Share this page!

Jonathan Turley Profile picture
Twitter logo
23 Dec, 6 tweets, 2 min read
President Trump just issued new pardons, including for ex-Rep. Duncan Hunter. Prosecutors described Hunter as someone who"abused his position from the very beginning" of his political career." jonathanturley.org/2017/08/31/the…
In March of this year, the DOJ issued a statement on Hunter: “Rather than admit his guilt and resign his seat when the charges came to light, or even when he was originally charged, Hunter chose to mislead the more than 700,000 people who live in the 50th congressional district.”
...It added "As we now know, Hunter lied to the people about his guilt. Not once, but countless times." justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/f… That was just a few months before he was given a full pardon by the President.
...The Office of Congressional Ethics also made findings against Duncan Hunter for converting campaign money into a personal bank account, including paying for the flight of a pet rabbit. rollcall.com/2019/12/09/dun…
The convictions of Hunter and ex-Rep. Chris Collins shocked many members of Congress. Ethics has long been treated more as an abstraction, if not a distraction, in Congress. It is not surprising that both pardons were supported by current members. jonathanturley.org/2020/03/27/con…
If the President truly wanted to "drain the swamp," these pardons would seem to be nothing short of a swamp reclamation project with the reintroduction of the local fauna.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Jonathan Turley

Jonathan Turley Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @JonathanTurley

Jonathan Turley Profile picture
24 Dec
I have been writing for two years about Manafort's obvious pardon strategy. It just paid off. However, Manafort ranks as one of the least compelling candidates for pardon. He makes Marc Rich look like a pious, repentant petitioner.
jonathanturley.org/2018/08/24/137…
...Manafort was convicted of crimes unrelated to the Russian investigation after a life of criminal, conspicuous consumption. He joins others on a virtual rogue's gallery of corrupt Beltway figures on the pardon list.
The pardoning of Jared Kushner's father is equally objectionable. Charles Kushner was convicted of preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission. Kushner's pardon was the triumph of familial over legal criteria.
Read 4 tweets
Jonathan Turley Profile picture
23 Dec
Now AG James is calling Trump guilty of "sedition" despite the fact that it was Flynn who reportedly made the comment. mediaite.com/news/ny-attorn… Trump later denied any such plan for martial law. jonathanturley.org/2020/12/21/tru…
...James does care about confirming the facts or whether it was someone else who raised the issue. She simply declares "this is an act of sedition. This president is engaging in illegality." This is consistent with James' raw politicization of her office. jonathanturley.org/2020/08/10/the…
...Many of us immediately denounced Flynn for his suggestion of martial law. jonathanturley.org/2020/12/03/fly… It was a shocking and reckless suggestion. However, not only would Congress and the courts bar such a declaration, but the military has declared that it would not play such a role
Read 4 tweets
Jonathan Turley Profile picture
22 Dec
Biden just mocked a reporter for asking about his son Hunter and seemed to say that stories are forms of "Russian disinformation." foxnews.com/politics/biden… A grand jury now appears to be a Russian hoax. I preferred the comedic to the ironic approach.
jonathanturley.org/2020/12/18/com…
The Russian disinformation claim of figures like Adam Schiff has been debunked by U.S. intelligence and now the Justice Department. Yet, Biden mocked Peter Doocy for breaking the media embargo with a substantive question, saying "God love ya, man. You are a one-horse pony."...
...That "one trick" used to be called journalism back in the day when reporters doggedly demanded answers, particularly on questions like influence peddling. The tricks are a bit more complex and convert today. jonathanturley.org/2020/12/14/lar…
Read 4 tweets
Jonathan Turley Profile picture
20 Dec
There are new reports discussing martial law and the possible appointment of Sidney Powell as a Special Counsel. jonathanturley.org/2020/12/03/fly… This is why the loss of Bill Barr as AG is so significant. He has been the stabilizing force in this Administration. jonathanturley.org/2020/12/17/bil…
I am confident Barr would refuse to appoint Powell as Special Counsel or to sign off on a martial law plan. Even if these reports are false, Barr was viewed as the reliable firewall for both Justice and the cabinet. He has only a few days left at DOJ, leaving a dangerous vacuum.
...The concern is not that there is a plan for martial law, which would quickly collapse in the courts. The concern is that the President is not receiving mature counsel from figures like Barr. That function will now fall entirely on White House Counsel Pat Cipollone.
Read 4 tweets
Jonathan Turley Profile picture
16 Dec
Aa previously noted, the Congressional Medal of Honor recognizes brave corporals, not corporeal bravery. Just in case there is a need for the distinction, consider Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. jonathanturley.org/2020/12/16/for…
...Even as hyperbole, Woodhouse’s statement shows the level of spin required to dismiss this story, which is being buried by most of the media. Notably, Swalwell was particularly adamant to in calling for the investigation of an alleged Russian asset meeting with Don Trump Jr..
... Swalwell was also one of those calling for more investigations into an accused Russian asset seducing a NRA official. Indeed, at the time, Brad Woodhouse was not handing out CMHs but charges for a FEC investigation.
Read 4 tweets
Jonathan Turley Profile picture
16 Dec
Sen. Johnson and Sen. Peters just went into a full contact exchange in the hearing on alleged voting fraud. Johnson accused Peters for falsely accusing him of spreading Russian disinformation that is now being investigation by the Justice Department.
...The fact is that the hearing has been very interesting to hear a full discussion of these allegations from both sides, including excellent contributions from Krebs to rebut the Dominion allegations. The Wisconsin counsel also offered some interesting points on rule changes.
...Krebs just suggested that his staff was asked take down or change his office's public statements on conspiracy theories and disinformation. He said that he was never directly to do so, but suggested that pressure may have been put on his staff.
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @JonathanTurley has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @JonathanTurley!

Read all threads by @JonathanTurley