The raid

benfell

Updates

  1. Originally published, April 10, 1:25 pm.
  2. April 10, 2:42 pm:
    • If Donald Trump is going to fire Robert Mueller, this might be the moment.[1] (James Comey)
  3. April 11, 6:52 pm:
    • While Donald Trump thumps his chest about Robert Mueller (earlier[2]), it appears that the raid on Michael Cohen was about “communications that Trump had with attorney Michael Cohen and others regarding the infamous ‘Access Hollywood’ tape that captured Trump making lewd remarks about women a month before the election,”[3] and that Cohen is a really shitty lawyer.[4]
    • California Governor Jerry Brown agreed to send National Guard troops to the border with Mexico.[5] (Unauthorized migration)
  4. April 12, 7:50 pm:
    • A federal judge has permanently blocked the Department of Justice from favoring local police departments that cooperate with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for funding.[6] (Unauthorized migration)

Donald Trump

When your lawyers need lawyers, it’s usually a bad sign. When your lawyers have their offices and homes raided, it’s a really bad sign.[7]

It’s easy to conclude that after so many bombshells, this is just another overfrantic news cycle. It’s not. It’s highly dangerous, and not just for Mr. [Michael] Cohen. It’s perilous for the president, whose personal lawyer now may face a choice between going down fighting alone or saving his own skin by giving the wolves what they want.[8]

[Donald] Trump in essence declared war on the rule of law. “It’s, frankly, a real disgrace. It’s an attack on our country, in a true sense. It’s an attack on what we all stand for,” said the president, who now equates the operation of the criminal-justice system under the rule of law to be an attack on the country. He is the country in his eyes. Those who challenge him are enemies of the country.[9]

Note that Aaron Blake seems not to have actually gotten to his promised fact-checking and analysis.[10] For the analysis, see Jennifer Rubin[11] and Amy Davidson Sorkin.[12]

Aaron Blake, “Trump’s tirade after the Michael Cohen raid, annotated,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/04/09/trumps-tirade-after-the-michael-cohen-raid-annotated/

Philip Bump, “To search Michael Cohen’s home and office, the FBI had to clear a higher-than-normal bar,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/04/09/to-search-michael-cohens-home-and-office-the-fbi-had-to-clear-a-higher-thanmal-bar/

Randall D. Eliason, “Michael Cohen is in serious legal jeopardy,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-cohen-is-in-serious-legal-jeopardy-thats-a-really-bad-sign-for-trump/2018/04/09/b1917f38-3c43-11e8-8d53-eba0ed2371cc_story.html

Amy Davidson Sorkin, “President Trump’s Wild Response to the F.B.I. Raid on Michael Cohen’s Office,” New Yorker, April 9, 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/president-trumps-wild-response-to-the-fbi-raid-on-michael-cohens-office

Elie Mystal, “Clown Lawyer Michael Cohen Gonna Learn Today,” Above The Law, April 10, 2018, https://abovethelaw.com/2018/04/clown-lawyer-michael-cohen-gonna-learn-today/

Jennifer Rubin, “Trump melts down after Cohen raid — and only hurts himself,” Washington Post, April 10, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/04/10/cohens-office-raided-trump-melts-down/

Ken White, “Why the F.B.I. Raid Is Perilous for Michael Cohen — and Trump,” New York Times, April 10, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/opinion/trump-michael-cohen-fbi-raid.html

Gloria Borger and Shimon Prokupecz, “FBI sought Trump’s communications with his personal lawyer regarding Access Hollywood,” CNN, April 11, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/politics/access-hollywood-trump-lawyer-communications/index.html

Gaza

After the authenticity of the video was confirmed, [Avigdor] Lieberman told reporters that the sniper “deserves a medal” for shooting the Palestinian, but that the solider who recorded the incident should be demoted.[13]

Deutschewelle, “Israel confirms authenticity of video showing soldiers rejoicing after shooting Palestinian,” April 10, 2018, http://www.dw.com/en/israel-confirms-authenticity-of-video-showing-soldiers-rejoicing-after-shooting-palestinian/a-43325078

