Strategic Configuration of Power

#TrumpAppointments “It is a question of configuration and designation.”

“…in battle, one engages with the orthodox and gains victory through the unorthodox.”

Think orthodox picks vs unorthodox ones.

Picks primarily backed by a hefty resume vs picks primarily backed by narratives, popularity, etc.

by Christopher Steele

newsweek.com/christopher-st… Imagine defending the Steele Dossier in the year 2024... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I've had two near-death experiences. The first was my own fault; the second was something out of my control. In attempting to meaningfully process those events beyond the immediately obvious reward of still breathing and draw on them as a resource that helps drive me forward into the rest of my life, I did a lot of things.

United States v. Trump

Special Counsel Smith has filed a 162 pg motion on 'Immunity Determinations.'

Prior to filing, Trump's counsel told Judge Chutkan that this brief would be "tantamount to a premature and improper Special Counsel report."

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… Smith says,

"Although the defendant was the incumbent President during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one. Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted—a function in which the defendant, as President, had no official role...

This motion provides a comprehensive account of the defendant’s private criminal conduct; sets forth the legal framework created by [SCOTUS Presidential Immunity Opinion] for resolving immunity claims; applies that framework to establish that none of the defendant’s charged conduct is immunized because it either was unofficial or any presumptive immunity is rebutted; and requests the relief the Government seeks, which is, at bottom, this: that the Court determine that the defendant must stand trial for his private crimes as would any other citizen."

Prosecutors ask Judge Cannon to slow the Routh case down and designate it as a "complex case" due to the "voluminous discovery" and the "still ongoing" status of the investigation. Defense counsel does not object.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…

https://twitter.com/realjusthuman/status/1841515561735295251

'the Government submits that the case is “unusual and complex” within the meaning of the above statute.'

. @X Corp. v. Media Matters for America

ORDER: Because Defendants have waived their qualified privilege, Plaintiff's 83 Motion to Compel is GRANTED.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… And what is @X seeking to obtain from Media Matters...?

United States v. Routh
(2nd Trump Assassin's case)

There is a Pretrial Detention Hearing coming up for Routh at 11am today, Prosecutors have made a filing in support of keeping him detained.

Might be some new info in this, let's take a look.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
September 15, 2024

Trump is golfing at Trump International in West Palm Beach; he is on the 5th hole.

A USSS agent is in a golf cart and conducting a security sweep ahead of Trump going on to the 6th hole.

The agent rode drove the golf cart along the fence line and at ~1:30pm "the Agent spotted the partially obscured face of a man in the brush along the fence line. The man was later identified as Ryan Wesley Routh (“ROUTH”). ROUTH’s position was directly in line with the 6th hole.

The Agent then observed a long black object protruding through the fence and realized the object was the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at him. The Agent jumped out of the golf cart, drew his weapon, and began backing away. The Agent saw the rifle barrel move, and the Agent fired at ROUTH."

Huddleston v. FBI
(Seth Rich FOIA Case)

The FBI has "in the interests of transparency and disclosure... reviewed the two “Ex Parte Filings” referenced in the Court’s Order and they do not object to the partial unsealing of these filings... and submit as exhibits hereto, redacted copies of the Ex Parte Filings."

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… Those two previously sealed Ex Parte filings are another Seidel Declaration and a Declaration by the AUSA for DC office who is head of the Homicide Section Chief.

Both from October 2022.

🧵Highlights

https://twitter.com/realjusthuman/status/1837199447824249191

https://x.com/realjusthuman/status/1837199454509879313

United States v. Trump
(DC Election Interference Case)

Last night, Trump's counsel filed an Omnibus Reply in support of discovery motions.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
This filing concerns and adds support to Trump's still pending motions regarding:

the scope of the prosecution team,




his motion to compel discovery,


and replies to Smith's opposition to the discovery motion.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…

Combs spent the night in a cell after Judge Tarnofsky denied him bail. The bail package his atty's proposed and that the judge denied included a $50mil bond, two homes, etc. Judge said NO.

https://twitter.com/realjusthuman/status/1836085067837509812

This afternoon, Combs will have another shot at bail before Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr., who is the judge assigned to his case.

United States v. Sean Combs

Indictment unsealed.

Charges included Racketeering, Sex Trafficking, Fraud, etc.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
This case *may* prove to be as culturally significant as the Epstein/Maxwell cases. We'll see.

All things considered, debate was a dead even wash, IMO. No clear breakaway winner and no clear losing moment for either candidate.

Vice President Harris did exactly what she needed to do: survive and land a few punches. That's it.

President Trump did exactly what he needed to do: stay on message, deliver your key talking points, land a few punches, and don't fall for media traps. Trump succeeded in every way. Because of this context, it kind of feels like Harris "won," but she "won" by not losing, which is no real victory at all.

