How to prosecute a president after 2024

Overtime is for everyone. If you are a subscriber: Thank youIf not, there is no better time to do so. subscribe to Bulwark+ than today. If you like today’s issue, you can share this newsletter with someone you think would appreciate it.

Get a 30-day free trial

BETWEEN THE EXTREME PARTS of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case Trump vs. United States (the wild hypothetical question “Can the president order SEAL Team 6 to assassinate his political rivals?” has now been answered with an equally wild “Yes!”) and the uncontroversial parts (clarifying that there is no immunity for unofficial presidential actions), there is a huge amount of ambiguity in the middle. What are we to make of the ruling that the president is “at least” entitled to a “presumption” of immunity from prosecution for actions that, while official, are outside his “core” official duties? What kind of showing would it take to rebut that presumption?

READ MORE.

Get a 30-day free trial

National Democrats are increasingly favorable to the idea of ​​Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden as president.

Three party officials reported Bastion that in recent days, activists and donors have begun talking to them about what it would take to fill out a Harris-led slate of candidates if Biden decides to drop out of the race. One of those activists said the conversations have become much more intense in the past 24 hours as questions have mounted about how Biden has handled the debate aftermath.

“There’s been a very noticeable change,” said a prominent centrist Democratic official. “This climate change is real. And I think people are very clear that we need a change and that a chaotic nomination fight would be bad. I think people also think that he’s a prosecutor and we need to hire a prosecutor to go after this criminal.” (The criminal is Donald Trump.)

READ MORE.

Get a 30-day free trial

NO ONE IN THE UNITED STATES OR UKRAINE imagines that a re-elected President Donald Trump would be a great friend to Kiev. But the so-called “peace” application revealed last week by two former Trump administration national security officials now with the Trump-affiliated America First Policy Institute, are even more toxic than many expected.

The plan, predictably, calls for an immediate ceasefire, mandatory negotiations with Russia, and a temporary—indeed, probably permanent—renunciation of Ukrainian claims to the 20 percent of Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Moscow. The poison was less predictable: Under the plan, the United States would force Kiev to postpone NATO membership “for an extended period”—again, in the real world, probably forever.

READ MORE.

Get a 30-day free trial

IT TOOK ALMOST FORTY MINUTES BEFORE THE ISSUE OF DEMOCRATIC COMES TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION debate last week. Jake Tapper asked former President Donald Trump about his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump responded by boasting about his record on the border, energy policy, taxes, foreign policy and almost every issue except the one he was asked about. He then accused Biden of “weaponizing” the justice system and declared that “he (Biden) is going after his political opponent because he can’t beat him fair and square.”

READ MORE.

Happy Wednesday! A quick note on programming: Overtime tomorrow is off, depending on the latest news. Have a nice 4th of July, eat well, be safe and smart.

Tonight on TV… Donkey F

The goal of right-wing “revolution”… is itself a pluralistic democracy (Philip Bump, WaPo)

The apocalypse is not… Things could get worse for Democrats. If they aren’t careful, they will. (David Frum, Atlantic)

Young family finds happiness… on a remote island off the coast of Maine.

A Few Honest Words About Covering Joe Biden… Two things can be true at the same time. (Chris Cillizza)

Get a 30-day free trial

Questions about technical support? Email [email protected]. Questions for me? Reply to this message.

-thirty-

Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, see the article.