A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Just Huffing That Copium
Yes, Special Counsel John Durham’s crumbling investigation of the investigators took yet another massive hit yesterday when the jury acquitted a researcher in what’s likely to be Durham’s final prosecution, but Fox News host Sean Hannity isn’t letting a pesky “not guilty” verdict ruin the anti-Trump “Deep State” conspiracy theory he’s worked so darn hard to sell to his viewers.
- “This ruling is meaningless to me,” Hannity announced during his radio program yesterday.
- Fox News’ Gregg Jarrett stayed on message, opining: “[T]he not guilty verdicts are a minor footnote in the sordid story of the greatest mass delusion in American political history.”
- It’s been quite a ride for the conspiracists hoping to ride Durham to glory:
Back In The Reality-Based World
Durham’s defeat unleashed a new round of blistering criticism that he even brought these cases to trial:
Rubio And Demings Spar In Lone Debate
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Democratic rival Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) debated for the first and only time in the hotly contested race for Rubio’s seat last night, when the issues of abortion and gun control took center stage.
- Tallahassee Democrat: “Rubio, Demings differ on inflation, abortion, guns – even post offices”
- Tampa Bay Times: “5 takeaways from contentious US Senate debate between Val Demings and Marco Rubio”
- Politico: “Rubio and Demings clash over abortion in lone Florida Senate debate”
- Washington Post: “At fiery debate, Rubio opposes gun measure he championed after Parkland”
Jan. 6 Panel Will Subpoena Trump Soon, Cheney Says
House Jan. 6 Committee vice chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) said during an event at the Harvard Institute of Politics yesterday that the panel will be issuing a subpoena to Trump “shortly,” though she didn’t give a precise timeline.
- The committee had voted unanimously to subpoena Trump during what was probably its final public hearing last week.
- The panel is seeking both Trump’s testimony and documents related to Jan. 6.
Pelosi Had Doubts About Whether Secret Service Could Be Trusted On Jan. 6
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told MSNBC yesterday that she wasn’t sure if then-Vice President Mike Pence “could trust” the Secret Service to “take him to a safe place” as the pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol.
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), one of the only two Republicans on the House Jan. 6 Committee, seems to similarly distrust the Secret Service on some level, telling CNN on Monday that there’s “something going on” at the agency, either “pure incompetence, all the way on the scale to potentially very criminal activity” or having a “preference for one side.”
- On the topic of the Secret Service: Here’s a timeline of what we know about the agency’s texts around Jan. 6 that went missing.
Biden Vows To Restore Roe If Dems Widen Control Over Congress
The President promised on Tuesday that if Democrats win enough seats in the midterms to be able to enshrine abortion rights into law, that legislation will be the first to get his signature in January, around the 50th anniversary of the now-dismantled Roe v. Wade ruling.
Trump Has A Deposition In Defamation Case
Amid the legal firestorms over Trump’s election steal scheming, hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and alleged tax fraud, there’s another ongoing case that you might be missing right now: Trump’s been ordered to sit in for a deposition today in writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him.
House Rules Committee Chair Created New Rule For Boebert
House Rules Committee chair Jim McGovern (D-MA) crafted a “new rule” for far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) when she tried to submit a bunch of ridiculous amendments, according to a new book by reporter Robert Draper titled “Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind.”
- That rule is as follows: “If you’re batshit crazy, you’re not getting an amendment.”
- McGovern’s explanation: “We’re not doing this. I’m not going down that road. I’m not going to be part of any effort to legitimize people who are fucking lunatics.”
Challenge: Find Hiding Cat
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