Trump’s Company Held in Contempt in Secret Trial
“Donald Trump’s family business lost a criminal contempt trial that was held in secret last fall,” the New York Times reports.
A newly-released document “showed that in October 2021, a one-day contempt trial was held after prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office requested that the company be punished for ‘willfully disobeying’ four grand jury subpoenas and three court orders enforcing compliance.”
Prosecutors Seeking Scott Perry’s Text Messages
The Justice Department has tried to gain access to Rep. Scott Perry’s (R-PA) text messages as part of a criminal investigation into 2020 election interference, facing off with his lawyers in a secret court proceeding after seizing his phone, CNN reports.
Perry texted then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about advice from a “cyber forensic team” he was in touch with after the 2020 election.
Elon Musk Not Paying Bills at Twitter
New York Times: “To cut costs, Twitter has not paid rent for its San Francisco headquarters or any of its global offices for weeks… Twitter has also refused to pay a $197,725 bill for private charter flights made the week of Mr. Musk’s takeover.”
“Twitter’s leaders have also discussed the consequences of denying severance payments to thousands of people who have been laid off since the takeover.”
“The aggressive moves signal that Mr. Musk is still slashing expenditures and is bending or breaking Twitter’s previous agreements to make his mark.”
Ron DeSantis Calls for Covid Vaccine Probe
“For about a year, Donald Trump’s confidants, advisers and boosters have worried that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was positioning himself to get to the right of the former president over the issue of Covid vaccines,” NBC News reports.
“DeSantis, who is mulling whether to challenge Trump in the 2024 Republican primary for president, deepened those suspicions Tuesday.”
“At a roundtable he convened of Covid vaccine skeptics and opponents — including his own surgeon general — he formally called on the state Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury to investigate whether pharmaceutical companies criminally misled Floridians about the side effects of vaccines, a position at odds with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Asa Hutchinson Says Trump Is ‘Worst Scenario’ for GOP
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), who is considering running for president, on Tuesday called a third Donald Trump White House bid the “worst scenario” for Republicans in 2024, the AP reports.
Said Hutchinson: “That’s really the worst scenario. That’s almost the scenario that Biden wishes for. And that’s probably how he got elected the first time. It became, you know, a binary choice for the American people between the challenges that we saw in the Trump presidency, particularly the closing days, versus Biden, who he made it that choice.”
Aide for Incoming Congressman Arrested for Kicking Dog
“A veteran Georgia Republican operative who is slated to be chief of staff for incoming Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) was arrested last month for allegedly kicking a dog,” Politico reports.
McConnell Slams Trump Over ‘Candidate Quality’
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blamed the power Donald Trump exerted in GOP primaries for the “candidate quality” issues his party struggled with in key races, The Hill reports.
Said McConnell: “I never said there was a red wave, I said we had a bunch of close races. We ended up having a candidate quality issue. Look at Arizona, look at New Hampshire, there was a challenging situation in Georgia as well.”
He added: “Our ability to control primary outcomes was quite limited in ’22 because the support of the former president proved to be very decisive in these primaries so my view was do the best with the cards you’re dealt.”
Biden Seeks Political Boost from Slowing Inflation
“President Biden on Tuesday sought to capitalize on positive economic news that inflation numbers are cooling, arguing that his policies are helping stabilize an economy battered by a global pandemic and a war in Ukraine, after months of facing a political battering for rising prices,” the Washington Post reports.
“Rising gas prices and food costs, combined with warnings of a recession on the horizon, created a noxious political picture for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections. But the party emerged stronger than anticipated, and Biden is now seeking to reframe the economic narrative ahead of announcing his own reelection plans early next year.”
Republicans Barely Won the House
Inside Elections: “Ultimately, not only did a Red Wave fail to materialize, but Republicans barely cleared the lowest of bars they had set for themselves at the beginning of the cycle: winning back the House of Representatives.”
“The GOP needed a net gain of five seats to win back the majority. While the party did net nine seats, in the five closest GOP wins in the country, the victorious Republican candidates outpaced their Democratic opponents by a combined 6,670 votes.”
This really underscores just how narrow the new Republican majority in the House really is.
House Panel Asks Archives to Search Trump Storage Unit
“The House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the National Archives on Tuesday requesting a review to determine whether former president Donald Trump has retained any additional presidential records at his storage facility in Florida,” the Washington Post reports.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) says the storage facility and other properties “may contain presidential records that were not the focus of the search and therefore have not been turned over to the federal government.”
Tax Provisions Cut Out of Spending Bill
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) “said Tuesday that he doesn’t expect lawmakers to include any tax provisions in a must-pass spending bill lawmakers hope to move before quitting for the year,” Politico reports.
“That would dash the hopes of Democrats still trying to squeeze through at least a piecemeal expansion of the Child Tax Credit.”
“It would also mean those still hoping to move a number of other provisions dealing with corporate taxes, the gig economy and retirement may have to wait until next year — when negotiations will only become harder once Republicans take control of the House.“
Lawmakers Unveil Bipartisan Bill to Ban TikTok
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) “announced bipartisan legislation to ban China’s popular social media app TikTok, ratcheting up pressure on owner ByteDance Ltd amid U.S. fears the app could be used to spy on Americans and censure content,” Reuters reports.
“The legislation would block all transactions from any social media company in or under the influence of China and Russia.”
Schumer Plays the Long Game on Confirming Judges
HuffPost: “Schumer has been helping President Joe Biden outpace past presidents with his judicial confirmations. The Senate has confirmed 96 of Biden’s lifetime federal judges as of Tuesday. That’s more than Donald Trump (85) and Barack Obama (62) had confirmed by this point in their presidencies. If the Senate tops 100 confirmations by the end of the year, which is Schumer’s goal, Biden will surpass former President George W. Bush, too.”
“Perhaps more remarkable is the diversity Biden’s already put onto the courts. Of his 96 judges, 75% are women, 68% are people of color, 48% are women of color and 24 are Black women. That’s a huge departure from the nation’s breathtakingly white, male federal judiciary.”
“These judges will forever be categorized as Biden appointees. But Schumer has been instrumental in ushering them all through. He already considers his record of confirming Biden’s judges one of his greatest accomplishments as Senate majority leader.”
U.S. to Send Patriot Missile Defense System to Ukraine
“The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine that could be announced as soon as this week,” CNN reports.
“Ukraine has been calling for the US to send the advanced long-range air defense system that is highly effective at intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles as it comes under a barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks that have destroyed key infrastructure across the country. It would be the most effective long-range defensive weapons system sent to the country and officials say it will help secure airspace for NATO nations in eastern Europe.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I would like to start by formally stating, under oath: I fucked up.”
— Sam Bankman-Fried, quoted by Reuters, in written testimony he planned to give before a House committee before he was arrested.
Spending Bill Will Include Election Reforms
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the upcoming massive year-end spending package will include a revamp of an obscure law that Donald Trump tried to exploit to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Politico reports.
He also said anticipated additional Ukraine aid would make it into the deal, though he did not specify an amount.
Trump’s Loudest Supporters Are Quiet
Jonathan Martin: “Just under a month since Donald Trump announced his third consecutive White House bid, some of his loudest advocates are nowhere to be found…”
“The collective quiet also underscores how yesterday’s conventional wisdom can turn stale fast. For all the talk about how Republican politicians are scared of Trump, all but one of the party’s senators are dodging his candidacy while most Democratic lawmakers fall in line behind President Joe Biden’s presumed reelection bid.”
“That’s in part because, after the midterms, Trump has the whiff of a loser and Biden is riding high.
“However, there’s something bigger at play.”
