The Commentariat -- January 25, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Dave Philipps of the New York Times: "... on Monday ... President Biden signed an executive order reversing the ban on transgender troops that was imposed by the Trump administration. Mr. Biden's order also called an immediate halt to involuntary discharges of transgender troops who were already serving, and for the Pentagon to review the files of any troops forced out under the ban in recent years. The order requires the secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to report on progress within 60 days."

Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department's inspector general announced Monday that its office is opening an investigation into whether any current or former department official tried to improperly 'alter the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election' -- a broad review that comes on the heels of a revelation that ... Donald Trump considered replacing his acting attorney general with an official more amenable to his unfounded claims of voter fraud. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced the review in a two paragraph news release, though he noted his jurisdiction would be limited to 'allegations concerning the conduct of former and current DOJ employees,' and he could not examine other government officials [like, say, Donald Trump].... While Horowitz will likely have broad access to Justice Department files and emails, he cannot compel the cooperation of former officials -- which could limit his probe." ~~~

~~~ Sam Dunklau of WITF Radio (Harrisburg, Pa.): "U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-York, Dauphin and Cumberland) said he introduced ... Donald Trump to Department of Justice lawyer Jeffrey Clark -- who, the New York Times reported, was part of Trump's plan to pressure Georgia to overturn its certified election results. In a statement Monday afternoon, Perry also said he talked with Trump and Clark about claims of election fraud. It's unclear when exactly those conversations took place. An email to Perry's spokesman asking for clarification has not been returned yet."

Sarah Kolinovsky & Molly Nagle of ABC News: "President Joe Biden is set to sign a 'Made in America' executive order Monday, fulfilling a long-time campaign promise to increase the amount of federal spending that goes to American companies. The announcement comes at a time when the government is set to spend expansively on efforts to defeat COVID-19, and after a period during which vulnerabilities in the U.S. supply chain were exposed as state and local governments resorted to foreign manufacturers to obtain desperately-needed personal protective equipment.... Biden's executive order will aim to close ... loopholes and cut down on ... waivers [that allow more spending on foreign products], as well as order an increase in domestic content. It will also redefine what can count as domestic content...."

Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "As the previous administration's coronavirus response coordinator, Deborah Birx provided ... Donald Trump with hard numbers to guide the fight against the pandemic. But all along, she said, Trump was receiving different statistics from someone else. 'Someone out there, or someone inside, was creating a parallel set of data and graphics that were shown to the president,' she said Sunday on CBS's 'Face the Nation.'... 'I saw the president presenting graphs that I never made,' she said. Birx added that she believed at least some of the data had been funneled along by Scott Atlas, then a White House coronavirus adviser. He was widely rebuked for playing down the pandemic despite having no infectious-disease or public health background." The CBS News story is here. CBS News has the full transcript of the interview here.

AP: "The Supreme Court on Monday brought an end to lawsuits over whether Donald Trump illegally profited off his presidency. The justices threw out Trump's challenge to lower court rulings that had allowed lawsuits to go forward alleging that he violated the Constitution's emoluments clause by accepting payments from foreign and domestic officials who stay at the Trump International Hotel and patronize other businesses owned by the former president and his family. The high court also ordered the lower court rulings thrown out as well and directed appeals courts in New York and Richmond, Virginia, to dismiss the suits as moot now that Trump is no longer in office. The outcome leaves no judicial opinions on the books in an area of the law that has been rarely explored in U.S. history." MB: I suppose we'll learn more later, but this doesn't make a lot of sense to me. What about all the money Trump collected while he was in office? That's not moot; it happened.

Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit on Monday against Rudolph W. Giuliani.... The 107-page lawsuit, filed in the Federal District Court in Washington, accuses Mr. Giuliani of carrying out 'a viral disinformation campaign about Dominion' made up of 'demonstrably false' allegations, in part to enrich himself through legal fees and his podcast. The suit seeks damages of more than $1.3 billion and is based on more than 50 statements Mr. Giuliani made at legislative hearings, on Twitter, on his podcast and in the conservative news media, where he spun a fictitious narrative of a plot by one of the biggest voting machine manufacturers in the country to flip votes to President Biden.... Taken together with a lawsuit the company filed this month against Sidney Powell, another lawyer who was allied with Mr. Trump, the suit represents a point-by-point rebuke of one of the more outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding last year's election." CNN's story is here.

Jason Williams, et al., of the Cincinnati Enquirer: "Republican Rob Portman will not seek a third term in the U.S. Senate in 2022, he told The Enquirer -- a move that will unsettle politics in both Greater Cincinnati and Washington D.C.... Portman said he hasn't decided how he will vote on impeachment during ... Donald Trump's trial. 'I'm a juror, it's going to happen,' Portman said. 'As a juror, I'm going to listen to both sides. That's my job.' Portman said Trump contributed to partisan gridlock in Washington, and he also laid blame on Trump for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. 'I don't excuse anything President Trump did on Jan. 6 or in the runup to it,' Portman said."

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Mike DeBonis & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "When President Biden took office last week, he promised sweeping, bipartisan legislation to solve the coronavirus pandemic, fix the economy and overhaul immigration. Just days later, the Senate ground to a halt, with Democrats and Republicans unable to agree on even basic rules for how the evenly divided body should operate. Meanwhile, key Republicans have quickly signaled discomfort with -- or outright dismissal of -- the cornerstone of Biden's early legislative agenda, a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan that includes measures including $1,400 stimulus checks, vaccine distribution funding and a $15 minimum wage. On top of that, senators are preparing for a wrenching second impeachment trial for ... Donald Trump, set to begin Feb. 9, which could mire all other Senate business and further obliterate any hopes of cross-party cooperation.... This reality could force Democrats to choose within a matter of weeks whether they will continue to pursue the sort of bipartisan cooperation that Biden -- and many senators of both parties -- have preached, or whether to pursue procedural shortcuts or rule changes that would sideline the GOP but also are likely to divide their caucus."

Amy Wang, et al., of the Washington Post: "Democratic members of Congress are pressing ahead with preparations for the second impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump, saying there is a 'compelling' case for Trump to be convicted of inciting an insurrection and arguing that moving forward with a trial is imperative for the country's healing. Meanwhile, the fractures within the Republican Party were evident Sunday as GOP senators appeared split over whether it was constitutional to hold an impeachment trial for a president who had already left office. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), one of Trump's most outspoken GOP critics, stopped short of saying he would vote to convict Trump, while Republican allies of the former president continued to argue that an impeachment trial should be abandoned for the sake of 'unity.'... House impeachment managers are planning to send an article of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, alleging 'incitement of insurrection.'... The second impeachment trial will start Feb. 9...."

Michael Balsamo of the AP: "Federal law enforcement officials are examining a number of threats aimed at members of Congress as the second trial of ... Donald Trump nears, including ominous chatter about killing legislators or attacking them outside of the U.S. Capitol, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The threats, and concerns that armed protesters could return to sack the Capitol anew, have prompted the U.S. Capitol Police and other federal law enforcement to insist thousands of National Guard troops remain in Washington as the Senate moves forward with plans for Trump's trial, the official said." ~~~

