In another sign that an indictment for Trump may be on its way, Stormy Daniels’ lawyer announced on Twitter today that his client met with Manhattan prosecutors and answered questions.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: Stormy Daniels Meets With Manhattan Prosecutors”No Shame From Those Who Pushed To Loosen Rules On SVB
One of the main questions to emerge after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank doesn’t have to do with the lender itself, but with Congress.
Continue reading “No Shame From Those Who Pushed To Loosen Rules On SVB”A Quick Look at the Lying Trumpist Liars Behind that Database on Corporate Giving to “BLM”
According to stories bursting across the right-wing mediasphere today, a key reason for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was its focus on spreading “woke culture” rather than efficiently managing risk and profits. Ground zero for this is the allegation that SVB had donated over $73 million to the “BLM Movement & Related Causes.” That struck me as quite a lot of money for a single company, even a large and profitable one, to give to any cause or even all causes. So I tried to find out where this factoid came from and rapidly found my way to a Trumpist think tank. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s a complete lie. I want to show you the receipts, but first some key details.
The claims come from a database posted earlier this week by the Center for the American Way of Life, a project of the Claremont Institute. As Claremont put it in a Newsweek article introducing the database, “Americans deserve to know who funded the BLM riots.”
Continue reading “A Quick Look at the Lying Trumpist Liars Behind that Database on Corporate Giving to “BLM””Bannon Associate Guo Nabbed Over Alleged $1 Billion Fraud Conspiracy
A Chinese billionaire closely tied to Stephen K. Bannon was arrested on Wednesday morning on federal fraud and money laundering charges, Manhattan federal prosecutors said.
Continue reading “Bannon Associate Guo Nabbed Over Alleged $1 Billion Fraud Conspiracy”Trump Super PAC Files Ethics Complaint Against DeSantis Daring Him To Announce 2024 Bid
Former President Donald Trump’s allies are escalating their attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is expected to announce a 2024 presidential bid soon becoming possibly the biggest roadblock in Trump’s third run for office.
Trump Super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. filed a 15-page complaint on Wednesday with the Florida Commission on Ethics, accusing DeSantis of violating state ethics and election laws with his “shadow presidential campaign,” according to a MAGA Inc. spokesperson.
Continue reading “Trump Super PAC Files Ethics Complaint Against DeSantis Daring Him To Announce 2024 Bid”The Guys Behind The Pro-DeSantis Media Circuit In Florida Have Far-Right Resumes
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) likes to make a big show of his hostility towards the mainstream press. He most recently made that clear at a February roundtable when, between a panel of libel lawyers and critics, he complained about journalists advancing “narratives” designed to “attack” him and denounced the landmark 1964 Supreme Court decision New York Times v. Sullivan for enabling the media to “find a way to smear you.” A month later, the Republican-led state legislature introduced a bill seeking to roll back press freedoms seemingly based on his complaints.
Continue reading “The Guys Behind The Pro-DeSantis Media Circuit In Florida Have Far-Right Resumes”Four Big Questions Framing The SVB Blowup
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last week sent the financial world into turmoil, and has started to bleed into politics.
Continue reading “Four Big Questions Framing The SVB Blowup”KEEP AN EYE ON BORIS EPSHTEYN
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
What A Fantastic Situation For Trump
The fact that the person ostensibly coordinating all of the lawyers defending Donald Trump across multiple investigations has himself had his phone seized by the FBI remains almost unbelievable to me.
The NYT keeps shining a bright line on Boris Epshteyn’s complicated role in Trumpland:
Mr. Epshteyn speaks with Mr. Trump several times a day and makes it known that he does so, according to interviews with Trump associates and other Republicans. He has recommended, helped hire and negotiated pay for several lawyers working for Mr. Trump on civil litigation and the federal and local criminal investigations swirling around him.
The – shall we say “complicated”? – background of Epshteyn is unlike that of any other aide to a former president in recent memory:
A cryptocurrency with which he is involved has drawn scrutiny from federal prosecutors. And he has twice been arrested over personal altercations, leading in one case to an agreement to attend anger management classes and in another to a guilty plea for disorderly conduct.
