January 21, 2023

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times:"The decision by President Biden and his top advisers to keep the discovery of classified documents secret from the public and even most of the White House staff for 68 days was driven by what turned out to be a futile hope that ... they could convince the Justice Department that the matter was little more than a minor, good-faith mistake, unlike ... Donald J. Trump's hoarding of documents at his Florida estate.... In the short term, at least, the bet seems to have backfired.... The goal for the Biden team, according to people familiar with the internal deliberations who spoke on condition of anonymity, was to win the trust of Justice Department investigators and demonstrate that the president and his team were cooperating fully. In other words, they would head off any serious legal repercussions by doing exactly the opposite of what the Biden lawyers had seen the Trump legal team do." (Also linked yesterday.)

Nicholas Wu of Politico: "The Justice Department is signaling that it has the right to not cooperate with Hill Republicans' requests to peek into their ongoing investigations, a top official wrote in a letter obtained by Politico. 'Consistent with longstanding policy and practice, any oversight requests must be weighed against the Department's interests in protecting the integrity of its work,' Carlos Uriarte, DOJ's legislative affairs chief, wrote in the five-page letter. 'Longstanding Department policy prevents us from confirming or denying the existence of pending investigations in response to congressional requests or providing non-public information about our investigations.' The letter, addressed to Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), acknowledges the GOP's multiple requests for information during the last Congress but doesn't divulge any new information.... It's an early marker of DOJ's position as Republicans pledge to probe President Joe Biden's administration over a laundry list of issues...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: And it means that Gym Jordan, Scott Perry & other House insurrectionists are not going to get a sneak peek at what DOJ has on them.

Ha Ha. Christopher Cadelago of Politico: "Embattled Rep. George Santos has claimed that reports and videos documenting him performing in drag are both 'outrageous' and 'categorically false.' But nearly a dozen years ago, Santos himself appears to have confirmed that he participated in drag shows while he was a teenager living in Brazil. A Wikipedia page accessed by Politico shows a user named Anthony Devolder -- a Santos alias -- writing that he 'startted [sp] his "stage" life at age 17 as an gay night club [sp] DRAG QUEEN and with that won sevral [sp] GAY "BEAUTY PAGENTS [sp].”’ The Wiki biography was last edited on April 29, 2011. It contains basic information that matches up with the newly sworn-in congressman, including Devolder being born on July 22, 1988, to a Brazilian family with a European background.... The Wiki bio for Anthony Devolder, which is full of spelling and grammatical errors, appears to contain fantastical descriptions of his supposed career in show business. It claims that he had a part in Disney's 'Hannah Montana,' among other examples." MB: Does the page also say Anthony won the New York City regional spelling bee and lost at the state level only because at the time of the state competition he was being held by kidnappers who were demanding a $5 million ransom from his wealthy parents? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Much more important that Santos' show biz career, real and imagined, is his citizenship. It turns out there are legitimate questions about whether or not Santos Baby was born in the U.S. or Brazil. If he was not born in the U.S. or has not been a naturalized U.S. citizen for at least seven years, he isn't really a member of Congress, under the Constitution.

Frivolous-Litigator-in-Chief Cuts Losses. Kara Scannell of CNN: "... Donald Trump on Friday withdrew his lawsuit seeking to block the New York attorney general's office from accessing materials from his private trust. In a one-page notice filed with Judge Donald Middlebrooks, Trump's attorney, Timothy Weber, said he was voluntarily dismissing the lawsuit. No further reason was given. Last month, Middlebrooks rejected Trump's effort to obtain a temporary injunction to block New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, from obtaining documents from the trust, saying Trump had 'no substantial likelihood of success on the merits.' A motion to dismiss the lawsuit was still pending. The move comes one day after Middlebrooks sanctioned Trump and another one of his attorney's $937,989 for a lawsuit Trump brought against Hillary Clinton, former top Justice Department officials and several others alleging they conspired against him in the 2016 campaign." (Also linked yesterday.

