Jack Smith's target, only concern and only focus is on DT. He'll measure DT against the Law and never play the what about stupid game that the GOP enjoys so much.
Excellent, Robert! Totally agree with you on the analysis of Biden’s untimely predicament and on the ridiculous nothingness from Qevin. I do, however, have a question for you: So now that there have been so-called classified documents found in two of Biden’s offices, who’s to say that our presidents and VP’s did not do the same? What I would also like to know is just how they were found, who told them to check on things, and how they got there? I would not be at all surprised that they were placed in those closets in locked boxes or file cabinets by a staff member who forgot to give them to the National Archives. This, of course, is not what happened with Trump, so no comparison can be made. I believe a second special counsel will be assigned and my desire is that the investigation shows no malfeasance occurred.
Morning, Marlene! All excellent questions. Totally naive of me, but I keep thinking there's something off about the timing of the Biden/classified documents story. It just fits in too nicely for my comfort. That said, my guess is that at the time, Biden expected his aides to act according to NARA rules and didn't see it necessary to micromanage/follow-up that they actually returned the documents.
As far as I'm concerned, I agree wholeheartedly with Robert's assessment that Jack Smith needs to pursue the Mar-A-Lago documents regardless of whatever fall-out there is with the Biden documents.
(P.S.: Keeping you in my thoughts as California faces ongoing weather woes)
I fell asleep right after I wrote that, Lynell! Thank you for keeping me in your thiyghts. 💓 We are okay where we live, so far. South of us have been pummeled terribly with mudslides and sinkholes. Definitely shows where improving our infrastructure monies should go to.
Agree with you about the interesting timing of finding Biden’s documents but you know what? Garland knew about them in November ‘22!
Actually, some investigative reporter should look into other past presidents who have done the same thing; you know, like Obama, Bush, etc. Stuff we never knew about at the time because it wasn't worth reporting!
Why yes they should!! Perhaps those presidents who are alive will look into the skeletons of their own closets. Those who are dead, their families should be cajoled into searching, as well. I would absolutely love for somebody to find a treasure trove in Dick Cheney’s basement!
I wondered the same about the timing of finding the documents and who found them. One more thought. Trump had classified documents in his desk drawer. Significant difference from finding documents in a storage area.
Yes Marlene…these are my thoughts as well. And now I see Merrick on TV officially opening an investigation (1/12 at 1:30pm ET). It is so surreal to think this is so perfectly timed. I sometimes let my mine wander off the optimist track and think who did tRump plant on the inside that in turn planted the newly found documents and then other plants who will completely dissect Democracy.
And then I come up for air and think oh that only happens in “The House of Cards”. I am keeping the faith that your described scenario is what the newly appointed Robert K. Hur, a veteran prosecutor who worked in the Trump administration (yikes) will find.
Stay safe in the second round of crazy weather heading your way.
I am generally not one to put any stock in conspiracy theories, but the too-convenient time frame for the discovery of a few classified documents in President Biden's properties could be construed as a desperate last ditch attempt by Trump and his henchmen to deflect from Trump's hopefully impending indictments and damage his likely 2024 opponent by heavily greasing just the right palms to obtain and plant such documents in order for him to indulge in "whataboutism" just enough for the desired effects. I am sure all the pending investigations will clear President Biden, but with the innuendo and falsehoods coming from the extreme right, I fear the damage will have been done, both to the prospect of accountability for Trump, and Biden's 2024 prospects for a second term. I don't think we have anybody better who could defeat Trump.
What I have read about special council Jack Smith in a Dutch paper makes me hopeful that the least that will influence him are public opinions about how innocent or not innocent someone is. He stays out of the limelight himself, which is a good sign. He is a very hard worker who does not give up until he has results, according to coworkers. So I am confident that the law will prevail.
The lawyers for President Biden are honorable and open. What a contrast. I would check the fingerprints on all the documents and perhaps any other storage areas President Biden has.
Call me crazy but I look to the organization of the comings and goings of top secret documents. Who is in charge? Is this an honor system for getting items returned? Whatever department issues the documents should know where they are and make sure they are back on the final day of a presidency. Is it all digitized? How is it organized between departments? It gives me no confidence to think that documents are just everywhere in old offices of important people around the country. Are Barrack and Michelle now running around checking their closets? It screams of disorganization in government. A small town library knows more about where there media is than the US government it seems.
I wish we could ignore the sideshow. I like Robert's discussion of leaving the Biden document slip-up for Biden to solve and to reject any false equivalence to Trump's theft of documents and so much more.
