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Jed Shugerman @jedshug
, 16 tweets, 6 min read Read on Twitter
Trump is in the middle of a Twitter tantrum, attacking Mueller, GM, asylum seekers, and retweeting "lock 'em up" memes (including Mueller and Rosenstein).
I think Trump is getting nervous.
I think Congress should pass the Mueller protection bill.
Let's review obstruction... 1/
2/ We found out over the summer that Trump's lawyers had essentially admitted the Trump engaged in witness tampering in the summer of 2017, persuading Junior to lie about the Trump Tower meeting in June 2016.
Felony witness tampering under 18 USC 1512. slate.com/news-and-polit…
3/ If Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting in June 2016, he would be facing criminal conspiracy to defraud U.S., 18 USC 371.
Mueller may already have that answer, and Trump may now know that Mueller has that answer, too. h/t @RDEliason.
slate.com/news-and-polit…
4/ I've written before how Trump firing Comey and admitting it was because of the Russia investigation constitutes obstruction of justice. I also noted in this blogpost a year ago that his lawyer Dowd became implicated in malpractice (at best): shugerblog.com/2017/12/04/yes…
5/ So now let's talk about Trump's lawyers, in light of yesterday's news that Manafort's lawyers were talking secretly with Trump's lawyers after Manafort was "cooperating" with Mueller. Were they coordinating lies? Dangling pardons?
Let's recall Dowd...
6/ Last May, @nytimes and @washingtonpost reported that Dowd may have dangled pardons to Manafort and Flynn, perhaps in exchange for silence. I agree w/ other experts that this may have been felony bribery conspiracy and obstruction. @BarbMcQuade here: thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-a…
7/ And I agree with @alexgwhiting here in @just_security that Trump and Dowd dangling a pardon, in itself, can constitute obstruction of justice: justsecurity.org/54356/dangling…
8/ And I agree with @RDEliason that dangling pardons in return for silence, lying, and/or felony false statements is bribery, a quid pro quo for an official act.
Are Trump's lawyers, from Dowd to the present, engaged in criminal conspiracy?
washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-r…
9/ Let's be clear: Dowd and the lawyers implicated in the Manafort story yesterday are Trump's *personal* lawyers, not the White House Counsel, the office that handles pardons. There is no good reason whatsoever for Dowd or Trump's other lawyers to have uttered the word "pardon."
10/ If Dowd or other lawyers mentioned the word "pardon" and tacitly encouraged Manafort (or Flynn or others) to lie or helped coordinate lies, there is a case against these lawyers for criminal conspiracy: bribery and obstruction of justice, 18 USC 1512.
11/ There is no attorney-client privilege for conspiracies to commit crimes.
Based on the public record, if Trump pardons Manafort or any co-conspirator, there is sufficient grounds to subpoena Dowd and Trump's lawyers and ask about a bribery/obstruction conspiracy under oath.
12/ The House Judiciary could subpoena Trump's lawyers. Mueller could subpoena them and put them before a grand jury. If I were one of those lawyers, I would be very nervous that Manafort, suddenly cooperating fully, has written contemporaneous notes of pardon-as-bribe offers...
13/ And if I were Dowd or one of Trump's lawyers, I think I would've woken up this morning desperately worried about Trump actually pardoning anyone, about personally getting a subpoena, an indictment, and a conviction for conspiracy to bribe and obstruct justice...
14/ And if I were one of Trump's lawyers today, I would be looking at these options:
A) Doing everything in my power to stop an obstructive/bribery pardon for fear of my own criminal liability.
B) Resigning,
C) Cooperating with Mueller and the House if there was a conspiracy...
15/ Finally, if I were Matthew Whitaker today (thank God I'm not), I would also wake up more nervous about being implicated in obstruction myself.
If chances are increasing that Trump's lawyers may face criminal jeopardy, I wouldn't want to do anything to implicate myself./FIN
16/ (Because nothing is ever final in this conspiratorial death spiral...)
A Watergate reminder:
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4 clear pieces on the law of “national emergency” and the wall: @MargLTaylor
@BobbyChesney in @lawfareblog; @LizaGoitein in @Atlantic; and @charlie_savage in @nytimes (links here).
My bottom line: Congress has given the president too much discretion.
nytimes.com/2019/01/07/us/…
2/ @MargLTaylor: “On closer inspection, relevant statutes delegate substantial authority to the president, and it is possible to imagine arguments...courts could find convincing if they are predisposed to defer to the president on a national emergency.” lawfareblog.com/declaring-emer…
3/ @BobbyChesney finds similar statutory discretion, and also asks, “Who has standing to challenge in court?”
Congress’s legislative standing isn’t easy. We agree that there are many private landowners facing eminent domain seizures...
lawfareblog.com/can-president-…
Read 3 tweets
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I’m creating a thread to recognize the libertarians admirably speaking out against the Trump’s family separations and/or the abuse of executive power and takings for the wall. I haven’t seen enough, but please send me more examples for recognition. 1/
2/ Libertarians speaking out against Trump on immigration:
3/ A shout-out to @reason and @CatoInstitute in particular:
Read 9 tweets
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In 2005, libertarians were (understandably) outraged by Kelo v. New London for allowing broad govt takings.
2008-16, libertarians warned that Obama abused executive power.
2018: Child cages?
"Meh."
2019: Seizing land for an unauthorized wall via martial law?
<<<crickets>>>
Of course, this isn't universal or monolithic, but a relative observation. But please send me examples of libertarians speaking out, and I will now create a thread of retweeting the consistent libertarians speaking out.
Thanks - I want to recognize those admirable voices.
So help me add to this thread over here, starting, as usual, with one of the most fair-minded, consistent libertarians out there, @IlyaSomin:
Read 4 tweets

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AMERICA!!! AMERICA!!! This is what we need to do!!! AGAIN!
🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥

Wait...what? What does AGAIN mean?