~~~ Andrew Desiderio, et al., of Politico: "... Donald Trump's upcoming Senate impeachment trial poses a security concern that federal law enforcement officials told lawmakers last week requires as many as 5,000 National Guard troops to remain in Washington through mid-March, according to four people familiar with the matter. The contingency force will help protect the Capitol from what was described as 'impeachment security concerns,' including the possibility of mass demonstrations coinciding with the Senate's trial, which is slated to begin the week of Feb. 8." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Katie Benner & Charlie Savage of the New York Times attempt to profile Jeffrey Clark, the DOJ lawyer who bought into conspiracy theories he found on the Internet & conspired with Donald Trump to overturn the results of the Georgia presidential election. MB: The article hints that Clark had left DOJ, so I hunted around & found an article by Bloomberg Law; it's firewalled, so not worth spending a hit on unless you're a Bloomberg subscriber. ~~~

~~~ Ellen Gilmer of Bloomberg Law: "The Trump administration's top environmental lawyer faces career repercussions and possibly ethics probes in the wake of allegations, which he disputes, that he worked with President Donald Trump to try to cast doubt on the 2020 election results.... Clark resigned from the Justice Department Jan. 14, less than a week before the end of Trump's presidency, and didn't have a new job lined up at the time. One legal industry consultant said he'd be 'radioactive' on the job market now." Firewalled.

When You Think Republicans Can't Get More Childish. Reuters: "The Texas Republican senator John Cornyn warned on Saturday that Donald Trump's second impeachment could lead to the prosecution of former Democratic presidents if Republicans retake Congress in two years' time." MB: Hey, let's start with FDR (court packing). Or Jefferson (slaves). But we know their first choice is PresidentObama (too nice). (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Kelly Hooper of Politico: "Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday said the argument that ... Donald Trump should be impeached so that he can't seek public office again is 'an arrogant statement for anyone to make.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

AND Rand Paul Is Still Rand Paul. Jack Arnholz of ABC News: "Days after President Joe Biden took office and the Democrats took control of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., would not unequivocally say Sunday that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen and called for an investigation of fraud, without providing evidence. 'The debate over whether or not there was fraud should occur, we never had any presentation in court where we actually looked at the evidence. Most of the cases were thrown out for lack of standing, which is a procedural way of not actually hearing the question,' Paul said on ABC's 'This Week.'... 'No election is perfect,' Stephanopoulos [said]. 'After investigations, counts and recounts, the Department of Justice -- led by (Trump-appointed Attorney General) William Barr -- said there's no widespread evidence of fraud. Can't you just say the words: "This election was not stolen?"' The Kentucky senator responded, 'What I would suggest is that if we want greater confidence in our elections -- and 75% of Republicans agree with me -- is that we do need to look at election integrity.' Paul also did not acknowledge ... Donald Trump's role in sowing doubts about the election."

Sara Sidner & Anna-Maja Rappard of CNN: "In her Ohio hometown [of Woodstock], she's known as an Army veteran who runs a bar and set up a small self-styled militia her boyfriend says she created to help neighbors if tornadoes hit. To the FBI, she's a militant leader who traveled to Washington, DC, and stormed the US Capitol, encouraging others to do the same." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post: "Over time, [Donald] Trump unleashed his falsehoods with increasing frequency and ferocity, often by the scores in a single campaign speech or tweetstorm. What began as a relative trickle of misrepresentations, including 10 on his first day and five on the second, built into a torrent through Trump's final days as he frenetically spread wild theories that the coronavirus pandemic would disappear 'like a miracle; and that the presidential election had been stolen -- the claim that inspired Trump supporters to attack Congress on Jan. 6 and prompted his second impeachment. The final tally of Trump's presidency: 30,573 false or misleading claims -- with nearly half coming in his final year."

Zach Montellaro of Politico: "Republican legislators across the country are preparing a slew of new voting restrictions in the wake of ... Donald Trump's defeat. Georgia will be the focal point of the GOP push to change state election laws.... But state Republicans in deep-red states and battlegrounds alike are citing Trump's meritless claims of voter fraud in 2020 -- and the declining trust in election integrity Trump helped drive -- as an excuse to tighten access to the polls. Some Republican officials have been blunt about their motivations: They don't believe they can win unless the rules change." MB: That's the ticket: scream "election fraud," then pass restrictive laws so "those people" can't commit fake voter fraud. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Bo Erickson, et al., of CBS News: "The Biden administration is expected to repeal the ban on transgender Americans from serving in the military, multiple people informed of the decision told CBS News. The announcement is expected as soon as Monday, one senior Defense official and four outside advocates of repealing the ban told CBS News. The senior Defense official told CBS News the repeal will be through executive order signed by President Joe Biden. The announcement is expected to take place at a ceremony with newly-confirmed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who will order the Pentagon to go back to the policy enacted in 2016 by former Defense Secretary Ash Carter that allowed transgender Americans to serve openly."

Jessica Sidman of the Washingtonian: "A few days into the job, and President Joe Biden has already made his first restaurant visit. After attending mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Sunday, his motorcade made a bagel pitstop at Call Your Mother in Georgetown, according to pool reports. The President didn't actually get out of the vehicle -- a Secret Service agent ducked in to pick up the order. But Biden did wave to the small crowd that quickly gathered at the scene.... Call Your Mother is co-owned by Jeff Zients, who oversees the administration's Covid-19 response.... Biden has now visited the same number of restaurants that Donald Trump did in his entire four years in office. The former President never dined anywhere in DC other than the steakhouse in his Pennsylvania Avenue hotel."

Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post writes that the only way to rid the country of Fox "News" is for corporations to pull their advertising dollars. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Aamer Madhani & Lisa Mascaro of the AP: "Top aides to President Joe Biden on Sunday began talks with a group of moderate Senate Republicans and Democrats on a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package as Biden faces increasing headwinds in his effort to win bipartisan backing for the initial legislative effort of his presidency. Lawmakers on the right question the wisdom of racking up bigger deficits while those on the left are urging Biden not to spend too much time on bipartisanship when the pandemic is killing thousands of Americans each day and costing more jobs amid tightening restrictions in many communities. At least a dozen senators met for an hour and 15 minutes in a virtual call with White House National Economic Council director Brian Deese and other senior White House officials. Many hope to approve a relief package before ... Donald Trump's trial, which is set to begin in two weeks, overtakes Washington's attention." ~~~

~~~ Laura Barron-Lopez & Burgess Everett of Politico: "A bipartisan group of senators told White House officials on Sunday that the stimulus spending in President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief plan provides too much money to high-income Americans, an opening setback in the new administration's complex pandemic negotiations with Congress. Biden's proposal would provide $1,400 direct payments to Americans, some of whom senators say don't need the money. Still, the discussion was civil and there was a 'consensus' on the need to act urgently on vaccine distribution, said multiple senators on the call. It was also a sign that the Biden White House will be more hands on than ... Donald Trump, who nearly refused to sign the last relief bill after making a flurry of last-minute requests after the bill already passed Congress."