To me, the rubber hits the road in elections. This means Democrats must get some media oxygen and drive the agenda, including modeling how to govern with integrity and under the rule of law -- despite administrative errors that can be targeted by the opposition. Let's hold the media to account, for sure, but there's only so much we can do there. News outlets are in the business to get and hold readers' attention, whether or not their approach has appropriate journalistic discipline.
I like the approach of Democratic candidates who prevailed against MAGA opponents. What did they do to turn attention away from culture wars and toward meeting people's needs? We narrowly elected a working class Democrat over a MAGA poster boy who had primaried Jaime Herrera Beutler. Herrera Beutler was defeated after holding Trump and McCarthy accountable after Jan 6. She would have been supported by more Democrats in the primary to buttress the many Republicans who were loyal to her, except that she then put her head down to avoid further controversy.
We're fortunate that the representative we elected, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, is setting an agenda outside the culture wars. Here's part of her statement that was released when she was sworn in.
"I promised that I would put country over party and people over politics to get the job done for our community, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.
Over the next two years, I’ll fight to protect our rights, defend our democracy, and level the playing field for working families. I’m here to pass a right-to-repair bill, rebuild jobs in the woods, invest in career and technical education, and cut red tape for small businesses. My bipartisan team and I will also deliver top-notch constituent services to make sure every Southwest Washingtonian can thrive."
She ends her statement by saying, "Let's get to work."* We, her supporters, will soon get to work knocking on doors to hear people's concerns in her district and to get out the vote well before 2024, when she will again face a Republican opponent in a red/purple district. It could be her MAGA opponent, Joe Kent, or Jaime Herrera Beutler, if she decides to run again. Defeating Herrera Beutler would be harder, because she has many loyal supporters here. But she pushes standard, Republican policies that continue to fail working people. Marie's challenge will be to speak to those issues with common sense.
Yes! Finding classified documents in Biden's old offices is only a problem for Jack Smith if one views indictment of Trump as a partisan act. If we're concerned with law, such considerations are irrelevant.
But I do want to say that there IS something Kevin McCarthy can do if those Freedom Caucus members on the Rules Committee object to something. He can ask for Democratic votes. For example, he could make a deal on the debt ceiling and pass it through the committee, and the House, with a bipartisan coalition. We saw several examples of this in the Senate over the past two years, sometimes with McConnell included and sometimes over his opposition. We need to keep demanding action.
Therein lies a big problem though, Qevin won’t engage with the Dems at all. He has set this House up as if it’s his way or the highway. I like Cathy’s acronym about him being SPINO. Unless he acquiesces to the Dems, he’s doomed.
I think many Americans frankly “ don’t give a damn “ about Kevin McCarthy, the MAGA domestic terrorists and George Santos and kinda expect it as part of the DNA of the Republican Party today. What is worth noting is there is an undercurrent of change happening slowly in this country in many states as voters begin to exercise their objections to government by Republicans. If a state like Illinois can pass gun legislation other states will be encouraged and maybe they too will pass similar legislation. What is going on in Washington today is a rerun of the Trump disaster of government and voters have been turned off and have lost confidence in our government and the Supreme Court and will be looking much harder at the character of the next person we elect as President
Stephen, I agree totally. We will be watching the “undercurrent of change” if and when McCarthy and the MAGA crazies follow their attack on abortion with attacks on Social Security and Medicare. The voter turn off and loss of confidence will be remarkable.
Thank you for highlighting the Edsall article. I had overlooked it in my daily Times reading.
I have long believed (well hoped really) that cooperation between Democrats and moderate Republicans was an inevitability. Many Republican politicians do not follow the Maga line and are now recognizing it for what it is – a liability.
This quote (from the political scientist Vladimir Kogan) in the article sums it up:
“I suspect some of what you’re seeing is party leaders updating their beliefs about electoral strategy and also trying to do damage control and protect the party brand going forward.”
The likely success of these bipartisan endeavors in state legislatures may also cause US House members to think in the same terms. When Americans begin to see their state legislatures functioning as they should, support will likely fall away from the staunch partisanship in the US Congress. (I hope…)
Thanks Robert. Today's intro is one reason I so much appreciate people like you and Heather Richardson who effectively take one for the team by sorting through the dross that is most of the media.
The analysis of the current GOP House is very reminiscent of comments made about Ryan's Speakership to the point that one wonders when Feb. 3 will finally arrive.
Re the Biden documents: Biden and the DNC need a simple and clear message they repeat over and over. The more they try lengthy and varying messages the more they look defensive. The messages should:
1. Say, if he can, that he didn’t know. This will invite questions about the process for moving documents, instructions given and to whom.
