Political Prosecutions and Frogs
The latest displays of weakness and strength
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Protest in Portland outside the ICE facility on Oct 9. Photograph: Alicia Lozano / NBC News
The things we’ve taken for granted – a stable economy, the fair application of the rule of law, the peaceful ability to go about our lives without having to protect our own self-governance – are being continually undermined – it’s time to stand up and stand united.
The Retribution Tour Begins
Top on Donald Trump’s enemies list: Former FBI Director James Comey, who Trump called “[o]ne of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to.” [1] Comey was indicted on two counts of making false statements to Congress and obstruction of a Congressional proceeding. [2] This from NBC News reporting: [3]
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Thursday, days after President Donald Trump publicly said that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi should prosecute him and two other political adversaries.
The indictment includes two counts: making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. Comey has denied any wrongdoing.
The charges stem from testimony Comey gave on Sept. 30, 2020, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Asked by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, about testimony he gave in 2017 asserting that he did not authorize the leak of information to the media about an FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation, Comey said, “I stand by the testimony.”
The Comey indictment came after President Trump posted a message urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue charges against Trump’s political enemies. Apparently Trump thought he was sending a direct message to Bondi versus a public post (oops…). From Wall Street Journal reporting: [4]
On Sept. 20, Trump meant to send a private message to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and his other favored targets, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote.
Trump believed he had sent Bondi the message directly, addressing it to “Pam,” and was surprised to learn it was public, the officials said. Bondi grew upset and called White House aides and Trump, who then agreed to send a second post praising Bondi as doing a “GREAT job.”
The misfire provided a window into how, through command and chaos, Trump has executed a wholesale transformation of the Justice Department.
Five days after the Saturday evening message, Comey was indicted. When asked about the message at a congressional hearing this week, Bondi said: “I don’t think he said anything that he hasn’t said for years.”
The charges were brought against Comey after the sitting US Attorney from the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, resigned after deciding not to move forward with charges against another of Trump’s enemies, New York Attorney General Letitia James. [5] From NBC News reporting: [6]
Lindsey Halligan, the new acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, brought the charges against Comey despite concerns from prosecutors within her department.
Prior to the charges, a senior Justice Department official told NBC News that career prosecutors in Halligan’s office sent her a memo documenting why they believed that probable cause did not exist to secure an indictment against Comey.
Later NBC News reporting highlights weakness in the Comey case: [7]
Halligan presented the case against Comey to a federal grand jury, doing so by herself in a break from Justice Department norms and convincing a majority of the grand jurors that there was probable cause to indict him on two of the three counts she presented. Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday and plans to challenge Halligan’s appointment.
The standard for securing an indictment before a federal grand jury is much lower than it is for securing a unanimous conviction by a jury at trial. The Justice Manual, which guides federal prosecutors, says attorneys for the government should move forward on a case only if they believe the admissible evidence would be enough to obtain and sustain a conviction.
"It would be interesting to see how many grand jurors actually voted for the indictment," former U.S. Attorney Carol Lam said Thursday on NBC News NOW. "In the case of Jim Comey, it was 14 out of 23. And I will tell you, as a prosecutor, if I had even one or two grand jurors expressing concern and not voting for an indictment, I would be very, very concerned, because they are only voting on probable cause and they are not voting beyond a reasonable doubt."
Halligan eventually brought federal charges against NY Attorney General James on Thursday – this from the NBC News reporting on the indictment: [8]
The case, brought by Lindsey Halligan, the acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, alleges that James improperly obtained a fixed-rate conventional mortgage at an interest rate of 3% by saying the house was a “secondary residence.” The indictment alleges that James instead used the house as a “rental investment property,” which prosecutors said should have carried a mortgage rate of 3.815% at the time.
As a result, James stood to save “approximately $17,837” over the life of the loan, the indictment says. It does not describe the term of the mortgage loan, but the Norfolk Circuit Court Clerk’s office told NBC News that it was a 30-year loan.
Based on the government’s allegations, James has paid about $594 less in interest per year, or roughly $50 less a month, over the last five years than she would have paid had she characterized the purchase as an investment property.
