Author Archive for: emptywheel
About emptywheel
Marcy Wheeler is an independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties. She writes as emptywheel at her eponymous blog, publishes at outlets including Vice, Motherboard, the Nation, the Atlantic, Al Jazeera, and appears frequently on television and radio. She is the author of Anatomy of Deceit, a primer on the CIA leak investigation, and liveblogged the Scooter Libby trial.
Marcy has a PhD from the University of Michigan, where she researched the “feuilleton,” a short conversational newspaper form that has proven important in times of heightened censorship. Before and after her time in academics, Marcy provided documentation consulting for corporations in the auto, tech, and energy industries. She lives with her spouse in Grand Rapids, MI.
Entries by emptywheel
Judge Merchan’s Half Baby
/39 Comments/in 2016 Presidential Election/by emptywheelJudge Merchan’s decision upholding Trump’s guilty verdict offers the President-elect a choice. He can have an unconditional discharge and a mean to appeal — replete with the judicial contempt on which SCOTUS has already upheld Merchan. Or he can have the sentence hanging over his head for his entire term.
Leo Wise Buries Bill Barr with Six Year Sentencing Recommendation
/17 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Hunter Biden/by emptywheelLeo Wise argues that you should face six years in prison if you to try to frame Joe Biden. But his retelling gave a virgin birth to Alexander Smirnov’s willingness to frame Joe Biden. Wise buries all the Republicans, starting with Bill Barr, whose concerted efforts ensured that Smirnov’s effort to frame Joe Biden got aired over and over and over again.
The Opportunity Costs of Conspiracy Theories about Merrick Garland
/144 Comments/in 2024 Presidential Election, Hunter Biden, January 6 Insurrection, Leak Investigations/by emptywheelYou have a choice. You can spend the next few weeks making a big stink about the fact that the aspiring FBI Director tried to help Trump steal classified documents. Or you can spend it clinging to false claims about Merrick Garland so you can blame him rather than John Roberts for the fact that Trump won.