Good Day, Sky Dancers!
There are a lot of headlines today on all the Trump Crime Sprees. Today's news focuses on the insurrection, the stolen secret documents, and the racketeering law that will likely hold the Gang that Can't Shit Straight's election interference.
The most challenging question today is where to start. Let's go with the Insurrection. "Former FBI agent from Bend indicted on felony charges stemming from Jan. 6 riot." Wait just a minute! I thought all FBI agents were woke!
A federal grand jury indicted a former FBI agent from Bend Thursday on felony charges stemming from his alleged involvement with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The Washington, D.C., grand jury accused Jared Wise, 49, of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting and impeding officers, both of which are felonies, according to a Thursday press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Wise allegedly called on rioters to kill police officers as they fought back against the mob that attempted to disrupt a joint session of Congress certifying President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, the justice department said.
Federal prosecutors say that police body camera footage shows Wise — who moved to Bend in June 2022 — shouting expletives as law enforcement was being knocked to the ground in front of him and that he said: "Yeah, kill 'em!"
This one is from The Washington Post. "Georgia probe of Trump broadens to activities in other states."
An Atlanta-area investigation of alleged election interference by former president Donald Trump and his allies has broadened to include activities in Washington, D.C., and several other states, according to two people with knowledge of the probe — a fresh sign that prosecutors may be building a sprawling case under Georgia's racketeering laws.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) launched an investigation more than two years ago to examine efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his narrow 2020 defeat in Georgia. Along the way, she has signaled publicly that she may use Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute to allege that these efforts amounted to a far-reaching criminal scheme.
In recent days, Willis has sought information related to the Trump campaign hiring two firms to find voter fraud across the United States and then burying their findings when they did not find it, allegations that reach beyond Georgia's borders, said the two individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the investigation. At least one of the firms has been subpoenaed by Fulton County investigators.
Willis's investigation is separate from the one at the Department of Justice being led by special counsel Jack Smith, but the two probes have covered some of the same ground. Willis has said she plans to make a charging decision this summer, and she has indicated that such an announcement could come in early August. She has faced stiff criticism from Republicans for investigating the former president, and the ever-widening scope suggests just how ambitious her plans may be.
The state's RICO statute is among the most expansive in the nation, allowing prosecutors to build racketeering cases around violations of both state and federal laws — and even activities in other states. If Willis does allege a multistate racketeering scheme with Trump at its center, the case could test the bounds of the controversial law and make history in the process. The statute calls for penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
"Georgia's RICO statute is basically two specified criminal acts that have to be part of a pattern of behavior done with the same intent or to achieve a common result or that have distinguishing characteristics," said John Malcolm, a former Atlanta-based federal prosecutor who is now a constitutional scholar at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "That's it. It's very broad. That doesn't mean it's appropriate to charge a former president, but that also doesn't mean she can't do it or won't do it."
This is from CNN. "Exclusive: Trump attorneys haven't found classified document former president referred to on tape following subpoena."
Attorneys for Donald Trump turned over material in mid-March in response to a federal subpoena related to a classified US military document described by the former president on tape in 2021 but were unable to find the document itself, two sources tell CNN.
Prosecutors issued the subpoena shortly after asking a Trump aide before a federal grand jury about the audio recording of a July 2021 meeting at Trump's golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. On the recording, Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran.
Prosecutors sought "any and all" documents and materials related to Mark Milley, Trump's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Iran, including maps or invasion plans, the sources say. A similar subpoena was sent to at least one other attendee of the meeting, another source tells CNN.
The sources say prosecutors made clear to Trump's attorneys after issuing the subpoena that they specifically wanted the Iran document he talked about on tape as well as any material referencing classified information – like meeting notes, audio recordings or copies of the document – that may still be Trump's possession.
The fact that Trump's team was unable to produce the document underscores the challenges the government has faced in trying to recover classified material that Trump took when he left the White House and in understanding the movement of government records that Trump kept.
