When lobbying is so easy, imagine how corrupt you have to be to get procecuted for it.
@MrAAgabriel11 ай бұрын
😂
@tuxtitan78011 ай бұрын
It seems like a lot of politicians recently have done what politicians always have done, but have been so non discreet and idiotic with it that it's finally opening the public's eyes and starting a movement to root out corruption and narcissism. First Trump, now Menendez, im really hoping that these two just exposing how awful politicians can be behind the scenes actually pushes the general public to demand change and get this country back on the right track
@tski345811 ай бұрын
@tuxtitan780 then there is Kenny Boy Paxton and Texas.
@michaelmcgovern811011 ай бұрын
In many countries what we call "lobbying" is called "illegal". Let's try that here.
@margaretwordnerd521011 ай бұрын
As a naive 17 year old, I believed Spiro Agnew's downfall heralded a new era of accountability for political corruption. Stay vigilant and refuse to settle for anything less than justice. Things could be much worse, so let's not allow that.✌🖖
@choczynski11 ай бұрын
Getting bribed with literal gold bars is like comic books crooked politician from the 40s
@dielaughing7311 ай бұрын
Traceable gold bars, at that
@marinary132611 ай бұрын
When I first heard about it I thought there was no way it was real, because who would want to be paid in gold bars?!
@Diovanlestat11 ай бұрын
You guys need another Robert Ness and his Untouchables
@seewhativescene11 ай бұрын
Robert Ness (son of Eliot) died of leukemia, why are you this way? @@Diovanlestat
@Diovanlestat11 ай бұрын
@@seewhativescene Human and able to make mistakes? I don't know I was born like this. Thank you kindly for the correction, I'll try to to make the same mistake again.
@uncleike621111 ай бұрын
Can't imagine why this Supreme Court would be so invested in making it harder to convict public officials for corruption.
@justinfowler285711 ай бұрын
The guilty are covering their tracks?
@dielaughing7311 ай бұрын
Yeah it's a reeeeeal mystery. Unless...
@thedekunutt898211 ай бұрын
We have investigated ourselves and found no wrongdoing
@Wegetsignal11 ай бұрын
Who paid the Kavanaugh debt off? The people must know.
@seewhativescene11 ай бұрын
Stuff a couple hundred into an envelope and I'll tell you 💌@@Wegetsignal
@jsrodman11 ай бұрын
I am shocked, SHOCKED that this supreme court has made it harder to win corruption cases.
@ChrisBrengel11 ай бұрын
LOL! And to find that corruption is going on in here!
@airtale872511 ай бұрын
What's more with conservative judges
@Dr.Sometimes11 ай бұрын
this was in 2010 and 2016 and many democrat judges supported it and the case was against a democrat that the democrats backed him and menendiz… but yeah only Reps are bad
@getnohappy11 ай бұрын
It's impressive that the US' lobbying system is so indistinguishable from corruption that corruption is hard to prove
@JLF20111 ай бұрын
I'm not sure "impressive" is the right word, but it sure is something!
@fynnkessels248811 ай бұрын
Corruption is accepting to bribes, lobbying is offering them. It‘s quite simple 😂
@rsr78911 ай бұрын
The USA is the richest third-world country.
@superexoticshrub11 ай бұрын
@@JLF201 "Impressive" doesn't have to mean positive.
@jakehix813211 ай бұрын
@@superexoticshrub No, but hundreds of millions would not have ignored it into being had it truly impressed.
@kieranelliott560711 ай бұрын
Depressing to realise it has been made so hard to prosecute some pretty blatant corrupt behaviour through reliance on highly narrow interpretations. Any halfway competent corrupt official seems likely to escape such strictures, and that incentivises it to become part of the accepted culture. If it is not already.
@LogjammerDbaggagecling-qr5ds11 ай бұрын
That's what happens when the corrupt people also get to make the laws.
@swordmonkey663511 ай бұрын
That's the potential problem with legal conservatives like Roberts. They fall back to the "letter of the law as it's written" instead of an interpretation of the law to fit cases. The narrow view leaves very little room for "right" actions and only looks at "legal precedence" and is very hesitant to change laws or past precedents to fit new cases unless it's so obvious it can't be pushed aside. That's why they backtracked on Roe V. Wade. They didn't like the more liberal interpretation of legal rights set down by Roe V. Wade, so they went back to the previous conservative law.
@sjs969811 ай бұрын
given who tightened those definitions & how wildly corrupt some of them are, it's hardly surprising they don't want corruption to be effectively punished :s
@Guishan_Lingyou11 ай бұрын
@@swordmonkey6635 I may have misunderstood legal eagle's analysis, but my understanding is that the Robert's court's interpretation of corruption is not actually legally conservative in that it had go well beyond the text of the law to arrive at their extremely narrow definitions.
@marshallc621511 ай бұрын
@@swordmonkey6635even worse than that. They can reinterpret the actually broad enough laws to be so narrow as to be useless. Note how just the definition of "official act" was described as "too broad" when applying to a job whose title carries weight 24/7, in every single action a person takes. If the action is in any way related to anything your position holds power to affect, it is an official act to me, because that decision carries with it the weight of your office, whether you want it to or not. If I'm the chairman of the committee on widgets and I play sport widget in my free time, you'd bet your ass that any time I talk with my coworkers about my favorite widgets, that's an official act, because that's affecting their decision-making by conflating their opinions of my opinions with their opinions of my opinions of politics. There is no "something more" required, because official acts aren't criminal, so there is zero reason to view them in a limited light. Politicians commit official acts in their personal lives *all the time,* unless you consider spending most of their time campaigning *not* official acts, despite them commonly making explicit promises of their forthcoming actions if re-elected.
@amberkluga894911 ай бұрын
I had a vendor send a basket of christmas cookies and was told I could not keep them as it was a conflict of interest. The laws governing public officials have been weakened to the point they seem written to protect corruption, not catch corruption.
@JoeOvercoat11 ай бұрын
Congresscritters exempt themselves from all such restrictions, much like the Supreme Court.
@johndododoe141111 ай бұрын
Yet in this video it's not a congressional law change but a weird interpretation endorsed by the supreme court, which could be overturned once the court majority changes and a differently worded appeal is presented to the new judges .
@NavigatorBR11 ай бұрын
Yeah, really something else to read my company's policy on that and see how many times over I'd be fired if I behaved like any of these corrupt bastards.
@kennethferland557911 ай бұрын
You mean 'interpreted' to protect corruption. The laws plain language when written was fine, but the courts invert them in truly Orwellian fashion.
@Demmrir11 ай бұрын
@@johndododoe1411The court majority won't change for decades because of a large number of recent appointments since they're all lifetime appointments. It's great that the most impactful body in American politics is an unelected group of lifelong rulers.
@darkstar449411 ай бұрын
It always amazes me how cheap it is to buy a politician. 60k will keep you out of jail for years or get you tax cuts that save you millions.
