Donald Trump discussion Thread IX (threadbanned users listed in OP)

US District Judge Leigh Martin May ruled today that Lindsey Graham must testify at the Georgia State grand jury hearing into whether Trump and his supporters violated Georgia law in their efforts to undo Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia. Lindsey appealed an earlier ruling by the judge to the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit which put a stay on May's ruling, sending it back to Judge May for further consideration of Grahams argument that calls he made to Georgia Sec State Raffensperger were part of his legislative duties.

Judge May today limited certain questions that Graham could be asked about the Raffensperger calls to the extent they related to “investigatory fact-finding” in his role as a senator and his decision on whether to certify the election results. But the judge rejected Graham’s effort to quash the subpoena in its entirety and said he could be asked about allegations that he encouraged Raffensperger to discard votes. Off-limit topics might include Graham’s efforts to simply understand how Georgia ran its elections, May wrote, but the senator could be asked “precise, targeted questions regarding decidedly non-legislative activity.” 

Along with his alleged questions to Raffensperger on discarding ballots, he can also be asked about public comments at the time and any coordination with to Trump’s campaign separate from the calls, since that would be “political” and not “legislative” activity, the judge said. She also said Graham could be asked about any effort to “encourage” or “cajole” state election officials to change voting procedures going forward. The judge found that those areas of inquiry weren’t covered by the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause, which protects lawmakers from being forced to testify about their legislative activities.

The above Para's are from a Bloomberg News article published about an hour ago.

Umm yeah, it's within the bounds of possibility that Trump, were he to run & be elected, could pardon any person convicted of federal offences committed ala the things Lindsey Graham mentioned would happen if he was arrested. It could be said that Trump was engaging in the buying of votes.

Interesting to see CNN running a Fox News interview clip with former US AG Barr where he is agreeing with the DOJ view that former president Trump was in possession of Govt classified documents that Trump had no right to take from the White House and that [to quote Barr] Trump is jerking the DOJ around.

Personally, I don't think his party has the courage to even leave him alone in a room with an item available to him under the 2nd after asking him to do the honourable thing. I don't see them having the courage to hold him to account for the fallout of his actions whatever that would be. He, with the OK from his party, flushed Truth, Justice and the American Way down the bowl along with whatever documents got in his way.

Judge Cannon has decided to appoint a special master to review the documents seized by the FBI from Trumps home. Nothing is clear yet on what powers the master will have and will be allowed to do in respect to the documents after the review is complete. The DOJ is complying with the judges order and is stopping the investigation examination of the documents. The judge also passed the comment that the search of Trump's home cast a stigma on the former president. However true that might be, it seems evident now that Judge Cannon has leaned over backwards to be fair to Trump in respect to her treatment of him.

All it is is the judge covering herself in the eyes of Trump's MAGA cult. It serves absolutely no purpose, seeing as the DOJ has already reviewed the documents as you said.

Does any delay help Trump?

Judge Cannon also included in her published ruling as a reason for approving Trump's request for a master were the bias and leaks to the media, these referring apparently to the DOJ. The judge gave both the DOJ and Trump's lawyers until Friday to agree on whom would be the special master and what the ground rules the master would have to follow in the review are. If no agreement was made on this by Friday, the judge would choose and appoint he special master herself.

I don't know if the DOJ will appeal the judge's ruling to the 11th circuit court of appeal but that is a possibility. Her mention of leaks might also get a response from both sides of the room on the freedom of the press as both sides have friends in the media following their chosen champion.

What leaks have there been?