TPM Reader LC asks the following and I’ll try to answer …
I’m loving your coverage of George Santos in NY-3, and I’m wondering: Why are we only hearing about all this now? Don’t political candidates do oppo research? Obviously none of that was done, not even a little bit, since George Santos’s entire identity would collapse in the face of a not particularly vigorous sneeze. My question for you or your readers who may know – who is normally responsible for making sure oppo research happens? Is that the candidates themselves (Robert Zimmerman in this case), or DNC/RNC.
The first thing I would say is that contrary to what some readers are telling me, this part of the story is hardly being ignored. It’s almost the first part of every discussion I hear about this. For some it’s a failure of the Democratic Party; for others it’s a failure of journalism, gutted local news and so forth. But I want to start on the question itself: who is responsible for making sure the oppo research happens?
Yesterday I joked — well, maybe half-joked? — that with all we’ve learned about Rep.-Elect George Santos, is he even gay? Being an “openly gay” Latino Republican has been a central part of his campaign pitch. He doesn’t fit the mold of a Trumper and that, he argues, “scares the left.” Now, it’s a fairly complicated and inevitably subjective and personal matter whether someone is gay or straight. But The Daily Beast managed to dig up the fact that until just two weeks prior to announcing his run for office he was married to a woman.
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Big Trouble Looming For Fox News
Dominion Voting Systems seems to be gaining some traction in its billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against Fox News over its broadcast of bogus conspiracy theories blaming the company for 2020 election fraud.
The company presented evidence in court Wednesday to establish that Fox News figures knew the claims about Dominion were false but aired them anyway.
“I did not believe it for one second,” Sean Hannity reportedly said in his Dominion deposition.
The NYT:
Mr. Hannity’s disclosure — along with others that emerged from court on Wednesday about what Fox News executives and hosts really believed as their network became one of the loudest megaphones for lies about the 2020 election — is among the strongest evidence yet to emerge publicly that some Fox employees knew that what they were broadcasting was false.
Fox News has denied Dominion’s claims.
The Hits Keep Coming For George Santos
We have learned more about serial fabulist George Santos, the incoming GOP congressman from a Queens district, and none of it is good:
The Forward: Congressman-elect George Santos lied about grandparents fleeing anti-Jewish persecution during WWII.
The Republican Jewish Coalition reacted: “These allegations, if true, are deeply troubling,” coalition director Matt Brooks said. “Given their seriousness, the congressman-elect owes the public an explanation, and we look forward to hearing it.”
Daily Beast: ‘Openly Gay’ Rep.-Elect George Santos Didn’t Disclose Divorce With Woman
Yes, Obama And Biden Were Audited By The IRS
Many of you have asked. The NYT answers: I.R.S. Routinely Audited Obama and Biden, Raising Questions Over Delays for Trump
The Jan. 6 committee released 34 interview transcripts from its investigation late Wednesday. Notable figures whose interviews were released included John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Alex Jones, and Charlie Kirk.
The main highlight is that so many of the witnesses pleaded the 5th and refused to answer any questions.
A few other eyepoppers:
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) confronted former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about calling her a “cunt.”
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) was apparently texting the Stop the Steal group chat while the Jan. 6 attack was still underway: “We’re still on lockdown in the congressional office.”
So Many Layers To Zelensky’s White House Visit
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 21: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) meets with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House on December 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky finally got his White House meeting, Philip Bump notes, as he runs us back through Zelensky’s travails that led to First Trump Impeachment.
Zelensky’s Speech To Congress
Watch the full speech:
How Republicans Received Zelensky
A series of embarrassments and indignities:
Donald Trump, Jr., set the tone for the day, tweeting: “Zelensky is basically an ungrateful international welfare queen.”
House Republicans were reportedly scarce for Zelensky’s address to a joint session of Congress: 86 out of 213 GOP House members showed up.
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) blew off Capitol police and refused to go through security screening for Zelensky’s speech.
Russia Not Behind Pipeline Sabotage?
Didn’t see this coming: U.S. and European officials are privately doubtful that Russia is to blame for the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines.
Inside The Mar-a-Lago Investigation
WaPo goes deep inside the apparent tensions between Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents in the Mar-a-Lago investigation. What emerges is a disturbing picture of FBI agents tentative about being caught in the wringer of another Trump investigation. No one wants to be the next Peter Strzok, which is understandable on a personal level but difficult to square with their professional obligations. It leads to this extraordinary role reversal:
The lawyers, these people said, felt they had amassed more than enough probable cause to ask a judge to approve a search of Mar-a-Lago. Some agents at the field office weren’t certain. Eventually, the Justice Department lawyers prevailed.
