Randall Eliason

There's never been a better time to become better informed about white collar crime topics such as fraud, public corruption, and obstruction of justice. You can purchase my course, "White Collar Criminal Law Explained," at the Great Courses website. www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/whit...

Telling headline in the WSJ: “clings to power?” He won the election by more than 3% and with more than 50% of the vote - how about just “prevails” or “wins re-election?” @wsj.com

Man, that's only like half a Scaramucci.... Katie Zacharia Is Ousted After 5 Days as White House Press Secretary www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/u...

If they indict Cassidy Hutchinson it will be an outrage, and the prosecution will quickly go the way of the reflecting pool case or the first indictment of James Comey.

Excellent reporting here from Alan Feuer and Glenn Thrush on the farcical "grand conspiracy" case and how even this Justice Department is having trouble putting it together. I mean, when you've lost Joe diGenova . . . www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/u...

BREAKING: Davey Hearn reflecting pool prosecution dismissed WITH PREJUDICE That means the case cannot be brought again  Huge victory for Davey, for us at @democracydefendersfund.org & our legal team colleagues Washington Litigation Group and Steptoe--& for rule of law More to follow!

The problem is under the Special Counsel regulations, even if Cannon's order blocking release is lifted it is up to the Attorney General whether to make the report public. I somehow doubt Todd Blanche is going to do that. We're not going to see the report until we have a Democratic administration.

You have to wonder about the political instincts of Senate Republicans who called Jack Smith to testify publicly about Trump’s crimes and remind the public about those events five weeks before the midterms.

The alleged "grand conspiracy" case is imploding, with first diGenova quitting and now others involved in the investigation leaving as well. Maybe there are actually some prosecutions so ridiculous that even this Justice Department won't pursue them. Maybe. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...

The Minnesota Vikings are 3-0. Proof that anything can happen.

20 years ago, Bush fired several U.S. Attorneys for failing to pursue election fraud cases against Democrats. It was a major scandal that led to a special counsel and multiple resignations. When Trump's DOJ threatened to do the same thing, it barely registered. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/doj-report...

My latest on Sidebars: DOJ reportedly threatened to fire prosecutors who decline voter fraud cases. 20 years ago, the Bush DOJ fired U.S. Attorneys for failing to pursue voter fraud cases against Democrats. Republicans are running plays from an old playbook. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/doj-report...

Imagine spending all that time and energy to oust Powell and put in your own hand-picked guy, and then the guy raises rates anyway. What a tragedy. Lots of ketchup will be flying tonight.

Big fan of @hcrichardson.bsky.social but her description of the FL ballot case here is misleading. These were not “rejected mailed ballots” but merely a proposed envelope design submitted for approval in advance. The post makes it sound like actual mailed ballots were rejected, which is not correct.

To travel internationally today is to be constantly having these conversations: “Yes, we know he’s crazy. We don’t understand how it happened either.” It was nice when we could travel and not be embarrassed for our country or to say where we are from.

What Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social does is a huge public service: www.stevevladeck.com/p/246-making...

My latest on Sidebars: Sometimes something that looks, walks, and quacks like a duck . . . is still not a duck. Trump’s Truth Social scheme and the law of insider trading. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/why-trumps...

My latest on Sidebars: Trump is selling early access to his market-moving Truth Social posts to allow subscribers to make millions by trading based on the posts before the public sees them. It’s sleazy, unethical, and corrupt. But it’s not insider trading. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/why-trumps...

The reflecting pool case was just another example of Trump's Justice Department trying to please him and back up his fantasies through abuse of the criminal justice process. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

The vote on Blanche's nomination is set for tomorrow, but there are signs it may be in trouble. Here's hoping some in the Senate are developing a spine. Blanche has no business being Attorney General. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/todd-blanc...

This disgraceful prosecution -- spearheaded by Todd Blanche -- is one of many reasons the Senate should reject his nomination to be Attorney General.

Comey asks judge to dismiss Trump 'seashells' case citing lack of 'true threat' (Dan Mangan/CNBC) Main Link | memeorandum Permalink

Tom Cruise?

Break doors and windows at the Capitol, assault police officers, and you’re a patriot who deserves a pardon. But pick up some peeling paint from the reflecting pool and you’ll be prosecuted. That’s the DOJ under Trump and Todd Blanche. He’s unfit for the job. open.substack.com/pub/sidebars...

My latest on Sidebars: Todd Blanche’s record at DOJ over the past 18 months shows he is unfit to serve as Attorney General. open.substack.com/pub/sidebars...

this is knicks game 3 all over again isn’t it the trump curse lives!

Well, this tracks. FIFA may be one of the few institutions in the world that is as corrupt as the Trump administration. They understand each other. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/u...

