Open Thread

What’s on your mind?

Comments

[not guilty]

Two federal prosecutors have reportedly resigned from the U. S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of Florida rather than participate in a sham investigation of Barack Obama's participation of events occurring prior to the 2016 presidential election. https://www.ms.now/news/us-attorney-investigating-alleged-grand-conspiracy-calls-unit-wide-mee-rcna243100

MSNBC reports:

“Everyone is on pins and needles,” the source told MSNBC, referring to prosecutors who fear being asked by the U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, or his leadership team, to work on a case that President Donald Trump has said should lead to the arrests of an expansive list of individuals, including former President Barack Obama and former CIA Director John Brennan.

The Justice Department approved at least 30 subpoenas on Friday, including for Brennan and former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

Never mind that prosecution of acts occurring that long ago is plainly barred by 18 U.S.C. § 3238, President Obama would be immune from prosecution for official acts occurring while in office.

Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593, 144 S.Ct. 2312 (2024), is an execrable decision, but it is the law of the land. Donald Trump's handmaiden John Roberts there opined:

The Government does not dispute that the indictment's allegations regarding the Justice Department involve Trump's "use of official power." Brief for United States 46; see id., at 10-11; Tr. of Oral Arg. 125. The allegations in fact plainly implicate Trump's "conclusive and preclusive" authority. "[I]nvestigation and prosecution of crimes is a quintessentially executive function." Brief for United States 19 (quoting Morrison v. Olson, 487 U.S. 654, 706, 108 S.Ct. 2597, 101 L.Ed.2d 569 (1988) (Scalia, J., dissenting)). And the Executive Branch has "exclusive authority and absolute discretion" to decide which crimes to investigate and prosecute, including with respect to allegations of election crime. [United States v.] Nixon, 418 U.S. [683,] 693, 94 S.Ct. 3090; see United States v. Texas, 599 U.S. 670, 678-679, 143 S.Ct. 1964, 216 L.Ed.2d 624 (2023) ("Under Article II,the Executive Branch possesses authority to decide 'how to prioritize and how aggressively to pursue legal actions against defendants who violate the law.' " (quoting TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez, 594 U.S. 413, 429, 141 S.Ct. 2190, 210 L.Ed.2d 568 (2021))). The President may discuss potential investigations and prosecutions with his Attorney General and other Justice Department officials to carry out his constitutional duty to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." Art. II, § 3. And the Attorney General, as head of the Justice Department, acts as the President's "chief law enforcement officer" who "provides vital assistance to [him] in the performance of [his] constitutional duty to 'preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.' " Mitchell v. Forsyth, 472 U.S. 511, 520, 105 S.Ct. 2806, 86 L.Ed.2d 411 (1985) (quoting Art. II, § 1, cl. 8).

Investigative and prosecutorial decisionmaking is "the special province of the Executive Branch," Heckler v. Chaney, 470 U.S. 821, 832, 105 S.Ct. 1649, 84 L.Ed.2d 714 (1985), and the Constitution vests the entirety of the executive power in the President, Art. II, § 1.

144 S.Ct. at 2334-2335.

[Riva]

Remember all the anonymous “sources familiar with the matter” feeding a compliant media with self serving specially timed leaks throughout the Mueller farce during the Russian collusion fraud hysteria ? Old habits die hard.

[Moderation4ever]

Plenty of people spoke on the record about Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump campaign staffer Paul Manafort even put his involvement with Russia in his book.

[Kazinski]

NBC reports:

"Trump says House Republicans should vote to release Epstein files: 'We have nothing to hide'"

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-says-house-republicans-vote-release-epstein-files-nothing-hide-rcna244293

He should have done this a few months ago but, late is better than never.

Now let the false charges and retractions begin.

[Commenter_XY]

Kaz...This took way too long. Release it all, and let the chips fall where they may. The people who molested these teens (mostly girls, some boys) must be identified, and shunned. They must never walk freely w/o restraint in American civil society again.

If there is a prosecutable crime, then absolutely prosecute. IDGAF if these a-holes are old. A number of these girls committed suicide b/c of the psychological trauma from their molestation. Their blood soaks the earth and cries out for justice.

