emptywheelDec 20, 2022

A lot of people are asking my opinion on what DOJ will do, as if J6C's referral will affect that at all (aside from producing Hutchinson as a key cooperating witness).

They've been pursuing 1512 for over a year. They will charge it if they can. One question I'm sure they're grappling with is whether attempts by Pat Cipollone or Mike Pence to avoid implicating Trump will end up giving Trump a defense on key Pence activities.

Show threademptywheel

The grand jury materials into Clark and Eastman et al released last week give a hint at HOW HARD it will be to get to the most damning evidence given that most suspected co-conspirators are lawyers.

https://www.emptywheel.net/2022/12/20/the-fourth-account-the-grand-jury-investigation-into-jeffrey-clark-and-others/

The Fourth Account: The Grand Jury Investigation into Jeffrey Clark and Others - emptywheel

Two recently unsealed grand jury opinions provide a glimpse into how the government is managing the tricky privilege problems created when most suspected co-conspirators in a plot are lawyers.

emptywheel
Dec 20, 2022 at 6:06pmWeb
Show threadTonyRennerDec 20, 2022
@emptywheel https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/20/trump-conway-leonard-leo-00074690
While advising Trump on judges, Conway sold her business to a firm with ties to judicial activist Leonard Leo

The move adds to a growing picture of how groups associated with Leo helped advance the conservative legal agenda.

POLITICO
Show threadPatricia@Trishalla2012Dec 20, 2022
@emptywheel It's Not going to e a Walk in the Park.
Show threadJaneGrayDec 20, 2022
@emptywheel
Ugh.
Show threadGrimblobDec 21, 2022

@emptywheel On the one hand... lawyers trained and presumably with a good understanding of evidence, on the other demonstrated incompetence.

Maybe one of them will email a complete clone of someone's phone or confess to crimes after but-dialing the prosecutor's voicemail.

Show threadBenVerniaDec 21, 2022
@emptywheel
Dang, if Jeffrey Clark's autobiography gets released in court, the market value for his advance on it will go down from [checks notes] $0.