That’s not really the right question, though. If he decides not to pursue Trump in the first place, he doesn’t need to pardon him. That’s the mistake Obama made on torture, etc.
He’s so hard to listen to I need a transcript. So…um…uh…
Isn’t it the job of the US attorney general? I thought we frowned upon our presidents directing law enforcement to go after people who could be perceived as political opponents?
The deepest stain on his legacy :(
Yes, the one appointed by the President.
There seems to be something up with Flynn…
Trump lawyers are arguing that Congress has no power to determine if the President has committed a crime; that this power resides exclusively in the Executive Branch.
They go so far as to say that Congressional subpoenas might be enforceable if they stemmed from an impeachment proceeding, but since they don’t in this case, they can’t be enforced.
They’ve got nothing better, so they are throwing shit at the wall to hope some sticks.
It is the political approximation of Cartman’s “RESPECT MY AUTHORITA!”
With these courts, it might stick. Though perhaps a reasoning which says
only the executive branch can investigate the crimes of a President, but they are enjoined from actually accusing the President of a crime because that is the role of Congress, but while Congress may accuse they may not investigate because that is the proper role of the executive branch, and oh, by the way, the executive branch need not provide to Congress any evidence of crimes they found during their own investigation
will stick in the craw of even some conservatives judges.
I have complete confidence they can find some niggling little detail to justify torpedoing the Constitution.
I thought Trump would be a terrible president but I didn’t know that his all-consuming ego that demands he be elevated to God-Emperor status would be so destructive.
Velegon
3322
If Trump thinks he can play a political and legal game of “Heads I win, tails you lose” he is sadly mistaken …
I forget where I read it, maybe Popehat, but this administration has by far the worse track record in courts of any administration in modern history. I believe Trump personally almost always lose in court also.
Menzo
3325
Not like it matters. Just hack the machine to print the correct pick but tabulate the wrong one internally.
ShivaX
3326
It matters because you can do a recount if something is off.
Without paper a recount amounts to: “Well, the computer says…”
A paper trail is a thing and there is no good reason to not have one.
Yeah paper records allow 2 pieces of paper to be printed for each vote. 1 for the voter to validate the machine voted the way they intended to vote (touchscreen miscalibration is a major issue with voting machines atm) and 1 piece of paper that can be successfully used for a recount if necessary.
Has there ever been a recount of machine-printed ballots?
I know that there are touch-screen voting machines, but I’ve never encountered one. Every vote I’ve ever cast has been either a butterfly punch ballet or a ballot marked with a pen, e.g. a mail in ballot or absentee ballot. Those are paper ballots and have the advantage that they can easily be counted by machines. (Yes, I know, hanging chads and all that.)
Anybody know how widespread touch-screen voting machines are?
Menzo
3330
Georgia is all touch screen. No idea what California uses because they do it right and allow you to vote by mail super easily.
Every CA election I have done, that I can remember, uses ink on long Scantron-style forms.
Edit: Los Angeles
