Editors’ Blog

Let history show that we knew. We all knew.

From Judge Luttig’s testimony today to the Jan. 6 select committee:

Today, almost two years after that fateful day in January 2021 … Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy. That’s not because of what happened on January 6th. It’s because to this very day the former president, his allies and supporters pledge that in the presidential election of 2024 if the former president or his anointed successor as the Republican Party presidential candidate were to lose that election that they would attempt to overturn that 2024 election in the same way they attempted to overturn the 2020 election but succeed in 2024 where they failed in 2020.

I want to again thank everyone who has contributed so far to our TPM Journalism Fund drive. Just a few moments ago we hit a big milestone, half way toward our ambitious but critical goal of raising $200,000. So thank you. We know from experience that the second half is a much heavier lift than the first, just in the nature of things. But we feel good about being here on the third day after we publicly announced the drive. If you’ve seen our announcements and have been planning to contribute, please make today the day. If you’re already a member it’s literally just one click. Super easy. Just click right here.

A new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast is live! This week, Josh and Kate are joined by TPM reporter Matt Shuham to discuss the first two January 6 committee hearings.

While we cover today’s third Jan. 6 hearing, you can listen to the new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast here.

Two new big stories out tonight (here and here) make even more clear that Ginni Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, was actively involved in the effort to overthrow the American republic. While they don’t say so directly they make it seem overwhelmingly likely that Thomas was feeding Trump lawyer John Eastman details of the internal deliberations of the Court. They also show that Trump lawyers hoped a show of violence on January 6th would cow the Court into accepting one of Trump’s challenges.

Congregants from a synagogue in South Florida are suing to block the state’s 15-week abortion ban from going into effect on July 1, arguing the law violates their religious freedom as adherents of Jewish law.

I know from past experience that when we do a drive of any sort there’s a large group of readers who’ve already decided they’re going to join or contribute. But only a fraction get to it, at least at first. It means stopping the progress of your day for a moment, maybe getting out your wallet. It’s easier to do it some time later. Believe me, I’m the worst offender on this front. If that’s you, if you’re thinking about contributing to our drive or have already decided that you probably will, please make it today. Just take a moment right now. Like literally right now. If you’re a member, it’s literally just one click. It will take you 30 seconds. Not exaggerating. Just click right here.

It’s easy. It will immediately boost the mood of everyone working at TPM. And it will provide a critical boost for our organization. Here’s more on what the drive is about and why it’s so important.

Thank you.

I hope you get a chance to read Matt Shuham’s feature piece today about “constitutional sheriff” Dar Leaf. It really brings together the current rage for Trump era “voter fraud” conspiracy theories and our much longer-term interest in far-right anti-government radicalism. When I got to thinking about this a few weeks ago it suddenly occurred to me that almost always when there was one of these figures it was a sheriff. In this case I’m not talking about the so-called “constitutional sheriffs,” though that’s a big part of it. I’m talking about Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County, Arizona or Alex Villanueva in LA County, David Clarke in Milwaukee. Like I said, these guys are always the sheriffs.

I want to again thank everyone who contributed today to our drive. If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to do so now at this link if you’re able. Launching these drives is both a mysterious and oddly stressful process. It’s a bit like jumping out of a plane without knowing if you have a parachute. When do you find out? Well, when you pull the cord, of course. Or diving into a pool in the dark. You’ll find out if there’s water in the pool soon enough.

Bon courage!

Some members of the party that hasn’t managed to figure out how to stiffen its spine in the face of Donald Trump for seven years are apparently privately hoping that the Democrats and two Republicans on the Jan. 6 select committee will do their dirty work for them.