January 6th legal proceedings and investigations megathread

[2016]

I am done with Trump. I want him behind bars for good. He is not only destroying the Republican Party but the Country itself.

[emailking]

Former Trump DOJ official Richard Donoghue has met with the special counsel's office
Donoghue served as acting deputy attorney general near the end of Trump's presidency and later testified before the House Jan. 6 committee.

Former senior Justice Department official Richard Donoghue says he has been interviewed by special counsel Jack Smith’s office, but has not been called to testify before the federal grand jury investigating Jan. 6 and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Donoghue, who confirmed the meeting with Smith's office to NBC News on Monday, served as acting deputy attorney general near the end of the Trump administration. He later testified before the House Jan. 6 committee that investigated the Capitol riot.

The special counsel’s office declined to comment to NBC News.

In his testimony to the House panel last year, Donoghue said that weeks before the attack on the Capitol, Trump had urged Justice Department officials, including then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, to "just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/former-doj-official-richard-donoghue-met-special-counsels-office-rcna96095


Also the DC grand jury did not meet today, whatever that means (they meet Tuesdays & Thursdays).

[emailking]

Georgia prosecutors eye criminal solicitation charges in Trump inquiry
Fulton county DA has identified multiple state election crimes in the 2020 election investigation, sources say

The Fulton county district attorney investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia in recent weeks has weighed several potential statutes under which to charge, including solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit election fraud, according to two people briefed on the matter.

The move by the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, to identify a list of potential charges marks a major juncture in the criminal investigation and suggests prosecutors are on course to ask a grand jury to return indictments next month.

Among the state election law charges that prosecutors were examining: criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit election fraud, as well as solicitation of a public or political officer to fail to perform their duties and solicitation to destroy, deface or remove ballots, the people said.

The district attorney is also seeking to charge at least some of the Trump operatives who were involved in accessing voting machines and copying sensitive election data in Coffee county, Georgia, in January 2021 with computer trespass crimes, the two people said.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/25/trump-georgia-investigation-fulton-county-prosecutors

[Torie]

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/26/jan-6-trump-indictment-origins-00108145

As an indictment of Trump over Jan 6 draws near it appears, the article has two bits of information that strike me as potentially having real criminal traction in a way the rest of the saga does not in my opinion.

The first is about fraudulent grifting:

“In the meantime, Trump barraged the airwaves and his supporters’ inboxes with fundraising appeals and ads accusing Democrats of cheating, stuffing his campaign’s coffers even as many of his own advisers privately indicated that he had, in fact, lost the race.

‘Smith may be eyeing Trump’s fundraising and messaging tactics for potential crimes related to defrauding donors or the public at large.”

The second which is a real attention grabber is about suborning perjury:

“These “alternative” or “contingent” electors signed certificates claiming to be the states’ duly qualified electors and delivered them to the National Archives and Congress, following a process set out in federal law for actual presidential electors.”

Can you imagine a rogue elector of attesting under oath (I assume it’s under oath, if not it’s not so sexy) that they are duly qualified? Dumber than a box or rocks, the lot of them.

Addendum: The article does make for riveting reading - the best I have seen anywhere. All the dots are most skillfully connected. It really is superb journalism.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/26/jan-6-trump-indictment-origins-00108145

As an indictment of Trump over Jan 6 draws near it appears, the article has two bits of information that strike me as potentially having real criminal traction in a way the rest of the saga does not in my opinion.

The first is about fraudulent grifting:

“In the meantime, Trump barraged the airwaves and his supporters’ inboxes with fundraising appeals and ads accusing Democrats of cheating, stuffing his campaign’s coffers even as many of his own advisers privately indicated that he had, in fact, lost the race.

‘Smith may be eyeing Trump’s fundraising and messaging tactics for potential crimes related to defrauding donors or the public at large.”

The second which is a real attention grabber is about suborning perjury:

“These “alternative” or “contingent” electors signed certificates claiming to be the states’ duly qualified electors and delivered them to the National Archives and Congress, following a process set out in federal law for actual presidential electors.”

Can you imagine a rogue elector of attesting under oath (I assume it’s under oath, if not it’s not so sexy) that they are duly qualified? Dumber than a box or rocks, the lot of them.

The National Archives has copies of the phony electoral certificates online at https://www.archives.gov/foia/2020-presidential-election-unofficial-certificates.  In the case of Georgia, IANAL but it seems to me that at the very least, it's an open-and-shut violation of the statute concerning forgery of official state government documents.

