Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

Trump lawyers put on notice by Jack Smith of more legal moves to come



In a legal filing made late Friday, attorneys working for special counsel Jack Smith notified the court that information they will be handing over to Donald Trump's attorneys as part of the discovery process will contain some information on "ongoing investigations" that could lead to new charges.

According to a report from Alan Feuer of the New York Times, those documents also contain information about "uncharged individuals.”

Now that the former president has been arraigned in a Florida courtroom on 37 federal counts that include alleged violations of the Espionage Actviolations of the Espionage Act, prosecutors are pressing forward with normal court procedures and the notice given on Friday puts Trump's lawyers on notice that there is likely more to come.

As Feuer wrote, "...the reference to continuing investigations was the first overt suggestion — however vague — that other criminal cases could emerge from the work that the special counsel Jack Smith has done in bringing the Espionage Act and obstruction indictment against Mr. Trump in Miami last week."

The Times report notes that the mention of "ongoing investigations" likely are related to Smith's inquiry into the events of Jan 6th when the former president helped incite an insurrection at the Capitol where protestors attempted to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost.

The Times is reporting, "The government’s motion for a protective order, which Mr. Trump’s lawyers did not oppose, said that prosecutors were ready to start turning over a trove of nonclassified evidence that they had collected during the documents investigation," then adding, "It also sought to restrict disclosure of the evidence to Mr. Trump’s legal team; to people who might be interviewed as witnesses and their lawyers; and to any others who were specifically authorized by the court."

You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/16/us/politics/trump-documents-case.html



Somebody is going to have to pull a trigger' to stop Trump prosecutions: Fox News guest Curt Schilling



Retired Major League Baseball pitcher-turned-right-wing commentator Curt Schilling told Fox News host Jesse Watters on Friday that "somebody is going to have to pull a trigger" in retaliation to the criminal charges that were filed against former President Donald Trump by United States Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith.

"The problem is Jesse, you know, if you look at, you know, I love coming on this show. I love talking to you. I love what you've done, what you're doing with your voice, but the fact of the matter is, you know, I'm tired of listening to Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz and Dan Crenshaw and these people talk. Talk. Talk — that's all they're doing. They're talking," Schilling crowed on Jesse Watters Primetime.

"We're up against a side and a force that doesn't play by the rules, refuses to play by the rules, just look no further than the unconstitutional thing going with former President Trump and we're not doing anything about it. We're talking about it, and we get excited and we get emotional. That's it," Schilling carped. "They break the law and they do the things they need to do to ensure their agenda is driven forward and we're watching them gut our nation from the inside out. And I don't know where the rubber is going to meet the road because it's a true sacrifice. mean, you look at the guys, the young men that signed the Constitution and all the things that they sacrificed everything to come out from under a tyrannical government, and then eventually at some point, there was a man at Concord who decided he was going to pull the trigger. And I feel like we're getting back to a point where somebody is going to have to pull a trigger because everything we hold dear, everything this country was founded on is being just dragged through the mud and mocked and made fun of. This country was founded on Godly principles. No matter how offensive that is to the left, it's true."

Watters was momentarily taken aback.

"Well, I'm going to assume you mean 'pull the trigger' metaphorically?" he asked.

"Absolutely, well, no," Schilling replied. "I mean, it doesn't matter if I say metaphorically because they're going to run with that quote no matter how I put it. I could have phrased it in any possible way saying, 'Stand up and fight and blah blah blah,' and I would be inciting a riot while Maxine Waters says, 'Get in their face and beat the hell out of them' publicly."

Watters concurred.

"No, I understand," Watters said. "I've said this to Jim Jordan. I've said this to these congressmen. They throw a subpoena around. They fire off a really bold letter, 'Gotcha.' Republicans need to go on the warpath. And that means that you got to use every tool necessary. They got to do what's being done to them because that's the only way this is gonna stop."

Schilling then added that "the problem is that the left's winning because they're relying — the left is relying on our morals and ethics. They know we'll play by the rules. They know we'll follow the laws. And they're not playing. It's like we're fighting our own war.

Watters responded by proclaiming that "we're too good for our own good. Yeah, I get it."

Watch below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1669997189655846912

[Rick Plant]

New Jack Smith filing points to more indictments coming against Trump team: ex-Watergate prosecutor

Donald Trump and his team should brace for new indictments incoming based on a new filing in the criminal case brought by Jack Smith, a former Watergate prosecutor said on Saturday.

Jill Wine-Banks, who served as a prosecutor during the Watergate scandal and was also the first female general counsel of the Army, appeared on MSNBC's Ayman on Saturday. She was asked about the recent filing in which Jack Smith mentions "ongoing investigations."

