After I finished the newsletter last evening, I recorded the audio, inserted the audio, and clicked three out of four buttons necessary to "publish." When I awoke this morning, I found the newsletter on my computer screen, patiently waiting for me to click the fourth button. Apologies.
I was worried about you! So pleased to finally read your newsletter now at 5:00 PM while on holiday in France! You must know how much I and countless others rely on your brilliant analysis and thoughtful words, enabling us to start each day with confidence and hope for the future of our country. Thank you once again, Robert! I will share today’s newsletter with a huge group of friends and encourage them to become subscribers.
OMG! I panicked thinking about a world in which my day did not begin with reading Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition. Thank goodness you’re alive and well and still enlightening us. 🙏
My first though this morning was, "Is Robert okay?" Then I thought, I need to ask someone! Then I went out for my morning walk without your 20 minutes of analysis and optimism. If anyone saw me drifting without direction, that's why....
No worries! This is such a great explanation and defense of Jack Smith's indictment.
But what I love most about today's newsletter is the beginning. To compare this to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address really places it where it belongs. It is momentous, grave and may not be fully appreciated until a half century passes. But it absolutely right and proper. Thank you for recognizing the moment!
In the discovery of a "gaggle of crackpot lawyers" (wow! is that really true? who knew?) and a "reckoning" for the legal profession, may I suggest that we remember not to give Bill Barr a pass? I saw him on CNN last evening hawking his book. Seriously. Do all the networks have rocks for brains?
The legal profession is notoriously competitive with the medical profession for its unwillingness to maintain professional standards on the part of its members. It would be nice to believe that the entire gaggle would follow in the footsteps of Giuliani and Eastman who are apparently going to be disbarred. It's unclear whether or not the Claremont Institute is going to sever its relationship with Eastman.
An update: Democracy Docket is reporting today that Eastman has filed suit on behalf of the CO Republican Party seeking to bar unaffiliated voters from voting in the GOP primary. Colorado is an open primary state. It never ends.
The column is worth reading, Legum is concise and frank as usual. I sometimes wish I didn't have so much to read already so I'd have room for his work too.
You're almost certainly correct. I'm old enough to remember when there was some intellectual integrity connected to Claremont; pity it's not there anymore.
After reading today's excellent newsletter, and agreeing with all of it, the fact that stands out to me, and which gives me the most agita, is that the Republicans are rallying behind this criminal. Whether it is a presidential candidate, or a senator (both my Florida senators have come out claiming a political witch-hunt), or congress critters like Stephanik.....ALL of them should not be representing the people of the United States. They are shameful. What Trump and his minions did is so egregious that everyone should be ridding themselves of him. And, oh by the way, they all had the opportunity many times in the past 3 years. I am disgusted.
"Just as we should stop pretending that Trump is a legitimate candidate for the presidency, the legal professional should stop pretending that The Federalist Society is a legitimate organization within the bar. The legal profession should start treating The Federalists as the tool of dark money intent on destroying democracy. No law firm should countenance the continued membership of its lawyers in The Federalist Society."
Well said, Robert. Thank you. May dark money and its intentions soon be revealed, especially its focus on dubious attorneys and justices of the SCOTUS.
Absolutely. I should expand my comment to say, "dark money and obfuscating attorneys on all fronts," including but not limited to, environment, abortion, refugees, and oligarchy. Thank you for your reminder.
I was disappointed early this morning to see that your letter had not been posted. I am here to tell you: IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! Thank you for all your efforts to keep us up to speed.
Thank you, Robert, for this very helpful dissection of the legal issues underlying the Trump indictment -including your deconstruction of his presumptive defenses. It will really help cut through the noise as we go forward. Best, Ric
This is an excellent summary, Robert. Thanks so much for distilling the complex issues.
