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Defend Our Country Digest

Defend Our Country Digest — August 10, 2022

By August 10, 2022No Comments

Driving the Day: 

What To Watch For Today: 

Trump says he will testify today in the New York civil investigation of the Trump Organization. 

Must Read Stories

Election Deniers And Trump-Backed Candidates Scored Victories Across The Country Last Night 

  • Politico: ‘Handed Him A Lifeline’: 5 Takeaways From A Post-Mar-A-Lago Primary:  Republican primaries resumed one day after the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, which appears to have only cemented Donald Trump’s standing in the GOP ahead of 2024. Republican strategists working for potential rivals to Trump ahead of the next presidential election were already preparing for the likelihood that he could now clear the field; Republicans across four midterm primary states on Tuesday were rushing to his side. Election deniers had a good night. So did women. But the week belongs to Trump.
  • New York Times: Wisconsin Republicans Embrace Trump in a Race Defined by 2020 Grievances:  Republican primary voters upended their party’s establishment in Wisconsin on Tuesday, choosing a Trump-backed candidate for governor who has entertained overturning the 2020 election results to take on Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, in one of the country’s most consequential November contests. Tim Michels, a wealthy construction magnate endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump, defeated former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who had support from former Gov. Scott Walker, former Vice President Mike Pence and dozens of state legislators, as well as the state’s largest business organizations. And Mr. Trump’s followers gave a serious scare to the powerful Republican speaker of the State Assembly, Robin Vos. In recent weeks, Mr. Vos had become the former president’s chief antagonist among Wisconsin Republicans because he refused to indulge Mr. Trump’s false claims that the 2020 results can still be decertified. Mr. Vos inched past a far-right challenger and political neophyte who was desperately short on money but was buoyed by a Trump endorsement just a week before the primary. Mr. Michels won by predicating his entire campaign on his support from Mr. Trump, highlighting that distinction in nearly all of his millions of dollars of self-funded television advertising and reminding voters about it during campaign stops and debates.
  • Associated Press: Election Skeptics Advance in Key Wisconsin, Minnesota Races: Longtime Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette won his Democratic primary on Tuesday, advancing to a general election in which Republicans hope to win back the seat and give it power over elections. And in Minnesota, Republican Kim Crockett — who has called the 2020 election “rigged” and campaigned on rolling back changes that have made it easier to vote — has advanced to the November election against Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat seeking his third term. Primaries were also held Tuesday in Connecticut and Vermont. This year, races for secretary of state have drawn tremendous interest and money largely because of the 2020 election, when voting systems and processes came under attack by former President Donald Trump and his supporters. There is no evidence of widespread fraud or manipulation of voting systems occurring in the 2020 election. In Wisconsin, state Rep. Amy Loudenbeck defeated two primary opponents to advance to the November election against La Follette, a Democrat first elected in 1974.

Rep. Scott Perry Says The FBI Has Seized His Cell Phone 

  • New York Times: Representative Scott Perry says the F.B.I. seized his cellphone: The F.B.I. on Tuesday seized the cellphone of Representative Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania and the chairman of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, according to the congressman’s office. Mr. Perry, who has been issued a subpoena by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, said three F.B.I. agents seized his phone Tuesday morning while he was traveling with family. “They made no attempt to contact my lawyer, who would have made arrangements for them to have my phone if that was their wish,” Mr. Perry said in a statement. “I’m outraged — though not surprised — that the F.B.I., under the direction of Merrick Garland’s D.O.J., would seize the phone of a sitting member of Congress.” […] It was not immediately clear why the F.B.I. had seized Mr. Perry’s phone. A spokeswoman for the congressman did not respond right away to a follow-up question, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Perry has refused to appear before the Jan. 6 committee, and his lawyer has argued that there was “nothing improper” about his actions during the buildup to the attack on the Capitol. In the weeks after the 2020 election, Mr. Perry was among at least 11 members of Congress who were involved in discussions with White House officials about overturning the election, including plans to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to throw out electoral votes from states won by President Biden, according to the committee. Mr. Perry also endorsed the idea of encouraging supporters to march to the Capitol, the committee has said.

