The Morning Dispatch: Pardon Me?

Plus, an update on the primary election in Wisconsin’s 7th District.

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Happy Wednesday! Now that we (and LeBron) got Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to apologize, we can return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

  • The ninth Democratic presidential debate will be held in Las Vegas tonight at 9 p.m. ET. Six candidates qualified, including, for the first time, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

  • The Washington Post reported that Attorney General Bill Barr “has told those close to Trump he is considering quitting over the president’s tweets about Justice Dept. investigations.” A spokeswoman for Barr responded, saying he “has no plans to resign.”

  • Afghan President Ashraf Ghani officially won a second term after a five-month dispute over the election results. His opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, also declared victory and said he would form his own government.

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  1. Avatar photo
    JonathanRRogers

    I object to the inclusion of "Baby Yoda" on the list of possible future recipients of presidential pardons. In "The Mandalorian," the mysterious diminutive character is referred to as simply the "child" or "kid." The child appears to be of the same race as Yoda, but no other connection has been implied. One thing we can be sure of is that the child is not Yoda, who disappeared and became one with the Force before the events of "The Mandalorian."

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    Pat Riot

    I am reminded of that scene in the movie, Thirteen Days, when Robert McNamara was in the war room with the generals, explaining that President Kennedy was *communicating* with Khrushchev with his naval tactics, essentially making our Naval ships characters in the President's parable.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRCTHj7k8Y

    Today, Trump's parable consists of tweets and pardons, and his message is clear: corrupt government officials are to be *protected* under Trump. He wants his AG to know that so he can intervene in strategic cases involving Trump's associates; he wants potential lawbreakers to know that so that can feel free to do crimes while he is president (as long as it benefits him); he wants the *country* to know that he is now exercising a power that no president in the history of the USA has ever had, because he was exonerated for a malfeasance he obviously did, but half of the country's lawmakers are willing to deny it as per his orders.

    If you are one who considers these pardons to be bad, you should know it will get much, much worse as we get closer to the election. Trump is likely facing prison if he doesn't get reelected, and probably financial ruin. It's a very dangerous situation.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Kevin Durant?

      “He wants his AG to know that so he can intervene in strategic cases involving Trump's associates; he wants potential lawbreakers to know that so that can feel free to do crimes”
      —————————————
      I agree this is a possibility
      OR
      It’s possible that Trump thinks 10 years in prison is excessive for making fun of someone’s dog

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      1. Avatar photo
        Pat Riot

        Tell me how plausible it is that Trump cares about any other human being on this planet but Trump. I give it an approximately 0% probability...

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          JonathanRRogers

          I think the Donald cares about his family, not all of which bear the name "Trump."

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          Kevin Durant?

          Correct. Roger Stone going to prison for 9 years makes Trump look bad. That’s the only reason he cares

          The only reason I care is because it’s totally insane so it is a fun topic

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            Pat Riot

            See, I don't think it's about making him look bad (he cares about how he *looks*? to whom?), I think it's a message to the current Roger Stones working on the 2020 election who might be afraid of crossing the line. Trump's message to them is: you won't spend a day in prison so don't worry.

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        JohnF

        It was a sentencing recommendation based on Federal guidelines (and it was 7-9 years, but I admit that 10 sounds more impressive). The Judge was (and is) under no obligation to follow that recommendation. If the guidelines are too harsh then they should be revised so that everyone (including those who are not longstanding Trump cronies) is treated equally under the law.

        I think we're all eager to hear your impassioned defence of Blagojevich though. Please do weigh in on that.

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          Kevin Durant?

          Equal treatment is good, yes. The problem is that you believe that when someone threatens a dog and the recipient tells the court it wasn’t an actual threat, your belief is that the prosecutor normally recommends 9 years. Unfortunately, that is false, so...

          I don’t really have one but I will generate a Blagojevich hot take because you asked 😃😃
          Rod attempted to benefit personally from the appointment. Every time a Senate seat opens up moving forward, give me surveillance warrants and I will put a minimum of 3 people in prison from corruption per Senate seat

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          1. Avatar photo
            JohnF

            I don't actually believe that 9 years is standard, I think it's more likely that Ston's behavior during the entire process provided the incentive for the harsh recommendation It wasn't because he was an associate of Donald Trump but rather because he is Roger Stone

            In any case, had the recommendation stood, his lawyers would have been able to raise all of your points with the judge. There was no need for Presidential involvement.

            I support your proposal for future Senate Seats . However, I believe that there is already a standing order to wiretap all current and future Illinois Governors just as a standard precaution.

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            Pat Riot

            And all three of those people would deserve it...

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  3. Avatar photo
    C C Writer

    What's interesting to me about Trump's commutation of Blagojevich's sentence is that it united some Illinois Democrats and Illinois Republicans in denouncing it. That makes for some interesting analysis of possible motives as well as effects on public sentiment.

    Dems may be against this move simply because they reflexively oppose anything Trump does--but they may be against it on principle; if, back when he was removed from office, they were for that, then they deserved credit for opposing corruption on the part of a fellow partisan. Republicans may have voted at the time to remove Rod and supported his conviction and sentencing for partisan reasons--but they also may have done it because they were opposed to corruption. Now, by opposing Trump and standing against corruption, they're running some risk and deserve credit for it.

    There are those (including some of his neighbors) who just sort of feel he was treated unfairly, because y'know he has kids and lived down the block etc. etc. and they saw him on TV and Elvis and good hair and besides everyone cheats and it wasn't murder so it didn't hurt anyone. It only serves to highlight that a certain portion of the population doesn't have a real good handle on the meaning of morality and corruption and public trust. With this move, Trump may be cementing their support--but for everyone else, it throws his character and unsuitability into sharper relief and provides a situation in which people of all political stripes can experience general agreement that the main point is right vs. wrong.

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  4. Avatar photo
    Smitty

    Well written. Bonus points for the Allman Brothers reference.

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  5. Avatar photo
    Jenny

    Declan, if you like fries, you've got to poutine, which is Quebec comfort food. There is nothing better you can do with a french fry except top it with cheese curds and drown it in gravy. Yum!

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    1. Avatar photo
      Ryan Woods

      ... and a craft beer to go with it!

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      1. Avatar photo
        Jenny

        I wouldn't turn my nose up at a craft beer, but I think a Labatt or Molson would be the appropriate pairing for this delicacy of the great white north(:

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      Declan Garvey staff-badge Staff

      Nothing better!

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    Jesse R.

    To continue the Allman Brothers reference, I am sure Blago will be "on (his) way to New Orleans this morning." After all, it's Mardi Gras time and that seems like a decent way to celebrate a pardon from the President. To me, this just seems like an effort by Trump to "own the libs" and show some love for people he needs support from in the election. That's the best explanation for his comment about Comey. He sees Blago as a victim of the swamp (?) despite the former governor characterizing it so precisely. With regard to future pardons, I think the Stone pardon is inevitable, but if there is anyone from the Star Wars universe Trump would pardon, it would be Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation.

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    Kevin Johnson

    Friends, At some point will y’all address reporting by Kim Strassel and analysis by Andy McCarthy and Jonathon Turley (et al) which contradict your collective (in podcast and daily dispatch) take on Barr allegedly taking orders from Trump (or pleasing Trump without orders rather than acting for arguably legitimate reasons) on Roger Stone? Jack Goldsmith makes some good points, as do Dispatch reporters and editors, about how awful Trump’s tweets on Stone are. I agree, but The Dispatch jumping in this case on the “Trump is bad and did bad things...therefore anyone who did things Trump likes is bad...” is harmful to our cause of honestly holding potus (and others) accountable. If you have evidence or arguments about why Strassel, McCarthy, and Turley (et al) are wrong, it would be useful to see it. If not, just arguing that Barr is “giving out friends and family discounts” on behalf of Trump, or that “we all know what this is about...“ doesn’t meet your standards, I think. Just sayin...

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    1. Avatar photo
      Kevin Durant?

      Yes, but why agree with Johnathan Turley when you can agree with Brooke Baldwin?

      Regarding the “friends and family discount”:

      Simply recommending to a judge who can do whatever she wants that she should do something marginally less insane than 10 years for threats to a dog..........THAT IS NOT WHAT THE WORD DISCOUNT MEANS

      They should send Manafort to the electric chair and then when Barr says

      “Respectfully, I would rec.......”

      “Friends and family!!”

      😑😑😑😑

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