NOT EVERYBODY IS PART OF THE CABAL: Even Biden’s Own State Department Credits Trump for Getting a Hostage Deal.
Archive for 2025
January 20, 2025
READER FAVORITE: Professional Meat Thermometer for Oven – Large Display. #CommissionEarned
DAN MORENOFF: “Donald Trump Faces Boromir’s Test.“
MINORITY REPORT: Biden Issues Pre-Emptive Pardons on Last Day in Office.
Just hours before Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, President Joe Biden issued pre-emptive pardons for a number of high-profile figures, shielding them from potential retribution by the incoming administration.
The pre-emptive pardons were announced Monday morning for Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lawmakers and staff that served on the Jan. 6 Committee, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), and U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the Select Committee.
In his 1956 novel Minority Report, later adapted into a 2003 movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, Philip K. Dick created the “precrime unit” that would predict future crimes to be committed by potential miscreants. But can a president issue a pardon before a sentence has been issued? At the Justice.gov Office of the Pardon Attorney is the following question and answer:
Can the President pardon someone before they are indicted, convicted, or sentenced for a federal offense against the United States?
It would be highly unusual, but there have been a few cases where people who had not been charged with a crime were pardoned, including President Gerald Ford’s pardon of President Richard Nixon after Watergate, President Jimmy Carter’s pardon of Vietnam draft dodgers and President George H.W. Bush’s pardon of Caspar Weinberger. President Donald J. Trump pardoned Joseph Arpaio and others after they were charged and convicted, but prior to sentencing. See Pardons Granted by President Donald Trump (justice.gov)
Fauci is no doubt thrilled to have gotten his precrime pardon, but issues a “what, me worry?” public statement: Fauci Issues Statement After Pre-Emptive Pardon. Conservatives Respond. “I really truly appreciate the action President Biden has taken today on my behalf. Let me be perfectly clear, Jon, I have committed no crime, you know that, and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me,’ he said.”
He doesn’t have to accept the pardon. If he did nothing wrong be a man and turn it down… But you know he won’t because everyone knows he’s guilty of so much. https://t.co/e2QKoHaUPb
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 20, 2025
UPDATE:
OK, I changed my mind. These pardons were worth it just so I could see Rachel Vindman throw a tantrum over not getting one. pic.twitter.com/HFzUmgaaZh
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) January 20, 2025
As for the January 6th committee members:
Jamie Raskin on presidential pardons:
“The seeking of pardons is powerful demonstration of the consciousness of guilt, or at least the consciousness that you may be in trouble.”
Biden just preemptively pardoned him for his role in the Jan 6th committee. pic.twitter.com/VajwMhgrGt
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 20, 2025
UPDATE (from Steve): To Gerald Ford’s credit, he didn’t issue a midnight pardon to Nixon and willingly took the political hit for it. It’s a completely different thing that Biden did, filled with spite for our institutions and, oddly enough, his own (already tattered) credibility.
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING:
BREAKING: Donald Trump to sign 200+ executive orders tomorrow.
Per FOX and Eric Daugherty, they include:
– Declare emergency at the border + issue proclamation closing the border
– Designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
– Remain in Mexico, Catch and Release will be…— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) January 19, 2025
Soon you will hear the lamentations of their womyn.
K12 IMPLOSION UPDATE: Teacher created ‘divisive,’ ‘unwelcoming’ environment for Jewish students: report.
I DUNNO, THERE ARE STILL NEARLY TWO HOURS LEFT: Dear Joe: NOW Are You Done Breaking the Country?
Did you ever have to deal with the last guy to leave the party who wouldn’t take the hint that the fun ended an hour ago and he’s the only reason you aren’t in bed already, sleeping it off? You finally maneuvered him to the front door, the Uber is honking in the driveway, but he won’t wrap up the 12″ extended dance mix of “Goodnight!” and leave.
Presidentish Joe Biden has been on his way out the door since June, and that sound you hear outside is an Uber driver at the absolute end of his patience.
One empathizes.
Much more at the link.
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Washington State provides free ‘Queer Pole Fit’ classes.
THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Facing Trump’s mass deportation plans, some sanctuary cities shift their tone.
Leaders of several sanctuary cities where officials had prominently rejected Donald Trump’s first-term immigration policies are shifting their tone as he prepares to take office again and carry out his mass deportation plans.
Some local officials have softened on how closely they want their cities to be identified with the “sanctuary city” label and have pledged to work with federal immigration authorities. But others have doubled down on their cities being sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants and reject any notion that they’d cooperate with a Trump administration seeking to deport millions of them.
The mixed approaches of officials in some of the largest and heavily Democratic cities in the U.S. underscore the country’s shifting politics on immigration. While leaders in these cities largely — and often loudly — rejected Trump’s immigration policies when he was last in the White House, some are now willing to work more closely with his administration on a top priority or tamp down their rhetoric.
Resistance is futile.
ONLY THE BEGINNING: Donald Trump Is Ready to Fight. So Are We.
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Never Mind the Weather — It’s a Bright and Sunny Day for America. “Liberty is once again on the menu and Trump has promised to serve up generous portions of it to a grateful nation. Well, the sane people are grateful, anyway. Those who aren’t celebrating his return to office are too slow to realize that they will also benefit from having a real president again”
LIGHTNING DEAL: Hazmat Suits Disposable Coverall. #CommissionEarned
WALL STREET JOURNAL: How MAGA Is Taking Back the Culture: In sports, entertainment and marketing, displays of conservatism are crowding out progressive postures.
