Crash Course: "They are going to convict very quickly": Glenn Kirschner on the trial of Donald J. Trump

MSNBC analyst and longtime federal prosecutor says the evidence is "conclusive" — but Trump may not end up in jail. [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0Q2aHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL2xldHRlci81NTMzVwNzcGNCCmNHTodOYzOLnnRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). [Donald-Trump] Mario Tama/Getty Images "They are going to convict very quickly": Glenn Kirschner on the trial of Donald J. Trump Glenn Kirschner, an NBC News legal analyst and longtime federal prosecutor, told Salon's Chauncey DeVega that this time Trump may finally have gone too far. The House Jan. 6 committee hearings, Kirschner suggests, have provided a roadmap for prosecuting Donald Trump for such serious crimes as seditious conspiracy and attempting to defraud the United States. Kirschner believes the evidence is overwhelming and clear, and that it will not be difficult to convince a jury to convict Donald Trump. That does not mean, Kirschner cautions, that Trump is likely to serve time in prison. The Department of Justice may approach Trump's prosecution, Kirschner says, as a series of overlapping conspiracies rather than as the kind of comprehensive RICO case used against organized crime and other complex criminal organizations. Kirschner also warns that it's likely Trump's followers will follow through on his commands to commit acts of violence if he is prosecuted or convicted — but says that most of Trump's MAGA followers are cowards and that any potential violence will be limited in scope. [Read Chauncey DeVega's full interview with Glenn Kirschner.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RxaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcvdGhleS1hcmUtZ29pbmctdG8tY29udmljdC12ZXJ5LXF1aWNrbHktZ2xlbm4ta2lyc2NobmVyLW9uLXRoZS10cmlhbC1vZi1kb25hbGQtai9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [Donald-Trump] Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images “This paragraph alone is why DOJ will win”: Experts predict Trump Judge Aileen Cannon’s order doomed Legal experts predicted that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's order assigning a special master to review documents seized from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence would be struck down after an appeal from the Justice Department. The DOJ argued that there was no threat to Trump's rights because the search of Mar-a-Lago was authorized by a federal judge and because Trump had no right to have the documents in the first place. Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University, cited part of the DOJ brief laying out the core of its argument. "Most fundamentally, the district court erred in exercising equitable jurisdiction to entertain [Trump's] action in the first place," the DOJ said, adding that Cannon acknowledged that there had been "no showing" that the government acted in "callous disregard" of Trump's rights. "This paragraph alone is why DOJ will win hands down," Goodman predicted. "It was an essential condition for Cannon to have jurisdiction. Cannon admitted Trump made no showing to meet the condition. End of story." Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe [agreed](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0Q3aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS90cmliZWxhdy9zdGF0dXMvMTU4MTI1NzQ4MjA3NjI0MTkyMFcDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) that the DOJ filing is "as close to being conclusive and irrefutable as any brief I have ever read." [Read more from Igor Derysh.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0R2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcvdGhpcy1wYXJhZ3JhcGgtYWxvbmUtaXMtd2h5LWRvai13aWxsLXdpbi1leHBlcnRzLXByZWRpY3QtYWlsZWVuLWNhbm5vbnMtb3JkZXItZG9vbWVkL1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - Herschel Walker bizarrely insists his [debate prop badge is "legit"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0R_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcvaGVyc2NoZWwtd2Fsa2VyLWJpemFycmVseS1pbnNpc3RzLWhpcy1kZWJhdGUtcHJvcC1iYWRnZS1pcy1sZWdpdC0tdGhlbi1uby1zaG93cy1zZWNvbmQtZGViYXRlL1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) — then no-shows second debate - You're a genius, you just don't know it: [Temple Grandin on how "visual thinkers" see the