[Torie]

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/26/jan-6-trump-indictment-origins-00108145

As an indictment of Trump over Jan 6 draws near it appears, the article has two bits of information that strike me as potentially having real criminal traction in a way the rest of the saga does not in my opinion.

The first is about fraudulent grifting:

“In the meantime, Trump barraged the airwaves and his supporters’ inboxes with fundraising appeals and ads accusing Democrats of cheating, stuffing his campaign’s coffers even as many of his own advisers privately indicated that he had, in fact, lost the race.

‘Smith may be eyeing Trump’s fundraising and messaging tactics for potential crimes related to defrauding donors or the public at large.”

The second which is a real attention grabber is about suborning perjury:

“These “alternative” or “contingent” electors signed certificates claiming to be the states’ duly qualified electors and delivered them to the National Archives and Congress, following a process set out in federal law for actual presidential electors.”

Can you imagine a rogue elector of attesting under oath (I assume it’s under oath, if not it’s not so sexy) that they are duly qualified? Dumber than a box or rocks, the lot of them.

The National Archives has copies of the phony electoral certificates online at https://www.archives.gov/foia/2020-presidential-election-unofficial-certificates.  In the case of Georgia, IANAL but it seems to me that at the very least, it's an open-and-shut violation of the statute concerning forgery of official state government documents.

Thanks for the research. I don't see forgery in play myself. But then it seems that the definition includes a document that makes misrepresentations (which I did not know - imagine that), so maybe you are right. Claiming that they were duly elected is clearly a misrepresentation.

Forgery

FindLaw
https://www.findlaw.com › ... › Criminal Charges
May 30, 2022 — With deceptive intent, a forger creates a false document, signature, or imitation of something valuable (sometimes called a "false instrument").


Forgery - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

Vocabulary.com
https://www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › forgery
/ˈfɔdʒəri/ · noun. criminal falsification by making or altering an instrument with intent to defraud. see moresee less. type of: falsehood, falsification · noun.

[emailking]

Also the DC grand jury did not meet today, whatever that means (they meet Tuesdays & Thursdays).

NBC confirms DC grand jury is arriving. This could be the day.

[emailking]

Trump attorneys expected to meet with special counsel's office as potential indictment looms: Sources
Two Trump attorneys are expected to meet with the special counsel's team.

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump have arrived at special counsel Jack Smith's offices this morning for a meeting as a potential indictment of the former president looms, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

Trump's attorneys, John Lauro and Todd Blanche, are expected to meet with Smith's team following the receipt of a target letter alerting Trump he is a target of the special counsel's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The target letter, sent on July 16, mentions three federal statutes: conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under a civil rights statute, and tampering with a witness, victim or an informant, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Trump confirmed the letter in a post on his Truth Social platform.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-attorneys-expected-meet-special-counsels-office-potential/story?id=101715722


^ that most likely means we're within a week

[emailking]

Not that it's surprising but NBC reports the lawyers were told to expect an indictment against Trump at this meeting.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

It's so wild to me that a man with 3 indictments, and maybe 4 if Georgia indicts him, is far and away the leader for the Republican nomination.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

WHY DOES TRUMP HAVE TO GET INDICTED ON A DAY I'M GOING TO AN ALL AGES SHOW IN A COFFEE SHOP AND CAN'T TAKE A CELEBRATORY SHOT, UGH!

[emailking]

Trump says on Truth Social that his lawyers had a 'productive meeting' with the DOJ

Trump said in a post on Truth Social just after 1 p.m. ET that his attorneys had a "productive meeting" with Department of Justice prosecutors on Thursday morning.

He said his lawyers spent the meeting "explaining in detail that I did nothing wrong, was advised by many lawyers, and that an Indictment of me would only further destroy our Country."

"No indication of notice was given during the meeting — Do not trust the Fake News on anything!" he wrote. 

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that the report by NBC News that the former president’s lawyers were told to expect an indictment was “incorrect.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-grand-jury-indictment-rcna96233


Also, U.S. Marshals are meeting with law enforcement at the courthouse.

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

https://twitter.com/charlesbethea/status/1684615571537580032

This is of course separate from the Federal DC case, but apparently happening at the same time.

There could be 2 separate indictments in 2 separate cases.

