New York Times: “Privately, some allies of the president have also raised questions about Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff, who is deeply involved in developing strategy and messaging for Mr. Biden, especially on domestic policy, the pandemic and the economy. But Mr. Biden on Wednesday insisted he is not planning any immediate staff shake-ups.”
Trump Downplays Feud with Ron DeSantis
Donald Trump insisted to the New York Post has a “very good relationship” with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
He added: “You know, when he wanted to run, he asked for my support and I supported him and he went, you know, up immediately very, very high.”
GOP Pushes Proposal for Election Police
New York Times: “Republican politicians in at least three states are proposing to establish police forces to hunt exclusively for voter fraud and other election crimes, a category of offenses that experts say is tiny at best.”
“Supporters say the added enforcement will root out instances of fraud and assure the public that everything possible is being done to make sure that American elections are accurate and legitimate.”
Suspicious Trump Weighs Dual Endorsements
Playbook: “Donald Trump has floated the idea of doling out dual endorsements in some of the key midterm races as he becomes increasingly suspicious of his advisers who are pushing competing candidates.”
“The GOP kingmaker-in-chief has grown so distrustful of all the advice he’s getting from various aides — and so wary of being lured into picking the wrong horse — that he’s floated an idea that would essentially dilute his endorsement.”
“Another source of Trump’s endorsement apprehension: He isn’t clear about which advisers have significant personal or financial ties to the candidates they’re bending his ear about.”
Biden to Shift Focus to Executive Power
New York Times: “Mr. Biden will retreat from the tangle of day-to-day negotiations with members of his own party that have made him seem powerless to advance key priorities, according to senior White House advisers. The change is part of an intentional reset in how he spends his time, aimed at emphasizing his power to govern as president, rather than getting trapped in a series of congressional battles.”
“Four internal strategy memos drafted by White House advisers this week lay out the shift ahead of Mr. Biden’s first State of the Union address to Congress on March 1: The president will ramp up his attacks on Republicans ahead of the midterm election campaigns to help Democratic candidates. He will travel the nation more and engage with voters. And he will focus more on what he has already accomplished than on legislative victories he hopes to achieve.”
“The president is also planning to use his executive power to help former inmates return to society and reform police departments, after legislation on the latter issue failed to pass last year.”
Democrats Draw Lines on Slim Biden Plan
“President Joe Biden’s attempt to salvage the centerpiece of his economic agenda has revived some of the same battles among Democrats over the same tax and spending proposals that have bedeviled the plan for months,” Bloomberg reports.
“Democrats are risking their own defeat in the midterms and Biden’s presidency itself if they can’t unify behind a social spending plan, reversing a string of legislative failures in late 2021 and early this year.”
FBI Raid on Democrat’s Home Part of Azerbaijan Probe
“The FBI on Wednesday raided Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar’s home and campaign office in Texas as part of a wide-ranging federal probe relating to the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan and several U.S. businessmen,” ABC News reports.
“A federal grand jury in Washington is investigating the matter, but it’s unclear if Cuellar is a target of the grand jury’s probe.”
Trump Friends Concerned About His Pick of Lawyer
Close associates and advisers to Donald Trump told Axios they’re concerned “by his decision to use a relatively inexperienced New Jersey attorney, Alina Habba, in his high-stakes legal fight against New York Attorney General Letitia James.”
“A former president typically has access to the country’s most prestigious experts, including lawyers. Trump has turned to the former general counsel for a parking garage company, who works from a small law office near his Bedminster, N.J., country club.”
Giuliani Oversaw Fake Electors Plot In 7 States
Officials on Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign, led by his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, oversaw efforts to put forward illegitimate electors from seven states that the former president lost, CNN reports.
Granholm Violated Stock Disclosure Law 9 Times
“Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm sold shares of stock 9 times last year and did not disclose the sales within the legally required 45 day window,” CNBC reports.
Republicans More Likely to Get Covid
A new Economist-YouGov poll finds Republicans are significantly more likely to report having contracted the Covid-19 than are Democrats.
“That’s been the case for a while. The three-week average of responses to the question showed more reported positive tests among Republicans back in the fall of 2020. In recent weeks, though, the gap has widened.”
Boebert Asked Jewish Group If They Were ‘Reconnaissance’
Rep. Lauren Boebert left a group of Jewish visitors to the Capitol bewildered Thursday morning when she asked them if they were doing “reconnaissance” after seeing them at an elevator at the Capitol, BuzzFeed News reports.
Justices Permit Enforcement of Texas Abortion Ban
“The Supreme Court allowed Texas’ six-week abortion ban to remain in effect indefinitely, issuing an order Thursday blocking litigation against the law while the state’s highest court weighs a procedural question related to the measure’s enforcement,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Madison Cawthorn Cleaned His Gun During Hearing
“The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee took Wednesday as an opportunity to hold a virtual hearing on how toxic chemicals are killing U.S. soldiers. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) took the hearing as an opportunity to clean his gun,” the Daily Beast reports.
U.S. Allows Baltic NATO Members to Send Arms
“The U.S. has given approval for three Baltic NATO members to send American-made weapons to Ukraine,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The decision will enable Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia to send Javelin antitank weapons and Stinger air-defense systems for Ukraine’s forces.”
Clock Ticking on Trump’s Obstruction of Justice
The five-year deadline is closing in to charge Donald Trump with the obstruction of justice crimes detailed by special counsel Robert Mueller, Insider reports.
“In his more than 400-page final report, Mueller’s special counsel team documented 10 episodes of possible obstruction of justice by Trump. Among them were Trump’s efforts in early 2017 to pressure then-FBI Director James Comey to close an investigation into Michael Flynn, who at the time was national security advisor. Trump later fired Comey, setting in motion the events that led to Mueller’s appointment as the special counsel in charge of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.”
‘For There Is Always Light’
The Presidential Inaugural Committee — which organized President Joe Biden’s inauguration — released a two-minute video on his first year in office.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“The concern is misplaced, because if you look at the statistics, African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.”
— Sen. Mitch McConnell, at a press conference.
