ICC Dismantling Plans and DAWN Lawsuit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has initiated a systematic effort to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the tribunal as a “globalist” threat to U.S. sovereignty and military personnel. This escalation includes expanded sanctions against ICC judges and has triggered significant legal challenges regarding the First Amendment rights of human rights organizations.

Strategic Escalation against the ICC

Rubio claims he would use the “Brick by Brick” strategy. The administration intends to delegitimize the Hague-based court, arguing it has exceeded its original mandate as a narrow backstop for war crimes.
U.S. sanctions now target the Chief Prosecutor, two deputy prosecutors, and eight ICC judges. These sanctions freeze assets and criminalize providing “services” or evidence to the court.

Legal experts suggest the administration’s hostility serves as an “insurance policy” against potential prosecution for current military actions, including operations in Iran and the Caribbean.

The human rights group ‘Democracy for the Arab World Now’ (DAWN) has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the sanctions.  The lawsuit argues that the government cannot punish Americans for engaging with a court or collaborating with international human rights groups. Plaintiffs contend the administration has exceeded the sanctioning authority granted by Congress, which specifically bars the restriction of personal communications and information exchange. Multiple federal judges in Manhattan and Maine have already issued rulings blocking the enforcement of these sanctions on First Amendment grounds.
So Rubio writes these things against the ICC but it is not a defense of American sovereignty against a runaway court. This is an insurance policy against accountability for crimes that the Trump administration is committing in plain sight.
Marco Rubio knows that bombing Iran without Security Council authorization constitutes aggression under the U.N. charter.
Marco Rubio knows that blowing up boats in the Caribbean and killing their occupants without trial constitutes murder.
Marco Rubio knows that rendering migrants to a notorious Salvadoran prison where they were tortured can create criminal liability.
Even our own Supreme Court voted unanimously to tell Trump that he had no right.
Marco Rubio knows that even sanctioning judges and prosecutors for doing their job is itself a crime under the administration, a crime against the administration of justice under the court statute.
So it’s not about American sovereignty, it’s about IMPUNITY. Trump is a prime candidate for the ICC. Trump knows it. Rubio knows it.
Approximately 125 countries that are state parties to the Rome Statute could theoretically arrest Donald Trump if he entered their territory, as they are legally obligated to enforce International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants. However, the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, and the ICC can only exercise jurisdiction over a U.S. president for alleged crimes committed on the territory of a member state.
What Trump does is that he bombs Iran and hardly bothers with the legal justification. He can care less about justifying what he does.
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth blow up boats and posts the videos. Other past presidents ignored the rules too, but not like Trump. He is not only not trying to follow the rules, he is trying to destroy them.
Marco Rubio contends that the International Criminal Court has far exceeded its original mandate.  Well for this Executive branch under Trump, the law itself is the enemy.  In Trump’s term in office, the United States has  openly trampled on international law like they’re trampling on domestic law, while they undermine all of the institutions that could get in their way, the courts, the ICC, the journalists and the civil society organizations.
Talk about war crimes, how about bombing of desalination plants?
When it comes to war, the cornerstone principle of the laws of war is that you can only attack military targets. You can never target civilians, and never civilian objects.  Going back to the Geneva Convention, the protection extends to objects that or indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, like drinking water installations. So if you attack a population’s water supply, it would be a war crime. It’s actually a war crime to threaten to attack civilian installations, but Trump publicly threatens that the U.S. would hit possibly all desalination plants. This would indicate his intention of targeting of a civilian population’s lifeline. Any one, including President Trump and the military commanders who carry out these orders could one day face prosecution for these things.

FBI Jet and Private Flights

Here is a brief but solid case that proves that the FBI Director Kash Patel is corrupt. He expects to have benefits in his office that he believed his predecessors shouldn’t have had.

It is what simply can be called hypocrisy regarding FBI private jet usage. Kash Patel’s past criticism of the practice shows a complete contradiction between the rhetoric of fiscal responsibility and the recent $500 million allocation for high-end aircraft.

