# A Perfectly Reasonable Amount of Schadenfreude about Things Happening to Trump & His Enablers (Part 1)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [November 14, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537 "2020-11-14T00:09:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 375

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**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7487 "2022-11-07T13:18:21Z")

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> [@enipla](#):
>
> We can build more prisons.

Though it would be karmic justice if the right-wing attitude toward prisons (eh, if they didn’t want to be packed in like sardines in dreadful conditions, they shouldn’t have committed the crime) were followed in this case…

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**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7488 "2022-11-07T13:18:46Z")

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More likely, we do both.

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**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7489 "2022-11-07T14:32:57Z")

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Well, see, it’s okay for _them_ to be packed in like sardines, but not _us_.

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**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7490 "2022-11-07T15:15:11Z")

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> [@Steve\_MB](#):
>
> Though it would be karmic justice if the right-wing attitude toward prisons (eh, if they didn’t want to be packed in like sardines in dreadful conditions, they shouldn’t have committed the crime) were followed in this case…

We’ve had that, either upthread, or in one of the adjacent 1/6 threads -

> **[Accused January 6 Rioters Complain About Conditions in DC Jail - Washingtonian](https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/08/12/accused-january-6-rioters-complain-about-conditions-in-dc-jail/)**
>
> Dozens of defendants from the January 6 riot at the US Capitol are detained in DC, NBC 4 reported in June. And some of them have filed complaints about their surroundings. They're hardly the first people to have issues with with the DC Jail, a...

Although from what I’ve read the DC jail isn’t a stellar example of a prison is supposed to be, even on the books. Still…

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**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7491 "2022-11-07T15:18:31Z")

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> [@ParallelLines](#):
>
> Although from what I’ve read the DC jail isn’t a stellar example of a prison is supposed to be, even on the books.

Are _any_ prisons what they’re supposed to be? Seems like every one of them is woefully inadequate in terms of conditions and oversight.

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**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7492 "2022-11-07T15:19:44Z")

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Absolutely correct @Gyrate (when we’re speaking of American prisons) - just that even by _those_ standards, DC is reputed to be subpar.

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**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7493 "2022-11-07T17:39:51Z")

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But they didn’t give a shit until THEY were in there.

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**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7494 "2022-11-07T17:43:22Z")

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Yup, and thus the schadenfreude.

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**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7495 "2022-11-07T18:07:25Z")

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> [@Mollie\_Magill](#):
>
> Well, see, it’s okay for _them_ to be packed in like sardines, but not _us_.

It’s the ol’ _Bound but not Protected_ vs. _Protected but not Bound_ dichotomy again.

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**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7496 "2022-11-07T18:11:45Z")

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If you feel sorry for Garland now, wait until the GOP takes over the House in January. He will be impeached whether TFG is indicted or not. So will Biden. Quite possibly the first vote in the new House.

I also hope Garland and all of his family have solid protection around the clock. If an indictment comes down there will be attempts on his life and violence directed at his family for certain.

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**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7497 "2022-11-07T18:53:21Z")

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To be fair:

1. Garland has one of the largest legal firms in the nation at his disposal, to protect himself from Congressional inquiries.
2. Depending on what all acts McCarthy might have committed with Trump, to fight the results of the election, the general direction of angst might quickly turn from Garland worrying about McCarthy to McCarthy worrying about Garland.

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**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7498 "2022-11-07T18:57:41Z")

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Right wing dipshits and True The Vote leaders Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips have been jailed for contempt of court for “refusing” (i/e not admitting they actually can’t) to turn over evidence that they “hacked” a voting machine and found evidence of fraud.

True the Vote are an election conspiracy group that helped produce “2,000 Mules” which, much to my surprise wasn’t about the number of members of the group with their heads firmly placed up their asses, but rather a fake documentary about election fraud.

They are being sued by Konnech, an election logistics software company, for defamation, libel, and slander. The judge ordered the group to provide evidence of their claims that Konnech was involved in election fraud and that the group hacked them and found evidence of said fraud.

[Cite](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/01/politics/true-the-vote-leaders-jail-contempt-of-court/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1h-hlXSEFQezEdqRDIUIm9khB48-kW5NY8eRJf-NCKXgc__MOeDJmz1PE)

I’m sure it’s just a few hours/days kind of wake up call, but damn it does my heart good to see these fuckers locked up.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7499 "2022-11-07T19:03:27Z")

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> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> As always: I hope your faith will be rewarded. That will be a reward for all of us, and for the rule of law–and I’ll be thrilled to apologize for doubting Garland should it occur.

Seconded. I’ve been underwhelmed by the Garland and the DOJ since he took office, at least as regards to Trump, and hope once the midterms are behind us that they come down on Trump like a ton of bricks.

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**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7500 "2022-11-07T19:06:07Z")

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> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> Well, the right\* is definitely promising Stuff will happen the moment Trump is indicted.
> 
> That cannot stay Garland’s hand, though. It cannot.
> 
> \* (Lindsey Graham among others.)

I say “Bring it on!” What are they gonna do, storm Mar-A-Largo to protect Trump? I’d actually pay money to see that.

