CHRIS CRUCIAL: Donald Trump didn't *always* hate Chris Wray 😡
PLUS: The Hunter pardon is a disaster 🌪️
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1. Chris Wray, Out 🛑
On Wednesday afternoon, FBI Director Chris Wray bowed to political reality — announcing that he would resign his post before Donald Trump becomes president next month.
“I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” Wray told FBI employees. “This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.”
Wray’s hand was forced by Trump, who announced earlier this month that Kash Patel, a loyalist of the president-elect, was his preferred pick to lead the FBI.
The problem? Wray still has two years remaining on his 10-year term. Whoops!
Trump, of course, knew that — mostly because he was the one who nominated Wray to lead the FBI back in 2017!
As you might remember, Trump fired then FBI Director James Comey in May 2017 — just four months into his presidency. In a letter sent to Comey, Trump pronounced that “while I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau.”
At the time, the New York Times noted:
F.B.I. agents were enraged by the firing and worried openly that Mr. Trump would appoint a White House ally to lead them. Mr. Comey was widely liked in the F.B.I., even by those who criticized his handling of the Clinton investigation. Agents regarded him as a good manager and an independent director.
HA!
Wray was Trump’s antidote to the alleged shortcomings of Comey. Here’s what Trump said in announcing the Wray pick in June 2017:
I am proud to announce Christopher as my choice as the Director of the FBI. During his previous service at the Department of Justice, Christopher was the leader of major fraud investigations, and was a key part of the team overseeing the Justice Department’s actions in the war on terrorism following the 9/11 attacks. He is an impeccably qualified individual, and I know that he will again serve his country as a fierce guardian of the law and model of integrity once the Senate confirms him to lead the FBI.
Which is, uh, a different view than Trump expressed after the Wray resignation news broke on Wednesday night.
So, the guy who Trump handpicked to replace a guy who weaponized the Justice Department against him also weaponized the DOJ against him? What a coincidence! This thing goes deeper than any of us even suspected!
I mean, come on.
The reality is this: Trump did not then nor does he now recognize the historical separation between a president and the Justice Department. In Trump’s mind, the FBI director (as well as the Attorney General) should take their orders from him. They should punish his enemies and reward his friends. And they absolutely should not go after anyone who he likes — most especially Trump himself.
Wray’s announced resignation mans that Trump is one step closer to his dream: Complete control over the Department of Justice.
2. The Hunter Pardon Stinks 💩
The way President Joe Biden announced the pardon of his son, Hunter, amounted to political malpractice, according to Anita Dunn, a longtime member of his inner circle.
“In the middle of a Kash Patel weekend, kind of throwing this into the middle of it was exceptionally poor timing and … the argument is one that I think many observers are concerned about: A president who ran to restore the rule of law, who has upheld the rule of law, who has really defended the rule of law kind of saying, ‘Well, maybe not right now,’” said Dunn in a conversation with the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman.
Dunn wasn’t done. She added: “I do not agree with the way it was done, I don’t agree with the timing, and I don’t agree, frankly, with the attack on our judicial system.” She also pointed out that the White House staff was not closely consulted on the pardon move; “It was a process that was done very much internally with the family and with the defense lawyers,” Dunn said.
Dunn’s criticism is rare only in that it has her name attached to it. In the 10 days since Biden issued the pardon, Democrats have, privately, been apoplectic about the pardon and the political reverberations resulting from it.
The public agrees, according to two new polls released Thursday.
Only 1 in 3 people approve of the Hunter Biden pardon in a new Monmouth University national poll. Even among Democrats, the pardon is not terribly popular; 1 in 4 disapprove of it.
The numbers are even worse for the Bidens in an AP-NORC poll — with just 2 in 10 people supportive of the pardon.
None of that may matter to Biden, who can now leave the White House with the assurance that his son cannot be targeted by the Trump DOJ. But, man, was it a bad decision politically speaking — and one Democrats are going to have to continue to contend with in the coming weeks and months.
3. AOC might just be the future of the Democratic party ⭐
When people ask me who they should keep an eye on in the Democratic party over the next 2 years, I always say the same thing: New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
I think — as
and I talked about today — that the rise of populism is not unique to the right and that the next leader of the left could well emerge from the liberal populist tradition.AOC is, without question, the best future representative of that sort of tone and ideology within the Democratic party. I made a video today for my YouTube channel about AOC and what the future might hold for her. Check it out — and subscribe!
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
“The Trump hush money and Hunter Biden cases were both bullshit, and pardons are appropriate.” — Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, in his first post on Truth Social
ONE GOOD CHART
Want to understand why Donald Trump’s border rhetoric was so effective — including among Latino voters? This chart, from the Financial Times, shows how much Democrats have lurched to the left on immigration issues.
SONG OF THE DAY
The New York Times’ amazing “Amplifier” newsletter did us ALL a big favor: They put together a 103(!)-song playlist of the best music of 2024. You can check it out here:
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I just can’t care about the Hunter pardon. Yes you tried to make the case to me, but I don’t care. I lost all ability to be outraged during the first Trump administration. No, two wrongs don’t make a right, but that is where I find myself. I just don’t care.
The Hunter pardon will not affect America’s national security, the health of its citizens, or how the rule of law is applied. If Hegseth, Gabbard, RFK Jr or Patel are confirmed, those things will be affected. It is those that stink. And Chris, by the way, how long are you going to beat Hunter into the ground? That hard up for a topic?