The Commentariat -- January 17, 2021

In with the New. Michael Shear & Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., inheriting a collection of crises unlike any in generations, plans to open his administration with dozens of executive directives on top of expansive legislative proposals in a 10-day blitz meant to signal a turning point for a nation reeling from disease, economic turmoil, racial strife and now the aftermath of the assault on the Capitol. Mr. Biden's team has developed a raft of decrees that he can issue on his own authority after the inauguration on Wednesday to begin reversing some of President Trump's most hotly disputed policies.... On his first day in office alone, Mr. Biden intends a flurry of executive orders that will be partly substantive and partly symbolic. They include rescinding the travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries, rejoining the Paris climate change accord, extending pandemic-related limits on evictions and student loan payments, issuing a mask mandate for federal property and interstate travel and ordering agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from families after crossing the border, according to a memo circulated on Saturday by Ron Klain, his incoming White House chief of staff...." An AP story is here.

Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said on Saturday that he was 'always going to lead with science and truth' as he announced top science and technology officials on his White House staff, reaffirming trust in the kind of expert research that the Trump administration often ignored or disdained.... The appointees included Eric S. Lander, whom Mr. Biden will nominate to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, a position that will for the first time hold cabinet rank.... As Dr. Lander's deputy in the science and technology office, Alondra Nelson, whom was also named by Mr. Biden, is a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study.... Mr. Biden also named two co-chairs of the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology: Frances H. Arnold, the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and Maria Zuber, a geophysics and planetary science expert and the first woman to lead a NASA spacecraft mission. Mr. Biden also said that Dr. Francis S. Collins would remain as the director of the National Institutes of Health.... President Trump left the position of science adviser unfilled for 18 months and his administration routinely ignored the guidance of government scientists on issues ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to climate change."

Laura Barron-Lopez & Sabrina Rodriguez of Politico: "In preparation for President-elect Joe Biden to drop a sweeping immigration reform bill as soon as he enters office, congressional Democrats and advocates are drafting legislation, taking the temperature of Republicans -- and gearing up for what they hope will be the defining chapter in a decadeslong battle to pass a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants. Biden has said he plans to 'immediately' introduce an immigration bill after tking office on Wednesday. And top Latino and immigrant advocacy groups who've seen details of the coming package said they were stunned by the boldness of Biden's plan."

Averi Harper & Beatrice Peterson of ABC News: "Vice President-elect Kamala Harris ... will be sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, another historic female first. Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.... The pair both previously served as former prosecutors -- Harris in California, Sotomayor in New York.... For the historic day, Harris has chosen to be sworn in using two bibles. One previously belonged to Mrs. Regina Shelton, who was like a second mother to Harris and her sister Maya.... The second bible belonged to the late civil rights icon and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, someone who inspired Harris' career path.

Jessica Contrera, et al., of the Washington Post: "A Virginia man has been arrested after law enforcement found at least one firearm and more than 500 rounds of ammunition in his truck as he tried to enter an inauguration security checkpoint near the Capitol on Friday evening with a credential that was not authorized, according to court documents. Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, of Front Royal, drove his Ford F-150 up to a checkpoint on E Street Northeast of the Capitol, where he was met by Capitol Police officers, according to the court documents. Beeler is facing charges stemming from unlawful possession of weapons and ammunition.... His family said he works in private security." The story has been updated. The Hill has a story here.~~~

     ~~~ Update: A follow-up New York Times story suggests Beeler might not be a radical bent on shooting up D.C.

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: "For four years, President Trump bullied his rivals and intimidated his enemies. He commanded the world stage and commandeered social media, spreading torrents of misinformation and falsehoods. From Israel' to Iowa, Mr. Trump was inescapable -- and seemingly unstoppable. Since the attack on the U.S. Capitol, his power has been rapidly disappearing, evaporating in a cloud of recriminations and condemnation.... He departs isolated and diminished, leaving behind a Capitol transformed into a war zone, a frayed body politic and a fractured Republican Party that has been ousted from power.... Marooned in the White House, Mr. Trump is facing the lowest job approval of his time in office, polling shows, and increasingly negative reviews for his post-election behavior. He plans to leave Washington hours before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in, making him the first president since Andrew Johnson in 1869 to skip the inauguration of his successor. (Mr. Johnson was also impeached.)"

