Trumpwatch: Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere

[lionheart]

Let's hope he is done soon.

Re 'blank subpoenas'.

"The clerk must issue a blank subpoena—signed and sealed—to the party requesting it, and that party must fill in the blanks before the subpoena is served."

www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/rule_17

The clerk of the court issues all subpoenas 'blank'. The judge who orders the subpoena knows who it's for, but no one else knows. The party requesting the subpoena is the one who fills in the blanks with the names and info requested to conform with the judge's order.

Brian Fallon
@brianefallon
Trump & McConnell are confirming conservative judges at a breakneck pace in what's sure to be Trump's most enduring legacy. This is a difficult challenge to confront in a post-nuclear Senate, but we're mounting a new effort to fight back starting today

After Garland Defeat, New Group Hopes to Draw Democrats to Judicial Battlefield
mobile.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/us/politics/merrick-garland-judicial-trump.html

Brian Fallon
@brianefallon
Right on cue this morning, McConnell is bragging about the plot to help cement Trumpism across our third branch of government for a generation to come

Jennifer Bendery
@jbendery
Mitch McConnell on Hugh Hewitt this a.m.: Confirming Trump's judges is "my top priority in the Senate."

By confirming Trump's court picks "who are in their late 40s or early 50s ... I believe we're making a generational change in the country."

That’s really interesting across, thanks. Had no idea what 70 blank subpoenas might mean.

Eric Bradner
@ericbradner
Luke Messer, Todd Rokita and Mike Braun all really love President Trump — and really hate each other. My look at the lay of the land ahead of Tuesday’s big #INSen primary.

Indiana's GOP Senate primary is a contest to prove who loves Trump the most
edition.cnn.com/2018/05/03/politics/indiana-senate-gop-primary-all-about-trump/index.html

Manu Raju
@mkraju
Another sign that with all Trump’s problems and deep unpopularity among broader electorate, he has staunch support within the GOP base, a big reason why few Hill Rs are willing to cross him

Thanks, Across. So the judge would know?

Ted Lieu
‏Verified account
@tedlieu

'Why would @realDonaldTrump pay $460k to Michael Cohen for a Stormy Daniels in-kind contribution that was only $130k? That's an absurd amount of incidental expenses.

Is it possible Cohen made other in-kind campaign contributions to silence witnesses?'

Preet Bharara
Verified account
@PreetBharara

'NBC has now retracted its "scoop" about a wiretap. A pen register is much easier to get and much less intrusive than a wiretap. No actual phone call content is listened to. Basically it's a real-time log of calls.'

Yes, the judge knows. Subpoenas have to be justified and in keeping with the case/investigation. For example, if my BFF was arrested for money laundering, the police would have to present evidence/good cause to a judge to get a subpoena to question me or to force me to produce evidence. They couldn't just request a subpoena for me to give them access to my laptop for them to have a nosey. They have to justify to the judge as to why/how they think I'm involved.

So, the 70 subpoenas could be for 70 different people OR it could be for multiple types of evidence from a lesser number of people, either for one investigation or for multiple investigations.

And on another subject, I 1000% agree that the GOP wants Scrotus to hang on as long as possible in order to get as many judges appointed as they can. This paves the way for more pro-business/anti-environmental, anti-immigrant/pro-'America First', anti-equality/pro-WASP legislation being upheld in the courts. Gilead, anyone?

A frightening example of one interpretation of 'the pen is mightier than the sword'.

Oh - and by the way. Thanks for the info about your DH's friend etc. I guess I was just wondering about how the latest revelations were sinking in 'on the ground' ?

'NBC has now retracted its "scoop" about a wiretap'

Dammit!!! They really, really need to be careful on jumping the gun with stories like this. This is what gives Scrotus ammo for his 'fake news' bullshit. He's going to trot out 'fake wiretap story' from now until doomsday.

Be more sanguine. They retracted it - and quickly.