For our purposes, it was the FBI’s seizure of Epshteyn’s phone back in September as part of the Jan. 6 investigation that makes him of most immediate interest. This is a fascinating bit of reporting:
After the search last summer of Mar-a-Lago by F.B.I. agents looking for classified documents still in Mr. Trump’s possession, Mr. Epshteyn retroactively changed his agreement with the political action committee. The agreement, which had been primarily for communications strategy, was updated to include legal work, and to say it covered legal work since the spring of last year, a campaign official said. His monthly retainer doubled to $30,000.
But he dropped a separate effort to have Mr. Trump sign a letter retroactively designating him as a lawyer for Mr. Trump personally, dating to March of last year, soon after Mr. Trump’s post-presidency handling of classified documents became an issue. The letter specifically stated that their communications would be covered by attorney-client privilege, multiple people familiar with the request said.
The internal backbiting in Trumpland over Epshteyn role is of less immediate interest. That being said, Steve Bannon had some touching words about him: “Boris is a pair of heavy hands — he’s not Louis Brandeis.”
All Quiet On The Hush Money Front
Trump fixer Michael Cohen expected to testify to a Manhattan grand jury for a second day Wednesday, but little news emerged about the Stormy Daniels hush money investigation.
I’ll pass along this one bit of speculation on the timing of any indictment, but I’d caution that no one outside of Alvin Bragg’s office really knows.
Banner Day For College Newspaper
The Daily Princetonian: Princeton senior arrested in connection with Jan. 6 Capitol riot
Here We Go Again With Trump And Russia
Federal prosecutors in New York involved in the criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s social media company last year started examining whether it violated money laundering statutes in connection with the acceptance of $8m with suspected Russian ties, according to sources familiar with the matter. …
First At TPM!
Kate Riga was the first to publish the transcript of the court hearing last week where U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk tried to keep secret from the public today’s scheduled hearing in the big abortion bill case.
Naked Power Grab
The North Carolina Supreme Court is covering itself in no glory.
WHOA?
In the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, conservative Daniel Kelly has been outspent on TV $9.1 million to $0 by liberal Janet Protasiewicz since the primary election on Feb. 21.
Must Read
The Daily Beast: Matt Gaetz’s New Staffer Identifies as a ‘Raging Misogynist’
George Santos Files For Re-Election
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) took an early procedural step in running for re-election to the House, prompting one member of the New York delegation to immediately endorse whoever runs against Santos in the GOP primary.
Fetterman Could Leave Hospital In Next Couple Of Weeks
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) continues to get in-patient treatment at Walter Reed for depression.
Long Time Coming
Michigan is poised to be the first state in nearly 60 years to repeal it’s “right to work” law.
What Would Reagan Do?
Too bad there’s nothing in the historical record that answers the question of what Reagan would do.
DOJ And SEC Are Investigating SVB Collapse
No surprise that investigators will examine the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
Some reporting suggests the feds will also look at the sales of SVB stock by bank executives before the collapse.
Banking Crisis Eases A Bit
Regional bank stocks stopped their plunge Tuesday, and the wobbliness in the financial sector eased a bit after a wild few days:
- WSJ: Fed to Consider Tougher Rules for Midsize Banks After SVB, Signature Failures
- NYT: Inside the Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank
- WSJ: Real-Estate Investor Run on Signature Bank Helped Fuel Its Demise
- CNBC: SVB’s failure will have a ripple effect across technology ‘for years to come’
Some signs of a volatile day ahead in bank stocks, but fears of a broader contagion have abated somewhat since the weekend.
‘This Is Going To Be One Of Those Moments That Goes Viral’
Conservative author of book on “wokeness” pauses in freefall like Wile E. Coyote:
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Where Things Stand: Far-Right Sheriff And Trump Supporting Cowboy David Clarke May Run For Senate
The longtime TPM character, far-right sheriff who was banned from Fox News, Trump supporter and self-described cowboy David Clarke may soon make his way back into national news relevance.
Sigh.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: Far-Right Sheriff And Trump Supporting Cowboy David Clarke May Run For Senate”D’Esposito Warns New York GOP Won’t Support Santos If He Makes ‘Foolish Decision To Run And Lose In 2024’
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) said on Tuesday he would stand with Rep. George Santos’ (R-NY) challenger if the embattled congressman decides to run for Congress again in 2024.
Continue reading “D’Esposito Warns New York GOP Won’t Support Santos If He Makes ‘Foolish Decision To Run And Lose In 2024’”