Kash previously complained that former FBI directors, namely Christopher Wray and James Comey, used government-funded G5 jets for personal vacations.

But it appears that it’s now ok for the current FBI director Kash Patel (himself) to use the jet for trips to “Boondoggle Ranch,” the Hockey Olympics, and the “Poodle Lounge” in Las Vegas.

Patel claims that there should be Congressional inquiries that focus on the exact number of personal trips taken by the previous FBI directors on government aircraft.

Now in keeping with his request, should there also be Congressional inquiries on the private trips he has taken using taxpayer dollars for his travel and trips that were not related to his job?

As if these accusations were not enough, now Donald Trump has approved a new jet upgrade for Kash Patel, which costs $500 million.

Military Living Conditions Legal Rights

Under the tenure of Donald J. Trump, there is an humanitarian crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, and the legal framework leaving service members without recourse. The carrier has operated in the Gulf of Oman for nine months without a port stop, leading to failures in basic living standards.

Imagine that your child goes into service and must live amongst 5000 other servicemen in conditions that were actually illegal in a domestic prison.

Besides the fact that this carrier hasn’t been to shore in at least nine months, the following is what the soldiers abord that ship have to face every day.

SERVICE FAILURES

  • Shortages of food and water.
  • Broken toilets.
  • Lack of laundry services.
  • Lack of mail services.

Mental Health

  • Moral has collapsed, with reports of sailors jumping overboard.

Even with all of this happening onboard an American aircraft carrier, the Naval crew of this ship do not have any constitutional rights to sue over living conditions, a right afforded to incarcerated persons under sanitation and medical care standards.

Is this how we treat our American soldiers who fight to protect us. And to protect us from what? Trump will tell you that these soldiers are fighting to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Trump claimed that after the first week, the Iranians were annihilated.  He said that they could no longer make a nuclear weapon. So then why are we still there? Why are our soldiers, our own flesh and blood still there, fighting a war that to this point seems to be never-ending. It was not a war that America wanted, and not one that our representatives in Washington wanted us in. But here we are. Our servicemen are suffering and some have mental conditions now that clearly require that they be brought home.

The present and ongoing U.S. Abraham Lincoln tour has set the record books. Never in modern history has any crew been stranded on a boat for nine months without any rest, without taking any shore leave. Many of the soldiers aboard had their tours with the service extended, against their will because they just happened to be on the Abraham Lincoln.

This is very unfortunate. Donald J. Trump, a disgusting human being who dodged the draft himself, is forcing American servicemen to be in harms way, all because he personally started a war that was not approved by our own Congress.

The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power to declare war, requiring a majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate followed by the president’s signature.  However, the president serves as Commander in Chief and retains authority to deploy military forces without a formal declaration in response to emergencies, attacks, or under statutory authorizations.

The last part of that last sentence just stated says that the President has the right to deploy military forces without a formal declaration. But in response to what? It’s supposed to be for emergencies, attacks or under statutory authorizations.

None of that exists, except Trump claimed that he had to stop Iran from making a nuclear weapon. If Trump thought that Iran was creating a nuclear weapon, why didn’t he share his intelligence with the U.S. Congress so that they could vote on it and give him the authorization that he needed to carry on with his attack?

The reason is because Trump knew he would never get approval from Congress to attack Iran. That’s the reason why he didn’t go to Congress. He circumvented Congress for his selfish reasons, taking the war into his own hands with no ones blessing, and now look what we have to show for it.

Yes, it’s an endless war, created by Trump, which caused service members to be killed. It’s the reason why the Abraham Lincoln is in the Gulf of Oman fighting a war while putting our troops in harms way,  when we didn’t need to be there in the first place.

Everyone that has enabled Trump needs to go. If they had anything to do with his actions regarding this war, they also need to be prosecuted. 

Trump needs to be in the confines of a jail cell, so he himself can feel like the troops aboard the Abraham Lincoln, a ship that has become their own jail cell. They cannot escape until the boat docks once again. No doubt that many of them will leave service the first chance they get, because they never want to experience these conditions ever again.