[Kazinski]

You don't think all that, if it ever existed, was destroyed in 2008 when the DOJ did its clean up mission?

Certainly Epstein, nor Maxwell ever acted like they had any leverage to use.

[Commenter_XY]

No, I don't think it was destroyed. The blackmail value is too great.

[Kazinski]

Doesn't make any sense.

If the blackmail value was so great then why didn't they use it?

Committing suicide and rotting in jail, if you have that big of bag of bombshells?

[Brett Bellmore]

But, at the time he was in jail, he didn't HAVE that big bag anymore.

I tend to think that if he had a blackmail file, hypothetically with provisions to auto release it in the event the government came after him, then the government must have defused that time bomb.

Or else they'd have continued leaving him alone.

The very fact of his arrest argues that if he ever had such a file, he'd lost control of it.

[Brett Bellmore]

The blackmail value is WHY it would have been destroyed, since it was the people subject to blackmail who'd have destroyed it.

[Malika la Maize]

“Now let the false charges and retractions begin.”

lol.

[David Nieporent]

The people who molested these teens (mostly girls, some boys) must be identified, and shunned.

They. Already. Were. Jeffrey Epstein. Ghislaine Maxwell.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Why is he attacking MTG?

She says he's attacking her to cover up the Epstein files.

[Armchair]

There's nothing really there.

If there was something seriously there, Biden would have had it released.

[jb]

The right wing contortions on whether or not there is something in the Epstein files have been amazing to witness.

The incredible thing these days is all the MAGA faithful coming out and declaring that adults having sex with 16 and 17 years is not pedophilia and actually pretty normal. It's gotta be rough having a whole political party built around a really disgusting human being.

[ThePublius]

"The incredible thing these days is all the MAGA faithful coming out and declaring that adults having sex with 16 and 17 years is not pedophilia and actually pretty normal."

Do you have a citation for that?

[Brett Bellmore]

I'm not sure why exactly that's "incredible". The word "pedophilia" actually has a meaning, you know. And it's not "attracted to women below the local legal age of consent". It's "attracted to girls below the age of puberty".

When a state legislature decides to raise the age of consent, that doesn't magically transform men into pedophiles.

So, yeah, being attracted to young but clearly sexually mature women IS perfectly natural. Having sex with them when they're below the age of consent is a crime.

But it's the crime of 'statutory rape", not "pedophilia".

[Riva]

Remember the 20,000 Epstein emails? Be careful what you wish for Democrats. Worth reposting. Hat tip John Hinderaker, powerlineblog.com:

Jeffrey Epstein was a Democrat, and his friends and associates were overwhelmingly Democrats. He was prominent in academic circles, and was an insider at both Harvard and MIT. The only politician with whom he is known to have had a relatively significant relationship was Bill Clinton

Yet, the Democrats, in their ceaseless search for issues to distract from their own performance in office, have tried to link Epstein to President Trump. Last week, the House Oversight Committee cooperated by releasing 20,000 Epstein emails. Democrats greeted the release joyfully, only to find that out of 20,000 there are zero emails from Donald Trump, and zero emails to Donald Trump. Epstein name-dropped Trump, as he did Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, except that in Trump’s case he was mostly expressing antagonism.

And it turns out that in 2019, after Epstein was a convicted sex offender, Epstein texted a Democratic member of Congress in the middle of a hearing, advising her on ways the Democrats could "get" President Trump. Of course it didn’t work, because Epstein knew nothing about Trump that was of use.

The point is that Epstein hated Donald Trump, probably because Trump had told him, years before, never to darken the door of Mar-a-Lago again. So the Democrats’ glee over the 20,000 emails comes down to this: Epstein had no relationship with President Trump, and hated him.

Now President Trump has asked the Department of Justice to investigate Epstein’s relationships with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers–who, like Clinton, visited Epstein’s island–LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, and Epstein’s banks. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that DOJ will do so. The New York Times is outraged, of course...

