First, President-Elect Trump failed in his effort to get the Supreme Court to bypass New York appeals courts and toss his conviction for falsifying business records (see story here). The New York judge won’t punish him for his paperwork crime, but his sentencing on Friday, January 9, 2025, is a black mark on his name. (Trump shouldn’t be concerned about that, anyway, because he already has a terrible reputation.)
Then, a federal appeals court refused Trump’s lawyers’ demand to block release of special prosecutor Jack Smith’s report in the federal election interference case against Trump (see story here). The Department of Justice is voluntarily withholding Smith’s report in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, so as to not compromise the pending prosecution of two Trump employees charged in that case.
The first report is still blocked by an order by Aileen Cannon, who poses as a federal judge but is really a Trump lawyer, and who’s never had any jurisdiction in the election interference case, but that order may expire by its own terms in a couple days.
Republicans, Trump, his lawyers, and his captive judge (Cannon) fiercely oppose letting the American people see Smith’s reports because they paint Trump as a criminal. But that shouldn’t be a big deal, because he already is a criminal, in the unrelated New York case.
And finally, the Russian whose fabricated testimony underpinned the GOP’s failed effort to impeach President Biden by framing him for corruption that probably didn’t happen was sentenced to 6 years in prison today for lying to the FBI (and also for tax evasion), see story here.
Meanwhile, Trump pal and Supreme Court justice Sam Alito continues to drive the court’s reputation into the cellar with his antics (see story here).