"What do you make of that motion filed by the special counsel Jack Smith, and its reference to material regarding quote, ongoing investigations?" the host asked.

Wine-Banks said that the reference made it much more likely that another indictment is coming from one angle or another.

"Of course, that raises the probability that Jack Smith and his team are going to have additional indictments. Whether that is for the January 6th, whether that is just adding additional people to the Mar-a-Lago documents case, or a third possibility, we don't know."

She added that it is "ironic that there are no defenses, basically, to the case that's already been brought."

"And so, there's always a rule for trial lawyers that if the law is on your side, stress the law. if the facts are on your side, stress the facts. And if neither is on your side, pound the table. And I'm afraid the defense lawyers to the extent that he has any, are going to have to pound the table. Because they don't have law or facts on their side."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Bill Barr Ramps Up His Showdown With ‘Troubled Man’ Trump in Stunning CBS Interview: He’s Like ‘A Defiant 9-Year-Old’

Former Attorney General Bill Barr has been the talk of the political world for the past week — after his stunning proclamation that former President Donald Trump is “toast” if half of the 37-count indictment against him is true. Now, after a week of personal insults from the former president, Barr is fighting back with an utterly brutal assessment of his old boss.

In a stunning CBS interview on Sunday with Robert Costa, Barr doubled down on his opinion that Trump has only himself to blame for his current predicament.

“This is not a circumstance where he’s the victim or this is government overreach,” Barr said. “He provoked this whole problem himself. Yes, he’s been the victim of unfair witch hunts in the past. But that doesn’t obviate the fact that he’s also a fundamentally flawed person who engages in reckless conduct. And that leads to situations, calamitous situations like this, which are very destructive and hurt any political cause he’s associated with.”

The former attorney general did say that while Trump has “many good qualities” and “accomplished some good things,” his actions ultimately endanger the GOP cause.

“He is a consummate narcissist and he constantly engages in reckless conduct that that puts his political followers at risk and the conservative and Republican agenda at risk,” he said.

Asked if he believes Trump lied to the Justice Department, Barr said, “Yes, I do.”

He then added this jawdropping postscript:

“He will always put his own interests and gratifying his own ego ahead of everything else, including the country’s interests. There’s no question about it. This is a perfect example of that. He’s like a 9-year-old — a defiant 9-year-old kid who’s always pushing the glass toward the edge of the table, defying his parents to stop him from doing it. It’s a means of self-assertion and exerting his dominance over other people. And he’s a very petty individual who will always put his interests ahead of the country’s, his personal gratification of his ego. But our country can’t be a therapy session for a troubled man like this.”

Watch video in link: https://www.mediaite.com/news/bill-barr-ramps-up-his-showdown-with-troubled-man-trump-in-stunning-cbs-interview-hes-like-a-defiant-9-year-old/

[Rick Plant]

Former Trump official regrets 'unseemly' pardons of cocaine traffickers, Trump's family

Former White House official Marc Short said he regrets working in the Trump administration because the former president pardoned violent criminals and family members as he left office.

During Donald Trump's tenure, Short worked as the White House Director of Legislative Affairs and as the chief of staff to then-Vice President Mike Pence.

On Fox News Sunday, Short noted that Trump was not a lifelong Republican. He responded to Republican candidates who might consider pardoning Trump if they were to win the White House.

"And when it comes to pardons, you know, candidly, one of the most unseemly parts of the end of our administration was the pardons that Donald Trump gave to cocaine traffickers, to family members, to people guilty of violent crimes," Short lamented. "And so I think we have to have a real conversation. What would people actually do with the power of a pardon?"

"But I think if you look actually at even Donald Trump's record when it came to pardons, it was indefensible of people getting $750,000 to lobby us to try to gain a pardon," he added. "It's a meritorious question for all of us, how you'd handle a pardon and the power of it."

Watch:

National security lawyer thinks Trump is too scared to have cameras show his trial



National security lawyer Bradly Moss doesn't think that former President Donald Trump wants any of his federal trial to be public. Typically there are no cameras in federal courts, and to get them would take a willingness from both sides to petition the Supreme Court.

MSNBC host Yasmin Vossoughian said that there is a lot of distrust in the justice system. Already, Republicans are demanding the firing of FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, and Attorney General Merrick Garland. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court is at its lowest approval rating in history, in part, due to a lack of transparency. The Supreme Court has fought cameras in courts from the beginning.

Those on the left fear that a secret trial will give Republicans the opportunity to lie about what happens in court, but Moss thinks the right wants to keep everything quiet.

