Every Family's Got One or Two...or More.

David Weiss           Hunter Biden

The names David Weiss and Hunter Biden kept coming up in my emails this week. Hell, even my bro asked me what I thought.  Other than the standard I haven't given it much thought, I must confess I have given it some thought. In no discernible order, here are my thoughts on the subject:

1. David Weiss was appointed to his position by Feckless Loser. Even though he claims he didn't really appoint him, he did, with little or no opposition from either side.
2. The Clowns of Congress have been screeching for a special prosecutor since the beginning. Now, they're screeching they don't like the special prosecutor even thought he's been the lead investigator since the beginning. 
3. The plea deal was shot down not  by Judge Maryellen Noreika of Federal District Court who asked for "more information" from both defense and prosecutor, but by Hunter himself when he finally grokked the idea that immunity was not a total blanket of protection for any crime ever committed. [Like duh.]
4. The plea deal never included the international trade irregularities with Hunter Biden and Ukraine. No deal would have covered those. 
5. There is NO comparison between Feckless attempting to overturn the election and Hunter Biden's attempt at tax evasion. These are not on the same playing field.

In a July 26th. 2023NYT article, Judge Puts Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal on Hold, Questioning Its Details, there is a fairly clear explanation of the judge's objection:

Judge Noreika’s concerns appeared to center on two elements of the proposed deal. One was a provision that would have offered Mr. Biden broad insulation against further prosecution on matters scrutinized by federal prosecutors during the five-year inquiry, providing him with some protection against the possibility that Mr. Trump, if re-elected, or another Republican president might seek to reopen the case. The other had to do with the diversion program on the gun charge, under which she would be called on to play a role in determining whether Mr. Biden was meeting the terms of the deal.

 

Judge Noreika said she was not trying to sink the agreement, but to strengthen it by ironing out ambiguities and inconsistencies, a view held by some former department officials.

But did it stop there? No! In today's attempt to explain what happened, the NYT  proffered  Hunter Biden Says Prosecutors Reneged on Major Part of Plea Deal. The article holds Judge Noreika "largely responsible" for the deal impasse, but I think when Hunter Biden told the judge he would not sign any deal that did not offer broad immunity and his lawyer "popped up angrily to declare the deal “null and void," might have had something to do with it.

But not everyone is on the same page here. 

All manner of folk seem to have their knickers knotted over this. Poppycock! What happened in that courtroom is basic SOP. Deals are hammered out, refined, re-hammered, and eventually agreed upon. In the comments section of today's article, one fellow added a lucid and precise explanation of what just happened. I vetted his answer with my legal-eagle lawyerly consultants, and they thought his explanation was spot on:

Pietro

NYC

There is a great deal of hyper-ventilating going on in these comments, my my! I work in criminal defense, in district (federal) courts. Plea deals happen in over 95% of cases--it's the rule, not the exception. Hardly anyone goes to trial. What's more, the "immunity" business everyone seems suspicious of is misunderstood--the idea is, you proffer as a defendant, come clean with your conduct in the offense, and you can't be prosecuted any further for the answers to whatever they ask you: the famous "queen for a day" proffer session with the feds. The idea that Hunter should plead guilty, proffer what he knows, then still be vulnerable to MORE prosecutions and investigations is simply NOT how it's done. I am sorry--LEFT AND RIGHT--if this offends your sensibility, but it's how the DOJ operates, day in, day out. And yes, defendants routinely get diversion for minor charges, like making a false statement on a gun or other licensure application. It's routine (I've worked on a few of those). As for putting someone in jail for paying their taxes late, with fines and fees--the decision to do that is entirely political. Plenty of folks walking around free who file late every year, with fines, as a matter of routine business. Folks need to stop taking the right-wing messaging bullet points and blowing them up into outrage. This is how our justice system works. It will probably work that way for you someday, when you get jammed up, if you have a decent attorney advocating.

I thought this was a great explanation.

So, do I think Judge Noreika was right to push back on the deal? Absolutely. Do I think David Weiss should've been named Special Prosecutor? I don't think it matters one way or the other in a court of law...and that's the only place it should matter. He's been doing the job, he's a Republican, and no one is gonna make everyone happy, so give it a rest. 

I have no doubts that Hunter Biden is 1) an idiot and 2) was engaged in less than above-board actions. Like I mentioned in observation #5, this is nowhere near to overturning an election, shitting on the Constitution, or preaching insurrection. Hunter is nothing more than a diversionary tactic that, if his folks were as smart as they should be, would've strong-armed him into coming clean at the first hint of impropriety. That they did not do exactly that makes me lose some measure of respect for both POTUS and FLOTUS. But they didn't and it's a swamp they really need to drain quickly and openly because right now, it's festering. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.

Wanna know what I wanna know? How come Feckless Loser's asshat sons are wandering the earth spewing bulloney at campaign events. No one has ever gone after those two, or even Princess Ivanka and her consort. These guys traded on the presidency, from golf courses in Scotland to charging the government. But the GOP is carrying on as if Hunter Biden was planting bombs under the federal buildings. This bothers me. Apparently, I'm not the only one who has noticed. 

In their May 11th, 2023 issue, TIME Magazine noted:

Records of Hunter Biden’s activities also echo the foreign business dealings of the family members of another President. While in office, former President Trump remained connected to the Trump Organization, even as he passed control of the company to his two sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Though Trump’s team said the business would not enter any new overseas deals during his term, his family members continued to engage in business abroad. Meanwhile, Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, continued to pursue financial interests in foreign countries.

Specifically? Don't forget Don, Jr's foray into foreign affairs even before his Sorry Sire was elected. He met with Russians at Trump Tower in New York City to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. Of course, Ivanka's clothing line and her dealing with China and Indonesia continued while she had an office in the White House...but before she was "encouraged" to shut it down in 2017. And let us not forget that in 2019, when Hunter Biden's actions were first being examined by the DoJ, Eric lied as he claimed his family had stopped dealing in international business all the while doing the Scotland golf deal. Where are those investigations? 

Tonight, down in Georgia, Feckless Loser and 18 of his cabal have been indicted for attempting to overturn the election in that state. 

Let's take a minute to look at the U.S.C. § 2381:

18 U.S. CODE § 2381 - FEDERAL CRIME OF TREASON

Treason is a federal crime in the United States, as stated in Title 18 U.S. Code § 2381. It is defined as "levying war against the United States, or adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort."

The actual law reads as follows:

18 U.S.C. § 2381 says, “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or imprisoned and fined, and incapable of holding any U.S. office.” 

Now, listen to this recording: 

There is abundant proof that it is the voice of Feckless Loser. One might think that's more than ample evidence in a court of law to convict that embarrassment of treason. Now, add what he did on January 6th, then add what he has recently said at rally after rally after rally. 

Whadday think? Is there a case there?

And therein lies the problem. A significant number of citizens of these here United States thinks what he did was okay...despite overwhelming proof that there was no malfeasance in the election process in Georgia, or anywhere else for that matter. 

Yeah, yeah.  I'm preaching to the choir here. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

A quote from Miyamoto Musashi

Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is,

and you must bend to its power,

or live a lie.

A  bonus quote from Isaac Asimov:

When stupidity is considered patriotism,

it is unsafe to be intelligent.