A Brief Indictment Update

Link-heavy post to keep a pulse on the case! I'll let others do the punditing! 

The wheels of justice are said to grind slowly, but there have been some movements in the past week in the case against Public Enemy #1.

Judge Aileen Cannon has set a trial date. Contrary to our fears that she would shoulder the wheels and slow them down even more, she set a trial date, astonishingly, for just two months from now. Though it's bound to change, currently the trial is scheduled to begin on August 14.

And U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith wants to postpone the start until December. Citing the need for both sides to prepare, he requested the delay. To my mind, this is a good offense-is-the-best-defense move. Maybe it's my mind working overtime, but if he proposes a delay, then it takes the wind out of any motions for the defense to do so. It ultimately makes sense though. Two months is not much time. 

Still, Smith is clearing the way for the wheels of justice to bump along the Conviction Highway: He has already turned over evidence to the defense. He delivered the first batch, including audio tapes and closed-circuit television clips, this week. 

Get your security clearances. Stat! 

Judge Cannon's first order in the case was that the attorneys begin the process of obtaining security clearance. Attorneys representing both parties will need the clearance necessary to view the documents at the center of the case. Side note: presidents, by virtue of them being elected, do not have a formal security clearance process. I can't imagine that guy getting through the rigorous process in the normal fashion, with all his shady dealings. It makes me shudder than he had his paws on any of this at all. In any case, his attorneys will have to go through the process like the rest of us - other than elected federal officials, that is. Gah.

A Florida magistrate judge also ordered the defendant not to publicly disclose any of the evidence in the case. There goes 90% of his campaign rants.

But he did talk. None of it seemed to go against the order, but he gave an unhinged interview to Bret Baier on FAUX News.

In the small bit I saw, he looked like a cornered dog. And his hair wasn't the usual perfect coif! What the heck! 

He managed to form words into sentences, and basically confessed to the crimes. Here is where he issued a nationally televised confession to obstruction disguised as a defense. But look, he was busy! He had golf shirts! Not guilty!

T****: "The only way NARA could ever get this stuff back would be [to say]: 'Please, please please, could we have it back?'" 

Baier: "And they asked for it, they did ask for it. And then they went to DOJ to subpoena you. Why not just hand them over then?"

T****: "Because I had boxes. I want to go through the boxes and get all my personal things out. I don’t want to hand that over to NARA yet. And I was very busy as you’ve sort of seen."

"Before I send the boxes over, I have to take all of my things out. These boxes were interspersed with all sorts of things. Golf shirts, clothing, pants, shoes."

Baier: "Iran war plans?"

T****: "Not that I know of."

Kinda goes against his "it was planted" defense. Let's get this man in front of a camera more often! We may be able to streamline the trial with all this new evidence! 

Drew Sheneman

Maggie Haberman and colleagues at the New York Times stomached the interview and brought you this analysis. Politico wrote this one. And here's one from Vox.

Analysts like Tom Nichols at The Atlantic believe he is very afraid. He should be afraid. For the first time in his life, he is facing accountability, with box loads of damning evidence.

Other faces of the case:

Jim Jordan told it like it is. For once.

Remember, if the FBI can do it to a presidential candidate, they can do it to you too.

— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) June 21, 2023

Why do they think "if they can come after this man who broke the law, they can come after you when you break the law" is a good argument?

Other GOPers are making all kinds of "paper thin excuses," as illustrated by Ann Telnaes.

Ann Telnaes

Here is a really good essay on T****'s morality filter, from Peter Wehner at The Atlantic. Thanks, Big Sister Resister Pagrs for sending it!

...And lastly, just in case you don't know all the ins and outs of the 30,000 Emails! argument, or need a refresher to school Uncle Elmer at the Fourth of July picnic, Glenn Kessler outlines why Hillary did not get indicted. 

That's all for now, folks.