@niteshade578311 ай бұрын
Business expense
@greebj11 ай бұрын
60K ... that's what we know about ...
@Thicc_Boyo11 ай бұрын
Of course. Those millions go to the government where it won't easily land in an individual person's wallet. The bribe doesn't.
@UrLeingod11 ай бұрын
Makes sense. One of the main reasons for a bribe offer to be really high is because you're taking a big risk in being corrupt. But being corrupt in Washington is super low-risk to the point that nothing short of literal treason is likely to get you put behind bars, so they don't need to offer as much.
@genericscout540811 ай бұрын
@@greebjeven if you go all the way it's 500K for ALL their assets. but then again that's only 1 senator, you need 50+ in your pocket for a nice ride.
@Scottoest11 ай бұрын
The fact that he turned around and did all of this after managing to wriggle free of his LAST prosecution for corruption is the part that blows my mind. The guy didn't lay low for even a minute.
@esteemedmortal591711 ай бұрын
Why would he? He got a pass! It was practically a thumbs up from the government!
@airtale872511 ай бұрын
Trump and Republicans get away with worse on a monthly basis, so why wouldn't he try?
@hopefulmonsters440711 ай бұрын
He learned he could get away with it.
@brianferstle63699 ай бұрын
Not even one minute
@brendensaur89311 ай бұрын
As a young person, it makes me really sad to see all this corruption happening. No one acts like it’s a big deal. Get those justices out. Get these politicians out.
@stefanoviczeljkors11 ай бұрын
Just imagine how much of this happens in a "better" way. I mean the way that it's not obvious and won't get caught.
@TheSlyMouse11 ай бұрын
@jordy6423 shoot nvm then.
@bacicinvatteneaca11 ай бұрын
@@TheSlyMouse writing letters is nothing, you need to protest and strike. Hurt their pockets.
@TheSlyMouse11 ай бұрын
@@bacicinvatteneaca but it's a young person I mean maybe there something they can do alone those lines but idk
@maromania711 ай бұрын
@@TheSlyMouse If you're lucky they're at least somewhat reasonable, and they end up knowing you by name and ignore you. For the majority, if you're acting alone they'll get you locked up for a few days on a bogus charge and permanently remove your ability to vote. That's one of thier main tactics, grabbing people at protests and those who're too uppity and getting thier voting privileges taken. Act, definitely, it's how you win! but there's a reason these large political organizations full of people who hate each other exist. Letters they don't care about unless they're en mass. phone calls are only annoying if there are tons. You gotta get with others to have a chance at making a difference.
@personastv11 ай бұрын
knowing that certain Supreme Court justices are accepting lavish "gifts" really changes the perspective on them ruling over cases defending government officials for taking similar "gifts"
@kieranelliott560711 ай бұрын
Complete coincidence, I am sure.
@bman525711 ай бұрын
This is an overblown argument by Propublica and other left wingers. They don’t like that SCOTUS refuted the weak and unconstitutional reasoning behind Roe v Wade, so they are trying to undermine their authority by just throwing dirt on them. How is Justice Thomas being bribed if the man “bribing” him has no cases on the Supreme Court. He’s obviously just a friend of his by the fact that they spend so many vacations together. Nothingburger.
@Joshua_Hale11 ай бұрын
Turns out you can be the judge of your own trial simply by setting a precedent via proxy.
@bman525711 ай бұрын
@@Joshua_Hale If you get appointed and confirmed to the SCOTUS and then have 5 other justices agree with you.
@ingiford17511 ай бұрын
And the SC justice does not see the need to report his 'gifts' from 'a friend'
@davidlazerz856411 ай бұрын
Supreme Court: "It's not REAL corruption and bribery unless the official signs a 'This is bribery' contract with at least 2 witnesses and the contract is notarized by a sitting chief justice." Using the Courts logic then I should be able to rob a bank by asking to "borrow" money out of the register.
@innocento.155211 ай бұрын
😂😂😂
@JohnDoe-qz1ql11 ай бұрын
Rules for thee, not for me.
@Willsmiff198511 ай бұрын
@@JohnDoe-qz1qlyou jest, but the truth is unless you own capital generating assets, you aren’t important to the federal Govt
@Joshua_Hale11 ай бұрын
Don't worry about it. I'm sure we can trust criminals to be honest with us about whether they committed crimes.
@michaelmcgovern811011 ай бұрын
Vote Blue 2024 for a SCOTUS ethics policy and a few replaced "tarnished" justices.
@JohnTorres198711 ай бұрын
The case with governor McDonald should’ve been open and shut. He was being bribed. The fact that the Supreme Court vacated this and made it harder to try politicians/judges/etc. for bribery makes me think either the judges are being bribed to hand down that decision or they are worried that they could get in trouble for being bribed.
@JoeOvercoat11 ай бұрын
And the prosecutor dropped the case. We will never know if the prosecutor had done the right thing and pursued the charges instead of walking away because it was not a sure win. That is its own kind of corruption.
@susanavenir11 ай бұрын
@@JoeOvercoat - It was *DOJ* that decided not to re-try McDonnell. A prosecutor does not have that power as an individual and usually, by nature, does not want to relent, especially having won at trial as Jack Smith had in the McDonnell case. Further, the Supreme Court had rebuked the prosecution and warned that “the uncontrolled power of criminal prosecutors is a threat to our separation of powers.” That slap-down from the Roberts Court may have weighed heavily on DOJ's decision not to re-try McDonnell, not out of cowardice but out of respect for the Supreme Court's authority to interpret U.S. law.
@davechongle11 ай бұрын
@@susanavenirthis context doesnt really mean much. especially since one of the justices on the court was being bribed for a different matter. in fact the context makes it worse, they kind of threatened the DOJ for pursuing an obvious case of bribery..
@kermitwilson11 ай бұрын
With Supreme Court judges openly accepting “gifts” it is in their best interest to protect politicians who are also accepting bribery. Circle the wagons or they could all be prosecuted. It’s treasonous.
@Thicc_Boyo11 ай бұрын
It's easier to just assume every politician is being bribed to some degree.
@gentlemandemon11 ай бұрын
the corruption has always existed, but the way that the governemnt has willfully and publicly relinquished responsibility is mind boggling.
@jenni4claire11 ай бұрын
Belling the cat is a universel issue.
@dontmisunderstand604111 ай бұрын
The actual impact of Donald Trump's presidency. It taught them that they never had to bother even appearing to be legitimate. They don't have to hide it at all.
@tatkkyo991111 ай бұрын
I remember working for walmart and them telling me as a part timer that if i ever accepted and tip or gift of anykind id be fired. One of the examples they gave was you help someone take their groceries to their and they tip you a dollar your fired for taking bribes..... i hate this world.
@GamingWithNikolas11 ай бұрын
Same thing at my Walmart. It pissed me off.
@Pushing_Pixels11 ай бұрын
How dafuq is tipping someone for helping carry your groceries a bribe? Like, what exactly are they getting out of it that they wouldn't have gotten anyway? What is Walmart losing in this situation? But it does prove that the higher up you go in society, the less ethical you are required to be and the less likely you will be held accountable for your actions.
