The Commentariat -- January 16, 2021

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

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

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

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Commentariat -- January 15, 2021

Late Morning Update:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~~~~~~~~~

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

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

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

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

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

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

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

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

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

Beyond the Beltway

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

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

The Commentariat -- January 14, 2021

Afternoon Update:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~~~~~~~~~

Missy Ryan, et al., of the Washington Post: "National Guard forces from a growing list of states moved into positions across Washington[,D.C.,] on Wednesday as authorities scrambled to understand the extent of threats surrounding President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration and prevent a repeat of last week's deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. City and federal officials conducted tabletop exercises to rehearse inauguration security and strengthen coordination among a massive patchwork of police, National Guard troops and federal personnel that is expected to fan out ahead of protests this weekend and the Jan. 20 transfer of power. By next week, the D.C. police chief said, upward of 20,000 guardsmen were expected to be in place to guard against violence.... Officials and analysts monitoring online posts and message threads said some far-right groups appeared to be backing down from plans to come to Washington in coming days, at least in part owing to the National Guard and law enforcement presence."

Alexandra Jaffe & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President-elect Joe Biden will no longer be taking an Amtrak train to Washington for his inauguration because of security concerns, a person briefed on the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The president-elect's decision reflects growing worries over potential threats in the Capitol and across the U.S. in the lead-up to Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration."

Trump Impeached Again

The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump on Wednesday became the first American president to be impeached twice, as 10 members of his party joined with Democrats in the House to charge him with 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in egging on a violent mob that stormed the Capitol last week. Reconvening in a building now heavily militarized against threats from pro-Trump activists and adorned with bunting for the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., lawmakers voted 232 to 197 to approve a single impeachment article. It accused Mr. Trump of 'inciting violence against the government of the United States' in his quest to overturn the election results, and called for him to be removed and disqualified from ever holding public office again. The vote left another indelible stain on Mr. Trump's presidency just a week before he is slated to leave office and laid bare the cracks running through the Republican Party. More members of his party voted to charge the president than in any other impeachment."

Philip Rucker, et al., of the Washington Post: "When Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president ever impeached twice, he did so as a leader increasingly isolated, sullen and vengeful. With less than seven days remaining in his presidency, Trump's inner circle is shrinking, offices in his White House are emptying, and the president is lashing out at some of those who remain. He is angry that his allies have not mounted a more forceful defense of his incitement of the mob that stormed the Capitol last week, advisers and associates said. Though Trump has been exceptionally furious with Vice President Pence, his relationship with lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, one of his most steadfast defenders, is also fracturing.... Trump has instructed aides not to pay Giuliani's legal fees, two officials said, and has demanded that he personally approve any reimbursements for the expenses Giuliani incurred while traveling on the president's behalf to challenge election results in key states. They said Trump ... did not appreciate a demand from Giuliani for $20,000 a day in fees for his work attempting to overturn the election....

