Mediaboss Marketing

In this daily series, Newsweek explores the steps that led to the January 6 Capitol Riot.

On December 27, the last Sunday of 2020, the news media struggled to offer any happy news in a year dominated by COVID and then by Donald Trump's post-election dissension.

COVID cases reached 80 million worldwide and over the weekend, the United States reached a grim indicator: 1 in 1,000 Americans had died in the pandemic. Los Angeles County alone was experiencing one COVID death every ten minutes.

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci expressed concern that the state of the pandemic might get worse in the coming weeks. "... [T]he reason I'm concerned and my colleagues in public health are concerned also is that we very well might see a post-seasonal, in the sense of Christmas, New Year's, surge ... a surge upon a surge, because, if you look at the slope, the incline of cases that we have experienced as we have gone into the late fall and soon-to-be-early winter, it is really quite troubling."

"We are really at a very critical point," Fauci said.

Then there was the Christmas morning bombing in Nashville, still raw in people's minds, a reminder that nothing stopped for the pandemic. Though terrorism was being downplayed, analysts latched onto other implications. "I think this is a wake-up call and a warning for all of us about how vulnerable our infrastructure is," former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi told CBS' Face the Nation. "We've concentrated, post 9/11 on ... getting our hands around all the chemical companies, mass orders of precursors for known explosives," he said, calling on shop owners and companies to be even more vigilant.

"[T]he notion of a copycat seeing what's happened in Nashville and trying to do this themselves is very real," he said.

"We haven't really been talking about infrastructure in this country in the context of individuals trying to conduct attacks of harm against," former homeland security Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Neumann told ABC's This Week, "but it's just a stark reminder that it is extremely vulnerable and we're overdue for some pretty significant investments."

On NBC's Meet the Press, there was no talk of Nashville, or COVID: the entire show was devoted to Joe Biden and what kind of president he would be. The closest the program got was in asking two governors about the difficult time and being targeted by COVID protestors. Gov. Mike Dewine of Ohio said: "I think it's understandable that people are upset. It's nine months into this. People are tired of it, so I get it."

Trump's "final days in office are shaping up to be the most volatile and unpredictable of a presidency defined by its volatility and unpredictability," said Jonathan Karl on ABC's This Week.

ABC had Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan on, Karl asking him if he was concerned about the damage Donald Trump could do in his last 24 days in office. Hogan cited Trump's delay in signing the COVID stimulus bill into law, his vetoing of the defense authorization bill. "Millions of people are going to suffer," Hogan said. "The Paycheck Protection Plan ran out in July. Unemployment benefits are about to run out tomorrow. And we've got to get this done."

Asked about Trump's call for a last-ditch fight on January 6, Hogan reassured viewers that Joe Biden was going to be sworn in on January 20. "There is a lot of disinformation out there," Hogan said. "Everybody wants every single legal vote to be counted. We want the election to be fair and proper."

"I'm hopeful that the vice president [Mike Pence] understands that [January 6 is a purely ceremonial job] and will execute his constitutional duties on January 6th," former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie told ABC. "There may be some, some histrionics that go along with it, in the end I'm confident that the Congress will confirm what the American people did on Election Day, which was to elect Joe Biden the next president of the United States."

Not one of the dominant Sunday morning news shows mentioned the protests brewing or the likelihood of violence.

"See you in Washington, D.C., on January 6th. Don't miss it," Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday.

Go here to read the rest:
Though Obsessed with Donald Trump, the Media Was Blind to Brewing Threat of Violence - Newsweek

Republicans cheered when Chris Smith, a leading anti-abortion advocate, flipped a Democratic-held district and was elected to Congress in 1980. Hes won in landslides for the following four decades.

But now the leader of Republican Party, former President Donald Trump, wants Smith out of office. Two GOP candidates are answering Trumps call to challenge New Jerseys longest-serving congressman in next years primary just as Smiths new district gains more loyal supporters of the former president.

The reason? Smith, who often split with Trump and House GOP leaders during his 41 years on Capitol Hill, went too far in the eyes of the ex-president when he was one of only 13 House Republicans to back President Joe Bidens $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

Alan Steinberg, who worked in the administrations of Gov. Christie Whitman and President George W. Bush, said it has more to do with the state of the Republican Party than Smith.

Hes never changed, Steinberg said. The party has changed.

