A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.

WTF Am I Looking At Right Now

North Carolina state Rep. Jeff McNeely (R) announced on Thursday that he and several other Republican lawmakers were going to personally inspect the voting machines at the Durham County Board of Elections office on the basis of–you guessed it–voter fraud (there’s no evidence of voter fraud in Durham County). McNeely announced his Mission Impossible fantasy while dressed like a particularly fancy clown.

• The board flatly shot down McNeely’s plan. Derek Bowens, Durham County’s director of elections, told the News and Observer that his office has “no plans” to “allow anyone, as noted by law, to inspect our voting equipment.”
• McNeely vowed that he wouldn’t be dissuaded, saying that he could get the police to accompany him. “We will do whatever it takes to go about our mission,” he said.
• McNeely backed down from his threat by the end of day, saying he’d just drive by the elections office building instead, according to WRAL.

Pay Up, Pillow Man

Idaho Chief Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck wants MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to reimburse the state for the pointless vote recounts the secretary of state’s office held in three counties that were prompted by the pillow tycoon’s fake election fraud conspiracy theories (despite the fact that Trump won Idaho handily). 

• “Why not try and get Lindell to reimburse the state for having to refute his false claim?” Houck asked during an interview with the Idaho Statesman on Thursday.
• The secretary of state’s office is “looking into” the next steps if Lindell doesn’t pony up, Houck said when asked about potentially suing the pillow magnate.
• Lindell refused to accept the results of the recount in two of the counties when TPM relayed them to him last week (the third county had not undergone the recount at the time). “It’s more than just counting,” he told TPM, adding later: “The ballots themselves are not real people.”

Trump Tells His Minions Not To Cooperate With Jan. 6 Committee

The ex-President’s legal team sent a letter to Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino and Kash Patel directing them to defy the House Jan. 6 select committee’s subpoenas.

• The letter claims the materials the committee seeks are protected by “executive and other privileges.” Those other privileges are “presidential communications, deliberative process, and attorney-client privileges,” Trump’s legal team argues.

Jan. 6 Committee Subpoenas ‘Stop The Steal’ Rally Organizers

The committee sent out a new round of subpoenas yesterday, this time to Ali Alexander and Stop the Steal LLC, which organized the rally that preceded the violent Capitol attack. The committee also subpoenaed Nathan Martin, who is affiliated with Stop the Steal group and is also tied to the rally.

Iowa GOPers Ready To Pretend Trump Didn’t Almost Get Them Killed

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), along with Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Ashley Hinson (R-IA), are slated to speak at Trump’s rally in Des Moines tomorrow, nine months after he sicced a mob of his rabid supporters on them and their colleagues at the Capitol.

Won’t Anyone Please Think Of The White Children

Mary Beeman, styled in news reports as a campaign manager for local school board GOP candidates in Connecticut, didn’t bother to disguise the racism behind her pearl-clutching over critical race theory during a virtual education forum, local outlet WFSB reported this week.

• “Helping kids of color to feel they belong has a negative effect on white, Christian, or conservative kids,” Beeman commented.
• Beeman claimed in a statement to WFSB that her comment was “poorly worded” and “shown out of context.” Then she claimed that students with “staunch Judeo-Christian values” have been “bullied into submission by their teachers and fellow students with left-leaning ideologies.”

Must-Reads

• “What Killed the Blue-Collar Struggle for Social Justice” – New York Times opinion writer Farah Stockman
• “When It Costs $53,000 to Vote” – New York Times opinion writer Jesse Wegman

The Zodiac Killer Case Remains Open, FBI Says, And Cruz Trembles

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is no longer off the hook: Despite what a team of private investigators claimed earlier this week, the Zodiac Killer still hasn’t been identified and “there is no new information to report” on the case, the feds said yesterday.

Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know!