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New emails show how Trump and his allies pressured Justice Department to try to challenge 2020 elect

(CNN) New emails show how former President Donald Trump's White House assistant, chief of staff and other allies pressured the Justice Department to investigate claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election -- and how Trump directed allies to push then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to join the legal effort to challenge the election result, according to a batch of emails released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday.

The emails from Justice Department and White House officials show how Trump allies pressured Rosen to consider false and outlandish allegations that the election had been stolen and sought to get the Justice Department to formally back up the false claims. The documents also offer a window into how Rosen dealt with the political pressure from the White House soon after he was tapped to lead the department in the final weeks of the Trump administration.

robertpaulsen

Fallout for Trump's political targeting: Top DOJ appointee to resign, AG Garland announces probe

(Salon) The Justice Department's top national security official, John Demers, is reportedly resigning amid the torrent of revelations surrounding the agency's forceful seizure of phone data from House Democrats during the Trump administration. Demers, a Trump appointee, was the longest-serving official at the Department of Justice from the previous administration.

On Thursday, the New York Times reported that the Trump Justice Department undertook an extensive investigation in 2017 and 2018 into at least a dozen members of the House Intelligence Committee, subpoenaing their computer and phone records from Apple and Microsoft, both of whom were put under a gag order, which prevented the companies from speaking out. According to CNN, the agency demanded metadata on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses specifically from Apple.

triron

Rep. Nadler Announces Judiciary Committee Investigation Into Trump Spying

(Rep. Jerry Nadler) "The House Judiciary Committee will investigate the Trump Administration's surveillance of Members of Congress, the news media, and others. I have instructed my staff to begin that work without delay."

Nevilledog

Capitol Rioter Who Raided Pelosi's Office Makes Kremlin TV Debut Ahead of Putin Summit

(Daily Beast) The looming summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin—set to take place in Geneva on Wednesday—has unleashed a flurry of threats from the Kremlin’s propaganda machine, and a promise of staunch resistance to American demands on everything from cyber attacks to human rights abuses. It has also triggered another bizarre press strategy: The debut and glorification of an infamous Capitol rioter on Russian airwaves.

On Sunday, Russian state TV aired an interview with insurrectionist Richard Barnett—notoriously pictured with his feet up at on a desk in Nancy Pelosi’s office on Jan. 6—and his attorney, Joseph McBride. Barnett, a self-proclaimed white nationalist, was introduced as a “colorful” individual, the same expression Putin frequently uses to describe Trump. McBride welcomed Rossiya-1 special correspondent Valentin Bogdanov into his office and FaceTimed his client, who appeared cheerful and at ease at his Arkansas ranch, flashing a big smile and showing off his car collection.

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

Biden calls the Republican Party 'vastly diminished in numbers' and its leadership 'fractured'

(Yahoo News) During a press conference at the conclusion on the NATO summit in Brussels on Monday, President Biden commented on party politics calling the Republican Party “vastly diminished in numbers,” its leadership “fractured” and that the “Trump wing of the party is the bulk of the party but it makes up a significant minority of the American people.”

JHB

Tuesday TOONs

Judi Lynn

McConnell warns he's willing to intervene in 2022 GOP primaries

(The Hill) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned on Monday that he and his allies are willing to step into Republican Senate primaries to try to prevent a candidate they view as unelectable in November 2022 from advancing. McConnell, during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, was asked if he and the Senate Leadership Fund, an outside group closely aligned with the Kentucky Republican, would be willing to intervene in 2022 Republican primaries. "If necessary," McConnell told Hewitt about their willingness to get involved in Republican primaries.

In It to Win It

Michigan to use federal $300 unemployment bonus as back-to-work incentive

(USA Today) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to expand how Michigan uses federal unemployment funds to incentivize Michiganders to return to work after the COVID-19 pandemic, she announced Monday. The plan involves providing a bonus of $300 per week to specific employees returning to their previous jobs through the week of Sept. 4, Whitmer said during a wide-ranging news conference.

"We're going to use the federal $300 per week in unemployment benefits to our advantage, so we can incentivize people to get back to work, maximize a family's income and help employers fully build up their businesses and staff," Whitmer said.

ItsjustMe

FBI Issues warning about QAnon

(CNN) The FBI has warned lawmakers that online QAnon conspiracy theorists may carry out more acts of violence as they move from serving as "digital soldiers" to taking action in the real world following the January 6 US Capitol attack.

babylonsister

Publishers Snub Trump

(Political Wire) Politico: “Almost five months after leaving office, major publishing houses still are wary of publishing a book by Trump, even though a post-White House memoir would almost assuredly be a best-seller. Their reluctance is driven by several factors, though the underlying fear is that whatever Trump would write wouldn’t be truthful. It’s unheard of for a former U.S. president to struggle to score a major book deal after leaving office. And the absence of Trump’s own words from the literary world is made even more pronounced by the fact that several of his top aides and former Cabinet officials are writing books of their own.”