memeorandum: The Faithless-Elector Fantasy Is Fun, but It's Just a Fantasy (Jeff Greenfield/The Daily Beast)

9:20 AM ET, December 12, 2016

Top Items:

McCain Calls Russian Hacking a ‘Form of Warfare’ — John McCain says there is no doubt about Russian hacking, which he called “warfare.” — President-elect Donald J. Trump formally names John F. Kelly, a retired Marine general, as secretary of homeland security.

Discussion: Political Wire

Rebecca Morin / Politico:

Bolton: Russian hacks could actually have been by Obama administration — Ambassador John Bolton claimed Sunday that hacks during the election season could have been “a false flag” operation — possibly committed by the Obama administration itself. — In an interview with Fox News' Eric Shawn …

Discussion: Washington Post, Political Wire, The Week, TheBlaze, Scared Monkeys, Daily Kos and ABC News

New York Times:

C.I.A. Judgment on Russia Built on Swell of Evidence — WASHINGTON — American spy and law enforcement agencies were united in the belief, in the weeks before the presidential election, that the Russian government had deployed computer hackers to sow chaos during the campaign.

Discussion: Hot Air and New York's PIX11

Cyra Master / The Hill:

Bolton questions if Russian hacks were ‘false flag’ — 's State Department, questioned reports of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. — “It is not at all clear to me, just viewing this from the outside, that this hacking into the DNC and the RNC was not a false flag operation …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, alan.com and Raw Story

Spencer Ackerman / The Guardian:

Intelligence figures fear Trump reprisals over assessment of Russia election role — Legislators overseeing the CIA and other intelligence agencies have told the Guardian they will be vigilant about reprisals from Donald Trump over an internal assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to ensure Trump's victory.

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, New Century Times, Washington Post, Reuters, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Business Insider, Political Wire and Daily Kos

The Cipher Brief:

Fmr. CIA Acting Dir. Michael Morell: “This Is the Political Equivalent of 9/11” — The Washington Post report on a secret CIA assessment concluding that Russia intervened in the U.S. Presidential election with the intention of helping President-elect Donald Trump win is only part …

Discussion: Politico

Bill Flanagan / CBS News:
John McCain doesn't know what to make of Trump's Russia hacking response

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNNMoney, Politicus USA, The Gateway Pundit, CBS Miami, The Daily Caller and The Huffington Post

David Frum / The Atlantic: Five Questions About Russia's Election Hacking

New York Times:
Russia's Hand in America's Election

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Hill

Cyra Master / The Hill:
Palin: ‘I can keep an eye’ on Russia

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Mediaite

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:

Democrats fear another Trump trouncing — As Donald Trump's inauguration draws near, Democrats fear they remain woefully unprepared to fight the new president's agenda. — The party loses its standard-bearer once President Barack Obama leaves office, and the Democratic National Committee …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Raw Story

Bloomberg:

China Warns Trump Against Using Taiwan for Leverage on Trade — President-elect defends call from Taiwan President Tsai — Trump says other nations shouldn't dictate who U.S. speaks to — China warned Donald Trump against using the One-China policy regarding Taiwan as a bargaining chip in trade talks …

Discussion: Political Wire, KFOR-TV and The Guardian

Emily Rauhala / Washington Post: Trump draws rebuke after saying U.S. isn't bound by One China policy

Jeff Greenfield / The Daily Beast:

The Faithless-Elector Fantasy Is Fun, but It's Just a Fantasy — When it comes to faithless electors, I wrote the book—literally. — Okay, it was a novel, and a satirical one at that. But I did immerse myself in the law, and the lore, of the Electoral College, and the potential for …

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

Dems grapple with lessons from Clinton disaster — Democrats are grappling with how to draw the right lessons — and avoid the wrong ones — after an extraordinary presidential election. — Hillary Clinton — 's loss to Donald Trump — is an unmitigated disaster for Democrats, who want to ensure nothing like it happens again.

Lesley Stahl / CBS News:

Israel's prime minister welcomes Trump presidency — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells 60 Minutes Israel has never been in a better place; part of his optimism relates to the election of Trump — The following is a script from “Benjamin Netanyahu,” which aired on Dec. 11, 2016.

Discussion: Politico and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Juan Williams / The Hill:

Who will survive in Trump's reality show? — Live! All day and all night on your big screen comes the opening drama of the Trump presidency, with a cast of love-them-or-hate-them characters. — This reality television show will be set on Capitol Hill as President Trump's cabinet nominees fight …

Wall Street Journal:

Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson Faces Senate Dissent as Potential State Pick — Trump's top choice for secretary of state faces bipartisan resistance over ties to Putin — WASHINGTON— Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Rex Tillerson, the top choice for secretary of state in a Trump administration …

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Steve Coll / New Yorker:
Rex Tillerson, from a Corporate Oil Sovereign to the State Department

Discussion: NBC News, ThinkProgress and emptywheel

Tara Palmeri / Politico:

Trump to inherit state-run TV network with expanded reach — President-elect Donald Trump is about to inherit a newly empowered Voice of America that some officials fear could serve as an unfettered propaganda arm for the former reality TV star who has flirted for years with launching his own network.

Discussion: Political Wire, more at Mediagazer »

Brent Johnson / New Jersey Online:

Christie turned down several jobs in Trump administration, sources say — TRENTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered Gov. Chris Christie numerous positions in his incoming administration, but the New Jersey governor turned them down, two sources with knowledge of Trump's transition efforts told NJ Advance Media.

Discussion: AOL, Business Insider, The Week, Mediaite and Political Wire