memeorandum: Nikki Haley's new PAC steers clear of Trump brand (Lachlan Markay/Axios)

1:15 PM ET, January 14, 2021

Top Items:

The $3,000-a-month toilet for the Ivanka Trump/Jared Kushner Secret Service detail — Many U.S. Secret Service agents have stood guard in Washington's elite Kalorama neighborhood, home over the years to Cabinet secretaries and former presidents. Those agents have had to worry about death threats …

Washington Post:

Trump is isolated and angry at aides for failing to defend him as he is impeached again — When Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president ever impeached twice in a bipartisan rebuke, he did so as a leader increasingly isolated, sullen and vengeful.

New York Times:

Under Heavy Pressure, Trump Releases Video Condemning Capitol Siege — The video was made public after President Trump was impeached a second time and after he told his followers in the hours following the riot a week ago that “we love you.” — Under heavy pressure from his advisers …

Discussion: IJR, Talking Points Memo, Metro.co.uk, Business Insider, Mediaite, Washington Post, The Week, Deadline, New York Post, Strangely Blogged, WV MetroNews, Mother Jones and The Atlantic

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:
Trump Rants in Near-Empty White House: I'll ‘Never’ Say Biden Won

Discussion: NBC News, Deadline, Boston Herald, Washington Times and Raw Story

Sarah Al-Arshani / Business Insider:
Trump told aides not to pay his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani because he's upset with him

Discussion: The Hill, The American Independent, Mediaite and The Week

New York Times:

Jaime Harrison Said to Be Pick for Next D.N.C. Chair — Mr. Harrison, a veteran of South Carolina politics, was the Democratic nominee against Senator Lindsey Graham and shattered fund-raising records in the race. — President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. plans to name Jaime Harrison as his pick …

Discussion: Political Wire

Politico:

Harrison selected as Biden's DNC chair — President-elect Joe Biden is tapping former South Carolina Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison to lead the Democratic National Committee, according to three people familiar with the decision, a major victory for state party heads and the powerful House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, Washington Post, Reuters, Axios and Bloomberg

New York Times:

A man who carried a Confederate flag into the Capitol has been arrested. — A man who was photographed holding a Confederate battle flag inside the U.S. Capitol last week during the riot was arrested Thursday in Delaware, two law enforcement officials said.

Discussion: delawareonline, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Raw Story

New York Times:
Live Updates: Biden Keeps Focus on the Future as Trump Is Impeached Again

Discussion: Vox, CNBC, Foreign Policy, New York Post, The Moderate Voice, WOWK-TV, CNN, Althouse, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, New Republic, TMZ.com and CBS Baltimore

Ben Shapiro / Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: The real reason most Republicans opposed impeachment — DRIVING THE DAY — Howdy from Nashville, y'all! I'm BEN SHAPIRO, and I host the conservative podcast and radio show “The Ben Shapiro Show”; I'm also editor emeritus of the Daily Wire, husband to a medical doctor …

Discussion: New Yorker, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Washington Post, IJR, Trending Politics, USA Today, No More Mister Nice Blog, ABC13, Blue Virginia, New York Times and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Republicans Oppose Impeachment Because It Makes Them Look Pro-Riot

Discussion: Butterflies and Wheels

Wall Street Journal:

Man Who Allegedly Threw Fire Extinguisher at Police Arrested on Federal Charges — A retired firefighter from Pennsylvania was arrested Thursday morning for allegedly throwing a fire extinguisher that hit three police officers at the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol as captured on video, U.S. officials said.

Discussion: Washington Examiner and ABC13

Mark Konkol / Chicago, IL Patch:

Trolls Wrongly Accused Retired Firefighter Of Capitol Riot Murder — CHICAGO — David Quintavalle didn't do it. — The retired Chicago firefighter from Mount Greenwood — whom social media trolls called a “terrorist” and accused of fatally wielding a fire extinguisher that killed a cop …

Discussion: Twitchy and HotAir

Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:

Harold N. Bornstein, Trump's Former Personal Physician, Dies at 73 — He attested that Trump would be the ‘healthiest president ever,’ but was later expelled from the Trump orbit. — Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, who for a time was President Donald J. Trump's personal physician and who had attested …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Business Insider, Legacy, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Politico, CNN and Raw Story

Christopher Vondracek / INFORUM:

South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds says Trump could be criminally prosecuted for his role in the ‘insurrection’ — U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, joined a growing bipartisan chorus repudiating President Donald Trump's role in inciting a mob that invaded the Capitol a week ago.

