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As the GOP House Burns, James Comer Keeps Sniffing Dick Pics

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emptywheel
Why is James Comer continuing to waste taxpayer dollars rifling through the plumbing repair and vet visit payments of the Biden family when Republicans can't even keep the House open?
Television by Frank Okay via Unsplash

Breathing Room: What Are You Streaming Now?

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Rayne
It's the perfect weekend for binge watching streaming series or movies. What have you been watching that you’d recommend? What have you been watching that you think we should avoid? This is an open thread.
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Buried in DOJ's Absolute Immunity Response, a Comment on Trump's Suspected Zenith Crimes

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emptywheel
DOJ's response to Trump's claim of absolute immunity is substantially a discussion of an indictment that describes actions Trump took as a candidate, often with those outside government, in ways that usurped the authorities reserved to states and Congress. But at several points in the filing, DOJ invites review of other potential crimes, crimes conducted at the zenith of Presidential power, but crimes that may -- must -- otherwise be illegal, if no man is above the law.
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Mike Flynn Invites DOJ to Review Judge Emmet Sullivan's Non-Exoneration

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emptywheel
After Trump pardoned Flynn in November 2020, Judge Emmet Sullivan wrote a carefully crafted opinion noting he was dismissing Flynn's prosecution not because Flynn was innocent, but because Trump's pardon mooted it. DOJ is now relying on that opinion in a bid to dismiss Flynn's claims of malicious prosecution.
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The House GOP is not Pining for the Fjords

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Peterr
The House GOP is not pining for the fjords. It has kicked the bucket, shuffled off this mortal coil, rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-party.
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Judge Karen Henderson May Not Believe Holding the Presidency Is a Professional Benefit

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emptywheel
In reviewing the application of 18 USC 1512(c)(2) to January 6, self-imagined conservatives keep reaching well beyond the decision before them to try to carve up obstruction in such a way that stealing an election is not corrupt. 
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Stan Woodward Blows Off Any Duty of Loyalty to His Former Client

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emptywheel
In a hearing last week, Stan Woodward call any duty of loyalty to a past client "hypothetical." Yesterday, he simply ignored the issue, portraying privilege of existing solely of confidentiality, not loyalty.
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Stan Woodward Reportedly Concedes a Duty of Loyalty But Doesn't Want His Name Used at Trial

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emptywheel
In Jack Smith's response to Aileen Cannon's belated order for a briefing about what a Garcia hearing should include, SCO claims Stan Woodward still wants to keep his name out of discussions of Yuscil Taveras' earlier testimony at trial.
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Stan Woodward Contemplating His Former Client Might "Become Unavailable" for Testimony

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emptywheel
Judge Aileen Cannon got pissy in her first attempt to hold a Garcia hearing for Walt Nauta, because prosecutor David Harbach brought up a potential problem with Stan Woodward's representation of Nauta they hadn't in briefing. Afterwards, though, she finally asked what she should have included.
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Douglass Mackey Sentenced to 7 Months for Conspiring to Violate 18 USC 241

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emptywheel
Douglass Mackey was sentenced to seven months for conspiring to violate 18 USC 241, attempting to trick Hillary voters out of their vote.
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The Holding Pattern on the Non-Trump January 6 Charges

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emptywheel
Several recent stories raise questions about whether DOJ would prosecute any Trump associates for January 6 until it were clear that Trump couldn't just pardon them of their charges.
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Gary Shapley's "Red Line" Tantrum Actually Started Two Weeks Earlier

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emptywheel
It turns out that tantrum that Gary Shapley retroactively claimed arose from a "red line" crossed at an October 7, 2022 meeting actually started weeks earlier.

Face-Eating Leopards Shocked to Find Leopards in Their Casino

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emptywheel
Republicans are shocked, shocked to find out that the other face-eating leopards in their casino are face-eating leopards.

As Jordan Goes Down, Nancy Pelosi Mocks Republican Men Who Can't Count

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emptywheel
Nancy Pelosi responded to Jim Jordan's failure to win the Speaker's gavel by laughing about Republican inability to count.
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"JIM IS COMING FOR YOU:" Aspiring Speaker Jordan's Stochastic Lynching as Oversight

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emptywheel
For years, Jim Jordan has been using purported oversight to target perceived enemies of Donald Trump, repeatedly resulting in violent threats. As he runs to be Speaker of the House, those threats deserve more focus.
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Bret Baier's False Claim, the Escort Service, and Former Fox News Pundit Keith Ablow

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emptywheel
Bret Baier interrupted a sober conversation with Leon Panetta about the Israeli terrorist attack to make a false claim about Hunter Biden's "laptop."