A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
Look At All These Dollars
Pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell raised almost $15 million for her sustained attacks on the 2020 election results through her “Defending the Republic” nonprofit, which is reportedly now under federal investigation.
- Some $5.6 million was used for legal bills and “unspecified” grants, in the Washington Post’s words.
- The House Jan. 6 select committee is also looking into the finances of Powell’s efforts, a person with knowledge of the investigation told the Post.
- Trump frequently complains about Powell using his name to rake in all this cash without actually managing to get him back into the White House, according to an unnamed Trump spokesperson.
Potholes In Government’s Jan. 6 Investigations
It’s been almost a year since a rabid mob of Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol, and new reports reveal crucial gaps in the government’s efforts to get to the bottom of the attack.
- A former D.C. National Guard official alleged in a memo to the Jan. 6 select committee (which was obtained by Politico) that Army Gen. Charles Flynn and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt lied to Congress about their inaction during the Capitol insurrection.
- The two officials were “absolute and unmitigated liars” in their testimonies to congressional investigators, the ex-D.C. National Guard official wrote.
- Additionally, the Pentagon inspector general’s report on the agency leaders’ failed response to the insurrection was “replete with factual inaccuracies,” according to the official.
- The FBI hasn’t been investigating a popular pro-Trump social media site called The Donald even though much of the attack was planned on that site, Justice Department court filings and FBI affidavits obtained by Just Security reveal.
Key Analysis
“Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun” – The Atlantic
“In nearly every battle space of the war to control the count of the next election—statehouses, state election authorities, courthouses, Congress, and the Republican Party apparatus—Trump’s position has improved since a year ago.”
Biden’s Approving More Oil Drilling Permits Than Trump
The Bureau of Land Management under Biden’s leadership is greenlighting oil and gas drilling permits on public lands at a faster rate than Trump did in the first three years of his presidency, according to a new analysis by progressive group Public Citizen. The agency has approved permits at a rate more than 35% higher than Trump’s first year in office, in fact.
Trump Was Way Sicker With COVID
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ bombshells keep on coming: According to the ex-official’s upcoming book, Trump’s oxygen levels plummeted to a dire 86 percent right before he was hospitalized over his COVID-19 infection on Oct. 2 last year, confirming the New York Times’ report.
- Trump’s medical team hooked him on an oxygen tank in the White House, Meadows writes. The then-president had lost so much strength by Oct. 2 that he dropped a suitcase he planned on bringing outside when he left the White House for the hospital.
- “[E]very movement was difficult” for Trump, Meadows writes, adding that “Every few minutes, he would need to sit back down and rest.”
Cuomo’s Continuing Fall
Chris Cuomo announced yesterday that his SiriusXM show is over.
Diplomatic Boycott Of Beijing Olympics
The U.S. will not send diplomats or official representation to the Winter Olympics in Beijing this year. The diplomatic boycott, which will not extend to American athletes, is a protest of China’s “egregious human rights abuses and atrocities” against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region, Psaki said.
WTF Read Of The Day
“Michael Steinhardt, Billionaire, Surrenders $70 Million in Stolen Relics” – The New York Times
Perdue Launches Challenge To Kemp
Ex-Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) officially announced his gubernatorial campaign against incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R), one of Trump’s biggest post-election punching bags, on Monday.
- Perdue put Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams at the center of his announcement while accusing Kemp of not sufficiently sucking up to Trump.
- Trump promptly gave Perdue his blessing and predictably berated Kemp at the same time.
No, Trump Isn’t Sending Christmas Cards Where He Looks Like A Penis
There’s a copy of what purports to be a Christmas card sent by Trump that’s gone viral:
Sorry folks, it isn’t real.
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You can raise fascist money for anything as long as it’s mean and ugly and there are Christianist idiots to shell out.
Wapo’s Fred Hiatt died at 66. I wasn’t a fan. Nevertheless, attention must be paid.
On the Grift Horizon:
Devin Nunes withdraws from Congress to run Trump’s media startup. Trump skims from the top AND bottom of everything he does (see: Inaugural Committee). I’ll posit millions from this venture are going a few directions that have nothing to do with establishing a social media conglomerate.
I guess I’m missing something here. No mention of the Garland announcement in the MM? Is the MM only for stories that didn’t warrant individual coverage the previous day?
I’m still not sure the entire point of MM, but that story should’ve rated at least a passing mention, no?
Mornin
Hawaiian Snow