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 his statement showed were 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.

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.

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.

Ken Paxton – Trump’s Choice for Senate in Texas

Of course, a corrupt president would support a corrupt Republican candidate like Paxton even though Paxton votes illegally and is a fraudster. If you want proof, here it is…

Scandals are the first thing that comes to my mind when it comes to Ken Paxton and his fraud.

In 2015, Paxton was criminally charged with Securities Fraud.

In 2023, the Texas House impeached him and suspended him from office.

Paxton has been accused of bribery.

Paxton has been accused of corruption.

Paxton has been accused of obstruction of justice.

Paxton’s wife filed for divorce on grounds of adultery.

Presently he is the Attorney General of Texas and now he’s running for a U.S. Senate seat, as he has defeated the incumbent John Cornyn in the primaries. Cornyn lost because Trump supported him. Trump has put the Republican Senate seat in jeopardy and the Republican party knows it. But they continue to support Trump in every way, even in ways that hurt them.

Ken Paxton has used his office to spread lies about election fraud.

Paxton filed a lawsuit in 2020 for the State of Texas, trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He claimed that the election was stolen from Trump and that’s all you have heard ever since, even though there hasn’t been a shed of evidence proving the fact.

Paxton has made false claims about non-citizens voting illegally, but his claim has been proven false. He created an illegal voting tip line so it appeared he wanted to crack down on voter fraud.

At once instance, Ken Paxton said ” I will stop at nothing to uncover and stop any illegal voting activity.”

But the fact is that there has been only one person voting in Texas that was proven who voted illegally, and it has been proven that this person participated in voter fraud in the last six elections.

Who, may you ask has done this? Should the president of the United States have this person arrested and tried in court? If it would benefit Trump, you know that he would.

  This person is…   KEN PAXTON

Yep, it’s the very person Donald Trump is supporting to be the next Senator for the State of Texas.

Here are more facts…  Here is the proof…

Ken Paxton was registered to vote at an address where he didn’t live. He hasn’t lived there for two years, but voted in six different elections. One of them was the vote he cast to defeat his own opponent John Cornyn from his registered address he does not live.

Adding fuel to the fire, Ken Paxton’s own office warned Texas voters right before the primaries that

“it is illegal to misrepresent your residents on election records.”

But, it was OK for Ken Paxton to do just that. Why, because it benefits Trump. If Trump would have it his way, he would have nominated him over Todd Blanche for the Chief law enforcement officer of the country, but with Paxton’s baggage, even the most corrupt president of the United States knows that it would not fly with the U.S. Congress. While knowing that, Trump still wants this man representing Texas in the U.S. Senate.

Ken Paxton is Texas’s chief law enforcement officer. The governor of Texas – Greg Abbot,  knows about Paxton’s past, and the governor is just as guilty of fraud as Ken Paxton is, just with his association with Paxton.

“The Texas Democratic Party condemns the latest efforts by Abbott and his corrupt Republican cronies. Texas Republicans are a threat to our economy and small businesses, and his actions puts families at risk of going hungry for their political gains. Abbott is a failed leader; this year Texans will reject him at the ballot box and eject him from office.”

So when you hear stories of election fraud from people like Paxton or Trump, you can bet that what they say is absolute fiction.  It has been obvious time and time again that Trump doesn’t care about election integrity. Trump only cares of the outcome, to protect himself, as it’s all about him although this time, Trump’s bet on Paxton will not pay off. The Democrats will pickup a seat in the U.S. House come November. The Republicans can thank Trump for that. The people of Texas are not stupid, and they know how corrupt Trump and Paxton are. People are deserting Trump in flocks at the moment, with his lowest approval in U.S. history. But if you ask Trump how he’s doing, he will tell you that he’s doing so well, that he deserves a third term or as he has stated, he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Todd Blanche Prison Transfer Policy Bombshell

A quiet policy shift within the Department of Justice (DOJ) has granted the Attorney General unprecedented, unchecked authority over federal prison placements. This change removes long-standing objective criteria based on public safety and criminal history, replacing them with total administrative discretion.

