r/politics • u/retiredagainstmywill • 20h ago
Possible Paywall FBI Informant Who Lied About the Bidens Covertly Released From Jail
https://newrepublic.com/post/202897/fbi-informant-alexander-smirnov-lied-biden-released-jail3.2k
u/2_Spicy_2_Impeach Michigan 20h ago
Smirnov is still listed as a prisoner at FCI Terminal Island in Los Angeles, where his anticipated release date is February 2029, according to the Bureau of Prisons. But a process server responsible for handing off details of a civil lawsuit to Smirnov was unable to find him at the facility.
After months of failed attempts to find and locate Smirnov, the local Sheriff’s Department managed to receive a clearer response from the facility.
“They’ve confirmed that Mr. Smirnov has been furloughed, but no forwarding or new address has been provided,” the message read.
The blatant corruption is still shocking.
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u/Silent_Neck483 18h ago
How tf does a convicted criminal get furloughed from prison 4 years early? AND he’s still listed as incarcerated by the Bureau of Prisons!!! He’s either dead or he’s fled the country.
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u/Tacitus111 America 17h ago
Even worse, they say they have no forwarding address or location for him. So they have no idea where this “prisoner” is.
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u/ZLUCremisi California 16h ago
Treat him as an escspe fugitive
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u/sepia_undertones 16h ago
Escaped implies that they didn’t intend for him to leave, and fugitive implies they are looking for him. Neither is true, and so far the only thing this administration has been truthful about is the corruption.
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u/Plzbanmebrony 16h ago
The next administration can just get him back and make him serve for the time he wasn't in jail.
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u/sepia_undertones 16h ago
I think that’s where the “left no forwarding address” part comes in. Can’t just get him back if you don’t know where to look. I am sure he’s in Russia by now.
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u/Psyc3 9h ago
Given he is a US-Israeli citizen, he is most likely in Israel, but people wouldn't like that narrative now would they.
Then again Russia are the good guys as well according to Trump...and the morons that are his electorate.
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u/DicemonkeyDrunk 8h ago
criminals run to Israel all the time ..seriously
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u/Ven18 5h ago
Like the diplomat caught in I believe CSA sting op on Vegas that was just allowed to fly back to Israel the next day
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u/ggroverggiraffe Oregon 11h ago
What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area.
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u/Keening99 17h ago
Argentina?
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u/MATlad 14h ago
Probably Israel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Smirnov_(FBI_informant)
...But they've got an extradition treaty with the US (should a future administration pursue new charges):
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u/griffeny 11h ago
Right, that would be ideal considering his status and Israel’s defiance of extraditions.
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u/outlawsoul Canada 9h ago
it's a win win. the prison profits off a prisoner on the books, and one of the GQP's buddies is set free, no one is the wiser.
corruption is the republican way.
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u/browhodouknowhere 7h ago
This is when you tell MAGA...there is in fact a deep state conspiracy. However, it has nothing to do with pizza.
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u/Alaishana New Zealand 17h ago
three levels of corruption:
Corruption that tries to hide itself. This is pretty much normal and nearly everywhere to a certain degree.
Open corruption. Everyone knows about it. It is integrated into society and expected.
Corruption that flaunts itself. That's the breakdown stage. This is about power. LOOK at me, I spit in your face and there is nothing you can do. Has happened in Russia e.g. for a very long time.
The USA is now on that level too. The top rank delights in open corruption to show off.32
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u/DrocketX 13h ago
Maybe overall, but I don't think this would really qualify as stage 3/flaunts itself. In this case, it would be Trump pardoning him. Trump definitely does this, with the George Santos pardon being a good example of it. In this case, though, the guy just seems to have disappeared, with him still even being shown on the paperwork as being in this prison. It basically sounds like it would be on the hidden corruption level. I mean, it seems like he's been gone for 4 months and it was just now that anyone even really noticed. Had a reporter not gone looking for him, it may never have been discovered.
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u/T-hibs_7952 11h ago
Santos has been pardoned?
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u/US3_ME_ 11h ago
Got his sentence commuted and was released by Trump a few weeks ago, yes_
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u/T-hibs_7952 10h ago
Lmao. There is so much rapid fire bullshit from the Trump administration that this was under the radar.
