A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
Whoops!
Herschel Walker, the football great who embraced Trump and is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), has called off a fundraising event in Texas with an anti-vaccine film producer who had a graphic of needles formed as a swastika in her Twitter profile picture.
- Walker’s campaign initially claimed earlier on Wednesday that the graphic wasn’t a swastika. “This is clearly an anti-mandatory vaccination graphic. Herschel unequivocally opposes anti-semitism and bigotry of all kinds,” a campaign spokesperson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
This was the profile pic:
- The campaign backpedaled several hours later. “Despite the fact that the apparent intent behind the graphic was to condemn government vaccine mandates, the symbol used is very offensive and does not reflect the values of Herschel Walker or his campaign,” a spokesperson said.
- The film producer, Bettina Sofia Viviano-Langlais, who removed the pic after it was first reported by the AJC, insisted that it was “a pic showing what happens when fascists demand people insert foreign material into their body they don’t want.”
Biden Shoots Down Trump Executive Privilege Claim On Jan. 6 Docs
The White House published a letter Wednesday night in which White House lawyer Dana Remus informed Archivist of the United States David Ferriero last Friday that Biden won’t be upholding Trump’s claim of executive privilege in the ex-president’s bid to shield requested documents from the House Jan. 6 select committee.
- The letter came after Trump officially submitted his objection to releasing the documents. Remus had already told the U.S. National Archives about Biden’s refusal to invoke executive privilege earlier on Friday.
- Remus told Ferriero that the current President “maintains his conclusion that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the best interests of the United States.”
- Remus said that Biden “further instructs“ Ferriero to hand over the documents to the select committee 30 days after notifying Trump, “absent any intervening court order.”
A Big Day For Jan. 6 Committee
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon and ex-Defense Department official Kash Patel are due to give depositions to the committee today.
- Patel has been “engaging” with the committee, committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) said last week.
- Bannon … not so much. Don’t expect him to show up today.
Bannon Doubles Down On Defiance Of Jan. 6 Committee’s Subpoena
Bannon’s lawyer, Robert Costello, sent a notice to the House Jan. 6 select committee yesterday reaffirming that the former White House adviser would not comply with the committee’s subpoena for documents and testimony, citing Trump’s invocation of executive privilege.
- Bannon is “not required to respond” to the subpoena “at this time” as the committee wrestles with Trump over the ex-president’s privilege claim, Costello argued. “Until such a time as you reach an agreement with President Trump or receive a court ruling as to the extent, scope and application of the executive privilege […] Mr. Bannon will not be producing documents or testifying,” the attorney wrote.
- As we’ve pointed out before, Bannon’s argument is pretty absurd given that he wasn’t working at the White House by the time Trump’s mob attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, and hadn’t been for years, in fact.
- The select committee has made it abundantly clear that they’re ready to pursue criminal charges against Bannon or any other of the other Trump lackeys who defy their subpoenas.
Wind Farms Planned Along Most Of US Coastline
Interior Secretary Debbie Haaland announced yesterday that the Biden administration will start leasing federal waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, the Carolinas, the Mid-Atlantic states, Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of Maine to wind farm developers by 2025.
Gaetz’s Friends Are Too Scared To Text Him
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who is currently under federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking of a minor, has become radioactive in his social circles (or at least his phone number has), according to Insider.
- His friends are reportedly afraid that the feds are monitoring the congressman’s electronic devices. “No one wants to inject themselves into anything while there’s 16 dozen people looking into everything that comes into that phone,” one friend said.
- For what it’s worth, we don’t know for sure if Gaetz is under surveillance. The GOP lawmaker hasn’t been criminally charged with anything and has denied any wrongdoing.
- In any case, it seems like some of Gaetz’s buddies are just watching the show. “Everybody’s kind of sitting back with popcorn,” one of his GOP colleagues in Florida told Insider.
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Graphic Design Is My Passion
Check out these stickers you can get “for FREE” if you donate $25 to Trump’s Save America PAC:
“You need a set of these limited-edition stickers so you can let everyone know you will NOT be controlled and you will NOT let FAUCI STEAL CHRISTMAS,” the fundraiser email bellows.
Indeed! Us patriots will NOT let National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci destroy our Christmas when he says, uh, “it’s just too soon to tell” if people should avoid gathering in large groups for the holidays during a global pandemic.
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