Our actions have an impact by Ruth Neuwald Falcon

This report from The New York Times arrived in my inbox a couple of hours ago:

Trump Justice Dept. Closed Investigation Into Tom Homan for Accepting Bag of Cash
Mr. Homan came under scrutiny after he was said to be recorded last year taking $50,000 in cash from undercover F.B.I. agents… The cash payment, which was made inside a bag from the food chain Cava, grew out of a long-running counterintelligence investigation that had not been targeting Mr. Homan, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the case…

One person familiar with the case said the evidence gathered had not met all the necessary elements of relevant federal crimes, while another contended that the case was effectively ended prematurely, before such additional evidence could be gathered.

To use his own words, Lev Parnas is a former fixer for Trump. Like Michael Cohen, he has come to regret his actions and is doing everything he can to fight back against the destruction of our democracy. In his Substack tonight, he writes:

When protection, patronage, and public threats collide, ordinary checks and balances fail. That’s when institutions meant to hold power accountable become tools to protect it. If we allow recorded cash exchanges and shuttered probes to become the new normal, we’ve accepted impunity as policy. Here’s what you must do now — simple, direct, effective:

• Call your members of Congress — your representative and both senators. Demand an independent, transparent investigation into the Homan matter: who opened the probe, who reviewed it, who closed it, and why.

• Text and email every House and Senate oversight office you can find. Push them to demand documents and hearings. Ask them: who knew, when did they know it, and who ordered the closure?

Disney’s stock is down, not by a huge amount at this point, but the movement to cancel Disney and Hulu subscriptions in response to the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel is still in its early stages.

It’s a reminder that our actions have an impact. We’re playing a long game. The important thing is to keep playing and not throw in our hands in despair and exhaustion.