Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

Even as DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith continues to close in on Donald Trump from all sides, Trump is still attempting to use organized crime tactics to fight back. The trouble for Trump: it’s way too late for that to work, and he’s way too far gone to understand how it works anyway.

For instance, earlier today Trump made a social media post that began like this: “COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO THE DERRANGED, TRUMP HATING JACK SMITH, HIS FAMILY, AND HIS FRIENDS, THAT AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, I COME UNDER THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT…”

Trump is obviously attempting to incite his supporters to seek out and harass Jack Smith’s family members like he's done to others in the past. But that’s the thing: it’s too obvious. It’s ham fisted. It’s numbskulled. It won’t actually get Trump anywhere. And it could ultimately end up leading to Trump getting hit with additional criminal charges for incitement.

We still don’t know who leaked this bombshell recording of Donald Trump to the media, but it does make clear that Trump has a nearly 100% chance of being convicted at trial. Trump keeps frantically insisting that Jack Smith leaked the recording – which we know didn’t happen. So did Trump illegally leak it, or did some third party get ahold of it and leak it?

Either way, Trump is now going completely out of his mind over it. He posted this to social media tonight: “Why did Deranged Jack Smith and the DOJ/FBI leak a tape to Fake News CNN, phony spin and all? Will they be prosecuted for this illegal act? Pure SCUM!”

So where do we even begin with this? Trump is now demanding that Jack Smith be prosecuted for leaking this tape, which is absurd given that Smith obviously isn’t the one who leaked it. This sure sounds like it could be a matter of projection. If Trump is the one who leaked the recording, then he did it in violation of a court order, meaning he could get hauled in by the magistrate judge for contempt of court. Stay tuned.


'Acting like a Mafia boss': Trump appears to threaten Jack Smith's family in latest rant



Donald Trump's latest rant against special counsel Jack Smith didn't stop at attacking him — it appeared to go after his family and friends as well, which raises the question of whether he made criminal threats.

Many legal experts appear to think he didn't — but that he stepped very close to the line, reported the Huffington Post.

“COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO THE DERANGED, TRUMP HATING JACK SMITH, HIS FAMILY, AND HIS FRIENDS, THAT AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, I COME UNDER THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT, AS AFFIRMED BY THE CLINTON SOCKS CASE, NOT BY THIS PSYCHOS’ FANTASY OF THE NEVER USED BEFORE ESPIONAGE ACT OF 1917,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

"'Smells of desperation,' said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a New York University history professor and an expert on authoritarianism. 'Once again, Trump is acting like a Mafia boss and also stringing as many propaganda slogans together as possible,'" wrote S.V. Dáte. "'Trump is encouraging his followers, who we know have included the violent insurrectionists responsible for Jan. 6, to target the family and friends of Jack Smith,' said Norm Eisen, a lawyer who served in Barack Obama’s White House. 'It is profoundly concerning.'"

"Threatening federal law enforcement officers doing their jobs is a crime punishable by years in prison, although it is unclear whether Trump’s pattern of attacks, which go back now nearly a year and a half, could be successfully prosecuted," noted the report. "A Supreme Court decision released Tuesday requires prosecutors to prove that a person making a statement knows that doing so would be considered a threat, not merely that a reasonable person would consider it a threat."

Trump is being prosecuted under the Espionage Act for hoarding boxes full of highly classified national defense information at Mar-a-Lago, and allegedly ordering aides to move the boxes around so as to hide them from federal authorities and even from his own lawyers.

Read More Here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-jack-smith-family-attacks_n_649b57ace4b0cd6f7df0aea3




Trump's Bedminster club plays key role in criminal probe: report

Mar-a-Lago has made headlines in recent months as the focus of a Department of Justice investigation over Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents.

Now Bedminster is finally getting its due.

The audio recording of a 2021 interview from the former president’s New Jersey golf club shows that investigators have had eyes on Bedminster all along, The New York Times reports.

The audio recording – first obtained by CNN – in which Trump is heard describing a plan to attack Iran as “highly confidential,” appears to undercut the former president’s previous claim that the documents in question contained just news clippings.

Alan Feuer, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan write for The Times: “That audio recording, which was published on Monday by The New York Times, was the latest piece of evidence placing Bedminster on an almost equal footing with Mar-a-Lago as a key location in the case being pursued against Mr. Trump by the special counsel Jack Smith. Previously unreported details of the investigation show that prosecutors working for Mr. Smith have subpoenaed surveillance footage from Bedminster, much like they did from Mar-a-Lago, and fought a pitched battle with Mr. Trump’s lawyers late last year over how best to search the New Jersey property.”