Todd Blanch First Interview as Attorney General with ‘Meet the Press’

Todd Blanche sat down with Meet the Press for his first interview since his confirmation.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is not supposed to represent the President personally, but rather represents the United States government and the presidency as an institution in matters related to official duties. The DOJ is an executive department headed by the Attorney General, who reports directly to the President and is a member of the President’s Cabinet, but its attorneys represent the United States, not the individual holding the office.

But in the interview, Blanche refused to commit to keeping DOJ independent from the president. Why, because there truly is a conflict of interest here. Todd Blanche was Trump’s Criminal Defense Attorney and he is totally loyal to him, and he could never represent the Justice Department independantly without Trump weighing in on any situation he wanted to. He was asked if he would pledge that the Justice Department will act independently of the White House, and this was his response…

“No, I’m not going to pledge that. And no Attorney General should ever pledge that.”

Blanche also confirms that he will take direction from Donald Trump about which cases to prosecute. When asked if he’ll consider the president’s opinions on matters like reviving the failed reflecting pool prosecution, he said…

“Yes, of course”.

Blanche also refused to rule out making payments to January 6 rioters using our tax dollars. He said…

“There are other ways they could be entitled to collect money from our government.”

He also refused to condemn the president’s pardons of the rioters who attacked and injured police officers. He said…

“The president is free to pardon whoever he wants, and as Attorney General, he has no problem with that.”

Then he blatantly says that the DOJ will continue to meddle in elections, even though courts in 22 different states have told them to stop. He said..

“We’re not going to stop doing that.”

He then says..

“Americans should be happy about it.”

The the big lie. He promised that Donald Trump would never ask him to do anything illegal or unethical.  He said…

“The president will never ask me to do something unethical or illegal.”

He is TOTALLY beholden to Donald J. Trump. He has no moral compass, and he would not know ethics if they hit him in the face.

Critics and analysts note that while Blanche testified under oath during his confirmation hearing that he would not violate his constitutional oath if such a request occurred, his recent assertions imply that the administration considers the concept of Trump making an unethical demand to be “self-evidently absurd.”

Who are we kidding here? Trump has the exact man as his Attorney General now, knowing that he will do anything that the president wants him to, especially to try and prosecute his political enemies.

 Blanche acknowledged he would “of course” take the president’s views into consideration regarding prosecutions, arguing that no attorney general should pledge total independence from the White House.

Critics, including legal scholars and political opponents, argue that Blanche’s refusal to pledge independence marks a departure from the post-Nixon era standards that sought to insulate prosecutorial decisions from political pressure.

Trump Losing Control of Everything

Donald Trump has lost control of everything he thought he could control.

He lost control of his war in Iran as soon as he started it.

He lost control of the Republican legislative process in Congress and is unable to get his bill through the Republican controlled Senate which is the bill that would allow Donald Trump to interfere in our elections.

So what does Trump do, as he obviously knows he lost control. He does the most predictable thing he’s ever done. And that’s to LIE.

Maybe these actions by Trump can be Donald Trump’s neurological decline. so maybe he’s not lying. Or, maybe it’s just that’s he’s hallucinating.

So with what’s going on with the war, what did Trump do this past weekend? You would think he would be desperately trying to find a way to get out of his self-made war in Iran or figure out how he can get his war beaten troops off the the Lincoln Aircraft carrier, Navy service men that now have been away from land almost a year. No aircraft carrier in modern history has been continuously at sea on the same mission as the aircraft carrier, U.S.S Lincoln.  But no! Instead he was down at his Dorrell Golf Course, but when he can break away from golf, he would make public statements on social media. Trump hasn’t a clue on what the soldiers are going through. Trump publicly stated that the troops haven’t been on the war ship very long when he was recently asked what he thought.

Being that he didn’t want to talk about the war, what would be the next thing he would talk about?  Of course it would be about his poll numbers, but knowing that his poll numbers are not good, he never listed any specific poll numbers. He claimed that they are great. Really?./?..!? Or maybe he just wants to say what a great president he is, and that he deserves his name on everything.