** The Trump Crime Family's Black Market -- in Pardons. Michael Schmidt & Ken Vogel of the New York Times: "As President Trump prepares to leave office in days, a lucrative market for pardons is coming to a head, with some of his allies collecting fees from wealthy felons or their associates to push the White House for clemency, according to documents and interviews with more than three dozen lobbyists and lawyers. The brisk market for pardons reflects the access peddling that has defined Mr. Trump's presidency as well as his unorthodox approach to exercising unchecked presidential clemency powers. Pardons and commutations are intended to show mercy to deserving recipients, but Mr. Trump has used many of them to reward personal or political allies.... One lobbyist, Brett Tolman, a former federal prosecutor who has been advising the White House on pardons and commutations, has monetized his clemency work, collecting tens of thousands of dollars, and possibly more, in recent weeks to lobby the White House for clemency for [his clients].... Mr. Trump's former personal lawyer John M. Dowd has marketed himself to convicted felons as someone who could secure pardons because of his close relationship with the president, accepting tens of thousands of dollars from a wealthy felon and ... and other potential clients.... John Kiriakou, a former C.I.A. officer convicted of illegally disclosing classified information..., was ... told ... Rudolph W. Giuliani could help him secure a pardon for $2 million. Mr. Kiriakou rejected the offer, but an associate ... alerted the F.B.I." ~~~

~~~ Here's what Rudy says he is doing -- when he's not working big grifts, we presume: ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Karl & Will Steakin of ABC News: "... Rudy Giuliani tells ABC News he's working as part of the president's defense team in his upcoming second impeachment trial -- and that he's prepared to argue that the president's claims of widespread voter fraud did not constitute incitement to violence because the widely-debunked claims are true.... A few hours later, Giuliani -- who led the president's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results -- was spotted at the White House. Giuliani's involvement in Trump's impeachment defense comes as many of the lawyers involved in the president's first impeachment, including White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputies and outside lawyers Jay Sekulow and Jane and Marty Raskin, do not plan to return for the second trial.... Giuliani dismissed the validity of the single article of impeachment accusing Trump of inciting violence against the government on the grounds that the president's rally speech did not incite the riot because there was a delay between the speech and the attack. 'Basically, if [incitement] is going to happen, it's got to happen right away,' he said. 'You'd have to have people running out, you'd have to have people running out of that frozen speech, right up to the Capitol...," Giuliani said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Uh, Rudy, the people were "running right up to the Capitol" even before Trump finished speaking (NYT link). Looks as if Trump's "defense" will be a circus of lies.

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "The siege of the Capitol wasn't a departure for Trump, it was an apotheosis. For years, he's been telling us he wouldn't accept an election loss. For years, he's been urging his followers to violence, refusing to condemn their violence, and insinuating that even greater violence was on the way. As he told Breitbart in 2019, in one of his characteristic threats, 'I have the tough people, but they don&'t play it tough -- until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.'... Throughout his presidency, Republicans pretended not to hear what the president was saying.... The violent far right appears to have been emboldened by the experience of being treated as valued constituents.... Right-wing extremist activity usually abates during Republican administrations, when conservatives feel less existentially threatened. But Trump kept the far right's paranoia and sense of grievance at a constant boil, and gave them permission to act. The people at the Capitol who said they were there because the president wanted them to be weren't necessarily delusional."

Lauren Leatherby & Anjali Singhvi of the New York Times time out "critical moments in the Capitol siege": "From the Trump rally to the violent breach of the Capitol and its aftermath, here is a moment-by-moment look at some of the pivotal events on Jan. 6, when thousands of protesters flooded the Capitol grounds and many rioters came within steps of members of Congress, who were gathered to certify the presidential election results."

Evan Hill, et al., of the New York Times: "Rosanne Boyland, a 34-year-old Trump supporter from Georgia who died during the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, appears to have been killed in a crush of fellow rioters during their attempt to fight through a police line, according to videos reviewed by The Times. Though the videos have circulated widely, Ms. Boyland's presence in them had gone unnoticed until now, and the manner of her death had previously been unclear. The videos show her body on the ground just outside a door on the Capitol's west side that was the scene of some of the day's worst violence." Includes photographic evidence.

Kimberly Kindy, et al., of the Washington Post: "... police chiefs across the country are confronting the uncomfortable reality that members in their own ranks were among the mob that faced off against other law enforcement officers. At least 13 off-duty law enforcement officials are suspected of taking part in the riot, a tally that could grow as investigators continue to pore over footage and records to identify participants. Police leaders are turning in their own to the FBI and taking the striking step of reminding officers in their departments that criminal misconduct could push them off the force and behind bars.... It marks a notable break in the so-called 'blue wall of silence,' an aspect of police culture that encourages officers to turn a blind eye to misconduct by fellow officers.... That fellow police officers were the target of much of the mob's brutality is another important factor that may have prompted whistleblowing.... The revelation that officers participated in the chaos was the latest hit for law enforcement's reputation, coming on the heels of a year in which police violence spurred nationwide protests and activists called for cutting police funding."

Trump Made Me Do It. Rosalind Helderman, et al., of the Washington Post: "The accounts of people who said they were inspired by the president to take part in the melee inside the Capitol vividly show the impact of Trump's months-long attack on the integrity of the 2020 election and his exhortations to supporters to 'fight' the results. Some have said that they felt called to Washington by Trump and his false message that the election had been stolen, as well as by his efforts to pressure Congress and Vice President Pence to overturn the result. But others drew an even more direct link -- telling the FBI or news organizations that they headed to the Capitol on what they believed were direct orders from the president issued at a rally that day. While legal experts are split on whether Trump could face criminal liability for his role in the events of Jan. 6, testimony from rioters who felt directed to take part in illegal acts by his speech could inform a decision by prosecutors about whether to attempt to build a case. Short of that, the testimony from rioters is likely to be cited in Trump's upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate and could become evidence should people injured in the Capitol attack seek to file civil suits against Trump."

Heavy has more on Jenna Ryan, girl realtor/rioter, who thinks she merits a pardon for merely answering Trump's call on what she described as one of the best days of her life. Thanks to RAS for the link.

David Kirkpatrick, et al., of the New York Times: "Much is still unknown about the planning and financing of the storming of the Capitol, aiming to challenge Mr. Trump's electoral defeat. What is clear is that it was driven, in part, by a largely ad hoc network of low-budget agitators, including far-right militants, Christian conservatives and ardent adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory.... And the sheer breadth of the movement ... suggests it may be far more difficult to confront than a single organization.... [There were] many grass-roots efforts to bring Trump supporters to the Capitol, often amid calls for revolution, if not outright violence.... A few prominent firebrands, an opaque pro-Trump nonprofit and at least one wealthy donor had campaigned for weeks to amplify the president's false claims about his defeat, stoking the anger of his supporters." MB: The article & accompanying photo captions call these wingnuts "conservatives." But conservatives don't aim to overthrow the government by violent means. Can you imagine David Brooks wielding a lead pipe as he stormed a federal building?

A Dramatic Effect of Dumping Trump. Elizabeth Dwoskin & Craig Timberg of the Washington Post: "Online misinformation about election fraud plunged 73 percent after several social media sites suspended President Trump and key allies last week, research firm Zignal Labs has found, underscoring the power of tech companies to limit the falsehoods poisoning public debate when they act aggressively. The new research by the San Francisco-based analytics firm reported that conversations about election fraud dropped from 2.5 million mentions to 688,000 mentions across several social media sites in the week after Trump was banned from Twitter. Election disinformation had for months been a major subject of online misinformation, beginning even before the Nov. 3 election and pushed heavily by Trump and his allies."

Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "When controversial MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell visited the White House on Friday, a Washington Post reporter captured a photo of 'martial law' appearing on the notes he brought with him. Lindell said he was there to brief Trump on what he was missing out on after his lifetime suspension from Twitter. 'Following his meeting with President Trump on Friday, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell said in a Facebook interview with Right Side Broadcasting News today that he's praying that the military presence in Washington is part of Trump's plan to retain power,' Tim Miller of The Bulwark reported Saturday. 'In Lindell's interview -- which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook in just a few hours -- he recounts the details of his meeting with the president and rattles off a series of unintelligible conspiracies in a Minnesota lilt.' Lindell believes he has 'proof' of election fraud, pushing the debunked conspiracy theory that incited the fatal January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie's Shopping Tip of the Day: It appears, according to a tweet & retweet embedded in Brigham's story, you can get a nice discount on a My Pillow product by entering the discount code "QANON." Really.

Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said the Senate should consider removing Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) via the 14th Amendment over their objections last week to the Electoral College results. Speaking to PBS's 'Firing Line' on Friday night, Manchin said the Senate should explore the option after a violent mob, riled up by President Trump and convinced by Republicans such as Hawley and Cruz that the election was fraudulent, ransacked the Capitol in one of the darkest points in American democracy.... '... Ted's a very bright individual, and I get along fine with Ted, but what he did was totally outside of the realm of our responsibilities or our privileges.'"

Lachlan Markay, now of Axios: "The communications director for Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a firebrand Republican freshman who boasts about carrying a gun to work, has quit after less than two weeks on the job.... Ben Goldey's resignation cited last week's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which came amid efforts by Boebert and other Republican lawmakers to block certification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.... Goldey ... has a more establishment pedigree [than Boebert]. He was the press secretary at the Department of Interior until this year, and previously worked for ... Mitch McConnell.... Goldey's resignation underscores larger Republican divisions, particularly in the House, where ten GOP members ... voted to impeach Trump on Wednesday.... On the other side of the Capitol[,] Sen. Ted Cruz's communications director, Lauren Blair Bianchi, also resigned on Monday, reportedly over Cruz's role in the effort to deny certification for Biden."

Wow, this crowd has some fight in it.... I just rolled down from the Capitol building.... And I will tell you, the courage I see in this crowd is not represented on that hill.... But my friends, the Democrats, with all the fraud they have done in this election, the Republicans hiding and not fighting, they are trying to silence your voice.... But my friends, when I look out into this crowd, I can confidently say, this crowd has the voice of lions. There is a new Republican Party on the rise that will represent this country, that will go and fight in Washington D.C.... But my friends, we're not just doing this for Donald Trump, we are doing this for the Constitution. Our Constitution was violated. -- Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), speaking at the rally preceding the January 6 Capitol insurrection

Literally, I ... I ... I ... In hindsight, you know, I wish I could've ... uhh ... if I could, you know ... I probably would've ... obviously ... knowing what happened later in the day ... I wish I would've been like, 'Just so you know, we are peaceful protesters.' -- Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C), days later, defending his speech

Another Last-Minute Fast One. Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "Acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller ordered the director of the National Security Agency to install on Saturday a former GOP political operative [-- Michael Ellis, a Devin Nunes acolyte --] as the NSA's top lawyer [-- until now, a civil service job --], according to four individuals familiar with the matter.... Miller gave NSA Director Paul Nakasone until 6 p.m. Saturday to install Ellis in the job, according to several people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity. The 6 p.m. deadline passed without Nakasone taking action.... Ellis's naming, made under pressure from the White House, drew criticism from national security legal experts. It 'appears to be an attempt to improperly politicize an important career position,' wrote Susan Hennessey, a former lawyer in the NSA Office of General Counsel, on Lawfare.... It was unclear Saturday evening what the Pentagon's next move would be." A CNN story is here.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Uganda. Abdi Dahir of the New York Times: "... after a bitter and bloody campaign marked by a lethal crackdown on the opposition, an internet blackout and accusations of vote tampering and rigging -- the president, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, was declared victor of a sixth, five-year term in office. His rival, Bobi Wine, says the election was unfair, a contention backed by independent international observers. For the world, Uganda's election was a vivid demonstration of how autocrats use elections to cement their hold on power. For the country's younger generation, and throughout Africa, it was a sign of how intractable the old systems are. On Saturday, Mr. Wine was holed up in his house -- which was surrounded on Friday by Mr. Museveni's security forces -- and declaring that Mr. Museveni had 'fabricated' the election results." MB: Wow! Something like this could happen only in a shithole country, right?

The Commentariat -- January 16, 2021

Ian Duncan of the Washington Post: "The Transportation Security Administration said Friday that it is conducting risk assessments on hundreds of people ahead of expected protests at the presidential inauguration next week, trying to determine whether they need to be subject to enhanced screening or barred from flying entirely. But an agency spokesman declined to say whether the assessments had led to anyone being stopped from flying. The agency has faced calls from a major flight attendants union and lawmakers to use the no-fly list to stop people tied to the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 from returning to Washington next week. Airline crews operating out of the region have had to deal with disruptive groups of passengers, with several incidents captured in viral videos."

A Florida Man Arrested for "Call to Arms." Bruce Ritchie of Politico: "The FBI on Friday arrested a Florida Army veteran on charges of plotting to violently disrupt protests at the state Capitol leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday. Daniel Baker, 33, wanted to encircle protesters at the state Capitol and confine them with guns, U. S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe and the FBI said. Baker, a former U.S. Army Airborne infrantryman who was kicked out of the service in 2007, had issued 'a call to arms' seeking others to join the him on Sunday, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court. Armed protests in opposition to the election results are planned for all 50 state capitals this weekend."

Matthew Choi of Politico: "The White House will restart the release of its visitor logs once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, Biden transition spokesperson Jen Psaki announced Friday. The move is a shift from ... Donald Trump's White House, which kept visitor logs to core offices of the White House, including the West Wing, private. The Trump administration faced legal challenges to its position and settled a lawsuit in 2018 to allow monthly publication of visitor logs for some White House offices, including the Office of Management and Budget and the drug czar's office. The Trump-era policy was criticized as a degradation of transparency from the previous administration. Under President Barack Obama, the White House regularly archived and released visitor logs for its core offices."

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

There is a perfect symmetry in the Trump presidency* petering out with the same level of absurdity with which it began: Sean Spicer's insistence that Trump attracted a larger crowd to his inauguration than President Obama had to his first inauguration, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. ~~~

