Sunday, June 19, 2022

MSNBC panel wonders if Ginni Thomas should be ‘perp-walked’ by Jan. 6 Committee

MSNBC panel wonders if Ginni Thomas should be ‘perp-walked’ by Jan. 6 Committee
'I'd been running away from it' Katy Tur on telling her story in new memoir, 'Rough Draft'
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby
CNN’s favorite anti-Trump lawyer just pled guilty to 5 more charges, could get up to 83 years in prison…

MSNBC panel wonders if Ginni Thomas should be ‘perp-walked’ by Jan. 6 Committee

Posted: 19 Jun 2022 02:05 AM PDT

"One effective thing that the committee has done is that they really showed that everyone knew that this is a lie. Everyone around Trump was saying this is wrong and you cannot do this." Lucym...

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'I'd been running away from it' Katy Tur on telling her story in new memoir, 'Rough Draft'

Posted: 18 Jun 2022 10:54 PM PDT

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Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby

Posted: 18 Jun 2022 07:42 PM PDT

CNN’s favorite anti-Trump lawyer just pled guilty to 5 more charges, could get up to 83 years in prison…

Posted: 18 Jun 2022 06:06 PM PDT

CNN's favorite anti-Trump lawyer, Michael Avenatti, how was just convicted for defrauding Stormy Daniels, has just pled guilty to five more criminal charges that could land him 83 years in prison...

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Bill Barr Can’t Flee The Stench Of What He Did For Trump

Attorney General Bill Barr revealed many things at the Jan. 6 Committee hearing on Monday.

But for me, the biggest impression his testimony left was the depths he reached in serving Trump.

Barr narrated the period of time from Nov. 3, Election Day, until he departed on Dec. 23. Over those seven weeks, Barr recounted how Trump began to reach for wilder and wilder claims that might explain why he was not the loser in the election, but rather, the victim of mass electoral fraud.

To do that, Barr also described how he himself became enmeshed in voter fraud investigations, not only pursuing claims that he admitted that he knew were bogus, but also apparently taking a personal role in investigations normally conducted by line prosecutors.

Barr recalled a meeting with Trump he had in early December, after he had made a point of telling the Associated Press that the DOJ had not found evidence of widespread voter fraud in the election.

Trump began to discuss claims of fraud in Detroit. The attorney general was prepared. "At that point, I knew the exact number of precincts in Detroit," Barr narrated.

It's one example, but it points to a level of granularity that's typically unfamiliar to attorneys general, tasked with overseeing national law enforcement policy.

But let's look at what else Barr told the committee about the voter fraud allegations.

"I was influenced by the fact that all the early claims that I understood were completely bogus and silly and usually based on complete misinformation," Barr said.

A few things are odd here. One is the presumption that any of the claims might have been made in good faith, considering what they alleged, the people making them and the chain of events — including Trump's refusal to concede — that led to them being made.

See Also: Joy Behar said on "The View" on Monday that inflation and high gas prices were a "worldwide problem" and largely blamed the baby formula shortage on Republicans.

Barr himself boosted the suggestion that Democrats would use mail-in voting to steal the election before November, saying at one point that the Democrats were "creating an incendiary situation where there's going to be loss of confidence in the vote, it'll be a close vote. People will say 'The President won Nevada — oh, wait a minute! We just discovered a hundred thousand ballots, every vote must be counted!'"

See Also: Here's the Story with Kyrsten Sinema

After the election took place, Barr removed a longstanding DOJ policy which banned voter fraud investigations until after the results had been certified. That decision accepted the premise of the claims that Trump was making, and also led to the resignation of the head of the DOJ's election crimes branch.

Barr also told the committee about a mid-November meeting that he held with Trump.

See Also: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dodges on whether she'll support Biden in 2024, focuses on midterms: 'That's not a yes'

"The department doesn't take sides in elections. The department is not an extension of your legal team," Barr recalled telling the former President.

Look what he said next:

"Our role is to investigate fraud and we'll look at something if it's specific, credible and could affect the outcome of the election. We're doing that. It's just not meritorious. It's not panning out."

Who made the "specific, credible" claims of voter fraud? Did anybody do so in 2020? If so, please let me know. Otherwise, it seems that Barr was willing to let the DOJ become, in his phrasing, "an extension of [Trump's] legal team," investigating voter fraud claims that could not affect the outcome of the election.

In spite of all this, Barr has still said that he would vote for Trump, the would-be election thief, again in 2024.

And, perhaps more to the point, even as the attempt to subvert the 2020 election was going on, Barr couldn't help but offer Trump cloying praise in his resignation letter.

"Your record is all the more historic because you accomplished it in the face of relentless, implacable resistance," Barr wrote in that missive.

