Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) will give the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union address next week.
FBI to Search Mike Pence’s Home
“The FBI is expected to search former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home for classified material in the coming days, as senior government officials come under increased law-enforcement scrutiny of their handling of such documents,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’ve been amazed and horrified by how many people are frightened of a guy called Tucker Carlson. Has anybody heard of somebody called — Has anybody heard of Tucker Carlson? What is it with this guy? All these wonderful Republicans seem somehow intimidated by his — by his perspective.”
— Former British prime minister Boris Johnson, quoted by the Washington Post.
Democracy Still at Risk in 2024
“The November midterms gave election officials and pro-democracy advocates their first sigh of relief in years: The election system they’d spent years defending and shoring up operated almost seamlessly, and most of the election deniers who threatened to disrupt it were defeated,” NBC News reports.
“The respite, however, appears to have been brief, with the new year marked by violent, moneyed and high-profile election denialism.”
Buttigieg Has No Plans to Leave Cabinet
Pete Buttigieg said Thursday that he’s planning on staying in his job as Transportation secretary, which he called “the best job in the federal government,” Politico reports.
Said Buttigieg: “I don’t have any plans to do any job besides the one I’ve got.”
“He swatted aside questions about any plans to run for president in 2024 or a bid for an open Senate seat in Michigan.”
McConnell Yanked Rick Scott from Committee Via Text
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) removed Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), one of his top intraparty rivals, from the Commerce Committee informing him via text message, the Washington Examiner reports.
Said Scott: “This is what happens when you challenge leadership. It was McConnell’s decision to remove someone who has actually run businesses and ran the third largest state from a committee I’ve served on for four years. You’ll have to ask him why.”
Quote of the Day
“No, I wouldn’t do that because I want to bring our country forward. No, I wouldn’t do that. I would be entitled to a revenge tour if you want to know the truth, but I wouldn’t do that.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by Rolling Stone, when asked if he would use the powers of the presidency to punish the people who punished him.
Trump Won’t Commit to Supporting Republican Nominee
Donald Trump told Hugh Hewitt that he wouldn’t commit to supporting the 2024 Republican nominee for president should he fail to win.
Said Trump: “It would have to depend on who the nominee was.”
Exchange of the Day
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) spoke to Hugh Hewitt:
HEWITT: Will you support whoever the nominee of the Republican Party is in 2024?
HOGAN: I imagine that will be the case. I’m anxious to find out who the nominee’s going to be.
HEWITT: Well, that, I’m assuming that no one knows, but it might be Donald Trump. So you’re saying if it’s Donald Trump, you’ll be willing to support him?
HOGAN: Yeah, as I’ve said, Hugh, I don’t think it is going to be Donald Trump, but you know, we’ll cross that bridge or jump off that bridge when we come to it.
HEWITT: Now wait a minute… If Trump is the nominee, does Larry Hogan support him?
HOGAN: Yeah, I just don’t think he’s going to be the nominee, but I’ll support the nominee.
HEWITT: There you go. That’s what I wanted.
Biden’s Top Economic Adviser to Depart
“Brian Deese, who served as President Biden’s top economic adviser and helped craft and negotiate the sweeping economic legislation that Mr. Biden signed into law in his first two years in office, will leave his position in mid-February,” the New York Times reports.
Guantanamo Detainee Transferred to Belize
“The Biden administration transferred a detainee from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday and is preparing to transfer at least two more in the coming weeks,” NBC News reports.
The GOP Oppo Wars Begin
Donald Trump posted a video of a younger Ron Desantis (R) saying he wants to be just like former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI).
New York Daily News: “In a sign the two Republican rivals could be headed for open political warfare, DeSantis dismissed Trump’s attacks as no different from any other political potshots and said Florida voters gave him a decisive thumbs up on his handling of the pandemic.”
GOP Urges Candidates to ‘Go On Offense’ on Abortion
Washington Post: “After GOP underperformance in November’s midterm elections, the Republican National Committee is doubling down on its anti-abortion stance, formally urging GOP lawmakers and campaigns to ‘go on offense in the 2024 election cycle’ and to pass the strictest anti-abortion legislation possible.”
No One Has Learned Anything
Charlie Sykes: “The last six years have been chock full of lessons, cautionary tales, and the sort of clarifying moments that come with placing your face on a hot stove. On Earth 2.0, the impeachments, sedition, the prospect of indictment, and electoral defeats would marvelously focus the mind, especially for Republicans.”
“After Mitt Romney’s defeat in 2012, the GOP was so rattled that it actually conducted its own autopsy, which made a series of recommendations for fixing the part that it promptly and thoroughly ignored.”
“After 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, the party needed an exorcism. Instead, the GOP looked itself in the mirror, shrugged, and said, looks good to me.”
Republicans Double-Down on Election Fraud Claims
A new internal report prepared by the Republican National Committee proposes creating a permanent infrastructure in every state to ramp up “election integrity” activities in response to perceptions within GOP ranks of widespread fraud and abuse in the way the country selects its leaders, the Washington Post reports.
U.S. and Philippines Strike Deal on Military Bases
“The U.S. reached an agreement that gives it access to four more military bases in the Philippines, broadening Washington’s efforts to counter China’s influence and strengthening an alliance that a few years ago appeared in danger of collapse,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Pelosi to Back Schiff If Feinstein Retires
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Thursday threw her support behind Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) in what is shaping up as a competitive 2024 Senate race in California if Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) chooses not to run, the Washington Post reports.
Said Pelosi: “If Senator Feinstein decides to seek reelection, she has my whole-hearted support. If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy.”
Senator Wants TikTok Pulled from App Stores
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) wrote to Google and Apple on Thursday, urging both companies to remove TikTok from their app stores, Axios reports.
