What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Maximus]

Ok. They ran a psyops campaign that was unexpectedly successful. We probably do the same things.

Except for the successful part. Our psyops are run by hansmeister.

[DontSayBanana]

I keep confusing Scaramucci with Scaramanga.

Hah, that's what I said as soon as I heard about the pick: "That guy's name sounds way too much like a Bond villain."

So Sessions, Kushner, the junior Trump are all hot water over BS'ing Congress and the whole country about what they were doing with the Russians.

Spicer and Shaub have had it with all the BS coming from the White House and Shaub, at least, is pointing to his replacement's designation as grounds for an investigation (that replacement has gone on record as saying Russian sanctions were a mistake).

Tillerson may have violated Russian sanctions, and he's been talking an even softer game on Russia than Trump has. Meanwhile, literally everybody else is refusing to take us seriously, and now, even Rodrigo Duterte is saying "pass" on invitations to the White House.

Trump himself has been screeching about how investigators had better not look into his personal finances when talking about a murky real estate deal with the Russians.

Right now, it's all optics, but it's getting harder not to look at everything that's going on and conclude: The Donald was short on cash and took a sweetheart deal with the Russians, part of which was an implicit expectation that favors would be owed, which came due in 2016.

My gut says that the 2016 kompromat was less about getting The Donald into the fold and more about getting him under control. Actually, 2013 may have been that, too. This guy's been tied up with "bad hombres" for so long that if he turned, it'd be difficult to pick out the point where it happened.

[jimmy olsen]

House and the Senate has agreed to new Russian sanctions that Trump won't be able to change. It will be voted on Tuesday IIRC. Will Trump veto it despite being passed with veto proof margins? Stay tuned.

[11B4V]

Hey the wall will be see thru and have solar panels

[viper37]

Speaking of  Sessions, how deep does this rabbit hole go?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-discussed-trump-campaign-related-matters-with-russian-ambassador-us-intelligence-intercepts-show/2017/07/21/3e704692-6e44-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html?utm_term=.c5c0cc940888

I wonder what Derspiess thinks of his man now...

[mongers]

Donald Trump insists he has 'complete power' to pardon
22 July 2017

US President Donald Trump has insisted he has the "complete power" to pardon people, amid reports he is considering presidential pardons for family members, aides and even himself.

A Democratic Party spokesman has called the reports "extremely disturbing".

The US authorities are probing possible collusion between the Trump team and Russia. Intelligence agencies think Russia tried to help Mr Trump to power.

Russia denies this, and the president says there was no collusion.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Mr Trump and his team were looking at ways to pardon people close to him.
....

Full article here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40692709

Don't Mafia Dons like to think they wield similar powers?

[DontSayBanana]

Donald Trump insists he has 'complete power' to pardon
22 July 2017

US President Donald Trump has insisted he has the "complete power" to pardon people, amid reports he is considering presidential pardons for family members, aides and even himself.

A Democratic Party spokesman has called the reports "extremely disturbing".

The US authorities are probing possible collusion between the Trump team and Russia. Intelligence agencies think Russia tried to help Mr Trump to power.

Russia denies this, and the president says there was no collusion.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Mr Trump and his team were looking at ways to pardon people close to him.
....

Full article here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40692709

Don't Mafia Dons like to think they wield similar powers?

Funny enough, guess with whom The Don (pun intended) has a long history of association?

[Admiral Yi]

AFAIK his power to pardon is pretty much unlimited.

[CountDeMoney]

I wonder what Derspiess thinks of his man now...

Doesn't matter.

[DontSayBanana]

AFAIK his power to pardon is pretty much unlimited.

It doesn't cover impeachment, so it won't save his job or any other cabinet official (so, say, they could still kick Rex Tillerson out despite a presidential pardon).

Most of the analysis I've heard is:

1) Only for federal crimes, not for state,
2) Not for himself, and
3) Being considered an admission of guilt, may actually advance a case for obstruction of justice against The Don himself.

[DGuller]

AFAIK his power to pardon is pretty much unlimited.

I have a feeling that if Trump ever pushes things too far for the fascists in our country to tolerate, a lot of presidential powers would be up for retroactive review.  The courts may cook up some explanation as to why all of his pardons are void. 

This isn't an ideal check on president's powers, but that's the danger of failing to set up proper checks and balances.  At some point when someone pushes things, a revolt of some kind happens, and it'll get legitimized after the fact by virtue of succeeding.  If the president's pardon powers were truly unlimited, wouldn't he be able to send out death squads to deal with all political opponents with impunity?

[Fate]

If the president's pardon powers were truly unlimited, wouldn't he be able to send out death squads to deal with all political opponents with impunity?

By the letter of the law he can do this, which is jarring. If he wanted to murder all of his political opponents and then pardon everyone involved afterwards nothing legally can stop him. The only remedy the Constitution offers is impeachment.

[alfred russel]

But he can only pardon for federal crimes. So if the death squads kill someone in violation of state law, which seems rather likely, they can stay out of federal prison but they are looking at time in a state pen.

[DGuller]

But he can only pardon for federal crimes. So if the death squads kill someone in violation of state law, which seems rather likely, they can stay out of federal prison but they are looking at time in a state pen.

Make the state governor pardon those involved as well.  I'm sure he or someone in his line of succession will be amenable.

[alfred russel]

Say we are in a situation that the president is sending out death squads protected by presidential pardons, the governors support the death squads through pardons of their own, and congress declines to see the sending of death squads as an impeachable offense.

I don't think that is a design flaw of our system of checks and balances. In a democracy if all the elected bodies support death squads, we are going to get death squads.