Below is my column in USA Today on the continuing push to seize the yachts and other property of Russian oligarchs. While enormously popular, it is easy to take a yacht. It is far more difficult to keep it. Indeed, the public could end up footing the bill for not just litigation but possible repairs to these opulent vessels.
Here is the column:
One of the most celebrated moments of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address came when he spoke directly to Russian oligarchs: “We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets. We are coming for your ill-begotten gains.”
The Russian oligarch has become a universally despised embodiment of the Putin regime after the Ukrainian invasion. Not surprisingly, the seizure of obscenely opulent yachts – like the 213-foot yacht owned by Alexei Mordashov in Italy and Igor Sechin’s 280-foot yacht in France – has been praised as a victory in defense of democracy. Resorts, planes and other property also have been seized. (Putin moved his yacht, Graceful, out to sea before the invasion, according to Insider)
Seizing property owned by the super wealthy is always good politics. Biden’s line was strikingly similar to the warning of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to wealthy Americans in the 2020 presidential campaign that she was coming after “your Rembrandts, your stock portfolio, your diamonds and your yachts.” Warren’s pledge rested on highly dubious constitutional assumptions but was repeated by other Democratic candidates.
We should question unlawful seizures
In contrast, questioning the legal basis for seizing the boats and baubles of the super wealthy is hardly popular. The “oligarch” is a term without any redeeming or positive connotations. It has joined the seal clubber and the hazmat dumper as categorically despised identities.
There is an obvious class warfare element to these anti-war measures. A German leader, for example, called for yachts to be given to nongovernmental organizations to shuttle migrants from Africa and Asia to Europe.
Indeed, some on the left balk at limiting seizures to Russian billionaires. As an Australian writer noted, “If expropriating the super yachts and other overseas assets of Russian oligarchs … sounds reasonable, there is an even more reasonable case to expropriate the wealth gains of the world’s 10 richest men and use it for social good.”
It’s actually a fair point, because there may be no more legal justification to seize a Russian billionaire’s property than Jeff Bezos’ mega-yacht.
For the record, I am not and have never been a member of the oligarch class. Nor do I hold any sympathy for these figures who acquired their billions from close association with Vladimir Putin or because of their special status in Russia.
What happens after Russian war?
The problem is that our leaders may be overselling the legal justification for these seizures. Serious legal questions surround the seizures of boats, planes and other property owned by oligarchs. In these largely uncharted waters, many of the owners are likely to get back their yachts and other property after the headlines have receded.
The United States and Western countries have considerable authority to seize property, but less authority to keep it. The reason is that, unlike Russia, these countries are bound by property rights and rules of due process.
The authority for such seizures is fairly consistent and straightforward. The United States and other countries are alleging that the property may constitute a form of money laundering or ill-gotten gains. Under U.S. civil forfeiture laws, the Justice Department only requires a warrant to seize an asset allegedly used to commit a crime or that represents the “proceeds of illegal activity.”
The hard part is to keep it.
The oligarchs are fantastically wealthy with massive companies, sports teams and other assets. While they often acquired such wealth through insider deals and special status in countries like Russia or China, they run businesses that generate billions in revenue through public transactions.
Prosecutors must show that the property is being used to commit a crime or was purchased from ill-gotten gains, but the oligarchs will try to show revenue sources from established businesses.
In other words, prosecutors would have to show that large corporations that have operated for decades in international markets are now deemed criminal enterprises for the purposes of these properties. It is not clear that governments now seizing the property will be able to establish the nexus between an alleged crime and these proceeds or property for some, if not most, of the oligarchs.
Clearly, the isolation of oligarchs serves to put pressure on Putin and potentially create wedges between him and his most powerful allies. One oligarch, Leonid Nevzlin, has renounced his citizenship while denouncing the invasion. He has insisted that “I was one of the first to be hit by Putin. He threw my friends in jails, and killed some of them.”
Another oligarch, Roman Abramovich, announced that he would sell the Chelsea soccer team and donate the proceeds to the victims of the Ukraine war. It didn’t help. He was added to the sanctions list for seizures.
There are other complications. Oligarchs are pulling funds from a wide array of accounts and companies with different streams of revenue. Their yachts often are in the names of separate legal entities as opposed to their personal property. Take the Dilbar, the 512-foot monstrosity of Alisher Usmanov seized in Germany. It is reportedly registered in the Cayman Islands under a company in Malta.
