memeorandum: Pence's former chief of staff has been contacted about providing information in impeachment trial (CNN)

3:05 PM ET, February 13, 2021

Top Items:

CNN:

New details about Trump-McCarthy shouting match show Trump refused to call off the rioters — Washington (CNN)In an expletive-laced phone call with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy while the Capitol was under attack, then-President Donald Trump said the rioters cared more about the election results than McCarthy did.

Burgess Everett / Politico:

McConnell reveals he will vote to acquit Trump — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told GOP colleagues in a letter that he will vote to acquit Donald Trump in the former president's impeachment trial, according to sources familiar with the communication.

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

New Evidence Shows Trump Used Riot To Pressure Congress to Steal Election — There has always been one small hole in the prosecution's case for Donald Trump's second impeachment. Trump encouraged a public demonstration, promised in advance it would be “wild,” instructed his supporters …

Discussion: Axios, USA Today, Mediaite, The Week and justoneminute.typepad.com

Rachael Bade / Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: A big curveball on impeachment — DRIVING THE DAY — PLOT TWIST: SENATE VOTES TO CALL WITNESSES — After days of predicting the trial would be speedy and finish as early as today, senators agreed on a bipartisan basis to depose witnesses.

Discussion: The Hill, Associated Press, UPI, New York Post and Daily Kos

Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler:

Herrera Beutler Again Confirms Conversation with McCarthy Regarding January 6 U.S. Capitol Attack — f t # e — Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03) today released the following statement confirming again a conversation with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy regarding the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack:

Discussion: Axios, USA Today, Associated Press, Roll Call, Rolling Stone, Townhall, Deadline, The Hill and justoneminute.typepad.com

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Trump sided with the Capitol mob, Herrera Beutler says McCarthy told her.

Discussion: CNBC, The Wrap, CNN, Axios, UPI, Fox News, Mock Paper Scissors, IJR, Roll Call, HuffPost, Common Dreams, Raw Story, The Times of Israel, Forbes, KCLO-TV, Political Wire and Bloomberg

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
House Republican pleads for Pence, Trump aides to speak out on Jan. 6 insurrection

Discussion: Bloomberg, New York Magazine, Washington Examiner, ABC News, NPR, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Talking Points Memo, CANNONFIRE, Cyprus Mail, Twitchy, WTOP and littlegreenfootballs.com

Axios:
Senate votes to call witnesses in Trump impeachment trial

Discussion: Politico, JONATHAN TURLEY, BuzzFeed News, New York Post, NPR, New York Times, CNN and The Guardian

Bob Brigham / Raw Story:
GOP super-lawyer Ted Olson cuts off donations to Republicans who refuse to convict Trump

Discussion: Sun-Sentinel, Axios and LAW.com

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
McConnell says he'll vote to acquit Trump

Discussion: National Review, CNN, IJR and Washington Times

Marcia Coyle / LAW.com: Ted Olson Backs Case for Trump Conviction at Impeachment Trial

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Trump's Taste for Blood

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Insider, Daily Kos and Raw Story

MSNBC: Report: Trump refused to call off rioters during Kevin McCarthy phone call on Jan. 6

Politico:

Inside Democrats' witness fiasco — When Senate Democrats stepped onto the floor on Saturday morning, they had no idea the House impeachment managers were about to drop a political grenade in their laps. — But after a brief schism that threatened to throw Donald Trump's trial into chaos …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Hill, New York Times, Slate, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Washington Times

Washington Post:

Live updates: House managers say Trump ‘willfully betrayed us’ in final arguments ahead of verdict — In their final arguments, House managers on Saturday accused Donald Trump of having “willfully betrayed us” as the historic second Senate impeachment trial of the former president neared its end on a day punctuated by surprises.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, NPR, Boston Herald, Breitbart, UPROXX, Balloon Juice and Political Wire

New York Times:

House Managers Drop Call for Witnesses — The defense and prosecution reached a deal to avoid a potentially lengthy delay. President Donald J. Trump's second impeachment acquittal remained likely, with Senator Mitch McConnell telling his Republican colleagues that he planned to vote not guilty.