How Republicans Screwed Themselves With The Jan. 6 Committee: A Retrospective

In his opening statement of the first public hearing, Jan. 6 committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) reminded listeners of the different, and likely more toothless, version of the panel he and his fellow Democrats were clamoring for around this time last summer.

"My colleagues and I all wanted an outside, independent commission to investigate January 6th, similar to what we had after 9/11," he said. "But after first agreeing to the idea, Donald Trump's allies in Congress put a stop to it. Apparently, they don't want January 6th investigated at all."

It's a callback to a time when short-sighted Republicans saved Democrats from a version of the fact-finding effort that Trump's allies could have much more easily obstructed.

See Also: Joy Behar said on "The View" on Monday that inflation and high gas prices were a "worldwide problem" and largely blamed the baby formula shortage on Republicans.

Back then, as Thompson recalled, Democrats hungered for a commission in the vaunted 9/11 model — resolutely bipartisan and largely unanimous. Most Republicans, after some initial and short-lived endorsement of a theoretical independent commission, didn't really want to investigate the insurrection at all beyond a superficial look at Capitol security weak spots.

See Also: Here's the Story with Kyrsten Sinema

Still, Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Thompson, leaders of the House Homeland Security committee, got to work outlining the contours of an independent commission in spring 2021. The former reportedly did so at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) behest.

Their design was so emphatically collaborative that it would have given the recalcitrant Republicans extensive control over the investigation: Republican cooperation was required to issue each subpoena; the commission's final report was due not later than the last day of 2021, well before the midterms; the non-lawmaker appointees would have been evenly split between the two parties, increasing the chances of a partisan schism.

See Also: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dodges on whether she'll support Biden in 2024, focuses on midterms: 'That's not a yes'

"I ask you to set aside politics just this once," Katko implored his colleagues from the House floor, banging on the lectern to punctuate his words. "Just this once — I beg you — and pass this bill."

But Republican leadership had turned on the idea. McCarthy, at the eleventh hour, urged his members to vote against the legislation he'd asked Katko to help draft. Thirty-five of them voted for it anyway.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), too, pressured his members to oppose the bill. Republican leadership found it easier, on the whole, to write Katko out of the story, the better to decry the panel as a brainchild of Democratic leadership.

"I've made the decision to oppose the House Democrats' slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January the 6th," McConnell said from the Senate floor.

Six Republicans ignored his guidance, four fewer than were needed to overcome the filibuster.

And the independent commission, one which Republicans could have manipulated far more easily than its current iteration, was dead. Katko announced that he'd retire from the House a few months later.

With the Senate effectively out of the picture, the drama moved back to the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) could unilaterally set up a select committee staffed by current lawmakers.

With Republicans having rejected a format much more amenable to their interests, Democrats had all the advantages. Pelosi would appoint 13 members, though she'd "consult" with McCarthy on five of them. Her chosen chair would have unilateral subpoena power, and the committee could take all the time it wanted on the investigation.

McCarthy announced his picks: Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Jim Banks (R-IN), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Rodney Davis (R-IL). Pelosi rejected the Jims.

Jordan and Banks, along with Nehls who she okayed, had voted against certifying the 2020 Electoral College vote. All five Republicans voted against impeaching then-President Donald Trump after the insurrection.

See Also: Joy Behar said on "The View" on Monday that inflation and high gas prices were a "worldwide problem" and largely blamed the baby formula shortage on Republicans.

"With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee," Pelosi said in a statement.

See Also: Here's the Story with Kyrsten Sinema

In a fit of pique, McCarthy held a high-volume press conference, declaring that if the Reps. Jims couldn't serve, none of his picks would. An indignant Nehls, waving his prop inches from McCarthy's face, pointed out that he'd already prepared a binder and everything.

Pelosi, who by that point had appointed Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) to the committee, shrugged. The committee would be bipartisan either way, she pointed out. A few days after McCarthy withdrew the rest of his picks, Pelosi appointed Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) as well.

See Also: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dodges on whether she'll support Biden in 2024, focuses on midterms: 'That's not a yes'

"Our members all regret that the initial hope for an independent commission to investigate this was derailed by allies to the former president after details were agreed by both parties," a Jan. 6 committee aide told reporters last week.

The members may regret it. But the American people, who are learning details and connections unearthed by a serious panel featuring Republicans who lack the power and desire to derail the investigation in favor of their party's political prospects, are better for it.

MBS Broke Us

Sometimes the biggest things happening in the world are happening out of view. Sometimes they're hidden but just as often they simply don't get the attention they should because they don't have traction as news stories. Or perhaps all the players have their own interests in not drawing attention to them. You may have noticed that Joe Biden is traveling to Saudi Arabia next month and that he plans to hold a summit with the de facto ruler of the country, Mohammed bin Salman — usually called MBS. He's going to Riyadh. MBS is not coming to Washington. This is presented as a full reset of relations between the two countries and — though this is stated less directly — a full reset with MBS. So all that human-rights, Yemen-war, Jamal-Khashoggi-being-dismembered-at-a-consulate-in-Istanbul stuff is done with. That was then. This is now.

