The Democrats solemnly intone no one is above the law in response to the Trump indictment
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Pelosi’s hardly the only one saying it, but she’s one of the most obvious:
The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law.
No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence.
Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 31, 2023
Before I get to the statement about no one being above the law, I want to point out the obvious fact that Pelosi is either ignorant of the most basic foundation of American criminal law, or purposely ignoring it, which is that no criminal defendant in the US is ever required to prove innocence. That a former Speaker would make a statement like hers is just another indication – not that we needed one – of the decline of this great country. Here’s some of the criticism of that aspect of Pelosi’s tweet – by Republicans, so it’s a sort of “Republicans Pounce” article.
But “no one is above the law” is different. It’s a mantra that seems to conform to our system of law, and to be non-controversial. But actually, presidents are ordinarily not eligible for criminal prosecution while in office, which makes them at least temporarily above the law. And prosecutorial discretion means that, while no one is forever “above the law” de jure (not even a president), plenty of people are de facto above the law. We’ve certainly seen that to be the case in terms of the politically favored, but it’s true even for ordinary people. In other words, prosecutors have tremendous power to make decisions about whom to prosecute and when, and they fail to go after some people who appear to be breaking the law while doggedly pursuing the conviction of others who seem to have broken the very same law.
It’s hard to think of a system where that would not be true. After all, there are so many laws that can be violated that there is no way on earth to try every possible perpetrator. Prosecutors must pick and choose, and at the moment we rely on them to be fair and objective in their choices. Obviously that is often not the case, and it most definitely is not the case here. In fact, Trump’s eventual trial lawyers could ask that the case be dismissed as a selective prosecution or selective enforcement:
His lawyers will argue that simple document-misrepresentation cases are usually handled without bringing a criminal prosecution (usually as a civil matter), and that “bootstrapping” a misrepresentation as an election-law felony has never before even been tried, much less approved.
However, we still don’t know the exact charges; we are merely assuming this is about the Stormy Daniels payments and campaign finances. But the selective prosecution claim would probably apply to all of the charges against Trump that have been discussed lately.
Selective prosecution is the opposite of being above the law. But we are used to these Orwellian statements by the left.
Pelosi is a woman bereft of skills other than navigating the politics of her caucus. It’s indicative of how ruined our political order is that she has had such a prominent place within it for 20 years.
Democrats can’t be that dumb to no see the irony in this. Can they?
… to prove innocence.
Neo rarely disappoints. Exactly correct. And Pelosi was Speaker of the House with this knowledge base?? Has she never watched a courtroom drama?
I believe these sorts of utterances have nothing to do with knowledge, rather they are intended to be manipulative nonsense. Persuasive to the half-wits populating our country, as well as some full-wits who are mostly inattentive.
They are hypocrites and liars.
They’re lying when they say that no one is above the law. Bill Clinton was “above the law.” Hillary was “above the law.” Al Gore was “above the law.” Hunter Biden appears to be “above the law.” So does Joe. The illegal protesters in front of SC Justices houses are “above the law.” All of the people who participated in riots during the summer of Floyd are “above the law.” All of the people who occupied the Wisconsin capitol in 2012 were “above the law.” I’ll bet the rioters at the KY and TN capitols this week will also end up being “above the law.”
So yes, they’re hypocrites and liars. And hypocrisy is one of the few vices that is actually a sin in the progressive worldview, so we should be shouting that from the rooftops.
Pelosi is vastly corrupt and monumentally ignorant (but, apparently, skilled at stock-picking). Although the exact charges (34-count indictment!) are still unknown, what is clear, beyond all doubt, is that the process has been utterly disgraceful, with new information (and a deleted account on Twitter) strongly suggesting that the grey eminence behind the aptly-named Fat Alvin is Meg Reiss, a far-left radical activist.
It’s doubtful Pelosi writes her own tweets. It’s more likely they’re the writings of a 20 something year old staffer who is either a militant feminist or a gay activist.
As a member of Congress, and former Speaker, she should be ejected from the House for that tweet. Or her media manager should be fired, depending on the authorship.
Is anyone who visits this site a lawyer, or a law expert?
What does the N.Y. law say? What is the New York State punishment for making an improper record?
Is it a $50 fine?
Is it 30 days in jail?
Please tell me if you can find the answer to that question.
Thanks, I’d appreciate it.
If Trump has to stand trial in NYC, it’s a slam dunk he will be found guilty of everything and anything, even if he has not committed any crimes.
The DA there in NYC can easily find a jury or judge that has a white-hot hatred of Trump.
VDH: “For the radical Left, ideology exempts its political violence. The result for everyone else is an open-season and the end of deterrence – and frightening days ahead.”
https://jewishworldreview.com/0323/hanson033123.php3
The Rubicon has been crossed. Frightening days indeed.
