August 6, 2023 - Your Daily Digest

Another Trump indictment likely, Poland considers closing its borders, situation in Niger gets worse, and more

Today is August 6, 2023, and here are five stories that you need to know about. If you enjoy my newsletter, please consider a monthly subscription to support my work, get access to exclusive content, and more.

1) Another Trump Indictment?

Donald Trump is facing the possibility of a fourth indictment as soon as this week. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has announced that indictments in her investigation into election interference in Georgia will come before September 1st. However, prosecutors have been told to work from home in the first couple weeks of August, and barriers are being erected outside of the Fulton County courthouse where a grand jury will issue indictments. Latest images from outside of the courthouse show multiple layers of barriers. Moreover, barricades will be added to the street in front of the courthouse beginning tomorrow. The road in front of the courthouse, between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Mitchell Road will be closed until Friday, August 18th. Although charges are likely against several fake electors, whether Trump is indicted in Georgia remains unclear. As soon as we have more information I will provide it to you so stay tuned.

2) Trump Risks Pre-Trial Detention

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has increased his incendiary rhetoric on Truth Social, targeting the Court, Special Counsel Jack Smith, and former Vice President Mike Pence. Yesterday, Trump issued the following statement targeting Pence:

Pence is a critical witness in the Special Counsel’s indictment against Trump, and some legal analysts have pointed out that Trump’s statement could rise to the level of witness intimidation. However, while I do not believe Trump's latest comments targeting Pence rise to the level of witness intimidation, he does need to be careful about making incendiary comments about any potential witness, especially comments related to the third indictment. Trump is towing a very delicate line here, and could get himself into trouble with the court if he continues to make comments like these. Despite the possible legal consequences, today, Trump attacked the Judge assigned to his case, Judge Tanya Chutkan, and stated that his attorneys would be asking for recusal and for a change of venue. Read his latest post here:

Two thoughts. First, recusal is an extremely high bar, and Trump does not have any legitimate legal basis for recusal. Remember, Judge Chutkan would be ruling over any recusal motion, so she would have to recuse herself in the event she has some personal connection to the defendant, lawyers, or witnesses or if she has some personal bias that could impact the outcome of the case. Neither appear to be present here. Second, Trump’s change of venue request would likely fail as well. Multiple January 6th defendants have tried moving their case out of D.C. to a more preferable venue. All such requests have failed. It’s unlikely Trump’s will be any different.

3) Poland Considers Closing its Borders

Poland is currently considering the possibility of closing its border with Belarus. This comes as there have been increased reports of Wagner mercenaries moving closer to Poland from Belarus. Some within Poland are even concerned about a possible incursion by Wagner forces into parts of Poland in an effort to destabilize the country. Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski, quoted by CNN, asserted “We are very clear that we will not make concessions. Obviously there will be attempts [by mercenaries to get into Poland]. We expect more attempts to attack our border, possibly violations of our airspace.” He also added that the Wagner forces “will try to show that they can do whatever they want,” and that Poland is “increasing the number of troops in this region.” Tensions continue to rise at an extremely uncertain time for both countries, and I will provide you with more information as we learn it.

4) Russian “Election” Upcoming

Today, in a New York Times interview, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, gave his first statements ahead of next year’s Presidential election in Russia. Peskov asserted "[o]ur presidential election is not a real democracy, it's an expensive bureaucracy. Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90 percent of the vote." He essentially stated publicly what we already knew. Russia is not a democracy and Putin will not be democratically elected by the people next year.

5) Civil Unrest in Niger Grows Worse

Civil unrest is rising in Niger as the military junta currently in control of the country has shutdown the country’s airspace. Following the closure of Niger’s airspace, the junta stated that any "attempts to violate national airspace will be met with a vigorous and instantaneous response." Meanwhile, France has suspended all aid to Burkina Faso and hundreds of Nigerian soldiers have been deployed to reinforce the borders with Nigeria and Benin. Civil unrest continues to grow in the region, and I will provide you updates as we learn more.