A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
Jack Smith Is Going Hard After Trump, Part I
In a redacted motion unsealed Friday by order of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, Special Counsel Jack Smith is seeking to impose additional restrictions on Donald Trump’s out-of-court statements to prevent him from continuing to attack the legitimacy of the criminal proceedings against him and from tainting the jury pool in DC.
Of the various filings referred to in today’s Morning Memo, this is probably the one worth reading yourself. It’s a blistering takedown of Trump’s conduct since his indictment, comparing it to his efforts to spread anger and misinformation in the aftermath of the 2020 election (editor’s note: citations removed):
As set forth in the indictment, after election day in 2020, the defendant launched a disinformation campaign in which he publicly and widely broadcast knowingly false claims that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the presidential election, and that he had actually won. In service of his criminal conspiracies, through false public statements, the defendant sought to erode public faith in the administration of the election and intimidate individuals who refuted his lies. The defendant is now attempting to do the same thing in this criminal case—to undermine confidence in the criminal justice system and prejudice the jury pool through disparaging and inflammatory attacks on the citizens of this District, the Court, prosecutors, and prospective witnesses.
Stay tuned for rulings as early as this week from Judge Chutkan on this motion from Smith and on Trump’s motion for her to recuse herself.
Jack Smith Is Going Hard After Trump, Part II
A series of court documents were unsealed Friday in the effort by Elon Musk’s Twitter to alert Donald Trump that Special Counsel Jack Smith had a search warrant for his account. In pushing to keep Twitter from tipping off Trump, Smith argued that the disclosure “could precipitate violence as occurred following the public disclosure of the search warrant executed at Mar-a-Lago.” In that instance, a man tried to launch an attack on the FBI field office in Cincinnati before he was later shot and killed while fleeing law enforcement.
Stand Back And Stand By
Big Day Ahead For Jeff Clark
A federal judge in Atlanta will hold a hearing at 9:30 a.m. today on former Trump DOJ lackey Jeff Clark’s motion to remove his Georgia RICO prosecution from state court. Unfortunately, no electronic devices are allowed in court so we won’t have real-time coverage of the hearing.
It’s shaping up to be a doozy, for a couple of reasons:
- District Attorney Fani Willis has subpoenaed Jody Hunt to testify at the hearing. Hunt, a longtime DOJ hand who became chief of staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, served as head of the Civil Division before Clark held that position on an acting basis. The guess is Hunt will testify that Clark’s actions were outside the bounds of his role as Civil Division honcho. Fun twist: Hunt was the new lawyer retained by Cassidy Hutchinson right before her bombshell testimony to the Jan. 6 committee.
- Clark has obtained a sworn statement from that paragon of rectitude and civic virtue, the nonagenarian former Reagan Attorney General Ed Meese, for use in the hearing. It’s unclear if the judge will consider it since it doesn’t appear Meese will be called to testify and subjected to cross examination. I’ve wanted to see Ed Meese cross examined since I was in high school. Alas …
Hate To See It
NYT: Mark Meadows’s Testimony in Georgia Case May Have Done Him No Favors
Hmmm …
Federalist Society co-founder Steven Calabresi does a quick flip-flop on whether the Disqualification Clause renders Trump ineligible for the presidency.
Delaware Is An Open Carry State
An armed protestor was spotted Sunday near President Biden’s Delaware home:
Paxton Acquitted In Impeachment Trial
Even though the case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was spearheaded by Republicans in the state House and prosecuted by Republicans in the Senate trial, the Senate vote fell along party lines, with only two GOP senators joining Democrats in voting to convict him. Paxton was acquitted on all counts. An unbelievable sanctioning of brazen corruption by his fellow Republicans, but also very representative of the modern GOP.
First, They Come For The Librarians
The venerable American Library Association (you know how librarians are: just a band of radicals) has become the target of a right-wing smear campaign.
Moss Grows Fat On A Rollin’ Stone
Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner, 77, has been booted from the board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after making a fool of himself in a NYT interview.
Hunter Biden’s New More Aggressive Pushback
- Hunter Biden sues the IRS, alleging it violated taxpayer privacy rights with its public disclosures about him.