A policy change has taken place. Signed May 6th, 2026 by the Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall, the new rule allows the Attorney General to transfer any federal prisoner to any facility nationwide.

There would be new discretionary power. Todd Blanche, if confirmed as Attorney General, would have the power to decide prison security without limits, checks, or judicial review.

Unprecedented political targeting would could occur. The policy could be used to place political opponents or protesters in maximum-security facilities alongside violent offenders.

This leads to preferential treatment. The rule facilitates “pay-to-play” scenarios or favorable placements (e.g. minimum-security camps or home detention) for political allies and wealthy individuals.

This sets precedent. The  transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security camp as an example of irregular placement that occurred even before this formal policy expansion.

 

Trumps Attempt to Bypass The Presidential Records Act

As the title of this article states with Trump’s attemps to bypass  the Presidential Records Act  (PRA), it is a critical check on presidential corruption which was established after Watergate.

The PRA was established to ensure transparency and prevent the public’s records from being treated as private property.

It mandates two primary requirements:

First, there is preservation. The president and staff must preserve all records created in office, including memos, emails, and text messages. Destruction, shredding, or deletion of these records is strictly prohibited.

Second, there is public ownership. Records belonging to the public, not the individual. Upon leaving office, the president must transfer all records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This prevents a president from, for example, taking boxes of documents home to store in a bathroom. NARA is then required to make these records public starting five years after the term ends.

But of course, Trump and his cronies will not follow this law. Trumps administration is attempting to invalidate the PRA to prevent “shady dealings” from being exposed once they leave office.

Trump demanded that his Department of Justice, lead by the corrupt Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, to produce a 52-page memo. It was written by Todd Blanche himself. The memo that Trump had Blanche argues that the PRA is unconstitutional because it allegedly infringes on executive powers.

In another attempt to bypass preservation requirements, this administration uses a program called Signal, where the messages sent from within disappear after a period of time. This is a direct violation of the law, as it bypasses preservation requirements, yet Trump decides to break the law anyway.

The PRA has been enacted for the last 50 years, and in that time, only one president, Donald Trump has violated that law. Every past president since the inception of the PRA have preserved all records. But Trump in his infinite wisdom had decided on his first term to take records that he wanted and removed them from the White House. They were traced to the president’s bathroom in his residence in Mar-a-largo.

Trump was in the process of a conviction by Jack Smith for stealing the records in his first term, but the sole fact that Trump was re-elected to his second term mandated that the charges be dropped. Now so he can continue to steal records, he is trying to change the law.

Four years after the records reach the National Archives, they are released to the public. Trump knows that the records that the archives will share will highlight more of his corruption within the White House in his second term, so he will do everything in his power, including to take down the Presidential Records Act is his desire to continue the lack of transparency from his administration.

Trump Tax Audit Immunity

Right now, everybody in America is subject to audit except one family.  That is the Trump family.

All thanks to the tax audit immunity deal that Donald Trump got out of his own administration.

The immunity deal, in my view, is a brazen abuse of the nation’s laws in a system that forces everybody else to play by the rules. It amounts to the worst of double standards. It’s a crooked double standard that benefits one person, the president and of course his family. It’s clear that Donald Trump and his family and business associates will do virtually anything to use the Federal Government and taxpayer dollars to enrich themselves and operate under a separate set of rules. As of right now, it’s everybody in America.

Senate Judiciary Committee Advance Todd Blanche for Confirmation of Attorney General

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing yesterday to confirm the Todd Blanche nomination for Attorney General of the United States that will go to a full vote before the U.S. Senate.

Democrats in the committee all were unanimously not in favor of advancing Blanche.

Starting with Democratic Senator Whitehouse, Blanche was called out with Donald Trump in their joint cover-up of the Epstein files. Senator Whitehouse also accused Blanche for a massive screw-up of the release of the documents.