James Comey

Chris Cillizza, “The White House just let slip a big secret about firing Robert Mueller,” CNN, April 10, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-fire-fbi/index.html

Unauthorized migration

But let’s be crystal clear on the scope of this mission. This will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws.[14]

Alexei Koseff, “Jerry Brown agrees to Trump’s request for a National Guard call-up,” Sacramento Bee, April 11, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article208599119.html

John Myers, “Gov. Jerry Brown agrees to National Guard border efforts, but not ‘a mission to round up women and children,'” Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-jerry-brown-national-guard-20180411-story.html

Joel Rubin and Dakota Smith, “Money for police cannot be pegged to cooperation with ICE, judge rules,” Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-police-grant-ice-20180412-story.html

  1. [1]Chris Cillizza, “The White House just let slip a big secret about firing Robert Mueller,” CNN, April 10, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-fire-fbi/index.html↩
  2. [2]Chris Cillizza, “The White House just let slip a big secret about firing Robert Mueller,” CNN, April 10, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-fire-fbi/index.html↩
  3. [3]Gloria Borger and Shimon Prokupecz, “FBI sought Trump’s communications with his personal lawyer regarding Access Hollywood,” CNN, April 11, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/politics/access-hollywood-trump-lawyer-communications/index.html↩
  4. [4]Elie Mystal, “Clown Lawyer Michael Cohen Gonna Learn Today,” Above The Law, April 10, 2018, https://abovethelaw.com/2018/04/clown-lawyer-michael-cohen-gonna-learn-today/↩
  5. [5]Alexei Koseff, “Jerry Brown agrees to Trump’s request for a National Guard call-up,” Sacramento Bee, April 11, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article208599119.html; John Myers, “Gov. Jerry Brown agrees to National Guard border efforts, but not ‘a mission to round up women and children,'” Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-jerry-brown-national-guard-20180411-story.html↩
  6. [6]Joel Rubin and Dakota Smith, “Money for police cannot be pegged to cooperation with ICE, judge rules,” Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-police-grant-ice-20180412-story.html↩
  7. [7]Randall D. Eliason, “Michael Cohen is in serious legal jeopardy,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-cohen-is-in-serious-legal-jeopardy-thats-a-really-bad-sign-for-trump/2018/04/09/b1917f38-3c43-11e8-8d53-eba0ed2371cc_story.html↩
  8. [8]Ken White, “Why the F.B.I. Raid Is Perilous for Michael Cohen — and Trump,” New York Times, April 10, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/opinion/trump-michael-cohen-fbi-raid.html↩
  9. [9]Jennifer Rubin, “Trump melts down after Cohen raid — and only hurts himself,” Washington Post, April 10, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/04/10/cohens-office-raided-trump-melts-down/↩
  10. [10]Aaron Blake, “Trump’s tirade after the Michael Cohen raid, annotated,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/04/09/trumps-tirade-after-the-michael-cohen-raid-annotated/↩
  11. [11]Jennifer Rubin, “Trump melts down after Cohen raid — and only hurts himself,” Washington Post, April 10, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/04/10/cohens-office-raided-trump-melts-down/↩
  12. [12]Amy Davidson Sorkin, “President Trump’s Wild Response to the F.B.I. Raid on Michael Cohen’s Office,” New Yorker, April 9, 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/president-trumps-wild-response-to-the-fbi-raid-on-michael-cohens-office↩
  13. [13]Deutschewelle, “Israel confirms authenticity of video showing soldiers rejoicing after shooting Palestinian,” April 10, 2018, http://www.dw.com/en/israel-confirms-authenticity-of-video-showing-soldiers-rejoicing-after-shooting-palestinian/a-43325078↩
  14. [14]Jerry Brown, quoted in Alexei Koseff, “Jerry Brown agrees to Trump’s request for a National Guard call-up,” Sacramento Bee, April 11, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article208599119.html↩

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