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Insurrection Barbie Profile picture
@DefiyantlyFree
Mar 22 • 10 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
🧵🧵 The Law Firms that Run DC

I see a lot of articles saying how President Trump is attacking law firms in Washington DC because he is vindictive. When in fact, it has nothing to do with being vindictive, and everything to do with the fact that they are acting like an extension of the Democratic Party.

This web shows how elite law firms in DC have become de facto political actors, coordinating with bureaucrats, Democratic campaigns, and activist groups to advance one side’s agenda while insulating allies from legal consequences.
1. Perkins Coie

Partisan Alignment: Strongly Democratic

Key Players: Marc Elias, Michael Sussmann

Involved In:

•Russiagate:

•Hired Fusion GPS on behalf of the Clinton campaign and DNC to create the Steele Dossier.

•Michael Sussmann was indicted for allegedly lying to the FBI about the source of Alfa Bank/Trump server claims (acquitted, but case exposed coordination between Clinton-linked lawyers and the intelligence community).

•Through Marc Elias, aggressively litigated to change election laws in battleground states pre-2020 (e.g., mail-in ballot rules, signature matching, ballot curing).

•Litigated against voter ID laws and redistricting efforts favoring GOP, using courts to alter rules under the guise of civil rights.
2. Elias Law Group

Partisan Alignment: 100% Democratic

Key Player: Marc Elias (founder, formerly at Perkins Coie)

Involved In:

•Election Lawfare:

•Filed hundreds of lawsuits between 2020–2024 aimed at changing ballot deadlines, preventing voter roll purges, and invalidating state-level election reforms.

•Sued states that passed voter integrity laws (Georgia, Texas, Arizona).

•Legal and strategic support for efforts to disqualify Trump from ballots under the 14th Amendment (Section 3).
3. WilmerHale

Partisan Alignment: Center-left establishment

Key Players: Robert Mueller, Jamie Gorelick

Involved In:

•Russiagate:

•Mueller was a WilmerHale partner before becoming special counsel.

•Several senior lawyers on Mueller’s team (Aaron Zebley, James Quarles) came from WilmerHale.

•Created a direct pipeline from a private DC firm to a politically charged investigation.

•WilmerHale defended companies and figures potentially affected by the Mueller investigation—raising questions about impartiality.
4. Latham & Watkins

Partisan Alignment: Progressive-leaning, deep resistance ties

Key Players: Kathryn Ruemmler (former Obama WH Counsel), multiple Obama-era appointees

Involved In:

•Lawfare Against Trump Policies:

•Litigated against Trump’s immigration, environmental, and regulatory rollbacks.

•Supported amicus briefs in support of January 6 prosecutions.

•Close ties to Biden DOJ officials (Ruemmler has known connections to current White House legal networks).
5. Covington & Burling

Partisan Alignment: Deep Obama/Biden ties

Key Players: Eric Holder, Lanny Breuer

Involved In:

•Russiagate/Deep State Entrenchment:

•Holder and Breuer returned to Covington after serving in the Obama DOJ.

•Firm has represented major tech and surveillance companies with ties to federal investigations.

•Defended figures in the intelligence community during investigations into FISA abuse and surveillance.
6. Debevoise & Plimpton

Partisan Alignment: Institutional left

Key Player: Mary Jo White (Obama SEC Chair), Andrew Ceresney

Involved In:

•Representing Hunter Biden in federal tax and firearms-related investigations.

•Helped negotiate controversial plea agreement that collapsed in 2023.

•Close ties to DOJ officials overseeing investigations of Hunter Biden. Scrutiny over sweetheart deals and unusual coordination.
7. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

Partisan Alignment: Progressive legal elite

Key Players: Jeh Johnson (Obama DHS), Loretta Lynch (Obama AG)

Involved In:

•Represented progressive groups in redistricting and voting rights lawsuits.

•No comparable representation for free speech or conservative plaintiffs, reinforcing political asymmetry.

•Consulted by Democratic-aligned NGOs on how to frame post-2020 election audit challenges as “threats to democracy.”
8. Jenner & Block

Partisan Alignment: J6-focused, anti-Trump

Key Players: Donald Verrilli (Obama SG), Ian Gershengorn

Involved In:

•January 6 Committee Staffing:

•Provided legal support and volunteers to the J6 Committee.