Thanks Across.

Yes, the news moves fast but they have to check, check and check again.

www.palmerreport.com/analysis/apprentice-subpeona-trump-tapes/9893/

'Wednesday, reports confirmed that Summer Zervos, who filed a defamation lawsuit in New York against Donald Trump early last year, has obtained a subpoena for the “Apprentice tapes”. Ms. Zervos, a former contestant on “The Apprentice” who accused Trump of sexual assault, is seeking records to prove that Trump defamed her by calling her a liar. Zervos, a Republican, was one of more than 10 women who came forward during the 2016 presidential campaign and accused Mr. Trump of inappropriate sexual contact. Trump has denied all the women’s claims.'

I wonder what 'Mother' thinks of all this?

Roy Moore still hasn't given up

thehill.com/homenews/campaign/386083-roy-moore-i-could-run-for-governor?amp&__twitter_impression=true

Giuliani bristles at idea of special counsel targeting 'fine woman' Ivanka Trump

edition.cnn.com/2018/05/03/politics/ivanka-trump-jared-kushner-rudy-giuliani/index.html

Kyle Griffin
@kylegriffin1
Michael Avenatti breaks news on @TheLastWord: "There were extensive communications between Michael Cohen and [Stormy Daniels' ex-lawyer] Keith Davidson in October of 2016 relating to the timing of this payment and the need for the payment to be made prior to the election."

Michael Avenatti on @TheLastWord: "Everyone involved in this transaction around the time knew the importance of the payment as it related to the election. So any claim that the payment had nothing to do with the election is completely bogus."

Jennifer Bendery
@jbendery
McConnell notes he changed the rules for blue slips, so a single senator can no longer use them to block a circuit court nominee.

"My view is that no one senator ought to be able to stop a circuit judge," says McConnell, who single-handedly denied Obama a Supreme Court judge.

Sherrilyn Ifill
@Sifill_LDF
More Sherrilyn Ifill Retweeted Jennifer Bendery
But one single senator - McConnell himself - blocked a Supreme Court nominee. The cynicism and exercise of raw power by Senator McConnell is without parallel. He will not fare well in the historical account of our democracy's erosion.

White supremacy

Fatal encounters: 97 deaths point to pattern of border agent violence across America
In the last 15 years, agents with Customs and Border Protection have used deadly force in states up to 160 miles from the border, from Maine to California
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/02/fatal-encounters-97-deaths-point-to-pattern-of-border-agent-violence-across-america
And

An ad from Don Blakenship
twitter.com/LPDonovan/status/992156444760989697

And

Sofie Whitney
‏*@sofiewhitney*
Patrick Little, California state senate candidate, has publicly called for a government “freed from jews”.

Do your research. Candidates like this exist.

And

Ranks of Notorious Hate Group Include Active-Duty Military

A Marine took part in the violent assaults in Charlottesville last summer and later bragged about it online with other members of Atomwaffen.
www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2018/05/ranks-of-notorious-hate-group-include-active-duty-military/

Lucas Waldron
@lhwaldron
Facebook just alerted me that our video reporting on a U.S. marine who bragged about assaulting a transwoman in Charlottesville is being censored because of "foul language." Here's the video:

twitter.com/lhwaldron/status/992133729723338754

Eric Umansky
@ericuman
More Eric Umansky Retweeted Lucas Waldron
Facebook is censoring a @ProPublica video about a neo-Nazi.

