;)
The Commentariat -- January 22, 2021
Afternoon Update:
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 despite 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."
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.
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." ~~~
~~~ 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?'" ~~~
~~~ 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."
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."
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."
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.'"
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.
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."
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Niv Elis of the Hill: "President Biden on Friday is set to take steps to lay the groundwork to increase the minimum wage for federal employees and contractors to $15 per hour. The order directs the various agencies to review what workers earn less than $15 per hour, and prepare rules for contractors to ensure their workers are not paid less. Under the order, contractors would also have to provide emergency paid leave to their employees.... Biden's executive action will also restore certain collective bargaining provisions to federal workers and eliminate Schedule F, an employment classification former President Trump created in October that would strip most civil service protections and make it easier to fire them without cause.... The minimum wage of $7.25 has remained unchanged for those not employed by the federal government or subject to higher state and local ordinances. Biden's COVID-19 relief plan includes a plan to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15, but the plan faces Republican opposition and cannot be passed through budget reconciliation, a process that would allow Democrats to sidestep a GOP filibuster."
Ashley Parker & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Biden raced Thursday to show he was addressing the array of crises awaiting him on his first day in office, issuing executive orders aimed at combating the coronavirus and preparing measures to take on the struggling economy and other problems. Biden and his team found themselves immediately on what the president called a 'wartime' footing, describing fighting the coronavirus as 'a national emergency.'... Biden criticized Trump's vaccine rollout as 'a dismal failure' and called his own goal of administering 100 million vaccine doses within 100 days 'one of the greatest operational challenges our nation has ever undertaken.'... On Friday, [Biden] will sign executive orders tackling the economy, which continues to struggle, with nearly 16 million people claiming benefits as of Jan. 2, the last week the information was available. And he plans to continue apace in the coming days, outlining a 'Buy American' action Monday, followed by a focus on racial equity Tuesday, climate change Wednesday, health care Thursday, and immigration Friday." More on President Biden's "war on coronavirus" linked under "Pandemic" below.) MB: In case you're trying really hard to forget President Whozit, remind yourself that the reason Biden has so many crises to address is President* Whozit. ~~~
~~~ Matt Egan of CNN: "Former Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett broadly supports President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion rescue package as a way to keep the coronavirus-ravaged economy afloat." ~~~
~~~ BUT. Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: "Right on schedule, Republicans pretend to care about deficits again.... [During Janet Yellin's Senate confirmation hearing,] Republicans laid the groundwork for blocking the Biden administration's request for more covid-19 fiscal relief, on the grounds that further spending is not merely unnecessary but also irresponsible.... These foul-weather fiscal hawks neglect to mention, of course, that the GOP's prized 2017 tax cuts added nearly $2 trillion to deficits -- back when the economy was doing okay." That is, Republicans raise the deficit when they should be drawing it down, and refuse to spend when the economy needs the spending stimulus.
David Sanger & Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "President Biden ordered a sweeping review on Thursday of American intelligence about Russia's role in a highly sophisticated hacking of government and corporate computer networks, along with what his spokeswoman called Moscow's 'reckless and adversarial actions' globally and against dissidents inside the country. At the same time, White House officials said the president would seek a clean, five-year extension of the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the two countries, which expires in two weeks.... Taken together, the paired announcements make clear the complexity of Mr. Biden's two-step approach to contain the actions of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Mr. Biden's aides have said they have no interest in a 'reset' in relations of the kind that President Barack Obama and his secretary of state at the time, Hillary Clinton, tried a dozen years ago." MB: As Rachel Maddow noted, Trump didn't even bother to object to Russia's hacking ops.
Ben Leonard & Tyler Pager of Politico: "President Joe Biden will keep FBI Director Christopher Wray on in that role, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Thursday. Wray was named to head the bureau in 2017 by... Donald Trump...." MB: I'll say this: Wray did a masterful job of keeping Trump on his leash; again & again, Wray disputed Trump's outlandish tales, but he did so in a way, in a context, and/or at a time that made it impolitic for Trump to fire him. And now Wray gets to keep the job. Trump, however, does not. Pretty clever. (Also linked yesterday.)
