memeorandum: House GOP chips away at centrist resistance on Biden impeachment inquiry (Politico)

7:25 AM ET, December 11, 2023

Top Items:

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

Trump the ‘human gumball machine’ will ‘impose his will’ on the nation if elected, Romney says — “A thought or a notion comes in and it comes out of his mouth. There's not a lot of filter that goes on,” he said of Trump. — Some Republicans have read former President Donald Trump's comment …

Discussion: The Hill, NBC News, Washington Examiner, RedState, The Guardian, Washington Times, Axios and Breitbart

Kelly Garrity / Politico:

'America doesn't want' retribution from Trump, McCarthy says — “What President Trump needs to do in this campaign, it needs to be about rebuilding, restoring, renewing America. It can't be about revenge,” McCarthy said. — Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has officially pledged …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Breitbart, New York Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Guardian, Raw Story, Business Insider, RedState, The Messenger and USA Today

Robert Costa / CBS News:
Kevin McCarthy on Trump: America doesn't want “retribution”

Discussion: ABC News, The Hill, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Mercury News and Mediaite

Quinn Scanlan / ABC News:
Liz Cheney's plea: ‘Our focus has got to be on defeating Donald Trump’ in 2024

Discussion: Washington Post, Newsbusters, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, USA Today, Axios, Breitbart and HuffPost

Eva Surovell / The Messenger:
Mitt Romney Says Joe Manchin Is the 'Joe I'd Like to Vote For' in 2024

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Examiner, The Hill and Political Wire

The Guardian:

Republicans to meet allies of Hungary's Viktor Orbán on ending Ukraine aid — Hungarian appearance at two-day event part of Orbán's transatlantic attempt to bolster Russia's war — Allies of Hungary's far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán will hold a closed-door meeting …

Discussion: Washington Post, Balloon Juice, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Messenger, The Kyiv Independent, Saywhat Politics and Political Wire

Politico:

House GOP chips away at centrist resistance on Biden impeachment inquiry — About a half-dozen members are still undecided, but there's only one public ‘no’ vote in POLITICO's whip count. It's a rare sign of unity for the conference. — House Republicans are inches away …

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Raw Story, USA Today and Washington Times

NBC News:

In a reversal, Donald Trump says he will not testify in his own defense in New York fraud trial — Trump was scheduled to take the stand Monday as the months-long $250 million civil fraud trial against him and his company enters its final week. — In an 11th hour reversal …

Jason Beeferman / Politico:

Trump defends dictator comments amid NYC soiree filled with MAGA diehards — At an event with key figures within the MAGA movement, the former president repeated comments that he wants to be a dictator on “day one.” — NEW YORK — The chairman of an Austrian political party founded by ex-Nazis …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and The Hill

Politico:
Playbook: Trump doubles down on ‘dictator’ desire

Discussion: NBC News, The Messenger and Rolling Stone

Wall Street Journal:

Tucker Carlson Is Launching His Own Streaming Service — ‘Tucker Carlson Network’ is expected to go live on Monday and cost $9 a month — Tucker Carlson is launching his own subscription streaming service, people familiar with the matter said, the former Fox News host's official foray …

Discussion: RedState, Political Wire, The Messenger, Variety and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:

As Fury Erupts Over Campus Antisemitism, Conservatives Seize the Moment — Republicans have been attacking elite universities for years. After a tense congressional hearing last week, many on the left are joining them. — For years, conservatives have struggled to persuade American voters …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Twitchy, Politico, Why Evolution Is True, New York Daily News and The Times of Israel

Washington Post:

Less appetite — and opportunity — to serve as fake Trump electors in 2024 — Amid a growing number of criminal investigations into the 2020 election, some who once cast electoral college votes for the former president say they would not do it again — Republican Party activist Ken Carroll thought …

Discussion: Business Insider, Political Wire and The Nation

Marcia Kramer / CBS News:

Former Rep. George Santos says no shortage of corruption in Congress after his expulsion on “The Point with Marcia Kramer” — The Point — George Santos has left the U.S. House of Representatives, but apparently not the public arena. He's making personalized videos on Cameo …

Discussion: Page Six, The Daily Beast, Florida Politics, Business Insider, Mediaite and The Hill

Sanjana Karanth / HuffPost:

Antony Blinken Defends Lone U.S. Veto On UN Cease-Fire Resolution For Gaza — The secretary of state also claimed the U.S. cares about protecting Palestinian civilians, but just bypassed Congress to approve more arms sales to Israel. — LOADING — Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Politico, RedState, Associated Press, USA Today, New York Times, UPI and The Hill

Mike McIntire / New York Times:

The Guns Were Said to Be Destroyed. Instead, They Were Reborn. — Communities across the U.S. are fueling a secondary arms market by giving seized and surrendered guns to disposal services that destroy one part and resell the rest. — When Flint, Mich., announced in September …

Discussion: KTVU-TV

The Hill:

‘Morally, this is obscene’: GOP divided over stripping compensation for radiation victims from NDAA — The exclusion of a measure to extend compensation for people exposed to radiation from U.S. nuclear testing from the annual defense bill this week marked yet another fracture in the Republican conference.

Discussion: Business Insider

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Giuliani spread lies about Georgia election workers. A jury will decide what he owes them. — A damages trial begins Monday in a case in which a judge has already ruled that Rudy Giuliani is liable for defamation. — When Rudy Giuliani steps into federal court on Monday …