Open Thread

What’s on your mind?

Comments

[not guilty]

Here is the video made by six members of Congress reminding members of our armed forces of their oath to support the Constitution and of their obligation to disobey unlawful orders. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2558895077819811

Donald Trump castigated this video, fulminating that is "seditious behavior, punishable by DEATH!" Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Chris DeLuzio, D-Pa, Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., unlike Donald "Bone Spurs" Trump, themselves served in this country's armed forces. Trump conspicuously did not specify what criminal offense that he contends these members of Congress committed.

Seditions conspiracy is prohibited by 18 U.S.C. § 2384, which states:

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

That statute is obviously inapplicable. Treason is punishable by death, but the elements of 18 U.S.C. § 2381 are clearly not implicated here:

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

No matter how much President Trump wishes it were so, refusal of a member of Congress to kiss the President's ass is simply not a crime.

[Commenter_XY]

Seen in context, this video was a threat to every military serviceman who obeyed orders from their superior officer promulgating policy. This was a call for rebellion; the CCP is laughing their ass off.

In every large group, a ~1.25% rate of whack jobs can reasonably be expected. Thankfully, these jokers self-identified as the congressional whack jobs.

[Kenneth Almquist]

Halligan changes her story about the Comey indictment again.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.206.0.pdf

The official transcript of the September 25, 2025, proceedings before Magistrate Judge Vaala ...establishes that the grand jury voted on – and true-billed – the two-count indictment....
The transcript contains the following direct exchange between the Court and the grand jury foreperson:

THE COURT: Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. So you voted on the one that has the two counts?
THE FOREPERSON: Yes.

The transcript is not available to the general public because the parties still have the option of requesting redactions, and at this point I don’t trust the government not to quote it in a misleading fashion. But it’s been eight weeks since the hearing--a hearing where the government was present and for which they have the transcript--and they are just now discovering what happened at that hearing?

[Commenter_XY]

The longer this drags on, the more billable time for defen$e coun$el. I'm sure Comey has deep pocket$.

[Kazinski]

I wouldn't worry, I'm sure there are some deep pockets lining up to fund his defense.