Make America Glower Again! A Mugshot For The Ages

Posted on by David Kurtz

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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There May Be A Few Fewer People For Vivek To Shout Over Next Month

Posted on by Nicole LaFond

We’re still going to have to stomach Vivek Ramaswamy’s slickly delivered anti-trans hate, Nikki Haley’s nauseating appeals to her bonafides and Mike Pence’s haircut during the next GOP primary debate in a month, but a couple of the candidates on stage last night may not qualify for the second Fox News ratings boost event of the season.

Continue reading “There May Be A Few Fewer People For Vivek To Shout Over Next Month” →

Trump And Chesebro Engage In Early Jockeying Over Georgia Trial Date

Posted on by Josh Kovensky

Attorney Ken Chesebro prevailed on Thursday in a request to have his trial on racketeering charges in Georgia start as early as possible.

Score one for the cheese – or perhaps be careful what you wish for.

Continue reading “Trump And Chesebro Engage In Early Jockeying Over Georgia Trial Date” →

Fani Willis Hit With Jim Jordan’s Post-Trump Indictment Noise Routine

Posted on by Emine Yücel

Even during Congress’ August recess, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Republicans are using their slim majority to defend former President Donald Trump amid his mounting legal troubles by trying to publicly poke holes in prosecutors’ credibility.

Continue reading “Fani Willis Hit With Jim Jordan’s Post-Trump Indictment Noise Routine” →

Pence’s Attempt To Moderate On Abortion Magnifies How The GOP Is Spiraling 

Posted on by Kate Riga

“After I gave my life to Jesus Christ as my lord and savior I opened up the book and I read ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. And see I set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life,’” Mike Pence intoned from the debate stage Wednesday. “I knew from that moment on the cause of life had to be my cause.”

Continue reading “Pence’s Attempt To Moderate On Abortion Magnifies How The GOP Is Spiraling “ →

Abortion Pill Manufacturer Gets Split Decision In Attempt To Bat Down West Virginia Ban

Posted on by Kate Riga

Historically, anti-abortion litigants have often been the ones to try out novel legal arguments to further the movement and make the procedure more difficult to obtain. 

In West Virginia, the roles were reversed. GenBioPro, the maker of generic mifepristone, sued in January under the Supremacy and Commerce Clauses, arguing that the state’s near-total abortion ban was preempted by the Food and Drug Administration’s increasingly lenient restrictions around mifepristone. 

Continue reading “Abortion Pill Manufacturer Gets Split Decision In Attempt To Bat Down West Virginia Ban” →

Listen To This: The United States v. Ramaswamy

Posted on by Jackie Wilhelm

(Note: This video is for our main weekly episode, The Kids’ Table, our bonus post debate coverage is linked blow.)

Josh and Kate break down the first Republican debate of the 2024 cycle on this bonus mini pod episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast.

You can listen to the new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast here.

Plus The Kids’ Table!

Josh and Kate preview the first Republican debate of 2024.

Morning After Reax and Ramaswamy as Likely Veeper

Posted on by Josh Marshall

The Miami Herald’s headline this morning had it that the state’s governor “fights for attention” in the first GOP presidential debate. Instapolls and betting markets says it was a big win for Vivek Ramaswamy who as I put it last night “comes off as a cocky little shit” and thus will “probably be rising in the polls.” For a good rundown of what happened you can listen to Kate Riga and my overnight insta-pod, in which we provided our initial reactions.

Continue reading “Morning After Reax and Ramaswamy as Likely Veeper” →

The Most Unsettling Presidential Debate Spectacle Ever

Posted on by David Kurtz

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

What WAS That?

When one of America’s two major political parties has become a cult of personality, its leading contender for the presidency an authoritarian-wannabe under four criminal indictments, its base a blood-thirsty mob rising to the promise of incipient political violence, it surpasses understanding how the hackneyed tools of campaign debate coverage have any bearing or utility (to the extent they ever did).

But that’s only one level on which the first GOP presidential debate of this cycle was operating.

What about sponsor/host/organizer Fox News, a propaganda outfit that four months ago agreed to pay out more than three-quarters of billion dollars to settle one aspect of its false claims about the last election? It coddled Donald Trump for years, it lost its viewer base to him and to the farther-right news outlets he stokes, and it begged him to participate in its faux civic event. This made-for-TV spectacle wasn’t about civic virtue or democratic engagement. It was about giving Fox News a chance to bolster its business model as a right-wing populist carnival barker appealing to the grievances, grudges, and hatreds of older white non-urban Americans. The debate moderators framed up question after question around the same dark vision of a nation in decline that animated Trump’s American Carnage inaugural address.

And yet that only begins to cover it.

The most generous analysis — the kind you might hope to see in mainstream media coverage — would focus on a Republican Party in disarray on a level conservatives have long falsely accused Democrats of but which no party has exhibited to this degree since before WWII. By comparison, the Democrats of 1968 look like they were cast for that iconic Coke commercial of the era. The Republican field sans Trump couldn’t agree on Trump, the Constitution, Jan. 6, Ukraine, climate change, or — unbelievably — abortion. Kumbaya.

