"A much bigger deal is what it says that the television media and pundits so completely bought into Trump’s performance. They appear to have accepted Trump’s framing of the event—that he is dominant—so fully that the fact Trump unleashed a flood of lies and non-sequiturs simply didn’t register."
An alert #AttorneyGeneral would've announced on Day 1 that #Jan6 was an #insurrection, and the #DOJ was investigating top leaders based on open public information.
An alert AG would not have squandered away time prosecuting theft of classified docs and nuclear secrets with "pretty please."
They would've investigated why search was not thorough. Why a closet remained unopened by #FBI?
An alert president, OR HIS TEAM, would've sought early correction of these errors. Buck stops.
James Pearce, atty for #SpecialCounsel#JackSmith's office, faced questions…on how the investigation into Trump is funded…. Trump's attys have argued that the charges…should be dropped bc Smith was improperly appointed …& the funding…is unconstitutional.
Under persistent questioning from Judge Cannon, prosecutors declined to divulge details & seemed caught off-guard by the inquiries. At one point, Smith dpy James Pearce said he was “not authorized” to discuss the level of communication.
#Trump publicly claims, w/o evidence, that #JackSmith is essentially a pawn of President Joe #Biden. But in court his lawyers are making a contrary argument: that Smith’s #independence means he’s operating beyond what #DOJ employees are permitted to do. Trump’s lawyers claim that under the #Constitution only an officer appointed by POTUS & confirmed by the Senate can wield the level of power that Smith has. For decades, special counsels have not been presidentially appointed or Senate-confirmed.
Shortly after #AileenCannon drew the assignment in June 2023 to oversee #Trump’s classified documents case, 2 more experienced #Florida#judges on the federal bench urged her to pass it up & hand it off to another jurist.
Since, #AileenCannon has exhibited #hostility to #prosecutors, handled pretrial motions slowly & indefinitely postponed the #trial, declining to set a date for it to begin even though both the prosecution & the defense had told her they could be ready this summer.
#Trump’s attys have urged her to #delay any trial until after the #election, & her handling of the case has virtually ensured that they will succeed in that strategy. Should Trump…[win], he could order the #DOJ to drop the case.
#DoJ won’t prosecute Garland for contempt: refusal to provide audio wasn’t crime
Duh.
What'd Jim Jordan & his fellow Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee think'd happen when they asked DoJ to chg the top US atty, who naturally knows Federal law pretty good, w/their clown show contempt?
#PHXPD routinely uses excessive force & discriminates against #Black, #Hispanic [#Latino] & #NativeAmerican [#indigenous] people, part of a broad pattern of unconstitutional policing in America. #Justice investigators also found that the PHXPD violates the rights of the #homeless, improperly arresting them & destroying their #property.
#MerrickGarland: Unfounded attacks on the #Justice Dept must end #ConspiracyTheories, falsehoods & threats of #violence against #DOJ personnel are not normal. Last wk, a California man was convicted of threatening to bomb an #FBI field office where hundreds of agents & other employees work. In one of his #threats to the FBI, the man wrote: “I can go on a mass murder spree. In fact, it would be very explainable by your actions.”
#RussVought has helped craft proposals for Trump to deploy the #military to quash #CivilUnrest, seize more #control over the #DOJ & assert the power to withhold congressional appropriations —& that’s just on Trump’s 1st day…
Since #Trump left office, Vought has led the Center for Renewing America, part of a network of #conservative advocacy groups staffed by fmr & potentially future Trump admin ofcls.
The #Republican leaders of the House Oversight & Accountability, Judiciary & Ways & Means cmtes sent a letter to the #DOJ recommending the prosecution of #HunterBiden & #JamesBiden….
A 2nd #Trump admin could #weaponize existing government agencies to dismantle democracy itself.
This article is part of “Project 2025: The Plot Against #America,” a Nation special issue devoted to unpacking the right’s vast & chilling program for a 2nd Trump term.
…This is all part of #Project2025’s …vision for restructuring #DOJ so it can be #weaponized by a new #Trump admin when it comes to election-related issues. In Mandate’s chapter on #Justice, Hamilton…proposes reassigning…prosecuting election-related offenses from the #CivilRights Div to the #Criminal Div. Why? So #Republican-generated claims about “fraudulent voter registration,” “mail-in ballot fraud,” &…the various targets of Trump’s #BigLie claims…are “appropriately investigated & prosecuted.”
The vote on the #RightToContraceptionAct was 51-39, falling short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a #filibuster & move forward. Republicans said the bill is unnecessary as the use of #BirthControl is protected under #SCOTUS precedent as if [#SupremeCourt precedent means anything anymore].
The legislation would establish nationwide #rights for individuals to “obtain #contraceptives & to voluntarily engage in #contraception” & protect #healthcare providers who offer it. It defines contraceptives as “any drug, device, or biological product intended for use in the prevention of pregnancy” & prohibits #federal or #state governments from enforcing #laws or standards that impede that right. It empowers the #DOJ & affected private entities to sue to enforce the new protections.
"We have a trio of stories this morning from mainstream news outlets warning of Donald Trump weaponizing the justice system in a second term to go after his perceived political enemies.
The promised retribution of a Trump II reign of revenge is so open, obvious, and direct that you begin to wonder who still needs to heed the warnings."
#Trump Tues night on the conservative network #Newsmax:
“I said, ‘Wouldn’t it really be bad? … wouldn’t it be terrible to throw the president’s wife & the fmr secretary of state — think of it, the fmr secretary of state — but the president’s wife into #jail? … But they want to do it … So, you know, it’s a terrible, terrible path that they’re leading us to, & it’s very possible that it’s going to HAVE TO HAPPEN to them.”
#Trump has made #payback for opponents central to his campaign, at one point declaring to a crowd: “I am your #retribution.” In private, has told advisers & friends that he wants his #DOJ to investigate specific fmr aides & allies who are now critical of him. And he has promised to appoint a special prosecutor to scrutinize #Biden & his family.
It was unclear how the #House could seek to cut spending for states through the appropriations process, which funds the federal govt. But it has become a talking point for #FarRightlawmakers that was on display during a House #Judiciary Cmte hearing Tues.
"The embattled Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is vowing to use the arsenal of tools at his disposal, including defunding, to target the U.S. Dept. of Justice after ex-president Donald Trump was convicted in a New York State prosecution on 34 felony charges last week."
"In a Tuesday meeting behind closed doors with his House Republican conference members, Johnson said 'he will do everything he can to go after the Department of Justice,' CNN reported, 'and said the verdict has ignited support for the former president, two sources familiar with the comments told CNN.'”
AG #MerrickGarland used an appearance on Capitol Hill on Tues to forcefully defend the #DOJ against “repeated attacks” from #Republicanlawmakers that have undermined investigations & put federal employees in #harm’s way.
A #DOJ spox said Garland’s goal …was to push back against “false narratives regarding the Dept’s employees & their work.”
#MerrickGarland said: “I view #contempt as a serious matter. But I will not jeopardize the ability of our prosecutors & agents to do their jobs effectively in future investigations. I will not be intimidated. And the #Justice Dept will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our jobs free from #political#influence. And we will not back down from defending #democracy.”
#SCOTUS is expected to rule soon on another case that could affect the scope & timing of the election interference prosecution. That case concerns the viability of a federal #obstruction#law that prosecutors have used to accuse #Trump of encouraging a mob of his supporters to disrupt the certification of the election that took place at the Capitol on #Jan6, 2021.
If Trump is elected, he could have his #DOJ dismiss the charges. Even w/o that step, policy forbids prosecuting a sitting president