update - USSC could entrench permanent GOP congressional dominance in LA v Callais case

[mandrill]

Top Trump DOJ official faces subpoena threat from wrongly deported migrant


Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the wrongly deported migrant, now being charged with gang activity by the Trump administration, is seeking a subpoena of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and several other Justice Department officials as part of his motion to dismiss the case for vindictive prosecution.

The news was reported on Wednesday evening by Politico's Kyle Cheney, who provided a link to the filing in opposition to Kilmar Abrego Garcia's motion by the Justice Department.


"Defendant’s motion to compel now asks this Court to authorize an open-ended fishing expedition into internal governmental documents and communications that would never be subject to discovery in the normal course," read the filing. "He seeks such extraordinary and intrusive discovery, moreover, in furtherance of a claim of vindictive and selective prosecution that is meritless on its face: the relevant prosecutorial decision-maker, the Acting U.S. Attorney, has explained on the record that this prosecution was not brought for vindictive or discriminatory reasons."

Abrego, a Salvadoran immigrant living with his family in Maryland, was sent to the infamous CECOT megaprison in his birth country, despite a court order barring his deportation there. The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed he is affiliated with the transnational MS-13 criminal gang, which Abregon denies.



Initially, the administration sought to claim that it had no jurisdiction to force El Salvador to return Abrego to American soil, but after months of outcry over the case, it relented and moved to have him returned. Authorities then promptly charged him in a criminal case and vowed to deport him to a different country.

This month, the administration has tried to get a number of African countries with no connection to Abrego, including Uganda, Ghana, and Eswatini, to accept him, but so far, all have refused.

 

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Clinical psychologist issues grave warning about Trump


A clinical psychologist said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's cognitive decline has become clear, and it's putting Americans at "grave risk."

Dr. John Gartner, clinical psychologist and former Johns Hopkins professor, who unofficially diagnosed Trump with "malignant narcissism" during his first term, discussed Trump's cognitive decline on a new episode of "The Daily Beats Podcast" with host Joanna Coles, the outlet's chief content officer.



Gartner pointed out several signs of Trump's cognitive decline, from the way he seems to make up endings of words that he can't fully remember to the way his mind makes concatenations like a "stone skipping along the water."

While his condition seems under control for now, Gartner warned that Trump's already "impulsive and erratic behavior" could get worse.



"It's so impulsive and erratic, and this guy has the nuclear football," Gartner said. "This is really someone who could wake up in a state of complete confusion and their kind of irritation and do something catastrophic. And no one is going to stop him."

Gartner said the eight recentboat strikes the U.S. military has carried out are a sign of Trump's worsening condition.

"It's a blatant violation of our law of international law," Gartner said. "It's going to get worse."

 

[mandrill]

2 top House Democrats ask for records on Trump's request for $230 million from DOJ

Two House Democrats are requesting records regarding President Trump's request for $230 million for damages over the past criminal cases against him.

www.cbsnews.com

Two top House Democrats have asked the Trump administration to turn over copies of President Trump's controversial claims — totaling about $230 million — for damages over the past criminal investigations into Mr. Trump before the 2024 election.

In the request, which was obtained Thursday by CBS News, the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Rep. Robert Garcia of California, are seeking records on the administrative claims filed with the Justice Department by Mr. Trump over the two cases.

The first claim is related to the government's investigation into Mr. Trump regarding alleged interference by Russia in the 2016 presidential election, and the second concerns the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago that centered around Mr. Trump's handling of classified documents after he left the White House in 2021.

The request by the House Democrats seeks information about the claims, "including all documentation, exhibits, affidavits, and evidence submitted with such claims." Raskin and Garcia set a deadline of Oct. 30 for the Trump administration to hand over the records. But the House Democrats, who are in the minority, do not have subpoena power to require the administration to hand over records on the matter.

The Democrats are also seeking correspondence that includes Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. Blanche was one of Mr. Trump's criminal defense attorneys, and Woodward was Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta's defense attorney in the classified documents case. Both of those officials, unless they recuse themselves, could be directly involved in determining whether to grant President Trump's claim. If any compensation is approved, it would be paid for by American taxpayers.




In their request, Raskin and Garcia criticized the president for pursuing taxpayer money in his claim. In their letter, the two wrote, "The Founders feared presidents like you might one day be tempted to use their powers to steal U.S. taxpayer funds. That's why they enshrined a very simple rule into the Constitution, which is called the Domestic Emoluments Clause. As President, you may not receive any payment from the federal government or any of the states, except for your salary, which is currently fixed by law at $400,000 per year."

