NEW: DOJ sidestepped key procedures when it pursued journalists' phone/email records during Trump's first term, a watchdog concluded.

politico.com/news/2024/12/1… MORE: The department's sweeping effort to identify a classified info leak — which included seeking phone/email logs for Schiff/Swalwell and 43 staffers — was done without proper oversight and risks chilling Congress' legitimate work, the IG found. politico.com/news/2024/12/1…

NEW: Federal judges overseeing Jan. 6 cases are watching as defendants grow more defiant, emboldened by Trump's return.

Their message about the gravity of the is about to become increasingly lonely in Washington.

w/ @joshgerstein

politico.com/news/2024/12/0… Judges are pushing back on efforts to sweep Jan. 6 under the rug but worried that a large swath of the public has moved on. politico.com/news/2024/12/0…

HAPPENING NOW: Enrique Tarrio, testifying at the trial of MPD officer Shane Lamond, has been combative, evasive and, at times, contradictory.

He seems to be relishing his attempt to fluster prosecutors. Drew a contempt threat from Juge Jackson when he refused to discuss Jan. 6. The contempt threat for the former Proud Boys leader came on the first question from DOJ, when the prosecutor asked him if Proud Boys traveled to Washington on Jan. 6. Tarrio refused to answer and suggested he would plead the 5th even though he waived his 5th yesterday.

BREAKING: Biden pardons Hunter
BIDEN calls Hunter’s case “selective prosecution” instigated by his political adversaries. Not exactly the ringing endorsement of the special counsel process his DOJ has long made.

NEW: Donald Trump hasn’t said a word since the election about his intent to pardon Jan. 6 defendants. It’s prompted some anxiety among supporters and a raging debate about his intentions.

politico.com/news/2024/11/3… That debate has been compounded by the replacement of Matt Gaetz — a fervent ally of Jan. 6 defendants — with Pam Bondi, who has maintained radio silence on the issue for four years. politico.com/news/2024/11/3…

NEW: Few people have been more integrally linked to Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 gambit than Matt Gaetz.

Now, a man who has done as much as anyone to rewrite the history of that effort, could lead the prosecutors who have called it a stain on our democracy. politico.com/news/2024/11/1… Before Jan. 6, Gaetz fomented false claims of voter fraud, then joined strategy sessions with Trump and other GOP lawmakers about overturning the election. He was in a meeting with Pence before Jan. 6. politico.com/news/2024/11/1…

NEW: Trump's election means DOJ suddenly has just two months to round out its massive manhunt for Jan. 6 defendants.

Hundreds are likely to escape charges (even before pardons are issued).

politico.com/news/2024/11/0… Already, DOJ was goin to struggle to charge the roughly 2,500-3,000 people estimated to be susceptible to charges by a Jan. 6, 2025 statute of limitations.

Trump's election has shortened that window by a year. politico.com/news/2024/11/0…

HAPPENING NOW: A federal judge in Georgia has thrown out the RNC's claim that Georgia counties broke the law by accepting absentee ballots over the weekend.

The judge says their complaint lacked a "basic level of statutory review and reading comprehension." Details TK The judge says the RNC's argument that the counties somehow prevented poll watchers from being present during weekend hours is a "red herring" and that some of these counties have done this perfectly legal and well known process for years.

👀 The 5th Circuit just ruled that ballots must be received by Election Day and state laws allowing them to arrive later are preempted by federal law. IMPORTANT: Though the circuit decision *could* theoretically impact this election cycle significantly, the panel left the decision on whether to apply it to this election cycle up to the district court judge who initally ruled the other way.

NEW: A judge threatened to order Merrick Garland and Jim Jordan into her courtroom next week if the House and DOJ couldn't resolve a subpoena dispute related to Hunter Biden.

The ultimatum led the House to back off — likely for good.

w/ @joshgerstein
politico.com/news/2024/10/2… "Don't test me on this...I'm not bluffing," Judge Reyes, a Biden appointee warned the House and DOJ about her threat to force Garland/Jordan to attend court next week.

