Trump tweets imaginary law that doesn't exist to threaten protesters

Do not ever again put the image of Trump naked in my head.

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Just dropping this off…

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Totally fake; there is no way that preternaturally lazy fuckstick has even half that much gastrocnemius.

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Well, and I doubt passersby would touch his junk, too…

Totally worth it. The stains would wash off in a trice; the glow from having punched that fucker to the ground would last for weeks, months, or possibly the rest of my life.

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You friggin’ bastard.

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Some men just want to watch the world’s eyeballs burn…

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Uhm, the law he’s tweeting about does exist: 18 USC 1361 provides for up to ten years’ imprisonment for any damage - or attempted damage - to Federal property in excess of $1000.

All that they need to do is pad the bill of cleaning up the litter or graffiti to $1,001 and a whole protest goes to jail for a very long time.

Argue all you will about how the sentencing is disproportionate - 10 years, in addition to restitution? - but the law is there, passed during the Clinton administration.

(There are circumstances in which the conduct can be designated as terrorism, in which case the penalty goes up to 25 years.)

The problem with these laws is that when the penalties are fixed, the legislators always have in mind the most heinous imaginable act covered by the statute, but then the prosecutors attempt to exact the penalty for the most trivial act that the statute can be bent to cover.

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He’s Tweeting about an Executive Order (by characterising it as “our recently re-enacted Statues and Monuments act”) in regard to enforcing that law, not about the law itself. 18 USC 1361 was never off the books, and never specifically discusses statues and monuments as he does.

As you note, there are many ways in which a law can be unjustly and unequally enforced – sometimes by malicious intent (as in this case), sometimes by the very structure of society.

The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. – Anatole France

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And that becomes part of the negotiation intended to persuade the accused to plead out rather than go to trial. People whose knowledge of the criminal justice system comes from TV don’t really realize how relatively rare actual trials are in the US. Something like 85% pf criminal cases do not go to trial, but end in a negotiated plea agreement.

It is unclear to me whether he is being intentionally disingenuous or whether he has no meaningful grasp of the difference. When he ran a company, he ruled by dictat, and it has always been his intention to rule the US the same way. And he has always regarded laws as inconvenient things that you throw lawyers at, not constraints on his actions.

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There. FTFY.

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Yep, it doesn’t even cover the Feds’ pre-attack catering costs.

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The law is that what those in power enforce. Courts are Punch and Judy shows if the person in power enforces whatever they feel like.

Realpolitik…

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And we are one Reichstag Fire away from that happening. No wonder he wants everyone to think that the protesters are all Antfi communist agitators…

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I’m sure that the Federalist Society will be along shortly to condemn this striking departure from textualism.

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I suspect he’s also tweeting about 18 USC 1369 which is also mentioned in the Executive Order. The act states:

§1369. Destruction of veterans’ memorials

(a) Whoever, in a circumstance described in subsection (b), willfully injures or destroys, or attempts to injure or destroy, any structure, plaque, statue, or other monument on public property commemorating the service of any person or persons in the armed forces of the United States shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

(b) A circumstance described in this subsection is that—

(1) in committing the offense described in subsection (a), the defendant travels or causes another to travel in interstate or foreign commerce, or uses the mail or an instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce; or

(2) the structure, plaque, statue, or other monument described in subsection (a) is located on property owned by, or under the jurisdiction of, the Federal Government.

Well, it’s a good thing that most of those statues are commemorating the service of persons in armed forces in rebellion to the United States, then, isn’t it?

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I envisage somebodies producing laminated GOOJF cards with the POTUS seal and his signature and image embedded, for sale to Trampists. See what works.

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Christ, not ONCE did he actually say anything of substance- he deflected at every point, refused to name even the basic idea.

Why don’t they call this bullshit out loud? He accused the former POTUS of a massive crime- that he won’t even name.

And then, despite the fact he’s the one in charge- he deflects all blame to “ask china!”

I don’t even have words anymore. Every journalist worth anything should be demanding specifics and evidence from him point blank- every time. It would shut this shit down INSTANTLY.

Why are journalists so spineless in America?

He’s going to accuse you of fake bullshit anyway- HOLD HIS ASS TO THE FIRE ALREADY.

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Yes. Donald Trump literally thinks he can just executive-order stuff into actual law.

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