- Former Trump White House staffer Garrett Ziegler, sued last week by Hunter Biden, is profiled by the WaPo as a “scorched-earth activist.”
Government Shutdown Still Looms
The House Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus unveiled a continuing resolution Sunday that is a nonstarter with the Senate and White House. It also met immediate headwinds from some conservative House members, but it is expected to get a floor vote this week. It would extend government funding through the end of October but with draconian budget cuts that make it a dealbreaker.
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In the shadowy depths of a vast and convoluted conspiracy, a chilling tale unfolds, one that claims to expose the sinister machinations of the Deep State. At its heart lies a nefarious plot to groom our youth into becoming gender-fluid, gay drag queens. But to combat this insidious agenda, one must journey deep into the belly of the beast, a place most unsuspecting - the traveling Broadway production of “Beetlejuice: the Musical.”
Within the confines of this seemingly innocuous musical, dark secrets lurk. Brave and unwavering, Congresswoman and true Patriot Lauren Boebert emerges as an unlikely hero in this battle against the otherworldly horrors that threaten our children. Armed with unorthodox methods, she combats this insidious grooming by vaping cannabis oil and engaging in overt displays of traditional Christian sexuality, public displays of affection like having her boyfriend motorboat her within the sight of children. The message is clear: this is the proper Christian way to engage in intimate relationships – man-on-woman, staunchly rejecting the specter of gender fluidity and asexuality, where there is man-on-nobody.
This is but one method the Democrats are using to reach their ultimate objective: to reimagine America as an apocalyptic landscape, overrun by crime-ridden cities that have devolved into war zones, where once-green areas are swallowed by homeless encampments, businesses plundered by criminals with impunity, and sadistic predators preying on children, and their border-hopping rapist Mexican supporters, all released on bail. Youth being groomed to suit their nefarious ends, all to tarnish the image of Trump’s presidency, both previous, current, and future.
However, it’s crucial to understand that the Democrats fail to grasp Trumps far-reaching conservative initiative to save America, one fueled by an impassioned determination to unravel the madness of Maoist critical race theory, the divisive tenets of DEI pansexualism, as well as preventing liberals from aborting babies after their birth. At the forefront of this multifaceted endeavor stands the true President, Donald Trump, a figure who operates with calculated precision both out in the open as well as from the shadows.
Defying conventional wisdom and the counsel of his advisors, Trump teeters on the precipice of an ideological abyss. In a remarkable display of intellectual fortitude, he rejects the status quo and instead follows the guidance of his own resolute convictions. With each calculated step, Trump maneuvers with unyielding determination, leveraging his sharp intellect, raw courage, and unapologetic commitment to unvarnished truth.
In the face of relentless opposition from Democratic adversaries, Trump emerges as the unflinching vanguard, bearing the burden of a nation’s destiny on his shoulders. His unwavering dedication to revealing the truth, his indomitable spirit, and his willingness to challenge the established norms set the stage for an epic confrontation that transcends mere politics.
Amidst the tumultuous currents of contemporary political discourse, Trump assumes the mantle of guardian-in-chief, steadfast in his resolve to safeguard the nation’s core principles. As the Democratic machinery seeks to reshape American cities into scenes of dystopian chaos, Trump stands unwaveringly as our last line of defense. In this high-stakes struggle, he personifies unwavering determination, ready to confront the Democratic demons and their malevolent designs, all in the noble pursuit of preserving the very essence of the United States from the brink of annihilation.
In the end, like he did with Obama, Trump will defeat Obama in 2024 to squash Biden’s desire to push us into WWII and nuclear against Russia and China.
Sloppy photoshop contains a pic of Puppy, per a requets from @kelaine
Frist! Bow down before me!
Or Eustace, I guess.
So Jeff Clark wants his case moved to Federal Courts…and OOPS who gets to issue a ruling on that??
Hey the same judge who flipped the bird to Marky Mark Meadows!
The venerable American Library Association (you know how librarians are: just a band of radicals) has become the [target]
Finally we reach the real source of the antifa scourge, them, the librarians.
Can’t even be first in Kenya