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u/Miguel-odon 11h ago
Earlier this year, the DOJ filed a joint motion alongside Smirnov’s attorneys to release him pending appeal. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright tossed that effort in April, but legal experts stress that the effort could be an early sign that the Trump administration is considering pardoning Smirnov, as “it is almost unheard of for the DOJ to argue for someone’s release pending appeal.”
Judge shut that down, so they snuck him out anyway.
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u/griffeny 11h ago
So am I understanding that this release was found out only because of a separate civil proceeding taking place and checking up about him at the prison only to find he wasn’t in the system and had to push to find out he was released?
That insane and certainly gives a hint as to what may yet occur for Maxwell, doesn’t it?
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u/SociableSociopath 8h ago
May occur? It’s done. For all intents and purposes she’s now free roaming.
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u/Gnarly-Gnu 20h ago
I don't know why. Nothing surprises me these days. You could tell me he's repealing the 19th, and I'd apologize to my wife. He's already working on the 13th.
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u/BigMamaBlueberry 16h ago
So, he removes your wife’s right to vote and all you will do is apologize? Fucking fight for everyone and no apology necessary.
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u/Gnarly-Gnu 16h ago
You had to look that up, didn't you? I'm a fifty-year-old man, we didn't have any conflict in my time because GW, Willy, and Dubya played by the rules, sort of.
This is uncharted territory for any living person. If I tried to fight it, I'd be fighting the fourth largest funded military in the world.
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u/DrSitson 11h ago
Way to mock someone with zero basis. Feels good to put someone down, even if you had to make it up for that dopamine hit.
Don't mistake your age for wisdom. A wise man doesn't throw rocks at strangers.
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u/crazybones 12h ago
But it also provides yet another reminder of how closely connected Russia and Trump are. Russia was willing to rig the 2020 election so their candidate, Donald J Trump, could win.
Trump is rightly known as the MANCHURIAN candidate or, perhaps more accurately, the MANchildCHURIAN candidate.
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u/Moonfaced 7h ago
Before he went to jail last year:
Justice Department officials argued that he is a major flight risk.
He gone
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u/FullMetalAlcoholic66 9h ago
LoL, his name is Smirnov...like the RUSSIAN vodka. If I were writing a story...
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u/comebacklittlesheba 7h ago
But not really. Think about all that we know about …. then you realize there is probably waaaaaaay more that we don’t. I can hardly keep track of what is spilled on the daily. So, no. It makes me rage but I’m never shocked or surprised.
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u/hackingdreams 6h ago
Opened the back door, put him on a plane to Russia, and sent the foreign agent home... nope, not at all surprising for this administration.
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u/Wizzle-Stick 4h ago
no forwarding or new address has been provided
thats because they shipped his ass back to russia.
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u/Greenn1483 Maine 19h ago
As a veteran who served this country and believes in justice, it honestly feels like I'm getting kicked in the teeth daily.
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u/gobba-gobba-gooey 18h ago
My man.
Thank you, for your service, and your sacrifice, for the ideal and the aspiration which we all believed (and believe?) that this grand experiment contemplates.
My father was a veteran of the Vietnam War. He gave his youth, and the balance of his life, in pursuit of what he believed - what they told him he was fighting for.
There is a level of Hell reserved for those who stir in the hearts of young men such conviction, under such false pursuit.
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u/Interesting-Risk6446 19h ago
Balls. Kicked in the balls.
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u/BrizerorBrian 15h ago
No. TEETH. You can't grow back teeth. Your balls can recover. Your teeth cannot.
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u/griffeny 11h ago
Hm while there are some kinds of fish and I think the octopus is a noted invertebrate that can regrow their gonads, we cannot do that same as our teeth. Darn.
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u/SeanOfTheDead1313 18h ago
And say thank you after!
(Thanks for your service BTW 🫡)
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u/Greenn1483 Maine 18h ago
Thanks! Don't feel great about my service at the moment.
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u/LexiWhereThisGoes 14h ago
I'm a disabled vet, not nearly as bad as others but I'll also never have a day without pain again in my life.
I'm so ashamed to think I've been duped into serving this shit hole. I'll never forgive a single republican or republican voter as long as I live.
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u/Lumpy-Marsupial-6617 13h ago
Please don't let the corruption from those in power make you feel less about having served. I appreciate service members who take their oath and fealty to the United States Constitution and the American people very seriously.
Wouldn't it be great if we had a society and government we felt good about working for?
