https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/01/will-the-senate-convict-trump-impeachment-mcconnell.html
The process: https://www.axios.com/trump-impeachment-trial-5325181a-a63d-48d4-b634-3ef517fd8335.html
[NB: Here's the big problem for Senate Repubs -- it is OBVIOUS that Trump created the conditions for and encouraged the assault on the Capitol. He did it repeatedly, explicitly, and in public. He refused to send additional security, until VP Mike Pence had to do it. He was watching the riot on TV in real time and from all reports was "delighted." This is going to be even more undeniable after the evidence is presented at a Senate trial. I don't know what his defense will be -- if he can find any competent lawyers to defend him. GOP Senators may have trouble politically with a decision to vote to convict, but they are going to have a hell of a time finding an excuse not to. And the prospect of banning him from ever running again might be irresistible to them.]
Oh, so sad
President Donald Trump’s aides are putting together plans for him to enjoy the adoration of his supporters one last time before he leaves office on the day of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration . . . Trump reportedly expects a big spectacle with a crowd of his fans when he finally exits the White House for good, which he plans to do on the morning of Biden’s swearing-in on January 20. The President wants the sendoff to be held military-style . . . Trump is unhappy with the idea of having to ask Biden for permission to use Air Force One for his departure. . .
[NB: It has been said here before, but there has never been a president whose aides spent so much time massaging his mood and ego. What a needy bastard he is.]
The MyPillow guy, who is a theocratic nut case, has been elevated by Trump to a real position of influence. Here's his advice now
MyPillow CEO Spotted Bringing Notes To WH That Appear To Reference ‘Martial Law,’ Installing New CIA Director
Trump is leaving office with his lowest approval numbers, ever
But the crosstabs reveal a much darker picture. Majorities of Republican voters do not hold Trump or GOP lawmakers responsible for the violence their election fraud lies helped incite, and in some cases are even inclined to be sympathetic to the rioters themselves. . . [read on]
Wrong headline
Online extremists are ignoring Trump’s call for calm
[NB: They aren't ignoring it -- they know he doesn't mean it. As long as he continues to refuse to acknowledge Biden's victory, and makes clear that he personally believes the election was stolen, he is pouring fuel on the flames. When the president in the midst of a riot says, "We love you. You are very special people," they know EXACTLY what he really thinks. None of his phony staged video statements changes anything.]
“The Capitol was breached by Trump supporters who had been declaring, at rally after rally, that they would go to violent lengths to keep the President in power. A chronicle of an attack foretold.” [read on]
Justice Department Filing Says “Strong Evidence” Capitol Rioters Intended to “Capture and Assassinate” Lawmakers
I say, good
Lawmakers who conspired with Capitol attackers in legal peril
Democrats point fingers on whether Capitol rioters had inside help
Some Colorado officials have sent a letter to Congressional leadership requesting a probe into Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) actions leading up to and on the day of the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol . . .
Corporations are rethinking their political donations in the wake of GOP insurrectionism
Bannon, Stone, and Flynn all tied to Capitol Hill insurrection
How Trump has ruined the Republican party
“As Mr. Trump prepares to exit the White House and face a second impeachment trial in the Senate, his ideas continue to exert a gravitational pull in Republican circles across the country. The falsehoods, white nationalism and baseless conspiracy theories he peddled for four years have become ingrained at the grass-roots level of the party, embraced by activists, local leaders and elected officials even as a handful of Republicans in Congress break with the president in the final hour.” “Interviews with more than 40 Republican state and local leaders conducted after the siege at the Capitol show that a vocal wing of the party maintains an almost-religious devotion to the president, and that these supporters don’t hold him responsible for the mob violence last week. The opposition to him emerging among some Republicans has only bolstered their support of him.”
In COVID news . . .
The Covid-19 Death Toll Is Even Worse Than It Looks
In Biden news . . .
Biden is going to toss out the branding term "Operation Warp Speed" -- and will instead focus on REALLY getting serious about the vaccine rollout
He said it
'It's time to grow up': Biden blasts anti-mask GOP members of Congress
In other news . . .
Tillerson . . . articulates some of his “frustrations” with Trump. Those frustrations include Donald Trump being an ignoramus, acting like an ignoramus, listening to other ignoramuses, and being an inscrutable ignoramus. Tillerson explained that one of the fundamental hurdles he had to overcome in communicating his global policy ideas to Trump was the fact that Trump’s “understanding of global history, his understanding of U.S. history was really limited. It’s really hard to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t even understand the concept for why we’re talking about this.” . . . Tillerson went on to illustrate how he began his tenure trying to bring “four or five things I needed to talk to him about,” and very quickly comprehended that a victory was getting to talk to Trump about two or three things. This gave way to Tillerson realizing he needed to bring visual aids like charts or images. “If I could put a photo or a picture in front of him or a map or a piece of paper that had two big bullet points on it, he would focus on that, and I could build on that.” . . . Asked how Trump made informed decisions if it was so difficult to make him informed, Tillerson said he didn’t think Trump made many “informed decisions.” . . . Having a conversation with someone who believes things that aren’t real makes for a difficult discussion. Asked about Trump’s friendliness towards authoritarian leaders and antagonism towards allies, Tillerson said he couldn’t tell you what was going on in Trump’s mind. But, as Tillerson went on to explain, nothing ever panned out. We are in no better place with Russia or with North Korea, our issues with China have only become exacerbated, and our relationship with Turkey is even more messy.
The current Acting Sect'y of Defense is miserable, "cannot wait" to get out of the job
Trump tried to use the DOJ for his PERSONAL legal defense
A White House liaison to the Department of Justice reportedly solicited a department attorney for damaging information on writer E. Jean Carroll, who is suing President Donald Trump for defamation after he attacked her in response to her allegation that he had raped her in the 1990s. The Guardian reported that the liaison, Heidi Stirrup, asked the unnamed lawyer for dirt on Carroll that could be relayed to Trump’s private legal team . . . The attorney told the Guardian that they had rejected Stirrup’s request “in the strongest possible terms.” The White House aide was banned from the Justice Department building in December after similarly trying to obtain information on supposed election fraud and other pet issues of Trump’s. . .
Get ready for a slew of pardons based on loyalty to Trump
Remember that "schedule" announcement? Guess who wrote it?
“President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings.”
The NRA files for bankruptcy
Rudy had a pretty terrible week. Schadenfreude!
You look at the Capitol Hill attacks, or other hate-group events, and you see a lot of angry white dudes. But white women have played a big role in these movements too
Another sad ending. Regular readers know that a favorite source here is Kevin Drum, one of the smartest and most perceptive commentators we link to -- often contrarian and always interesting. Kevin is also calling it quits as a regular blogger, and that deserves a commemoration
In the den of the dead-enders
Lou Dobbs Fumes Over The GOP’s ‘Utter Disregard’ Of Trump’s ‘Right To Loyalty’
Bonus item: Outta here!
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