Investigators last summer had sought to conduct a search of the Bedminster property over concerns the former president had stashed them there, The Times reports, citing two sources briefed on the matter, but the investigators at the time didn’t have enough evidence to demonstrate probably cause to a judge.

Trump purchased the Bedminster property in 2002 and uses it as a summer getaway and season retreat, according to the report.

Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/us/politics/trump-investigation-bedminster.html

[Rick Plant]

Exclusive: Rudy Giuliani interviewed in special counsel’s 2020 election interference probe



CNN — Former Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has been interviewed by federal investigators as part of the special counsel’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told CNN.

The meeting between Giuliani, his attorney Robert Costello, and investigators took place in recent weeks. The sources declined to say what investigators’ questions focused on during the meeting, which has not been previously reported.

Special counsel Jack Smith has not announced any charges stemming from his investigation into efforts to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election, but prosecutors appear to be nearing charging decisions, sources familiar with the case have said.

The interview with Giuliani comes amid a flurry of activity in the probe, which is examining a plan from Trump and his allies to put forth fake electors as well as potential financial crimes related to post-election fundraising. Investigators have called a steady stream of witnesses before a federal grand jury in recent weeks and have pressed attorneys to quickly bring in other witnesses for interviews, sources told CNN.

Sources say that some of the grand jury questioning has centered on the actions of top lawyers around Trump, including Giuliani, with investigators seeking information about their baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

Ted Goodman, a Giuliani political adviser, told CNN that “the appearance was entirely voluntary and conducted in a professional manner.”

A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment to CNN.

The special counsel’s office has long shown interest in several members of Trump’s post-election legal team, including Giuliani, Sidney Powell and John Eastman, as well as former Justice Department appointee Jeffrey Clark, who tried to help Trump’s push to use the department to overturn the election.

Several rounds of federal subpoenas have sought the communications of more than a dozen attorneys – including Giuliani, Powell, Eastman and Clark – because of how central some lawyers were to Trump’s post-election response.

At least some of the lawyers’ phones were seized by the FBI last year. The Justice Department filtered out privileged communications of Eastman and Clark and others to deliver the lawyers’ records to investigators, according to now-public court proceedings.

Trump’s White House counsel and then-Vice President Mike Pence’s then-top counsel also were compelled to testify despite their claims of attorney-client privilege.

CNN previously reported that Giuliani was subpoenaed late last year to turn over records to a federal grand jury as part of an investigation into the former president’s fundraising following the 2020 election.

The subpoena requested documents from Giuliani about payments he received around the 2020 election, when Giuliani filed numerous lawsuits on Trump’s behalf contesting the election results, a source told CNN.

In addition, Giuliani played a key role in overseeing the fake electors plot across seven battleground states, part of an effort to block the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/27/politics/rudy-giuliani-special-counsel-meeting/index.html



Prosecutor calls Trump tape 'best possible evidence'

Newly released audio tape features Trump discussing classified documents, including plans to attack Iran, and joking about Hillary Clinton's emails. Former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann emphasizes the significance of the audio tape in which Trump admits to the crime, contradicting his claims of not possessing any documents. Additionally, Weissmann weighs in on Judge Cannon's decision to reject the special counsel's request to keep four potential witnesses secret, raising questions about witness protection and the extent of transparency in the case.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Fox News host suggests Trump may have leaked audio in classified documents case

Fox News host Steve Doocy suggested former President Trump may have been behind the leak of an audio recording showing Trump talking about his handling of classified documents.

“You know what? If Trump thinks it’s an exoneration of him, perhaps somebody on his side actually did the leaking to CNN and Maggie Haberman,” Doocy said Tuesday morning.

“That makes sense,” co-host Brian Kilmeade chimed in.

“It does, actually,” Doocy said. “He’s admitting he’s got classified documents.”

On the audio, published first by CNN, Trump is heard discussing classified documents and his disagreements on military policy toward Iran with America’s top general during his time in the White House.

“He said that I wanted to attack Iran, isn’t it amazing?” Trump says on the recording, referring to Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley.

“I have a big pile of papers; this thing just came up. Look. This was him. They presented me this — this is off-the-record, but they presented me this. This was him. This was the Defense Department and him.”

Trump was federally indicted earlier this month in connection to his handling of classified documents. He said Monday night the audio is “actually an exoneration” and accused the Department of Justice of leaking the recording.

