It’s against this backdrop that the struggling AG made a striking announcement over the weekend. The Associated Press reported:

The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away Covid-19 vaccines, giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling faked vaccination cards. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on the social media platform X that charges against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, of Midvale, Utah, were dismissed at her direction.

For those who aren’t mired in far-right fever swamps, Moore’s name is probably unfamiliar. But in some right-wing circles, he and the case against him have become a subject of intense interest lately.

The criminal case against Moore was relatively straightforward. The Utah-based plastic surgeon, according to evidence compiled by federal prosecutors, allegedly destroyed over $28 million worth of government-provided Covid vaccines, issued fraudulent vaccination record cards — in some instances, in exchange for cash — and administered saline shots to children instead of the Covid vaccine.....

It was around this time when Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia embraced Moore’s case as a rallying cry, asking the Justice Department to abandon the case.

Five days later, Bondi did exactly that, insisting that the Utah doctor did not “deserve” the prison sentence he was facing. The attorney general specifically credited Greene, one of the most right-wing members of Congress in recent memory, for bringing the case to her attention and for having been a “warrior for Dr. Moore.”

To be sure, it’s possible that Bondi would’ve intervened in the case even if many MAGA activists weren’t calling for her ouster, but it’s quite a coincidence that the attorney general scrambled to intervene in a case important to the far-right fringe just as she was looking to improve her standing with the far-right fringe.

As for the larger context, the nation’s chief law enforcement officer effectively declared that those who commit professional fraud, on purpose, can expect to get away with overt criminal misconduct if (a) conservatives approve of the motivation behind the fraud; (b) the attorney general is feeling politically desperate; or (c) some combination of the two.

At yesterday’s World Cup trophy presentation, Trump refused to get off the stage—they were literally pushing him to leave. Total embarrassment.

So the winning team, Chelsea, just photoshopped him out of their official trophy photo. 😂

I don’t know a thing about soccer, but Chelsea is my new favorite team

Those expecting the “major statement” to be an important breakthrough probably should’ve known better. NBC News reported:

Trump said the U.S. will send weapons to Ukraine through NATO, which will pay for and distribute them, and threatened secondary tariffs targeting Russia if a ceasefire deal isn’t reached. ‘We’re going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,’ Trump said. ‘It’s very simple, and they’ll be at 100%.’

In other words, the “major statement” was Trump threatening Russia with sanctions — again.

https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3ltwqeojolk2w
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1944778116397691315

If the rhetoric sounds at all familiar, there’s a good reason for that.

In late January, just two days after his second inaugural, Trump told Russia that if it failed to end its war in Ukraine quickly, the White House “would have no other choice” but to impose new economic sanctions. Putin proceeded to ignore the threat, and Trump failed to follow through.

In early March, it happened again: Trump gave Putin a choice — sanctions or a ceasefire — and the Russian leader again ignored his American counterpart. Trump again failed to follow through.

In late March, Trump once again said he was prepared to impose economic penalties on Russia. In keeping with the pattern, Putin ignored the threat, and Trump failed to follow through.

In early May, for the fourth time in four months, Trump wrote online, “If the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions.” For the fourth time, Russia expressed indifference. For the fourth time, Trump failed to follow through.

In late May, amid countless headlines about how angry Trump was with Putin, the Republican signaled he was prepared to change course in two weeks. He did not change course in two weeks, and Putin’s military offensive intensified.

In mid June, as Russian attacks against civilian targets worsened, Trump questioned the benefits of sanctioning Russia, complaining the economic penalties cost the United States “a lot of money.”

In mid July, Trump decided to give Putin another 50 days to resolve a conflict that Trump had promised to end within 24 hours of his inauguration.

....Asked what he’d do if Putin ignores the threat, the American president said he didn’t want to talk about it.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3ltwpyu6jmw2c
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1944783713163710573
.....But during his latest White House event, the president said of the legislation, “I’m not sure we need it.”

The New York Times reported earlier this month:

Since President Trump returned to office in January, the United States has issued no new sanctions against Russia related to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In some cases, the administration has eased restrictions. And without new ones, analysts say, existing measures lose their force. The result has created an opening for new dummy companies to funnel funds and critical components to Russia, including computer chips and military equipment that would otherwise be cut off to the Kremlin, trade and corporate records show.

Those expecting the Republican administration to do something about this probably shouldn’t hold their breath.

NBC News reported on Saturday that Donald Trump threatened to take away comedian Rosie O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship — because he doesn’t like her. The message he posted to his social media platform read in part:

Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship. She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her.

.....To hear Trump tell it, O’Donnell used speech he found objectionable, which has led him to give “serious consideration” to stripping the comedian of her U.S. citizenship. Implicit in the statement is the president’s apparent belief that he has such power.

He does not. As NBC News’ report noted, Trump cannot legally take away Americans’ citizenship because that presidential authority simply doesn’t exist.

Amanda Frost, an expert on citizenship law at the University of Virginia School of Law, told The New York Times, “In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Afroyim v. Rusk that the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment bars the government from stripping citizenship, stating: ‘In our country the people are sovereign and the government cannot sever its relationship to the people by taking away their citizenship.’”