"I don't expect any excessive, and the extra transparency coming from Judge [Aileen] Cannon beyond what the standard rules in some, in southern Florida permit and require in that courthouse," Moss said. "The issue with the clearances isn't a necessary part of this. That was gonna be if they hadn't granted part of a pretrial discovery issue because of the classified information — they need to provide some measure of access. At least to the attorneys, if not Walt Nauta and Mr. Trump, as well as part of discovery, and procedures in place."

He said that cameras in the court, live tweeting, and other options don't sound like possibilities under Cannon.

The last time Cannon dealt with the case, she made rulings that were not only overturned, but her actions drew condemnation from the conservative Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court then refused to step in, appearing to agree with the lower appeals court. MSNBC's "Morning Joe" panel predicted last week that if she persists in such rulings, she will again be humiliated by higher courts. Senior Robert Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said that he doesn't see any indication of Cannon recusing herself. However, if there is a single misstep, it might give special counsel Jack Smith the opportunity to request her recusal from the appeals court.

"I know there's a media push for [cameras]. It would make it interesting," said Moss. "But people are looking for the second coming of OJ's trial, I don't think you're gonna see that in this case.

Vossoughian said that Republicans and Democrats outside of the Miami courthouse wanted to know what was happening not for the entertainment value but because of the historic significance and the accountability.

"You would think that given those obvious public interest factors, there would be greater transparency. We haven't seen it yet. The magistrate's pushback on some of the efforts to do that in the arraignment. We'll see what Judge Cannon does when it comes before on a separate motion by various organizations. I believe NBC News is one of them trying to open this up. But ironically, the person that doesn't want this to be live-streamed, cameras, and everything is going to be the criminal defendants, Mr. Trump, and Mr. Nauta. They don't want the public to be able to watch all that."

He explained that photos and audio mean that he can't control the message and convince Americans of a grand conspiracy against him. Showing the truth would reveal Trump's guilt.

"In color, with the audio, and all that because it would put it in a much greater effect than what a piece of paper does, what people don't tend to read in detail. Seeing it, nothing can compare to what we saw with the OJ trial, decades ago. And what that brought into Americans' homes. Doing that in this case, would be very damaging for the criminal defendants. Even if they potentially work out a hung jury in the end. Which would be their best hope. I don't think they want that level of transparency."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

'Insurmountable': Fox News guest says Trump can't win and 'that's the real problem Republicans have'



Princeton University political scientist Lauren Wright predicted Donald Trump would lose the 2024 presidential election because of his legal problems.

During an interview on Fox News, host Eric Shawn pointed out 73% of those polled recently said Trump did something illegal or unethical.

"So what happens if you think 75 percent of the people think you did something wrong? How do you win them back?" Shawn wondered. "Can you win the general with that type of action?"

"To me, it's insurmountable when you have the majority of people who think you did something wrong," Wright replied. "But a minority, a strong minority, a plurality of Republicans is enough to propel Trump through the primary."

"And that's the real problem Republicans have," she continued. "Are you going to vote for this person that is in a very, very weak position in a national election for all the reasons we just talked about?"

At the same time, Wright said other Republican candidates like Gov. Ron DeSantis were frustrated by Trump's popularity with the party.

"If I'm Ron DeSantis, frankly, I'm pretty annoyed right now because I'm not under indictment," she explained. "I haven't been accused of some of these things other candidates have. I bucked national trends with Covid, much to my success, and took on other governors and took on the Trump administration. And I had better results than a lot of my competitors, but I'm not getting the attention."

Shawn seemed entertained by the thought of DeSantis being under indictment.

"Annoyed that he's not under indictment," the host quipped. "That's probably the quote of the day."

Watch:

The GOP is 'enthralled to cult leader' Trump as part of 'authoritarian discipline': expert



Ayman Mohyeldin spoke to historian and fascism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat and walked through the ways in which the Republican Party has submitted itself to an "authoritarian discipline" while being led by a cult leader like Donald Trump.

Speaking Sunday, she explained the "authoritarian bargain" adopted by other Republican leaders.

"What strikes me the most is that they are enthralled to this cult leader and that he has been able to subject the party to a kind of authoritarian discipline where it's all about loyalty," Ben-Ghiat explained. "And the other thing that strikes me is you, and I talk about Middle Eastern and other dictators. If you have any subordination in those contexts, you go to jail or killed. Here these people are willingly being complicit in the attempt to destroy our justice system and our democracy, and they are not going to be killed or jailed. They would maybe lose their political career like Jeff Sessions when he refused to perjure himself for Trump as attorney general. So, that's a very sad commentary on the level of cowardice and the level of opportunism among the GOP."

