The Absurdity and the Abuse: Another Day In Trump II
INSIDE: Gregory Bovino ... John Brennan ... Nancy Pelosi
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
DC Sandwich Guy Acquitted
Setting aside all the bad puns and the absurdist quality to the D.C. sandwich-throwing incident, you’re left with the Trump administration overcharging crimes in federal court, engaging in performative vengeance instead of actual justice, and wasting court time and resources to try to make political points.
A grand jury declined to indict, but U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro pushed the misdemeanor charge to a four-day trial.
There’s no way to know from the outside the jury’s rationale for acquittal after seven hours of deliberations. Did it think the government failed to prove its case? Did it agree with the government on the facts, but engage in jury nullification as a form of civic protest? Or was it a subtler decision that the the totality of the circumstances, including the government’s conduct, didn’t merit a conviction?
Judge Cracks Down on Bovino
Saying that the Trump administration’s “use of force shocks the conscience,” U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis extended a series of restrictions on the immigration enforcement officers in Chicago. Ellis in particular called out CBP commander Gregory Bovino for lying in her legal proceedings about their tactics and the actions of protestors. “I find the defendants’ evidence simply not credible,” Ellis said. “Overall, this calls into question everything the defendants are doing.”
Judge Says Admin Violated His SNAP Order
U.S. District Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island says the Trump administration has violated his order on SNAP funding and gave a new deadline of today to restore full funding for the food assistance program. The administration filed an emergency appeal this morning.
SCOTUS Ratifies Trump Anti-Trans Policy
The most compelling reaction and analysis to the Supreme Court’s emergency decision to let the Trump administration proceed with requiring that all new passports include the bearer’s biological sex at birth:
Law Dork’s Chris Geidner called it “an appallingly dismissive, horrifyingly abrupt order.”
Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck: “The ruling … includes one of the uglier sentences I’ve seen a majority of the Supreme Court sign onto in quite some time.”
The Retribution: John Brennan Edition
The Trump DOJ is launching a new round of investigating the investigators, targeting former CIA Director John Brennan for his role in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, MSNBC reports.
Grand jury subpoenas are expected soon in an probe being run by Miami U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones that grew out of a criminal referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi by DNI Tulsi Gabbard.
GOP Attack on Higher Ed Takes Ominous Turn
The GOP anti-DEI jihad against universities is poised to turn into a criminal proceeding with reports that the House Judiciary Committee is likely to send a criminal referral to the Trump DOJ accusing George Mason University President, Gregory Washington, who is Black, of lying to Congress about DEI policies.
Trump DOJ Investigating D.C. Mayor
The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington has opened a criminal investigation into a foreign trip paid for by Qatar for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is Black.
Venezuela Watch
The U.S. conducted its 17th lawless high seas attack on alleged drug-smuggling boats. The latest strike announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came Thursday in the Caribbean and killed three people, bringing the total death toll in the U.S. campaign to at least 69 people.
“At least three U.S. military aircraft, including a heavily armed attack plane, have begun flying missions out of El Salvador’s main international airport in an expansion of the extraordinary U.S. troop buildup in the Caribbean,” the NYT reports.
Steve Vladeck offers a refresher on why the attacks are “blatantly unlawful as a matter of U.S. domestic law—and a quickly spreading stain on whatever is left of the executive branch’s commitment to the rule of law.”
A Note on Nancy Pelosi
I get the urge to see the aging Democratic leadership give way to fresh blood, but I don’t want to let Nancy Pelosi’s decision to retire at the end of her term pass without acknowledging what a historic figure she’s been as the first woman speaker of the House, an extremely effective leader, and a dominant figure in the Democratic Party.
No one much disputes that, but I do wonder whether Pelosi being villainized by Republicans for the last two decades has colored Democrats’ view of her as carrying too much baggage, being too much a lightning rod, too controversial, etc. She’s been an unwavering spear-catcher for Democrats, under sustained rhetorical attack, much of it misogynistic. That wasn’t her doing. She didn’t bring that on herself. It was inflicted on her as part of a never-ending propaganda campaign that turned her into a caricature, and not just for Republicans.
TPM at 25: So Many Thanks
The two-day TPM 25th anniversary festival kicked off last night with a panel discussion on covering 25 years of American politics with current and former TPMers and a live taping of the Josh Marshall podcast featuring Kate Riga. It concludes tonight with a celebration in Brooklyn. Thanks to everyone joining us in person this week to help us celebrate and to all our readers over the years who got us to this point.
It’s not in my nature to mark occasions like this myself, but I’m grateful that others take the initiative to do so because I do see value in the remembering and the retelling. Preparing for the event has unearthed old memories, corrected some things I’d misremembered for a long time, and refreshed recollections that had grown fuzzy.
It’s been fantastic reconnecting with former TPMers who I hadn’t seen in a long time, in some cases more than a decade. In my 20-year affiliation with TPM, I’ve seen multiple cohorts of reporters come through our operation, pouring so much of themselves into this project. I’m grateful for their efforts, wowed by their skills and talents, and proud of them for their growth and development.
It’s taken 25 years to get TPM to the most durable, sustainable, and solid place it’s ever been as a news organization. So many people have contributed to that effort that it’s not possible to thank each one. But I recognize that the work here often demanded more of you than you thought you had to give — and you gave it anyway, even if it wasn’t always explicitly recognized or appreciated. Thank you for that.
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Don't forget the attempt to murder NP's husband, even though he survived getting his skull bashed in.
Been a reader since 2002, when this was a one person show and josh took down trent lott all on his own. I continue to read each day. congrats to all.