Hours after the Post published the hour-long phone call, Democratic whip Dick Durbin described the recording as “more than a pathetic, rambling, delusional, rant.
His disgraceful effort to intimidate an elected official into deliberately changing and misrepresenting the legally confirmed vote totals in his state strikes at the heart of our democracy and merits nothing less than a criminal investigation. The president is unhinged and dangerous.”
And as former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega notes, a potential investigation would need to determine “which other state officials he has pressured,” because Georgia’s electoral votes would not be enough to give him an Electoral College win.
(Following his conversation with Raffensperger on Saturday, Trump reportedly got on a Zoom call with legislators from the other states that flipped to Biden — Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — to discuss allegations of election fraud.)
Legal experts say the combination of Trump’s request to “find” a specific number of votes — just enough to put him ahead of Biden — and his veiled reference to criminal liability for Raffensperger and his aides could violate federal and state statutes aimed at guarding against the solicitation of election fraud.
The potential violations of state law are particularly notable, given that they would fall outside the reach of a potential pardon by Trump or his successor …
… Georgia state law includes two provisions that criminalize “solicitation of election fraud” and “conspiracy to commit election fraud.”
I have never favored prosecuting Trump for his conduct in office. But pressuring a campaign official to change the vote tally is a federal offense, as former Justice Department inspector general Michael Bromwich tweeted Sunday, citing Title 52 U.S. Section 20511.
That law states: “A person, including an election official, who in any election for Federal office … knowingly and willfully deprives, defrauds, or attempts to deprive or defraud the residents of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process, by
… the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held” is subject to imprisonment of up to five years.
Threatening Raffensperger with criminal consequences is also arguably extortion.
Title 18 Section 875 of the U.S. Code reads: “Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”
Alternatively, the state attorney general of Georgia might investigate and bring applicable charges under state law. That would have one clear advantage: Trump cannot receive a federal pardon for state crimes.
There must be a response to a president who exploits his office for the purpose of overthrowing an election. The evidence is on tape. The next attorney general should move forward, if for no other reason, to deter further attempts at such reprehensible conduct.
The “Dirty Dozen” or the “Sedition Caucus,” as the senators who declared their plan to challenge the electoral college votes have been tagged on social media, has been attempting an anti-democratic putsch.
✁
It makes no difference if they pledge as Hawley did to challenge the results or, as the rest of the Sedition Caucus, challenge the results unless Congress gives way to their demand to set up a commission to investigate (nonexistent) fraud. The votes have been certified, the electoral votes cast and a new president has been elected.
There is no basis for overturning the presidential results in an election in which, mind you, a third of the Senate (including many of the Dirty Dozen) and every House member were elected or reelected.
The argument to justify such seditious activity — that there are lots of “complaints” or “people don’t believe the results” — is circular and ludicrous.
People may believe something crazy because Republicans raised entirely crazy and baseless allegations of fraud.
In about 60 cases brought to contest the election, not one produced evidence of fraud. In many instances, Trump’s lawyers did not bother to raise the allegation of fraud since they could not point to any.
In any event, it makes a mockery of our legal system to think that four of the Dirty Dozen — Cruz, Kennedy, Hawley and Blackburn — sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
These four have shown themselves to be incapable of fairly deciding whether to confirm judicial nominees or considering legislation to protect the integrity of the courts and the rule of law.
✁
Those who are lawyers — such as Cruz and Hawley, who both clerked for Supreme Court chief justices — should know better. Their actions should result in serious professional sanctions up to and including disbarment.
Is there something like an alarm I could opt for that would tell me when some sort of content returns to this strip? Day after day of “I feel creepy! 2020, amirite???” has been a delightful rest for my laughter muscles, but the rest of me feels shortchanged.
BE THIS GUY about 4 years ago
Nothing is normal:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/audio-trump-berates-georgia-secretary-of-state-urges-him-to-find-votes/2021/01/03/aba64f5f-8c3c-490f-af34-618ccea732d7_video.html
Cheapskate0 about 4 years ago
Be This Guy: For at least four years now, that has been the “new normal.”
And with less than 66 Democrats in the Senate, no promise that Biden can return us to the “old normal.”
braindead Premium Member about 4 years ago
At the current rate, we’ll have 400,000 Americans dead from covid.
“We want them infected.”
admiree2 about 4 years ago
Winslow, you haven’t heard the latest have you? You might want to sit down for this one because just when you thought it was safe…
William Robbins Premium Member about 4 years ago
This is going overlong. And one wonders why Stantis assumed 2 weeks ago that things would be normal today.