The fight is over a House subpoena to 2 DOJ line attorneys involved in Hunter probe. politico.com/news/2024/10/2…

BREAKING: The Georgia Supreme Court has unanimously denied the an effort to quickly reinstate controversial rule changes approved by the State Election Board. Unclear at the moment whether the court may still decide to order an expedited review of the appeal, but for now this keeps the Georgia state board's rules on hold. Awaiting clarity/paper on the decision.

NEW: Could a defeated Donald Trump subvert the 2024 election?

The answer: Yes, BUT the path is far narrower, even more extreme and would require an enormous amount of help from GOP power brokers — who first need to win their own elections.

Our deep dive: politico.com/news/magazine/…
We talked to dozens of experts, election officials, legislators, etc. They all agree Trump’s path starts with what he’s already doing — sowing deep distrust about election integrity. That’s the precondition for leveraging Rs in statehouses and Congress. politico.com/news/magazine/…

OK this is a new thing. Jack Smith relied on the Jan. 6 committee's interview with Trump's White Hous valet. House Republicans released this transcript earlier this year, but it was significantly redacted.

Smith's excerpt includes portions that were previously unreleased.
The valet describes getting Trump a Diet Coke while he got positioned to watch footage of his speech and the riot. The reason it seems like the House GOP version was redacted? The valet appears to be reviewing timestamped photos of his interactions with Trump.

HAPPENING NOW: Judge Chutkan has just ordered Jack Smith's evidence docketed publicly. Should go live any moment. This seems like it could be voluminous, though it's unclear how much is redacted.

BREAKING: Judge Chutkan has denied Trump's effort to block a new dossier of Jack Smith's evidence from becoming public.

She says she will unseal it tomorrow. Chutkan says Trump's request to block the filing because of election considerations is not persuasive and that just because her decisions may have an effect on politics isn't the same as "intentional interference."

BREAKING: Judge CHUTKAN has unsealed Jack Smith's 165-page redacted motion re presidential immunity. Read it here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… NEW DETAILS FROM JACK SMITH

1) A Trump campaign employee and alleged coconspirator sought to foment chaos at the TCF ballot processing center in Detroit. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…

BREAKING: The indictment charging members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with hacking the Trump campaign has been unsealed.

documentcloud.org/documents/2517…
The 37-page indictment describes a sophisticated hack-and-leak campaign that succeeded in tricking Trump campaign officials and allies. documentcloud.org/documents/2517…

NEW: Courts have chipped away at the Justice Department’s cases against Jan. 6 rioters — and several other threats loom that could further erode what has been the largest and most complex federal probe in history.

politico.com/news/2024/09/2…
1) Many of DOJ’s recent cases have relied on a “geofence” warrant to Google — using devices’ location tracking to identify people inside the restricted area of the Capitol on Jan. 6. But the 5th Circuit recently found geofence warrants are unconstitutional
politico.com/news/2024/09/2…

It’s been nearly a year since there’s been any courtroom action in Donald Trump’s criminal case here in Washington. That changes today.

Stay tuned for updates—> HAPPENING NOW: 10 minutes to go, the lawyers have begun assembling in the courtroom. For Trump: Todd Blanche, John Lauro, Emil Bove.

NEW: I just reviewed 50 *more* minutes of unaired footage documenting Nancy Pelosi’s actions on Jan. 6-7 — and these are the most revealing yet.

They include her entire 10 minute evacuation during the violence and her senior staff meeting the next day.

politico.com/news/2024/08/2…
1) An exhausted Pelosi, after successfully certifying Biden’s victory, praised Mike Pence before saying Trump had to “pay a price” for what he did to the Capitol and country. politico.com/news/2024/08/2…

BREAKING: A grand jury has returned a superseding indictment against Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. retaining the same four core charges against him for trying to subvert the election. Read the superseding indictment here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…