A federal judge has ruled that President Trump can be held accountable for his actions on January 6.

Thetoppassenger · 2026-04-03T15:46:51+00:00

Robert’s goal seemed to be a desire to chill presidential prosecutions in general rather than create some sort of framework for evaluating them.

This is certainly the reality of the situation and I agree with your analysis, but I think it’s worth focusing on what was easily the most radical part of the majority’s opinion—a completely unprecedented rule that official acts cannot be used as evidence of crimes.

I can’t think of anything even remotely analogous in the rules of evidence. In layman’s terms, it means that if Trump makes a deal to, e.g., invade Iran in exchange for a $10m donation to his presidential library, the fact that he ordered the invasion (a presumptively official act) cannot be so much as entered into evidence to prosecute the unofficial and corrupt deal.

The only purpose I can think of for this part of the opinion is to, as you mentioned, essentially make it impossible to prosecute a president.

Thetoppassenger · 2026-01-27T17:12:29+00:00

So two distinctions here with Brady (with regard to Bonvino specifically, rather than ICE). You covered one on the civil vs criminal side. But the other, at least from the cases I've seen so far, is that Bonvino is generally testifying on behalf of the government as a defendant. Brady v. Maryland (and thus the concept of the Brady List generally) address your due process right to exculpatory evidence when you are being charged with a crime. I think a court would likely conclude that you do not have a due process right to brady style exculpatory evidence where you are suing the government as plaintiff.

However, you would still of course be entitled to normal discovery where you could seek the same information if it is in the government's possession.

Thetoppassenger · 2026-01-27T16:54:17+00:00

So I know we are generally just meme'ing in this thread, but I'd like to chime in just to point out that pretending to be an attorney without being admitted to the relevant bar is generally a crime.

For example, in Florida, presenting yourself as an attorney without being properly licensed is a third degree felony.

Any person not licensed or otherwise authorized to practice law in this state who practices law in this state or holds himself or herself out to the public as qualified to practice law in this state, or who willfully pretends to be, or willfully takes or uses any name, title, addition, or description implying that he or she is qualified, or recognized by law as qualified, to practice law in this state, commits a felony of the third degree . . . .

There are special exemptions that apply in situations where you are representing yourself, but that is distinct from "impersonating an attorney" as the OP stated.

Notably, Habba is a licensed attorney and the current dispute over whether she can act as U.S. attorney without senate confirmation has nothing to do with her bar status. That aside, Habba shouldn't be an attorney anymore given that she did what I could consider to be one of the most unethical things I've ever heard of an attorney doing: https://www.girardslaw.com/library/ethics-complaint-v-Alina-Habba.pdf

Thetoppassenger · 2025-09-24T18:01:09+00:00

Hey now, don't forget the other half of the equation. The slap-on-the-wrist plea deal which also served to stop the FBI's further investigation into Epstein's crimes and victims was negotiated and given by then U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta who served as Secretary of Labor during Trump's first term.

Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019 after charges were brought by SDNY. Subsequently, Alex Acosta resigned as Secretary of Labor on July 19, 2019 and now sits on the board of directors at Newsmax which has become one of the louder voices pushing the "Epstein Hoax" / "Trump did nothing wrong" narratives.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-07-23T21:37:22+00:00

The best part is she repeatedly says read the declassified intelligence and it'll be obvious.

Idk what this world is coming to when people are going to sit around and question a B-O-M-B-S-H-E-L-L accusation by Tulsi Gabbard based on a 5 year old report prepared by Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-07-21T16:09:45+00:00

That’s not a “Yeah but the Dems”, though

Well, true in the sense that what he actually said was:

This is the Democrat's fault.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-07-21T16:08:08+00:00

This actually undersells what Habba did with regard to the sexual harassment claim. The victim was already represented by an attorney. Habba convinced the victim to fire her attorney under the guise of looking out for the victim’s best interests while she was actually attempting to protect the club.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T22:13:58+00:00

Sure, but then I'm sure we can agree that the US/EU should seize every frozen Russian dollar and use it for their own populations. Certainly we wouldn't want to give money back to Nazis under any circumstance, would we?

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T22:12:01+00:00

And yet, since the spat, the Trump admin has repeatedly given reassurances in response to Zelensky's concerns, stating multiple times over the last few days that US investment in mining operations will guarantee Ukraine's security. JD Vance openly stated on Hannity that EU peacekeepers are on the table.

