How Not To Get Overinvested In The Trump Prosecutions

INSIDE: Mark Meadows ... Ken Chesebro ... Chris Worrell

(Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.

Stay Focused On The Big Picture

Today’s Morning Memo has a blizzard of small- to medium-bore developments in the Trump cases. But I want to caution not to get too fixated on the ins and outs of the procedural wrangling in the case.

It’s somewhat of an irony that the due process afforded to a criminal defendant is itself designed to protect the rule of law, but they’re not a great proxy for the rule of law violations of which Trump is accused.

Take, for example, the protective orders in the Mar-a-Lago case, or the CIPA procedures in both federal cases against Trump, or the question of removal of the Georgia case to federal court. Each are significant in their own limited way, but a Trump win or loss on any of these preliminary matters doesn’t necessarily represent a win or loss for the rule of law. None of them stand on par with what Trump is accused of or the threat he poses to the rule of law.

The vindication of the rule of law takes time and isn’t always pretty. So take a deep breath. Keep your eye on the big picture. Don’t live and die on each procedural ruling. Don’t overinvest in the small stuff.

Meadows Moves To Dismiss Georgia Case

Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows quickly moved in federal court to have the Georgia election interference indictment against him dismissed. The weekend filing asserts that Meadows is immune friom state prosecution under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

Meadows filed the motion to dismiss in the same federal venue where he is seeking to remove the state court case.

Drumbeat: Use The Disqualifications Clause Against Trump

•  J. Michael Luttig and Laurence H. Tribe: The Constitution Prohibits Trump From Ever Being President Again

• Joseph Ferguson and Thomas A. Durkin: Trump’s Actions Have Already Disqualified Him From The Presidency

The Week Ahead In Trump Prosecutions

• NBC News: Law enforcement expects Trump to surrender at the Atlanta jail late this week. The deadline for him to surrender is Friday, Aug. 25.

• ABC News: Trump legal team expected to confer with Atlanta DA Fani Willis’ office early this week about the terms of the former president’s bond package.

Jan 6 Miscellany

• NBC News: “The widow of a police officer who died by suicide after he was assaulted during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has been found eligible for a federal benefits program for the families of fallen officers.”

• EmptyWheel: Beryl Howell Scoffs That We Think We Know Anything About The Trump Investigations

• Rolling Stone: Arizona Investigators ‘Aggressively’ Looking at Top Trump Ally Kelli Ward

• Journal-Constitution: A look behind the scenes as country awaited Georgia grand jury’s decision

• WaPo: FBI joins investigation of threats to grand jurors in Trump Georgia case

Chesebro At the Capitol On Jan 6

The NYT had its own version of CNN’s groundbreaking report that placed coup architect Ken Chesebro at the Capitol with Alex Jones on Jan. 6.

Double Whammy For Trump In MAL Case

• Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday: “I was never made aware of any broad-based effort to declassify documents.”

• Former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has told special counsel Jack Smith’s investigators that he could not recall Trump ever declassifying broad sets of classified materials before leaving the White House, ABC News reported Sunday.

MAL Miscellany

• Bloomberg: Trump and His Aide Nauta Claim DOJ ‘Improprieties’ in Using Two Grand Juries

• DOJ wants the same protective order imposed on defendant Carlos De Oliveira as for Walt Nauta, preventing them from accessing classified documents in the case.

Proud Boy On The Lam

A Proud Boy convicted in a bench trial for his role on Jan. 6 disappeared ahead of his sentencing Friday. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Chris Worrell, who had been under house arrest in Florida pending his sentencing. Prosecutors are seeking a 14-year sentence for him.

Trump Loses Bid To Delay E. Jean Carroll Case

A federal judge in New York rejected Donald Trump’s fourth attempt to pause E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him as a “delay” tactic.

Historic News Out Of Gitmo

A military judge has tossed the confession of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is accused of being the mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, ruling that it was the product of illegal torture by the CIA:

James O’Keefe Under Criminal Investigation

Project Veritas founder and ousted CEO James O’Keefe is reportedly under investigation by the Westchester County district attorney’s office in suburban NYC.

Why Did Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal Collapse?

• NYT: Inside the Collapse of Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal

• Politico: In talks with prosecutors, Hunter Biden’s lawyers vowed to put the president on the stand

2024 Ephemera

• NYT: Trump Plans to Skip G.O.P. Debate for Interview With Tucker Carlson

• NYT: Inside Trump’s Decision to Skip the G.O.P. Debate

• LATEST: Trump to skip all of the GOP debates.

• New Iowa Poll:

  • Trump, 42%

  • DeSantis, 19%

  • Tim Scott, 9%

  • Nikki Haley, 6%

  • Mike Pence, 6%

  • Chris Christie, 5%

  • Vivek Ramaswamy, 4%

• WSJ: Will Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) run for re-election in 2024?

Ugh

A 66-year-old woman was shot and killed Friday in Cedar Glen, California, allegedly by a man who objected to the LGBTQ+ Pride flag she was flying in front of the clothing store she owned.

Meanwhile, Over On Fox News …

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