Barton Gellman
@bartongellman.bsky.social
@BrennanCenter | ex Atlantic, WaPo | Author, Angler & Dark Mirror | bartongellman.com/contact
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Barton Gellman
@bartongellman.bsky.social
· Nov 12
Verification: this is the real Barton Gellman, senior advisor at the Brennan Center, author of Dark Mirror & Angler, and former staff writer at The Atlantic and The Washington Post.
Reupping my look at Cheney’s legacy for those who sensibly spent time with friends and family over the weekend. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
What I Learned About Dick Cheney
The former vice president was certain he knew better than the citizens he served what was good for them.
www.theatlantic.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reupping my look at Cheney’s legacy for those who sensibly spent time with friends and family over the weekend. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Barton Gellman
First kids at a Halloween parade getting tear gassed and now this. Abhorrent and unacceptable.
Girl Scouts in a Chicago Suburb hosted a food drive. But the girls encountered masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with weapons.
"ICE turned it into a scary and what felt like an unsafe environment for us to be out with these kids"
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
"ICE turned it into a scary and what felt like an unsafe environment for us to be out with these kids"
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
Masked ICE agents put damper on Oak Park Girl Scout food drive: ‘It’s heartbreaking as a mom’
Federal immigration agents were confronted in Oak Park on Saturday morning by residents blowing whistles as local Girl Scouts collect food for local pantries, rattling some girls and their parents.
chicago.suntimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:17 PM
First kids at a Halloween parade getting tear gassed and now this. Abhorrent and unacceptable.
Rebuttal from a very smart lawyer (and friend) to one of my arguments in @theatlantic.com piece on Cheney.
This is excellent. I don't think it's true, though, that Cheney never exercised power that plainly belonged to another branch. When the Bush admin launched the warrantless wiretapping program, it did so in violation of a federal statute. Same with torture--there was a statute that prohibited that.
November 9, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Rebuttal from a very smart lawyer (and friend) to one of my arguments in @theatlantic.com piece on Cheney.
Nearly two decades after my book on Cheney, I took a shot at assessing his legacy. It’s more complicated than you might think. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
What I Learned About Dick Cheney
The former vice president was certain he knew better than the citizens he served what was good for them.
www.theatlantic.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Nearly two decades after my book on Cheney, I took a shot at assessing his legacy. It’s more complicated than you might think. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Barton Gellman
so far, grand and petit juries are the institutions with the best track record in standing up to authoritarianism
Trump’s Revenge Campaign Has a Weakness
Prosecuting his enemies is turning out to be more difficult than he’d hoped—at least for now.
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:56 PM
so far, grand and petit juries are the institutions with the best track record in standing up to authoritarianism
Reposted by Barton Gellman
President Trump’s troop deployments in Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, and other cities pose real threats to civil liberties and the rule of law.
Experts will discuss the legality of Trump's domestic military deployments. Join us for a virtual event on Mon., Nov. 10, at 3pm EST. RSVP: bit.ly/4hJjSnB
Experts will discuss the legality of Trump's domestic military deployments. Join us for a virtual event on Mon., Nov. 10, at 3pm EST. RSVP: bit.ly/4hJjSnB
Troops in American Cities
Experts discuss the legality of domestic military deployments.
www.brennancenter.org
November 6, 2025 at 8:02 PM
President Trump’s troop deployments in Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, and other cities pose real threats to civil liberties and the rule of law.
Experts will discuss the legality of Trump's domestic military deployments. Join us for a virtual event on Mon., Nov. 10, at 3pm EST. RSVP: bit.ly/4hJjSnB
Experts will discuss the legality of Trump's domestic military deployments. Join us for a virtual event on Mon., Nov. 10, at 3pm EST. RSVP: bit.ly/4hJjSnB
Reposted by Barton Gellman
A reminder that if you are called to be part of a jury in a political prosecution you have a right to refuse to convict on the grounds the prosecution is unjust. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Trump’s Politicized Prosecutions May Hit a Roadblock
When the president puts his political enemies on trial on pretextual grounds, jurors have the option of refusing to convict.
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:01 PM
A reminder that if you are called to be part of a jury in a political prosecution you have a right to refuse to convict on the grounds the prosecution is unjust. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Barton Gellman
A U.S. Senate investigation led by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) "has uncovered dozens of credible reports of medical neglect and poor conditions in immigration detention centers nationwide — with detainees denied insulin, left without medical attention for days and forced to compete for clean water."