One thing I'm concerned about is that we will become too consumed with this and other cases against TFG, and lose sight of the fact that he and others are working overtime to delegitimize our election system, foster and foist third party candidates to siphon off votes for President Biden, delay the proceedings in the multiple trials until after the election, and otherwise continue to chip away at the foundations of our democracy. I think we will see a lot of smoke and mirrors, and capitalizing on the multiple indictments, being used to distract us from the rest of the stuff going on behind the curtain. We can't let that happen. TFG already won an election once by lying and cheating, and it's up to us to make sure he doesn't steal the next one.
For the purposes of keeping TFG from ever seeing the inside of the Oval Office again, I think we need to boil the J6 issue down to a simple question: "Did TFG believe he won the election?" If the answer is "no," then he should be unequivocally found guilty as charged. If the answer is "yes," then he's delusional and a clear and present danger to himself and others. Either way, he's unfit for office and should either be incarcerated or committed.
p.s. I'm so glad to see this newsletter. I'm sure I speak for many of us who were concerned when this letter wasn't in our inboxes when we opened our emails for our daily dose of information and inspiration.
Mr. Hubbell, Your essay is a clear distillation of the overarching importance of this indictment. Like you, when anyone disparates Jack Smith, I intend to quietly ask if the person has read the indictment. If, like too many people have and will do in the coming months that they didn’t need to read the indictment, I intend to tell them, that they are making a serious mistake because it leaves them both wrong and ignorant.
Aug 3, 2023·edited Aug 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Greg Olear has been writing about Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society for several years now. This link has links to other of his articles. Among them is the $1.6 billion donation by billionaire Barre Seid to Leo that will fund Leo's picks for future federal and SCOTUS judges for many years to come.
Greg also has written about the literal ties between the Trump family (starting with Fred, his father) and the mob. The date of this article is March 2020.
Excellent newsletter Robert! The Federalist Society needs to be exposed by the ABA and every news outlet. They are as bad as Dark Koch money and others. We must be clear in our opposition to these entities.
Again, Robert, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I’m appreciating the historic significance of the indictment in real time. Nearly every man in my family and my in-law family served in the military in war time. Some saw combat, nearly all returned home with wounds, injuries and illness. My grandfather was gassed on a European battlefield in WWI and suffered from it for the rest of his life; my dad, my uncles, my father-in-law, all WWII vets. My husband and brothers-in-law, all Vietnam vets. Shot, shot at, diagnosed with malaria, permanently injured and sprayed with Agent Orange. They all fought for our country and sacrificed their youth and health doing so. I’ve been so distraught thinking that there would be no consequences for those who attempted to overturn an election so the president could hang on to power, and that the sacrifices made by my family would be for nothing. I’m so relieved to know that their sacrifices were meaningful. Really, I don’t know how I would have reacted if Merrick Garland declined to prosecute the enemies within. Move to another country? I considered it. The fact that the perpetrators are being held to account is more important to me than the ultimate jury verdict.
Thanks for letting me rant on your page. Thank you for your service.
This is an excellent wrap-up to the clarity of the indictment. But, through all of this and all of the commentary on MSMBC and elsewhere, my. mental state is clouded by the imagery of O.J. I won’t rest easy till the Gold Maniac is behind bars.
This newsletter gives wonderful information and perspective. I was starting to feel sick to my stomach, thinking about the willful blindness of Trump supporters to his treason. Rather than a gaggle, they remind me of the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkeys, but in this case, it's "see no reality, hear no reality, speak no reality." Rather, live in a dreamworld of your own making where you never have to grow up. You make all the rules and whatever you say, goes -- adults be damned.
The scary and sad part is that this whole thing will take years after going through appeals. It becomes even more imperative that no GOP’er or he wins the election for POTUS! Otherwise there’s a strong chance he could be pardoned!? Hopefully Fani Willis will get her case through to end with guilty outcome as I think a State case cannot be pardoned?
Aug 3, 2023·edited Aug 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I went to law school for a year, concluding at the end of that time that, while I love the law, I hate lawyering. Specifically because one has to be polite to morons, idiots, and criminals in pinstripe suits and black robes.