~~~ Asawin Suebsaeng & Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "In the final week of his presidency, Donald Trump met in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon with Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO and a personal friend of the president's, who presented Trump with six pages of documents, loaded with unproven conspiracy theories, that he told him proved that China and other countries helped steal the 2020 election for Joe Biden. Lindell says that after a 'five-to-ten minute meeting' in the Oval, Trump asked someone to take the MyPillow inventor to a different room to show his documents to 'the lawyers,' and then asked for staff to bring Lindell back afterwards. Following a roughly two hour wait, according to Lindell, he finally met with White House attorneys who dismissed his claims but said they would 'look into it.' He was then not allowed to see the president again on Friday. The Daily Beast could not confirm with other sources if the people Lindell met with were attorneys or other White House staff." ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump, isolated and watching the clock count down on his time in the White House, spent a few minutes of it on Friday with the C.E.O. of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, who brought some notes with him. White House officials said nothing came of the roughly five-to-ten-minute meeting between Mr. Lindell and Mr. Trump, which Mr. Lindell said came after he'd been asking to get on the president's calendar for days.... In photographs captured by Jabin Botsford, a photographer for The Washington Post, Mr. Lindell held notes in his hand as he stood outside the doorway to the West Wing lobby mid-afternoon on Friday. The notes included a mention of Sidney Powell, the lawyer and conspiracy theorist whom Mr. Trump at one point wanted to offer a job in the White House. They were only partially visible, but there was also a suggestion about invoking the Insurrection Act, by which a president can deploy active military troops into the streets, and 'martial law if necessary.' One line appeared to suggest moving Kash Patel, currently the Department of Defense chief of staff and a Trump loyalist, as 'C.I.A. Acting,' which seemed to indicate the top job.... Mr. Lindell maintained that the notes he had did not contain the words 'martial law,' although the photograph showed it to be the case." ~~~

~~~ Speaking of Patel & the CIA ... Jonathan Swan of Axios: "CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.... The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences -- and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone -- stopped it." The story describes the "series of coincidences."

Dr. Seuss would be horrified by Maher's meter ("pack up and go" would have worked better), but it was nice of Bill & his writers & artists to go to so much trouble for the kiddies. Thanks to periscope for the link:

Jonathan Martin & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Vice President Mike Pence telephoned Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Thursday to congratulate her and offer his belated assistance -- filling a leadership role all but abdicated by President Trump, who is planning to fly out of the capital shortly before Joseph R. Biden Jr. is sworn in next week. The Pence-Harris conversation, relayed by two officials briefed on the call, was described as gracious and pleasant.... Mr. Trump has refused to call ... Biden.... While the plans remain in flux, Mr. Trump hopes to depart to the blare of a military band, with a red carpet and military honors, those briefed on the planning said." A CNN story is here.

Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "The violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 came perilously close to Vice President Pence, who was not evacuated from the Senate chamber for about 14 minutes after the Capitol Police reported an initial attempted breach of the complex -- enough time for the marauders to rush inside the building and approach his location, according to law enforcement officials and video footage from that day. Secret Service officers eventually spirited Pence to a room off the Senate floor with his wife and daughter after rioters began to pour into the Capitol, many loudly denouncing the vice president as a traitor as they marched through the first floor below the Senate chamber. About one minute after Pence was hustled out of the chamber, a group charged up the stairs to a second-floor landing in the Senate, chasing a Capitol Police officer who drew them away from the Senate.... If the pro-Trump mob had arrived seconds earlier, the attackers would have been in eyesight of the vice president.... Pence was ultimately evacuated from his office off the Senate floor to a more secure location elsewhere in the Capitol complex.... The proximity of the Jan. 6 mob to the vice president and the delay in evacuating him from the chamber -- which have not been previously reported — raise questions about why the Secret Service did not move him earlier and underscore the jeopardy that top government leaders faced during the siege." MB: And Trump thought this was great teevee. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's worth remembering this this extremely close call occurred minutes after an Army lieutenant general told the Capitol police chief, who was begging for assistance, "I don't like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background." The general refused to recommend sending in reinforcements. (The link is to a WashPo story.)

Devlin Barrett & Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "Internal investigators for the departments of Justice, Defense, Interior, and Homeland Security will investigate how security officials prepared for and responded to the pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6 that descended into a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, officials announced Friday. The inspectors general for all of those agencies will review what people knew and how they prepared for that day, along with their actions during the riot, according to news releases." (Also linked yesterday.)

Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post: "Three days before thousands of rioters converged on the U.S. Capitol, an internal Capitol Police intelligence report warned of a violent scenario in which 'Congress itself' could be the target of angry supporters of President Trump on Jan. 6, laying out a stark alert that deepens questions about the security failures that day. In a 12-page report on Jan. 3, the intelligence unit of the congressional police force described how thousands of enraged protesters, egged on by Trump and flanked by white supremacists and extreme militia groups, were likely to stream into Washington armed for battle. This time, the focus of their ire would be members of Congress.... The report said organizers were urging Trump supporters to come armed with guns and to bring specialized combat gear -- including gas masks and military-style bulletproof vests called 'plate carriers' -- to Washington on Jan. 6.... The memo concluded that Jan. 6 was shaping up to potentially be a perfect storm of danger because of the size of the expected crowds, the urgency of the group's mission, the call for demonstrators to bring lethal weapons, the location of the two largest protests in proximity to the Capitol grounds and the fact that 'both have been promoted by President Trump himself.'"

Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "In the days leading up to the mob attack on the Capitol, congressional security officials never let House and Senate leaders know that the Capitol Police had warned they might need National Guard backup.... The police request, made to the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms, was prompted by intelligence that showed Trump supporters planned to target the Capitol itself as Congress certified the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, according to a congressional official.... The sergeants-at-arms, Michael C. Stenger of the Senate and Paul Irving of the House, rejected the request [for National Guard backup] without raising the issue with either the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, or Speaker Nancy Pelosi.... Mr. Stenger and Mr. Irving, who have resigned amid the fallout from the violence, would most likely have had to ask the leaders whether to approve the requests for such a serious measure, according to former sergeants-at-arms. The sergeants-at-arms and the chief of the Capitol Police were also among officials who briefed lawmakers the day before the riot and reassured them that they were prepared for the events that day, going so far as to say the National Guard was on standby, though only a modest contingent was on duty to provide traffic control."

We were battling 15,000 people. It looked like a medieval battle scene. -- D.C. Police Officer Michael Falcone, describing what police were up against during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection ~~~

~~~ ** Peter Hermann of the Washington Post on "the first public account from D.C. police officers who fought to protect the Capitol during last week's siege.... There were people caught up in the moment, [Cmdr. Robert Glover] said, doing things they would not ordinarily do. But many appeared to be on a mission, and they launched what he and the police chief described as a coordinated assault. 'Everything they did was in a military fashion,' Glover said, saying he witnessed rioters apparently using hand signs and waving flags to signal positions, and using what he described as 'military formations.' They took high positions and talked over wireless communications. Authorities would later learn that some former members of the military and off-duty police officers from across the country were in the pro-Trump crowd." (Also linked yesterday.)

Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Justice Department prosecutors have formally walked back their assertion in a court filing that said Capitol rioters sought to 'capture and assassinate elected officials.' A federal prosecutor in Arizona asked a magistrate judge in a hearing on Friday to strike the line in a recent court filing about defendant Jacob Anthony Chansley, a man who is alleged to have led some in the crowd in the first wave into the Capitol with a bullhorn while carrying a spear and wearing a fur headdress. The entire line the prosecutors want to omit from their court filing is: 'Strong evidence, including Chansley's own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States Government.' The stunning move comes a few hours after the Michael Sherwin, the acting US attorney in Washington, DC, said at a press conference there was 'no direct evidence of kill and capture teams' at this time in the siege of the Capitol building. See, for context, this Reuters story, also linked yesterday, altho the Reuters story has been updated to reflect the DOJ's "never-mind."

