For real, can we recap: Sitting members of Congress initiated IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS against a U.S. President based on information passed to them by an agent of Russian intelligence. Same members refuse to pass aid to Ukraine. Same members defend Trump.
….
This wasn’t an “intelligence failure.” It was enabling of a coup through inaction by multiple agencies in the executive branch including *sworn law enforcement officials* who took an oath to uphold the Constitution. Sickening.
Not sure who cares, but the wife of a current Supreme Court justice was totally convinced by a scheme to defraud the United States and deprive millions of people from their vote to be counted and she’s his best friend and he might end up ruling on a major legal issue in case. So.
When Trump claims that he believes a U.S. President could order Seal Team Six to murder his political opponent and never be held criminally accountable, he’s saying that he wishes he could be like Putin.
Believe him.
If unauthorized possession of classified documents are “just documents” and not worthy of criminal investigation, why did Trump sign a law increasing the penalty for mishandling them from one to five years?
Right now, CNN is debating Biden's "mental acuity"instead of discussing the legal distinction between Biden's handling of classified documents and Trump's. Such a disservice to the American public in terms of the relevant differences between the candidates they will be voting for
Breaking ABC: Months after leaving office, Trump allegedly discussed potentially sensitive information about U.S. nuclear submarines with a member of Mar-a-Lago — an Australian billionaire who then allegedly shared the information with scores of others.
I keep thinking about why Trump keeps bringing up declassification, since it’s not an element of 793(e) and is certainly not a defense for obstruction (since the subpoena asked for all docs “marked” classified). The thing with Trump is that it is ALWAYS worse than it looks 1/
The irony with the Hunter Biden charge is that the firearm application only exists because he purchased it from a federally-licensed firearms dealer, which actually conducts a background check -- you know, the same background checks Rs don't think you should undergo to own a gun
This judge basically did Trump’s lawyers’ work for them, making arguments under the 4-part Richey test which Trump did not brief or argue, making executive privilege arguments that Trump did not press fully in the hearing, and granting an injunction when one wasn’t requested
Not sure who needs to hear this, but Crossfire Hurricane was not an investigation into Trump. It was an investigation into Russian intelligence activity, and whether that activity was targeting people in Trump’s campaign (it was)
Am I the only one with zero desire to 1) go to space; 2) go to the bottom of the ocean; or 3) climb Mt. Everest. Totes happy to just hang out at sea level for the rest of my life
Cooper: You have every right to be outraged today and angry and never watch this network again. But do you think staying in your silo and only listening to people you agree with is going to make that person go away?
Folks, remember the Russian tactic of “reflexive control” – feeding you assumption that you accept in order to reach an outcome your adversary desires. The assumption being planted here is that if the docs were unclassified, it’s very legal and very cool. But it’s still stolen 1/
Trump: The documents at Mar-a-Lago are covered by executive privilege! (I.e., by definition, presidential records)
Cannon: I will entertain this argument
Also Trump: These are all personal records!
Also Cannon: I will entertain this argument
🤦🏽♀️ What is even going on
There is some irony that the same people who were pushing the independent state legislature theory* — the idea that election admin belongs ONLY to state legislatures without interference — are now arguing that it was a part of their *federal* duty to intervene in a state election
So Russia has space nukes that can incapacitate our civilian infrastructure and which we currently have no capability to counter, and GOP MAGA’s plan is to let Russia take Ukraine and…[checks notes] “let Putin do whatever the hell he wants” in Europe?
That will work out great
Trump: One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, Well, sir, if we don't pay and were attacked by Russia, will you protect us? I said.. No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.
The argument that the Court is obliged to take on matters of constitutional importance is belied by the fact that they did not take it up immediately, and apparently have no urgency in deciding it quickly. If it was something on which only it could have a final say, why wait?
To recap: The guy who encouraged his followers to hang the former Vice President of the United States and now suggests that the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should be executed for treason and who faces 91 felony charges is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee
The fact that they never took it as a tax deduction is telling, not exculpatory: This guy deducted his son’s $5 Boy Scout dues as a charitable donation.
