Donald Trump entered a plea of not guilty via a court filing on Thursday to state-level charges brought in Fulton County accusing him of orchestrating a sweeping “criminal enterprise” to reverse his loss in the 2020 election.
Continue reading “Trump Pleads Not Guilty In Fulton County Election Theft Case”Trump Said He Was Too Busy Saving Millions From ‘Nuclear Holocaust’ To Commit Fraud
Donald Trump said he was too busy doing “the most important job in the world” and “saving millions of lives” from “nuclear holocaust” to commit fraud, according to a newly released transcript from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into the former president and his business.
Continue reading “Trump Said He Was Too Busy Saving Millions From ‘Nuclear Holocaust’ To Commit Fraud”Clarence Thomas: Jet-Setting Was Forced On Me By The Dobbs Leak
Justice Clarence Thomas’ financial disclosure form was released Thursday, listing three 2022 trips on billionaire Harlan Crow’s private plane and details of Crow’s 2014 purchase of his mother’s house.
Continue reading “Clarence Thomas: Jet-Setting Was Forced On Me By The Dobbs Leak”A Tempest in a Teapot in a Far, Far Away Place
This morning Axios leads with an “Exclusive”: “Donors fret over Scott’s single status.” As they look for the best challenger to the supremacy of Donald Trump, top GOP donors have been skittish about ponying up big money for South Carolina Senator Tim Scott because the 57 year old South Carolina Senator is unmarried. Back in May Scott told an on-stage interviewer he had a girlfriend but didn’t name her. The story says that the Scott campaign’s discussion of the issue has been “vague” while making clear that, at least according to one source, even if many donors have concerns it’s definitely not a majority of them.
This is simply an odd story on many levels. It feels a tad archaic to put it mildly. As Scott himself put during that May interview with Axios, “it sounds like we’re living in 1963 and not 2023.”
The Scott campaign says it will be addressing the issue in the coming weeks.
Continue reading “A Tempest in a Teapot in a Far, Far Away Place”Trump Wants You To Know Exactly How Much Is At Stake In This Election
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
A Quick Check In With Trump
In recent days, despite being a criminal defendant in four different jurisdictions and at risk of violating the terms of his pre-trial release, the out-of-control former president has continued to launch screeds against prosecutors, judges, witnesses, the FBI, DOJ, and the justice system broadly.
It looks like a meltdown, decompensation, a psychic wound on public display.
But most importantly, it’s a promise of what’s to come if he’s re-elected. He’s telling us, once again, exactly what he will do. He has famously called it his “retribution.” And it’s reflected in the language he is still using: “an eye for an eye” and “fight fire with fire.”
He’s assuring us now that he’ll weaponize the Justice Department, arrest and jail his opponents, and bring to bear the full power of the office of the presidency to inflict punishment on his foes.
He’s not saying it explicitly, but the implication is clear: He’ll also use the office to the greatest extent possible get himself out of the criminal jam he is in.
Don’t trust me, though. Just watch this sampling because, ummm, yeah, dude is not okay:
Pretty Much This
Rudy Loses Badly
Rudy Giuliani’s comedown continues, with a devastating default judgment entered against him in the defamation suit brought by Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell’s decision to sanction Giuliani for his failure to comply with his discovery obligations to the two Georgia women leaves only the question of how much he must pay them for a jury to decide. The sanction included finding him liable for the defamation and for punitive damages.
Howell kept the pressure on Giuliani to cough up the discovery he owes them by giving him a final deadline to comply. If he still refuses to comply, she will instruct the jury that it must construe his inaction against him. But if he complies, she’ll give the jury the option of construing it against him. A subtle difference between bad and worse.
The Next Phase In Georgia RICO Case Begins
Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell have separately filed motions to sever each of their prosecutions from the rest of the 19-defendant-strong RICO case brought by Fani Willis in Georgia.
Everything Is Totally Normal In Georgia
This is Georgia state Sen. Colton Moore (R):
Navarro Can No Longer Avoid Trial
Former Trump White House official and all-around goof Peter Navarro lost his bid to delay his contempt of Congress trial when U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that former President Trump had not invoked executive privilege on Navarro’s behalf.
Navarro, who rebuffed a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee, is set to stand trial beginning next week.
