The Trump Investigation You Probably Haven’t Heard About
The Trump Investigation You Probably Haven’t Heard About
Plus, Remembering what the Iraq War was like, 20 years later.
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KIMBERLY WEHLE: The Trump Investigation You Probably Haven’t Heard About.
Even among the especially well informed, five has been the magic number of criminally tinged investigations implicating former President Donald J. Trump:
First, there is the investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) into the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
Second, there is DOJ’s investigation of the effort to stymie the transfer of power following the 2020 election, including the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Both of the first two investigations are now led by Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed last November; there is little publicly available information about how they are proceeding.
Third is the investigation—led by Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia—into election fraud in that state, arising from Trump’s having asked the Georgia secretary of state to “find” enough votes to hand him an Electoral College win there. A “special grand jury” hearing the evidence wrapped up its work earlier this year, and Willis said in late January that a decision on whether to press charges was “imminent.”
CATHY YOUNG: Why Would Ukrainian Patriots Feud with Russian Dissidents?
The Oscar awarded last week to Navalny—a documentary about Russian political prisoner Alexei Navalny’s struggle against Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian state—is a gesture of support for dissidents in Russia and an indictment of the Putin regime. Yet the award created some strong and at times acrimonious dissension between two groups that share a common hatred of that regime: Ukrainian patriots and Russian liberals. The latter were jubilant; for many of the former, the Navalny Oscar was yet another example of the West’s stubborn habit of looking for “good Russians” to celebrate. A tart Twitter comment from Ukrainian comedian Anton Tymoshenko, who suggested that Navalny was merely “play[ing] the role of the opposition in Russia,” was one of the milder examples of the backlash.
Trump’s rhetoric is more apocalyptic and more confrontational, and the party still can’t renounce its addiction to the man. This is Trump without guardrails. Plus, the long shadow the Iraq War has cast on our foreign policy and presidential elections. Susan Glasser joins Charlie Sykes.
You've heard the terms "woke" and "cancel culture" for years now. No one seems to agree on what they mean, though — which is why our guest says the culture wars will keep morphing, and they'll go on forever. New York Times opinion writer Jane Coaston joins Sarah to hear how the focus groups respond to "wokeness," "cancel culture," and...schools and drag show bans. We promise, this is NOT the episode to miss. So if you’re not yet a member of Bulwark+…
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SUNDAY NEXT LEVEL: Reminder: It's All Nonsense (w/ Rep. Colin Allred)
WILL SELBER: Moral Injuries.
“Shock and awe.” Twenty years ago today, that was the phrase everyone kept saying as America invaded Iraq. There will be lots of analysis on this anniversary, discussions about what happened, why, and whether or not it was worth the cost.
But this is something different.
I spent nearly 1,500 days downrange in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I am still unpacking my own experience. Those memories are not pleasant, especially those from the Summer of Death in Baghdad, when destruction, futility, and defeat hung in the air. For me, there is no way to get over it until I go back through it.
Editor’s Note: You won’t regret taking this journey with Will. You may need to take a pause or two. I know I did. Please read the whole thing and share it. It’s important. -Jim
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
Happy Spring Monday! I had a great time in NYC (and yes, I went to White Castle) but I’m glad to be back… To sick kids and a busted bracket. Check your bracket’s ranking here.
Stop overthinking it. An indictment would be bad for Trump, Alexander Burns writes. I agree. Though I am getting a kick out of the newest angle: George Soros. Yes, he poured millions into races to elect liberal DAs, many of whom (like Saint Louis’s Kim Gardner) have used prosecutorial discretion to be more lenient on criminals. But when Alvin Bragg considers charging Trump? He’s a rogue DA! Can’t have it both ways, guys.
How the Jones Act… Ruins your commute.
Harvard’s Hockey Hazing… This story is unconscionable. Harvard needs to act.
Matt Labash… on "Woke" Banks, Financial Calamity, and the Safest Place to Park Your Money.
Childhood in Ukraine… How some groups help to lift part of the fog of war for kids.
Introducing Dopomoga… A way to help Ukrainians in need.
A DMV error… Meant a man was wrongfully imprisoned. For nearly a year.
Will drones change healthcare everywhere? Maybe they will.
A TNL Breakdown of the “territorial dispute.” Watch and share.
Ted Lasso at the White House… And of course, the presser was interrupted by a rude reporter who’d had enough. (And no, it wasn’t Trent Crimm.)
The trip for lonely millennials… Of course there’s a travel package for that now.
We all need to disconnect… But could you really disconnect? For 8 months? In Manhattan?
China is the fuel… Behind Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Unaffordable Naples… Those who work in one of America’s richest zip codes can’t afford to live there.
Project Parakeet… Walter Kirn doesn’t think we need to worry about AI writing just yet.
Michael Knowles’s past comes a knockin’… The failed actor but successful Daily Wire demagogue came under fire for his CPAC remarks, but the internet never forgets.
“The most deranged story of the year…” Has to be the failed Trumpy social network run by Jason Miller, accused of forcing abortion pill smoothies on unsuspecting women, trying to corner the anti-vaxx sperm donor market.
Did Frank Abagnale… Lie about his lies?
A sandwich shop, a tent city… And an American crisis. Your Monday #LongRead.
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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.