James Gleick

"No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States] shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

Maybe some parts of the Constitution are fuzzy or ambiguous. This isn't one of them. https://mas.to/@gleick/114489803866392093

James Gleick (@gleick@mas.to)

This is self-evidently illegal: a $400 million gift to Trump rather than to the United States. Apparently laws no longer apply here. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-poised-accept-palace-sky-gift-trump/story?id=121680511

mas.to
May 11 at 4:25pmWeb
Show threadbeka valentineMay 11
@gleick @inthehands don't worry, congress agrees. they're just as corrupt as he is
Show threadOfficial Kakistocracy Jester 🪓May 11
@gleick Attempting a violent insurrection is also a direct assault on the Constitution - but we’ve learned that there are no consequences for that, and that it’s okay, so anything goes now. Precedents are fun like that. #BananaRepublic #NothingMatters
Show threadToot Ωncommon 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇦May 11
@OGjester @gleick Things Americans don’t understand oart 328. Most still willing to give Garland and Smith the Medal of Freedom.
Show threadGrumble 🇺🇸 🇺🇦May 11
@OGjester @gleick We learned that if you're the first one through the window, you'll catch one in the neck and you'll bleed out on the floor. But your family will be set for life, so there's that.
Show threadOfficial Kakistocracy Jester 🪓May 11
@grumble209 “Justice” @gleick
Show threadYoraMay 11

@gleick The ambiguous part is whether the constitution applies if a party holds a majority in parliament.

Apparently it doesn't.

Show threadA Flock of BeaglesMay 11
@gleick probably the least egregious thing happening right now tbh.
Show threadxs4me2May 11

@gleick

Will Trump does not know if he will keep up to the Constitution. Apparently now he knows…

Show threadNN SchneiderMay 11

@gleick

Is it really a law (or basic tenant of government) if it isn't enforced?

Show threadKagan MacTane (he/him)May 11

@gleick He's been violating the Emoluments Clause since January 20th, 2017. People pointed that out back in 2016.

He suffered precisely zero consequences for it back then, and for the whole rest of his first term. I don't think that's about to change. We can just add this to the long list of Emoluments Clause violations he's racked up.

Show threadGrumble 🇺🇸 🇺🇦May 11
@gleick The fuzzy and ambiguous thing here is the sincerity of our politicians with respect to their oath of office.
Show threadUrzlMay 12
@gleick If it's not a big sack of cash with dollar signs on it like in the cartoons, it doesn't count.
Show threadStarkRGMay 12
@gleick The Constitution isn't really in effect anymore and the United States has no functional system of laws. (Actually, without the Constitution, the United states no longer exists, at least, the United States as defined within that document.) Whether someone gets arrested or charged no longer depends on what they've done, only who they are and who their friends are.
Show threadspaceghoti resists fascismMay 12
@gleick Sadly, this one was put to rest during his first administration. No one cared to enforce it then, and no one will now. A law that isn't enforced has no power.
Show threadPhil Thane ✅May 12
@gleick
I'm not a constitutional expert or even American but Trump's case appears to be that he isn't getting a gift, it's being given to the air force. Even if that's true and allowed it's stupid from a security POV. Unless the plane is stripped to a bare shell they'll never be sure what bugs are hidden in it, and then there's all the software embedded in the controls. Are there any cunning little tweaks?
Show threadJames GleickMay 12
@pthane The proposal is to lend it to the Air Force for the remainder of Trump's term, make the Air Force spend money upgrading it, and then turn it over to "the Trump Library" for Trump's personal use. That means it's a gift to Trump, with extra costs to the taxpayer. Also, it implies they're planning something different for the Trump library: presidential libraries normally belong to the National Archives, not the ex-president.
Show threadOtownKimMay 12
@gleick He will get away with it!
Show threadPaulDavisTheFirstMay 12
@gleick another case of "it's not about who's going to let me, it's a question of who's going to stop me?"
Show threadLyrialMay 13
@gleick Trump stated that he would be a "stupid" person to turn down this plane. No, sir, you would be dishonorable to accept it.