One of these Things is Not Like the Other Ones

Can you guess which one?

Scene one:

In the process of sorting, filing and cleaning out old records and files of a former Senator, to determine which should go to the archives the Senator had set up at a home state university (and which were the equivalent of junk mail that goes into the recycle bin), the attorneys discovered a few documents marked as classified. They notified the Senator. The National Archives was notified and arrangements were made for them to pick up the documents immediately.

The ex-Senator then ordered a more intense review of stored files from multiple positions held over a long career. A few more documents were found and turned over.

>cut<

Scene two:

Another politician planning to run for a higher office, has a similar cleansing review done of old documents. Again, a few classified documents were found and the same protocols were applied. The National Archives retrieved them. Life goes on.

Technically, each politician had broken the law as all classified documents remain the property of the US government. Such occurrences can require a review by government investigators to determine if foreign agents had access to them, if the politician had originally taken them with deliberate intent, and if others without proper security clearances had ever viewed them.

The investigator has to try and determine if willful intent was present and whether National Security was harmed to determine if further legal action is required.

>cut<

Scene three:

A person who ran multiple businesses in a major business center who expanded some of the businesses to other locations around the globe, has a desire to be viewed as a wealthy, successful and sexy person with a scandalous edge. Already a very wealthy heir, the business person frequents nightclubs known for attracting the rich, famous and sexy. And also appears several times on the Howard Stern show where sex and scandalous sex stories attracts its listener base.

Using a variety of contacts from a long business career, the person pitches an idea for a reality game show. It’s launched and proves successful. Now, the person becomes well known to a national and international audience.

The person isn’t satisfied in the quest for more money, mostly, and more fame and power. Decides to enter politics with no previous record of holding any public service position, not even as a PTA or school board member. Knowing how to command a stage and work a crowd, the business person’s quest is aided by a number of events, including a hacked email account of an aide working for the principal political opponent, decisions made by an FBI director and the efforts of one or more foreign leaders trying to influence the outcome of the election.

Victory is achieved. Actions and events the person made during the campaign raise a lot of suspicions about potentially illegal actions. Just as the long business career always included scandal, rule-breaking, bigotry and sexism, the person’s short political career includes the same.

Running for re-election after several big botches, polling reflects that the odds are long against victory. The politician decided to weaponize several government agencies that would promote unwarranted investigations and reduce the votes of voting blocs likely to vote for the opponent. Those efforts were failing or being blocked by employees in the agencies, so the rookie officeholder concocted a scheme like nobody’s ever seen before, to throw out the election results and steal the election.

That effort failed repeatedly, too.

Departing office, dozens of boxes of classified documents were moved to the person’s home.

Shortly afterward, employees at the National Archives determined numerous classified documents were missing. They contacted the person and requested a return of those and all documents. Over the course of 18 months, their request was repeatedly resisted or denied. Some boxes were released but some were retained. No politician in US history had ever resisted the legal transfer of classified documents that could affect national security except by using the courts hoping to gain favorable rulings.

The archivists determined more documents were missing or were suspected to be missing and requested assistance from the Justice Department to retrieve them, as their job descriptions require them to do. After that and after all known documents were retrieved, the Justice Department launched an investigation to determine who had access to the documents in the interim, whether they’d been seen by foreign agents or people without security clearances, and whether the ex-officeholder had intentionally broken any laws about the documents.

It’s part of the normal responsibilities of the justice department to do such investigations and determine whether further legal actions were warranted. No evidence exists that either of the politicians in Scene One or Two has given instructions to any lawyer, investigator, judge or agency heads about the person in Scene Three.

Evidence, the cornerstone of all law in nations pursuing a neutral system of dispensing justice. None existed. The business person is fully aware of that. But lacking evidence of any such corrupting effort by any political opponent, spreading rumors and false allegations may be the only potential defense remaining. Trying to rally supporters again to act outside the law yet again to block the lawful actions of the courts.

On news that indictments were made by a Grand Jury, many social media sites erupted with multiple calls for a violent civil war yesterday.

It’s obvious to anyone reasonably logical and sane who the principals are in these three scenes. While the person in Scene Three launches verbal and written broadsides against everyone involved in the investigation, against numerous political foes, including former government officials he appointed, it’s important to review the facts and broadcast solid factchecking efforts.

Unless, of course, bloody civil wars are your thing.

Do what you will with the facts and evidence. Here’s the most detailed review I’ve found of what occurred and what the Justice Department is alleging occurred. Nothing in Scene One or Two comes anywhere close.

I know, I should have given ya a spoiler alert about which of these things was not like the other ones. So sue me.

And as to the question about the election interference case in Georgia, it’s already obvious that charges will be levelled in late July or August, since the DA there has previously notified the court to leave the dockets clear for her in August. No speculation there.

Legal experts are best guessing that the investigation into the January 6 insurrection effort will produce indictments before the DA in Georgia indicts, which means in the next 7 weeks.

We can expect every delaying tactic available to be used by Trump attorneys, despite the fact that several have recently quit. Any convictions will also be appealed. In Trump’s mind, the goal is to drag things out till after November 2024 so (he thinks) he can get elected, fire everybody anywhere in government that’s part of the investigation and prosecution, and pardon everyone who’s been convicted of supporting him and the insurrection.

He has yet to win a popular election to hold any government office on the planet. And he knows his only chance of succeeding is by cheating and by force, since he’s yet to produce any actual evidence of any allegations he’s made or conspiratorial theories he’s advanced.

We have come so close and remain so close to losing our democratic republic due to the attacks on the integrity of our election system, our Justice Department, our State Department, our Treasury Department and more, by this vainglory man and his vaingloryhole supporters.

Other events (comets crashing, aliens invading, Vladimir going nuclear, Kim Jong Un going nuclear, Iran’s government going nuclear, Artificial Intelligence killing us all, Elon Musk buying the Supreme Court, etc) can still save Trump and imperil us all. So don’t count any chickens yet. We’re entitled to taste their wings some now, but that’s it.

(In case you’re wondering about the graphic, yes, that hammer might really make your ass Thor).

And this I offer as a goodbye to the brilliant Tina Turner