“The Deranged Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, working in conjunction with the DOJ & FBI, illegally leaked and ‘spun’ a tape and transcript of me which is actually an exoneration, rather than what they would have you believe,” he said in a post on Truth Social.

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4069757-fox-news-host-suggests-trump-may-have-leaked-audio-in-classified-documents-case/



Trump caught on tape discussing sensitive documents

A leaked audio recording suggests that the former president referred to a specific document during a meeting, contradicting his recent claims that it was just news clippings. The recording reveals him handling a "big pile of papers" and describing them as "highly confidential, secret information." Fmr. U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg joins Morning Joe to discuss how the recording adds fuel to the ongoing investigations and political debates surrounding the former president.

Watch:

BOMBSHELL Tape Incriminating Trump RELEASED to the Public

CNN has acquired and published the now-infamous 2021 tape of Donald Trump supposedly brandishing a highly classified document in the presence of guests without security clearance. After listening to the tape himself, Harry explains how it will serve as a key piece of evidence in the eventual trial.

TALKING FEDS PODCAST is a roundtable discussion that brings together prominent former government officials, journalists, and special guests for a dynamic and in-depth analysis of the most pressing questions in law and politics.

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[Rick Plant]

Revealed: Trump exposed military secrets out of rage



The ongoing mystery behind former President Donald Trump's stash of highly classified military secrets at Mar-a-Lago has been why he insisted on exposing confidential information. He has repeatedly claimed the documents are "his" and he has a right to possess them — but has never explained exactly what he wanted with them.

The shocking tape obtained by CNN that shows him boasting to patrons of his Bedminster golf club about possessing an Iranian battle plan offers the answer, argued Susan Glasser for The New Yorker: he wanted to discredit Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley, after months of behind-the-scenes drama that left the former president enraged at Milley's refusal to enable his worst impulses.

"The damning evidence against Trump would not exist if not for his rift with Mark Milley, a remarkable feud between the Commander-in-Chief and the nation’s top general that had been a secret backdrop to the public drama that played out after the 2020 election," wrote Glasser. "At the time the tape was made, in the summer of 2021, Trump was apoplectic that Milley’s fears about him were becoming public. Two recently published books — one by the journalists Carol Leonnig and Phil Rucker of the Post, and the other by Michael Bender, then of the Wall Street Journal — had reported new details about Milley’s efforts, including regular 'land the plane' phone calls with Meadows, the White House chief of staff, to prevent Trump from drawing the military into his quest to overturn the 2020 election."

According to the report, "Milley was even quoted fretting about Trump and his supporters staging a 'Reichstag moment' — a fear that seemed eerily prescient on January 6, 2021, when a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, seeking to block congressional certification of Trump’s defeat. Trump, in turn, publicly denounced Milley and said that he had only picked him as chairman in 2018 to spite James Mattis, his soon-to-quit Defense Secretary at the time."

All of this is laid bare in Trump's own words on the tape, explicitly trying to claim the document proves Milley was the one who planned to invade Iran rather than him, as Milley had also feared he might do in his final weeks in office. Sources closer to Milley have pushed back, claiming Milley was in fact trying to restrain the former president from such an attack.

For his part, Trump has denied the thing he was holding on the tape was a classified document, claiming he was simply in possession of other innocent documents like golf course "building plans."

AFP



Top Trump aide is identified as person he showed classified map

A top adviser to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign has been identified as a key figure in the indictment against him for illegally storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home, ABC News reported Wednesday.

Susie Wiles isn’t named in special counsel Jack Smith's indictment but is referred to as a “PAC representative” to whom Trump is accused of showing a classified map, sources told the news outlet.

He is said to have shown her the map while discussing a military operation that Trump said “was not going well,” before adding that he “should not be showing the map” and warning her “not to get too close,” ABC reported.

Wiles, who ran Ron DeSantis’ two campaigns for governor, also led Trump’s Florida operation in 2016 and later became CEO to Trump’s Save America Political Action Committee, ABC reported.

Wiles, who ran Ron DeSantis’ two campaigns for governor, also led Trump’s Florida operation in 2016 and later became CEO to Trump’s Save America Political Action Committee, ABC reported.

She is one of a small group that's heading his 2024 presidential campaign and is considered one of his most trusted confidantes, ABC reported.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts in the indictment.

AFP



Trump asked his lawyers about getting back 'my boxes' even on cusp of indictment

Donald Trump continued asking his attorneys for "my boxes" and "my documents" back from the DOJ, even as they warned him he was about to be indicted, according to an exclusive news report.

