committed by those loyal to him, giving them a free pass for any unlawful action. Especially those taken against marginalized communities.

Stressing again how incredibly important it is to get out and vote!