Former Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist., who also often opposed Trump when he served in Congress, said the ex-presidents actions show any dissent is no longer permitted.

The former president doesnt take kindly to somebody who disagrees in any way shape or form with him, LoBiondo said. Ive never seen it this bad. Its a whole different ball game. You cant even talk about cooperation without jumping down your throat.

Two Republicans have asked Trump to endorse their primary challenges to Smith: Mike Blasi and Tricia Flanagan.

The Chris Smith of 20 years ago would not be supportive of the Chris Smith of today, said Dominick Cuozzo, a member of Blasis campaign management team.

No way, Smith said. He says hes still a conservative moderate.

Im not a liberal, Smith said.

Despite hearing a few dissenting voices from the fringes such as Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who on Twitter called Smith a traitor along with the other Republicans who voted yes on infrastructure the New Jersey Republican said his views remain in line with the GOP.

The mainstream of the party hasnt changed that much, he said. I feel very at home.

If there is any movement, one could argue that the party has moved closer to Smith rather than the other way around. The former executive director of New Jersey Right to Lifes election began as an outlier in a state where leading New Jersey Republicans, most notably Govs. Whitman and Tom Kean, supported abortion rights.

Now, thanks to Trump and Senate Republicans, a six-judge GOP majority on the U.S. Supreme Court could revoke the constitutional right to abortion in Roe v. Wade.

Smith has drawn the ire of GOP leaders before, most notably when he was stripped of his House Veterans Affairs Committee chairmanship for opposing Republican efforts to cut federal funding for veterans.

He annually is among the Republicans least likely to toe the party line, and most likely to work with Democrats. And he opposed both of Trumps top legislative priorities: the GOP tax law and he unsuccessful effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

LoBiondo said Smith does a good job representing New Jersey.

Were not Alabama or Mississippi or one of the deep red states, said LoBiondo, who also opposed both bills. If you want Republican representation, thats going to look different than it will in other areas.

Indeed, Smiths brand of Republicanism remains popular in his district. Hes received at least 60% of the vote in 18 of his 21 successful House campaigns.

The thing about Chris Smith is hes the same guy hes always been, said former Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-7th Dist. That is the reason that no matter what his district has looked like, New Jersey voters have confidence in who he is and they love that he is their representative in Washington.

Smiths vote for the infrastructure bill was different than the other times he diverted from the Republican stance because of Trump, said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University..

(Trump) is spending his time plotting his revenge and going after people who otherwise are solid Republicans representatives who subscribe to what the party stands for these days, except for those things that are important to the district that Trump opposes, Baker said.

LoBiondo said that enforcing such loyalty tests could hurt the partys chances of winning back the House majority in 2022.

Were really on the edge of retaking the majority, LoBiondo said. One of the things the Republicans seem to be pretty good at is forming a circular firing squad. Chris, who has held a solid grip on that district, is told hes got to have a primary because there was a single vote that people didnt agree on.

Smiths new district, approved by the states independent redistricting commission Wednesday, removes his home in Hamilton and his Mercer County base while adding large swaths of pro-Trump Ocean County Republicans.

David Wasserman, who tracks House races for the Cook Political Report, said that could mean trouble for Smith in next years Republican primary

Hes picking up a ton of hard-core Trump towns in Ocean County who dont like that he voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Wasserman said.

Smith said more than 70% of the new 4th is his current district and he previously represented some of the other municipalities during his four decades in Washington. He supported the former president 66% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.

I know these areas, including the new areas, Smith said. Trump is a force. Ive supported much of his agenda. So Im very confident where I stand vis a vis Donald Trump.

One of Smiths primary opponents, Blasi, a veteran, former law enforcement officer and owner of a small real estate company, described his agenda as America First and praised two of Trumps most vocal supporters in Congress: Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. Both backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election that Trump lost.

Smith broke with a majority of House Republicans and did not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the election results in several battleground states won by Joe Biden, and voted against rejecting state-certified election results in two states following the Jan. 6 insurrection by supporters of the former president.

We need more Jim Jordans and less Chris Smiths, said Blasi, who entered the race as a Trump supporter even before the former president sought a primary challenger to Smith. Im watching several congressmen and congresswomen doing their jobs and stepping up. Theres nobody stepping up in Jersey.

Cuozzo said Blasi had the support of Karen Giorno, a former Florida adviser to Trumps campaign. He said Giorno has submitted Blasis name to Susie Wiles, who is overseeing the former presidents political operation, including his endorsements.

