We have a new development in the case of the Zieglers, the power couple from the Superfreak faction of the Florida GOP. Initial reports noted that Christian Ziegler claimed he had videotaped the sexual encounter which his unnamed accuser later alleged was rape. He said he taped it; deleted it; then finally uploaded it to Google Drive. A kind of odd chain of events. But that was his story. The first reports said police hadn’t been able to find it.
A man who has filed to run in 2024 for the seat held, up until last Friday, by ex-Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was found guilty of crimes related to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol this week.
If you’ve been watching Donald Trump since he left the White House, there’s nothing new under the sun. Over the course of his presidency Trump was consistently horrible. But he got more experience in how to make good on his desires and impulses over the course of his presidency. That culminated in the events of January 6th 2021. The progression has continued out of office with every new addition of legal peril stoking a more adamant demand for revenge. Unlike in his first term, there are now a stable of Trump organizations and think tanks preparing not so much to put his plans into effect as to devise plans and policies that map on to his inchoate impulses and targets for retribution. What was latent in his rhetoric and threats is now explicit. Staid MSM publications have now dared to use the F-word — “fascist” — to describe his rhetoric.
In the remembrances of Henry Kissinger, much has been made of his deviousness. I discovered evidence of this quality of his when I was researching a biography of William F. Buckley, Jr. I discovered in Buckley’s papers at Yale a note Buckley had sent Kissinger, who was Gerald Ford’s Secretary of State, on May 18, 1976, the day of the Republican primary between Ford and Ronald Reagan. Buckley was responding in his note to advice to Reagan that Kissinger seems to have offered in a telephone call between Buckley and Kissinger:
This behind the scenes account of the pivotal 2020 Iowa caucus is adapted from one chapter of the new book The Truce: Progressives, Centrists and the Future of the Democratic Party, by Hunter Walker and Luppe B. Luppen. The book is based on over two years of reporting and interviews with key figures at every level of progressive politics to bring you a definitive history of a half-decade of upheaval in the Democratic Party along with unparalleled insights into what’s coming next for Joe Biden and the left. The Truce is available for pre-order now and will be released on January 23, 2024.
When the night of the Iowa caucus arrived, Bernie Sanders had every reason to expect good news. He was set to win.
The Republican-majority Georgia legislature passed a final congressional map Thursday, ignoring — or at least, challenging — a federal judge’s warnings in order to maintain their cushy 9-5 House seat split with Democrats.
Tom Edwards, a member of the Sarasota County School Board, has called on fellow board member Bridget Ziegler to resign. There have already been a flood of calls for Ziegler’s husband Christian to resign as chairman of the state Republican party. But Christian Ziegler is the focus of a criminal investigation into whether he raped an as yet unnamed woman. Bridget Ziegler has not been accused of any crime. Her role in the scandal engulfing the couple is tied to her being an anti-gay, anti-trans crusader who had sex at least once with another woman, in a threesome with her husband. So hypocrisy, basically.
The number of Israeli military fatalities has been relatively low since October 7th. But just moments ago the IDF announced that Gal Eizenkot, son of war cabinet member Gadi Eizenkot, was killed today in Gaza. The elder Eizenkot is a former IDF Chief of Staff and the second ranking member of the opposition National Unity party headed by Benny Gantz, another former Chief of Staff. National Unity entered the current Israeli coalition government days after October 7th. And both Gantz and Eizenkot are members of the small war cabinet which is directing the war.
A flurry of developments yesterday in the various efforts to break the glass before Donald Trump is elected to a second term.
No one defining event. No breakthrough moment. No real satisfaction yet. But a steady drumbeat of serious efforts undertaken in good faith and making incremental progress.
Colorado Supreme Court Considers DQing Trump
It was remarkable to hear for the second time in as many months a state Supreme Court considering whether to bar Trump from the ballot under the Disqualification Clause for having committed insurrection against the United States.