John Kruzel & Scott Wong of the Hill: "A growing number of Democrats are raising concerns about pro-Trump groups spotted inside the Capitol complex in the days before a mob invaded the building last week in what was a stunning failure of intelligence and police planning. Many Democrats were shocked that people in the mob were able to find offices of top Democratic leaders, including an unmarked, third-floor office used by House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the highest-ranking Black lawmaker in Congress.... A few Democrats have said there may have been 'co-conspirators' within the Capitol building helping those involved in the mob.... 'If it is found that members of Congress were accomplices to this insurrection, if they aided and abetted the crime,' a somber [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi said, 'there may have to be actions taken beyond the Congress, in terms of prosecution for that.'... Democrats making the charge have offered no evidence that any lawmakers helped coordinate the attack.... On Dec. 30, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) spoke on the phone with a Capitol Police captain, warning that the online and social media chatter she was seeing was so violent that she feared Trump supporters would try to storm the Capitol and 'kill half of Congress' along with Vice President Pence. She urged police to harden security around the building, as did Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in a phone call a day later with then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund. Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) ... said that on Jan. 5 she saw two groups of Trump supporters in the Rayburn building. That legislative office building, located next to the Capitol, houses nearly 170 members of the U.S. House of Representatives."

... everybody knew that Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell and Lin Wood were conducting law in bad faith. They were doing everything they could online to make it seem as if they had legitimate court cases and that if not for the 'horrible' courts and judges, we would have had a different outcome in the election. The repetition shows me there was a plan and that it was coordinated. -- Joan Donovan, in a Politico Magazine interview ~~~

~~~ "The Internet Is a Crime Scene." Zack Stanton of Politico: "'The internet is a crime scene.' says Joan Donovan, research director at Harvard's Shorenstein Center.... 'We're collectively witnessing the aftermath of probably one of the biggest lies ever told in terms of the amount of people it reached and the effects that it had...: : the claims about election fraud, which then led to the event at the Capitol.'... The internet makes radicalization easy, and in the insurrection, Donovan sees a textbook case of how a conspiracy theory -- fueled by an unending buffet of disinformation served up by algorithms -- can grow online and spawn a community that commits the kind of real-world violence that took place at the Capitol on January 6. But the seeds of insurrection were planted much earlier." The article includes the text of the interview.

Thoughts of an Insurrectionist. I have a lot of faith in God and I was just praising him and praying and I was just knowing God would take care of me in this situation.... I just want people to know I'm a normal person. That I listen to my president who told me to go to the Capitol. That I was displaying my patriotism while I was there and I was just protesting and I wasn't trying to do anything violent and I didn't realize there was actually violence.... I think we all deserve a pardon. I'm facing a prison sentence. I think I do not deserve that.... I don't feel a sense of shame or guilty from my heart. I feel like I was basically following my president. I was following what we were called to do. He asked us to fly there. He asked us to be there. So I was doing what he asked us to do.... I do feel a little wronged in this situation because I'm a real estate agent and this has taken my company. This has taken my business. I am being slandered all over the internet, all over the world and all over the news and I'm just like a normal person. -- Jenna Ryan, Texas Realtor, in an interview conducted after her arrest. ~~~

~~~ Pardon Me. CBS Dallas-Fort Worth: "North Texas realtor Jenna Ryan, who was seen in photos and video at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, arrived home Friday, Jan. 15 after turning herself in to authorities earlier in the day.... Ryan posted a picture of her posing outside of the building in front of a broken window with a caption that read, 'Window at the capital (sic). And if the news doesn't stop lying about us we're going to come after their studios next.'... Ryan, who took a private plane to Washington D.C. on the day of the riot, faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." ~~~

~~~ Darragh Roche of Newsweek: Jenna "Ryan allegedly took photos of herself during the riot and posted them to social media.... An FBI statement ... alleges that Ryan recorded a now-deleted Facebook video, later posted to YouTube, where she can be heard saying 'we are going to f---ing go in here. Life or death, it doesn't matter. Here we go.' Later in the video Ryan allegedly says 'y'all know who to hire for your realtor. Jenna Ryan for your realtor.' Her face is also visible during some of the recording, according to the FBI." MB: Wait, in one pic (CBS report) she's standing in front of a broken window; in another (Newsweek), she's in a crowd pushing through a door into the building. And who knows where else she was during the ad campaign she conducted in the breached Capitol? Yet she had no idea there was any violence going on. I wouldn't buy a used house from this woman. Also, too, Trump could grant a blanketpardon to her & every other seditionist.

Kudlow Suddenly Very Disappointed in Trump. Shawna Chen of Axios: White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow criticized President Trump's response to last week's U.S. Capitol siege and his treatment of Vice President Mike Pence in the aftermath of the 2020 election, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday.... 'I was hoping that he would come out quickly and make statements calling everybody back and stopping the violence,' he said.... Kudlow was also 'very disappointed' with Trump's public criticism of Pence. The president turned on his VP after Pence said he would certify Biden's win. '[V]irtually, except for a few extremists, the entire legal profession agreed with Pence,' Kudlow said."

Will Steakin, et al., of ABC News: "Three of the key advisers who helped engineer Donald Trump's' rise to the presidency in 2016, and who fell from grace under the weight of federal criminal charges, resurfaced during Trump's final days in office to help engineer his ill-fated attempt to cling to power. Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn all participated in efforts to promote the Jan. 6 'Stop the Steal' event that ultimately devolved into a riotous and deadly melee at the United States Capitol...." ~~~