Devlin Barrett & Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "Over more than three years as a special prosecutor examining war crime accusations in the fledgling European nation Kosovo, [special prosecutor Jack] Smith sent two men to prison for sharing sensitive information taken from his office and indicted the young country's sitting president -- charges that upended a peace summit [Donald] Trump was organizing at the White House in June 2020 ... [to boost his] reputation as a sharp negotiator ahead of the 2020 election.... Writing on his social media platform Truth Social this month, Trump accused Smith of putting 'a high government official in prison because he was a Trump positive person' while acting as a prosecutor in Europe -- an apparent reference to [former Kosovo president Hashim] Thaci." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yes, I can see where Thaci would be a "Trump-positive person." According to his Wiki page, besides the accusations of war crimes & crimes against humanity which Smith has brought, Thaci has been credibly accused of extortion, of trafficking hard drugs as well as human organs acquired from Serbian prisoners and of having "extensive" ties to organized crime.

Paula Reid, et al., of CNN: "Former Trump White House aide John McEntee appeared on Friday before a grand jury on Trump-related investigations at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC. McEntee had been subpoenaed by the Justice Department as part of its sprawling probe, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.... McEntee worked as a personal aide for Trump and as the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. McEntee's dual roles landed him in a number of small and potentially critical meetings around the election...."

Paul Duggan of the Washington Post: Richard "Bigo" Barnett, the man who had his photo taken lounging in Nancy Pelosi's outer office during the January 6 insurrection, is now on trial in Washington, D.C..., " charged with eight crimes related to the incursion, including theft of government property (to wit, an envelope).... In addition to theft, he is accused of carrying a dangerous weapon [-- a high-voltage stun gun --] in the Capitol, plus a half-dozen offenses involving civil disorder, illegal entry, unlawfully demonstrating and obstructing a congressional proceeding." In the courtroom, Barnett's attorney has portrayed him as a "harmless windbag." Barnett blamed news photographers who took his picture for his foot-on-the-desk pose; they told him to "act natural,"