Discussion: Reuters, The Times of Israel, The Western Journal, Daily Kos, Althouse, Forbes, The Wrap, Outside the Beltway, USA Today, KRON4, Denver Post and The Daily Signal

Politico:

Senate on path to verdict after dropping witness request — The lawyers in Donald Trump's impeachment trial clinched an agreement that would bypass witness testimony, clearing the way for the former president to be acquitted on Saturday. — House Democrats prosecuting the case …

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill, Common Dreams, Twitchy, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, Liberty Unyielding and Bloomberg

New York Times:
For the Defense: Twisted Facts and Other Staples of the Trump Playbook

Discussion: The Intellectualist, Breitbart, CNN, Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Raw Story and Political Wire

CBS News:
Trump Impeachment Live Updates: Senate draws closer to vote on whether to convict or acquit

Discussion: The Hill, Bloomberg, Slate, Associated Press, New York Post, Common Dreams, New York Times, The New Neo, Townhall, CNN and The Intellectualist

Wall Street Journal:

New York Prosecutors Investigating Trump's Manhattan Properties — Officials are investigating loans the former president took on four buildings, including his flagship Trump Tower — New York prosecutors are investigating financial dealings around some of Donald Trump's signature Manhattan properties …

Discussion: Political Wire

Axios:

Historians say impact of expected Trump acquittal will be felt for years — It's not lost on historians that Donald Trump's impeachment trial acquittal will fall on Presidents' Day weekend, a holiday celebrating the examples set by America's first president, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Washington Post:
Graham's post-election call with Raffensperger will be scrutinized in Georgia probe, person familiar with inquiry says

Discussion: HuffPost, Insider, CNN, The Hill and Raw Story

Marianne LeVine / Politico:
Graham to meet with Trump to talk future of GOP

Discussion: Insider and The Hill

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Fulton DA's probe will include Graham's call to Raffensperger

Discussion: New York Times, IJR and The Week

Derek Thompson / The Atlantic:

How to Beat the Pandemic by Summer — After nearly a year of social isolation and sacrifice in the long war on COVID-19, the end stage of the pandemic is finally in sight. Millions of Americans are being vaccinated each week, and the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations …

Discussion: New York Magazine and Quartz

CNN:

Pence's former chief of staff has been contacted about providing information in impeachment trial — 'That's a lie': Borger calls out Trump team's denial about Pence's safety — (CNN)Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, has been contacted about providing information …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Times of Israel and The Hill

Cade Metz / New York Times:

Silicon Valley's Safe Space — Slate Star Codex was a window into the psyche of many tech leaders building our collective future. Then it disappeared. — The website had a homely, almost slapdash design with a light blue banner and a strange name: Slate Star Codex.

more at Techmeme »

Amanda Becker / The 19th:

Inside the Lincoln Project's ‘toxic’ workplace — Interviews with nearly two dozen people with knowledge of the group's workings reveal a culture of infighting, sexist language and disparate treatment. — The Lincoln Project's launch in late 2019 was designed to make a splash.

Lachlan Markay / Axios:
Scoop: Lincoln Project co-founder resigns

Discussion: RedState, Outside the Beltway, The Other McCain, Fox News, HuffPost, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Twitchy, Mock Paper Scissors, New York Times, Washington Free Beacon, HotAir and The Daily Beast

Marlow Stern / The Daily Beast:
Bill Maher Grills The Lincoln Project Co-Founder Steve Schmidt: ‘Where Did the Other Money Go?’

Discussion: HotAir, BizPac Review, Power Line, Washington Examiner and Los Angeles Times

Alex Pareene / New Republic:

Call Kyrsten Sinema's Bluff — As perhaps the second-most conservative member of a Democratic Senate caucus that can't afford to lose a single vote to pass its agenda, Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema has a great deal of leverage. Despite her power within the caucus, and despite her record …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Zandar Versus The Stupid and Common Dreams

David Frum / The Atlantic:

The Trump Crew's Incompetence Lasted to the End — If future generations of law professors want to teach a class in what never to do, the belligerent and self-indulgent performance of Michael van der Veen, one of Donald Trump's impeachment lawyers, could provide a lot of the video content.

Discussion: Raw Story

Benjamin Parker / The Bulwark:
The 10 Worst Moments from Trump's “Defense”

Discussion: CNN, Crooks and Liars, New York Daily News, NBC News, New York Times and Talking Points Memo

George Conway / Washington Post:
Trump's lawyers offered an attack on everything but the evidence

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Daily Kos and ABC News

Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:

‘Embarrassed’ Trump Supporter Begs Judge For Son's Freedom After Capitol Riot Arrest — As Trump was on trial for inciting violence, Joseph Cua said he “should've known better” than to believe the bogus claims that brought him and his son to D.C. in January.

Discussion: Raw Story