One thing I did discover was that the ability to score high enough on the LSAT to be admitted to a law school, and the ability to pass the tests therein, are not a proof of actual intelligence. I was truly amazed in the midst of Watergate to find half that class thought Nixon was still The One which completely confirmed my discovery.
I would add to your point about getting a law degree not being proof of intelligence. It is also not proof of any concern for morality or justice. My Contracts professor announced he was foregoing his normal class one day to discuss morality and integrity in the practice of law. I was very interested. The rest of the class literally howled their disapproval, complaining that would be one less class to help them pass the Bar. I was surprised and really disappointed in them.
Federalist Society must go. These things usually don’t hold up in the light of day. Thank you Robert for shining a bright light on all these creepy crawlers hiding in the corners of our beautiful Democracy. It’s time for extermination 🦟
After I finished the newsletter last evening, I recorded the audio, inserted the audio, and clicked three out of four buttons necessary to "publish." When I awoke this morning, I found the newsletter on my computer screen, patiently waiting for me to click the fourth button. Apologies.
I was worried about you! So pleased to finally read your newsletter now at 5:00 PM while on holiday in France! You must know how much I and countless others rely on your brilliant analysis and thoughtful words, enabling us to start each day with confidence and hope for the future of our country. Thank you once again, Robert! I will share today’s newsletter with a huge group of friends and encourage them to become subscribers.
OMG! I panicked thinking about a world in which my day did not begin with reading Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition. Thank goodness you’re alive and well and still enlightening us. 🙏
Nice to know you put your pants on one leg at a time, like the rest of us. :-)
My first though this morning was, "Is Robert okay?" Then I thought, I need to ask someone! Then I went out for my morning walk without your 20 minutes of analysis and optimism. If anyone saw me drifting without direction, that's why....
I, too, was worried, but patient. It arrived and accompanied me on my morning walk. Another fabulous addition.
You mean such oversights happen to you, too?
No worries! This is such a great explanation and defense of Jack Smith's indictment.
But what I love most about today's newsletter is the beginning. To compare this to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address really places it where it belongs. It is momentous, grave and may not be fully appreciated until a half century passes. But it absolutely right and proper. Thank you for recognizing the moment!
In the discovery of a "gaggle of crackpot lawyers" (wow! is that really true? who knew?) and a "reckoning" for the legal profession, may I suggest that we remember not to give Bill Barr a pass? I saw him on CNN last evening hawking his book. Seriously. Do all the networks have rocks for brains?
The legal profession is notoriously competitive with the medical profession for its unwillingness to maintain professional standards on the part of its members. It would be nice to believe that the entire gaggle would follow in the footsteps of Giuliani and Eastman who are apparently going to be disbarred. It's unclear whether or not the Claremont Institute is going to sever its relationship with Eastman.
An update: Democracy Docket is reporting today that Eastman has filed suit on behalf of the CO Republican Party seeking to bar unaffiliated voters from voting in the GOP primary. Colorado is an open primary state. It never ends.
Unbelievable!
I saw this too. There is no bottom to his undermining democracy!
The column is worth reading, Legum is concise and frank as usual. I sometimes wish I didn't have so much to read already so I'd have room for his work too.
I am a paying subscriber to Judd, but like you, wish I could subscribe (and pay) for more writers.
I don’t think the Claremont institute will ever sever relations with Eastman.
You're almost certainly correct. I'm old enough to remember when there was some intellectual integrity connected to Claremont; pity it's not there anymore.
Excellent point!
Possibly Jack Smith is reserving Pence’s “crackpot gaggle of lawyers” comment to deploy later, after omitting this from the Indictment.
Pence would then be compelled to confirm his statement in court when asked at Trial if he said that to (vile) ex-POTUS.
The cartoon that says, “If felons can’t vote how can a felon become President?” points to an unjust systemic flaw.
I’ll try to find the link to post here.
Not really a cartoon though 😉
You’re right, not really a cartoon, and unfunny. Good point.
