American Politics Thread: Orange is the new POTUS

[direwolf]

Just another day in the ongoing s--t show we call the Trump presidency. Christ almighty, he's such a reprehensible prick.

I'm glad Gorka is gone though. Dude was definitely one of the biggest d-bags in the White House.

[calumniate]

Impressive how people get 'resign' and 're-sign' correct in this thread

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

So during a Friday in which there's a massive storm about to hit Texas Trump has so far brought back the transgender ban in the military and and has now just pardoned the racist sheriff Joe Arpaio. What a day.

Putinesque

[DuffMan]

Bet it would have gone over great if Obama pardoned someone like Arpaio.

[bob-loblaw]

I wonder when he's going to tweet that hurricane Harvey is fake news.

[driveway]

What Arpaio was convicted of:

In December 2014, after many warnings, U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow told Arpaio there was a very real possibility that he would refer Arpaio to the U.S. Attorney's Office for criminal prosecution on contempt-of-court charges due to the MCSO's failure to comply with the court's order to stop its racial profiling practices.

In March 2015, a month before the scheduled contempt hearing, Arpaio admitted that he violated several court orders, and consented to a finding of civil contempt against him.

On July 31, 2017, following a bench trial, Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt of court. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton wrote that Arpaio had "willfully violated an order of the court" by failing "to ensure his subordinates' compliance and by directing them to continue to detain persons for whom no criminal charges could be filed." Arpaio was scheduled to be sentenced in October 2017.

He violeted people's Constitutional rights. The courts ordered him to stop, he did not stop, he was held in contempt, and now President Trump has pardoned him.

Is there really any question about whether this President is a racist anymore? Is it not crystal clear that the meaning of "great" in "Make America Great Again" is "white"?

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by driveway

What Arpaio was convicted of:



He violeted people's Constitutional rights. The courts ordered him to stop, he did not stop, he was held in contempt, and now President Trump has pardoned him.

Is there really any question about whether this President is a racist anymore? Is it not crystal clear that the meaning of "great" in "Make America Great Again" is "white"?

I'm just flabbergasted that this is even allowed in a western democracy. The PM of Canada can't just pardon people, I'm assuming every other Westminster parliament is the same. Talk about absolute power corrupting absolutely. F'ing disgusting.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Zulu29

I'm just flabbergasted that this is even allowed in a western democracy. The PM of Canada can't just pardon people, I'm assuming every other Westminster parliament is the same. Talk about absolute power corrupting absolutely. F'ing disgusting.

The queen can, that's the origin of the Presidents power in the US, unfortunately they never envisaged a cockwomble like Trump becoming President, had they I suspect the US might still be a colony

[Roast Beef]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

The queen can, that's the origin of the Presidents power in the US, unfortunately they never envisaged a cockwomble like Trump becoming President, had they I suspect the US might still be a colony

They did imagine it, that's why they created the Electoral College. Unfortunately they didn't imagine it failing in it's duty.

[DuffMan]

Remember, Trump has already inquired if he can pardon himself.

[photon]

Obama pardoning Lopez Rivera and Chelsea Manning probably feel as bad on the right as pardoning Arpaio does to the left, so it's not like other presidents haven't done things that feel similar. (An article on Lopez: http://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...k-obama-214685)

Pardons don't weaken the rule of law, or at least not usually. Usually they're actions of mercy, and the person being pardoned has served part of their sentence, has shown remorse and rehabilitation, or something was unfair. From the DoJ:

https://www.justice.gov/pardon/about-office-0

In general, a pardon is granted on the basis of the petitioner's demonstrated good conduct for a substantial period of time after conviction and service of sentence. The Department's regulations require a petitioner to wait a period of at least five years after conviction or release from confinement (whichever is later) before filing a pardon application (28 C.F.R. § 1.2). In determining whether a particular petitioner should be recommended for a pardon, the following are the principal factors taken into account.

1. Post-conviction conduct, character, and reputation.
2. Seriousness and relative recentness of the offense.
3. Acceptance of responsibility, remorse, and atonement.
4. Need for relief.
5. Official recommendations and reports.

Arpaio though hasn't shown any remorse, hasn't served any sentence, hasn't even admitted guilt. He repeatedly and openly defied court orders. So he doesn't seem to meet the government's own criteria for a pardon.

But it's worse than that IMO.

Arpaio wasn't a random guy that got put in jail for too long for a minor drug offense. He's not even a terrorist. He was a representative of the government. To me that makes Trump's action bad since the message it sends is that government officials aren't held to the oaths they take, they can violate the constitution and courts as they like as long as they do things the president likes.

Which I guess isn't surprising, violating court orders from the Supreme Court will make you a popular senate candidate in Alabama.

This just further confirms Trump's contempt for judicial oversight. Trump probably admires Arpaio for ignoring the courts. In addition to admiring Arpaio's racism.

Interesting stats around pardons and clemency:
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-statistics

[Senator Clay Davis]

Pardoning Arpaio, besides being a show of support to white supremacists, is also a precursor to him pardoning everyone who commits obstruction of justice in the Russia probe, which will likely be a lot of people.

[White Out 403]

Obama didn't pardon Manning or Rivera

[photon]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

Obama didn't pardon Manning or Rivera

Commuted their sentences, whatever, the outrage from the right was the point.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by photon

Commuted their sentences, whatever, the outrage from the right was the point.

There's a very big difference between commuting and pardoning. Arpaio hadn't even been sentenced yet and that little weasel Trump pardoned him. At least the other two served some time and were in jail.

[DuffMan]

Trump will now give Arpaio a job in his administration. Head of INS or PM of building the wall, something like that.

[Senator Clay Davis]

It sort of says it all that Trump's idea of a "law and order" policeman are guys like Arpaio and David Clarke.

[Puppet Guy]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

The queen can, that's the origin of the Presidents power in the US, unfortunately they never envisaged a cockwomble like Trump becoming President, had they I suspect the US might still be a colony

Quoted for "cockwomble".

[Murph]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

Quoted for "cockwomble".

Not the first time the poster has used it. Googled it the first time I saw it and have added it to my working vocabulary. I've managed to use it a couple times, and the look on people's faces (at least in NA) is priceless.

[photon]

As Joseph Arpaio’s federal case headed toward trial this past spring, President Trump wanted to act to help the former Arizona county sheriff who had become a campaign-trail companion and a partner in their crusade against illegal immigration.

The president asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions whether it would be possible for the government to drop the criminal case against Arpaio, but was advised that would be inappropriate, according to three people with knowledge of the conversation.

After talking with Sessions, Trump decided to let the case go to trial, and if Arpaio was convicted, he could grant clemency.

So the president waited, all the while planning to issue a pardon if Arpaio was found in contempt of court for defying a federal judge’s order to stop detaining people merely because he suspected them of being undocumented immigrants. Trump was, in the words of one associate, “gung-ho about it.”

“We knew the president wanted to do this for some time now and had worked to prepare for whenever the moment may come,” said one White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the action.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...9f5_story.html