~~~ Trump has pardoned two of those guys -- Stone & Flynn -- so ~~~

~~~ Anita Kumar, et al., of Politico: "... Donald Trump is considering granting a pardon to Steve Bannon, his former White House chief strategist and top campaign aide, who was charged with swindling donors to a private crowdsourcing effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The potential pardon would follow a wave of reprieves the president has recently granted to political allies who have been convicted, charged or reportedly under federal investigation. Two additional batches of pardons are expected -- one on Friday night and one Wednesday morning before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office, according to one of the people."

Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Prosecutors in Georgia appear increasingly likely to open a criminal investigation of President Trump over his attempts to overturn the results of the state's 2020 election, an inquiry into offenses that would be beyond his federal pardon power. The new Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, is already weighing whether to proceed, and among the options she is considering is the hiring of a special assistant from outside to oversee the investigation, according to people familiar with her office's deliberations. At the same time, David Worley, the lone Democrat on Georgia's five-member election board, said this week that he would ask the board to make a referral to the Fulton County district attorney by next month. Among the matters he will ask prosecutors to investigate is a phone call Mr. Trump made in which he pressured Georgia's secretary of state to overturn the state's election results.... 'If you ... look at the conduct of the call, it tracks the communication you might see in any drug case or organized crime case,' said Michael J. Moore, the former United States attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. 'It's full of threatening undertone and strong-arm tactics.'"

Kara Scannell of CNN: "The Manhattan district attorney's office has expanded its criminal investigation into the Trump Organization's finances to include the family's compound in Westchester County, according to lawyers and people familiar with the investigation. Prosecutors' interest in the 212-acre property called Seven Springs is a significant widening of an investigation that began more than a year ago. It also draws closer to ... Donald Trump's son Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, who was directly involved in discussions about the property now under scrutiny, according to court filings. Prosecutors sent grand jury subpoenas within the past two months to town officials seeking documents and communications that officials had with the Trump Organization relating to development plans it considered for the sprawling family property.... The President personally signed [MB: a dodgy] conservation easement in his thick Sharpie marker.... By making a donation [of conservation land], it allows the donor to take a tax deduction based on the appraised value of the property. If it were improperly inflated, the donor could take a larger tax deduction than is allowed."

Scotland May Check for "McMafia" Loan. Martyn McLaughlin of the Scotsman: "One of Scotland's leading QCs has directly contradicted First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's claims that the Scottish Government is not responsible for the decision on whether to seek an Unexplained Wealth Order, amid renewed calls for ministers to investigate how Donald Trump financed the multimillion pound acquisition of his flagship international property [the Turnberry golf resort]. Aidan O'Neill QC, one of the country's most experienced advocates, said that ministers alone are responsible for deciding to apply for one of the so called 'McMafia' orders.... His opinion, echoed by another leading advocate, directly contradicts claims made by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has argued that any application for such an order is a decision for the Crown Office.... The legislative mechanism is designed to target suspected corrupt foreign officials who have potentially laundered stolen money through the UK. If the subject of an order, or their family, is unable to show a legitimate source for their wealth, authorities can apply to a court to seize their properties." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So fleeing to Mar-a-Lago won't work well because Donald signed an agreement not to live there for more than 21 days a year. Fleeing to Seven Springs -- where he has an estate house -- won't work well because he could lose the property for fraudulently-obtained tax breaks. Now fleeing the country to Scotland might not work out well because he could lose his home base on account of corrupt financing. He is also deeply in debt for loans coming due on other properties. And Congress could deprive him of his government pension & other goodies. Trump's post-presidency* luxury-living options are looking a bit dim. On the other hand, he might find a home in the Fulton County jail. Oh, and pardon my schadenfreude.

Oren Lieberman of CNN: "Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who will leave office in less than a week. stated that he 'cannot wait to leave this job,' according to a transcript released by the Department of Defense. The admission, during a press gaggle Thursday on his way back from a trip to Nebraska, Tennessee and Colorado, was one of a number of stunning statements from the man ... Donald Trump picked to take over the position just over two months ago.... He ... went on to disparage the latest American fighter jet, a program that cost more than $1 trillion.... Miller was also asked what he had learned about Russian activity below the threshold of war. 'Good on them' was his surprising response." MB: My guess is Miller was drunk or high when he spoke to the press. Probably not the best look for a Defense Secretary, even an acting one.

Federal Killing Spree Ends Today. Michael Karm & Michael Kunzelman of the AP: "The Trump administration early Saturday carried out its 13th federal execution since July, an unprecedented run that concluded just five days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden -- an opponent of the federal death penalty. Dustin Higgs, convicted of ordering the killings of three women in a Maryland wildlife refuge in 1996, was the third to receive a lethal injection this week at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.... Donald Trump's Justice Department resumed federal executions last year following a 17-year hiatus. No president in more than 120 years had overseen as many federal executions."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Berkeley Lovelace & Noah Higgins-Dunn of CNBC: "President-elect Joe Biden plans to use FEMA and the National Guard to build coronavirus vaccine clinics across the United States, according to new details of his Covid-19 vaccination plan released by his transition team on Friday. The Biden administration will also 'quickly jumpstart' efforts to make the vaccines available at local pharmacies across the U.S., which should ensure that Americans have access to doses at facilities only miles from their home, according to the plan." ~~~

     ~~~ Peter Wade of Rolling Stone: "Trump's vaccine distribution program, which he dubbed Operation Warp Speed, has gone so poorly that the incoming Biden administration announced Friday that the program will be reimagined and renamed, due to an 'urgent need to address the failures of the Trump team approach to vaccine distribution,' incoming White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Friday."

Laurie McGinley & Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post: "President-elect Joe Biden has selected David Kessler, a close adviser on the coronavirus crisis, to help lead the incoming administration's efforts to accelerate the manufacturing, distribution and administration of coronavirus vaccines, the Biden transition team announced Friday morning. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment -- as the president-elect has begun spelling out plans to speed up the Trump administration's sluggish effort on vaccinations to protect against covid-19...."

Apoorva Mandavilli & Caryn Rabin of the New York Times: "Federal health officials warned on Friday that a far more contagious variant of the coronavirus first identified in Britain could become the dominant source of infection in the United States by March, and would likely lead to a wrenching surge in cases and deaths that would further burden overwhelmed hospitals. This dire forecast from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made plain what has been suspected for weeks now: The nation is in an urgent race to vaccinate as many Americans as possible before the variant spreads across the country. Public health officials emphasized that protective measures already in place should work against the new variant, and urged Americans to redouble their vigilance in wearing face masks, in maintaining physical distance outside their households, washing hands frequently and limiting social interactions and indoor gatherings."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Azar's Ruse. Isaac Stanley-Becker & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "When Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced this week that the federal government would begin releasing coronavirus vaccine doses held in reserve for second shots, no such reserve existed, according to state and federal officials briefed on distribution plans. The Trump administration had already begun shipping out what was available beginning at the end of December, taking second doses directly off the manufacturing line. Now, health officials across the country who had anticipated their extremely limited vaccine supply as much as doubling beginning next week are confronting the reality that their allocations will not immediately increase, dashing hopes of dramatically expanding eligibility for millions of elderly people and those with high-risk medical conditions. Health officials in some cities and states were informed in recent days about the reality of the situation, while others are still in the dark." MB: Easy to see that the reason HHS officials would not cooperate with Biden's team: they were covering up this -- and probably other sleights-of-hand. (Also linked yesterday.) Update: CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ So Then. Maggie Fox of CNN: "President Trump's 'actions and rhetoric' have tarnished the administration's legacy, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a resignation letter submitted this week. Azar submitted the standard resignation letter for a Cabinet secretary to offer an outgoing president, dated January 12 and obtained by CNN Friday.... Azar said he plans to stay in his role until Jan. 20, when the president-elect Joe Biden's team takes over."

Mary Louise Kelly of NPR: "... even as the pandemic enters its deadliest stage yet, [CDC Director Robert] Redfield told NPR on Friday that the country is 'about to be in the worst' months of the crisis. As his tenure winds down, the CDC director said in an interview with All Things Considered that he stands by his federal health agency's response to the pandemic despite what he characterized as an early 'learning curve' and conflicting public health guidance from President Trump.... When asked if the White House interfered with the CDC's work, Redfield said no." An interview of Redfield follows.

NRA Attempts Sneaky Retreat. Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Seeking an end-run around an investigation by the New York attorney general, the National Rifle Association said Friday that it was declaring bankruptcy and would reincorporate in Texas. The gun group was set up in New York after the Civil War. The plan raised immediate questions from Letitia James, the New York attorney general and a Democrat, who is seeking to use her regulatory authority to dissolve the N.R.A. She has been conducting an investigation into corruption at the gun group since 2019 that has led to infighting and discontent, as well as some departures from the group's board. 'The N.R.A.'s claimed financial status has finally met its moral status: bankrupt,' Ms. James said in a statement Friday. 'While we review this filing, we will not allow the N.R.A. to use this or any other tactic to evade accountability and my office's oversight.'"

The Commentariat -- January 15, 2021

Late Morning Update:

Devlin Barrett & Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "Internal investigators for the departments of Justice, Defense, Interior, and Homeland Security will investigate how security officials prepared for and responded to the pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6 that descended into a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, officials announced Friday. The inspectors general for all of those agencies will review what people knew and how they prepared for that day, along with their actions during the riot, according to news releases."

Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "The violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 came perilously close to Vice President Pence, who was not evacuated from the Senate chamber for about 14 minutes after the Capitol Police reported an initial attempted breach of the complex -- enough time for the marauders to rush inside the building and approach his location, according to law enforcement officials and video footage from that day. Secret Service officers eventually spirited Pence to a room off the Senate floor with his wife and daughter after rioters began to pour into the Capitol, many loudly denouncing the vice president as a traitor as they marched through the first floor below the Senate chamber. About one minute after Pence was hustled out of the chamber, a group charged up the stairs to a second-floor landing in the Senate, chasing a Capitol Police officer who drew them away from the Senate.... If the pro-Trump mob had arrived seconds earlier, the attackers would have been in eyesight of the vice president.... Pence was ultimately evacuated from his office off the Senate floor to a more secure location elsewhere in the Capitol complex.... The proximity of the Jan. 6 mob to the vice president and the delay in evacuating him from the chamber -- which have not been previously reported -- raise questions about why the Secret Service did not move him earlier and underscore the jeopardy that top government leaders faced during the siege." MB: And Trump thought this was great teevee. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's worth remembering this this extremely close call occurred minutes after an Army lieutenant general told the Capitol police chief, who was begging for assistance, "I don't like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background." The general refused to recommend sending in reinforcements. (That link is to a WashPo story.)

We were battling 15,000 people. It looked like a medieval battle scene. -- D.C. Police Officer Michael Falcone, describing what police were up against during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection ~~~

~~~ Peter Hermann of the Washington Post on "the first public account from D.C. police officers who fought to protect the Capitol during last week's siege."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here.