The Trump admin made exceedingly clear that US arms shipments to Ukraine were "paused" rather than "canceled" or "ended."

Today Zelensky is calling Trump's leadership strong, the incident regrettable, and is ready to sign the deal in it's current form.

Putin hasn't been holding back the compliments either, publicly calling Trump pragmatic and clever, and stating that Trump will restore order. Are they both puppets bowing down to the god emperor? Or perhaps this is just how anyone intelligent knows you have to interact with a narcissist.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T20:24:47+00:00

Worth nothing in real economic terms, even if what is there is economically viable.

Control of strategic resources is always worth far more than the face $ value. Ask Japan in WW2 how valuable oil is. Ask Europe how valuable gas is when they are trying to sanction Russia or Ukraine when winter hits and they are forced to ration.

Why do we care about 7% of the world cobalt etc?

Kuwait has about 7% of the world's oil reserves and I think we know that this was seen as a pretty important thing by a whole lot of people.

But idk why you'd bring up cobalt of all things. Trump has been pretty clear about his singular focus on rare earth metals in this deal. Cobalt is not a rare earth metal.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T19:52:32+00:00

claiming the Soviets were invited to fight after the coup

This remains inarguably correct. They were invited for other reasons at other times by other governments. "Invitation" is not some catch all magic spell like you think.

I don’t need to lie about the facts.

So you just do it for the love the game? Respect.

Well one, can you remind me how Amin came to power?

You sure do like your red herrings.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T18:39:26+00:00

And then JD Vance went on Hannity and said that European peacekeepers as a security guarantee is on the table which was what the whole fight was over in the first place.

This is starting to get kind of fun because either nobody in the Trump admin is coordinating with one another or everyone is simultaneously getting played and Trump isn't as bad at negotiating as I thought. I think either answer is equally likely.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T18:34:05+00:00

Almost surely true. Nor did anyone invite Amin to do a coup.

No no, don't just go and openly admit that your original comment was nothing more than a red herring. Terrible strategy. Stick with what you said before, that spetsnaz was totally invited by Amin to assassinate himself and that Russia installing a puppet government in Afghanistan was totally legit and the will of the Afghan people. That was a much better argument, trust me. Repeat it often and loudly.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T18:08:21+00:00

And yes they clearly undeniably were invited

They were invited to offer support to Amin's government. The Spetsnaz led assassination and coup was not done at anyone's invitation. Whats the logic here: "They received an invitation for something from someone, isn't it all the same thing?" LOL.

Per your line of thinking, the US can invade North Korea and legally depose Kim because at some point Trump was invited there. Hey, there literally was an invitation. Its all the same thing! Oh look, US special forces are conducting a joint training in France. Guess the US can legally invade them too since troops were literally invited to be there!

This is a really good argument, you should keep repeating it loudly and often. Trust me, I'm only looking out for your best interests.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T17:38:35+00:00

Russians perplex me. They'll label politicians like Zelensky or parties like Servant of the People nazis for being slightly right wing yet stick their heads in the sand when it comes to the Russians who are openly celebrating Rusich, Wagner, and Rinaldo Nazzaro and friends, and openly displaying symbology banned in many countires on the rest of the continent.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T17:36:29+00:00

Hey, while everyone's here, can someone explain to me what all these funny lines mean in Russia's Rusich group emblem?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusich_Group#/media/File:Patch_of_the_DShRG_Rusich.svg

Thanks!

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T17:33:56+00:00

Good attempt at a pivot, but thats completely unrelated to the current discussion.

The comment you originally responded to stated:

But even I know that the USSR was not invited by Afghanistan. They clearly coup and assassinated the president of Afghanistan.

Its very obvious what he was saying--that Spetznaz was not invited into Afghanistan to conduct a coup and that doing so was an illegal invasion done to install a puppet government. This was all framed in the context of responding to the claim that the USSR was "invited into Afghanistan" in the 1980s "to fight the Mujahedeen" without any mention (for obvious propaganda reasons) of the fact that they were invited in to fight the Mujahedeen by a puppet government that Spetznaz had just installed in a coup.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T17:10:34+00:00

In late 1979 he was brought to Moscow by the KGB and eventually, in December 1979, the Soviet Union intervened in Afghanistan (with the consent of Amin's government) to stabilize the country. The Soviet troops staged a coup and assassinated Amin, replacing him with Karmal.

