memeorandum: FBI Capitol Riot Investigation Shifts Gears (Wall Street Journal)

12:25 AM ET, January 27, 2021

Top Items:

CNN:

Marjorie Taylor Greene indicated support for executing prominent Democrats in 2018 and 2019 before running for Congress — (CNN)Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress …

Lachlan Markay / Axios:

Marjorie Taylor Greene QAnon-adjacent conspiracy theory comments resurface — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is setting up a new test for House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. — Why it matters: The freshman Republican from Georgia made a series of bizarre and outlandish remarks …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Raw Story and The Hill

Politico:

‘Dead on arrival’: Trump conviction unlikely after GOP votes to nix trial — Nearly every Senate Republican declared Tuesday that putting a former president on trial for impeachment is unconstitutional, indicating that the House's case against Donald Trump is almost certain to fail.

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
McConnell: It Was Too Soon to Impeach Trump, Now It's Too Late.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
Nearly all GOP senators vote against impeachment trial for Trump, signaling likely acquittal

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Republicans Rally Against Impeachment Trial, Signaling Likely Acquittal for Trump

Discussion: Fox News, Daily Maverick, Axios, Al Jazeera, POLITICUSUSA and Associated Press

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Just five GOP senators vote Trump impeachment trial is constitutional

Discussion: Washington Post, IJR, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Mother Jones and HotAir

Tom LoBianco / Business Insider:

Mike and Karen Pence are homeless and appear to be couch surfing their way through Indiana … - Republicans close to former Vice President Mike Pence say they don't know where the former second couple is now living. — Pence and his wife Karen haven't owned a home in a decade …

Matthew Chapman / Raw Story:

Mike Pence is ‘homeless’ and bouncing between couches of Indiana politicians: report — On Tuesday, Business Insider reported that former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen do not have a permanent residence since leaving the vice president's mansion — and though Republicans close …

Paul Sonne / Washington Post:

Pentagon restricted commander of D.C. Guard ahead of Capitol riot — The commander of the D.C. National Guard said the Pentagon restricted his authority ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, requiring higher level sign-off to respond that cost time as the events that day spiraled out of control.

Discussion: New York Times, Daily Kos, CNN, CBS News, Sputnik News, The Independent, Talking Points Memo, UPI, Business Insider, Raw Story and Butterflies and Wheels

Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Acting Capitol Police chief apologizes to lawmakers for ‘failings’ that allowed Jan. 6 breach

Discussion: New York Times, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Sputnik News and Raw Story

New York Times:

Senator Patrick Leahy, 80, is briefly hospitalized as a precaution after he reported feeling unwell. — Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the longest-serving senator and the president pro tempore, was briefly taken to a hospital in Washington for observation early Tuesday evening …

Discussion: HotAir and Townhall

Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Sen. Patrick Leahy, set to preside over Trump impeachment, taken to hospital

Discussion: New York Times, Breitbart, The Independent, Forbes, Sputnik News, TheBlaze and New York Post

CNN:
Sen. Patrick Leahy home from brief hospitalization after presiding over opening of Trump's impeachment trial

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Forbes, Mercury News, Bangor Daily News, Politico, Bloomberg, The Week, New York Post and UPI

Reed Richardson / Mediaite:
JUST IN: Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy Hospitalized, Wife Reports He's ‘Doing Well,’ Could Be Back at Work Tomorrow

Discussion: CNN

Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Sen. Patrick Leahy returns home after being hospitalized

Discussion: The Daily Caller, MyNorthwest.com, Axios, Business Insider and The Week

Elvina Nawaguna / Business Insider:

SCOOP: Josh Hawley says he is not running for president in 2024 … - Sen. Josh Hawley is not running for president in 2024, the Republican lawmaker told Insider on Tuesday. — His recent actions — fiery speeches, a new book, and strong defense of President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Fox News, IJR, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner and Raw Story

Laura Meckler / Washington Post:

CDC finds with precautions in place, scant spread of coronavirus in schools — Schools operating in person have seen scant transmission of the coronavirus, particularly when masks and distancing are employed, but some indoor athletics have led to infections and should be curtailed if schools …