world](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0R6aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcveW91cmUtYS1nZW5pdXMteW91LWp1c3QtZG9udC1rbm93LWl0LXRlbXBsZS1ncmFuZGluLW9uLWhvdy12aXN1YWwtdGhpbmtlcnMtc2VlLXRoZS13b3JsZC9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Why does marijuana [make it hard to remember stuff?](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcvaG93LWRvZXMtbWFyaWp1YW5hLWFmZmVjdC1tZW1vcnkvVwNzcGNCCmNHTodOYzOLnnRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - 25 years ago, ["I Know What You Did Last Summer"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RSaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcvaS1rbm93LXdoYXQteW91LWRpZC1sYXN0LXN1bW1lci0yNXRoLWFubml2ZXJzYXJ5L1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) told the future of teen trauma onscreen - Joe Biden's [broken promise to avoid war with Russia](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcvam9lLWJpZGVucy1icm9rZW4tcHJvbWlzZS10by1hdm9pZC13aXRoLWNvdWxkLWxlYWQtdG8tYXJtYWdlZGRvbi9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) could lead to Armageddon - The "Good Vibes Only" hashtag must die: Why [toxic positivity is slowly killing us](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RKaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTYvbWNpbmVybnktdmliZXMtb25seS1wb3NpdGl2aXR5LWludGVydmlldy9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - How to [use a Moka pot to make espresso](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RYaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTYvaG93LXRvLXVzZS1hLW1va2EtcG90LXRvLW1ha2UtZXNwcmVzc28tbGlrZS1hbi1pdGFsaWFuL1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) like an Italian Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. [Stop-the-Steal-protest] Spencer Platt/Getty Images This election isn't about inflation or abortion. It's about whether democracy can survive The mainstream media is trying to treat the midterms as a standard "issues" election but this is an election like no other and it's got nothing to do with "issues" in the normal sense. The Republicans are intent upon electing hundreds of election deniers to office, and are bent on destroying our election system as we've known it for the last half-century or more. Seventeen out of 35 Republican nominees have either denied the results of the 2020 election, sought to overturn them or refused to affirm the legitimacy of the outcome. Six of those 17 candidates are in crucial battleground states. There are hundreds of candidates in down-ballot races that feature similarly delusional or malicious candidates. The MAGA movement is openly assaulting democracy. Yet as we head into the final days of this campaign, mainstream media keeps trying to portray this as just another election. Gas prices are going up and down and Republicans are running scary ads with Black and brown people and threatening to cut Social Security, all of which is important and must be addressed. But none of that will matter if these authoritarian, anti-democratic election deniers win their races. There is nothing ordinary about any of this. I don't know whether the voters understand the true implications of this election, and I'm not sure the media does either. [Read more from Heather Digby Parton.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcvdGhpcy1pc250LWFib3V0LWluZmxhdGlvbi1vci1hYm9ydGlvbi1pdHMtYWJvdXQtd2hldGhlci1kZW1vY3JhY3ktY2FuLXN1cnZpdmUvVwNzcGNCCmNHTodOYzOLnnRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "Trump's secret, ugly breakup with Deutsche Bank is revealed in new allegations by NY's attorney general," [Insider](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0ReaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnVzaW5lc3NpbnNpZGVyLmNvbS90cnVtcHMtc2VjcmV0LXVnbHktYnJlYWt1cC13aXRoLWRldXRzY2hlLWJhbmstcmV2ZWFsZWQtMjAyMi0xMFcDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "The Militiamen, the Governor, and the Kidnapping That Wasn’t ," [Esquire](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RTaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXNxdWlyZS5jb20vbmV3cy1wb2xpdGljcy9hNDE1OTIwMDgvZ3JldGNoZW4td2hpdG1lci1raXRuYXAtbWlsaXRpYW1lbi9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "As FBI probed Jan. 6, many agents sympathized with insurrection, according to newly released email," [USA Today](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0R0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudXNhdG9kYXkuY29tL3N0b3J5L25ld3MvbmF0aW9uLzIwMjIvMTAvMTUvamFuLTYtaW5zdXJyZWN0aW9uLWZiaS1hZ2VudHMtcGF1bC1hYmJhdGUtd2FybmluZy8xMDQ5ODM1MTAwMi9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Five