Editorial cartoons

Sandbags and Trump Lifts

President Joe Biden tripped over a sandbag while walking off stage after delivering the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremony. Naturally, Republicans are loving this and using it to attack his age while forgetting that Donald Trump is only four years younger and afraid of stairs.

Donald Trump patronizingly said, “I hope he wasn’t hurt,” and then defended his own baby steps as he walked down a ramp at West Point in 2020, saying, “Look, the whole thing is crazy. You gotta be careful about that. Even if you have to tiptoe down a ramp, you gotta tiptoe.”

You may believe Trump was trying to be nice, but one look at his feed on Truth Social shows you he’s not, as he’s posted a doctored video mocking Biden’s fall.

Trump defended his baby steps in 2020, saying the ramp was “very long & steep, had no handrail, and, most importantly, was very slippery.” He also said the “last thing I was going to do is fall for the Fake News to have fun with,” like he’s having fun with now.

When Trump took those baby steps, it inspired the hashtag #TrumpIsNotWell. He’s still not well and never has been. When Trump walked down the “slippery” ramp, he was walking next to a general who was not walking like a toddler with a brain injury. He was putting one foot in front of the other while Trump would take a step with his right foot, then plant his left foot right next to it, then repeat, etc. And I get it. Those inclines can be a bit tricky.

I like to take walks, and often through Mary Washington University which is in my neighborhood. One of the sidewalks at the university has an incline that’s kinda steep and I’m always afraid that when I walk down it that my walk will kinda turn into a stumbling run forced by gravity. Falling down or missing a step doesn’t mean you’re a feeble old man. And, it doesn’t make you unqualified for political office. I’ve been clumsy my entire life and my mother used to say I could fall up stairs.

But Donald Trump and his supporters are the last people who should make fun of someone for being feeble. It also illustrates the cruelty of Republican humor. An old man falling down is hilarious to them.

But don’t forget, Donald Trump needs two hands to hold a water bottle while he takes a sip. He needed a golf cart at a world summit while leaders of other nations walked together. He’s afraid to go out in the rain because he might get his hair wet. He’s famously afraid of stairs and didn’t take any steps while coming down the golden Trump Tower escalator to announce his 2016 presidential bid. Trump does not move fast. He’s a slow person, physically and mentally. And don’t forget the time his dentures almost fell out while delivering a statement to the press.

But one thing is for certain. Now that Trump and Republicans have mocked President Biden for stumbling, Donald Trump is going to trip and hit the ground himself very soon.

Music note: I listened to the Foo Fighter’s new album and I feel all sorts of different ways about it.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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Roughs, Volume 184

Most of these roughs were drawn on May 25 and 26. The first four on DeSantis and Disneyland were drawn a few days before. I was struggling one morning trying to find the right idea for the news that Disneyland was pulling a $1 billion investment out of Florida.

I almost went with this one but I wasn’t sure if people would remember the “I’m going to Disneyland/Disneyworld” campaign.

I knew I could do something better than this.

I wasn’t happy with this one.

And then this idea hit. I was happy. A couple days after I did this, a couple other cartoonists used the Nancy Sinatra song in cartoons. I’m an influencer.

This and the rest were submitted to CNN.

One subject my editor was interested in was Putin’s enemy list. I liked this one and thought I would save it for my newspaper clients, but something else happened.

This wasn’t my favorite.

I thought this was OK. I didn’t want to do a “failure to launch” cartoon as so many other cartoonists had done.

My editor suggested this subject too, but this cartoon idea wasn’t great.

I drew this rough before the drone attacks hit the Moscow suburbs, so I changed this up and gave it to my newspaper clients.

This was OK.

And this is the one CNN picked.

So which of these are your favorites?

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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Woke Cows

So now I hear that the crowd always whining about “cancel culture” are locking their sights on Chick-fil-A?