Both of the administrative claims were filed before Mr. Trump was inaugurated for his second term.

It's unclear whether discussions between the Trump legal team and the Justice Department are underway or whether they have occurred, the source said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


Jacob Rosen contributed to this report.

 

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Maga lawmaker's lawsuit targeting Gavin Newsom hit with rejection by Trump's own appointee


Rep. Ronnie Jackson (R-TX), who was once President Donald Trump's doctor, had his lawsuit against California Gov. Gavin Newsom thrown out of court on Thursday.

Politico legal reporter Kyle Cheney posted the ruling on Bluesky in which a Trump judicial appointee threw out the case.



Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, appointed by Trump to the bench in Texas in 2017, told Jackson that he has not been "harmed" by Newsom's redistricting effort. Newsom has been promoting a ballot measure to change redistricting rules to increase the number of Democrats in the House. It will require public sign-off, however, and will go to a state-wide vote on Nov. 4.

There have already been 3.4 million ballots returned by voters who have cast their votes early, the Los Angeles Times reported.



On whether the case has standing, Kacsmaryk wrote: "Causation requires the plaintiff to show 'that the injury was likely caused by the defendant,' and redressability requires the plaintiff to demonstrate 'that the injury would likely be redressed by judicial relief,'" the decision said, quoting TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez. "Far from being 'an ingenious academic exercise in the conceivable,' the standing inquiry requires plaintiff to make 'a factual showing of perceptible harm.'"

Read it here.

 

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Fired prosecutors who investigated Trump burst back on scene with new anti-corruption firm


A pair of Justice Department prosecutors who lost their jobs after working on special counsel Jack Smith's legal team investigating and charging President Donald Trump are back, having founded a new law firm to take on corruption, CBS News reported on Wednesday.

Smith's two legal cases against Trump, for election conspiracy over the 2020 coup plot and for illegally removing classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago residence, "were dropped when he won reelection in 2024, because under Justice Department policy, sitting presidents are not prosecuted," noted the report.


Soon after this happened, two prosecutors central to these cases, Molly Gaston and J.P. Cooney, "would lose their jobs once Mr. Trump took office in January. They were fired in a Trump administration purge of prosecutors associated with Smith and staff from the Justice Department's Public Integrity section, which has specialized in corruption cases in the 50 years since Watergate."

Gaston and Cooney, who were two of the most experienced public corruption prosecutors at the department, are now heading up a new project: an eponymous law firm that will seek to do much of the work they did in the government, from the outside.



This is seen as necessary, the report noted, because Trump's retribution purges have all but gutted the DOJ's public corruption unit.

"Justice Connection, an organization representing former agency employees, told CBS News it estimates the Justice Department's Public Integrity section has shrunk to just two full time attorneys, down from dozens in recent years," said the report. "Gaston and Cooney told CBS News they will also offer private legal services to clients who are the subject of investigations, including in congressional probes."

"Institutional relationships are crumbling right now," Gaston said to CBS. "It presents an opportunity and a need for the kind of services that we will provide to impartially and independently give advice and guidance."

 

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is representing Sam O'Hara, who was arrested in Washington, D.C., when he began playing the "Imperial March" from "Star Wars" at National Guard soldiers marching through the streets. Now he's fighting back.

A new lawsuit filed on Thursday details the story of O'Hara's encounter on Sept. 11, playing the song while doing nothing more than walking behind the Guard, noted Slate legal reporter Mark Joseph Stern.


"Mr. O’Hara saw Sgt. Beck, along with several other Guard members, walking in uniform in the Logan Circle neighborhood, near the intersection of 14th and R Streets NW. Mr. O’Hara calmly walked behind the Guard members, began playing The Imperial March aloud on his phone, and started recording. In less than two minutes, Sgt. Beck turned around and threatened to call D.C. police officers to 'handle' Mr. O’Hara if he persisted. Mr. O’Hara continued recording and playing the music," the lawsuit alleges.

“That’s what you want to do? Okay," Sgt. Beck then asserted, according to the allegations.



"Sgt. Beck contacted the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Defendant MPD Officers Brown, Campbell, Reyes-Benigno, and Lopez Martinez came to the scene and, in essence, did what Sgt. Beck had threatened, putting Mr. O’Hara in handcuffs and preventing him from continuing his peaceful protest," the suit continues.

The ACLU appeared to even have a little fun with the suit, writing that “government conduct of this sort might have received legal sanction a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from restraining individuals from recording law enforcement or peacefully protesting, and the Fourth Amendment (along with the District’s prohibition on false arrest) bars groundless seizures."

The suit goes line by line through the individuals involved in the arrest and their roles in the matter. They are included in the lawsuit in their official and individual capacities.

"By handcuffing and detaining Mr. O’Hara, Officers Campbell, Brown, Reyes-Benigno, and Lopez Martinez prevented him from recording or protesting Sgt. Beck and the other Guard members," the lawsuit continues. "As a result of the incident, O'Hara has suffered "significant anxiety around law enforcement and feels less safe in his neighborhood."

O'Hara has had two previous surgeries on his shoulder since 2023, so when the officers roughly yanked back his arms, it further "irritated his left shoulder labrum."

“I think the men and women who signed up to serve their country did not have this in mind, that they would be policing their fellow citizens,” O’Hara said, according to the Washington Post. “My protest is to make sure that everyone knows that this is coming from the top. These orders are coming from an administration that seeks to use fear and tactics to make sure their power extends to branches of government where it doesn’t belong.”

The Post went on to cite senior staff attorney for the ACLU of D.C. Michael Perloff, who said in a statement that the government doesn’t get to decide if your protest is funny, and the government officials can’t punish you for making them the punch line. That’s really the whole point of the First Amendment."

O'Hara went on to say, “I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that I did not stand up for myself and stand up for my First Amendment rights.”

Read the full filing here.

Man challenges arrest for mocking DC troops with Darth Vader's theme song

 

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Supreme Court ruling clears path for 'one-party system'


The Supreme Court is set to hear Louisiana v. Callais for a second time in 2025, a case that could gut the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 and alter the balance of political power in America into a “one-party system.” At issue is whether Section 2 of the act — which prohibits racial discrimination in voting — violates the Constitution by allowing race to be considered in redistricting.

One-party system


By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)
If the conservative supermajority strikes down Section 2 or weakens it significantly, experts warn it would devastate minority political power, especially among Black voters, and cement Republican control of Congress. “This is opening a whole new front from Republicans’ point of view, where they can dilute Black political power and achieve an unbelievable power grab,” said Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight Action, a liberal voting rights group. “Doing so would ‘clear the path for a one-party system where power serves the powerful and silences the people,” Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown said in a statement.

The Supreme Court’s reargument


By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)
The case arose after Louisiana’s legislature was ordered by a lower court to draw a second Black-majority district to comply with the Voting Rights Act. A group of white residents sued, claiming the change discriminated against them. The Supreme Court’s reargument centers on whether Section 2 itself is unconstitutional under the 14th and 15th Amendments. Louisiana has since reversed its stance — once supporting the Black voters’ claim but now arguing that Section 2 should be struck down. In a surprising shift, the Department of Justice also joined the case, taking a position against the act for the first time in history.

19 Democratic-held seats


By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)
If the court dismantles Section 2, Southern states could dismantle Black and Latino opportunity districts currently protected by the law. A joint study by Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter found that up to 19 Democratic-held seats could vanish in the South alone — and as many as 27 nationwide if other states follow suit. “We could see an instance where, by November, we have a decision from this court and you see legislatures all across the South calling special sessions like the ones called this summer with new maps even more aggressive than the one we saw them draw in Texas,” said April England-Albright, legal director of Black Voters Matter.

Supreme Court’s ruling


By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)
Analysts say the ruling could usher in a “new Solid South,” reminiscent of the Jim Crow era, locking Black voters out of meaningful representation and expanding the GOP’s House majority from five to 24 seats — a seismic shift that could secure Donald Trump’s political dominance. The challenge would be “permanent” unless Democrats “play offense — redraw where possible, fight back, pass pro-democracy reforms, and hold this corrupted Court accountable,” Groh-Wargo told Politico.

 

[mandrill]

An immigration commander was accused of violating "multiple paragraphs" of a recent court order prohibiting agents from using certain tactics to suppress protests, according to a new report.

CBS News reported on Thursday that Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was accused of violating a court order prohibiting agents from using riot control tactics like using tear gas or firing "less-than-lethal" ammunition rounds.



Bovino was accused in a lawsuit of firing one or two tear gas containers at protesters in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood.