In contrast to last month’s case in Minnesota, where Trump has won for now, the Colorado high court’s oral arguments yesterday seemed better developed, more on point, and truly grappling with the historic and legal significance of the moment. The lawyers on both sides, including the former Colorado secretary of state defending Trump, were quite capable and effective advocates.
Still, the court offered few clues as to how it would rule in the case.
Fake Electors Indicted In Nevada
The Nevada attorney general obtained indictments of six fake Trump electors in the 2020 election subversion scheme. Among the accused is current Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald. Each of the six defendants faces two felony counts apiece.
This case emerged only recently, even though we’re nearly three years past Jan. 6. The Georgia RICO case and other recent legal developments seem to have sparked renewed interest, primarily among Democratic attorneys general, in the fake electors schemes in their states.
Fake Electors In Wisconsin Settle Civil Suit
The 10 Trump fake electors in Wisconsin have settled the claims against them in an unusual civil case by admitting that Trump lost, withdrawing the elector certificates they submitted, and agreeing not to serve as electors in 2024.
Former Trump lawyers Ken Chesebro and Jim Troupis are also defendants in the case. They did not settle the claims against them, and the case will continue.
A Taste Of What’s To Come
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained some of the names of the nearly 200 people reportedly on District Attorney Fani Willis’ witness list for the RICO trial of Donald Trump and his codefendants. No major surprises, but among the standouts:
Mike Pence
Bill Barr
Jeffrey Rosen
Richard Donoghue
Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA)
Steve Bannon
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
The usual caveats: Willis may not end up calling everyone on the list, and the working list could continue to change up to and during trial.
Tepid Headline Of The Day
Boston Globe: “Legal experts express concern over Trump’s comments about not being a dictator except for ‘day one'”
Senate Republicans Block Ukraine Aid
It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Congress will approve new aid for Ukraine before its holiday recess.
Garland Plans To Use Dormant War Crimes Statute
This was probably the biggest news of the day: Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the first ever prosecution under a nearly 30-year-old war crimes statute.
The prosecution of four Russian soldiers for alleged war crimes against an American in Ukraine may presage other war crimes prosecutions arising from the Russian invasion, Garland said.
Garland also acknowledged that DOJ is investigating the murders of Americans by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack and may bring charges under the war crimes statute or anti-terrorism laws.
For a deeper dive on the historic significance of DOJ’s move, LawFare has you covered.
Goodbye, Kev!
I’m surprised Kevin McCarthy stuck around this long.
Humiliated, emasculated, and deposed by his own conference, the ousted speaker hung around for a few more weeks before deciding to pack it in.
His departure before the end of his term narrows the already-thin GOP majority further.
Good riddance, says Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD):
Raskin on McCarthy leaving Congress: Good riddance to him. He did nothing for his country or his constitution at its moment of crisis pic.twitter.com/O5X6tBUtWZ
A censure vote could come as soon as today for Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) for the fire-alarm-pulling incident in which he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
There Was A GOP Debate Last Night
Did you miss much? No. Are these debates mere window-dressing on Trump winning the GOP nomination by acclamation? Yes.
Kate Riga: Haley Main Target At Last Scheduled Republican Debate
A sweeping new scientific report, with contributions from more than 200 researchers, finds that continued warming could trigger not only the collapse of the Greenland ice sheet but a wide variety of tipping points in the Earth’s climate system. Once crossed, those thresholds would have unstoppable consequences.
Norman Lear, 1922-2023
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 27 : Producer Norman Lear at home, February 27, 1984 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
An enormous influence on American culture, a prodigious activist for liberal causes, and a seemingly permanent fixture in American public life, Norman Lear has died at the age of 101.
My former colleague Tierney Sneed interviewed Lear back in 2015, and he was still trolling Richard Nixon all those year later: “Why Norman Lear Thinks Nixon Was So Scandalized By ‘All In The Family.’”
