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Craig Tonjes's avatar

A drug running boat, filled with drugs to be smuggled here, when destroyed at sea by whatever means, even rockets from drones, will leave a debris field, as well as bodies to be found on the surface. If indeed these were drug smugglers and not fishermen, why are we not shown bales, or boxes of drugs retrieved from the scene? Having seen Trump and Hegseth in action, it is clear they are doing these assaults in compensation for other personal inadequacies. Their macho posturing must be protected. Showing them committing murder on the high seas is fine (for MAGA), as long as the facts remain blurry. With debris evidence, that stands to show them murderers, with NO justification for their acts. They could hold up boxes, or display on a table an array of smugglers tools and cargo. But they haven't. And why might that be? Because they have none.

Until the press (mainstream or otherwise) start asking where is the evidence? They will continue with their orgasmic assault on small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, until pressed to present at the very least, evidence that the cargos contain what was claimed. It will never be able to justify high seas murder. And this is a perfect case to be taken on at the Hague, where Roberts and his flunky SCOTUS majority have no capacity to protect tRump! Make him an even bigger international pariah. Make him unwelcome outside our borders, with a threat of arrest wherever he might travel in the free world.

Come on, Press, you can do better.

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Connie Larsen's avatar

Helpbbb

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ERNEST HOLBURT's avatar

When one elects a criminal, don’t be shocked that there is a crime wave.

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Peter Brownlee's avatar

A lifetime of criminal conduct, abysmal ignorance, mendacity, and bizarre incompetence is moving towards its close. Please keep hammering the EpsteinEpsteinEpstein Ballroom, the oceans of money laundering, and all the rest of the Faginesque financial finagling.

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Stephen Miller's avatar

For Trump the law is not a speed bump. It's a red light that he ignores. We have a reckless driver in the White House and Republicans are silent.

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Kevin Brown's avatar

All of us receive information from others. That is how we know most things, whether we see it, hear it, or read it. Who one trusts to give them true information seems to be very tough for a significant proportion of the country that believes the right-wing propaganda over the obvious truth. It is especially tough for Trump, it seems, as he only believes those who suck up to him and disbelieves everyone else. That is obviously problematic. It is also especially dangerous for the country to allow a person like that to be any higher on the social ladder than a dishwasher (I apologize for the implied negative connotations against dishwashers in general).

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J. Andres Hannah-Suarez's avatar

Not to be pedantic but a "Banana Republic" typically refers to a small nation with a resource-based economy usually centred around a single resource (e.g. bananas), that is dominated by foreign corporations to such an extent that the corporations have significant influence over the government.

It is not a catch-all phrase for corrupt governments.

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ERNEST HOLBURT's avatar

The US is a Dollar Republic; he with the most dollars can buy the president.

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Merrill's avatar

It's quite remarkable on Treasury secretary can find $40 billion to protect his financial friends' investments in Venezuela but he can't find $4 billion to feed America's poorest citizens.

It's the Trump standard for American kindness and "Christian" charity.

We should take Trump's tweet about tariffs to mean, if SCOTUS rules against his tariff powers, Trump will be a, weak 2 bit dictator (of a free market country).

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Leros's avatar
Nov 3Edited

In 2020, Trump was intimately involved in the phony state electors plots to steal the election from Biden by having Pence throw the Electoral College certification vote back to the states. After that it was clear Trump was not going to be bound by the rule of law. Everything that has come since the 2024 election was entirely predictable and obvious, whether those who claim "I didn't vote for this" to assuage their guilt admit it or not.

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rlritt's avatar

Trump knows nothing about pardoning a crypto currency dealer laundering money being convicted for the crime and then being pardoned by him. I believe him, which means he is either senile or there are people who have no business wielding govt power behind Trump's back.

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Connie Larsen's avatar

Auto-pen, by, nazi miller, or russell vought, steven cheung, or any of the other treasonous, corrupt, lieing, greedy, grifting po💩!

And you know, trump did not sign 1500 j6 pardons. And he doesn’t know the crypto creep he just pardoned! WTF!

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Connie Larsen's avatar

And comer n bimbo are investigating President Biden’s pardons??? WTF!!!🤬 🤬🤬🤬🤬

202 225 3121 or 202 224 3121

Call any trump ass kissing senator or house member! Just WTF are they doing kissing his ass????

Spread the numbers to others!!!

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E. A. Bare's avatar

trump has never cared whether or not his appointees break the law, he only cares when they get caught which is often because they are incompetent.

"Dr. George Tidmarsh, who was named to the FDA post in July, was placed on leave Friday after officials in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel were notified of the issues, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said in an email. Tidmarsh then resigned Sunday morning.

“Secretary Kennedy expects the highest ethical standards from all individuals serving under his leadership and remains committed to full transparency,” Hilliard said."

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Ken Bertrand's avatar

Putting it simply, Felon Trump is a thug. Period. And, now he is no different than "cowboys" who lynched "suspected" rustlers or KKK hooded crooks who hanged African Americans. The criticism of Venezuela is less drugs and more.........a continued war against "brown" people. He is a murderer. Period.

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bitchybitchybitchy's avatar

Gee. Last year Dear Leader threw a tantrum when 60 Minutes aired an edited interview of Kamala Harris.

Now, according to The Guardian 60 Minutes "heavily edited" the O'Donnell interview of Dear Leader.

Of course he praised Weiss. Bari Weiss is MAGA 's pet conservative lesbian, who hates all the same people as her masters, the Ellisons, hate.

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Marcus's avatar

The President of the USA is a criminal. That is a simple fact. He and his family (especially his benefactor and father, Fred) have been criminals and involved in criminal activities since I was introduced to them in 1980. When I use the term 'criminal', I mean they broke the law in every aspect of their lives. None of them has ever gone to jail, yet; moreover, that is the only reason that "3-card Monty Donny" ran for President again in 2024.

So here we are at the start of another week, and everybody is writing and writing about his crimes, pardons, lies, insanity, and this or that about what a horrible human being he is. Yes, it's all true, but without value because he is President for one and only one reason: to stay out of jail. And now I refer you back to the first sentence, and inform you that he will commit daily crimes of fraud, enrichment, extortion, and bribery because he is a criminal.

He will do this until he is stopped.

Will the founders and writers of The Bulwark and all of the former Republicans on this site actually do something other than write strongly worded letters and responses to stop this criminal?

I actively work with Progressives as we take community actions to stop the Criminal Presidency, and I hope you and all of the former Republicans writing and supporting this site find the resolve to confront what remains of the crumbling Republicans to stop the insane criminal President they have embraced.

There is nothing more to discuss-he is an insane, cruel man who only understands the criminal mind. He and his supporters need to be confronted daily. Btw, if you are afraid of violence, you need to remember that the US military is the military of the people. Don't let the BS from Trump's bastards confuse you into believing that it is "his" military. It is not. It is our military.

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john@johnmdowd.com's avatar

You mean President Yo-yo?

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Robert J Danolfo's avatar

Bill, Andrew and Jim, Excellent piece. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a terrific classic movie that is also about greed. Bogart gets paranoid and all he can think about is the gold. As you say, it doesn't end well for him. It is a cautionary tale for Trump that will be ignored. The combination of greed and lawlessness of Trump will not go well either, despite his braggadocio.

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Carol S.'s avatar

He's gotten away with an awful lot so far.

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