More evidence of trying not to leave a paper trail
Trump: It’s a case as to book-keeping, which is a very minor thing in terms of the law in terms… This is a case where you pay a lawyer, it's a lawyer and they call it a legal expense. That's the exact term they use. We never even deducted it as a tax deduction
"January 6th is gonna look like a playground" - Trump supporter Pat speaks outside of Trump National Doral Miami where Former President expected to arrive for his second Indictment - "All we need is an order, we are ready"
THIS is the story. Barr's DOJ knew this guy was lying he let his deputy quietly close the case instead of bringing consequences. The indictment shows he was not only lying, but was politically biased against Biden. More to come in my
@cafedotcom
piece tomorrow
NEW: The recently indicted top GOP witness’ lawyer argues that he should NOT be detained pending trial because Bill Barr’s DoJ didn’t find it necessary to indict him in 2020, so how dangerous can he be?
Passing a border bill would convey to MAGA voters that 1) the government can work, and be bipartisan; and 2) the “existential threat” is being dealt with. Both of these are Kryptonite for a would-be authoritarian: Trump needs his supporters to be disillusioned and afraid
Smart thread, suggesting that the info Menendez provided to Egyptian intel was advance warning of the questions members of Congress intended to ask about the Khashoggi killing. Imagine a SENATOR helping a foreign intel service cover up a murder in exchange for some gold bars.
...Egypt's potential involvement in Jamal Khashoggi's murder. "Senate staffers said...a number of senators are preparing to ask Kamel" about reports that the jet carrying the Saudi assassins made a middle-of-the-night stopover in Cairo to pick up drugs used to kill Khashoggi.
5/x
I don’t understand the Republican argument that charging Trump when he is a candidate is “election interference.” They would have been totally fine with HRC being charged when she was a candidate (and are still ranting about it)…would that not have been “election interference”?
The entire purpose of life tenure for Art. III judges is to allow them to act independently, without feeling beholden to either the person who appointed them or particular policy preferences. The Supreme Court, like Congress, has become an extension of one man’s desires
LITerally the Presidential Records Act was passed to *stop* the practice of presidents taking/disposing of their records however they wanted and to create a structure to transfer their ownership from private to public. Lit. Er. Al. Ly.
Trump: Whatever documents a President decides to take with him, he has the absolute right to take them. He has the absolute right to keep them or he can give them back.. that’s the law
Just watched the Frontline on Clarence and Ginny Thomas. So we have a vindictive, perjurious misfit and an ideological kookpot making the country's most important decisions. What could go wrong?
NEW: Trump suggested he should have declassified a military document about Iran he admitted retaining in the July 2021 audio recording obtained by the Special Counsel, per people familiar. Breaking on
@guardian
Note that this conversation allegedly occurred on Dec. 19 — after the safe harbor deadline to resolve intrastate election disputes and certify their results (Dec. 8) and the date that electors had met to cast their votes (Dec. 14). They knew it was over, they just didn’t care
EXCLUSIVE: ABC News has obtained video from Georgia prosecutors' interview with ex-Trump attorney Jenna Ellis, in which Ellis tells them she was personally informed by a top Trump adviser that Trump was "not going to leave" the White House — despite losing the 2020 election.…
I’ve got MAGAs in my mentions vehemently denying that Trump *ever* made this claim. So much cognitive dissonance when his words don’t suit their narrative, even when they see it in print and video. It’s fascinating.
Worth the reminder today, on the day Putin had his political rival killed, that only weeks ago, Donald Trump endorsed the idea that he should have complete immunity to have his own political rivals assassinated.
It's worth highlighting that Trump's lawyers are setting up another argument for a second Trump presidency: Criminal laws don't apply to the President unless they specifically say so...this lays the groundwork for saying (in the future) he can't be impeached for conduct he can't…
Seeing lots of news reports highlighting that D.A. Fani Willis did not indict U.S. senators despite special grand jury recommendations. Doing so would have 1) potential constitutional hurdles and 2) would give folks like Jim Jordan a clear "hook" to do what he's doing now
I don’t really expect average people to know or understand the differences between Title I and Section 702 of FISA…but I would think (hope?) a *former president* would? Section 702 literally had nothing to do with surveillance of his campaign. So incompetent.