Wait a minute? Chick-fil-A? Are we talking about the same Chick-fil-A that’s given millions of dollars to anti-LGBTQ hate groups? Is this the same Chick-fil-A that conservatives circled the wagons around a few years ago after liberals criticized the owners for being haters? Is this the same Chick-fil-A whose sandwiches conservatives bought to post pictures and videos on social media of them eating to “own the libs?” Do you remember that shit? “I just bought a grilled chicken with tomatoes and mmm mmm mmm, it was so tasty. I love me some hater chicken. Take that libs!” That Chick-fil-A? Why are the goons turning on Chick-Fil-A? Did they open one next to a Starbucks inside a Target? Did they start selling Bud Light to go with your waffle fries? No, I’ll tell you why the goons are upset with Chick-fil-A.

Chick-fil-A is taking goon fire for creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy and hiring an executive to oversee the program. Goons can’t handle recognizing LGBTQ rights or fair treatment for racial or ethnic groups that have been historically underrepresented. Oh my God! Chick-fil-A has gone woke! Noooooooo!

Someone told the goons there’s a new corporate policy on Chick-fil-A’s website detailing the company’s focus on “ensuring equal access,” valuing differences and creating a culture of belonging” under the title, “Committed to being Better at Together.”

Wade Miller, an executive director for Center for Renewing America, a conservative think tank, tweeted that he’s going to stop eating their chicken sandwiches and said, “Everything good must come to an end.”

Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who helped Donald Trump try to steal the 2020 election said he was “disappointed.” Two things he hates are woke chicken sandwiches and democracy.

Ian Miles Cheong, a right-wing fuckface who is the Executive Director for the think tank All Things Butthurt tweeted, “Chick-fil-A has gone woke.” Fellow shitweasel Charlie Kirk of Turning Point, a think tank that promotes the freedom to sieg heil, tweeted the same thing.

Now here’s the weird thing…OK, one of the weird things. Erick McReynolds, Chick-fil-A’s vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion, has been in that position since 2020. So why are they just now getting butthurt over this? Is it because all MAGAts are slow readers?

I guess if you’re not feeding minorities from a slop bucket then you’ve gone woke. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with being woke. It basically means you know people different from you have to deal with things a lot differently. I don’t believe a white guy like myself can ever fully understand just how difficult it is to navigate daily through this country’s systemic racism, but being woke means I’m aware of it and I’m trying to understand it. As Elvis Costello would ask, what’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding?

For conservatives, everything is wrong with it. Conservatives will tell you racism doesn’t exist in this nation and the only discrimination to be found is against middle age Christian white guys. When will they finally get an even break in this country? MAGAt fuckface shitweasel goons who listen to Tucker will tell you that white nationalism isn’t a thing. They will tell you that if you open your mind and accept a gay or trans person as a legitimate human being, then you’re “grooming” our children for pedophiles and now we need armed security for public bathrooms.

For right-wingers, being nice to people who don’t look like you is a bad thing. Every single one of these fuckers who scream about “woke” can’t tell you what “woke” is. The anti-woke mob is opposed to this nation being a nicer place.

Every business in this nation, even those owned by and operated by racist bastards, should have anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies. At the very least, those policies can protect a company from breaking the law. And guess what. Chick-fil-A stopped donating to those hate groups. So guess what, libs. It may be OK to purchase a Chick-fil-A sandwich now although, you may still prefer Popeye’s spicy chicken (sooooo good).

But if you’re still upset at Chick-fil-A, then I think all you shitweasels should gather in front of your nearest Chick-fil-A and protest.

You should do it this Sunday.

Creative note: I wanted to get ahead for today so I could spend most of the day focused on my CNN assignment, so I drew this yesterday in a bar (it was my birthday). A few conservatives looked over my shoulder, but I was in luck because they didn’t get the cartoon.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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Rich White Drug Dealers

One reason I wanted to draw this cartoon is because I know most cartoonists won’t cover it. There may be a few and possibly inspired by someone else doing it first (that’s OK and I’ve done that too). I was positive I’d be the first to draw it.