Azar's Ruse. Isaac Stanley-Becker & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "When Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced this week that the federal government would begin releasing coronavirus vaccine doses held in reserve for second shots, no such reserve existed, according to state and federal officials briefed on distribution plans. The Trump administration had already begun shipping out what was available beginning at the end of December, taking second doses directly off the manufacturing line. Now, health officials across the country who had anticipated their extremely limited vaccine supply as much as doubling beginning next week are confronting the reality that their allocations will not immediately increase, dashing hopes of dramatically expanding eligibility for millions of elderly people and those with high-risk medical conditions. Health officials in some cities and states were informed in recent days about the reality of the situation, while others are still in the dark." MB: Easy to see that the reason HHS officials would not cooperate with Biden's team: they were covering up this -- and probably other sleights-of-hand.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jim Tankersley & Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday proposed a $1.9 trillion rescue package to combat the economic downturn and the Covid-19 crisis, outlining the type of sweeping aid that Democrats have demanded for months and signaling the shift in the federal government's pandemic response as Mr. Biden prepares to take office. The package includes more than $400 billion to combat the pandemic directly, including money to accelerate vaccine deployment and to safely reopen most schools within 100 days. Another $350 billion would help state and local governments bridge budget shortfalls, while the plan would also include $1,400 direct payments to individuals, more generous unemployment benefits, federally mandated paid leave for workers and large subsidies for child care costs.... Mr. Biden detailed his so-called American Rescue Plan in an evening speech in Delaware, effectively kicking off his presidency and placing him in the brightest spotlight since his nomination acceptance speech last summer at the Democratic National Convention." An ABC News story is here.

Sydney Ember of the New York Times: "... the Labor Department reported that initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose sharply last week, exceeding one million for the first time since July. Just days earlier, the government announced that employers had shed 140,000 jobs in December, the first net decline in employment since last spring, with restaurants, bars and hotels recording steep losses."

Tyler Pager & Olivia Beavers of Politico: "A rehearsal for Joe Biden's inauguration scheduled for Sunday has been postponed because of security concerns, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.... The rehearsal is now planned for Monday.... Biden received a briefing on Wednesday about the threats from the FBI, the Secret Service and national security officials."

