Stupid on Stilts

Corruption on stilts

The only weaponization of the Justice Department that comes to mind is that which has been committed by Donald Trump and his goons. Going after goons who attacked the capital is not weaponization. Going after Donald Trump for sending those goons or for stealing classified documents is not weaponization. Going after people who try to overturn the election is not weaponization.

The $1.8 billion slush fund that Donald Trump is going to give to the so-called victims of the so-called weaponization of the Justice Department under Joe Biden is bogus. It's not for victims as much as for political allies who would do Donald Trump's bidding. Trump isn't trying to reward people who work for him; he's recruiting them. When he pardoned the J6 terrorist, it was to recruit them.

Polls on the slush fund have not come out yet, but I expect them to next week. And I also expect that they are going to be very negative about the Donald Trump slush fund. I expect public opinion to be very much against the slush fund. The slush fund is so unpopular that even some Republicans are speaking out against it, and not anonymously either.

Senator Katie Britt said that she does not want any Capitol Police attackers to receive compensation from the slush fund.

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick has drafted bipartisan legislation to block the Justice Department from utilizing the fund without clear parameters and transparency.

Senate majority leader, John Thune, said he was "not a big fan" and did not see "a purpose" for the fund.

Mitch McConnell said that it's "Utterly stupid” and “morally wrong.”

Republican senators started talking about using legislation to create guardrails against the Justice Department, with Senator Rick Scott saying, "Why we're doing anything else is beyond me."

Susan Collins, who is in a reelection fight, said, “I do not support the weaponization fund as it has been described. I do not believe individuals that were convicted of violence against police officers on Jan. 6 should be entitled to reimbursement of their legal fees.”

Even Senator Ron Johnson, who has publicly supported the fund, said, “Somebody described it as a galactic blunder, and I think that’s probably true.”

But Thom Tillis is the Republican who had the best quote about the slush fund because he called it “stupid on stilts.” It should be noted that Senator Tillis is retiring this year, so he does not have to fear retribution or being primaried by Donald Trump.

And it does appear very stupid, but it's not just stupid politically; it’s corrupt. If anything, it is corruption on stilts. Senator Tillis should be brave enough to call it that. He doesn't have anything to lose.

Creative note: I came up with this idea late yesterday, and I almost set yesterday's cartoon aside to draw this. I'm glad I didn't do that now because yesterday's cartoon has received a lot of shares on social media and a lot of pissed-off comments from MAGAts. I love those.

I don't recall if I have ever drawn North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis before. I'm sure my North Carolinian colleagues have drawn him a lot, but I didn't look any of those up. I just used photos I found on Google. I had fun with his tall forehead, and I think it worked out really well with the stilts and the way I stretched out the lettering.

This is one of the few times I have ever drawn an end to Donald Trump's tie, but I thought it worked out really well here.

Sorry, Peezy did not come along for the ride on this one, but I couldn't find a great place to put him.

I used five layers for this cartoon.

Teddy: After being shot in the chest, Teddy Roosevelt went ahead and gave a speech that lasted over 80 minutes while he was bleeding the entire time. Donald Trump had his ear nicked, and he went home. Trump won the election after having his ear nicked. Teddy, despite showing the nation how tough he was, did not win his election.

I finished the Netflix documentary on Teddy Roosevelt last night, and it showed me things that I really admire about the man and a few things that I don't. He was very much a progressive, but did not do anything to advance race relations in this country. I believe his racism is the biggest blemish on his record and legacy.

TDR fought against corruption being committed by big business. He fought for the working man. He fought for the environment and against child labor. He fought for women to have the right to vote. Basically, he was for everything Donald Trump would be against.

He also went skinny-dipping in Rock Creek, which is the same creek where RFK Jr recently went swimming. Though I doubt it was polluted and full of deadly chemicals in the early 1900s when TDR took his dip.

Drawn in less than two minutes:

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