[emailking]

Per NBC: no grand jury returns are expected today (DC grand jury). So probably next week. (Or it already happened and is under seal)

[Torie]

One thing about this case that occurs to me is that if trump is indicted, given the absence of classified documents to review and obtaining the requisite security clearances, a trial will be less subject to delay. So a trial should happen well before the election (famous last words).

In my view, this case is less compelling than the documents case (depending on what charges are adduced based on what), so that makes obtaining a conviction more dicey, but then the jury pool will be drawn from DC, and when it comes to Trump, obtaining a guilty plea might be akin to indicting a ham sandwich, in which event the action will be as to whether the judge lets the case go forward (the judge probably will presumably), and what an appeals court does, which could take a long time.

Trump of course will want a venue change. I don't know how much traction that will get. It is not as if Trump will do much better if the venue is still in the DC metro area somewhere in any event.

If Trump is convicted, will Trump be spending time in the slammer while the case is on appeal?

[2016]

Any charge on J6 leaves open the possibility that Trump could get booted off the Presidential Ballot because of the 14th Amendment, Section 3.

This is clearly want Jack Smith wants! He doesn't want to have Trump able to run for any Office again and I think Smith will get his wish.

[emailking]

Any charge on J6 leaves open the possibility that Trump could get booted off the Presidential Ballot because of the 14th Amendment, Section 3.

This is clearly want Jack Smith wants! He doesn't want to have Trump able to run for any Office again and I think Smith will get his wish.

I'm not sure about that, since apparently he's not charging incitement or seditious conspiracy. Of course it's up to a judge to decide, a conviction is not explicitly required by the Constitution.

[2016]

Any charge on J6 leaves open the possibility that Trump could get booted off the Presidential Ballot because of the 14th Amendment, Section 3.

This is clearly want Jack Smith wants! He doesn't want to have Trump able to run for any Office again and I think Smith will get his wish.

I'm not sure about that, since apparently he's not charging incitement or seditious conspiracy. Of course it's up to a judge to decide, a conviction is not explicitly required by the Constitution.

Some Rumors floating around Indictments maybe handed out tomorrow or next week and one of them apparently is Rule 18, Section 2383 inciting insurrection.

If Trump is convicted on this Rule that would been he's barred from holding Public Office ever again.

[GP270watch]

Rudy Giuliani concedes he made 'false' statements about Georgia election workers​

 Disbar this liar forever.

Rudy Giuliani conceded in a court filing Tuesday that he made “false” statements about two Georgia 2020 election workers who are suing him over baseless claims of fraud that he made against them.

“Defendant Giuliani, for the purposes of litigation only, does not contest that, to the extent the statements were statements of fact and other wise actionable, such actionable factual statements were false,” Giuliani wrote in a signed stipulation that he said was intended to “avoid unnecessary expenses in litigating what he believes to be unnecessary disputes.”

[2016]

Monday could definitly be the Day where Georgia (Fulton County) Charges drop!

[GeorgiaModerate]

Monday could definitly be the Day where Georgia (Fulton County) Charges drop!

I doubt it. I think Fani Willis will wait until the fed J6 indictments, because several of the potential charges are predicate acts under Georgia’s racketeering law. It would add to her case.

[2016]

Monday could definitly be the Day where Georgia (Fulton County) Charges drop!

I doubt it. I think Fani Willis will wait until the fed J6 indictments, because several of the potential charges are predicate acts under Georgia’s racketeering law. It would add to her case.

The Fed J6 Indictments could come next week too!

[emailking]

Tuesday is the most likely day for DC. By now they've had time discuss Trumps' lawyers' likely meritless arguments so probably nothing left to do but ask for the indictment when the GJ meets on Tuesday.

[ProudModerate2]

Rioter who stole badge, radio from beaten officer on Jan. 6 gets more than 4 years in prison.

A New York man who stole a badge and radio from a police officer brutally beaten by other rioters during the attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Friday to more than four years in prison.

Thomas Sibick, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty in March for his role in the attack on Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who has described fighting for his life to defend the Capitol as lawmakers inside fled from the angry mob on Jan. 6, 2021.

https://www.aol.com/news/rioter-stole-badge-radio-beaten-190559472.html

I don't think this story has been posted here yet.

[2016]

Trump on Truth Social a few minutes ago



He knows it's coming!!! and I have some "schadenfreude"!