Latest news with #Trump-supporting
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's reality TV–style pardon spree has real consequences for the justice system
Welcome back, Deadline: Legal Newsletter readers. There's a new legal process in America. It used to be that a guilty verdict or plea was followed by years of appeals and, perhaps years after that, a prayerful pardon application. This week showcased a new playbook: skirt your tax obligations by millions of dollars to fund a lavish lifestyle, plead guilty and, instead of going to prison or paying restitution, have your mom raise money for the president and then get pardoned. That's the case of Paul Walczak in a nutshell, but he's not the only new clemency recipient. Among this week's winning contestants were the reality television couple Todd and Julie Chrisley, whom President Donald Trump sprung from hefty prison terms for financial fraud. Their daughter spoke last summer at the Republican National Convention, where she likened her parents' purported persecution to Trump's indictments. You could say they're kindred spirits with the president when it comes to reality TV, fraud and, with those first two commonalities in mind, a knack for casting their cases as coming from unscrupulous prosecutors (in the Chrisleys' case that prosecutor being a Trump appointee, by the way). Remember, Trump's pardon spree didn't start this week or even this year. In his first term, he kicked things off by pardoning Joe Arpaio, the Arizona lawman convicted of contempt for disobeying a court order to stop racial profiling people for immigration enforcement. That set the 'law and order' tone that carries through to this day, when shirking court orders in the name of immigration enforcement sums up the Trump administration's legal work. Another former sheriff was among the lucky winners on Trump's clemency show. When Scott Jenkins of Virginia was sentenced to 10 years for bribery in March, the acting U.S. attorney had the temerity to criticize him for having 'violated his oath of office and the faith the citizens of Culpeper County placed in him when he engaged in a cash-for-badges scheme.' The prosecutor's statement from that bygone era continued, 'We hold our elected law enforcement officials to a higher standard of conduct and this case proves that when those officials use their authority for unjust personal enrichment, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable.' That is, until — well, you know. 'No MAGA left behind,' Ed Martin tweeted upon Jenkins' pardon. You may recall Martin as having effectively been deemed too extreme for confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate for Washington, D.C.'s top prosecutor job. So the administration shifted his duties, and his portfolio now includes being the DOJ's pardon attorney (the last one, Liz Oyer, was fired in March after she refused a speedy request to recommend restoring Mel Gibson's gun rights, which the Trump-supporting actor lost due to his domestic violence conviction). One gets the sense that corruption prosecutions are not a priority in the Trump administration. That's evident not only through the president's clemency but also through his Justice Department's actions in court — perhaps most notably in moving to dismiss New York City Mayor Eric Adams' corruption case for overtly political reasons. Ryan Reilly of NBC News observed a connection between the Adams and Jenkins cases, noting that they're linked by the DOJ's Public Integrity Section, which, he reported, 'has shrunk in both size and influence during the Trump administration.' The Adams connection leads us to another big story this week: Trump announced his intention to nominate Emil Bove to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. Bove came onto the scene as then-candidate Trump's criminal defense lawyer, losing the hush money trial alongside his co-counsel Todd Blanche. Blanche is now the DOJ's deputy attorney general and Bove is principal associate deputy. Putting Bove on the bench would reward a sinister use of his law license with a lifetime judicial appointment. His handling of the Adams case is just one example but it's enough to show that he hardly deserves to be a lawyer, much less a judge. Recall that Bove not only pushed for an overtly political dismissal of the corruption case but caused several ethical prosecutors to resign rather than do his dirty work. And after all that, Bove failed to get the case dismissed in the shady way he wanted to — that is, in a way that would've given Trump's DOJ the option of holding the charges as political leverage over the Democratic mayor. The reason Bove failed in his corrupt mission was that the judge presiding over the case, Biden appointee Dale Ho, saw through the farce and refused to allow it. To be sure, Democrats are at fault for failing to confirm a deserving nominee to the Philadelphia-based circuit when they had the chance last year, leaving a vacant seat for Republicans to fill. The consequences of that failure shouldn't be forgotten, then, if Bove is privileged to be in the position of making decisions like the one Ho had to make, in rising above the base impulses of lawyers like Bove. Have any questions or comments for me? Please submit them on this form for a chance to be featured in the Deadline: Legal blog and newsletter. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
23 People Are Sharing Their Best Comebacks That Left Trump Supporters SPEECHLESS, And I'm Taking Notes