Yachts for Ukraine Act
These issues could soon be before U.S. courts. Members of Congress are clamoring to sign on to the Yachts for Ukraine Act. The name alone is enough to produce a drooling Pavlovian response from most politicians. It would allow the seizure of any property held by Russian elites in America that is valued above $5million and allow the government to sell the seized assets and use the cash to aid Ukraine.
One bill even allows for the issuing of “letters of marque” to allow citizens to engage in privateering to seize yachts themselves like Sir Francis Drake. The United States used such letters in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
The Yachts for Ukraine Act shows the casual crafting of proposed laws. The act covers persons who meet two criteria. First, they must have “the wealth of which, according to credible information, is derived in part through corruption linked to or political support for the regime of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.”
What constitutes credible information, corruption or political support is simply left to the imagination of regulators. Under that standard (sans the Putin link), most global billionaires could be targeted, given their often close association and support of ruling governments.
The second criteria is even more intractable: The person must be linked to sanctions imposed by the president “relating to corruption, human rights violations, the malign influence of the Russian Federation, or conflicts in Ukraine.”
Again, what must the nexus be for a connection to constitute malign influence or corruption?
The greatest irony might be yet to come. When a country seizes these vessels, they create a bailment, or responsibility, for the property. Yachts are notorious for requiring high levels of care and maintenance from full-time crews. If they deteriorate in government possession, the oligarchs could demand damages, requiring countries to pay for repairs before they set sail for their next golden sunset.
None of this means that we should not target companies and oligarchs who are directly supporting this unprovoked and unlawful war. However, we do not fight lawlessness in Russia by dispensing with the rule of law in our own country.
There are meaningful actions that Congress can still take to pressure Putin. We cannot be distracted by the shining objects of American politics. The Ukrainians are facing immediate destruction and need meaningful action.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University and a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter: @JonathanTurley.
Remember when they pulled the kiss Putins rear end moment. https://news.yahoo.com/hillary-clinton-reset-button-russia-204439421.html. Putin understood how naive the were. He still knows it today.
Independent Bob says:
“left wing loons.”
Ah, that reminds me of good ole’ Bill O’Reilly. Whatever happened to him? Oh, that’s right. He was *cancelled* by Fox.
Speaking of O’Reilly, let’s go down memory lane and recall how Turley USED TO hold Fox News accountable BEFORE he sold out by self-censoring his criticism:
https://jonathanturley.org/2009/11/18/oreilly-i-dont-care-about-the-constitution/
“Conservative commentators continue their war on the Constitution this week with increasingly shrill rhetoric of how our laws and civil liberties are endangering us. Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly, however, achieved a remarkable low by declaring “I don’t care about the Constitution” on air in a discussion of Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to try five detainees in New York.”
Oh dear Lord! But wait- it gets even better. Turley continues:
“I am always struck by anti-American rhetoric that comes from such figures. The Constitution is the very thing that defines who we are as a nation. It is the thing that we have sacrificed lives and treasure to protect. Yet, people like O’Reilly have little reluctance in trashing it. I am less surprised by Karl Rove, who has shown little personal commitment to the rule of law and barely escaped an indictment in the Plame matter. Rove declared that giving a fair trial to terror suspects is a “long-standing plot” by “left-wing lawyers who do not love America.” America, it seems, is something other than our values and founding documents. It is, I suppose, Fox News.”
My God! Who is this guy? Turley? Can’t be, but it was. Funny, how money makes you whistle a different tune.
Fox need not be ashamed like the networks Jeff watches or the news media Jeff reads. Here is what Chris Wallace had to say
“Eighteen years ago, the bosses here at FOX promised me they would never interfere with a guest I booked or a question I asked — and they kept that promise,” Wallace continued. “I have been free to report to the best of my ability, to cover the stories I think are important, to hold our country’s leaders to account. It’s been a great ride. We’ve covered five presidential elections, interviewed every president since George H.W. Bush, traveled the world sitting down with France’s Emmanuel Macron and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.”
Jeff why do you want to look like a putz?
‘cause he is.