Aamer Madhani of the AP: "President Joe Biden on Monday will formally reinstate COVID-19 travel restrictions on non-U.S. travelers from Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom and 26 other European countries that allow travel across open borders, according to two White House officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the order, also confirmed Sunday that South Africa would be added to the restricted list because of concerns about a variant of the virus that has spread beyond that nation. Biden is reversing an order from ... Donald Trump in his final days in office that called for the relaxation of the travel restrictions as of Tuesday."

Amanda Macias of CNBC: "The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Sunday that the federal government does not know how much coronavirus vaccine the nation has, a complication that adds to the already herculean task before the Biden administration. 'I can't tell you how much vaccine we have, and if I can&'t tell it to you then I can't tell it to the governors and I can't tell it to the state health officials,' CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told 'Fox News Sunday.'... In a dig at the Trump administration, Walensky said the lack of knowledge of vaccine supply is indicative of 'the challenges we've been left with.'"

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

Donald McNeil of the New York Times: "For Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, 80, [who has been an advisor to seven presidents,] the past year has stood out like no other. As the coronavirus ravaged the country, Dr. Fauci's calm counsel and commitment to hard facts endeared him to millions of Americans. But he also became a villain to millions of others. Trump supporters chanted 'Fire Fauci,' and the president mused openly about doing so. He was accused of inventing the virus and of being part of a secret cabal with Bill Gates and George Soros to profit from vaccines. His family received death threats. On Jan. 21, appearing in his first press briefing under the Biden administration, Dr. Fauci described the 'liberating feeling' of once again being able to 'get up here and talk about what you know -- what the evidence, what the science is -- and know that's it, let the science speak.' In an hourlong conversation with The New York Times over the weekend, Dr. Fauci described some of the difficulties, and the toll, of working with ... Donald J. Trump." An interesting interview, but all in all, what you would expect an intelligent, rational person to say. ~~~

     ~~~ Best Part of Fauci Interviews: They Infuriate Whozit. Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "In recent days..., Donald Trump has watched from afar as one of his most popular rivals for public attention has been unleashed by the Biden administration to, in part, disparage Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the ex-president hasn't even been able to tweet about it. Dr. Anthony Fauci, once a prominent figure on Trump's coronavirus task force who's now a top COVID-19 adviser to President Joe Biden, began his multi-day blitz to different news outlets that included openly expressing his relief that the old crew was gone and that he could now serve in the Biden administration.... [Trump] reacted in a fit of grievance, self-obsession, TV hate-watching that largely defined his presidency and now-defunct policy-making operations. Fauci's re-emergence on prime-time television ... infuriated the exiled Trump, who began whining about how 'incompetent' the doctor was, and how he probably should have fired Fauci when he had the chance, a source close to the former president and another individual familiar with the matter tell The Daily Beast."

Melissa Quinn & Margaret Brennan of CBS News: "Dr. Deborah Birx, the former White House coronavirus response coordinator under ... Donald Trump, revealed that she had no full-time team in the White House working on the response to COVID-19 under the former president.... 'That's what I was given,' she said. 'So ... I went to my people that I've known all through the last years in government, all 41, and said, can you come and help me? And so I was able to recruit from other agencies, individuals.'... A senior adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, who led the White House coronavirus task force, confirmed to CBS News that the staff who worked with Birx were from her days with PEPFAR..., [but] disputed the premise that Birx was denied necessary staff. 'There were 7-8 full-time staff detailed from other agencies to her. They were paid,' the senior adviser told CBS News. Pence, meanwhile, was also given no additional White House staff, and his existing team worked on the COVID-19 response." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Georgia. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: At a meeting of the Cobb County, Georgia, school board, "school district employee Jennifer Susko pleaded with those on the board who were not wearing masks to put them on in honor of Hendricks Elementary School kindergarten art teacher Patrick Key, 53, who died Christmas Day after he was hospitalized for about six weeks with covid-19. Key's obituary mentioned his appreciation for wearing masks.... Then, Susko asked for a moment of silence to honor Key, and for board members to put on their masks 'as a tribute to this teacher who did everything you asked of him, even teaching through a pandemic.' For the next 13 seconds, some members looked down, a few shifted in their seats. All were quiet. Most were already wearing masks, but at least two men, including Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who were not wearing face coverings remained maskless."

Mexico. Christopher Sherman of the AP: "Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and that the symptoms are mild. Mexico's president, who has been criticized for his handling of his country's pandemic, said on his official Twitter account that he is under medical treatment.... López Obrador, 67, has long been criticized for not setting an example of prevention in public. He has rarely been seen wearing a mask and continued to keep up a busy travel schedule taking commercial flights. He has resisted locking down the economy, noting the devastating effect it would have on so many Mexicans who live day to day. Early in the pandemic, asked how he was protecting Mexico, López Obrador removed two religious amulets from his wallet and proudly showed them off."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Jimmie Rodgers, whose smooth voice straddled the line between pop and country and brought him a string of hits -- none bigger than his first record, 'Honeycomb,' in 1957 -- died on Jan. 18 in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 87."

Indy Star: "Five people and an unborn child were killed early Sunday morning in Indianapolis, in what city police say was the largest mass casualty shooting in more than a decade.... Investigators were led to the grisly crime scene around 4 a.m., after making contact with a juvenile male, whose age police didn't disclose, who was found suffering from gunshot wounds just footsteps away in the 3300 block of East 36th Street between Keystone Avenue and Sherman Drive. It is believed that the boy was wounded in the Adams Street incident. If so, he is the only recorded survivor at this time."

The Commentariat -- January 24, 2021

Afternoon Update:

When You Think Republicans Can't Get More Childish. Reuters: "The Texas Republican senator John Cornyn warned on Saturday that Donald Trump's second impeachment could lead to the prosecution of former Democratic presidents if Republicans retake Congress in two years' time." MB: Hey, let's start with FDR (court packing). Or Jefferson (slaves). But we know their first choice is President Obama (too nice). ~~~

~~~ Kelly Hooper of Politico: "Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday said the argument that ... Donald Trump should be impeached so that he can't seek public office again is 'an arrogant statement for anyone to make.'"

Andrew Desiderio, et al., of Politico: "... Donald Trump's upcoming Senate impeachment trial poses a security concern that federal law enforcement officials told lawmakers last week requires as many as 5,000 National Guard troops to remain in Washington through mid-March, according to four people familiar with the matter. The contingency force will help protect the Capitol from what was described as 'impeachment security concerns,' including the possibility of mass demonstrations coinciding with the Senate's trial, which is slated to begin the week of Feb. 8."

Zach Montellaro of Politico: "Republican legislators across the country are preparing a slew of new voting restrictions in the wake of ... Donald Trump's defeat. Georgia will be the focal point of the GOP push to change state election laws.... But state Republicans in deep-red states and battlegrounds alike are citing Trump's meritless claims of voter fraud in 2020 -- and the declining trust in election integrity Trump helped drive -- as an excuse to tighten access to the polls. Some Republican officials have been blunt about their motivations: They don't believe they can win unless the rules change." MB: That's the ticket: scream "election fraud," then pass restrictive laws so "those people" can't commit fake voter fraud.

Sara Sidner & Anna-Maja Rappard of CNN: "In her Ohio hometown [of Woodstock], she's known as an Army veteran who runs a bar and set up a small self-styled militia her boyfriend says she created to help neighbors if tornadoes hit. To the FBI, she's a militant leader who traveled to Washington, DC, and stormed the US Capitol, encouraging others to do the same."

Melissa Quinn & Margaret Brennan of CBS News: "Dr. Deborah Birx, the former White House coronavirus response coordinator under ... Donald Trump, revealed that she had no full-time team in the White House working on the response to COVID-19 under the former president.... 'That's what I was given,' she said. 'So ... I went to my people that I've known all through the last years in government, all 41, and said, can you come and help me? And so I was able to recruit from other agencies, individuals.'... A senior adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, who led the White House coronavirus task force, confirmed to CBS News that the staff who worked with Birx were from her days with PEPFAR..., [but] disputed the premise that Birx was denied necessary staff. 'There were 7-8 full-time staff detailed from other agencies to her. They were paid,' the senior adviser told CBS News. Pence, meanwhile, was also given no additional White House staff, and his existing team worked on the COVID-19 response."

Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post writes that the only way to rid the country of Fox "News" is for corporations to pull their advertising dollars.

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So now we know why Bill Barr abruptly resigned a month before the inauguration:

** Kelly Mena of CNN: "... Donald Trump pushed the Department of Justice to directly ask the Supreme Court to invalidate President Joe Biden's election win, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.... The effort ultimately failed as Trump appointees in the Department of Justice refused to file the lawsuit, according to the Journal. [Then-acting Attorney General Jeffery] Rosen, along with former Attorney General William Barr and former acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, refused to file the Supreme Court case citing that there was no basis to challenge the election outcome and the federal government had no legal interest in whether Trump or Biden won the presidency.... 'The pressure got really intense' after a lawsuit Texas filed in the Supreme Court against four states Biden won was dismissed in early December, [an administration] official told the Journal. An outside lawyer working for Trump drafted a brief the then-President wanted the Justice Department to file, people familiar with the matter told the Journal, but officials refused.... Late Saturday night, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin published a letter from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee addressed to acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson asking for his assurance that 'the Department will preserve all relevant materials in its possession, custody, or control,' related to Trump's discussions with [Civil Division acting head Jeffrey] Clark involving a plan to oust Rosen and overturn Georgia's presidential election results. The committee is requesting the materials be released to them no later than the first day of Trump's impeachment trial." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I know that deliberations among the president* & administration officials are privileged, but when the president* & his co-conspirators are attempting to use the DOJ in a scheme to overthrow the results of an election, what they're discussing is a crime of tremendous magnitude & consequence. I feel that Barr, Rosen, Wall & others who knew Trump's intent had an obligation to reveal to the public what was going on in real time, not to wait to leak it to the press after the damage could have been done. See also NiskyGuy's commentary in today's thread.

Katie Benner & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "It was [Rep. Scott] Perry [R-Pa.], a member of the hard-line Freedom Caucus, who first made Mr. Trump aware that a relatively obscure Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, the acting chief of the civil division, was sympathetic to Mr. Trump's view that the election had been stolen, according to former administration officials.... Mr. Perry introduced the president to Mr. Clark, whose openness to conspiracy theories about election fraud presented Mr. Trump with a welcome change from the acting attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, who stood by the results of the election and had repeatedly resisted the president's efforts to undo them. Mr. Perry's previously unreported role, and the quiet discussions between Mr. Trump and Mr. Clark that followed, underlined how much the former president was willing to use the government to subvert the election, turning to more junior and relatively unknown figures for help as ranking Republicans and cabinet members rebuffed him.... After The New York Times disclosed the details of the scheme [to overturn the results of the Georgia presidential election] on Friday, the political fallout was swift."

A Coalition of the Left Saved U.S. Democracy. Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "By the time rioters ransacked the Capitol, the machinery of the left had already been primed to respond -- prepared by months spent sketching out doomsday scenarios and mapping out responses, by countless hours of training exercises and reams of opinion research. At each juncture, the activist wing of the Democratic coalition deployed its resources deliberately, channeling its energy toward countering Mr. Trump's attempts at sabotage. Joseph R. Biden Jr., an avowed centrist who has often boasted of beating his more liberal primary opponents, was a beneficiary of their work.... For the organizers of the effort, it represents both a good-news story -- Mr. Trump was thwarted -- and an ominous sign that such exhaustive efforts were required to protect election results that were not all that close. For the most part, the organized left anticipated Mr. Trump's postelection schemes, including his premature attempt to claim a victory he had not achieved, his pressure campaigns targeting Republican election administrators and county officials and his incitement of far-right violence, strategy documents show."

Matt Zapotosky & Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 crystallized for national security officials that violent extremism is not a threat exclusively imported from foreign shores; it is made in America. These conspiracy-minded, far-right potential threats are police officers and firefighters, Realtors and bartenders, even public officials from across the country, emboldened by the affirmation of ... Donald Trump and each other to publicly espouse racist views or commit violence against the government, analysts say. President Biden's administration will be challenged to deter domestic extremists -- and investigate and prosecute them when their rhetoric spills over into violence. Law enforcement and security officials, experts say, will face significant legal, political and cultural hurdles to battle a disease that seems to have taken hold in the nation's nervous system.... The First Amendment prevents law enforcement from surveilling or investigating Americans based solely on their political views, even if the views are racist or anti-government."

Even Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian, seemed somewhat disturbed by the siege of the Capitol. Thanks to NiskyGuy for the link:

The Rapid Evolution of a Dumb Trumpist:

(1) Amanda Terkel of the Huffington Post: "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) attracted attention [link fixed] last week when he said in a floor speech that ... Donald Trump 'bears responsibility' for the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.... On Thursday, he told reporters that he didn't actually believe Trump had 'provoked' the mob of his supporters.... He stood by his assertion that Trump does bear some responsibility for what happened. But, he added, so does every other person around the country. 'I also think everybody across this country has some responsibility,' he said. McCarthy then started pointing to Democrats who opposed Trump, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), people who are rude on social media and law enforcement authorities who didn't prepare for the attack as some of the people who were somehow responsible." MB: Yes, I personally blame Maxine Waters, Akhilleus, and myself. (Also linked yesterday.)

(2) Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he has 'concerns' over Rep. Liz Cheney's (R-Wyo.) vote to impeach former President Trump, his sternest comments yet on the controversial vote. McCarthy, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren airing Sunday, maintained that he supports keeping Cheney in her role as the No. 3 Republican in the House but said she did not inform him of her decision to impeach Trump before she cast her vote. 'Look, I support her, but I also have concerns. She took a position as a No. 3 member in conference. She never told me ahead of time. One thing about leadership, if we're going to work together, we should understand. We know that this is going to become a difficulty,' he said.... McCarthy has said in the past that he supports Cheney staying in her role as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, but her vote has led to broad pushback from conservative members of Congress." MB Translation: I am more askeert now of losing my top job than I am of violent, radical revolutionaries taking over the government, threatening the lives of my colleagues & forcing me to hide in lockdown. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Contributor Patrick noticed the similarities between McCarthy & Otter's arguments. Once pointed out, the resemblance is hard to deny:

Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "Since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, 38 U.S. Capitol Police employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the head of the officers' union said Saturday. Cases are also climbing among members of the D.C. National Guard stationed around the Capitol. Meantime, the Justice Department said five more people have been arrested in the Capitol riot, including a county jail guard from New Jersey who took an 'emergency holiday' from work to travel to Washington and a Federal Aviation Administration employee from California who is a QAnon follower, court records stated. In another development, two police officers from rural Virginia who had admitted their participation in the Capitol siege were suspended without pay by their department after a search warrant affidavit disclosed that one told a friend on Jan. 10: 'I'm going to war ... DC on the 20th for sure.'... A Defense Department official ... said Friday that coronavirus cases among the thousands of National Guard members who have been stationed at the Capitol in the past two weeks continue to climb, pushing some of them into isolation in hotel rooms in the region. The D.C. National Guard was aware of at least 170 cases as of Friday, with more positive results expected."

Marshall Cohen of CNN: "The Justice Department revealed new charges against a Texas man who allegedly participated in the Capitol attack and posted online death threats against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a US Capitol Police officer. Garret Miller of Texas faces five criminal charges stemming from the Capitol insurrection, including trespassing offenses and making death threats. Miller allegedly tweeted, 'assassinate AOC,' according to court documents. He also said the police officer who fatally shot a Trump supporter during the attack 'deserves to die' and won't 'survive long' because it's 'huntin[g] season.' Prosecutors said in newly released court documents that Miller posted extensively on social media before and during the attack, saying a 'civil war could start' and 'next time we bring the guns.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Adam Goldman & Shaila Dewan of the New York Times: "During the four-and-a-half-hour attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, one of the moments when the mob came closest to the lawmakers they were pursuing took place just after 2:30 p.m. On one side of a set of antique wood and glass doors were dozens of lawmakers and their aides trying to evacuate the House chamber. On the other were rioters yelling 'Stop the steal' as they hammered the panes with a flagpole, a helmet and even a bare fist.... At the height of the standoff, a woman named Ashli Babbitt tried to vault through a window. [A Capitol Police] lieutenant, his weapon already extended, pulled the trigger once, killing her in a confrontation that was captured on video and widely viewed around the world. At least three investigations into the security response on Jan. 6 are underway...."

The Beagle That Barked -- and Changed the Senate. Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "Tugging a puffer-vest-clad [Rev. Raphael] Warnock for an idealized suburban stroll -- bright sunshine, picket fencing, an American flag -- Alvin [the Beagle] would appear in several of Mr. Warnock's commercials pushing back against his Republican opponent in the recent Georgia Senate runoffs. In perhaps the best known spot, Mr. Warnock, a Democrat, deposits a plastic baggie of Alvin's droppings in the trash, likening it to his rival's increasingly caustic ads. The beagle barks in agreement, and as Mr. Warnock declares that 'we' -- he and Alvin -- approve of the message, the dog takes a healthy lick of his goatee.... There is bipartisan agreement that the beagle played an outsized role in cutting through the clutter in two contests that broke every Senate spending record." Alvin is not Warnock's dog. ~~~

Trouble in Arizona's Republican Party ~~~