Pelosi is vastly corrupt and monumentally ignorant (but, apparently, skilled at stock-picking).
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Her husband picks the stocks, or confers with the CFA who does.
What does the N.Y. law say? What is the New York State punishment for making an improper record?
==
The charges are all time-barred. If they get an honest judge, this thing is tossed out.
If no one is above the law, then I look forward to Hillary sitting in the same prison cell that once confined Jeffrey Epstein. She is certainly open to prosecution as there is no statute of limitations for mishandling classified data, and her case never went to trial. And that’s before we get into her failure to properly report campaign finances in NY, which I’m sure Trump’s lawyers will mention in their motion to dismiss.
Isn’t the second half of her statement, that “the former president will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right” an abomination as well?
Aside from the “don’t say his name” pettiness, there’s the insinuation that Trump’s inclination is to violence, so he has to be shamed into behaving “peacefully.”
But mostly egregiously, the “system” doesn’t “grant” our rights, it respects them. We would still have the rights (in theory) whatever the system.
[Nanzi’s] husband picks the stocks, or confers with the CFA who does.
Is Paul P. well enough now to pick stocks, or is he spending quality time with John Fetterman (who won’t leave Walter Reed until mid-April)?
https://nypost.com/2023/03/30/john-fetterman-expected-back-to-work-in-mid-april/
Presidents, Congressmen, and judges are explicitly above the law. That’s why they have to be impeached or expelled from Congress. One example of their privilege:
The Senators and Representatives…shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony, and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same…
Otherwise the President could have all the Congressmen who won’t vote his way arrested before the vote happens.
US Attorney EDNY — “The verdict is in: Douglass Mackey has been found guilty.”
More DOJ disgrace. Appalling, vile prosecution.
https://mobile.twitter.com/ColumbiaBugle/status/1641913025665064960?cxt=HHwWgIDT7dLMn8ktAAAA
https://www.revolver.news/2023/03/gulag-america-biden-doj-convicts-doug-mackey-for-anti-hillary-memes-faces-up-to-10-years-in-prison/
yes we will all sleep soundly, that a meme artist has been jailed, sarc,
I’m a little surprised that more haven’t commented on the interior fallacy of the second statement “Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.”
..and I don’t mean the ‘peacefully’ part. The ‘system’, as Pelosi puts it, does not grant Trump any rights. Trump’s rights are like any other citizen, granted from our Creator. Pelosi is implying that rights derive from the system – and her unfinished thought is that rights that are thus bestowed, may be rescinded.
But the ‘system’ is powerless to do anything other than observe and respect Trump’s rights, and has been tying itself into knots trying to circumnavigate this fact – notably, by finding the nation’s most antipathetic venue within which to nurture charges.
Side note, if celebrities and politicians are having aides write their Tweets, then shouldn’t Elon have a different scheme for issuing blue check marks? After all, Twitter subscribers are paying to read the wisdom of real and famous people, not some poor schlub staffer.
I think he needs to start levying fines for Tweeters that are unverified.
Trump’s real crime was winning an election when he wasn’t supposed to (and threatening to win another), but we’ll hear about porn star hush money from now until election day, and it won’t do him any good.
What Pelosi or her staffer said is what our representatives actually believe when it comes to their enemies, but most of them are lawyers, so they’ve learned not to say it out loud.
I’ve said it and said it, but will say again the objective of the Democratic Party powers-that-be is to transform the USA into the United Socialist States of America ( The USSA), run by Democratic elites forever. Rather like Stalin or Xi. The NBA players can see this, so they’re cozing up to the CCP. If these dribble-and-shoot guys can see this why cannot a huge majority of Americans?
They “solemnly intone” today. Not long ago they solemnly marched articles of impeachment from the House to the Senate. We might’ve taken them seriously – then and even now – if not for the slap-slap-slapping of their clown shoes across the Capitol’s marble floors.
Accustomed to and gradually bored by repetition of laughable pomposity, we look up at clouds floating across the sky. There we see simple beauty and dignity, still hearing in mirthful memory the slap-slap-slapping of those clown shoes…
You’ve got him this time, don’t you? This time for sure!
Scott Adams says anyone who says “no one is above the law” is an asshole. I have to agree.
you look at scam bankman fraud, he defrauded millions, he gets to stay at home,
on some fraudulent banking scheme, or credit suisse, they paid a fine in 2014, or hsbc, judge gleeson was their guardian angel, or deutsche bank, about to collapse again, or banamex vouched for by robert mueller, or john corzine, you tend to be cynical about such things,
NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW — except, those chosen by our Fascist Overlords to collectively defend them from being booted and trampled by justly enraged mobs, just as our Founder’s were.
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I don’t see voting our way out of this. Someone smarter and much more ruthless than I may have some ideas. Maybe Colonel Schlichter.