#trumputin inc.

[lenbryant]

The whole thing.

What We Do in the Shadows – 6.02: Headhunting

[lenbryant]

Watch out for those Christian Nationalists. Angry White Men covers these atrocities.

[auntboldire]

........... The main reason #TrumPutin whines about media is to confuse us re the media who actually are doing evil. Watch for corelations between his media-favorites and trouble-stirring for WAR, especially in Venezuela, since that is directly about OIL and also because #PutinsPence began some kind of trouble-stirring initiative there in January '17 offering sanctions to support government opposition . . . I'd say for Viet Nam n.0, except for a potential proof-of-concept for those tactical nuclear weapons "we" have been investing in for the last 2-3 decades. Oligarchs who are intere$$$$$$ted in Wars 'r' U.S., Inc. want to know if we have learned anything about how to be more efficient and cost-effective.

[lenbryant]

Knowing history right now.

[lenbryant]

All Hail, TrumPutin, Inc. Thanks, America, for unleashing this nightmare on us.

[lenbryant]

Yeah, we keep on hoping.

[lenbryant]

So true. If the report cleared him of wrongdoing, it would have been published on the front page of every newspaper.

[lenbryant]

GOP Family Values: Two women testified that Matt Gaetz [TrumPutin, Inc.'s choice for AG] paid them for sex, lawyer says

Perry Stein, November 18, 2024 at 5:22 p.m. EST

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7O72BP6NE65LPWFTCQQDL2NBAM.JPG&w=1200

A woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that former congressman Matt Gaetz paid her for sex and that she witnessed President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general having sex with a 17-year-old at a party, her lawyer said over the weekend.

Florida attorney Joel Leppard said in an interview with The Washington Post that one of his clients witnessed Gaetz having sex with the minor at a drug-fueled party in July 2017 — and that Gaetz was unaware of her age at the time but subsequently was told she was underage. ABC News first reported the news.

This woman and a second woman, who is also represented by Leppard, testified that they were paid by Gaetz to have sex with him and individuals who attended these “sex parties.” They were paid through Venmo or other conduits — including the PayPal of Nestor Galban, whom Gaetz has referred to as his “adopted son.”

Gaetz never pressured Leppard’s clients to do drugs at these parties, one of his clients testified, but said that the usage of drugs, such as ecstasy, was widespread and expected. When they were asked by House investigators if Gaetz showed signs of being on drugs, the women answered affirmatively, according to the lawyer’s account.

Gaetz’s nomination has been met with shock and pushback among a faction of Senate Republicans. Several have raised doubts that he would have the 50 votes needed to be confirmed after what would doubtless be a damaging and scandalous confirmation hearing.

Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Trump transition, indicated in a statement that Trump still stood behind his pick. “Matt Gaetz will be the next Attorney General,” he said, noting that President Joe Biden’s Justice Department ended the investigation into Gaetz without charges.

“He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system,” he continued. “These are baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration.”

Leppard called on the ethics committee to publicly release their findings, explaining that his clients expressed concern about testifying in front of the Senate in what is expected to be a bitter confirmation battle.

“They’ve already been through so much — and each time it happens, it kind of rips apart an old wound,” said Leppard. “They really don’t want to be called into testify. There’s a lot of facts out there, they’ve given a lot of testimony, provided countless hours and documents to the house, and they don’t want to see it go to waste.”

The GOP will have a 53-seat majority next year, and could only lose four votes on his nomination, given it’s unlikely any Democrat would vote for Gaetz. More than four Republican senators have already raised questions about his path forward.

“For me the message to the administration is simply that Matt Gaetz has a very long, steep hill to get across the finish line and it will require the spending of a lot of capital,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) said last week.

It’s unclear whether the Senate Judiciary Committee would be able to access the House Ethics report if the panel refuses to make it available. But several Republican senators have said they expect to have its findings to consider his confirmation.

“I believe the Senate should have access to that,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) on “Face the Nation” on Sunday. Mullin, a staunch Trump ally, has feuded with Gaetz over his vendetta against former House speaker Kevin McCarthy and accused Gaetz of showing colleagues inappropriate videos on the House floor “of the girls that he had slept with.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Judiciary Committee, told reporters last week he wanted to see the report. “We should be able to get a hold of it, and we should be able to have access to it one way or another,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) said on CNN on Friday.

Cornyn said Monday he doesn’t believe the ethics report release is “critical” for Gaetz’s confirmation hearing because he believes the Senate Judiciary Committee will call the witnesses to testify. “The truth is, the information is going to come out one way or the other. So I guess the more I thought about it, it’s not critical that they release a report, because we know roughly who the witnesses are” and will call them in front of the Judiciary Committee, he said.

Gaetz has been calling senators to shore up support in recent days, according to three people familiar with the outreach. Trump’s team has also reached out to senators about the nomination, they said.

Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-Louisiana) said Gaetz called him and asked if he’d get a “fair shake” at his confirmation hearing. “I said ‘absolutely,’” Kennedy told reporters. “Just come on over to the Judiciary Committee, answer all the questions and tell everybody what your plans are.”

Despite some of the blowback, transition officials on Monday worked to build out the teams that will be helping nominees move through the confirmation process, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Leppard’s clients also testified to the House that they submitted sworn statements to the FBI and Justice Department investigators, and appeared before a grand jury as part of the federal investigation into Gaetz.

The Senate Judiciary Committee could try to obtain materials from the Justice Department’s investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls that resulted in no federal charges against Gaetz. But even when subpoenaed, the Justice Department rarely gives Congress sensitive law enforcement material or criminal investigatory files.

The FBI typically conducts background checks ahead of a confirmation hearing for a nominee — and the federal investigation into Gaetz could be accounted for in that check.

The House Ethics Committee had previously asked the Justice Department to provide certain information about the Gaetz investigation, and when law enforcement refused, the committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for some materials.

However, under rule 6(e) of the federal rules of criminal procedure, any grand jury materials must be kept secret and confidential and cannot be shared. There are some exceptions under the rule related to national security or if the material is used in a judicial proceeding.

Douglas Letter, former counsel for the House, sought to obtain special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s grand jury material as a part of the House Judiciary Committee’s impeachment investigation of Trump, arguing that the framers discussed impeachment as a judicial proceeding. The effort was originally successful in the courts, but the issue became moot before it was decided by the Supreme Court.

“There’s no impeachment going on here,” said Letter. “It’s just the Senate doing its constitutionally provided job to advise and consent. There’s nothing in there that would be covered as an exemption to rule 6(e).”

[lenbryant]

America has shown its true colors.

Giving children love and respect is counter to the parenting of paternalistic men and their doting wives.

It's what christians do. They empower men with vile intentions and decades of abuse/corruption.

[lenbryant]

More ahead. Four years of this crap. America, you are so dumb.

[h/t/- Robert Reich]

[lenbryant]

Back to crazy every day. Ugh! It was nice while it lasted.

[lenbryant]

LOL. Oligarchs 'R Us. TrumPutin, Inc. is about to roll right over us all.

[lenbryant]

They did, so now what? Gird your loins, kids, there's a long fight ahead. We'll need all hands on deck for the next four years. TrumPutin Inc. has won the day with all their lies and fear mongering, but there are many more days ahead.