@mitchellepner.bsky.social
Attorney, former AUSA, father, husband, former JBLC, long-time Knicks fan and occasional talking head https://mitchellepner.substack.com/ https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/mitchell-epner
$11.3 billion to prove that, “Any jackass can kick down a barn, but that doesn’t mean he can build . . an effective distraction from the thousands of mentions of Donald Trump in the Epstein Files.”
GIFT LINK
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03...
Pitch an unnecessary sequel.
My Brunch With Andre.
Let’s remember how Americans “grappled” with the morality of Rolling Thunder bombing of North Vietnam.
As a mentor once told me (in a different context), “It is like the recipe for making ice. If you know it, it is the simplest thing in the world. If you don’t know it, it is an absolute mystery.”
I hope that your prediction does not come to pass but fear that it will.
You may be right, because the only thing I know *for certain* about the future is that it has not happened yet.
On the other hand, the list of things that did not shake MAGAts unquestioningly faith in Trump starts with over a million COVID deaths.
The last ten years have taught me that MAGAts would rather suffer hideous consequences blaming everyone except themselves & Trump than change their paradigm.
“I can’t say that we anticipated necessarily that’s exactly how they would react, but we knew it was a possibility,” Mr. Hegseth said at a Pentagon news conference. “I think it was a demonstration of the desperation of the regime.”
Surprised that Iran would act desperately after Khameni’s death?
One of my proudest professional achievements are the years (2001 - 04) I served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Although imperfect, the Office did its best to live up to the oath to protect & defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign & domestic.
SMDH!
Which is why I use the”[sarcasm alert]” in my posts.
I’m already not that funny. I don’t want to compound that by being misunderstood.
Woe to those who call good evil and evil good.
I doubt that Dahlquist lied to the judge about when he learned of the possibility of settlement.
I believe that the people at the DOJ who settled without telling Dahlquist (if that is what happened) gave no consideration to the institutional damage they are doing to the DOJ with the judiciary.
The Trump DOJ, burning the credibility built up by generations of candor to the courts out incompetence and/or malevolence:
“You’re a lead counsel for the United States and you didn’t receive this term sheet until I did at 6:30 AM this morning?” Subramanian asked. “Correct,” Dahlquist said.
Brilliant, and I’m sorry about my use of the Taconic State Parkway.
Song for the Day: Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag (NSFW) - Country Joe & The Fish
youtu.be/eRl6-bHlz-4?...
Once again, the New York Times runs a story analyzing the text of a legal pleading/order but FAILS to link to the document.
This is an editorial stance that serves NYT’s interest to keep readers in its “walled garden” over imparting knowledge to readers.
For shame.
Gift link
Having raised my child in and around Central Park, hearing "Lyin' Ass Bitch" would not have been in the top 10 things that I was concerned were too adult for her.
But, you're right.
Trump may or may not have mastered object permanence, so I do not believe that he is taking long-term consequences into account.
In the first Trump term, a former colleague in private practice was 1 of the 4 AUSAs who resigned rather than go along with AG Barr's command that they seek a lenient sentence for Roger Stone.
The threat of mass DOJ resignations was part of why Trump was dissuaded from stealing 2020 election.
Fair.
I did not expect to see the day when Grand Jury independence actually was a meaningful bulwark against fascism.
Nevertheless, here we are.