…
James' attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the case "is driven by President Trump's desire for revenge."
"When a President can publicly direct charges to be filed against someone — when it was reported that career attorneys concluded none were warranted — it marks a serious attack on the rule of law," Lowell said in a statement. "We will fight these charges in every process allowed in the law.”
The White House declined to comment on the indictment.
There is also reporting that former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton and current U.S. Senator from California Adam Schiff are next on Trump’s retribution tour, weaponizing the justice system against his perceived personal enemies. [9][10]
“War Ravaged Portland”
Truth Social post from September 27, 2025
So, President Trump declared that he needed to mobilize the National Guard to “War ravaged Portland.” [11]
Well, let’s check in the facts on the ground: [12]
A small group of federal agents in camouflage and face masks watched from atop the immigration processing center Thursday night as a unicorn, peacock, dinosaur and raccoon danced to Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time.”
Across the street, the self-proclaimed frog brigade — three adults in inflatable amphibian costumes — posed for photos and bounced around in unison. A small group of counterprotesters nearby shouted, “We love you, ICE!”
Similar scenes outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building south of downtown Portland have been playing out for weeks as people protest President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and the deployment of more than 200 National Guard troops to Oregon’s largest city to protect federal property.
Terrifying protests in Portland in front of the ICE facility. Photos: Alicia Lozano / NBC News
Instagram reel from Jamelle Bouie on Frog Brigade protests in Portland [13]
New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie posted a reel on Instagram to describe just how absurd the declaration of Portland being “war ravaged” is and how the frog brigade’s mockery of “ICE agents kitted out with body armor and guns” makes “[the agents] just look ridiculous”: [13]
No Kings in America
America’s true spirit - Rejecting Kings since 1776.
A final reminder - the next nationwide exercise of our American rights and freedoms is scheduled for October 18.
Sally Field and Robert DeNiro recorded videos to encourage participation in the peaceful protests [PSA – DeNiro drops an f-bomb…]: [14][15]
As of today, there are 2,540 demonstrations scheduled and 277 in California. [16]
In Ventura County alone, there are now six locations (Ventura, Fillmore, Simi Valley, and three in Thousand Oaks – one in Westlake Village near Westlake High School, one at the corner of Janss Road and Lynn Road near Los Robles Hospital, and the largest one at 4 pm at the corner of Hillcrest and Lynn near the Oaks Mall) [17]
There was great turnout at the previous No Kings rallies in June, where upwards of 5 million people participated. [18] Given the escalations coming from the Trump administration, I expect there to be an even larger turnout.
Please consider joining the peaceful demonstrations that are closest to you – you can find out more here.
California’s Proposition 50
Ballots are in the hands of California voters to enable the state to counter aggressive gerrymandering in other states such as Texas. Proposition 50 “Authorizes Temporary Changes to Congressional District Maps in Response to Texas’ Partisan Redistricting.” [19]
As a principle, we should have fair redistricting everywhere. However, if one side chooses to undermine these principles, as the national Republican Party has done this year, the costs of holding to these principles weaken the very principles themselves. They are worth fighting for – now is not the time for a strongly worded letter.
Book Launch: Local Democracy in America
An update on my book Local Democracy in America. I’ve already received wonderful responses from the Conejo Valley Unified School District, California Lutheran University, and Moorpark College, and I’ve arranged to drop off copies with them.
However, there are still more to do, providing copies to other local and regional schools and libraries in Ventura County.
The paperback version of my book Local Democracy in America is available on Amazon now! [20]
Please help me provide donated copies to local high schools, universities, and libraries. Send me an email at mic@micfarris.com if you’d be open to purchasing donated copies!
A Little History
Marking the Semiquincentennial of American Independence 250 years ago
Skirmish at Beverly against the HMS Nautilus
At one of several places that considers itself the birthplace of the U.S. Navy at Independence Park, the Hannah engaged in a dramatic October 10, 1775 skirmish with the British sloop Nautilus.
