Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) sold off millions of dollars in shares of tech company Cardlytics, whose board of directors he once sat upon, in January — just as lawmakers learned of the potential economic devastation that the coronavirus pandemic could bring, the AP reports.
In March, while the stock market hit a three-year low, Perdue bought his stock back. His shares have since quadrupled in value.
On the night of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “quickly reached President Trump on the phone and made his plan clear,” Frontline reports.
According to former McConnell chief of staff Josh Holmes: “McConnell told Trump two things. McConnell said, first, I’m going to put out a statement that says we’re going to fill the vacancy. Second, he said, you’ve gotta nominate Amy Coney Barrett.”
Washington Post: “McConnell’s ongoing silence, even as the Trump administration moves to allow Biden to start his transition, leaves a question mark over what could be the most important Washington relationship of the next two years — between an incoming president who promised to tackle the nation’s most pressing concerns and the win-at-all-costs Capitol Hill operator who may well serve as his legislative gatekeeper.”
“The two men — Senate colleagues for 24 years and sparring partners in several high-stakes negotiations during Biden’s time as vice president — still have not spoken since the election.”
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said on Monday he will seek to become the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee next year, after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said she will step down from the position, Axios reports.
“Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) will not pursue leadership of the high-profile Senate Judiciary Committee or any other committee next year, taking a dramatic step back following pressure from progressives who questioned her willingness to use tough, partisan politics to confirm Biden administration Supreme Court picks and other judicial nominations,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Said Feinstein: “California is a huge state confronting two existential threats — wildfire and drought — that are only getting worse with climate change. In the next Congress, I plan to increase my attention on those two crucial issues.”
Carl Bernstein reports that 21 Republican Senators — in conversations with colleagues, staff members, lobbyists and White House aides — have repeatedly expressed extreme contempt for Donald Trump and his fitness to be president.
They are: Rob Portman, Lamar Alexander, Ben Sasse, Roy Blunt, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, John Cornyn, John Thune, Mitt Romney, Mike Braun, Todd Young, Tim Scott, Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, Chuck Grassley, Richard Burr, Pat Toomey, Martha McSally, Jerry Moran, Pat Roberts and Richard Shelby.
Said Bernstein: “With few exceptions, their craven public silence has helped enable Trump’s most grievous conduct—including undermining and discrediting the US the electoral system.”
“As speculation grows that Gov. Gavin Newsom is leaning toward California elections chief Alex Padilla to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, a crowd of top Democratic donors and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown are launching an aggressive campaign to argue that another woman of color should fill that seat instead,” Politico reports.
“Republicans are making plans to torpedo some of President-elect Biden’s prospective Cabinet, agency and judicial nominees if the GOP keeps its majority,” Axios reports.
“Top targets include political names and civil servants who spoke out loudest against President Trump, forced out his appointees or became stars in the impeachment hearings — like Sally Yates and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman — as well as longtime targets of conservative media, like Susan Rice.”
“Targets also include more obscure potential nominees for federal judgeships, solicitor general and the Supreme Court. Republicans worry these nominees could blunt conservative moves on deregulation or social policy.”
Sen Rick Scott (R-FL) announced he tested positive for COVID-19.
“Senate Republicans are signaling they will confirm most of President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks in January — a rare bright spot for a White House that may clash with a GOP majority for years to come,” Politico reports.
“Many Republicans won’t even publicly concede that Biden will be the next president while President Donald Trump fights to overturn the election results. But a critical mass of GOP senators said in interviews that Biden has the right to his Cabinet, indicating he may be able to staff his administration largely to his liking.”
“Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), one of two Republican senators from Georgia facing runoff elections in January, began making large and ultimately profitable purchases of shares in a Navy contractor in 2018 just before taking over as chair of a Senate subcommittee overseeing the Navy fleet,” the New York Times reports.
NBC News: “The Republican Senate leader told members in a closed-door lunch on Tuesday to ‘be careful’ and make sure they take the necessary precautions against catching the virus.”
“McConnell’s latest admonishment comes as Senate Republicans are trying to accomplish what they can in the final weeks of Donald Trump’s lame-duck presidency, stretched thin and getting little help from a president focused on fighting the results of the election.”
“There are a lot of items on McConnell’s agenda in the final weeks of the year, including passing a government funding bill by December 11 to avoid a shut down, trying to find agreement on coronavirus aid and approving final appointments before President-elect Joe Biden takes over the White House in January.”
Politico: “Two months before Joe Biden assumes the presidency, Senate Republicans are racing to install a series of conservative nominees that will outlast Donald Trump. While Trump still refuses to concede the election, the Senate GOP is moving quickly to ensure that the president’s stamp sticks to the Federal Elections Commission, Federal Reserve Board, the federal judiciary and beyond.”
Staff members at the Sergeant at Arms office asked Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) to break up a photo she was taking with her staff — none of whom were wearing masks — in the U.S. Capitol, CNN reports.
“Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) has frequently railed against ‘coastal elites’ in speeches. Last year, he sponsored legislation that would relocate thousands of federal workers from Washington to economically distressed areas in the heartland,” the Kansas City Star reports.
“But a review of property records shows that the first-term Republican is no longer a Missouri homeowner and that he is registered to vote at his sister’s home in Ozark, Missouri, while he is in-between homes in the state.”
“Hawley owns a $1.3 million house in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where he spends most of his time with his wife, Erin Hawley, and their three children.”
Nicholas Connors, a former staffer for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), writes in The Bulwark:
“What several years ago was a head scratching question—What happened to Lindsey Graham?—is now pretty clear. For Graham, being a United States Senator isn’t about helping Americans or advancing principles. It’s about swimming in the pool of power and feeding off the scraps the big fish leave behind. In short: Lindsey Graham is everything that’s wrong with our political system.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who is 87 years old, announced he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Senate Republicans failed to secure enough votes Tuesday to advance the confirmation of Judy Shelton, an ally of President Trump, to a seat on the Federal Reserve’s board of governors, the Wall Street Journal reports.
However, Axios reports Sen. Mitch McConnell changed his vote to “no” — a strategy that could revive Shelton’s nomination down the line.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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