My theory on why Trump is choosing THIS order to defy is 1) someone at White House made the decision [cough, Stephen Miller] w/o properly vetting it, and now DOJ has to dig in and 2) like suspected fuck-ups at USAID, if they back down it'll reveal just how incompetent they really are. - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

emptywheel.bsky.social • 20 hours ago

My theory on why Trump is choosing THIS order to defy is 1) someone at White House made the decision [cough, Stephen Miller] w/o properly vetting it, and now DOJ has to dig in and 2) like suspected fuck-ups at USAID, if they back down it'll reveal just how incompetent they really are.

Reposted from Ryan Goodman

2/ This does not instill confidence that the Government has accurately or properly identified individuals under the Alien Enemies Act:

Government declaration:

"[T]he lack of specific information about each individual actually highlights the risk they pose."

Full context:

Comments

idiokratie.bsky.social•17 hours ago

The U. S. Government can de-facto ignore any court order they like.
What's a judge gonna do?
Send a bailiff against a Marine battallion?
The Trump GOP has torn up the social compact ages ago and most Americans STILL have not caught on.
https://bsky.app/profile/idiokratie.bsky.social/post/3lknahjleed2u

brokenprime.bsky.social•20 hours ago

BTW, Trump is also scaring law friends into submission (maybe you're already written about):
The Daily: How Trump Is Scaring Big Law Firms Into Submission

Episode webpage: https://www.nytimes.com/the-daily

Media file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/0f0278b0-1884-4d50-82f0-589747b4bb23/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=0f0278b0-1884-4d50-82f0-589747b4bb23&feed=Sl5CSM3S

grammacappy.bsky.social•20 hours ago

I think this makes sense.

jlandis82.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Combine that with him going off on a Fox News host yesterday and it definitely means Miller made the call

capttpt.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Do you really think we could find something that would reveal even greater incompetence than they already have shown?

cymchoke.bsky.social•19 hours ago

“See, it’s the lack of information about these individuals that PROVES just how dangerous and how guilty they are. And it’s that same lack of information that PROVES there is no need for due process.”

josettewea.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Don’t know if it’s correct but certainly has Miller’s hateful stench all over it.

mhatmaker.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Miller is rabid

txlawyer.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Yeah, that "international waters" excuse was something latched onto by a political actor as a reason not to turn the planes around.

gallopinggoat.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Idiotic considering the planes themselves are governed by American law.

txlawyer.bsky.social•18 hours ago

That's not really the point. The order required the *government* to turn the planes around. They chose not to issue that directive to the charter pilots. Whoever is responsible for that decision is the one in contempt.

angiedplus4.bsky.social•17 hours ago

Exactly. I made that point myself yesterday.

peanut24.bsky.social•17 hours ago

💯 This is not the case the DOJ would have picked to test in front of SCOTUS. Maybe the 5 named plaintiffs, but not the mixed bag in those planes. And not in a case where they may be held in contempt. Miller got out ahead of the DOJ on this and they had to back him up

carmelacruz.bsky.social•18 hours ago

They shaved their heads, wouldn't let their faces be shown, wouldn’t release their names, and refused them due process. Even ICE had their faces covered. Another photo op for Trump since his numbers of deportations are lower than Biden’s.
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:uduwyc7ou2hr7m4prfganpse/bafkreiev5resdejmyfuzrjz45fmqbdlxdaijvzrnhcfx2okfq7ceqnmz7a@jpeg

Comment image

pjmeow.bsky.social•3 hours ago

Three-fourths of the American people know how incompetent Trump is. The other one-fourth are even dumber than Trump.

ny2sf.bsky.social•19 hours ago

They won’t back down. The Venezuelans he deported won’t be back, at least not legally. Rubio worked something out with the El Salvadoran President

kevinwardrop.bsky.social•19 hours ago

The gleeful fucks who are complying with these illegal orders to enact the Trump will are all buying themselves a ticket to a human rights court. They'll see more due process than they are employing for these unfortunates they are readily abusing.

imcaitlintho.bsky.social•18 hours ago

I think the real answer is no one is holding each other accountable for anything at all. They are all just told to back each other up for everything and it's leading to people not actually knowing what's going on but saying "yes, that's right!" Because if they all repeat the lie it's true.

darosenthal.bsky.social•20 hours ago

miller has a history of publicly expressing that the president can do w/e tf he wants.

jon-eisenberg.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Presidential power is legally at its zenith in foreign policy and the conduct of war. SCOTUS is most deferential at that time. But not always, e.g., the steel mill seizure case.

inwpublicdefender.bsky.social•16 hours ago

“The absence of evidence means they’re guilty!”, or some shit.

