What’s Next for a Trump-Era Corruption Watchdog?
Plus: What’s the Deal With Pete Hegseth’s Crusader Tattoos?
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JILL LAWRENCE: What’s Next for a Trump-Era Corruption Watchdog?
A WEEK AFTER ELECTION DAY, when the unimaginable invaded and conquered reality, I emerged from my stupor and talked to someone I thought might have constructive thoughts on coping: Noah Bookbinder, a former public corruption prosecutor at the Justice Department who is now president and CEO of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington—a watchdog organization that targets corruption in American government through investigations and legal actions.
🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧
Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Rick Wilson and David Brooks: MAGA to the Max [YouTube]
The Next Level: Trump 2028? 🔐 [YouTube]
Shield of the Republic: What Comes Next for Our National Security?
The Michael Steele Show: What to Expect from a Second Trump Term (with Elie Mystal) [YouTube]
Bulwark+ Live: Tim Miller Q&A Livestream [YouTube]
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ANNIKA BROCKSCHMIDT AND THOMAS LECAQUE: What’s the Deal With Pete Hegseth’s Crusader Tattoos?
WHEN DONALD TRUMP NAMED PETE HEGSETH, longtime host of a weekend-morning Fox News show, as his first choice to become secretary of defense, scholars of the history of the Crusades started getting calls from journalists. Most academics would welcome any opportunity to discuss their work for non-specialist audiences, but no Crusades historian wants to be called upon to explain some aspect of contemporary politics. The implications are frequently alarming.
KIM WEHLE: Merrick Garland Must Release Jack Smith’s Final Report
SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH is closing up shop, with a final task ahead of him: the drafting and filing of reports to outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland on his investigations and indictments of Donald J. Trump.
One of Smith’s two cases is still pending in Washington, D.C., the one relating to Trump’s role in the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election, including by instigating the January 6th insurrection. The judge and the parties are in the midst of sorting out how to deal with the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling in Trump v. U.S.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Thursday! Some big updates to the cabinet tracker, including RFK Jr. being picked for HHS. All I want is fluoride for Christmas! Remember, this is what they voted for. Or in the case of some pundits, “rooted” for.
The Four Stages… of Post-election Cruelty (Andrew Donaldson, Ordinary Times)
Go bags, passports, foreign assets: Preparing to be a target of Trump’s revenge (WaPo)
The Onion adds a new layer… buying Alex Jones’ Infowars and turning it into a parody of itself (Joshua Benton, Nieman Lab)
Watch the last moments of InfoWars. 👋
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