Following Trumps call to action, Flanagan, who initially sought the GOP nomination against Democratic Rep. Andy Kim in the 3rd District, said she would instead run against Smith in the 4th District GOP primary.

Im answering the very clear and present call that President Trump put forth for Chris Smith to be primaried in this midterm, said Flanagan, who earlier this year sought the ex-presidents support for her challenge against Kim during a visit to his Bedminster golf club.

Smith, though, said all indications were that Trump would sit out his race. Theres no sense that hes going to do anything, Smith said.

Nor was he worried about his vote for the infrastructure bill being an issue next year, he said.

Infrastructure is a win for everybody, he said. I dont think its going to be a major problem or even a minor problem.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

Start your day with the latest from Trenton, D.C. and your town. Get the N.J. Politics newsletter now.

See the rest here:
N.J.s Chris Smith was once celebrated by conservatives. Now Trump wants him gone. What happened? - NJ.com

Expectation is growing that Donald Trump might face charges for trying to obstruct Congress from certifying Joe Bidens election this year as a House panel collects more evidence into the 6 January attack on the Capitol, former prosecutors and other experts say.

Speculation about possible charges against the former US president has been heightened by a recent rhetorical bombshell from Republican representative and 6 January panel vice-chair Liz Cheney suggesting the House panel is looking at whether Trump broke a law that bars obstruction of official proceedings.

Former prosecutors say if the panel finds new evidence about Trumps role interfering with Congress job to certify Bidens election, that could help buttress a potential case by the Department of Justice.

In varying ways, Cheneys comments have been echoed by two other members of the House select committee, Republican Adam Kinzinger and Democrat Jamie Raskin, spurring talk of how an obstruction statute could apply to Trump, which would entail the panel making a criminal referral of evidence for the justice department to investigate, say DoJ veterans.

Cheneys remarks raising the specter of criminal charges against Trump came twice earlier this month at hearings of the committee. Experts believe the charges could be well founded given Trumps actions on 6 January, including incendiary remarks to a rally before the Capitol attack and failure to act for hours to stop the riot, say former justice department officials.

Based on what is already in the public domain, there is powerful evidence that numerous people, in and out of government, attempted to obstruct and did obstruct, at least for a while an official proceeding i.e., the certification of the Presidential election, said former DOJ inspector general and former prosecutor Michael Bromwich in a statement to the Guardian. That is a crime.

Although a House panel referral of obstruction by Trump would not force DOJ to open a criminal case against him, it could help provide more evidence for one, and build pressure on the justice department to move forward, say former prosecutors.

Attorneygeneral Merrick Garland has declined to say so far whether his department may be investigating Trump and his top allies already for their roles in the Capitol assault.

The panel has amassed significant evidence, including more than 30,000 records and interviews with more than 300 people, among whom were some key White House staff.

The evidence against Trump himself could include his actions at the Stop the Steal rally not far from the White House, where he urged backers to march to the Capitol and fight like hell [or] youre not going to have a country any more. Trump then resisted multiple pleas for hours from Republicans and others to urge his violent supporters to stop the attack.

Recent rulings by Trump-appointed district court judges have supported using the obstruction statute, which federal prosecutors have cited in about 200 cases involving rioters charged by DOJ for their roles in the Capitol assault that injured about 140 police officers and left five dead.

Still, experts note that the House panels mission has been to assemble a comprehensive report of what took place on 6 January and work on legislation to avoid such assaults on democracy. They caution that any criminal referral to DOJ documenting Trumps obstruction of Congress will take time and more evidence to help bolster a DOJ investigation.

Some DOJ veterans say that any referral to DOJ by the House panel for a criminal case against Trump and perhaps top allies such as ex chief of staff Mark Meadows, whom the House last week cited for criminal contempt for refusing to be deposed might also include Trumps aggressive pressuring of federal and state officials before 6 January to block Bidens win with baseless charges of fraud.

Bromwich stressed that the evidence is steadily accumulating that would prove obstruction beyond a reasonable doubt. The ultimate question is who the defendants would be in such an obstruction case. Evidence is growing that, as a matter of law and fact, that could include Trump, Meadows and other members of Trumps inner circle.

Cheney teed up the issue about Trumps potential culpability first at a House panel hearing last week, when she urged that Meadows be held in contempt for refusing to be deposed, and then hit Trump with a rhetorical bombshell.

