Make America Glower Again! A Mugshot For The Ages

INSIDE: Fani Willis ... Ken Chesebro ... Mark Meadows
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA - AUGUST 24: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - 'FULTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Former U.S... ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA - AUGUST 24: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - 'FULTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Former U.S. President Donald Trump poses for his booking photo at the Fulton County Jail on August 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Trump was booked on 13 charges related to an alleged plan to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Trump and 18 others facing felony charges have been ordered to turn themselves in to the Fulton County Jail by August 25. (Photo by Fulton County Sheriff's Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

Just Soak It In

If he tried to hack the mugshot, it didn’t work.

It still looks mugshot-esque.

He still looks like a pro wrestling supervillain. (Not as villainous as this guy but come on: It’s hard for central casting to crank out someone who can look both ex-presidential and demonic.)

I half expected a big cheesy grin with a thumbs-up.

‘Terrible Experience’

Shit Gets Real

  • Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance mulls the Trump mugshot:

Over his first three indictments, Trump’s well-orchestrated public appearances looked more like a royal progress than bookings in criminal cases, complete with deferential Secret Service agents opening doors and calling him sir. But not any longer. A mug shot. Fingerprints. An appearance in a county jail that is under federal investigation over its despicable conditions.

Here’s the first real indication, not just for us, but for Trump, too, that he is a mere mortal. He’s no longer in control. His status is now captured forever in a mug shot—something Jack Smith deferred to Trump on and didn’t make him submit to.

Presented Without Comment

Trump Is Back On Twitter

A Proud Tradition

Fani Willis Calls Chesebro’s Bluff

Trump co-defendant Ken Chesebro perhaps thought he could force Atlanta DA Fani Willis’ hand by exercising his right under Georgia law to a speedy trial within a matter of weeks.

She didn’t blink.

You want a trial by November? Let’s make it October!

The judge in the case quickly set a trial date of Oct. 23, 2023. (I’m including the year on trial dates for the sake of clarity because we already have some tentatively scheduled in 2024 and because one bozo in particular has proposed trial dates as far out as 2026.)

The effect of Chesebro’s maneuvering and Willis’ aggressive “I’m ready now, b****” response was to force Donald Trump’s hand. Trump’s newest attorney dashed off a notice to the court that Trump was most emphatically not seeking a speedy trial and would seek to sever his case from Chesebro’s and anyone else’s who sought a fast-track to trial.

All that being said, will Chesebro or any other defendant really make it to trial in eight weeks? There’s reason to be skeptical.

For more details, Josh Kovensky has you covered.

Georgia Racketeering Miscellany

  • Stable Genius Move: Another shakeup to Trump’s legal team. Out is Atlanta attorney Drew Findling. In is veteran Georgia criminal defense attorney Steve Sadow.
  • Surrenders: The two main holdouts – Mark Meadows and Jeff Clark, who failed in their federal court bids to avoid arrest – have surrendered. Clark was among five defendants who surrendered overnight, leaving Trevian Kutti and Stephen Cliffgard Lee as the only Georgia defendants not yet booked.
  • Jailed: Defendant Harrison Floyd, separately charged in Maryland with allegedly assaulting a FBI agent, apparently did not have a pre-arranged bond agreement with Fani Willis so he was jailed until a court can hold a bond hearing.
  • Subpoenas: Fani Willis has subpoenaed a former investigator for the Georgia secretary of state to appear for Monday’s federal court hearing on whether Mark Meadows can remove his racketeering case from state court.
  • Removals: State Sen. Shawn Still (R-GA), a fake Trump elector indicted in the racketeering case, is now seeking removal to federal court.
  • White Noise: Fani Willis is getting the Jim Jordan treatment.

Handy Guide To The Georgia Racketeering Case

Some nice work here by the folks at Just Security:

Quick Reference Guides for … by Just Security

What A World

TPM’s Kate Riga on what the first GOP president debate revealed about the party’s mad scramble to adapt to the abortion politics of the brave new post-Dobbs world.

More GOP In Disarray

The Heritage Foundation’s Thomas Spoehr, a hawkish defense expert, has reportedly submitted his resignation as the old-line conservative think tank ramps up its opposition to U.S. aid to Ukraine, dishonestly framing such funding as competing with domestic disaster dollars.

Grim

Officials released a list of the names of 388 people still unaccounted for after the Maui fire.

