A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
2000 Edits
Far-right commentator Dinesh D’Souza has re-released “2000 Mules,” aka a Bible for election deniers that’s based on his documentary of the same name, after the first version of the book was abruptly recalled due to what he called an unspecified “significant error”–but not before NPR got a copy.
These are some of the big changes from the recalled book that NPR spotted in the “official” version, which came after the nonprofits D’Souza accused of running voter fraud schemes started making noise about that characterization:
- Left-wing nonprofits were “doing vote trafficking.” In the newly released book, they were just “potentially storing ballots.”
- Black Lives Matter and Antifa were tied to the scheme; that claim has vanished.
- The new version scrubbed out the names of the nonprofits D’Souza accused of orchestrating the scheme (but never fear, D’Souza assures readers; the election denial group that gave him the names “has offered to make them available as needed to the appropriate law enforcement authorities”).
What happened exactly? Here’s a hint:
When NPR contacted the five groups D’Souza had accused of involvement in election fraud, two went on the record to condemn the accusations as “trash,” “lies,” and “malarkey.” One of those groups described the allegations as potentially “libelous.”
Somebody should probably tell D’Souza to delete this tweet:
Meadows Ordered To Testify In Georgia DA Case
A South Carolina judge on Wednesday ordered ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to testify in front of the special grand jury in the Fulton County district attorney’s Trump election interference probe in Georgia.
- Meadows’ lawyer signaled at first that he would appeal the ruling, then said a short while later he was “looking into legal options” based on the judge’s final written order.
- Cassidy Hutchinson, one of Meadows’ ex-former aides, has reportedly been cooperating with the district attorney’s investigation.
Trump Team Finally Accepts Jan. 6 Panel’s Subpoena
The ex-president’s lawyers have accepted the bombshell subpoena from the House Jan. 6 Committee, which seeks both documents and his testimony.
Arizona Secretary Of State’s Campaign Office Burglarized
Someone broke into Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs’s campaign headquarters in Phoenix and stole unspecified “items” from the office earlier this week, local authorities and Hobbs’ campaign reported yesterday.
- They didn’t say which items were taken.
- No suspects have been identified, the police said.
- The burglary happened sometime on Monday night, when nobody was in the office, according to the campaign.
- Like many other elections officials, Hobbs has been dealing with a deluge of threats ever since the 2020 election thanks to Trump’s voter fraud lies (lies that Kari Lake, Hobbs’ far-right rival, has put at the center of her campaign).
A Second Woman Alleges Walker Paid For Her Abortion
An unnamed woman (“Jane Doe”) represented by high-power lawyer Gloria Allred came forward during a virtual press conference saying Georgia GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker had paid for her to get an abortion after impregnating her in 1993.
- This is the second allegation that Walker, a self-declared anti-abortion hardliner, paid for a girlfriend’s abortion. Jane Doe came forward less than a month after another unidentified woman (who is also the mother of one of Walker’s kids) told the Daily Beast that the ex-NFL player gave her cash to terminate her pregnancy in 2009.
- Jane Doe’s account was disturbing: She alleged that Walker had pressured her to get the abortion by driving her to the clinic and waiting outside for hours until she came out to make sure she’d gotten the procedure.
- Walker predictably denied the allegation, as he had with the first report.
Key Analysis
“What’s the non-obvious reason Fox News is talking about crime more?” – The Washington Post
Alaska Debate Rundown
Alaska held a debate in the race for its lone House seat on Tuesday night with incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK), Republican ex-vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin, Republican businessman Nick Begich and Libertarian candidate Chris Bye.
- The Alaska Beacon: “Nation’s political divide is the focus of Alaska U.S. House debate”
- CBS News: “Bipartisanship in focus in debate for Alaska’s only House seat”
- The Associated Press: “Peltola faces Palin, Begich, Bye in Alaska House debate”
Must Read
“How People With Disabilities Saw Fetterman’s Debate Performance” – The New York Times
On one hand, Mr. Fetterman, the Democratic nominee, was in a nationally watched debate months after a stroke left him with an auditory processing disorder, speaking openly about his disability — a remarkable moment for people who have felt pressure to hide their own, and who rarely see people like themselves in politics. On the other hand, much of the coverage of the debate focused on Mr. Fetterman’s verbal stumbles.
[Finger Guns]
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