Rebecca Rainey of Politico: "President Joe Biden is forcing out two Trump-era counsels from the National Labor Relations Board, the first time in more than 70 years a president has exercised that power over the agency. National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Peter Robb, a Trump appointee, was fired Wednesday after refusing a request from Biden to step down from his post. On Thursday, Biden asked for the resignation of Robb's replacement, Deputy General Counsel Alice Stock, by 5 p.m. or said she would be dismissed.... Robb promoted Stock to deputy general counsel in 2019. Before joining the NLRB, she was a management-side attorney representing businesses in collective bargaining disputes and unfair labor practice charges."
Matthew Lee of the AP: "The Biden administration has moved quickly to remove a number of senior officials aligned with ... Donald Trump from the Voice of America and the agency that oversees all U.S.-funded international broadcasting. The actions address fears that the U.S. Agency for Global Media was being turned into a pro-Trump propaganda outlet.... The moves come just a day after President Joe Biden was sworn in and demanded the resignation of Trump's hand-picked CEO of USAGM, Michael Pack. The agency said in a statement that VOA director Robert Reilly had been fired just weeks after having taken the job. He had been harshly criticized just last week for demoting a VOA White House correspondent who tried to ask former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a question after a town hall event. [More on this in next story.] Two agency officials familiar with the matter said Reilly and his deputy, Elizabeth Robbins, were escorted from VOA's headquarters by security guards.... In addition, Jeffrey Shapiro, who was just recently appointed to run Cuba-focused broadcasters Radio and TV Marti, resigned at the request of the new administration, they said. ~~~
~~~ David Folkenflik of NPR: "Some of [Michael] Pack's loyalists who were still at the agency were trying as late as Thursday afternoon to force out the executives and senior VOA staff that Pack targeted, according to four people with knowledge. 'The continuing, vindictive pettiness of these people still is amazing,' David Seide, an attorney who represented multiple VOA whistleblowers ... told NPR.... The new acting director of Voice of America is Yolanda Lopez, a veteran journalist who had led VOA's News Center until last week. On Jan. 12, Lopez was stripped of all editorial oversight of the English-language news hub after one of her White House reporters posed pointed questions to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about his remarks, made after the presidential election, about a second Trump administration. Reporter Patsy Widakuswara ... was demoted twice in 24 hours after the incident.... [Then-VOA Director Robert] Reilly barked at Widakuswara, 'You obviously don't know how to behave.'"
Elliot Spagat of the AP: President "Biden on Wednesday ordered a 'pause' on all [border] wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive orders issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. The order leaves billions of dollars of work unfinished -- but still under contract -- after Trump worked feverishly last year to build more than 450 miles (720 kilometers), a goal he said he achieved eight days before leaving office.... Biden, seeking to fulfill a pledge not to build 'another foot,' gave his administration two months to determine how much it would cost to cancel contracts and whether money could be spent elsewhere. The Senate aide said fees would be negotiated with contractors and the administration would seek to spend whatever's left on related uses on the border, such as roads, lights, sensors and other technology." MB: The photo accompanying the story is mighty fine.
Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, asked Democrats on Thursday to delay ... Donald J. Trump's impeachment trial until mid-February.... Mr. McConnell made the request on a day when Mr. Biden's call for unity was already running into partisan dysfunction in the Senate. Mr. McConnell and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, were locked in a separate stalemate over how they would share power and whether Democrats would promise to preserve Republicans' ability to filibuster legislation. The deadlock highlighted Mr. McConnell's determination to maintain his leverage to thwart Mr. Biden's priorities and the difficulty Democrats would have doing business with a one-vote majority. The result: On Mr. Biden's first full day in office and Democrats' first in total control of Congress, the Senate was in a state of suspended animation, unable to move forward with even the basic tasks of organizing committees or setting rules for getting virtually anything done." ~~~
~~~ Mike DeBonis & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "Senate Republicans on Thursday pushed to delay the impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump for at least three weeks because he is struggling to recruit a legal team and assemble a defense against the accusation that he incited the deadly Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol.... The proposal came as a key Trump ally, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), disclosed that the former president had secured a lead defense counsel for the trial: Butch Bowers, a Columbia, S.C., attorney...." The Hill's story, on McConnell's proposal to delay Whozit's trial, is here. A related Politico story, about Trump's hiring of Bowers, is here.
