“I don’t think it’s true. The proof is in the pudding.”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a CNN interview, when asked if he’s alienating voters by taking extreme views.
Republicans Shrug Off Possible New Trump Charges
“The indictments of Donald Trump — past and pending — are becoming the background music of the 2024 presidential campaign: always there, shaping the mood, yet not fully the focus,” the New York Times reports.
“Like so much of the Trump presidency itself, the extraordinary has become so flattened that Mr. Trump’s warning on Tuesday that he was facing a possible third indictment this year, this time over his involvement in the events that led to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, drew shrugs from some quarters of his party and a muddled response from his rivals.”
Quote of the Day
“Think of President Xi: central casting, brilliant guy. When I say he’s brilliant, everyone says, ‘Oh, that’s terrible.’ He runs 1.4 billion people with an iron fist: smart, brilliant, everything perfect. There is nobody in Hollywood like this guy.”
— Donald Trump, in a Fox News town hall.
Trump Indictments Crowd Active Campaign Calendar
“The Justice Department appears to be on a fast track to charge former President Donald Trump with election interference before a potential case is brought in Georgia next month,” Bloomberg reports.
“The avalanche of legal troubles facing Trump comes just as the Republican presidential primary season heats up.”
‘I Approve This Message’
Heather Cox Richardson: “Joe Biden’s Twitter account put that line over an ad using the words of Georgia Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Turning Points Action Conference speech from last weekend, in which she set out to tear down the president’s policies but ended up making him sound terrific.”
“The description she intended to be derogatory—that Biden ‘had the largest public investment in social infrastructure and environmental programs that is actually finishing what FDR started, that LBJ expanded on’—was such an argument in Biden’s favor that the Biden-Harris campaign used it to advertise what the Democratic administration stands for.”
Trump Says Europe Will Pay to Rebuild U.S. Stockpiles
Donald Trump said in a new campaign video that if reelected, he would ask Europe to pay for the U.S. to rebuild its weapons stockpiles depleted by the war in Ukraine.
Ramaswamy’s Firm Dials Back Anti-Woke Rhetoric
“The investment firm founded by anti-woke crusader Vivek Ramaswamy is dialing down the very anti-woke rhetoric that made it prominent,” Semafor reports.
Trump Blots Out the Sun Again
Join now to continue reading.
Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.
Target Letter to Trump Mentions Conspiracy, Tampering
“The special counsel’s letter to Donald Trump related to Jan. 6 listed the federal statutes under which Trump is expected to be charged, including conspiracy, obstruction, and civil rights violations,” Rolling Stone reports.
“The letter mentions three federal statutes: Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States; deprivation of rights under color of law; and tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant. It does not offer further details, nor does it detail how the special counsel believes Trump may have violated the statutes.”
“The letter does not mention statues on sedition or insurrection… Trump is the only person named in the letter.”
Kemp Rules Out Presidential Bid
“Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ruled out running for president in 2024 and warned Republicans – including frontrunner Donald Trump – that they can’t win Georgia if they continue to spout false claims about election fraud from 2020,” CNN reports.
Super PAC Books $40 Million Ad Buy for Tim Scott
“A super PAC supporting Senator Tim Scott’s presidential campaign said on Tuesday that it was reserving $40 million in television and digital advertising from the fall through January, the largest sum booked so far for any presidential candidate and a blitz of ads that could reshape the 2024 Republican field,” the New York Times reports.
“The group, called the Trust in the Mission PAC, or TIM PAC, said the ad buy would cover Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Mr. Scott’s home state — the first three states that will vote in 2024 — as well as national cable channels starting in September.”
Politico: “The new television and digital advertisements are set to start running Sept. 7 — just after the super PAC’s $7 million summer ad campaign winds down — and will go through January.”
Top Appropriations Democrat Calls GOP ‘Terrorists’
“House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) called her Republican colleagues ‘terrorists’ Tuesday afternoon, sending the committee into recess,” the Washington Examiner reports.
Said DeLauro: “You are negotiating with terrorists. Members on your side, I will continue to call out the harm you are doing in this process, both in what these bills proposed to do and in your approach on how we treat one another.”
“DeLauro was apparently referring to some in the House Freedom Caucus.”
Fake Electors Charged in Michigan
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 16 “fake electors” with 8 felonies, including forgery and conspiracy.
The defendants signed certificates falsely claiming Donald Trump won Michigan in the 2020 presidential election.
Washington Post: “The charges stem from a state investigation that is separate from a federal probe by special counsel Jack Smith into attempts to reverse the 2020 results.”
Judge Seems Inclined to Delay Trump Trial
Judge Aileen Cannon says the government’s proposal of a mid-December classified documents trial for Donald Trump is “a bit rushed,” CNN reports.
Cannon did not decide on a trial date but said she plans to “promptly” issue an order on the matter.
Matt Gaetz Seeks to Defund Special Counsel
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said he is introducing legislation to defund Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Donald Trump because “they are attacking our democracy.”
Nikki Haley Exasperated Over Continuous Trump Drama
New York Times: “Nikki Haley, who served as United Nations ambassador under Mr. Trump and is now running against him, sounded exasperated when asked on Fox News about the investigation into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. She called it a ‘distraction’ from important issues like foreign policy, border security and the national debt.”
Said Haley: “The rest of this primary election is going to be in reference to Trump — it’s going to be about lawsuits, it’s going to be about legal fees, it’s going to be about judges, and it’s just going to continue to be a further and further distraction. And that’s why I am running, is because we need a new generational leader. We can’t keep dealing with this drama.”
‘Bullhorn Lady’ Found Guilty of 9 Counts in Capitol Riot
“A Pennsylvania mother who was known as ‘Bullhorn Lady’ because she used the sound amplifier to instruct rioters at the Capitol was convicted Tuesday of nine federal counts,” NBC News reports.
Rachel Powell’s identity “was discovered by online ‘Sedition Hunters’ who have since identified hundreds of additional Capitol rioters, and her identity was publicly revealed in a Feb. 2021 story in The New Yorker. Powell, who was also known as ‘Pink Hat Lady,’ was arrested days later.”
Special Counsel Contacted Ex-Arizona Governor
Special counsel Jack Smith’s team has contacted former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who Donald Trump pressured to overturn the 2020 election, CNN reports.
