memeorandum: Trump attorney says the former president would ‘never’ take plea deal (Lauren Sforza/The Hill)

11:45 AM ET, June 11, 2023

Top Items:

Trump Supporters' Violent Rhetoric in His Defense Disturbs Experts — The former president's allies have portrayed the indictment as an act of war and called for retribution, which political violence experts say increases the risk of action. — The federal indictment of former President Donald J. Trump …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, Political Wire and The Federalist

CBS News:

CBS News Poll: After Trump indictment, most see security risk, but Republicans see politics — Republican primary voters say they're far more concerned that Donald Trump's indictment is politically motivated than his alleged conduct being a national security risk - and there's no evidence it's hurt …

Discussion: USA Today and The Hill

Brittany Shepherd / ABC News:

Pluralities of Americans support second Trump indictment, say charges are politically motivated: POLL — There are sharp partisan differences, according to the survey. — A plurality of Americans think that former President Donald Trump should have been indicted by a federal grand jury …

Discussion: The Hill, The Guardian, Politico and Conservative Brief

Gary Abernathy / Washington Post:

Indicting an ex-president and leading candidate requires more than this — When the federal indictment against former president Donald Trump was unsealed Friday, I scoured news reports looking for the bombshell that I believed had to be there — perhaps allegations of trading classified documents …

Discussion: Bloomberg and American Greatness

Tal Axelrod / ABC News:

In testy exchange, Lindsey Graham argues Trump is ‘stronger’ after 2nd indictment — The senator is one of the former president's most ardent defenders on the Hill. — Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Donald Trump's most ardent defenders on Capitol Hill, argued Sunday that in the wake …

Discussion: The Hill, PoliticusUSA and Newsbusters

New York Times:

How Walt Nauta, a Personal Aide, Came to be Charged as Trump's Co-Conspirator — A Navy veteran and a regular presence at Donald Trump's side, he is said to have played a central role in helping to thwart government efforts to retrieve classified documents.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and IJR

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate GOP leaders break with House on Trump indictment — Senate Republican leaders, including Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), are staying quiet about former President Trump's indictment on 37 criminal charges, letting him twist in the wind and breaking with House Republican leaders who have rushed to Trump's defense.

Discussion: Axios, The Messenger, CBS News, Associated Press and Washington Examiner

Lauren Sforza / The Hill:

Trump attorney says the former president would ‘never’ take plea deal — Alina Habba, an attorney for former President Trump, said that the Trump would not take a plea deal in connection to his federal indictment in handling classified documents. — Habba, who is not representing Trump …

Discussion: Raw Story

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:
Former Trump lawyer gives DOJ a tip: Follow ‘unholy relationships’ with the Saudis

Discussion: MSNBC

Matt Dixon / NBC News:
Trump delivers fiery post-indictment speech: 'They're coming after you'

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Digby's Hullabaloo, Hartford Courant, Breitbart, Associated Press, ABC News, MSNBC, Axios and New York Times

Jared Gans / The Hill:
Pence calls for Garland to publicly justify Trump indictment

Discussion: Washington Examiner, ABC News, CBS News, RedState, Breitbart, Bloomberg.com, Digby's Hullabaloo, USA Today, KOIN-TV, Forbes, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, ABC11, Wall Street Journal, Just The News and Outside the Beltway

Marc Fisher / Washington Post:
Trump's path to indictment: 'Isn't it better if there are no documents?'

Discussion: Washington Times, Fox News, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, CNN, PoliticusUSA, The Daily Beast, Letters from an American, New York Times, ABC7 and NBC Bay Area

BBC:

Nicola Sturgeon: Former first minister arrested in SNP finances inquiry — Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the SNP. — Police confirmed a 52-year-old woman was taken into custody as a suspect and is being questioned by detectives.

Discussion: CNN, CBS News, Reuters, Bloomberg, Financial Times, New York Times, Metro.co.uk, Political Wire and Just The News

The Sunday Times:

What really went on inside the Wuhan lab weeks before Covid erupted — Fresh evidence drawn from confidential files reveals Chinese scientists spliced together deadly pathogens shortly before the pandemic, the Sunday Times Insight team report — Scientists in Wuhan working alongside …

Discussion: Power Line

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

He devised a fringe legal theory to try to keep Trump in power. Now he's on the verge of being disbarred. — The trial of John Eastman may feature testimony from key participants in Jan. 6 who have rarely spoken publicly. — John Eastman, an architect of Donald Trump's last-ditch bid …

Hannah Schoenbaum / Associated Press:

North Carolina GOP censures Sen. Tillis for supporting LGBTQ+ rights, immigration policies — Republican delegates in North Carolina voted Saturday at their annual convention to censure Thom Tillis, the state's senior U.S. senator, for backing LGBTQ+ rights, immigration and gun violence policies.

Discussion: Raleigh News & Observer, HotAir, USA Today, National Review, CNN, WRAL-TV, The Daily Caller, RedState, Washington Examiner, Fox News, The Hill, Twitchy and Political Wire

Platformer:

Twitter stiffs Google — Musk won't pay his Google Cloud bill — and the company's trust and safety systems are hanging in the balance … Twitter has refused to pay its Google Cloud bills as its contract comes up for renewal this month, Platformer has learned, leading to a high-stakes conflict between …

Discussion: Fortune, more at Techmeme »

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump vows to stay in the race even if convicted — “I'll never leave,” he tells POLITICO. — Donald Trump vowed Saturday to continue running for president even if he were to be convicted as part of the 37-count federal felony indictment that was issued against him this week.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post, National Review, Just The News, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, The Messenger, NPR, New York Times and The Hill

Ezra Klein / New York Times:

Ron DeSantis Thinks Power Corrupts ... Everyone Else — Campaign books written by politicians are often dismissed as focus-grouped fluff. I disagree. You can learn a lot about people by paying close attention to how they want to be seen. And so it is with Ron DeSantis's “The Courage to be Free.”