A classic moment outside the courthouse after Navarro’s setback:
Fuck Around And Find Out
Keep calling the judge a “kangaroo court” and a “Nazi court” and you might find yourself jailed for criminal contempt, as one Jan. 6 defendant did.
Brandon Fellows will serve five months in prison for contempt of court after completion of his trial, in addition to whatever sentence imposed on him if he’s convicted. There’s some irony that Fellows ran afoul of U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee who has generally been more lenient on Jan. 6 defendants.
Proud Boys Sentencing
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly was ill yesterday, postponing the sentencing of top Proud Boys for the their seditious conspiracy convictions. Sentencing will resume today, but the most closely watched defendant, Enrique Tarrio, now won’t be sentenced until next week.
Don’t Forget About This One
In October, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil suit against Donald Trump and three of his adult children for their allegedly fraudulent running of the Trump Org is set to go to trial. A new found of filings sets the stage for some key pre-trial rulings:
- NYT: Trump Asks to Dismiss Suit as A.G. Says He Inflated Worth by $2.2 Billion
- CNN: New York AG’s office alleges Trump inflated his net worth by as much as $2.2 billion in 1 year
Mitch McConnell Has Another Episode
Another disturbing frozen-in-public moment for the 81-year-old Senate minority leader:
Meet Kitara Ravache
The WaPo dives into Rep. George Santos’ past life as a drag queen in Brazil.
2024 Ephemera
- WSJ: Losing 2022 GOP Senate nominee Blake Masters (AZ) is set to run for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat next year, setting up a potential primary race against failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
- Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R_MI) is expected to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Anyone See A Pattern?
Another day, another Republican arrested for voter fraud.
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
Last month, the WSJ first reported that some on Tesla’s board were concerned company resources were being used on secret project to build Elon Musk a glass house near Austin. Now federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the SEC are investigating, the WSJ reports exclusively.
Dude!
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McCarthy Dangles Hunter Biden Probes In Front Of Hardliners Risking Shutdown
Members of the House Freedom Caucus endangered House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) plan to avert a shutdown before the House even returned from August recess. Now the House speaker is going to comedically desperate lengths to urge them away from mucking up the appropriations process upon return.
Continue reading “McCarthy Dangles Hunter Biden Probes In Front Of Hardliners Risking Shutdown”‘Nazi Court’: Jan. 6 Rioter Snaps At Judge After Being Held In Contempt
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden held a Jan. 6 rioter in criminal contempt for his conduct during trial after he criticized the judge and the court system during a Tuesday hearing.
Continue reading “‘Nazi Court’: Jan. 6 Rioter Snaps At Judge After Being Held In Contempt”Are We On The Wrong Track?
This morning while reading your emails I got this question from TPM Reader EG: “How has your experience of politics in this country over the last six years changed your understanding of this country? Do you sense a secular before and after that we are transitioning to?”
That’s a very big question and I don’t know what my answer is. But I do have a few observations to share, which maybe are part of an evolving answer.
First a few preliminaries.
Implicit in this question, I think, is one of national decline. Basically, are we moving into a new reality in which things are getting worse, in which the American democratic order is under permanent threat or even on the way out. I don’t think everyone’s a pessimist. But it’s hard for me to imagine many people asking this particular question in the present national context and meaning, “Don’t we seem to be entering a new age in which everything or most things will be more awesome than they were previously?”
Continue reading “Are We On The Wrong Track?”Judge Rules Giuliani Is Liable For Defaming Georgia Election Workers
This post has been updated to clarify the punitive damages issue.
A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani – who has been delaying trial by refusing to turn in discovery — forfeits the defamation lawsuit that was brought against him by two Georgia election workers who alleged he spread conspiracy theories about them.
Continue reading “Judge Rules Giuliani Is Liable For Defaming Georgia Election Workers”Judge: Navarro Failed To Prove Trump Invoked Executive Privilege Over His Jan. 6 Testimony
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta shot down former top Trump White House economic adviser Peter Navarro’s argument that Donald Trump asserted executive privilege over testimony Navarro was subpoenaed to give to the Jan. 6 House select committee in winter 2022.
Continue reading “Judge: Navarro Failed To Prove Trump Invoked Executive Privilege Over His Jan. 6 Testimony”