2. Emphasize his cooperation
3. Compare his approach to Trump’s. Trump lied about what he had and then made up the fiction that he had declassified the documents just by thinking about it, his lawyers lied, he sued for appointment of a special master, etc. Remind people (Fox etc) that DOJ/FBI only used a search warrant after he failed to cooperate voluntarily. This is important.
4. Suggest Trump now do as Biden has done. Has Trump even to this day given
DOJ access to all the documents he took? That isn’t a rhetorical question. I don’t know the answer but if it is “no” I think that is an obvious point to make. And even if he has, he resisted so long and so ferociously that the contrast should be emphasized.
Re Santos: The Ds need to pin him to McCarthy and the other crazies. Over and over. The whole world, except House Rs, know he is a charlatan who belongs in jail.
Thank you one again, Robert, for your rational and optimistic newsletter. I’m desperately trying to remember to breathe through all the news and non-news about the discovery of documents in Biden’s former office.
I have a small semantic quibble with you though - you wrote that the documents were in Biden’s possession. But we’re they not discovered in an office he has not occupied in 6 years? It is my understanding that the documents were left behind after he left the Whitehouse.
Oooooh - I missed that the second set in the garage - thanks for the clarification! OMG - I don't know how you keep up with it all. I'm already exhausted.
Instead of Speaker McCarthy, I'll like using Spino - SPeaker In Name Only also meaning "no spine to speak of".
Jack Smith's target, only concern and only focus is on DT. He'll measure DT against the Law and never play the what about stupid game that the GOP enjoys so much.
I tried to say the same thing about Jack Smith...you said it better.
Excellent, Robert! Totally agree with you on the analysis of Biden’s untimely predicament and on the ridiculous nothingness from Qevin. I do, however, have a question for you: So now that there have been so-called classified documents found in two of Biden’s offices, who’s to say that our presidents and VP’s did not do the same? What I would also like to know is just how they were found, who told them to check on things, and how they got there? I would not be at all surprised that they were placed in those closets in locked boxes or file cabinets by a staff member who forgot to give them to the National Archives. This, of course, is not what happened with Trump, so no comparison can be made. I believe a second special counsel will be assigned and my desire is that the investigation shows no malfeasance occurred.
Morning, Marlene! All excellent questions. Totally naive of me, but I keep thinking there's something off about the timing of the Biden/classified documents story. It just fits in too nicely for my comfort. That said, my guess is that at the time, Biden expected his aides to act according to NARA rules and didn't see it necessary to micromanage/follow-up that they actually returned the documents.
As far as I'm concerned, I agree wholeheartedly with Robert's assessment that Jack Smith needs to pursue the Mar-A-Lago documents regardless of whatever fall-out there is with the Biden documents.
(P.S.: Keeping you in my thoughts as California faces ongoing weather woes)
I fell asleep right after I wrote that, Lynell! Thank you for keeping me in your thiyghts. 💓 We are okay where we live, so far. South of us have been pummeled terribly with mudslides and sinkholes. Definitely shows where improving our infrastructure monies should go to.
Agree with you about the interesting timing of finding Biden’s documents but you know what? Garland knew about them in November ‘22!
Actually, some investigative reporter should look into other past presidents who have done the same thing; you know, like Obama, Bush, etc. Stuff we never knew about at the time because it wasn't worth reporting!
Why yes they should!! Perhaps those presidents who are alive will look into the skeletons of their own closets. Those who are dead, their families should be cajoled into searching, as well. I would absolutely love for somebody to find a treasure trove in Dick Cheney’s basement!
God only knows what he squirreled away. Maybe the honor system hasn’t been very honorable for a spell now.
I agree, Jeri, now that Biden’s papers have been exposed, what else is there? Hopefully, Santos will be expelled.
I wondered the same about the timing of finding the documents and who found them. One more thought. Trump had classified documents in his desk drawer. Significant difference from finding documents in a storage area.
Yes Marlene…these are my thoughts as well. And now I see Merrick on TV officially opening an investigation (1/12 at 1:30pm ET). It is so surreal to think this is so perfectly timed. I sometimes let my mine wander off the optimist track and think who did tRump plant on the inside that in turn planted the newly found documents and then other plants who will completely dissect Democracy.
And then I come up for air and think oh that only happens in “The House of Cards”. I am keeping the faith that your described scenario is what the newly appointed Robert K. Hur, a veteran prosecutor who worked in the Trump administration (yikes) will find.
Stay safe in the second round of crazy weather heading your way.
My thoughts wander right along side yours
I am generally not one to put any stock in conspiracy theories, but the too-convenient time frame for the discovery of a few classified documents in President Biden's properties could be construed as a desperate last ditch attempt by Trump and his henchmen to deflect from Trump's hopefully impending indictments and damage his likely 2024 opponent by heavily greasing just the right palms to obtain and plant such documents in order for him to indulge in "whataboutism" just enough for the desired effects. I am sure all the pending investigations will clear President Biden, but with the innuendo and falsehoods coming from the extreme right, I fear the damage will have been done, both to the prospect of accountability for Trump, and Biden's 2024 prospects for a second term. I don't think we have anybody better who could defeat Trump.
The ban of assault-style weapons and the strengthening of gun safety measures in Illinois is cause for celebration and hope!
Doesn't the Biden document issue seem a little too convenient
Especially NOW that the investigation of Trump is ramping up
I welcome ALL investigations into this as I don't believe in coincidences
What I have read about special council Jack Smith in a Dutch paper makes me hopeful that the least that will influence him are public opinions about how innocent or not innocent someone is. He stays out of the limelight himself, which is a good sign. He is a very hard worker who does not give up until he has results, according to coworkers. So I am confident that the law will prevail.
Thanks for this hopeful analysis, Elisabeth!
The lawyers for President Biden are honorable and open. What a contrast. I would check the fingerprints on all the documents and perhaps any other storage areas President Biden has.
I wonder if they already have checked the fingerprints and DNA…
Call me crazy but I look to the organization of the comings and goings of top secret documents. Who is in charge? Is this an honor system for getting items returned? Whatever department issues the documents should know where they are and make sure they are back on the final day of a presidency. Is it all digitized? How is it organized between departments? It gives me no confidence to think that documents are just everywhere in old offices of important people around the country. Are Barrack and Michelle now running around checking their closets? It screams of disorganization in government. A small town library knows more about where there media is than the US government it seems.
BINGO!!
Yes…any school or public librarian would be holding us immediately accountable!
I can remember being told my Graduation was on hold until I returned research documents to the University archive. I graduated. Lol
Yes yes YES! There are too many cooks not knowing what the left hand is doing. That’s called government overload or lack of oversight.
I wish we could ignore the sideshow. I like Robert's discussion of leaving the Biden document slip-up for Biden to solve and to reject any false equivalence to Trump's theft of documents and so much more.
To me, the rubber hits the road in elections. This means Democrats must get some media oxygen and drive the agenda, including modeling how to govern with integrity and under the rule of law -- despite administrative errors that can be targeted by the opposition. Let's hold the media to account, for sure, but there's only so much we can do there. News outlets are in the business to get and hold readers' attention, whether or not their approach has appropriate journalistic discipline.
I like the approach of Democratic candidates who prevailed against MAGA opponents. What did they do to turn attention away from culture wars and toward meeting people's needs? We narrowly elected a working class Democrat over a MAGA poster boy who had primaried Jaime Herrera Beutler. Herrera Beutler was defeated after holding Trump and McCarthy accountable after Jan 6. She would have been supported by more Democrats in the primary to buttress the many Republicans who were loyal to her, except that she then put her head down to avoid further controversy.
We're fortunate that the representative we elected, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, is setting an agenda outside the culture wars. Here's part of her statement that was released when she was sworn in.
"I promised that I would put country over party and people over politics to get the job done for our community, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.
Over the next two years, I’ll fight to protect our rights, defend our democracy, and level the playing field for working families. I’m here to pass a right-to-repair bill, rebuild jobs in the woods, invest in career and technical education, and cut red tape for small businesses. My bipartisan team and I will also deliver top-notch constituent services to make sure every Southwest Washingtonian can thrive."
She ends her statement by saying, "Let's get to work."* We, her supporters, will soon get to work knocking on doors to hear people's concerns in her district and to get out the vote well before 2024, when she will again face a Republican opponent in a red/purple district. It could be her MAGA opponent, Joe Kent, or Jaime Herrera Beutler, if she decides to run again. Defeating Herrera Beutler would be harder, because she has many loyal supporters here. But she pushes standard, Republican policies that continue to fail working people. Marie's challenge will be to speak to those issues with common sense.
* https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-marie-gluesenkamp-perez-sworn-118th-congress
Yes! Finding classified documents in Biden's old offices is only a problem for Jack Smith if one views indictment of Trump as a partisan act. If we're concerned with law, such considerations are irrelevant.
But I do want to say that there IS something Kevin McCarthy can do if those Freedom Caucus members on the Rules Committee object to something. He can ask for Democratic votes. For example, he could make a deal on the debt ceiling and pass it through the committee, and the House, with a bipartisan coalition. We saw several examples of this in the Senate over the past two years, sometimes with McConnell included and sometimes over his opposition. We need to keep demanding action.
Therein lies a big problem though, Qevin won’t engage with the Dems at all. He has set this House up as if it’s his way or the highway. I like Cathy’s acronym about him being SPINO. Unless he acquiesces to the Dems, he’s doomed.
I think many Americans frankly “ don’t give a damn “ about Kevin McCarthy, the MAGA domestic terrorists and George Santos and kinda expect it as part of the DNA of the Republican Party today. What is worth noting is there is an undercurrent of change happening slowly in this country in many states as voters begin to exercise their objections to government by Republicans. If a state like Illinois can pass gun legislation other states will be encouraged and maybe they too will pass similar legislation. What is going on in Washington today is a rerun of the Trump disaster of government and voters have been turned off and have lost confidence in our government and the Supreme Court and will be looking much harder at the character of the next person we elect as President
Stephen, I agree totally. We will be watching the “undercurrent of change” if and when McCarthy and the MAGA crazies follow their attack on abortion with attacks on Social Security and Medicare. The voter turn off and loss of confidence will be remarkable.
I sure hope so. I think most voters are just tired of the drama
Lord, this voter is
And upset about the murders!
Another I depth report, Robert. Thank you. While I too have some
reservations about these classified
documents popping up in an office(s) President Biden hasn't used in quite a long while, I'm more
concerned about the laxity of our
security over classified documents.
Seems like there are a lot, floating
around unaccounted for. National
Security, or whomever is in charge
of these records has to do a much
better job of keeping track of them.
And yes, TPM burned rep Santos.
Brazil wants Bolosorno? Let's give
them 2 for 1 and include Santos,
so he can "clear" up that little
problem of forgery and fraud.
Thank you for highlighting the Edsall article. I had overlooked it in my daily Times reading.
I have long believed (well hoped really) that cooperation between Democrats and moderate Republicans was an inevitability. Many Republican politicians do not follow the Maga line and are now recognizing it for what it is – a liability.
This quote (from the political scientist Vladimir Kogan) in the article sums it up:
“I suspect some of what you’re seeing is party leaders updating their beliefs about electoral strategy and also trying to do damage control and protect the party brand going forward.”
The likely success of these bipartisan endeavors in state legislatures may also cause US House members to think in the same terms. When Americans begin to see their state legislatures functioning as they should, support will likely fall away from the staunch partisanship in the US Congress. (I hope…)
Thanks Robert. Today's intro is one reason I so much appreciate people like you and Heather Richardson who effectively take one for the team by sorting through the dross that is most of the media.
The analysis of the current GOP House is very reminiscent of comments made about Ryan's Speakership to the point that one wonders when Feb. 3 will finally arrive.
Re the Biden documents: Biden and the DNC need a simple and clear message they repeat over and over. The more they try lengthy and varying messages the more they look defensive. The messages should:
1. Say, if he can, that he didn’t know. This will invite questions about the process for moving documents, instructions given and to whom.
2. Emphasize his cooperation
3. Compare his approach to Trump’s. Trump lied about what he had and then made up the fiction that he had declassified the documents just by thinking about it, his lawyers lied, he sued for appointment of a special master, etc. Remind people (Fox etc) that DOJ/FBI only used a search warrant after he failed to cooperate voluntarily. This is important.
4. Suggest Trump now do as Biden has done. Has Trump even to this day given
DOJ access to all the documents he took? That isn’t a rhetorical question. I don’t know the answer but if it is “no” I think that is an obvious point to make. And even if he has, he resisted so long and so ferociously that the contrast should be emphasized.
Re Santos: The Ds need to pin him to McCarthy and the other crazies. Over and over. The whole world, except House Rs, know he is a charlatan who belongs in jail.
Thank you one again, Robert, for your rational and optimistic newsletter. I’m desperately trying to remember to breathe through all the news and non-news about the discovery of documents in Biden’s former office.
I have a small semantic quibble with you though - you wrote that the documents were in Biden’s possession. But we’re they not discovered in an office he has not occupied in 6 years? It is my understanding that the documents were left behind after he left the Whitehouse.
I understood that the office at the think tank was still under Biden's control, but am not 100% certain. The second set was found in his garage.
Oooooh - I missed that the second set in the garage - thanks for the clarification! OMG - I don't know how you keep up with it all. I'm already exhausted.
Whoa! Really?? Okay, now that seems like a very big NO-NO!