I've been hoping Dr. David Martin would weigh in on the Fauci pardon, as he's been a determined advocate of bringing Fauci to justice. He gave an excellent interview yesterday on Emerald Robinson's podcast, The Absolute Truth. https://www.emerald.tv/p/the-absolute-truth-january-21-2025.
In all candor, I never expected that the Biden crime cartel and their accomplices and family would go to prison. We don't imprison our political opponents and we generally take the high road. However, we should pull out all the stops and expose this corruption, including "show trials'. The depth and extent of their corruption MUST be exposed for all of America to see. There are still high IQ people in denial.
The tremendous waste and squandering of American resources and devastation these corruptocrats leveled against America has been grossly understated and obscured.
I agree with Turley.
"The pardons, if anything, make such an investigation even more compelling for those who want answers to longstanding questions of corruption.
Biden sealed his legacy with a finality that escapes most presidents. While his diminished mental capacity will remain an issue for historians, his longstanding lack of ethics was conclusively established with these pardons. It was Biden’s final act of corruption."
Acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt, most criminal convictions are a result of plea agreements, entered into under extreme duress upon the accused. Preemptive pardons seem very sketchy to my simple mind. Think about it, a President with a stroke of his pen can render someone guilty of an unnamed, uncharged offense, and at the same moment erase any criminal responsibility . . . facially ridiculous! Presidents are divine and godlike ???
A finding of guilt is a judicial act of a judge and/or jury, the executive prosecutes and punishes crimes, preemptive pardons are a blatant usurpation of power.
We'll still have to see how this works out. Rhetoric is cheap--remember, he said the Ukraine war would never have happened on his watch? In fact he contributed mightily to the pressure on Russia. The only way it wouldn't have happened would have been to have backed down from policies in place while he was in place. So, easy to say now. He will have to back down big time to get peace. He can blame anyone he wants and that's fine with me.
Re Gaza, again, the rhetoric may be for domestic consumption--the genocide base is largely within his own base--evangelicals. So he could be treading carefully, having exerted max pressure--on Netanyahu--already. Any resumption of war is now on Trump. Any ethnic cleansing is now on Trump.
Well put, Mark and I think you are correct, for domestic consumption and specifically his Christian Zionist backers. I recently read an article over at Epoch News regarding Netanyahoo's resistance to the cease fire. The comments on the article (well over 550) we largely all the same i.e. hatred for Islam and Hamas, and overwhelming support for Israel and Netanyahoo. It was disgusting. My point......there is a very large base of Zionists who unconditionally/reflexively support Israel and totally ignorant about what has been happening. Not much thought to the comments and very uninformed. This would be the type of base Trump is pandering too. However, the over 60 crowd (maybe even over 65) are likely to be just as ardent in their support. I have had many conversations with fellow parishioners and other friends of that vintage who think I'm nuts. Last year, we had a Jewish guy attend Sunday liturgy and he was decked out in full IDF regalia, it was beyond creepy and he smirked all through Liturgy before a quick exit. Not long after, on another Sunday, just before the holidays while in the fellowship hall for coffee hour a guy plunked himself down at a table I was sitting at and told us he was Ukrainian and was moaning about the terrible Russians. His looks and accent gave him away. What I couldn't understand what the purpose was other than perhaps gaslighting and intimidation. After all the Ukrainian Orthodox Church having been shut down by Zelensky is a coreligionist to our Greek version. This is a weird time and I hope Trump does not follow Zhou's funding for more was in either location.
Good illustration of complications. BTW, there was a Dem idea of having Zhou offer Trump a pardon--because acceptance is admission of guilt.
I agree that prosecutors can still pursue. My guess--but I don't know for sure--is that a defendant would need to assert your pardon before an actual trial. The reason being that the NG plea for trial purposes would amount to perjury, having come AFTER the pardon was granted. If you try to play the pardon card that you received BEFORE the trial but AFTER conviction, you're definitely admitting guilt--**but also admitting perjury during the trial that came AFTER the pardon, and thus would not be covered by the pardon.** Tricky, but it's hard to imagine a court allowing a defendant to have their cake and conceivably also eat it.
