A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Yikes
It turns out that GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker (GA), who’s lied about everything from his academics to his business ventures to weird things like working for the FBI, hasn’t spared his own campaign staffers from his perpetual lying – to the point where they actually can’t believe anything he says anymore, according to the Daily Beast.
- For one thing, Walker didn’t tell his own campaign about his three secret kids, an advisor told the Daily Beast.
- And Walker’s campaign is reportedly secretly investigating yet another allegation of a secret child behind the candidate’s back, having learned at this point that he clearly can’t be trusted to tell the campaign himself.
- And the Daily Beast reported that three people the outlet spoke to all independently described the candidate as a “pathological liar.”
Ex-Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Assassinated
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest serving prime minister, was fatally shot on Friday during a campaign event near Osaka. Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested as a suspect in the shooting, but current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said it was too early to determine a motive for the assassination.
Kentucky Guv Tells Biden To Give It Up With GOP Anti-Abortion Judicial Nominee
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) made it clear during a press conference on Thursday that he’s losing patience with Biden over his plan to nominate Chad Meredith, a Republican anti-abortion Federalist Society member, to a federal judgeship.
- “It’s been plenty of time, and by now, they should be telling us that it’s going to be rescinded,” said Beshear, several days after publicly releasing the White House’s “privileged” (in the White House’s words) email informing him of the upcoming nomination.
- Meredith’s nomination is apparently part of some mind-boggling deal between Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who apparently agreed not to stonewall the President’s future nominations, Kentucky officials have suggested. That hasn’t been confirmed, though.
- Don’t forget that Beshear’s taking something of a political risk in red Kentucky by slamming Biden over this mess (and unsuccessfully trying to veto his state’s trigger ban on abortion): He’s up for reelection in 2023, and several of his GOP challengers have highlighted their opposition to abortion.
Senate Dems Back Carveout For Abortion (No, Not Those Two)
Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced on Thursday that they support reforming the filibuster to codify abortion rights into law after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.
IRS Asks For Investigation Into Suspicious Comey And McCabe Audits
The IRS announced on Thursday that the agency’s Trump-appointed commissioner, Charles Rettig, had asked the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to look into how former FBI chiefs and Trump punching bags James Comey and Andrew McCabe just happened to be selected for incredibly rare and intensive tax audits.
Michigan Gubernatorial Candidate Pleads Not Guilty To Jan. 6 Charges
GOP Michigan gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley, who avoided getting wiped out by the signature forgery scandal only to be arrested for allegedly participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to the misdemeanor charges he was handed for said participation in the attack. The candidate has claimed he was only on the Capitol steps that day, not ransacking the building with the violent mob.
Cipollone Testifies In Front Of Jan. 6 Panel Today
Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone is slated to sit for a private transcribed interview with the House Jan. 6 Committee today after coming to an agreement with the panel on its subpoena to him earlier this week.
Blumenthal And Graham Meet With Zelensky
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who both sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, traveled to Kyiv on Thursday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and discuss U.S. support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.
(Zelensky’s readout doesn’t mention whether the president asked Graham about how the GOP senator tried to legitimize Trump’s pressure campaign against him.)
Roy Moore Loses Defamation Bid Over Fake Pedophile Detector
A federal appeals court shot down Roy Moore’s $95 million defamation lawsuit against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen on Thursday.
- You might remember that Cohen, in a very convincing disguise as an Israeli anti-terrorism expert, tricked Moore into an interview in which Cohen introduced Moore to a special pedophile detector wand that mysteriously went off whenever it got near the then-candidate.
What’s great is that at no point does Cohen himself ever actually accuse Moore of being a pedophile; he repeatedly says the wand must be malfunctioning or something. Moore just storms off in a huff anyway.
Looking Back At A+ British Media Coverage Of Boris Johnson’s Downfall
After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation yesterday, let’s memorialize some awesome moments on local TV during the whole circus:
And an honorary mention for this stunt devised by actor Hugh Grant:
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