This was just Donald Trump’s reaction to his provably terrible poll numbers, again, something he cannot control.

To continue on the report on poll numbers since Trump brought them up, the Marquette Law School poll shows that 70% of Americans disapprove of how Donald Trump is handling the economy.

Donald Trump knows that those poll numbers exist, and Donald Trump knows that there is absolutely NOTHING he can do to control his poll numbers. The only thing he can do is LIE about it. So predictable!

What else has Donald Trump lost control of?

Donald Trump lost the choice of his airplane.

It was widely reported that when Donald Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey last month, he did not use the 747 that the dictator of Qatar gave to him as a gift.

Many news outlets have reported that the Qatari jet does not have all of the security equipment as does the original Air Force One airplane. But the real Air Force one, the plane that Biden used when he was president, arrived in Turkey apparently to take the place of Donald Trump’s favorite new plane for security reasons.

The Qatari jet at the time was known to have threats and the secret service would not let him fly on the plane. The plan was to evade an alleged Iranian assassination threat. He secretly gets off of the plane in a service truck attached to the other side of the plane just prior to takeoff. But unannounced to his staff, and others are left as decoys on the plane and the plane takes off without him. Then the real Air Force One Jet with all of the security protection lands in Britain before heading  back to the United States, Trump secretly gets back on the plane.

For Trump, it’s all about him. He just had to fly in his $40 million jet to prove that he can do what he wants. He wants to fly in a plane larger than any previous president in history. For that, he sacrificed safety.  He put his staff and others in a real serious threat situation and they didn’t even know  until the plane was airborne or when it landed in Britain. They may have never known until the story broke. The real Air Force One, the one approved by his own security was not good enough for him, but he was forced to fly it back to Britain from Turkey. He is spending tax payer dollars to outfit the gifted jet which still does not have all the security measures afforded to the two identical Air Force One’s that regular presidents get to use.

 

Trump is Concealing Defeat in the War with Iran

President Trump has pivoted to an economic pressure campaign dubbed “Operation Economic Fury” as his primary exit strategy, de-emphasizing direct military action and diplomacy in favor of a “wait-and-see” approach. Described by some aides as a “strategy of nothing,” this plan relies on tightened sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade to inflict sufficient financial pain on Iran to force negotiations without further U.S. casualties. 

The administration hopes this slow squeeze will collapse Iran’s economy, allowing Trump to declare victory and lower energy prices before the November midterm elections. My friend Scott K. believes that this is what will cause Iran to surrender and concede to Trump’s demands. 

Significant obstacles remain, as Iranian officials have stated they are prepared to prolong the war until Trump leaves office and continue to demand war reparations and control over shipping fees in the Strait of Hormuz.  While Trump claims the U.S. has “total control” over the Strait and might “keep it,” military strikes have failed to produce a quick resolution, and weapon stockpiles are dwindling.  Critics argue the President lacks the patience for a long-term economic strategy and faces a dilemma where neither escalation nor concession offers a clear path to peace. In three words, the war saga is “TRUMP IS SCREWED”. 

The U.S. has no strategy on how to get out of the war. It is now turning out to be a forever war.

 

Being Ill-informed about the Iranian War started by America

It is utterly amazing to me that so many people are so ill-informed as to what is actually happening with Iran. And it’s true. They only listen and believe their news channel -Fox News.  It’s hard to believe what you hear on the news these days, or what you see on the internet. With AI running rampant on the web,  I usually check and then double check what I read before I believe an ounce of it. But some people on the other side of the isle, like my friend Scott K. only watches Conservative news channels and he only believes what he sees on those outlets.

He said in a text, and I quote,

“Iran lies with every message. Obama paid Iran 1.7 billion and they still made Nuks. Under the table. Under Trump Now they are not. The only reason gas was cheaper under Biden is he stole it from the old reserves. Iran just lies. Now with the straight closed. They are starving making no income or 90% less. Iran still has a few missiles left. Sadly they murdered 40k of there our people. Trump as taken out the leadership there 203 times in the last few months. And face it Muslims hate us and always have. That’s been that way for 47 years. 