Senate report details dozens of cases of medical neglect in federal immigration detention centers
A U.S. Senate investigation has uncovered numerous credible reports of medical neglect and poor conditions in immigration detention centers across the country.
apnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM
A U.S. Senate investigation led by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) "has uncovered dozens of credible reports of medical neglect and poor conditions in immigration detention centers nationwide — with detainees denied insulin, left without medical attention for days and forced to compete for clean water."
It's like an ICE competition for most heartless arrest. And it's so unnecessary to do it this way that it must somehow be deliberate. This is not who we are as a country.
this morning, ICE went into a Spanish language immersion daycare and took a teacher from the building in front of screaming and crying kids and parents at dropoff and the daycare had to shut down for the day (near Lane Tech, where they were yesterday). Really hoping today's "theme" is not "daycare."
November 5, 2025 at 3:49 PM
It's like an ICE competition for most heartless arrest. And it's so unnecessary to do it this way that it must somehow be deliberate. This is not who we are as a country.
Reposted by Barton Gellman
"Former vice president Dick Cheney, who recast an understudy’s job into an engine of White House power, becoming chief architect of a post-9/11 war on terrorism that involved bypassing restrictions against torture and domestic espionage, died Nov. 3. He was 84." @bartongellman.bsky.social
Dick Cheney, powerful vice president during war on terrorism, dies at 84
After 9/11, he used his role as President George W. Bush’s chief strategist to approve the use of torture and steer U.S. occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:28 PM
"Former vice president Dick Cheney, who recast an understudy’s job into an engine of White House power, becoming chief architect of a post-9/11 war on terrorism that involved bypassing restrictions against torture and domestic espionage, died Nov. 3. He was 84." @bartongellman.bsky.social
Wow. That’s a remarkably generous assessment. Thank you.
@bartongellman.bsky.social's book on Dick Cheney is not just one of the 2 or 3 best book of that era, but one of the best books generally.
Here's his obit.
www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
Here's his obit.
www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
Dick Cheney, powerful vice president during war on terrorism, dies at 84
After 9/11, he used his role as President George W. Bush’s chief strategist to approve the use of torture and steer U.S. occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Wow. That’s a remarkably generous assessment. Thank you.
Reposted by Barton Gellman
Here's my favorite piece of Dick Cheney-attached art, inspired by @bartongellman.bsky.social's Post reporting: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAqe...
Man Size Safe (Remastered)
YouTube video by Ben Allison - Topic
www.youtube.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Here's my favorite piece of Dick Cheney-attached art, inspired by @bartongellman.bsky.social's Post reporting: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAqe...
Scooter Libby, Cheney’s closest aide, protege and protector, makes an interesting case for the former VP as historic figure. He ducks or dismisses important criticisms but it’s well worth a read. www.wsj.com/opinion/dick...
Opinion | Dick Cheney Made the Most of the Vice Presidency
He was a champion of free markets and conservative values during his long lifetime of public service.
www.wsj.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Scooter Libby, Cheney’s closest aide, protege and protector, makes an interesting case for the former VP as historic figure. He ducks or dismisses important criticisms but it’s well worth a read. www.wsj.com/opinion/dick...
Reposted by Barton Gellman
DHS says our new piece is "dishonest, slanted, and fundamentally inaccurate" but won't say why. Here's the story where we show with evidence that DHS spliced together clips spanning years and multiple locations to create its own reality. Gift link wapo.st/4nuDGwf
October 30, 2025 at 3:26 AM
DHS says our new piece is "dishonest, slanted, and fundamentally inaccurate" but won't say why. Here's the story where we show with evidence that DHS spliced together clips spanning years and multiple locations to create its own reality. Gift link wapo.st/4nuDGwf
Reposted by Barton Gellman
For election officials, Election Day begins months before a ballot is ever cast. The Brennan Center interviewed Tonya Wichman, the elections director in a small Ohio county, about the preparation and training behind it all. bit.ly/3J6JhuJ
The Long Road to Election Day
Tonya Wichman, the elections director in a small Ohio county, discusses the preparation and training that goes into administering an election.
www.brennancenter.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:04 PM
For election officials, Election Day begins months before a ballot is ever cast. The Brennan Center interviewed Tonya Wichman, the elections director in a small Ohio county, about the preparation and training behind it all. bit.ly/3J6JhuJ
Reposted by Barton Gellman
"This fucking sucks" and "all is lost" are two different sentences.
