Seems Asha’s key point is that Trump just does what he wants and Bondi et. al. make up rationales to justify not following Congress or court laws/rulings. Extending and extending Tic Toc with no justification is a key example.
NO, Asha’s main point is that the Turnip’s Tik Tok executive orders are the tip of a very large spear: assertion of the “unitary executive” theory into reality; no GOP-controlled branch of government —currently all three— will stop this particular lawless abuser because he is “one of their own.” Therefore he’s green-lit to be “blictator.” And, if he dies in office, oh well: Heritage Fdn & the P2025 crew & the Oligarchs & Tech Bro’s will all (privately) nominate a new “blictator”… They think that their “team” wins, and We the People are cooked!!!
Yes, this is exactly what their aim is…that Trump has all three branches of government under his control. That is exactly what Project 25 states. Trump wants to make, interpret, and enforce the laws. He’s up to something with Elon with the adding of the third party. If they actually get that created and on the ballot, it will divide the Dem votes. MAGA will vote for Republicans no matter what. Trump then stays in control at least through the end of his term and possibly longer.
Unfortunately impeachment is not going to happen anytime soon.
The American people are the only ones who are going to be able to do anything in getting rid of the MAGA morons and those supporters of the rapist, criminal, insurrectionist who are sitting on the Supreme Court of the United States of America and those sitting in federal and state courts.
Not that Trump doesn't deserve to be impeached, but if we can't convict then it's all for not. We tried twice the last time and what did it get us? Momentary satisfaction and that's it. Republicans in the Senate are not going to vote to convict this president, this is the best job they are ever going to have. They are not going to tempt getting primaried and give it all up in service to the American people, and unfortunately, no one wants to be Liz Chaney these days.
Articles of impeachment have been brought against many presidents.
1809 Thomas Jefferson Resolution Tabled (RT), 1868 Andrew Johnson Not Guilty.1876 Ulysses S.Grant (RT) 1896 Grover Cleveland (RT)1932 Herbert Hoover(RT) 1951 Harry S.Truman (RT) 1952 Harry S. Truman (RT) !968 Lyndon B. Johnson (RT) 1973-74 Richard Nixon Resigned, (RT) Pardoned. 1983 Ronald Reagan (RT) 1987 Ronald Reagan (RT) 1991 George H W Bush (RT)1998 William J. Clinton Not Guilty, 2008 George W Bush (RT) 2019 Donald Trump Not Guilty, 2021 Donald Trump Not Guilty.2023 Joseph Biden (RT.)
Impeachment is a tool Congress can use to attempt to remove an elected president from office. Though in the entire history of our country not one president has ever been convicted. The best remedy for a bad president is the vote. If you don't like bad presidents, don't elect them. Not one president charged has ever been convicted.
On Trumps last trial, how many Republicans in the entire Senate found him guilty of insurrection? One Republican, Mitt Romney found Trump guilty (and where is he today? oh yeah, that vote ended his career, he's gone.) You need 2/3 of the Senate to convict. We know he threw that bottle of ketchup against that White House dining room wall, we have a witness and probably video, that was our best shot at a conviction, it may not have been a high crimes but it could qualify as a misdemeanor, but do you think we could get a conviction even with a video of that ketchup bottle in flight from Trumps hand to the wall? Not a chance in hell.
Now if some want impeachment to embarrass Trump, why bother, he has no shame, And if some want impeachment so the world will know Donald J Trump is a monumental shit, guess what, the world knows already. So why waste the effort and money why not focus that energy and money on how we can improve the lives of Americans?
The big question is, with all of his obvious wrongs, why did America prefer Trump over us? That's what everyone is trying to avoid looking at, because if we do look closely at why, then we have to logically conclude that Americans just didn't like what we were selling. It means we didn't listen. Do you seriously believe America wants another Trump Impeachment? I don't.
It's the hold he has over their constituents. More than anything, the Republican members of Congress want to be reelected, want the power, want to be in the room where it happens. They have no other values. Republicans who had other values like serving their country or even their constituents have left the party. If they counter Trump, he'll sick a primary challenge on them.