I knew nobody else would draw it today because there are a lot of other really juicy subjects out there, but this is just as important. I also knew it wouldn’t receive much attention from my colleagues because the major news outlets only covered it for about two minutes yesterday. But it’s really big news.

The Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, reached a settlement in federal court yesterday that will give them full immunity from all civil legal claims, current and future, over their role in the company’s prescription opioids business. This deal will cost them $6 billion. The Sackler family’s wealth has dropped over the years, but their current net worth is estimated to be around $11 billion.

The New York Times writes:

It removes a major hurdle for that money, plus the company’s initial outlay of $500 million, to be dispensed to states and communities for addiction treatment and prevention programs, needs that soared during an epidemic that has grown far beyond abuse of Purdue’s signature prescription painkiller drug, OxyContin.

Unless it is successfully appealed to the Supreme Court — an unlikely prospect, legal experts said — the new ruling will close the door on Purdue’s hotly contested bankruptcy restructuring, which began nearly four years ago. The bankruptcy is at the core of a plan intended to resolve thousands of opioid cases against the company nationwide, plus roughly 400 against individual Sackler family members.

Purdue will be restructured into a new company called Knoa Pharma. Knoa will continue to sell Oxycontin, which Purdue had claimed in the past was non-addictive.

In 2021, deaths involving synthetic opioids, largely fentanyl, rose from 58,000 to 71,000.

We do not have an equal justice system. Melissa B. Jacoby, a law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said, “Bankruptcy was not meant to be an alternative justice system for powerful corporations and their superrich owners. But that is the effect and perception when courts read the law to provide extraordinary protections well beyond what Congress authorized.”

If you are caught selling drugs on the street, you go to prison, especially if you’re black. If you’re a super rich white dude on a corporate board selling opioids, even lying about them being addictive, you’ll probably just be sued and you can pay it off.

While this immunity deal doesn’t protect the Sacklers from criminal prosecutions, the fact there haven’t been any is further proof of our nation’s systemic racism.

This is part of the reason Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the playing of the national anthem. By the way, Kaepernick still isn’t on a football team.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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Cruelty Caucus

The most progressive members of the House are not happy with the compromise reached between President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy on raising the debt ceiling. But, their unhappiness with it isn’t a threat to the leadership of the president or Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. However, the anger from the House Freedom Caucus, who will be referred to as the “Goon Caucus” for the rest of today’s blog, is a threat to Kevin McCarthy’s speakership.

Representative Pramila Jayapal, Chairwoman of the House Progressive Caucus, is unhappy with the compromise because she’s concerned the deal could mean “harmful” effects for poor and working Americans.

Jayapal gave credit to the White House for helping to ensure the bill’s proposed federal spending caps are not as “as catastrophic as they could have been,” but she also raised concerns about how the new spending limits will affect funding for nondefense programs. 

Jayapal said, “When it comes time to write these appropriations bills. There will be some very, very difficult choices to make.” She also said, “There will be real harmful impacts for poor people and working people being barred from income support that they not just desperately need, but frankly, that they deserve. There will be impacts for environmental justice and the fight against the climate crisis and the recisions in funding, many of which we still don’t have clarity about.”

She will vote no on raising the debt ceiling while understanding the consequences if it’s not raised. Jayapal is an adult. The goons on the other hand…

The goons have a scorched Earth policy on stuff like this. While progressives like Pramilia Jayapal is concerned the compromise will hurt Americans, the Goon Caucus is concerned it doesn’t hurt them enough. For Republicans, cruelty is the point. Chip Roy, the policy chairman of the Goon Caucus is accusing McCarthy of reneging (“reneging” is a word Republicans have to be careful with) on the deal he made with the caucus to win their support to make him peaker, and that is the debt ceiling wouldn’t be raised without significant cruel cuts that’ll hurt the poor, minorities, and working Americans. Another part of that deal is that any one member of the House can force a vote to oust the speaker should he fail to keep his promises. As Scooby would say, “Ruh-Roh, Kevin.”