Facebook says it’s because the video has “foul language.”Eric Umansky added,

And

Richard Spencer website taken down by host: report
thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/386081-richard-spencer-website-taken-down-by-host-report

And

How Many Facebook Posts Does It Take To Topple A Bigot?
Jeff Sieting is a proud white conservative and the elected president of his Michigan village, but he's finally gone too far for some people.

www.buzzfeed.com/hannahallam/facebook-kalkaska-recall-election-sieting-islam

And

3 Black Girls Competing to Win Trip to NASA Reportedly Hacked by Racists
www.theroot.com/3-black-girls-competing-to-win-trip-to-nasa-hacked-by-r-1825714723

And

Qasim Rashid, Esq.
@MuslimIQ
A man is handcuffed, pinned face down by a cop—second cop comes in sprinting, kicks man in the head, & then elbow drops him.😳

This happens every single day. Black people shouldn’t need blasted video footage to be believed that we need #CJReformNOW. Smh
ABC News

twitter.com/MuslimIQ/status/992193843205427200

Caroline O.
@RVAwonk
Fmr NSA/CIA dir. Michael Hayden said today that Russians helped fuel hysteria over the 2015 military training exercise called Jade Helm, & that TX Gov. Abbott's decision to send in the State Guard gave them proof of the power of misinformation campaigns.

www.texastribune.org/2018/05/03/hysteria-over-jade-helm-exercise-texas-was-fueled-russians-former-cia-/

And

Idrees Ahmad
@im_PULSE
Sidney Blumenthal's son is worried about the negative publicity his apologia for Assad is getting. He is trying to silence journalists using legal threats. It is imperative therefore that the public knows how his metamorphosis came about

Did a Kremlin Pilgrimage cause Alternet blogger’s Damascene conversion?

A blogger who once supported the Syrian revolution has reinvented himself as an advocate for Bashar al Assad. Did his pilgrimage to Moscow occasion this conversion?

pulsemedia.org/2017/08/22/did-a-kremlin-pilgrimage-cause-alternet-bloggers-damascene-conversion/

And

U.S. freezes funding for Syria's "White Helmets"
www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-freezes-funding-for-syrias-white-helmets/

Molly McKew
@MollyMcKew
Know who really hates the White Helmets? The Kremlin.
Russia/Assad target civilians, schools, hospitals--we should be on other side of line, providing the meager support to those selfless enough to fight for every life in country that is absolute hell.

And

Jakub Janda
‏@_JakubJanda
Team of the European Values Think-Tank just received a medal by the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee General Petr Pavel for our work on exposing Russian subversion. #WeAreNATO

And

NRA hides Russia ties on eve of big convention
shareblue.com/nra-convention-trump-campaign-russia/

Jonathan Chait
@jonathanchait
Before it froze out Mueller, Ukraine's government hired a Republican lobbying firm. Hmm.

nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/ukraine-hired-gop-firm-obstructed-mueller-investigation.html

Some very intriguing reporting by @NatashaBertrand bolsters my suspicion that the Ukraine missile sale had a quid pro quo.

Maggie Haberman
@maggieNYT
WH had no idea Rudy was going to say what he said last night. Neither did a number of people around Trump. This is a car being driven by Trump and Rudy and the rest are all locked in their seats

www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/us/politics/trump-cohen-giuliani.html

Melissa McEwan
@Shakestweetz
I hope we all appreciate the irony that everyone knows Haberman has intimate access, but pretends she doesn't, as she then uses that access which is granted as part of a strategy to pretend that there's no strategy.

She's paid in access to convey that there's chaos.

Relatedly: If you haven't already, you should listen to @sarahkendzior talking about Haberman and access journalism. m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156334926292351&id=686857350

And

www.shakesville.com/2018/05/on-giuliani-hold-popcorn.html

'Deny, distract and blame': how Russia fights propaganda war
Russia’s embassy in London is a key part of disinformation strategy over poisoning of Skripals in Salisbury

amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/03/russia-propaganda-war-skripal-poisoning-embassy-london

Native American men removed from university tour after parent tells cops they made her 'nervous'

thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/386026-native-american-men-removed-from-university-tour-after-parent

Giuliani insists Trump wasn't aware of Stormy Daniels reimbursement until recently

Rudy Giuliani says Trump seemed surprised to hear about Stormy Daniels reimbursement

www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna871291