Strzok himself noted how unusual this was: “It’s an exceedingly rare day when prosecutors want a search warrant and agents don’t.”
Wowzers
NPR and Floodlight are doing some great work together. Their latest: “She was an ABC News producer. She also was a corporate operative”
New Developments In SBF Case
A swirl of late-night developments in the massive fraud case against FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried:
SBF reportedly landed at Westchester County Airport shortly before 10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday after being extradited by the Bahamas.
Two top SBF lieutenants, including his sometime girlfriend, have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with prosecutors, the Wall Street Journal reports
Caroline Ellison, the 28-year-old former chief executive of Alameda Research, the trading firm intertwined with FTX, pleaded guilty to seven counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. She signed her plea agreement Monday.
Gary Wang, the 29-year-old former chief technology officer for FTX pleaded guilty to four counts, including wire fraud.
The new guilty pleas were announced by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in a video posted late last night:
Statement of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams on U.S. v. Samuel Bankman-Fried, Caroline Ellison, and Gary Wang pic.twitter.com/u1y4cs3Koz
The former president tried an end run around New York Attorney General Letitia James’ massive civil fraud case against the Trump Org by suing her in Florida. It failed. A federal judge Wednesday rejected Trump’s request for an emergency injunction and warned in a footnote to his ruling: “This litigation has all the telltale signs of being both vexatious and frivolous.” The same judge recently sanctioned Trump lawyers in a different case for filing a frivolous lawsuit.
You Can Run But You Can’t Hide
Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss — the reluctantly famous poll workers in Fulton County, Georgia, who are suing Rudy Giuliani for defamation — have accused a lawyer who worked for the Trump campaign of dodging their subpoena for documents. A federal judge agreed to allow them to effect service by other means.
Hunter Biden Hires Abbe Lowell
Facing legal peril and as a prime target of the incoming House GOP majority, Hunter Biden has engaged longtime DC power lawyer Abbe Lowell.
Buffalo Goes After Gunmakers
The city of Buffalo filed a “first of its kind” lawsuit seeking to hold gunmakers liable for gun violence as a “public nuisance.”
RIP Franco Harris
LATROBE, PA – JULY 1982: Running back Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers smiles as he looks on from the field during summer training camp at St. Vincent College in July 1982 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
The same week his jersey was to be retired, marking the 50th anniversary of his Immaculate Reception, Pittsburgh Steelers great Franco Harris has died at 72. With a Black father and an Italian mother, Harris was adored by Italian Americans in Pittsburgh. But this was the best remembrance of his legacy:
My grandmother, off-the-boat Irish, died three years ago. She loved football, and her favorite player was Franco Harris. Thing is, she loved him because, for the longest time, she thought his name was Frank O’Harris. True story. RIP to two of the greats.
Kari Lake’s attempt to get her Arizona gubernatorial loss overturned went to trial Wednesday, as her lawyers pushed the two of 10 claims still standing in her lawsuit.
Tufts University has received six bomb threats in the past several days, with those making them claiming to be motivated by opposition to the school’s initiatives on anti-racism and diversity.
The celebration of truly horrible campaign ads has long been a fan favorite during the TPM Golden Duke season. In 2008, you all voted on the Sleaziest Campaign Ads of the year, which featured an iconic appearance from the John McCain campaign. That year, the late senator’s campaign put out an ad insinuating that Barack Obama preferred sex education for kindergarten students.
Ten years later in 2018, TPM celebrated the Worst Campaign Attack Ads of the year, complete with the National Republican Congressional Committee being super racist in its attacks on Antonio Delgado.
We’re bringing a 2022 version of the category back this year as part of our ongoing celebration of those who did the worst the best: it’s time to vote on this year’s most Cringe Campaign Ads, which in 2022, also includes memes.
A new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast is live! This week, Josh and Kate discuss the January 6 committee’s public finale, along with revelations about Rep.-Elect Talented Mr. Santos (R-NY).
You can listen to the new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast here.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been in campaign mode for weeks to secure the 218 votes he’ll need in the upcoming House elections to become speaker. That meant making a series of niche promises to the MAGA members who are opposing his bid. This week, he made yet another promise to woo his way into the speakership — one that could make life quite difficult for him in the long run.
For years during Trump’s presidency, the losers and haters wondered: might there be a conflict of interest in having a famously tax-averse President be audited by an IRS that he controlled?
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Stefan Passantino Is In A World Of Hurt
When your lawyer tells you its okay to tell investigators you don’t remember when in fact you do remember …. wow.
Over the last 48 hours, things have come apart quickly for former Trump White House deputy counsel Stefan Passantino.
