I think something is getting lost in the discussion of Trump’s Impeachment 2.0 lawyers quitting. They reportedly bailed because they were unwilling to argue Trump’s lies about the election being stolen. But arguing the election was stolen amounts to an affirmative defense of the events of January 6th. In other words, Trump isn’t guilty not because he didn’t incite the insurrection but because the incitement and the insurrection were justified.
Trump Impeachment Lawyers Bail After He Demands They Go Along With Fraud Falsehoods
With almost a week left before his second impeachment trial, former President Trump’s five impeachment defense lawyers have reportedly departed over disagreements on Trump’s legal strategy. CNN first reported the news on Saturday night. Continue reading “Trump Impeachment Lawyers Bail After He Demands They Go Along With Fraud Falsehoods”
MA Rep. Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Receiving Second Vaccine Dose
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) has tested positive for the coronavirus, after receiving both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to multiple reports.
The news of Lynch’s diagnosis is a reminder to those who have recently received vaccinations to remain especially vigilant in the two weeks following the administration of the second dose, and to closely follow vaccine guidelines. Continue reading “MA Rep. Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Receiving Second Vaccine Dose”
South Carolina GOP Censures Rep. For Crossing Trump In Impeachment Vote
The South Carolina Republican Party’s executive committee formally censured Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) on Saturday over his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
“We made our disappointment clear the night of the impeachment vote. Trying to impeach a president, with a week left in his term, is never legitimate and is nothing more than a political kick on the way out the door,” said SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick in a statement Saturday.
“Congressman Rice’s vote unfortunately played right into the Democrats’ game, and the people in his district, and ultimately our State Executive Committee, wanted him to know they wholeheartedly disagree with his decision,” he added.
Today the SCGOP Executive Committee voted to formally censure Congressman Rice for his impeachment vote. See below for SCGOP Chairman @DrewMcKissick's full statement: pic.twitter.com/lNzDW80ljl
— South Carolina Republican Party (@SCGOP) January 30, 2021
The censure for the representative of South Carolina’s 7th district, passed Saturday at the SCGOP State Executive Committee’s quarterly meeting.
Rice was one of just 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president in a move has drawn ire from a majority of House Republicans who have appeared to pledge their continued support for a departed president whose rhetoric and falsehoods provoked deadly consequences on Jan. 6.
Republican conference chair, Rep. Liz Cheney (WY) who headed up the effort by urging her GOP colleagues to make a “vote of conscience” has also been widely criticized by a majority of House Republicans who according to reports have indicated they would support a vote to remove the No. 3 Republican from her post on a secret ballot.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) a Trump loyalist, even delivered an anti-Cheney speech at an event her state on Thursday and later ramped up his crusade against the congresswoman for crossing Trump by telling Fox News in an interview that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) needed to “hold a vote on Liz Cheney.”
The handful of other Republicans joining Cheney and Rice in voting to impeach the ex-president, have also faced a barrage of attacks, including death threats.
Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) said in an MSNBC interview earlier this month that tension in the wake of the Capitol riot, has prompted him, and others, to consider purchasing body armor while also changing up their routines to thwart potential acts of violence for breaking with their party.
In the wake of his own impeachment vote, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) acknowledged his increasing alienation from his party over breaking with Trump, noting in an interview with the Washington Post that he was prepared to “blow this whole thing out of the water at all times,” regardless of his vote’s impact on his political career.
Party Of QAnon: Marjorie Taylor Greene Flaunts ‘GREAT Call’ With Trump
Newly-elected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said early Saturday that she had a “GREAT call” with former President Donald Trump, intensifying concerns about the ex-president’s continued ideological sway in the Republican Party and signaling that Trump could be willing to throw further public support behind a member of Congress who has advocated violence against Democratic lawmakers.
Continue reading “Party Of QAnon: Marjorie Taylor Greene Flaunts ‘GREAT Call’ With Trump”
Two Members Of The Proud Boys Indicted For Conspiracy In Capitol Riot
Two members of the Proud Boys have been indicted for conspiring to obstruct law enforcement protecting Congress during the Capitol riot, according to a news release issued late Friday.
