Patterico

The murders continue.

Three cheers for the Constitution's right to a jury: a federal jury in Los Angeles "took just over an hour to acquit [Brayan] Ramos-Brito of a misdemeanor assault count" in an ICE-scuffle case hinging heavily on the testimony of border sector chief Gregory Bovino, now doing raids in Chicago.

Two weeks

Mmmm, I think he knew, but it’s something he had known about for months and had discussed publicly before, Graham presented like it was this sudden information and it was confusing.

Let's shift to another topic. On May 3rd, 2017, in this committee, Chairman Grassley asked you point blank, "Have you ever been an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation?" You responded under oath, "Never." He then asked you, "Have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton administration?" You responded again under oath, "No." Now, as you know, Mr. McCabe, who works for you, has publicly and repeatedly stated that he leaked information to the Wall Street Journal and that you were directly aware of it and that you directly authorized it. Now, what Mr. McCabe is saying and what you testified to this committee cannot both be true. One or the other is false. Who's telling the truth? Mr. Comey: (01:52:43) I can only speak to my testimony. I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017. Senator Cruz: (01:52:50) So your testimony is you've never authorized anyone to leak? And Mr. McCabe, if he says contrary, is not telling the truth, is that correct? Mr. Comey: (01:52:58) Again, I'm not going to characterize Andy's testimony, but mine is the same today.

According to McCabe’s testimony to the OIG on November 29, 2017, he and Comey discussed the October 30 WSJ article in person on October 31, 2016, when McCabe returned to the office from a trip . McCabe said that he told Comey that he had “authorized AD/OPA and Special Counsel to disclose the account of the August 12th call” and did not say anything to suggest in any way that it was unauthorized. McCabe told us that Comey “did not react negatively, just kind of accepted it.” McCabe also told us Comey thought it was a “good” idea that they presented this information to rebut the inaccurate and one-sided narrative that the FBI was not doing its job and was subject to DOJ political pressure, but the Department and PADAG were likely to be angry that “this information made its way into the paper.” McCabe told us that he did not recall telling Comey prior to publication of the October 30 article that he intended to authorize or had authorized Special Counsel and AD/OPA to recount his August 12 call with PADAG to the WSJ, although he said it was possible he did.

Comey's testimony in 2020

On the left:

In hearing, Senator Cruz erroneously claimed McCabe had said Comey "directly authorized" leak to press. Comey denied that.

On the right:

Cruz was wrong. McCabe did not say Comey authorized the leak (source: Inspector General Report, on which Cruz relies)

If this indictment really is about the McCabe matter, the government's case appears to hinge on the idea that McCabe telling Comey about the disclosure *after the article published* somehow amounts to Comey "authorizing" it himself.

Tom Homan's envelope is light this week, T.

I have a piece up today at Quillette, that analyzes the cancel culture frenzy that the right has engaged in since the murder of Charlie Kirk, and the way Trump has used government power to stamp out opposition. Here are some excerpts to whet your appetite. quillette.com/2025/09/20/t...

Just call it "murder"

That's what it is

I heard an entire podcast with one of them decrying it today, yes.

It’s easy to find examples of GOP figures who decried cancel culture celebrating it now.

But spare some contempt for those who ran cover for insane 2020 cancellations, telling us that “speech has consequences.”

It can. But when the speaker is well-intentioned, support them.

The Murderer in Chief is really feeling his Cheerios this morning

With this latest boat strike, Trump is now a serial killer.

You are, in short, a total fraud. And it was always obvious that’s what you were.

If you are a Free Speech Warrior angrily demanding the firing of anyone who criticizes both Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the views he expressed, you embody the very “cancel culture” that you pretended to decry—but which you always planned to employ against your own enemies.

We’re frogs in the pot about this, I think. We’re so hardened to eliminationist, fascist rhetoric from the right that it hardly makes a dent when a prominent host on a major network suggests exterminating a large group of people. But he did. And nobody on modern Right gives a shit.

I think this severely understates things. If he was merely unsympathetic to their plight (like the guy on the left) that’s one thing. But he out and out said “or we could just murder them.” That’s a whole different level of bad.

It's ok, just the President of the United States posting apocalyptic QAnon conspiracy gibberish.

It's a mass murder.

They are telling us to "turn down the temperature" at a time when our president and military murdered 11 people in cold blood.

I'm actually a bit surprised they still feel the need to make such fine distinctions in defense of commentary like Kilmeade's. Soon enough, I suspect they'll all be unapologetically on board with concepts like murdering the homeless. They're already cheering a mass murder of 11 in the Caribbean.

The murdering President has given his fan base a taste for murder.

This is awful and shocking.

BREAKING: Judge Cobb GRANTS Lisa Cook’s motion for a temporary restraining order to block her removal from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

Recognized by the judge as the obvious lie that it was, if I recall your coverage correctly

"We'll treat homie just like we treat all the other homies" -- Official DHS spokesman, probably

That principle -- which I agree is the foundational principle of our republic -- does not seem like one likely to appeal to the six justices who gave the president carte blanche to commit crimes in his official capacity.

Good on you for trying, though, in all seriousness. It's God's work.

It was obvious just from reading the guy’s comments that the guy was just giving his opinions and had no real knowledge of anything

Attorney General Pamela Bondi #© X.com @AGPamBondi This week, @thejusticedept took 3 key actions to advance President Trump's immigration agenda. 1. Denaturalized a U.S. citizen who was hiding his past life as a torturer in the Bosnian war 2. Sued the state of Illinois for giving tuition benefits to illegal aliens 3. Sued the city of Boston for its disastrous sanctuary policies Our attorneys will continue to advance the President's agenda in courts across the country!

I guess she forgot “unsuccessfully tried to spirit away dozens of unaccompanied children in the dead of night with scant legal basis”

Amen. Worst decision in decades

In Trump v. US the United States Supreme Court placed the president (not just this president, any president) above the law and went a very long way toward destroying the rule of law in the United States.