JeffSilberman: Wow! Didn’t know you and Turley go back that far. I have been following the Professor for only a couple of years. Didn’t realize Turley has changed so much. Although he probably harbors similar views about Tucker Carlson, the heir apparent to Bill O’Reilly, Turley wouldn’t write a similar column fearful he would be called on the carpet by Rupert and might lose his well paid gig. That’s what happens when you sell your soul to the company store!
Dennis,
I suspect that Turley’s testifying on behalf of the Republicans during Impeachments may have made him persona non grata at the mainstream networks with which he was formally employed as a contributor or at least welcomed as a commentator. Because he was shunned, he resigned himself to work for Fox News. I’m speculating of course. Be that as it may, it is indisputable that he no longer will criticize Fox News for its *advocacy journalism” or adding to the *rage* in our political discourse.
Period.
“I suspect ”
What you suspect isn’t important. You don’t even get straightforward facts correct.
Suggestion to professor Turkey. Have two simultaneous blogs. One that people can post remarks to the topic at hand and the other for general postings for whatever is on peoples minds. When someone sends in a post it could be decided whether it should be posted to the current topic being discussed or it would be just dumped into the general trash bin. That should spare us from listening to the same happy crap from these left wing loons.
Hullboby says:
“Now we will have to suffer through Jeffsilberman’s rant about how Turley is ignoring Trump with this column and what about Fox News”
Mark Levin, who Hannity calls the “Great one,” opened his radio show yesterday vilifying Carter as a Clinton appointee who should be investigated by his Bar Association for ethics violations! On the other hand, Primetime Fox News (Carlson, Hannity and Ingraham) completely ignored Judge Carter’s opining that Trump more likely than not committed a crime. Following Fox’s lead apparently, Turley too has not favored us with his considered legal analysis of Carter’s opinion. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t, but he should.
Turley was remiss in failing to comment upon his close friend Bill Barr’s shoot-down of ALL the election conspiracy theories as utter “Bullsh*t.” In an interview with Bret Baier, Barr had this to say about Trump:
“Donald Trump Was ‘Livid and Shaking’ After Finding Out He Lost Election, Bill Barr Says”
https://www.newsweek.com/bill-barr-interview-trump-fox-2020-election-1686305
“Barr added that another “unsettling” occasion was when he went to hand in his resignation soon after he revealed that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.”
“He started talking about how he had actually won the election, about how the machines were rigged and how he was actually going to be there for another term and he was very confident of that,” Barr said.”
“I just felt this showed a detachment from reality that was stunning to me. He was willing to accept anything, no matter how fanciful, as long as it didn’t make him a loser in the election.”
“When asked by Baier what he would say to Trump supporters who are angry at him for turning on the former president over his false voter fraud claims, Barr replied: “The truth is important. And the truth is he lost the election.”
——————
Undoubtedly, Turley privately agrees with Barr that Trump showed a stunning “detachment from reality, but, as a loyal Fox employee, he won’t say so publicly. So we hear crickets….
Jeff, Hullbobby is the Blog Stooge.
Related puppets include: Thinkthrough, James, Feldman, Ralph Chappelle, Pblinca, Mistress Addams, Margot Ballhere, Alma Carman and many, many more.
Don’t bother debating him. He’ll keep coming back with endless puppets.
We talking multiple personality disorder?
Jeff, The Blog Stooge is a creepy, far-right, Putin-loving wacko. For 2 years now he’s been writing at least half the comments on any given day. He’s the reason this forum has an eerie echo.
The Blog Stooge has no intention of engaging in any real debates. He’s a lousy debater, in fact. Instead he’ll keep coming back with endless puppets until you no longer care.
Anonymous has a habit. When she can’t present a logical opposing argument she brings out the stooge, puppet, idiot, and troll arguments. She doesn’t some how see that it exposes her literary weakness for the world to see. She’s like a little kid on the playground saying “Well your just a doo doo head.” Since it worked for her so well in elementary school she still believes it will work for her as an adult. I use the word adult loosely.
STOOGE (Thinkthrough):
Look around. More and more your puppets are the ‘only’ commenters. Even the Trumpers are bored of you! Several Trumpers have left the blog and those remaining comment only occasionally.
