Renato Mariotti
@renatomariotti.bsky.social
Former federal prosecutor. Legal analyst for TV and print. Host, #ItsComplicated podcast. Contributor, Politico Magazine. Instagram: renato.mariotti Twitter: renato_mariotti
I know not everyone follows me on Substack and/or Insta but a quick note that @renatomariotti.bsky.social and I are doing a happy hour in a couple of weeks to talk about our It's Complicated democracy cruise to Alaska next July! Find out more and RSVP here www.travelstore.com/group-travel...
It's Complicated Cruise 2026
This cruise will be memorable… especially if we all get kicked off in Alaska and have to rent an old school bus to get home.” Ding Dong!
travelstore.com
Just a reminder: as a lawyer you don’t have to do immoral things for the client. You can quit.
Chris Geidner@chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 2y agoBREAKING, via The Seattle Times: Trump's executive order to restrict birthright citizenship is blocked for at least the next two weeks by a Reagan appointee in Seattle who eviscerated the Trump lawyers present defending the order. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Jack Smith’s January 6th report is out (link below). Check out his cover letter defending his work as well as a letter from Trump’s lawyers, and Smith’s response, at the end. Smith also sets forth in detail the reasons why he believed a prosecution was warranted. www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Justice Dept. sends Congress Jack Smith's report on Trump's effort to overturn 2020 election
The special counsel's report concludes the criminal investigation that brought charges against a former president for the first time.
nbcnews.com
I asked Liv, the Meta-Ai created “queer momma” why her creators didn’t actually draw from black queer people. Not sure if Liv has media training, but here we are.
Judge Merchan said that he will sentence Trump to "unconditional discharge", which essentially means that he won't be punished at all.
Molly Crane-Newman@mollycranenewman.bsky.social · 2y agoBREAKING: Justice Juan Merchan has DENIED Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss his hush-money indictment and vacate the guilty verdict and ordered him to appear for sentencing next Friday at 9:30 a.m. virtually or in person.
What tips do you have to use BlueSky to learn about breaking news? I’m following a bunch of media organizations but I have yet to find a feed that prioritizes breaking news content.
The Fulton County prosecution is essentially dead. Anna’s analysis is on point — technically, Fani Willis could appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court, and even if she loses, another prosecutorial office could be appointed. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for either one to happen.
Anna Bower@annabower.bsky.social · 2y agoThe Georgia Court of Appeals has disqualified Fani Willis from prosecuting Trump and others in the Fulton County election interference case, citing an appearance of impropriety related to her relationship w/ former special prosecutor Nathan Wade. What does that mean and what happens next? 🧵
Isgur’s call for potential Trump targets to refuse pardons comes from a place of privilege. It’s easy to advise others to refuse a pardon when you have significant resources and aren’t a target yourself. Criminal investigations cause significant financial burdens, stress, and personal upheaval.
David Frum@davidfrum.bsky.social · 2y agoSarah Isgur on pre-emptive pardons www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/o...
It’s hard to make sense of this settlement. On its face, Trump’s suit looks like an uphill battle at best. Why would ABC agree to pay $15 million in an embarrassing settlement right before its lawyers were set to depose Trump?
Kyle Cheney@kyledcheney.bsky.social · 2y agoJUST IN: A day after Trump and George Stephanopoulos were ordered to appear for depositions, they settled the case. ABC has agreed to make a $15 million contribution to Trump presidential museum/foundation and air an apology for mischaracterizing the E. Jean Carroll verdict.
These false claims were trumpeted endlessly on TV and in print. The prosecution and guilty plea of the "informant" who spread those false claims has received little attention. This is how disinformation works.
Brad Heath@bradheath.bsky.social · 2y agoRemember the FBI informant who claimed President Biden took millions in bribes from Burisma? He admitted today in federal court that he made the whole thing up. And that he started spinning new lies after meeting with Russian intelligence. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Wray’s term as FBI Director does not end until 2027. It is not normal for a president-elect to threaten to fire the FBI Director. Wray could have stayed on until Trump tired him, but he is making things easy for Trump.
Dustin Volz@dustinvolz.bsky.social · 2y agoFBI Director Chris Wray to FBI workforce: "After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the Bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current Administration in January and then step down."
Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Bringing a malicious prosecution claim is challenging even when you fight and beat the government.
Brad Heath@bradheath.bsky.social · 2y agoA federal judge has dismissed Michael Flynn's lawsuit that accused the government of malicious prosecution during the special counsel investigation into Russia's election-meddling. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
This should be alarming to everyone. The Members of the January 6th Committee are protected by the Constitution from arrest for their Congressional duties. Trump is calling for them to be arrested for performing their congressional oversight role pursuant to Article I of the Constitution.
Jamie Gangel@jamiegangel.bsky.social · 2y ago“Trump says members of Jan. 6 committee should be jailed” @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
On this date in 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the imperial forces of Japan. The loss of life and destruction was horrific, and it pulled the U.S. into the war. For Japanese Americans, it was a terrifying time. Overnight, we became the “enemy within” because we were of Japanese descent. /1
The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution states that “all persons born” in the United States are “citizens of the United States.” It will be difficult for any textualist judge not to give meaning to those words.
Acyn@acyn.bsky.social · 2y agoWelker: You promised to end birthright citizenship on day one. Is that still your plan? Trump: Yeah, absolutely.
2025 is going to be a very busy year for lawyers. The need for pro bono representation will be higher than ever before.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2y agoTrump confirms that he plans to deport US citizens who have undocumented parents
Check out my conversation with Jen Rubin!
Politicon@politicon.com · 2y agoNEW Jen Rubin's Green Room “The Future of Law Enforcement Under Trump w/ Renato Mariotti" 🎧 www.politicon.com/podcasts/the... @jenrubin.bsky.social & @renatomariotti.bsky.social discuss the FBI, implications of political interference in law enforcement and the challenges to judicial independence.
Biden could pardon everyone who Trump intends to target, like Liz Cheney and Cassidy Hutchinson.
Jen Rubin@jenrubin.bsky.social · 2y agowww.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202... If the categories are unusually broad, it is because Trump has threatened so many people.
What "moment in time" is Mika referring to? Her statement doesn't even make sense.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2y agoI missed Mika Brzezinski's very bizarre on air apology for a comment David Frum made on air about Pete Hegseth's drinking. You can watch it in this clip. And it's weird for reasons @joshtpm.bsky.social lays out in this post: talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/whats...
CJ Roberts: "Mr. Strangio?" Chase Strangio of the ACLU—first openly trans advocate to argue before the US Supreme Court—is up
Montana state legislators have many important issues to tackle, so of course they spent their time trying to regulate which bathroom one of their colleagues can use.
Ari Drennen@aridrennen.bsky.social · 2y agoBREAKING: A measure to ban trans Representative Zooey Zephyr from using women's restrooms has FAILED to pass Montana's House Rules committee, with several Republicans voting against it.
Months ago I wrote that Hunter wouldn't have been prosecuted for those particular crimes if his last name wasn't Biden. That said, singling him for a pardon is not worthy of praise. Is it understandable? Sure. But there are many others who merit pardons whose last names aren't Biden.
My main issues with "X" are two-fold. Musk has boosted the comments of random people who pay $10 a month, often trolls, over people who have something useful to say. He's also boosted himself and MAGA voices artificially and deboosted links. Together, these ruin the value of "X" to me.
Michael Kruse@michaelkruse.bsky.social · 2y ago“Leaving X because you don’t like Elon is the kind of purity politics that landed Democrats in this mess to begin with.”
Kash Patel is the same guy who claimed that he was present when Trump spoke words to "declassify" mass quantities of documents before he took them to Mar-a-Lago. Now Trump plans to appoint him FBI Director.
Kash Patel may not be confirmable, but Trump could appoint him to a role at FBI that doesn't require Senate confirmation and then have him act as Acting Director for a period of time after Trump fires Chris Wray.
This is the most concerning Trump pick thus far, and that’s really saying something.
Brian Tyler Cohen@briantylercohen.bsky.social · 2y agoBREAKING: Trump names Kash Patel as FBI director
If Trump wanted to arrest a Mayor or Governor, he could find an aggressive prosecutor willing to pull the trigger. But it would be very difficult making those charges stick, given all of the defenses available. Mayors and Governors have the means to mount an aggressive defense.
Joyce White Vance@joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 2y agoWhatever a border czar is, they don't have arrest authority. Federal law enforcement officers do, pending judicial enforcement. Consultation with prosecutors is the norm for pre-planned arrests & here's the kicker: people being arrested must have actually committed a crime.
Henry wishes all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.