Commissioned by George Washington and launched from Beverly in 1775, the Hannah was the first armed vessel of the Revolutionary forces. In one of the earliest naval battles of the war, the Hannah was pursued by the Nautilus off the Massachusetts coast. [21]
Annie Hall is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by Allen and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joffe. The film stars Allen as Alvy Singer, who tries to figure out the reasons for the failure of his relationship with the eponymous female lead, played by Diane Keaton in a role written specifically for her.
Keaton won an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 1978. [22][23]
GIF Game
RIP Diane Keaton
Notes and Sources
[1] Donald J. Trump [@realDonaldTrump], Truth Social, September 25, 2025, https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115267513846352215
[2] Tom Geoghegan,” What is ex-FBI director James Comey accused of?” BBC News, October 8, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj07ndrnr34o
[3] Peter Alexander, Michael Kosnar, Chloe Atkins, Zoë Richards, and Alexandra Bacallao, “Former FBI Director James Comey indicted following pressure from Trump,” NBC News, September 25, 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/justice-department-charges-james-comey-lying-congress-rcna233581
[4] Josh Dawsey, Sadie Gurman, and Aruna Viswanatha, “Inside the Justice Department Where the President Calls the Shots,” Wall Street Journal, October 8, 2025, https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-doj-inside-political-enemies-17f13f72. See also https://archive.ph/iteHG
[5] “U.S. attorney resigns under pressure from Trump to charge N.Y. AG Letitia James,” NPR, September 20, 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/09/20/nx-s1-5547837/us-attorney-virginia-resigns-letitia-james-probe
[6] Alexander et al, “Former FBI Director James Comey indicted following pressure from Trump,” NBC News, September 25, 2025
[7] Ryan J. Reilly, Michael Kosnar, Adam Reiss, and Chloe Atkins, “Grand jury indicts N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump opponent, on bank fraud charges,” NBC News, October 9, 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ny-attorney-general-letitia-james-trump-opponent-indicted-grand-jury-b-rcna236737
[8] Ibid.
[9] Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian, “Criminal charges against Bolton expected as early as next week,” MSNBC, October 10, 2025, https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/criminal-charges-bolton-expected-early-week-rcna236926
[10] Ryan J. Reilly, Jonathan Dienst, Tom Winter, Vaughn Hillyard, and Dareh Gregorian, “DOJ investigating N.Y. AG's office and Sen. Adam Schiff,” NBC News, August 8, 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-opens-investigation-new-york-ags-office-brought-fraud-case-trump-rcna223731
[11] Donald J. Trump [@realDonaldTrump], Truth Social, September 27, 2025, https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115276694936263266
[12] Alicia Victoria Lozano, “Costumed protesters in Portland defy description of the city as a 'war zone',” NBC News, October 11, 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dancing-frogs-unicorns-protest-portland-war-zone-rcna236887
[13] Jamelle Bouie [@jbouie], Instagram, October 11, 2025, https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPsRKFbAdlS/
[14] Indivisible Guide [@indivisibleguide], Facebook, October 9, 2025, https://fb.watch/CHIYJG8EXC/
[15] Indivisible Guide [@indivisibleguide], Facebook, October 6, 2025, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=674697789015843
[16] “No Kings,” Mobilize.us, retrieved October 12, 2025, https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/
[17] “No Kings,” retrieved October 12, 2025, https://www.nokings.org/
[18] Mic Farris, “A Hopeful Message (+No Kings!)” June 15, 2025, https://www.micfarris.com/articles/a-hopeful-message-no-kings
[19] “California Statewide Special Election, November 4, 2025, Official Voter Information Guide,” California Secretary of State, retrieved October 12, 2025, https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/quick-reference-guide/50.htm
[20] Mic Farris, Local Democracy in America, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, 2025.
[21] “Under Fire and Under Sail: The Hannah Battles the Nautilus,” Historic Beverly, October 10, 2025, https://historicbeverly.net/event/under-fire-and-under-sail-the-hannah-battles-the-nautilus/
[22] “Annie Hall,” Wikipedia, retrieved October 12, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Hall
[23] “Annie Hall,” IMDb, retrieved October 12, 2025, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075686
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