•Ties to lawfare efforts to charge Trump advisors and allies.
•Worked behind the scenes with groups like Lawfare Blog and Brookings to craft legal theories around “insurrection” and “disqualification.”
9. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

Partisan Alignment: Corporate Dem establishment

Key Players: Greg Craig (former Obama WH Counsel, indicted)

Involved In:

•Ukraine Lobbying Scandal:

•Paid millions by pro-Russian Ukrainian interests via Paul Manafort.

•Fined for failing to register under FARA. No major prosecutions of Skadden lawyers, despite harsh treatment of Manafort.

•Avoided accountability while similar conduct was used to hammer Trump affiliates.

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More from @DefiyantlyFree

Insurrection Barbie Profile picture
May 15
1/6 Title: The Lawfare Network — How a Billion-Dollar Nonprofit Machine Hijacked the Legal System to Wage Political War

In the modern war for power in America, elections are no longer the final word.

A sprawling, coordinated network of tax-exempt nonprofits, elite legal operatives, media partners, and billionaire donors has weaponized the court system to override legislatures, destroy political opposition, and reshape U.S. law from the bench.

This isn’t civil rights advocacy.
This isn’t rule of law.
This is lawfare—and it is being executed by a professionalized machine known as the lawfare network.

And it is an ever-evolving landscape.
With each election cycle, new and obscure nonprofits emerge—each cloaked in benevolence, each advancing the same coordinated strategy: use the courts to gain what the ballot box may not deliver.
2/6 What Is the Lawfare Network?

Lawfare is the deliberate use of lawsuits, bar complaints, ethics charges, and judicial manipulation to achieve political goals.

The lawfare network is the infrastructure behind it: a coalition of legal advocacy organizations, foundations, and activist scholars, all coordinated to litigate political enemies into paralysis—while using “democracy protection” and “equity” as rhetorical shields.

Core Players: The Institutional Pillars of Lawfare in the U.S.

1.Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Jon Greenbaum) - Once focused on ending segregation, now a litigation strike team against GOP election laws and Trump allies.

2.Brookings Institution / CREW (Norm Eisen)- Thought-leader behind the “Democracy Playbook,” which openly outlines lawfare strategy to oppose Trump-era governance.

3.Protect Democracy (Ian Bassin, former Obama White House counsel)- Coordinates disbarment efforts, litigation, and narrative shaping under a “pro-democracy” banner.

4.Democracy Forward
Staffed by alumni of Skadden Arps and Obama’s DOJ, this group specializes in suing federal agencies to stall GOP policy.

5.Brennan Center for Justice (NYU Law)- Legal policy think tank that provides legal memos and amicus briefs for election-related lawsuits across red states.

6.American Constitution Society- Often described as the left’s version of the Federalist Society. It seeds law schools, judicial clerks, and public offices with activist lawyers.

7.PRRAC (Poverty & Race Research Action Council)
The policy backbone of the lawfare network—injecting race-based “equity” metrics into lawsuits about voting, housing, education, and redistricting. A quiet but essential force behind litigation framing.

Each of these institutions works in tandem—suing, coordinating, and reinforcing each other’s legal narratives in courtrooms, op-eds, and cable news cycles.
3/6 The Tactics: How the Law-fare Network Operates

Lawfare doesn’t win by truth. It wins by pressure, delay, and sheer legal attrition. The network’s go-to playbook includes:

1.Preemptive Litigation — Filing lawsuits before laws even take effect, to delay and control the public narrative.

2.Jurisdiction Shopping — Filing in left-leaning courts with predictable, favorable judges.

3.Flood-the-Zone Suing — Coordinating multiple lawsuits in multiple states to overwhelm GOP resources.

4.Disbarment & Ethics Complaints — Targeting opposing attorneys (Giuliani, Eastman) to deplete the legal bench of resistance.

5.Narrative Warfare — Pairing every legal filing with a coordinated media blitz to create public outrage.

6.Consent Decrees — Settling with sympathetic agencies to change laws without a vote.

7.FOIA Lawfare — Using public records requests as both legal trap and PR weapon.

8.Academic & Nonprofit Coordination — Using law schools and “independent” policy briefs as citations in coordinated lawsuits.
Read 6 tweets
Insurrection Barbie Profile picture
May 14
🧵🧵It has been 4 months since President Trump took office. In that timeframe he has put forth 150 executive orders to reverse the policies of the previous administration. Policies that every Republican campaign are reversing and complained at nauseam about online.

Let’s examine what if anything they have done to codify these executive orders. Let’s see who has actually done anything other then posting on X.
Election Integrity

To secure elections, Trump’s EO (number TBD) mandates voter ID verification.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) championed the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), which passed the House on April 10, 2025.

