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Republican pretzel logic on Jan. 6 proves the party is trying to convince Americans it wasn't a big deal: columnist

Intelligencer columnist Ed Kilgore pointed to the "selective amnesia" among Republicans when it comes to the Jan. 6 attack. They're desperately trying to downplay the attack, and some are outright claiming that it was all fake. But then there are the Republicans who want Americans to believe that it was merely one isolated incident and there's nothing to worry about.

"But in some ways the more alarming development has been that Republicans who remain openly opposed to the attempted coup nonetheless tend to treat it as an isolated moment of lawlessness in an otherwise perfectly good presidency," wrote Kilgore. "That means none of the many, many months of planning that went into [Donald] Trump’s predictable effort to deny and then overturn his defeat are acknowledged, or the likelihood that he could try it again in 2024. Most Republicans are united in that feat of amnesia. And that’s understandable since nearly all of them supported his reelection in 2020, and most will accept his renomination in 2024 if it happens."

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Trump will likely take the Fifth in NY AG's case — and that could come back to bite him: analysts

Former President Donald Trump and his two children Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. lost a case Thursday trying to dodge questions in the New York Attorney General Office's civil fraud case against the Trump Organization.

According to CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, the Trumps are likely to appeal. The Trumps were given three weeks to appear and answer questions, so the Supreme Court would have to move quickly to decide whether to accept the case or uphold the New York Supreme Court decision.

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Dem lawyer slams Durham court filing — and demands the case be dismissed

Lawyer Michael Sussmann has become the villain in the probe by special counsel John Durham, and he's fighting back in a new court filing. Donald Trump’s former attorney general, Bill Barr, appointed Durham to investigate the origins of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Sussmann was the lawyer for the Democratic Party after it was hacked by Russian-affiliated hackers. In a court filing last week, Durham lodged a slate of claims about Sussmann that sent the right-wing media into a tizzy. Most have misconstrued the filing to say that Trump was spied on by Hillary Clinton. The reality is that Sussmann believed that the former Office of President Barack Obama was spied on sometime between 2014 and 2017, and reported it to the CIA on Feb 8, 2017.

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Judge orders Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg to give a deposition in inauguration lawsuit

Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg has been told to give a deposition in the case involving self-dealing and waste for the 2017 Trump inauguration, the Daily Beast reported Thursday.

The case, which is part of a probe by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, has explored inflated rates at the Trump hotel in Washington, bonuses to top Trump aides, and other self-dealing concerns.

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Former prosecutor explains why he thinks the Justice Department could be quietly going after Trump

Former prosecutor and "Justice Matters" legal explainer Glenn Kirschner took to Twitter to explain that it's entirely possible that the U.S. Justice Department is investigating former President Donald Trump.

Kirschner explained that he was working on a case for two years while a Washington Post columnist kept complaining that the Justice Department wasn't "pursuing justice."

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Jan. 6 investigative committee discusses subpoena for Ivanka Trump: report

Several post-presidency books, including one by former chief of staff Mark Meadows, revealed that Ivanka Trump was instrumental in getting her father to realize the danger of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

According to the Meadows book, Donald Trump's daughter had to be called at least twice to help convince the former president to step in and tell his supporters to stop the siege. According to Guardian reporter Hugo Lowell, the House Select Committee Investigating Jan. 6 has discussed whether or not to subpoena Ms. Trump.

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The Republican Party's infighting is getting worse as Trump is hoovering up cash: report

Republican candidates are struggling to bring in as much cash as former President Donald Trump continues to raise millions for his super PAC.

Axios crafted an extensive report Thursday detailing the ways in which Trump's fundraising is "kneecapping" the GOP's efforts to fundraise for the 2022 midterm elections. Privately, Republicans are complaining about the problem behind the scenes.

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Detention document of Jan. 6 attacker uncovers 'sleeper conspiracies': legal analyst

A detention memo is revealing startling details about those linked to Capitol attacker Marshall Neefe that include "a mix of fascist-curious, QAnon and guns," said legal analyst Marcy Wheeler.

The court documents outline Neefe's "history of extremist views and violent rhetoric," which led the court to consider making a “forward-looking determination about the serious risk."

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Capitol rioter completes online civics courses for his community service

For the past year, many activists have complained that Jan. 6 attackers haven't faced harsher punishments that fit the crime. First-time offenders who did little other than enter the Capitol and who didn't touch anything or break anything are being given community service or probation.

Such was the case with Edward Hemenway, who submitted his community service was done because he reviewed a civics and American government textbook for 60 hours, wrote BuzzFeed justice reporter Zoe Tillman.

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Putin already being portrayed as the victor of the Ukraine crisis in Russian state media 'fantasy land'

It was reported Wednesday morning that Russian troops were in retreat. United States officials were clear that they hadn't confirmed the information, but Ukrainian intelligence released a statement noting that there were still military troops present, but far fewer.

Julia Ioffe wrote for Puck News, "Biden's strategy is starting to look like a pretty good one. What's better than tricking the guy who threatened war into threatening peace? I do wonder, does Biden get credit if this new approach succeeds?"

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Republican pulls support at the last minute for a judge he recommended

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) recommended a judicial candidate for the federal bench only to then withdraw support.

The Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats posted a video of statements from chair Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) about Judge William Pocan, nominated to the eastern district of Wisconsin.

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Republican businessman nails Ron Johnson's political disaster as one of his own making

Wisconsin Republican businessman David Irwin can't help but notice that the state's GOP senator appears to be in political peril. According to his piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sen. Ron Johnson's (R-WI) popularity problem is one entirely of his own making.

A Morning Consult poll shows that Johnson is radically unpopular. Wisconsin voters who approve of Johnson's job performance sit at just 36 percent. Where 51 percent of the state disapproves. A whopping 56 percent of independent voters also reject Johnson's performance. It means that unless there's a huge influx of Republican voters that outperform independents and Democrats, Johnson is done.

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Recordings from law enforcement conferences reveal how tech companies are lobbying cops for contracts

Vice News tech reporter Joseph Cox walked around the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) conference in Washington, D.C. and what he overheard was astounding.

Reporting Wednesday, Cox recalled the moment he overheard a representative of a tech company talking to law enforcement officers about ways to get their chiefs on board. The Axon tech rep promised a hunting trip for the chief and other senior law enforcement members so he could pitch them. Axon produces tasers, smart weapons, body cameras and other related tools.

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