We used to have all-day debates here where everyone took part. That never happens anymore. Any debate that develops is quickly choked off when your puppets rush forth.
3 years ago, when you first joined the forum, I noticed early on that you weren’t here to debate. Instead you imagined yourself as a culture warrier. A Roger Stone wannabe who’d get rid of the liberals with all his dirty tricks. And that’s all we’ve ever seen from you; endless dirty tricks.
By now we all know you’re a creepy closet queen who loves to post gay-themed garbage. What a loser you are! A sociopathic far-right loser with no life outside this blog.
Once again Anonymous stoops to name calling to make her point. Her new word is stooge. Her old word was troll. She cant stand up to logical point and counterpoint so she stoops to name calling. She has been doing the same thing for as long as I have been posting on this blog. When her ideas are proven to be faulty instead of doing more to convince us she goes all emotional with the name calling to try to cover for a weak argument. You can predict it like clockwork. Unlike a stopped clock Anonymous is never correct twice a day.
So Anonymous misses the good old days when no one ever called her out for her poorly thought out conclusions. She comes to the kitchen everyday with fire and brimstone but now we see that she can’t take the same heat when it’s applied to her weakly presented positions. It is quite laughable that she expect to be given an asbestos fire resistant suit. Poor baby, she stamps her feet and says this blog belongs to me.
Now Anonymous has revealed that she’s homophobic by calling me a closet queen. I thought that she was so accepting and all. Then she makes another homophobic comment saying I post gay-themed garbage. I thought that liberals like Anonymous were all in on support of the gay community. Who would have guested it. Unhinged anyone?
JeffSilberman, for five years we have heard from you that Trump “might” have commited a crime. The judge did not say that he has committed a crime. For five year you have told us that the walls are closing in on Trump. You are suffering from the walls are closing in on Trump derangement syndrome. Last night I posted that you have never acknowledged that Fox News got it right on RussiaGate being a hoax and the Hunter laptop being authentic. Fox News also got it right on Mueller coming to the conclusion that his committee could not find any proof that Trump colluded with the Russians. It is apparent that Fox News had it right on the most important stories and you had it dead wrong. Now after all that has happened you still light your CNN and MSNBC worship candle every night and you still clang your Fox News and Turley evil villains cymbal.. DWANG DWANG DWANG DWANG DWANG FOX FOX FOX FOX FOX. You know- Like the wind up monkey that slams the cymbals together as he does his little CNN dance. Just like JeffSilberman he is destined for eternity to have only one very elementary act to perform. His dedication is mindless so you just wind him up and away he goes.
TiT,
I just posted this comment. There was a time when Turley agreed with my view of Fox News. If Fox paid me several hundred thousand dollars to be a legal analyst, I would see things your way!
https://jonathanturley.org/2022/03/29/seizing-oligarchs-yachts-is-popular-but-it-may-not-be-legal/comment-page-2/#comment-2170191
Mueller didn’t say that he could not find any proof that Trump colluded with the Russians. Mueller said that he couldn’t prove a conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt.
He presented evidence of several people in the Trump campaign colluding with Russian agents, including Manafort and Stone, and Trump publicly called for Russia to interfere in the election, which they did.
ATS is spinning and lying again.
TiT,
I just posted this comment. There was a time when Turley agreed with my view of Fox News. If Fox paid me several hundred thousand dollars to be a legal analyst, I would see things your way!
https://jonathanturley.org/2022/03/29/seizing-oligarchs-yachts-is-popular-but-it-may-not-be-legal/comment-page-2/#comment-2170191
Ok then. They are quite free to come to the US and challenge the seizure in court. I doubt there is any chance of a Ukrainian murdering them within the first hour after they land. It is not like these people did anything horrible to Ukraine.
… and then a space rock can explode to ruin your whole day:
https://scitechdaily.com/sodom-and-gomorrah-evidence-that-a-cosmic-impact-destroyed-a-biblical-city-in-the-jordan-valley/
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Thanks, David. Very interesting and it sounds likely.
It would be just like this administration to seize yachts, and then waste massive amounts of taxpayer money maintaining them during a long legal fight that ultimately ends in their return. This might also set a precedent for a wealth tax or asset forfeiture. Proving money laundering might be a lengthy court battle.