It’s now stalled in the Senate, needing legislation to endure. No Senate sponsor has emerged—will GOP step up?
Trump’s EO 14200 (Feb 5, 2025) protects women’s sports by barring transgender women.

Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) led H.R. 28, passed by the House on Jan 14, 2025.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced S.9, but it’s stuck in the Senate.

Democrats block it; most GOP Senators stay quiet.
Read 9 tweets
Insurrection Barbie Profile picture
May 12
🧵🧵Day 1 Recap: Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Federal Sex Trafficking Trial

The federal trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs started today in Manhattan. Image
Key Developments

•Charges: Combs faces five federal charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment.

•Jury Selection: A jury comprising 12 members and six alternates was finalized. The selection process included inquiries about potential biases, especially concerning familiarity with celebrities and views on sexual behavior.
Prosecution’s Opening Statements

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson presented a narrative portraying Combs as orchestrating a decades-long criminal enterprise:

•“Freak Offs”: Prosecutors described events termed “freak offs,” alleging that Combs manipulated women into drug-fueled sexual encounters, sometimes involving male escorts, and used recordings of these acts for blackmail.

•Cassie Ventura Allegations: Johnson detailed alleged abuse of Combs’ former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, including a 2016 incident captured on hotel surveillance where Combs purportedly assaulted her.

Johnson played a significant role in the prosecution of Bevelyn Beatty Williams, who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act by interfering with individuals seeking reproductive health services in ManhattanImage
Read 6 tweets
Insurrection Barbie Profile picture
May 12
🧵How much money does China invest into the US and what does it buy them?

I looked to see how much money China has spent to buy soft power in America and how that affected American sentiment towards:
- China

- Changes in Americans beliefs on US Foreign Policy, the Middle East, Israel, Immigration, Domestic Stability and mass migration.

- Anti-American sentiment

- Support for Open Borders - Destabilization in America (undermining US Social cohesion, security or integrity and promoting radical activism and disinformation campaigns)
A. Economic Investments

Total Value: ~$100 billion additional investments (2016–2025), totaling ~$210 billion since 2005, constrained by U.S. restrictions (e.g., CFIUS reforms).

- Technology: $30 billion in U.S. tech, though deals like ByteDance’s TikTok faced scrutiny (2020–2024). Investments shifted to venture capital ($10 billion in U.S. startups).

- Real Estate: ~$20 billion, with reduced high-profile acquisitions due to U.S. oversight (e.g., Anbang’s forced divestment, 2018).

- Financial Markets: Treasury holdings peaked at $1.3 trillion (2016) but fell to ~$870 billion by 2024 amid decoupling efforts.

- Trade: Trade reached $690 billion in 2022, with U.S. exports at $150 billion and imports at $540 billion, maintaining a ~$390 billion deficit.

- Key Deals: Tencent’s $8.6 billion stake in Epic Games (ongoing) and Didi Chuxing’s U.S. IPO (2021, later delisted) highlighted China’s tech ambitions.

- Impact: Investments faced stricter CFIUS scrutiny post-2018, limiting China’s economic foothold but sustaining trade dependence.
B. Academic Funding

Total Donations: ~$1 billion additional funding (2016–2025), totaling $1.68 billion since 2001.

- Key Recipients: NYU ($140 million, 2020–2023), MIT, and smaller institutions ($300 million).

- Confucius Institutes: Declined to ~5 by 2025, with ~$100 million redirected to research grants and student scholarships.

- Programs: ~370,000 Chinese students in the U.S. (2023), contributing ~$15 billion in tuition.
- Transparency: Post-Deterrent Act (2023), disclosures improved, but ~$400 million in gifts remained unreported.

- Impact: Funding faced scrutiny after FBI warnings about espionage, leading to Confucius Institute closures. China’s academic influence persisted via student tuition and research partnerships.
Read 8 tweets
Insurrection Barbie Profile picture
May 12
🧵🧵Many people talk about foreign influence and how other countries own our politicians but not one talks about what it is that they are buying.

The question is not how much money foreign countries invest; the question is how much influence they have purchased and how has that influence affected America. So I did the of research. First thread is on Qatar, other countries to follow.