Threats Of Violence Surge From Trump Supporters Surge After FBI Search Warrant At Mar-A-Lago 

  • NBC: After Mar-A-Lago Search, Users On Pro-Trump Forums Agitate For ‘Civil War’ — Including A Jan. 6 Rioter: Some users on pro-Trump internet forums told users to “lock and load,” agitated for civil war and urged protesters to head to Mar-a-Lago in the hours after news broke that the FBI searched former President Donald Trump’s Florida compound on Monday. One user posting about the “civil war” shortly after the search was Tyler Welsh Slaeker, a Washington state man awaiting sentencing for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to previous research and statements posted online. A report in December by Advance Democracy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative group, found that Slaeker posted to the pro-Trump internet forum TheDonald under the username “bananaguard62.”
  • Washington Post: Simmering Threat Of Violence Comes To Fore With Search Of Trump Property: For months, right-wing agitators with millions of followers have peddled the idea that a moment was coming soon when violence would become necessary — a patriotic duty — to save the republic. With the FBI search Monday of Donald Trump’s compound in Florida, that moment is now, according to enraged commentators’ all-caps, exclamation-pointed screeds urging supporters of the former president to take up arms. Within hours of the search at Mar-a-Lago, a chorus of Republican lawmakers, conservative talk-show hosts, anti-government provocateurs and pro-Trump conspiracy theorists began issuing explicit or thinly veiled calls for violence. “Today is war. That is all you will get on today’s show,” right-wing podcaster Steven Crowder announced Tuesday to his nearly 2 million followers on Twitter, referring to the program that goes to his YouTube audience of 5.6 million. Extremist organizers have tried to hold on to the momentum they built in recent years by finding big-tent causes disparate factions could rally around, such as opposition to pandemic restrictions, “Stop the Steal” election denial, or an imagined socialist “indoctrination” of schoolchildren. With each iteration, analysts say, the networks have grown more sophisticated and more violent, as evidenced by the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The FBI’s search at Mar-a-Lago for classified documents is now presented as a tipping point, an existential threat to the United States that true patriots must thwart.

Trump Faces A Barrage of Criminal And Civil Investigations On A Variety Of Subjects 

  • New York Times: The Investigation Into Trump’s Handling Of Classified Material Is Just One Of Several Inquiries He Is Facing:  The F.B.I.’s search of former President Donald J. Trump’s home in Florida on Monday was a stunning step by the Justice Department in its apparent investigation into materials that were improperly taken by the former president, including classified documents, when he left office. But it is just one of multiple active investigations that Mr. Trump is embroiled in as he dangles the possibility of an imminent announcement of a 2024 presidential campaign. “I think it’s only going to put more energy behind my father-in-law, should he choose to run for president in 2024,” Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, said on Fox News in response to news of the search. Part of the appeal of another presidential run for Mr. Trump, people close to him have said, is that it would double as a defense strategy, allowing him to argue that the investigations are politically motivated and largely carried out by Democrats intent on defeating him in 2024.
  • Associated Press: Trump Says He’s Testifying Wednesday In NY Investigation: Former President Donald Trump will be questioned under oath Wednesday in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his dealings as a real estate mogul, he confirmed in a post on his Truth Social account. Trump’s testimony comes amid a flurry of legal activity surrounding him, taking place just days after FBI agents searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of an unrelated federal probe into whether he took classified records when he left the White House. The New York civil investigation, led by Attorney General Letitia James, involves allegations that Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, misstated the value of prized assets like golf courses and skyscrapers, misleading lenders and tax authorities. “In New York City tonight. Seeing racist N.Y.S. Attorney General tomorrow, for a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, invoking his oft-repeated claims about James, who is Black, and the investigation. “My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides,” Trump added. “Banana Republic!”
  • Insider: Federal Court Rules That Congress Can Obtain Trump’s Tax Returns: A federal appeals court panel ruled on Tuesday that House lawmakers can obtain former President Donald Trump’s tax returns from the IRS. DC Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David B. Sentelle wrote that House Democrats’ request for Trump’s returns “did not violate separation of powers principles” and that lawmakers on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee have a legitimate reason to obtain the returns in order to better monitor the IRS’ policy of auditing sitting presidents. Sentelle, a Reagan appointee, wrote that Trump’s concerns about some of his private financial information potentially being made public did not outweigh lawmakers’ requests.

Yet Again Republicans Rally Behind Trump, While Another Pro-Impeachment Republican Member Of Congress Loses Her Primary 

