A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Sounds Legit
Gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster (R-NE) insisted to the Omaha World-Herald that the groping allegations from eight women (which have been corroborated by three people speaking on the record) are all lies – but don’t just take his word for it!
- “I could bring you literally hundreds of females across this country who would attest to my integrity in the way that I have empowered and worked with ladies and worked with women to be in executive positions in companies and build businesses,” Herbster said. That’s right, females, ladies and women!
- Herbster plans on filing libel suits against the Nebraska Examiner, which first reported the allegations, and state Sen. Julie Slama (R), one of the eight women who came forward.
- Herbster’s been endorsed by Trump, who’s holding a rally for the candidate in Nebraska next week.
Alex Jones Reaches Out To DOJ About Possible Interview On Jan. 6 Role
Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who’s currently in the process of apparently using bankruptcy filings to try to weasel his way out of paying up in the Sandy Hook lawsuits he lost, has reached out to the Justice Department to offer giving a potential interview on his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection (which included him marching to the Capitol with the crowd while shouting things like “We’ve only begun to fight” through a bullhorn).
- Jones has requested immunity from prosecution as a condition for an interview, according to his lawyer.
- Jones, by his own admission, apparently wasn’t very helpful during his interview in January with the House Jan. 6 Committee, which had subpoenaed him in its investigation.
Army Golden Knights Jump At Ballgame Triggers Capitol Evacuation
Big oops! The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday evening after a plane carrying the Army Golden Knights for a pre-game jump at Nationals Park was mistaken as a probable threat.
- It turns out the Capitol Police hadn’t been given a heads-up about the event, according to CNN.
- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was livid about the botched communications and blamed the FAA.
McCarthy Privately Said Trump Should Resign In Days After Jan. 6
The New York Times reports that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) floated invoking the 25th Amendment in a call with top House Republicans on Jan. 8, 2020. And in another call with them on Jan. 10, McCarthy reportedly said he’d tell Trump, who was facing impeachment from House Democrats at that point, that “it would be my recommendation you should resign.”
Treasury Secretary Walks Out Of G20 Meeting With Russia
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other finance officials from Western nations staged a walkout during a G20 meeting on Wednesday out of protest over Russia’s Ukraine invasion when Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov began speaking.
Trump Claims A Dog Ate His Subpoenaed Docs
Trump doesn’t have any of the documents New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is seeking with her subpoena to the ex-president, his legal team claimed in court on Wednesday.
- James is currently trying to get Trump held in contempt for not turning over the records in her civil investigation into the Trump Organization.
Key Analysis
“GOP turns to false insinuations of LGBTQ grooming against Democrats” – The Washington Post
Looking Back At Old-School Homophobia
As conservatives attempt to resurrect homophobic tropes smearing LGBTQ+ people as pedophiles, 37-year-old journalist Hunter Walker described in a Twitter thread his experience of growing up with two moms in a time when open discrimination against queer people was acceptable:
Eric Greitens Way Ahead Of GOP Senate Rivals (In Legal Bills)
Embattled Missouri GOP candidate Eric Greitens’ Senate campaign has amassed more than $43,000 in legal expenses, according to new filings to the Federal Election Commission.
- That’s more than all the other major Republican candidates’ legal bills in the race combined, per the Kansas City Star.
- It’s unclear what those legal expenses are for. Greitens personally is in the middle of an ugly court battle with his ex-wife, who’s accused him of abusing her and their kids, but that’s not related to his campaign (as far as we’re aware).
Must Read
“The First Apple Store in the United States Files for Union Election” – Vice
Striking Strippers Dress Up As Workplace Safety Hazards And It’s Awesome
Dancers at Star Garden, a strip club in Los Angeles, are on strike over unsafe working conditions, and one of the ways they’re protesting is dressing up as the violations they flagged in their complaint to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration:
Bidens To Attend White House Correspondents’ Dinner
The President and First Lady Jill Biden will be going to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 30, the White House Correspondents’ Association announced on Wednesday. It’ll be Biden’s first time going to the event as POTUS due to the 2021 dinner being canceled.
More Than 50 GOPers Who Sued Against Proxy Voting Voted By Proxy This Year
54 House Republicans who voted remotely this year had signed onto a lawsuit in 2020 claiming that the House’s proxy voting protocols, which were established to prevent COVID-19 spread, were unconstitutional.
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