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A NOTE FROM FRED
It’s time for former President Trump to face the music.
The rule of law is a cornerstone of our democracy. “Nobody is above the law” is a fundamental tenet of our legal system.
Trump believes otherwise.
Trump’s views about complying with laws were succinctly captured during the 2016 presidential campaign when he said, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?”
While this seemed like a joke to his supporters, Trump was revealing his belief system.
Trump went on to become a lawless President.
Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution defines Impeachment as “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
Trump is the only President (or other federal official) in our nation’s history to be impeached twice.
Trump is the only person in our nation’s history to lead an illicit coup attempt to steal the presidency.
Trump is the only American in our nation’s history to trigger a violent insurrectionist attack on our Capitol.
The House Jan. 6 Committee is examining the facts and circumstances surrounding the attack on the Capitol and the events leading up to it.
U.S. District Court Judge David Carter has already reached his conclusion. In a recent opinion Carter wrote: “Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.”
Trump’s goal was clear: to steal the presidential election from duly elected Joe Biden and install himself as President for a second term.
It will be up to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department to decide whether to indict and prosecute Trump for his actions in leading an attempted coup and the attack on the Capitol.
These are not the only criminal issues facing Trump.
In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating whether Trump engaged in criminal conduct in his efforts to overturn the presidential election results in Georgia. A grand jury to be seated in May will examine the case.
Of special interest is Trump’s request to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” for Trump, which would have given him one more than Joe Biden received in Georgia. Obviously, this had nothing to do with seeking an accurate vote and everything to do with Trump attempting to manipulate the vote to steal the election.
In that same conversation, Trump implied that Raffensperger and his chief lawyer could face criminal prosecution by the Justice Department if they failed to comply with Trump’s request – an effort by Trump to extort the vote count he sought.
In New York, Trump’s private financial transactions are under investigation by State Attorney General Letitia James. The civil investigation, which is almost complete, involves whether Trump and the Trump Organization provided false information about their assets, sometimes increasing the value of the assets to gain favorable loans and decreasing the value of the same assets for tax purposes.
A separate three-year criminal investigation of these same matters by former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance was killed by a newly elected D.A., Alvin Bragg, after Vance had recommended proceeding with the case.
Mark Pomerantz, a lead prosecutor in the case, resigned after Bragg’s surprising decision. Pomerantz wrote a blistering letter to Bragg stating: “The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes — he did.”
The walls may finally be closely in on Trump.
Trump must be held accountable for leading a coup attempt, a criminal conspiracy, and an insurrectionist attack on the Capitol in his unsuccessful attempt to steal the presidency.
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JAN 6. INVESTIGATION HEATS UP
Rep. Jamie Raskin: Jan. 6 Revelations Will “Blow The Roof Off The House”
Rep. Raskin (D-MD): “No president has ever come close to doing what happened here in terms of trying to organize an inside coup to overthrow an election and bypass the constitutional order,” via NBC News.
Talk Of Martial Law, Insurrection Act Draws Notice Of Jan. 6 Committee
“Trump White House discussions about using presidential emergency powers have become an important but little-known part of the panel’s inquiry,” via The Washington Post.
New Details Underscore House GOP Role In Jan. 6 Planning
“A court filing and newly disclosed text messages provide additional evidence of how closely some fervent pro-Trump lawmakers worked with the White House on efforts to overturn the election,” analysis via The New York Times.
Mark Meadows’ 2,319 Text Messages Reveal Trump’s Inner Circle Communications Before And After January 6, via CNN.
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DEEP DIVE OF THE WEEK
Building The “Big Lie”: Inside The Creation Of Trump’s Stolen Election Myth
“Internal emails and interviews with key participants reveal for the first time the extent to which leading advocates of the rigged election theory touted evidence they knew to be disproven, disputed, or dismissed as dubious.”
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TRUMPWATCH
Judge Holds Trump In Contempt Over Documents In NY Attorney General’s Inquiry (The New York Times); Trump Appeals Contempt Order And $10K Daily Fine (CNN).
NY AG’s Office Says It’s Nearly Done Unraveling Trump’s “Russian Nesting Doll,” via CNN.
The Trumpian Right Keeps Pushing Rule Of Law To The Brink. But The Law Is Winning, opinion from Norman Eisen & Dennis Aftergut, via The Guardian.
Just Call Trump A Loser: “Don’t Worry About Hurting Special Boy’s Feelings,” via The Atlantic.
Trump Groups Amass $124 Million (CNN) As He Weighs How Deeply To Dig Into His War Chest For Midterms (Reuters).
Trump’s Influence On The GOP, via PBS NewsHour.
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🚨 WARNING OF THE WEEK 🚨
Trump Allies Breach U.S. Voting Systems In Search Of 2020 Fraud “Evidence”
Chasing their bogus vote-rigging conspiracy theories, GOP officials and activists in eight locales have plotted to gain illegal access to voting systems, undermining the security of elections.
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VOTER SUPPRESSION & ELECTIONS UNDER FIRE
Republicans Are Trying To Seize Veto Power Over The 2024 Election, via Rolling Stone.
“Dude, Really?”: Sen. Joe Manchin Who Helped Kill Voting Rights In The Senate In January Slammed For Claiming He Is “Concerned” About Voting Rights, via AlterNet.
“We Have A Democracy Problem”: How Texas Voter Suppression Helps Keep Climate Action Off The Table, via The Guardian.
Michigan GOP Moves Forward With 2020 Election-Denying Sec’y Of State And AG, via National Public Radio.
Native Americans Warn Of Voter Suppression In Western States, via The Hill.
This Year’s House Battlefield Is Almost Locked In, But Partisan Gerrymandering Claims Will Likely Stretch Far Beyond November, via Politico.
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THE GOP HAS "REJECTED THE NORMS OF DEMOCRACY"
Biden Needs To Explain Why GOP Lies And Bullying Are A Danger To Democracy
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MIDTERMS, MONEY, & MORE
Marjorie Taylor Greene Reveals How Broken Congress Really Is
“Real electoral reform, of course, is not easy, but there are some big changes we can make to fundamentally improve our elections and hence our political system,” opinion via MSNBC.
The Trick GOP Candidates Play On The “Stolen Election”
“[T]he need to toe Trump’s line to have any real future in the party — combined with the passage of time, allowing for both memories of Jan. 6 and the need for rhetorical consistency to fade — has forced some truly astounding political contortions and fungible morals,” analysis via The Washington Post.
Seven Key Primary Races To Watch In May, via The Hill.
Millionaire Candidates Pour Cash Into Ohio, Pennsylvania Senate Races, via Associated Press.
McCarthy-Aligned Super PAC Plans $125M Ad Buy To Win The House, via Politico.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Is A Far More Dangerous Politician Than Donald Trump
“Like Trump, DeSantis’ time in office would be marked by attempts to pit Americans against one another. But unlike Trump, DeSantis has the proven ability to follow through,” opinion via MSNBC.
The Third-Party Brokers Who Make Millions Selling Your Data To Political Groups, via Open Secrets.
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