No one is safe

 The Trump reign of fear ups the stakes.

Two harrowing stories: one in Massachusetts, one in New Jersey.

Worcester, MA:

A woman was led by federal agents in cuffs away from her family, through a throng of community organizers trying to stop it, and into an unmarked car. The local police arrived to prevent the community from protecting their neighbor from an unlawful kidnapping. They succeeded, and in the process arrested two of the people who tried to stop it.

[...]

And then I see the mother, a young woman in a green shirt, wailing, crying, held on either side by menacing white men in tactical vests, black neck warmers pulled over their noses in the style du jour for our secret police forces.

Surrounding them are a few dozen community members who were tipped off about the ICE raid and got to it before the police did. Before I arrived, they demanded to see a warrant. The ICE agents refused to provide one, so they created a human chain, which the ICE officers eventually broke through.

[...]

An ICE agent opens the door and the woman's daughter shrieks—an unforgettable noise of agony. Her mother is about to disappear, into the purposefully vague bureaucratic world of forced removal.

[...]

A Worcester cop comes over, stepping between the open car door and the community, past the ICE agents stuffing the mother into the back seat, and he looks at a woman holding the shrieking daughter's baby.

[...]

The woman's daughter then jumps on the hood of the car. A Worcester cop pulls her off.

[...]

These federal agents were wearing a myriad of badges and few of them had name tags. Most of them had "POLICE" written somewhere on their tactical vests. There were ICE insignias, but also Customs and Border Patrol, and one ATF.

[...]

[F]ederal agents showed up, without saying why, intending to bring [the woman] to an undisclosed somewhere without even proving they had the legal right.

[...]

In the background, a Worcester police officer looks at the desperate woman holding her baby trying to stop the agents from taking her mother and says "Do you want to stay with your baby?" The tacit threat of separation for her protestation of another separation. Later he would complain "She's putting the baby in harm's way." A classic move: "harm" goes undefined because the harm is him.

[...]

Another officer, frustrated, says "They don't need a warrant." Finally, one of them tells the truth. Due process is not a matter they're concerned with. The deportation must proceed. Trying to stop it is the unlawful thing.

[...]

A cop pulls his cruiser behind us—we're boxed in now—and from the intercom says "This is the Worcester Police Department. This is an unlawful assembly, I'm warning you to disperse right now or you will be subject to arrest."

[...]

As the car pulls away, nudging into the thick crowd, the daughter shrieks another horrible horrible horrible shriek, communicating the non-communicable as the disappearers take another step toward disappearing her mother. As the car breaks from the crowd she runs after it. A Worcester police officer, his voice frothing with anger, shouts "Arrest her right now. You are under arrest." And then four cops swarm her, grab her, throw her to the ground. All the while she's crying crying crying. Her hair's caught in her mouth and matted to her face, wet with spit and tears. Four cops hold her pinned to the ground.

[...]

Next to me is a TV reporter from a Spanish language station and her cameraman. She yells out, "What's your name?" and the woman responds in Spanish. I can't make it out. She asks her age and this one I catch: “dieciséis.”

Not a woman—a girl. A 16-year-old girl. Now in custody for the crime of reacting in an unruly way to the sudden forceful disappearance of her mother.

I keep asking about the charges. The only cop who doesn't ignore me explains "I'm not the arresting officer." The arresting officers go on ignoring me.

[...]

Eventually I get an answer, and it's the usual package job: disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, unlawful assembly. The charges they throw on anyone they want to arrest for the sake of arresting them, knowing they're unlikely to stick. But sticking isn't the goal. The officer who tells me this has a tactical K9 Unit vest on. He tells me the 16-year-old girl was interfering with police business.

[...]

In a statement posted to the department's Facebook page Thursday night, the WPD said they responded to "a report of a federal agent who was surrounded by a large group of about twenty-five people." The daughter was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. [A] community organizer faces charges of assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (unknown liquid), disorderly conduct, and interfering with a police officer. Both were out on bail by Thursday night, according to local organizers. The name and whereabouts of the woman taken by ICE remains unknown.

  Welcome to the World

Newark, NJ:

Fox News angle:

The mayor of Newark was arrested Friday at an ICE detention facility in New Jersey where congressional leaders had scheduled an afternoon "oversight" visit.

  NBC

Why is oversight in BS quotes?

A spokesperson confirmed Mayor Ras Baraka was taken into custody by federal police outside Delaney Hall, a detention facility run by private prison operator GEO Group, in Newark.

[...]

Baraka had visited the facility in recent days amid efforts to close the recently reopened prison. The mayor has made public claims that the detention center is not operating legally.

Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join a scheduled tour of the facility with three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

"We’re at Delaney Hall, an ICE prison in Newark that opened without permission from the city & in violation of local ordinances," Rep. Coleman wrote in a post on X.

When federal officials blocked Baraka's entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates.

“The agents started intimidating and putting their hands on the congresswomen. There was yelling and pushing,” Martinez said. “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.”

