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A NOTE FROM FRED
The walls may be starting to close in on Donald Trump, even as polls indicate he maintains a tight grip on Republican voters, and GOP officeholders and candidates continue to bend the knee to Trump.
Yesterday in a court filing, the House Jan. 6. Committee asserted for the first time that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that Trump and some of his associates may have engaged in criminal fraud and obstruction in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
If the Jan. 6 Committee makes a referral to the Justice Department to conduct a criminal investigation of Trump, while not legally binding, it will increase the pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland to open a DOJ Trump criminal investigation.
In another development, the accounting firm for the Trump Organization, in a highly unusual move, suddenly withdrew its support for the annual financial statements it had prepared for the Trump Organization from 2011 to 2020, directing the Trump Organization to notify everyone who received the documents that they could no longer rely on them.
Last week, the two main prosecutors in the criminal investigation of Trump’s finances by the Manhattan District Attorney resigned in protest as the newly elected DA appeared to walk away from the case. However, the DA’s criminal investigation was being conducted in coordination with a civil investigation of Trump’s finances by the New York Attorney General. The AG’s investigation is moving forward and a judge ruled last month that the AG can question Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, under oath in the case.
At the same time, the Fulton County District Attorney in Georgia is investigating possible criminal conduct by Trump in his efforts to overturn the presidential election results in Georgia. A court agreed to a request to impanel a special grand jury for this criminal investigation.
And, the District of Columbia Attorney General is conducting a criminal investigation into Trump’s potential role in the January 6 insurrection.
According to The Guardian, Trump currently is facing 19 legal actions. And, a study issued this week by CREW found that Trump “has been credibly accused of committing at least 48 criminal offenses while he was serving as President of the United States or campaigning for that office.”
To date, Trump has not been indicted on a single criminal offense, but he has a maze of criminal and civil investigations and lawsuits to get through in the coming months and years.
Meanwhile, in a 2024 presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference last weekend, Trump got 59 percent of the vote, but Florida Governor Ron DeSantis got 28 percent – a healthy number that must have concerned Trump who believes he created DeSantis.
Clearly, Trump’s hold over GOP voters, officeholders, and candidates currently remains intact, as does his autocratic ways.
But, Trump is facing choppy waters ahead and any indictments or further huge blunders, like his recent support for the murderous Vladimir Putin, could weaken Trump politically.
In American politics, the illusion of power is power. If the illusion dissipates so does the power, and that is what Trump may be facing.
Our fight for democracy and against autocracy is embodied in Trump. The fight goes on.
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POLL OF THE WEEK
84% of American voters consider voting rights important when deciding who to vote for in 2022. Of those, 67% called voting rights “very important” – the highest percentage of all the issues tallied.
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VOTER SUPPRESSION, ELECTION SUBVERSION IN ACTION
How The Seeds Of GOP Voter Suppression Are Bearing Fruit In Texas, via The Washington Post editorial board.
How The Supreme Court Became A Voting Rights Foe, via The Atlantic.
Judges Are Narrowing Voting Protections. Some Fear Lasting Damage, via National Public Radio.
As Maps Fall, GOP Tries To Neutralize State Supreme Courts, via Associated Press.
Democracy May Depend On A New Partisan Battleground: Races For State Secretary Of State
“The winners, in most cases, will be strategically placed to supervise the 2024 presidential contest,” via The Washington Post.
The Ludicrous Effort To Pretend That Increasing Voter Turnout Is Nefarious, analysis via The Washington Post.
We Cannot Deny Disabled Voters Equal Protection Under The Law, opinion via The Hill.
Democrats Stockpile Lawyers, Money To Fight Republican Voting Laws, via Reuters.
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SPOTLIGHT: ELECTORAL COUNT ACT
Why Are Republicans Suddenly Interested In Reforming An Election-Related Law?
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SOTU TAKEAWAYS
“In the battle between democracy and autocracies, democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security.” – President Joe Biden, State of the Union
Biden’s State Of The Union Address, Annotated And Fact Checked, via CNN.
Seven State Of The Union Takeaways, via Associated Press.
GOP Reps. Greene, Boebert Heckle Biden Throughout SOTU Address, via NBC News.
TRUMPWATCH
Jan. 6 Committee Lays Out Potential Criminal Charges Against Trump
“In a court filing, the panel said there was enough evidence to suggest that the former president might have engaged in a criminal conspiracy as he fought to remain in office,” via The New York Times.
Trump Defends Praise Of Putin, Makes Strongest Hint Yet Of A Run For President In 2024
“Trump has stopped short of officially declaring his candidacy, which would trigger more stringent requirements for how he raises, spends, and reports funds,” via The Washington Post.
Trump Remains The Most Powerful Voice In Republican Politics, Reasserts GOP Dominance As Others Focus On Midterms, via ABC News.
How the Hell Is Trump 43-0 vs. Campaign Finance Watchdogs?
“If it wasn’t already clear that the Federal Election Commission isn’t functional, Trump’s record in campaign finance violations should be revealing,” via The Daily Beast.
AND, DON’T MISS THESE …
A State Of Emergency For Democracy
“Republican leaders are abandoning core tenets of American democracy even as the stakes in the global contest between democracy and autocracy are clearer and higher than at any time since the end of the Cold War,” opinion from Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dan Scherwin, via The Atlantic.
Romney On Greene, Gosar Speaking At White Nationalist Event: “I Have Morons On My Team,” via CNN.
“Dark Money” Groups Are Mobilizing Around Biden’s Nomination Of Ketanji Brown Jackson To The Supreme Court, via Insider.
The Vibe Shift On Capitol Hill: Can Congress Find A New Normal?
The events of the past two years – from covid to January 6 – have frayed relationships and shattered trust, via The Atlantic
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