Hey, it’s not like Donald Trump has any more pressing and important work to do these days:
There’s nothing new about fake Trump play money, and there are a lot of MAGA disciples out there who’ve found out the hard way that they’re kitschy souvenirs and not legal tender.
With this one having the Krusty Seal of Approval from Trump himself, I anticipate a lot of viral videos showing angry people trying to spend Trump coins at Dollar General, and I’m here for it.
(Note: I’ve seen this episode around 150 times, and only now did I realize Homer buys tickets for “one adult and four children.”)
Whether it affects the suckers’ voting decisions is another story. As David Frum pointed out a few years ago, scam victims get angry at the people telling them they’ve been scammed before they reach the acceptance stage.
Alas, that’s unlikely to happen by November. Note that there are still people in MAGAworld absolutely shocked by this totally out-of-character lapse of judgment by Trump when he’s got an election to win:
Oh, Seth, my Brother in Christ, this is what he’s always been. Give it a few years and you’ll be telling everyone you knew it all along.
The NDP premier of Manitoba hath decreed there’s no room in caucus for anyone who’s stooped so low as to associate with someone who’s associated with a criminal through the unjust, unforgivable act of serving as his defence counsel.
I, for one, am shocked to find out Canada’s main socialist(ish) political party has an illiberal streak. Who would have believed it?
In the wake of Manitoba MLA Mark Wasyliw’s ouster from the NDP caucus, which was prompted by reports that his law firm represents Peter Nygard, members of the legal community are asking: how does this impact the criminal defence profession?
A prominent fashion executive, Nygard has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and sexual assault by US and Canadian prosecutors. A Toronto court sentenced him to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women on Sept. 10.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced Monday that Wasyliw, the MLA for Fort Garry, had been removed from the NDP caucus due to his firm’s representation of Nygard.
Kinew argued that the association of Wasyliw’s firm with Nygard’s defence called into question the MLA’s judgment and alignment with the values of the NDP caucus. In response, Wasyliw told the Winnipeg Sun the premier is a bully who struggles with dissent – allegations that prompted PC opposition leader Wayne Ewasko to call for a workplace investigation on Tuesday.
The developments have raised concerns within the legal community. The Manitoba Bar Association said Kinew’s ousting of Wasyliw called into question “how defence lawyers are perceived in our justice system,” adding that “undermining the role of defence lawyers is a step in the wrong direction.”
There’s some evidence that Kinew is using this as a pretext to get rid of an MLA with whom he’d clashed for other reasons. But he’s going all-in on the argument that there’s no place in the NDP someone who’d take on - actually, whose law firm would take on - certain criminal defendants. (Had Nygard not hit the trifecta of being rich, white and an alleged sex criminal, I doubt Kinew would have dropped him for this reason.)
Politicians attacking their opponents for defending bad people in court is nothing new, but it’s been more associated with the right than the left. Republicans pouncedᵀᴹ on Hillary Clinton’s criminal defence work, and Conservatives in Canada have attacked federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh for doing the same.
But recent years have seen left-wingers - I won’t say liberals - doing the same, resulting in Professor Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. getting hounded out of Harvard University. In 2020, The Lincoln Project took a break from buying yachts with donors’ money to doxx people who worked at law firms representing Donald Trump in some of his (admittedly bullshit) election lawsuits.
Here’s what I wrote back then:
One of the foundations of our legal system is that anyone with a case to make should have the opportunity to do so. This doesn’t mean every lawyer is obliged to take on every client who comes his or her way, but if a law firm is to be blackballed and shamed, and its lawyers harassed, because of who they represent - not because they’re making specious legal arguments, but just the very fact of taking on a controversial client - that is frankly dangerous and undemocratic.
[…]
One of my biggest fears during the Trump era was that his own illiberalism, disregard for norms, bullying and harassment would become the norm for every side even after he’s defeated. And I see it coming true already.
Hoo Boy, did I call it or what?
Kinew, it must be noted, had no problem calling on defence lawyers back in the day when he needed one:
“You can be affiliated with the NDP or you can be affiliated with Peter Nygard. But you can’t do both,” Kinew said Tuesday.
He might as well send up a giant balloon reading “unfit to govern” — and also, “oblivious.” Kinew of all people should understand, respect and appreciate the sacred right to legal representation: Rather implausibly, he is Canada’s most popular premier despite considerable interaction with police earlier in life, including an impaired-driving conviction and arrests for alleged domestic assault and attacking a taxi driver. Jason Miller, who was Kinew’s counsel in the taxi-driver affair, is now a judge in Ontario. The press release announcing his appointment noted Miller’s considerable experience with homicide cases.
But that’s different because…um…why do you want Peter Nygard back on the streets, huh?!? What are you hiding?
If you look at what the Lincoln Project is ACTUALLY DOING NOW in the election, with their ads and the outreach to disaffected Republicans to vote for Harris, I think you'll discover that you are "out of whack" with your portrayal of them. That business got cleaned up.