In a statement, The Department of Homeland Security said that the lawmakers had not asked for a tour of the facility, contrary to witnesses' accounts. The department said further that as a bus carrying detainees was entering the facility, “a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.”

It said Menendez, Watson Coleman, and a number of protesters were currently “holed up in a guard shack” at the facility.

[...]

[I]n February, ICE awarded a 15-year contract to The Geo Group Inc. to run the Newark detention center. Geo valued the contract at $1 billion, which is an unusually long and large agreement for ICE.

The announcement was part of President Donald Trump’s plans to sharply increase detention beds nationwide from a budget of about 41,000 beds this year.

Baraka sued GEO Group soon after the deal was announced.

Geo touted the contract with Delaney Hall during its earnings call with shareholders Wednesday, with CEO David Donahue saying it was expected to generate more than $60 million a year in revenue.

Private prisons in a police state.

UPDATE 05/09/2025:  Also, in DC today...

The politics of fear.

UPDATE 07:56 pm:

UPDATE 05/10/2025:

Finally! And good riddance

 

Menendez verdict

Or booted.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 03:18 pm:

A crook is a crook is a crook

They can't boot him out, I guess.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Good on "some of his colleagues"

Now boot his ass.

Conspicuously missing: Chuck Schumer

Once a crook...

Three counts, including bribery.

It's not at all uncommon to read about some corrupt Republican politician, but it seems like every time I read about a Democrat, it's Bob Menendez.  And to think Al Franken got pushed out because he made a lewd gesture on a plane - before he was in Congress.

Which is precisely why you don't let people get away with shit.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 09:42 am:

UPDATE 02:40 pm:  As I was saying...

UPDATE 09/23/2023:

Several Democrats including his own state governor are calling on their fellow party member Robert Menendez to resign after federal authorities charged the New Jersey US senator and his wife with accepting bribes. However, the defiant senator has rejected those claims and is refusing to step down.

Authorities on Friday revealed charges alleging that Robert and Nadine Menendez illegally accepted gold bars, cash, a luxurious Mercedes-Benz car and other gifts in exchange for favors benefiting three businessmen as well as influencing the Egyptian government.

[...]

Menendez rejected calls to resign and plans to refute the claims of bribery and corruption, according to NBC News. “Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades,” Menendez said in the statement.

  Guardian

Innocent until proven guilty, but it's not like there aren't pictures. Or like he's been in trouble before. If he has any spots on committees, he should be stripped of them until he proves himself innocent in a court of law, which will be never.

UPDATE 09/23/2023 09:03 am:  

Schumer should resign.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) will step down from his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following an indictment that was unsealed on Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced the move Friday afternoon.

Under Democratic Conference rules, a member in a leadership position or with a chair must resign if charged with a felony, but can be reinstated if the charges are cleared or dropped to a lesser charge.

“Bob Menendez has been a dedicated public servant and is always fighting hard for the people of New Jersey. He has a right to due process and a fair trial,” Schumer said in the statement.

“Senator Menendez has rightly decided to step down temporarily from his position as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee until the matter has been resolved.”

  The Hill

"Rightly decided." Them's the rules.

The committee is unlikely to see any major hiccups in operations if Menendez is allowed to retain his seat on the committee while not serving as chair.

He shouldn't be allowed to do that either. His mind is going to be focused elsewhere for a while.

Also, how fucking stupid is he?  After his first indictment and getting off, did he not think he would be closely watched?

UPDATE 09/24/2023:

Pompeo testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Because Congress would like to know what the fuck is the US foreign relations policy under Trump.

Pompeo, who was known for his dogged and hostile harangues of Obama administration officials, got more than a taste of his own medicine, the most concentrated dose coming when Senator Menendez (Democrat, New Jersey) said, “If President Obama did what President Trump did in Helsinki, I’d be peeling you off the ceiling!”

  NY Magazine

Yes, Menendez still has his job.

Unsurprisingly, the hearing didn’t reveal what Putin and Trump talked about in their one-on-one, two-hour conversation.

Because Pompeo doesn't know any more than Congress does about that.

Two GOP Senators joined Democrats in pressing Pompeo hard on the Helsinki summit, North Korea, and other topics. No points for guessing that neither of the two (Corker and Flake) are running for reelection.

[...]

When Senator Flake attempted to compliment him on a policy, Pompeo insisted that it was “the president’s policy,” prompting Flake to allude to Trump’s contrary statements on the matter and conclude, “just take the compliment.”

[...]

The task of defending policy that contradicts Trump’s views while not offending Trump is a difficult enough task, but Pompeo seemed to have taken on a second one — not offending the North Koreans.

I'm at the point where I'm suspecting everyone who works for Trump of collusion with someone they ought not be colluding with. In addition to colluding with Trump, I mean.

While he was at pains to acknowledge that negotiations are not progressing, he also went out of his way to say that “I don’t think it’s fair to characterize them as walking back from commitments.”

As long as we get to define terms, we're always telling the truth.

Risch congratulated Pompeo on the “achievements” of the NATO summit; Rubio offered kudos on progress countering Russia; and Isakson asked Pompeo why Europeans couldn’t understand their own economic interests as well as the U.S. did.

