memeorandum: Trump Associates Said to Have Been Scrutinized in Suspected Pardon Scheme (New York Times)

8:55 AM ET, December 4, 2020

Top Items:

Trump Associates Said to Have Been Scrutinized in Suspected Pardon Scheme — A billionaire from San Francisco sought clemency for a psychologist convicted of monetary crimes. The Republican donor Elliott Broidy and a lawyer for Jared Kushner were enlisted.

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, The Rectification of Names, Business Insider, Reuters, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week and Washington Times

Associated Press:

Trump aide banned from Justice after trying to get case info — WASHINGTON (AP) — The official serving as President Donald Trump's eyes and ears at the Justice Department has been banned from the building after trying to pressure staffers to give up sensitive information about election fraud …

Politico:

Trump mulls preemptive pardons for up to 20 allies, even as Republicans balk — President Donald Trump is considering preemptively pardoning as many as 20 aides and associates before leaving office, frustrating Republicans who believe offering legal reprieves to his friends and family members could backfire.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, CNBC, Business Insider, Musing about law …, New York Times, USA Today, CNN, NPR, The Intellectualist and news.com.au

Amy Gardner / Washington Post:

David Perdue appears to tacitly acknowledge Biden's victory in video call with Republican group — Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) appeared to tacitly acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden's victory in a video recording obtained by The Washington Post on Thursday, speaking just days …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Fox News, Media Matters for America, The Hill, Axios, Wall Street Journal, Bulwark+, Washington Times, Forbes, CNN, OpenSecrets.org, The Week and Political Wire

Amanda Carpenter / The Bulwark:

They're Fine With It — Republicans have no qualms with Trump's dangerous conspiracies—until they get tangled up in them themselves. — Why aren't more Republicans standing up and speaking out about Donald Trump's reprehensible acts? It's the eternal question of the Trump era and one that's …

Discussion: ABC News, Reason, Real Clear Politics and The Guardian

Washington Examiner:

If Trump wants Republicans to keep the Senate and protect his legacy, he needs to change his tune — President Trump says he wants Republicans to keep the Senate and will be campaigning in Georgia. But his persistent claims that the election was stolen from him and attacks …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Review, NBC News, Conservative News Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Raw Story, Bloomberg and justoneminute.typepad.com

Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
The MAGA Revolution Devours Its Own

Discussion: ABC News, NPR, Raw Story, Morning Shots and CNN

Rafi Schwartz / Mic:
Trump's voter fraud fantasy is starting to muck up Republicans' chances elsewhere

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Breitbart, The Week and Right Wing Watch

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:

The President Is Acting Crazy, so Why Are We Shrugging It Off? — The dangerous “yeah, whatever” phase of Trump's lame-duck Presidency. — On Wednesday, more than three thousand Americans died because of the coronavirus, the nation's deadliest day yet during the pandemic.

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News, Bloomberg, Raw Story, Reuters, Patterico's Pontifications, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, behindtheblack.com, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Associated Press and HotAir

Dan Merica / CNN:

CNN Exclusive: Biden says he will ask Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days he's in office — Biden will ask Americans to wear masks for his first 100 days — (CNN)President-elect Joe Biden told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday that he will ask Americans to wear masks for his first 100 days after he takes office.

Axios:

Fauci says he accepted Biden's offer to be chief medical adviser “on the spot” — The government's top infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci said Friday that he “absolutely” will accept the offer from President-elect Joe Biden to serve as his chief medical officer, telling NBC's “Today” that he said yes “right on the spot.”

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times and CNN

Jeffrey Young / HuffPost:
A Day In The Life Of Dr. Anthony Fauci

Discussion: Poynter, Business Insider and Listen to Free Radio

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:

Farah resigns as White House communications director in tacit nod to Trump's loss — White House communications director Alyssa Farah resigned from her post Thursday after three-and-a-half years in the Trump administration. — Farah, 31, began her White House tenure as press secretary …

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN, Breitbart, IJR, TheBlaze, The Week, Fox News, Political Wire, The Daily Caller, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, Lucianne, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, UPI, Politico, Axios and Townhall, more at Mediagazer »

The Daily Beast:

Hannity's Crony Has Taken Over Fox News Digital—and It's a Disaster, Staffers Say — Sean Hannity is already one of Fox News' loudest voices, and has put his Trumpist stamp on the network's broadcasts. Now, his influence has spread to the once-independent digital news operation, staffers say …

Discussion: Raw Story

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Juan Williams of Fox News Is Said to Test Positive for Coronavirus

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, The Week, Media Matters for America and TVNewser

Lachlan Cartwright / The Daily Beast:
Fox News' Juan Williams Tests Positive for COVID-19

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Mediaite and Deadline

San Francisco Chronicle:

Longtime Newsom aide Nathan Ballard charged with felony domestic violence — Nathan Ballard, a high-profile Democratic strategist and adviser to Gov. Gavin Newsom, was charged with two felony counts of domestic violence after his wife alleged he pushed her into a glass door and attempted …

Discussion: CBS San Francisco

Carla Marinucci / Politico:
UPDATED: Prominent Democratic strategist and Newsom adviser facing domestic violence charges

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, HotAir, The Hill, Fox News, Mercury News, The Daily Caller, KTLA and Washington Examiner

Wall Street Journal:

How Jenna Ellis Rose From Traffic Court to Trump's Legal Team — The 36-year-old's career includes six months as a local prosecutor and a book interpreting the Constitution through a biblical lens — Four years ago, Jenna Ellis was a young Colorado attorney practicing in county courts …

New York Times:
How Is Trump's Lawyer Jenna Ellis ‘Elite Strike Force’ Material?

