A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
Welcome To The Club, Flynn
Convicted ex-Trump adviser Michael Flynn filed a lawsuit against the House Jan. 6 select committee yesterday, claiming that its subpoenas for his electronic records and testimony could violate his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in other investigations he’s tied to (like the reported federal probe into Sidney Powell’s Defending the Republic PAC).
- These are the other top Trump foot soldiers who’ve sued the committee to stonewall its investigation in case you’re having trouble keeping track (I can’t blame you):
- Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows
- Trump legal adviser John Eastman
- Far-right conspiracy theoriest Alex Jones
- “Stop the Steal” leader Ali Alexander
- Cleta Mitchell, the election lawyer who was on Trump’s infamous call when he tried to pressure Georgia officials to “find” votes for him to steal the state from Biden
Georgia County Trying To Shut Down All But One Polling Site
Georgia’s Lincoln County Board of Elections is aiming to close six of the county’s seven polling places ahead of next year’s elections to supposedly make voting “easier and more accessible,” the board claims.
- Some county residents live as far as 23 miles away from the county seat, a former county school board member told the Augusta Chronicle.
- The board’s efforts were made possible by Georgia Republicans’ voter suppression legislation. Under that legislation–the chief sponsor of which was a GOP senator who represents Lincoln County– the county board of elections was disbanded and replaced with new appointees.
- The board was slated to vote on the change last week but seemed to lack a quorum, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Dem Senators Hold Private Call With Manchin On BBB
During Democratic senators’ virtual call on Tuesday night, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told his colleagues that he was still open to negotiations on Build Back Better despite still having issues with it, according to CNN.
- Manchin reiterated his complaints about BBB in the beginning of the call but mostly listened to his colleagues speak during the discussion, CBS News reports.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reportedly said on the call that the chamber would hold a vote on BBB in January, per CNN.
Manchin’s BBB Bombshell Renews GOPers’ Defection Calls
Republican senators like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who are utterly delighted with Manchin after he struck a major blow to BBB, are inspired to keep wooing the West Virginia senator over to their side of the aisle.
- Manchin would be “more comfortable” in the GOP, McConnell argued on Tuesday.
- Cornyn texted Manchin yesterday telling him “Joe, if they don’t want you we do,” the Texas Republican said.
FDA To Greenlight COVID Pills
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve pills to treat COVID-19 by Pfizer and Merck as soon as this week, according to Bloomberg. The pills are for higher-risk patients who would take the medicine at home over the course of several days.
House GOPers Prep Revenge Probes
Get ready for Benghazi on crack come 2023 if Republicans take control of the House in the midterms as predicted: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is already mapping out his plans for various culture-war based investigations into the Biden administration. Subjects include the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Attorney General Merrick Garland’s crackdown on threats against school board members and (of course) the southern border.
Must Read
“The protests that defined 2021: Coronavirus, climate change and the Capitol riot” – The Washington Post
“The Future Is Not Only Useless, It’s Expensive” – Gawker
2021 US Population Growth Rate Slower Than Any Other Year
At just 0.1 percent, 2021 saw the slowest population growth rate in American history, according to the Census Bureau.
Top GOP Senator Mulls Potential Retirement Amid Trump’s Grip On Party
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) is considering leaving Congress in 2022 due to family reasons and also because of Trump’s control over the GOP, the New York Times reports.
Vaccinated Gosar Urges Anti-Vaxxers To Stay Unvaxxed
Far-right Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) encouraged an anti-vaccine group to “stay the course” in a video with anti-vaxx activist Ethan Schmidt yesterday, even though the Republican told the Arizona Mirror in December last year that he was waiting in line for the vaccine, and his office told CNN in May that the congressman had gotten the vaccine.
Watching politicians peddle life-threatening lies to their constituents. What a time to be alive.
DC Press Gonna DC Press
Dear readers, I solemnly swear that no Morning Memo will ever be this awkward:
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