Whitehouse came with the proof. He claimed there were four 302 documents, date stamped so it’s confirmed there were four, and in one of them, there was testimony from a woman who told the FBI in a formal statement that she had been sexually assaulted and physically assaulted by Donald Trump around 13 or 14 years of age. Out of the four 302’s released they only provided three out of the four. Of course, they did not release the one that made statements about Trump assaulting a woman. So much for transparency.

Presently, Todd Blanche is still sitting on 37 pages of what almost certainly must be the agent’s notes off which the three 302’s were taken that should be disclosed under the Epstein files law but instead those 37 pages remain hidden by the DOJ.

Democratic Senator Schiff mentioned that Todd Blanche has violated his code of ethics, blatantly misled this committee in testimony, supported the establishment of a fund for cop beaters, concealed and covered up documents implicating the president in the Epstein files, gone after the president’s enemies, and used the DOJ to enrich the president in a collusive settlement.

So, this is who the Republican Senators plan to confirm as Attorney General. The fundamental problem with Tod Blanche is not that he’s inexperienced, not that he’s not capable, not that he’s not intelligent. The main problem is that he has never been able to shed his role as criminal defense lawyer for Donald Trump.

Todd Blanche does not represent the American people now. He will never represent the American people. He will never do what’s best for the American people. He will only do what’s best for Donald Trump. And you cannot leave someone like that as the nation’s number one law enforcement official, not when you have a corrupt president engaged in the most unprecedented acts, and self-enriching schemes we have ever seen. You just can’t do it and hope to have anything left of the rule of law.

Senator Booker talked about how Todd Blanche moved Ghislaine Maxwell from one facility in Tallahassee, where she was imprisoned for engaging in child sex trafficking with Jeffrey Epstein and moved her to Camp Bryan in Texas, where she got a reward for helping cover up things for Donald Trump. Senator Booker did not hold back.  It’s unprecedented and corrupt, yet this is the man that the Republican Senators want as the top law official of the land. Todd Blanche did not study case files and he didn’t talk to the prosecutors who proved her guilty as an accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein. Instead, he ran to the jail cell and met with Ghislaine for two days, insulting every single Epstein victim that had been asking for a meeting for years. After those two days, did we get information that led to an indictment? Obviously not. Trump still has yet to be formally implicated. No information out of the meeting led to any new investigations. Ghislaine Maxwell is a convicted sex offender and because of Todd Blanche, she was able to leave her confinement in maximum security, and go to one of the cushiest prisons in the United States. That is supposedly a violation of prison law, by DOJ law and a direct violation of DOJ principles, yet Todd Blanche is the stand-up guy for Republicans to be the next Attorney General. Blanche is breaking the laws of the agency he plans to lead.

Todd Blanche is not the people’s lawyer as he should be. He’s not America’s lawyer. As stated in the hearing, Todd Blanche “is about to become Trump’s sword against his adversaries and shield against any scrutiny. The shield is going to shield Trump from tax cheating. The shield is going to shield him from investigation for any involvement he may have had in the Epstein’s deeds.”

It’s also unprecedented that the Attorney General would investigate colleagues on this committee, but he has done just that.

Blanche has faced scrutiny over the Justice Department’s efforts to create a $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund. The fund, which stemmed from a lawsuit between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service, was put on hold after a federal judge issued a temporary injunction blocking its creation.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, consisting of 11 Republicans, and 10 Democrats chaired by Chuck Grassley (Republican – Iowa) and ranking member Dick Durbin (Democrat – Illinois) when for the vote in an attempt to advance the nomination to the full Senate. The vote was down partisan lines, as eleven people voted for the Blanche nomination, and ten people voted against. Nothing that the Democrats said at the hearing mattered to the Republicans. Todd Blanche could have shot someone in the back and could have gotten away with it from this Republican led committee.  Blanche is protected by Trump and is getting away with it because it’s Trump’s will.