The indictment Friday is the first for conspiracy charges in connection with the deadly assault on Jan. 6, amid growing evidence that efforts to lay siege on the Capitol had been months in the making.
Continue reading “Two Members Of The Proud Boys Indicted For Conspiracy In Capitol Riot”
ICYMI: Your TPM Weekend News Roundup
There’s Something About Marjorie
- QAnon-supporting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) got a taste of the spotlight this week, and the scrutiny that comes with it. Attention has turned to her past comments calling the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shooting massacres false flags, as well as her liking of social media posts that advocated for violence against Democrats.
- Fred Guttenberg, the father of one of the 17 people killed in the Parkland school shooting, tweeted a video of Greene in 2018 heckling David Hogg, one of the Parkland students who has become an outspoken advocate for gun reform since the massacre.
- Guttenberg called Greene a “depraved person who ran for Congress on a lie.”
- Hogg also responded to Greene heckling him when he was in Washington to advocate for gun control measures: “My message to Kevin McCarthy is this, take her committee assignments away.”
- He’s not the only one raising issue with Greene’s committee posts. Education and Labor Committee Chair Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) also demanded McCarthy explain why Greene belongs on a committee whose goal is to advance education.
- Republican leaders reportedly discussed the issues Greene would post to the party last summer, but ultimately decided to do nothing about it.
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a moderate who voted to impeach President Trump after the Capitol insurrection, said this week that his Republican colleagues’ embrace of fringe conspiracy theories like QAnon has “unmoored the party.”
- The White House has tried to keep questions about Greene at arm’s length as the Biden administration focuses on advancing its agenda.
GOP Is Still Trump’s Party
- Former President Trump has been remarkably, refreshingly quiet since he slinked off to Florida last week. But make no mistake: he’s still the big man in charge of the Republican Party.
- Trump appears eager to go after two Republican officials in particular: House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Cheney voted to impeach Trump and has faced calls for Republican leaders in Congress to remove her from her leadership position. Kemp, a staunch Trump ally, attracted Trump’s ire by not doing more to help Trump illegitimately snatch a win from the jaws of defeat in the Peach State.
- Speaking of Republican leaders, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made a MAGA pilgrimage Thursday to Florida to stroke Trump’s ego. Remember when McCarthy said Trump bears some responsibility for the deadly insurrection at the Capitol? That was so two weeks ago, and McCarthy has since watered down those comments to say that, well, everyone in the country bears some responsibility.
- Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel told the AP this week that the GOP will remain neutral in the 2024 presidential primaries should Trump decided to run again. But we’ll believe it when we see it.
Biden’s Executive Order Blitz
- President Biden hit the ground running during his first full week in office, signing a slew of executive orders to begin to advance his policy agenda.
- On Tuesday, Biden rolled out executive action focused on restoring racial justice policies that Trump had done away with.
- On Wednesday, the Biden team detailed action to address climate change, which the administration emphasized goes hand-in-hand with strengthening the economy.
- On Thursday, Biden signed executive orders to reopen the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces for people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
- The Biden administration also announced plans to secure 200 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses, which should be available over the summer. That means the U.S. government will have acquired enough vaccine to inoculate 300 million Americans against the deadly pandemic.
Is this feature useful? Let us know.
Biden Administration Eyes Push To Clear Up Key Vaccine Bottleneck
The country’s vaccine rollout has hit a snag: pharmaceutical companies can’t make shots fast enough.
Continue reading “Biden Administration Eyes Push To Clear Up Key Vaccine Bottleneck”
Dem Rep. Moves Office For ‘Safety’ After Altercation With Greene In Hallway
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) announced early Friday morning that she and her staff were switching to a different office following a heated dispute with far-right extremist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), which occurred on January 13.
Continue reading “Dem Rep. Moves Office For ‘Safety’ After Altercation With Greene In Hallway”
The Capitol Insurrection Was Decades In The Making
Today, our politics is haunted by the specter of violence.
Continue reading “The Capitol Insurrection Was Decades In The Making”