Darsan54 Premium Member about 4 years ago
Welcome to the wide and wonderful world of PTSD. Not just shaking it off, huh?
Silly Season about 4 years ago
Hours after the Post published the hour-long phone call, Democratic whip Dick Durbin described the recording as “more than a pathetic, rambling, delusional, rant.
His disgraceful effort to intimidate an elected official into deliberately changing and misrepresenting the legally confirmed vote totals in his state strikes at the heart of our democracy and merits nothing less than a criminal investigation. The president is unhinged and dangerous.”
And as former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega notes, a potential investigation would need to determine “which other state officials he has pressured,” because Georgia’s electoral votes would not be enough to give him an Electoral College win.
(Following his conversation with Raffensperger on Saturday, Trump reportedly got on a Zoom call with legislators from the other states that flipped to Biden — Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — to discuss allegations of election fraud.)
Legal experts say the combination of Trump’s request to “find” a specific number of votes — just enough to put him ahead of Biden — and his veiled reference to criminal liability for Raffensperger and his aides could violate federal and state statutes aimed at guarding against the solicitation of election fraud.
The potential violations of state law are particularly notable, given that they would fall outside the reach of a potential pardon by Trump or his successor …
… Georgia state law includes two provisions that criminalize “solicitation of election fraud” and “conspiracy to commit election fraud.”~
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/01/did-trump-break-the-law-in-his-georgia-election-phone-call.html
Silly Season about 4 years ago
.
(By Jennifer Rubin)
I have never favored prosecuting Trump for his conduct in office. But pressuring a campaign official to change the vote tally is a federal offense, as former Justice Department inspector general Michael Bromwich tweeted Sunday, citing Title 52 U.S. Section 20511.
That law states: “A person, including an election official, who in any election for Federal office … knowingly and willfully deprives, defrauds, or attempts to deprive or defraud the residents of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process, by
… the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held” is subject to imprisonment of up to five years.
Threatening Raffensperger with criminal consequences is also arguably extortion.
Title 18 Section 875 of the U.S. Code reads: “Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”
Alternatively, the state attorney general of Georgia might investigate and bring applicable charges under state law. That would have one clear advantage: Trump cannot receive a federal pardon for state crimes.
There must be a response to a president who exploits his office for the purpose of overthrowing an election. The evidence is on tape. The next attorney general should move forward, if for no other reason, to deter further attempts at such reprehensible conduct.
~
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/03/its-impeachable-its-likely-illegal-its-coup/
Silly Season about 4 years ago
The “Dirty Dozen” or the “Sedition Caucus,” as the senators who declared their plan to challenge the electoral college votes have been tagged on social media, has been attempting an anti-democratic putsch.
✁
It makes no difference if they pledge as Hawley did to challenge the results or, as the rest of the Sedition Caucus, challenge the results unless Congress gives way to their demand to set up a commission to investigate (nonexistent) fraud. The votes have been certified, the electoral votes cast and a new president has been elected.
There is no basis for overturning the presidential results in an election in which, mind you, a third of the Senate (including many of the Dirty Dozen) and every House member were elected or reelected.
The argument to justify such seditious activity — that there are lots of “complaints” or “people don’t believe the results” — is circular and ludicrous.
People may believe something crazy because Republicans raised entirely crazy and baseless allegations of fraud.
In about 60 cases brought to contest the election, not one produced evidence of fraud. In many instances, Trump’s lawyers did not bother to raise the allegation of fraud since they could not point to any.
In any event, it makes a mockery of our legal system to think that four of the Dirty Dozen — Cruz, Kennedy, Hawley and Blackburn — sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
These four have shown themselves to be incapable of fairly deciding whether to confirm judicial nominees or considering legislation to protect the integrity of the courts and the rule of law.
✁
Those who are lawyers — such as Cruz and Hawley, who both clerked for Supreme Court chief justices — should know better. Their actions should result in serious professional sanctions up to and including disbarment.
~
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/04/senate-dirty-dozen-staging-coup-should-never-hold-office/
nosirrom about 4 years ago
Geez. And I thought the real circus wasn’t supposed to start until Wednesday. I guess Congress grabbing the spotlight was too much for tRump.
Kip W about 4 years ago
Is there something like an alarm I could opt for that would tell me when some sort of content returns to this strip? Day after day of “I feel creepy! 2020, amirite???” has been a delightful rest for my laughter muscles, but the rest of me feels shortchanged.
WestNYC Premium Member about 4 years ago
Only 16 days and 44 minutes left for the skunk to go away.
wsedrel about 4 years ago
I asked my bank to find $1500 (missing) in my bank account. They were less than receptive.