Honored that the great @rdeliason.bsky.social mentioned my @lawfaremedia.org piece on the Broadview Six in his excellent roundup of Trump administration malfeasance before the district courts. Here's a link to my piece: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/r.i....

My latest on Sidebars: in a little more than a year, the Trump administration has destroyed the judicial trust that took decades to build. Judges are now rejecting the traditional presumption of regularity they used to apply to acts of government officials. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/the-presum...

My latest on Sidebars: under Trump, the presumption of regularity that courts apply to government actions has been flipped. Now, if the government is accused of misconduct, it's reasonable for a court to assume there is probably something to the accusation. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/the-presum...

The damage to DOJ's credibility is a huge problem. Assuming we someday once again have a Justice Department interested in pursuing true corruption cases, who could blame judges or juries from believing a legitimate defendant was politically targeted? www.politico.com/news/2026/06...

Some criticized Jack Smith for bringing the Trump classified docs case in FL rather than DC. But today's SCOTUS decision in Abouammo shows he was right. The investigation was in DC but the obstructive acts and retention of docs were in FL. Venue is a constitutional requirement, not an option.

The NBA games are clearly rigged. The Knicks were leading at halftime last night but then as the evening went on there were wide changes in the results. This is undermining fan integrity and confidence in the result.

That's a key characteristic of a good conspiracy theory: if there is no evidence of the conspiracy, that merely proves how good the conspirators have been at covering it up.

Your periodic reminder that even if a witness is not under oath, lying during a Congressional interview is still a felony - 18 U.S.C. 1001. Taking an oath may make the proceeding seem more serious and formal, but it's not necessary for criminal liability. www.politico.com/news/2026/05...

The obligation of a prosecutor to act ethically is especially important in the grand jury, where there is no judge or defense counsel to intervene. Prosecutors in Trump's DOJ are ignoring those obligations and eroding the judicial trust built up over decades. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/u...

Blanche said yesterday other expressions of "86 47" won't be prosecuted but the Comey case is based on additional evidence of intent - although he couldn't say what that was. If they really had such evidence it would be in the indictment. #selectiveprosecution www.sidebarsblog.com/p/todd-blanc...

My latest on Sidebars: when Todd Blanche was first appointed to DOJ, some were hopeful that the former AUSA from the Southern District of NY would be a moderating influence, someone who respected DOJ's norms and the rule of law. Those hopes have been dashed. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/todd-blanc...

My latest on Sidebars: with Todd Blanche in charge at DOJ, things have gone from bad to worse. The new Comey indictment doesn't pass the laugh test or the smell test. And anyone who signed off on it would not pass a first-year criminal law test. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/todd-blanc...

The defense should move for access to the grand jury transcripts in the new Comey case. It’s hard to believe the grand jurors weren’t misled about the legal requirements of these charges.

I mean, it was obviously a threat. Who can forget the famous scene from "The Godfather" when they find the seashell art on the doorstep and everyone knows it means Luca Brasi sleeps with the scallops?

Among the many ridiculous things about this indictment is that it includes a forfeiture request - so that if convicted Comey must forfeit to the US any property that constitutes proceeds of his seashell threat. Huh? 🤔

I remember when people had some hope that Todd Blanche, a former AUSA in the Southern District of NY, might be a moderating influence at DOJ. But he's become a true believer. What a disappointment. It's almost like they are letting Trump write the briefs now. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/u...

As predicted, DC US Attorney Pirro has now dropped the investigation of Jerome Powell that she never should have started in the first place, clearing the way for Warsh’s confirmation. Her string of failed, political prosecutions continues. www.sidebarsblog.com/p/jeanine-pi...

Texas republicans illegally gerrymandered their maps and never once asked voters how they feel about it. California and Virginia let voters decide. That’s the difference. They started this fight and Democrats are going to fucking finish it.

Indeed. Complaints about redistricting are invalid. Republicans did it everywhere and invalidated a Constitutional Amendment so they could do it on explicitly racial lines. There are two choices: use the same levers of power as Republicans do, or let them win. There is no "principled" opposition.

There is a public interest in supporting jury verdicts after a full and fair trial. Justice shouldn’t be whipsawed just because the administration changes. The court should appoint counsel to argue the other side, since this motion is of course unopposed.

Such obvious theatrics and attempted intimidation. Prosecutors are unlikely to learn anything relevant to a fraud case by visiting the site, and if they really wanted to see it they would have arranged a visit with someone knowledgeable about the work.

I’m not sure what the legal standard is but I assume the court will not automatically grant this motion. Trying to drop the case after a jury verdict is very different from dismissing it prior to trial.

Always a pleasure to speak with @thebradblog.bsky.social . I wish we had some happier topics to discuss.

This is a remarkable story of a longtime DOJ prosecutor, portrayed here as not especially competent, who has become a big star in this administration because he will eagerly do preposterous things for them. GIFT LINK: www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...