911 is the proof it was going on even then. We just have to keep hitting them until they starve

Hopefully the public can rise up and take over the leadership , the leadership hates their public anyway.”

Where do I begin with this. I can either dispute what Scott says in text messages or I can post them here. Obviously, I have decided to do it here, because I am so interested in letting my readers see what the other side of the isle is thinking.

Fact #1: How does Scott absolutely know that Iran is lying? Here is what Iran has posted, which are the conditions for the war to end. They are not scared of Trump. How can Scott K. say that Iran is lying? Is he part of the negotiations? The fact is the war is continuing, and Trump has no control on how it will end.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has declared that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the United States meets a strict six-point ultimatum to “correct its behavior.” The demands, issued by Secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, require the U.S. to permanently end the war, lift all sanctions, and provide full financial compensation for war damages before normal naval traffic can resume. 

Key Demands for Ending Hostilities

  • End Aggression: Permanently cease all war and attacks against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq. 

  • Financial Reparations: Pay complete compensation for damages from what Iran calls two “imposed wars” and unconditionally release frozen assets.

  • Military Withdrawal: Lift the U.S. naval blockade and withdraw all American naval and air forces from the region.

  • Sanctions Relief: Remove all “cruel and illegal” sanctions imposed on the Iranian nation. 

  • Security Guarantees: Never again threaten Iran or insult its national and religious sanctities. 

Current Negotiation Status While Iran and Oman report being in the final stages of a deal to manage shipping routes through the strait, Tehran insists full reopening remains contingent on these U.S. concessions.  President Donald Trump has rejected the demand for reparations, countering that Iran should compensate the U.S. for American casualties, creating a significant deadlock in talks as of August 14, 2026. Imagine that. The United States attacks Iran, kills many of their civilians and destroys their infrastructure, and Iran has to pay? What kind of logic is that?

Fact # 2:  So there Scott goes again, bummed out about Obama. He claims that Obama gave Iran $1.7 Billion. Here is the fact, explained in detail…

The Obama administration transferred a total of $1.7 billion to Iran in 2016 to settle a decades-old legal dispute over a failed pre-1979 arms deal.  This sum consisted of $400 million in principal, which Iran had paid for military equipment never delivered after the revolution, plus approximately $1.3 billion in accrued interest and arbitration adjustments. It was there money, Scott K. 

The $1.7 billion transferred to Iran in early 2016 was a publicly announced legal settlement of a decades-old dispute, not an “under the table” payment as Scott K states, though the delivery method involved cash flown in on cargo planes. The funds represented the return of $400 million in principal that Iran had paid the U.S. for military equipment before the 1979 revolution, plus approximately $1.3 billion in accrued interest.

Biden did not steal oil from the oil reserves. He used the oil, as he should as a reserve to serve a purpose.

Fact #3: Yes, gas prices decreased during periods when President Biden released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), though analysts attribute the drop to a combination of the releases and other market forces. The Biden administration authorized a historic release of 180 million barrels in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which the Treasury Department estimates lowered gasoline prices by 17 to 42 cents per gallon. While prices fell from a peak of over $5 per gallon in June 2022 to roughly $3.70 later that year, critics argue the impact was temporary and that prices remained significantly higher than when Biden took office. 

The SPR releases were the largest in history, draining the reserve to its lowest level since the 1980s (a drop of over 40%).  Supporters contend this action prevented even higher price spikes and provided immediate relief, while opponents claim it was a political maneuver that compromised national security by depleting emergency stocks without a guaranteed refill plan. By August 2026, reports indicate the reserve had fallen below 300 million barrels, raising concerns about the nation’s ability to respond to future supply shocks.

When Biden did this, he brought down the price of gas at the pumps. That’s why he did that. He had the right as president to do that, and he did it for the American people. He took flack for it, but it kept gas prices down, not like Trump created was with Iran is doing. Scott K. is right about the oil, but he hasn’t a clue as to why Biden did it.