We know hours passed with no action by the president to defend the Congress of the United States from an assault while we were counting electoral votes, Cheney said.

Did Donald Trump, through action or inaction, corruptly seek to obstruct or impede Congress official proceeding to count electoral votes?

Cheneys comments about Trump were very precise, including language from the criminal obstruction statute, and she stated that her question is a key one for the panels legislative tasks.

Raskin too has told Politico that the issue of whether Trump broke the law by obstructing an official proceeding is clearly one of the things on the mind of some of the members of the committee.

The possibility of obstruction charges is legally valid, said Paul Rosenzweig, a former DOJ prosecutor who worked on Ken Starrs team during the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, noting that two district judges appointed by Trump have recently said that the statute covers the efforts on January 6 to stop the electoral count.

For instance, Judge Dabney Friedrich in a recent opinion rejected the claim by some defendants who were challenging the DOJ view that the 6 January meeting of Congress fit the legal definition of an official proceeding.

Rosenzweig posited that given Trumps various attempts before 6 January to undermine the election results, a broader conspiracy case may be another option for prosecutors to pursue. Should DOJ look at broader conspiracy charges, Trumps persistent pressures on acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen and his top deputy for help blocking Bidens victory wouldprobably be relevant, say ex-prosecutors.

On one call on 27 December 2020, Trump pressed Rosen and his deputy to falsely state the election illegal and corrupt despite the fact that the DOJ had not found any evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Paul Pelletier, a former acting chief of the fraud section at DOJ, said that Cheneys statements were carefully crafted and obviously based upon evidence the committee had seen. Should Congress ultimately refer the case to DOJ for investigation and prosecution, the DOJs investigation would not be limited to a single obstruction charge, but would more likely investigate broader conspiracy charges potentially involving Trump and other key loyalists.

The panel has accelerated its pace recently by sending out dozens of subpoenas for documents and depositions, some to close Trump aides. Meadows has become a central focus of the inquiry, in part over tweets he received on and near the insurrection that are among approximately 9,000 documents he gave the panel, much to Trumps chagrin.

As Trumps efforts to thwart the panel from moving forward have had limited success, he has relied on sending out splenetic email attacks, including one last month that read: The Unselect Committee itself is Rigged, stacked with Never Trumpers, Republican enemies, and two disgraced RINOs, Cheney and Kinzinger, who couldnt get elected dog catcher in their districts.

Despite Trumps angry attacks on the panel, some ex-prosecutors say that prosecuting Trump if enough evidence is found to merit charges is important for the health of American democracy.

Former Georgia US attorney Michael J Moore told the Guardian: I hate to think of a legal system that would allow the most powerful person in the country to go unchallenged when he has abdicated his highest priority, that being to keep our citizens safe. Trumps conduct that day was not unlike a mob boss.

Go here to read the rest:
Trump could face charges for trying to obstruct certification of election, legal experts say - The Guardian

Donald Trump turned to the supreme court Thursday in a last-ditch effort to keep documents away from the House committee investigating the 6 January insurrection at the Capitol.

A federal appeals court ruled against the former US president two weeks ago, but prohibited documents held by the National Archives from being turned over before the supreme court had a chance to weigh in. Trump appointed three of the nine justices.

Trump is claiming that as a former president he has right to assert executive privilege over the records, arguing that releasing them would damage the presidency in the future.

But Joe Biden determined that the documents were in the public interest and that executive privilege should therefore not be invoked.

The documents include presidential diaries, visitor logs, speech drafts, handwritten notes concerning the events of January 6 from the files of former chief of staff Mark Meadows, and a draft executive order on the topic of election integrity, the Archives has said.

The House committee has said the records are vital to its investigation into the run-up to the deadly riot that was aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Read the original:
Trump asks supreme court to block release of 6 January records - The Guardian

The presidential election is three years away, but former President TrumpDonald TrumpTask force has reunited 100 children with families separated under Trump Overnight Health Care FDA authorizes second COVID-19 bill, but stresses limitations Democrats look to scale back Biden bill to get it passed MORE is already fueling speculation he might mount a third bid for the White House.

In findings that would be sure to please the former president, more voters said they would back Trump over President BidenJoe BidenUnited, Delta cancel more than 200 Christmas Eve flights amid omicron surge Task force has reunited 100 children with families separated under Trump Suspect charged in Philadelphia carjacking of Democratic congresswoman MORE if the election were held today, according to a recent Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey.

