Phil Malone
@prmalone.bsky.social
Law prof, IP & innovation clinic director. Dad, husband, rescue dog lover, native New Mexican. Interests and clinic practice focus on IP, innovation, AI regulation, online speech, antitrust, privacy and more. Personal account -- all views my own.
For the ten-thousandth time, every accusation is a confession.
January 4, 2026 at 12:38 AM
For the ten-thousandth time, every accusation is a confession.
Reposted by Phil Malone
More oldies-but-goodies from top Trumpies -- this one the so-called Director of National Intelligence. Aged real well, didn't it?
The last time Gabbard mentioned the nation of Venezuela was in early 2019. It’s a big mystery why she’s apparently out of the loop.
January 3, 2026 at 11:02 PM
More oldies-but-goodies from top Trumpies -- this one the so-called Director of National Intelligence. Aged real well, didn't it?
Ya think?! Just amazing.
In all of American history, I’m not sure there’s been a more logically incoherent pair of actions than Trump pardoning a drug trafficking head of state, and then months later ”justifying” a foreign invasion by going after a head of state for drug trafficking.
January 3, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Ya think?! Just amazing.
Ahahahaha. What ridiculous and utterly ineffectual fools Schumer and Jeffries are. "This is unacceptable. We demand a briefing." Well, that will show them. Disgusting. #SchumerMustGO
Chuck Schumer: The Trump administration lied to me in three separate briefings about their plans for Venezuela.
The Democrats: WE DEMAND A FOURTH BRIEFING IMMEDIATELY.
The Democrats: WE DEMAND A FOURTH BRIEFING IMMEDIATELY.
January 3, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Ahahahaha. What ridiculous and utterly ineffectual fools Schumer and Jeffries are. "This is unacceptable. We demand a briefing." Well, that will show them. Disgusting. #SchumerMustGO
Priceless.
Thank god Chuck Schumer isn’t alive to see this.
January 3, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Priceless.
What a complete, worthless POS. So much NOT a leader.
I don’t know what moment Chuck Schumer is made for, but it sure as shit isn’t this one.
Asked about the possibility of impeachment, Schumer says "we hope that we can have support from our Republican colleagues to put a brake on this long before it gets that far"
January 3, 2026 at 9:22 PM
What a complete, worthless POS. So much NOT a leader.
Reposted by Phil Malone
That one person can drag us into a war without consulting or even notifying Congress, or our allies, or fully explaining to the American people why this is necessary, is absolutely bonkers.
Reminder that Congress has the power to stop all of this. Where the hell are they?
Reminder that Congress has the power to stop all of this. Where the hell are they?
January 3, 2026 at 8:01 PM
That one person can drag us into a war without consulting or even notifying Congress, or our allies, or fully explaining to the American people why this is necessary, is absolutely bonkers.
Reminder that Congress has the power to stop all of this. Where the hell are they?
Reminder that Congress has the power to stop all of this. Where the hell are they?
Aaaaaand . . . for anyone who had any doubt about whether Bezos’s destruction of the integrity and credibility of the WaPo . . You happy now? Unbelievable. 😡
The Washington Post editorial board comes out in favor of the Venezuela attack/operation to capture Maduro
January 3, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Aaaaaand . . . for anyone who had any doubt about whether Bezos’s destruction of the integrity and credibility of the WaPo . . You happy now? Unbelievable. 😡
Yeah, this really aged well. 😡
Trump on why he pardoned notorious drug trafficker Juan Hernandez: “It was a Biden set up. Take any country you want. If someone sells drugs in that country, that doesn’t mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life.”
January 3, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Yeah, this really aged well. 😡
Oh hell yes.
"Trump thrives on the ineffectiveness of his opponents. The operation in Venezuela is a warning that Trump’s imperial ambitions are growing. An ineffective anti-Trump movement is an indulgence American democracy cannot afford or accept." - @davidfrum.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
Trump’s Critics Are Falling Into an Obvious Trap
The capture of Nicolás Maduro is a show of ambition that calls for an effective response.
www.theatlantic.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Oh hell yes.
Reposted by Phil Malone
Sigh.
Keep calling and emailing, friends. Congress needs to feel BIG pressure on this.
Keep calling and emailing, friends. Congress needs to feel BIG pressure on this.
Schumer on a press call accuses the Trump administration of lying to him during briefings about Venezuela, then moments later calls for more briefings
January 3, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Sigh.
Keep calling and emailing, friends. Congress needs to feel BIG pressure on this.
Keep calling and emailing, friends. Congress needs to feel BIG pressure on this.
Right?! This is only the latest (but one of the most outrageous) moments where the Dems need to provide a 10-alarm fire, all hands on deck, burn the place down (figuratively) attack on Trump’s wildly illegal and dangerous war.
Members of Congress: stop posting online and APPEAR, PHYSICALLY on the steps of the Capitol to decry this unconstitutional violation of domestic & international law. SHOW THE PEOPLE the level of danger we are facing as a country.