As
@jenmercieca
has explained, one of Trump’s rhetorical tricks is paralipsis. He gives himself enough plausible deniability to claim (or for his supporters to claim) he wasn’t saying what he was saying.
I know what he meant.
He knows what he meant. You know what he meant.
Question on MSNBC just now on why Trump hasn’t attacked Pecker. My guess is that from Trump’s vantage point, Pecker has a lot of power, bc he can create stories (including negative and even fake ones) about HIM! So he has power/leverage; not in Trump’s interest to antagonize him.…
Nikki Haley hates Vivek Ramaswamy SO much. And it is 100% b/c he has somehow managed to be on the exact same national stage as her. This man who has *barely* voted for the majority of his adult life is standing feet away from her, vying for the exact same job. Lol. I'd throw up.
To sum up Trump's argument:
1. POTUS can't be prosecuted for official acts, immunity is "absolute"
2. In determining whether something is an official act, you cannot examine the motive behind it, i.e., whether it was for personal gain
3. POTUS *can* be prosecuted for official…
Does he really want to suggest that someone who takes millions of dollars in foreign payments while president is "ripe for indictment"? Because right now there's only one person for whom there is extensive evidence of that. Actual receipts. I mean, I'm not against it, just asking
In Colombia during the time of Pablo Escobar, courts had <jueces sin rostros> (judges without faces): Judges had to preside from behind one-way mirrors and use voice-distorting microphones to avoid being identified due to the risk of being targeted. We're headed the same way
OMG Alito is using the internment of Japanese Americans as an example of a president being vulnerable to criminal liability -- THE *SUPREME COURT* ITSELF LITERALLY RUBBER STAMPED THAT AND DIDN"T DISAVOW IT UNTIL FIVE YEARS AGO
Trump did not have a security clearance as of 01/20/21 so there would be no reason for there to be an operational SCIF at MAL; the basement and other areas were not SCIFs in any case; and if they existed Trump would be barred from entering them. Next.
The fact that Congress believes that addressing the border can wait ten months also undercuts any argument that Abbot is acting with Congress’ consent or responding to some kind of imminent threat that “will not admit of delay”
Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution prevents states from doing exactly what Abbott is proposing (responding to claimed invasions on their own) “without the consent of Congress.”
If only Speaker Johnson had a position in which he could provide that consent…
THREAD. Admissions officer here 🙋🏾♀️ IMO Harvard/UNC opinion is much narrower than I expected it to be and impact will be much less than I see a lot of people suggesting -- and possibly give institutions MORE ability to curate classes based on diversity interests 1/
The implicit argument (concession) Trump’s lawyer is making is that threats and inciting violence is the core of Trump’s political strategy (which is why he considers it “political speech”). Another consequence of a major political party embracing domestic terrorism
Things just got very real in the classified documents prosecution.
DOJ calls out Judge Cannon's outlandish jury instructions as destructive to a genuine trial.
Asks court to rule now to give government opportunity to appeal and seek mandamus.
With strong precedents in hand.⬇️
I have never seen a lawyer avoid answering a hypothetical for THIS long. It's a pretty simple question. He doesn't want to answer it because he can't do so truthfully in accordance with his position AND please his audience of one.
Interesting that for purpose of presidential immunity, Trump argues that running as a candidate and holding office are one and the same. But when it comes to application Sec. 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, Trump wants to split hairs on "running" and "holding" office. No principle
Trump on taking classified documents: “I’m allowed to have these documents. I’m allowed to take these documents…When I have them, they become unclassified. People think you have to go through a ritual. You don’t, at least in my opinion.”
Don’t forget the John Eastman, the legal architect of the coup who has been indicted in Georgia, is Thomas’ former law clerk (and was in communication w Ginni leading up to the insurrection)
LOL is Kavanaugh saying he is worrying about “hampering” future Presidents, looking at the history of Independent Counsels and citing Clinton???!?
He was Kenneth Starr’s right-hand lawyer.