While he has declined to say definitively whether he will run again, Trump has continued to host rallies and endorse candidates for races across the country, posing a challenge for other potential 2024 Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisTaking aim at critical race theory, Ron DeSantis grabs reins of the conservative movement History shows only a new Voting Rights Act can preserve our fragile democracy Biden resists shutdowns as omicron threat rises MORE and former Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceJim Jordan says he has 'real concerns' with Jan. 6 panel after sit-down request Jan. 6 panel seeks sit-down with Jim Jordan Flynn sues Jan. 6 panel to block access to phone records, testimony MORE.

Here are five recent comments from Trump that suggest a third presidential bid is likely.

"The country needs it." (July 1, 2021)

Trump told Fox News host Sean HannitySean Patrick HannityEquilibrium/Sustainability Presented by Southern Company Otters plunder Singapore's pools and paths The Memo: Failure on big bill would spark cascade of trouble for Biden Brad Parscale says Jan. 6 committee issued subpoena for his phone records MORE at a July town hall in Texas that he had made a decision on whether he will run for president again in 2024 though he didnt disclose what the decision was.

The remark came just days after he held his first post-presidential rally in Ohio.

"It's not that I want to," Trump said when pressed by Hannity about the prospect of running again. "The country needs it. We have to take care of this country. I don't want to, is this fun? Fighting constantly? Fighting always? I mean, the country, what we have done is so important."

"I guess a bad call from a doctor or something, right?" (Sept. 25, 2021)

Trump suggested during an interview in September that the only thing that would prevent him from running again would be a problem with his health.

"Well, I don't I guess a bad call from a doctor or something, right?" Trump said on "The Water Cooler" show on Real America's Voice, when asked what would keep him from seeking another White House bid.

Trump, now 75, was previously the oldest president to enter office until Biden earlier this year. If he wins in 2024, Trump would be 82 years old upon his completion of his second term.

"Things happen. Through God, they happen," he told commentator David Brody on the show. "But I feel so good."

If I faced [DeSantis], I'd beat him like I would beat everyone else." (Oct. 4, 2021)

If Trump decides to run again, he could face a crowded primary field and one of his closest-watched potential rivals is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

With speculation swirling over a DeSantis run, Trump sent a possible warning signal to the governor, saying he thinks DeSantis would step aside to give the former president another shot at the White House.

But Trump didnt express concern even if DeSantis were to remain in the race.

If I faced him, I'd beat him like I would beat everyone else, Trump said during an interview with Yahoo Finance Live released on Oct. 4.

Should Trump run, he would likely skate to the 2024 GOP nomination, according to Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll released Monday.

The poll, largely in line with other recent surveys, found that 67 percent of Republican voters would back the former president, with former Vice President Mike Pence coming in second with 9 percent and DeSantis coming in third with 8 percent.

"If you love the country you have no choice." (Dec. 1, 2021)

In a December interview with British broadcaster Nigel Farage, the former politician known for his championing of the Brexit movement, Trump continued to hint at a third bid for the White House. Farage was the first British politician to meet Trump following his election in 2016.

When asked at his Mar-a-Lago resort if he would be willing to give up his more laid-back post-presidency lifestyle, Trump indicated an eagerness to return to Washington.

I love our country, Trump told Farage.

If you love the country you have no choice. It's not a question, this is a wonderful, beautiful life. But I liked that too because I was helping people. That's why I did it. And I think you'll be happy in the future too, he said.

'If you love the country you have no choice'

In an exclusive interview for GB News, former President Donald Trump gives his strongest hint yet that he will run for the White House again in 2024. pic.twitter.com/uGzkYmerIC

Trump also told Farage that many Republican candidates running in next years midterm elections are asking for his endorsement.

"If I do decide [not to run again], I think my base is going to be very angry." (Dec. 8, 2021)

In an interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt Wednesday, Trump said hell see what happens right after the midterms."

I think we have a couple of people that are, would be very good, but its, you know, very early. Its very, very early, Trump said.

Even with other potential candidates in the race, Trump expressed concern about not remaining in good graces with his supporters if he chooses to not run in 2024.

If I do decide that, I think my base is going to be very angry, he said.

Read this article:
5 Trump quotes that indicate he will run in 2024 | TheHill - The Hill