Cassidy Hutchinsons Testimony Highlights Legal Risks For Trump
The former White House aides revelations about Jan. 6 chipped away at any potential defense that Donald J. Trump was merely expressing well-founded views about election fraud.
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By Alan Feuer and Glenn Thrush
It was one of the most dramatic moments in a presentation filled with them: Just before President Donald J. Trump went onstage near the White House last year and urged his supporters to fight like hell and march on the Capitol, an aide testified on Tuesday, he was told that some of them were armed.
It was also a potentially consequential moment for any prosecution of Mr. Trump, legal experts said. Knowing that his crowd of supporters had the means to be violent when he exhorted them to march to the Capitol and declared that he wanted to go with them could nudge Mr. Trump closer to facing criminal charges, legal experts said.
This really moved the ball significantly, even though there is still a long way to go, said Renato Mariotti, a legal analyst and former federal prosecutor in Illinois.
A spokesman for Attorney General Merrick B. Garland declined to comment on Ms. Hutchinsons testimony although one of Mr. Garlands predecessors did weigh in.
Were going to get charged with every crime imaginable, Mr. Cipollone said, by Ms. Hutchinsons account.
Were Supposed To Ignore The Guy Who Is Very Likely To Be The Next Republican Nominee And Possibly Our Next President
He is no longer in the White House. But he is still in the news.
Donald Trump.
A new book has just come out. Another big one is due out later this year.
And many, especially liberals and those who just cant stand Trump, keep asking: Why are we still talking about this guy? Hes no longer the president. Why give him attention?
Ill get to the answer to that in a moment because it is an important question with a worthwhile answer. But first, lets talk about those books.
The New York Times Jeremy W. Peters has a new book out called Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted.
Washington Post book critic Carlos Lozada wrote, Peters does not dwell on the excuses of the GOP establishment, nor does he plumb the debates over conservative orthodoxy. Instead, he emphasizes the activists, the operatives and particularly the right-wing media figures who helped mold the party into its Trump-ready state. It is a partial history, and it is not always obvious that its protagonists and scenes carry the influence that the author imagines. But Insurgency is persuasive in suggesting that the long-term transformation of the Republican Party is one in which a style of politics has overpowered, and then suffocated, any remnant of its substance.
Peters appeared on Sundays Reliable Sources on CNN to talk about a variety of topics. He did talk about Trumps rise to power and how he gained popularity.
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The White House Has One Problem That Rules Them All: Gas Prices
For nearly a month, Biden and his inner circle have agonized over whether to make a trip to Saudi Arabia, a nation the president deemed a pariah after its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, ordered the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Biden, for a time, angrily rejected meeting with the crown prince, arguing the presidency should stand for something, according to two people with knowledge of his thinking.
But he has recently relented, recognizing a need to push Riyadh for more oil production. Still, the dates for the trip remain fluid, leaving some aides to wonder if the president will change his mind again.
Bidens inner circle is well aware of recent presidential precedent. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both overcame a rough first midterms only to benefit from economic turnarounds and cruise to reelection. But George H.W. Bush and, especially, Carter were felled by shaky economies and rising inflation.
lost because of inflation and bad feelings about the economy and a sense that America was flailing and Biden is finding now that its hard to be a leader when other things are unraveling, said Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian at Rice University. He cant just be a mourner-in-chief, he cant just play defense. He needs to be on offense and convince Americans that, despite the challenges, better days are ahead.
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Trump Thinks Hes Still President: What Is The Evidence
Donald Trump thinks hes still president according to no more reliable a source than Rachel Maddow on her February 5th show. This was confirmed in May by Vanity Fair. Right-wing conspiracy theorists echo this analysis as recently as this month. Left-liberals are smugly confident that Kamala Harriss running mate is in the White House, snoozing in the presidential bedroom. Inquiring minds ask what is the evidence nearly a year into the alleged Biden presidency that there has been a change of guard in Washington?
+The Obama-Biden union card check proposal was not on Mr. Trumps political horizon, nor is it on that of the current occupant in the White House.
+The current occupant is ramping up Trumps unhinged Sino-phobic hallucinations, sanctioning 34 Chinese entities for development of brain-control weaponry. Not that the Chinese have been angels. In an egregious suppression of freedom of information, the inscrutable Orientals have made it more difficult for US spies to operate in their country.
+The current occupant nominally withdrew US troops from Afghanistan as negotiated by Mr. Trump, presumably reducing overall military costs. Yet, he continues the Trump-trajectory of lavishing billions of dollars more on the military than even the Pentagon requests.
+ President Trump slashed the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% candidate Biden vowed to raise it to 28% the current occupant proposed a further cut to 15%.
Political Activities Up To 2015
Trump’s political party affiliation has changed numerous times. He registered as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987, switched to the Reform Party in 1999, the Democratic Party in 2001, and back to the Republican Party in 2009.
Trump first floated the idea of running for president in 1987, placing full-page advertisements in three major newspapers, proclaiming “America should stop paying to defend countries that can afford to defend themselves.” The advertisements also advocated for “reducing the budget deficit, working for peace in Central America, and speeding up nuclear disarmament negotiations with the Soviet Union“.DCCC chair Rep. Beryl Anthony Jr. told The New York Times that “the message Trump has been preaching is a Democratic message.” Asked whether rumors of a presidential candidacy were true, Trump denied being a candidate, but said, “I believe that if I did run for President, I’d win.” In 1988, he approached Lee Atwater asking to be put into consideration as Republican nominee George H.W. Bush‘s running mate. Bush found the request “strange and unbelievable.” According to a Gallup poll in December 1988, Trump was the tenth most admired man in America.
