A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
‘So What?’
Since the Trump indictments came down in DC and Georgia, the pace of revealing new details about Jan. 6 has slowed somewhat. But coinciding with the three-year anniversary of the attack, ABC News provided new reporting on what Donald Trump allegedly did – and failed to do – the afternoon of Jan. 6 while the Capitol remained under siege.
The ABC News report, citing unnamed sources, rests largely on what Trump aides Dan Scavino and Nick Luna told federal investigators about their recollections of Jan. 6. The revelations are damning, such as this from Luna:
Sources also said former Trump aide Nick Luna told federal investigators that when Trump was informed that then-Vice President Mike Pence had to be rushed to a secure location, Trump responded, “So what?” — which sources said Luna saw as an unexpected willingness by Trump to let potential harm come to a longtime loyalist.
The new reporting fills in additional details on what was already largely known: that President Trump didn’t just sit idly by and let the attack continue, he egged it on directly himself via Twitter:
After unsuccessfully trying for up to 20 minutes to persuade Trump to release some sort of calming statement, Scavino and others walked out of the dining room, leaving Trump alone, sources said. That’s when, according to sources, Trump posted a message on his Twitter account saying that Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.”
Scavino, who was the only Trump aide with access to the the Twitter account, denied he had posted the Pence tweet, leaving Trump as prime suspect and perhaps explaining why Special Counsel Jack Smith has endeavored to learn through technical means who was tweeting on the account and from which device.
The entire ABC News report is worth your time.
‘You Can’t Love Your Country Only When You Win’
The full speech by President Biden commemorating the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack (it’s only the first 30 minutes of this video):
For highlights of the speech, Aaron Rupar has you covered. For analysis of the speech, let me refer you to Brian Beutler.
Exactly Who He Is
… HOSTAGES …
To no one’s surprise, Donald Trump and his supporters used the Jan. 6 anniversary to celebrate the failed coup. Perhaps the peak example was a shift in the rhetoric from calling the Jan. 6 defendants “political prisoners” to “hostages”:
Supreme Court Takes Colorado DQ Case
The big news from Friday: The Supreme Court agreed to review the Colorado Supreme Court decision that Donald Trump is ineligible for the presidency under the Constitution’s Disqualification Clause.
Big Day Tomorrow
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments tomorrow on Donald Trump’s claim that presidents enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution. Stay tuned.
Jack Smith Scoffs At Trump’s Contempt Of Court Claim
In a filing over the weekend, Special Counsel Jack Smith derisively rebutted Donald Trump’s claim that the prosecution team should be held in contempt for providing discovery and voluntarily meeting deadlines that have been paused while Trump’s immunity claim is on appeal.
Judge Chutkan Swatted?
It appears U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 case, may have been the victim of a swatting last night at her home in DC.
No Criminal Charges Against Fake Electors In New Mexico
New Mexico’s attorney general announced Friday that the Trump fake electors in his state can’t be prosecuted primarily because the certificates they signed contained contingent language rather than falsely asserting that they were the legitimate electors.
Jan. 6 Miscellany
- TPM’s Hunter Walker: The Gradual Release Of Jan. 6 Footage Has The Far Right Raging At House Republicans And Speaker Mike Johnson
- The family of Ashli Babbitt, the Jan. 6 rioter shot and killed outside the House chamber, is suing the federal government for wrongful death, assault, and negligence.
- NYT: How Hillsdale Got Mixed Up in the 2020 Election Plot
- WBEZ: Trump did not sign Illinois’ loyalty oath that says he won’t advocate for overthrowing the government
- Georgia judge skewers Rudy Giuliani’s request for an extension of today’s deadline for pretrial motions in the RICO case.
- Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) declined to commit to accepting the 2024 election results.
NY AG Wants $370M Penalty For Trump
When she first brought the civil fraud suit against Donald Trump and his business empire, New York Attorney General Letitia James estimated that the penalties for the alleged misconduct would total $250 million. Now with the trial mostly over and closing arguments expected this week, James has formally asked the judge to ding Trump for a whopping $370 million.
Wayne LaPierre Out At NRA
The man who notoriously converted the NRA into a right-wing, pro-Republican political powerhouse and effectively made gun control a third rail of American politics even in the midst of a decades-long surge in gun violence unparalleled in the developed world has resigned from the organization just as the civil fraud trial against him in New York is getting underway.
Deal Struck To Avoid Gov’t Shutdown
The framework for a deal to fund the government for this fiscal year has been reached by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). It doesn’t contain the types of right-wing bonbons that have larded previous spending proposals, meaning Johnson is going to have to get this through the House with Democratic votes, jeopardizing his position with the right-wing crazies in the Freedom Caucus.
SCOTUS To Take Up Abortion Again
TPM’s Kate Riga: In Ominous Sign, Supreme Court Takes Up Emergency Room Abortion Case
Boebert’s Ex Claims She Punched Him
The ex-husband of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) called police over the weekend claiming she punched him in the face during a altercation at a restaurant in her district. No one was arrested, and he later told the Denver Post he would not be pressing charges. Boebert denies the allegation.
Erratic
The WSJ on Elon Musk’s alleged drug use:
The world’s wealthiest person has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties around the world, where attendees sign nondisclosure agreements or give up their phones to enter, according to people who have witnessed his drug use and others with knowledge of it. Musk has previously smoked marijuana in public and has said he has a prescription for the psychedelic-like ketamine. …
People close to Musk, who is now 52, said his drug use is ongoing, especially his consumption of ketamine, and that they are concerned it could cause a health crisis. Even if it doesn’t, it could damage his businesses.
A Dark Brandon Cameo
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fRiST! 11111!
Dumb LucK!
Cowards all
House Republicans plot swift impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas as moderates signal support (msn.com)
The controversial move – to make Mayorkas the first Cabinet secretary impeached in nearly 150 years – amounts to a shift for the House GOP, which had set its sights on potentially impeaching President Joe Biden in early 2024. But with the Biden probe moving methodically and a number of Republicans still skeptical about impeaching the president, senior Republicans now believe targeting Mayorkas will be an easier lift as the border crisis becomes a defining campaign issue.
The emerging plan, according to multiple GOP lawmakers and aides, is to run the Mayorkas impeachment effort entirely through the House Homeland Security Committee as opposed to the House Judiciary Committee, where impeachment articles typically originate, though it is not constitutionally required.
The reason for that strategy – which sources said has been green lit by House Speaker Mike Johnson – is largely related to internal politics. Senior Republicans are confident they will have the votes to advance impeachment articles through the Homeland Security Committee, whereas there are still key Republican holdouts on the judiciary pane
Probably 20th, and I don’t have cat. I think this is going to kick off 2024 like the dominos starting to fall for TFG, and I’ve got my popcorn ready!!
WHY isn’t anyone saying anything about the late invite to deliver the SOTU. This is the latest date in modern times, and I have to think it is put off so that the GOP can pull some stunts during the address.
NOT MEANT TO BE A REPLY