Fact #4: We have no real idea as to how Iran is starving with the Strait of Hormuz being blocked by the United States. Scott K. claims that they are making 90% less income. And guess what, Iran states that unless the United States pays for the cost of the war, the war will not end. This is where I hope Scott K. is right. I hope that Iran concedes, because unless they do, this war will continue. American service people on the carriers stationed at sea will not come home.

Fact #5: For what I see, the Iranians are continuing with their blockades to make sure that the war continues during the American mid-term elections.

Trump, who has become the least popular president in American history, (don’t ask Trump, because he lies, and claims he is still a popular president) cannot see Iran’s end game.

Fact #6: Trump has no control over the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians continue to block the strait, and instead of working out a deal with Iran, Trump continues to put on a blockade with Iran thinking that instead of negotiating with the Iranians, he can do it through war.

Fact #7: Regarding the regime in Iran, killing “40k of their people” Scott K. is insulting me with that statement. He knows, or maybe he doesn’t that Trump along with Israel have kill many more Iranian civilians than the Ayatollah has ever killed. It’s called war crimes.

Estimates of Iranian citizens killed by US and Israeli forces vary significantly by source, ranging from 1,460 to over 3,636 confirmed civilian deaths as of mid-2026. 

 Iran’s official Foundation of Martyrs reported 3,468 total deaths (including 1,460 civilians and 2,008 military personnel) by late April, while the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) documented 3,636 total killed, comprising 1,701 civilians (including 307 children) and 1,221 military personnel. 

Broader estimates from US and Israeli officials suggest up to 6,000+ total Iranian deaths, though these figures often combine military and civilian casualties without clear distinction.  Independent monitors note that access restrictions and conflicting reporting make verifying the exact civilian toll difficult, with some early reports in March indicating over 1,000 civilian deaths in just the first five days of airstrikes. 

Again, these deaths are war crimes. Trump and the Prime Minister of Israel are totally responsible for these deaths. Never mind what the leader in Iran has done. It’s what America has done. That’s what I’m concerned about. Somehow when this president is out of office, he will receive the justice that he deserves.

Fact #8: There is no proof that Donald Trump has taken out Iranian leadership 203 times. He ordered a strike on February 28, 2026, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and references the 2020 strike that killed IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani, but it does not support the claim of 203 separate actions. So what Scott K. has said in his text is absolutely a lie. 

Fact #9: I don’t know where Scott K. comes up with “47 years” as he states Muslims hated America, but Anti-Muslim hostility in the United States is not a new phenomenon but has deep historical roots, with legal discrimination against Muslims dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. So why does Scott K. blame Muslims for hating America, when it has been America that hated Muslims for centuries?

A real fact is that 911 was a wakeup call. It proved that the Muslims needed to find a way to show their contempt to America and it worked when they took down the twin towers. But they are not the only ones guilty of the hate between the Muslims and America. America needs to take the blame too.

So, was there an ounce of truth of what Scott K. said about Iran?

Maybe a titbit or two, but nothing much at all.

What Scott’s message showed were just more lies and made up theories about Iran. Hate between the two countries is now more severe than ever, thanks to Trump, now that the United States and Israel attacked their country and killed their civilians and destroyed some their infrastructure.

The next article will highlight the infrastructure Trump and Israel have destroyed within the Iranian country.

Presidential Pardons for Criminal Clemency

Donald J. Trump, the stand-up president that he thinks he is, the president that likes to help people, has given presidential pardons along with the erasure of restitution to convicted criminals. But what he won’t do is to forgive student loans to people who cannot afford to pay them back or pay his workers.

Presidential pardons are being utilized not just for criminal clemency, but as a mechanism to wipe out significant financial obligations owed to the government and private victims. The total amount of the debt forgiven through these actions now exceeds $2 billion.

The total debt relief is comprised of two primary categories: criminal restitution and abandoned civil penalties.

Over $1.3 billion in debts owed to taxpayers and crime victims has been wiped out over the last year due to the legal effect of Trump’s pardons.