I followed up on all credible leads, none of which implicated the justices or their spouses. On this basis, I did not believe that it was necessary to ask the justices to sign sworn affidavits. -- Marshal Gail Curley, in a statement ~~~

~~~ Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court's internal investigation into who leaked a draft of the opinion last year overturning the landmark decision that had established a constitutional right to abortion included talking to all nine justices, the marshal of the court said on Friday. But the justices -- unlike dozens of law clerks and permanent employees of the court -- were not made to sign sworn affidavits attesting that they had not been involved in the leak of the draft opinion.... The clarification by the marshal, Gail A. Curley, who oversaw the inquiry, followed widespread speculation over its scope and limitations.... Ms. Curley did not indicate whether she searched the justices' court-issued electronic devices and asked them to turn over personal devices and cellphone records, as she did with other personnel. She also did not address whether she had interviewed any of the justices' spouses, another question that arose after her report was made public." An NBC News report is here.

Lauren Gambino of the Guardian: "Thousands of abortion opponents descended on Washington DC for the annual March for Life on Friday, the first time since achieving its foundational objective: persuading the supreme court to overturn Roe v Wade.... A half-century [after the Roe decision], they gathered again on the National Mall in Washington, this time to celebrate movement's greatest victory. But they also came with a new mission to fighting the battles now playing out in their states.... Since Roe fell, movement leaders have urged Republicans to use their new House majority to pass federal restrictions on abortion, while they press for new bans and restraints at the state level."

Virginia Senate Race 2024. Meagan Flynn & Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post: "Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced Friday he plans to seek a third term, sending a wave of relief through the Democratic Party amid worries that he would retire and create a potential opening for Republicans." (Also linked yesterday.)

Fox & (FIFA) Friends. Ken Bensinger of the New York Times: "When the news broke a dozen years ago that Fox had been awarded the U.S. broadcast rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, many in television, and in soccer, were surprised.... But according to a government witness testifying this week in federal court in Brooklyn, Fox didn't acquire those tournaments on merit alone. Instead, said Alejandro Burzaco, a former sports marketing executive from Argentina, an executive working for the media giant used inside information obtained from a powerful FIFA official whom he was secretly bribing for years -- and who controlled the committee that made final decisions on TV deals -- to give Fox a decisive edge in what the other bidders, including ESPN and NBC, thought was a blind auction.... The testimony of Burzaco came during the second trial of individuals and corporations charged in the Justice Department's long-running investigation of corruption in international soccer.

Meredith Hill of Politico: Abbott, "the company at the center of lingering infant formula shortages in the U.S.[,] is now under a criminal investigation by the Justice Department, according to a Biden administration official and another person familiar with the matter. Abbott also confirmed the DOJ probe to Politico.... A handful of congressional Democrats have encouraged federal probes into Abbott’s handling of the contamination of formula products, which ultimately triggered a major recall and shut down a key plant located in Sturgis, Mich. last February. A whistleblower alleged Abbott employees falsified documents and covered up food safety violations from FDA inspectors before the recall."

Adam Satariano of the New York Times: “Alphabet, the parent company of Google, said on Friday that it plans to cut 12,000 jobs, becoming the latest technology company to reduce its work force after a hiring spree during the pandemic and amid concerns about a broader economic slowdown. The job cuts are the company’s largest ever, amounting to about 6 percent of the company’s global work force. Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s chief executive, said the company expanded too rapidly during the pandemic, when demand for digital services boomed, and now must refocus on products and technology core to the company’s future, like artificial intelligence.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. How to Repurpose Rubbish. Rachel Leingang of the Guardian: “A unit created under the former Republican attorney general of Arizona to investigate claims of election fraud will now focus on voting rights and ballot access under the newly elected Democratic attorney general. The Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes, told the Guardian that instead of prosecuting claims of voter fraud, she will 'reprioritize the mission and resources' of the unit to focus on 'protecting voting access and combating voter suppression'.”

George Santos, Beware. Edward Helmore of the Guardian: "Across the United States Republican politicians are seeking to bring in new laws that crack down on drag shows as part of a broader backlash against LGTBQ+ rights sweeping through rightwing parts of America. Legislators in at least eight states have introduced legislation aiming to restrict or censor the shows, according to a new report from a leading freedom of speech group. A total of 14 bills have been introduced across Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Other bills are also being drafted in other states, including in Montana and Idaho.... Four [of the draft laws] explicitly ban drag performances at schools or public libraries."

Illinois. Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "When Illinois legislators passed a far-reaching ban last week on selling certain high-powered guns and high-capacity magazines, the Democrats who run the state celebrated it as a lifesaving law that would help prevent mass violence. But on Friday, in the law's first judicial test, a state judge in Effingham County temporarily blocked it from being enforced against hundreds of people and several gun dealers who sued. That ruling, a preliminary step and one of several legal tests the law is likely to face, came amid broad uncertainty about whether sweeping gun controls like those in Illinois can withstand judicial scrutiny following a Supreme Court decision in a New York case last year. Within days of Gov. J.B. Pritzker signing the Illinois legislation, at least three lawsuits were filed challenging it in state and federal courts.

Michigan. Livia Albeck-Ripka of the New York Times: "Three family members were sentenced this week to life in prison without parole in the fatal shooting in 2020 of a security guard at a Family Dollar store in Flint, Mich., over a dispute regarding mask requirements at the store, court records show." (Also linked yesterday.)

Simon Romero & Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "The former Republican candidate accused of targeting the homes of Democrats in drive-by shootings had routinely called for locking up 2020 election officials in Guantánamo Bay. He promoted conspiracy theories about solar power, feminism and 'the demonic theories of the Globalist Elites.' He had been demoted twice by the U.S. Navy and served nearly seven years in prison for burglary.Yet powerful party leaders in New Mexico not only gave the first-time candidate, Solomon Peña, 39, full-throated endorsements, they also opened their checkbooks to fund his race for a state legislative seat in central Albuquerque.... In New Mexico, the case also highlights the internal struggles among Republicans as election deniers like Mr. Peña -- who was in the crowd for ... Donald J. Trump's speech in Washington on Jan. 6, according to videos collected by online sleuths &-- fill the ranks of candidates seeking elected office."

~~~ Make Amphetamines Great Again. John Miller, et al., of CNN: "New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez' office is taking the lead in probing the campaign finances of Solomon Peña, who police say was behind a spate of shootings at Democratic officials' homes. The move comes after Albuquerque police said they were investigating whether Peña's campaign was funded in part by cash from narcotics sales that were laundered into campaign contributions.... The Albuquerque Police Department said in a statement that investigators believe Peña 'identified individuals to funnel contributions from an unknown source to his legislative campaign.'" MB: Yeah, all the best candidates.