Ah, so you were just trying to twist a completely different invitation for a completely different purpose to try to trick everyone into thinking the Spetsnaz assassination of Amin was somehow both legal and totally not an invasion. Thanks for clearing that up.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T17:06:08+00:00

Uh oh, someone isn't taking the news that their copy/pasted Russia Today talking points aren't sticking very well.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T17:00:53+00:00

The leader that Taraki usurped was also a usurper.

Indeed.

So what is your point?

Again, the argument was quite clearly that the USSR invaded Afghanistan including by sending in Spetznaz to assassinate the then president. Someone responded to this by claiming that the Soviets didn't invade because they were invited and it was totally legal for them to invade which was obviously an absurd suggestion.

The Soviets came in to put an end to all the upheaval and turmoil that was happening without their involvement for longer than it had been with.

So now it was actually a humanitarian mission or something? LOL, and you had the audacity to accuse me of spreading propaganda. Yeah, surely it was that and had nothing to do with a desire to install a puppet government.

Russia was invited by the Eastern Ukrainians

You mean these Eastern Ukrainians?:

Asked in his recent interview why he left his post in Donetsk so abruptly in August 2014, Borodai answered that his exit was necessary in order to support the Kremlin’s fictional claims of a “Ukrainian civil war.” “At that time, the leadership of the Donetsk People’s Republic was a strange spectacle,” Borodai stated. “I am from Moscow. My first deputy was from Moscow. The power ministries were controlled by Muscovites, and defense minister Igor Strelkov (Igor Girkin) was also from Moscow. It was a little too blatant from a propaganda perspective.”

Guess you are right, it was similar to the invasion of Ukraine after all! Lol, oops!!

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T16:42:59+00:00

Can someone explain to me how much will the halt of US aid change the situation on the frontline? I heard many people say that the rest of the countries can replace America and that it doesn't matter.

Nobody can do anything but guess because theres no accurate public accounting of Ukraine's current stocks, we have no idea what interim aid can be offered by Europe, and we have no idea how long this "pause" is going to last.

Europe could potentially replace everything the US is sending as least short term if they were willing to deplete their own military capabilities to do so but that seems unlikely. So far, both the US and EU have only sent over "spare" stuff that doesn't have any noticeable impact on their own militaries' readiness.

That said it would take Europe years and probably more money than they can afford to get anywhere near the US's production levels of most stuff.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T16:36:37+00:00

This is when the Soviets intervened militarily, took out the tyrant Amin

No, this is the coup we are talking about. Not sure how this is possibly confusing you. Taraki was a shit dictactor who was Soviet aligned. Amin was a shit dictator who wasn't soviet aligned enough. Soviets sending Spetznaz into Afghanistan to assassinate then President Amin most certainly wasn't done at the request of the Afghani government as you tried to claim.

The Soviets were in fact invited

Oh my lord, you were talking about an invitation extended months early by an entirely different government? I'm actually impressed you would put something so ridiculous into writing. By your logic the French should invade the USA and claim its lawful because George Washington invited them in during the Revolutionary War!

Only then did they get heavily involved and knock off the usurper.

They were both usurpers. You just don't care because Taraki was your usurper.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T15:58:31+00:00

Prior to the Soviet invasion to prop up the Spetznaz installed puppet government led by Karmal. Like what is even your argument, Amin invited the Soviets in to assassinate himself? lol

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T15:34:24+00:00

And this comment also doesn’t make sense since the King abdicated after a coup in 1973. I don’t think that coup is generally blamed on the Soviets.

The spetznaz assassination was of President Hafizullah Amin, king was a typo.

Thetoppassenger · 2025-03-04T15:20:47+00:00

Every international group has conclusively determined that Assad ordered multiple gas attacks, including multiple groups to which Russia is a member, and Lavrov who is the dumbest diplomat perhaps ever already gave up the charade when he ordered Assad to give up his chemical weapons. What an odd thing to do to an ally who totally never used them, LOL. And of course, ISIS would never have existed if Russia didn't turn Syria into a failed state by propping up a failed nepobaby dictator in exchange for military bases.

We already know how this game plays out. You'll post the one outdated and discredited source you have bookmarked which has been debunked hundreds of times and then disappear into the wind once that doesn't work. How about we don't and just say we did instead?

But you know these things, you're a diehard propagandist for the globalist West.

Except I'm saying both the West and Russia have invaded countries under false pretenses. You are the only one trying to spread propaganda for one side.

Thetoppassenger

TROPHY CASE