Veteran lawyers have reached a curious conclusion about President Trump's deals with big law firms this year: they do not appear to be legally valid. 1- Trump since coming to office has punished certain firms for their past clients or causes, stripping them of security clearances and government contracts, while trumpeting deals with others. 2-

Prosecutor Erik Kenerson has just called Proud Boys cooperator Jeremy Bertino to the witness stand. Bertino pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and a weapons charge and agreed to cooperate with the DOJ probe. "A multitude of reasons" caused Jeremy Bertino to disaffiliate from the Proud Boys. "I decided it wasn't the group for me any more," he says. Adds that he was "very close" to PB chairman Enrique Tarrio.

Filmmaker Nick Quested has taken the witness stand at the Proud Boys trial, telling jurors he focused on the group in the summer of 2020, especially after Trump mentioned them in debate. "I thought that brought the PB to the forefront of the national conversation," Quested says. Quested met defendant Enrique Tarrio and other Proud Boys Dec. 11, 2020, before the Million Maga march in D.C. He says the defendants were "very hospitable" & says "they seemed to have a close" relationship, with members deferring to Tarrio "for his advice and judgment."

Closing arguments this morning in the seditious conspiracy trial against Stewart Rhodes and 4 other Oath Keepers after seven long weeks of evidence. Arguments expected to continue into Monday. This is the first seditious conspiracy case stemming from the Capitol siege on Jan. 6, 2021, to go to trial and it's being closely watched as a result. Another unusual facet: three of the five defendants took the witness stand during the case.

Now testifying in the Oath Keepers trial: the first former OK to plead guilty & cooperate with prosecutors. Jason Dolan spent 19 years in the Marines & spent hours in his Florida garage drinking, watching videos for hours and feeling like "the election was stolen." On Dec. 6 2020, on an OK Signal chat, Dolan wrote, "If I'm lucky I get a prison sentence, tagged with treason, or a bullet from the very people I would protect." He says all legal avenues regarding the election were blocked & "it felt like my government was being taken away."

@MicahLoewinger is on the witness stand, testifying under subpoena from DOJ in the Oath Keepers trial about his important reporting on Zello, the walkie talkie app used by OK on Jan 6. He works @onthemedia and has been reporting on Internet culture and the far-right for years. @MicahLoewinger @onthemedia Here are a couple of his reports: wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/s…

In place at the federal courthouse as we prepare for opening statements in the seditious conspiracy trial of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and 4 other defendants. All told, the openings could last about four hours, the lawyers told U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta last week. Judge Mehta denies a motion by defendant Kelly Meggs for a bench (vs jury) trial. He denies another motion by defendants to change venue. "My sense is this is a very diligent group of citizens all of whom are going to abide by the court's instruction" not to watch/read coverage.

A remarkable hearing now for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who's trying to fire his lawyers and delay his Sept. 27 trial. The judge cites a number of incorrect and "bewildering" statements in Rhodes memo and dissects assorted claims he makes as false or unsubstantiated.1/x Current lawyers for Rhodes say they have had some trouble reaching him in the DC jail but that they have been working diligently to prepare for trial. Re the relationship, "is it strained or is it broken? I don't know," one lawyer says. 2/x

Attorney General Merrick Garland imposes significant new restrictions on activities by DOJ political appointees - no fundraisers, no campaign events, no exceptions, even if they have family members running for office. justice.gov/jmd/page/file/… Garland came into office promising to restore normalcy and stability to the Department after the chaos of the Trump era. His prosecutors are now investigating how top secret documents came to be stored at Mar a Lago, as well as the events surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Just in: The Justice Department asks a judge in Florida to keep the Mar a Lago affidavit under seal, cites need to "protect the integrity of an ongoing law enforcement investigation that implicates national security." More from DOJ - "the redactions necessary to mitigate harms to the integrity of the investigation would be so extensive as to render the remaining unsealed text devoid of meaningful content, and the release of such a redacted version would not serve any public interest."