In case you forgot, Glenn Beck is still out there with a radio show (I forgot) and Chip Roy went on it to howl about the Biden/McCarthy compromise and said, “If we can’t kill it, we’re going to have to regroup and figure out the whole leadership arrangement again.”

It took 15 votes for Kevin to win the speakership and to finally secure the job, he had to make deals, not with the devil because that wouldn’t have been as bad, but with goons. And these deals aren’t with your commonplace everyday thumb-breaking goons down the docks but with MAGAt goons. At least the thumb-breakers have some integrity. Kevin McCarthy could not win the job of Speaker from his own caucus until he made deals with these MAGAt goons that would make him the weakest and worst speaker in House history. If only we could have foreseen the trouble this would eventually bring.

Oh, wait. We did. We liberals called it. The only uncertainty on McCarthy’s position is just exactly how long it will last. Will it end tomorrow? Will it end in two weeks? Will it end in two months? Has Vegas put up odds yet? The only thing most of us agree on is that he won’t finish this congressional session with the gavel…which someone will probably use to break his thumbs.

There is one more certainty and that is, if Kevin is replaced, the next Speaker will be even worse.

Ruh-roh, indeed.

Creative note: I had two ideas on this subject concerning the Freedom Caucus and because of my indecisiveness, I kept going back and forth between them until they were both completely drawn. The other one only has to be colored to be finished. To make the decision easier for me, I decided to publish both. You’ll see the next one in a day or so. I don’t want to do two in a row on the Goon Caucus. I will say that the other idea is more mainstream and would have a better chance of being published by news outlets than the one you’re looking at here. But, I liked the irreverence of this one.

I wasn’t sure I made the right choice…that is until goons started tweeting their butthurtness at me caused by this cartoon. Fortunately, I’m not a little be-yotch boy like Kevin, and ain’t nobody breaking my thumbs. Regular readers of this blog know how much I hate to upset goons and MAGAts.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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Enemies of the Russian State

I’m sad about not winning recognition this year. No, I’m not talking about my failure to even place in any journalism awards for 2022 (what do they know anyway, right?). I’m talking about failing to make Vladimir Putin’s enemy list.

At first, you might think I’m crazy. Why should I make Putin’s enemy list? I’m not sending drones to attack the Kremlin or Putin’s love pad. It’s not like I am at physical war with Russia or have any input on U.S. policy on the nation. It’s not like I can levy sanctions on Vladimir Putin. But when you see a lot of the names among the 500 Americans on the list, I have every right to be on it.

There are names that make sense, like Senior Director of Defense Affairs of the National Security Council Cara Abercrombie, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Charles Brown Jr, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, First Deputy Chief of the Press Office of the White House Olivia Alair Dalton, Senior Advisor to President Biden Anita Babbitt Dunn, and White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients. Those make sense.

But why is the former Attorney General for Vermont on the list, or the Attorney of Washington, D.C? Why is a former governor of New Mexico on the list?

There are other people on the list who don’t have any involvement with U.S. policy on Russia or have any strong record of criticizing the nation. People like New York Attorney General Letitia James, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Special Counsel Jack Smith…oh, I get it.

A lot of the people on Putin’s enemy list are folks who have been mean to Donald Trump, and not just those who have investigated him. TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Rachel Maddow, Brian Williams, Seth Meyers, and Joe Scarborough are on the list. Why are they on the list, for criticizing Trump? Hell, I criticize Trump more often than they do…and, in my opinion, better.

I’m shocked that people like Robert DeNiro and Kathy Griffin didn’t make the list for their criticism of Trump. Didn’t Kathy Griffin cut his head off? Maybe the entire cast of Saturday Night Live should be on it. How is Alec Baldwin not there? But most of all, why am I not on it? Do I have to submit all the comments from my haters on Truth Social? Sure, they all have typos but they still count, right?