Trump, however, doesn’t appear to understand this — or more to the point, doesn’t seem to care. An American citizen criticized him in ways he did not like, leading him to believe he should consider taking away his critic’s citizenship, as if this were somehow normal in our constitutional system.

It comes against a backdrop of Trump threatening to deny funding to cities that govern in ways he doesn’t like. Which came on the heels of Trump threatening to prosecute a news organization for running reports he didn’t like. Which came on the heels of Trump musing publicly about arresting a Democratic candidate he doesn’t like. Which came on the heels of Trump floating the possibility of deporting American citizens. Which came on the heels of Trump endorsing the arrest of a Democratic governor who has opposed the White House’s agenda. Which came on the heels of Trump ordering a Justice Department investigation into his Democratic predecessor without cause.

And that’s just from the last month or so.

The idea of two prominent public figures engaging in some kind of “feud” is forgettable, but when an American president with an authoritarian-style vision starts claiming abusive powers he does not have, it’s best not to look away.

In his latest Fox News interview, Donald Trump sat down with Lara Trump, his own daughter-in-law, and reflected on one of the key differences between his first and second terms. “We have really good people this time, and they get along with each other,” the president said, adding, “They love each other ... and it’s smoother. I think it’s smoother.”

Perhaps the Republican was confusing his team for some other administration — because there’s all kinds of evidence that contradicts the idea that prominent members of team his “get along with each other” and “love each other.” NBC News reported:

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is considering leaving his job after a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over his frustration with how the Justice Department has handled the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a person who has spoken with Bongino and a source familiar with the interactions that Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel have had with Bondi.

“Bongino is out of control furious,” the person who has spoken with the deputy FBI director said. “This destroyed his career. He’s threatening to quit and torch Pam unless she’s fired.”......

As we’ve discussed, throughout American history, there have been administrations with rival factions, but those divisions usually take time. On Team Trump, the cracks are bursting into view just six months after Inauguration Day.

In theory, a strong president could intervene, resolve differences, unite his or her own team, and establish a clear vision for his or her administration to follow. In practice, however, Trump appears content to play the role of President Bystander, watching these divisions get even worse.

There’s an old expression: A fish rots from the head down. I mention this because these kinds of failures of leadership have a tendency to spread — and amid reports of tumultuous infighting at other federal agencies, there’s reason to believe it’s already spreading.

Trump, who was booed by a significant number of fans here at MetLife Stadium as he walked onstage for the postgame ceremony, initially carried the trophy to James alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Then, in a departure from previous soccer tournaments, Trump remained standing next to James. After a brief exchange of words between the two and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez — and with others, including Cole Palmer, confused behind them — James lifted the trophy with Trump still front and center, and Infantino a few places away.

"Before, they told me he was going to present the trophy, and then exit the stage," James said of Trump afterward. "I thought that he was gonna exit the stage. But I think he wanted to stay."

Palmer, speaking at a postgame news conference, said: "I knew [Trump] was going to be here, but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand where we lift the trophy, so I was a bit confused."

Trump clapped and smiled, then hugged and shook hands with Infantino, as Chelsea players jumped up and down. The two presidents then moved to the back of the stage, and eventually exited, as Chelsea players lifted the trophy again and again, with a fireworks show continuing behind them.

It is standard for the head of state of a World Cup host country to be involved in trophy presentations. But typically, they give victorious players the stage to themselves for the trophy lift.

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—A bombshell Dept. of Justice report leaked on Monday reveals that Vice President JD Vance was the last person to see Jeffrey Epstein alive.

According to the report, Vance visited Epstein in his prison cell on August 10, 2019, shortly before the disgraced financier was found dead.

The report indicates that Donald J. Trump thanked Vance for visiting Epstein and promised to reward him someday, comparing him to “the late, great Hannibal Lecter.”

Believe it or not, congressional Republicans are still investigating Joe Biden — evidently, the former president continues to be old — including a House Oversight Committee interview this week with the Democrat’s former White House physician.

As The Associated Press reported, the doctor, who’d been subpoenaed to appear, chose not to answer GOP lawmakers’ questions.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor invoked his rights under the Fifth Amendment during a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee, his attorney and lawmakers said. ... David Schertler, one of O’Connor’s lawyers, said the doctor had ‘no choice’ but to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in testimony before the committee. Schertler cited both O’Connor’s responsibilities to protect patient privacy as a doctor and the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation into Biden’s use of the autopen.

......Around this time three years ago, for example, as New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office continued its investigation into the Trump Organization’s fraudulent business practices, the Republican indicated in advance that he’d assert his Fifth Amendment privileges, invoking his right against self-incrimination. As NBC News reported soon after, he did exactly that — a great many times.

The deposition lasted four hours, and the only question the former president answered was about his name, Trump attorney Ron Fischetti told NBC News. A source with knowledge of the deposition said Trump took the Fifth more than 440 times.

He wasn’t alone. In fact, as regular readers might recall, other Trump allies did the same thing: Folks like John Eastman, Mike Flynn and Jeffrey Clark, among others, reportedly took the Fifth in an unrelated cases — in some instances, roughly 100 times.

So, does Comer genuinely believe, “You plead the Fifth usually when you have criminal liability”? If so, how does he explain Trump’s decision to plead the Fifth more than 400 times a few years ago?