Trump Charged With 37 counts of Espionage, Obstruction and related crimes

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Oh my. I can't imagine what Harbach was thinking; they are in precarious enough a situation with Cannon without antagonizing her more.

Florida hearing in Trump classified documents case devolves into shouting match

[N.E. Brigand]

"Unsealed motions in Trump’s Fla. case suggest new evidence of possible obstruction" (Washington Post). After posting yesterday about Judge Howell's unsealed ruling about the crime-fraud exception, I read some commentary indicating that much of the detail in there had actually been reported before. These other newly unsealed documents, which are motions from Donald Trump arguing that case should be tossed due to prosecutorial misconduct and corresponding replies from Jack Smith, apparently do have some new information:

"Buried in the supporting documentation for one of the motions was a document that contained a new public revelation: Once Trump realized that security cameras at Mar-a-Lago could capture his employees moving classified government information that officials were attempting to retrieve, he allegedly ensured that they would avoid the cameras when moving boxes."

By the way, the FBI last night issued a statement confirming that it operated under standard procedures when conducting its Mar-a-Lago search. The authorization to use "deadly force" is just boilerplate language.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I believe that there is also a new picture of Nauta moving boxes that had not previously been seen.

[N.E. Brigand]

Oh my. I can't imagine what Harbach was thinking; they are in precarious enough a situation with Cannon without antagonizing her more.

Florida hearing in Trump classified documents case devolves into shouting match

ABC's version: "'Garbage argument': Classified docs hearing gets heated over charges against Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta."

While that article does say that Judge Cannon told prosecutor David Harbach to "calm down," there's nothing about him pounding a table. And it includes this:

Cannon, meanwhile, did not appear highly satisfied with Woodward's argument, asking him multiple times if he could point to any evidence that suggests the alleged comments made to him in that meeting relate in any way to his client being unfairly prosecuted.

Cannon said she was not clear on the "connection between the allegations on comments made to you and how that affected Mr. Nauta not cooperating."

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thanks for that reminder (which I shouldn't need, but apparently do), that these days, CNN largely can't be relied on.

I was disappointed that none of the my usual sources of information about Trump-related legal hearings (primarily the reporters from Lawfare) seemed to be covering that hearing (or the other one taking place this afternoon, which probably is over by now).

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Ugh, Trump's defenders are (willfully?) misunderstanding what it means that the FBI was authorized to "engage" with the Secret Service as part of the search. It's clear from the context that the meaning is "work with," but Trump fans think it means "shoot at."

Leave it to Marjorie Taylor Green to put it in perspective.

[N.E. Brigand]

It turns out that President Biden also tried to assassinate himself.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

So what will Cannon do with this? Slow walk it? Chastise the SCO for meeting and conference on a holiday weekend?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Voronwë the Faithful]

As numerous commentators have noted, this would be an appealable order. What is not clear to me is what action they could take if she just doesn't rule on it.

[N.E. Brigand]

David Frum points out that if FBI agents had been acting in accordance with Donald Trump's own statements during the George Floyd protests, they would have shot him.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

So what will Cannon do with this? Slow walk it? Chastise the SCO for meeting and conference on a holiday weekend?

I think this is a major procedural mistake by Trump's team. Instead of just opposing the motion (and waiting until either Cannon sets a briefing schedule or waiting until the standard deadline), they have filed a motion to strike the SCO's motion, and to sanction the prosecutors who filed. That in turn will likely force Cannon's hand, and she will probably grant the relief they are asking for. Which will likely trigger an appeal to the 11th Circuit.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Cannon denied the motion without prejudice for "lack of meaningful meet and confer." Even though meeting and conferring in this case would be demonstrably a waste of time.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

But tell us what you really think, Lee? (I completely agree with him.)

[N.E. Brigand]

This is a fairly bold move for the Biden-Harris campaign:

[N.E. Brigand]

So does Merrick Garland appoint a special counsel to investigate himself, now that the House of Representatives has voted to hold him in contempt for refusing to turn over recordings of President Biden's interview with (former?) Special Counsel Robert Hur?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

No.

[N.E. Brigand]

Right you are: "DOJ declines to prosecute Garland after House Republicans pass contempt resolution."