I don’t believe I’ve received my share of hate and fury that I’ve earned and worked so hard for. I see profiles on Twitter all the time from people I’ve never heard of that boast about being blocked by goons like Donald Trump Jr and Matt Gaetz. C’mon…I too deserve some blockings by goons. What do I have to do to make racist knuckle-dragging MAGAt Putin-loving troglodytes hate me more? What does Devin Nunes’ Cow have that I don’t?

The only goons I can think of who has blocked me on Twitter are fuckers like Mike Lester (I just noticed that one) and Ted Rall (Sputnik Boy). And sure, every right-wing MAGAt cartoonist on Facebook has either unfriended or blocked me (that’s a long list), but I want to hit the big time. I want to get blocked by Lauren Boebert or Marjorie Taylor Greene. That’d be so awesome.

Or at the very least, I deserve to make Putin’s enemy list. What’s Joe Scarborough have that I don’t…other than a TV show?

Don’t you think I deserve some goon hate too? Shouldn’t I be on someone’s list?

Creative note: I sketched out this idea last Friday before the new drone attacks on Moscow. That made this cartoon even more relevant.

And on another note: I tagged the celebrities included in this cartoon on Twitter. Each of these is legitimately on the enemy list. My personal rule for tagging people in a cartoon is only when they have something to do with the issue, or they’re in the cartoon. But some cartoonists tag celebrities with every single cartoon and usually, the celebs don’t have anything to do with the issue in the cartoon. Why are you tagging Nicolas Cage on a cartoon about the debt ceiling? I want those bigtime retweets too, but I’m not going to grovel for them.

Music note: I listened to the Boss.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

Ken Paxton

Happy Memorial Day. Sorry, I did not draw a Memorial Day cartoon this year. Most of my clients also subscribe to other cartoon services that’ll give them teary Memorial Day cartoons and the ones that only subscribe to me don’t want ’em. I prefer to draw cartoons with teeth.

And Hell, I should not even be drawing a cartoon today. I should be having a cold one and eating ribs with potato salad or something like that. But, no. Not only did I draw a cartoon for you today, I drew one that took hours with lots of lettering and Easter eggs. And since I wrote about Ken Paxton Friday, you’re not going to get a long blog from me today. But, I will post the  20 articles of impeachment against the Texas Attorney General.

Here ya go:

  1. Paxton ignored his official duty to protect charities when he directed his office to interfere in the Mitte Foundation charity’s lawsuit against Nate Paul, a political donor to Paxton.
  2. Paxton abused his official power to issue written legal opinions when he directed his office to write an opinion to prevent Paul’s properties from being sold in foreclosure, and also had his office reverse their legal conclusions, in an attempt to benefit Paul. To cover up his direction, Paxton arranged for a Senate committee chairperson to seek the above opinion.
  3. Paxton abused his official power by directing his office to violate the law regarding two public information requests, one of which concerned Department of Public Safety records for a criminal investigation of Paul.
  4. Paxton abused his official power to improperly obtain private information in an attempt to release it for Paul’s benefit.
  5. Paxton abused his official power by hiring a special prosecutor, Brandon Cammack, to investigate a “baseless complaint” made by Paul; Cammack would issue over 30 grand jury subpoenas to benefit Paul.
  6. Paxton ignored his official duty by improperly firing whistleblowers in his office who had in “good faith” alleged to authorities that Paxton had broken the law; Paxton also privately and publicly tried to tarnish the whistleblowers’ reputations and harm their chances of future employment.
  7. Paxton wrongly used public resources by having his office conduct a “sham investigation” into the whistleblowers’ allegations, and having his office create a report “containing false or misleading statements in Paxton’s defense”.
  8. Paxton abused his official power in his attempt to settle the whistleblowers’ lawsuit, which “delayed the discovery of facts and testimony at trial, to Paxton’s advantage”, preventing voters from gaining knowledge regarding Paxton.
  9. Paxton accepted a bribe by Paul’s employment of a woman “with whom Paxton was having an extramarital affair”, and in return Paxton used his office to help Paul.
  10. Paxton accepted a bribe by having Paul (a real estate developer) renovate Paxton’s home, and in return Paxton used his office to help Paul.
  11. Paxton obstructed justice by delaying his trial for federal securities fraud after being indicted in 2015, preventing voters from gaining knowledge regarding Paxton.
  12. Paxton obstructed justice by benefiting from a lawsuit filed by his political donor, Jeff Blackard, that caused problems in paying the prosecutors working on Paxton’s securities fraud case, delaying the trial and discovery of evidence, preventing voters from gaining knowledge regarding Paxton.
  13. Paxton made false statements to the State Securities Board regarding his illegal failure to register with them.
  14. Paxton did not accurately reveal his financial interests to the Texas Ethics Commission, violating law.
  15. Paxton made or directed for multiple false or misleading statements to be published in his office’s report responding to the whistleblower allegations.
  16. Paxton conspired or tried to conspire with other people for the actions detailed in the articles of impeachment.
  17. Paxton abused his official power by having his office act to benefit him or other people.
  18. Paxton ignored his duty and violated the Texas Constitution, his oaths of office, statutes and public policy for the actions detailed in the articles of impeachment.
  19. Paxton was unfit for holding office for the actions detailed in the articles of impeachment.
  20. Paxton abused or neglected his official power to prevent lawful governance and obstruct justice, bringing his office into “scandal and disrepute” for the actions detailed in the articles of impeachment.