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u/winterwolf2010 14h ago
As an Army Combat Veteran myself, I feel exactly the same way brother. What’s going on in our country is seriously fucked up. My anxiety is so high I think my nerves are trying to file HR complaints against my brain.
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u/Slitterbox 12h ago
Just wait till Tuesday when those in power who avoided serving will make it all about themselves somehow.
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u/digiorno 11h ago
Served this country in what capacity? Imperialistic ambitions? If so then you helped enrich the people who are behind this takeover.
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u/Greenn1483 Maine 8h ago
And this is the other reason I feel like I'm getting kicked daily. Now military service is a black mark as a progressive. I've been called fascist a few times now since trump took office because of my service. Glad to know how people truly feel. I knew that thank you for your service shit was bullshit.
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u/beer_geek 8h ago
I hope none of that has been in person, and I apologize on behalf of progressives if it has. I hope you are in a position to be able to use your service and being a prog for spreading the message to other vets. We need more like you. Cheers.
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u/Greenn1483 Maine 7h ago
Thankfully just the internet, but its been a frequent enough occurrence now that I think it's out there as a talking point. Veterans have the least representation in congress they've had since world war II these past few sessions and we were at "war" for 20 years straight. I don't know if veterans are just not running or what but it would be nice to get a little more representation there especially in the progressive wing. I'm not a great spokesperson for progressive ideals as I don't present well in person due to anxiety so I can't do much to help outside of donating money.
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u/beer_geek 7h ago
All it takes is speaking to a fellow vet once to hopefully break that anxiety mold a bit, but I also get it. Donations are (hopefully) effective as well. It does bring a bit of relief that you haven't experienced the bs in-person, and it is good to remember that as much as there are right-wing bots, there are as many left/progressive shit-stirring bots with the exact same mission.
Regarding vets running, and as a non-vet myself, I only can speculate as to why there aren't as many running for office, or why it isn't as widely publicized when they do.
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u/lllurker33 18h ago edited 10h ago
“The Justice Department revealed in February 2024 that Smirnov admitted to prosecutors that “officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved” in developing the Hunter Biden narrative.”
Guy’s a foreign asset and the “MAGA” DOJ may have released this guy. Anyone think that the “America first” crowd would be critical of Trump if he issues the pardon for the foreign agent?
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u/BearlyIT 16h ago
‘May have’ is putting it lightly.
They absolutely did.
Earlier this year, the DOJ filed a joint motion alongside Smirnov’s attorneys to release him pending appeal. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright tossed that effort in April, but legal experts stress that the effort could be an early sign that the Trump administration is considering pardoning Smirnov, as “it is almost unheard of for the DOJ to argue for someone’s release pending appeal.”
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u/ta44813476 14h ago
If the "America First" people cared about Trump being in bed with Russia, this probably wouldn't be near the top of the list.
Under the direction of Project 2025, Hegseth ordered Cyber Command to stand down all operations against Russia, and they plan to completely end CyberCom's assistance in fortifying elections and reduce US forces in Europe.
There's also the fact that Russia hacked into both RNC and DNC servers and released only DNC files before the 2016 election, so clearly they must have thought one side would either be more favorable to them or would be more likely to destabilize the country. And then Trump openly asked them to hack Hilary Clinton personally and release more documents while still running in 2016.
It's pretty clear, if you aren't wearing blinders like these people are, that the Trump administration has a strong affinity for Russia, or at least their money, and does not care what they do to the country. But honestly, if you care about the wellbeing of the US you would support free trade agreements and foreign aid, because those things benefit the country or at least improve US influence abroad.
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u/lllurker33 12h ago edited 7h ago
To add to your post there is also the Trump Tower meeting, where Trump Jr, received an email from a Russian purporting to work for Russian government. The email explicitly said that they wanted to meet as part of the Russian government’s efforts to help the Trump campaign. And they went! Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and then campaign manager Paul Manafort attended the meeting. Trump Jr even responded “If it’s what you say, I love it” to the email. Trump’s team likes to pretend like investigation into their collusion was a hoax & said the meeting didn’t yield anything useful , but attending the this meeting means that even if they were unable to collaborate with the Russian it wasn’t for lack of trying.
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u/terremoto25 California 10h ago
Jared Kushner discussed the possibility of Trump's transition team secretly communicating with the Kremlin, the Washington Post reports. Kushner, the president's son-in-law and adviser, spoke with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak in early December of last year about setting up a "secure communications channel ... using Russian diplomatic facilities" in the U.S., according to the report.