"In the video, Bovino can be seen in uniform, but no headgear, pulling out a canister of tear gas and tossing it into the crowd of protesters over the heads of other agents," CBS reported. "As the camera begins to move away, he can be seen pulling another canister of tear gas off his belt."



Plaintiffs alleged this violates "multiple paragraphs" of the court's previous order.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis ordered Bovino to be deposed, along with Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Daniel Parra and former CE Chicago Field Office Director Russell Holt, concerning the use of force during immigration crackdowns.

Read the entire report by clicking here.


Trump's Border Patrol official accused of violating multiple paragraphs of court order

 

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DOJ case against top Trump foe flattened by prosecutors' own memo: report


President Donald Trump's criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James was thoroughly flattened in a prosecution memo drafted by people who had investigated the case for months, reported ABC News on Thursday.

The controversy stems from a second home James purchased, which Trump's housing finance director, Bill Pulte, claimed was made with fraudulent statements on a mortgage application.




When the seasoned prosecutor heading up the Eastern District of Virginia U.S. Attorney's office refused to bring this case, Trump forced him out and replaced him with partisan loyalist Lindsey Halligan, who promptly took the charges to a grand jury and secured an indictment.

However, according to the report, prosecutors listed serious problems with the charges from the start in this memo, concluding "that any financial benefit derived from her allegedly falsified mortgage would have amounted to approximately $800 in the year she purchased the home ... The government lawyers also expressed concern that the case could likely not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt because federal mortgage guidelines for a second home do not clearly define occupancy, a key element of the case, according to sources."



This comes after reporting that Halligan fired Elizabeth Yusi, the career line prosecutor who drafted the memo, last week.

It also comes after Halligan has made a number of glaring mistakes in her quest to prosecute both James and FBI Director James Comey, including filing incorrect charging documents with the court.

 

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Judge catches DOJ unprepared during Letitia James hearing


Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Keller Jr. openly admitted at the arraignment of New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) Friday that the prosecution in her federal case is still sorting through what evidence it has.

“I am going through the discovery right now,” he told U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker (an appointee of former President Joe Biden), per a report published in NOTUS.

The admission came as James – who pleaded not guilty in Norfolk, Virginia on Friday – faced a courtroom that pressed the government for clarity and timeliness on its preparations.

"Normally, prosecutors fully investigate a case before pursuing an indictment and know well exactly what evidence exists to support criminal charges. However, this case is anything but normal," the report read.

When Keller sought until mid-November to complete evidentiary disclosures, the judge rejected the request.

“Waiting nearly a month after an indictment is not consistent with how we operate here,” Walker said.

Further remarks exposed the government’s lack of readiness, according to the report.

Keller proposed a two-week trial and estimated eight to ten witnesses. James’ defense lawyer, Abbe Lowell, countered he’d “be shocked” if there were that many.

When asked whether the pretrial services report had been received, Keller stuttered and turned to a colleague: “We have not, your honor… Oh, we have?”

"Do you need a moment?" the judge asked, referring to the lawyer's lack of preparation.

The hearing lasted under an hour and underscored that the team prosecuting James appears to be assembling its case as it moves forward.

The report noted that observers believe this mirrors another recent prosecution in Virginia –that of former FBI Director James Comey – in which the government admitted it was “just getting our hands around discovery.”

Meanwhile, James appeared before a supportive crowd after her arraignment, and accused the justice system of being used as “a tool of revenge.”

 

[mandrill]

DOJ under fire over new deportation plan for Abrego Garcia


Critics raged Friday after Justice Department officials moved to rush the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia — seven months after his case gained widespread condemnation when he was wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador in violation of an immigration judge's order.

This time, Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge that the government wants Abrego Garcia deported to the African nation by Oct. 31 — over his strong objections — and that rushed timing was flagged by critics as no accident.



Journalist Adam Klasfeld wrote on X: "Feds want to send Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia by Oct. 31. That's days before Abrego wanted to get Todd Blanche on the hot seat for vindictive prosecution hearings scheduled for Nov. 4-5."

Others called out the DOJ for continuing its crusade against Abrego Garcia.


Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow for the American Immigration Counci, wrote on X: "After trying to bribe Kilmar Abrego Garcia into pleading guilty by telling him they’d send him to Costa Rica if he did and to Africa if he didn’t, the Trump admin is now refusing to acknowledge that he agreed to be deported to Costa Rica — but won’t plead guilty."