michaelvitamin.bsky.social•12 hours ago

Easier explanation: they don’t care at all

janetlinde.bsky.social•20 hours ago

I don't agree. I think they did it knowing that it was illegal. Throwing the gauntlet in front of the judiciary to show that, like Congress, they're now impotent to stop anything Trump decides to do. It's officially a coup.

replicannot.bsky.social•18 hours ago

I think it’s both

itsme65.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Walmart-shopping MAGAts do not care.

philoof.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Make bad decision without any forethought

Double down instead of admitting you’re wrong

Repeat

Comment image

ryejaymesreid2025.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Comment image

philoof.bsky.social•19 hours ago

anaphoristand.bsky.social•19 hours ago

January 6: 187 minutes. March 15: 338 minutes.

https://adamisacson.com/timeline-of-what-appears-to-be-defiance-of-a-judicial-order-applying-the-alien-enemies-act-to-venezuelans-sent-to-el-salvadors-prisons-without-due-process/

916beamteam.bsky.social•20 hours ago

They chose this one because it forces Dems to side with alleged gang members which is a tough sell. They are very good at forcing Dems into tough positions knowing Dem leadership sucks at counter messaging. It’s why most Americans think there’s a wave of trans athletes taking over women’s sports.

johncraighammond.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Here is an easy sell: "I despise Venezuelan gangs terrorizing their neighbors. But they, like every other person on U.S. soil, has a right to due process under the law."

916beamteam.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Pithy, I’m sure it’ll catch on with the super intelligent American voter.

916beamteam.bsky.social•19 hours ago

I understand what you’re saying, but the average American voter doesn’t get to the second sentence of any statement. Sad but true.

davidsjass.bsky.social•18 hours ago

When withholding of 'due process' affects ". . . the super intelligent American voter," they will read all the way to the end of the paragraph.

916beamteam.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Correct, but by the time that happens we’ll be well past the point of no return.

denealus.bsky.social•12 hours ago

May I offer an alternative?

"I want violent criminals apprehended. Same as you. I just want to make sure they are legit reasons to suspect these people *are* violent criminals and not convenient scapegoats."

warnercrocker.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Concur

tonydaniel.bsky.social•19 hours ago

The government is arguing "we don't really know who they are, therefor they're dangerous and terrorists.

headdoc35.bsky.social•20 hours ago

That’s what they usually do.

kyyle23.bsky.social•20 hours ago

You can pretty much always tell when miller is the background voice

zihuarob.bsky.social•18 hours ago

What a bogus legal argument that the judge will not find amusing or valid.

gobbledygookgirl.bsky.social•18 hours ago

When Trump first announced his El Savador 'deal' regarding prisoners I thought: He's using it to scare ANY AMERICAN into going against him and imo he will send them there. That's why there's so little info on the deportees...so he can send anyone.

mancinisscarf.bsky.social•20 hours ago

You are a Republican, aren’t you?

robsterlobster1.bsky.social•18 hours ago

I suppose we should be grateful they’re so incredibly inept, but nevertheless we burn our time and energy on trying to undo their cascade of damage.

There are also big aspect of created facts on the ground m, which make undoing logistically difficult to impossible

mac1too.bsky.social•17 hours ago

DEI -2.0. Total incompetence, beginning with Stephen Miller.

grumpyrootbeer.bsky.social•17 hours ago

Drunk, Erratic, Incompetent

voxindie.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Stephen Miller is a screaming banshee crossed with Nosferatu....

boatmatears.bsky.social•19 hours ago

I’m waiting for when citizens are detained because the gestapo doesn’t like what’s on your phone/social media. It’s coming.

dukeofsnoop.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Their declaration assumed that, with time, these people will commit crimes. These
Lawyers/prosecutors should be disbarred.

bdemayo.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Hanlon's Razor comes in swinging again

neonnomad.bsky.social•19 hours ago

I suspect it’s so that they can frame people who are opposing this as “supporting the terrorists” and “wanting to bring terrorists back to the US” - even with zero proof any of these folks are terrorists. Once they’ve got away with sane-washing & normalizing this, then they can move with impunity.

omfishient.bsky.social•18 hours ago

I also keep wondering if they were planning on the government shutting down on Friday, which might have put this on a different, even more chaotic trajectory…or if that timing was coincidence.

This required quite a lot (months?) of planning IMO.

gallopinggoat.bsky.social•18 hours ago

I get everyone is angry at Shumer, but keeping the courts open is critical for our country right now. The vote was bad either way - at least we have the courts (for now).

beemuledc.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Courts stay open during shutdowns, they are essential employees. Excusefail...

gallopinggoat.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Only for about two weeks.

https://judicialstudies.duke.edu/2024/05/how-a-u-s-government-shutdown-impacts-courts-access-to-justice/

tlt55.bsky.social•19 hours ago

This doubling down on a likely mistake has given them an unexpected win.

They’ve discovered that they CAN get away with ANYTHING that they decide to do.