  • CNN: Washington’s Herrera Beutler, One Of The ‘Impeachment 10,’ Concedes In Her Reelection Bid: Washington Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler on Tuesday conceded in her bid for reelection, a primary that was largely defined by Republican ire for her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump in 2021. CNN has not projected second place in the race. As of Tuesday night, Republican Joe Kent, a retired special forces officer who was backed by Trump, was leading Herrera Beutler by more than 900 votes in the race. CNN already projected Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez would claim the first spot on the general election ballot. Washington state has an open primary system where all candidates run on a single ballot, regardless of affiliation. The top two vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election, regardless of party. The sizable field for Washington’s 3rd District included Kent, author Heidi St. John and state Rep. Vicki Kraft. All attacked her vote for impeachment, arguing that the vote put her out of step with voters in the district. A loss for Herrera Beutler would be a win for Trump, who made defeating the 10 House Republicans who joined Democrats to impeach him a central goal of his post-presidency.
  • Politico: Trump’s 2024 GOP rivals Rally Behind Him After FBI Search: The search of Donald Trump’s Florida compound by federal agents Monday has the former president’s base rallying to stand with him — including many of his potential rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis jumped out Monday night, tweeting that the FBI search was “another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the regime’s political opponents.” And he has been quickly joined by others who could be competing against Trump in a primary next year. Governors like South Dakota’s Kristi Noem and Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin called the FBI’s actions “unprecedented” and “stunning.” Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said the search was “next-level Nixonian … to target a former president and political rival.” Florida Sen. Rick Scott said the Biden administration had a “history of going after parents & other political opponents.”
  • New York Times: Republicans Rally Behind Trump, Who Reprises Favored Role: Victim: Republicans sought Tuesday to turn the F.B.I.’s search of Donald J. Trump’s Florida home into a rallying point, positioning the former president in his political comfort zone as a partisan target and victim, while effectively suspending the party’s efforts to focus on other issues heading into the midterm elections. The immediacy with which Republicans closed ranks and focused on the political ramifications of the search of Mar-a-Lago — without a full understanding of the direction of the F.B.I.’s investigation or the potential criminality that could be uncovered — underscored Mr. Trump’s role as keystone of the party, the single figure upon whom its elected leaders and midterm candidates depend most heavily for support. Some party officials tried to channel conservatives’ rage about the search of the former president’s winter home into productive energy for the coming midterms. Within hours of the news that Mr. Trump’s home had been searched, the Republican National Committee texted an urgent appeal about the search to supporters asking for cash to “take back Congress.” Mr. Trump also sought to capitalize financially. His political committee, Save America, followed Tuesday morning with a fund-raising text message suggesting that the F.B.I. search was proof of a corrupt “radical left.” It added: “Return the power to the people! Will you fight with me?”

Trump Allies Continue To Resist Providing Information In Investigations 

  • New York Times: By Train, Bus or Uber, Giuliani Is Told to Come to Georgia: Rudolph W. Giuliani, the lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump and a central figure in the investigation into election interference in Georgia, has been telling prosecutors that he cannot travel to the state to appear before a special grand jury because he is not healthy enough to fly. But on Tuesday, a judge in Fulton County, Ga., said that Mr. Giuliani, who had two coronary heart stents implanted in early July, could travel from New York to Atlanta some other way, and tentatively ordered him to show up to deliver in-person testimony on Aug. 17. “Mr. Giuliani is not cleared for air travel, A-I-R,” Judge Robert C.I. McBurney of Fulton County Superior Court said. “John Madden drove all over the country in his big bus, from stadium to stadium. So one thing we need to explore is whether Mr. Giuliani could get here without jeopardizing his recovery and his health. On a train, on a bus or Uber, or whatever it would be,” he said, adding, “New York is not close to Atlanta, but it’s not traveling from Fairbanks.”
  • CNN: Trump Ally Doug Mastriano’s January 6 Committee Appearance Ends Without A Single Question Answered, Source Says: Trump ally Doug Mastriano’s virtual appearance Tuesday before the House January 6 committee only lasted about 15 minutes and “he didn’t answer a single question,” according to a source familiar with the matter. Mastriano’s attorney cut off the virtual appearance soon after it began, the source said. His lawyer, Tim Parlatore, took issue with several procedural matters related to the deposition, and raised questions about the legality of the subpoena that Mastriano received from the panel, the source added. “We were there for 15 minutes. It was clear that the committee was unable to comply with the regulations regarding use of deposition authority and moreover has no interest in complying with the regulations,” Parlatore said. “We’re happy to provide the information if they can either do it fairly and legally or if we can reach a resolution on how to do a voluntary interview which minimizes the risk of election interference.”

In The States 

CONNECTICUT: Surprise Win For A Trump-Backed Election Denier In The Connecticut Senate Primary 

  • Hartford Courant: Leora Levy Declares Surprise Victory For U.S. Senate After Gaining Trump Endorsement: Capitalizing on an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, conservative Greenwich fundraiser Leora Levy roared to a stunning victory Tuesday night against moderate Themis Klarides in a race that surprised Connecticut on primary day. After Klarides won the party’s convention endorsement with nearly 60% of the vote, many Republicans believed that she would handily win the primary as Levy and immigration attorney Peter Lumaj of Fairfield would split the conservative vote. But Levy stunned many political observers by running a highly spirited campaign, raising more money than her rivals and constantly blasting Klarides in negative television commercials that were shown repeatedly on multiple channels.