Tyler McBrien, managing editor of Lawfare, posted on X: "One of the reasons the Trump administration is now trying to remove Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia is 'its national language is English,' a fact that the president seemingly learned for the first time about three months ago."

And Greg Sargent, staff writer at the New Republic, posted this on X: "Sick: Trump admin now wants to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia. From his lawyer: "Unless Liberia guarantees that it will not redeport Mr. Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, then sending him to Liberia is no less unlawful than sending him directly to El Salvador a second time."

 

[mandrill]

Judge delivers blow to Trump admin in Comey case


Since the start of the controversial case, prosecutors have been accused of rushing the indictment of former FBI Director Comey while also attempting to delay turning over evidence to the defense. Following weeks of disputes, the judge overseeing the case directed prosecutors to promptly provide all discovery materials — government evidence and information that Comey’s lawyers are entitled to see so they can prepare for trial — delivering an early setback to the DOJ in the case critics claim was ordered up by President Donald Trump as an act of revenge against one of his foes.

What both sides wanted — and what the judge decided

The court’s rejection of the government’s motion marked an early setback for Justice Department prosecutors in the high-profile case involving a former top law enforcement official. James Comey led the FBI from 2013 to 2017. By: Ron Sachs / CNP / MEGA© Knewz (CA)
The DOJ submitted a motion requesting two separate discovery deadlines: the first for issues related to motions disputing the appointment of the U.S. attorney who brought the case and claims of vindictive or selective prosecution, and the second for all remaining materials. Assistant U.S. Attorneys N. Tyler Lemons and Gabriel J. Díaz claimed that “good-faith discussions were attempted by the parties, [but] the parties were unable to agree on a joint discovery order” and argued “two discovery deadlines are appropriate in this case.” Comey’s lawyers — Jessica N. Carmichael and Patrick J. Fitzgerald — opposed the request, arguing the government should promptly hand over relevant materials. U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff ruled in favor of the defense.

Swift timeline

The case will go to trial the first week of 2026 in the Eastern District of Virginia, where a jury will decide whether former FBI Director James Comey misled Congress amid claims he’s being targeted in a politically charged prosecution ordered by President Donald Trump. By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)
The judge overseeing the case has made it clear he wants things to move quickly. He set a jury trial date for January 5, 2026. “This does not appear to me to be an overly complicated case. There are two counts. It’s a discrete set of facts,” Judge Nachmanoff said at Comey’s arraignment. “I’m not going to let things linger. … I will not slow this case down because the government does not promptly turn everything over.”

Additional developments in the case

Lindsey Halligan, who has no prosecutorial experience and previously worked as a personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, was appointed as the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia days before securing the James Comey indictment. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA© Knewz (CA)
Since the judge’s decision against the Justice Department directing prosecutors to provide all discovery without further delay, Comey has filed motions to dismiss the criminal charges against him, arguing the case is a “vindictive and unlawful prosecution” motivated by “President Trump’s personal spite.” His legal team is also arguing that the prosecution is invalid because the interim U.S. attorney who brought the charges, Lindsey Halligan, was improperly appointed. The judge has since also rejected another early motion from the DOJ requesting an expedited ruling on how potentially sensitive evidence is processed through filter protocol, which is a legal procedure used in criminal investigations to protect privileged information.

The accusations against Comey

Following his indictment, former FBI Director James Comey said he has “great confidence in the federal judicial system,” adding, “I am innocent, so let’s have a trial, and keep the faith.” By: @comey/Instagram© Knewz (CA)
Comey — who has pleaded not guilty — is facing charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a Senate investigation. According to the indictment, Comey falsely told a U.S. senator during a 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that he had not authorized anyone at the FBI to act as an anonymous source in news reports related to an individual referred to as “Person 1.” Prosecutors allege that Comey was aware the statement was false and had in fact authorized another person, identified in court documents as “Person 3,” to serve as a confidential source. The second charge accuses Comey of corruptly attempting to influence, obstruct and impede the congressional investigation by providing false and misleading testimony to the committee.

 

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How Trump’s DOJ committed a crime with 'cherry-picked' indictments: ex-Watergate prosecutor


Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman told CNN that President Donald Trump’s prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James not only has the potential to collapse but to get interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan in trouble with judges.

