Clay Jones for December 09, 2020

While there is a federal election tampering law, the actual elections are run by the states, within certain federal parameters, most of the election tampering laws are state laws for which Trump has no pardon power. But Trump would have the power to pardon for violations of the federal election tampering law.

Of course, anyone who buys a pardon from Trump — the “used pardon salesman” — is just another victim of another one of his scams.

Coup coup ka choo? I guess he IS a walrus…

“And if you don’t help me steal the election…you’re fired!”

Clay, just watched your Trumpenweenie Link below. It’s great. If I had Pay Pal, I’d definitely than you.

The only hopeful thing is pardons given in order for the person doing the pardon to avoid criminal prosecution are not legal and can be revoked. It is also illegal to sell pardons.

Get well, Rudy. Yeah, right. In the UK, Rudy is what they call a “rude boy”. Appropriate.

I speculate rethugicans will now incorporate “the Coup” strategy into their power grab tactics of voter suppression, gerrymandering, propoganda, etc.. Why lose when you can dump that pesky democracy and constitution stuff and freely embrace facism? It’s what so many in America willingly support.

LOL! “Coup, coup, ka Choo”

See boys and girls . . . . not All Thieves wear masks . . . . . ./S

It must frustrate the crap outta t$$$p when he can corrupt a little, but not quite enough.So close and yet, so far.

The kiosk for Pardons-R-Us is located next to the concierge desk in that nice hotel located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Love the sippy cup!

The proven way to tarnish your reputation and limit your future success: work for Trump.

Any means to your ends, Fat Boy?

Pretty sure that if the shenanigans of all the Senators were exposed.. they would all be worried.

Help me steal the election and we’ll be buds for life. Ok, stop laughing or I’ll mean tweet you before the ink is dry on your pardons.

Conservative pundit Michael Gerson, November 12th [note well the date!]: What America is now experiencing is a massive failure of character — a nationwide blackout of integrity — among elected Republicans. From the president, a graceless and deceptive insistence on victory after a loss that was not even close. From congressional Republicans, a broad willingness to conspire in President Trump’s lies and to slander the electoral system without consideration of the public good. Only a few have stood up against Republican peer pressure of contempt for the constitutional order. How could such a thing happen in the GOP? It is not an aberration. It is the culmination of Trump’s influence among Republicans, and among White evangelical Christians in particular. Their main justification for supporting Trump — that the president’s character should be ignored in favor of his policies — has become a serious danger to the republic.Trump never even presented the pretense of good character. His revolt against the establishment was always a revolt against the ethical ground rules by which the establishment played. When he mocked a reporter with a disability, or urged violence at his rallies, or attacked a Gold Star family, Republicans accepted it as part of the Trump package. And some of his most fervent defenses came from White evangelicals. A group that was once seen as censorious became the least strict chaperone at Trump’s bacchanal. Under the president’s influence, White evangelicals went from the group most likely to believe personal morality matters in a politician to the group that is least likely. “We’re not electing a pastor in chief,” explained Jerry Falwell Jr., the former president of Liberty University. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Dallas, argued that “outward policies” should matter more than “personal piety.” Ralph Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition made his case for Trump’s reelection based on conservative deliverables.

To continue from Gerson’s column: This is politics at its most transactional. Trump was being hired by evangelicals to do a job — to defend their institutions, implement pro-life policies and appoint conservative judges. The character of the president was irrelevant so long as he kept his part of the bargain. Which Trump largely did.But now we know what a president without character looks like in the midst of a governing crisis. We see a dishonest president, spinning lie after lie about the electoral system. A selfish president, incapable of preferring any duty above his own narrow interests. A reckless president, undermining the transition between administrations and exposing the country to risk. A vain president, unable to responsibly process an electoral loss. A corrupt president, willing to abuse federal power to serve his own ends. A spiteful president, taking revenge against officials who have resisted him. A faithless president, indifferent to constitutional principles and his oath of office. Two lessons can be drawn from the Republican failure of moral judgment. First, democracy is an inherently moral enterprise. Yes, politics has a transactional element. But those transactions take place within a system of rules that depend on voluntary obedience. Our electoral system and our presidential transition process have flaws and holes that an unprincipled leader can exploit. Which is a good reason to prefer principled leaders.

And now Michael Gerson, conservative and evangelical, from December 7th:

President Trump’s naked attempt to overturn a fair election — with key elements of Joe Biden’s victory vouchsafed by Republican state officials, Republican-appointed judges and even the Justice Department — has driven some Trump evangelicals to the edge of blasphemous lunacy.

“I’d be happy to die in this fight,” radio talk-show host Eric Metaxas assured Trump during a recent interview. “This is a fight for everything. God is with us. Jesus is with us in this fight for liberty.”Elsewhere Metaxas predicted, “Trump will be inaugurated. For the high crimes of trying to throw a U.S. presidential election, many will go to jail. The swamp will be drained. And Lincoln’s prophetic words of ‘a new birth of freedom’ will be fulfilled. Pray.” Just to be clear, Metaxas has publicly committed his life to Donald Trump, claimed that at least two members of the Trinity favor a coup against the constitutional order, endorsed the widespread jailing of Trump’s political enemies for imaginary crimes, claimed Abraham Lincoln’s blessing for the advance of authoritarianism and urged Christians to pray to God for the effective death of American democracy. This is seditious and sacrilegious in equal measure. There is something pathetic about Metaxas’s panting desire to be cruise director on Trump’s sinking ship. But I don’t think his attitude is merely the result of ambition or hero worship. Metaxas seems to be a man in the grip of a powerful delusion. [note from Godfreydaniel: “SEEMS” to be???!!! Yet another consequence of shutting down the insane asylums.]

Pardons are traditionally suggested by someone other than the President and were never intended as “get out of jail free” cards for partisan skullduggery.