DOJ Charges Iranian Operative With Plot To Murder Ex-Trump Adviser John Bolton

The Justice Department on Wednesday charged a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, alleging that he attempted to arrange the murder of former Trump national security adviser John Bolton in 2020.

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Vos Trashes Election ‘Investigation’ He Started After Trump Stabs Him In Back

After barely surviving a primary challenge from a no-name, Trump-endorsed opponent, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) trashed the partisan 2020 election investigation for which he’s authorized more than $1 million. 

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MTG Demands To Speak To The Manager After FBI Seizes Rep. Perry’s Phone

Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) decided to take matters into her own hands late Tuesday night after the FBI seized fellow MAGA loyalist Rep. Scott Perry’s (R-PA) cell phone earlier in the day.

Greene apparently did this by attempting to contact the FBI directly by calling Perry’s number to demand answers — which didn’t work for some reason.

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Georgia Judge Tells Giuliani: Take A Train, Bus Or Uber, But Just Get Here Already

A judge in Fulton County, Georgia on Tuesday rejected Rudy Giuliani’s attempt to skirt in-person testimony before a special grand jury, ordering him to travel by any other means to Atlanta.

Giuliani had previously argued that a recent medical procedure bars him from flying.

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Senate Map Expanding

I’m not saying I expect to see a new Democratic senator from North Carolina. But the Democrats’ Senate map is expanding. There have been four polls of the North Carolina Senate race since mid-June (Budd v. Beasley), three of them GOP-funded. Their margins for Democrat Cheri Beasley have been, in order, Beasley -5, Beasley -3, Beasley +2, Beasley +4. That’s a pretty nice trend for Beasley.

North Carolina has been a heartbreaker for Democrats in recent cycles. I’m not predicting a Democratic pick up. But this is clearly a competitive race. At a minimum Republicans are going to have to fight to hold that seat.

Nota Bene: 8.10.22

* Judge tells Rudy Giuliani no dice (sub. req.). He must appear before a Fulton County grand jury next week (Aug. 17th) unless he can provide a better explanation from a doctor about why it is medically impossible for him to do so.

* The Kremlin is paying millions to a notorious American conspiracy theorist, Ben Swann, to create a series of news style TV shows aimed at blackening America’s image around the world. Here’s the FARA filing.

Trump Refuses To Answer NY AG’s Questions, Invokes 5th Amendment

Ex-President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday morning that he pleaded the Fifth Amendment during his scheduled deposition with New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) in her civil probe into the Trump Organization earlier that day.

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Trump To Finally Sit For Deposition In NY Attorney General Investigation

Ex-President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday night that he was set to testify the next day in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) civil investigation into the Trump Organization.

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Trump Lawyer: FBI Planted Evidence At MAL! But Also There’s Nothing Incriminating At MAL!

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.

A+ Lawyerings

To hear Alina Habba, one of Trump’s defense lawyers, explain it: The FBI probably planted incriminating evidence when agents raided the ex-president’s Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday, but also the raid was a wild goose chase and Trump doesn’t have anything incriminating at Mar-a-Lago.

  • “Quite honestly, I’m concerned that they may have planted something,” Habba told Fox News on Tuesday night. “At this point, who knows?”
  • Christina Bobb, another Trump defense lawyer and former OAN host (RIP), on the other hand, doesn’t “necessarily think that they would even go to the extent of” planting anything because “they just make stuff up and come up with whatever they want,” even though “[t]here’s just nothing there.”

Election Steal Rep Says FBI Seized Phone

Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), a key crony in Trump’s efforts to use the Justice Department to steal the 2020 election, told Fox News on Tuesday that the FBI seized his phone earlier that day while he was traveling with his family.

Following Yesterday’s Madness After Trump Raid

Check out our liveblog of the fallout yesterday of the FBI’s raid at Mar-A-Lago on Monday.

Food For Thought

Trump To Be Deposed By NY AG

Trump will be sitting for a deposition today in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) civil investigation into the Trump Organization, the ex-president announced late last night on his fake Twitter app, TRUTH Social.

  • Trump, clearly still reeling from the FBI raid on Mar-A-Lago, whined in his announcement that he was being “attacked from all sides.”
  • Trump’s eldest kids, Ivanka and Don Jr., have already given their testimonies in James’ probe recently.
  • The depositions were delayed after the ex-president’s first wife, Ivana Trump, died last month.

Pompeo Testifies In Front Of Jan. 6 Panel

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified in front of the House Jan. 6 Committee on Tuesday, per CNN, ABC News and the New York Times.

  • The reported focus of Pompeo’s interview: The ex-Trump official’s alleged discussion with then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about potentially invoking the 25th Amendment to oust Trump after the Capitol attack.

Mastriano Storms Out Of Jan. 6 Panel Testimony Within Minutes

Pennsylvania’s GOP gubernatorial nominee and Big Lie devotee Doug Mastriano spent less than 15 minutes talking to the House Jan. 6 Committee during his scheduled virtual hearing on Tuesday before cutting off the session, his lawyer confirmed.

  • Mastriano and his lawyer had insisted that they be allowed to record the session, something the panel obviously didn’t agree to.
  • Mastriano didn’t answer a single question, a source told CNN.

Must Reads

“This Is the Data Facebook Gave Police to Prosecute a Teenager for Abortion” – Vice

“How Wall Street wooed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and preserved its multi-billion dollar carried interest tax break” – CNBC

“Albuquerque Welcomed Muslims. Then Four of Them Were Killed.” – The New York Times

Pro-Impeachment GOPer Concedes In Primary

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6 attack, conceded in her primary to Trump-backed rival Joe Kent on Tuesday.

  • The overall survival/fatalities of pro-impeachment Republicans in last week’s primary stand at:
    • One win: Herrera Beutler’s fellow Washington Republican, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA)
    • Two defeats: Herrera Beutler and Rep. ​​Peter Meijer (R-MI)
  • Kent openly courted white nationalists during his campaign, by the way.

Yet Another Election Denier Wins GOP Nod For Secretary Of State

Kim Crockett, a hardcore 2020 election denier, won the Republican primary for Minnesota secretary of state on Tuesday.

Tucky C’s Terrified By Alex Jones Texts

An inside source told the Daily Beast that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is “shitting himself” out of fear that his texts with far-right tinhatter Alex Jones will get leaked after Jones’ lawyer helpfully handed them over to the Sandy Hook families’ lawyer, who then helpfully handed them over to the House Jan. 6 Committee.

Antifa MTG

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