“I've had a chance to look at the indictment here and I've had a chance to look at the underlying mortgage document, and the only crime that's been committed here is by Lindsey Halligan and Donald Trump and maybe others who essentially brought out a criminal indictment that they know is false and was done just for the purpose of using government resources and judicial resources to go after Trump's political enemies,” Ackerman told CNN anchor Kate Bolduan. “And I say this because the key element of this indictment — paragraph six — charges that Letitia James … represented she'd be living in the house and that she would not rent it. Well, that is all false, because if you look at the actual underlying document, what they did is they cherry picked out of it to take certain words.”

“They don't put in the fact that she is allowed to rent on a temporary basis,” Ackerman said. “They don't put in the fact that she doesn't have to live there. She just has to be available to live there. They've completely taken the language to make up criminal charges here, which is a crime. And this is the same thing they did with [former FBI Director] James Comey. So, you've got a pattern here of making up criminal charges to go after your political enemies. That is not something I think the court is gonna put up with.”

Ackerman said James’ challenge could easily put Halligan’s behavior under review.

“I think there's a chance here that the judges might decide to appoint special counsel to determine whether there has actually been a crime on the court here. They have the right under Supreme Court decisions, to appoint a special counsel to do an investigation and to actually prosecute somebody who commits a crime on the court.”

Ackerman also slammed Halligan’s Signal Messenger texts to a reporter about an ongoing federal prosecution, which broke long‑standing norms for prosecutors communicating with the press.

“When you have somebody like Lindsey Halligan who's never tried a criminal case, knows nothing about criminal law, knows nothing about prosecution, that's somebody you've got to put a tight rein on because she has absolutely no idea what she's doing,” Ackerman said. “If you look at those text messages — and they're the most bizarre set of messages I've ever read in my life — and it didn't say anything. You have to ask yourself, why did Lindsey Halligan even send a text message to this reporter in the first instance? None of that makes any sense.”

 

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All the tech broligarchs showed up to grift.

 

[mandrill]

Inside the 'corrupt' industry that gave Trump a 'new voting bloc' — and made him even richer


During his first presidency, Donald Trump was highly critical of cryptocurrencies —arguing that Bitcoin "seemed like a scam" and was "based on thin air." But these days, Trump is an aggressive promoter of digital currencies.

In an op-ed published by the New York Times on October 24, Finn Brunton — author of the 2019 book "Digital Cash: The Unknown History of the Anarchists, Utopians, and Technologists Who Created Cryptocurrency" — is highly critical of Trump's relationship with cryptocurrencies.

"Cryptocurrency has found its hero in Mr. Trump," Brunton argues. "And in this unlikely moment of triumph, its most powerful proponent has laid bare the paradox at the heart of this brave new world of 'new money.' Crypto was supposed to free us from the chains of government control, but now, it is finally revealing what that freedom really means: removing all checks on the power of the wealthy to do what they want, discharged at last from law, supervision and civic obligation — even if the result is autocracy. Mr. Trump, with his thirst for money and power, has, in one fell swoop, both exposed and embraced the corruption at the heart of digital currencies — a corruption inherited from the libertarian ideals that created them."

When Brunton uses words like "corruption" in connection with cryptocurrencies, he sounds a lot like Trump did when he was using the words "scam" and "thin air" to describe them during his first presidency. But Trump is now all in for cryptos, and Brunton warns that nothing good can come of it.

"Along with money," Brunton explains, "Mr. Trump's commitment to crypto got him a new voting bloc whose interests were straightforward. Some 50 million people owned crypto in 2024, according to one research firm, and Mr. Trump had a 12-point lead among that group in the months before the election, according to Fairleigh Dickinson University polling — a lead that was not connected with Republican Party membership. Mr. Trump won."

The author continues, "Almost immediately after taking office, he ushered crypto's biggest backers into the highest echelons of power. David Sacks, a close associate of (Peter) Thiel, was appointed 'AI and crypto czar,' tasked with designing the new regulatory framework for the industry…. The (Trump) Administration then set about destroying Biden-era efforts to control crypto."

Brunton adds, "Many regulations, investigations and enforcement cases against the industry have been rolled back or dropped. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which had sought oversight of crypto payments to address scam and fraud complaints, was ordered to halt activities…. With regulators defanged and oversight gone, Mr. Trump and a handful of tech backers have been able to seize power and merge their interests with the country's resources as they see fit. Over the past nine months, Mr. Trump has turned crypto into an efficient and powerful cash-in machine to grow the family fortune."

 

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