Catie Edmondson & Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "The House and Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a special waiver to allow Lloyd J. Austin III, a retired four-star Army general, to serve as secretary of defense, eliminating a hurdle to confirmation for a crucial member of President Biden's national security team who is poised to become the first Black American to lead the Pentagon. In back-to-back votes, lawmakers in both parties approved the special dispensation for General Austin to hold the post, as required for any defense secretary who has been retired from active-duty military service for fewer than seven years. Leaders set a vote for Friday morning to confirm him. The flurry of activity on Capitol Hill -- and the pressure exerted by top Democrats to push his confirmation through -- reflected the sense of urgency in the Biden administration to rapidly install General Austin as the defense secretary, a step normally taken on a president's first day in office to signal the continuity of American power as the presidency changes hands." Politico's story is here.
Matt Fuller of the Huffington Post: "New security measures outside the U.S. House chamber prevented a Republican lawmaker from bringing a gun onto the House floor Thursday. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who has repeatedly flouted the magnetometers that were installed near the House chamber after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, set off the metal detectors while trying to enter. When an officer with a metal detector wand scanned him, a firearm was detected on Harris's side, concealed by his suit coat. Police refused to let Harris in.... HuffPost watched Harris try to get another member to take the gun from him so he could go vote. The member, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), told Harris he didn't have 'a license' and refused to hold the weapon for him."
Marianne Levine of Politico: "A group of Senate Democrats filed an ethics complaint Thursday against GOP Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, over their Jan. 6 efforts to object to the 2020 presidential electiom results. 'By proceeding with their objections to the electors after the violent attack, Senators Cruz and Hawley lent legitimacy to the mob's cause and made future violence more likely,' the senators wrote in a letter to incoming Senate Ethics panel Chair Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Vice Chair James Lankford (R-Okla.). The letter, led by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), requests that the panel investigate several issues, including whether Cruz (R-Texas) and Hawley (R-Mo) encouraged the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol; whether they coordinated with organizers of the pro-Trump rally immediately before the riot; whether they received donations from any organizations or donors that also funded the rally; and whether the senators 'engaged in criminal conduct or unethical or improper behavior.'"
Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "Scores of National Guard members were forced out of a U.S. Capitol cafeteria resting area and into a parking garage nearby, putting them in close quarters with moving cars, exhaust fumes and troops potentially infected with the coronavirus, two soldiers told The Washington Post. The abrupt transfer came Thursday afternoon with no explanation, the soldiers said. Images of National Guard members sleeping on concrete sparked outrage and an apparent reversal later Thursday night, as lawmakers said the service members would be moved back to the Capitol. The Guard members have hotel rooms to sleep in, officials said. But soldiers are on duty for a day or two, working shifts a few hours at a time and cannot easily return to their hotels, many of which are in Virginia and Maryland. So they nap wherever they can -- on concrete, indoor tennis courts, or if they are lucky, on carpet[ed] floors." A Politico story is here. MB: I realize the chief of the Capitol Police has just resigned, but it looks as if the remaining leadership team needs a serious attitude adjustment.
At Least Harris & Emhoff Have a Nice Place to Stay. Matthew Choi & Eugene Daniels of Politico: "Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will stay at Blair House while repairs at Naval Observatory are underway, Harris' adviser and spokesperson Symone Sanders told Politico Thursday. Harris' office had announced their move to the official vice presidential residence would be delayed Wednesday, citing household maintenance and repairs to the chimney. The office had previously declined to say where she would be staying in the mean time due to security concerns."