First big action from the Biden administration task force designed to protect reproductive freedoms: DOJ sues Idaho over that state's near total abortion ban, as it applies to women suffering medical emergencies. justice.gov/opa/press-rele… DOJ says Idaho law set to take effect Aug. 25th conflicts with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act, as well as the Constitution's supremacy clause. Doctors could be subject to 2-5 years in prison as well as revocation of their medical licenses, @vanitaguptaCR says

We're back for day 5 of the Steve Bannon contempt of Congress trial. Bannon's team has submitted legal briefs on jury instructions and other matters. Waiting for the judge to take the bench. 1/x Bannon lawyers also have filed court papers saying the House Select Committee hearing featuring audio from Bannon last night was "highly inflammatory" and they want the judge to ask jurors whether they watched the hearing. 2/x

Back from lunch break at the Steve Bannon trial and defense lawyer David Schoen is making legal arguments to the judge about the defense's thwarted request to subpoena Chairman Bennie Thompson & other J6 committee members. We have not seen the jury yet today. 1/x Defense lawyer David Schoen says Bannon wanted all the House Select Committee members to be forced to answer questions in court. "We're not greedy; it would suffice to have Chairman Thompson here," Schoen says. (The judge ruled against the defense before trial on this.) 2/x

We're back in court at the Steve Bannon trial. Outside the presence of the jury, prosecutor Amanda Vaughn raises concern about overnight reporting that Bannon is arguing this is a "politically motivated prosecution" & trying to turn case into a "political circus." 1/x Vaughn says DOJ worries abt this issue could come up in cross examination today of the government witnesses as Bannon tries to "skirt" earlier court order. "This is not a forum for partisan politics," Judge Nichols says, but there's a "fine line to be drawn here" on cross. 2/x

Opening statements -- Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Vaughn says Steve Bannon showed contempt for Congress by flouting a subpoena - "the defendant decided he was above the law and that's why we're here today." Vaughn says the subpoena to Bannon required he hand over documents by Oct. 7 and sit for a deposition "about what he knew about January 6th" by Oct. 14, 2021.

Judge Carl Nichols is taking a recess in the Steve Bannon contempt of Congress case. He's been mulling arguments abt whether the jury can see correspondence between Bannon and the House Select Committee - with some confusion expressed by defense about scope of prior rulings 1/x After nearly an hour of arguments, Bannon defense lawyer Evan Corcoran has asked the judge to delay the trial for a month, even as jury selection has already begun and 22 prospective jurors have been waiting out of view this morning for the final phase of jury selection. 2/x

The jury pool for Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress trial contains several legal and legal-adjacent folks - including a former paralegal, a tax lawyer and a federal employee who described herself as a "recovering lawyer." Bannon's watching quietly, wearing a black mask. Multiple prospective jurors say they have watched all or snippets of the House Select Committee hearings on January 6th but few remember specific mentions of Steve Bannon in those proceedings.

BREAKING -Russ Vought, former OMB Director for President Trump, issues statement on federal agents' search of the home of former DOJ official Jeff Clark yesterday. Clark will feature prominently in the House Select Committee hearing today focused on the Trump Justice Department 1 Vought, says, "The new era of criminalizing politics is worsening in the US. Yesterday more than a dozen DOJ law enforcement officials searched Jeff Clark’s house in a pre-dawn raid, put him in the streets in his pajamas, & took his electronic devices..." 2/x

Judge Timothy Kelly, who is presiding over the big seditious conspiracy prosecution against leaders of the Proud Boys, is considering whether to move the trial from August until December 12 because of the ongoing activities by the House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6. 1/x It might be the first thing all the parties in this case have agreed upon, the judge says. The committee says it will process witness transcripts that could help the Proud Boys with their defense sometime in July. 2/x

NEW: AG Garland launches a "War Crimes Accountability Team" during his visit to Ukraine. The team will provide expertise on evidence collection, forensics and legal matters & help with investigation of potential war crimes including the killing and wounding of U.S. journalists. 1 “There is no hiding place for war criminals," Attorney General Merrick Garland says in a written statement from Ukraine. He announces longtime DOJ vet Eli Rosenbaum will serve as Counselor for War Crimes Accountability. 2

New and unusual statement today from the U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. and the FBI's Washington Field office, following threats to judges and other public officials in recent days. The officials say they're "committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of all Americans to express their views peacefully during demonstrations that take place on a regular basis in the nation’s capital, including at the Supreme Court." cont