A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
Making Sense of the Senseless
The Trump Justice Department continues to be ground zero of his second term. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the impact of a White House-run DOJ dwarfs most other Trump II depredations precisely because it allows space for them continue unchecked. A totally compromised DOJ eliminates accountability for breaking the law in the criminal sense and for the mass lawlessness in non-criminal contexts.
I offer that as an introduction to the series of news items below that either directly involve malfeasance under Attorney General Pam Bondi or are a byproduct of DOJ bad acts. As the Jeffrey Epstein matter threatens to consume the Trump White House, remember that it, too, is an outgrowth of trying to abuse and misuse the powers of the Justice Department. It just happened to backfire.
Maurene Comey’s Farewell Note to SDNY Colleagues
Fired DOJ prosecutor Maurene Comey sent this note to her former colleagues in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office:
Comey’s firing by Main Justice blindsided acting U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, who was reduced to “just a paper-pusher,” in the words of one observer.
Quote of the Day
“From beginning to end, this process is highly irregular.”–former DOJ inspector general Michael Bromwich, on the bogus criminal referral of Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) by the Federal Housing Finance Authority’s inspector general
Nothing Normal at Trump DOJ
In another move by the Trump DOJ that career prosecutors apparently wouldn’t touch, political appointee Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, herself asked the judge for a sentence of one day for Brett Hankison, the Louisville police officer convicted in the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor.
Speaks for Itself
The WSJ obtained an album given by Ghislaine Maxwell to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, which it reports included this missive from Donald Trump:
Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything.
Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.
For his part, President Trump called the whole thing fake and said he plans to sue the WSJ.
Bove Nomination Advances
After all its Democratic members walked out in protest, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-0 to advance the nomination of Emil Bove to an appeals court seat.
Less noticed: The committee also approved the nomination of DC acting U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to the permanent position.
DC Circuit Still Mum on Contempt of Court Related to Bove
As if perhaps to nudge the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to take some action on the contempt of court inquiry it’s been stalling since April in the original Alien Enemies Act case, the plaintiffs supplemented the record on appeal with the texts and emails released by fired DOJ attorney-turned-whistleblower Erez Reuveni. No immediate response from the court.
We Still Don’t Know Everything About the March 15 Flights
An exclusive report from 404 Media:
The flight manifests for three legally contested deportation flights from Texas to El Salvador contain dozens of additional, unaccounted for passengers than a previously published Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list of people deported from the United States on those flights, 404 Media has learned. The additional people on the flight manifest have not been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government in any way, and immigration experts who have been closely monitoring Trump’s deportation campaign say they have no idea where these people are or what happened to them. 404 Media is now publishing the names of these people.
GOP Congress Bends the Knee to Trump’s Cuts
The big rescission package that eviscerates foreign aid, public broadcasting, and Congress’ own powers passed in the House overnight and will go to President Trump for his signature.
Dead Inside
Morning Memo caught Riki Lindhome’s one-woman show “Dead Inside” last night at Woolly Mammoth in DC. It’s a sharply personal and raw excavation of her fertility “journey” (a term she herself puts in air quotes) in the guise of a musical comedy.
A Nod to Stephen Colbert
It can both be true that the economics of network late night TV have irreversibly changed for non-political reasons and that political satire and mockery in the Trump era is too risky for corporate media owners. Two days after Late Show host Stephen Colbert called CBS parent company Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump “a big fat bribe” on the air, he was told the show was being canceled at the end of next season. Not just no more Colbert, but no more Late Show period:
In retrospect, the character he played relentlessly for so many years on The Colbert Report masked Colbert’s own depth and humanity. After moving to the Late Show, he developed a public persona that managed to be broad enough for a mass audience while still offering glimpses of how literate, devout, and introspective he is.
Because of the limitations of the TV talk show genre, it took me years begin to appreciate Colbert’s range. His ability to put on a song-and-dance routine for broadcast TV while delivering knowing winks and nods to philosophy, history, theology, literature, and his various quirky personal obsessions is without current equal. No one else even occupies the same space.
A profoundly thoughtful man, Colbert’s reflections on marriage, death, faith, and purpose have brought me up short on numerous occasions, even if they were delivered between improv riffs and behind jazz hands.
Last Chance to Get Your Questions Answered!
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