"... the White House did not mount a vigorous defense Wednesday as House members debated his fitness for office and, ultimately, voted to impeach him. This is both because there was no organized campaign to block impeachment and because many of his aides believe Trump's incitement of the riot was too odious to defend. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, who was central to the president's defense in his first impeachment a year ago, told other staffers to make sure word got out that he was not involved in defending Trump this time...." ~~~

~~~ Shannon Pettypiece, et al., of NBC News: "... Trump continues to cling to his false assertion that he won the election and is refusing pleas that he leave office days before his term expires because of his role in the deadly attack. Trump ... remains both defiant and sullen, said one former White House official.... Trump monitored the impeachment proceedings Wednesday mostly from the Oval Office, according to an administration official.... Stripped of the ability to fire off real-time responses, Trump must rely on a White House staff that has largely been replaced with moving boxes as aides head for the exits and allies fail to offer a defense of him in public.... The staff in White House normally thins in the final days of an administration as people secure new jobs, but Trump's West Wing has become a ghost town after resignations following last week's riot."

Alan Fram & Andrew Taylor of the AP: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday blocked a quick Senate impeachment trial for ... Donald Trump but did not rule out that he might eventually vote to convict the now twice-impeached president. Minutes after the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump, McConnell suggested in a statement that Trump's Senate trial will not start before Jan. 19, the chamber's next scheduled business day.... 'I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,' McConnell wrote [in a letter to GOP senators]." (Also linked yesterday.) The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This, of course, is Mitch's attempt to have it both ways: (1) he's not down with Trump & His Insurrectionists, and (2) he supports Trump & Freedumb. At the same time, McConnell's move may be his way of controlling Trump, someone who has made Mitch's life more miserable than any Democrat has. As long as Mitch holds what looks like a real threat of impeachment over Trump's head -- in this case, for the rest of Trump's term -- Trump is incentivized to try to behave himself. Ergo, yesterday's hostage video.

From the Washington Post's live updates: "The House on Wednesday voted to impeach Trump on a charge of 'inciting violence' against the U.S. government, making him the first president in U.S. history to have been impeached twice. The final vote count was 232 in favor and 197 opposed. Ten Republicans joined all Democrats present in voting to impeach Trump.... The 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Dan Newhouse (Wash.), Tom Rice (S.C.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and David Valadao (Calif.).... Trump now faces a Senate trial after his term ends, when the chamber could vote on barring him from future elective office if he is convicted." The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ More from the Washington Post's updates: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) opened a two-hour debate Tuesday on Trump's impeachment by calling him 'a clear and present danger' and saying 'he must go.' The House is poised to impeach Trump on a single article charging him with 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in last week's takeover of the Capitol by a violent pro-Trump mob. ~~~

~~~ "As Wednesday's floor debate was underway, Trump issued a statement calling for there to be no violence at any of the protests that are expected to take place during the week of Biden's inauguration. 'In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,' Trump said in the statement, which was first reported by Fox News. 'That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.' According to Fox News, the White House will 'attempt to post the statement to all of Trump's official social media accounts.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

From the New York Times live updates: "The House had enough votes on Wednesday to impeach President Trump for inciting a violent insurrection against the United States government, as more than a half-dozen members of the president's party joined Democrats to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors for an unprecedented second time." (Also linked yesterday.)

David Brand of the Queens Daily Eagle: "A Queens-born real estate developer made history Wednesday when he became the first U.S. president ever impeached twice by the House of Representatives. Donald Trump, a 74-year-old lame duck Republican, is accused of inciting a lethal mob of far-right supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol in order to prevent Congress from certifying the results of his resounding loss in the November 2020 election. President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, recorded 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232. With Trump's encouragement, Confederate-flag bearing white supremacists and fascist agitators besieged the Capitol, threatening to kill Vice President Mike Pence, breaking into lawmakers' offices, stealing public property and smearing feces on the wall.... Ten Republican members of Congress joined the Democratic majority in voting to impeach the Jamaica Estates native for the second time. In December 2019, Trump became the third president impeached by Congress -- and the first from Queens."

Kaitlan Collins & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "On the day he will be impeached for a history-making second time..., Donald Trump lacks a comprehensive legal strategy, has nothing on his public schedule and is without his preferred social media methods of responding -- in part because his son-in-law put a stop to efforts establishing his presence on fringe platforms after he was banned from Twitter. It amounts to near-invisibility for the President at the most perilous moment of his presidency, which is ending in tumult and dramatic rebuke from members of his own party.... Jared Kushner intervened when other officials tried restoring the President's social media presence on sites that are often havens for extremists, such as Gab, following an unprecedented ban from several major platforms. According to an outside adviser and an administration official, Kushner and deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino blocked efforts by other aides, including personnel chief Johnny McEntee, to get the President on fringe social media platforms after he was suspended in some fashion from almost every major one, including Twitter, Facebook and, now, YouTube." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Update: "After the House voted 232 to 197 to impeach him ... Trump released a video statement that did not mention the historic development that had occurred a few hours earlier. Instead, he delivered a call for calm as the threat of new riots -- which Trump said he'd been briefed on by the Secret Service -- casts a pall over Washington. That briefing took place on Monday and played a role in the President's decision to record the video, an official told CNN. 'No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag,' he said from behind the Resolute Desk in the Ova Office.... At the end of the spot, which was recorded by the White House and not independent television cameras, Trump decried what he called the 'unprecedented assault on free speech we have seen in recent days.... Efforts to censor, cancel and blacklist our fellow citizens are wrong and they are dangerous,' he said." ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: “Under heavy pressure from his advisers, President Trump on Wednesday released a five-minute video recorded in the Oval Office condemning last week's mob violence at the Capitol and urging his supporters to stand down from further rioting next week. The video was released on a White House Twitter account. The president offered no note of humility, regret or self-reflection about his two months of false claims that the election was stolen from him.... Mr. Trump did not mention the name of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., he did not concede the election and he did not talk about Mr. Biden's inauguration, which is to take place next week under extraordinary security because of the threats inspired by the Capitol breach. He also made no mention of the impeachment vote.... But it was also a broader condemnation of the violence than he has offered so far.... [The purpose of cutting the video:] The president's aides have warned him that he faces potential legal exposure for the riot...

