Author Archive for: emptywheel
About emptywheel
Marcy Wheeler is an independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties. She writes as emptywheel at her eponymous blog, publishes at outlets including Vice, Motherboard, the Nation, the Atlantic, Al Jazeera, and appears frequently on television and radio. She is the author of Anatomy of Deceit, a primer on the CIA leak investigation, and liveblogged the Scooter Libby trial.
Marcy has a PhD from the University of Michigan, where she researched the “feuilleton,” a short conversational newspaper form that has proven important in times of heightened censorship. Before and after her time in academics, Marcy provided documentation consulting for corporations in the auto, tech, and energy industries. She lives with her spouse in Grand Rapids, MI.
Entries by emptywheel
Kash Patel Knew, and Did Nothing, about the Latest Durham-Related Frenzy
/42 Comments/in 2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe/by emptywheelLike many on the frothy right, Kash Patel is wailing about what he claims is a new disclosure from John Durham. That actually may create problems for Kash going forward. Not only is Kash a witness that Sussmann was not hiding what he did, but he is someone who — for years — knew about this, was in a position to do something about it, and did nothing.
Mueller Found Probable Cause, but Did Not Charge, Don Jr for Misdemeanor Hacking
/86 Comments/in 2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe/by emptywheelThe latest release of unsealed Mueller Report passages has generated some confused reporting. What the currently unredacted passages of the Mueller Report say is that Donald Trump Jr probably committed a misdemeanor CFAA violation, but charging it would have been prosecutorial overkill. The Report also says that Mueller referred multiple issues to the DC US Attorneys Office in an attempt to answer then unanswered questions about whether Roger Stone conspired with Russia in 2016.
On Unrealistic Expectations for Mueller Report Obstruction Charges
/67 Comments/in 2016 Presidential Election, 2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection, Mueller Probe/by emptywheelEven assuming Mueller packaged obstruction charges for DOJ to indict, rather than Congress to impeach, the deliberate sabotage Barr did in the interim makes most of those charges impossible. But there’s good reason to believe DOJ is investigating the continuation of that very same obstruction.