~~~ Hank Stephenson & Jennifer Medina of the New York Times: "Arizona Republicans issued rebukes to three of the party's most prominent figures on Saturday, approving resolutions to censure Gov. Doug Ducey, former Senator Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain, the widow of former Senator John McCain. Though largely symbolic, the political scolding during a meeting of the state G.O.P. on Saturday underscored a widening rift in Arizona between party officials who have made clear that their loyalty lies with ... Donald J. Trump and those in the party who refused to support him or his effort to overturn the election results in Arizona, which President Joseph R. Biden Jr. won. And, well beyond Arizona, the rift reflects the stark divisions in the Republican Party nationally in the wake of Mr. Trump's tumultuous departure from office. The party cited Ms. McCain's and Mr. Flake's criticisms of Mr. Trump and Mr. Ducey's use of emergency orders related to the pandemic, which gave him broad control to enact policies without the legislature's approval such as closing 'nonessential' businesses in the spring." ~~~

~~~ Josh Dawsey & Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump threw himself back into politics this weekend by publicly endorsing a devoted and divisive acolyte in Arizona who has embraced his false election conspiracy theories and entertained the creation of a new 'MAGA Party.' In a recorded phone call, Trump offered his 'complete and total endorsement' for another term for Arizona state party chairwoman Kelli Ward, a lightning rod who has sparred with the state's Republican governor, been condemned by the business community and overseen a recent flight in party registrations. She narrowly won reelection, by a margin of 51.5 percent to 48.5 percent, marking Trump's first victory in a promised battle to maintain political relevance and influence after losing the 2020 election."

MEANWHILE, in Kentucky. Morgan Watkins of the Louisville Courier Journal: "The Republican Party of Kentucky's State Central Committee rejected a resolution Saturday that would have urged Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to fully support ... Donald Trump and condemn his second impeachment.... Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Mac Brown called the resolution out of order, and the majority of the committee agreed, a member told The Courier Journal after the meeting. The final vote agreeing the resolution should be deemed out of order was 134-49, the member said."

Colin Kalmbacher of Law & Crime: "Without comment, the [Texas supreme court] found that America's foremost conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, and his flagship media outlet, InfoWars, are subject to liability in four separate defamation lawsuits filed over the past two-plus years. Those lawsuits were filed by parents of children who were killed during the Sandy Hook massacre and by a man Jones and his network falsely identified as the perpetrator of the Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School." (Also linked yesterday.)

Mike Schneider of the AP: "The U.S. Census Bureau is suspending efforts to create neighborhood-level statistics on the citizenship and age of residents, using 2020 census data, in the latest rollback of Trump administration census-related initiatives that critics feared would be used to favor Republicans and whites during the drawing of state and local districts. As part of an order President Joe Biden signed Wednesday on the 2020 census, the Census Bureau said Friday that it would discontinue efforts to create citizenship tabulations at the city-block level using 2020 census data combined with administrative records. Among his first acts as president, Biden's order revoked two Trump directives related to the 2020 census. The first attempted to discern the citizenship status of every U.S. resident through administrative records, and the second sought to exclude people in the U.S. illegally from the numbers used for apportioning congressional seats among the states." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Way Beyond the Beltway

Robyn Dixon & Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Protesters took to the streets Saturday in nearly 70 cities and towns across Russia calling for the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny -- a massive show of defiance against President Vladimir Putin and his widening crackdowns against challenges to his power. More than 1,850 people were detained, including Navalny's wife, Yulia. The rallies -- from Russia's Far East to central Moscow -- came less than a week after Navalny returned from Germany, where he recovered from a nerve agent poisoning in August during a trip to Siberia. Navalny was arrested shortly after stepping off the plane. Some 40,000 people participated in the Moscow protest, the Reuters news agency reported, while police said 4,000 people took part." An AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is live-updating developments in the Navalny protests. (Also linked yesterday.)

The Commentariat -- January 23, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

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

The Rapid Evolution of a Dumb Trumpist:

(1) Amanda Terkel of the Huffington Post: "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) attracted attention [link fixed] last week when he said in a floor speech that ... Donald Trump 'bears responsibility' for the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.... On Thursday, he told reporters that he didn't actually believe Trump had 'provoked' the mob of his supporters.... He stood by his assertion that Trump does bear some responsibility for what happened. But, he added, so does every other person around the country. 'I also think everybody across this country has some responsibility,' he said. McCarthy then started pointing to Democrats who opposed Trump, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), people who are rude on social media and law enforcement authorities who didn't prepare for the attack as some of the people who were somehow responsible." MB: Yes, I personally blame Maxine Waters, Akhilleus, and myself.

(2) Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he has 'concerns' over Rep. Liz Cheney's (R-Wyo.) vote to impeach former President Trump, his sternest comments yet on the controversial vote. McCarthy, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren airing Sunday, maintained that he supports keeping Cheney in her role as the No. 3 Republican in the House but said she did not inform him of her decision to impeach Trump before she cast her vote. 'Look, I support her, but I also have concerns. She took a position as a No. 3 member in conference. She never told me ahead of time. One thing about leadership, if we're going to work together, we should understand. We know that this is going to become a difficulty,' he said.... McCarthy has said in the past that he supports Cheney staying in her role as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, but her vote has led to broad pushback from conservative members of Congress." MB Translation: I am more askeert now of losing my top job than I am of violent, radical revolutionaries taking over the government, threatening the lives of my colleagues & forcing me to hide in lockdown.

Mike Schneider of the AP: "The U.S. Census Bureau is suspending efforts to create neighborhood-level statistics on the citizenship and age of residents, using 2020 census data, in the latest rollback of Trump administration census-related initiatives that critics feared would be used to favor Republicans and whites during the drawing of state and local districts. As part of an order President Joe Biden signed Wednesday on the 2020 census, the Census Bureau said Friday that it would discontinue efforts to create citizenship tabulations at the city-block level using 2020 census data combined with administrative records. Among his first acts as president, Biden's order revoked two Trump directives related to the 2020 census. The first attempted to discern the citizenship status of every U.S. resident through administrative records, and the second sought to exclude people in the U.S. illegally from the numbers used for apportioning congressional seats among the states."

Marshall Cohen of CNN: "The Justice Department revealed new charges against a Texas man who allegedly participated in the Capitol attack and posted online death threats against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a US Capitol Police officer. Garret Miller of Texas faces five criminal charges stemming from the Capitol insurrection, including trespassing offenses and making death threats. Miller allegedly tweeted, 'assassinate AOC,' according to court documents. He also said the police officer who fatally shot a Trump supporter during the attack 'deserves to die' and won't 'survive long' because it's 'huntin[g] season.' Prosecutors said in newly released court documents that Miller posted extensively on social media before and during the attack, saying a 'civil war could start' and 'next time we bring the guns.'"

Colin Kalmbacher of Law & Crime: "Without comment, the [Texas supreme court] found that America's foremost conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, and his flagship media outlet, InfoWars, are subject to liability in four separate defamation lawsuits filed over the past two-plus years. Those lawsuits were filed by parents of children who were killed during the Sandy Hook massacre and by a man Jones and his network falsely identified as the perpetrator of the Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School."

Robyn Dixon & Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Protesters took to the streets Saturday in nearly 70 cities and towns across Russia calling for the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny -- a massive show of defiance against President Vladimir Putin and his widening crackdowns against challenges to his power. More than 1,850 people were detained, including Navalny's wife, Yulia. The rallies -- from Russia's Far East to central Moscow -- came less than a week after Navalny returned from Germany, where he recovered from a nerve agent poisoning in August during a trip to Siberia. Navalny was arrested shortly after stepping off the plane. Some 40,000 people participated in the Moscow protest, the Reuters news agency reported, while police said 4,000 people took part." An AP story is here. ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is live-updating developments in the Navalny protests.