"Advisers said that Mr. Trump had to be dissuaded from going to the House floor to try to defend himself during Wednesday's impeachment proceedings, something he wanted to do during his first impeachment in December 2019, advisers said." Emphasis added. MB: Oh, if only. That would have been a spectacle to behold: Trump, the self-acclaimed great dealmaker, wheeling & cajoling, whining & berating members of Congress. And perhaps finally descending into a hot rage."

Emma Fitzsimmons of the New York Times: "... on Wednesday, [New York City] announced it would terminate its contracts with the Trump Organization after the riot at the U.S. Capitol. The decision by Mayor Bill de Blasio was another blow to Mr. Trump's prestige in New York, and hammered home the depths to which the president -- once viewed as a mischievous real estate celebrity -- has become a political and social pariah in his hometown.... The city is moving to cancel contracts at two ice-skating rinks at Central Park, the Central Park Carousel and the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, a city-owned golf course in the Bronx. The Trump Organization has had profits of about $17 million a year from the contracts, Mr. de Blasio said." A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Martyn McLaughlin of The Scotsman: "[G]olf's governing body finally gave voice to what many long suspected -- for as long as the historic Ayrshire property is besmirched by Mr Trump's ownership, it will not host the sport's oldest, and arguably most prestigious, tournament.... If the ... announcement is a bitter disappointment for Turnberry and Scotland, then it is nothing short of a catastrophe for the outgoing US president and his family firm.... The decision confirms the failure of Mr Trump's annexation of elite golf.... The Trump family preside over heavily indebted, loss-making properties in Scotland that will never host golf's biggest tournaments, and in the midst of a ruinous pandemic, they must now contend with the dire economic consequences of its patriarch's autocratic tendencies." --s

National Security Officials M.I.A. Katie Benner, et al., of the New York Times: "Amid the sea of troubling facts, arrests and iconic images that have emerged in the days since the assault on the Capitol, one element remains largely absent: reassurances from some of the nation's top national security officials. Neither the acting attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, nor the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, has appeared at the type of high-profile news conference that typically marks a major criminal investigation, instead issuing news releases. Mr. Rosen also called for calm and vowed to fully investigate the violence, but the comments came in a video posted by the Justice Department on YouTube around midnight. Chad F. Wolf, the departing acting secretary of homeland security, was in the Middle East during the siege and did not return until later in the week. He also issued a news release that week calling the riot 'tragic and sickening.' For the most part, officials have not addressed that President Trump himself incited the attack by his supporters on Congress's certification of the Electoral College results." ~~~

~~~ John Eligon, et al., of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. on Wednesday urged police chiefs across the country to be on high alert for extremist activity and to share intelligence on any threats they encounter, as the U.S. government issued a dire intelligence bulletin warning of potential violence ahead of the inauguration. In the call with police chiefs, Christopher Wray, the F.B.I. director, and Kenneth Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, warned about potential attacks on state capitols, federal buildings, the homes of congressional members and businesses, according to one of the chiefs on the call." ~~~

~~~ Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "The deadly breach at the Capitol last week will be a 'significant driver of violence' for armed militia groups and racist extremists who are targeting the presidential inauguration next week, according to a joint intelligence bulletin issued by federal authorities. The 'boogaloo,' a movement that seeks to start a second civil war, and extremists aiming to trigger a race war 'may exploit the aftermath of the Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a climactic conflict in the United States,' according to the bulletin issued by the National Counterterrorism Center and the Justice and Homeland Security Departments, which was disseminated widely to law enforcement agencies across the country.... Antigovernment militias and racists extremists 'very likely pose the greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021,' the agencies said."