Music note: I listened to Taylor Swift’s Folklore album.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

Putin’s Enemies List

Here’s your cartoon for this week’s CNN Opinion newsletter. Please sign up to get these in your inbox every Sunday

I’m going to cover this issue again, but next time for my newspaper clients. I’ll blog about it then.

Creative note: My editor chose this cartoon pretty early in the day last Friday, around 2 p.m. So I took the opportunity to change my scenery and drew the cartoon at the Starbucks close to my apartment.

Music note: I listened to the Foo Fighters.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

Pride Targeted

The retail giant Target has offered a Pride collection for over a decade that’s to celebrate Pride Month, which is June. The collection includes products like clothing and books. They did the same thing this year, but then removed Pride displays homophobic troglodytes expressed outrage.

Target issued a statement saying, “For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month. Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work. Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.”

Yeah, now they’re standing with the LGBTQIA+ community…quietly because they don’t want to upset too many people.

I totally understand that some companies don’t want to get involved in politics or social causes. I worked for a short while at a music store after I lost my full-time cartooning job in Virginia. The owner was very outspoken with his liberal politics and would engage in debates with friends and regular customers. But when his wife suggested they post my cartoons on their website to brag that I worked there, he refused, saying he liked my cartoons but didn’t want his business to be political. I agreed. He was in the business of selling guitars, not advancing causes. I get that.

But…if you going to take a stand and tie your business to it, then stand firm. Don’t back down. It’s like inviting someone to a party and then disinviting them because another guest doesn’t want them there. You’re not standing with the LGBTQIA+ community by hiding your Pride products in the warehouse.

I understand a business doesn’t want bomb threats. Some “customers” have entered the store to scream at employees and throw the Pride-themed merchandise on the floor. One woman recorded a TikTok video in a Target store last week in which she became angry at seeing a greeting card that read “So Glad You Came Out” and a yellow onesie that said “¡Bien Proud!”

Supporting the LGBTQIA+ community should not be political, but the Right has politicized hate, like in Florida where the “Don’t say gay” law has passed, and in Tennessee where public drag shows have been banned. Now you can’t even put a Pride flag on a beer can without Kid Rock shooting at it.

Those who are boycotting, making threats, and getting upset over Target selling a Pride collection are bigots. What do you care if someone else puts a pride flag on a toddler’s onesie? Why can’t we raise children with open minds instead of hate? Those boycotting Target, and entering the store to scream at people and make hate TikTok videos, are anti-free speech bigots.

