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Reposted by Joseph O'Neill

Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 1h

Instead of "This is inappropriate!" Democrats - especially those who might run for president - should say right now "Anyone who participates in this should know: You are committing a crime, and in the next administration you will be prosecuted."

That will change the frame of the story.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 11h

Again, it is a full-blown federal felony crime for anyone in the White House or Executive Office of the President to order tax investigations into anyone.

And it's not just a crime to DO it, it's even a federal crime for an employee not to REPORT such an order to the Treasury Inspector General.

26 U.S. Code § 7217 - Prohibition on executive branch influence over taxpayer audits and other investigations
U.S. Code
Notes
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(a)Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for any applicable person to request, directly or indirectly, any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service to conduct or terminate an audit or other investigation of any particular taxpayer with respect to the tax liability of such taxpayer.

(b)Reporting requirement
Any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service receiving any request prohibited by subsection (a) shall report the receipt of such request to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

(c)Exceptions
Subsection (a) shall not apply to any written request made—
(1)to an applicable person by or on behalf of the taxpayer and forwarded by such applicable person to the Internal Revenue Service;
(2)by an applicable person for disclosure of return or return information under section 6103 if such request is made in accordance with the requirements of such section; or
(3)by the Secretary of the Treasury as a consequence of the implementation of a change in tax policy.
(d)Penalty
Any person who willfully violates subsection (a) or fails to report under subsection (b) shall be punished upon conviction by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution.

(e)Applicable person
For purposes of this section, the term “applicable person” means—
(1)the President, the Vice President, any employee of the executive office of the President, and any employee of the executive office of the Vice President; and
(2)any individual (other than the Attorney General of the United States) serving in a position specified in section 5312 of title 5, United States Code.

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Reposted by Joseph O'Neill

Americans Against Fascism - Ireland @aafireland.bsky.social · 2d

This Saturday the American community in Ireland will be protesting against the fascist Trump regime at the US Embassy in #Dublin, in solidarity with the millions of Americans protesting on the same day across the United States #NoKings

For more information:
www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...

NO KINGS DUBLIN, Ireland · No Kings

###SOLIDARITY PROTEST Saturday October 18th, 12pm GMT US Embassy, Dublin, Ireland 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin, D04 TP03 **In America (and Ireland!), we don’t put up with would-be kings.** Ou...

www.mobilize.us

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · 2d

Yep, it's a big night for the écureuils. Would love to be in Cotonou for this one.

Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · 6d

Good question.
Delighted that you're reading ZH. I think it overlaps with some private thoughts I have about Godwin.
Thank you.

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Reposted by Joseph O'Neill

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 8d

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · 8d

Agreed!

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Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 14d

Here's where we are:

Republicans have shut down the government.

Why?

They won't negotiate. They want to pass a bill that will allow the Trump administration to throw 15 million Americans off their health care & double premiums for 20 million Americans.

We won't let them.

Where We Are With The Government Shutdown | Sen. Bernie Sanders

YouTube video by Senator Bernie Sanders

youtu.be

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · 19d

Democratic Party messaging about the need to take on the Trump Court is NOWHERE near strong enough.

Matt Ford @mford.bsky.social · 19d

Supreme Court rules 6-3 that congressional appropriations are optional: www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

On September 3, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia entered a preliminary injunction directing the Executive to obligate roughly $10.5 billion of appropriated aid funding set to expire on September 30. Of that $10.5 billion, $4 billion was proposed to be rescinded in a “special message” transmitted pursuant to the Impoundment Control Act. See 2 U. S. C. §681 et seq. After the District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied stays of that order, the Government filed this application to stay the District Court’s injunction. The application for stay presented to THE CHIEF JUSTICE and by him referred to the Court is granted. The Government, at this early stage, has made a sufficient showing that the Impoundment Control Act precludes respondents’ suit, brought pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, to enforce the appropriations at issue here. The Government has also made a sufficient showing that mandamus relief is unavailable to respondents. And, on the record before the Court, the asserted harms to the Executive’s conduct of foreign affairs appear to outweigh the potential harm faced by respondents. This order should not be read as a final determination on the merits. The relief granted by the Court today reflects our preliminary view, consistent with the standards for interim relief.

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · 20d

Whoa--a surprise September flower riot

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · 24d

This never happened. Dems cowered, appeased, waited for it to blow over. Now hysterical Nazi rallies are part of the U.S. political culture.

Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · Sep 12

Persons identified as the 'left' and held responsible for the Kirk shooting have every right to be outraged that they have been defamed and endangered by the false statements made by the president. Democratic leaders should demand a retraction and an apology.