Approximately $800 million in potential penalties was recently abandoned by the SEC under the leadership of Trump appointee Paul Atkins.

Regarding $800 million of the debt forgiven, the SEC forgave debts of just three fraudsters like Trump. These fraudsters that were convicted no longer have to pay back the people that they took money from illegally. Just stick that thought under your cap and mow over it.

The three are Trevor Milton with a company called Nikola Motor, Carlos Watson with a company called Ozy Media, and Devin Archer, with a company many have heard about, Burisma.

Trevor Milton was convicted of defrauding investors of over $600 million. But even with the conviction, he received a pardon from Trump following significant donations to Trump and the hiring of Brad Bondi (brother of AG Pam Bondi) as counsel. As the saying goes, “it’s who you know”. If you are a wealthy criminal, all you have to do is flash money in front of Trump, and you will get a pardon in return.

The second fraudster, Carlos Watson, owed approximately $97 million for cheating investors. But again, “its who you know”. Watson reportedly leveraged connections, including a $1 million payment to a well-connected attorney.

Devin Archer is the last of the three fraudsters here in this story. He only owed $60 million, Trump change, for defrauding Native American tribes and worker pension funds.

Again, “it’s who you know.” Devin Archer received a pardon after agreeing to assist Congressional investigations into Hunter Biden. He ultimately was granted a full pardon by Donald J. Trump, and no longer had to pay back the people he defrauded. And as always with Donald J. Trump, “it’s who you know”.

The SEC is doing Trump’s bidding. They do what he wants them to do. The SEC’s decision to walk away from these civil enforcement actions suggests a shift in agency priorities under current leadership of Donald J. Trump. Their main goal in pardons such as these are to prioritize the protection of pardon recipients over the recovery of funds for defrauded investors. Again, as stated many other times in my posts, it’s corruption at the core.

Todd Blanche Confirmation as the Attorney General

It’s just been a few days, but you may not have heard. Todd Blanche was confirmed as the 88th United States Attorney General on August 8, 2026. The Senate approved his nomination in a narrow 50-49 vote, elevating President Trump’s former personal lawyer to lead the Justice Department. 

Blanche had previously served as acting attorney general since April 2026, following the dismissal of his predecessor, Pam Bondi. He assumed the permanent role immediately following the Senate’s early morning vote. 

There just are too many reasons why Todd Blanche should not have become Trump’s Attorney General, but the main reason is that Blanche represented Donald Trump in his legal matters right before he became president.

And then there’s his decisions as Acting Attorney General, one being the controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund designed to compensate individuals claiming mistreatment by the criminal justice system.  It was signed by Blanche himself.  Since the signing, Blanche rescinded it, but the order only contained his signature, not that of Donald Trump, so legally it can still take effect. The senators who voted ‘yes’ for Blanche is ‘hoping’ that he will honor his latest order. But Blanche is corrupt. Now with his new found powers and the immunity powers that Trump has over everyone in the Federal government, Blanche will initiate the fund. Again, this is corruption at it’s highest level, coming from the top police officer of the United States, Todd Blanche.

The powers of the top law enforcement officer are staggering, and I hate to see how Blanche will use those powers in the next few years. No matter what he does that is wrong, as long as the President of the United States tells him to do it, right or wrong, he will be granted a full pardon before Trump leaves office, because that is what Trump does. He pardons his political friends, all of them. If you do it for Trump, he will reciprocate. He will do it for you.

Trump Corruption in form of Pardons and Immunity given by the Supreme Court

President Donald Trump is replacing the demolished East Wing with a 90,000-square-foot “New East Wing” centered around the White House State Ballroom.

Construction costs have escalated from an initial $200 million estimate to between $400 million and $600 million, funded by a mix of private donations and taxpayer money for security upgrades. While underground work continues, a federal appeals court ruled in August 2026 that above-ground construction must halt until Congress approves the project, leaving the future of the visible ballroom structure uncertain.

But here’s the hurdle if there even is one.

A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 that the president lacks the constitutional authority to unilaterally renovate the White House complex.

