A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
Don’t Blink
While Donald Trump’s vow to jail members of the Congress who investigated his efforts to subvert the 2020 election has been repeated ad nauseam, it remains an unprecedented and extraordinary threat to the rule of law, the separation of powers, and the Constitution.
In his first sit-down interview since the election, President-elect Trump reiterated on Meet the Press his desire for the Jan. 6 committee members to be jailed. In an awkwardly worded exchange, Trump said he wouldn’t order his Justice Department to pursue the Jan. 6 committee members but that he expected his new appointees there to do it on their own. So much for coded speech.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, issued a withering statement in response to Trump’s interview. “There is no conceivably appropriate factual or constitutional basis for what Donald Trump is suggesting – a Justice Department investigation of the work of a congressional committee – and any lawyer who attempts to pursue that course would quickly find themselves engaged in sanctionable conduct,” Cheney said.
Trump Jan. 6 Pardons Could Come As Soon As Day 1
Trump’s latest promise to pardon Jan. 6 rioters was laden with misinformation, mistruths, and misdirection – but he appears likely to follow through with a blanket pardon as soon as he takes office next month.
The Last Remaining Recourse Against Trump?
- “Though the criminal cases against him are all but dead, Trump is likely to be fighting eight civil lawsuits — from members of Congress and injured police officers — deep into his second term. They may be the last form of legal redress Trump faces for his role in spurring the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.”–Politico
- “The cases are not criminal, but if they end up at trial, they could result not only in financial damages imposed on Mr. Trump, but also in the public airing of evidence about Jan. 6 that has not taken place — and may never — in the context of his dismissed or delayed criminal trials.”–NYT
Bracing For Trump II
- WaPo: Federal employees scramble to insulate themselves from Trump’s purge
- AP: Military leaders are rattled by a list of ‘woke’ officers that a group urges Hegseth to fire
Hegseth Held On Through The Weekend
I didn’t think Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense would survive through the end of last week. It not only made it through Friday but survived the weekend, too. It’s worth noting that no GOP senators has gone so far as to openly oppose Hegseth. So, while GOP senators have told reporters the votes aren’t there, Hegseth’s demise is not a done deal … yet.
At the same time, some GOP members of Congress are rallying to defend Hegseth against allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking on the job – in the most shameless ways.
Exhibit A:
Chip Roy dismisses the Pete Hegseth rape allegation: "We've all had some indiscretions in our past and things like that."
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) December 6, 2024 at 12:46 PM
Exhibit B:
Meanwhile, Kevin Roberts, the head of the Heritage Foundation and incubator of Project 2025, is pledging to spend $1 million to pressure reluctant GOP senators to support the Hegseth nomination. (That’s not really much money, to be honest.)
More On Hegseth …
- Politico: Pete Hegseth’s Crusade to Turn the Military into a Christian Weapon
- CNN: Hegseth’s name has been submitted for FBI background check, weeks after he became presumptive nominee
- Hegseth is threatening a “civil extortion claim” against his sexual assault accuser if he is not confirmed as defense secretary:
Pete Hegseth's lawyer on CNN threatens Pete Hegseth's sexual assault accuser with a defamation lawsuit if he's not confirmed as secretary of defense
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) December 5, 2024 at 9:43 PM
IMPORTANT
Beyond Pete Hegseth’s abject unsuitability for the job of defense secretary, there’s a whole nother issue that deserves close scrutiny: His support for limiting VA health care for veterans and for “privatizing” the VA system:
Hegseth, now Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of defense, had been a vocal and persistent advocate for veterans having unfettered access to private health care, rather than having to go through the VA to keep their benefits. He’s also lobbied for policies that would restrict VA care and believes veterans should ask for fewer government benefits.
Trump II Clown Show
- Trump has named his criminal defense attorney Alina Habba as a White House counselor to the president
- Fracking CEO Chris Wright, Trump’s pick for energy secretary, preaches the benefits of climate change
- Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, is on the Hill this week meeting with senators.
Grifters Gonna Grift
The WSJ introduces us to the Trump presumptive nominees personally hawking supplements:
- Kash Patel for FBI director;
- Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for surgeon general;
- Dr. Mehmet Oz for administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is not included on the list, even though he’s expected to champion supplements, because he’s not selling them personally.
Trump Picks ‘America First’ Trio For Top Roles At State
Birthright Citizenship Alert
Despite all the talk of birthright citizenship over the weekend, including Trump’s posturing that he might just try to usurp the 14th Amendment via executive action, reporting from the WSJ suggests the transition team is working on a more modest executive order:
Weeks before he takes office, Trump’s transition team is now considering how far to push the scope of such an order, knowing it would almost immediately be challenged in court, according to a transition official and others familiar with the matter. The eventual order is expected to focus on changing the requirements for documents issued by federal agencies that verify citizenship, such as a passport.
Still potentially damaging and all but certain to be challenged in court, but perhaps less than a full-blown attempt to pretend the 14th Amendment doesn’t exist.
Ya Don’t Say?
The Guardian:
As Donald Trump gathered his supporters, family and friends at Mar-a-Lago on US election day last month to wait for the results to trickle in, a small group of far-right Germans went largely unnoticed.
Among them was the purported semi-professional, one-time porn actor, self-confessed former cocaine user, convicted thief and hard-right candidate for the German parliament Phillipp-Anders Rau. Together with a compact delegation of young political activists and influencers, Rau posed for the cameras with the American president-elect at his invitation, chanting “Fight! Fight! Fight!” in English and German.
A Brutal Denouement For Biden
- WSJ: Biden Is Ceding Presidential Influence to Trump, and Some Democrats Are Furious
- Politico: Biden shrinks from view ahead of Trump’s return to Washington
GOOD READ
The NYT’s Adam Liptak with a good primer on a how a 1925 law conveyed to the Supreme Court much of its current power and indluence.
Quote Of The Day
“Our involvement over there had a cost. The cost was Syria.”–Anton Mardasov, a Moscow-based analyst referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine
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