@GamingWithNikolas11 ай бұрын
@Pushing_Pixels I don't know, but it pissed me off because the pay was already terrible then they threaten to fire me if I except a small tip that would help pay for lunch.
@tatkkyo991111 ай бұрын
@Pushing_Pixels it never made sense bit at the time I needed the job. They also had the workers do a stupid walmart chant every meeting that was based on the chants they made Chinese factory workers do.
@reverse_engineered11 ай бұрын
@@Pushing_Pixels The difficult part is that it's hard to tell from the outside when a tip becomes a bribe. I know plenty of retail employees who would do "favors" for their friends, like hiding limited stock so they could give it to them, or helping them carry out items that they hadn't actually purchased. It can also be as simple as being paid to help some customers over others. When I worked as a DJ, people would try to bribe me all the time to let them jump the queue. Any external incentive to give preferential treatment to certain customers is effectively a bribe.
@linamishima11 ай бұрын
As an employee of a European company, not personally involved with sales, I’ve had to agree to anti-corruption policies that are significantly stricter and more risk adverse than the weirdly high bar that SCOTUS now insist is met. Senior government officials should be held to a higher standard than some random Jane bloggs employee, this is bonkers
@mikevignola421311 ай бұрын
The Supreme Court itself isn't even held to the same standard as any lower court in the country.
@vaska0076211 ай бұрын
Anti-Bribery and Corruption laws are typically much stricter across the EU. I've had to complete countless compliance e-learning modules to confirm that I understand what corruption and bribery looks like and what to do if I spot it.
@timdunn234411 ай бұрын
Same in Canada. I work for a bank. If I go for a drink after long working sessions with a vendor, I cannot buy one drink for them or them for me, on pain of being fired.
@doomsdayrabbit439811 ай бұрын
@@mikevignola4213To be fair, the Supreme Court's existence is practically the only thing about it mentioned in the Constitution. No number of justices, no qualifications for their citizenship, even - Congress and the President both have that.
@Diovanlestat11 ай бұрын
NHS UK - Cannot accept gifts over £5. Prevents queue jumping. It's only cheap chocolates and biscuits for us but still the thought that counts. 🍻
@milohdd11 ай бұрын
Its interesting to see how much the SCOTUS opinion is clearly worded to excuse their own behaviour
@bwofficial177611 ай бұрын
As it should be. Would you punish yourself for some perceived wrongdoing?
@isaac314011 ай бұрын
@@bwofficial1776Corrupt politicians like that should be convicted. Who's side are you on?
@kevina.226911 ай бұрын
@@isaac3140 If i had goals to be a senator i would talk exactly like that guy
@Pushing_Pixels11 ай бұрын
@@bwofficial1776 So you're in favour of corruption and think politicians and judges should do whatever they can to make it easier for themselves to be corrupt. Okay. That tells us everything we will ever need to know about you.
@MrClickity11 ай бұрын
@@bwofficial1776that comment says a lot more about you than I think you intended to reveal.
@adissentingopinion84811 ай бұрын
The later end of September 2023 has got to be the most extreme workload for the people at LegalEagle. We got union strikes, government shutdown with a special GOP infighting kicker, senators getting super bribes, SC judge getting bribes, former President with current reelection platform indicted 4 times across 3 states, current President being impeached because of... something???, and the general non-US issues of Ukraine, Russia, China's Evergrande. This sounds more like a nightmare law exam's extra credit section. Go for it, Law Avian!
@Joshua_Hale11 ай бұрын
One point I can clarify: the reason he's being impeached is that the Republican party doesn't want to pit a candidate who has been impeached against an opponent who has not. If both have been impeached, it levels the playing field and makes the decision less clear for 'independent' voters.
@margaretwordnerd521011 ай бұрын
🦅✌🖖
@christopherb50111 ай бұрын
@@Joshua_Hale But isn't it STILL imbalanced? If that's the case, wouldn't they have to impeach Biden again to "even the score"?
@aliceputt313311 ай бұрын
Sounds like a Soap Opera As The Corruption Turns.
@adissentingopinion84811 ай бұрын
@@Joshua_Hale Indeed, I suggested that it is "something" in good faith, mainly because I'm sure they can dig up some Bill Clinton-esque political theatre. A more accurate description would be "digging for and airing out the most lightly stained dirty laundry of the opposition's President". The phrase "the smoking gun is a trickling water pistol" from the impeachment hearing was the best way to describe it.
@Patterrz11 ай бұрын
I want the confidence to be this outwardly corrupt, gold bars is crazy
@ncooty11 ай бұрын
It seems "justice" is now little more than punishment of the poor. Power is exculpatory.
@ianrau637311 ай бұрын
Now? When was it fair exactly?
@ncooty11 ай бұрын
@@ianrau6373 I agree. I meant that even our conceptualization of justice is now corrupted.
@pafnutiytheartist8 ай бұрын
"Now" is questionable. Arguably, it was always the case. Justice is a lie told to people with no power and it always has been.
@ncooty8 ай бұрын
@@pafnutiytheartist I agree. See prior reply.
@JackieSchulkin11 ай бұрын
Oh dear😢 As a New Jerseyan this hurts me... wow... really bad. This guy was at my school once. What a disgrace to our community.
@IICopycatII11 ай бұрын
Our state is a bastion of bribery and where it's prospered for decades, idk what you're talking about, watch the Irishman or The Sopranos
@AnacondaHL11 ай бұрын
I mean, did the first version of Menendez's corruption not do anything to you? The hung jury? This second go around shouldn't hurt at all, you should be numb to it by this point.
@waldemarsikorski475911 ай бұрын
Wow, found guilty already, what was the sentence?
@FrozEnbyWolf15011 ай бұрын
He's been corrupt (allegedly) as long as he's been in office. This is why I voted for his primary opponent, Lisa McCormick, in 2018, and then voted for Madeline Hoffman of the Green Party in the general that year. If this doesn't take him down, then he sorely needs to be primaried again.
@erikanders334311 ай бұрын
@@waldemarsikorski4759 you can have the opinion that someone is a disgrace without a conviction. Clearly you are a trump supporter, but remember you all were saying to lock of Hilary just on the word of a pathological liar who was running for office.
@elenadirectorofmiiss794211 ай бұрын
Considering Menendez was also on the Finance and Banking Committees and that has been deregulated heavily in the last decade... I wouldn't be shocked if a new indictment related to that comes down too.
@conniethesconnie11 ай бұрын
It was over a decade ogo that banks were too big to fail and the government used money taken through taxes from the public to reward bank managers for being incompetent at their jobs. The big banks made money despite being bankrupt and the leaders received huge bonuses. Congress held hearings to basically say that their kickbacks were not sufficient. This is far from a last decade thing, as long as the politicians get paid the banks are allowed to keep charging more fees for providing less service.
