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Reposted by Frank Bowman

Spiro’s Ghost @antitoxicpeople.bsky.social · 17d

Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 17d

WaPo editorial board has knelt, but Opinion page still publishes some solid criticisms of Trump's misdeeds. This is one.
wapo.st/46u5tpV

Opinion | I tried mortgage fraud cases. Trump’s revenge prosecutions are a sham.

No competent federal prosecutor would bring baseless charges against political targets.

wapo.st

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 17d

It's a remarkably abject affair. It's framed as argument for US "return to Bagram," but all it really says is that some form of renewed relations w/ Afghan/Taliban govt, maybe including small contingent at Bagram, wld be good idea.

But THAT'S NOT WHAT TRUMP SAID!

My subscription expires in a week.

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 18d

The exact comparison that occurred to me. But thought no one in these times would get the reference. Thanks for bringing it in.

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 18d

What's crazier is that you can be assured that no one in US military wants this airbase back while Taliban in power. Absent reoccupation of whole country - which would mean return to forever war - it wld be a perpetual security liability.

Absolutely barking mad.

digby @digby56.bsky.social · 18d

This is the second violent threat against another country he's made in the last 24 hours.

That Nobel Peace Prize is right around the corner.

If Afghanistan doesn't give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!! President DJT

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 18d

The lesson we are all learning is that our most pessimistic prior predictions of Trump II were scarcely pessimistic enough.

Despite having spent most of last decade warring w/ Trump & warning of what 2d term could mean, I still find it hard to believe that it's actually happening.

But it is.

Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 18d

Puzzled me, too.

Perhaps no one in FBI or AG's office believed even Trump DOJ cld be this overtly corrupt?

I might not have believed it myself.

Chip away at edges & give passes to friends for marginal stuff? Sure. Turn blind eye at times? Sure. But blow off straight-up bribe? Surely not that...

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 18d

Horrors of Trump II are so numerous that one is numbed. But as an old DOJ guy, this may be worst outrage so far.

As reported, this is lay-down, old-fashioned, stack-of-greenbacks bribery conspiracy. No subtlety. No observable defense. But he's Trump's immigration mouthpiece.

So DOJ shut it down.

Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” @ryanjreilly.com · 18d

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.

www.msnbc.com

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Reposted by Frank Bowman

Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 19d

😂🤣😂

Scotlady19🇨🇦 @scotlady19.bsky.social · 20d

Stephen Colbert’s opening tonight.
Priceless! Shut your Trap!

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Reposted by Frank Bowman

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 19d

It's important to remember when GOP Reps and Sens are yelling about the 'violent left' that they routinely tell reporters and colleagues how theyre afraid to do this or that because their own supporters routinely threaten violence agains them.

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Reposted by Frank Bowman

Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 20d

Yesterday, a late-night show vanished with a simple directive from 2 of the largest media companies you’ve never heard of (Nexstar & Sinclair), backed by the FCC. That’s not “the market at work.” It’s concentrated corporate power cooperating with an authoritarian. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/b...

ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments After F.C.C. Pressure

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Frank Bowman

Nora Demleitner @norademleitner.bsky.social · 22d

This is the step back into an ineffective & overly punitive criminal justice system we don‘t need.
There are evidence-based ways that help reduce crime, treating 14-year-olds as adults isn‘t among them.
Any educator—and parent—knows 14-yr-olds don’t reason or react the same way as adults.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 22d

House lawmakers voted to allow 14-year-olds to be tried as adults and to treat young people more harshly in the D.C. justice system — fulfilling a top request from the Trump administration despite universal opposition among top D.C. elected officials.

House votes to charge D.C. 14-year-olds as adults

The House also voted to restrict judges from giving lighter sentences to young adults, among 14 D.C. crime-related policy proposals from the GOP.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 22d

Fair question, which is why I add qualifier, "if one had the votes" - by which I meant both House & Senate. A very doubtful proposition.

Still, Kennedy is sui generis in danger he poses to us all & future generations. And politically, even Rs might have trouble voting to keep him.

Quien sabe?

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 22d

2/2 RFK Jr is so dangerous that I think one could articulate a reasonable constitutional theory based on US judicial impeachment precedent & prior English practice. But distinguishing him from, say A. Mayorkas, starts to become question of degree, not kind.

Worth a try if one had votes. But hard.

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 22d

1/2 Very tricky to impeach cabinet officer for executing presidential policy, however dreadful or even deadly. What is "high crime or misdemeanor"? As I've written & testified for yrs, crime is not necessary, but RFK's mad behavior isn't direct assault on constitutional order like Trump I & II.

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Reposted by Frank Bowman

Kara Swisher @karaswisher.bsky.social · 22d

No notes

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 23d

Both true, I fear.

Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 23d

After long hesitation, I cancelled my WaPo subscription over this. While news division remains strong, opinion page has become pablum mixed w/ Trumpist apologetics. Newspaper that genuflects to authoritarians in & out of nat'l government is no longer an institution I can support financially.

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 23d

2/2 to national government, especially one controlled by unapologetic authoritarians, is no longer an institution I can support with my money.

I mourn the loss of the old Post, since Watergate a pillar of the American free press. I hope it can somehow regain its spine & thus its stature.

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 23d

1/2After long hesitation, I cancelled my Wash Post subscription today. Firing of Karen Attiah for some pretty anodyne posts here abt Kirk death was last straw. While news division remains valuable, opinion page has become pablum mixed w/ Trumpist apologetics.

A newspaper that reflexively genuflects

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Reposted by Frank Bowman

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 24d

Cartoon by @macltoons.bsky.social.

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 28d

No idea really. I think most serious thinkers about all this recognize that detailed discussion of systemic remedies is premature. The precondition for any systemic change is Democratic control of WH & both houses of Congress. One shld plan for that eventuality, but it cld be years or never.

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Reposted by Frank Bowman

Philip Bump @pbump.com · 28d

There is a throughline between Texas A&M's embarrassing response to a student's complaint and a certain newspaper's "who's to say who signed it" article. www.pbump.net/o/the-climat...

The climate of fear is self-imposed

I am not generally in the habit of criticizing the editorial decisions of The Washington Post, my employer for 11 years and an institution that continues to good, important work in covering the unwind...

www.pbump.net

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 28d

2/2 And if White House gets to pick the "expert," you can virtually guarantee that s/he will find that signature on card is forgery or that comparison is "inconclusive."

This is classic Trumpian diversion.

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Frank Bowman @frank-bowman.bsky.social · 28d

1/2 As someone who has used handwriting experts in trials, I note that honest handwriting "experts" are VERY unlikely to be able to form conclusive opinion in case w/ one very short questioned sample where, if it were fake, someone was carefully & consciously trying to imitate another's handwriting.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 28d

BOLDUAN: The White House says it would support a professional handwriting expert review that birthday book page that allegedly was made by Trump. The WH continues to say it was not.

SWALWELL: I have two eyes. You have two eyes. Anyone who looks at that letter knows whose signature that was.

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