Unironically, no doubt.

[Rand] Paul spent much of his time on a vigorous defense of Trump’s meeting with Putin and then moved on to attack bipartisan legislation put forward by Rubio and Democrat Chris Van Hollen aimed at ensuring prompt investigation of and response to future foreign assaults on our elections. [...] It does make you wonder about the content of the conversations Paul had on his post-summit trip to Moscow.

Pompeo, for his part, did say clearly that Russia was attempting to influence U.S. politics and that he would favor more sanctions on Moscow. It will be interesting to see whether those comments pass muster with Trump.

I think Trump will be just fine with those comments. He, himself, makes similar comments - at least in regard to whether Russia interfered with the election - when he's on American soil. It's the doing something about it where he balks.

Pompeo spoke the phrase “commitment to Ukraine and its territorial integrity,” and referred viewers to a newly released “Crimea Declaration,” which he said reaffirms U.S. policy. However, the “Crimea Declaration” turns out to be a State Department press release that doesn’t actually contain that phrase — instead containing some rather odd circumlocutions on the topic.

[...]

During his confirmation, some opponents noted that he was known for a short temper and a manner that spilled over into rudeness. Today he was met with oceans of sympathy from his Republican colleagues — which he repaid with nearly as much high-handed pomposity as he lavished on his Democratic questioners. [...] The sheer unpleasantness of watching these exchanges was a good reminder that one giant fragile ego per administration is far more than enough.

Is it ego with Pompeo? Maybe it's just that his neck is also in the wringer and he's uncomfortable.  It certainly seems that way in this exchange with Menendez:

Pompeo doesn't know what happened between Putin and Trump. Note particularly that he says the translater will not be questioned.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Menendez Digs In

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said Friday night he was not "going anywhere" despite reports that the Justice Department is preparing to bring criminal corruption charges against him.

"I fight for these issues and the people of our country every single day," he told reporters, "That’s who I am, and I am not going anywhere."

  The Hill

Yeah, we’ll see about that. The Feds have a way.

The likely charges concern Menendez allegedly using his office to advocate for the interests of donor and friend Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist.

 CNN reported that prosecutors are looking at plane trips that Menendez took as a guest of Melgen's at a villa in the Dominican Republic.

Menendez later paid back $58,000 for the 2010 trips when it became known that he was under investigation. At the time, his office said it was an "oversight" that he had not paid Melgen back for the travel costs.

Just an oversight. Happens all the time. Could happen to anyone. And often does to politicians.

Investigators are also reportedly interested in whether Menendez was using his position to protect Melgen's business interests.

Gee, I wonder.

There are also questions about whether the senator intervened in a billing dispute between Melgen and Medicare officials.

Count three.

A spokeswoman for Menendez on Friday expressed confidence that he will ultimately be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Well, she could be right. But, that’s three wrongdoing accusations he’ll have to get out of. Might be tough. He’s only a Senator. And…

The New Jersey Democrat has been clashing with the Obama administration in recent months over foreign policy. He is fiercely opposed to the White House's decision to normalize relations with Cuba, arguing the move vindicates Fidel Castro’s “brutal behavior,” and has argued for stronger sanctions on Iran.

The senator reportedly faced off with Obama over Iran during a meeting at a Democratic retreat earlier this year.

He may need to be taken down.

On the other hand, he may have three charges against him, but now we see he’s got three things going for him: 1) he’s from New Jersey (can't resist the opportunity to equate New Jersey with the mob); 2) he’s got backing from Cuban exiles in Florida; 3) he’s got Bibi Netanyahu and Israeli supporters on his side.

Should prove interesting.

Our Turn in the Ridiculousness Beyond Stupid Race

I know you're wondering which idiot that was.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the outgoing head of the Senate’s foreign relations panel, told CNN on Sunday that he is pushing Secretary of State John Kerry to put North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

  The Hill

Oh, yes. Thousands of us were terrorized for days.

“I think there has to be a real consequence to this. Otherwise, you will see it happen again and again,” he added.

Truly terrorizing. I’d never leave the basement under those conditions.

President Obama said last month that he would “review” the evidence to see if placing North Korea on the state sponsors of terrorism list is warranted, but said there is not yet a case for doing so.

Well, thank God he’s thinking on it.

“You know, the one thing I disagree … with the president on is when he characterized the action here against Sony by North Korea as an act of vandalism. Vandalism is when you break a window,” he told Bash. “Terrorism is when you destroy a building. And what happened here is that North Korea landed a virtual bomb on Sony's parking lot, and ultimately had real consequences to it as a company and to many individuals who work there.”

Well, there’s your problem asshat. Terrorism is not destroying a building. Terrorism is drone-bombing people continuously for years.

Virtual bomb. The parents in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and heaven knows where else at the moment, would be thrilled with - might even give their right arms for - a virtual bomb droning over the heads of their children.

Is New Jersey in danger of turning Republican before Menendez’ next re-election bid?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.