~~~~~~~~~~

Julian Barnes & Hailey Fuchs of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday ordered the director of national intelligence to work with the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the threat from domestic violent extremism, a sign of how seriously the new administration is taking the issue in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The request comes only days after Avril D. Haines, the newly installed director of national intelligence, pledged to members of Congress during her confirmation hearing that she would help with just such an assessment.... The domestic terrorism order is the second assignment in two days for Ms. Haines, who was confirmed by the Senate Wednesday evening. On Thursday, the White House ordered a new intelligence assessment of Russia and its role in a broad hacking of government computers."

Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "The Kremlin on Friday welcomed the Biden administration's offer to extend a nuclear disarmament treaty that is set to expire next month, signaling, as had been expected, that Russia intends to cooperate with the United States on nuclear security despit President Biden's pledges to otherwise pursue a harder line with Moscow than his predecessor.The agreement was last updated in 2010 and puts a cap on the number of strategic nuclear warheads both sides can deploy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "Retired four-star Army general Lloyd Austin became the first African American defense secretary on Friday, after the Senate confirmed him as President Biden's nominee in a 93-2 vote. His confirmation to the post breaks down a racial barrier for the military and makes Austin one of the most powerful members of President Biden's Cabinet, which is far more diverse than that of his predecessor..., Donald Trump.... Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) were the lawmakers in the chamber to vote against Austin's nomination." The New York Times story is here. An NBC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Victoria Guida of Politico: "The Senate Finance Committee on Friday unanimously approved Janet Yellen's nomination for Treasury secretary, sending her candidacy to the full Senate for a vote that could come as early as today. The overwhelming support for Yellen suggests that she will have no problem clearing the final hurdle to confirmation, after which she will begin working with Congress to advance President Joe Biden's plan for an additional $1.9 trillion stimulus package." (Also linked yesterday.)

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday called the chief of the National Guard Bureau to apologize after troops who had been brought in to protect his inauguration were ordered to sleep in an unheated parking garage after they were booted from the Capitol on Thursday, administration officials said.... Several governors and members of Congress have criticized the move, even as the reasons for the troops' relocation remain murky. In the telephone call with Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the head of the National Guard Bureau, Mr. Biden apologized and asked what he could do, the officials said. Jill Biden ... visited some of the troops stationed outside of the Capitol on Friday afternoon, thanking them for their work and handing out chocolate chip cookies. 'The National Guard will always hold a special place in the hearts of all the Bidens,' she said, noting that their son Beau, who died in 2015, was a member of the Delaware Army National Guard."

Diet Coke Button Removed from Resolute Desk. Erin Carson of CNet: "The Biden administration is making plenty of changes in the wake of the Trump presidency.... President Joe Biden has reportedly nixed Trump's Diet Coke button. The button, according to a 2018 report from the Associated Press, sat on ... Donald Trump's desk in the Oval Office. Whenever he pushed it, 'a White House butler walked in with a single glass of Diet Coke on a silver tray for the commander in chief,' the AP's Julie Pace said, having watched the button deployed." MB: Akhilleus made me do this.