WISCONSIN: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos Survives Trump-Fueled Primary 

  • Associated Press: Wisconsin Assembly Leader Vos Beats Trump-Backed Challenger:  Wisconsin’s most powerful Republican narrowly survived being targeted by Donald Trump in Tuesday’s primary, then said his win proved that lawmakers “don’t have to be a lapdog to whatever Donald Trump says.” Robin Vos, the longest-serving speaker in the state’s history, overcame intense criticism from Trump and others that he hadn’t pursued decertifying the 2020 election won by President Joe Biden. But the narrow margin of his win over Adam Steen, a landlord and political newcomer, suggested the power Trump still holds over many conservative voters. Soon after his victory, Vos lashed out at former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, whom he hired to investigate the 2020 election results under pressure from Trump. Vos has had a testy relationship with Gableman, who ended up endorsing Steen and campaigned for him, including appearing at a Friday rally that included Trump. Vos called Gableman “an embarrassment to the state” and said “he embarrassed himself.” Vos said Assembly Republicans would meet next week to discuss Gableman’s investigation and what to do next. Five lawsuits are pending related to the investigation, which has cost taxpayers more than $1.1 million and which Vos put on hold earlier this year.

What Experts Are Saying

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations: “CFR President Richard Haass writes in a preface to his forthcoming book, ‘The Bill of Obligations,’ out Jan. 24, that he’s often asked: ‘Richard, what keeps you up at night?’  Questioners usually suggest possible answers: Is it China? Russia? North Korea? Iran? Terrorism? Climate change? Cyberattacks? Another pandemic? Haass’ answer often takes them aback: ‘The most urgent and significant threat to American security and stability stems not from abroad but from within.’ The threat, he writes, is ‘from political divisions that for only the second time in U.S. history have raised questions about the future of American democracy and even the United States itself.’” Axios 

Holley Hansen, an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University who researches political violence and conflict mediation: “The problem, Hansen said, is that the 2020 election denial was a catalyst in the militant movement’s long game to undermine democratic institutions and seize power by force. ‘If you can’t trust the institutions that are designed to peacefully resolve disputes and you begin to see the other side as an enemy,’ Hansen said, ‘the desire to act — and the need to act — really becomes more easily justified.’” Washington Post

Norman Eisen, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, E. Danya Perry, formerly served as a federal prosecutor and chief of investigations for New York State’s Moreland Commission on Public Corruption, and Dennis Aftergut, a former federal prosecutor: “If some thought [Attorney General Merrick Garland] was moving slower than they would have liked, he’s now clearly moving faster than we all expected. If you believe that no one is above the law, and that the powerful and the powerless should be treated the same in the face of probable cause of crime, the new pace of Garland’s investigation is profoundly reassuring.” CNN Op-Ed: A seismic shift in Trump’s legal woes

Barbara McQuade, former US attorney, re: Republican Senator Marco Rubio falsely asserting the legal FBI warrant of Mar-a-Lago was an excuse and ruse: “This kind of reckless and baseless rhetoric is destroying public confidence in law enforcement and our courts. How can anyone who cares about the rule of law participate in this distortion of facts?” Tweet 

Joyce Vance, former US attorney, re: FBI agents reportedly confiscating GOP Rep. Scott Perry’s phone under a search warrant: “This is very interesting. Perry reportedly connected Trump with wannabe AG Jeffrey Clark, the environmental lawyer & pusher of Trump’s big lie.” Tweet 

Headlines

The MAGA Movement And The Ongoing Threat To Elections

Axios: Convicted, disgraced ex-politicians attack FBI over Mar-a-Lago search

Axios: FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search juices GOP fundraising

Axios: Trump’s 2024 boost

CNN: Violent rhetoric circulates on the pro-Trump internet following FBI search, including from a Jan. 6 rioter

CNN: Republicans rush to Trump’s defense after FBI executes search warrant at Mar-a-Lago

Daily Beast: Florida Lawmaker Calls for FBI Agents to Be ‘Arrested Upon Sight’ After Trump Raid

New York Times: Garland Becomes Trump’s Target After F.B.I.’s Mar-a-Lago Search

New York Times: Hunting for Voter Fraud, Conspiracy Theorists Organize ‘Stakeouts’

Politico: Republicans who blast FBI’s Trump search are prepping to snag Joe in a Hunter Biden probe

Washington Post (Analysis): Suddenly, it’s the right that wants to defund law enforcement

Washington Post (Analysis): Republican denial of Trump’s 2020 loss is affixed firmly in concrete

January 6 And The 2020 Election

The Hill: Public opinion relatively unchanged after Jan. 6 hearings: poll

New York Times: The F.B.I. search is separate from the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation

Rolling Stone: Inside Trump’s Frantic Hunt for ‘Killer’ Criminal Defense Attorneys

Other Trump Investigations

New York Times: F.B.I. Search of Trump’s Home Pushes Long Conflict Into Public View

Politico: Federal agents took about a dozen boxes from Mar-a-Lago, Trump lawyer says

Yahoo: Pelosi: FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago shows ‘no person is above the law’

Opinion

CNN (Norm Eisen, E. Danya Perry, and Dennis Aftergut): A seismic shift in Trump’s legal woes