So why would the U.S. do this? Well, that's pretty straightforward. We have no choice. The Saudis, and really MBS, has played the most brass knuckle kind of hardball with the U.S. And he's won. I don't think there's any other way to put it. There's a complex set of causes behind the inflation that currently plagues the U.S. and global economy. The exact interplay between supply chain disruption, pent-up demand from the pandemic, demand driven by stimulus spending, changed work and leisure patterns driven by the pandemic isn't clear. The relative importance of each is a matter of on-going controversy. But a critical part of the equation is energy prices — both in their political impact and as a driver in the economy overall.

For many decades, Saudi Arabia has been the key player in the global oil market. That is not only as one of the largest producers but as the producer with the greatest production elasticity. Put simply, the Saudis can dial up supply quickly if they want to. And that means they have an outsized impact on global prices. For the last year and a half the U.S. has needed the Saudis to step in and hike production very, very badly. That's both for the health of the U.S. economy and for Joe Biden's political fortunes. And MBS has consistently said, no. Why should I? What have you done for me lately? All I hear is that I'm a pariah and now you want my help? Being tight with the Trump family and particularly Jared Kushner hasn't hurt certainly. There are numerous reasons why MBS is more aligned with U.S. Republicans and more autocratic rulers around the world. But the biggest thing here is likely simply to be respected and power.

The Saudis didn't cause the economic trajectory of the last 18 months. But they could have altered it very substantially. They didn't. And they refused against a gusher of U.S. demands and pleas.

This hasn't all been to stick it to the U.S. and the Biden administration. After all, the Saudis and other producer states have been making a fortune. There is also Russia's new partnership with OPEC through OPEC+. That's weighed in the balance too. But that's another part of the same equation. The Saudis have been more solicitous of Russia than the U.S. This has all come even more to the fore after the Russian invasion of Ukraine which put even greater pressure on global energy supplies — oil and natural gas. It may be Ukraine that finally forced the White House to cry uncle.

The Saudis have us over a barrel. Now we're suing for peace. Not a pretty picture. But we have no choice.

Remind Me Why We Have Sheriffs?

I hope you get a chance to read Matt Shuham's feature piece today about "constitutional sheriff" Dar Leaf. It really brings together the current rage for Trump era "voter fraud" conspiracy theories and our much longer-term interest in far-right anti-government radicalism. When I got to thinking about this a few weeks ago it suddenly occurred to me that almost always when there was one of these figures it was a sheriff. In this case I'm not talking about the so-called "constitutional sheriffs," though that's a big part of it. I'm talking about Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County, Arizona or Alex Villanueva in LA County, David Clarke in Milwaukee. Like I said, these guys are always the sheriffs.

One of the big reasons I think is that sheriffs often aren't tied into a formal system of political accountability or responsibility. They're usually elected of course and that's a fundamental accountability. But a city police force and its leadership, for all their problems, are responsible for public safety and usually report to politically accountable people — the mayor, the city council and so forth. They may have some degree of independence. But they're seldom totally independent. Needless to say this police force accountability does not always work perfectly. But at least the structure is there. Sheriffs departments are often an extra layer of police power in a region that already has a policing authority.

Of course, a big part of the problem is precisely the accountability: They're elected. We don't usually elect the police chief. They usually report to a civilian. Yet another reason mimics our national political dynamics. Since sheriffs are county officials they often get political power from more suburban and rural areas but have varying degrees of authority in urban areas, often sharing that authority with police departments which have responsibility for ordinary crime. All of these factors spurs a great temptation for freelancing, a big temptation for highly politicized mischief.

See Also: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dodges on whether she'll support Biden in 2024, focuses on midterms: 'That's not a yes'

I'm only scratching the surface here of course. The precise nature of the office varies greatly in different states. But we've been following right-wing radicalism for many years, somehow this only really hit me quite recently. I knew it like everyone else at some level. But I'd just never focused on it, maybe because it is in fact right there in the open: it's always the sheriffs.

Turns Out John Eastman Was Invited To Give Ginni Thomas’ Group A ‘Status Update’ In Dec. 2020

Remember John Eastman, Donald Trump's chief election theft legal advisor?

And remember when, after he was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 Committee, Eastman unsuccessfully attempted to keep private a group of emails that he said concerned "civic minded citizens of a conservative viewpoint who meet semi-regularly to socialize and discuss issues of public concern"? The group, apparently, had a "high-profile leader."

That prompted a good deal of speculation — including at TPM — about just who that high-profile leader might be. We had some ideas.

Well, now we have confirmation: The group was apparently one that included Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a right-wing activist heavily involved in her own right in the effort to steal a second Trump term.