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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 24d

If anyone in the Democratic Party had a brain they’d be pulling out all the stops to spin up some offensive litigation to blow up or delay any sale. Everything Trump has done here is egregiously illegal, and TikTok has major US competitors who would surely like to see it die. What are you doing??

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 24d

I'd start informing your friends and loved ones they're going to need to get off of TikTok

it's indisputably going to be converted into yet another right wing surveillance and propaganda machine

Trump says Murdochs are potential TikTok deal partners

President Donald Trump also said that Larry Ellison and Michael Dell are also likely to be involved in the TikTok deal.

www.cnbc.com

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · Sep 14

The truly, truly strange thing about Kirk is that I have not seen his supporters quote one statement by him that illustrates his supposed nobility of character.

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · Sep 12

Persons identified as the 'left' and held responsible for the Kirk shooting have every right to be outraged that they have been defamed and endangered by the false statements made by the president. Democratic leaders should demand a retraction and an apology.

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Ben @liquidgelcaps.bsky.social · Sep 12

X, the political violence app

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · Sep 12

Law enforcement should shut down Twitter, which has become a hub for extremely frightening incitement of violence. Huge, explicitly violent neo-Nazi accounts are posting the information of prominent liberals in an attempt to get folks killed by their large, violent followings

EAll @ealluia.bsky.social · Sep 12

Sorry to hear this. I cannot help by contrast this with the cynical calls to censor Bluesky as a website encouraging political violence while Twitter is flooded with major accounts trying to whip up threats and violence and minor ones actively organizing it. Real up is down black is white situation.

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Kyle Clark @kylec.bsky.social · Sep 10

UPDATE: JeffCo Sheriff's Office says three students have been shot at Evergreen High School. St A's Hospital says all are in critical condition. Our live coverage here: www.9news.com/article/news...

www.9news.com

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Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · Sep 10

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) on the shooting of Charlie Kirk:

"Political violence, unfortunately, has ramped up in this country ... I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country. I think the president's rhetoric often foments it."

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Kent Priore @kentpriore.bsky.social · Sep 9

I'm officially a PUBLISHED AUTHOR! 🎉🎉🎉 And so, SO ready for all my book signings. 😁

My debut fantasy horror novel, THE MONSTERS AMONG US, is available NOW.

Snag your copy here:
books2read.com/u/m27rzr
#books #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #RowanProsePublishing @rowanprosepub.bsky.social

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Reposted by Joseph O'Neill

David Roberts @volts.wtf · Sep 7

Dem consultants out there saying "voters won't care unless it affects their daily life" even as we are living through an extended nationwide hysteria about trans girls in high school sports, an issue which affects literally maybe a dozen Americans.

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Hemry, Local Bartender @bartenderhemry.bsky.social · Sep 9

In another defeat for the material interests theory of politics, young trump voters ranked "owning their own home" more important than young harris voters and then voted against the candidate promising to give them $25k towards their downpayment

Amanda Terkel @aterkel.bsky.social · Sep 8

Fascinating new results on Gen Z from the
@nbcnews.com Decision Desk poll -- views on family and marriage

www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · Sep 8

Thank you.

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · Sep 6

Update: Gorgeous September mayhem.

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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · Sep 4

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · Sep 4

BREAKING: Trump's Fed Nominee just confirmed to @reed.senate.gov that he will NOT resign from the White House while serving at the Fed.

President Trump is trying to take over the Fed and install his lackeys.

Trump's takeover would make life far more expensive for American families.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Sep 1

From the U.S., Kier Starmer really does come across as a perfect example of you cannot successfully try to ape reactionary conservative politics in the long term. Labour got a single win and Starmer proceeded to drive the party into its worst polling in generations by courting the right.

The National @scotnational.bsky.social · Sep 1

NEW: Keir Starmer has said he hangs the English flag in his home and 'always sits front of a Union Jack'

He told the BBC: 'I'm very encouraging of flags. I think they're patriotic and a great symbol of our nation.'

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Joseph O'Neill @josephoneill.bsky.social · Sep 1

Pantheon Books @pantheonbooks.bsky.social · Aug 25

Congratulations to Joseph O'Neill for being shortlisted for the 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award!

Read more: marktwainhouse.org/2025/08/20/t...

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · Aug 28

"Dems are so worried about alienating a small slice of the electorate they’re hesitating to condemn the most abusive act yet by an unpopular president. I’m no strategist, but boy does that sound like a losing strategy," writes @monicapotts.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/1996...

The Democrats’ Self-Destructive Fear of the Swing Voter

The party is responding to Trump’s authoritarian abuses with timid messaging that sounds as if it’s been poll-tested to death—because it probably has been.

newrepublic.com

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