I know that sounds kind of dumb, and that's because it is. But that's how humans are sometimes. We are dumb, irrational, silly beings who are rarely objective and more often emotional.

🧵

Today, Justice, State, and Treasury took actions in response to what they allege are Russian government directed malign influence campaigns in violation of US Law.

axios.com/2024/09/04/jus… Two RT Employees Indicted for Covertly Funding and Directing U.S. Company that Published Thousands of Videos in Furtherance of Russian Interests

justice.gov/opa/pr/two-rt-…

United States v. White
(D.C. City Councilmember Bribery Case)

#DrainTheSwamp Affidavit


Docket
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
courtlistener.com/docket/6905502…

"FBI agents have raided and searched the Virginia home of Dimitri Simes, an author and policy analyst, who advised Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign and who currently hosts a current affairs program on Russia’s state-run Channel One.

The raid began on 13 August, the FBI told the local Rappahannock News, which first reported the story.

Simes, whose name was included more than 100 times in the 2019 Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, told the paper he was out of the country and had not been notified about the search ahead of time. He was not aware he was the focus of any current law enforcement investigation, he said.

“I’m puzzled and concerned,” he said. “I have not seen a warrant. I was not contacted by any law enforcement or anyone else whatsoever.”" Simes comments on the FBI raid.

https://x.com/SputnikInt/status/1824476709862740029

Huddleston v. FBI
(Seth Rich FOIA Case)

Judge Mezzant has issued two Memorandum Opinions and Orders this morning.

Plaintiff’s Corrected Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. #112). DENIED


Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment Regarding FOIA Exemption 7(A) (Dkt. #148) DENIED
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… First, let's look at the one concerning Plaintiff’s Corrected Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. #112)

Huddleston v. FBI
(Seth Rich FOIA Case)

Judge Mezzant ORDERS the FBI to provide:

-Supplemental Brief on "standard for unsealing documents" at issue here
-Supplemental Brief on the present motion
-And an answer as to whether or not Seidel, in Paragraph 9 in Exhibit 1 of Docket Entry No. 148 was referring to Docket Entry Nos. 74 & 75.

ORDER
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… "The Court requires supplemental briefing on two issues.

First, the Court requires supplemental briefing regarding whether the Court should employ the Fifth Circuit’s standard (described above) for unsealing documents to the present motion or a different standard given the unique nature of FOIA litigation.

Second, the Court requires supplemental briefing on what result the Court should reach regarding the present motion and why. Regardless of what standard (and corresponding reasoning to support a particular outcome) the Government recommends, the Government should also [sic] discuss how the Court would analyze the present motion under the Fifth Circuit’s standard to unseal documents.

The Court hereby ORDERS the Government to submit supplemental briefing on the issues discussed above by August 21, 2024.

The Government shall further indicate whether Paragraph 9 in Exhibit 1 of Docket Entry No. 148 refers to Docket Entry Nos. 74 & 75."

United States v. Trump
(DC Case)

"On August 3, 2024, the Court issued an order scheduling a status conference for August 16, and directed the parties to confer and file by August 9 a joint status report that proposes a schedule for pretrial proceedings moving forward. The parties have conferred."

And...

Special Counsel Smith has asked Judge Chutkan for an extension of time to allow the Office to "[finalize] its position on the most appropriate schedule for the parties to brief issues related to the [SCOTUS Presidential Immunity] decision."


Defense does not oppose this motion and Judge Chutkan has GRANTED it.

The status conference that was set for August 16 is moved to September 5, 2024.storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
Why?

Smith says it's because,

"The Government continues to assess the new precedent set forth last month in the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States, 144 S. Ct. 2312 (2024), including through consultation with other Department of Justice components."

He then cites part of the Special Counsel statute,

See 28 C.F.R. § 600.7(a) (“A Special Counsel shall comply with the rules, regulations, procedures, practices and policies of the Department of Justice,” including “consult[ing] with appropriate offices within the Department for guidance with respect to established practices, policies and procedures of the Department . . . .”).

United States v. Biden
(Hunter Tax Case in CA)

It's been a busy few days on this docket.

Judge Scarsi set a status conference and a hearing on all pending motions in limine for 8/21/2024 starting at 10am and apparently running all day (mentions AM and PM sessions), so parties are getting those motions in. From Special Counsel Weiss

United States v. Merchant

Asif Raza Merchant

Complaint and Affidavit

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
Count One: Murder for Hire

From at least in or about April 2024 through July 2024...

Asif Merchant...

together with others...

from outside the US and from Texas to New York...

sought to facilitate a murder within the US...

in exchange for money.