Fauci Pleads The Fifth 111 Times

Two stories this week, connected by one thread: what happens to people who don't follow Trump in lockstep.

Todd Blanche, Trump's personal criminal attorney who lost the New York hush money trial making Trump a felon 34 times over, may have his attorney general nomination withdrawn. Two outgoing Republican senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, want Blanche to sign a piece of paper agreeing to follow a federal judge's order shutting down the $1.8 billion slush fund and ending Trump's IRS immunity deal. Blanche has refused. The judge previously accused Trump and Blanche of colluding to use her courtroom to legitimize an immunity deal for the president's personal benefit. Cornyn and Tillis are the only two making noise because they're leaving office in January and have nothing to lose.

Anthony Fauci appeared before the Senate yesterday for a hearing led by Rand Paul. Biden issued Fauci a blanket preemptive pardon on his last day in office, so the hearing was widely understood to be an attempt to get Fauci to commit perjury, which would not be covered by that pardon. Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times. Senator Josh Hawley posted a video of himself asking Fauci what color his tie was, then said "no honest person pleads the Fifth." Donald Trump pled the Fifth 450 times in his 2022 New York civil deposition. Hawley is a trained lawyer and knows this.

Grant also plays Senator Bernie Moreno's tirade about a woman who was arrested for refusing to wear a mask at a school, including the part Moreno left out: the woman repeatedly refused to comply, resisted arrest multiple times, and Moreno himself authored a bill mandating 20-year minimum sentences for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.

This week's Substack: how the White House is running out of midterm options and turning to the Supreme Court's shadow docket.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Two stories, one thread: what happens when you don't follow Trump in lockstep

2:00 Todd Blanche may never become a real attorney general: Trump threatens to pull the nomination

3:30 What Cornyn and Tillis actually want: a signature confirming the slush fund and IRS deal are dead

5:00 The judge's verdict: Trump and Blanche colluded to use her courtroom to legitimize a presidential immunity deal

6:30 Why only two senators are making noise: they're leaving in January and have nothing to lose

8:00 What happens if Blanche's nomination is withdrawn: the law that lets him stay acting AG forever

9:30 Two signs Trump's power is withering: he'd rather lose a legal AG than give up the IRS deal

11:00

SAYSO NEWS APP

12:30 Fauci back on Capitol Hill: why this hearing was a perjury trap and how Fauci beat it

14:00 Fauci invokes the Fifth 111 times. Trump pled it 450. Josh Hawley says only one of them is guilty.

16:00 Bernie Moreno's mask mandate story: what he said, what he left out, and what his own bill says about it

18:30 Deborah Birx explains what this is really about: Fauci's original sin was not following Trump's orders

20:00 The thread connecting both stories: the Republican Party remains consumed by fealty to Trump no matter the cost

Cheers to two Years of Make It Make Sense! Independent journalism only works with your support, so thank you! The price is still $5/month, but that changes August 20th. Subscribe now to lock in $5/month or $50/year!

makeitmakesensepod.substack.com

Join the SaySo News App! SaySo is a brand new news app built for people who actually want to be informed, not just keep scrolling. No outrage-chasing algorithm, no AI slop, just vetted creators delivering fact-driven coverage you can get through in a few minutes a day. I'm one of the early creators on the platform, posting there alongside others I trust. Check it out and download SaySo