Many things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s morning memo.
stormy!
A criminal indictment against former President Trump now seems all but inevitable, though not guaranteed. That he’s coming in on the Stormy Daniels secret money case is almost surreal, especially since Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg appeared to have dropped the investigation upon taking office.
Trump has been invited to testify before the Manhattan grand jury investigating his hush money payment to Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign, a Trump lawyer confirmed to the PA.
The official confirmation followed the initial scoop of the NYT last night, which characterized the move as “the strongest indication yet that prosecutors are closing in on an indictment against the former president.”
“Such offers almost always indicate that a prosecution is near; it would be unusual for District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg to notify a potential defendant without ultimately filing charges against him,” the NYT reported.
The defense offered to the AP by Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, was almost disjointed: “It’s just another example of them using the justice system as a weapon against him. And it’s kind of unfair.”
Trump would be crazy accept Bragg’s invitation to testify, but Trump’s lawyers will likely make a last-minute argument for Bragg not to indict.
Reaction to Impending Trump Impeachment
It would be the first indictment of a former president, but more surprisingly, it would be the first indictment of Donald Trump, after a lifetime of living on the edge and avoiding accountability.
To put it another way: After a presidency whose corruption is rivaled only by Richard Nixon and Warren Harding, will Trump’s first comeuppance be trying to cover up a sordid personal affair before he even became president?
“That the Stormy Daniels case could be the one that prompts an impeachment against Trump is a good call from the writers,” said a baffled Aaron Rupar. noted. “I had almost forgotten about the 2018 season.”
I share this sentiment from Chris Hayes:
A closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of the Bragg case:
Another secret hearing in the Mar-A-Lago case
Special counsel Jack Smith is trying to force Trump’s attorney, Evan Corcoran, to answer more questions in front of the DC federal grand jury investigating the classified documents case. Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell held a closed door hearing on Thursday due to grand jury secrecy rules. Nothing was made public about it. But based on leaks and reports on the case, here’s what is known:
- Smith is invoking the crime and fraud exception to overcome Trump’s attorney-client privilege and secure additional testimony from Corcoran, according to the court. guardians. “[P]Rosecutors argued that they had reason to believe that Trump used the legal advice of his lawyer Evan Corcoran to obstruct the investigation of documents marked as classified,” The Guardian reported.
- The hearing lasted three hours, according to CNN.
- Howell did not immediately comment on the DOJ’s motion to compel Corcoran’s testimony and ordered additional briefings from both sides, multiple outlets reported.
- CNN stained Trump’s lawyers John Rowley, Jim Trusty and Corcoran in court, along with Jay Bratt, a senior Justice Department official who has been on the Mar-a-Lago case from the beginning and is now part of the prosecution team. Smith.
Peter Navarro Threat or fool?
Trump White House official Peter Navarro must return hundreds of emails from his time in government that he kept in a personal ProtonMail account and refused to return to the National Archives, a federal judge in DC has said. tidy in a “brutally” opinion.
Navarro still faces criminal contempt of Congress charges for defying the committee’s Jan. 6 subpoenas. No trial date has been set.
The Proud Boys test has a downside
The feds inadvertently disclosed classified information to the Proud Boys’ defense attorney and now wants to try to win him back, delaying the lengthy seditious conspiracy trial in DC.
jenna ellis is a piece of work
After stipulating to do repeated misrepresentations as part of Trump’s Big Lie 2020 and accept public censorship In a Colorado lawyer disciplinary proceeding, former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis says anyone who accuses her of lying is… lying.
The great influence of Leonard Leo
Leonard Leo, a key architect of the vast conservative majority on the Supreme Court, is now the chairman of Teneo, a group that aims to influence all aspects of American politics and culture.
Must read
wapo:
A group of conservative Colorado Catholics has spent millions of dollars to buy mobile app tracking data that identified priests using gay dating and hookup apps and then shared it with bishops across the country.
Michigan on the verge of repealing decades-old abortion ban
The Michigan Senate passed a House-passed bill Wednesday to repeal a 1930s law that prohibited abortion in all cases except when the woman’s life was in danger. government Gretchen Whitmer (D) is expected to sign off on the repair soon.
Do you remember Jorge Santos?
New York Republican congressman and allegedly serial fabulist planned an ATM fraud in 2017his old roommate tells the feds.
A rare dash of business news in the morning memo
The financial woes of Silicon Valley Bank, a small institution but a large start-up and technology lender, has caused a world race on bank actions.
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keep it in perspective
I try to end the Morning Memo on a humorous note or with a reminder that there is much more to life than politics. That reset of perspective is often a nod to the vastness of nature or the cosmos, a gentle nudge to recall the larger touchstones around us.
This super clever thread is a perfect end to this week:
I’m literally writing the book on planetary defense, so I know things about roving space rocks. And asteroid 2023 DW, with its small but not zero probability of hitting Earth on February 14, 2046, is making headlines.
So: let’s fix some things, shall we?
— Dr. Robin George Andrews 🌋☄️ (@SquigglyVolcano) March 9, 2023
Have a good weekend!
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