@elenadirectorofmiiss794211 ай бұрын
@@conniethesconnie in just the last FIVE years, there has been: Wells Fargo opening fake accounts in it's customers' names, US Bancorp getting caught money laundering, UBS, Bank of America, and Deutsche Bank caught price fixing gold and silver markets, and Wells Fargo being caught forcing their auto insurance customers to buy coverage they didn't need. This doesn't count problems like FTX or Robin Hood. So yes... Again, would not be surprised to be see another indictment related to the banking and finance committee.
@geneard63911 ай бұрын
So, what I'm hearing is if he was a Supreme Court Justice, this would not be a problem just a private gift among friends.
@Nightstick2411 ай бұрын
Man, it'd sure be nice if the ones making the rules about what you can call bribery and corruption weren't the same ones facing numerous allegations of corruption and bribery themselves.
@tessat33811 ай бұрын
The only way that we can change that is by VOTING!!
@tejaswoman11 ай бұрын
@@tessat338unfortunately, we don't vote on the Supreme Court.
@FrostedParadox11 ай бұрын
Thank you Legal Eagle for summarizing the craziest news and making the legal ramifications easy to understand!
@ellicel11 ай бұрын
So he got away with criminal behavior once and then went on to commit *more* crime?! Well, color me surprised 😂
@benoithudson723511 ай бұрын
Evidently he learned his lesson.
@baranbeytemur545111 ай бұрын
@@benoithudson7235 dont think he did he wants to run for election again and didnt resign from all positions
@GamingWithNikolas11 ай бұрын
@@baranbeytemur5451that was the lesson, that sence he got away with it once with no consequences he learned he could keep doing it.
@danielschein684511 ай бұрын
Apparently back during Chicago’s political machine heyday, when the cops pulled you over they would offer to sell you a pencil with different colors having different prices. The faster you were driving, the more expensive the pencil you were “encouraged” to buy. Under the Supreme Court’s new standard, I wonder if one of those cops could beat the bribery charge.
@christopherb50111 ай бұрын
...with that kind of coded BS around, no wonder SovCits believe what they do with cops.
@alexdurain375311 ай бұрын
No cause they aren’t politicians. Rules for thee, not for me and all that.
@jdantigua199911 ай бұрын
So sad that SCOTUS GOP are crooks. They do not represent the citizenry😢😮
@jlev102811 ай бұрын
@@alexdurain3753But cops have the same immunity. That's why you've hardly seen any corrupt police actually be convicted over the past several years.
@alexdurain375311 ай бұрын
@@jlev1028 Maybe watch the body cams. Might prove a tad enlightening.
@Hatecrewdethrol11 ай бұрын
Clarence Thomas ruling on whether these gifts count as corruption makes a lot more sense now that we know he was getting the same gifts
@bman525711 ай бұрын
He pretty clearly wasn’t. The gifts to Justice Thomas were from a close friend of his not bribes like in the case of Senator Menendez.
@michaelmcgovern811011 ай бұрын
Vote Blue 2024 for a SCOTUS ethics policy and replacement of a few "tarnished" justices.
@oblivnow11 ай бұрын
@@bman5257A bunch of close friends, you mean. Like, several dozen really close friends who are very generous to very new friends and who also have business in front of the Supreme Court. Don't be silly about this, corruption is deeply normalized in the US, and that media has trained people to accept the framing you present is how it is maintained. Have higher standards
@bwofficial177611 ай бұрын
@@bman5257 When journalists started digging into the alleged Thomas gifts, they found out that all of the other justices were in similar situations with their friends. They all do it. Hanging out with a close friend doesn't need to be reported. They were desperate to pin anything on Justice Thomas but that went away pretty quickly when they found out that the justices on "their side" were doing it too.
@shevek295411 ай бұрын
In a functional democracy Thomas and Menendez would be prison.
@Justanotherconsumer11 ай бұрын
LOL, the Virginia court is basically saying “but that would prohibit influence peddling!” Our justice system is a joke sometimes.
@SM-nz9ff10 ай бұрын
Try the Mexican system, or the Russian system, or the Romanian system, or the Turkey system or the....oh yeah its almost like its every system. How are people this simple?
@肉骨粉11 ай бұрын
It's disgusting that the Democrats defended Menendez the last time for political reasons. Justice must be carried through regardless of politics, whether the defendant is Menendez or Trump.
@tejaswoman11 ай бұрын
Agree. Seriously gross.
@pafnutiytheartist8 ай бұрын
Did you just suggest that politicians should do something "regardless of politics"?
@mountainhun11 ай бұрын
Taking bribes in gold bars seems like an idea that would make Saul Goodman howl in frustration. Seems like it would be the hardest form of wealth to launder.
@Pushing_Pixels11 ай бұрын
You could melt it down to get rid of the serial numbers at least.
@gerstein0311 ай бұрын
Not really. Metal is a lot less traceable than cash. You get gold, you melt it down, find someone to fence it, and then you just launder that money into your business
@M1ch43l3311 ай бұрын
@@gerstein03or you could just take money instantly to launder lol
@tuxtitan78011 ай бұрын
I hope so badly that this makes public perception of lobbying even worse and pushes people to start wanting to overrule the supreme court and finally get rid of this. Lobbying is by far my biggest grievance in this country, and i have full confidence that if public opinion finally sways against it so much that new laws are created outlawing it, this country will be leaps and bounds better off
@Ajv51611 ай бұрын
Ending lobbying as it currently stands in the US will require roadblocks to be put into place that prevents the obscenely wealthy from also acquiring power. This is no an impossible feat and has precedent in the second quarter of the early 20th century.
@javgamer72211 ай бұрын
While I agree with everything you said, considering the only people who could change it are the ones taking those bribes, call me a pessimist but I wouldn't bet money on it. It's the same reason why we will never fix our 2 party system even though we so easily could (or at least takes steps toward doing so.) because the very people who would make those laws are the ones it will take power from.
@haruhirogrimgar604711 ай бұрын
Mandatory voting would absolutely demolish any concerns about lobbying is the issue. It doesn't matter who lobbies rn tbh because the majority of people voting are already in-line in beliefs with the lobbyists. We get more than 20% of young people to turn out and just about every part of our government gets new faces and better priorities.
@MrTheAngryLlama11 ай бұрын
Easier solution. Let's just make it fully legal and fully transparent. Let them be like sports stars and get full-on sponsorship money, BUT they have to wear the logos all over their clothing so you know exactly who you're really voting for
@kennethferland557911 ай бұрын
Opinion is already their, lobbying is seen as bribery by 90% of voters already, it's just that they do not prioritize lack of corruption for the person THEY vote for, or in the laws their representatives pass. Other stuff, like beating the other party is pushed to the for front by party and media activity.
@butareyoureally186811 ай бұрын
"THIS is what happens when the rule-makers make rules about themselves."
@ewanmackenzie626411 ай бұрын
It doesn’t happen everywhere. Of course, some places are even worse, not that that makes it ok.
