Month: August 2022

He’s gathering the troops:

Confirming @JakeSherman: conservative Rep. Jim Banks, who chairs @RepublicanStudy, will take about a dozen RSC members to NJ tonight for dinner w/ Trump. Had been prev scheduled. But per 2 people fam., they expect to it to be a solidarity moment for DJT with House’s right flank.

Banks and RSC have become a power bloc in GOP over past year, pushing populist conservative policy memos and hosting potential 2024 candidates at their meetings, including Pence and Pompeo. But they’ve always stayed close with Trump, with staunch Trump allies filling the ranks.

Originally tweeted by Robert Costa (@costareports) on August 9, 2022.

Banks, of course, was one of the wingnuts McCarthy wanted to put on the January 6th Committee.

By the way::

Many of the Republicans aghast at the FBI raid had supported FBI probes of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server in 2016. When then-FBI Director James B. Comey found no reason to charge Clinton after an initial investigation, and after another probe of emails on a laptop belonging to a Clinton aide shortly before the election, they asked whether the Democrat had gotten off easy.

“Secretary Clinton’s fundamental lack of judgment and wanton disregard for protecting and keeping information confidential raises continued questions about the exposure of our nation’s diplomatic and national security secrets,” McCarthy said in 2016, after Comey initially announced the end of the investigation.

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a onetime Trump critic turned Trump defender during the 45th president’s tenure, said Monday on Twitter: “We’re 100 days away from midterm elections. President Trump is likely going to run again in 2024.” He added, “Launching such an investigation of a former President this close to an election is beyond problematic.”

Six years earlier, however, Graham was critical of the FBI after it found no crime to charge in its probe of Clinton’s email server.

“We need a special prosecutor, someone outside the Justice Department, to look into this matter,” said Graham in an August 2016 interview on Fox News, 75 days before that year’s presidential election. “If you’re waiting on this Justice Department to hold anybody in the Obama-Clinton world accountable, you’ll die of old age. It’s sad but it’s true.”

I’m sure we could dig up thousands of examples of Republicans railing against the FBI for failing to throw Clinton in leg irons for her alleged crime of mishandling classified information.

In the CNN report about the FBI search yesterday at Mar-a-lago, this little tid-bit was particularly interesting:

In early June, a handful of investigators made a rare visit to the property seeking more information about potentially classified material from Trump’s time in the White House that had been taken to Florida. The four investigators, including Jay Bratt, the chief of the counterintelligence and export control section at the Justice Department, sat down with two of Trump’s attorneys, Bobb and Evan Corcoran, according to a source present for the meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, Trump stopped by and greeted the investigators near a dining room. After he left, without answering any questions, the investigators asked the attorneys if they could see where Trump was storing the documents. The attorneys took the investigators to the basement room where the boxes of materials were being stored, and the investigators looked around the room before eventually leaving, according to the source.

A second source said that Trump came in to say hi and made small talk but left while the attorneys spoke with investigators. The source said some of the documents shown to investigators had top secret markings.

That is nuts. Trump stopped by the say hi?? WTF?

But I’,m most interested in the fact that this woman Christina Bobb seems to be handling this issue. She is way, way out there and makes Sidney Powell almost look normal by comparison. I’ve watched her as a host on “The Right Side” Youtube channel which broadcasts the Trump rallies, and let’s just say that to call her a Trump cultist would be an understatement.

Here’s a recent statement:

Trump’s attorney Christina Bobb tonight says things are in the works to overturn the 2020 election and possibly reinstate Trump. She says the plan is for 3 states to decertify their results and send resolutions to the next Congress after the midterms to overturn the results. pic.twitter.com/su99w9VmzW

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 9, 2022

Christina Bobb, an attorney who has supported Donald Trump‘s legal challenge to overturn the 2020 election, has suggested a scenario in which the former president could be reinstated after the midterm elections in November.

Bobb told the conservative news outlet the Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) what she thought could happen in states in which there was “evidence that Joe Biden cheated” in the election Trump and his allies have continuously claimed was fraudulent.

“They could withdraw their electors, or they could actually decide to award Trump electors, although I would anticipate they will probably just withdraw the electors,” she said.

“If that happens from three different states, three different resolutions go into Congress,” she said it would then be up to Congress to decide “whether they want to accept the resolutions, whether they want to act on them or not.”

“It is a complex issue that needs to be handled complexly by different state legislators and U.S. Congress, I actually think that it’s designed well, because you don’t want this to be something that you can quickly easily overturn elections,” she said.