Discussion: ABA Journal, Forbes, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, TheBlaze, Power Line, Washington Examiner, Politico, Just Security, Washington Times, WTOP and Political Wire

Eddie Scarry / Washington Examiner:
Republicans are falling into an impeachment trap

Discussion: PRESS RUN, New York Times, Liberty Unyielding, NEWS 1130, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, Breitbart, Chicago Sun-Times, WayneDupree.com, Politico and Boston Herald, more at Mediagazer »

Joshua Jamerson / Wall Street Journal:
Republican Voters Stick by Trump as Some Lawmakers Seek Distance

Discussion: Reuters, Washington Post, NBC News, Bulwark+, The National Interest, Real Clear Politics and Jewish Insider

Washington Post:

Entire National Mall to close on Inauguration Day — The entire National Mall will be closed for Inauguration Day, only accessible by media and security personnel, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues.

Discussion: NBC News, The Hill, Washington Examiner, CNN, Vanity Fair, Forbes, National Review, Talking Points Memo, The Week, UPI and Bangor Daily News

Lachlan Markay / Axios:

Nikki Haley's new PAC steers clear of Trump brand — Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is starting a new political action committee and, so far, conspicuously avoiding any mention of President Trump. — Why it matters: Haley is widely considered a contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Post and Courier

Axios:
It's still Trump's party

Discussion: Opinion Today

Axios:
Axios-Ipsos poll: Republican voters side with Trump over McConnell

Discussion: The Hill, Small Dead Animals, Mock Paper Scissors, Mediaite and Political Wire

John C. Eastman / The American Mind:

John Eastman's Statement on His Retirement from Chapman University's Fowler School of Law — In recent days John Eastman has been the subject of many defamatory and scurrilous attacks regarding his actions as an advisor and attorney for President Donald Trump.

Discussion: Conservative News Today

Amstevens / Chapman Newsroom:
Statement from the Office of the President

Discussion: HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Law & Crime, The College Fix, Forbes, ABC7, Denver Post, CBS Los Angeles and Colorado Times Recorder

Ann Coulter:

Most Disloyal Man in History Finally Finds a Cause Worth Fighting For — Why, in the last 12 days of his presidency, did Donald Trump suddenly become the authoritarian of liberal fantasies? He sure wasn't an authoritarian for the past four years — he was a spineless wonder.

Discussion: Politico, CBS News, Washington Examiner, Fortune, DCReport.org, WHTM-TV and KVIA-TV

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Tucker Carlson is making his play to be the post-Trump MAGA champion

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Washington Times and HuffPost

ProPublica:

“No One Took Us Seriously”: Black Cops Warned About Racist Capitol Police Officers for Years — Allegations of racism against the Capitol Police are nothing new: Over 250 Black cops have sued the department since 2001. Some of those former officers now say it's no surprise white nationalists were able to storm the building.

Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:

Kyle Rittenhouse flashed hate symbols, posed with Proud Boys in a Wisconsin bar, prosecutors say — Shortly after pleading not guilty to murder and weapons charges earlier this month, Kyle Rittenhouse showed up at a bar in Mount Pleasant, Wis., clad in a T-shirt that said “Free as F—,” prosecutors said.

Discussion: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, CBS News, The Hill, TMZ.com, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, The Root, CNN, Forbes and Associated Press

Jackson Danbeck / TMJ4:
Motion to change Rittenhouse's bond agreement after allegedly flashing white-power signs at bar

Discussion: The Stranger, DNyuz, Raw Story, Business Insider, CBS Chicago, New York Post and Law & Crime

Kate Bennett / CNN:

Silent Melania Trump plods toward end of her husband's tumultuous term — (CNN)Two days after his supporters rioted on Capitol Hill last week, President Donald Trump informed the world he would not be attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. — “To all of those who have asked …

Discussion: Business Insider, Occupy Democrats, Washingtonian and KRDO

Greg Hilburn / The News Star:

Julia Letlow, widow of U.S. Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, will run for Congress — Julia Letlow, the widow of U.S. Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, will run for the 5th Congressional District seat her husband was unable to fill because of his COVID-19 death Dec. 29. — “Everything in my life and in my marriage …