Emily Davies & Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: "The National Mall will be closed for Inauguration Day, only accessible by media and security personnel, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues. The extraordinary closure is the latest in a series of security measures to harden the city against the type of violence that rocked the Capitol on Jan. 6." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Lisa Lerer & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. plans to name Jaime Harrison as his pick to lead the Democratic National Committee, part of an effort to bolster the committee ahead of what are already expected to be challenging midterm elections for the party, according to two people with knowledge of the selection. A former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Mr. Harrison became a national political star last year as he shattered fund-raising records in his race against Senator Lindsey Graham, who was up for re-election. While Mr. Harrison lost in November, drawing 44 percent of the vote to Mr. Graham's 55 percent, he developed a broad bench of support across the party." Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Kevin Liptak & Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "Trump has been consumed by the unraveling of his presidency during his last days in office, according to people around him, which included a casual discussion among advisers recently about a possible resignation. Trump shut the idea down almost immediately. And he has made clear to aides in separate conversations that mere mention of President Richard Nixon, the last president to resign, were banned. He told one adviser during an expletive-laden conversation recently never to bring up the ex-president ever again. During the passing mention of resigning this week, Trump told people he couldn't count on Vice President Mike Pence to pardon him like Gerald Ford did Nixon, anyway.... Aides have pleaded with Trump to deliver some type of farewell address, either live or taped, that would tick through his accomplishments in office. But he has appeared disinterested and noncommittal. On Thursday it was Pence carrying out tasks ordinarily left to a president, like visiting national guardsmen posted at the US Capitol or visiting White House operators to say farewell." There's more worth reading, including Trump's wish to get a military send-off with cheering supporters admiring the pomp without circumstance. MB: As for Trump's anger at being compared to Nixon, I remember Richard Nixon, and Trump is no Richard Nixon. ~~~

~~~ That Military Send-off Is a No-Go. Kevin Baron, Editor of Defense One: "The Pentagon, in a break with recent tradition, will not host an Armed Forces Farewell tribute to ... Donald Trump.... Trump will leave office in disgrace, one week after the House voted a second time for his impeachment, two weeks after his supporters staged a deadly siege in the Capitol Building, six months after he dragged his Joint Chiefs chairman into a political firestorm, and after four years of nonstop assaults on truth. One of those disgraces is how he is ghosting the U.S. troops that he commanded.... Trump has used the military as a political prop since his first days in office, from signing MAGA hats for troops to giving partisan-fueled speeches in the heart of the Pentagon. American's soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have been made to stand at attention for Trump's rants long enough."

Paul Sonne, et al., of the Washington Post: "The three top federal agencies responsible for protecting the nation -- the Departments of Justice, Defense and Homeland Security -- are all being run by acting officials, as the United States endures one of its most sensitive national security crises. The leadership vacuum is the product of President Trump's tempestuous relationships with his Cabinet secretaries and tendency to replace them for long periods of time with acting officials who lack Senate confirmation -- a pattern that has led to turmoil atop critical federal agencies for much of his presidency.... The makeshift leadership at the three agencies comes as Biden risks starting his presidency without any of his Cabinet nominees confirmed. In the recent past, the Senate has tried to confirm at least a few critical nominees immediately.... The Biden transition team said in a statement Wednesday that the confirmation hearing for Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's choice to run the Department of Homeland Security, had been moved up in the aftermath of the riot.... The confirmation hearing for Mayorkas was moved up to Jan. 19 after four former homeland security secretaries ... wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post saying the country couldn't afford one more day without a confirmed DHS secretary." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A reminder that Trump planted the seeds of sedition deeper & earlier than most people credit him. His failure to maintain a stable national security apparatus & his refusal to countenance briefings he doesn't want to hear, much less act on right-wing domestic security risks, his never-ending lies & his attacks on the press's factual reports are part & parcel of his more direct & overt acts surrounding the election.

Helen of Margaret & Helen releases her letter to Donald. Thanks to RAS for the link.

Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump's incitement of his supporters before their attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 has galvanized a nationwide extremist movement and fueled those determined to disrupt the transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden and violently challenge the legitimacy of the election for months -- and possibly years, according to U.S. officials and independent experts.... At the center of the amorphous but increasingly motivated extremist movement sits the current president, now twice impeached, deprived of his social media megaphones but still exerting a powerful influence over his followers who take his baseless claims of election fraud as an article of faith.... FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told reporters that officials were monitoring 'an extensive amount of concerning online chatter' about events surrounding the inauguration.... It's a measure of Trump's influence that the extremists are expressing frustration that they are left without clear guidance by any central figure about what to do and when and where to gather. But they are adapting.... Experts said far-right extremists have called on their followers to loot and burn buildings and engage in physical violence against those they perceive to have aided Biden in illegitimately seizing the presidency."

Trump's Terrorist Base. Devlin Barrett, et al., of the Washington Post: “Dozens of people on a terrorist watch list were in Washington for pro-Trump events Jan. 6.... The majority of the watch-listed individuals in Washington that day are suspected white supremacists whose past conduct so alarmed investigators that their names had been previously entered into the national Terrorist Screening Database, or TSDB, a massive set of names flagged as potential security risks, these people said. The watch list is larger and separate from the 'no-fly' list the government maintains.... The presence of so many watch-listed individuals in one place -- without more robust security measures to protect the public -- is another example of the intelligence failures preceding last week's fatal assault that sent lawmakers running for their lives, some current and former law enforcement officials argued.... Several law enforcement officials said they are shocked by the backgrounds of some individuals under investigation in connection with the Capitol riot, a pool of suspects that includes current and former law enforcement and military personnel as well as senior business executives and middle-aged business owners." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Alan Feuer & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "One week after an angry mob stormed the Capitol..., lawmakers called for new investigations and federal authorities fanned out across the country, taking into custody several more suspects, including two police officers from Virginia and a firefighter from Florida.... Federal law enforcement officials continued to examine whether the assault on the Capitol included coordinated efforts by small groups of extremists and was not merely a mass protest that spiraled out of control.... The inspector general's office of the Capitol Police said it was opening a potentially wide-ranging inquiry into security breaches connected to the siege. The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal watchdog agency, signaled that it would look into what role, if any, members of Congress may have played in inciting the mob of Trump supporters.... The Houston police chief, Art Acevedo, said in an interview on Wednesday that one of his officers, an 18-year veteran of the force, was also under investigation in connection to the Capitol attack and was likely to face charges.... Federal agents made more arrests on Wednesday in New York, Maryland, Texas and Florida, among them a firefighter from the town of Sanford, near Orlando. The firefighter, Andrew Williams, was charged with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct.... A group of Arizona state lawmakers released a letter on Wednesday that they had sent a day earlier to [acting AG Jeffrey] Rosen and [FBI Director Christopher Wray, calling for an investigation into two of their own colleagues, Mark Finchem and Anthony Kern, who, according to social media posts, were at the riot at the Capitol." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

"Kill Him with His Own Gun." Mark Morales of CNN: "As DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone lay on the ground at the US Capitol building, stunned and injured, he knew a group of rioters were stripping him of his gear. They grabbed spare ammunition, ripped the police radio off his chest and even stole his badge. Then, Fanone, who had just been Tasered several times in the back of the neck, heard something chilling.... 'Some guys started getting a hold of my gun and they were screaming out, "Kill him with his own gun."... A group within the rioters circled Fanone and protected him until help arrived, saving his life. 'Thank you, but f*** you for being there,' Fanone said of the rioters who protected him in that moment.... Fanone, one of three officers who spoke with CNN, described his experience fighting a mob of ... Donald Trump's supporters who'd invaded the Capitol in an insurrection unheard of in modern American history. Federal officials have said the details of the violence that come out will be disturbing."

Trump Found This Fun & Fascinating. Brad Heath & Sarah Lynch of Reuters: "Federal prosecutors offered an ominous new assessment of last week's siege of the U.S. Capitol by ... Donald Trump's supporters on Thursday, saying in a court filing that rioters intended 'to capture and assassinate elected officials.' Prosecutors offered that view in a filing asking a judge to detain Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man and QAnon conspiracy theorist who was famously photographed wearing horns as he stood at the desk of Vice President Mike Pence in the chamber of the U.S. Senate." BTW, Chansley's lawyer is asking Trump for a pardon: "... it would be appropriate and honorable for the president to pardon Mr. Chansley and other like-minded, peaceful individuals who accepted the president's invitation with honorable intentions," the lawyer said.

Jake Bleiberg of the AP: "A retired Air Force officer who was part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week carried plastic zip-tie handcuffs because he intended 'to take hostages,' a prosecutor said in a Texas court on Thursday. 'He means to take hostages. He means to kidnap, restrain, perhaps try, perhaps execute members of the U.S. government,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer said of retired Lt. Col. Larry Rendall Brock Jr. without providing specifics.... [Weimer] also read in court social media posts from Brock, including one posted on the day of the Capitol riot that said: 'Patriots on the Capitol. Patriots storming. Men with guns need to shoot their way in.'... Weimer read a termination letter from Brock's former employer that said he had talked in the workplace about killing people of a 'particular religion and or race.' Weimer also read social media posts in which Brock referred to a coming civil war and the election being stolen from ... Donald Trump. Weimer said Brock's posts also referenced the far-right and anti-government Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters.... Before his arrest, Brock told The New Yorker magazine that he found the zip-tie cuffs on the floor and that he had planned to give them to a police officer."

Giulia Nieto del Rio, et al., of the New York Times: 'A man who was photographed holding a Confederate battle flag inside the U.S. Capitol last week during the riot was arrested Thursday in Delaware, two law enforcement officials said. The man, Kevin Seefried, was wanted by the F.B.I., which had sought help from the public to identify him and had widely circulated a dispatch plastered with images of him.... According to court documents, Mr. Seefried and his son, Hunter Seefried, were identified after the F.B.I. received a report from a co-worker of Hunter Seefried that said that the man had bragged about being in the Capitol with his father on January 6. Mr. Seefried's son was also charged.... A retired firefighter from Chester, Pa., [Robert Sanford,] was also arrested on Thursday after he was identified as the man seen in a video throwing a fire extinguisher at police officers during the riot.... Mr. Sanford went to the Capitol following 'the president's instructions,' a complaining witness told the F.B.I." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Anne Ryman of the Arizona Republic: "A Scottsdale judge issued a warrant for the arrest Thursday of far-right social media personality Tim 'Baked Alaska' Gionet after he said Gionet violated conditions of his release by leaving the state last week to go to Washington, where he apparently livestreamed the U.S. Capitol riot. Gionet already was facing misdemeanor charges of assault, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass in Scottsdale City Court after police allege he refused to leave a Scottsdale bar and then pepper sprayed an employee. He had been released in that case with the agreement he not leave the state without the court's permission.... [Gionet] livestreamed from inside the historic building as thousands of people overran Capitol Hill and drove lawmakers into hiding." Ben Smith of the New York Times profiled Gionet Sunday.

Laura Kelly of the Hill: "Police arrested a Utah man for participating in the deadly breach of the U.S. Capitol last week following his publication of a more than half-hour long recording that documented disturbing images of the mob of Trump supporters storming the building and a woman being fatally shot. John Sullivan was arrested Thursday and charged with civil disorders, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and violating restricted buildings or grounds.... Sullivan -- who claims to be an activist, journalist and protest organizer -- published online an unedited recording of the breach of the Capitol.... At times Sullivan can be heard narrating what is happening, although his face is never seen. Other times he celebrates the breach of the Capitol, assists rioters in breaking through walls and offers a knife to those who wanted to break in and occupy the House chambers. 'This sh-- is ours! F--- yeah,' Sullivan can be heard saying.... 'We accomplished this sh--. We did this together. F--- yeah! We are all a part of this history,' he continues. At another point he says, 'Let's burn this sh-- down.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Gerstein of Politico describes Sullivan as "a liberal activist.... While the vast majority of the roughly 100 people hit with federal charges appear to be supporters of ... Donald Trump and some backed known right-wing organizations, Sullivan is the first person to be charged who appears to have been active in liberal causes. Trump and some of his closest allies have blamed infiltrators from the left-wing Antifa movement for instigating the violence at the Capitol, despite evidence that the overwhelming bulk of the rioters and protesters were in town to support Trump's drive to block certification of the election of President-elect Joe Biden."

Will Sommer of the Daily Beast, republished in Yahoo! News: "[Ali] Alexander[..., a convicted felon,] first appeared in conservative politics in the Tea Party era under the name 'Ali Akbar,' organizing a group called the National Bloggers' Club that was tied to 'shady data collection operations.'... Before Trump's 2020 election defeat, Alexander was perhaps best known for Donald Trump Jr. retweeting his groundless claim that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is not an 'American Black.' He was invited to the White House for Trump's 'Social Media Summit.'... After Trump's election defeat, Alexander positioned himself as one of the leading Trump re-election dead-enders with his 'Stop the Steal' group.... [I]n the lead-up to the Jan. 6 rally..., he tweeted that he would 'give my life for this fight,' a call that was promoted by the Arizona Republican Party.... For Jan. 6, Alexander claimed in a video, he had some organizing assistance from pro-Trump Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Mo Brooks (R-AL).... Now Alexander claims to be in hiding[.]" --s

Andrea Salcedo of the Washington Post: "Hours before a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, John Eastman, a conservative attorney and professor who challenged election results on President Trump's behalf, took the stage to rally the president's supporters outside the White House. 'We know there was fraud,' the Chapman University professor said to loud cheers.... His remarks at the rally sparked outrage from his colleagues at the Orange County, Calif., school, with scores of faculty demanding the university remove him from his role and the school president denouncing his speech. On Wednesday, Chapman announced Eastman would retire immediately. In exchange, the school and professor agreed not to sue each other.... Eastman ... drew national attention in August with an op-ed in Newsweek that falsely cast doubt on Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris's citizenship and eligibility for the White House. President Trump and his allies seized on the argument, which Newsweek later apologized for.... A day before the Capitol riots, the New York Times reported, Eastman met with Trump and Vice President Pence in the Oval Office, where he argued Pence had the power to block Congress from certifying Biden's victory." ~~~

     ~~~ Karen Freifeld of Reuters: "... Donald Trump may hire ... [John Eastman] to help defend him in an impeachment trial over a charge that he incited the violence, according to two people familiar with the matter." MB: Looks like Trump's defense lawyers -- Eastman & Giuliani -- will have been co-conspirators in the coup attempt.

Lankford Suddenly Realizes that GOP Lies Are Racist. Randy Krehbiel of the Tulsa World: "U.S. Sen. James Lankford apologized to Black Tulsans on Thursday for not recognizing that his involvement in questioning presidential election results would offend them.... Arguably, Lankford has been more involved with Black Tulsans, and particularly the historic Greenwood District, than any statewide Republican officeholder in decades.... 'What I did not realize was all of the national conversation about states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, was seen as casting doubt on the validity of votes coming out of predominantly Black communities like Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Detroit,' he wrote.... 'I should have recognized how what I said and what I did could be interpreted by many of you,' he said.... His decision to raise issues about the presidential election in several key states -- most of them with large African American populations -- hurt and angered many Tulsans, however, with some leaders saying he should resign or be removed from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission...." MB: Well, okay, a step in the right direction.

Must Rethink Award of "Stupidest Senator" Prize. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Thursday, WKRG reported that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) suggested pushing back the inauguration date for President-elect Joe Biden during an interview in which he also claimed that impeaching outgoing President[*] ... Trump 'makes no sense.'... [WKRG reported,] '... the 20th Amendment to the Constitution requires that the inauguration and swearing-in of a new President take place on January 20th. It wasn't clear if Tuberville was aware of that during the interview.' Tuberville ... has attracted attention for flubbing basic civics information. In another interview, he wrongly claimed that America fought in World War II 'to free Europe of socialism,' and was unable to correctly identify the three branches of government." MB: Ron Johnson's term expires in 2022. I just don't know if he will be able to keep the prize that long. Sen. Potatohead is making a real effort to wrench it from Johnson's grip.

Trump Pushed Kids-in-Cages Policy. Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Trump and top aides in the White House aggressively pushed the get-tough policy that led migrant children to be separated from adults at the border with Mexico, according to a top Justice Department official [-- Gene Hamilton --] in a new report from the department's inspector general and other internal documents.... Notes ... [from] two meetings ... between federal prosecutors along the southwestern border and [Attorney General Jeff] Sessions, and another with [Deputy AG Rod] Rosenstein -- also indicate that law enforcement officials were pushing the separation policy in response to pressure from the president.... Mr. Sessions on May 11, 2018..., described Mr. Trump as 'very intense, very focused' on the issue, according to one person taking notes at the meeting.... Mr. Trump has repeatedly tried to avoid responsibility for his administration's family separation policy by falsely blaming Democrats and former President Barack Obama.... On May 22, Mr. Rosenstein ... dismissed concerns from at least one prosecutor that children under 5 would be separated from parents if the adults were prosecuted. 'If they are referring, then prosecute. Age of child doesn't matter,' Mr. Rosenstein said, according to the notes of one person at the meeting.... Despite Mr. Trump's decision to largely abandon the family separation policy in 2018, [Trump aide Stephen] Miller and top Homeland Security officials have continued to work to put Mr. Trump's immigration agenda in place during the final days of his term." ~~~

