Kari Lake, who has been one of the most prominent faces of the “Stop the Steal” movement the last four years, has been uncharacteristically quiet about her recent Senate race loss.
Continue reading “Kari Lake Quietly Settles Defamation Lawsuit And Accepts Defeat In Wake Of Trump Win”Miscellaneous Thoughts on a Democratic Path Forward
Because these thoughts are provisional and in process, I’ve decided to package them seriatim, as a list of ideas, possibilities, counters and so forth.
- One of the shortfalls of the recriminationfests that come after a big political defeat is that the people getting the most attention are usually those shouting loudest and making the most totalizing claims. But there are important caveats and qualifiers to keep in mind. One is that anything obvious, sure-fire and without real costs would have been tried already. There’s no silver-bullet solution. This is just common sense, perhaps even conventional wisdom. At worst, it can be used to stifle new thinking or taking new chances. That’s another important pitfall. But it’s still true.
No GOP Senators Have Been Bold Enough To Outright Oppose Gaetz For AG
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
Trump’s Win-Win On Gaetz
The way Donald Trump sees it, his demand that Senate Republicans either humiliate themselves by confirming his abominable choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general or walk the plank in rejecting the nomination is a win-win either way.
Trump has been telling confidants that he thinks Gaetz’s prospects of Senate confirmation are less than 50-50, the NYT reports, but he’s pushing ahead with the nomination anyway for strategic reasons: “He is making calls on Mr. Gaetz’s behalf, and he remains confident that even if Mr. Gaetz does not make it, the standard for an acceptable candidate will have shifted so much that the Senate may simply approve his other nominees who have appalled much of Washington.”
While some GOP senators are privately urging Trump to ditch Gaetz, many of them continue to demur on the nomination in public, with none of them being bold enough to publicly oppose it outright yet. Many Senate Republicans are taking the posture of a supplicant toward Trump: Please don’t do this to us.
“Numerous GOP members have indicated to Trump and his team that they believe Gaetz has little chance of being confirmed, according to multiple Senate Republican and Trump world sources,” Playbook reported. “And they’re privately hoping Trump doesn’t make them walk the plank.”
The unreleased House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz allegedly having sex with a minor and using illicit drugs remains the wild card that could tip the nomination.
The Gory Details
Joel Leppard, a lawyer representing two women who told the House Ethics Committee that then-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) paid them for sex, made the media rounds yesterday:
- “A woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that former congressman Matt Gaetz paid her for sex and that she witnessed President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general having sex with a 17-year-old at a party, her lawyer said over the weekend.”–WaPo
- “Two women testified to the House Ethics Committee that they were paid for “sexual favors” by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, a lawyer for the two women told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday.”–CNN
- “Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, allegedly paid for two women in 2019 to travel to New York to have sex, watch his appearance on Fox News, and attend the Broadway show ‘Pretty Woman,’ an attorney for the women told ABC News.” –ABC News
Trump Is Receiving Intel Briefings Again
“President-elect Donald Trump, the only former president to have been charged with mishandling classified information, has begun receiving intelligence briefings, U.S. officials said.”–WaPo
Trump Re-Ups Threat To Use Military Domestically
- “President-elect Donald J. Trump confirmed on Monday that he intended to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military in some form to assist in his plans for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.”–NYT
- “Using the military domestically — absent any crisis remotely needed to prompt or justify such a move — would break with centuries of practice in the United States, giving a President who has promised to deploy troops against the ‘enemy from within’ the most powerful, and potentially unconstrained, tool in the federal arsenal.”–TPM’s Josh Kovensky
- “Such a sprawling campaign – and the use of military personnel to carry it out – is almost certain to draw legal challenges and pushback from Democratic leaders, some of whom have already said they would refuse to cooperate with Trump’s deportation agenda.”–The Guardian
The Trump II Clown Show
- FBI: If Trump corruptly fires FBI Director Chris Wray, the leading contenders for the post are MAGA minion Kash Patel and former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI).
- DNI: How Tulsi Gabbard Became a Favorite of Russia’s State Media–NYT
- DOT: Trump picks realty TV star turned congressman turned Fox Business host Sean Duffy for Transportation secretary.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“To be as clear as I can be, the second Trump administration with Elon Musk embedded within it represents the most direct and sustained threat to the First Amendment and the freedom of the press any of us will ever experience.”–Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge
The Grift
- WaPo: Trump tried to limit financial conflicts in 2017. This time could be different.