Quite serious, drawn perhaps in a bold cartoon-ish style to catch attention.
PostScript
No link for Felon cartoon, alas, and can be found on Red Wine and Blue fb page.
After reading today's excellent newsletter, and agreeing with all of it, the fact that stands out to me, and which gives me the most agita, is that the Republicans are rallying behind this criminal. Whether it is a presidential candidate, or a senator (both my Florida senators have come out claiming a political witch-hunt), or congress critters like Stephanik.....ALL of them should not be representing the people of the United States. They are shameful. What Trump and his minions did is so egregious that everyone should be ridding themselves of him. And, oh by the way, they all had the opportunity many times in the past 3 years. I am disgusted.
Gaggle of crackpot legislators?
✅
all gQp are criminals
“both my Florida senators have come out claiming a political witch-hunt” –
In practice, the phrase “witch-hunt” elides the likelihood that there are “witches” to be found.
"Just as we should stop pretending that Trump is a legitimate candidate for the presidency, the legal professional should stop pretending that The Federalist Society is a legitimate organization within the bar. The legal profession should start treating The Federalists as the tool of dark money intent on destroying democracy. No law firm should countenance the continued membership of its lawyers in The Federalist Society."
Well said, Robert. Thank you. May dark money and its intentions soon be revealed, especially its focus on dubious attorneys and justices of the SCOTUS.
Soon be revealed? Already out there on YouTube with well documented videos posted by Sen Whitehouse!
Mainstream media ignores the elephant in the room, better the parasite eating at the democratic ideals which form the basis of our Constituents!
Absolutely. I should expand my comment to say, "dark money and obfuscating attorneys on all fronts," including but not limited to, environment, abortion, refugees, and oligarchy. Thank you for your reminder.
[T]he legal professional should stop pretending that The Federalist Society is a legitimate organization within the bar.–
What makes people believe the Federalist Society is *within* the bar? Only repetition, I think.
I was disappointed early this morning to see that your letter had not been posted. I am here to tell you: IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! Thank you for all your efforts to keep us up to speed.
Thank you, Robert, for this very helpful dissection of the legal issues underlying the Trump indictment -including your deconstruction of his presumptive defenses. It will really help cut through the noise as we go forward. Best, Ric
This is an excellent summary, Robert. Thanks so much for distilling the complex issues.
One thing I'm concerned about is that we will become too consumed with this and other cases against TFG, and lose sight of the fact that he and others are working overtime to delegitimize our election system, foster and foist third party candidates to siphon off votes for President Biden, delay the proceedings in the multiple trials until after the election, and otherwise continue to chip away at the foundations of our democracy. I think we will see a lot of smoke and mirrors, and capitalizing on the multiple indictments, being used to distract us from the rest of the stuff going on behind the curtain. We can't let that happen. TFG already won an election once by lying and cheating, and it's up to us to make sure he doesn't steal the next one.
For the purposes of keeping TFG from ever seeing the inside of the Oval Office again, I think we need to boil the J6 issue down to a simple question: "Did TFG believe he won the election?" If the answer is "no," then he should be unequivocally found guilty as charged. If the answer is "yes," then he's delusional and a clear and present danger to himself and others. Either way, he's unfit for office and should either be incarcerated or committed.
p.s. I'm so glad to see this newsletter. I'm sure I speak for many of us who were concerned when this letter wasn't in our inboxes when we opened our emails for our daily dose of information and inspiration.
Your second paragraph....my sentiments exactly.
Mr. Hubbell, Your essay is a clear distillation of the overarching importance of this indictment. Like you, when anyone disparates Jack Smith, I intend to quietly ask if the person has read the indictment. If, like too many people have and will do in the coming months that they didn’t need to read the indictment, I intend to tell them, that they are making a serious mistake because it leaves them both wrong and ignorant.
The Federalist Society is financed by Leonard Leo.
If you get the chance and time, you should take a cruise
through the members and
contributors of the Society.
The Heritage Foundation is
another big player behind the
scenes, though I've noticed
their name popping up more
recently. How do you bring
down multi-billionaire groups?
Thank yuu Robert for a great
newsletter today.
Greg Olear has been writing about Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society for several years now. This link has links to other of his articles. Among them is the $1.6 billion donation by billionaire Barre Seid to Leo that will fund Leo's picks for future federal and SCOTUS judges for many years to come.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/index-leonard-leo?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Greg also has written about the literal ties between the Trump family (starting with Fred, his father) and the mob. The date of this article is March 2020.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/tinker-tailor-mobster-trump?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
"Tinker, Tailor, Mobster, Trump" is in the favorites of my bookmarks, always visible.
I have repeatedly shared "Tinker-Tailor-Mobster-Trump since I read it in 2020. Stunning piece.
Excellent newsletter Robert! The Federalist Society needs to be exposed by the ABA and every news outlet. They are as bad as Dark Koch money and others. We must be clear in our opposition to these entities.
Again, Robert, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I’m appreciating the historic significance of the indictment in real time. Nearly every man in my family and my in-law family served in the military in war time. Some saw combat, nearly all returned home with wounds, injuries and illness. My grandfather was gassed on a European battlefield in WWI and suffered from it for the rest of his life; my dad, my uncles, my father-in-law, all WWII vets. My husband and brothers-in-law, all Vietnam vets. Shot, shot at, diagnosed with malaria, permanently injured and sprayed with Agent Orange. They all fought for our country and sacrificed their youth and health doing so. I’ve been so distraught thinking that there would be no consequences for those who attempted to overturn an election so the president could hang on to power, and that the sacrifices made by my family would be for nothing. I’m so relieved to know that their sacrifices were meaningful. Really, I don’t know how I would have reacted if Merrick Garland declined to prosecute the enemies within. Move to another country? I considered it. The fact that the perpetrators are being held to account is more important to me than the ultimate jury verdict.
Thanks for letting me rant on your page. Thank you for your service.
Thanks to your entire family for their service to the nation.
This is an excellent wrap-up to the clarity of the indictment. But, through all of this and all of the commentary on MSMBC and elsewhere, my. mental state is clouded by the imagery of O.J. I won’t rest easy till the Gold Maniac is behind bars.
This newsletter gives wonderful information and perspective. I was starting to feel sick to my stomach, thinking about the willful blindness of Trump supporters to his treason. Rather than a gaggle, they remind me of the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkeys, but in this case, it's "see no reality, hear no reality, speak no reality." Rather, live in a dreamworld of your own making where you never have to grow up. You make all the rules and whatever you say, goes -- adults be damned.
The scary and sad part is that this whole thing will take years after going through appeals. It becomes even more imperative that no GOP’er or he wins the election for POTUS! Otherwise there’s a strong chance he could be pardoned!? Hopefully Fani Willis will get her case through to end with guilty outcome as I think a State case cannot be pardoned?
I went to law school for a year, concluding at the end of that time that, while I love the law, I hate lawyering. Specifically because one has to be polite to morons, idiots, and criminals in pinstripe suits and black robes.
One thing I did discover was that the ability to score high enough on the LSAT to be admitted to a law school, and the ability to pass the tests therein, are not a proof of actual intelligence. I was truly amazed in the midst of Watergate to find half that class thought Nixon was still The One which completely confirmed my discovery.
I would add to your point about getting a law degree not being proof of intelligence. It is also not proof of any concern for morality or justice. My Contracts professor announced he was foregoing his normal class one day to discuss morality and integrity in the practice of law. I was very interested. The rest of the class literally howled their disapproval, complaining that would be one less class to help them pass the Bar. I was surprised and really disappointed in them.
Federalist Society must go. These things usually don’t hold up in the light of day. Thank you Robert for shining a bright light on all these creepy crawlers hiding in the corners of our beautiful Democracy. It’s time for extermination 🦟