“President Joe Biden is planning a virtual meeting Monday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — a chance for the pair to talk more fully about migration, confronting the coronavirus and cooperating on economic and national security issues,” the AP reports.
Trump Calls January 6 Crowds a ‘Lovefest’
Asked in a Fox News interview if he regretted how he handled the Capitol riots, Donald Trump blamed Speaker Nancy Pelosi for poor security and then boasted about the size of the crowd that was there to support him.
Said Trump: “The press doesn’t like to talk about it, but the real number was much, much bigger… It was tremendous numbers of people, not the Capitol, I’m talking about the rally itself, and it was a lovefest, it was a beautiful thing.”
How Lie Took Off About Antifa at Capitol Riots
New York Times: “Even as Americans watched live images of rioters wearing MAGA hats and carrying Trump flags breach the Capitol — egged on only minutes earlier by a president who falsely denounced a rigged election and exhorted his followers to fight for justice — history was being rewritten in real time.”
“Within hours, a narrative built on rumors and partisan conjecture had reached the Twitter megaphones of pro-Trump politicians. By day’s end, Laura Ingraham and Sarah Palin had shared it with millions of Fox News viewers, and Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida had stood on the ransacked House floor and claimed that many rioters ‘were members of the violent terrorist group antifa.’”
Kinzinger Allies Launch Anti-Trump Super PAC
Washington Post: “Kinzinger, who has already started a leadership PAC to directly support GOP candidates who have gone up against Trump, is expected to appear at fundraising events for the super PAC Americans Keeping Country First.”
“Founders of the group, which include Kinzinger advisers, are also launching a sister nonprofit to ‘build a grass roots army,’ according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. Unlike traditional PACs, both organizations can accept unlimited contributions. Nonprofit groups are not required to disclose the identity of their contributors.”
Census Data Snafu Upends 2022 Elections
“A six-month delay holding up the data that states use to draw their legislative districts is mangling plans for the 2022 elections, as states discuss postponing primaries and navigating legal deadlines for redistricting that some are now almost certain to miss,” Politico reports.
“At least nine states have constitutional or statutory deadlines to redraw their maps, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, that won’t mesh with such a profound delay in the data delivery. Election officials in some states, such as North Carolina, have recommended moving back early primary dates to make more time for drawing new districts. And both political parties will have to grapple with how to recruit candidates to run for districts that may not exist until just before election season begins.”
Iran Rejects Offer of Direct U.S. Nuclear Talks
Wall Street Journal: “Iran rejected a European Union offer to hold direct nuclear talks with the U.S. in the coming days, risking renewed tension between Tehran and Western capitals.”
Trump Vows Revenge on GOP Lawmakers
Los Angeles Times: “Frustrated by GOP lawmakers who broke with him over his months-long, falsehood-filled campaign to overturn an election, he expressed particular contempt for the 17 Republican lawmakers who joined Democrats voting to impeach and convict him for his role in inciting a mob of supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop the counting of electoral votes. Five people, including a police officer, died in the insurrection.”
“Trump did not speak to the crowd of 1,400 activists about the riot or mention those who partook in it. He focused instead on punishing Republicans who he believes betrayed him in the aftermath, making it clear he would be supporting efforts by more pro-Trump candidates to oust them next year in primaries.”
Said Trump: “Get rid of them all.”
Ex-Trump Aide Plans Run for Congress
Katrina Pierson (R), a Tea Party activist who served as a spokesperson for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and as top adviser on his failed re-election bid, is planning to file to run for the U.S. House seat left vacant by the late Rep. Ron Wright (R-TX), who succumbed to the coronavirus earlier this year, The Hill reports.
Pierson is expected to receive Trump’s backing when she enters the race.
3 Names Mysteriously Scrubbed From Khashoggi Report
“Shortly after the US intelligence community published its long-awaited report on Friday afternoon on the Saudis who were responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi, it was taken down without explanation and replaced with another version that removed the names of three men it had initially said were complicit,” CNN reports.
“The quiet switch by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence went largely unnoticed as the outcry grew that the Biden administration was failing to punish the prince in any way, despite having just declared in no uncertain terms that MBS was responsible.”
Democrats Abandon Plan B for Minimum Wage Hike
“Senior Democrats are abandoning a backup plan to increase the minimum wage through a corporate tax penalty, after encountering numerous practical and political challenges in drafting their proposal over the weekend,” the Washington Post reports.
Border Democrat Warns Biden on Immigration
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who represents a district on the Mexican border, warned the Biden administration against easing up too much on unauthorized immigrants, citing their impact on his constituents, local hospitals and their potential to spread the coronavirus, Axios reports.
Said Cuellar: “You just can’t say, ‘Yeah, yeah, let everybody in’ — because then we’re affected down there at the border.”
Cuomo Says His ‘Playful’ Banter Was ‘Misinterpreted’
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded to allegations of sexual harassment on Sunday by saying his “playful” banter had been “misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation,” the Daily Beast reports.
Said Cuomo: “I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended.”
He added: “I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent that anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”
Politico: “Meanwhile, Cuomo’s office made its third proposal in less than 24 hours about how to conduct an independent investigation into his office.”
Trump Litigation Tracker
Just Security is tracking every pending criminal and civil case against Donald Trump.
Trump Says He Won’t Start a Third Party
In his first public speech since leaving office, former President Trump told the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference that he would not start a third party because “we have the Republican Party,” Axios reports.
Trump also predicted President Biden would “lose the White House decisively four years from now,” and suggested he might run against him in 2024.
Trump then repeated the false claim that he won the 2020 election: “Actually, as you know, they just lost the White House. Who knows, I may even decide to beat them for a third time, okay?
New York Attorney General Pushes Back on Cuomo
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) office said that she did not accept an earlier statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) office proposing that she and the state’s chief appeals judge appoint an attorney to investigate sexual harassment allegations against him, The Hill reports.
Said James: “To clarify, I do not accept the governor’s proposal. The state’s Executive Law clearly gives my office the authority to investigate this matter once the governor provides a referral.”
Trump Wins CPAC Straw Poll
Former President Donald Trump won the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll on Sunday, with 55% of respondents saying they would vote for him in a hypothetical 2024 primary, The Hill reports.
He was followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at 21% and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) at 4%.
New York Times: “But in a surprise bit of downbeat news for Mr. Trump, only 68% of those at the conference said they wanted the former president to run again in 2024.”
Senate Mulls Changes to Biden’s Pandemic Relief Bill
The Hill: “The House passed the legislation on Friday, sending it to the Senate where it could come up next week. Leadership wants to get the bill signed into law by mid-March, with the onus on moving it quickly through Congress.”
“But before Senate Democrats can pass the bill, they’ll need to go through an hours-long voting session known as a vote-a-rama, where any senator will be able to offer an amendment. Any changes will require the coronavirus relief package to go back to the House.”
Biden Says Saudi Announcement to Come Monday
Reuters: “President Joe Biden on Saturday said his administration would make an announcement on Saudi Arabia on Monday, following a U.S. intelligence report that found Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”
“The Biden administration has faced some criticism, notably an editorial in the Washington Post, that the president should have been tougher on the crown prince, who was not sanctioned despite being blamed for approving Khashoggi’s murder.”
