His plea mentioned his full cooperation and acceptance of his guilt.
His sentencing memo argued “I only confessed because the FBI cheated”.
Both of those things cannot be true. If he was truly guilty & sorry as he originally plead, then he lied when they later filed the sentencing memo and cast doubt on the case. If he was cheated by the FBI, then he lied when he originally plead guilty.
His swearing in at the plea was to attest to his truthfulness in giving his plea, a swear which apparently traditionally includes the sentencing. However, after his plea he then argued that the plea was possibly extorted from him. Since he made two contradictory claims while under the original swearing in, the Judge decided to re-swear him in today so to make sure Flynn understood that he was, again, under oath.
Flynn was re-sworn and, knowing that this time he couldn’t claim ignorance, kept to his plea and asked for an extension.
Whether the original remarks or the retraction better reflect Hatch’s true views, the fact is that he found out the ‘Trump is above the law’ stance was deeply unpopular with not only Democrats, but with many of his own fellow-Republicans. Maybe not the ones in Congress who still think riding the Trump train is their road to personal wealth and power—but all those millions who are not members of Congress, but whose opinions may still matter to Hatch.
Yes, Hatch, Collins, Graham, and other Republicans (notably McConnell and Ryan) have been notable for their de facto pro-authoritarian support of Trump.
And, yes, Trump’s deplorables—that roughly 25-30% of the nation who crave white supremacism so ardently that they’ll gladly burn all laws—will always be happy to support the idea that Trump is above the law.
But the concept does stick in the craw of many. Hatch wouldn’t have walked back his remarks if that were not the case.
Orrin Hatch: “Earlier this week in an unplanned hallway interview with CNN, I made comments about allegations against the President that were irresponsible and a poor reflection on my lengthy record of dedication to the rule of law,” the senator said in the statement. …"
And I blame it on this motherfucking starched collar being too GODDAMNED tight! Fuck!!
Flynn is a retired lieutenant general. Now that he is a convicted felon, a federal felon at that, does that affect his military retired pay and privileges in any way?
The ONLY reason to not send Flynn away forever, is if he is SO useful that he actually serves to send trump to prison. And even then, he needs to serve time. He is a former General, who betrayed his country for money - repeatedly. In another time he would hang for it.
ANYthing the judge gives him at this point is less than he deserves, and the only reason to not string him up immediately, is because he was useful - and to let other potential witnesses know they get less time if they give up Trump.
They never admit when they are wrong. They just make up the next lie and move on. I’ll bet she spins today’s news as a setback for Mueller because the prosecution didn’t get the sentencing they were expecting.
I’m cooking and not diving into either the VA nor any other federal sludge, but I generally trust military.com to have correct information. They say: “Being convicted of a crime almost never jeopardizes a federal pension – the rare exception to this rule are charges relating to criminal disloyalty to the United States: espionage, treason, sabotage, etc.”
Just a reminder that Jeanine and her felonious mobster and Trump confederate ex-husband go way back with Trump, he was a notorious Trump fixer. He’s really why Jeanine is on TV instead of holding public office, the whole “ married to the mob” thing and their other personal shenanigans kept her from winning elections. I’m kind of surprised that the Al Pirro stuff hasn’t come back to bite Trump in the ass. Yet.
These people are just morally filthy to the bone. I can’t stand them. Thanks for the link and the reminder of their long-term connections to the excrement in the Oval Office.
Remember the mystery case working its way through the federal courts in DC with unusual speed under super-double-top-secret seal? Well there’s some new information.
A list of Russian state-owned enterprises. I was wondering if it might be Alfa Bank - remember the weird internet traffic between them and Trump Tower? But they’re not on the list.
Of course, it might not be Russia - could be Saudi, Turkish, etc. But I’d guess a Russian bank, myself.