The New York Times is concerned Joe Biden wears a Rolex and a couple of other high-end, and high-priced, watches.

Republicans Still Control the Senate. Lauren Fox of CNN: "The talks of bipartisanship are quickly getting ensnared by must-move Senate business, not the least of which is getting an agreement on how the Senate will be run over the next two years.... The Senate is operating on the organizing resolution from the last Congress, when the GOP was in the majority. Because of that, for instance, confirmation hearings for President Joe Biden's Cabinet picks this week are being chaired by Republicans.... The fight over the organizing resolution, which appeared to be a temporary disagreement on Wednesday, has reared its head as a full-out legislative crisis that could threaten to stall committee business, cast a shadow over talks about when to start the impeachment trial and constrain the first days of Chuck Schumer's role as majority leader.... Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is making a play to exert as much power over the Senate in his new role as possible and Schumer is going to have to make some impossible choices about how to go forward. Schumer's announcement Friday that the impeachment article will be delivered to the Senate on Monday puts a new deadline for the Senate leaders to reach an agreement -- the impeachment logistics are part of a broader negotiation over the Senate's power-sharing agreement that remains stalled over a fight about the filibuster." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: "Federal law enforcement agents across the country detailed on Friday the weapons they say rioters wielded against police during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, arguing for some men to be jailed until trial while arresting others for the first time. Among those deemed too dangerous for release were a recently homeless D.C. resident with a history of mental health issues and a New York geophysicist who prosecutors say tried to flee to Switzerland. Both are accused of assaulting officers."

How Not to Visit Historic Sites. Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "When federal agents asked Houston police officer Tam Dinh Pham why he was in Washington during the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, he said he had traveled there on business and then attended the president's rally on a whim. But most importantly, Pham told the agents, he did not go inside the Capitol during the attempted insurrection. That's when an FBI agent showed him his own deleted images and videos from inside the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, according to court documents. Faced with the photo evidence, Pham then allegedly admitted to climbing over torn-down fences to get inside. But still, he insisted his reasons were benign: He just wanted the rare opportunity to view 'historical art,' investigators said. Pham, 48, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of unlawful entry of the Capitol and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Roger Sollenberger of Salon: "In his first run for Congress, [Sen. Tom] Cotton [R-Arkansas] leaned heavily on his military service, claiming to have been 'a U.S. Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan,' and, in a campaign ad, to have 'volunteered to be an Army Ranger.' In reality, Cotton was never part of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the elite unit that plans and conducts joint special military operations as part of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Rather, Cotton attended the Ranger School, a two-month-long, small-unit tactical infantry course that literally anyone in the military is eligible attend. Soldiers who complete the course earn the right to wear the Ranger tab -- a small arch that reads 'Ranger' -- but in the eyes of the military, that does not make them an actual Army Ranger.... Reached for comment, Cotton spokesperson Caroline Tabler told Salon in an email, 'Senator Cotton graduated from Ranger school and is more of a Ranger than a Salon reporter like you will ever be.'" MB: As far as I know, Sollenberger has not claimed to be a Ranger, so I don't see where Tabler's remark is relevant. Sollenberger does list other instances in which Cotton made the claim.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

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

Michael Birnbaum & Martin Sorensen of the Washington Post: "Like a speeding car whose brake lines have been cut, the coronavirus variant first spotted in Britain is spreading at an alarming rate and isn't responding to established ways of slowing the pandemic, according to Danish scientists who have one of the world's best views into the new, more contagious strain. Cases involving the variant are increasing 70 percent a week in Denmark, despite a strict lockdown, according to Denmark's State Serum Institute, a government agency that tracks diseases and advises health policy. 'We're losing some of the tools that we have to control the epidemic,' said Tyra Grove Krause, scientific director of the institute, which this past week began sequencing every positive coronavirus test to check for mutations.... British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday suggested for the first time that the variant may be more deadly than the original virus.

The Kaiser Will Always Be with Us

** Flashback to Bizarro World. Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department's top leaders listened in stunned silence this month: One of their peers, they were told, had devised a plan with ... Donald J. Trump to oust Jeffrey A. Rosen as acting attorney general and wield the department's power to force Georgia state lawmakers to overturn its presidential election results. The unassuming lawyer who worked on the plan, Jeffrey Clark, had been devising ways to cast doubt on the election results and to bolster Mr. Trump's continuing legal battles and the pressure on Georgia politicians. Because Mr. Rosen had refused the president's entreaties to carry out those plans, Mr. Trump was about to decide whether to fire Mr. Rosen and replace him with Mr. Clark. The department officials, convened on a conference call, then ... unanimous[ly agreed] they would resign. Their informal pact ultimately helped persuade Mr. Trump to keep Mr. Rosen in place, calculating that a furor over mass resignations at the top of the Justice Department would eclipse any attention on his baseless accusations of voter fraud. Mr. Trump's decision came only after Mr. Rosen and Mr. Clark made their competing cases to him in a bizarre White House meeting that two officials compared with an episode of ... 'The Apprentice.'... After nearly three hours, Mr. Trump ultimately decided that Mr. Clark's plan would fail, and he allowed Mr. Rosen to stay." If you don't have a NYT subscription, this article is worth using one of your freebies on. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Matt Zapotosky, et al., of the Washington Post have the story now: At the meeting among Trump, Clark, Rosen, "along with Richard Donoghue, the acting deputy attorney general; Steven A. Engel, the head of the department's Office of Legal Counsel; and Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, Cipollone ... pushed hard against a letter Clark wanted to send to Georgia state legislators, which wrongly asserted the department was investigating accusations of fraud in their state and Biden's win should be voided.... 'Pat pretty much saved Rosen's job that day,' said one senior Trump White House official." ~~~

~~~ Rayne of Emptywheel: "Overturning Georgia's results and fraudulently awarding the stat's electoral votes to Trump wouldn't have been enough to give Trump the election. But the same powers might have been used to pressure other states or to provide cover for states with GOP elected officials or legislature which favored Trump. We really need to know if Trump made calls to other states like the one he made to Georgia's secretary of state to lean on him for 11,780 votes."

Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "The impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump will begin Feb. 9 under a deal reached Friday by top Senate leaders -- delaying by two weeks the high-stakes proceedings over whether Trump incited the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The agreement was made by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) following a standoff over the timing of the trial, which could permanently bar Trump from holding public office.... Had no accord been reached, the trial would have started Tuesday and run uninterrupted by other Senate business until the Senate rendered its verdict. The agreement does not resolve another brewing conflict between Schumer and McConnell: over how the Senate will handle a 50-50 partisan split, with Vice President Harris breaking ties in Democrats' favor." Politico's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Marianne Levine & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Democrats will deliver an impeachment charge against ... Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, triggering the start of a second trial in the coming days. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer first announced the move on Friday morning, effectively rejecting a request from Senate Republicans to delay the start of the proceedings for two weeks so that Trump can formulate a legal defense. In a statement later on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed the plan and dismissed concerns by Republicans that Trump's legal team wouldn't have adequate time. 'The former president will have had the same amount of time to prepare for trial as our Managers,' Pelosi said.... Democrats have not yet offered details on when the trial will begin, but Pelosi's decision to formally deliver the article of impeachment on Monday means that the Senate trial will likely begin early next week, absent a consent agreement between Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Under Senate rules, an impeachment trial must begin within one day after the House sends its article if the chamber is in session, unless Schumer and McConnell agree to a different timetable." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Michael Warren & Jamie Gangel of CNN: "As the House prepares to send articles of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, CNN has learned that dozens of influential Republicans around Washington -- including former top Trump administration officials -- have been quietly lobbying GOP members of Congress to impeach and convict Donald Trump. The effort is not coordinated but reflects a wider battle inside the GOP between those loyal to Trump and those who want to sever ties and ensure he can never run for President again. The lobbying started in the House after the January 6 attack on the Capitol and in the days leading up to impeachment. But it's now more focused on Sen. Mitch McConnell, the powerful minority leader who has signaled he may support convicting Trump. 'Mitch said to me he wants Trump gone,' one Republican member of Congress told CNN. 'It is in his political interest to have him gone. It is in the GOP interest to have him gone. The question is, do we get there?'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Republicans say the chances that former President Trump will be convicted in an impeachment trial are plummeting, despite lingering anger among some Republicans over his actions. Only five or six Republican senators at the most seem likely to vote for impeachment, far fewer than the number needed, GOP sources say. A two-thirds majority vote would be necessary for a conviction, something that would require at least 17 GOP votes if every Democrat votes to convict Trump." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "House Democrats have renewed their long-stalled demand for Donald Trump's federal tax records, but the Biden administration has not decided whether it will drop its predecessor's objections and release the Treasury Department records to investigators, Justice Department attorneys told a federal judge Friday. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden declined Friday to lift a stay on a pending House lawsuit. Instead, the judge agreed to give Treasury and Justice Department officials two weeks to report back to him, acknowledging that President Biden's team was just settling in after the inauguration this week. McFadden also kept in place an order requiring the government to give the former president's lawyers 72 hours' notice before releasing his tax return information to allow them to file a request to block the release." McFadden is Trump appointee. A Politico story is here.

Marie: So it was not Dr. Jill who fired the chief usher of the White House. And the whole story now makes sense. ~~~