Trump, who is now facing felony criminal charges in connection with his alleged hoarding of confidential materials, was steadfast in his belief that they were his documents to do with as he wishes, according to the Rolling Stone's new report.

"Last month, Donald Trump’s lawyers told him he was on the cusp of a federal indictment in the classified documents case. But the former president still wanted 'my documents' and 'my boxes' back, asking some of his lawyers if they could get them from the federal government, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter and two other people briefed on it," the outlet wrote. "It’s one of many such conversations Trump has had over the past few months, the sources say. In these conversations, Trump also claimed it was 'illegal' that he could no longer have the documents seized in the Mar-a-Lago raid. Those materials, Trump insisted, belonged to 'me.' Trump has also asked if there are any other possible legal maneuvers or court filings they could try to accomplish this that they hadn’t thought of yet."

The report continues:

"For much of his post-presidency, Trump has incorrectly insisted to various aides and confidants that the highly classified documents he continued to hoard were 'mine.' In some of these conversations, according to the source with knowledge of the matter, Trump has also mentioned that he’ll get the documents back in 2025 — because he predicts he’ll be president again, and therefore regain unfettered access to the government’s most sensitive secrets."

Read More Here: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-indictment-documents-maralago-lawyers-1234780389/

[Rick Plant]

When Jack Smith criminally indicted Donald Trump under the Espionage Act three weeks ago, the indictment seemed overwhelmingly comprehensive in some areas and yet incomplete in others. It suggested that more charges could be coming in the probe. Now it turns out they reportedly are.

Jack Smith is looking at bringing 30 to 45 additional criminal charges against Donald Trump in the classified documents probe, according to a new report from the Independent. The report says that Smith has yet to decide where to bring those charges, depending on whether Judge Aileen Cannon tries to protect Trump in Florida. It's worth guessing Smith would bring the additional charges in New Jersey, which would result in an additional criminal trial. But there’s more.

This same report also says that Jack Smith is about to indict several of the attorneys who helped Donald Trump try to overthrow the 2020 election, including Rudy Giuliani. Apparently Rudy has managed to avoid some of the charges because he gave up Donald Trump his proffer interview, Rudy will still be indicted on some charges. The Independent is also doubling down on its earlier reporting that Mark Meadows has formally agreed to a cooperating plea deal in exchange for reduced charges, even though Meadows’ attorney has denied this.

None of this is necessarily surprising. Jack Smith’s indictment against Donald Trump felt like an incomplete set of charges, more of a first round than anything. It always felt like Smith was keeping more charges up his sleeve in the classified documents probe. And of course everything about the past two weeks has suggested that Smith’s initial January 6th indictments were just around the corner.


Jack Smith looks to hit Trump with up to 45 new charges and indict attorneys: report

Donald Trump could soon be facing additional indictments from the Department of Justice, The Independent reports.

The DOJ has made preparations for a “superseding indictment,” which are additional charges that may include allegations of more serious crimes against a defendant, according to the report, which cites sources familiar with the matter.

Andrew Feinberg writes for The Independent that "Prosecutors are now prepared to 'stack' an 'additional 30 to 45 charges' on top of the 37-count indictment brought against Mr Trump on 8 June. They would do so using evidence against the ex-president that has not yet been publicly acknowledged by the department, including other recordings prosecutors have obtained which reveal Mr Trump making incriminating statements."

The decision over whether to pursue additional charges from a grand jury along with the venue in which they would be pursued, will likely hinge on the extent to which prosecutors believe the judge hearing the case is capable of acting as an impartial jurist, according to the report.

Aileen Cannon’s impartiality is considered an open question after the Trump-appointed federal judge’s decisions in the case were overturned by the conservative 11th Circuit.

Feinberg writes, “Additionally, it is understood that special counsel Jack Smith’s team is ready to bring charges against several of the attorneys who have worked for Mr. Trump, including those who aided the ex-president in his push to ignore the will of voters and remain in the White House despite having lost the 2020 election.”

Among the most prominent potential indictment targets is Rudy Giuliani, who voluntarily met with prosecutors earlier this week, fueling speculation that the former Trump attorney and New York City mayor is looking to cut a deal.

