Since the New York Post is only a hair’s breadth away from a super-market tabloid rack, I never know whether what is published by it is satire, just plain false or merely negligent journalism. With that caveat, I have seen the remarkable story of the Shokin affidavit in the NY Post’s reporting on August 29: DC judge apparently strikes down Viktor Shokin affidavit from Trump Jan. 6 case https://tinyurl.com/4wa6rvnf

One of the many striking aspects of this report is the use of “apparently” – if the author read the judge’s order, why is this qualifier used? In any case, the rejection by Judge Chutkan was also reported by the Washington Examiner. https://tinyurl.com/y7dpdftk  and Newsweek.  https://tinyurl.com/4whnh6ne Conclude what you will.

I tracked down the docket listings for the six orders rejecting various filings by non-parties to United States v Trump and found this:

LEAVE TO FILE DENIED-Motion of D.A. Feliciano for Leave to File Amicus Curiae Brief Supporting Neither Plaintiff Nor Defendant as to DONALD J. TRUMP.

LEAVE TO FILE DENIED- Motion for Judicial Notice Affidavit of Victor Shorkin [sic] as to DONALD J. TRUMP.

LEAVE TO FILE DENIED-Motion to Intervene as to DONALD J. TRUMP

LEAVE TO FILE DENIED-Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus as to DONALD J. TRUMP

LEAVE TO FILE DENIED- Galaxy Bar Association as to DONALD J. TRUMP

LEAVE TO FILE DENIED- Amicus Curiae in Support of Donald Trump as to DONALD J. TRUMP

And finally, but no less curiously: LEAVE TO FILE DENIED- Moton of Former Judges and Senior Legal Officials for Leave to File an Amicus Curiae Brief in Support of Government Proposed Trial Date and Schedule as to DONALD J. TRUMP

As to each document the notation from Judge Chutkan reads:

This document is unavailable as the Court denied its filing. Although Courts have in rare instances exercised their discretion to permit third-party submissions in criminal cases, neither the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedures nor the Local Rules contemplate the filing of amicus curiae briefs. At this time, the court does not find it necessary to depart from the ordinary procedures course by permitting this filing.

Who are these people?

D.A. Feliciano does not come up in a Google search.

I found one reference to the Galaxy Bar Association on Twitter (now X or something): “Tomi T Ahonen With Galaxy Bar Association @ tomiahonen. His X bio reads: Author, consultant, motivational speaker. Biggest social media slut in mobile. A mAd vidiot, F1 fan, globetrotting digital gypsy 007 wannabe. The T Dawg.”  He is apparently no fan of Trump.

The most interesting filing rejected by Judge Chutkan purportedly was from Viktor Shokin, former Ukrainian prosecutor fired for corruption in 2015-2016. Since the actual filings are unavailable, it seems we will not learn whether the Shorkin [sic] filing (misspelled in the docket listing) was from the real Viktor Shokin or someone else.

However, if it wasn’t the real Shokin, it’s mighty odd that Trump’s attorneys refused to comment. You would expect them to want to distance themselves and Trump from fake docket filings. There is an implication here, speculative I admit, that they knew about and perhaps even procured the Shokin filing. The filings and their summary rejection by the judge did serve Trump’s interests by affording a ready excuse for the NY Post and Washington Examiner to dredge up the entire collection of conspiracy claims about the Shokin firing and the still unproven claims of bribes taken by then Vice President Biden. Recent fact-checking by the Washington Post continues to undermine the Republicans’ obsessional claims about Biden family corruption, https://tinyurl.com/47au99hx

The other rejected filings show no names in the docket listing, so we’ll not know who filed those as well. At some point not too far down the road, however, I expect Judge Chutkan is going to call the question on this garbage. The filing of false and/or disingenuous requests for court action by fake or anonymous “persons” consumes court resources and is sanctionable. Trump and his lawyers better be careful. Judge Chutkan has made it clear she’s not fooling around and is not going to be played by Trump and his lawyers.