Evan Perez of CNN: "Evidence uncovered so far, including weapons and tactics seen on surveillance video, suggests a level of planning that has led investigators to believe the attack on the US Capitol was not just a protest that spiraled out of control, a federal law enforcement official says. Among the evidence the FBI is examining are indications that some participants at the Trump rally at the Ellipse, outside the White House, left the event early, perhaps to retrieve items to be used in the assault on the Capitol. A team of investigators and prosecutors are also focused on the command and control aspect of the attack, looking at travel and communications records to determine if they can build a case that is similar to a counterterrorism investigation, the official said."

Michael Kranish, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the days since the Jan. 6 attack..., a number of Democrats have pointed to speeches, tweets and videos that they have said raised questions about whether the attackers may have been inspired or helped by Republican members of Congress.... Democrats sent a letter Wednesday asking congressional security officials to investigate what they called 'suspicious behavior and access given to visitors' the day before the attack. The letter said that Democratic lawmakers and staffers 'witnessed an extremely high number of outside groups' visiting the Capitol, which was unusual because the building has restricted public access since March, when pandemic protocols were enacted. Since then, tourists can enter the Capitol only when brought in by a member of Congress. Among the visitors, according to the Democrats' letter, were some who 'appeared to be associated with the rally.'... Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said in an interview that 'I do know that, yes, there were members that gave tours to individuals who participated in the riot.'" Politico's story is here.

Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed News: "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live on Tuesday night that she had a 'very close encounter' on Jan. 6, the day of the violent insurrection at the US Capitol, and that she thought she 'was going to die.' Ocasio-Cortez did not provide many details about what happened to her on Jan. 6, saying she was not certain if she could 'disclose the full details' given security issues. But she called the encounter 'traumatizing,' saying, 'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.'" Update: the Washington Post report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Rebecca Tan of the Washington Post: Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman single-handedly held off -- and well, conned -- a mob of insurrectionists, leading them to a place where several armed officers stood in wait. Includes video. (Also linked yesterday.)

Meet the Trumpist. Evan Perez of CNN: "A rioter who stormed the US Capitol last week wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase 'Camp Auschwitz' was arrested Wednesday morning in Virginia, according to a law enforcement official.... The man in the sweatshirt was identified as Robert Keith Packer of Virginia. A law enforcement official told CNN that Packer was picked up in Newport News, Virginia.... Packer has a criminal history including three convictions for driving under the influence and a felony conviction for forging public records, according to Virginia court records." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post: "Federal authorities have arrested and charged two Virginia police officers who took a selfie during the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.... Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker, two members of the Rocky Mount Police Department in Virginia, took a selfie in front of a statute of John Stark, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Robertson and Fracker are charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Vincent Veloz, a special agent with the U.S. Capitol Police, wrote in a statement of facts that Robertson posted on social media that 'we actually attacked the government,' and wrote that they 'took the fucking U.S. Capitol' in one day. He also wrote that he was proud to have 'put skin in the game.... If you are too much of a coward to risk arrest, being fired, and actual gunfire to secure your rights., you have no words to speak I value,' Robertson wrote in a message. Fracker, on Facebook, wrote that he didn't think he'd done anything wrong."

Paul Newberry of the AP: "Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Klete Keller was charged Wednesday with participating in a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol after video emerged that appeared to show him among those storming the building last week. An FBI complaint, citing screenshots from the video, asked that a warrant be issued charging Keller with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority and attempting to impede an official government function." MB: Sorry, but in the the accompanying photo, Keller looks like a member of the Nazi youth. (Also linked yesterday.)

Facebook Gives New Meaning to Targeted Advertising. Ryan Mac & Craig Silverman of BuzzFeed News: "Facebook has been running ads for body armor, gun holsters, and other military equipment next to content promoting election misinformation and news about the attempted coup at the US Capitol, despite internal warnings from concerned employees. In the aftermath of an attempted insurrection by ... Donald Trump's supporters last week at the US Capitol building, Facebook has served up ads for defense products to accounts that follow extremist content, according to the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit watchdog group.... Beginning last summer, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company banned pages, groups, and accounts belonging to US-based militant groups, 'boogaloo' extremists, and those associated with the QAnon mass delusion. But members of those movements quickly found ways around the company's policies by renaming their pages or using code names. They continue to proliferate, organize, and advertise on the social network. These ads for tactical gear, which were flagged internally by employees as potentially problematic, show Facebook has been profiting from content that amplifies political and cultural discord in the US."