- WSJ: Donald Trump Jr. Goes All-In on the Anti-Woke Economy
For Your Radar …
- New York: “Manhattan prosecutors face a Tuesday deadline to tell a judge how they want to proceed with Donald Trump’s 34-felony convictions hush money case now that he is the president-elect.”–WaPo
- Texas: “Education officials are expected to vote this week on whether to approve a new elementary-school curriculum that infuses teachings on the Bible into reading and language arts lessons.”–NYT
- DC: “House Ethics Committee members are set to meet privately Wednesday as debate rages over whether the panel should release its report on its investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz.”–Politico
PA-Sen: Court Ruling Hobbles Casey’s Already-Slim Chances
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Monday that election officials must abide by an earlier decision and stop counting mail-in ballots that were invalidated because of an incorrect date on the outer envelope — a major victory for Republican Senate candidate David McCormick, who holds a narrow lead over Democratic Sen. Bob Casey ahead of a statewide recount.”–WaPo
An Abortion Rights Win In Wyoming
“A state judge on Monday struck down Wyoming’s overall ban on abortion and its first-in-the-nation explicit prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy.”–CNN
Just Mean
With Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE) set to become the first openly transgender member of Congress, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) plans to introduce a resolution banning transgender women from women’s bathrooms in the Capitol. “Asked if she planned to talk to McBride, Mace said: ‘No, Sarah McBride doesn’t get a say,'” Politico reported.
DOJ To Strike At Core Of Google Monopoly
“Top Justice Department antitrust officials have decided to ask a judge to force Alphabet Inc.’s Google to sell off its Chrome browser in what would be a historic crackdown on one of the world’s biggest tech companies.”–Bloomberg
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Prep Work Begins To Take From The Poor, Give To The Rich
As the Trump II administration has taken shape over the past two weeks — in the form of haphazard nominations via Truth Social posts — and as policy proposals once cloaked in the shadows of Project 2025 make their way into the sunlight, we’re starting to get a picture of which vulnerable segments of the population will suffer first.
Immigrants will, unsurprisingly, be an early target of a second Trump administration and their congressional allies. Lower-income people, we’re learning, will be as well.
Continue reading “Prep Work Begins To Take From The Poor, Give To The Rich”Were The American Rescue Plan and the IRA Political Failures?
I’ve written in general against post-election recriminations since November 5th. This post may seem like one such recrimination on the surface. But I think if you bear with me, you’ll see that it’s really not. I should be clear, too, that being anti-recriminations, whatever that might mean, doesn’t or shouldn’t mean people shouldn’t try to figure out what was done right or wrong, criticize whoever needs to be criticized. Of course they should. What it means to me at least is that in the desolation of a really, really hard defeat, a very consequential one, people shouldn’t rush in to take shots at the folks they’ve always had it in for, using the devastation less as a wound to overcome than an opportunity for the old score-settling.
So here’s the issue I want to discuss.
Until his campaign began to come undone this last summer, it was widely understood and accepted among Democrats that Joe Biden, to the surprise of many, was the most progressive Democratic president, with the most consequential progressive legislative agenda, in at least half a century. This was widely believed because it was unquestionably true. Because of a series of decisions by both Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, Biden ended up governing with a trimmed down version of the legislative agenda of the progressive left. What counts here as “trimmed down” is obviously a pretty critical question. There was no Medicare for All. But on lots of policy and regulatory positions, the left’s agenda was Biden’s. This isn’t just me saying this. Ask Bernie Sanders, or at least ask him until a week ago. The point I’m making here really isn’t open to much debate.
Continue reading “Were The American Rescue Plan and the IRA Political Failures?”Trump Reminds Everyone: He Wants US Soldiers in US Streets
At 4:03 a.m. ET, the President-elect was online. He was thinking about “military assets” and mass deportations.
Continue reading “Trump Reminds Everyone: He Wants US Soldiers in US Streets”Hegseth Settled Sex Assault Claim But Didn’t Disclose It To Trump
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
SecDef Nominee Denies Claim From 2017
More details emerged over the weekend about the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense.
The WaPo was first with extensive new information about the circumstance of the alleged sexual assault, based on (i) a memo it obtained that was provided to the Trump transition team late Wednesday by a friend of the victim; and (ii) a statement from Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore.
The woman later reported the alleged assault to police, but no charges were ever filed:
According to the police statement, the complaint was filed four days after the encounter, and the complainant had bruises to her thigh. The police report itself was not released.
Hegseth settled the woman’s claim for an undisclosed amount, and she signed a nondisclosure agreement.
Trump is standing by Hegseth in the face of the undisclosed settlement of the sexual assault claim.
More On Hegseth’s Tattoos
- WSJ: How Hegseth’s Tattoo Got Him Barred From Working at Biden’s Inauguration
- WaPo: Pentagon pick left Guard after being reported as possible ‘insider threat’ due to tattoo
The Prospects For Matt Gaetz’ Nomination As AG
Surveying the backlash to the Gaetz nomination:
- “Republican U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin called on the House of Representatives on Sunday to share an unreleased ethics report into alleged sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old girl by Matt Gaetz.”–Reuters
- “More than half of Senate Republicans, including some in senior leadership positions, privately say they don’t see a path for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be confirmed as attorney general and would not support him to lead the Department of Justice, according to multiple people who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity.”–NBC News
- “An attorney representing two women who testified to both federal and House Ethics investigators about Gaetz’s alleged misdeeds is coming forward with new details about what his clients told investigators. Lawyer Joel Leppard is set to do multiple network TV interviews Monday as he pushes for the release of the House Ethics report.”–Politico
As Bad As It Gets
Perhaps the biggest story of the weekend came from NBC News:
The Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan and exploring whether they could be court-martialed for their involvement, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plan.