Ohio. Voter Suppression by Confusion. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "Two weeks after a Republican-backed voting law significantly reshaped Ohio's election procedure, local officials, advocates and voters are still making sense of the changes -- and how the alterations could restrict who might cast ballots in 2024.... Local election officials are waiting to hear from the Ohio secretary of state about what IDs they will now accept, how long they can count votes and who can vote outside of polling places. Legal challenges of the law could further complicate the situation.... The legislation, which is now one of the most restrictive voter-ID laws in the country, comes as GOP-led legislatures are increasingly revamping their voting apparatuses following unfounded complaints of fraud by ... Donald Trump after he lost in 2020." (Also linked yesterday.)

Tennessee. Rick Rojas of the New York Times: "Five Memphis police officers were fired on Friday after the department found that they had used excessive force and failed to intervene or provide help during a traffic stop this month involving a 29-year-old Black man who died in a hospital three days later, officials said. The firings, which were the result of an internal investigation by the Memphis Police Department, come as the city braces for the release of police body camera footage that might provide clarity as to how the man, Tyre Nichols, ended up hospitalized in critical condition after the arrest on Jan. 7. The case has provoked outrage among activists and Mr. Nichols's family and has prompted state and federal investigations. Yet few details have been disclosed about the circumstances of the stop and the confrontations that preceded Mr. Nichols's death."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Saturday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Ukrainian officials aired their frustration after a key meeting of Western allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany failed to come up with a deal to supply Kyiv with the battle tanks it says are a crucial part of its bid to take on entrenched Russian forces. In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine 'will still have to fight for the supply of modern tanks,' adding that the 'war started by Russia does not allow delays.'... The United States will designate Russia's Wagner Group a 'transnational criminal organization,' the White House said Friday. John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications..., said in a briefing that the mercenary group will face additional sanctions next week. Wagner, founded by a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has committed 'widespread atrocities and human rights abuses,' Kirby said. Satellite images shared by the White House appear to show Russian rail cars entering North Korea to collect weapons to supply to the Wagner Group." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Saturday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. The Guardian's story on the Wagner Group designation is here.

Erika Solomon of the New York Times: "Western defense officials meeting in Germany said on Friday that they had failed to reach an agreement for sending battle tanks to Ukraine, in a setback to Kyiv's hopes to quickly receive weapons that President Volodymyr Zelensky has called crucial to the next phase of the war. The officials had hoped to reach agreement on sending advanced, German-made Leopard 2 tanks, which are stocked by many European countries. But Germany has refused to send its own Leopards to Ukraine or to give its approval to other countries to export them, not wanting to be the first to take the step and asking that the United States send its best tank, the M1 Abrams, as well. The failure to strike a deal was quickly criticized by some Ukrainians as well as the Polish and Latvian governments, who have argued that tanks are critical to claw back territory seized by Russia early in its invasion and to defend against an expected Russian offensive in the spring."

AP: "Two businessmen have been charged with trying to conceal a sanctioned Russian oligarch's ownership of a luxury yacht seized in Spain last year by the U.S. government, the Justice Department said Friday. An arrest warrant has been issued for Vladislav Osipov, a dual Russian and Swiss national who the Justice Department says was an employee of Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire Russian oligarch and ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Another defendant, Richard Masters, was arrested by Spain at the request of U.S. authorities. He's a British businessman who ran a yacht management company in Palma de Mallorca, Spain -- where Vekselberg's yacht, Tango, was seized last April."

New Zealand. Natasha Frost of the New York Times: "Chris Hipkins, who has been serving as New Zealand's education and policing minister, is set to become the country's new prime minister next month after he was the only member of the governing Labour Party to be nominated for the party leadership post. Members of the Labour caucus will meet on Sunday in the New Zealand city of Napier, where they are currently at their summer retreat, to endorse the nomination and confirm Mr. Hipkins as their party's new leader. At least 10 percent of the caucus must vote for Mr. Hipkins to confirm him. His nomination comes after the surprise resignation on Thursday of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.... Mr. Hipkins, nicknamed Chippy, became a household name in New Zealand during his daily televised briefings throughout the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic."