Everything Is Still Going Very Smoothly. Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "The acting leader of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement abruptly resigned on Wednesday, just two weeks into the job after the agency's previous director also stepped down unexpectedly in December, according to a source.... The departure of Jonathan Fahey is the latest in a long line of resignations at ICE during the Trump administration.... [Fahey's] deputy, Tae Johnson, will now serve as acting director. The agency, which has come under mounting public scrutiny for controversial policies and operations throughout Trump's term, has now seen six leaders come and go since 2017. None of the directors of the agency during Trump's term were [was!] ever confirmed in the US Senate."

I will always take care of our wonderful senior citizens. -- Donald Trump, falsely promising seniors would receive $200 medical discount cards, Sept. 24, 2020 ~~~

~~~ Dan Diamond of Politico: "The White House will not be able to make good on ... Donald Trump's campaign promise to give older Americans discount cards to use for medicine, said four officials with knowledge of the deliberations, citing time pressures and still-unfinished planning. 'It would take days to get all the sign-offs we still need, plus the time to print the letters and make the cards,' said one official involved in the process, who ... noted that Inauguration Day is now three business days away. 'We ran out of time.'... Health department officials said that the timeline was never realistic, given the sheer number of unresolved issues.... Several Trump appointees involved in steering the project, including former White House economic official Theo Merkel..., also have departed the administration since December, further slowing the effort.... Trump announced on Sept. 24 that Medicare recipients would receive 'incredible' $200 cards in the 'coming weeks,' blindsiding his own aides and sparking a hasty attempt to rush announcement letters and cards to 39 million Medicare beneficiaries before Election Day."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Marie: Once I got through fuming at the House Freedumb Caucus who think they have a Constitutional right to make Democrats sick with Covid-19, I thought of this: ~~~

~~~ Ben Guarino of the Washington Post: "Three members of Congress may have contracted the coronavirus while sheltering in a crowded room as a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, testing positive shortly after getting a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Those positive tests do not mean the vaccines were faulty, experts said, noting that immune protection takes more than a week to kick in. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that are available to Americans require two doses for full protection; a single dose is not as effective as both. 'Early protection against covid-19 may occur from about 12 days after dose one,' said Naor Bar-Zeev, an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologists.... People 'should not really consider themselves protected really until after a week or two following dose two.'"

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. David Eggert & Ed White of the AP: "Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder [R] was charged Wednesday with willful neglect of duty after an investigation of ruinous decisions that left Flint with lead-contaminated water and a regional outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. The charges, revealed in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.... No governor or former governor in Michigan's 184-year history had been charged with crimes related to their time in that office, according to the state archivist."

Wisconsin. CBS Chicago: "Prosecutors in Kenosha County, Wisconsin said in a filing Wednesday that Kyle Rittenhouse flashed white power hand gestures and had the Proud Boys' anthem sung to him in a Wisconsin bar last week. Rittenhouse is accused of shooting and killing two people and wounding a third during civil unrest in Kenosha days after the shooting of Jacob Blake by police there. He was spotted at Pudgy's Pub in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 5, the same day he was pleaded not guilty to charges of shooting and killing two people and injuring a third during violent protests in Kenosha this summer.... Another filing asked to have the conditions of Rittenhouse's bond modified so that he would be prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol or being inside an establishment where alcohol is served. Prosecutors also asked that conditions also be added to Rittenhouse's bond that would forbid him from making any white power or white supremacy signs or hand gestures, and that would prohibit him from having contact with 'any known militia members or known members of any violent white power/white supremacist groups or organizations, including but not limited to the group identified as the "Proud Boys."'"

News Lede

New York Times: "Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, who for a time was ... Donald J. Trump's personal physician and who had attested that Mr. Trump would be 'the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,' died on Friday. He was 73. His death was announced on Thursday in a paid notice in The New York Times. The notice did not give a cause or say where he died."