Marie: Based on news reports, I wrote yesterday that the White House's chief usher, Timothy Harleth, had greeted the Bidens as they entered the White House. That turns out not to be true: ~~~
~~~ Annie Karni & Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "It was the culminating moment of a transfer of power: President Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, walked up the driveway to their new home on Wednesday, ascended the steps to the North Portico, waved to the crowd as a military band played 'Hail to the Chief,' turned to head inside -- and came face-to-face with a closed door.... The awkward moment had lasted only ... about 10 [seconds]..., but it did not go unnoticed in Washington. Although it is unclear exactly what caused the delay with the doors -- which are normally opened by Marine guards -- the chief usher of the White House, who manages the residence, had been fired less than five hours earlier. Timothy Harleth, the Trumps' chief usher and a former rooms manager of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, was busy moving furniture on Inauguration Day when he was told at 11:30 a.m. that his services were no longer needed, people familiar with the process said." MB: Since Dr. Jill was otherwise occupied at the inauguration at 11:30 am, I guess it wasn't she who made the call from her cell to tell Harleth, "You're fired."
The New York Times has a "seating chart" interactive graphic of who-all attended President Biden's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol. Currently (2 pm ET Thursday), a version of the graphic also appears on the Times' front page, so nonsubscribers can see it. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Bernie's mittens get memed. WashPo link. Fun for subscribers.
Ha Ha. Joseph Choi of the Hill: "President Biden's inauguration garnered more viewers than that of his predecessor..., with nearly 40 million tuning in to see him sworn into office. Citing Nielsen ratings, Variety reported on Thursday that 39.9 million people across six major TV news channels watched Biden be sworn into office. When Trump was sworn into office in 2017, 38.35 million people watched, 4 percent less than that of Biden's inauguration numbers." MB: To be fair, if you estimate that as many as 500,000 people showed up for Trump's inauguration, that would mean those who watched reached just less than 39 million -- still fewer than those who watched Biden's.
Oren Liebermann, et al., of CNN: "The US Army has changed its account of a key phone call that took place on January 6 as rioters stormed the US Capitol.... They changed their explanation soon after the Department of Defense acknowledged that one of the generals who spoke to reporters, Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn -- the brother of ... former national security adviser Michael Flynn -- was in the room for one of the key January 6 phone calls. The shifting accounts are only likely to increase scrutiny on the Pentagon, which is already trying to rebut accusations that it denied or delayed the deployment of additional troops as the riot worsened on Capitol Hill, eventually leaving five dead, including a Capitol Police officer. A Washington, DC, official called the process of calling up more guardsmen 'long' and 'tortured.' Pentagon officials have repeatedly denied the accusations, insisting there were no intentional delays, though then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy on Monday told CNN the response was hampered by an 'archaic system.'" ~~~
~~~ Dan Lamothe & Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "Army Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, the brother of controversial former national security adviser Michael Flynn, on Thursday defended his actions in the U.S. military's deliberations over how to respond to the assault on the Capitol, saying he was on a key call for only four minutes and denying that he lied to staffers about it. Charles Flynn also rejected the notion that his relationship with his brother, a retired Army general who suggested that ... Donald Trump should 'rerun' the presidential election and could declare martial law, was a factor in his response.... The comments came after Flynn issued a statement to The Washington Post on Wednesday that stated he had been in the room during a tense call in which other agencies responding to the deadly riot on Jan. 6 pleaded for the National Guard to intervene immediately. The Army had denied for days that Flynn was involved in the meeting."
Tom Dreisbach & Meg Anderson of NPR: "... many of those who stormed the Capitol were military veterans..., who had once sworn to protect the Constitution. In fact, an NPR analysis has found that nearly 1 in 5 people charged over their alleged involvement in the attack ... appear to have a military history. NPR compiled a list of individuals facing federal or District of Columbia charges in connection with the events of Jan. 6. Of more than 140 charged so far, a review of military records, social media accounts, court documents and news reports indicate at least 27 of those charged, or nearly 20%, have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. To put that number in perspective, only about 7% of all American adults are military veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau."
