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Greg Sargent Profile picture
@GregTSargent
Jun 14 • 10 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
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An important development: Trump's criminality is becoming a genuine wedge issue against Republicans.

Don't be fooled by GOP's outward shows of unity behind Dear Leader. The cracks in the facade are very clear.

Here's some evidence. 1/

(Link to piece)
newrepublic.com/article/182728…
People overlooked this. But when Rep Mike Simpson, a very senior GOPer, told @playbookdc that he opposes defunding Jack Smith, he also directly undermined the entire Trump/GOP argument that the prosecutions are the illegitimate work of the Deep State. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…
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This is a big deal. A top GOPer essentially admitted Jack Smith is operating within his legit institutional role. As Jamie Raskin told me:

"Mike Simpson just destroyed MAGA-world’s argument that Trump’s prosecution...is fraudulent or in bad faith." 3/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…
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More from Jamie Raskin on Rep Mike Simpson opposing the defunding of Jack Smith:

“Other Republicans should follow Simpson and stop demonizing the justice system and the rule of law."

This is how Trump’s criming is becoming a wedge against the GOP. 4/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…
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More evidence that Trump's criminality is becoming a wedge: Vulnerable House Republicans are balking at voting for all the craven things Mike Johnson is offering to shield Trump from the law.

This has happened numerous times now. Evidence below. 5/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…

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Trump's ritual humiliation of Rs like McConnell on the Hill is all about forcing them to *act as if* the politics of Trump's criming favors the GOP/isn't an issue.

This is spin. The real tell is vulnerable Rs not wanting to vote for shielding Trump. 6/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…
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Trump is forcing Rs to repeatedly vote on protecting him from the law. That's bad for Rs, full stop.

GOP pretending his criming is a winner is psyops. As I try to show, Ds now get this.

(h/t @brianbeutler @joshtpm for making versions of this point) 7/

newrepublic.com/article/182728…

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A link to the full argument at @newrepublic is below. 8/8
newrepublic.com/article/182728…
Related and key from @brianbeutler: Dems have an opening to drive a wedge between Trump and the corporate class. The story is that this class has capitulated. But that doesn't *have* to remain true, just as GOP submission to Trump is only half the story.
offmessage.net/p/the-gops-fin…
Also watch @SimonWDC on Trump/GOP:

"MAGA has been a failed politics. They're doubling down on a politics that keeps losing."

Dominance/submission rituals are about papering this over. But vulnerable Rs are balking at voting to protect Trump right now.

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More from @GregTSargent

Greg Sargent Profile picture
Jun 12
Just amazing: MAGA is now saying Hunter Biden's guilty verdict is part of the conspiracy against Trump.

This shows that nothing is more devastating to the MAGA worldview than the idea that the justice system is actually functioning fairly. 1/

New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/182603…
Stephen Miller, Charlie Kirk and other MAGA personalities served up a convoluted theory in which DOJ successfully prosecuted Hunter Biden to make the Deep State *appear* balanced.

It's almost as if MAGA was secretly hoping Hunter would get acquitted. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/182603…

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It's so absurd:

*David Weiss (who successfully prosecuted Hunter) originally Trump appointee.

*Up until yesterday, MAGA was screaming that Biden family was rigging trial in Hunter's favor

*House Rs themselves failed to find evidence of POTUS crimes 3/

newrepublic.com/article/182603…

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Read 7 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
Jun 8
Media is being too credulous about Trump's threats to prosecute Ds "for revenge." This implies he's just threatening to do what is being done to him. That's deception. He's vowing evidence-free prosecutions. That's *not* what's happening to him. 1/

Link:
newrepublic.com/article/182480…
Trump's exchanges with Dr. Phil and Hannity showed that even his friendliest interviewers can't disguise his lawless intentions for a second term. But they also showed what a monstrous scam it is when Trump says he'll prosecute in "retaliation." 2/

newrepublic.com/article/182480…

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Media frame is: Will Trump seek “retaliation," or won’t he? But that lets him set the terms of debate. He is expressly vowing prosecutions *solely because* he's been held accountable to the law, meaning he'll prosecute with no evidence of wrongdoing. 3/

newrepublic.com/article/182480…
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Read 7 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
Jun 5
Just amazing: House Republicans are advancing a proposal to restrict funds from going to any special counsel to criminally prosecute "a former or current president.”

Dems expect something like this to be attached to a must-pass bill very soon. 1/

Link:
newrepublic.com/article/182276…
Last month, Mike Johnson had a rare moment of consistency, admitting that defunding special counsels is a bad idea. But Trump's conviction changed all that. Now Rs must show absolute fealty to the notion that Trump must be kept above the law. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/182276…


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Jim Jordan recently proposed to restrict funding from prosecution of a "former or current president." It's not clear exactly what Mike Johnson will do with this, but Dems tell me they expect something like it to be a rider on upcoming funding bills. 3/

newrepublic.com/article/182276…

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Read 8 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
May 31
Here's a big reason Trump's conviction is such a powerful moment: It shatters the myth of his invincibility. Dems need to banish the phrase "his negatives are baked in" forever, and use this against him, ruthlessly and effectively. My take:
newrepublic.com/article/182111…
Trump cultivates the aura of invincibility relentlessly. Up until a few hours ago, it was possible to believe he was going to skate yet again.

He was getting away with all of it. Until he didn't.

That's a big inflection point, and Dems should grab it.

newrepublic.com/article/182111…


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The Biden campaign has no plans for paid ads involving the verdict, a source tells me. That cannot set the tone for the whole party. There's a big opening to use this against not just Trump, but also Rs who attacked our system to put him above the law.

newrepublic.com/article/182111…

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Read 8 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
May 28
How is this not bigger news?

Trump posted a video of one of his supporters attacking "blowjob liberals" and raging that if Trump is elected, he will "get rid" of liberals, who will be "gone."

Trump is plainly endorsing those sentiments. 1/

(Link)
newrepublic.com/article/181973…
The video Trump posted got notice for attacking @JoeNBC, but there's also this:

"He’ll get rid of all you fucking liberals. You liberals are gone when he fucking wins."

By promoting this video, Trump endorsed that sentiment about libs generally. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/181973…

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Yes, we often play "what if Biden did it." But here it's appropriate! A battalion of pundits is always ready to pounce on mere hints of demeaning language about conservative voters. Here the GOP nominee promoted vile language about liberals as a class. 3/

newrepublic.com/article/181973…
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Read 7 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
May 23
People are missing the larger story behind the "unified Reich" video: It's undeniable that on many fronts, Trump and MAGA are experimenting with how far they can go with overtly fascist/authoritarian modes of politics. It's a test. 1/

New piece from me:
newrepublic.com/article/181843…
The people behind the video are part of a group of far right shitposters that have collaborated with the Trump campaign. The bigger story here is this shadow zone where Trump/MAGA allies encourage far right propaganda and seek to harness its energies. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/181843…

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On numerous fronts, Trump and his MAGA allies are aggressively seeding the discourse with fascist language and dramatic authoritarian "solutions." These seem plainly designed to gauge the public's tolerance for authoritarian rule.

Examples below. 3/

newrepublic.com/article/181843…

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Read 8 tweets

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