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Why Donald Trump Is Republicans’ Worst Nightmare In 2024
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
Earlier this week, amid a rambling attack on the validity of the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump said this: “Interesting that today a poll came out indicating I’m far in the lead for the Republican Presidential Primary and the General Election in 2024.”
“Trump is confiding in allies that he intends to run again in 2024 with one contingency: that he still has a good bill of health, according to two sources close to the former president. That means Trump is going to hang over the Republican Party despite its attempts to rebrand during his exile and its blockade of a Trump-centric investigation into January’s insurrection.”“Manhattan prosecutors pursuing a criminal case against former President Donald Trump, his company and its executives have told at least one witness to prepare for grand jury testimony, according to a person familiar with the matter — a signal that the lengthy investigation is moving into an advanced stage.”
What A Second Trump Term Would Mean For The World
Editor’s Note:
Trump’s potential reelection should be seen as a pincer movement, an attack on the international order from two sides, argues Thomas Wright. Trump would consolidate his control over the institutions of government, bending them to his will, removing any lingering resistance from the Republican Party. Meanwhile, by confirming that the United States has rejected its traditional leadership role, a second Trump term would make a lasting impact on the world right when it is at a particularly vulnerable moment. This piece originally appeared in The Atlantic.
If Donald Trump defies the odds and wins a second term, the next four years will likely be more disruptive to U.S. foreign policy and world affairs than the past four have been. Think of his reelection as a pincer movement, an attack on the international order from two sides. Trump will consolidate his control over the institutions of government, bending them to his will, removing any lingering resistance from the Republican Party. Meanwhile, by confirming that the United States has rejected its traditional leadership role, a second Trump term would make a lasting impact on the world right when it is at a particularly vulnerable moment. U.S. alliances would likely crumble, the global economy would close, and democracy and human rights would be in rapid retreat.
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‘the Silence Is Deafening’
A person close to some of the biggest real estate executives in New York who backed Trump during both of his runs for the White House said this time is different. Their view is he’s taken “major hits” during the Jan. 6 hearings. None from that group are coming to defend him, at least for now.
“The silence is deafening,” this person added.
The lack of interest in Trump by some of the wealthiest Republican donors could boost fundraising efforts for other GOP presidential hopefuls. Multiple Republicans could run in 2024, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. Scott is up for reelection in 2022 but recently headlined an event in Iowa, a key state for candidates running for president. Cotton reportedly has huddled with donors to discuss a possible 2024 run.
The former president has not publicly ruled out running for the White House again in two years after losing to President Joe Biden in 2020. Despite a lack of support from corporate leaders, Trump has maintained a massive campaign war chest thanks largely to small-dollar donors.
Trump Supporters Explain Why They Believe The Big Lie
For many of Trumps voters, the belief that the election was stolen is not a fully formed thought. Its more of an attitude, or a tribal pose.
About the author: Sarah Longwell is the executive director of Republicans for the Rule of Law, publisher of The Bulwark, andhost of the Focus Group podcast.
Some 35 percent of Americansincluding 68 percent of Republicansbelieve the Big Lie, pushed relentlessly by former President Donald Trump and amplified by conservative media, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. They think that Trump was the true victor and that he should still be in the White House today.
I regularly host focus groups to better understand how voters are thinking about key political topics. Recently, I decided to find out why Trump 2020 voters hold so strongly to the Big Lie.
For many of Trumps voters, the belief that the election was stolen is not a fully formed thought. Its more of an attitude, or a tribal pose. They know something nefarious occurred but cant easily explain how or why. Whats more, theyre mystified and sometimes angry that other people dont feel the same.
As a woman from Wisconsin told me, I cant really put my finger on it, but something just doesnt feel right. A man from Pennsylvania said, Something about it just didnt seem right. A man from Arizona said, It didnt smell right.
Perhaps thats because the Big Lie has been part of their background noise for years.
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What Are We Doing Here
The President has invited foreign powers to interfere in the US presidential election. Democrats have impeached him for it. Next up is a trial in the Senate to decide whether to remove him from office. It is a crossroads for the American system of government as the President tries to change whats acceptable for US politicians. This newsletter will focus on this consequential moment in US history.
Keep track of congressional action with CNNs Impeachment Tracker. See a timeline of events here. And get your full refresher on whos who in this drama here.
CNNs Haley Byrd, Manu Raju and Phil Mattingly contributed to this report.
The View From The Campaign Trail
Trumps pick for Georgias Senate seat, football legend Herschel Walker, easily won his primary, assuring he will face Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in the general election, Times reporter Melanie Mason reported. Kemp also bested Perdue in the gubernatorial race and Raffensperger beat Hice in the secretary of states race. In Alabama, after losing Trumps endorsement, Brooks secured a spot in the Senate primary runoff,proving Republicans who defy the former president dont always need his blessing.
Michigans elections bureau said Monday that five Republican candidates for governor, including two leading contenders, failed to file enough valid nominating signatures and should not qualify for the August primary, the Associated Press reported. The bipartisan, four-member Board of State Canvassers will meet Thursday to consider the elections bureaus findings of fraud across five gubernatorial campaigns. The Republican candidates, who are vying to face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November, could end up going to court if they do not make the ballot.
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Lin Wood Says Trump Is Still Secretly The President
May 13, 2021 at 10:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
This is a wild video: Lin Wood, who is running to head the South Carolina Republican Party, says that Donald Trump is still the president and that the military would call on him for the code if they need a first strike.
He also says that Trump signed the Insurrection Act in secret.
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About Political Wire
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won – Now What? , a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard’s essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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