Comments

[Forrest Morris]

Get your tickets now. Call 1-800-trump-scam.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-resort-to-host-pro-qanon-
speaking-tour-led-by-michael-flynn?ref=home

Should be quite educational. Or not.

[Marie Burns]

@Forrest: Would love to go but just sent my tinfoil hat to the haberdasher's for reblocking, so I have nothing to wear.

[Akhilleus]

Two back to back stories linked here this morning crystallize the state of the current Party of Traitors.

So in Ohio, as in most Red States these days, voter suppression and electoral shenanigans are the order of the day. Democrats and Democratic candidates are routinely shut out as much as possible, all to ensure that PoT candidates have the best chance of getting elected. But then, they also make sure that the people they put up for election are the worst sort, Solomon Peña being a perfect example.

So…Democratic candidates are screwed, but your only choice then is a burglar, ex-con, money launderer who traffics in whacko conspiracy theories, demands that people he hates get sent to Guantanamo, and if not, he’ll be along at some point to shoot them.

And when they finally make it to Congress, their goal is to destroy democracy, spend billions investigating the Bidens’ dog, and crash the world economy.

Today’s Republican Party.

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: Yes indeedy. And by contrast, Arizona's new Democratic AG has repurposed the state's GOP-created Voter Suppression Goon Squad into a force to expand voting access. The employee retraining sessions should be interesting.

[Akhilleus]

Marie,

Yeah, like retraining a dog not to pee on the carpet. Lots of whacks with a rolled up newspaper, I’m guessing. Make sure it’s a copy of the NY Post.

[Jeanne]

AK: I think the whacking should include the "venerable" NYT also. Its both-sideserism is simply unacceptable.

It is possible that the Michael Flynn show will be a warmed-over Q-fest like the one that came to our town in support of Crazy Guggenheim Mastriano, a week before the election, at which he was too "busy" to appear. It doesn't matter what the subject matter is billed as, becuz poor Hunter will of course be mentioned, Joe too, culture crap, and anything else at all that occurs to the dimwits running the
show. They will just add the defcon gas stove lies, the spending lies, and the ongoing list of lies that has been debunked since, well, forever in GQPland. The ones who will go include all the morons who write to our paper complaining about whatever they hear on Fox. Pot should be piped into these places, giving all the red hats the warm fuzzies and maybe these gray hairs and grifters would calm down.

I of course say this with love...ha!

[unwashed]

There was a new documentary shown at Sundance about Bart (I love beer) O'Kavanaught reopening the issue of his "alleged" sexual assaults brought up during his interviews for SCOTUS. Will the shit hit the fan for him this time with a real FBI investigation? Maybe he'll seek just the advice from Sammy and Ginni's best friend on how to avoid consequences.

[Akhilleus]

Jeanne,

Can we substitute nitrous oxide? It seems a shame to waste good weed on assholes. I’d suggest carbon monoxide, but then I’m not a Republican.

[Akhilleus]

I’m sure Mr. Law and Order, Supporter of treason and sexual abuse of minors, Gym Jordan, was sure that his newly crowned position as Judiciary Mucky-muck gave him carte blanche to not only demand the DoJ turn over its J6 investigation materials (into his own, and the treasonous activities of other R fucks), but that he could, by fiat, destroy them and imprison anyone looking into his criminal activities. I mean, isn’t that what happens in authoritarian countries? And isn’t that what PoT pricks believe they now have?

I’m only happy he didn’t send his demands directly to Creampuff Casper Milquetoast Garland, who’d probably invite him over for tea and apologize profusely for ever thinking he wasn’t George Washington reanimated.

[bowtiejack]

Is it necessary that the Justices be sworn like the staff?
Surely it's improbable that a Supreme Court Justice would be the leaker.

‘…when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’

Sherlock Holmes

[unwashed]

Ak, how 'bout we compromise and split the difference since Jeanne didn't mention the quality of material to be used. I'm sure there's plenty of people that would be willing to donate their excess inventory of stems, seeds, and used bong water for the cause.

[Akhilleus]

Unwashed,

Stems, seeds, and bong water it is! And not from Hawaiian or Acapulco Gold. Maybe some twigs from some kid’s basement in Idaho pushed up under Walmart grow lights.