Monday the executive summary of the Jan. 6 committee, without naming Passantino, detailed some of what he was allegedly doing and saying when he represented former Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson before the committee.
By Tuesday, Passantino — who denies any wrongdoing and says he represented Hutchinson “honorably, ethically, and fully consistent with her sole interests as she communicated them to me” — had taken a leave of absence from one of his law firms.
By late Tuesday, CNN had publicly identified Passantino as Hutchinson’s former lawyer. The NYT soon followed suit.
What in the world?
What Cassidy Hutchison Alleges
The key allegations raised against Stefan Passantino in the Jan. 6 executive summary are presumably coming from Cassidy Hutchinson herself:
Executive summary excerpt of Jan. 6 committee report
Again, Passantino is not named in the report, but the report notes this is what the witness said “about her decision to terminate a lawyer who was receiving payments for the representation from a group allied with President Trump.”
There is reason to believe the Jan. 6 committee already referred this matter to the Justice Department even before the much-publicized criminal referrals it made this week. “Much of this evidence is already known by the Department of Justice and by other prosecutorial authorities,” the committee noted in the executive summary.
“Two sources familiar with the situation tell CNN that Hutchinson has discussed the episode with the Justice Department,” the cable news network reported.
What’s Been Reported About Stefan Passantino’s Role
Some of the key bits of reporting around this episode:
Passantino’s representation of Hutchinson was paid for by Trump’s Save America PAC, anonymous sources told CNN. Passantino had previously represented the Trump Org.
Passantino was an ethics experts in the Trump White House counsel’s office and had previously served as a general counsel to Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Hutchinson terminated Passantino’s representation of her and replaced him with former Trump DOJ official Jody Hunt.
Reaction And Fallout Over Passantino News
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) told CNN Monday: “She was advised to say that she didn’t recall something when she did. So that’s pretty serious stuff.”
Harry Litman: “The accusations involving Stefan Passantino — that he advised Cassidy Hutchinson to say she did not recall when in fact she did — is absolutely career ending if it pans out. Virtual instant disarmament (sic) and lucky if he stays out of jail.”
Ryan Goodman: “Stefan Passantino identified as lawyer Jan. 6th Committee alleged told Cassidy Hutchinson to tell Committee she did not recall details that she did. Telling a client to lie = 18 U.S.C. 1001 liability for lawyer”
Andrew Weissmann: “This phenomenon happens so much in political corruption investigations. Lawyers doing bidding for the boss, not the lower level client.”
At Long Last, Trump’s Tax Returns!!!
The House Ways & Means Committee voted late yesterday to release publicly six years of former President Trump’s tax returns. The tax returns won’t actually be released for a few more days, but the committee did release a report that previews some of the revelations contained in them:
The IRS did not perform the mandatory audits of Trump during his first two years in office.
The Trumps reported negative adjusted gross income in four of the six years from 2015 through 2020, according to the WSJ.
The Trumps paid federal taxes each year, but reported income tax liability of $750 or less in three of the six years, the WSJ reported.
The IRS hasn’t completed audits of the Trumps for any of those years.
TPM On TV
Hunter Walker talks with CBS News about the Meadows Texts series:
More Coverage Of The Meadows Texts
Bill Lueders at The Bulwark: “Texts reveal the wholesale embrace of madness and criminality by GOP members of Congress in the weeks surrounding January 6th.”
Minneapolis Star Tribune: “Minnesota businessman Marty Davis met Trump, pushed Meadows to fight 2020 election loss”
Key Election Protection Legislation Is On Track
It was touch and go for a while, but the provisions of the proposed Electoral Count Reform Act have made it into the giant must-pass omnibus bill Congress is racing to complete this week. It’s a huge win for advocates trying to close the potential loophole that let Trump toy with the notion that the vice president could reject the Electoral College results from the states.
Zelensky In DC
In his first trip outside of his country since the Russian invasion, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday will visit the White House and give a primetime address to Congress.
A No-Brainer On The Climate Front
In a huge win for everyone, the U.S. Postal Service will spend billions of dollars on 66,000 new electric vehicles for its fleet.
First Of Its Kind Probe
The Education Department’s civil rights enforcement division is investigating a Texas school district whose superintendent was secretly recorded ordering librarians to remove LGBTQ-themed library books.
Musk Says He Will Step Down As Twitter CEO
Don’t bet on anything Elon Musk says, but for the record: Late Tuesday, the chief twit said he would eventually step down as CEO once he found “someone foolish enough to take the job!” The very next sentence renders the whole thing even more absurd and hard to believe: “After that, I will just run the software & servers teams.”