If there is a legal means to seize the assets of members of a country with which we are not officially at war, then the assets should be liquidated quickly. Perhaps sold to Saudis. Funds recovered could compensate us for the money we’ve given to Ukraine, or go to Ukraine as part of the Yachts for Ukraine Act.
To be honest, I feel an emotional approval of financially cutting the Russian oligarchy. However, upon reflection, I think this might prove either a slippery slope, or a waste of taxpayer money if the vessels are eventually returned. It appears we might not be very effective.
The one thing I like about this is that it divides Putin’s attention. We should not allow him to focus on the Ukraine front. We need to keep him busy with local unrest at home, displeased oligarchs, and hopefully Western allies coming together to toughen up the defenses of other vulnerable small countries.
I also have the very strong concern that this attack on Ukraine might ultimately destroy its efforts to throw off the corruption that has plagued the country since it escaped from the shadow of the USSR. The latter ran on corruption and back door deals. Hence…oligarchs. It’s difficult to repudiate corruption when it’s foundational. There were steps being made. The problem with invasion is that it demands crisis mode. I pray that Ukraine will be successful in fighting Goliath Russia, or at least make a Russian victory too costly for Putin to accept. However, what will rise from the ashes of the ruined country? Such devastation will be like chum to sharks, with myriad companies slavering to get no bid contracts in infrastructure, security, and other successive industries. We saw this unfold in Haiti and Afghanistan. Fraud and corruption follows disaster like the secondary succession of plant and animal communities after a major disaster like a major flood, hurricane, tornado, or forest fire.
Jonathan: Let’s “seize” on other important news. The subject is Hunter Biden who you have alleged in prior posts was involved in a huge “scandal” with his father. Trump is now asking Putin to dig up dirt on the Biden family. This is the second time Trump has asked Putin for help. In 2016 Trump asked Putin for help in getting dirt on Hillary Clinton. Now Trump is falsely claiming a Russian oligarch gave $3.5 million to a company founded by Hunter. Trump’s current claim comes from a partisan 2020 Republican Senate Report that claimed Yelena Buturina gave $3.5 million to a firm founded by Hunter called “”Rosemont Seneca Thornton” in 2014. After investigation it turns out Hunter was a co-founder of a different firm under a different name. Hunter had nothing to do with the Buturina donation.
This is not the only misinformation being peddled about Hunter Biden. On March 24 there was a Facebook post that declared: “Breaking News. Hunter Biden has been arrested!. There is no evidence to support the claim. The false claim was flagged by Facebook because the source of the post was : “Vice President John F. Kennedy Jr.”. John Jr. was never VP. He died in a plane crash in 1999. And there was another false claim that the US military raided Hunter’s home on 10/26, 2021. Again, untrue. But this has not stopped the QAnon conspiracy theories–and your many unsupported claims about Hunter.
Now that Trump has signaled his likely candidacy in 2024 he once again wants Putin’s help. Never mind that Putin is bombing Ukraine back into the stone age. When presidential politics is involved all sorts of convenient alliances are possible. No wonder Trump supports Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump expects some quid pro quo from his support of Putin.
We can seize their yachts.
Great.
Now if we could only help the Ukrainians sink their warships with Harpoons…
I guess this area (involving my inquiry) is just recently morphing. I see that just in the last four days (last Thursday or Friday), US and others announced developing plans to block Russia’s Central Bank movements in gold transactions. According to CBS and WSJ, after 2014 economic sanctions against Russia involving invasion of Crimea, Putin escalated investment in gold, now some $100-140 billion in gold reserves and it represents an easy way to circumvent sanctions by liquidating gold into foreign currencies not subject to sanctions. Apparently, China is holding a big chunk of these assets… THen I assume there would need to be an international forum’s (ICC?) adjudication of war crimes in order to redistribute these assets as reparation to Ukraine. Here’s info on new report, “Can the U.S. and allies freeze Russian gold? Yes. Here’s how.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-the-u-s-and-allies-freeze-russian-gold-yes-heres-how March 24, 2022 / 4:05 PM / CBS/AP
CBSnews is just another one of those Anti-American propaganda outfits. NYT/Wapo/CNN/NBC/ABC…..etc…
I suggest people completely stop using them for their info.
Did CBS explain to the Plebs how they helped setup other nations to distroy our govt? Well that’s is in the middle of happening.