If you don’t want to wear a Pride shirt, then don’t buy one. But your efforts to prevent me from buying one at Target is an attack on my freedom of speech. Why can’t I tell someone I’m glad they came out, and do it with a card? Guess what, Kid Rock fans…you don’t have to buy the card.

Seriously, knuckle-dragging homophobic bigoted troglodyte MAGATs, isn’t there a book burning you need to get back to?

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

The Party of Corruption

How corrupt does a Republican have to be for the Republican Party to oust him? Pretty fucking corrupt.

Once upon a time, the Republican Party was somewhat responsible and was ready to impeach President Richard Nixon over Watergate, forcing his resignation, but this isn’t the 1970s anymore.

The Republican Party refused to impeach and convict Donald Trump, both times the House impeached him, despite the fact he was recorded extorting the president of a foreign nation by withholding U.S. military aid in exchange for a political favor, and for his part in a seditious attempt to overturn an election and have himself installed as a dictator. A few Republicans did vote to impeach and convict him but most refused to defend our nation from a corrupt president.

The Republican Party is refusing to apply ethical rules to the Supreme Court or even question the corruption of Clarence Thomas. Several on the Senate committee holding hearings on forcing ethics on Supreme Court justices have the same sugar daddy as Clarence Thomas.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy is refusing to pressure George Santos to step down despite 13 criminal indictments over his corruption. The Republican House is refusing to oust Santos.

So it’s kinda surprising that Texas Republicans impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton today over allegations of bribery, unfitness for office, and abuse of public trust. The impeachment temporarily removes him from office pending a state Senate trial that could lead to his permanent ouster.

Paxton has been under investigation for years and says the impeachment is “political theater” based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims,” and an attempt to disenfranchise voters who elected him to a third term last November. Yeah, but Texas voters are dumb enough to reelect Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz. Being elected to office doesn’t give you the right to be corrupt, even in Texas.

In 2020, Paxton’s top aides accused him of abuse of office to benefit a wealthy donor. They alerted the FBI, which investigated Paxton but refused to press charges. Four of the aides were fired and filed suit alleging retaliation. After reaching a $3.3 million settlement, Paxton pressed for the payment to come out of the state’s budget.

The committee recommending impeachment released a memo Friday that said, “But for Paxton’s own request for a taxpayer-funded settlement over his wrongful conduct, Paxton would not be facing impeachment.”

Along with a dozen Democratic votes, a conviction in a state senate trial will require 19 Republican votes. Paxton’s wife, Angela Paxton, is a state senator. He has other friends in the state senate as well. Governor Greg Abbott has been silent, but Donald Trump hasn’t.

Trump “truthed” on Truth Social, “It is the Radical Left Democrats, RINOS, and Criminals that never stop. ELECTION INTERFERENCE! Free Ken Paxton, let them wait for the next election!”

He’s also been supported by Donald Trump Jr, former White House aide Stephen “Baby Goebbels” Miller, MAGA goon Charlie Kirk, and Ted Cruz, who tweeted, “Ken has been the strongest conservative AG in the country. No attorney general has battled the abuses of the Biden admin more ferociously — and more effectively.”

Paxton, as Texas Attorney General, literally sued Pennsylvania for voting for President Biden. Of course, the case was rejected by the courts.

Of 146 House members present, 121 voted to impeach Paxton, which is more than the majority required. Experienced watchers of the Texas Legislature predict the Senate will fail to get a conviction. One Republican legislator said that several members had received telephone calls from Paxton “personally threatening them with political consequences in their next election.”

Ken Paxton is a corrupt goon and was even present during the insurrection on January 6. He spoke at Trump’s rally that day.

Paxton is further evidence that the Republican Party is the party of corruption.

Note: After drawing today’s cartoon, I made a bacon double cheeseburger with a fried egg along with fries, and then went into a food coma and forgot I needed to finish this blog. That’s why it’s so late. Oh, my god, I make a good bacon, egg, and cheeseburger.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw: