Don Zeko: It's completely ass backwards. The danger of a president committing crimes as an individual is nothing compared to him using the government for criminal ends. The very things that we should be most concerned about a corrupt president doing are the things he can't be punished for.

So the dissent gets at this, but the majority's holding in the immunity case is that if Trump wants to knock over a liquor store (commit crimes as a private citizen) then we have to be able to prosecute that.

But if he orders the FBI to seize the liquor store, confiscate everything in it, and arrest the clerk (use the immense power of the federal government to commit crimes), he must be immune.

It's completely ass backwards. The danger of a president committing crimes as an individual is nothing compared to him using the government for criminal ends. The very things that we should be most concerned about a corrupt president doing are the things he can't be punished for.

and since he will definitionally only be prosecuted by a future president, and that future president definitionally has access to all clearances and executive privileges and relevant executive branch documents relating to policy, SCOTUS' whole argument that this intrudes on him is just a wet fish

They take it as a given that the President must be able to act "fearlessly" without concern for possible future prosecution, to which I say "what the fuck are you talking about"

The president should be worried about consequences if he abuses his power. We do not need a national Jack Bauer in chief authorized to commit heinous crimes to keep us safe.

If it wasn't so terrifying it would be pathetic. These fucking ninnies think that democracy is too hard.

Now we know Roberts was a fan of 24…😬

It's just the say argument for giving absolute immunity to judges and prosecutors.

Trying to take apart the fatwas of John Roberts with reason and logic is a category error. Roberts’s arguments at times attempt to imitate the appearance of reason and logic, but that is a self conscious illusion. His argument is raw force and need to be met in the same way.

Give an Oval Office speech. Appoint a special prosecutor for each and every Republican appointee to the federal bench, whose sole portfolio is “see this man clapped in irons,” the same way there is literally such an appointee at DOJ right now with that portfolio as to *Joe Biden’s last living son.*

Withdraw all federal protective services from every Republican judicial appointee. Sorry, you’re on your own. And if you accept discounted private security, we’ll indict you for bribery.

+ each & every Republican running for Federal office this cycle. I’d be glad if anyone could point out how that wouldn’t fly.

idk whether it's a personal thing, but I have a visceral reaction to people who think they're fooling me

I live in Texas and I’m so tired of republicans’ intellectual disingenuousness that Ken Paxton was kind of a breath of fresh air in how brazenly he does his criming right out in the open

I hate a bad liar. It’s offensive if someone thinks you’re dumb enough to fall for a dumb and obvious lie.

I mean for myself it’s the ‘tism. I am fucking allergic to guile. It’s the reason I was attracted to commercial law and fucking hate con law. Con law is transparently bullshit. It nauseates me.

I guess Roberts will no longer be kicking his rulings down the road like a can anymore. No need to pretend anymore

Because ignorance is invisible the dumbest ppl often believe they're the smart ones. Roberts is one of those.

Does Roberts pass a legal Turing test?

They need a President who can ignore the Constitution to bring about their fever-dream golden age.

I assume a President can just ignore all the amendments he doesn't like now.

weirdly, they have at no point noticed that if that happens, they are out of a job

They'll be there to provide a fig-leaf of respectability.

Sounds like pretty strong incentive to ensure there *is* no future (other) president.

I keep thinking of footage I saw once of Hitler (yes, I went there) at a lecture on legal theory. I can't remember if it was Schmitt delivering it or not, but no matter. The important thing was how bored Hitler was. He didn't care about the law. He cared about power. The rest was window dressing.

I’m speculating here, but is the argument that impeachment is the only remedy here? Which 😂 we’re so fucked

Yes.

"RVs and vacation homes for every one of my appointees except you, head of the EPA, Chevron is upset with you and so am I. Get your affairs in order. The IRS and DOJ, at my urging, are coming for you."

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