IE: Indian has now cut off $$$ for oil & is trade Rubles/etc., for Russian oil.
Ck Infowars.com, Banned.Video, etc…..
Infowars is just Goop for RWNJs instead of hippies. It’s the same grift. The conspiracy theories/hippie lifestyle stuff is window dressing to drive clicks to the site so they can sell you T-shirts, dubious vitamin supplements and overpriced coffee. It’s the same grift- don’t buy it: https://i.imgur.com/ZPKQDDs.jpg
It is instructive that the Leftists, who undermined Trump’s Presidency from day one, are not quoting from Judge David Carter’s memo the most important point made by millions of Americans:
“President Trump and Dr. Eastman justified the plan with allegations of election fraud — but President Trump likely knew the justification was baseless, and therefore that the entire plan was unlawful….”
No one believes it was a fair, non-manipulated election. The Hunter laptop / NY Times admission confirms as such.
Obama, Biden, Hillary, FBI, CIA, DOJ leaders and everyone even tangentially involved in the Russian disinformation campaign, and subsequent overturning of election state laws via Executive orders, should be prosecuted to the fullest including Big Tech. It was a stolen election and Trump was right
Not surprisingly, David Carter is a hard core Democrat. He was nominated to the federal bench by former President Bill Clinton in 1998, according to Ballotpedia. Carter also previously ran as a Democrat to represent California’s 38th Congressional District but lost. Important facts all around. Judge Carter is fraud of a judge just like SCOTUS nominee Jackson Brown, Justice Sotomayor, and so many other Judges in our country.
Jonathan: The seizure of Russian oligarch yachts may or may not be legal. But right here at home we are learning more about Trump’s attempt at the illegal “seizure” of the Constitution to keep himself in power. Here are some breaking developments in what we now know about Trump’s attempts to subvert the Constitution:
–A federal judge in California just ruled that John Eastman must turn over his emails to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Judge David O. Carter ruled that Eastman’s emails advising Trump how to illegally overturn the election are not protected by the attorney-client privilege. Judge Carter said in part in his decision that Trump “more likely than not” illegally attempted to overturn the election: “…The evidence shows that Dr. Eastman was aware that his plan violated the Electoral Count Act. Dr. Eastman likely acted deceitfully and dishonestly…he knew was unsupported by the law”. Carter went further: “Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, and action unprecedented in American history…it was a coup in search of a legal theory”.
–John Eastman’s legal travails also intersect with those of Ted Cruz. They have been longtime friends when they clerked together. Cruz is now under investigation for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election. He voted against the certification of the election results. Now we know Trump asked Cruz to represent him in cases he hoped would reach the SC challenging the election results. Cruz agreed but all the cases were dismissed. The House Committee is investigating whether Cruz had any communications with Eastman over how to overturn the election. Cruz denies he did. But the Eastman emails should be illuminating on the extent to which Cruz may have been actually involved in the attempted coup. Will Cruz be called to testify before the House Committee? The plot thickens.
–There are 7 hours, 37 minutes of missing WH logs for Jan. 6. No records of Trump calls to or from the WH. Curious because we know Trump was in phone contact with his supporters during and after the assault on the Capitol. We know Trump often used other people’s phones when didn’t want the phone conversations recorded. Echoes of Richard Nixon and the 18.5 minute gaps in his Oval Office tapes!
–Now that Ginni Thomas’ 29 emails have been turned over to the House Committee she may also be called to testify. That presents a dilemma and conflict for Clarence who is being called upon to recuse himself in all cases involving the 2020 election. There are even growing calls for Thomas’ impeachment. But you bizarrely think “there is no reason for him [Clarence] to recuse from any election-related or committee-related cases based solely on these messages from his wife”. Hypothetically, suppose Ginni is called to testify and refuses based on your claim her messages to Mark Meadows were “protected speech”. Or suppose there is other litigation involving those same 29 messages and it reaches the SC. Are you actually claiming Justice Thomas could participate in the case? Your arguments become crazier and crazier every day!
“ Your arguments become crazier and crazier every day!”
Joe Biden is that lying for your son’s laptop discovery?
Worst segue ever.
