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.
In arguing that Speech and Debate would protect her even if there were no evidence to support the criminal referral Barry Loudermilk made against her, Liz Cheney suggested that that same Speech and Debate protection is the one thing that protects him from a defamation claim.
Barry Loudermilk wasted $250,000 of taxpayer money so extremists who favor Rumble could have privileged access to security footage showing how US Capitol Police defend the Capitol.
In October, Jack Smith provided new information about Trump’s premeditation to use violence on January 6. And most of the same people complaining that DOJ didn’t provide more information on the case against Trump missed it.
As I expected he might, Trump is trying to prevent Jack Smith from releasing his report.
How January 6 was the culmination of Trump’s effort to sell his grievance con.
Gravity will undoubtedly bring to earth the conspiracies of all the people Trump is installing to defy science. But I’m much less confident that anything will ground Kash Patel’s even more expansive conspiracy theories.
Mike Johnson was able to cheat and leverage blind fealty to Trump to become Speaker.
Judge 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 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 July 2020 assessment done of the Alexander Smirnov allegation should have given the FBI cause to question the FBI informants claims. It also suggests that claims sourced to Rudy probably did have a role in searching for Smirnov.