Two Republican operatives were charged this month with a scheme to funnel money from a Russian businessman into former President Trump’s 2016 campaign, a document unsealed on Monday reveals.
Sinema Cueing Up To Go Indy (Must Read)
Absolutely fascinating look at Kyrsten Sinema’s efforts to position herself as an independent in Arizona, possibly formally but definitely in effect. It makes pretty clear she’s not done with politics or angling for a high dollar lobbying gig, as some speculate. She thinks she can be a latter-day McCain and build her political brand on that basis, likely looking for a promotion above the Senate. TPM Reader GT, a registered independent in Arizona, walks us through the view from in-state as well as the mailers he’s been getting on Sinema’s behalf from something called the “Center Forward” PAC run out of New Jersey and chaired by former Alabama Rep. Bud Cramer (D).
I remain pretty confident that Sinema has misjudged the politics. But as GT makes clear, there’s no question she has a plan and is following it in a very considered way.
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Genius Insurrectionist Displayed His Snapchat Location With A Bitmoji At The Capitol During Attack
A Maryland man/Self-Own Hall of Famer who was arrested for allegedly breaking into the Capitol on Jan. 6 also allegedly was displayed on a Snapchat map that pinpointed his location at the scene — complete with a cartoon bitmoji version of himself.
Walking the Crumbling Firmament
There was a time in the life of this site when its focus was at least as much foreign and national security policy as domestic and electoral politics. But that hasn’t been the case for well over a decade. Indeed, when it came time to build out a staff for TPM beyond just me in the 2005-07 era we never saw either topic as part of our core purview. The one exception to this was when Spencer Ackerman worked for TPM (virtually everyone worked for TPM at one point or another). But we hired Spencer in a sense in spite of his foreign policy/national security focus. He’s just so good and I had an opportunity to bring him on so I did. The fact that his core focus wasn’t really our core focus … well, we just decided we’d make it work and we largely did. (Definitely check out his just-released, years-in-the-making new book.)
In any case, foreign policy and national security policy isn’t our thing and it’s not going to become our thing. But just in the last few weeks I’ve had the sense – foreboding as much as anything – that it’s moving back to the center of our national life. Maybe it won’t be in terms of focus for the average American but it probably should be.
Horrifying Images Of Border Agents On Horses Grabbing Haitian Migrants Spark Investigation
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
‘This Is Not Who We Are’?
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility has opened an investigation after several CBP officers were seen aggressively grabbing Haitian migrants and charging at them on horses at the border in Del Rio, Texas, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
- The DHS called the images “extremely troubling” and said that “the facts learned from the full investigation, which will be conducted swiftly, will define the appropriate disciplinary actions to be taken.”
- One agent on a horse was heard screaming at the migrants “This is why your country’s shit, because you use your women for this!” (via video posted by Al-Jazeera English):
“This is why your country’s shit, because you use your women for this!” — mounted Border Patrol officer to Haitian migrant he was riding down, as he sheltered with his family.
One of the scenes we saw on the Rio Grande. Watch our video:
Full report:https://t.co/V4KeMobCfs pic.twitter.com/UdUcC7B5IS
— John Holman (@johnholman100) September 20, 2021
- Nearly 15,000 migrants have crossed the Rio Grande in wake of a devastating earthquake in Haiti and the still-unsolved assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
- Haitian refugees crowded in makeshift camps along the border in often squalid conditions.
- Haitians are also giving disturbing accounts of being deported to Haiti, even those who haven’t lived there in more than a decade, as the Biden administration uses a Trump-era policy to expel migrants at the border.
- “If Biden continues with these deportations, he’s no better than Trump,” a recently deported migrant told the Washington Post. “I’m afraid for my safety here. I don’t even know this country anymore.”
Read more: “Four Months Ago, Biden Said Haiti Wasn’t Safe. Now He’s Deporting Thousands There.” – The Intercept
Texas Doctor Who Spoke Out About Performing An Abortion Is Being Sued
Alan Braid, the San Antonio-based doctor who wrote a Washington Post op-ed revealing that he had defied his state’s anti-abortion ban, has been hit with two lawsuits under the law, which dangles $10,000 in front of private citizens who successfully sue anyone they believe provided an abortion.
