Great post.
I am very committed to the idea that Mueller will demonstrate there is a direct connection between Putin, et. al., and Manafort becoming the Head of the Trumpster Campaign for Prez.
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I donât think it was a joke. If you read the transcript, it looks like McCarthy was not joking, but Ryan tries to make believe that it was a joke, when he realizes that they might be overheard. Read the transcript below:
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What I want to know is WHY Rick Gates lied on FEBRUARY 1, 2018 about that meeting? Why would he risk prison for Dana Rohrabacher? I mean, DANA ROHRABACHER? Hard to believe.
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Treason was a touchy subject in the 1780âs, because it was a charge that was thrown around lightly in European capitals as a truncheon for political opponents. Thatâs why the framers (somewhat) explicitly defined it in the constitution.
Article III, Section 3
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
So, no, conspiracy against the United States does not automatically equal treason. It simply means a conspiracy to commit a crime vis-Ă -vis Federal statute or the Constitution.
The question in the meaning of âadhering to their enemiesâ may well be restricted to the preceding, i.e., an enemy in war. I donât know.
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Representative âBurnoutâ is a scumbag.
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If Rohrabacher was involved then there must be treason somewhere.
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Significant difference. In this case, Gates conspired with Manafort (and others) to hide income and not pay taxes, thus conspiring against the laws and interests of the US. Treason is actually relatively narrow, and exists only when someone who owes allegiance to the country attempts to overthrow the government or aids an enemy in time of war.
@hgc10 quoted the Constitutional provision above. There is also a statutory provision. 18 USC § 2381: Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 807; Pub. L. 103â322, title XXXIII, § 330016(2)(J), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)
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I donât know why but the risk of being busted for committing a huge felony and losing his immunity for what he told Mueller seemed preferable to telling the truth about the meeting. The phrase âsmoking gunâ comes to mind.
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Gates was the guy the FBI originally fingered? They sure sized him up.
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BTW, I have a hunch (just a guess) that this new indictment on Manafort might mean that Manafort is looking to flip.
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Is this defined somewhere? When was the last time we werenât at war?
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I am respectful both of laws and word definitions but weâre pretty arguably in a war with Russia right now.
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Maybe heâs planning to move there before he gets indicted.
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Vin Weber. That POS is still around? The trash keeps floating in the Republican septic tank.
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Havenât done the specific reasearch, but as I recall, it is limited to defined enemies in a declared war, i.e., Germany or Japan in WWII. (That was our last officially declared war, right?) When dealing with non-declared wars or enemies, the most common charge is espionage or something along those lines, not treason.
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In fairness to TPM editors, Josh himself announced today that his new podcast âdropsâ on Tuesday.
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Excuse me for repeating this, but the charges are becoming increasingly too felonious for the president to pardon without huge fallout. In addition, with Gates singing, Manafort is screwed if he doesnât cooperate. With pardon diminishing from the equation, Manafort must now weigh his senior years in jail vs polonium tea.
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Tell us more about this âcount of conspiracy against the United Statesâ. You canât just throw that out there and leave us hanging âŚ
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rohrabacher & weber-quite a pairâŚwhen he was in congress i remember weber accusing fdr of dodging service in ww1(he was actually busy being asst. naval secretary)âŚand who can ever forget alex trebek humiliating rohrabacher on the bill maher show???
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Just announced by CNN!
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