Whether it's a conservative family member, coworker, or even an acquaintance who loves to debate politics, we've all endured a conversation with a Trump supporter. But no matter how much one might try to keep the conversation civil, there comes a point when the interaction needs to end before tempers fully flare. However, it can be difficult to think of the perfect response to put a stop to it... That's why when TikTok user @dylanschreibman asked, "Tell me the most silencing thing you have said to a Trump supporter. I'm talking jaw-dropping, they couldn't comeback type of statement," people of all ages shared their best retorts to MAGA voters, and I, for one, am taking notes. Without further ado, here are 23 responses that left Trump supporters SPEECHLESS: 1."I like to list Trump's worst policies, but pretend they're Harris or Biden policies. Then when a MAGA voter agrees the policies are awful, I tell them whose they truly are. They never know how to respond." —foxknowsthetruth 2."After arguing with a cisgender man over preferred pronouns, I reached behind him and said, 'Excuse me, ma'am.'" "When he corrected me, I said, 'Oh, so pronouns ARE important.' He was stunned." —chunkythoughts 3."I was arguing with a MAGA supporter, and he said Biden had cognitive dissonance. I asked him to define the term, and he said it meant that 'No one was home upstairs.'" I told him, 'You're talking about cognitive decline. Cognitive DISSONANCE is what you're experiencing.' I'm still riding that high." —angrysocialwrkr 4."I knew someone who told her parents she was going out with a sexually abusive, convicted felon who had gone bankrupt four times. Her parents flipped out. Then she told them she was describing Trump." —daweezer 5."I was talking to a (male) Trump supporter who was trying to blame the cost of healthcare on Biden. He said 'The government shouldn't be in the doctor's office' and I asked him, 'Does your stance on this apply to just men, or women too?'" —yourfriendemmaaa 6."When someone tells me they voted for Trump because they're a Christian, my response is always, 'Which one of Jesus' teachings do you feel Trump most embodies?' I always get silence." — 7."I'm a teacher. When a Trump-supporting acquaintance asked me how school was going, I said I was done with most of the 'gender reassignment' surgeries for the year, but still had a few to go." —hannah_b_real Related: 26 People Who Had Overwhelming Gut Instincts They Couldn't Were Right 8."When a Trump supporter says they're glad DEI has been taken down, I get them to say the whole thing out loud and tell me that they're against 'Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.' They don't like that." — 9."A coworker pulled the 'Why can't we disagree on politics and still be friends' card, and I said, 'We can disagree on taxes, but if we disagree on human rights, I don't want to be friends with bigots.'" —helloimscared 10."I was walking my dog when an older couple approached, and I noticed the husband was wearing a Trump hat. When they asked to pet my dog, I told them he doesn't like racists. The wife was shocked; it was definitely the first time someone had called them out." —walkswithace 11."Honestly, they get SO ANGRY when I tell them, 'I hope you get everything you voted for' or 'Have the day you voted for!' Why do they get mad? Do they realize they made a poor decision?" —fro_head Related: 51 People Who Quickly Discovered Why Their Hilariously Clueless Partner Was Single Before Meeting Them 12.'I asked a Trump supporter, 'So you're telling me you care more about money than the women in your life?' The next day, he told me it felt like I had punched him in the gut." —kohava1991 13."Someone walked into my store and told me to 'Buy American clothing,' so I followed up with, 'You first, babe, ' and asked to see the tag on the inside of their gross red hat." —gypseafleurboutique 14."MAGA voters get really mad when you say Trump has never won an election against a man." —word_nerd222 15."A man once told me he worries about his daughter now that so many transgender people are in bathrooms. I told him, 'If you want to know who to look out for, look in the mirror. Because the bad guys look like you.'" —amylinslezak 16."I showed a Trump supporter photos I had taken of grocery and gas prices on November 6 versus those on that particular day. They said, 'We can agree to disagree,' and blocked me." — 17."In response to 'I'd like to see Obama's birth certificate,' I said, 'I'd like to see Trump's taxes for the past 10 years.' For some reason, they didn't want to talk politics anymore." —ms_me09 18."I told my dad, 'You told me to stand up for myself when a man is being disrespectful, and that's what I did by not voting for Trump.'" —apaigeoutofabook 19."I was talking to an older guy wearing a MAGA hat and said, 'Sorry, but respecting your elders is a DEI practice, and your hat shows you're against DEI.'" — 20."My former boss was going on an anti-abortion rant, so I asked him, 'What about the lives of the two children you abandoned?' (He's a deadbeat dad). I got fired." —user2924727493 21."I always like to tell a Trump supporter, 'You could've just said you didn't care about anyone but yourself and I would've respected you more for your honesty.'" —daniellemagdelene 22."I was talking with a guy I knew from high school, and he mentioned Biden's taxes on individuals who make more than $450,000 a year. I looked him in the eye and said, 'You and your home with popcorn ceilings will be just fine.'" — 23."I asked my dad if he would leave me alone in a room with Trump. Silence." —morganelizabethbowman Which one of these comebacks was your favorite? Have you ever said something to a Trump supporter that left them speechless? Tell us in the comments or answer using the anonymous form below! Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Also in Internet Finds: 15 Facebook Marketplace Items You'll Wish, From The Depths Of Your Soul, You Could Unsee Also in Internet Finds: People Are Confessing Their Absolute Pettiest "Revenge Served Cold" Stories, And It's Deliciously Entertaining Also in Internet Finds: 19 Things Society Glorifies That Are Actually Straight-Up Terrible, And We Need To Stop Pretending Otherwise