- Neither of the plaintiffs are in Texas. One lawsuit is being brought by a man from Illinois, the other is from a guy in Arkansas.
- Neither of them are apparently even anti-abortion. The Arkansas guy, Oscar Stilley told the New York Times and the Washington Post that he’s trying to get the law struck down by the courts, and Felipe Gomez, the Illinois plaintiff, claims the same thing in his lawsuit.
- Other head-spinning details of these lawsuits include the fact that both Stilley and Gomez are disbarred lawyers.
- Stilley is currently serving a 15-year sentence for tax fraud and conspiracy. He even describes himself as a “disbarred and disgraced former Arkansas lawyer” in his filing.
- Stilley also made it clear that he’s after the bounty Texas’ law promises. “If the state of Texas decided it’s going to give a $10,000 bounty, why shouldn’t I get that 10,000 bounty?” he asked the Washington Post, though he seemed to believe the state government itself would pay him the money, not Braid.
- Gomez was disbarred after allegedly sending threatening emails, according to records reported by local outlet KSAT 12.
Schedule Set For Roe’s True Day Of Reckoning
The Supreme Court will hear arguments over Mississippi’s sweeping anti-abortion ban that aims to fully blow up Roe on Dec. 1.
Yet Another Grim COVID-19 Milestone
As of today, more Americans have died from COVID-19 than the number killed during the 1918 influenza pandemic. We’re now at more than 675,000 deaths in the U.S.
Trump’s White House Lawyer Fully Laid Out His Scheme To Do A Coup
John Eastman, a conservative legal scholar at the Trump White House, crafted a six-step plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to steal the 2020 election on Trump’s behalf.
- Eastman presented the two-page memo to Pence during an Oval Office meeting with Trump on Jan. 4, according to Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s new book, “Peril.”
- Part of Eastman’s memo predicted “howls, of course, from the Democrats” once Pence “gavels President Trump as re-elected.”
- You can read the scheme in the memo, which was obtained by CNN, below:
Brain Genius Insurrectionist Allegedly Posted A Snapchat Of His Location At The Capitol
Matthew Buckler was arrested for his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after a tipster alerted the FBI of his Snapchat post in which Buckler allegedly pinpointed his location with his cartoon bitmoji:
Capitol defendant nabbed by Snapchat Maps. pic.twitter.com/hwgKUjFdaz
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) September 20, 2021
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Congress Is Back: Now We Watch The Sausage Get Made As Dems Fight For Their Agenda
The House and Senate are finally both back in session, kicking off a tumultuous period when Democrats try to defend their legislative agenda from obstructive Republicans, institutional obstacles and themselves.
Where Things Stand: Gun Couple Might Lose Their Law Licenses
Their gun-waving earned them a coveted speaking gig at the Republican National Convention last year, victimhood status in Trumpworld and the inflated confidence needed to run for Senate in Missouri.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: Gun Couple Might Lose Their Law Licenses”
Democratic Leadership Calls GOP Bluff: Vote For Bill, Or Risk Shutdown AND Debt Default
Democratic leadership on Monday tied suspending the debt ceiling to keeping the government funded.
Kyrsten Sinema’s Final Senate Term
Like many people I spent a lot of time trying to figure out Kyrsten Sinema’s motivations this year. I’ve discussed my conclusions in other posts. But what I’ve focused on more recently is that as near as I can see, unless she shifts her stance pretty dramatically the odds of Sinema being elected to a second Senate term in 2024 are pretty poor. And that’s made me consider another question: does she just misread the politics of her situation that badly or is she not planning on running?
I know I’ve thrown out a few pretty dramatic claims. So let me walk you through my reasoning. Because I think it’s pretty solid.
Trump Org CFO Expects More Indictments, Lawyer Says
The lawyer representing Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, is prepared for prosecutors to hand down even more criminal indictments in addition to the 15 fraud charges he’s already facing.
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