Yes, a US President has never been indicted. So what? There just haven’t been that many of them, most of them were law abiding citizens and those that weren’t were amenable to negotiation.

High level US politicians and ex-politicians have been indicted, ex-Presidents from other liberal democracies have been indicted in their countries. There is plenty of precedent.

It looks like Brazil is going to get a peaceful transfer of power, and I believe this is, in large part, because Bolsanaro knew that if he tried unsuccessfully to pull off a coup he would face severe and swift consequences, whereas in the US the people we have entrusted with administering justice are scared of the former leader and his followers. This puts the US firmly into banana republic territory, way ahead of Brazil. That’s truly depressing.

And it’s not just the failure to hold Trump accountable that pisses me off, it’s the failure to hold ANYONE except the foot soldiers accountable for the coup attempt. If we were a functioning liberal democracy, Clark and Eastman and Meadows would be facing charges for their role in the plot.

And I do believe that jury will convict him, and I think the fear that Trump supporters on the jury will exonerate him is unfounded, especially if the trial is held in DC. I believe that the jury made the right call in every Trump related case that came to trial, when his Russia cronies were on trial not one juror tried to hang the jury, and the same for the cases Durham bought to trial.

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**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7501 "2022-11-07T19:54:43Z")

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> [@Hamlet](#):
>
> They are being sued by Konnech, an election logistics software company, for defamation, libel, and slander.

Speaking of lawsuits, I was thinking just this morning about having not heard anything for a while about the Dominion suits. How are they coming along?

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**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7502 "2022-11-07T22:49:39Z")

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> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#):
>
> … It looks like Brazil is going to get a peaceful transfer of power, and I believe this is, in large part, because Bolsanaro knew that if he tried unsuccessfully to pull off a coup he would face severe and swift consequences, whereas in the US the people we have entrusted with administering justice are scared of the former leader and his followers. This puts the US firmly into banana republic territory, way ahead of Brazil. That’s truly depressing.

It is.

And I hope that anyone at DOJ who is promoting the idea ‘we can’t indict a President because the populace won’t stand for it’ is looking at that situation and drawing some lessons from it.

> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#):
>
> And it’s not just the failure to hold Trump accountable that pisses me off, it’s the failure to hold ANYONE except the foot soldiers accountable for the coup attempt. If we were a functioning liberal democracy, Clark and Eastman and Meadows would be facing charges for their role in the plot. …

Months ago (or years?) I posted something like ‘Merrick Garland has given his personal assurance to each and every Republican office-holder or appointee, past or present, that his DOJ will not touch one hair on any of their heads.’

It was sardonic even then–I didn’t literally think that Garland had contacted Trump, Meadows, Clark, et al.

But the passing months have not changed my view that Garland, at some point, made a private decision that he’d move forward with window-dressing that made it _look_ as though GOP office-holders-and-appointees might be indicted—but that the actual indictments would never happen. All due to high-minded nobility about ‘making sure the DOJ stays non-partisan,’ of course.

I remain of the opinion that Garland is NOT corrupt and NOT a committed Republican who avoids pursuing office-holders-and-appointees due to party loyalty–but that he’s talked himself into a firm belief that going after only the militia guys (plus a few sops to the concerned such as getting Jeffrey Clark out of bed in his underwear) is the Noble and Correct Course.

We shall see. After tomorrow there will no longer be an excuse–whether that excuse was ever good or not–for refraining from indictments. So we shall see.

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7503 "2022-11-08T13:23:15Z")

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> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> All due to high-minded nobility about ‘making sure the DOJ stays non-partisan,’ of course.

I’m glad that I don’t have to decide between keeping the rep of the DOJ intact (which is very important) and getting ready to charge Trump. And of course no matter what he chooses the DOJ is going to be called “partisan.” It’s a no-win for him in that regard.

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**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7504 "2022-11-08T14:21:00Z")

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> [@DesertDog](#):
>
> > [@Hamlet](#):
> >
> > They are being sued by Konnech, an election logistics software company, for defamation, libel, and slander.
> 
> Speaking of lawsuits, I was thinking just this morning about having not heard anything for a while about the Dominion suits. How are they coming along?

Most of the lawsuits have survived the preliminary motions to dismiss and are currently in the discovery phase (parties have to share information with opponents). [Heres a very quick update](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/11/08/court-lets-lawsuit-against-oann-move-forward-heres-where-dominion-and-smartmatics-defamation-suits-stand-now/amp/)

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**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7505 "2022-11-08T15:17:02Z")

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> [@Hamlet](#):
>
> are currently in the discovery phase

Currently in the “Trump hiding documents and refusing to disclose phase”

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**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/7506 "2022-11-08T16:13:29Z")

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> [@Sage\_Rat](#):
>
> To be fair:
> 
> 1. Garland has one of the largest legal firms in the nation at his disposal, to protect himself from Congressional inquiries…

If your suggesting the DOJ would handle the defense for an AG who has been impeached I don’t think that’s how that would work. Clinton and Trump both had to get outside counsel to defend them at their Senate trial. I assume a cabinet officer would have to do the same.

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