Buzz Feed
4 days ago
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Speechless Trump Supporters Comebacks TikTok
Whether it's a conservative family member, coworker, or even an acquaintance who loves to debate politics, we've all endured a conversation with a Trump supporter. But no matter how much one might try to keep the conversation civil, there comes a point when the interaction needs to end before tempers fully flare. However, it can be difficult to think of the perfect response to put a stop to it... That's why when TikTok user @dylanschreibman asked, "Tell me the most silencing thing you have said to a Trump supporter. I'm talking jaw-dropping, they couldn't comeback type of statement," people of all ages shared their best retorts to MAGA voters, and I, for one, am taking notes. Without further ado, here are 23 responses that left Trump supporters SPEECHLESS: "I like to list Trump's worst policies, but pretend they're Harris or Biden policies. Then when a MAGA voter agrees the policies are awful, I tell them whose they truly are. They never know how to respond." —foxknowsthetruth "After arguing with a cisgender man over preferred pronouns, I reached behind him and said, 'Excuse me, ma'am.'" "I was arguing with a MAGA supporter, and he said Biden had cognitive dissonance. I asked him to define the term, and he said it meant that 'No one was home upstairs.'" "I knew someone who told her parents she was going out with a sexually abusive, convicted felon who had gone bankrupt four times. Her parents flipped out. Then she told them she was describing Trump." "I was talking to a (male) Trump supporter who was trying to blame the cost of healthcare on Biden. He said 'The government shouldn't be in the doctor's office' and I asked him, 'Does your stance on this apply to just men, or women too?'" "When someone tells me they voted for Trump because they're a Christian, my response is always, 'Which one of Jesus' teachings do you feel Trump most embodies?' I always get silence." "I'm a teacher. When a Trump-supporting acquaintance asked me how school was going, I said I was done with most of the 'gender reassignment' surgeries for the year, but still had a few to go." —hannah_b_real "When a Trump supporter says they're glad DEI has been taken down, I get them to say the whole thing out loud and tell me that they're against 'Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.' They don't like that." "A coworker pulled the 'Why can't we disagree on politics and still be friends' card, and I said, 'We can disagree on taxes, but if we disagree on human rights, I don't want to be friends with bigots.'" "I was walking my dog when an older couple approached, and I noticed the husband was wearing a Trump hat. When they asked to pet my dog, I told them he doesn't like racists. The wife was shocked; it was definitely the first time someone had called them out." —walkswithace "Honestly, they get SO ANGRY when I tell them, 'I hope you get everything you voted for' or 'Have the day you voted for!' Why do they get mad? Do they realize they made a poor decision?" 'I asked a Trump supporter, 'So you're telling me you care more about money than the women in your life?' The next day, he told me it felt like I had punched him in the gut." "Someone walked into my store and told me to 'Buy American clothing,' so I followed up with, 'You first, babe, ' and asked to see the tag on the inside of their gross red hat." —gypseafleurboutique "MAGA voters get really mad when you say Trump has never won an election against a man." "A man once told me he worries about his daughter now that so many transgender people are in bathrooms. I told him, 'If you want to know who to look out for, look in the mirror. Because the bad guys look like you.'" "I showed a Trump supporter photos I had taken of grocery and gas prices on November 6 versus those on that particular day. They said, 'We can agree to disagree,' and blocked me." — "In response to 'I'd like to see Obama's birth certificate,' I said, 'I'd like to see Trump's taxes for the past 10 years.' For some reason, they didn't want to talk politics anymore." "I told my dad, 'You told me to stand up for myself when a man is being disrespectful, and that's what I did by not voting for Trump.'" "I was talking to an older guy wearing a MAGA hat and said, 'Sorry, but respecting your elders is a DEI practice, and your hat shows you're against DEI.'" — "My former boss was going on an anti-abortion rant, so I asked him, 'What about the lives of the two children you abandoned?' (He's a deadbeat dad). I got fired." "I always like to tell a Trump supporter, 'You could've just said you didn't care about anyone but yourself and I would've respected you more for your honesty.'" "I was talking with a guy I knew from high school, and he mentioned Biden's taxes on individuals who make more than $450,000 a year. I looked him in the eye and said, 'You and your home with popcorn ceilings will be just fine.'" "I asked my dad if he would leave me alone in a room with Trump. Silence." —morganelizabethbowman Which one of these comebacks was your favorite? Have you ever said something to a Trump supporter that left them speechless? Tell us in the comments or answer using the anonymous form below!