Well, let’s just see...shall we?
2). A meme was flown across Twitter over the past few months, coming to my attention again yesterday. I saved it so I could do this little investigation!
3.) According to this meme:
A. U.S. Immigration passed laws in accordance with the passing of the McCarran Walters Act of 1952., Revised & Re-Affirmed in 1965.

Chapter 2, Sec.212: As the PROHIBITION OF THE ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES IF THE ALIEN BELONGS TO AN ORGANIZATION
Read 64 tweets
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@Jim_Jordan Any #Trump sycophant, alleged pedophile protector, trying to besmirch this hero, while his own children will have to suffer from the decisions made for the country, is sad. Why wouldn't the #GOP make it an open door session if they had nothing to hide? Your reign ends soon.
@Jim_Jordan As time passes, more comes to light, with the Steele dossier, Trumps alleged involvement in Epstein child sex ring where Secretary Acosta stopped the FBI investigation before more suspects could be arrested, and money laundering campaign contributions from Russian operatives.
@Jim_Jordan Plus your support for a theocratic monarchy that really acts like a ruthless inhumane dictator & desire to sell American technology to them when it could then be used to kill our own troops or handed over to Russia is genuinely INSANE. Who is dishonorable, spineless sycophantic?
Read 81 tweets
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Trump: Day 644
-#MAGABomber Taken Into Custody
-Sz "Bomb" Coverage Unfortunate
-Refuses 2 Contact Those Targeted
-Repeats Soros "Lock em' Up" Chant
-Invites Vladimir Putin 2 White House
-Complains His Twitter Count Stalled
-Holds His 39th Rally Since Election
Add...
Day 749 since Donald Trump admitted to sexual assault — yet he’s still in the Oval Office
Add...
Day 600 of NO EVIDENCE produced by Trump that his phones were tapped by Obama.

The FISA warrant Trump referenced targeted Carter Page. #TrumpLies
Read 73 tweets
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‼️Be Smart‼️

“Cambridge Analytica ...had had the [stolen] Clinton emails more than a month before they were published by WikiLeaks.”

Savor the implications. 🤗

It is fitting that Trump has been forced into retreat by babies. Cruelty should never be mistaken for strength.
‼️Be Smart2‼️

The dystopian Trump Admin is weaponizing gov’t by eviscerating regs that protect the 98% (those w/o money & power), & they’re weaponizing bureaucracy, in order to use it against everyone they don’t like, whether it’s immigrants or poor people or DEMs.

#Mueller
‼️Be Smart3‼️

A new RU influence operation has surfaced that mirrors some of the activity of an internet firm that the FBI says was deeply involved in efforts to sway the 2016 U.S. elections, a cybersecurity firm says.

Don Jr. ‘Regrets taking’ 2016 Trump Tower meet w/ RUs
Read 63 tweets
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We know Trump tried to fire #Mueller last summer, and we know the #NunesMemo is an excuse to fire #Rosenstein.

You might think there's nothing we can do if that happens. You would be wrong. THREAD 1 #TrumpIsNotAboveTheLaw #ProtectMueller #ProtectRosenstein #sundaymotivation
If you haven't already, sign up for text alerts for rapid response marches if Trump fires Rosenstein or Mueller. Several great organizations have coordinated to plan this. 2
act.moveon.org/event/mueller-…
If Trump fires Rosenstein or Mueller, rapid response marches are step one.

Step 2: pressure your MoCs and state AGs to pick up the investigation. Talking points here. 3 theloyalopposition.net/daily-ctas/dai…
Read 15 tweets
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Trump Hotels' website still lists Trump SoHo New York among its properties in the Our Hotels menu. Select its name though to access its page and there's a message about it being renamed

bit.ly/2EPCSy1
National politics correspondent for Newsweek, Nina Burleigh, with a fun find on a TV above the bar at the Trump Hotel DC bit.ly/2E37QRR
Two errors in the 2nd graf of Breitbart's Trump Hotel DC article:
-holdings aren't out of @realDonaldTrump's hands: trust isn't blind & he can profit from it
-Trump Org told Congress it was estimating foreign receipts—not auto donating in full
bit.ly/2CpL7z2
Read 1562 tweets

Trending hashtags

#Spin #RepublicanFamilyValues #NationalSecurity #Border #maga #tga #Maddow #GuestWorkers #Fight4Her #america #WorldMentalHealthDay #Borders #USMilitary #Mueller #Rubio #immigration #Trade #China #SundayMotivation #reunification #haha #GITMO #U1 #WorldRefugeeDay #Kandinsky

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