Politico: “Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team informed members on a private call Monday they will need to return to the Capitol — for many, the first time since the Jan. 6 attacks — on Tuesday night. Impeachment is scheduled for consideration at 9 a.m. Wednesday, if Trump refuses to resign and Vice President Mike Pence won’t initiate other procedures to remove him.”
Trump Heads to Texas Border to Showcase Wall
“After days out of sight following the Capitol siege, President Trump travels to Texas to trumpet one of the pillars of his presidency: his campaign against illegal immigration,” the AP reports.
“Trump will be flying Tuesday to Alamo, Texas, a city in the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S-Mexican border. The city is named after the San Antonio mission where a small group of Texan independence-fighters fended off Mexican forces during a 13-day siege. Most of them died but the mission became a symbol of resistance for Texans, who eventually defeated the Mexican army.”
“Trump’s visit — no doubt a symbol of the president’s defiance — comes as he spends the final days of his presidency isolated, aggrieved and staring down the prospect of a second impeachment after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last week in an effort to halt the peaceful transition of power.”
Email Service Freezes Trump’s List
The Trump campaign has not used its millions-strong email list since the riots at the Capitol, Vice News reports.
Salesforce, its email provider, says it has taken action to prevent Republicans from using “our services in any way that could lead to violence.”
Trump Won’t Mount Forceful Defense on Impeachment
“House Democrats are poised to impeach him on Wednesday. But President Trump is not expected to mount a forceful White House defense against charges he incited last week’s deadly riots inside the U.S. Capitol,” Politico reports.
“Trump knows he’s unlikely to be removed from office with Republicans controlling the Senate until next week and only a few days left of his term. The president has also grown increasingly isolated, distrusting the same aides and advisers he had relied on during prior crises in his presidency, including White House Counsel Pat Cipollone.”
Trump Blames Antifa for Capitol Riot
“President Trump today privately — and falsely — blamed ‘Antifa people’ for storming the Capitol, even though clear video and documentary evidence exists showing the rioters were overwhelmingly Trump supporters, Axios reports.
In a tense, 30-minute-plus phone call this morning with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Trump trotted out the Antifa line.
McCarthy would have none of it, telling the president: “It’s not Antifa, it’s MAGA. I know. I was there.”
Kemp Pushes Photo ID for Absentee Ballots
“Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) strongly endorsed adding photo ID requirements for absentee ballots on Monday at the start of a legislative session that’s sure to be shaped by a debate over voting laws after epic turnout helped Democrats flip Georgia in the race for president and sweep the Senate runoffs,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
FBI Pursues at Least 150 Suspects in Capitol Riot
“The Justice Department and the F.B.I. have embarked on a nationwide manhunt to track down scores of people who attacked the Capitol last week, as they grapple with the fallout from the widespread government failure to protect the building,” the New York Times reports.
“Investigators are pursuing more than 150 suspects for prosecution, a total that is almost certain to grow… Analysts are also scouring intelligence to identify any role that domestic terrorist organizations or foreign adversaries may have played in radicalizing Americans who were among the rioters.”
Business Titans Pull Back from the Republicans
“The breakup between the business world and the Republican Party is rapidly accelerating in the wake of last week’s deadly pro-Trump riot at the Capitol, posing a serious financial threat to the party just as it’s being stripped of power in Washington,” Politico reports.
“Ten major companies so far, including some of the biggest corporate givers in politics, have decided to withhold contributions to Republican lawmakers who objected to the certification of the Electoral College votes, and dozens more are stopping all of their political donations after the riot.”
New York Times: “The moves are notable because corporations and their employees are active players in the political process, making campaign contributions through PACs and helping politicians raise funds in myriad ways.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“He has no future in the Republican Party. When the base of the party is not booing you, but chanting hang you, that’s a bad sign.”
— Former GOP strategist Stuart Stevens, quoted by the Washington Post, on Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump and Pence Finally Speak
President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke for the first time after a deadly riot of Trump supporters broke out at the US Capitol with Pence inside, CNN reports.
They met in the Oval Office, had what was described as a good conversation and discussed the week ahead while “reflecting on the last four years of the administration’s work and accomplishments.”
Washington Post: Inside the remarkable rift between Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
An Urgent Reckoning for the Trump Brand
“In the span of four days, President Trump’s family business has lost its online store, the buzz from Mr. Trump’s promotional tweets about its luxury resorts and bragging rights as host to one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments,” the New York Times reports.
“The mob attack on Congress last week by Mr. Trump’s supporters has spurred a reckoning for the Trump Organization by businesses and institutions, at a scale far greater than his previous polarizing actions.”
“And the Trump brand, premised on gold-plated luxury and a super-affluent clientele, may not fully recover from the fallout of his supporters violently storming and vandalizing the U.S. Capitol, hospitality analysts say and some people close to the business acknowledge.”
Belichick Rebuffs Trump’s Presidential Medal Offer
“New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has turned down President Trump’s invitation to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the wake of the riots last week at the U.S. Capitol,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Belichick’s pivot is a sharp rebuke of a president who has faced calls from Democratic lawmakers, and some Republicans, to be removed from office.”
McCarthy Urges Republicans to Oppose Impeachment
“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) declared his opposition Monday to impeaching Trump, arguing that members of Congress should refrain from doing so for the sake of national unity,” the Washington Post reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“He’s the most masculine person to ever hold the White House as the president of the United States.”
— Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley, on Fox News, when asked if President Trump feels emasculated from “the social media crackdown.”
Trump Would Have Secret Service Protection In Prison
President Trump would almost certainly have Secret Service agents charged with protecting him even if he winds up in prison, former agency officials told Business Insider.
Schumer Could Invoke Rule to Start Impeachment Trial
“Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) is exploring using an obscure, post-Sept. 11-era authority to reconvene the Senate as the House barrels toward a likely impeachment vote of President Trump this week,” the Washington Post reports.
“In 2004, the Senate majority and minority leaders were given the power to bring the Senate back into session in times of emergency, and the senior Democratic aide said Schumer is exploring this option to allow for a potential impeachment trial for Trump to begin immediately after the House transmits the articles to the Senate.”
Susan Collins Thought It Was the Iranians
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, writing in the Bangor Daily News:
“My first thought was that the Iranians had followed through on their threat to strike the Capitol, but a police officer took over the podium and explained that violent demonstrators had breached the entire perimeter of the Capitol and were inside.”
Pompeo Took Photo with QAnon Backing Lawmaker
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posed for a photo with freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who has promoted conspiracy theories and revealed details about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s whereabouts on social media during last week’s deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol, the Kansas City Star reports.