It’s an unexpected bonus that will now be weaponized by them.

emptywheel.bsky.social•19 hours ago

You do realize this is not over?

tlt55.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Absolutely, yes. The power to do anything about it is rapidly being wrenched from all avenues of accountability.

princessmom122.bsky.social•20 hours ago

What about Trump wants to invoke the Insurrection Act, and this is a test run?

jillbles.bsky.social•20 hours ago

This entire presidency is, "Go for broke, because if they stop us it's all over and we're going to prison."

anarcho.bsky.social•17 hours ago

Lying sacks of shit

denealus.bsky.social•12 hours ago

"Because we lack information, that's proof that they're dangerous because they haven't had time to commit any crimes."

What the everything double speak, Batman.

laurie4anti-facism.bsky.social•12 hours ago

I guess everyone who has brown skin and tattoos will be suspect in being involved with a terrorist gang so expect a lot more of this, unfortunately.

tmaloney.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Also, like “pro-Hamas,” “Venezuelan gang members” is not a group the casual news watcher is likely to be quick to want to stand up for

dockellis10.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Which is exactly the point, and the one the Niemöller so elegantly pointed out

emptywheel.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Remember. that their SINGLE high profile operation against TdA, targeting the very same apartment at which Trump did a campaign event, netted a single solitary arrest of a real TdA member.

https://xcancel.com/BillMelugin_/status/1887532491453727050

Comment image

bunnyjenkins.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Must be a leak, can't be I'm lying

eyefoot.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Inkkkompetent.

wheystandard.bsky.social•20 hours ago

“Real” here may just mean he had a tattoo of his mother or something.

LaNaehForaday.universeodon.com.ap.brid.gy•20 hours ago

@emptywheel.bsky.social

Everything Trump is currently doing is performance art for his MAGA base so they dont drop his ass because he did not lower the price of eggs.

If Trump does NOT get his base to BELIEVE HIM AGAIN, he is toast and he knows this now because of some great plan but because […]

petcharles.bsky.social•18 hours ago

“Leaks in the media”

It’s blaming the ocean because your hull is imploding.

deaconblues24.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Tren de Aragua traffics ketamine, which is inconvenient for Elon, & the Trump administration had already sent 600 alleged Venezuelan bad apples back directly to Caracas since last month, but the Maduro government said none were known TdA members. This latest El Salvador illegal move was for TV.

beachylinda.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Oh they fucked up for sure and are trying to save face w maga. It's all about the image and public perception.

momchef.bsky.social•20 hours ago

My theory is that they're looking to make enough people mad that they can declare martial law when they protest.

noheroesnogods.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Comment image

javakev.bsky.social•20 hours ago

The strategy could just be, smash and grab along with simple bullying. A bull in a china shop has no strategy except to get out.

virginiaopossum.bsky.social•20 hours ago

These bulls don't want to get out. They want to wreck as much china as they can.

funky16corners.bsky.social•19 hours ago

It’s almost as if TdA is a big, phony hype, just like MS13 was, and it’s all just an excuse to round up Latino men they don’t like?

deesnay.bsky.social•17 hours ago

Or maybe they really just don't care what the law says, after all 🤷‍♂️

coloradocarly.bsky.social•20 hours ago

He's defying more than this court order. See @marcelias.bsky.social .

drmke.bsky.social•15 hours ago

WTF? “We don’t know shit except we think these people are bad hombres” just shows us how planned incompetent they’re pretending to be. Just DISGUSTING.

sybilltrelawney.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Translation: “Our suspicion, based on the absence of evidence, is more probative than actual evidence.”

mcslaven.bsky.social•18 hours ago

I don't think they're upset about news spreading in Venezuela or elsewhere that the US can round up people, accuse them of being in a gang without evidence, and send them to Bukele's prison. In fact they get mad that pesky courts typically won't let them do stuff that really underlines their message

lisatheliberal.bsky.social•19 hours ago

I am convinced that Stephen Miller writes Trumps social media posts. Why the media doesn't report on his influence in the Trump Musk regime is beyond me...

greymayday.bsky.social•2 hours ago

He must worship Musk too then.
trumps last 3 Twitter posts at the moment are all about Musk. Musk is clearly the president in all but name

ericpfirman.bsky.social•12 hours ago

Agreed. I also think that they believe deporting “violent criminals and rapists” sounds fine to the uninformed voter.

frogboiling.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Doesn't get much more Orwellian than "We don't know much about them therefore they're guilty."

flosfilet.bsky.social•19 hours ago

💯

riggsveda.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Their whole will to power is based on the equation that losing a few innocents in their machinery is a price they’re willing to pay. Not sure backing down on that will be in the cards.

perspicio-oic.bsky.social•18 hours ago

No, you don't get fascism.

Losing innocents is a feature, not a bug.

ryejaymesreid2025.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Comment image