emptywheel, Author at 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

Donald Trump Would Withhold Evidence about Whether Enrique Tarrio Really Did Visit the White House Last December

November 1, 2021/34 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheel

Trump’s attempt to claim privilege over White House records pertaining to January 6 is not, just, an obvious attempt by Donald Trump to cover up his own crimes. It’s not just an attempt to hide how, in contrast to his predecessors, he did nothing as the nation’s capital was attacked.

It’s also an attempt to hide whether Trump invited the terrorists inside the White House to plot the event.

Share this entry

Steve Bannon Was Made to Testify, Truthfully, Once

October 30, 2021/18 Comments/in 2016 Presidential Election, 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheel

Chuck Rosenberg argues that you might as well hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt, because he’ll never testify truthfully anyway. That’s likely true, in the short term. But it’s worth noting that Mueller’s team got Bannon to testify truthfully, once, though in the grand scheme of things his testimony ended up to be no use.

Share this entry

January 6 Defendant Kevin Creek Ends Up with a Single Assault Charge

October 29, 2021/48 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheel

There’s some indication that DOJ is letting cooperative January 6 defendants plead down from felony counts. Kevin Creek, whose alleged “multiple assaults” and civil disorder charge became a single assault charge after he provided “substantial cooperation” is the latest example.

Share this entry

After Describing DOJ’s January 6 Language as “Schizophrenic,” Judge Beryl Howell Imposes a Sound Baseline Sentence

October 29, 2021/23 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheel

Beryl Howell is absolutely right that the misdemeanor pleas she is seeing don’t reflect the gravity of the language DOJ is using to describe the January 6 insurrection. But that may not fully account for how the pieces fit together.

Share this entry

Merrick Garland Assures Sheldon Whitehouse the January 6 Investigators Are Using All Investigative Techniques, Including Following the Money

October 28, 2021/51 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheel

When Sheldon Whitehouse asked Merrick Garland whether DOJ was following the funders of the January 6 riot yesterday, Garland replied that DOJ was using all the techniques that Whitehouse would have used from his time as a US Attorney, and then some.

Share this entry

The Julian Assange Question: True Claims about Prison Conditions or Lies in Service of Martyrdom?

October 27, 2021/54 Comments/in WikiLeaks/by emptywheel

Julian Assange has real arguments to make about US prisons. Instead, he has told a bunch of lies to make someone accused of hacking a martyr of journalism.

Share this entry

DOJ Claims Ryan Samsel Wants to Move Back to Where He Was Brutally Assaulted

October 23, 2021/48 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheel

Among many fascinating disclosures in a government filing in the Ryan Samsel case, it claims that Samsel wants to be moved back to the jail where he was first assaulted.

Share this entry

Paul Nakasone’s Concerns about Mike Ellis Hiring Vindicated

October 22, 2021/18 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Leak Investigations/by emptywheel

When DOD’s General Counsel hired Mike Ellis, Paul Nakasone had some concerns based off his interaction over the John Bolton book. Then, in the days after January 6, two security incidents involving Ellis vindicated those concerns.

Share this entry

Merrick Garland’s Dodges on Investigating Former Presidents

October 21, 2021/64 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheel

Eric Swalwell tried to grill Attorney General Garland on whether DOJ would reconsider the OLC memo holding that a sitting President cannot be indicted. Garland dodged answering any specific question. But along the way he laid out some principles that he might apply regarding the investigation of a former President.

Share this entry

Merrick Garland Explains that the January 6 Investigation Isn’t Taking All that Long

October 21, 2021/12 Comments/in 2020 Presidential Election, January 6 Insurrection/by emptywheel

In an exchange with Pramila Jayapal today, Merrick Garland explained that the January 6 investigation actually isn’t taking that long.

Share this entry

About emptywheel

Entries by emptywheel

Donald Trump Would Withhold Evidence about Whether Enrique Tarrio Really Did Visit the White House Last December

Steve Bannon Was Made to Testify, Truthfully, Once

January 6 Defendant Kevin Creek Ends Up with a Single Assault Charge

After Describing DOJ’s January 6 Language as “Schizophrenic,” Judge Beryl Howell Imposes a Sound Baseline Sentence

Merrick Garland Assures Sheldon Whitehouse the January 6 Investigators Are Using All Investigative Techniques, Including Following the Money

The Julian Assange Question: True Claims about Prison Conditions or Lies in Service of Martyrdom?

DOJ Claims Ryan Samsel Wants to Move Back to Where He Was Brutally Assaulted

Paul Nakasone’s Concerns about Mike Ellis Hiring Vindicated

Merrick Garland’s Dodges on Investigating Former Presidents

Merrick Garland Explains that the January 6 Investigation Isn’t Taking All that Long

Interesting links

Pages

Author Archive for: emptywheel

About emptywheel

Entries by emptywheel

Interesting links

Pages