Even so, Trump has already demolished the East Wing and started the construction of his new complex. Can the Federal Court stop him? I don’t believe that they will. Trump doesn’t abide by the courts. Why? Because the Supreme Court gave him immunity, and as acting President, he can do what he sees fit, regardless of rulings. In the mean time, Trump will take his case up to the Supreme Court.

You would think that the Supreme Court has the final say. If the Supreme Court came up with their decision that he could not build the complex, would he stop?

The Answer – he would not and then you may ask why? It’s because the same Supreme Court gave him “IMMUNITY”. As long as he does ANYTHING within the “official capacity” of his office, he can do what he wants, anything, as long as it’s done in his official capacity. Trump can simply make a proclamation that as President, he has the right to improve on the property. Of course, that doesn’t give him any right to do so. Just the mere fact that he takes it upon himself to make major changes to the property, even when he’s just a temporary tenant. The White House and the properties that it resides on belongs to us, the American citizen.

He doesn’t have to listen to ANY court, including the Supreme Court, just because he now has the power of “IMMUNITY”. Let that sink in. Even if the courts tell him, even if the Supreme Court tells him, he will do it anyway.

No one has the power to rein in the president. Sadly, I must say that the U.S. Congress realizes that they can’t rein him in too. That’s the reason they side with him on everything. Since there is no pushback from Congress, Trump continues to do what he wants to do.

In November, when the Congress is now a Democratically led body, there will be pushbacks, there will be oversite hearings, and there will be convictions. People will get prosecuted and maybe even convicted, but as long as Trump is in office, he can pardon anyone of any Federal crime, anyone.

But that in itself is still not enough to create any accountability if the President of the United States can act as a king and do what he wants.

As an example, Trump has absolute pardon power, granted to every U.S. president by the Constitution. This power has been enjoyed by every U.S. president, but never has this power ever been abused so much as the pardons that Trump has given.

Let’s start with the pardoning of approximately 1,500 people charged or even convicted of insurrection for the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capital.

On day one, Trump pardoned everyone convicted or about to be convicted of January 6 offenders. He pardoned all rioters who attacked the Capital Police. He pardoned anyone who defaced any property or defecated inside the building.  He pardoned all who were convicted of carrying weapons of any kind. He pardoned the rioters who installed the noose that was hanging outside the capital, to be used to kill vice President Mike Pence. He served as Donald Trump’s first vice president, holding office from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021. He pardoned an additional 77 people consisting of lawyers and political operatives involved in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election (e.g., Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Sidney Powell), which stand up in my mind.

To go a step further, there is a policy called “No MAGA Left Behind”. The new Pardon Attorney, Ed Martin, has explicitly adopted a philosophy of protecting Trump’s political allies. This is corruption at the core.

The pardons include language that potentially covers hundreds of unnamed individuals involved in the 2020 election interference, including the Pardon Attorney himself.

While these pardons signal total political protection, they only apply to federal crimes. They do not shield recipients from state-level prosecutions, such as the Georgia RICO case.

The traditional, merit-based vetting process – typically managed by the DOJ to ensure recipients have rehabilitated and do not pose a public safety risk – has been ABANDONED.

How serious is this ‘pardon thing’.  How about this? Pardons were granted to individuals with dangerous criminal profiles, including a January 6th defendant (Daniel Edwin Wilson) convicted of separate firearm offenses as a felon.

How about corruption and embezzlement? Examples include Michelle Fiore (embezzling police memorial funds for plastic surgery) and Scott Jenkins (selling sheriff’s badges for cash). That’s right. People carried badges that can now break the law as acting police officers.

Another level that has to be recognized are that pardons are now being used as currency for political loyalty or to secure the silence of potential witnesses (e.g., Paul Manafort).

Just two years to go and that will seem like an eternity considering all that’s happened for the first two years of Trump’s second presidency, but maybe the rule of law will finally be realized once again.

Hopefully there will be potential avenues to be explored to restore the rule of law and prevent future abuse of the pardon power.