OTOH, it's true that someone who truly believes in the righteousness of their actions in the past may prefer to risk conviction rather than assert a pardon. Remember--there's nothing "implicit" about the pardon. It is a direct admission of guilt if accepted, as DoJ admonished the J6 people. As you say, for the J6ers there probably isn't a downside to the pardons. However, for public figures there most definitely is or could be.
If I read your previous post correctly, acceptance of a pardon expressly implies an admission of guilt for crimes committed. So I guess Biden still thinks that just because he says it, that makes it true and the law of the land. As Turley said, Biden may have been too clever by half and it couldn’t happen to a more deserving individual.
I know that it’s not a virtue to gloat over the misfortune of others, but after what has happened over the last 8 years, and particularly the last 4, I have to admit to a certain emotional satisfaction anticipating this whole grotty little scheme blowing up in all of these “unfairly persecuted” individuals collective faces!!
Barack Obama:”Never underestimate Joe’s ability to f**k things up!” BINGO
To be precise, accepting a pardon doesn't "imply" guilt. Admission of guilt is required for a pardon. You cannot say, I accept the pardon but I didn't do it. Zhou can say anything he wants, but it doesn't change the law.
Actually makes it even more satisfying from my perspective.
Biden’s handlers keep trying to bend and manipulate the laws to make it say what they want it to say and now they will find out that the Supreme Court already decided against them, in 1915!
Mark just for once you have me confused ! Are you saying that the Biden crime family are "guilty by association" OR , that the senile one has bowed to the advice of his surrounding minions in issuing pardons that have no basis in law ?
I'm not actually saying either. POTUS can issue pardons, but the recipient is admitting guilt by accepting the pardon. The POTUS can SAY the recipient isn't admitting guilt, but the POTUS' statement is irrelevant and can't change the nature of a pardon. The SCOTUS says that by its nature acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt, and that's all that matters. The POTUS doesn't make the law.
I've been hoping Dr. David Martin would weigh in on the Fauci pardon, as he's been a determined advocate of bringing Fauci to justice. He gave an excellent interview yesterday on Emerald Robinson's podcast, The Absolute Truth. https://www.emerald.tv/p/the-absolute-truth-january-21-2025.
In all candor, I never expected that the Biden crime cartel and their accomplices and family would go to prison. We don't imprison our political opponents and we generally take the high road. However, we should pull out all the stops and expose this corruption, including "show trials'. The depth and extent of their corruption MUST be exposed for all of America to see. There are still high IQ people in denial.
The tremendous waste and squandering of American resources and devastation these corruptocrats leveled against America has been grossly understated and obscured.
I agree with Turley.
"The pardons, if anything, make such an investigation even more compelling for those who want answers to longstanding questions of corruption.
Biden sealed his legacy with a finality that escapes most presidents. While his diminished mental capacity will remain an issue for historians, his longstanding lack of ethics was conclusively established with these pardons. It was Biden’s final act of corruption."
Acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt, most criminal convictions are a result of plea agreements, entered into under extreme duress upon the accused. Preemptive pardons seem very sketchy to my simple mind. Think about it, a President with a stroke of his pen can render someone guilty of an unnamed, uncharged offense, and at the same moment erase any criminal responsibility . . . facially ridiculous! Presidents are divine and godlike ???
A finding of guilt is a judicial act of a judge and/or jury, the executive prosecutes and punishes crimes, preemptive pardons are a blatant usurpation of power.
Tex, you didn’t get the memo, Joe Biden was divine and godlike?
If you need corroboration check with Rachel Maddow.
This last few years have been a nightmare and I for one am glad to see them gone.
If you want to meet someone who is godlike on Earth, look no further than an E-9 who is a month from retiring !!!
You knew “Mad Dog” Galavotti from Ft. Bragg? LOL
It’ll never be Ft. Liberty to me!
Very disturbing on its face. But ...
We'll still have to see how this works out. Rhetoric is cheap--remember, he said the Ukraine war would never have happened on his watch? In fact he contributed mightily to the pressure on Russia. The only way it wouldn't have happened would have been to have backed down from policies in place while he was in place. So, easy to say now. He will have to back down big time to get peace. He can blame anyone he wants and that's fine with me.