In her substack, Ben-Ghiat writes: "Trump is an expert manipulator of people, and the GOP lawmakers who engage in public displays of fealty know that opposing him could mean the end of their political careers."

Mohyeldin wondered what was compelling the Republicans to buy into that kind of ideology.

"Is it safe to say that a large swath of the GOP today puts power over country, and that's what's compelling them?" Mohyeldin asked. "They simply just don't want to lose power or the access to power that comes with the positions through Donald Trump?"

She explained it as a combination of power and fear.

It's "fear of howling having their secrets, whatever they are, revealed. Donald Trump is a decades-old blackmailer. An expert in what the Russians call kompromat. So, there's that kind of fear, as well as opportunism. And this idea that is very compelling that you could have as much power as possible, but then for the fanatics like Jim Jordan and Ron DeSantis, they do buy into this idea of an authoritarian vision of power which is limitless. It's a fantasy, but it's very compelling in those who have that temperament."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

'He didn't mean to': Trump supporters tie themselves in knots to explain he didn't break the law



Supporters that came out for Donald Trump as he was arraigned in Miami, Fla., on Tuesday were interviewed by the comedy group "The Good Liars." They had a lot of questions about the basic facts of the case that many MAGA loyalists didn't know.

One of the videos shows a Trump supporter claiming that the former president declassified everything. When told that Trump was on audio saying he didn't, the supporter refused to believe it.

A loyal Trump supporter told the "Good Liars" that he doesn't believe for a second Trump meant to steal the documents and that he probably didn't know the laws. He didn't explain why Trump refused to give the documents back.

Another video with Davram Stiefler showed a Trump supporter asking about the "lock her up" chants and a man said Hillary Clinton was never investigated. He was told that the FBI announced the investigation 11 days before the election, and they had no idea.

What became clear to Jason Selvig is that none of the people were getting their news from actual news sources, and they were parroting the messages that Donald Trump has given. Instead of excuses, Trump has deployed the "what about" questions about Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

At one point, a woman told Stiefler that Fox News never had to pay any money for lying to their viewers. He kept trying to tell her that Fox admitted to lying to them, and they paid a ton of money because of it. She refused to believe it.

Another woman refused to believe that Donald Trump would keep boxes of documents in his bathroom. She claimed that the bathroom with two chandeliers looked "like Joe Biden's bathroom." She maintained that Trump would never be so "messy." Selvig explained to her that the photos were in the indictment. They were in the court documents.

The Good Liars are known for going to many events. Jordan Klepper of "The Daily Show" was also known for doing the same kind of interviews, but due to the writer's strike, the show has been off the air.

Watch:

Trump’s prison nightmare: See Jack Smith taking 'Hague playbook' to DOJ in Melber Report

Donald Trump faces a powerful legal opponent in Special Counsel Jack Smith. The prosecutor who indicted Trump previously investigated and prosecuted war crimes. In this special report, MSNBC Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber examines how Smith’s cases on war crimes and corruption offer clues for Trump’s prosecution.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

'Much worse than it looks': Morning Joe says GOP showing signs of turning against Trump

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough sees signs that conservatives are finally starting to break with Donald Trump.

The "Morning Joe" host played a montage of prominent Republicans, including former vice president Mike Pence, former attorney general William Barr and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, criticizing the ex-president's handling of classified documents and his campaign policies, and he was struck by how forceful those attacks have become.

"If you look at the weathervane vice president who started immediately [after Trump's indictment] saying, 'Oh, this is a Democratic hit job,' blah, blah, blah, and the next day, 'I'm going to pardon him,' and the next day, he talks about how horrible this information was, and the next day saying, 'Well, I'm not going to pardon him yet, I'm going to see what it looks like,'" Scarborough said. "It took him three or four days, but he got to where every American should be, which is, this looks really bad. He's innocent until proven guilty, and why in the world are we even talking about pardons before convictions? It does seem, if you use that test, of not looking at polls right now but, instead, looking at Republicans, it is a mixed bag at best for Donald Trump."

"You're seeing what's in the National Review, what are the headlines of Drudge every day, what you're seeing from other conservative thought leaders and people who have been aggressively anti-anti-Trump shamelessly over the last several years," he added."You look at the National Review that turned anti-anti-Trumpism into an art form -- they're all saying that this is much worse than it looks."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

See Jack Smith’s new road map for sending Trump to prison: Ari Melber Report

New reporting shows Trump rejected an attorney's plan to settle the documents case last year. Instead, relying on the advice of a conservative activist. See the timeline and choices Trump made to get to this point including alleged obstruction and conspiracy. In this special report, MSNBC Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber breaks down Smith’s timeline.

Watch: