Your Indictment news for August 3, 2023
Hi there,
Hello again from the slow road en route to taking my kid to college, where this emotional trek keeps getting interrupted by unpredictable weather and indictment news. Today had both (a hailstorm this time) and so here we are again.
But first, hello! I'm Dan Sinker and I've undertaken the sisyphean task of writing up the various indictments of Donald Trump because it sounded like a good idea at some point and I stick to my word. And it's free. That said, tips are very welcome via PayPal, Venmo, or CashApp. Even the smallest amount means a lot. Thanks.
OK, so about today:
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Previously: On August 1st 2023, Donald Trump was indicted on four counts—Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, and Conspiracy against Rights—stemming from his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. This was his third indictment this year and second on federal charges. And as we've learned full well over the last few months, what follows an indictment is an arraignment and that's what happened today...
Today, Thursday, August 3, 2023
Trump was arraigned in federal court in Washington DC today, where, unsurprisingly, he pled not guilty to the four counts in his latest indictment. His third arraignment in four months (to the day, in fact, his first arraignment was exactly four months ago on April 3rd), it's gotten to be old hat now. He flew in from his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club, drove in a modest motorcade to the courthouse where the proceedings took about 30 minutes. He stood and sat when he was told to, pled not guilty, got back in his car, and headed back to the airport, where he gave a short statement in the rain. If you'd told me a few months ago that the arraignment of a former president on federal criminal charges would be a yawn I would not believe you, but here we are. (Source: NBC News)
While today's proceedings were overseen by a magistrate judge, US District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan will be running the show from here on out. The randomly-assigned judge has previously ruled against Trump in 2021 when he wanted to stop the National Archives from turning records over to the January 6 committee. In that judgement she wrote, "His position that he may override the express will of the executive branch appears to be premised on the notion that his executive power 'exists in perpetuity. But Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President." As you might expect, Trump's team is not thrilled. (Source: Axios)
What happens next in this case? The special counsel's office is expected to propose a court date in the coming days, at which point Trump's lawyers will almost certainly file their own motions to delay. And then the first hearing with Judge Chutkan will be held August 28. If you want a sense of just how bonkers things are getting, August 28 is just three days after the next hearing scheduled in the Mar-a-Lago documents case on the 25th, and five days after the first Republican primary debate on the 23rd. And there's still the presumed indictment from Georgia to come. (Source: New York Times)
Finally, as of now (again, Georgia's indictment is (theoretically) still to come), Trump now faces 78 charges across his three indictments. That's a lot of charges, and A LOT to keep track of. Thankfully, the Washington Post offers a handy guide that breaks down all of them in each indictment and what they mean. (Source: Washington Post)
What's coming next: Well, as stated above August 25 is the next hearing in the Mar-a-Lago documents case and August 28th is the next hearing in the election interference case and sometime before both of those, Fulton County Georgia DA Fani Willis will make her intentions on indicting the former president clear.
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So almost certainly Georgia is dropping very soon. But here's the deal: if any indictment news drops the week of August 14th, you will not hear from me because that's the week we'll be moving my kid into his dorm room at college and, sorry, that is more important. Also, in the coming days I may be traveling through some places where connections are spotty, but I'll always send a catchup email if I can't get something hot off the press.
It's not at all indictment-related, but I'd love if you'd check out the profile I wrote about Chris Estrada, the comedian and creator of the excellent show This Fool, in Esquire last week. I'm really happy with how it turned out.
OK, back to the indictment: if this update was helpful to you, it's probably helpful to someone else, so send people to indictment.fyi/signup and they can start getting this newsletter too Thanks for spreading the word.
Finally, this whole project is done for free because I'm impulsive and don't plan ahead, but a tip via PayPal, Venmo, or CashApp is always appreciated and a great way of showing your support for this newsletter, but only if you can. Thank you so much.
I'm glad you're here,
Dan