Dem
47
GOP
53
We don't know where it's coming from (Stephen Miller?), but in the last week or so, there has clearly been a concerted effort from the White House to intimidate its "enemies" by using and abusing the legal system. It is true, this is a well-worn trick from the Trump playbook. However, the last several days have seen Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Renee and Becca Good, and others end up in the administration's crosshairs. A message is being sent and, in each case, the intended target of that message could not be clearer: active-duty troops (Kelly), Fed/independent agency appointees (Powell) and anyone who might dare resist ICE (the Goods).
There is another very obvious target for Trump, and it's one of his very favorites: the press. Reporters have a very nasty habit of shining a light on things that the administration would rather keep shrouded in darkness. And yesterday, the FBI, undoubtedly under orders from Director Kash Patel, raided the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, who has spent the last year writing about the damage Trump has done to the federal workforce. Her coverage has been informed by numerous leakers, some of whom shared classified information. FBI agents, who were backed by a warrant, took with them Natanson's phone, two computers and a smartwatch.
Natanson is not arrested, and is not facing charges. Presumably, that will not change, since it is not illegal for reporters to share leaked information. On the other hand, this administration cares little for what the law actually says, so you never know. For the moment, one of Natanson's alleged sources, Aurelio Perez-Lugones, is the target. But every reporter who covers the Trump administration just got a warning: One day, maybe one day soon, FBI agents could show up at YOUR front door. Make sure all of your devices are fully encrypted. On Apple devices, use File Vault. On Android devices, use File-Based Encryption. On Microsoft devices, use BitLocker. These are close to unbreakable without the keys.
We would argue that this is yet another example of Trump and his underlings not thinking things through. The strategy of putting CBS News under the control of right-wingers? That one is paying off (as we will discuss in an upcoming item). But real journalists have an ethos that Trump and his people can never understand. If you try to intimidate them into not doing their jobs, they just double and triple down. Do you think, for example, that Natanson's coverage is going to get more friendly? We don't. (Z)