My question is this: Are there really no MAGA supporters with any kind of disabilities, speech or otherwise? If there are, he's talking about them too. How do they go along with this kind of awfulness? Honestly asking what the rationalization looks like
I don’t get this. So the claim is that the FBI is unfairly targeting Trump and the response is… “ha! we’ll do this back!”? Just spitballing here but it seems like maybe they aren’t actually interested in the rule of law
To the conservatives celebrating today's SCOTUS decision, Harvard's process shows that there is geographical "affirmative action." I.e., applications are divided by region -- it's easier to get into Harvard from Arkansas than from New York. I assume they think that's fine tho 1/
@NBCNYDigital
sources say there’s also an FBI counterintelligence case into Senator Menendez. Here’s the reporting, including my commentary.
@jonathan4ny
This was quite literally the argument Trump made in his argument to the D.C. Circuit Court, to substantiate his claim of “absolute immunity.” It’s public record.
It’s astonishing how much your right-wing propaganda bubbles keep hidden from you folks.
@AshaRangappa_
Can you show us where Trump claimed he could use Seal Team 6 to take out an opponent without being held criminally accountable?
I think you’re lying right now. I’m calling you out. 🫡🇺🇸
The fact that the “stop the steal” campaign began months before the election even happened (as per Jan. 6 committee testimony) kind of puts a dent in the claim that he “really” believed the election was stolen 🙄
2. There is a ton of pressure in this indictment for co-conspirators to flip (if that haven't already).
Some very strong evidence they knew Trump lost election, the litigation was a "pretext," that their means were unlawful.
Today's SCOTUS opinion in the AL redistricting case illustrates consequences of what
@steve_vladeck
calls the "shadow docket." Ct upheld lower court, which itself applied clear precedent...but it STAYED the lower court pending decision, allowing illegal map to be used in 2022! 1/
Remember that practically, POTUS alone commands the armed forces. If a NATO ally is attacked, and a future President Trump refuses to send troops to defend them, there’s nothing Congress can do to force him to do so. The only thing it could do is impeach him, which it won’t
Exactly. Imagine how many people addicted to drugs may be buying guns through private sales at gun shows. Now that we know stopping this is a priority, everyone should be on board with universal background checks, right?
...right?
This might also be a good time to remind everyone that Mueller brought charges against 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian companies for conspiracy to defraud the U.S. (aka election interference) as a result of the Russia probe. (which Bill Barr dropped)
This morning the Supreme Court actually debated whether Congress needs to specify whether crimes that prevent the peaceful transfer of power apply to the one person responsible for peacefully vacating the office for that to happen
Keep in mind that Trump’s team has argued that his taking classified documents was an “official act” which is nod nod wink wink to Judge Cannon that she can hit pause on the Mar-a-Lago case if SCOTUS takes his immunity case. Which it has. And which I’ll bet $1m she will do
5. It’s basically a psyop to give credence to the Big Lie: that Trump is somehow still POTUS. And it needs to stop. Trump is an ordinary citizen. He had lots of awesome powers as president, but those ended at 11:59am on 1/20/21. Then Biden assumed those very same powers. The end
FINALLY. Dreeben explaining that Trump is not being prosecuted for official acts. Anything that could plausibly be characterized as an official act would be used for its evidentiary value re motive and intent for an illegal conspiracy in his capacity as a candidate for office,…
Landed in Edinburgh an hour ago. Luggage hasn’t come out. We’re the only flight, only about 30 passengers. No airport worker in sight. Feels like the beginning of a Stephen King story
I know this is a throwback to Season 1, but the (first)
investigation into *Trump* was opened when he fired James Comey. The results of that investigation are contained in Vol. 2 of Mueller’s Report. Nothing from Durham’s investigation “exonerates” him from those conclusions
THANK YOU
@FrankFigliuzzi1
for highlighting that Timothy McVeigh was a white supremacist. Also as
@JeffreyToobin
lays out in his book, Homegrown, McVeigh was also a gun nut and addicted to right-wing talk shows, including Rush Limbaugh (to whom Trump awarded the PMOF)