On Friday's Morning Joe, they were wallowing in more proof of their constant foresight that the "walls are closing in on Trump." Joe Scarborough cried crocodile tears, breaking out a more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger shtick. Scarborough proclaimed this to be a "bleak, dark day for America," and "something I feared for a long time." Riiight.
Scarborough was clearly aware that many wouldn't buy his crocodile tears, and he thus insisted that: "if anybody thinks I'm being glib or or not completely straightforward in saying that, they don't understand." Sure.
Scarborough quickly enough recovered from his sadness, and proceeded to speculate with Chuck Rosenberg, a former US Attorney and aide to FBI Director James Comey, about the long prison term Trump could be facing. Scarborough even imagined Trump spending "the rest of his life in jail." That prospect surely helped dry Joe's tears.
Rosenberg said that if were facing federal civil charges, it would keep him up at night. But if facing federal criminal charges, he'd be a "basket case."
Then it was George Conway's turn to weigh in. He dissented from Scarborough's assertion that the indictment marks a "sad" day. To the contrary, claimed Conway, "the sad point was that we had a president who was such a brazen criminal." He doubled down a few sentences later: "And we have a Republican party where virtually all of its major figures are so spineless that they can't simply say, we don't support this criminal. "
Apparently chastened by Conway's dissent, and desperate to salvage some liberal street cred, Scarborough replied by saying he actually agreed with Conway! The Republicans are horrible people. It's a "grim way" because "40, 42, 43% of Americans now know this guy likely violated the Espionage Act and they don't give a damn! So at the end of the day, Donald Trump's right. He could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and his supporters wouldn't care. Because what he's done is, most likely, he's violated the Espionage Act."
At the end of the day, Scarborough will compare taking some classified documents to shooting someone on the street. But yeah, he's "extremely sad" at this bad news for Trump.
Joe Scarborough crying crocodile tears over the indictment of Donald Trump on federal criminal charges relating to his handling of classified documents was sponsored in part by GlaxoSmithKline, maker of the meningitis B vaccine, Chase, Visa, Servpro, Etsy, and Dove.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
6/9/23
6:07 am EDTJOE SCARBOROUGH: I will say, this is, this is, this is a dark day for America. And if anybody thinks I'm, I'm being glib or, or, or not completely straightforward in saying that, they don't understand. This is something I feared for a longtime.
I remember having the discussion when people were talking about indicting George W. Bush because of supposed war crimes. I said, okay, that's great. What are you going to do four years from now or eight years ago when Republicans try to indict Barack Obama for war crimes, for the drone warfare, for whatever?
But here we are, and I'm sure you agree with me. It is a bleak, dark day for America, but also a day that we, we knew had to come. I mean, Donald Trump, I think perhaps one of the most dangerous political and constitutional norms he's broken through is this one, that a former president is actually indicted by the Justice Department.
. . .
One of these charges, I read this morning, could carry with it a possible eight-year term. Donald Trump may be typing in all caps right now. But he understands the gravity of federal charges against him. He also understands he could spend a significant amount of time in jail if found guilty on all of these charges. Which may actually make him a bit more flip moving forward in these deliberations. Because he could spend the rest of his life in jail if charged on all of these counts.
CHUCK ROSENBERG: To your point, Joe, you can go to jail and you can go to jail for a very long time. So I don't want to get ahead of this. He's only been charged at this point, not even arraigned, certainly hasn't been tried, and hasn't been convicted or sentenced.
But the reason this is so serious and the reason it is so different, is that if you lose in court as a defendant in a federal criminal case, you can go to jail. And so, civil cases are serious. And if it was me on the short end of one of those, it would keep me up at night. If I was on the short end of a federal criminal trial, I would be a basket case.
. . .
JONATHAN LEMIRE: Attorney George Conway is joining the conversation. George, let's bring you in and get your reaction to this historic moment, and your assessment of these charges, now being brought forth in Florida.
GEORGE CONWAY: Well, I wanted to dissent a little bit from some of what was said earlier. At least partly.
I don't think it's a sad day for the country. I think it's a solemn day. I think it's a momentous day, and I think it's an important day and significant day and a very serious day.
But the sad moments, the sad point was that we had a president who was such a brazen criminal, who launched and inspired an insurrection. Who stole government documents, classified documents, and then tried to conceal them and tried to obstruct justice. And that we have millions of Americans who still want to put him back in the White House. And we have a Republican party where virtually all of its major figures are so spineless that they can't simply say, we don't support this criminal.
And I, that's -- the sad thing would have been, the terrible thing would have been, the worst thing that could have happened to our republic would have been, if this man was never charged and he was let go.
. . .
SCARBOROUGH: And I do want to say, I do want to add to what George said, this is an extremely sad day for the, the reasons that I mentioned.
But I want to add what George said. You have a guy that's been charged with violating the espionage Act, the Espionage Act. He knows that he took classified documents he wasn't supposed to take. They know. They know he took those classified documents as well. They know, all of these people defending him, know that this guy violated the Espionage Act and he lied about it. They know he lied about it to the FBI. They know he lied about it to the DoJ. They know he lied about it to the National Archives. They know he's been lying to them nonstop. They know! And they don't care.
So while we're adding up all the things that make this a grim day, let's put that near the top of the list. And also that 40, 42, 43% of Americans now know this guy likely violated the Espionage Act and they don't give a damn!
So at the end of the day, Donald Trump's right. He could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and his supporters wouldn't care. Because what he's done is, most likely, he's violated the Espionage Act.
