For this weekend’s blog post, I’ll answer questions about Trump’s third indictment. If you want to start with a summary and analysis of the indictment, see this post. Question #1:  Major outlets are reporting that the allegations against Trump require proof of Trump’s state of mind, specifically, that he knew he lost the election, but […]

As you’ve no doubt heard, Trump was indicted Tuesday for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election and remain in power. This is the Big One. The indictment is here. (A word about the title: I asked my readers once what I should call my detailed notes about legal documents and my favorite

On Thursday, the DOJ filed a superseding indictment against Trump and a new co-conspirator listing multiple new charges including Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice by “attempting to delete security camera footage from The Mar-a-Lago Club to conceal the footage from the FBI and grand jury.” (I asked readers once what I should call my breakdown and

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, DOJ prosecutors have given Trump a letter telling him he is the target of the criminal investigation into the attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. (Trump’s lawyers confirmed this in court.) Trump also said he had a deadline (which has now passed) if he wanted to talk

Missouri v. Biden (the case seeking to limit the Biden administration’s contacts with social media platforms) is, at heart, a dispute about content moderation on social media. It’s also about whether right-wing conspiracy theories about Covid, vaccines, and the election should be allowed to spread unchecked and unchallenged. It also embraces the libertarian (and anarchist)

I. Keep Your Eye on Trump’s Lawyers A chaotic meeting on December 18, 2020 On December 18, 2020, Sydney Powell, Michael Flynn, Patrick Byrne, and Rudy Giuliani came to the White House with unhinged ideas about how Trump should declare martial law, seize voting machines, and name Powell special counsel to investigate the already debunked

You can read The Washington Post article free through my subscription by clicking here. The sources for the piece are DOJ insiders who disagree with Garland’s approach. The article, therefore, is slanted in favor of their view. What we learn is this: There are DOJ insiders who disagree with Merrick Garland’s approach, and FBI agents who “resisted” opening

No surprise, this weekend, Trump vowed to stay in the race, even if convicted. “I’ll never leave,” he told Politico. I have said that Trump’s political needs are at odds with his needs as a criminal defendant: Trump can either behave like a normal defendant or he can try to be a right-wing hero and

As I’m sure everyone knows by now, Trump and his valet Walt Nauta have been indicted. If you are keeping score, this is Trump’s second indictment and his first federal indictment. We are expecting indictments from Georgia later this summer, and the J6 investigation at some point but nobody knows when. You can read this

“Where’s my Roy Cohn?” Trump reportedly asked in early 2018. Among other things, Roy Cohn was a mob lawyer. This is from NPR: Cohn was a legendary and controversial attorney who pushed legal tactics to the limits for a dazzling array of clients — from senators to mobsters and high rollers in sports and entertainment.

The Rise of American Right-Wing Extremism From Timothy McVeigh to Stewart Rhodes “I am a political prisoner,” said Oath Keeper and January 6 insurrectionist Stewart Rhodes during his sentencing hearing, “and like President Trump, my only crime is opposing those who are destroying our country.” Rhodes vowed to continue to “expose the criminality of the regime”

Homegrown by Jeffrey Toobin, opens by comparing the January 6 attack on the Capitol to McVeigh’s attack on Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. (Notice the small “No Trespassing” sign on the book’s cover. Perfect.) As recounted in Homegrown, McVeigh was calm when his lawyer visited him in prison. He was certain that the attack

Trump scored a major loss when a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay $5 million to E. Jean Carroll for damages. He then filed a notice of appeal. Naturally, people want to know what this means and what to expect. (And no, the double meaning of “he’s

Throughout most of our history, rape was a property crime. An unmarried girl was her father’s property. A married woman was her husband’s property. If a virgin was raped, the property damage was to her father. If she was married, the damage was to her husband. If she wasn’t a virgin and wasn’t married, there