The Whys And Wherefores Of A Warlord

WSJ: The Last Days of Wagner’s Prigozhin

Looking Ahead

WaPo: This latest covid variant could be the best yet at evading immunity

Good To Know!

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  1. In the depths of a convoluted web of secrecy, a chilling conspiracy unfurls—a meticulously crafted plot aimed at tarnishing the image of a physically trim President Trump. Towering at 6’3" and weighing a mere 215 lbs, Trump’s physique rivals that of Patrick Mahomes, the formidable Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, with only a negligible 10 lb difference. The perplexing enigma at hand questions the relentless efforts of liberals to distort reality, depicting a man of ac physical fitness as grotesquely obese. However, the sinister motives behind this twisted narrative lie concealed beneath layers of deceit and manipulation.

    Central to this intricate conspiracy is an affiliation with the elusive Deep State—a shadowy network of power wielders and puppeteers, operating covertly beneath the surface. The unsuspecting public remains oblivious to their malevolent maneuvers. Enter Big Snack (SNAC International)—an ostensibly benign industry catering to our snack cravings. But their true intentions come to light with the revelation of SNAXPO, an enigmatic trade show that serves as the sole hub for the international snack industry. This gathering boasts a vertically integrated supply chain, yet behind this façade, a clandestine web connects this cabal. Rudolph Foods, an Ohio-based producer specializing in pork rinds and cracklings, stands as a piece of this puzzle, coincidentally situated within the pivotal swing state of Ohio.

    The timing of SNAXPO takes on a chilling significance, coinciding with Pennsylvania’s Republican Primary on April 23—a mere nine days before the event’s commencement. This is a State that was infamously wrested from Trump, adding a sinister layer to the proceedings. Unbeknownst to the public, these deceptively benign snack companies harbor a far more ominous agenda that aligns with a larger, nefarious narrative, interwoven within a sprawling RICO conspiracy. Curiously, this elaborate scheme, which aims to pilfer deep red Pennsylvania from Trump, seems to have evaded the attention of Fani Willis, adding to the enigma. But the burning question remains: How exactly is this intricate plot set into motion?

    Venturing into the neighboring realm of the Pine Barrens in New Jersey, the conspiracy takes a deeper plunge into the abyss. Here, Big Snack and the Deep State establish a sinister coalition with other shadowy entities, united by a sinister purpose. Their ultimate objective: to manipulate the upcoming 2024 presidential election, forcibly wrenching it from Trump’s grasp through a series of manipulative tactics, including cheating and rigging. Their tool of choice is an arcane device with interdimensional capabilities, ominously referred to as the “Egg.” This device was stumbled upon within the ghostly confines of Ong’s Hat, a deserted town where Princeton University scientists ventured into the realms of quantum physics and chaos theory, uncovering secrets best left untouched.

    This “Egg” allows for the transfer of ballot boxes between dimensions, orchestrated by interdimensional beings. In their plot, they intend to move Trump’s ballots into their own dimension for shredding and disposal, while substituting them with fraudulent Biden ballots. But the scheme may be thwarted, as objects from different dimensions resonate at distinct frequencies. A device, birthed from the research of Trump supporters, anchored by Coca-Cola corporation’s contributions, can identify these dimensional disparities. Utilizing the chemical composition of New Coke as a detection medium, the faction opposing Trump may find themselves exposed and defeated.

    As this convoluted narrative unravels, the question remains: How deep does this conspiracy go, and who else is complicit in this twisted game of manipulation and subterfuge?

  2. The Merch Store Has Arrived!

    For Trump though, the picture is likely to prove yet another money spinner. The mugshot’s rapid appearance on T-shirts, posters and, well, mugs glorifying a martyred Trump can be expected.

    As it happens, an official Trump fundraising website is already selling T-shirts and coffee mugs with an image manipulated to appear as if the former president is in a booking photo with height markers behind him and a board in front with his name and the date, “04 04 2023” – the day he was indicted in New York on fraud charges.

    Merchandise with the real thing is likely to sell briskly given the enthusiasm with which the former president’s supporters now treat each public humiliation as an accomplishment.

    Two impeachments and four sets of indictments, from financial fraud to a slew of charges over the 2020 election, have done little to damage Trump’s standing among the true believers, and have only bolstered his run for the Republican presidential nomination. Such is the strength of that belief that a recent CBS poll showed Trump voters trust him more than their own family members and religious leaders.

    ETA Oh. Did I ever say, “It’s not a cult!.”

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