memeorandum: Jan. 6 Transcripts Shed New Light on How Trump Considered Blanket Pardons (New York Times)

2:40 PM ET, December 28, 2022

Top Items:

Kadia Goba / Semafor:

George Santos tries to explain his wealth — Rep.-elect George Santos has admitted to “embellishing” his resume with fake stints on Wall Street and a phantom college degree. He's still trying to defend against accusations that he pretended to be Jewish. — But the burning question for many people …

Discussion: New York Post, The Hill, The Daily Caller and Roll Call

Charlie Sykes / Morning Shots:

The GOP's George Santos Dilemma — Plus: A year of banning books … Congressman-elect George Santos (R-Bullshit) — Embellished? I do not think that word means what the Talented Mr. Santos thinks it means. — To “embellish” is to adorn, decorate, enhance, gild, beautify, and festoon …

Discussion: National Review, ABC News, Mediaite, RedState, Insider, The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, Washington Post and HuffPost

Steve Israel / The Atlantic:

How a Perfectly Normal New York Suburb Elected a Con Man — How did George Santos, a Republican newly elected to New York's Third Congressional District, on Long Island, get away with running for office with an almost completely fictitious résumé?

Discussion: New York Times, Reason, New York Daily News and Election Law Blog

New York Times:

G.O.P. Leadership Remains Silent Over George Santos's Falsehoods — The muted response from party leaders suggested that so far they were prepared to mete out little, if any, punishment to the congressman-elect. — WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders were silent on Tuesday …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, HuffPost, The Daily Beast and Political Wire

CNN:

Former Trump White House aide told Jan. 6 panel Mark Meadows burned documents a dozen times during the transition period — The January 6 committee released another batch of transcripts Tuesday, including two more of its interviews with blockbuster witness Cassidy Hutchinson and testimony from several other Trump White House officials.

Discussion: HuffPost, The Hill, Insider, Select Committee …, New Republic, Mediaite, Vanity Fair, Mock Paper Scissors, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Political Wire

New York Times:
Jan. 6 Transcripts Shed New Light on How Trump Considered Blanket Pardons

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Victor Nava / New York Post:
Trump didn't know White House schedule was public until last weeks of presidency: ex aide

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Raw Story

Associated Press:

Barry Croft Jr. sentenced to more than 19 years for role in plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer — A Delaware trucker described as a co-leader of the conspiracy to kidnap Michigan's governor has been sentenced to more than 19 years in prison. — Barry Croft Jr. was the fourth …

Tresa Baldas / Detroit Free Press:

Barry Croft Jr. sentenced to 19.6 years in Whitmer kidnapping plot — Barry Croft Jr., a Delaware trucker whom prosecutors labeled the “prime mover” in a violent domestic terrorist plot that planted a bullseye on Michigan's governor, was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison for plotting …

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, UPI, New York Times, Just The News, Associated Press, KTSM-TV, New York Daily News, New York Post and Washington Examiner

CNN:

The Bidens make an island escape ahead of consequential 2024 announcement — President Joe Biden this week returns to St. Croix, one of his and first lady Jill Biden's beloved vacation spots, seeking a final opportunity for rest before what is expected to be a contentious 2023 and reelection run.

Discussion: New York Post, Twitchy, CBS News, KRON4, New York Magazine and USA Today

Phil Mattingly / CNN: Biden and his team feeling vindicated by a 2022 turnaround built on the same decades-old principles

New York Post:
Biden heads to St. Croix as winter blast kills dozens, cancels 10,000 flights

Discussion: IJR, Twitchy, The Virgin Islands Consortium, RedState, PJ Media, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Outside the Beltway, Frontpage Mag, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, The Post Millennial and Washington Times

Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:

Jan. 6 response would have been ‘vastly different’ if rioters were Black, House sergeant at arms told investigators — WASHINGTON — The House sergeant at arms, who was head of the D.C. National Guard during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, told the Jan. 6 committee that the law enforcement response …

Julia Shapero / The Hill:

Jan. 6 transcript: Mnuchin briefly discussed 25th Amendment removal of Trump — Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he briefly talked about using the 25th Amendment to remove former President Trump from power during a discussion with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot.

Discussion: Raw Story, Just The News and Bloomberg

Philip Klein / National Review:

Neil Gorsuch Gets It Right on Title 42 — Justice Neil Gorsuch has taken heat from some conservatives for joining with the liberal minority to reject a request by states to maintain Title 42 border measures indefinitely, which the Supreme Court majority granted.

Discussion: HotAir, Conservative Brief, The Nation, American Greatness, 77 WABC, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, Insider, CNN, USA Today, The Hill, Just The News, Politico, The Daily Caller, JONATHAN TURLEY, RedState, Roll Call and TheBlaze

New York Times:

U.S. Scrambles to Stop Iran From Providing Drones for Russia — As the war in Ukraine grinds on, some officials have become convinced that Iran and Russia are building a new alliance of convenience. — WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has launched a broad effort to halt Iran's ability …

Discussion: The Hill and The Daily Caller

Meagan Flynn / Washington Post:

A 72-year-old congressman goes back to school, pursuing a degree in AI — Normally Don Beyer doesn't bring his multivariable calculus textbook to work, but his final exam was coming up that weekend. — “And I'm running out of time,” he said, plopping the textbook and a scribbled notebook filled …

Discussion: Raw Story

Nicholas Wu / Politico:

Larger squad? How the Hill's newest progressives plan to wield power. — Even as House Democrats shrink into the minority, the voices of progressive lawmakers — inspired by the so-called squad — are set to grow only louder. — An optimistic crop of liberal first-year lawmakers …

New York Times:

Race for G.O.P. Chair Obscures the Party's Bigger Problems — Ronna McDaniel's quest for a fourth term atop the Republican National Committee has triggered an ugly intraparty fight between the right and the farther right. Figuring out how to win back swing voters is not a top priority.

Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:

How Murdoch's media empire turned on Trump in 2022 — An increasingly sour relationship between former President Trump, Fox News and the rest of Rupert Murdoch's media empire that has been building for months has come to a head in the weeks following the midterm elections.

eeas.europa.eu:

North of Kosovo: Joint Statement by the Spokesperson of EU High Representative and the US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson on the rising tension — The European Union and the United States of America are concerned about the continued tense situation in the north of Kosovo.

Discussion: Politico, Radio Free Europe/Radio … and Bloomberg

Andrew Follett / National Review:

How Russia-Backed Environmentalism Is Leading to Blackouts in New England — Dependence on foreign energy has forced power-grid operators to consider rationing this winter. — For the holidays this year, blue states gave their constituents the “gift” of blackouts and high electric bills thanks …

Discussion: U.S. Energy Information …

John Hanna / Associated Press:

EXPLAINER: Kansas' Democratic governor imposes TikTok ban — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly banned the use of TikTok on the state-issued devices of government workers under her control on Wednesday, becoming one of the first Democratic governors to restrict the popular social media app.

Moira Warburton / Reuters:

Trump tax returns to be released by U.S. House panel on Friday — Former Republican President Donald Trump's redacted tax returns will be made public on Friday, a spokesperson for the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee said on Tuesday. — The Democratic-controlled …