“It needs to be something that you need many, many elected officials to take action on,” and the “majority of three different legislators.”

“I don’t know if this Congress would take action on it, however after 22…there might be, who knows?” she added, referring to the aftermath of the midterm elections in November, which could see Democrats lose seats.

That was just a month ago.

He hires nothing but the best. I’m sure she will be very effective in dealing with the FBI and DOJ on behalf of Donald Trump.

Garrett Graff:

“What’s the difference between this and Watergate?” Donald Trump raged in a statement Monday night after FBI agents.

Well, as a Watergate and FBI historian, four things stand out to me:

The idea the FBI launched a raid on a former president would have been approved and monitored at the highest level of the Justice Department; hard to even imagine how high the bar of probable cause must’ve been for the Bureau to initiate such a politically sensitive search….

A search warrant means an independent federal judge ALSO signed off on the probable cause and, independently, believes evidence there was likely a crime committed AND that more evidence would be found at Mar-a-Lago. That’s huge too.

The fact the search apparently didn’t leak until basically when word came from Donald Trump himself shows the FBI and the Justice Department conducted this search by the book and a high degree of integrity. No leaks? Impressive. Surely only a small team knew inside DOJ….

Taken together, this is one of the most significant, sensitive, and politically explosive actions the US Justice Department and FBI has ever taken—one of a tiny handful of times it’s ever investigated a president.

Bottom line: The FBI & DOJ must’ve known they had the goods.

Originally tweeted by Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg) on August 8, 2022.

Meanwhile:

Trump is raising hell, accusing Dems of "weaponizing" DOJ for political purposes. This goes without saying, but here's a reminder: Trump was the king of politicizing DOJ during his presidency. Here's a list of 25 political opponents that he publicly said should be investigated. pic.twitter.com/jQncEzSiVc

— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) August 9, 2022

Also:

Prospects for Democrats holding ground this fall are improving

Democrats’ recent wins and Republicans’ (now with more!) disarray may upend conventional wisdom on 2022 midterm elections. January 6 hearings have moved independent voters (small sample) away from Republicans in swing states and away from Trump himself. What once looked like a Democratic wipeout now looks competitive. Might be time to find local elections to support with your time and money, people. We are already scheduling early voting support shifts for October.

Dan Pfeiffer believes “the odds are still against Democrats,” but “as we sit here today, one can make a credible bull case for Democrats,” he writes:

In rapid succession, Democrats passed legislation on guns, microchips, veterans’ benefits, and the historic Inflation Reduction Act. Democrats now have reasons to be happy, and Independents have reasons to reconsider supporting Republicans. More specifically, the climate change provisions are an opportunity to re-engage young voters.

Pfeiffer left out last Friday’s epic jobs numbers and the lowest unemployment in 50 years.

Inflation driven by gas prices has been a drag on Democrats chances all year. Republicans hammer on it relentlessly. Nevertheless, Gas Is Under $4 a Gallon in Half of the US, CNET reported Monday:

Gas prices continue to plummet in the US: On Aug. 8, a gallon of unleaded averaged less than $4 in 24 states, according to AAA. 

Even with the lower prices, Americans are limiting their driving and combining errands. Gasoline consumption is down almost 10% from last summer, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

That and the cheaper cost of oil has led to lower prices at the pump: The nationwide average on Monday was about $4.06. That’s 15 cents cheaper than a week ago and down 66 cents from this time last month. 

By October, inflation pressures could be even less and Democrats’ chances even stronger.

Trends are moving Democrats’way. Please, get busy now. Earlier is better than later.

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Request a copy of For The Win, 4th Edition, my free, countywide get-out-the-vote planning guide for county committees at ForTheWin.us.

Unpresidented: FBI raids Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence

FBI agents raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Monday. Officials have yet to release the affidavit supporting the search warrant or what agents found. Speculation says federal officials searched Trump’s residence to obtain classified documents Trump took from the White House in violation of the Presidential Records Act when he left in January 2021. Trump himself was out of state.

The National Archives and Records Administration retrieved 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago in January this year, some classified. Department of Justice officials would have to convince a judge Trump retained still others to obtain Monday’s search warrant.

Trump “is a guy who is flushing documents down the toilet,” former federal prosecutor Daniel Goldman told CNN this morning. Officials may have worried that Trump would fight a subpoena and perhaps destroy others. The FBI acted to repossess public property via a search warrant instead. Agents reportedly left with boxes of material that may not have been properly secured.

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports, “In early June, investigators made a rare visit to Mar-a-Lago seeking more info about material taken from the White House. The 4 officials, including Jay Bratt, chief of Counterintelligence & Export Control at DOJ, met w/ two of Trump’s attorneys. Trump stopped by briefly … Days later, Trump’s attorneys got a letter asking them to further secure the room. Aides subsequently added a padlock, I am told.”

Simply padlocking the room would not have been adequate for classified documents, Jason Baron, former Director of Litigation for the National Archives, told CNN this morning.

Trump issued his reaction online claiming his compound was “under siege,” adding, “They even broke into my safe!”

Former President Trump says Mar-a-Lago has been "occupied by a large group of FBI agents" in "unannounced raid." pic.twitter.com/ia4uT5o2BR

— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) August 8, 2022

MAGAstan, conservative pundits, and Republican politicians reacted with rage. Whataboutism flowed freely on Fox News. Trump supporters and a few critics gathered outside the resort Monday evening.

“When does the shooting start?” said one TheDonald commenter NBC News’ Ben Collins reports. Others commenters echoed the sentiment.

“The posts on these pro-Trump forums tonight are as violent as I’ve seen them since before January 6th. Maybe even moreso,” Collins tweeted.

More MAGA reaction to FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago (archived by Ron Filipkowski):

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) issued a threat against Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Attorney General Garland: preserve your documents and clear your calendar. pic.twitter.com/dStAjnwbAT

— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) August 9, 2022

There is, of course, lots of tough talk from MAGAstan from the kind of Trump supporters who stockpile weapons and itch for a new civil war. Jan. 6 digital investigator John Scott-Railton and others observed “the possibility of something lone wolf is *very real* and terrifying.”

Trump himself may be feeling a tightening in his chest that has nothing to do with his heart or his diet. U.S. Code Title 18, Section 2071 specifies that if convicted of mishandling or destroying federal documents, he could be barred from ever holding public office.

https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1556794749377454080?s=20&t=-UKdkBoZFJwwIM9hxKfz7g

But don’t hold your breath. Any such prosecution will take time. Other state and federal investigations into Trump already underway may get to him first.

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Request a copy of For The Win, 4th Edition, my free, countywide get-out-the-vote planning guide for county committees at ForTheWin.us.

Poor Trumpie

Trump passed some tax cuts which is the entirety of the GOP agenda. What’s his problem?

Trump’s destructive bathroom habits

It’s true:

Remember our toilet scoop in Axios AM earlier this year? Maggie Haberman’s forthcoming book about former President Trump will report that White House residence staff periodically found wads of paper clogging a toilet — and believed the former president, a notorious destroyer of Oval Office documents, was the flusher.

Why it matters: Destroying records that should be preserved is potentially illegal.

Trump denied it and called Haberman, whose New York Times coverage he follows compulsively, a “maggot.”

Well, it turns out there are photos. And here they are, published for the first time.

Haberman — who obtained the photos recently — shared them with us ahead of the Oct. 4 publication of her book, “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.”

A Trump White House source tells her the photo on the left shows a commode in the White House.

The photo on the right is from an overseas trip, according to the source.

Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich told Axios: “You have to be pretty desperate to sell books if pictures of paper in a toilet bowl is part of your promotional plan.”

“We know … there’s enough people willing to fabricate stories like this in order to impress the media class — a media class who is willing to run with anything, as long as it anti-Trump.”

Between the lines: The new evidence is a reminder that despite the flood of Trump books, Haberman’s is hotly anticipated in Trumpworld.

Haberman’s sources report the document dumps happened multiple times at the White House, and on at least two foreign trips.

“That Mr. Trump was discarding documents this way was not widely known within the West Wing, but some aides were aware of the habit, which he engaged in repeatedly,” Haberman tells us.

“It was an extension of Trump’s term-long habit of ripping up documents that were supposed to be preserved under the Presidential Records Act.”

The handwriting is visibly Trump’s, written in the Sharpie ink he favored.Most of the words are illegible.

But the scrawls include the name of Rep. Elise Stefanik of upstate New York, a Trump defender who’s a member of House Republican leadership.

I have never doubted it for a minute

Tim Miller confirms it. He watched CPAC. There can be no doubt:

Before I trigger everyone with a report from the many hours of CPAC streaming I engaged in whilst waiting for a delayed flight and not crying like a little baby about it, I want to make a clear and direct statement about my views on the 2024 presidential election. 

There is nothing in the world that I, Tim Miller, want more than for Donald Trump to not run for president in 2024.

If a magic genie with a sweet William F. Buckley impersonation shows up on my stoop in Oakland and offers me three wishes, I pledge to you that I will use my very first wish to turn Donald Trump into a toad, even though that will give all the establishment Republicans who I deeply resent the gift they won’t admit they want. 

I know the anti-anti-Trumpers want to project their grift onto us and claim that we Never Trumpers actually want Trump to run because we like the retweets, or think he’s easy to beat (which is insane), or whatever. But rest assured: That is not the case. 

With that little bit of throat-clearing out of the way, I have some bad news to report. If you, like me, had been compartmentalizing a Trump 2024 run for mental-health purposes, I’m sorry to break it to you, but he looks like a man who is definitely running for president in 2024. His CPAC speech this weekend was a rude awakening as to both his intentions and the strength he would bring to that campaign.

First, his intentions: There was no bigger roar from the crowd during the speech than during the following section, and there was no bigger shit-eating grin on his burnt-toast face than the one that came following the roar:

I ran twice. I won twice and did much better the second time than I did the first getting millions and millions of more votes than in 2016. And likewise getting more votes than any sitting president in the history of our country by far. . . . And now we may have to do it again. We may have to do it again.

That little bit of anti-democratic vamping came right on the heels of what would be his core campaign message to the GOP base in a 2024 campaign. 

The border was the best and safest in U.S. recorded history. They’ve turned it into a nightmare so quickly, the election was rigged and stolen. And now our country is being systematically destroyed. 

If you are reading this, then you are likely a person of reason who is not persuaded by the lies and childish hyperbole.

But let’s imagine this message in the context of a 2024 Republican primary. Trump is claiming that when he was president, everything was great. Then the election was stolen. And now everything is being destroyed by the people his voters hate.

What exactly is his hypothetical challenger’s response to this? It seems to me that Trump has everyone checkmated.

They could say that Trump is a loser, and that the election wasn’t stolen, and that it was his fault everything has been destroyed. Someone could campaign on that, I guess. But . . . does that seem like a winning argument in a party that has spent most of 2022 excommunicating anyone who speaks the truth about the 2020 election?

And speaking of 2022, Trump’s speech revealed that not only will he have a tailor-made message for GOP primary voters, but he’ll have an entire army of newly-elected evangelists who have pledged a blood oath to his Megachurch. 

Here’s Kari Lake performatively patting her chest and demonstrating her deep agape love for Trump from the audience after she gets her shoutout. 

President Donald J. Trump mentions Kari Lake at CPAC in Dallas, TX "She'll be an absolutely incredible Governor." for the full event join us on Rumble: https://t.co/hoDhWf5fli pic.twitter.com/y8HNDva0Ux

— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) August 6, 2022

Here’s Tudor Dixon posing like she was just handed the first rose on The Bachelorette when Trump mentions her. 

President Trump, thank you for your kind words at @CPAC. We are working hard to bring Michigan back and make a family-friendly state for us all. pic.twitter.com/f9wzTrC5nG

— Tudor Dixon (@TudorDixon) August 6, 2022

The same will  happen with every other suck-up and sycophant who washes into Washington during the upcoming midterm.

Now, there are no certainties in life. Maybe the 60 percent of “Trump maybes” Whit Ayers talked about in this excellent edition Kristol Conversations will all break for Ron DeSantis. Or maybe Merrick Garland will indict Trump’s ass and find the one jury in America that will convict him. Or maybe . . . well, let’s not get into some of my more macabre fantasies.

But here’s what we know: The man speaking to an adoring crowd at CPAC was someone who is already campaigning, who has a narrative that will be tough to pierce, and who owns an entire new crop of succubus surrogates who have juice with the base.

His hands may be tiny and soft, but his grip on the party is pretty tight.

Yes it is. And. Since he’s willing to cheat, they couldn’t be happier.

The murder rate is going down

Not that it will stop the Republicans from screeching like rabid harpies but it appears that the pandemic spike may be over:

Crime, murder and mass shootings have dominated headlines this year. Just over the weekend, a shooting in Cincinnati wounded nine people, and another in Detroit killed one and wounded four.

But the full crime data tells a different story. Nationwide, shootings are down 4 percent this year compared to the same time last year. In big cities, murders are down 3 percent. If the decrease in murders continues for the rest of 2022, it will be the first year since 2018 in which they fell in the U.S.

Take a look at the good old days of Bush Sr’s reign. Those were the good old days I guess.