Saturday Rewind: Strike three coming?

The NYAG's two-front battle, a Trump loyalist's bar complaint, and an Epstein survivor urges judges to stop a "cover up."

Ex-Trump campaign lawyer turned purported U.S. Attorney John Sarcone had problems long before New York Attorney General Letitia James sought to disqualify him.

Months into his tenure, Sarcone reported that an undocumented immigrant tried to kill him, but the suspect’s attempted murder charge quickly got downgraded to a misdemeanor after surveillance footage proved that the allegations didn’t live up to their advertising.

In a police report, Sarcone provided an address that The Albany Times Union reported to be a boarded up home, raising questions about whether he lives in the district that he allegedly represents.

(Federal law requires Sarcone to reside in the Northern District of New York to lead that office.)

On Thursday, James had a two-front legal battle: A grand jury no-billed an indictment against her in Norfolk, Va., and a federal judge considered whether to quash two subpoenas signed by Sarcone in Albany, N.Y.

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“Pick your poison”

In a conversation, former Florida State Attorney Dave Aronberg and I discuss the two Tish James-related cases playing out on Thursday. Dave explained the many different ways these cases can end.

“If you don’t have a prosecutor that’s appointed properly, that case is getting dismissed,” he said. “If the prosecutor uses attorney-client privilege, it’s going to get dismissed. Pick your poison. Choose your own adventure. This case was dead on arrival.”

Sarcone’s backstory

Earlier this year, the group Campaign for Accountability’s executive director Michelle Kuppersmith filed a bar complaint against Sarcone following a series of embarrassing headlines in the upstate New York press. Sarcone has been trying to investigate James for successfully suing Trump, his family members, his business empire and the National Rifle Association. She also provides an update about the Virginia Bar’s response to a similar complaint filed against Lindsey Halligan.

The Epstein grand jury fight

Epstein survivor Annie Farmer urged two federal judges through her attorney not to let Trump’s Justice Department use litigation over grand jury records as an excuse to avoid disclosure of the government’s investigative files. This video was published before a federal judge in Florida agreed to release those grand jury records.

Nashville activists react to special election results

The Democratic candidate came within single digits of winning a surprisingly competitive race on Tuesday in a ruby red Tennessee district that Trump won by 22 points just last year.

Aftyn Behn ultimately lost by a little more than eight points to Rep.-elect Matt Van Epps in TN-7, a district that’s the product of gerrymandered maps that carved up blue and diverse Nashville into three districts.

Two local political organizers, Lisa Sherman Luna of TIRRC Votes and Tequila Johnson of Equity Alliance Fund, provide the postmortem.

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