And just like that...there was Georgia.
the true crime that's worth your time
You’d think (hope?) that after all my years covering crime, including on-the-ground reporting of San Francisco’s infamous Shrimp Boy case, I’d stop muttering “suave” every time I hear the term RICO. But, y’all, it’s a catchy song1, and I’m the right age to be caught by it.
And it sure did live in my head all night Monday, as I scrolled through the headlines about former President Trump’s latest indictment by a Georgia grand jury. There were 13 various counts related to alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election; others indicted in the decision include Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis.
CNBC has a nice roundup of the information we have on the grand jury’s decision so far, but what I’m craving is smart, expert, non-wishful-thinking punditry on what this case really means, especially within the context of the three other indictments (for multiple other alleged crimes) the former president faces.
Look, I am sure Rachel Maddow’s show last night (which had serendipitously booked Hillary Clinton as a guest well before the decision came down) was super-fun! I was talking to my husband as he watched part of it, and he kept interrupting my complaints about various electric car networks2 to chortle with glee. It’s too early to call any reactions a “victory lap,” but we need a word stronger than schadenfreude to describe how I suspect many — including pundits — are feeling. But I need cooler heads right now, so I truly know what might happen and how this could play out.
This Wall Street Journal piece (from real, legit reporters, not its shitty opinion section) that breaks down how working within RICO will impact prosecution is a good start, but this morning I’m not finding much else. Maybe this is because the indictment was announced so late last night, or maybe it’s because all the pundits are tired or hungover, or maybe I’m just missing them because I am on a very slow internet connection in a remote Nevada mining town.
So, friends, please do recommend, as Sarah put it in our Slack, “calmer and more thorough explainers” on yesterday’s news so we know what’s ahead. And, also, if you just want to talk about the indictment (full text is available online for your perusal; the NYT also has an annotated version), let’s do that! And please don’t feel compelled to be calm, yourself — if you want to gloat, complain, or just do this we are here for it. — EB
Acknowledging here that the face of “Rico Suave,” Gerardo, is now a pastor at a Kentucky church with problematic leanings when it comes to gender, orientation, and a host of other matters important to most Americans. But, still, that song fucking slaps.
Oh, yeah, remember that electric car road trip I went on a couple weeks ago? Well, three days in we tested positive for COVID, spent three days sick as hell in a Kansas Holiday Inn, then turned around and limped home. So now I’m on take two.