Trump and Giuliani are also believed to be targets of a Georgia probe focusing on efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Feinberg writes that “That probe, which is being conducted by Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis, is expected to result in multiple indictments which could be unveiled as early as next month. Ms Willis, who last year oversaw a special purpose grand jury probe into efforts by Mr Trump and his allies to reverse his loss to Mr Biden in Georgia, is reportedly considering indictments against the ex-president, his former attorney, top Republican figures in the state, as well as Mr Trump’s final White House chief of staff, ex-North Carolina congressman Mark Meadows.”

Read the full article from The Independent here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-giuliani-more-charges-b2366597.html

[Rick Plant]

Ex-Trump campaign official cooperating with Jack Smith in election interference probe

Special counsel Jack Smith has secured the cooperation of Mike Roman, a one-time campaign official for former President Donald Trump, as part of the investigation into the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, CNN reported Thursday.

"One of the sources said that the agreement, known as a proffer agreement, means that Roman may not have to appear before the grand jury but could instead speak to prosecutors in a more informal setting. Under such an agreement, prosecutors generally agree not to use those statements against them in future criminal proceedings," reported Zachary Cohen and Kaitlan Collins. "Roman, who received a grand jury subpoena months ago and had his phone seized, was involved in efforts to put forward slates of fake Trump electors following the 2020 election."

This comes amid reporting that Smith is focusing in on the plot to declare fake lists of electors in over half a dozen states, which would then be used as a pretext for throwing out election results and tipping the election to Trump. John Eastman, a far-right lawyer who drafted a memo purporting to explain how former Vice President Mike Pence could block electors as part of this scheme, is now facing potential disbarment.

"The House select committee that investigated January 6, 2021, interviewed Roman — a senior adviser to Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign and tasked with Election Day operations — as part of its inquiry," the report noted. "Speaking to House investigators, Roman invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination for the committee’s questions about his efforts after the election. However, he did answer some of the committee’s questions about his activities ahead of Election Day."

While all of this is taking place, Smith is preparing for trial after indicting Trump in a separate case, concerning the former president's stash of highly classified military secrets at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Another report today suggests that Smith is pursuing information in that case from Susie Wiles, a Republican operative who is running Trump's 2024 campaign, and who was shown a classified map by Trump.

AFP



Trump could violate Espionage Act whether he showed docs or just talked about them: legal expert

Donald Trump could be found guilty under the Espionage Act even if he never showed anyone a single document, according to a former federal prosecutor.

Harry Litman said Thursday during an appearance on The Lincoln Project’s “The Breakdown” that transmitting information contained in a classified document, whether by discussing it or sharing the physical document, would qualify as a violation of a provision of the Espionage Act.

Litman was responding to a question from a viewer on the show over whether Trump would be disseminating classified information just by talking about its contents.

“Yes,” Litman said. “It’s the same Espionage Act statute, it’s a different section of it, and all you have to do is communicate it.”

But Litman suggested that it would behoove special counsel Jack Smith to obtain the document that reportedly contains plans for a potential military conflict with Iran.

“You would really need the document, I think just for a reasonable doubt proof, but in terms of the letter of the law, you tell him about it, and you can imagine, right oh, yeah, here's what you said about attacking Iran. He's given up the ghost, right.”

Litman’s comments suggest the whereabouts of the missing document could have significant implications in the case against the former president.

CNN earlier this month reported that Trump’s attorneys have not yet located the document.

AFP



'Mafioso' Trump doesn't have the leverage to keep people from flipping on him: columnist

Donald Trump likes to run his operation in a "mafioso" fashion, but the former president no longer has the leverage needed to keep people silent, according to Rolling Stone columnist Jay Michaelson.

Michaelson was on CNN Thursday evening to discuss Trump's mounting legal woes, and said the whole thing is starting to feel like "a house of cards."

"It is all of these different pieces, the whole thing seems to be falling apart. It has been said before that Trump kind of runs his inner circle in a mafioso sort of way, everybody is on loyalty and so forth," he said, adding that it "depends on shutting up and being quiet and being able to enforce that with violence or threats of violence, which trump cannot do."

Michaelson said Trump "does not have leverage anymore, he does not have power over these people anymore."

"It is all crumbling, and it is interesting that there may be more indictments coming possibly to Bedminster in the addition to the Mar-a-Lago documents. We do not want to make too much, people aren't talking we don't know what they said or didn't say, but nonetheless it is really quite remarkable."

[Rick Plant]

So much for the "surge in the polls".


Trump support dips among Republicans after federal indictment: poll
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4073164-trump-support-dips-among-republicans-after-federal-indictment-poll/


Giuliani now talking to DOJ

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