Across many facets of society—in sports, entertainment, the classroom and the workplace—there are signs that MAGA isn’t just retaking the White House. It is gaining a firmer foothold in the broader culture.
Instead of taking a knee to call for social justice, NFL players are doing the “Trump dance” in the end zone at football games. Mainstream entertainers, among them the country singer Carrie Underwood and the rapper Snoop Dogg, agreed to perform at events celebrating Donald Trump’s inauguration, something music stars largely shunned eight years ago.
A new generation of Trump-friendly comedians and wellness influencers is populating YouTube and other social media, while a snippet of audio featuring Barron and Melania Trump has become one of the hottest online memes, with celebrities such as Paris Hilton and brands including Frontier Airlines using it in their TikTok and Instagram posts.
“Every time I walk on campus, I see a few MAGA hats. That’s definitely new,” said Carson Carpenter, 19, a senior at Arizona State University. Conservatism, he said, “has really become intertwined in our pop culture…. It’s really showing that conservatism is cool now.”
Off campus, Americans who once hid their support for Trump now wear it on their sleeves, or their hats. Trevor Traina, a tech entrepreneur and former ambassador in the first Trump administration who lives in San Francisco, said he felt the shift when he co-hosted a June fundraiser for Trump in the ritzy, liberal neighborhood of Pacific Heights.
Instead of the expected protests, Traina said, the event drew “more than 100 people in red MAGA hats walking around Pacific Heights. And, you know, in my life, we’ve never seen anything like that. Republicans in San Francisco used to walk around with Groucho Marx glasses and scarves over their heads, you know, scurrying in the shadows.”
The preference cascade has cascaded.
ICYMI: MY LATEST SUBSTACK ESSAY: This Monday, Have A Happy DJT Day.
THE OPERATING ASSUMPTION SHOULD BE THAT EVERYTHING IN GAZA THAT ISN’T HAMAS IS ACTUALLY HAMAS:
Aljazeera documented how Hamas's al-Qassam Brigade fighters emerged from the Nasser Hospital complex with their weapons and vehicles in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, as soon as the ceasefire went into effect, similar to how they emerged from displacement tents 3 days ago. pic.twitter.com/7rYftKYBlS
— Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (@afalkhatib) January 19, 2025
Well, no. There never was, it was always a lie.
SAD! Limp Cheers, Tiny Crowds: March Protesting Against Donald Trump Falls flat. “For an event that billed itself as the ‘People’s March,’ not a lot of people ended up marching.”
To be fair, the way leftists bill themselves is always a lie.
IT’S INAUGURATION DAY: Dear Trump Administration folks: Don’t forget my Agenda for Congress. If you want to make sure SFFA v. President & Fellows of Harvard gets enforced, you’re going to need to reduce the incentives for colleges and universities to discriminate on the basis of race. (Oh … and before I forget: When you’re ready, I await your call regarding what should be done at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. You’re going to want to talk to each of the conservative members.)
Change is in the air on all sorts of things:
Young people are waking up: In the Harvard-Harris poll conducted a few months ago, it found 18-24-year-olds were split 50/50 on support for Israel or Hamas (left photo).
In their most recent poll (right photo), it found that 79% of them support Israel. pic.twitter.com/L652vRVh4Q
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) January 20, 2025
UPDATE:
🇦🇷🇺🇸MILEI: WE'VE CUT 900+ REGULATIONS AND OFFERED TO HELP TRUMP AND ELON DO THE SAME
"Today we have already eliminated more than 900 regulations, due to more than three per day.
In this line, we have made ourselves available to Trump and my friend Elon to share what we have… pic.twitter.com/haSTYPgDBV
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 20, 2025
MAKE THEM PAY FOR THIS: Democrats Now Threatening People Who Donated to Trump’s Inauguration. “Perhaps I am too optimistic about the seeming collapse of support for progressive ideas in the general public, but it sure looks like Trump’s magic has been working once again. Elizabeth Warren has always been a crazy leftist harridan, but now she seems to be a crazy leftist harridan with no ability to intimidate.”
Regardless, Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennett should face a civil rights suit for this, and Congressional ethics complaints. Make the rubble bounce.
BREAKING: Biden Pardons Fauci, Milley, and J6 Committee Members.
UPDATE (FROM GLENN): Pretty much an admission of criminality.
THE LEFT’S WAR ON WOMEN (CONT’D): Female inmates say they fear transgender cellmates and urge Donald Trump to overturn ‘unconstitutional policy.’
Rhonda Fleming, 58, who is a little more than halfway through a 27-year sentence for Medicare fraud, argues that she and other biological women live in constant fear of attack and stress over having to interact with and undress in front of inmates with male genitalia.
Fleming’s civil suit stated women shouldn’t be forced to share intimate spaces such as bathrooms, showers and dorms with trans women.
But the judge on the case didn’t agree, ruling against her complaint on Wednesday.
Fleming was outraged when she spoke to DailyMail.com and said: ‘What the judge did Wednesday was a farce, it was a mockery of justice. He never intended for us to have a fair trial.
‘It’s like he’s attacking the victim, telling the victim you’re in the wrong, not the victimizer.’
The inmate is hoping that Trump will change the Bureau of Prisons policy after he moves into the White House on Monday – and possibly appeal her case.
‘Trump tried to help in 2018 by changing the policy when I initially filed on this, but as soon as he was out of office, Biden overturned everything he did and brought even more men into the prison,’ she said.
It’s an open question whether Biden knew he overturned anything. It’ll be nice knowing who’s making the decisions again.
I THINK DEMOCRATS THINK THIS TOO, NOW: Don Surber: They should have just let him win in 2020.