–There are 7 hours, 37 minutes of missing WH logs for Jan. 6. No records of Trump calls to or from the WH. Curious because we know Trump was in phone contact with his supporters during and after the assault on the Capitol.
We know subverting laws by operating your own e mail server, is within the law. So pre pay phones are no big deal
We know Obama had an anonymous g mail account ot avoid scrutiny. Its good to be above the law and have precedent that protects you.
Of course President Trump maybe just didn’t take or make call. Biden goes for days with no evidence of life, let alone communication.
Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy has repeatedly stated that he talked on the phone with Trump during that time gap. So has Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville. In fact, Trump mistakenly called Republican Sen. Mike Lee instead of Tuberville, and Lee has said publicly that he handed his phone to Tuberville so they could talk.
Trump said “I have no idea what a burner phone is, to the best of my knowledge I have never even heard the term,” but John Bolton says that he and Trump had spoken about how people have used “burner phones” to avoid having their calls scrutinized, and Trump is familiar with the term. Trump’s a pathological liar.
Olivia Troye (Pence’s Homeland Security Advisor):
“Let me be clear on the White House Trump call logs, this is far from normal. Unless you’re using personal cell phones/ encrypted apps (which you shouldn’t be), every call is logged. Every single time Mike Pence called me & vice versa, several staff were made aware of it.”
While Turley is questioning the legality of the seizure of luxury yachts of Russian oligarchs, Putin has abducted an American basketball player and is holding her without even allowing a US Embassy official to visit with her because of alleged hash oil residue in a vaping device. Oh, and then there’s the fact that he issued an unprovoked attack on Ukraine, killing thousands of innocent civilians, including children, and that he has intentionally targeted schools, hospitals, apartment buildings and other non-military targets, and has mostly wiped an entire city off of the map but, Turley is worried about Russian oligarchs getting their yachts seized. Meanwhile also, a federal judge has issued an opinion that Donald Trump likely committed multiple crimes, but that story wasn’t worthy of Turley’s attention either.
I have read that one hundred Russian oligarchs control the entire sixty three trillion dollar economy of Russia. So Joe takes away of a few of there Tinker Toys to make it look like he’s doing something. What was needed was a way for Ukraine to protect itself as Russia amassed its troops on the Ukrainian border. They had to twist Joe’s arm off to get him to send anti tank missiles to the Ukraine. Now Joe says, “See I got their Tinker Toys aren’t you proud of me.” “https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/18/white-house-ukraine-military-lethal-weapons-495169. Obama also refused lethal aid to Ukraine. From The Washington Post, “After a year of internal debate, Obama declined to provide lethal aid, overruling most of his national security team. Still, the United States committed more than $600 million in security assistance to Ukraine between 2014 and 2016, including body armor, night-vision goggles, vehicles and training.” Good ole Tinker Toy Joe.
It’s always about the maintenance and upkeep.
Oops, was typing something a bit more detailed when my cat walked across the keyboard and posted for me!
What I was trying to say was it’s the maintenance and upkeep that are the real expenses. A few years back before all cars, including classics exploded in price my wife and I were considering picking up an old Ferrari 308 (the Magnum PI car) for some middle age summer fun. The price was good, around $17k, well within budget. It wasn’t until I researched the amount and complexity of the yearly P&M work that I would have to do just to keep it running that I decided to run. It would have cost me more every year than I paid for the thing just to keep it going.
Beauty and luxury are nice, but they have their practical limits.
The two happiest days of a man’s life are: 1) the acquisition of a yacht and 2) the sale of that yacht. This is likely to apply, in a small way, to our hapless government’s efforts to seize Russian yachts. Just think of the mooring fees that we will be paying instead (on behalf) of the Russian oligarchs for the yachts that they most likely will be receiving back later anyway.
Former boat owner here. What you wrote is true. However no one told me that BOAT actually means “break out another thousand”. So yes, selling the vessel was a golden day
It appears however the Democrats cant stop their love for little boys and girls. Judge Jackson would likely let this POS off the hook. Still, why would the Judge keep the public out of viewing the record, other than perhaps the Judge is a Democrat
*** Judge bars public access to court documents detailing Eliot Cutler’s child porn case ***
https://bangordailynews.com/2022/03/28/news/hancock/judge-bars-public-access-to-court-documents-detailing-eliot-cutlers-child-porn-case/
“A judge has granted a motion from Eliot Cutler’s defense attorney to bar public access to court documents filed in Hancock County.