Over the course of the Justice Department's investigation, prosecutors have expressed skepticism that all classified documents had been returned. The federal government recovered dozens of documents with classified markings from Trump at various points throughout 2022.
The sources say prosecutors made clear to Trump's attorneys after issuing the subpoena that they specifically wanted the Iran document he talked about on tape as well as any material referencing classified information – like meeting notes, audio recordings or copies of the document – that may still be Trump's possession.
The fact that Trump's team was unable to produce the document underscores the challenges the government has faced in trying to recover classified material that Trump took when he left the White House and in understanding the movement of government records that Trump kept.
Over the course of the Justice Department's investigation, prosecutors have expressed skepticism that all classified documents had been returned. The federal government recovered dozens of documents with classified markings from Trump at various points throughout 2022.
Most of these folks are headed to Iowa right now, but more interesting is this from HuffPost. "RNC Debate Rule May Prevent Rubio-Slayer Chris Christie From Doing The Same To Trump."
The man who famously disassembled Sen. Marco Rubio on a Republican presidential debate stage in 2016 may be prevented from doing the same to coup-attempting former President Donald Trump under rules being considered by the Republican National Committee for its 2024 primary debates.
Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and loyal Trump supporter who broke from him over his words and deeds after the 2020 election, is expected to announce his presidential campaign next week. He has openly said he plans to confront Trump about his "stolen" election lies and his actions leading up to and during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, even as other candidates have shied away from criticizing Trump at all.
"If it takes a bully to beat a bully?" said one Christie adviser on condition of anonymity, acknowledging the criticisms of his brash personality. "At least Chris believes in the system. He's read the Constitution."
But such a showdown may not come to pass because of a proposed requirement that candidates must have at least 40,000 unique donors to make the first scheduled debate in August ― a threshold Christie, who had difficulty raising small-dollar donations when he ran in 2016, may not be able to meet in just two months.
"I definitely think the RNC rules were built to help Trump," said Tim Miller, a former RNC communications director.
"In 2020, the RNC canceled 22 primaries and caucuses to protect their king," said Joe Walsh, the former Republican congressman who ran against Trump in the 2020 primary. "This time around they can't cancel primaries and caucuses, but they'll still do all they can do to protect their king, like making it as hard as possible for challengers to debate him. Yes, the RNC will do all they can to keep Christie and any other Trump-critical candidate off that stage."
Ron DeSantis is not catching up to Trump in Polls. This is from Yahoo News. "Poll: No bump for DeSantis from 2024 launch as Trump continues to climb ."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was surely hoping for abump from his presidential campaign launch last week. But a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows no sign of improvement.
In fact, the survey of 1,520 U.S. adults, which was conducted from May 25-30, suggests that DeSantis may have actually lostgroundagainst frontrunner and former President Donald Trump since officially entering the race for the 2024 GOP nomination during a glitchy Twitter Spaces event with the platform's billionaire owner Elon Musk.
Among potential Republican primary voters — registered voters who identify as Republicans or GOP-leaning independents — Trump now leads the full field of seven declared candidates with 53%. That's up from 48% in early May, before DeSantis threw his hat in the ring. And DeSantis now lags further behind than he did just a few weeks ago; his 25% is down from 28% in early May.
Put another way, DeSantis trailed Trump by 20 points in the previous Yahoo News/YouGov poll. Today, he trails by 28 points.
None of the remaining candidates — former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (3%), Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (1%), South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (3%), tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (3%) or radio host Larry Elder (1%) — clear the 5% threshold.
A hypothetical two-way matchup, meanwhile, is no better for DeSantis, with Trump leading 55% to 31% (up from 50% to 36% in early May).
Iowa was the site of Trump's town hall. Seven people showed up to see Hannity play softball.
It's going to be a long campaign season. I'm waiting for the start of Lock Him Up Season to start personally,
What's on your reading and blogging list today?
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