George Santos’ Other Shoe
George Santos was superseded yesterday with ten more counts of campaign finance related crimes. But there’s reason to believe there’s still more to come.
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
“POTUS is very emotional and in a bad place.” Donald Trump’s Classified Discovery
/120 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection, Leak Investigations/by emptywheelAmong the things Trump seems to be doing with his classified discovery is chasing down all the notes that Mark Milley took about Trump’s erratic behavior.
The Utility of the Tim Thibault Smear for Insurrectionists
/67 Comments/in 2016 Presidential Election, 2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election/by emptywheelThe Grassley-to-Jordan conveyor belt of bullshit continues to churn away, turning disgruntled FBI agents with allegations but no evidence into the enforcement wing of their effort to weaponize government.
Alleged Menendez Co-Conspirator Fred Daibes’ Life Just Got More Difficult
/53 Comments/in Financial Fraud/by emptywheelIt doesn’t sound like accused Robert Menendez co-conspirator Fred Daibes is going to get the probation sentence he thought he had gotten when he pled guilty last year.
Trump Claims Absolute Immunity
/261 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheelTrump just claimed Presidents have absolute immunity.
“Nefarious”: Chuck Grassley Panics at Possibility that Gary Shapley’s Allegations Might Be Scrutinized
/82 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election, Hunter Biden/by emptywheelChuck Grassley seems to be panicked that a very carefully orchestrated effort to retroactively pitch Gary Shapley as a whistleblower using formal channels might face real scrutiny.
Elon Musk’s Machine for Fascism: A Tale of Three Elections
/109 Comments/in 2016 Presidential Election, 2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election, Blogs Internet and New Media, emptywheel/by emptywheelIn 2016, far right trolls used Twitter’s to hijack rational discussions about the election, contributing to Trump’s win. In 2020, moderation and post-January 6 efforts thwarted a repeat performance, but only barely. Since then, Elon Musk attempted to restore the haven for far right trolls that Trump rode to the Presidency in 2016 and used to sow a coup in 2020.
Big Kev Belittled
/321 Comments/in 2022 Mid-Term Election/by emptywheelKevin McCarthy just suffered the humiliation of being fired by Matt Gaetz.
Why Reality TV Star Donald Trump Is More Trusted than Most News Outlets
/211 Comments/in Financial Fraud, Press and Media/by emptywheelReality TV Show Actor Donald Trump showed up at his fraud trial today and manipulated the press to allow him to claim he “predicted” that he lost because The Corrupt Judge and The Black Woman Prosecutor ganged up on him. And in the process, Reality TV Actor Donald Trump will have once again led millions to believe in his fantasy self-worth.
DOJ’s Theory of Trump’s Mob
/117 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheelIn the government’s reply motion on its request for a gag, DOJ neatly lays out how Trump’s attacks on Pence were a key tool he used to direct the mob.