The DOJ Crosses the Rubicon

"DEFUND THE FBI"

(Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

I had planned to devote this newsletter to Our Very Stupid Politics, but after the events of last night, I had to call an audible, and so will instead devote today’s Morning Shots to our Extremely Stupid Politics.

Happy Tuesday.

Make sure you read Kim Wehle’s piece in today’s Bulwark: “The FBI Search of Mar-a-Lago: Five Takeaways and Questions.”

Here is what you need to keep in mind: (1) We don’t know what we don’t know about this investigation, (2) We really don’t know exactly what they were looking for or what they found, (3) And no, an indictment of Donald J. Trump is probably not imminent.

But…

(1) This is a BFD historic, political, and legal moment, (2) The FBI raid would not have occurred without a green light from a federal judge who was persuaded that the evidence warranted a raid on the home of a former president of the United States, (3) Nothing like this has ever happened before, (4) But it is a reminder that in our country no one is above the law — including ex-presidents.

The search obviously took Trump by surprise and set off a political firestorm (about which more in a moment), but it’s safe to assume that Attorney General Merrick Garland, the FBI, and a federal judge, all knew that it would set off this kind of reaction.

And they pulled the trigger anyway.

They also must have known that by raiding Trump’s home, the DOJ would be crossing the Rubicon… there’s no going back now.

As I wrote last week:

Minor criminal charges will not spark a minor political reaction. Bigger charges are not actually more incendiary that middle-of-the-road charges because the rage meter is always dialed up to 11.

For the MAGA right, any charge — technical or major — will be a Flight 93 moment all over again.

So this is not a moment for the faint of heart or the naïfs who think they can bring a pen to a gun fight.

If anything, I think I understated the case, because it is about to get very ugly.

Ben Collins @oneunderscore__

The posts on these pro-Trump forums tonight are as violent as I've seen them since before January 6th. Maybe even moreso.

**

But while it was predictable that the MAGAverse would erupt in incandescent, spittle-flecked fury, the reaction of the anti-anti-Trumpers and the GOP “establishment” is more telling — and perhaps decisive — for our deplorable political future.

Trump has spent years sowing distrust of federal law enforcement and the “deep state,” and last night we saw how deeply his campaign of subversion has penetrated into the GOP ranks.

Elected Republicans, who frequently remind us that they are the party of law and order, could have (1) Adopted a posture of strategic silence, or (2) Given the FBI the benefit of the doubt while they conduct a court-sanctioned investigation. Instead, they gave us this sort of thing, including threats of retaliation against the attorney general:

Kevin McCarthy @GOPLeader

Attorney General Garland: preserve your documents and clear your calendar.

The usual GOP suspects jumped in:

Rep. Elise Stefanik @RepStefanik

The FBI's raid on President Trump is a dark day in American history. My full statement 👇👇👇

Meanwhile, US senators accused the government of (checks notes) acting like a Communist dictatorship.

Marco Rubio @marcorubio

Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships But never before in America

We got a lot more of this sort of thing from the party that “Backs the Blue”:

Sen. Marsha Blackburn @MarshaBlackburn

I stand with President Trump against this outrageous action of the FBI.

Rand Paul @RandPaul

The @FBI raid on President Trump was approved by Director Wray, who also claimed that the illegal FISA warrants used to spy on Trump were constitutional. Today’s raid is outrageous and unjust, but predictable.

Ted Cruz @tedcruz

1/x The FBI raiding Donald Trump is unprecedented. It is corrupt & an abuse of power. What Nixon tried to do, Biden has now implemented: The Biden Admin has fully weaponized DOJ & FBI to target their political enemies. And with 87K new IRS agents, they’re coming for YOU too.

Of course, we also heard from the usual fluffers:

Lindsey Graham @LindseyGrahamSC

Time will tell regarding this most recent investigation.  However, launching such an investigation of a former President this close to an election is beyond problematic.

And this bold new slogan for GOPers:

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @RepMTG

DEFUND THE FBI!

…which was echoed by one of the right’s more prominent convicted criminals: ‘We Need to Choke Down the FBI’: Steve Bannon Rails Against ‘Gestapo’ Feds After Mar-a-Lago Raid

And, of course, Dinesh….

And Paul Gosar, “We must destroy the FBI.”

Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS @RepGosar

The FBI raid on Trump's home tells us one thing. Failure is not an option. We must destroy the FBI. We must save America. I stand with Donald J. Trump.

**

Meanwhile, others used the raid as a pretext to demand retribution:

For some of the right, payback includes full-blown purges: “Laura Ingraham Demands Republicans Purge the Government if They Retake Power: ‘Military Leadership, the Civilian Leadership, the Civil Service, Those in Congress…”

**

Irony is, of course, dead.

Charlie Sykes @SykesCharlie

As he rails against Weaponized Law Enforcement, it’s worth recalling Trump’s chants of “Lock Her Up!”

**

ICYMI: The anti-anti-Trump Fair-Haired Boy also weighed in, hitting all the right MAGA notes about the “regime.”

Ron DeSantis @RonDeSantisFL

The raid of MAL is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden get treated with kid gloves. Now the Regime is getting another 87k IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic.

BONUS: Make sure you read Amanda Carpenter’s latest piece in this morning’s Bulwark: “Ron DeSantis Endorses Election Deniers.”

Exit take: The GOP now fully embraces the notion that Trump should, indeed, be above the law, and that Trump 2.0 will be a bonfire of vengeance.

---

Our Stupid Politics, Wisconsin Edition

Today’s GOP primary for governor may end up being decided by a prom date. Via Dan Bice at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

In a private meeting with construction executive Tim Michels in April, Trump complained about a 2019 tweet by Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch in which she posted a picture of her daughter with the son of Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn. 

The tweet showed the two teenagers dressed up in formal wear and headed to a high school homecoming event. A political ally then retweeted the post, suggesting it was the beginning of a "Hagedorn-Kleefisch political dynasty in Wisconsin." 

Hagedorn, who ran as a conservative, has been criticized heavily by Republicans after being a swing vote in high-profile decisions involving pandemic-related restrictions and Trump's efforts to overturn Wisconsin's last presidential election. In response, Trump attacked the Wisconsin jurist on Twitter in late 2020. 

"Trump was aware of these tweets" with the photo of Kleefisch and Hagedorn's children, said a source who was in the room during the Michels meeting. "And it bothered him."

Trump endorsed Michels, who narrowly leads Kleefisch in the polls.

**

Leopards Eating Faces Party Update

Trump is also targeting Robin Vos, the state’s top legislative Republican, because Vos has refused to decertify the 2020 election, which is, of course legally, impossible.

Vos had tried to appease Trump by appointing a Special Investigator to probe the non-existent election fraud. The probe, headed by former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman cost taxpayers nearly a million dollars, and quickly descended into farce. Gableman turned out to be a super-sized one-man clown car — and is now lashing out at the man who gave him the job: Via the Racine Journal-Times: “Michael Gableman turns on Robin Vos, endorses primary challenger Adam Steen.”

Vos hit back yesterday, by accusing his own investigator of being a lying charlatan:

Molly Beck @MollyBeck

Vos responds: “Justice Gableman knows overturning the election is both unconstitutional and impossible. His attempts to lie to voters and gain favor with Adam Steen are sad and show how desperate he is to remain relevant."