~~~ "So Petty." Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "President Joe Biden was blamed for firing the White House chief usher on his first day on the job, but his predecessor actually did the deed -- apparently to spite the incoming first family. Donald and Melania Trump sent White House ushers home early on Inauguration Day in one of their last acts in a tense presidential transition, a well-placed official not associated with the Biden team told the National Journal. 'The Trumps sent the butlers home when they left so there would be no one to help the Bidens when they arrived,' the official said. 'So petty.' Other knowledgable sources confirmed to the Journal that chief usher Timothy Harleth, a former executive of Trump Hotels hired by Melania Trump, was summarily fired by the outgoing president and first lady -- and not by the Bidens, as was widely reported afterward." Update: During her briefing & in response to a reporter's question, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki just confirmed that Harleth was fired before President Biden took office. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "On the evening before the violent insurrection by his supporters, Trump reportedly warned Pentagon officials they would need 10,000 troops. [Adam Ciralsky of Vanity Fair reported, 'On the evening of January 5 -- the night before a white supremacist mob stormed Capitol Hill ... -- the acting secretary of defense, Christopher Miller, was at the White House with his chief of staff, Kash Patel.... They were meeting with President Trump on 'an Iran issue,' Miller told me. But then the ... president, Miller recalled, asked how many troops the Pentagon planned to turn out the following day. We're like, "We're going to provide any National Guard support that the District requests,"' Miller responded. 'And [Trump] goes, "You're going to need 10,000 people." No, I'm not talking bullsh*t.... That's what he said. Swear to God."'" MB: This may sound exculpatory at first blush; i.e., he tried to warn the Pentagon to be at the ready. But it demonstrates Trump's awareness that he had an impending revolt to tamp down, a revolt which he instead encouraged.

Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets: "... Donald Trump's presidential campaign aides played key roles orchestrating a rally protesting certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election before hundreds of rioters breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. But the full extent of the Trump campaign's ties to the protests may not be not fully known due to its use of shell companies that hide details of its financial dealings and the central role 'dark money' played in the protests. Multiple individuals listed on the permit granted by the National Park Service worked for Trump's presidential campaign, as first reported by the Associated Press over the weekend.... Trump's campaign disclosed paying more than $2.7 million to the individuals and firms behind the Jan. 6 rally. But FEC disclosures do not necessarily provide a complete picture of the campaign's financial dealings since so much of its spending was routed through shell companies, making it difficult to know who the campaign paid and when." ~~~

~~~ Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "Senate Democrats plan to focus on the Internal Revenue Service as part of a larger probe into tax-exempt groups that helped organize the pro-Trump rally that preceded the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Democrats, led in part by lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee, have begun asking the IRS to review the tax-exempt status of the dark money groups that were involved with the rally’s planning.... Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member and expected chairman of the committee, recently sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking him to investigate any group involved in planning the rally and to look into revoking their tax-exempt status."

Justice Delayed ... But Possible. Andrew Weissmann in Just Security: "... Donald Trump issued numerous pardons and commutations to friends, family and associates, as well as felons who engaged in heinous crimes involving war crimes, murder, political corruption, and civil rights violations. He seemed to revel in absolving corrupt politicians, corrupt law enforcement officers, and of course, anyone prosecuted by Robert Mueller's Special Counsel Office. The latter served not just to reward those who refused to cooperate with this Special Counsel, but also undermined future Special Counsel investigations by setting a dangerous precedent for future efforts to conduct such independent investigations, and to hold a corrupt president to the rule of law.... But there is good news. If the Biden administration's Department of Justice wants to rectify some of Trump's abuse of the pardon power, there are now options at its disposal.... Many [of Trump's pardons] are narrowly drawn." Weissman cites, as an example, Paul Manafort's pardon which is "'for his conviction' on specific charges and not any other crimes (charged or uncharged)." Thanks to RAS for the link.

Fauci Admits Trump Killed Americans. Ben Leonard of Politico: "The Trump administration's lack of candor and habitual breaks with scientific guidance in its pandemic response 'very likely did' cost lives, Anthony Fauci said Friday morning. 'When you start talking about things that make no sense medically and no sense scientifically, that clearly is not helpful,' Fauci ... told CNN Friday. 'There's no secret, we've had a lot of divisiveness, we've had facts that were very, very clear, that were questioned,' Fauci said. 'People were not trusting what health officials were saying. There was great divisiveness, masking became a political issue.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Lede

New York Times: "Larry King, who shot the breeze with presidents and psychics, movie stars and malefactors -- anyone with a story to tell or a pitch to make -- in a half-century on radio and television, including 25 years as the host of CNN's globally popular 'Larry King Live,' died on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 87.... [A] statement [confirming his death] did not specify a cause of death, but Mr. King had recently been treated for Covid-19."