Don't say the second when you mean the first.
Don't say the second when you mean the first.
October 27, 2025 at 3:29 PM
"This fucking sucks" and "all is lost" are two different sentences.
Don't say the second when you mean the first.
Don't say the second when you mean the first.
Reposted by Barton Gellman
Echoes with Katie Miller telling Cenk Ugyur that he'd better hope his citizenship application was flawless. bsky.app/profile/dgra...
NCGOP spokesman appears to be threatening @propublica.org's @dougbockclark.bsky.social with retaliation by the Trump administration for reporting on a state Supreme Court justice www.propublica.org/article/paul...
October 30, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Echoes with Katie Miller telling Cenk Ugyur that he'd better hope his citizenship application was flawless. bsky.app/profile/dgra...
High on my reading list. Always read George Packer.
Journalism and fiction are both essential to a thriving democracy, George Packer argues. He explores how his experience writing a political novel revealed similarities between imagined worlds and reality:
Why Novels Matter
Journalism and fiction are both essential to a thriving democracy.
bit.ly
October 30, 2025 at 3:07 PM
High on my reading list. Always read George Packer.
I mostly agree with Will here, but I doubt the threat here is anywhere near illegal. What's needed is more news orgs like ProPublica, which disregards the threat -- and publishes it. I used to tell folks who got aggressive during interviews that threats are always on the record.
Vibes are an underrated aspect of free speech. The First Amendment hasn't changed, but the vibes from this administration are that the gov't has the power to chill press freedom via threats. And so I'd expect these kinds of casual threats to continue until or unless courts emphatically quash them.
October 30, 2025 at 3:06 PM
I mostly agree with Will here, but I doubt the threat here is anywhere near illegal. What's needed is more news orgs like ProPublica, which disregards the threat -- and publishes it. I used to tell folks who got aggressive during interviews that threats are always on the record.
Such an important reminder to reporters. Don't assume. Question everything. Verify.
oh God, this is like that scene in all the presidents men when woodstein spent a couple hours asking a random lady’s opinions abt watergate in her apt and then finally realize she’s not the woman who works at CREEP.
October 30, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Such an important reminder to reporters. Don't assume. Question everything. Verify.
Reposted by Barton Gellman
All true ... but the last tests by Russia and China were *also* in the 1990s. (North Korea has tested much more recently.) Nobody seems to know what Trump is talking about.
President Trump said he had directed the Pentagon to begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China.
The last full-scale U.S. nuclear weapons test took place in Nevada in 1992.
The last full-scale U.S. nuclear weapons test took place in Nevada in 1992.
A look at past nuclear weapons tests in Russia, China and the U.S.
Trump said the U.S. will test nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. None of the three countries has tested live nuclear weapons since the 1990s.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:52 PM
All true ... but the last tests by Russia and China were *also* in the 1990s. (North Korea has tested much more recently.) Nobody seems to know what Trump is talking about.
Reposted by Barton Gellman
From defending voting rights to addressing big money in politics, state governments are driving reform and offering hope amid dysfunction in DC.
States Step Up as Washington Stalls
With Congress paralyzed and aid programs in jeopardy, state governments are proving to be laboratories for reform and resistance.
www.brennancenter.org
October 29, 2025 at 9:20 PM
From defending voting rights to addressing big money in politics, state governments are driving reform and offering hope amid dysfunction in DC.
Reposted by Barton Gellman
Do you know if you have an upcoming state or local election? Use this resource to check, and then make a plan to vote. Make sure your voice is heard: www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote
Plan Your Vote
Become a Poll Worker Today It's never too early to help democracy! By signing up to be a poll worker, you can ensure that all voters-including voters with disabilities, voters who need language assistance, and voters who want to cast their ballot in person-have a positive experience at the polls.
www.vote411.org
October 29, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Do you know if you have an upcoming state or local election? Use this resource to check, and then make a plan to vote. Make sure your voice is heard: www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote
Reposted by Barton Gellman
More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site
As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.
www.miamiherald.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...