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Merrick Garland Preaches to an Overseas Audience

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Peterr
Legal folks, politicians, media people, and ordinary Americans are watching the DOJ's handling of the theft of documents from the White House. But around the world, a whole lot of others are watching as well, and how DOJ moves this case forward is critical to the future of US foreign policy.

Three Ways Merrick Garland and DOJ Spoke of Trump as if He Might Be Indicted

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emptywheel
Twice in his short 500-word statement yesterday, Merrick Garland used language that admits the possibility that the former President might be indicted.
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The Legal and Political Significance of Nuclear Document[s] Trump Is Suspected to Have Stolen

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emptywheel
The report that the FBI suspected Trump of stealing a document or documents pertaining to nuclear weapons may not entice a supine press. But perhaps Marco Rubio's rank hypocrisy about the seriousness of such issues will.

Merrick Garland Calls Trump's Bluff

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emptywheel
Merrick Garland just revealed DOJ has moved to unseal the parts of the warrant for the search of Mar-a-Lago that Trump already has. Effectively, Garland has called Trump's bluff.
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Trump Keeps Using the Word "Cooperate." I Do Not Think That Word Means What Trump Wants the Press To Think It Means

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emptywheel
Trump has trained a gullible press corps to treat a citizen who voluntarily shares information with the FBI as inconceivable without some more formalized kind of cooperation.
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Expected Response is Expected: Trump and Right-Wing DARVO

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Rayne
We could have seen it coming after all this time. They’re reliably predictable, no crystal ball required. You know what lies ahead, too: more DARVO.

DOJ's June Mar-a-Lago Trip Helps Prove 18 USC 793e

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emptywheel
DOJ's trip to Mar-a-Lago in June would make it far easier to prove the elements of 18 USC 793e.
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The Likely Content of a Trump Search Affidavit

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emptywheel
We don't know what was in the affidavit showing probable cause to search Mar-a-Lago. But we know a lot about what would be in it.
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All Republican Gang of Eight Members Condone Large-Scale Theft of Classified Information, Press Yawns

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emptywheel
The lazy-ass press has mainstreamed claims from three Republican Gang of Eight members minimizing the theft of highly classified information without calling out the hypocrisy of such claims, much less noting the way these men put party over America's national security.
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Some Likely Exacerbating Factors that Would Contribute to a Trump Search

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emptywheel
There are a number of topics -- Trump's first impeachment, his ties to Middle Eastern countries, his conversations with Vladimir Putin, and security records pertaining to January 6 -- that might exacerbate the legal complications of investigating a former President for stealing classified documents.
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FBI Executes a Search Warrant at 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480

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emptywheel
Trump's home got searched. And virtually the entire press corps has taken that as an opportunity to give Trump their social media real estate from which to lie for free.
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Brandon Straka's Cell

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emptywheel
By all appearances, Brandon Straka appears to be attempting to sabotage any assistance he gave DOJ in investigating people like Andy Biggs and Kash Patel, with whom he just appeared on a CPAC panel.
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The Accidental Exposure of DOJ's Misdemeanor Plea Deals

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emptywheel
Recent mistakes regarding the sealing of documents in the Brandon Straka case make it clear that the government has offered cooperating misdemeanor plea deals that otherwise have gone entirely unnoticed.

"It's a Tremendous Amount of Information:" The Details about Alex Jones' Phone

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emptywheel
After accidentally sharing information with plaintiffs lawyer, Alex Jones' lawyers were put in a position where they had to admit to failing to comply with discovery or clawing back the information.
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DOJ Is Suing Peter Navarro (But Not Ivanka or Mark Meadows)

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emptywheel
With a lawsuit against Peter Navarro for violating the Presidential Records Act, DOJ has likely put him between an obstruction charge and having to turn over ProtonMail content that even he seems to suspect includes evidence of a crime.
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The "Subject" of Robert Costello's Declination

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emptywheel
A story explaining why Robert Costello believes, with good reason, that Rudy Giuliani will not be charged for helping Yuri Lutsenko fire Marie Yovanovitch, reveals that the investigation was broader than reflected on the known warrants.
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Alex Jones' Lawyers Accidentally Shared His Entire Phone with Sandy Hook Plaintiff Lawyers

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emptywheel
Lawyers for parents of a Sandy Hook victim suing Alex Jones say were sent a copy of Alex Jones' phones by his defense attorneys, and they're going to share it with prosecutors.
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Pat Cipollone Wants Trump to Know He's Still Protecting Him

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emptywheel
Someone close to Pat Cipollone told the press that he's going to continue to make (frivolous) executive privilege claims to protect Donald Trump.