Discussion: the way of improvement …, Law & Crime, Gothamist and Alternet.org

Dana Rubinstein / New York Times:

Young Republicans Stage Secret Gala, Ignoring Virus Concerns — At least 65 guests were expected at the New York group's annual event, but its location was being kept secret because of fears of “violent left-wing attacks.” — On Thursday evening, the New York Young Republican Club intended to hold its 108th annual gala, in person.

Matthew Choi / Politico:

Biden: ‘Several’ Republican senators have privately acknowledged he won — A number of Senate Republicans have privately congratulated Joe Biden for his electoral victory even as their party continues to challenge the results of the presidential election, the Democratic president-elect said Thursday.

Discussion: CNN, CBS News and Political Wire

Alexandra Jaffe / Associated Press:
Biden adjusting agenda to reflect narrow divide in Congress

Discussion: Washington Examiner, WTOP and ABC11

Glenn H. Reynolds / New York Post:

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ critics show they still despise ‘deplorables’ — Elites won't allow any sympathy for poor whites — Netflix's new adaptation of JD Vance's “Hillbilly Elegy” is devastating for the left's political narrative. How do I know that? Because so many leftists are trying to keep people from watching it.

Hallie Golden / Lead Stories:

Fact Check: Video From Georgia Does NOT Show Suitcases Filled With Ballots Suspiciously Pulled From Under A Table; Poll Watchers Were NOT Told To Leave — Fact Check — Does security camera video show a Fulton County, Georgia, election supervisor suspiciously pulling suitcases filled …

Discussion: Erick Erickson's Confessions …, theepochtimes.com, The New Neo, Lucianne and Twitchy

Russ Buettner / New York Times:

Tenants Sue Trump Over Scheme That Drove Up Their Rents — The latest legal front against the outbound president involves a maneuver that earned him and his siblings millions while lowering their taxes. — President Trump will face a raft of potential legal challenges when he leaves office …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jordan Williams / The Hill:

Graham reports ‘record-breaking’ $109M haul during 2020 campaign — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) raised a record-breaking $109.1 million for his 2020 reelection campaign, a number touted by his campaign as the most of any Republican Senate candidate in history.

Alex Horton / Washington Post:

Legendary Afghan pilot in hiding after U.S. reverses decision to help him flee Taliban — Maj. Naiem Asadi was already in his attack helicopter over Kabul when the call blared over the radio: Militants were raining down mortars near the presidential compound, and someone needed to find them.

New York Daily News:

‘We cannot allow death threats’: Dems demand disbarment of Trump lawyer who said ex-election chief should be killed — A couple of House Democrats formally called on a Washington court to strip a Trump campaign attorney of his right to practice law Wednesday amid mounting outrage …

Samir Ferdowsi / VICE:

Mysterious Monolith Update: Racists Destroy California Monolith, Proclaim Christ Superior to Space Aliens — A group of men shouting “Christ is King” and “America First” destroyed a new monolith and replaced it with a wooden cross. — SF — The new California monolith was torn …

Discussion: Althouse, Mic, CANNONFIRE, National File, Observer and The Mary Sue

Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:

Bipartisan defense bill includes several rebukes of Trump's record as commander in chief — The final draft of the bicameral, bipartisan-approved defense authorization bill contains a number of rebukes of President Trump's actions as commander in chief, in addition to defying …

Discussion: Reuters, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bloomberg and Politico

Nicholas Kristof / New York Times:

The Children of Pornhub — Why does Canada allow this company to profit off videos of exploitation and assault? — Pornhub prides itself on being the cheery, winking face of naughty, the website that buys a billboard in Times Square and provides snow plows to clear Boston streets.

James Salzer / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Abrams' Fair Fight raises $34.5 million in a little more than a month — The voting rights organization Stacey Abrams founded in 2018 after losing a close gubernatorial election raised $34.5 million in just 39 days from late October to the last week of November, funneling a chunk of the money …

Hayes Brown / MSNBC:

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complex. A court case shows the ‘nation state’ law isn't. — A court in Israel clarified something Monday with its decision to cite the country's controversial “nation state” law: Israel has enshrined racism as one of its basic principles.

Ted Nesi / WPRI-TV:

Raimondo: I will not be Biden's HHS secretary — PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Gov. Gina Raimondo on Thursday ruled out leaving her job to become President-elect Joe Biden's health and human services secretary, seeking to put the idea to rest after a flurry of reports that she was a finalist for the job.

Discussion: Washington Post

Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:

Georgia Was a Big Win for Democrats. Black Women Did the Groundwork. — Before the Democratic Party invested in Georgia, or President Trump and Joe Biden saw it as a battleground, Black political organizers devoted years of hard work to turning out voters.

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

The sad, scary case of the National Counterterrorism Center — The incoming Biden administration must quickly address a potentially dangerous intelligence problem the Trump administration has allowed to fester — the decline and demoralization of the National Counterterrorism Center …

John Ratcliffe / Wall Street Journal:

China Is National Security Threat No. 1 — Resisting Beijing's attempt to reshape and dominate the world is the challenge of our generation. — As Director of National Intelligence, I am entrusted with access to more intelligence than any member of the U.S. government other than the president.

Discussion: Axios, Forbes, NBC News, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, CBS News, CNN, Breitbart, GNEWS, IJR, Washington Examiner, Fox News, New York Post, Reuters, HotAir, The Diplomat, Business Insider, THE MARSHALL REPORT, CNBC and Fox Business

Lydia DePillis / ProPublica:

How Dozens of Trump's Political Appointees Will Stay in Government After Biden Takes Over … ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — Christopher Prandoni was just 29 …

New York Times:

Google Researcher Says She Was Fired Over Paper Highlighting Bias in A.I. — Timnit Gebru, one of the few Black women in her field, had voiced exasperation over the company's response to efforts to increase minority hiring. — A well-respected Google researcher said she was fired …