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A Florida [man] accused of taking part in the Capitol riot and then returning to Washington in advance of President Joe Biden's inauguration should be kept behind bars as he awaits trial, a federal magistrate ruled Thursday. Prosecutors say Samuel Camargo, 26, posted videos on Instagram showing him trying to force his way into the Capitol during the Jan. 6 assault and later displayed a piece of metal that he said came from the historic building. 'Got some memorobioia [sic], did it myself,' text on Camargo's feed said. After the chaotic and violent day at the Capitol, Camargo returned to his home in Deerfield Beach, according to an FBI affidavit. When an FBI agent reached out to him by phone, Camargo became uncooperative and questioned the agent's loyalty to the Constitution, the court filing says. Camargo later saw law enforcement officials at his home and took off, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Poulin said during a bail hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington.... Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said Camargo's actions created too much risk that he would not appear for trial. 'He was, at a minimum, trying to flee from prosecution. At worst, he could've been doing something worse than that,' Faruqui said....
"Meanwhile, a bail hearing expected Thursday for a New Mexico county commissioner charged in the Capitol riot was scuttled after he reportedly refused to take a coronavirus test. Couy Griffin, 47, the leader of Cowboys for Trump, was arrested Sunday in Washington after he returned to the city following the Jan. 6 unrest."
Amy Worden & Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "A Pennsylvania woman accused of helping to steal a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington was ordered released from detention Thursday and placed in her mother's custody. Riley June Williams, 22, must stay in the home she shares with her mother and abide by other conditions of release, including avoiding contact with any witnesses or victims of the Jan. 6 Capitol storming. Federal Magistrate Judge Martin Carlson said he was releasing Williams in part because she had no prior criminal record, but he warned her that her mother, Wendy Williams, could be criminally charged if she fails to report to the court any violations of the conditions of release.... Before Williams was brought back to Dauphin County Prison to be processed for release, Carlson gave a pointed speech about the allegations that she had tried to interfere with Congress's constitutional obligation to certify the electoral college results. [He called] her alleged actions 'antithetical to these constitutional values.... Your freedom, conditioned as it is by the orders that I have entered, is the result of the prevailing of the Constitution,' Carlson said. 'The Constitution prevails here today. And the Constitution will always prevail in this country.'... [Riley] Williams faces two felony charges punishable by decades in prison, as well as two misdemeanors, according to charging documents." ~~~
~~~ Marie: My guess: like most of her co-defendants around the country, Williams is too damned stupid to get the judge's point that she is benefiting from the Constitution she ignored in the commission of her (alleged) crimes. These people just are not very bright.
Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The wave of pardons and commutations issued by Mr. Trump in his final months in office has drawn criticism from prosecutors and federal agents.... Most notably, his decision to pardon four Blackwater guards convicted in the killing of Iraqi civilians infuriated many involved in those complex, long-running and contentious prosecutions. But Mr. Trump]s willingness to grant clemency in a string of Medicare cases has elicited particular outrage in Florida, a hotbed of this type of case and a focus of Justice Department efforts to combat fraud....[One of those pardons went to] Philip Esformes, a former nursing home executive who orchestrated one of the biggest Medicare frauds in United States history.... [His clinics] collected an estimated $1.3 billion in fraudulent Medicare claims.... [A commutation went to] Judith Negron, 49, who had been convicted in a separate scheme to siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicare payments.... Thanks to ... Mr. Trump, she had been released after serving eight years of a 35-year sentence and was relieved of any remaining obligation to pay her share of $87 million in court-ordered restitution.... Mr. Trump added to the anger on Tuesday, when he commuted what was left of the prison sentence for Dr. Salomon E. Melgen, 66 [-- a friend of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) --], who ran clinics in Florida that fraudulently diagnosed Medicare patients with eye diseases and then performed medically unnecessary tests and procedures, falsely billing the federal government at least $42 million, according to prosecutors." ~~~
~~~ Marie: While all investigations & prosecutions are time-consuming, the cases referenced above were particularly difficult to prove. And Trump wiped them away for no good reason; he said Negron was a "wife and mother" who had used her prison time to "improv[e] her life and the lives of her fellow inmates."
Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department inspector general has begun examining the abrupt departure this month of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta after ... Donald Trump complained officials in Georgia were not doing enough to find election fraud, according to people familiar with the matter. The investigation into the sudden resignation of Byung J. 'BJay' Pak by Inspector General Michael Horowitz appears to be in its early stages. Investigators have not yet talked to Pak, and it is unclear how broad their inquiry will be, the people familiar with the matter said.... Pak unexpectedly announced Jan. 4 that he was stepping down that day as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, surprising many in his office. Trump then bypassed Pak's top deputy in selecting a temporary replacement, raising questions among legal observers about the possibility of political interference in law enforcement work." The Hill's story is here.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "President Biden, seeking to assert leadership over the coronavirus pandemic, signed a string of executive orders and presidential directives on Thursday aimed at creating the kind of centralized authority that the Trump administration had shied away from. The orders included new requirements for masks on interstate planes, trains and buses, the creation of a national testing board and mandatory quarantines for international travelers arriving in the United States. Mr. Biden predicted that the national death toll from Covid-19 would top 500,000 next month, refusing to play down the carnage that his predecessor was loath to acknowledge....
"The 'National Strategy for the Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness' ... instructed federal agencies to invoke the Defense Production Act if necessary to expand supplies; created a 'pandemic testing board' to help expand access to testing; ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue guidelines to protect workers; called for new guidelines on reopening schools and businesses; and said the government would begin fully reimbursing states for the cost of using the National Guard to accelerate the pace of vaccinations. But the plan is in some respects overly optimistic and in others not ambitious enough, some experts say....
"Appearing in the White House briefing room for the first time since November, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci said powerful treatments using manufactured antibodies, which were used on ... Donald J. Trump, were not effective against more infectious variants of the virus circulating in South Africa and Brazil, which have not yet emerged in the United States. And while the current vaccines still work against the new variants, the immune response they induce might be slightly diminished, he said, adding even more urgency to quickly vaccinating people. The nation, he said, is 'still in a very serious situation.'" The AP's story on Biden's coronavirus orders is here. MB: The orders are necessary, of course, because of what Brian Williams of MSNBC called "a toxic year of malfeasance & malpractice."
The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the science is, and know that's it -- let the science speak -- it is somewhat of a liberating feeling. -- Dr. Anthony Fauci, speaking at Biden's press conference Thursday (WashPo link) ~~~
~~~ Sarah Owermohle of Politico: "One day into the Biden presidency..., [Dr. Anthony Fauci] described it as 'a refreshing experience.'... 'It's obviously a very different situation. It's complete transparency,' Fauci said in an interview Thursday. 'Nobody is telling you what to say, at all. They are just saying go out there and let the data guide you on what you are saying.'... 'There were things that were said, be it regarding things like hydroxychloroquine and other things like that, that really was an uncomfortable thing because they were not based on scientific fact,' Fauci said of the Trump administration. 'I can tell you, I take no pleasure at all being in a situation with contradicting the president.'"
Alexandra Jaffe & Zeke Miller of the AP: "The clearest sign that there's a new boss at the White House is the deference being paid to coronavirus public health guidlines. It's a striking contrast to Donald Trump's White House, which was the epicenter of no less than three separate outbreaks of COVID-19, their true scale not fully known because aides refused to discuss cases publicly. While the Trump administration was known for flouting safety recommendations, the Biden team has made a point of abiding by the same strict guidelines they're urging Americans to follow to stem the spread of the virus."
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
News Lede
New York Times: "Hank Aaron, who faced down racism as he eclipsed Babe Ruth as baseball's home run king, hitting 755 homers and holding the most celebrated record in sports for more than 30 years, has died. He was 86." MB: I did love Hank Aaron, or as my roommate from Milwaukee would say, "Henry Aaron. We knew him when he was Henry Aaron."
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