Home - emptywheel

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March 24, 2023

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As investigations relying on the witness testimony of Michael Cohen and Evan Corcoran converge this week, it's a reminder that for at least seven years, Trump's lawyers have exposed themselves legally in assistance of Trump's cover-ups.

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Cybersecurity, emptywheel, WikiLeaks

On Joshua Schulte's Alleged Substantial Amount of CSAM ... and Other Contraband

10 Comments

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March 23, 2023

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emptywheel

Something else is going on -- on top of the news that FBI claims 2,400 CSAM files were found on Josh Schulte's discovery laptop.

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2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection

Remember: DOJ May Still Suspect Trump Is Hoarding Classified Documents

75 Comments

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March 23, 2023

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emptywheel

Donald Trump demonstrably played a shell game in advance of Evan Corcoran's search for classified documents last summer. DOJ's effort to get his crime-fraud excepted testimony may help to understand all the other shell games Trump has played with subpoena responses.

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2020 Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection

With Friends Like These: A rough start to testimony from defense witnesses at Proud Boys sedition trial

101 Comments

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March 21, 2023

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Brandi Buchman

A new phase of the Proud Boys seditious conspiracy trial has started out rough with defense witnesses fumbling through testimony

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2020 Presidential Election, Leak Investigations

Lordy, There Are [Transcribed] Tapes

83 Comments

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March 21, 2023

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emptywheel

Among the things that then-Chief Judge Beryl Howell ordered Evan Corcoran to turn over on Friday were "transcriptions of personal audio recordings" involving his representation of Donald Trump. Lordy, there are [transcribed] tapes!

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2020 Presidential Election

Barbara Jones Rules Project Veritas Was Not Engaged in Journalism When Brokering Ashley Biden's Stolen Diary

21 Comments

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March 21, 2023

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emptywheel

In the investigation of the Ashley Biden diary theft, Barbara Jones has ruled against Project Veritas on most issues.

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Left Theory

Introduction And Index To Series On The Second Founding

36 Comments

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March 20, 2023

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Ed Walker

Two new books, one new perspective.

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2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

Marathon Proud Boys sedition trial hits milestone as prosecution prepares to hand off to defense

73 Comments

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March 20, 2023

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Brandi Buchman

The Proud Boys seditious conspiracy trial hits its 40th day and finally, after weeks of delays, objections, and hail-Mary attempts for a mistrial, the defense is poised to launch its case-in-chief.

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2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection

Just for Perspective: Investigations Take Longer When Presidents Don't Wiretap Themselves

31 Comments

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March 19, 2023

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emptywheel

It has now taken longer to hold Trump accountable than it took to get Richard Nixon to resign after the Watergate break-in. Even assuming those were comparable timelines, a number of things distinguish the January 6 investigation from the far less complex Watergate one, starting with the fact that, unlike Nixon, Trump is not known to have wiretapped himself.

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2016 Presidential Election, Financial Fraud

Pavlov's Press Corps: Trump Once Again Got Journalists to Willingly Serve as His Incitement Mules

92 Comments

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March 19, 2023

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emptywheel

Trump has once again expertly played journalists to get them to serve as data mules disseminating his tweet inciting violence in response to his expected indictment in New York.

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Congress, Culture, Domestic Policy, Economics

Three Things: Crying All the Way to the Bank

89 Comments

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March 18, 2023

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Rayne

I hate feeling like Cassandra. Did we not learn anything from the 2008 crash? Or the decade-long savings and loan crises?

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2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe

KT McFarland Likened Trump's Transition Interventions to the Iran October Surprise

30 Comments

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March 18, 2023

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emptywheel

Back in 2017, KT McFarland rationalized Mike Flynn's efforts to undermine US foreign policy to Nixon's Chennault Affair and Reagan's Iran October Surprise. NYT just confirmed that John Connally is the one who helped Reagan get elected by encouraging Iran to hold Americans hostage.

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2016 Presidential Election, 2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection, Leak Investigations

Beryl Howell's Biggest Secret: Whether Bill Barr Killed the Egyptian Bank Investigation

32 Comments

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March 18, 2023

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emptywheel

The biggest secret that Beryl Howell brings with her, as she ends her tenure as Chief Judge of DC, is whether the closure of the investigation into a suspected $10 million donation from Egypt to Trump in September 2016 was political interference from Bill Barr or a legitimate investigative dead end.

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2016 Presidential Election, 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection, Leak Investigations

Evan Corcoran: You're the Next Contestant on Trump's Crime-Fraud Reality Show

56 Comments

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March 17, 2023

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emptywheel

Evan Corcoran is likely at least the fourth Trump lawyer to have his comms crime-fraud excepted in the last five years. The first known such instance, the recording of Trump agreeing to make hush payments in 2016, may lead to an indictment as early as next week.

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Financial Fraud

Guo Wengui Arrested

87 Comments

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March 15, 2023

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emptywheel

Steve Bannon's sometime partner, Guo Wengui, was arrested this morning on a sweeping financial fraud and conspiracy indictment.

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2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection, Leak Investigations

The New Investigation into Bannon and Boris Buried Under Bannon's Bluster

33 Comments

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March 15, 2023

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emptywheel

Buried 22 paragraphs below some flashy quotes from Steve Bannon, NYT reveals that he -- along with the subject of a profile, Boris Epsheyn -- is under legal scrutiny for the crypto currency scam they used to bilk a lot of Trump loyalists.

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2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection

How Tucker Carlson Duped the People His Producer Called "Dumb ... Cousin-Fucking ... Terrorists"

87 Comments

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March 14, 2023

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emptywheel

What we've learned from Tucker Carlson's effort to lie about January 6 is that Tucker is the one lying about what happened. Before Tucker's propaganda gave reason to respond, DOJ, had actually been withholding some of the most damning video from journalists. Tucker's propaganda effort has provided yet another glimpse of how many close calls the police managed to avert on January 6.

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emptywheel, EO 12333, FISA

Tucker's Putin Envy

110 Comments

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March 13, 2023

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emptywheel

Among the new details about the back channel Tucker Carlson had with Russia -- purportedly to set up an interview with Putin -- are that the intelligence community also obtained Signal texts, not just an email setting up a trip to Russia.

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