A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Don’t Say He Didn’t Warn You
Arizona GOP secretary of state nominee Mark Finchem, an election-denying Oath Keeper who was outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, told Time magazine that as secretary of state, he would certify a Biden victory in 2024 “if there’s no fraud” – but “I think you’re proposing something that, quite frankly, is a fantasy.”
- Finchem argued that Biden’s 2020 victory in Arizona “strains credibility” because he apparently “can’t find anyone who will admit” they voted for him. Checkmate!
- By the way, Finchem had a fundraiser on Sunday that was co-hosted by a Sandy Hook and 9/11 truther (and yep, she’s a QAnoner).
Next Jan. 6 Panel Hearing To Be Held Next Week
House Jan. 6 Committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) announced yesterday that the panel’s next hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. ET.
- It’ll be the committee’s last hearing before it releases its report at the end of the year.
- Thompson wouldn’t say what the subject of the hearing will be. However, the Democrat said the hearing will be an opportunity for the panel to use some of the “substantial footage” and “significant witness testimony” that hasn’t been revealed yet.
Sheriff Investigating DeSantis’ Migrant Trafficking Stunt Faces Threats, Office Says
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar’s office told Vice that he’s been getting “numerous threats” ever since he opened an investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) rounding up Venezuelan migrants in Texas and flying them to Martha’s Vineyard.
- The migrants have filed a lawsuit against DeSantis accusing him of roping them into his “fraudulent and discriminatory scheme.”
- Key analysis: “The Performative Sadism of Ron DeSantis” – The Daily Beast
House To Vote On Anti-Coup Bill Today
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told reporters yesterday that the House is expected to vote on the Jan. 6 committee’s bill on preventing future Jan. 6s, aka the Presidential Election Reform Act, today.
- House Republican leaders are whipping against the legislation, calling it “Democrats’ latest attempt at a federal takeover of elections in order to stack the electoral deck in their favor” (notably the same complaint they had about Democrats’ voting rights bill).
- The Senate’s version of the bill, which came out in June, is moving at a way slower pace. It won’t get put to a vote until after the midterms.
Must Read
“These male politicians are pushing for women who receive abortions to be punished with prison time” – CNN
Trump’s Handpicked Special Master Unimpressed By Trump’s Arguments
The ex-president’s efforts to game the DOJ’s investigation into the documents he kept at Mar-a-Lago don’t seem to be going the way he hoped: TPM’s Josh Kovensky reports that U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie, the judge Trump chose to be the special master in the case, expressed skepticism toward the Trump legal team’s claims during the hearing yesterday. At one point, he even told one of the ex-president’s lawyers that “[y]ou can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
Manchin Can’t Believe GOPers Are Acting In Bad Faith
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Tuesday accused Republican senators of playing “revenge politics” with his permitting reform proposal aimed at speeding up the construction of energy projects–reforms that Republicans wanted until Manchin helped his fellow Democrats pass the climate bill.
Trump Bearhugs QAnon To Own The Media, Allies Say
People in Trump’s inner circle told Rolling Stone magazine that the reason the ex-president’s been blowing kisses to QAnon recently is fairly simple: It’s an opportunity for some good old-fashioned trolling (while basking in the adoration of QAnon supporters, naturally).
- Trump has privately said that he thinks QAnon memes are funny and that “it’s hilarious” to make the media “so mad” whenever he gives a shout-out to QAnon, a Trump ally said.
- This is, of course, how his allies are explaining it. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Trump, who has trafficked in conspiracy theories in earnest, does believe in certain elements of QAnon.
Where Democrats And GOPers Split On Biggest Threats To Democracy
This new NBC News poll shows what Democratic voters and Republican voters each consider to be the biggest threat to democracy.
- What Democratic voters said: voter suppression
- What GOP voters said: government control
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