Laboratory of Authoritarianism

Hello, it’s the weekend. This is The Weekender ☕

Wisconsin Republicans are facing the first serious threat to their complete and manufactured dominance in the state in a decade — and you can tell.

This week alone, they openly discussed impeaching liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz due to the likelihood that her addition to the court means the unwinding of maps so slanted as to make it virtually impossible for Republicans to lose the statehouse. As a bonus, the liberal majority also probably ensures that abortion remains available in the state.

That conversation stretches back to April, in the immediate aftermath of her victory, which convulsed a state party that had become very comfortable with the idea that their power would persist whether they won elections or not.

Still, the state Republicans seemed to get cold feet this week, and grappled for an offramp: a new “nonpartisan” redistricting process modeled off the one in Iowa, but different in key respects. Like the Hawkeye State, it would recruit lawmakers’ nonpartisan staffers to draw the maps, and subject them to approval by both the legislature and the governor. Unlike the Iowa model, it does not pass the baton to the state Supreme Court if the legislature and governor come to an impasse (surprise, surprise) and gives the legislature final approval after the maps fail to pass a couple times.

A bipartisan couple of Iowa officials sent out a statement Thursday, saying, basically, keep our name out of your lying mouths.

Gov. Tony Evers (D), well accustomed to the machinations of hyper partisan Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R), dismissed the plan out of hand.

Now Wisconsin Republicans are treading water on the impeachment push, hauling old Wisconsin justices out of retirement to assess the criteria for impeaching Protasiewicz — mostly to give the legislators more time to decide whether they want to push forward.

They’ve kept busy in the meantime. On Thursday, they voted to oust Meagan Wolfe, the top election official in the state, mostly for the sin of not capitulating to Donald Trump’s Big Lie pressure in 2020. Wolfe, along with state Democrats, say that the vote to oust her was illegitimate. State AG Josh Kaul (D) has already filed a lawsuit, seeking court confirmation that she can stay in her role.

The first year the maps were in effect, Wisconsin Republicans only won 46 percent of the statewide vote, but netted 60 percent of seats in the state legislature. It’s very nice to only have to worry about whether you’ll have a majority or a supermajority, no matter how the vote goes.

Wisconsin is a one-party state in all but its constituents. The legislature can defang the governor and now — unless it’s cowed by the fury it might unleash in its voters — it may also be able to pick its Supreme Court justices.  

More on other news below. Let’s dig in. 

— Kate Riga

A ‘Lawman Type’ Who’s Taken On Trumpworld Before

J.P. Cooney is not a household name, but he is a consequential figure in the investigation into former President Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. In an effort to gain insights into the ongoing legal drama, TPM took a look at Cooney, who is Jack Smith’s deputy special counsel and playing a leading role in the Jan. 6 investigation.

Cooney and Smith have a long history together. After speaking to their colleagues, we found both men have a reputation for moving quickly on cases. Cooney is particularly known as a hard charging prosecutor who is unafraid of major political targets. His career includes the unsuccessful prosecution of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and convictions against two top Trump advisers, Steve Bannon and Roger Stone.

Prior to Smith’s appointment, Cooney reportedly advocated for taking a more aggressive approach to the case and his current role seems to confirm Smith is on board. Cooney’s early writings show both a youthful partisan streak and a deep seated distaste for D.C. corruption. He is, as one former law school classmate put it, a “lawman type.”

Read the deep-dive, by Josh Kovensky and I, here. 

— Hunter Walker

The House Of Chaos

The House was back in session this week after their August recess and well, it was as chaotic as you might have imagined.

The government is set to shutdown in two weeks unless lawmakers find a way to agree on how to fund the government. So far, the consensus on Capitol Hill seems to be that a shutdown is as likely as ever. In typical MAGA fashion, far-right House Republicans are holding the spending bills hostage until they get a list of their demands met. Some of them are also threatening to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy by filing a motion to vacate (remember McCarthy made a deal with the hardliners in his caucus back in January that established that one person is enough to file that motion).

On the first day back from the lengthy recess, McCarthy — seemingly hoping to relieve some of the pressure he has been getting from the far-right flank — formally announced he is “directing” House committees to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over accusations Republicans have yet to produce evidence of.

The announcement came before a floor vote despite McCarthy previously stating he wouldn’t launch an impeachment inquiry into Biden without a House vote. But even after going back on his word, Freedom Caucus members made it clear through the week that the impeachment inquiry is not going to get them on board with any kind of short term spending bill to avert a shutdown unless the rest of their demands are met.

A frustrated McCarthy, who said he is “not quite sure” what his caucus wants, dared the hardliners to go ahead and try to boot him.

“‘Go ahead. I’m not fucking scared of it. Any new speaker will do what I’m doing,’ McCarthy told his critics in a closed door Republican conference meeting, according to Politico. Another source quoted the speaker saying, “If you think you scare me because you want to file a motion to vacate, move the fucking motion.”

— Emine Yücel

• Riiight: Trump Says It’s ‘Very Unlikely’ He Would Pardon Himself If Elected President
• DeSantis Bets Backing Gov’t Shutdown Will Get His 2024 Bid Off Life Support
• Dems Mock McCarthy For Not Being Able To Muster The Votes To Launch Bogus Biden Impeachment Inquiry
• Supreme Court Grants Brief Administrative Stay In Biden Social Media Case
   

“I’m not a member of the burn-it-all-down caucus anymore. I’m a greatly, very happily a free agent and I want to do my job here.”

That’s conspiracy theorist congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) taking a shot at the House Freedom Caucus — which recently ousted her from the group.

Greene is clearly pointing the finger at the far-right caucus she was a part of not too long ago in an attempt to separate herself from the chaos they are creating as they’ve become Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s biggest, most frustrating problem in the path to trying to avert a government shutdown.

It’s ironic that as the MAGA congresswoman is trying to separate herself from the group’s hostage taking, House Democrats are using her as the face of extreme MAGA Republicans working to shut down the government.

— Emine Yücel