Trump's Frivolous Cases, the Youngkin Fantasy, and the 'Impeachable Whatever'

Plus: Trump Rallies and Murder Fantasies.

Aug 01, 2023

CHARLIE SYKES: Two Harsh Reality Checks
JVL: Bidenomics Are Real. And They're Spectacular. 🔐
ATMA 🎧: We’re All ‘Barbie’ Girls, It’s a ‘Barbie’ World
JOE PERTICONE: Tommy Tuberville Reaps What He Sowed
JUST BETWEEN US 🎵: Can Mona Talk Charlie off the Ledge? 🔐

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DENNIS AFTERGUT: Another Judge Smacks Down Another Frivolous Trump Case.

Barriers line the sidewalk in front of the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse, where former US President Donald Trump is expected to be indicted in the Fulton County district attorney's election interference investigation, in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 31, 2023. Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

DONALD TRUMP SEEMS never to tire of playing losing hands in court. Maybe that’s because these days, he can afford the litigation costs since he’s spending only other people’s money—that of his small donors.
This year alone, Trump’s PAC has reportedly spent $40 million on lawyers’ fees and related costs, and it’s asked for a $60 million refund from another Trump PAC.
But bringing frivolous cases can also exact other kinds of costs—including a future price in credibility. A boy crying wolf in the courts may find no judge left to believe him when it counts.

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TIM MILLER: NYT Poll Blows Up the Tim Scott/Glenn Youngkin Fantasy.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER SHOT of pure blood reality for those in the GOP donor and strategist class who are still living in a fantasy world. A new poll from the New York Times and Siena College conducted last week and released on Monday laid bare just how hopeless a challenge to Trump from the non-MAGA wing of the GOP would be.
Here are the ugly topline results from among Republican likely primary voters…

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🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧

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BILL LUEDERS: In Search of the ‘Impeachable Whatever’

WAY BACK IN FEBRUARY 2020, nine months before Joe Biden was elected president and nearly a year before he took office, GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa predicted that Republicans would act quickly to impeach him. The most likely reason, she said, was the conspiracy theory, which by that time had already been thoroughly debunked, that Biden as vice president had pushed for the removal of Ukraine’s top prosecutor to protect his son.
Ernst did not explain why this fabrication was an impeachable offense while, in her estimation and that of other Republicans, Trump’s threat to block aid to Ukraine unless President Zelensky dug up dirt on Biden—the substance of Trump’s then–just concluding first impeachment—was not. But Ernst nonetheless felt that “this door of impeachable whatever has been opened.”

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THOMAS LECAQUE: Trump Rallies and Murder Fantasies.

JASON ALDEAN’S “TRY THAT IN A SMALL TOWN” is bigger in controversy than charm. It’s not a very good song, nor a very coherent one—but it’s a culture-war hit. The song seems to glorify mob violence in service of a mythical ideal of a small town. With the lyrics’ threatening refrain—“Try that in a small town / See how far you make it down the road / ’Round here, we take care of our own / You cross that line, it won’t take long / For you to find out”—and the music video’s emphasis on flag burning, ACAB, and gun control, it leans into right-wing fears. The original music video, which combined footage of riots with clips of Black Lives Matter protests, seemingly implying they were linked, has been yanked.

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🚨OVERTIME🚨

We have Indictment II. You can read the 45 page indictment here. He’ll be arraigned on Thursday. It’s clear that Smith wants to get this to trial, and quickly. That’s a good thing. As you can imagine, Fox News is taking it well. Trump is already fundraising off of it.

Who will be the first (if any) GOP candidate to say "Good, I'm glad President Trump was indicted for his actions leading up to and on January 6.” Will any of them? Anything but good is not good enough.

Here’s what Ron DeSantis has to say: “As President, I will end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans. While I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment. I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, DC to their home districts.” (Not gonna happen, Ron.)

Can’t read that indictment, lest you get questions about specifics.

🎵On the Jukebox…🎵 Hozier - ‘Eat Your Young’

In Michigan….Former GOP AG Candidate Matt DePerno and a state rep were charged in a voting machine probe.

In Wisconsin… The high court flipped from conservative to liberal today, while facing a bit of a crisis in its election office.

…and in Texas… The Montgomery County Library is not only removing books, it approved “the expansion of more politically conservative themed books, hoping to find what it calls ‘balance’ in the library system.” Like what, the PragerU wing of the Children’s section?

Ron DeSantis, people person… Yet another cringeworthy exchange from the candidate on his Ron DeSantis Everywhere campaign.

“I Was Just Subpoenaed By Trump’s Georgia Grand Jury…” Here’s what George Chidi will tell them.

Let’s go, so we can get back… Matt Labash takes a trip to the Amalfi Coast that “yields a meditation on Limoncello abuse, destination funerals, family, and our own mortality.”

Charlie Sykes on Katie Couric… They discuss the NYT / Siena poll and what it means for the 2024 race.

‘Cancun Cruz’… Texas Democrats have their attack line going into 2024.

Bed Bath & Beyond’s last day… A walk through of the bankrupt retailer.

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