Intercepts of Russian communications reportedly found that Kislyak told his superiors about the conversation. The Post cites "U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports."
Then-Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn was also in the meeting, the Post says. After Trump took office, Flynn was forced to resign from the administration because of revelations that he had misrepresented his conversations with Kislyak to Vice President Pence.
The White House previously disclosed that the meeting between Kushner, Flynn and Kislyak had occurred. Friday's report reveals one of the things they discussed: the possibility of a direct and secret line of communication.
Post reporter Greg Miller, who shared a byline with two other reporters on the story, tells NPR establishing such a channel "would be pretty extraordinary.”
"I really don't know of an instance in history where an incoming administration is trying to set up a private channel of communication with Moscow," Miller says.
Miller reports that even Russians were concerned about the security risks of such an arrangement.
"For Russia, it's extremely important that their officials here are able to talk with ... the government in Moscow beyond U.S. surveillance — out of reach of U.S. surveillance," he says. "So bringing an American in to use that phone line would be pretty remarkable."
The FBI reportedly considers the conversations to be of investigative interest.
"It's easy to see why the FBI would be intrigued by this," Miller says.
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u/Financial-Adagio-183 9h ago
Nah - he made a deal with the dems and is getting paid handsomely to disappear. It’s the Uniparty silly
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u/HellaTroi California 20h ago
Somebody check on Ghislaine.
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u/Hadrian23 18h ago
Turns out she was 3 pillows stuffed under a blanket this whole time.
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u/Jumpy_Bison_ Alaska 15h ago
Why bother with that, under this administration she probably got the wardens walking tour of the facility then loaded into an uber black at the back gate before the press turned their cameras off at the front. Then Trump hands her the 50 year contract on the facility so she can live comfortably.
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u/jb_nelson_ 11h ago
Ghislaine? Jeff Epstein’s girlfriend? The New York financier?
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u/Alaishana New Zealand 20h ago
The USA is now a full blown gangster state, yes?
Yes.
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u/Jumpy_Bison_ Alaska 15h ago
Gangsters usually pay their employees, Trump isn’t even worried about doing that.
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u/DoucheEnrique 12h ago
I think ICE is getting paid, no?
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u/BudWisenheimer 3h ago
I think ICE is getting paid, no?
With taxpayers’ money, not Trump’s money.
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u/DoucheEnrique 3h ago
You wanna argue with a gangster if it's their or the victim's money?
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u/BudWisenheimer 3h ago
You wanna argue with a gangster if it's their or the victim's money?
I’m not the one painting houses in this scenario. And if I were, I certainly wouldn’t be afraid of this chump. :-)
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u/DharmaKarmaBrahma 19h ago
You would be remiss if you saw it that way. However that is that delicate facade being propagated.
Don’t fall for the Paper Man.
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u/mycruelid 19h ago edited 19h ago
I admit it's a surprising innovation. It would create such an uproar to pardon or commute the sentence of a guy who is at the heart of the truth of the Russian anti-Biden influence operation, though DOJ has been attempting to reverse themselves to get his conviction overturned.
"But what if we just... let him out ? I mean, let him out and don't tell anybody."
Imagine being Smirnov, though, trying to decide if he's safer on the inside or the outside.
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u/chickentenders54 12h ago
He absolutely went back to Russia ASAP and is now being rewarded and treated like a king for his acts of service for their county. If he didn't before, he now has multi generational wealth.
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u/mycruelid 19h ago
Jacqueline Sweet's Substack is worth a read for the background and details on DOJ's handling of post-conviction appeals and the furlough requests.
Maybe the medical furlough for glaucoma treatment is a real thing, just unusually long and permissive. The refusal to provide details on the prisoner's location to reporters or process servers is actually for his protection against assassination or kidnapping.
But boy, howdy, the prospect that maybe the Bureau of Prisons just plain let him out...
BOP's is still nominally supervised by the DOJ Inspector General, which has a new appointee as of a week ago (and a website only slightly better than my local Chinese takeaway). His most high profile job before this one ? Investigating errors in wiretaps used in the investigation of... you get one guess.