Buzz Feed
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Zachary Levi Says Politics Affected His Career
You know Zachary Levi — even if you maybe wish you didn't. Zachary has worked steadily since his role as Chuck in, uh, Chuck — if not quite successfully. His last two big projects, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Harold and the Purple Crayon, were critical and commercial disappointments, to say the least. More recently, Zachary has gained attention for his political stances rather than his acting abilities. He endorsed Trump and emerged as a vaccine skeptic, and Broadway legend Laura Benanti came forward to say that she basically hates him in response to all of his public shenanigans. Brutal. Now, Zachary is far from "canceled." He just starred in the faith-based film The Unbreakable Boy and has several projects currently in post-production. He's also currently filming the action film Hotel Tehran. But, as Trump-supporting Hollywood types often do, Zachary is now claiming that his career's been hurt by his political opinions — specifically, in a new profile that Variety recently published. 'I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions. My team has let me know,' he said in the profile, apparently gesturing towards Beverly Hills in conversation. 'They haven't given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it's unfortunate. I knew that was probably going to happen. I didn't make this decision blindly or casually.' Oh well! You can read the entire profile here.
The Intercept
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
Is AIPAC Coming After Ilhan Omar?
A poll sent to constituents in Rep. Ilhan Omar's district has the hallmarks of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's strategy. The poll, sent earlier this month, first ran through the kinds of questions typical for a campaign testing the waters. The survey started by posing positive and negative questions about Omar and Ryan Winkler, a Democrat and former Minnesota state representative, on run-of-the-mill political grounds: how would voters rate Omar's job performance based on her voting record on affordable housing and healthcare, or Winkler's record on minimum wage and private prison legislation? Screenshots of survey questions about Rep. Ilhan Omar and former State Rep. Ryan Winkler The Intercept Then the poll tipped its hand. In a series of questions about 'statements critics might make about Ilhan Omar,' the survey described Omar as 'one of the most anti-Israel members of Congress,' cited her voting record against a resolution that condemned the October 7 attacks without mentioning Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians, and outlined her opposition to arms sales to Israel, then asked respondents to indicate how concerned this information makes them feel. Then it asked respondents whether Winkler being backed by 'a right-wing, pro-Israel group that is funded by Trump-supporting billionaires and has endorsed dozens of Republican members of Congress who support Trump and his MAGA agenda' raises any concerns. Screenshots of survey questions about Rep. Ilhan Omar and former State Rep. Ryan Winkler The Intercept Screenshots of the survey viewed by the Intercept showed no clear indication of who paid for the poll. Political operators familiar with AIPAC tacitcs, however, see the poll as a sign that AIPAC is laying the groundwork for challenging Omar in the midterm elections next year. The group typically tests the waters by fielding polls before they commit to a race. By asking voters how they feel about Winkler even after getting the negative message that he is backed by a 'right-wing, pro-Israel group' — a group like AIPAC — the group can learn whether backing him would do more harm than good in the district, and how much ground it would have to make up if voters viewed such a fact negatively. 'This is absolutely what they do,' said Usamah Andrabi, communications director for Justice Democrats, which has backed candidates who are critical of U.S. military support for Israel, including Omar. 'They come into these districts early and poll the candidates they've already been talking to, that they're already interested in, which in this case is seemingly Ryan Winkler, so they can take it back to their donors and ask for millions of dollars,' he said. 'This is absolutely their playbook.' A source familiar with the race who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity confirmed from multiple sources that AIPAC is planning to be active in targeting Omar this cycle and has been in talks with Winkler who was reportedly waiting on the results of an AIPAC poll to make his decision. Winkler, AIPAC, and United Democracy Project, AIPAC's super PAC, did not respond to a request for comment. The survey is the first public sign that AIPAC still has its eye on ousting progressive members of Congress who criticize U.S. military funding for Israel and Israeli human rights abuses in Palestine. AIPAC spent more than $100 million on primaries last cycle, including more than $25 million to oust Squad members Reps. Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman. The spending came from United Democracy Project and AIPAC's regular political action committee, AIPAC PAC. In the 2020 cycle, AIPAC, endorsed more than 100 Republican members of Congress who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. 'Our district has never been for sale. Special interest groups, including AIPAC, have spent millions trying to unseat me,' Omar said in a statement to The Intercept. 'If what AIPAC was lobbying for was truly popular, they wouldn't need to spend millions to smear those they disagree with.' 'If what AIPAC was lobbying for was truly popular, they wouldn't need to spend millions to smear those they disagree with. Voters in my district want to see leaders who are fighting to get big money out of politics, not leaders who want to see our elections turned into auctions. I have proudly earned the support of my constituents every election and plan to do so again by fighting for the people I represent, not special interests backed by Republican money.' After its victories last cycle, AIPAC is revamping its efforts to remove every member of Congress who is critical of Israel, Andrabi of Justice Democrats said. 'That's the Congress that Citizens United has been building for a decade and a half now,' Andrabi said. 'A spineless Congress that only does the bidding of billionaires and corporate super PACs. I think we are seeing this cycle especially just how fed up voters are with that sort of Congress,' he said. 'Democrats are more unpopular in Congress than they ever have been, and it's because people see them as more dedicated to the bottom lines of their billionaire donors than to the livelihoods and liberties of their constituents — that's because they see how much money is being spent in these primaries.' 'This is not just about Israel and Palestine,' Andrabi continued. 'It's really about being able to control politicians and make them do what you want. We should be opposing any lobby from being able to do that.' AIPAC typically runs polling in districts before it jumps into a race. Last cycle, the group officially stayed out of the Democratic primary challenge against Rep. Summer Lee, but The Intercept reported that AIPAC had tried and failed to recruit two candidates to challenge Lee. AIPAC was reportedly in contact with Bhavini Patel, who eventually decided to run against Lee, but did not officially back her. Part of AIPAC's strategy is to attack candidates who are critical of Israel on other points — like claiming that Omar is antisemitic or criticizing her for calling to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. Both of those claims appeared in the survey. None of the survey questions specifically asked about voters' own support for Israel's war on Gaza, a ceasefire, or U.S. military support for Israel, both of which a growing number of Democratic voters oppose. 'AIPAC's number-one requirement for endorsing a candidate is how empty of a vessel can this empty suit really be?' There's a reason those questions weren't in the survey, Andrabi said. The survey described Omar as 'one of the most anti-Israel members of Congress' and criticized her for voting against a resolution that condemned the October 7 attacks without mentioning Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians. 'AIPAC's number-one requirement for endorsing a candidate is how empty of a vessel can this empty suit really be?' Andrabi said. 'One consistency we can see amongst recruited primary challengers from AIPAC is they are people who don't stand for anything, don't believe in anything, and are most willing to be bought and sold by corporate lobbies and right-wing super PACs.' Other questions in the survey that nodded to AIPAC's potential involvement painted Omar as antisemitic and asked how constituents felt about Omar's 'extreme positions.' 'Even after being rebuked by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders for her antisemitic language, Ilhan Omar has continued to take extreme positions and opposed legislation that aims to right growing anti-semitism in this country,' the survey said. (The question referred to Democrats who attacked Omar after she criticized spending by the pro-Israel lobby in U.S. elections.) Then, the survey asked respondents to rate how concerned they were about Omar as a candidate. This is not the first time AIPAC has explored a primary challenge against Omar. During her primary challenge in 2022, AIPAC funneled $350,000 to a group backing her challenger, Don Samuels. The money was not reported until after the race. Pro-Israel donors backed Samuels in another challenge against Omar last cycle, The Intercept reported.