Officials working on the transition are considering creating a commission to investigate the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, including gathering information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason, the two sources said.
The Coming Corruption
It’s often said that Trump campaigned expressly on a platform of authoritarian rule, but this also applies to corruption: He didn’t disguise his promises to govern in the direct interests of some of the wealthiest executives and investors in the country—and he won anyway. Trump and his allies will likely interpret this as a green light to engage in an extraordinary spree of unrestrained malfeasance.
Trump Launches Wave Of Media Lawsuits
With only two months left until Donald Trump returns to the White House, the president-elect and convicted felon has been waging lawfare by a flurry of lawsuits against media companies and publishers that have been critical of him.
The lawsuits come amid growing fears of what a second Trump term would mean for press freedom as Trump intensifies his longstanding hostility against the media – which he called “the enemy camp” in his victory speech last week.
Trump Calls For ‘Investigation’ of Iowa Pollster
In a social media post, Trump bizarrely called for an investigation of retiring Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, whose late-in-the-race shock poll showed Kamala Harris in the lead in a state that ultimately went to Trump by a comfortable margin:
Already Paying The Price Of Trump’s Retribution
“Multiple current and former senior Justice Department and FBI officials have begun reaching out to lawyers in anticipation of being criminally investigated by the Trump administration, according to three people with knowledge of their deliberations.”–NBC News
Quote Of The Day
National security attorney Mark Zaid, on what he’s advising his clients to do ahead of Trump II:
There are a small number of people who I have told, “Look, you should take a vacation outside of the country around the time of inauguration, just to see what happens. Just go on a routine vacation and see what plays out come Jan. 20, 21st, 22nd.” By that time, we’ll know who’s going to be [in senior administration roles] and whether they will be more fundamentalist about this issue than the general politician who’s appointed into a position that requires Senate confirmation.
NOT NORMAL
It is not normal for an incoming president to replace the FBI director, who has a 10-year term precisely to insulate them from partisan politics, but Donald Trump is widely reported to be considering firing Christopher Wray, whom Trump famously appointed after firing James Comey in 2017.
Among the supposed contenders to replace Wray if Trump goes through with the firing: the destructive and unqualified Kash Patel.
Trump Transition Bypasses FBI For Some Background Checks
“President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is bypassing traditional FBI background checks for at least some of his Cabinet picks while using private companies to conduct vetting of potential candidates for administration jobs, people close to the transition planning say.”–CNN
The Trump II Clown Show
A good reminder from historian Kevin Kruse that Trump’s announcement of his expected cabinet nominees is coming at a breakneck speed that far exceeds the pace of his predecessors and his own first administration. Among Trump’s latest personnel moves:
- Chris Wright, Energy secretary
- Brendan Carr, FCC chairman
- Steven Cheung: White House communications director
- Karoline Leavitt: White House press secretary
An Election Is Not A Jury Verdict
Randall Eliason: Trump’s New York Sentencing Must Proceed
Keep An Eye On Pennsylvania …
“In at least four counties — Bucks, Philadelphia, Centre and Montgomery — local election officials are acting in open defiance of a ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that arrived weeks before the election. The court found that mail ballots that are missing the date on the outer envelope, or have the wrong date, cannot be counted for this election.”–NYT
Wave Of Offensive Texts Expands To Hispanics And LGBTQ
The campaign of racists texts sent soon after the election to Black people has expanded to include Hispanics and LGBTQ communities. The texts include false claims that they have been “selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp,” the FBI warned.
Neo-Nazis March In Ohio
A small group carrying the Nazi flag marched Saturday in a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio.
The Stunning Pronatalist Argument Against Abortion
The attorneys general of Idaho, Kansas and Missouri, seeking to establish the states’ standing to challenge the federal government’s liberalized rules for medication abortion, claim that expanded access to the abortion pills is “causing a loss in potential population or potential population increase,” and that “decreased births” were inflicting “a sovereign injury to the state itself.” This remarkable assertion comes on Page 189 of the states’ 199-page complaint, as astonishing a legal document as I have ever read.
You Can Find Me at Bluesky
If you’re making the transition to Bluesky, you can find me here. Hope to see you there.
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Annals of Mandates
With Donald Trump now appearing to fall below the 50% threshold in the popular vote, according to the most up to date count, it will now fall to the Democrats to speak for the majority of Americans who didn’t vote for him.
Opposite Days
Hello. It’s the weekend. This is The Weekender ☕️
It helps me to look at Trump’s most outrageous political appointments as opposites.
Continue reading “Opposite Days”RFK Jr.’s Long History Of Embracing Junk Science And Spreading Dangerous Anti-Vax Disinfo
President-elect Donald Trump said this week he’s nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who was running for president himself not too long ago — to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services under his incoming administration.
Continue reading “RFK Jr.’s Long History Of Embracing Junk Science And Spreading Dangerous Anti-Vax Disinfo”