Potential Pretrial Defenses and Vindictive Prosecution Claims

Letitia James has been indicted, as President Trump’s retribution campaign continues. (So has John Bolton, but that happened after we recorded.) While the Bolton indictment has a forbidding, professional feel, the James indictment does not, and is likely to be vulnerable to some of the same attacks James Comey is raising against his own indictment. But then, is the point even to get a conviction? Plus: another US Attorney has been forced out for insufficient eagerness to investigate the president’s enemies, and the Wall Street Journal reports that Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrival to the Club Fed in Texas has made life less pleasant for the other inmates there.

For paying subscribers, we look at Drake’s humiliating loss in his defamation lawsuit against his own record label, in which a federal judge had to explain to him how a rap battle works; a discussion of a split decision by a panel in the Sixth Circuit, saying schools may prohibit clothing with implied vulgarities (such as two students’ sweatshirts that declared “Let’s Go Brandon"); ICE enforcing a little-known law that green card holders must actually carry their green cards (apparently just with fines, so far); and the State Department bragging that it’s revoking visas held by non-citizens who said mean things about Charlie Kirk.

There's also a preview of Josh's new podcast Central Air, a weekly politics chat from the center.