[Malika la Maize]

Of course the Times and any sensible person is outraged. The President just blatantly did what MAGAns caterwauled about for years. They claimed Obama and Biden directed the Justice Department to investigate him as a political opponent. Now Trump has done exactly that because he was embarrassed to be implicated in the Epstein affair and the AG said sir, yes sir.

It is amusing though that Trump is so dim he thinks the left is bothered by Larry Summers being targeted.

[Commenter_XY]

Are you foreign and fat? Maybe taking anti-depressants? Do you have Parkinson's? Maybe COPD? Lung cancer?

You won't be coming to America and draining our medical system on the Taxpayer dime anymore.

https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/visa-trump-admin-chronic-illnesses/2025/11/14/id/1234549/

Certain medical conditions — including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions are now grounds for denial of visa.

[ducksalad]

Oh great. Then the retaliatory visa denials start and my vacation plans are shot just because I like to start the day with a hearty breakfast and to get my money's worth at buffets. Thanks a lot, little Marco.

[Commenter_XY]

No problem = retaliatory visa denials

Higher tariffs await. 😉

No need to have sick foreigners suckling on the public teat.

[Armchair]

These sorts of policies actually have a long history in other countries. That's why they make you show you have medical care insurance "in that country" or some way to cover it before visiting.

[Dr. Ed 2]

How is this different from countries that won't let Americans in unless they have prepaid health insurance covering them for the duration of their stay?

[jb]

You can't be dumb enough to think that having a visa somehow entities you to free medical care in the US, can you? I know you guys had to try to go along with the lie that federal Medicaid dollars were somehow paying for illegal immigrants, but this one doesn't even seem to rely on a live political debate.

[ThePublius]

Medicaid Spending on Illegal Aliens Has Cost Taxpayers over $16.2 Billion Under Open Border Czar Harris

"WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of the cost to taxpayers of Vice President Kamala Harris’ open border agenda on the Medicaid program. CBO estimates that the Biden-Harris Administration’s open border agenda cost federal and state taxpayers more than $16.2 billion to provide Medicaid-funded emergency services to illegal aliens during the first three years of the Administration. This
is a staggering increase of 124 percent compared to the same period under the Trump Administration."

https://budget.house.gov/imo/media/doc/cbo_on_medicaid_for_illegal_immigrants.pdf

[jb]

As usual, you read the headline but don't bother to look at the actual details. That's spending on emergency services, which is reimbursing hospitals for emergency care that they're obliged to provide.

Importantly, your own doc includes the following statement: 'Illegal aliens without documentation are
considered “non-qualified aliens” under PRWORA and thus statutorily barred
from receiving most federal benefits.'

So, once again you yourself are linking to documents that make clear the federal government doesn't pay for regular Medicaid for undocumented aliens.

All of which has nothing to do with XY's new dumb claim about visa restrictions, of course.

[ducksalad]

Compare this:

As I said on Friday night aboard Air Force One to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat “Shutdown.” The Department of Justice has already turned over tens of thousands of pages to the Public on “Epstein,” are looking at various Democrat operatives (Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, etc.) and their relationship to Epstein, and the House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE! All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT, which is the Economy, “Affordability” (where we are winning BIG!), our Victory on reducing Inflation from the highest level in History to practically nothing, bringing down prices for the American People, delivering Historic Tax Cuts, gaining Trillions of Dollars of Investment into America (A RECORD!), the rebuilding of our Military, securing our Border, deporting Criminal Illegal Aliens, ending Men in Women’s Sports, stopping Transgender for Everyone, and so much more! Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory. Some “members” of the Republican Party are being “used,” and we can’t let that happen. Let’s start talking about the Republican Party’s Record Setting Achievements, and not fall into the Epstein “TRAP,” which is actually a curse on the Democrats, not us. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

to this:

Wacky Marjorie “Traitor” Brown (Remember, Green turns to Brown where there is ROT involved!) is working overtime to try and portray herself as a victim when, in actuality, she is the cause of all of her own problems. The fact is, nobody cares about this Traitor to our Country!
....
I am withdrawing my support and Endorsement of “Congresswoman” Marjorie Taylor Greene, of the Great State of Georgia. Over the past few weeks, despite my creating Record Achievements for our Country including, a Total and Complete Victory on the Shutdown, Closed Borders, Low Taxes, No Men in Women’s Sports or Transgender for Everyone, ending DEI, stopping Biden’s Record Setting Inflation, Biggest Regulation Cuts in History, stopping EIGHT WARS, rebuilding our Military, being RESPECTED by every Country in the World (as opposed to being the laughingstock that we were just 12 months ago!), having Trillions of Dollars (Record Setting!) INVESTED in the U.S.A., and having created the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World from being a DEAD Country just 12 months ago (and so much more!), all I see “Wacky” Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN! It seemed to all begin when I sent her a Poll stating that she should not run for Senator, or Governor, she was at 12%, and didn’t have a chance (unless, of course, she had my Endorsement — which she wasn’t about to get!). She has told many people that she is upset that I don’t return her phone calls anymore, but with 219 Congressmen/women, 53 U.S. Senators, 24 Cabinet Members, almost 200 Countries, and an otherwise normal life to lead, I can’t take a ranting Lunatic’s call every day. I understand that wonderful, Conservative people are thinking about primarying Marjorie in her District of Georgia, that they too are fed up with her and her antics and, if the right person runs, they will have my Complete and Unyielding Support. She has gone Far Left, even doing The View, with their Low IQ Republican hating Anchors. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
...
Lightweight Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Brown (Green grass turns Brown when it begins to ROT!), betrayed the entire Republican Party when she turned Left, performed poorly on the pathetic View, and became the RINO that we all know she always was. Just another Fake politician, no different than Rand Paul Jr. (Thomas Massie), who got caught being a full fledged Republican In Name Only (RINO)! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!

Why is he so mad at Empty Gee and Massie? Precisely because they signed the petition to release the files.

[Kazinski]

You haven't been paying attention, Massie has been a thorn for a while, one of only two GOP votes in the house to vote against the OBBBA, and almost everything else on the GOP agenda.

MTG broke with Trump over support for Israel and the Iran war. There are dozens more that have been just as vocal about releasing the "Epstein files" who he hasn't had any problem with.

But this might be the real reason she quit him:

https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1990183095023087816?s=20

[jb]

"There are dozens more that have been just as vocal about releasing the "Epstein files" who he hasn't had any problem with."

Uh huh. Other than Mace and Bobert, none of them were willing to sign Massey's discharge petition, though.

[Riva]

The trolls will do anything to distract from the democrats’ failure to put forward any policy agenda a sane voter would support.

[Dr. Ed 2]

The Leftist Loon in Maine is imploding.
https://www.themainewire.com/2025/11/platner-misses-federal-filing-deadline-as-senior-staff-departures-mount/

The disclosure issue follows reporting that the campaign elected to place Platner’s wife on its payroll rather than risk affecting the candidate’s disability payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Platner has said he does not take income from his oyster farm and instead relies on $4,800 per month in VA disability benefits.

How is this not fraud?

Platner is 100 disabled because of purported PTSD and because he "can't work" and yet he does. That's fraud to me...

[Dr. Ed 2]

WHY is Trump *so* determined to keep the Epstein files secret when he's not in them?

And he's not because the Dems would have released them otherwise.

[Malika la Maize]

The Trump Organization is in talks that could bring a Trump-branded property to one of Saudi Arabia’s largest government-owned real estate developments, according to the chief executive of the Saudi company leading the development.

The negotiations are the latest example of President Trump blending governance and family business, particularly in Persian Gulf countries.

Since returning to office, the president’s family and businesses have announced new ventures abroad involving billions of dollars, made hundreds of millions from cryptocurrency, and sold tickets to a private dinner hosted by Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump is set to host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, in Washington next week…

Next week, Prince Mohammed is expected to make his first visit to the United States in seven years. He hopes to sign a mutual defense agreement with Washington and potentially advance a deal to transfer American nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.

That sets up a scenario in which Mr. Trump discusses matters of national security with a foreign leader who is also a key figure in a potential business deal with the president’s family.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/world/middleeast/trump-organization-saudi-development-deal.html