Discussion: WV MetroNews, The Daily Caller, Fox News, UPI, HotAir, The Week, Gothamist, Kirk Cox and Mother Jones

JAMA Network:
Data and Policy to Guide Opening Schools Safely to Limit the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Centers for Disease Control …, The Daily Caller, NPR, GV Wire and New York Post

Roni Caryn Rabin / New York Times:
C.D.C. officials say most available evidence indicates schools can be safe if precautions are taken on campus and in the community.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, TheBlaze and Chicago Sun-Times

New York Times:

Proud Boys Under Growing Scrutiny in Capitol Riot Investigation — Officials are trying to determine to what extent far-right groups planned the assault in advance. — The leadership of the Proud Boys has come under increased scrutiny as agents and prosecutors across the country try …

Discussion: Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Tess Owen / VICE: Roger Stone Used Oath Keepers as Security on the Eve of the Capitol Riot

Wall Street Journal: FBI Capitol Riot Investigation Shifts Gears

Jonah Engel Bromwich / New York Times:

Man Charged With Threatening Congressman's Family as Riot Raged — Relatives of Hakeem Jeffries and George Stephanopoulos received threatening text messages as rioters stormed the Capitol, federal prosecutors said. — The same day that a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and tried …

Discussion: The Week, Law & Crime and CBS New York

Justice News:
California Man Charged With Making Threats Directed Against A New York City-Based U.S. Congressman And A Journalist, Citing Their Statements About The Results Of The 2020 Presidential Election

Discussion: UPI

Arya Hodjat / The Daily Beast:
California Man Texted Chilling Threats to Family of Lawmaker, Journalist: Feds

Discussion: Politico, Raw Story and New York Post

Eddie Burkhalter / Alabama Political Reporter:

Trump Appointee Says Tuberville, RAGA Director Met With Trump Family, Top Advisers On Eve Of Capitol Attack — Tuberville, through a spokeswoman, said he did not attend the meeting with Trump on the eve of the deadly attack. — The entrance to the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. (VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

CNN:

Goya board silences its CEO after he tells Fox News the election was rigged — New York (CNN Business)Goya's board of directors had enough of CEO Robert Unanue's public comments in support of former President Donald Trump and his unfounded claims of voter fraud. On Friday, it voted to muzzle him.

Discussion: HotAir, New York Post, Crooks and Liars, Raw Story, alicublog and POLITICUSUSA

Alexi McCammond / Axios:

Democrats weigh “Dr. Fauci of Ohio” in Senate race — Some Democrats are looking to a political outsider described as the “Dr. Fauci of Ohio” to replace Rob Portman in the U.S. Senate. — Why it matters: Amy Acton, former director of the Ohio Department of Health, gained a grassroots following …

Discussion: ABC News

Seth A. Richardson / Plain Dealer:
Amy Acton is considering a run for Senate, sources say

Discussion: The Hill

Alayna Treene / Axios:

Scoop: Kaine, Collins pitch Senate colleagues on censuring Trump — Sens. Tim Kaine and Susan Collins are privately pitching their colleagues on a bipartisan resolution censuring former President Trump, three sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios.

Discussion: Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, The Hill, Forbes and Washington Post

Andrew Oxford / Arizona Republic:

Arizona lawmakers who were in D.C. during Capitol riot won't release records from phones — Two Arizona legislators who went to the U.S. Capitol the day it was stormed by a mob earlier this month will not provide emails or text messages about their travel to Washington, D.C.

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

What Jeffrey Epstein Did to Earn $158 Million From Leon Black — Mr. Epstein specialized in aggressively pitching ways to minimize paying taxes. And not just to Mr. Black, the private equity chief executive who was his main benefactor in his later years. — He styled himself as a math whiz and …

Discussion: New York Post, Hyperallergic, New Republic and CNBC

The Frontier:

Oklahoma trying to return its $2m stockpile of hydroxychloroquine — The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office has been tasked with attempting to return a $2 million stockpile of a malaria drug once touted by former President Donald Trump as a way to treat the coronavirus. — Reading Time Posted In

Discussion: New York Post and Political Wire

CREW:

Kayleigh McEnany's Financial Disclosure reveals agreement with Fox News … Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is the latest official to take advantage of the revolving door between Fox News and the Trump administration. According to her termination financial disclosure report …

Discussion: The Last Refuge, Vanity Fair, Forbes, The American Independent, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, Politico, The Independent, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Deadline, Raw Story and Mock Paper Scissors, more at Mediagazer »

Holly Otterbein / Politico:

Pennsylvania GOP pledges full allegiance to Trump — PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania once stocked D.C. with a steady stream of establishment Republicans. Now, in the wake of Donald Trump's reelection defeat, it's better known for its GOP hard-liners — among them, Scott Perry …

Discussion: Mother Jones, New York Times, Democracy Docket and USA Today

KUSA-TV:

Nearly 4,600 Colorado Republicans changed their party affiliation after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — An analysis of Colorado voter registration data showed that most of those Republicans switched to unaffiliated. — DENVER — Nearly 4,600 registered Republicans changed …

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Kellyanne Conway Accused of Posting Topless Photo of Her 16-Year-Old Daughter on Twitter … Kellyanne Conway, ex-counselor to disgraced former President Trump, allegedly posted a topless picture of her daughter Claudia, 16, on Twitter on Monday. — Reached for comment …

Discussion: New York Post, CNBC, BuzzFeed News, Law & Crime, Sputnik News, Slate, HuffPost, fox8.com, The Daily Caller, TheGrio, The Sun, The Wrap, POLITICUSUSA, Gothamist, Twitchy and TMZ.com

Peter Rudegeair / Wall Street Journal:

Goldman CEO David Solomon Takes $10 Million Pay Cut for 1MDB Scandal — The bank had said it would claw back or withhold $174 million in compensation from current, former executives — Goldman Sachs Group Inc. slashed Chief Executive David Solomon's 2020 pay by 36%, punishment …

Heather Long / Washington Post:

Cutting off stimulus checks to Americans earning over $75,000 could be wise, new data suggests — Biden is debating another round of $1,400 stimulus payments. Some in Congress have urged the president to target aid to lower-income families only. — As President Biden pushes for another round …

Washington Post:

Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron to retire at the end of February — Washington Post Publisher and CEO Fred Ryan today shared the following note with Post employees. — Dear Washington Post colleagues, — Although we have long known this day would come …

Discussion: CNN, MyNorthwest.com, Fox News, Washingtonian, New York Times, The Hill, Washington Examiner, CityNews Toronto, Politico, The Daily Caller, The Wrap and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

C.I.A. Warns Former Officers About Working for Foreign Governments — An unusual email from the agency's counterintelligence chief also warned retired officers to carefully weigh their comments on television, social media and podcasts. — WASHINGTON — The C.I.A.'s counterintelligence chief sent …

Discussion: Raw Story

David Knowles / Yahoo News:

Polls find Biden's approval rating higher than Trump's ever was — President Biden's approval rating in his first days in office is higher than Donald Trump ever achieved during his four years as president, two new polls have found. — Morning Consult tracking poll published Monday found …

Discussion: Newsweek, The American Spectator, The Moderate Voice and New York Times

Lachlan Markay / Axios:

Collins helps contractor before pro-Susan PAC gets donation — A PAC backing Sen. Susan Collins in her high-stakes reelection campaign received $150,000 from an entity linked to the wife of a defense contractor whose firm Collins helped land a federal contract, new public records show.

Peter Hotez / Washington Post:

Biden's new vaccine goal is more ambitious. It still isn't enough. — The U.S. should be delivering 3 million doses every day — and approving more vaccines for emergency use — Peter Hotez a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Wall Street Journal:

Administration to Buy Enough Doses to Vaccinate U.S. Population by End of Summer — Biden administration will also boost supply of coronavirus vaccines sent to states by about 16% for next three weeks — WASHINGTON—The Biden administration on Tuesday said it would boost the supply …

Discussion: HuffPost

Patrice Taddonio / FRONTLINE:

‘Enabling It to Happen Again’: How Charlottesville Led to the Capitol Attack — When rioters breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory, they carried Confederate flags through the building; chanted, “Hang Mike Pence”; and erected a noose outside.