Discussion: Business Insider, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Townhall, DNyuz, NEWS 1130 and Political Wire

Peter Baker / New York Times:

A Preordained Coda to a Presidency — The impeachment of President Trump for a second time — in a Capitol ringed by troops — seemed like the almost inevitable culmination of four years that left the nation fractured, angry and losing its sense of self. — WASHINGTON — Not since …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Allan Smith / NBC News:
Republicans continue to defy metal detectors as Capitol security ramps up

Discussion: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, HuffPost, Axios, CNN, New Republic and Indian Country Today

Aaron Mehta / Defense News:

Norquist to serve as acting defense secretary; acting service secretaries named — WASHINGTON — David Norquist will serve as acting secretary of defense for the start of the Biden administration, Defense News has learned. — The Biden team has decided that Norquist …

Scott Wartman / Cincinnati.com:

‘I support him more than I ever did.’ Loyal Trump supporters in suburban Cincinnati gather to relive Jan. 6 rally that turned violent — A few hours after President Trump was impeached for inciting an insurrection Wednesday, a group of Republicans gathered at a suburban Cincinnati movie theater.

Discussion: Raw Story

Dan De Luce / NBC News:

Voice of America journalists demand resignation of top officials, protest sidelining of two staffers … WASHINGTON — A group of Voice of America journalists has signed a letter demanding the resignation of the director of VOA and his deputy, accusing them of using the network …

JONATHAN TURLEY:

Georgia Rep Pledges To File Articles of Impeachment Against Joe Biden — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a newly elected Republican member from Georgia who pledged yesterday that “On January 21, 2021, I'll be filing Articles of Impeachment against Joe Biden for abuse of power.”

Discussion: Salon, ABC7, The Wrap, Big League Politics, Outside the Beltway, WHTM-TV and Chicks On The Right

Murray Waas / The Guardian:

Revealed: White House liaison sought derogatory info on E Jean Carroll from DoJ official — Revelation raises prospect that president's allies were pressing DoJ to dig up potentially damaging info on Trump accuser — The White House liaison to the Department of Justice (DoJ), Heidi Stirrup …

New York Times:

F.B.I. Urges Police Chiefs Across U.S. to Be on High Alert for Threats — A joint intelligence bulletin warned that the deadly breach at the Capitol would be a “significant driver of violence” ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, National Review, Political Wire, Vox, HotAir and The Intercept

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:

Axios Wants to Help Companies Write Like Its Reporters—for $10,000 a Year, or More — AxiosHQ communications platform to launch with Delta Air Lines and AT&T among early customers — Punchy news startup Axios is betting that companies will pay big bucks to write like its reporters.

more at Mediagazer »

Abram Brown / Forbes:

Meet The Billionaires Behind Signal And Telegram, Two New Online Homes For Angry Conservatives — In 2018, Brian Acton, the billionaire WhatsApp cofounder, committed several fateful actions. He had quit Facebook a few months earlier, and in March, he took his rift with the company public …

Discussion: Fortune

The Guardian:

Revealed: walkie-talkie app Zello hosted far-right groups who stormed Capitol … Audio and chat logs reveal that at least two insurrectionists who broke into the Capitol on 6 January used Zello, a social media walkie-talkie app that critics say has largely ignored a growing far-right user base.

Discussion: blog.zello.com, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, New York Post, NBC News, Gizmodo, The Daily Beast, Balloon Juice and Ohio Capital Journal, more at Techmeme »

New York Times:

A Republican Lawmaker for Whom the Spectacle Is the Point — Rep. Lauren Boebert represents an increasingly clamorous faction of the party that carries Mr. Trump's anti-establishment message and is ready to break all norms in doing so. — WASHINGTON — As lawmakers entered the Capitol …

Discussion: Denver Post, Colorado Public Radio, Sara A. Carter, Washington Post, Fox News, Business Insider and Vox

Sydney Page / Washington Post:

Upset by veterans who stormed the Capitol, these vets decided to clean up trash the mob left on the streets of D.C. — When Capitol Hill was in chaos on Jan. 6, David Smith was there. — Smith, 40, was distributing hand-warmers to homeless people nearby when the siege started.

Discussion: VICE