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social
January 3, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Right?! This is only the latest (but one of the most outrageous) moments where the Dems need to provide a 10-alarm fire, all hands on deck, burn the place down (figuratively) attack on Trump’s wildly illegal and dangerous war.
Reposted by Phil Malone
Moulton: "When we had briefings on Venezuela, we asked, 'Are you going to invade the country?' We were told no. 'Do you plan to put troops on the ground?' We were told no. 'Do you intend regime change in VZ?' We were told no. So in a sense, we have been briefed, we've just been completely lied to"
January 3, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Moulton: "When we had briefings on Venezuela, we asked, 'Are you going to invade the country?' We were told no. 'Do you plan to put troops on the ground?' We were told no. 'Do you intend regime change in VZ?' We were told no. So in a sense, we have been briefed, we've just been completely lied to"
Wait, what?! More lies from Trump? I’m shocked, shocked I tell you.
Boy, sure seems like Trump lied when he told American voters—just a couple of hours ago—that the Venezuelan politician referenced below is on board with Maduro being arrested and the Trump administration running Venezuela from Washington
This whole thing is a galactic clusterfuck
This whole thing is a galactic clusterfuck
January 3, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Wait, what?! More lies from Trump? I’m shocked, shocked I tell you.
Damn, but yes . . . exactly what this is.
From Trump's perspective, Venezuelans' rights, interests, and agency are absolutely irrelevant. We--the US--"need to be surrounded by safe countries" and we--the US--"also need the energy out of the ground." This is "when you're a star, they let you do it" but as foreign policy.
January 3, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Damn, but yes . . . exactly what this is.
Truly a Mad King now.
Trump: "All the way back it dated to the Monroe Doctrines. And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal. But we've superseded it by a lot. By a real lot. They now call it the Donroe Document. I don't know. It's Monroe Doctrine. We sort of forgot about it."
January 3, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Truly a Mad King now.
No longer any question that we are ruled by a Mad King and a royal court of lying, sycophantic grifters. And it’s only going to get worse.
Trump justified his illegal war in Venezuela by saying that Venezuela was not producing enough oil.
Venezuela was not producing enough oil because of sanctions and blockades Trump orchestrated.
JFC—paging Orwell.
We are so lost as a nation, as a people. We live under a madman.
Venezuela was not producing enough oil because of sanctions and blockades Trump orchestrated.
JFC—paging Orwell.
We are so lost as a nation, as a people. We live under a madman.
January 3, 2026 at 7:57 PM
No longer any question that we are ruled by a Mad King and a royal court of lying, sycophantic grifters. And it’s only going to get worse.
Ahahahaha. The mainstream press has been a huge part of Trump's destruction of America right from the start.
January 3, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Ahahahaha. The mainstream press has been a huge part of Trump's destruction of America right from the start.
Yep.
Almost any randomly chosen college sophomore majoring in international relations or political science could be woken up in the middle of the night, be told the US just abducted Maduro, and give a more coherent justification and explanation of the plan going forward than Trump is giving.
January 3, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Yep.
And here it is. Didn't take long at all for the true purpose of violating international law, destroying a country's sovereignty, and starting a new war to come out. Not about drugs at all, was it?
Trump: "The oil business in Venezuela has been a bust…We're going to have our very large U.S. oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure, and start making money."
January 3, 2026 at 5:06 PM
And here it is. Didn't take long at all for the true purpose of violating international law, destroying a country's sovereignty, and starting a new war to come out. Not about drugs at all, was it?
Wow. Pretty insane even for the deranged Trump, but there it is.
Nobody is even pretending that Congress authorized a military operation to remove a foreign leader as a prelude to occupying his country and running it by (presumably) American military rule. The unitary executive theory now just makes Trump emperor of the world, I guess. Incredible stuff.
BREAKING
President Trump says the United States will run Venezuela until a “safe, proper, and judicious” transfer of power can take place.
President Trump says the United States will run Venezuela until a “safe, proper, and judicious” transfer of power can take place.
January 3, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Wow. Pretty insane even for the deranged Trump, but there it is.
This is some f...ed up circular reasoning. The illegal attack on Venezuela was necessary to protect the US forces illegally invading Venezuela to kidnap its president. Right . . . . 😡
This is not in any way reassuring. It is not legal reasoning. It would effectively end congressional war powers (already heavily frayed). It is completely circular reasoning because the U.S. personnel would not be in need of protection if not going into Venezuela without authorization.
January 3, 2026 at 4:43 PM
This is some f...ed up circular reasoning. The illegal attack on Venezuela was necessary to protect the US forces illegally invading Venezuela to kidnap its president. Right . . . . 😡
Reposted by Phil Malone
A US indictment doesn’t give you the right to invade another country, seize its leader, or decide who governs next. Criminal charges and non-recognition don’t erase head-of-state immunity, this is regime change dressed up as law enforcement.
Read the unsealed indictment against Maduro: www.justice.gov/opa/media/14...
January 3, 2026 at 3:53 PM
A US indictment doesn’t give you the right to invade another country, seize its leader, or decide who governs next. Criminal charges and non-recognition don’t erase head-of-state immunity, this is regime change dressed up as law enforcement.