So true, but when they give up the power to, for instance, create tariffs, they lose a huge amount of leverage! They give it all to Trump. There seems to be something more than venality involved...
The congress used to be able to coerce countries and companies to do their bidding. They could profit from insider knowledge of legislation, taxes, and tariffs. They now look on in rubber-stamp dismay as Trump gets all the action. They get money indirectly from Trump, but it seems like they've given up a lot of power.
Jonathan is right, they are worried about being primaried, but I feel like something more is involved. Money under the table? Blackmail? Physical threats? I don't get what's so great about their job that they will trade in their spine to keep it.
It’s not money, it’s access to power. See Nietzsche on “will to power.” I suspect this doesn’t describe you. I think of these men as people whose lives have no meaning without fulfilling their need for power.
They're willingly handing it over because it suits their aims for personal enrichment. When the chance to become a Republican Senator- or Representative- for-life is in the offing, the unscrupulous (most of them) with grab it.
I assumed the headline meant that the right-wingers are maneuvering to take over the app, and use it as a mouthpiece in the manner of Fox News. That would make more sense,because it provides a motive for Trumps behavior. It also fits with the extremist’s use of ICE as shock troops, and the many ways we see the hand of Putin directing Trump as his hand-puppet.
For some reason only Elie's episodes are showing up in The Counsel podcast for the past few months. I've tried Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, etc. I tried updating apps, on my laptop, etc. I've let Cafe Insider know, but it's not resolved.
In violent agreement with everything, right down the line. My first and only quibble is with your contention that the only remedy is impeachment. Is there any question at all that impeachment is, as a practical matter, an impossibility? So then saying that impeachment is the only remedy is precisely equivalent to acknowledging that there IS NO REMEDY. Perhaps we should just bite the bullet and say that?
It's a very hard place to go, but there's really no getting around it. Any remedy will depend on a massive shift in electoral politics -- and you can be sure that Trump/MAGA know that full well, which is why they're fattening up those BIG RED THUMBS to put on the electoral scales in 2026 and 2028.
Absolutely true imo, and it's also time to recognize that the SCOTUS as constituted is not any bulwark to impeding Turnips dictatorial bent. There is no remedy for our country except for the citizens reclaiming their power.
if we want rule of law in the future, we need to push Congress to at the very least make an honest effort at impeachment, get it on the books, let the people speak up and do protests to support the impeachment effort
Given that impeachment begins in the House of Representatives, that polyglot stew of irascables, nut-job conspiracy theorists and spineless cowards (along with some apparently concerned, decent human beings), what are the chances that articles of impeachment will ever be filed, no matter how outrageous and harmful Trump's behavior becomes? And even if the articles are filed, what are the chances of the process ending in a conviction? I'm dead serious. Are we totally lost?
I believe you are correct, there's zero chance of an impeachment under any existing circumstances... Unless mass public demonstrations can convince the Legislative branch that they are in greater and more immediate danger from citizen dissatisfaction (through vigorous mass protests and economy controlling strikes) than they are from Turnip, et al. If the citizenry turns on Turnip hard enough, the Congress will miraculously grow a spine.
Am I wrong to assume the orange thing is making money off tiktok and that others in the regime are? Because this won't stop at tiktok. What about telegram? Isn't that just as dangerous?
Time to get my old dial phone out of the attic and reinstall a landline. I have plenty of old dvds to watch so can cut the cable also. Then get out the set of pens and pencils and typewriter paper and start writing local community news and. Distribute it door to door.
Parsing Trump’s offhand remark, the shadow bidding war, and the Bondi connection.
In a characteristically cryptic remark on Fox News recently, Donald Trump claimed that a buyer is ready to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, telling viewers:
> “We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way… a group of very wealthy people. I think I’ll need probably China’s approval.”
If you read between the lines—especially if you follow the money and the legal filings—it’s clear that multiple groups have been quietly jockeying to take over one of the most popular apps in the world.
Let’s break it down.
---
The MrBeast–Tinsley Bid: Entertainment Meets Influence
Perhaps the most surprising consortium involves YouTube megastar MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) and tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley. Their investor group is reportedly making an all-cash offer for TikTok’s U.S. assets.
But what gives the bid added weight is its legal muscle: Bradley J. Bondi, a high-profile white-collar defense lawyer at Paul Hastings, is representing the group.
If that name sounds familiar, it should. Brad is the brother of Pam Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general and one of Trump’s most loyal surrogates. Pam Bondi has been tied to multiple Trumpworld legal and political efforts, including efforts to discredit the 2020 election. That Brad now represents a buyer Trump may be signaling to—intentionally or not—raises more than a few eyebrows.
Project Liberty: A Tech Utopia or Trojan Horse?
Another high-profile contender is the Project Liberty group, led by billionaire Frank McCourt (the former LA Dodgers owner) and “Shark Tank” personality Kevin O’Leary. McCourt’s proposal would remake TikTok’s architecture around a “decentralized internet” model—one meant to return data control to users.
Sound idealistic? Perhaps. But this group is playing hardball. They’re backed by deep pockets and represented by Kirkland & Ellis, one of the most powerful law firms in the country, with strong ties to Republican legal circles.
Enter Steven Mnuchin: The Return of Trump’s Banker
Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has also been assembling a bidder consortium. Though light on details, Mnuchin has said publicly that he sees TikTok as a "national security" issue and believes he can steer a deal that satisfies all sides.
Legal representation? Unknown for now. But Mnuchin remains plugged into Trumpworld and Wall Street alike—and he knows how to shepherd a deal through Washington.
Ellison, Musk, and the Mega-Bidders
Trump has previously hinted that Larry Ellison (Oracle) and Elon Musk might be involved. Oracle came close to acquiring TikTok in 2020. Ellison remains one of Trump’s few consistent Silicon Valley backers.
Musk, meanwhile, has denied interest in buying TikTok outright. But given his obsession with content moderation and digital free speech, the idea of him circling the deal isn't far-fetched.
So… Who’s Trump Talking About?
That’s the $100 billion question.
Given the Bondi connection and Trump’s history of rewarding loyalty, it’s plausible that Trump was referencing the MrBeast–Tinsley group. Brad Bondi’s role would make that group politically palatable to Trump, while the involvement of a YouTube superstar gives it a youth-focused, populist gloss.
But Trump also thrives on suspense. His “announcement” may simply be a pressure tactic—intended to signal to ByteDance or to the courts that a viable U.S. buyer is waiting in the wings.
What Happens Next?
The law mandating ByteDance’s divestment is facing legal challenges and could be delayed or overturned. Meanwhile, buyer groups are vying for influence—both in court filings and in the court of public opinion.
If Trump has his way, he may try to orchestrate the optics of a TikTok “rescue” by a handpicked group of loyal capitalists, just in time for the 2025 campaign to ramp up. Whether that buyer turns out to be MrBeast, Mnuchin, McCourt, or Ellison, Trump’s fingerprints will be all over the deal.
And if Brad Bondi is indeed at the center of it, we should all be paying closer attention.
🔗 SOURCES:
1. Bloomberg Law – Brad Bondi's role in TikTok bid
Seems Asha’s key point is that Trump just does what he wants and Bondi et. al. make up rationales to justify not following Congress or court laws/rulings. Extending and extending Tic Toc with no justification is a key example.
He lies and they all swear to it.
NO, Asha’s main point is that the Turnip’s Tik Tok executive orders are the tip of a very large spear: assertion of the “unitary executive” theory into reality; no GOP-controlled branch of government —currently all three— will stop this particular lawless abuser because he is “one of their own.” Therefore he’s green-lit to be “blictator.” And, if he dies in office, oh well: Heritage Fdn & the P2025 crew & the Oligarchs & Tech Bro’s will all (privately) nominate a new “blictator”… They think that their “team” wins, and We the People are cooked!!!
Yes, this is exactly what their aim is…that Trump has all three branches of government under his control. That is exactly what Project 25 states. Trump wants to make, interpret, and enforce the laws. He’s up to something with Elon with the adding of the third party. If they actually get that created and on the ballot, it will divide the Dem votes. MAGA will vote for Republicans no matter what. Trump then stays in control at least through the end of his term and possibly longer.
Unfortunately impeachment is not going to happen anytime soon.
The American people are the only ones who are going to be able to do anything in getting rid of the MAGA morons and those supporters of the rapist, criminal, insurrectionist who are sitting on the Supreme Court of the United States of America and those sitting in federal and state courts.
Not that Trump doesn't deserve to be impeached, but if we can't convict then it's all for not. We tried twice the last time and what did it get us? Momentary satisfaction and that's it. Republicans in the Senate are not going to vote to convict this president, this is the best job they are ever going to have. They are not going to tempt getting primaried and give it all up in service to the American people, and unfortunately, no one wants to be Liz Chaney these days.
No! It’s always worth a try!
Sorry, I'm not persuaded by your argument.
Articles of impeachment have been brought against many presidents.
1809 Thomas Jefferson Resolution Tabled (RT), 1868 Andrew Johnson Not Guilty.1876 Ulysses S.Grant (RT) 1896 Grover Cleveland (RT)1932 Herbert Hoover(RT) 1951 Harry S.Truman (RT) 1952 Harry S. Truman (RT) !968 Lyndon B. Johnson (RT) 1973-74 Richard Nixon Resigned, (RT) Pardoned. 1983 Ronald Reagan (RT) 1987 Ronald Reagan (RT) 1991 George H W Bush (RT)1998 William J. Clinton Not Guilty, 2008 George W Bush (RT) 2019 Donald Trump Not Guilty, 2021 Donald Trump Not Guilty.2023 Joseph Biden (RT.)
Impeachment is a tool Congress can use to attempt to remove an elected president from office. Though in the entire history of our country not one president has ever been convicted. The best remedy for a bad president is the vote. If you don't like bad presidents, don't elect them. Not one president charged has ever been convicted.
On Trumps last trial, how many Republicans in the entire Senate found him guilty of insurrection? One Republican, Mitt Romney found Trump guilty (and where is he today? oh yeah, that vote ended his career, he's gone.) You need 2/3 of the Senate to convict. We know he threw that bottle of ketchup against that White House dining room wall, we have a witness and probably video, that was our best shot at a conviction, it may not have been a high crimes but it could qualify as a misdemeanor, but do you think we could get a conviction even with a video of that ketchup bottle in flight from Trumps hand to the wall? Not a chance in hell.
Now if some want impeachment to embarrass Trump, why bother, he has no shame, And if some want impeachment so the world will know Donald J Trump is a monumental shit, guess what, the world knows already. So why waste the effort and money why not focus that energy and money on how we can improve the lives of Americans?
The big question is, with all of his obvious wrongs, why did America prefer Trump over us? That's what everyone is trying to avoid looking at, because if we do look closely at why, then we have to logically conclude that Americans just didn't like what we were selling. It means we didn't listen. Do you seriously believe America wants another Trump Impeachment? I don't.
Why does congress allow Trump to take away the power they've held for 250 years? What is his hold over them?
It's the hold he has over their constituents. More than anything, the Republican members of Congress want to be reelected, want the power, want to be in the room where it happens. They have no other values. Republicans who had other values like serving their country or even their constituents have left the party. If they counter Trump, he'll sick a primary challenge on them.
So true, but when they give up the power to, for instance, create tariffs, they lose a huge amount of leverage! They give it all to Trump. There seems to be something more than venality involved...
What is the cost to them to lose leverage? I don't see any.
The congress used to be able to coerce countries and companies to do their bidding. They could profit from insider knowledge of legislation, taxes, and tariffs. They now look on in rubber-stamp dismay as Trump gets all the action. They get money indirectly from Trump, but it seems like they've given up a lot of power.
Jonathan is right, they are worried about being primaried, but I feel like something more is involved. Money under the table? Blackmail? Physical threats? I don't get what's so great about their job that they will trade in their spine to keep it.
It’s not money, it’s access to power. See Nietzsche on “will to power.” I suspect this doesn’t describe you. I think of these men as people whose lives have no meaning without fulfilling their need for power.
They're willingly handing it over because it suits their aims for personal enrichment. When the chance to become a Republican Senator- or Representative- for-life is in the offing, the unscrupulous (most of them) with grab it.
Yes, for sure. But they could have so much more enrichment with greater power. Why give it up?
They are scared he may threaten to support someone who primaries them in the 2026 midterms. I think it’s as simple as that.
MAGA boys
I assumed the headline meant that the right-wingers are maneuvering to take over the app, and use it as a mouthpiece in the manner of Fox News. That would make more sense,because it provides a motive for Trumps behavior. It also fits with the extremist’s use of ICE as shock troops, and the many ways we see the hand of Putin directing Trump as his hand-puppet.
Excellent.
For some reason only Elie's episodes are showing up in The Counsel podcast for the past few months. I've tried Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, etc. I tried updating apps, on my laptop, etc. I've let Cafe Insider know, but it's not resolved.
Hmm. Maybe they have changed stuff let me check
I exhibit the Library of Congress’ website: Magna Carta, Interpreting Rule of Law
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/magna-carta-muse-and-mentor/interpreting-the-rule-of-law.html
In violent agreement with everything, right down the line. My first and only quibble is with your contention that the only remedy is impeachment. Is there any question at all that impeachment is, as a practical matter, an impossibility? So then saying that impeachment is the only remedy is precisely equivalent to acknowledging that there IS NO REMEDY. Perhaps we should just bite the bullet and say that?
It's a very hard place to go, but there's really no getting around it. Any remedy will depend on a massive shift in electoral politics -- and you can be sure that Trump/MAGA know that full well, which is why they're fattening up those BIG RED THUMBS to put on the electoral scales in 2026 and 2028.
Absolutely true imo, and it's also time to recognize that the SCOTUS as constituted is not any bulwark to impeding Turnips dictatorial bent. There is no remedy for our country except for the citizens reclaiming their power.
just another platform for Republican nazis to spew their venomous propaganda into our children, as well as the adults that watch it.
The MAGA Republican Party thinks this idea of impeachment is hilarious.
if we want rule of law in the future, we need to push Congress to at the very least make an honest effort at impeachment, get it on the books, let the people speak up and do protests to support the impeachment effort
Remindes.me of.constantine and the post nicean Christianity. The algorithms controlled by a small group, like Latin was.
Given that impeachment begins in the House of Representatives, that polyglot stew of irascables, nut-job conspiracy theorists and spineless cowards (along with some apparently concerned, decent human beings), what are the chances that articles of impeachment will ever be filed, no matter how outrageous and harmful Trump's behavior becomes? And even if the articles are filed, what are the chances of the process ending in a conviction? I'm dead serious. Are we totally lost?
I believe you are correct, there's zero chance of an impeachment under any existing circumstances... Unless mass public demonstrations can convince the Legislative branch that they are in greater and more immediate danger from citizen dissatisfaction (through vigorous mass protests and economy controlling strikes) than they are from Turnip, et al. If the citizenry turns on Turnip hard enough, the Congress will miraculously grow a spine.
Am I wrong to assume the orange thing is making money off tiktok and that others in the regime are? Because this won't stop at tiktok. What about telegram? Isn't that just as dangerous?
Time to get my old dial phone out of the attic and reinstall a landline. I have plenty of old dvds to watch so can cut the cable also. Then get out the set of pens and pencils and typewriter paper and start writing local community news and. Distribute it door to door.
🕵️♂️ Who’s Really Behind Trump’s “TikTok Buyer”?
Parsing Trump’s offhand remark, the shadow bidding war, and the Bondi connection.
In a characteristically cryptic remark on Fox News recently, Donald Trump claimed that a buyer is ready to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, telling viewers:
> “We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way… a group of very wealthy people. I think I’ll need probably China’s approval.”
If you read between the lines—especially if you follow the money and the legal filings—it’s clear that multiple groups have been quietly jockeying to take over one of the most popular apps in the world.
Let’s break it down.
---
The MrBeast–Tinsley Bid: Entertainment Meets Influence
Perhaps the most surprising consortium involves YouTube megastar MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) and tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley. Their investor group is reportedly making an all-cash offer for TikTok’s U.S. assets.
But what gives the bid added weight is its legal muscle: Bradley J. Bondi, a high-profile white-collar defense lawyer at Paul Hastings, is representing the group.
If that name sounds familiar, it should. Brad is the brother of Pam Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general and one of Trump’s most loyal surrogates. Pam Bondi has been tied to multiple Trumpworld legal and political efforts, including efforts to discredit the 2020 election. That Brad now represents a buyer Trump may be signaling to—intentionally or not—raises more than a few eyebrows.
Project Liberty: A Tech Utopia or Trojan Horse?
Another high-profile contender is the Project Liberty group, led by billionaire Frank McCourt (the former LA Dodgers owner) and “Shark Tank” personality Kevin O’Leary. McCourt’s proposal would remake TikTok’s architecture around a “decentralized internet” model—one meant to return data control to users.
Sound idealistic? Perhaps. But this group is playing hardball. They’re backed by deep pockets and represented by Kirkland & Ellis, one of the most powerful law firms in the country, with strong ties to Republican legal circles.
Enter Steven Mnuchin: The Return of Trump’s Banker
Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has also been assembling a bidder consortium. Though light on details, Mnuchin has said publicly that he sees TikTok as a "national security" issue and believes he can steer a deal that satisfies all sides.
Legal representation? Unknown for now. But Mnuchin remains plugged into Trumpworld and Wall Street alike—and he knows how to shepherd a deal through Washington.
Ellison, Musk, and the Mega-Bidders
Trump has previously hinted that Larry Ellison (Oracle) and Elon Musk might be involved. Oracle came close to acquiring TikTok in 2020. Ellison remains one of Trump’s few consistent Silicon Valley backers.
Musk, meanwhile, has denied interest in buying TikTok outright. But given his obsession with content moderation and digital free speech, the idea of him circling the deal isn't far-fetched.
So… Who’s Trump Talking About?
That’s the $100 billion question.
Given the Bondi connection and Trump’s history of rewarding loyalty, it’s plausible that Trump was referencing the MrBeast–Tinsley group. Brad Bondi’s role would make that group politically palatable to Trump, while the involvement of a YouTube superstar gives it a youth-focused, populist gloss.
But Trump also thrives on suspense. His “announcement” may simply be a pressure tactic—intended to signal to ByteDance or to the courts that a viable U.S. buyer is waiting in the wings.
What Happens Next?
The law mandating ByteDance’s divestment is facing legal challenges and could be delayed or overturned. Meanwhile, buyer groups are vying for influence—both in court filings and in the court of public opinion.
If Trump has his way, he may try to orchestrate the optics of a TikTok “rescue” by a handpicked group of loyal capitalists, just in time for the 2025 campaign to ramp up. Whether that buyer turns out to be MrBeast, Mnuchin, McCourt, or Ellison, Trump’s fingerprints will be all over the deal.
And if Brad Bondi is indeed at the center of it, we should all be paying closer attention.
🔗 SOURCES:
1. Bloomberg Law – Brad Bondi's role in TikTok bid
2. Reuters – Trump hints at TikTok buyer
3. Guardian – MrBeast joins TikTok bid
4. AP – Kevin O'Leary and Frank McCourt TikTok.