Cutler, a former two-time candidate for Maine governor, was arrested Friday in Brooklin on four felony charges of possessing photographs and/or videos of child sexual abuse, or child pornography, involving a child under the age of 12. The arrest came two days after Maine State Police executed search warrants at Cutler’s homes in Portland and Brooklin.
The 75-year-old was released from Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth on Saturday after paying $50,000 cash bail. Cutler is a multi-millionaire who became wealthy as an attorney with expertise in environmental law.”
Someone once described a boat to me as “A hole in the water that can only be kept afloat by filling it with money”.
A reminder: multiple Ohio State wrestlers have stated that Rep. Jim Jordan knew that the team doctor was sexually abusing wrestlers on his team when he served as its assistant coach. Do you take sexual abuse less seriously when Republicans are responsible?
As for “why would the Judge keep the public out of viewing the record,” has it occurred to you that the judge is protecting the kids who were abused by the pornographers? Didn’t you listen to Judge Jackson when she said “Almost every one of these sentences, when I look in the eyes of a defendant who’s weeping because I’m giving him a significant sentence, what I say to him is do you know that there is someone who has written to me and she has told me that she has developed agoraphobia — she cannot leave her house — because she thinks that everyone she meets will have seen her, will have seen her pictures on the internet, they’re out there forever, at the most vulnerable time of her life and so she’s paralyzed, I tell that story to every child porn defendant as a part of my sentences, so that they understand what they have done.”
Guess what law firm was involved in this case? You got it, Perkins Cole.
What was the conclusion?” there is no evidence he or other assistant coaches at the school knew about the allegations.”
This sounds like typical slander from Anonymous the Stupid, though one can’t be sure because slander is part of the leftist playbook. That is how weak the left is. To prevail, they have to slander, lie and be ignorant.
“Perkins Coie is the law firm that commissioned the infamous Steele dossier in 2016 ”
Pee-pee is in the blood of Perkins Cole and Anonymous the Stupid.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/perkins-coie-in-the-dock-11615935104
Here’s a legal twist for you lawyers.
A Russian oligarch who is not on the seizure list, has a yacht stuck in Norway.
Norway will not refuel the Russian yacht. Also, the captain & crew of the yacht are Americans.
I am not sure that this doesn’t violate the Geneva Convention against the treatment of civilians.
[True confession–I did not read the article] Is it legal? Who cares anymore? Much of this started under Obama with the border and ignoring immigration law. Look where we are now with our border. You just ignore the law and do whatever you want and some judge somewhere will agree and allow whatever you’re attempting to do. If I ran the world there would be a price to pay for what these “leaders” have done.
I would think that “oligarchs” are nonetheless private citizens and their yachts are private property, requiring some due process here… But what about Russian GOVERNMENT’s funds/assets/investments in U.S. banks/holdings and NATO-country banks?— or property OWNED BY THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT,??? Could not the U.S. and international community freeze/seize these to pay for Ukraine damages??? Or transfer all Russian funds/assets to the World Bank for Ukrainian capital reconstruction? I dunno…Of course, the risk of like-for-like retaliation could lead to an international Thelma-and-Louise-over-the-cliff-type scenario….
(answered my own question–I just hadn’t seen much news about it.. According to Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), this is at least in part being done. Apparently, the U.S. is blocking some financial transactions of Russian central bank assets and freezing any of those assets held by Americans. And recently Switzerland (non-NATO) agreed to take similar actions.
We should question unlawful seizures
Darn tootin
I see where our resident whatevers did their best to take the discussion off the rails – again. Focus, people, focus.
We should question stolen elections and everything the liberal media promotes
You don’t speak for “WE”, and neither do your alt-right media.
MSNBC is now alt-right? I thought they were pinkos?
Only the alt-right use the phrase “Russia, Russia, Russia”, as a shorthand way to dismiss Russia helping Trump cheat his way into office and to ignore Trump’s payback efforts.
You must have been married and divorced by a man who was right of center. Your go to reply for anyone whom you dislike is the same partisan broad brush stroke. That or you hate Keith Olbermann which is laudable