John Fitz

Long lines @clear MIA, not good. Need additional entry points at all TSA stations

Judge Chutkan ruled today that Trump can’t personally attack Jack Smith, the Judge, or their staffs. So Junior does it for him.

Textbook Witness Tampering so what should be the response? 1) All trial dates should be moved up to mitigate the damage defendant Trump is creating to Jury Pools, 2) Prosecutors should go back to the Grand Jury to get a new felony count of Witness Tampering…each time defendant Trump does this. 3) Gag Order when 3 new Witness Tampering felonies charged.

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters, if Trump trashes another witness & I were Jack Smith, I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness. This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

JUST IN: Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that she will approve a limited protective order, insisting that certain facts and sensitive materials must be kept out of public view, and SLAMMED Trump's defense team for attempting to try the case in public. “Your client’s defense is supposed to happen in this courtroom, not on the internet,” Judge Chutkan said. Special Counsel Jack Smith's request for a protective order was not a complete slam dunk, as the Judge disagreed with his need to conceal all materials, saying that only "sensitive" items (such as grand jury materials) need to be protected. Of great concern was Trump's threatening Truth Social post, when he wrote “If you go after me, I’m coming after you!” Smith's team said if Trump directed those threats at grand jury members, it would have a "harmful chilling effect" on witnesses. As it stands now, the prosecution deems most of the materials they are sharing with the defense to be "sensitive," so they will likely be restricted from being shared on the internet. If (or when) Trump violates the stipulation of the protective order, should Judge Chutkan move to hold him accountable with actual jail time? How else could she effectively enforce the rules?

1. One thing that's crucial to remember about Trump's attempt to pressure Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" is when that call happened. It did not happen, as many ppl seem to think, while Georgia was still counting or even re-counting votes. alternet.org/more-than-a-do…

@AntiToxicPeople @gtconway3d Witness Tampering continues…

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

Special counsel fires back at Trump’s objection to protective order. Purpose of discovery is to allow the defendant to prepare for trial, not to try the case in the media. “Normal order should prevail.”

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

Daring a federal judge to put you in jail for violating court orders is not a legal strategy, it's abnormal psychology.

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

"You're choosing a failed reality TV host and a failed politician over America's rule of law, over the judiciary, over Madisonian democracy. The further we get away from this moment, the more horrific it's going to look." --@joenbc on those in GOP who continue to support Trump

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

JACK'S NOT WASTING TIME — Special Counsel Jack Smith just FIRED BACK at Donald Trump's bizarre response to the DOJ's request for a protective order. And he's not mincing any words. We've got the full filing. meidastouch.com/news/jack-smit…

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

NEW: Special Counsel's team just filed a reply on the protective order: Trump "proposed an order designed to allow him to try this case in the media rather than in the courtroom;" their proposed order would "safeguard witness privacy & the integrity of these proceedings." 1/

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

One side wants to protect their witnesses and litigate the case in a court of law. The other side wants to intimidate witnesses and manipulate evidence to litigate the case in a court of public opinion. It’s not going to work out so well for the other side.

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

And yes. Trump has been told by his own lawyers, there will be a protective order this week. And when Trump breaks that, he will get a gag order. This is how Trump reacts when adults set limits to Toddler-Trump

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

If Trump's lawyers think it's important to get the evidence in the DC case out to the people, as they say in their opposition to the proposed protective order, boy do I have a killer of an idea for them: let's go ahead & have a prompt trial. That way, everyone can know what the evidence is.

I’m not a lawyer, much less a prosecutor, but sequencing matters and if I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Grand Jury to get a new single felony count of tampering with a witness (Pence). This would lay down the proper warning to Trump that he will get a new felony count every time he trashes a witness in public. When three of these new counts are issued that’s when I’d go to the gag order. It should be a last resort.

To understand Judge Cannon latest legal issues, here are some Venue/Grand Jury basics. Grand Jury: -you cannot use a grand jury to obtain evidence for a trial; it must be used to investigate new crimes or new people. -in a widespread scheme, that is easy to satisfy, cont. 1/

WATCH LIVE: Pentagon holds news briefing as Niger coup leaders defy calls to step down twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Arguably the best joke of the night at The White House Correspondents Dinner, it will be replayed for years to come.

Congratulations Rob on your great accomplishment with Bolttech! No surprise to those who know you! Best regards, John lnkd.in/eGhZfrP3

@thejackhopkins Anyone who has ever accomplished something hard in life knows this mindset.

This nation has been going through some things. It’s getting ready to go through a lot more. When I used to find myself in subzero temperatures, or searing oven-like heat….whatever kind of stuff Mother Nature was throwing down…I’d simply flip a switch, and tell myself “I was BORN for this shit!” If it was hot, then I was someone who “thrives in the heat.” Cold? That’s right. “The cold is what makes me tick!” It’s didn’t matter what the environment happened to be, in that instant….that was the environment that became the equivalent of rocket fuel for me to get locked on and ready to rock & roll. It’s still true, today. I simply decide that it is so. The power of a true decision is a real force to be reckoned with. I’ve done this so long, that I can step in and out of those “identity shifts” as easily as I’ll take my next breath. I experienced the alternative to that as a child. It wasn’t enjoyable. So, at some point, I swapped my approach to life. I simply decided that even if whatever I was dealing with, really DID suck, I would THRIVE on it, psychologically…until I had worked my way through it. What about the things that happen, that I can’t really change? My wife can recite my response to that in her sleep. “Boy, this sucks ASS; but….I LIKE IT!” as I flash the person I’m communicating with, a “shit eating grin” and jut my jaw out just a little bit. That phrase simply captures my attitude about life. I know I’ll lose loved ones, have friends and family become ill, or, simply drift away. Things I have ….that I really enjoy, will break or eventually wear out. Some of the plans I’ll make will die on the vine. I’ll experience heartache, grief and disappointment. And, why shouldn’t I? I’m a human being. None of us escape those experiences. Some of us just waste more energy trying than others. ALL of that….every last bit of it, is simply part of the human experience. It is. It’s part of the deal. It’s. Part. Of. The. Deal. In no way, shape or form does that part of the deal, however, have the power to blunt my enjoyment of life, and my eagerness to do everything I can, with what few skills I have, to see what I can do to make a difference. In short, don’t you DARE let any of this bullshit that’s headed our way-whatever it might be-convince you that the next morning isn’t yet another day to be greeted with enthusiasm, and LIVED. Because….the real “bullshit” of life, is any idea or thought that tries to convince you otherwise. If being part of this…right now….doesn’t invigorate the hell out of you, and give you a reason to wake up and GO…..then I fear nothing will. This country will succeed…or fail, because people kept going when things got hard…..and said “Rock & ROLL baby! I was BORN for this shit!!”

Why Trump can’t complain about his indictment(s): Trump ceded the moral high ground on presidential indictments long ago washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/…