I looked to see how much money Qatar has spent to buy soft power in America and how that affected American sentiment towards:

- Qatar
- Changes in Americans beliefs on US Foreign Policy, the Middle East, Israel, Immigration, Domestic Stability and mass migration.
- Anti-American sentiment
- Anti-Jewish sentiment
- Support for Open Borders
- Destabilization in America (undermining US Social cohesion, security or integrity and promoting radical activism and disinformation campaigns)
Economic Investments

Total Value: Since 2016 they have invested $40–$45 billion dollars in America and it breaks down as follows:

Real Estate:
- QIA acquired a 9.9% stake in Empire State Realty Trust (2016, $622 million), including the Empire State Building.
- Katara Hospitality purchased the Plaza Hotel (New York) for $600 million in 2018.
- QIA’s 44% stake in a Brookfield Property Partners mixed-use development (2016–2018)
- $100 million townhouse in Manhattan’s Upper East Side (2017) for Qatar’s consulate.

Energy:
- QatarEnergy’s 70% stake in Golden Pass LNG (Texas), a $10 billion joint venture with ExxonMobil, initiated in 2019 and nearing completion in 2025.

- $2.38 billion investment in RWE’s acquisition of Con Edison Clean Energy (2022), entering U.S. renewables.

- Technology/Other: Expanded tech investments via QIA’s Silicon Valley office (opened 2016), including stakes in U.S. startups ($500 million by 2025).

- Key Deals: Golden Pass LNG and Empire State Building stake reflect Qatar’s shift to high-impact, strategic sectors.

- Post-2016 investments surged, driven by Qatar’s need to counter the 2017–2021 Gulf blockade and diversify its economy. High-profile deals amplified economic leverage and visibility.
Academic Investments:

Total Donations: $5.6 billion since 2017

Key Recipients:
- Continued funding to Cornell ($600 million), Georgetown ($350 million), and Northwestern ($300 million).

- New grants to smaller institutions (e.g., University of Idaho, Chapman University) for specific programs.

- QFI: Expanded to ~$20 million in K-12 funding, criticized for promoting biased Middle East curricula.

- Transparency: Post-2020, the Deterrent Act increased scrutiny, but some institutions still underreport gifts.

- Impact: Funding correlated with increased anti-Israel activism on campuses (per ISGAP 2020 report), though causation is debated. Qatar’s influence grew in shaping academic narratives. Academic narratives softened toward Qatari policies and regional alliances.
Qatar-linked institutions hosted policy panels influencing public and student opinion. Increased normalization of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood in academic circles.

- Endowed research centers, Middle East studies programs, and entire campuses (e.g., Northwestern-Qatar).

- Avoided transparency by often failing to report gifts—until forced by Department of Education investigations.
Read 8 tweets
Insurrection Barbie Profile picture
May 12
🧵🧵The ways and means committee released the 389 page centerpiece of the big beautiful bill. And this, this is what I voted for. Growth, stabilization, promotes business and helps the middle class. Don’t let the media lie about this like did with the TCJA.

It makes permanent key elements of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) while introducing new incentives to reward work, investment, entrepreneurship, and productivity. Its guiding philosophy is simple: lower taxes + fewer restrictions = more innovation, jobs, and prosperity.

This is arguably the most important piece of legislation for Present Trump’s second term.
Pro-growth provisions:

A. Permanent Tax Relief for Families & Workers

•Permanently extends individual tax rate cuts, ensuring lower marginal rates that incentivize work, saving, and entrepreneurship.

•Expanded standard deduction helps simplify filing and rewards income earners.

•Eliminates personal exemptions in favor of a more streamlined system that increases transparency and efficiency.

B. Boost to Business Formation and Investment

•Increases the pass-through business deduction (Section 199A) from 20% to 23% and makes it permanent.

•Encourages small business formation, especially LLCs, S-corps, and sole proprietorships.

•Includes Business Development Companies (BDCs), boosting access to capital in underserved markets.

•Removes limitations based on business type for many taxpayers, reducing the bias against service-based firms.
•Higher estate and gift tax exemption ($15M) keeps family-owned businesses and farms intact across generations.
C. New Deductions That Reward Productivity

•“No Tax on Tips” Deduction: Workers in traditionally tipped occupations can deduct tip income—encourages accurate reporting and rewards labor directly.

•“No Tax on Overtime” Deduction: Hard work is honored, not penalized. This deduction directly rewards employees who work beyond standard hours, especially in hospitality, logistics, and healthcare.

•Enhanced deduction for seniors reduces their taxable income during fixed-income years, supporting continued consumption and intergenerational transfers.
Read 8 tweets

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