A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
A+ Lawyerings
To hear Alina Habba, one of Trump’s defense lawyers, explain it: The FBI probably planted incriminating evidence when agents raided the ex-president’s Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday, but also the raid was a wild goose chase and Trump doesn’t have anything incriminating at Mar-a-Lago.
- “Quite honestly, I’m concerned that they may have planted something,” Habba told Fox News on Tuesday night. “At this point, who knows?”
- Christina Bobb, another Trump defense lawyer and former OAN host (RIP), on the other hand, doesn’t “necessarily think that they would even go to the extent of” planting anything because “they just make stuff up and come up with whatever they want,” even though “[t]here’s just nothing there.”
Election Steal Rep Says FBI Seized Phone
Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), a key crony in Trump’s efforts to use the Justice Department to steal the 2020 election, told Fox News on Tuesday that the FBI seized his phone earlier that day while he was traveling with his family.
Following Yesterday’s Madness After Trump Raid
Check out our liveblog of the fallout yesterday of the FBI’s raid at Mar-A-Lago on Monday.
- “Classified To Whom? Questions Swirl Around Classified Docs At Mar-a-Lago” – TPM’s Josh Kovensky.
Food For Thought
Trump To Be Deposed By NY AG
Trump will be sitting for a deposition today in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) civil investigation into the Trump Organization, the ex-president announced late last night on his fake Twitter app, TRUTH Social.
- Trump, clearly still reeling from the FBI raid on Mar-A-Lago, whined in his announcement that he was being “attacked from all sides.”
- Trump’s eldest kids, Ivanka and Don Jr., have already given their testimonies in James’ probe recently.
- The depositions were delayed after the ex-president’s first wife, Ivana Trump, died last month.
Pompeo Testifies In Front Of Jan. 6 Panel
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified in front of the House Jan. 6 Committee on Tuesday, per CNN, ABC News and the New York Times.
- The reported focus of Pompeo’s interview: The ex-Trump official’s alleged discussion with then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about potentially invoking the 25th Amendment to oust Trump after the Capitol attack.
Mastriano Storms Out Of Jan. 6 Panel Testimony Within Minutes
Pennsylvania’s GOP gubernatorial nominee and Big Lie devotee Doug Mastriano spent less than 15 minutes talking to the House Jan. 6 Committee during his scheduled virtual hearing on Tuesday before cutting off the session, his lawyer confirmed.
- Mastriano and his lawyer had insisted that they be allowed to record the session, something the panel obviously didn’t agree to.
- Mastriano didn’t answer a single question, a source told CNN.
Must Reads
“This Is the Data Facebook Gave Police to Prosecute a Teenager for Abortion” – Vice
“Albuquerque Welcomed Muslims. Then Four of Them Were Killed.” – The New York Times
Pro-Impeachment GOPer Concedes In Primary
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6 attack, conceded in her primary to Trump-backed rival Joe Kent on Tuesday.
- The overall survival/fatalities of pro-impeachment Republicans in last week’s primary stand at:
- One win: Herrera Beutler’s fellow Washington Republican, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA)
- Two defeats: Herrera Beutler and Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI)
- Kent openly courted white nationalists during his campaign, by the way.
Yet Another Election Denier Wins GOP Nod For Secretary Of State
Kim Crockett, a hardcore 2020 election denier, won the Republican primary for Minnesota secretary of state on Tuesday.
Tucky C’s Terrified By Alex Jones Texts
An inside source told the Daily Beast that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is “shitting himself” out of fear that his texts with far-right tinhatter Alex Jones will get leaked after Jones’ lawyer helpfully handed them over to the Sandy Hook families’ lawyer, who then helpfully handed them over to the House Jan. 6 Committee.
Antifa MTG
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Re: MTG merch, it really is all just a big grift.
Did Trump’s lawyers get degrees at Trump University?
I can’t imagine wearing a “Defund the FBI” cap and “Proud Christian Nationalist” shirt, but if other people want to, it would probably be a lot of help for the orderlies whose job it is to return them to the psych ward.
I don’t know, but it’s pretty clear they do speak for their client.
OT: I just discovered the existence of this a couple of days ago. The more art-inclined among you might enjoy playing this as you sip/guzzle your morning cofveve.