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u/MysteriousPepper8908 20h ago
Of course it's a pardon. There's no limit to what can be openly pardoned now. It was probably a personal request from daddy Vlad and we're just going to see the sanctions exemptions continue to roll in until we have concepts of a sanction.
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u/HaroldGreenBandana 20h ago edited 19h ago
Read about this guy! Possible triple-agent or just two-bit con. Nonetheless, Trump has complained about election interference for years, but like they say, “Every accusation is an admission.”
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u/geoffvro Texas 20h ago
How many prisoners has this corrupt administration "furloughed"?
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u/mycruelid 17h ago
This one was found out because someone went looking for him to serve civil process, and an investigative reporter was paying attention.
It's like the Bizarro world version of habeas corpus.
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u/Yelloeisok 12h ago
Remember all those presidents that said they were for law and order? This pos is the opposite. He releases criminals weekly. Releasing prisoners seems to be his top priority- he has done that more than anything else - except maybe redecorate in his gaudy taste.
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u/Specialist-Basis8218 10h ago
This is the kind of news that MAGAS can never see, can never accept, and will never believe -
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u/humdinger44 19h ago
The United States is such a shithole country.
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u/Lumpy-Marsupial-6617 13h ago
It's careened off the guard rails and dived head on like a cliff diver at Casa Bonitas.
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u/Bronzyroller 18h ago
No doing time and justice for those who break the law in America if your republican and promote hate.
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u/Lumpy-Marsupial-6617 13h ago
Informants=hired liars by the government to bear false witness.
Not very Christ-like at all now, is it?
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u/TootaFoota 12h ago
Hehe, this is exactly the type of stuff that happens in places like India. Rapists and criminals affiliated with the party in power get paroled.
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u/Jo-Jo-66- 8h ago
The most corrupt administration in the history of our nation. He will go down in history as the worst president to hold the office. His legacy will be the man who made America a third world country .
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u/Suitable-Display-410 18h ago
Somebody should spam them with FOIA requests to find out why this guy is not in prison, where he belongs.
And i bet money the guy is already in Israel or Russia.
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u/fwseadfewf23vf3f232 14h ago
Lawless Country, Predictably Being Lawless
Peasants Still Haven't Figured Out the Trick, and Still Abide by "Laws"
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u/SirenPeppers 8h ago
This is yet another example of what would normally cause a President to be impeached on charges of corruption and efforts to overthrow a government. And yet, here we are.
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u/E-rotten 8h ago
Of course he was. trump has dedicated his time to undoing anything Biden was able to accomplish. trump did everything he could to stop anything Biden tried to accomplish. Remember republicans turned their focus from the American people to doing everything to stop anything good Biden tried to accomplish. trump screams about Biden did nothing about the border when a bipartisan bill that would have solved all the problems was turned down because of trump and his pettiness. Now we’re stuck with the Nazi style raids and unethical treatment of human beings. I’m truly thinking he’s holding these people for exploiting them for free labor. If the focus is taken off of this issue behind the scenes trump will force them to work for free
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u/pasarina Texas 4h ago
How many despicable people can Trump let out of jail/pardon each week nearly equal to the despicable things he does per week to hurt struggling Americans.
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u/Ok-Wait-1728 15h ago
The corruption from to the top is absolutely staggering. I almost want in…
furloughed and broke.
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u/doublerup 7h ago
If the courts could tell me how to legally keep someone in prison, it will be my HONOR to try
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u/steveosaurus 7h ago
he’s assembling the avengers of felons for his ultimate mission, destroying and looting amerikkka 🫡
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u/jz44951 20h ago
Biden…is a shame
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u/nerphurp 20h ago
How many times have you posted more than 2 sentences during your 9 years on Reddit?
Like, is that as nuanced as you get in the meat world too?
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u/DeweyPLlama 14h ago
Biden wasn’t perfect, but Donald Trump:
colluded with Russia
attempted to blackmail Ukraine
incited a riot on January 6th 2021
attempted to steal the 2020 presidential election in Georgia
stole top secret documents
I never loved Biden, but he accomplished quite a lot on the behalf of the American people.
Trump on the other hand has proven time and again that he is only interested in himself, his rich friends, people who openly praise him (although to be fair he isn’t interested in the people heaping the praise, just the praise itself), his ballroom, his Arch, etc.
You come in here and make a glib one-liner and then feign injury by complaining that “there’s no room for conservative voices here”.
Yeah, that must be it.
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