After an explosive pair of articles this week describing fresh committee records detailing the correspondence between the two, Eastman on Thursday acknowledged reality himself, posting a copy of a Dec. 4 invitation from Ginni Thomas for him to speak to her group "Frontliners" four days later, and to present "a status update to a group of grassroots state leaders."

Eastman didn't confirm outright that the invitation he described was the same correspondence he tried to keep hidden from the committee, but the details of both records appear to match up.

Don't worry, Eastman said, that thing where he wrote on Dec. 24 that "I understand that there is a heated fight underway" within the Supreme Court — that definitely wasn't based on insider knowledge from the Thomas family.

"I can categorically confirm that at no time did I discuss with Mrs. Thomas or Justice Thomas any matters pending or likely to come before the Court," he said in a blog post Thursday. "We have never engaged in such discussions, would not engage in such discussions, and did not do so in December 2020 or anytime else."

Eastman claims, instead, he was relying on internet rumors published on conservative websites. He pointed to one example from the Vision Times. As the Washington Post's Philip Bump pointed out yesterday, unfounded stories about a supposed fight among the justices were spread across the internet, and even made their way into Trump's election-theft litigation.

But that's not to say he wasn't in touch with Ginni Thomas at all! "As you can see for yourselves, she invited me to give an update about election litigation to a group she met with periodically," Eastman said.

See Also: Joy Behar said on "The View" on Monday that inflation and high gas prices were a "worldwide problem" and largely blamed the baby formula shortage on Republicans.

See! Nothing to worry about.

See Also: Here's the Story with Kyrsten Sinema

Thomas, for her part, sent dozens of emails to state lawmakers pressuring them to overturn the election results. The committee has requested an interview with Thomas, who told the Daily Caller Thursday that she "can't wait to clear up misconceptions."

The Curious Jan 6 Moonwalk of ‘Team Normal’

There he was, on tape if not in person: Bill Stepien, the very campaign manager of Donald Trump's 2020 reelection campaign, explaining calmly and matter of factly that President Trump lost, he and the candidate knew he had lost and every conspiracy theory and false claim and desperate attempt to stay in power was in the words of Bill Barr, bullshit. It wasn't even begrudging nor presented as an admission. Just matter of fact.

Since polls now routinely show that Republican voters treat it as an orthodoxy that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, this was quite a thing to hear. Other than the candidate himself, a campaign manager speaks with more authority and knowledge about a campaign than anyone else. Indeed, often with considerably more than the candidate. This has been one of the most notable dimensions of the Jan. 6th hearings to date. The witnesses are mostly Republicans and they're all friendly witnesses. Indeed, a lot of them are among the ex-President's most diehard loyalists. Seeing faces you're more accustomed to seeing on Fox News railing against the Deep State now calmly explaining how the President lost the election fair and square can't help but be jarring.

And that wasn't all. House Republicans have been saying for months that their top agenda item in 2023, if they reclaim the House, will be vengeance for the Jan. 6th committee investigation. Given how they've spoken about it one might have expected a 24/7 war room operation, counter-programming the hearings and defending the President. And yet elected Republicans have been conspicuously silent. Aside from some introductory whining they seem inclined to sit it out.

What starts to seem clear is that many elected Republicans are quite content to let Democrats and Liz Cheney knock Donald Trump off the electoral stage for them. Or at least knock enough polish off him to make the 2024 election a much more distant prospect. To be clear, this isn't yet another prediction that "the fever is finally breaking." Republicans seem just as wedded to Trumpism. They just don't care about Trump himself. And that gets to another oddity about Bill Stepien as our representative Trumper. From his testimony and proud embrace of being on "Team Normal" you'd hardly guess that he is currently running the primary campaign of Harriet Hageman, who is attempting to unseat outcast Republican Liz Cheney. The entire premise and point of the Hageman campaign is the Big Lie and Cheney's refusal to accept it. It is entirely a creation of Team Trump. And yet Stepien is running it as a self-identified member in good standing of Team Normal.

Did we miss something? Is he not really on Team Normal after all? Is he quitting the Hageman campaign? They've somehow washed their hands of Trump and the Big Lie while continuing to get them dirty again every day on the campaign trail running the campaign of candidates who won't stop talking about it. They seem to have jettisoned Trump's losing nonsense and shown up on Team Normal without any intermediate step of how they got from one place to another. No change of mind, no denunciation, almost like there's no rather glaring contradiction, like nothing happened at all. They're moonwalking away from Jan. 6th and the Big Lie while somehow pretending that it scarcely had anything to do with him in the first place and all the while running the political party for whom the Big Lie is the centerpiece doctrine.

See Also: Joy Behar said on "The View" on Monday that inflation and high gas prices were a "worldwide problem" and largely blamed the baby formula shortage on Republicans.