Re Gaza, again, the rhetoric may be for domestic consumption--the genocide base is largely within his own base--evangelicals. So he could be treading carefully, having exerted max pressure--on Netanyahu--already. Any resumption of war is now on Trump. Any ethnic cleansing is now on Trump.
Well put, Mark and I think you are correct, for domestic consumption and specifically his Christian Zionist backers. I recently read an article over at Epoch News regarding Netanyahoo's resistance to the cease fire. The comments on the article (well over 550) we largely all the same i.e. hatred for Islam and Hamas, and overwhelming support for Israel and Netanyahoo. It was disgusting. My point......there is a very large base of Zionists who unconditionally/reflexively support Israel and totally ignorant about what has been happening. Not much thought to the comments and very uninformed. This would be the type of base Trump is pandering too. However, the over 60 crowd (maybe even over 65) are likely to be just as ardent in their support. I have had many conversations with fellow parishioners and other friends of that vintage who think I'm nuts. Last year, we had a Jewish guy attend Sunday liturgy and he was decked out in full IDF regalia, it was beyond creepy and he smirked all through Liturgy before a quick exit. Not long after, on another Sunday, just before the holidays while in the fellowship hall for coffee hour a guy plunked himself down at a table I was sitting at and told us he was Ukrainian and was moaning about the terrible Russians. His looks and accent gave him away. What I couldn't understand what the purpose was other than perhaps gaslighting and intimidation. After all the Ukrainian Orthodox Church having been shut down by Zelensky is a coreligionist to our Greek version. This is a weird time and I hope Trump does not follow Zhou's funding for more was in either location.
Good illustration of complications. BTW, there was a Dem idea of having Zhou offer Trump a pardon--because acceptance is admission of guilt.
I agree that prosecutors can still pursue. My guess--but I don't know for sure--is that a defendant would need to assert your pardon before an actual trial. The reason being that the NG plea for trial purposes would amount to perjury, having come AFTER the pardon was granted. If you try to play the pardon card that you received BEFORE the trial but AFTER conviction, you're definitely admitting guilt--**but also admitting perjury during the trial that came AFTER the pardon, and thus would not be covered by the pardon.** Tricky, but it's hard to imagine a court allowing a defendant to have their cake and conceivably also eat it.
OTOH, it's true that someone who truly believes in the righteousness of their actions in the past may prefer to risk conviction rather than assert a pardon. Remember--there's nothing "implicit" about the pardon. It is a direct admission of guilt if accepted, as DoJ admonished the J6 people. As you say, for the J6ers there probably isn't a downside to the pardons. However, for public figures there most definitely is or could be.
I think the answer is, No.
If I read your previous post correctly, acceptance of a pardon expressly implies an admission of guilt for crimes committed. So I guess Biden still thinks that just because he says it, that makes it true and the law of the land. As Turley said, Biden may have been too clever by half and it couldn’t happen to a more deserving individual.
I know that it’s not a virtue to gloat over the misfortune of others, but after what has happened over the last 8 years, and particularly the last 4, I have to admit to a certain emotional satisfaction anticipating this whole grotty little scheme blowing up in all of these “unfairly persecuted” individuals collective faces!!
Barack Obama:”Never underestimate Joe’s ability to f**k things up!” BINGO
To be precise, accepting a pardon doesn't "imply" guilt. Admission of guilt is required for a pardon. You cannot say, I accept the pardon but I didn't do it. Zhou can say anything he wants, but it doesn't change the law.
I stand corrected, thanks.
Actually makes it even more satisfying from my perspective.
Biden’s handlers keep trying to bend and manipulate the laws to make it say what they want it to say and now they will find out that the Supreme Court already decided against them, in 1915!
How delightful.
Thanks again for the clarification, Mark.
Mark just for once you have me confused ! Are you saying that the Biden crime family are "guilty by association" OR , that the senile one has bowed to the advice of his surrounding minions in issuing pardons that have no basis in law ?
I'm not actually saying either. POTUS can issue pardons, but the recipient is admitting guilt by accepting the pardon. The POTUS can SAY the recipient isn't admitting guilt, but the POTUS' statement is irrelevant and can't change the nature of a pardon. The SCOTUS says that by its nature acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt, and that's all that matters. The POTUS doesn't make the law.
Looks like he may have gotten more than is customary ten percent.