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2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

On January 19, 2022, SCOTUS Upheld Judge Tanya Chutkan's Decision Rejecting Trump's Executive Privilege Claims

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August 6, 2023

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For 463 days after the Supreme Court upheld Judge Tanya Chutkan's opinion on Executive Privilege, Donald Trump kept making such claims to stall the DOJ investigation. Trump caused at least nine months of delay in witness testimony with such frivolous Executive Privilege invocations.

2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

Protection Racket: Donald Trump Thinks He's More Special Than Steve Bannon

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August 5, 2023

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Donald Trump thinks he is so much more special than Steve Bannon, he needs a more special protective order than his former aide.

Left Theory, SCOTUS

The Colfax Massacre And US v. Cruikshank

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August 5, 2023

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SCOTUS weights the lives of Black citizens against States Rights. Black citizens lose.

2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

Protective Order: Who Is the Victim of Trump's 18 USC 241 Charge?

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August 5, 2023

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One interesting question raised by Trump's threats against those prosecuting him is whether Joe Biden is included among the victims of the 18 USC 241 count charged against Trump.

2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection, Leak Investigations

Trump's Family Is Not in His Prosecution

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August 4, 2023

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Yesterday, three arraignments in, Trump remains unattended by any family members in his criminal prosecutions. But even more striking, Trump is alone in his indictments, without any of the key roles played, including by his daughter and most trusted advisor, laid out in the overt acts.

2016 Presidential Election, 2020 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

Trump's People: The Prettyman Pardons

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August 3, 2023

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A review of the 16 men who were prosecuted in Prettyman Courthouse shows that Trump is precisely where he belongs today, being prosecuted in DC District's courthouse.

2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

The Elements of Offense in the Trump January 6 Indictment

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August 3, 2023

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There's a lot of nonsense apology for Trump masquerading as journalism claiming that if he can show he believed his own lies he'll be acquitted. Those reports misunderstand the crimes with which Trump has been charged and what the government needs to prove for a jury to find Trump guilty.

2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection

The "Crazy" Kraken Conspirator

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August 2, 2023

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There's just one paragraph devoted to Sidney Powell's actions in the Trump indictment. But the implications of the paragraph are fairly remarkable.

2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Leak Investigations

Three of Stan Woodward's Eight Current and Former Clients Prepare to Testify against Each Other

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August 2, 2023

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In addition to his former representation of Yuscil Taveras -- the IT guy whose testimony played a key role in the superseding indictment against Trump and Walt Nauta -- Stan Woodward represents two other witnesses who may testify against his client Nauta.

2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

Trump Lied and Mike Pence Almost Died

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August 2, 2023

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Lots of Trump apologists are claiming that if he can prove he really believed he won the election, he will be acquitted. Except that was not his only, or even his most important lie. He also falsely claimed that Mike Pence agreed with the scheme to reject the lawful vote ... and it almost got Pence killed.

2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

"Conspiracy Shit Beamed Down from the Mothership:" The Prehistory of Trump's Ellipse Lies

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August 2, 2023

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With five states, the Trump indictment tracks how lies that showed up in his Ellipse speech had already been debunking, often by DOJ.

2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

The Structure of the Donald Trump Indictment

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August 1, 2023

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Many paragraphs of the Trump indictment could -- and may well become -- entirely separate indictments by themselves.

2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

Donald Trump's January 6 Indictment

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August 1, 2023

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Is here. He is charged with 18 USC 371, 18 USC 1512(c)(2), 18 USC 1512(k), and 18 USC 241. There are six co-conspirators, all uncharged: Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, and others.

2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election

The $40 Million, Er, the Unlimited Slush Fund Man

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August 1, 2023

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Trump's campaign finance looks a lot like his corporate finance. And his criminal exposure is now part of what he's selling.

2020 Presidential Election, Leak Investigations

Discoveries in the Stolen Document Discovery

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August 1, 2023

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DOJ obtained surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago during the same period it was asking about Trump's foreign business ties and accusing Carlos De Oliveira of hiding his memory of why Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago twice last July.

2020 Presidential Election, Leak Investigations

How Trump Clouded Journalists' Heads about Surveillance Video

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July 31, 2023

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It is not the case that if DOJ obtained all the surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago, Trump Org must have given it to them. In fact, one of the most damning documents Mueller obtained during the Russian investigation came from Microsoft, the cloud provider hosting services for Trump Org.

2020 Presidential Election, Leak Investigations

Stan Woodward Wants to Give Walt Nauta a Need to Know the Contents of the Stolen Documents

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July 30, 2023

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Just after Stan Woodward demanded that his client, Walt Nauta, be given a Need to Know what's in 32 highly classified documents, Woodward predictable conflict problems have become an issue.

2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Leak Investigations

"Rights" and Wrongs: Where the Stolen Documents Investigation Is Headed

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July 29, 2023

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The latest stolen documents indictment doesn't answer the question of why Trump stole these documents or what he did with them. All the superseding indictment did is make the question more urgent.

2020 Presidential Election, Leak Investigations

Carlos De Oliveira Added a Lock to the Storage Facility Then (Claimed He) Gave Away the Key

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July 29, 2023

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For the entire month of August last year, Donald Trump pointed to the new lock he put on the storage facility at Mar-a-Lago as proof he was cooperating with DOJ. When the FBI came to search it, Carlos De Oliveira told the FBI he had given away the key.

2024 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Foreign Influence

David Weiss Is Wrecking the Right Wing Story (and Likely Sandbagging Hunter Biden)

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July 28, 2023

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The Statement of Offense written as part of Hunter Biden's plea deal looks like it was was written not for the tax charges to which he was pleading guilty, but to the FARA charges Biden thought would be off the table with this deal. And it sure looks like this "plea deal" was an attempt to sheepdip the entire prosecution to get Hunter Biden to clean the taint himself.

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