@conniethesconnie11 ай бұрын
Remember we elect them. The voters are supposed to be the check on their power. Want to change things vote against the incumbents, vote against the party insiders, vote for the person who is being pushed into the corner and out of the spotlight.
@GamingWithNikolas11 ай бұрын
@@conniethesconniewon't make a difference whatsoever. I don't even bother voting anymore because my vote doesn't matter out of an ocean of uneducated voters.
@pafnutiytheartist8 ай бұрын
@@conniethesconnieUS has a two party system, if all your options are corrupt, you can't fight corruption by voting.
@supernenechi11 ай бұрын
Literally gold bars?? If a cartoon depicted a corrupt politician that would be EXACTLY how it's portrayed!
@1brianm711 ай бұрын
I think it’s important to note that he didn’t step down from his post on the Foreign Relations Committee for altruistic reasons, democratic rules nullified his chairmanship the moment he was indicted and he will not regain the post unless acquitted. The same thing happened in his last indictment.
@Pushing_Pixels11 ай бұрын
As it should be.
@Daugueffxi11 ай бұрын
Hard to prosecute anyone for bribery when it is legal.
@dielaughing7311 ай бұрын
For some...
@commonsenseisntcommon177611 ай бұрын
Its not
@Inquisitor632111 ай бұрын
This is not a simple act of bribery. This is allegedly quid pro quo to benefit a foreign nation. This is at least unconstitutional, if not an out right act of treason.
@omegaminoseer453911 ай бұрын
You're wrong, simple. Around these parts, we call that, "lobbying."
@maromania711 ай бұрын
@@omegaminoseer4539 ...yeah, and? I can call the sky Steve, doesn't stop it from being the sky. It is a gift given to act in the giver's favor. The definition of bribe includes money, but is not exclusive to it. Offering to give tax breaks, donating to your organization so that you get a bigger bonus, doesn't matter. Calling it lobbying doesn't matter. It's bribery.
@NybergCarl11 ай бұрын
The defining feature of the Roberts Court is creating large gray areas where rulings can go either way.
@MarkALong6411 ай бұрын
It is true what they say. America really does have the best politicians that money can buy.
@felicitygee38111 ай бұрын
😆
@Pushing_Pixels11 ай бұрын
Best judges too.
@dontmisunderstand604111 ай бұрын
Not the best. Just the ones that money can buy.
@dontmisunderstand604111 ай бұрын
@@Pushing_Pixels Judges are politicians. Always have been. Always are.
@peggychamberlain95152 ай бұрын
Because most of them are corrupt criminals..
@ignitionfrn222311 ай бұрын
1:15 - Chapter 1 - The 2015 case against Menendez 3:15 - Chapter 2 - The supreme court's public corruption jurisprudence 9:50 - Chapter 3 - The new Menendez indictment 16:10 - Chapter 4 - Menendez monopolize meat market 21:25 - Chapter 5 - How does McDonnell impact the 2nd menendez prosecution 21:45 - Chapter 6 - The criminal charges against menendez 23:55 - End roll ads
@Werevampiwolf11 ай бұрын
Oh hey, you're here too. I always see you on the comments of the Whistler-verse channels lol
@renwhit10011 ай бұрын
every developing case like this makes it that much more laughable how damn offended the supreme court gets over people questioning their ethics, and by "laughable" i mean "gotta grimly laugh or I'll have a breakdown over how damn broken this country is"
@clawsoon11 ай бұрын
With everything coming out about Alito and Thomas accepting lavish gifts, these Supreme Court decisions look a lot uglier.
@terrafirma532711 ай бұрын
Limiting the amount of "gifts" people can receive as public officials would be a smart move. For example, no more than 10,000 dollars a year would be solid... these are already wealthy and well-off individuals... they do NOT need bribes/gifts. If they want to have powerful friends, they can move to the private industry. I don't care if a CEO gets a huge gift, but I do care if its my lawmakers.
@DarkLordSkeletor11 ай бұрын
They have something like that in that when gifts exceed a certain amount it will be taxed. So he's also commenting tax fraud/evasion for not declining the money
@terrafirma532711 ай бұрын
@@DarkLordSkeletor that's true. Taxing it isn't enough though imo
@andiward706811 ай бұрын
There are. There are already restrictions on gifts, donations, preferential treatments and assorted other situations. Our officials seem particularly adept at ignoring them, and getting caught at it lately.
@terrafirma532711 ай бұрын
@@andiward7068 had no idea!
@johndododoe141111 ай бұрын
As a shareholder I would object to others bribing a CEO nominally on my payroll .
@captiannemo158711 ай бұрын
The amount of research, done so quickly… what a team.
@timwright321811 ай бұрын
This isn't just corruption. This is a US senator acting as a foreign agent. Personally, that feels pretty treasony to me. I know it won't happen but my preference would be to bring him up on treason charges.
@nezhali163711 ай бұрын
The corrupt supreme court ruled against finding corruption? Colour me shocked, shocked!
@politickz659111 ай бұрын
I still can’t believe he was this blatant with it, like Jesus at least use an offshore bank account or something, gold bars is some cartoon villain shit
@flickcentergaming68011 ай бұрын
Right? Dude should at least have had a bank account out of the Canary Islands like the rest of the corrupt politicians.
@andrewrivera105411 ай бұрын
Only thing worse would be a burlap sack with a dollar sign on it.
@bjornodin11 ай бұрын
@@andrewrivera1054But what if the sack only contained Euros?
@johnladuke647511 ай бұрын
@@andrewrivera1054 I fully expect that to be a surprise exhibit at trial.
@someguy1ification11 ай бұрын
I listened to devin go over the allegations and was like "ok, he has to be joking with that part..." and then he went on to say that investigators found a ton of them at his house. I was flabbergasted. Who the hell pays in gold bars, anyway? Cashing that out would cause so many problems...
@ChrisCapoccia11 ай бұрын
Bribery and corruption are serious charges, but Menendez might also have committed espionage
@relaxedsack126311 ай бұрын
when you have George Santos defending you, you know you have messed up
@StrickerRei-Chn11 ай бұрын
Holding a public servant accountable is a must in a democratic society.
@chrisdray532511 ай бұрын
The fact that he literally hid his corruption money in his Congressional Hispanic Caucus jacket is too on the nose for a fictional character. Literally hiding his corruption behind his identity. This guy is a comic book villain.
@bentoth955511 ай бұрын
I confused a friend who's a Republican (I'm not.) I said Menendez should have to resign and, if found guilty, go to jail. My friend's response: "But he's a Democrat, shouldn't you support him?"
@butareyoureally186811 ай бұрын
That sums it up, doesn't it? They just don't get it...
@JohnDoe-qz1ql11 ай бұрын
WOW, just sad!😬
@normanmai786511 ай бұрын
Your friend when people have beliefs that aren't entirely supported by one of two major parties that covers a wide range of beliefs: 😮
@HappyGingerWolf11 ай бұрын
Some people just really see politics as team sports and don't care who lies and cheats as long as their side wins
@ryanreedgibson11 ай бұрын
I don't want any corrupt official representing me or my family. But if I were a corrupt person who broke the law I wouldn't care.
@insidespin269811 ай бұрын
I mean, why would we want expansive definitions of public corruption? It’s not like keeping powerful public officials honest and working in the best interests of their constituents is vital to a functioning democracy. This Supreme Court is truly reprehensible.
@jakebeal809511 ай бұрын
Wow this is better than any news story I’ve read or seen about it thus far. Bravo. These are a public service.
@Valeo199311 ай бұрын
You see if i get more than a $20 tip from a customer as a federal employee i get slammed with bribery, but this guy can literally influence a foreign government and it's uncertain if he'll get a big sentence?
@pafnutiytheartist8 ай бұрын
Yes because poor people must follow the rules
@grevberg11 ай бұрын
Reminds me of the Abscam sting in the 70's and 80's. One of the politician was filmed getting money out of a briefcase and stuffing it in his pockets. His attorney told him that the only thing that could save him was playing the tape backwards.
@mw6668311 ай бұрын
Term limits are an issue, but corruption is worse.
@michaelmcgovern811011 ай бұрын
Ungerrymandered voting districts are the real term limits. Guess which party loves gerrymandering, especially racial?
@blackjacktrial11 ай бұрын
Goes hand in hand - can't be bribed if you can't provide a benefit back.
@onikin11 ай бұрын
And voters will never accept responsibility for congressmen staying in power a long time. They'll keep voting for the same one, over and over again, while complaining about limits.
@kyallokytty11 ай бұрын
@@onikinyes, but here's the thing. in a functioning democracy it forces itself to get rid of issues like that
@michaelmcgovern811011 ай бұрын
@@blackjacktrial Well, no: Will Rogers said the problem is when politicians effectively bribe taxpayers with their own money.
@jomojas578611 ай бұрын
In no reality, does someone see you with gold bars and does not immediately think “What shady shit did you pull to get those”?
@kayeka412311 ай бұрын
Unless they're doomsday preppers, I suppose.
@kingace618611 ай бұрын
The brazenness of Menendez's and Thomas's corruption is comical.
@Joshua_Hale11 ай бұрын
Well... when one makes the law and the other interprets it, it makes sense that they're not too worried about legal repercussions.
@austinestep846111 ай бұрын
I would laugh at it more if these people didn’t have very broad powers to change laws.
@DawnDavidson11 ай бұрын
Or tragic … 😢
@roberthaig213311 ай бұрын
Why isn't there a lower bar of proof and conduct to get sacked as a senator? We are only discussing his criminal case. I work for a global firm and if I did 1% of his conduct I may not be charged but I would definitely be sacked!
@kayeka412311 ай бұрын
Because he's an elected official. Lowering the bar for sacking like that would make it incredibly easy to get rid of "troublesome" politicians by those higher up the foodchain. Much like how easy it is for corporations to get rid of "troublesome" (read:unionising) employees with only the thinnest veneer of just cause.
@haldosprime389611 ай бұрын
I like this recent trend of pointing out corruption in the government. Keep holding the corrupt accountable. Political sides don’t matter. No one is above the law, and if the law has been broken then it must be upheld.
@VivBrodock11 ай бұрын
As a new jersey citizen, honestly just surprised it took the rest of yall so long to figure out.
@FrozEnbyWolf15011 ай бұрын
Same. This has been going on for years, but it took this long for his corruption to make national headlines.
@relaxedleisure476611 ай бұрын
Yes, people don’t seem to be aware that Jersey Democrats (especially in Hudson,Essex,Union,Passaic and South Jersey) are probably the most corrupt in the nation along with ILDems and both parties in Louisiana.
@fraliexb11 ай бұрын
I wish we had politicians that weren't corrupt and passed laws elimination of campaign finance, period.
@tin-n-tan11 ай бұрын
Democrats have taken it to the parliament and voted on it every single year for the last about 15. So ya know. Don't blame politics, we know which side voted it down and took it to the supreme court.
@rogueninja168511 ай бұрын
Can you imagine such a comprehensive investigation into trump? He has 91 counts just scratching the surface. I mean, it's refreshing to see an old school corruption investigation, but only one "side" has to play by the rules?
@blankityblankblank232111 ай бұрын
I just wish they did their job to begin with. Instead we have both sides yelling over each other, more interested in shaming the other.
@yndsu11 ай бұрын
@@blankityblankblank2321your enlightened centrist is showing. You known that Dems and GOP are not the same, and to present it as they are, as you do, is disingenuous at best. One side wants to get stuff done, the other side tried to impeach the sitting president without any evidence, and to shut down the government, again. So no, they are not the same.
@joachimschoder11 ай бұрын
@@tin-n-tan But if you look at the facts you can't use the both-sides-ism most of media loves to do. One side is calling for their corrupt colleagues to resign and the other side wants their corrupt colleague to be president again. But we have to pretend both sides are the same. Otherwise something might actually get done against corruption.
@ericaschner328311 ай бұрын
Maybe the laws governing the people who write the laws should be written by someone else. Jeez, it's ridiculous how blatant corruption is no big deal
@anna907211 ай бұрын
Yeah. Never a good idea to put the fox in charge of the chicken coop.
@conniethesconnie11 ай бұрын
Until the public starts voting them out this will continue. Til voters are willing set aside hard core partisanship and say that they will vote for honesty over party allegiance this will continue. Til voters are willing to embrace independent and third party options when the two corrupt majority parties are unable to field decent choice this will continue. Til the voters make it difficult for incumbants to make the case that after meeting with voters across their district they decided that once again they can not step down since they decided no one else can do the job of accepting bribes as well as they do this will continue.
@GamingWithNikolas11 ай бұрын
@@conniethesconniethis will only get worse then. No way in hell that a 3rd party runner will win an election outside of the election for mayor of a tinny town. The population is dead set on voting R or D litteraly no mater who the candidate is. Hitler could probably win the election if he ran as a Democrat in a Democrat district or republican in a republican district. I honestly don't see a way out if this because you would have to completely change the way 90% of the population thinks.
@Pushing_Pixels11 ай бұрын
The politicians wrote a law that actually did hold them somewhat accountable, but SCOTUS watered it down and made it nearly worthless. Law abiding politicians opposed to corruption are a threat to this SCOTUS. They want corrupt politicians in power because they will look the other way when justices do the same things.
@joansparky443911 ай бұрын
@ prependedprepended6606 That's the hook, isn't it? Plato's ideal of reluctant philosophers being in charge is not feasible as those reluctant philosophers are not competitive enough to keep up with the ruthless and selfish narcissists. Plato also has been wrong to blame his mentors dead on a 50% majority mob-rule, because the most likely cause for Socrates death-sentence probably was his teaching of young Athenians to think on their own - which naturally put him on collision course with the powerful ruthless and selfish narcissists of Athens, who naturally wanted to hold onto the status quo. Too bad the Founding Fathers of the US haven't been smarter (or less selfish/ruthless) and opted for the Republic instead of a Direct Democracy.
@jerodwolf558211 ай бұрын
In a country with millions of qualified individuals who could run for office, truly limitless possibilities - yet we always find ourselves with the worst politicians, which also happen to be 2000 years old.
@exoZelia11 ай бұрын
I'm glad you're here to break this stuff down for us. Gonna hire your firm later, I need to sue some people
@kieranelliott560711 ай бұрын
I really need to get better friends. I don’t think any have ever offered me lavish gifts of cash, trips, or baubles, no matter how much I drop hints. Menendez must be a lucky man.
@jimbotheimpaler475611 ай бұрын
Baubles. 😂 Top mate.
@Onodera198011 ай бұрын
Gee, I wonder why the supreme court would be so pedantic regarding corruption...
@plastix604111 ай бұрын
Could you go over the alleged corrupt case of billy mitchell. It will be going to court very soon and would love to hear your take on it Edit: I have to say alleged to keep from getting sued also lol
@Kazmahu11 ай бұрын
And please throw in a cameo/recap from the main channel covering/involved in this story just so we get to hear Devil get called an absolute legend.
@plastix604111 ай бұрын
@@randomsomeguy156I have. I've asked on the past few videos
@DefgirRZawa11 ай бұрын
@@Kazmahu"Hello, LegalEagle Karl Jobst!" "Hello, you absolute Legend Devin!"
@derpataur116211 ай бұрын
Politicians/supreme court justices/appointed judges should have ZERO privacy. Corruption / betrayal of public trust at this level should be so irredeemably unacceptable that I think they need to treat some of these charges as treason.
@thedevilsadvocate78811 ай бұрын
Considering we refuse to have our taxes increase to have basic health coverage nationwide, I don't think the USA taxpayers are ready to spend billions to attempt to monitor people.
@nighteule11 ай бұрын
@@thedevilsadvocate788 Your taxes don't fund shit, that's a misconception. Your taxes are burned as a mechanism of deflation. Government programs are funded by money created through debt, which is not inflationary as long as spending creates, and doesn't exceed, economic productivity. This is called Modern Monetary Theory; the government cannot run out of money if it has control over its currency
@thedevilsadvocate78811 ай бұрын
@@nighteule I mean, I don't disagree, but that's not really the point I was going for. In regards to the theory you bring up, I haven't made any research in regards to federal spending and budget, so I'll take your word for it.
@eansmith492511 ай бұрын
It's amazing what politicians and judges do to line their own pockets. We the People deserve better
@TheScourge00711 ай бұрын
Also worth noting, Menendez's parents were 1) working class when they came to the US and so wouldn't have had much to seize and 2) arrived in the US in 1953, six years before the Cuban revolution won and while Castro was in Bastista's prisons. AKA, the story about having property seized by Castro would likely have to be more distant family if its true at all (the fact that both his parents were working class, a carpenter and seamstress makes this dubious). In essence he's using the (incorrect) stereotype that all Cuban-Americans were people fleeing Castro to defend himself in a bribery case.
@GamingWithNikolas11 ай бұрын
This is important information I didn't know.
@reverse_engineered11 ай бұрын
He's also literally playing the race card. There's nothing about his connections or the crime that have anything to do with his lineage. At no point did anyone say anything about his race other than him. It's one of the most insincere defenses imaginable.
@clocksurfer11 ай бұрын
What's MOST tragic about this is the fact that nobody stopped the Senator early on.
@Jehty_11 ай бұрын
That part shocked me. Why did no one of his colleagues object? Some of the stuff he did should have been quite obvious to everyone close to the topic.
@isaac314011 ай бұрын
@@Jehty_because they're in on it too, they're just more subtle
@conniethesconnie11 ай бұрын
This was answered. It was about party numbers and political power. When there was a Republican governor who would appoint a Republican Democrats were fine with a corrupt politician. When there is a Democrat governor who will appoint a Democrat replacement they are more than eager to enter the next election with a Democrat incumbent who does not have a dark cloud hanging over them. You will also see Republicans circling the wagons to keep disgrace members when they need their votes.
@jayclean565311 ай бұрын
@@Jehty_Becasue 99% of the people in the Senate and House do that same damn thing.
@Phosypha11 ай бұрын
Imagine being elected to a position known for making people rich with minimal effort (via insider trading, lobbying, etc.) and then somehow managing to screw it up
@Synesthesia_chan11 ай бұрын
Tacodachis for justice!
@draconis1711 ай бұрын
Just giving someone a monopoly over a whole food industry by revoking everyone else's licenses is insane though. Imagine how screwed over all the legitimate businesses were, waking up one day and finding out they're not allowed to operate in egypt anymore for no reason.
@1RandomToaster11 ай бұрын
This level of corruption makes me proud to be a New Jersian, almost as proud as when I met Bob not long after he first took office and the Governor (who Bob replaced) got into a car accident at 90mph getting to a meet and greet with a radio DJ. Bob gave a great speech about all of the grants and benefits he’s been able to get for my company. On an unrelated note we donated quite a bit to his election… To make a long story longer: “Corruption? In Jersey? Yeah that tracks, we’re really good at it!”
@johnladuke647511 ай бұрын
The real bombshell will come at trial when they show the actual cartoon brown sacks with dollar signs that he used to carry his bribes around.
@onyxa314411 ай бұрын
another day another corrupt politician. How shocking
@insane_troll11 ай бұрын
Why are they complaining about him having gold bars at his house? Where else are you supposed to keep your gold bars?
@glarynth11 ай бұрын
You're supposed to share some with people who find them at your house.
@insane_troll11 ай бұрын
@@glarynth But then I'd need to find something else to use as paperweights for all these stacks of classified documents!
@sreif7811 ай бұрын
Imagine how much he had to piss the other people off, possibly blowing up the entire system for them to want to charge him?
@diydame716311 ай бұрын
I can’t say how much I appreciate that you are hard on both parties based on the facts. 🙏 It’s so ridiculous how divided our country is by party, even though both are increasingly corrupt.
@lesseva9611 ай бұрын
ANY public official and their immediate family should NOT be allowed to accept ANY gifts worth more than ~$25 from ANYONE for the duration of their term and a 5 year period after the end of their term.
@theeyehead343711 ай бұрын
I don't think you've really thought about how insane that is.
@Jehty_11 ай бұрын
That would be sad Christmases and Birthdays for quite a lot of years. Maybe you should give your proposal a second thought?
@lesseva9611 ай бұрын
@@Jehty_ Immediate family is exempt. You can still get your kid a PS5. However, if you exempt Christmas, then there will still be open bribery, just using the Christmas loophole. I think that expecting a handful of sacrifices for people that choose to become senators and governors is reasonable. They must be held to a higher standard.
@Jehty_11 ай бұрын
@@lesseva96when a friend visits me they bring a bottle of wine. At Christmas they might bring some food. Children get gifts for their birthday from other children. Even for adults it's common to get gifts from friends for their birthday. Disallowing all of that is not "higher standard". It's insane.
@JoeOvercoat11 ай бұрын
Look at all the replies supporting corruption in the name of Christmas. That’s American values in action.
@causaestmalleus460511 ай бұрын
Isnt it strange how half the democratic party comes out AGAINST a member who committed crimes, while the republican party will either ignore it or openly support the criminal? Neither party is good, but it speaks volumes as to which is worse.
@Joshua_Hale11 ай бұрын
I agree that US politics is a textbook case of 'black and grey morality', but as the Eagle pointed out, that may stem from the current situation in which the Democrats can nominate a Democrat replacement for him and so the political repercussions aren't as severe.
@erikanders334311 ай бұрын
I was wondering why the trump supporters have been quite on this till I heard that the guy who was bribing the senator bribed Trump for a pardon.
@Grak7011 ай бұрын
@@Joshua_Halethis would make sense until you look at Ken Paxton’s comedic impeachment and acquittal in Texas despite it being obscenely obvious he broke the law.
@jdotoz11 ай бұрын
Check back to 0:41 or so and consider how - for completely unrelated reasons, I'm sure - they weren't so hard on him when there wasn't a Democrat in office to appoint his replacement.
@supercynic960711 ай бұрын
The bar is in hell
@willieclark225611 ай бұрын
Personally I'm shocked that a New Jersey politician would be indicted on corruption charges
@alperakyuz970211 ай бұрын
Yeah, i expected them to hide it better.
@lucyj820411 ай бұрын
"you really want a coffee milkshake, and that's ok" - deserves an entire video and upvote on its own!
@kacktustoo11 ай бұрын
Omg how is the corruption so blatant. "Whoa this is a monopoly we can't have that" "Stay out of it" It's like going out of your way to state you're benefiting from something illegal
@Scarter6311 ай бұрын
You'd think that the guy, after dodging the first bullet, would play it straight.
@icin4d11 ай бұрын
Getting away with it just encourages more bad behavior when it's people with power and authority.
@JoeOvercoat11 ай бұрын
Nope. He learned his lesson the first time: he’s untouchable.
@gund8912311 ай бұрын
He thought Supreme Court will make corruption legal by the time feds build a case against him 😂.
@P0SSPWRD11 ай бұрын
Gotta love the sheer weight the poor word "allegedly" carries in US law lol
@Jehty_11 ай бұрын
Allegedly carries.
@dontmisunderstand604111 ай бұрын
It doesn't carry any weight. That's the entire point of using it. Because if it did carry weight, you could get in trouble for saying it sometimes.
@horrorsunlimited115211 ай бұрын
That moment when your schitzoaffective kicks in and you see FRIED BABIES instead of FRED DAIBES written on the document is pretty horrifying.
@RabblesTheBinx11 ай бұрын
That sounds more like dyslexia than schizoaffective disorder.
@thenameiswater292111 ай бұрын
Anyone else hear about the mortgage relief and immediately think something like “he can get his large house paid off just for being there and I can’t even afford a studio apartment with a full-time job”???
@KuariThunderclaw11 ай бұрын
There really needs to be a flat ban on elected officials receiving ANY kind of gift outside of family and even then, if it is from outside family, goes to family member and then the elected official, that counting as a banned practice. Like I can understand paying for meals. Maybe you can have an exception of like $50 per person, adjusted for inflation, that someone can pay for a meal at a restaurant, but beyond that? Just end gifting entirely. We all know those gifts are for political purposes as they wouldn't receive such gifts without being politicians... so just cut them off entirely. Make it where no evidence is required beyond receipt of the gift (without turning it over to authorities so that it can't be used as a form of political assassination) to be guilty of a bribery crime.
@alexanderdumas-11 ай бұрын
He was so comfortable getting bribed legally he got lazy. What’s funny is he still might get off 😂
@gl15col11 ай бұрын
Like many others, he got away with it before, and at this point feels no need to take responsibility. He could at least have rented a storage room to hide all his gold bars (who takes gold bars for something illegal? Isn't that pretty much admitting it? WTF) It seems like being able to feel shame is a rarity on either side of the aisle.
@DRKrust49211 ай бұрын
The last jury failed in their duty.
@JoeOvercoat11 ай бұрын
Seriously.
@recursiveslacker773011 ай бұрын
As soon as I saw a senator was getting charged with corruption that included literal gold bars stashed in the walls, I immediately thought “Jersey?” And I was right.
@maryhales45958 ай бұрын
"...And I regret to inform you that we have video footage." Thanks for the laugh, Devin 😅
@davidpriestley165011 ай бұрын
In light of Judge Clarence Thomas's, and possibly other judges, position on gifts and "donations" should all the Supreme Court ruling on related cases be revisited
@bwofficial177611 ай бұрын
Not necessary. When journalists started looking into Justice Thomas's alleged gifts, they found out that all of the other justices were in a similar situation. They also had friends they hung out with and sometimes gave them hospitality. It's a non-issue and we have bigger problems facing this country.
@epicOway11 ай бұрын
@@bwofficial1776 Of course, people give and receive gifts from friends, but 38 vacations, art worth millions and $100,000 a year for his kids' tuition is past basic hospitality. And this "friend" just happens to be a Republican mega donor? Come on. There's no way to justify a judge receiving "gifts" worth several millions from political megadonors.
@isaac314011 ай бұрын
@@bwofficial1776yes, necessary. Other judges doing it too does not make it ok. Plus, it's not like you actually believe what you wrote.
@thaddeusgenhelm897911 ай бұрын
@@bwofficial1776 "Other people have friends they hang out with and sometimes give them hospitality" being the standard you're using makes it pretty obvious that you don't even think the argument you're putting forward is any good, or you'd've used a stronger point of comparison than that. Like, why are you even trying to make this case when you don't even think it holds up to scrutiny? Is this one of those team sports politics things I hear about?
@rihaoliang311811 ай бұрын
@@thaddeusgenhelm8979 I read some of this dude's other comments. Probably a troll considering most of his comments are defending corruption on videos about corruption. Just tryna trigger people lol
@williamlloyd376911 ай бұрын
Do you think Senator Menendez is going to try the “ I bought my gold bars at Costco” defense?
@CdnTrader111 ай бұрын
They sell them on clearance right next to the halal chicken legs, but you need the Executive Member Card
@someguy1ification11 ай бұрын
he damn well better be able to show the receipts
@Blasted2Oblivion11 ай бұрын
I know this is a serious matter but I cant help but get a chuckle out of the gold bars. It immediately makes me think of a cartoon villain.
@respawnpoint767711 ай бұрын
The new motto of the Supreme court is, "power corrupts, but we're okay with that."
@pafnutiytheartist8 ай бұрын
That's a good motto
@HebaruSan11 ай бұрын
Makes you wonder how bad it gets among corrupt officials who are smart enough to delete texts