Holy Smoke

[JohnD]

Trump considers himself entitled to grant FDA approval to his buddies


Despite his absence of scientific qualification.

Not really surprising, since he also considers himself to be the Messiah.

In other news, under Trump's lenient regime, lawyers whose practice makes their money out of defending high-value fraud and white-collar crime are in a downturn of business

Because Trump's buddies aren't being investigated or prosecuted.

 

[JohnD]

"Kaye Wiggins in New York and Stefania Palma in Washington

PublishedAPR 17 2026

Updated APR 17 2026, 16:59


“You wanna hear the biggest lie people here are going to tell you?” a top criminal defence lawyer asks at a party filled with people who represent alleged fraudsters for a living. “It’s that they’re busy.”

Over the next two days, at an annual conference for America’s white-collar defence bar, the gallows humour continues. Lawyers repeatedly crack jokes about needing to retrain or having nothing to do.

Some others do indeed say they are busy.

The Trump administration’s approach to justice has left many of them with the impression that, at least when it comes to the traditional white-collar enforcement they have spent their careers dealing with, there were “no cops on the beat right now”, one attendee said.

Though case numbers have been falling since the aftermath of the financial crisis, there were fewer white-collar prosecutions in 2025 than in any year since at least 1986, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse."

FT.com

 

[JohnD]

"While that might be good news for some of the alleged fraudsters they represent, it is bad news for the lawyers.

The industry’s top partners can bill more than $2,000 per hour. Legal bills for the defence of Charlie Javice and a co-defendant, who were convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase when they sold their start-up to the bank, exceeded $100mn, costs that JPMorgan said were “abusive”.

“In the short term, I think all of us should be developing in other practice areas,” joked Baruch Weiss, a white-collar trial lawyer at Arnold & Porter and a former federal prosecutor, during a discussion at the conference, hosted by the American Bar Association."

 

[Odds]

Trump considers himself entitled to grant FDA approval to his buddies


Despite his absence of scientific qualification.

Hasn't stopped RFKjr. getting on with business, has it?

Not really surprising, since he also considers himself to be the Messiah.

He is the Devil: his greatest trick is convincing evangelicals to go along with his hateful, destructive policies.

In other news, under Trump's lenient regime, lawyers whose practice makes their money out of defending high-value fraud and white-collar crime are in a downturn of business

Because Trump's buddies aren't being investigated or prosecuted.

 

[noseall]

He is the Devil: his greatest trick is convincing evangelicals to go along with his hateful, destructive policies.

As long as Trump is pushing white nationalism and murdering Muslims, they are happy.

 

[Odds]

As long as Trump is pushing white nationalism and murdering Muslims, they are happy.

Happiness is a warm gun; according to the MAGA mob.