years on, what happened to the men of #MeToo?" [The Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RfaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL2xpZmVzdHlsZS8yMDIyLzEwLzE2L21ldG9vLW1lbi13aGF0LWhhcHBlbmVkLz9jdXJhdG9yPU1lZGlhUkVERUZXA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Inside the Jerry Falwell Love Triangle: Pool Boy Tells All," [Rolling Stone](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucm9sbGluZ3N0b25lLmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy9wb2xpdGljcy1mZWF0dXJlcy9wb29sLWJveS1qZXJyeS1mYWx3ZWxsLWxvdmUtdHJpYW5nbGUtMTIzNDYxMDk5NS9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Company Documents Show Meta’s Flagship Metaverse Falling Short," [The Wall Street Journal](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud3NqLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlcy9tZXRhLW1ldGF2ZXJzZS1ob3Jpem9uLXdvcmxkcy16dWNrZXJiZXJnLWZhY2Vib29rLWludGVybmFsLWRvY3VtZW50cy0xMTY2NTc3ODk2MVcDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) [Newt-Gingrich] Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images Perfecting the "art of polarization": How these '90s conservatives created today's radicalized right When looking back through history to figure out how we ended up in this hellscape that will inevitably be known as the "[Trump era](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0R5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMDcvMjEvaG93LXF1aWNrbHktd2UtZm9yZ2V0LWFtaWQtdGhlLXRyYXVtYS1vZi10aGUtdHJ1bXAtZXJhLWVhY2gtbmV3LW91dHJhZ2UtanVzdC1kaXNhcHBlYXJzL1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)," pundits often look to predecessors like Barry Goldwater in the 1960s, [Richard Nixon in the '70s](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0Q-aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDMvMzAvc3RvbGUtdGhlLXdhdGVyZ2F0ZS1wbGF5Ym9vay9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) or even [Ronald Reagan in the '80s](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjAvMDkvMTkvdHJ1bXBzLWRlc3RydWN0aW9uLW9mLWFtZXJpY2Etc3RhcnRlZC13aXRoLXJvbmFsZC1yZWFnYW5fcGFydG5lci9XA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). The 1990s, however, are often overlooked, even though that's when Donald Trump's notoriety as a tabloid fixture really came into focus. That decade is often remembered fondly these days, as a time of relative innocence, a country preoccupied with how to figure out email and what to do about a president getting a blow job in the Oval Office. In her new book "[Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0QpaHR0cHM6Ly9ib29rc2hvcC5vcmcvYS8yNDY0Lzk3ODE1NDE2NDY4ODlXA3NwY0IKY0dOh05jM4uedFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)," historian Nicole Hemmer wants us to take another look at the '90s. It was, she writes, "actually an era of right wing radicalization." And not just on the fringes, as with [Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMTcvMDQvMTgvdGltb3RoeS1tY3ZlaWdoLW15LWRhZC1hbmQtbWUtaG93LXRoZS1va2xhaG9tYS1jaXR5LXRyaWFsLWNhbWUtaG9tZS13aXRoLXVzL1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). Led by figures like House Majority Leader Newt Gingrich and race-baiting gadfly Pat Buchanan, it was a time when the GOP stopped being merely a conservative party and forged its new path — a competitive race to the bottom in which the trophy goes to the most repulsive political troll. (Right now, it's Trump, but there are contenders, including Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis.) That was when the idea of winning elections in order to govern wound down for Republicans and was replaced with scorched-earth politics, in which destroying the opposition is all that matters. Hemmer spoke with Salon about her new book and the dark side of the 90's. [Read Amanda Marcotte's full interview with Nicole Hemmer.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0SBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMTcvcGVyZmVjdGluZy10aGUtYXJ0LW9mLXBvbGFyaXphdGlvbi1ob3ctdGhlc2UtOTBzLWNvbnNlcnZhdGl2ZXMtY3JlYXRlZC10b2RheXMtcmFkaWNhbGl6ZWQtcmlnaHQvVwNzcGNCCmNHTodOYzOLnnRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE 19801 [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmNHTodOYzOLnnRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlMQxLP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpjR06HTmMzi550Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)