~~~ Adolfo Flores & Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "Top Justice Department officials under ... Donald Trump pushed to separate immigrant families at the border despite knowing how difficult it would be to reunite them, according to a government watchdog report released Thursday. In spring 2018, the Trump administration announced the 'zero tolerance' policy, which called for prosecuting everyone who was caught crossing the border illegally. In practice, from May 5 to June 20 that year, the policy resulted in the separation of more than 3,000 children from their parents, prompting widespread backlash and confusion. Lawyers working to reunite immigrant families separated at the border said Wednesday that they still can't find the parents of 611 children. In its report, the Department of Justice's inspector general found that Jeff Sessions, who was attorney general at the time, and other leaders at the department did not effectively coordinate with government agencies that would ultimately be involved in prosecuting the parents and caring for the children. 'We concluded that the Department's single-minded focus on increasing immigration prosecutions came at the expense of careful and appropriate consideration of the impact of family unit prosecutions and child separations,' the report states. During a call with five US attorneys along the southern border who expressed concern about the separations, Sessions said ... 'We need to take away children,'... according to notes taken by one of the attorneys during the meeting.... 'If care about kids, don't bring them in; won't give amnesty; to people with kids.' The report also documented how planning between the departments of Justice and Homeland Security -- and within the agency itself -- had broken down throughout the process." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Julia Ainsley & Jacob Soboroff of NBC News: "After a scathing new report from the Justice Department's watchdog blamed top department officials for being the 'driving force' behind the Trump administration's 2018 migrant family separation policy, former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein issued a statement of regret Thursday and current DOJ official Gene Hamilton blamed the president for the policy. In interviews with the DOJ Office of Inspector General in the lead-up to the report, Gene Hamilton, known as a close ally of White House adviser Stephen Miller, said the decision to separate families, a policy known as 'zero tolerance' that lasted two months in 2018 before it was terminated by executive order, ultimately rested with ... Donald Trump and then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.... [Former AG Jeff] Sessions refused to be interviewed by the Inspector General.... The report could provide a road map for the incoming Biden administration to investigate those responsible for a policy President-elect Joe Biden has called criminal." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Murray Waas of the Guardian: "The White House liaison to the Department of Justice (DoJ), Heidi Stirrup, sought out derogatory information late last year from a senior justice department official regarding [E. Jean Carroll,] a woman who alleges she was raped by Donald Trump, according to the person from whom Stirrup directly sought the information. The revelation raises the prospect that allies of the US president were directly pressing the justice department to try to dig up potentially damaging information on a woman who had accused Trump of sexually attacking her.... The attorney who Stirrup sought information from regarding Carroll said that Stirrup approached them not long after a judge had ruled the justice department could not take over Trump's defense.... Stirrup also suggested that she could serve as a conduit between the department and individuals close to the president or his private legal team. Stirrup also asked the official whether the justice department had any information that Carroll or anyone on her legal team had links with the Democratic party or partisan activists.... Earlier, Trump himself, without citing any evidence, suggested that his political opponents were behind the allegations.... When it was learned Stirrup had later sought out non-public information from other justice department officials..., Stirrup was told she was unwelcome at the justice department and banned from the building."

The Remarkable Arrogance of Jared & Ivanka. Peter Jamison, et al., of the Washington Post: "Many U.S. Secret Service agents have stood guard in Washington's elite Kalorama neighborhood, home over the years to Cabinet secretaries and former presidents.... But with the arrival of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, they had a new worry: finding a toilet. Instructed not to use any of the half-dozen bathrooms inside the couple's house, the Secret Service detail assigned to ... [the couple] spent months searching for a reliable restroom to use on the job.... After resorting to a porta-potty, as well as bathrooms at the nearby home of former president Barack Obama and the not-so-nearby residence of Vice President Pence, the agents finally found a toilet to call their own.... Since September 2017, the federal government has been spending $3,000 a month -- more than $100,000 to date -- to rent a basement studio, with a bathroom, from a neighbor of the Kushner family." The Raw Story's report is here. As RAS remarked in yesterday's comments, "... the Obamas literally had to take more shit because of the Trumps."

Hailey Fuchs of the New York Times: "The Trump administration executed Corey Johnson on Thursday for a series of seven murders in 1992. He was the 12th federal inmate put to death under President Trump. Mr. Johnson committed the murders in the Richmond, Va., area to further a drug enterprise that trafficked large quantities of cocaine. Among his crimes were the shooting with a semiautomatic weapon of a rival drug dealer, the killing of a woman who had not paid for some crack cocaine and the shooting of a man at close range whom Mr. Johnson suspected of cooperating with the police."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.

Laurie McGinley, et al., of the Washington Post: "... as the coronavirus overwhelms U.S. hospitals and kills more than 3,300 people a day on average, the Trump administration has balked at providing access to information and failed to consult with its successors, including about distributing the vaccines.... [Biden's team members] also were not invited to the two Warp Speed sessions this weekend when Trump officials decided on sweeping changes to try to speed up the sluggish vaccine rollout. Nor were they briefed on those changes in advance. While some of those policies mirrored Biden plans, others raised red flags among the president-elect's advisers.... The decision to urge states to immediately vaccinate a much larger pool of people -- about 81 million between the ages of 16 and 64 with high-risk medical conditions -- was 'absolutely inappropriate,' said Michael Osterholm, a member of Biden's covid-19 advisory board.... The lack of coordination has alarmed public health officials and experts on presidential transitions...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's what this boils down to: people will die because Trump aides view soothing Trump's hurt feelings about losing the election as more important than Americans' lives. Murder by sycophancy is a new one to me.

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. Kathleen Gray & Julie Bosman of the New York Times: "After a criminal investigation that stretched close to two years, prosecutors in Michigan on Thursday announced 41 counts -- 34 felonies and seven misdemeanors -- against nine officials [in the contaminated Flint water scandal] who once worked in the highest echelons of state government. Along with the former governor [-- Rick Snyder (R) --] were his trusted advisers, top medical officials and two emergency managers who had been tasked with guiding Flint out of financial distress. Prosecutors said the officials failed to protect the safety and health of the residents of Flint, who were sickened by increased levels of lead and by Legionnaires' disease after the city's water supply was switched to the Flint River in April of 2014. At least nine people died of Legionnaires' in the Flint region from June of 2014 through October of 2015; two of the officials on Thursday were charged with nine counts of involuntary manslaughter. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As Rachel Maddow emphasized in her opening segment last night, the murderous Flint catastrophe came about because Michigan Republicans, including Rick Snyder, decided that Snyder could remove democratically-elected local officials & replace them with his own appointees, accountable only to him. He, apparently, was not paying attention.