And yet that still doesn’t fully capture the dysfunction and self-delusion that the GOP exhibited last night. It’s not riven by factionalism or dueling power bases vying for supremacy. Chris Christie, Asa Hutchison, and Doug Burgum represent no one and had no place being on the debate stage. Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Tim Scott represent the last vestiges of the former GOP, and their anemic response to Trump even now exemplifies how the Republican Party got itself into this mess to begin with. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy are explicit about wanting to be the next Trump and are soulless enough to pull it off but lack his skills and appeal. Ramaswamy was particularly horrifying to watch, a know-nothing who will say anything and do so convincingly.

If this debate had an iconic moment it was the halting raising of hands captured in the photo above when the candidates were asked if they would support Trump as GOP nominee even if he were a convicted felon by then. All but Christie and Hutchison were down for Trump 2.0.

No winners in this debate. Just losers.

Trump To Be Arrested And Booked Today

As if to reinforce the bizarro spectacle of a Trump-less GOP primary debate, the former president is expected to surrender to authorities in Atlanta Thursday night, apparently deciding to make it a primetime spectacle all his own.

Federal Judge Shoots Down Meadows And Clark

A federal judge in Georgia declined to intervene and block the arrests and bookings of Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Trump DOJ official Jeff Clark. The two men have until noon Friday to surrender.

Perhaps the most convincing argument by District Attorney Fani Willis in opposing the Meadows and Clark bids to avoid the indignity of surrendering was that the former president was submitting himself to arrest, i.e., what makes them such special snowflakes?

The emergency briefing schedule and quick decision by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones came ahead of a highly anticipated hearing Monday on Meadows’ motion to remove the case from state to federal court.

Fani Willis Looks Ready To Go

The flurry of filings over the last 24 hours have shown one thing: Atlanta DA Fani Willis ain’t playing.

The filings have been crisp and solid, despite short turnaround times, tight deadlines, and complicated legal issues. It looks like her office has been preparing for some time.

The jury is still out on whether a local prosecutor’s office is up to this monumental task, so I was curious to see whether the quality of the lawyering would fit the moment. So far so good.

But be aware that a local DA, even in a major city, doesn’t regularly deal with the range of issues — constitutional, political, procedural — at play in this case. It’s why Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case(s) remains the main show in town. DOJ has the resources, the experience, the deep bench, and the support structure to facilitate a case of this magnitude. But don’t sleep on Willis.

I Love Me Some Hatch Act

The big Fani Willis filing yesterday came in response to Mark Meadows’ attempt to remove the case to federal court.

I don’t know if her argument will ultimately carry the day, but it was notable for its elegance and simplicity. In short, Willis raked Meadows over the coals for his now-forgotten persistent violations of the Hatch Act while White House chief of staff, as best evidenced by a barely-noticed 2021 report of the Office of Special Counsel, a little-known DC entity charged with Hatch Act compliance.

Willis lowered the boom on Meadows with this killer quote from the OSC report:

From OSC’s perspective, the administration’s attitude toward Hatch Act compliance was succinctly captured by then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who said during an interview that “nobody outside of the Beltway really cares” about Trump administration officials violating the Hatch Act.

Willis’ argument is that all of Meadows’ conspiring to overturn the election was political activity, which federal officials are barred by the Hatch Act from engaging in, and therefore none of his alleged criminal conduct was within the scope of his federal office. It’s a tidy argument for deconstructing Meadows’ claim that everything he did was within the scope of being White House chief of staff, a key element for him to win on removal.

Willis Is Calling Witnesses For Monday

The big hearing in Georgia on Monday over whether Mark Meadows can remove the case to federal court won’t be only a legal argument. There are factual issues at play, and it’s anticipated that both sides will present evidence.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he expects to be subpoenaed by Willis for the hearing. Willis had already subpoenaed Trump-aligned attorneys Alex Kaufman and Kurt Hilbert for the hearing.

Former U.S. Attorney Booked In Atlanta

The Cheese

Kenneth Chesebro, I should note, is asking for a speedy trial under Georgia law, an interesting tactic to try to force Willis’ hand early but with other potential strategic implications. More as it unfolds.

Released: The Kraken

Hate To See It

Georgia Defendant Allegedly Assaulted FBI Agent

WaPo has a scoop on the not-previously-reported arrest of Georgia racketeering defendant Harrison William Prescott Floyd III for allegedly assaulting a FBI agent who was trying to serve him with a grand jury subpoena in Maryland earlier this year.

Floyd figured prominently in our recent story on one of the more bizarre episodes charged in the Georgia indictment.

Down Goes Prigozhin

TPM’s Josh Kovensky on the mysterious crash in Russia of a private plane reportedly carrying Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Price We All Pay For The GOP Losing Its Mind

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Debate Reaction

Posted on by Josh Marshall

Kate Riga and I just recorded a quick debate recap insta-pod which should be showing up in your feed a bit later in the evening if you’re a Josh Marshall Podcast subscriber. If not, we’ll post it here on the site too. Our first impressions were pretty similar: surprisingly strong showing by Mike Pence. We debated today on the regular episode whether Hutchinson or Christie would be the one who brought the fight to Trump. Pence was also possible but he simply didn’t seem to have it in him. But as it turned out, it was Pence who took up that challenge and he managed to wrestle applause from the audience for doing it. There’s a strong element of “not that it matters.” But in the context of this debate, it was Pence.

Continue reading “Debate Reaction” →