Republicans Turn Eating Their Own Into A Spectator Sport

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

Welcome To Trump II

MAGA Republicans led by Elon Musk and under pressure from Donald Trump are now poised to ruin Christmas with a government shutdown and New Year’s with an internecine fight over whether Mike Johnson will be re-elected as speaker of the House.

With a government shutdown deadline looming tomorrow, Trump blew up the bipartisan deal for a continuing resolution to fund the government through mid-March via an unhinged social media post late Wednesday afternoon. The details of the CR itself barely matter because this isn’t about legislation or compromise or striking a deal. It’s about creating a public spectacle, and nothing made that more clear than Trump’s last-minute demand that Congress raise the debt ceiling before he even takes office.

Those are the facts of what happened, but after years of GOP brinksmanship, chronic self-ownage, disarray, and dysfunction, it is hard to credibly muster the same kind of alarm or dismay in the face of these facts.

Republicans created this debacle on purpose. They own it. They are the only ones who can stop it. Elected Democrats can’t save Republicans from themselves, aren’t to blame for this folly, and are merely bystanders like the rest of us to performative hijinks that are divorced from the reality of governance.

Real people will be hurt or will have to endure another round of living under the threat of harm. It’s a colossal waste of public resources and private emotional energy. It’s another spectacle for the sake of spectacle, and we are not even the audience.

The Public Menace Of Elon Musk

Driving the right-wing backlash against House Republicans over the now-abandoned continuing resolution to fund the federal government through mid-March was the erratic and impetuous richest man in the world, posting furiously on the social media platform he owns:

• WSJ: “With a 4:15 a.m. ET social-media post on Wednesday, Elon Musk declared that a must-do spending bill ‘should not pass.’ By early evening, the bill was dead, leaving the government barreling toward a weekend shutdown just before Christmas.”
• WaPo: “Over the ensuing 12 hours, Musk went on a prolific tirade against the bill — with more than 60 updates, some of which boosted false claims — that stood out even for a chronic poster who has commanded an audience of more than 200 million followers by broadcasting his largely uninhibited views on the site he owns.”
• Politico: “Among the 100-plus tweets Musk sent as part of his campaign were a number of misleading or outright false claims — a possible preview of the mogul’s new role as co-leader of a Trump-blessed effort to slash government funding.”
• TPM’s Josh Marshall: “Trump has sewn himself into a sack with Elon Musk, a few billion dollars, a cat and a snake, and had the sack tossed into the Tiber. That’s the story here. And it will go on for a while.”

Can Mike Johnson Survive As Speaker?

Support for Mike Johnson to remain as speaker seemed to evaporate Wednesday:

• Punchbowl: “The speaker election is in 15 days. There are members–more than a dozen–who assert that Johnson won’t be the speaker in the next Congress. It’s early. Let’s see how Johnson gets out of this mess.”
• Politico: “Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a frequent Johnson antagonist, on Wednesday became the first Republican to publicly say he will vote against him for speaker on Jan. 3. Other Republicans, including some who previously said they would support him, now won’t commit to backing him, despite Trump endorsing Johnson just over a month ago.”
• WaPo: “Two other GOP members, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic, said the question of support [for Johnson] was likely moot: Based on defections that had yet to become public, Johnson would probably be forced out of the running before lawmakers would have to make up their minds on Jan. 3, the member said.”

At one level, who cares if Mike John survives. It’s a thankless job trying to lead a unleadable band of reactionaries. Someone has to do it. Eventually. But if House Republicans re-create a speakership mess like they produced for Kevin McCarthy in 2023 – not elected until the 15th ballot, on Jan. 7 – it could bump up against the Jan. 6 deadline for certifying the Electoral College results. I know.

The Full Extent Of Patel’s Awfulness

WaPo: “In the remarks, made before his selection to be FBI director, Patel floated criminal probes of lawmakers and witnesses who gave evidence to the Jan. 6 select committee, accusing them of providing false testimony and of destroying evidence. Those include former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson and police officers who testified about defending the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack.

Hegseth Not Out Of The Woods Yet

Politico:

At least a dozen senators are pushing to see the FBI’s background check on Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s embattled pick for Pentagon chief — a rare move for the committee that oversees his confirmation and a sign the former Fox News host still faces hurdles in the Senate.

Unlike some other committees, the Senate Armed Services usually limits access to these types of background checks to its two lead senators. But pressure is building from both Democrats and Republicans to provide more lawmakers with the ongoing report, whose contents could determine whether Hegseth makes it to the Pentagon.

But His Emails!

Politico’s Alice Miranda Ollstein: “Trump — who attacked his then-opponent Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server for official business during his first presidential run — is overseeing a fully privatized transition that communicates from an array of @transition47.com, @trumpvancetransition.com and @djtfp24.com accounts rather than anything ending in .gov, and uses private servers, laptops and cell phones instead of government-issued devices.”

What Trump II Abuse Of Power Looks Like

The House GOP has created a bogus pretext for the FBI to investigate former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) for her role as vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee.

Judge Warns Of The Dangers Of Pardoning Stewart Rhodes

The Obama appointee who sentenced Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes to 18 years in prison for his seditious conspiracy conviction warned in court Wednesday of the dangers of pardoning him.

“The notion that Stewart Rhodes could be absolved is frightening and ought to be frightening to anyone who cares about democracy in this country,” U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, said as he was sentencing one of Rhodes’ former Oath Keeper allies.

House Ethics Committee Will Release Gaetz Report After All

CNN:

The House Ethics Committee secretly voted earlier this month to release its report into the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz before the end of this Congress, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.

The report is now expected to be made public after the House’s final day of votes this year as lawmakers leave Washington for the holidays, those sources said.

Quote Of The Day

“In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated …” –Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), reacting to the news that the House Ethics Committee has reversed course and will publicly release its report on his alleged sexual misconduct

SCOTUS Takes Up TikTok Ban

Oh, hey, look the Supreme Court can expedite hearing an issue of national significance even over the holidays.

Go Big Or Go Home

The losing GOP candidate for a Supreme Court seat in North Carolina has bypassed the lower courts and taken his case for throwing out 60,000 ballots straight to the state’s high court.

On Biden’s Insularity

WSJ: How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden in Charge

Meanwhile, In Climate News …

The Biden White House has announced an updated pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 61%-66% of 2005 levels, a target it says is achievable via local, state, and tribal initiatives despite the expected opposition from the incoming Trump administration.

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