| | |  | BY RENUKA RAYASAM AND MYAH WARD | FIRST ON POLITICO: TRUMP CONSIDERS PARDONING BANNON — President Donald Trump is considering granting a pardon to Steve Bannon , his former White House chief strategist and top campaign aide, who was charged with swindling donors to a private crowdsourcing effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, two sources familiar with the matter tell POLITICO. The potential pardon would follow a wave of reprieves the president has recently granted to political allies who have been convicted, charged or reportedly under federal investigation. Two additional batches of pardons are expected — one later tonight and one Wednesday morning before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office, according to one of the people. TRUMP’S FUTURE — Welcome to the last weekend of Trump’s presidency. His future remains deeply uncertain. A Senate trial looms. Regardless of the verdict, a host of legal and financial issues are presumed to await him in his post-presidency. So Nightly asked some high-profile people from across the political spectrum for their thoughts on what Trump’s post-presidential fate should be. Specifically we asked: Should Donald Trump face any consequences, after he leaves office, from the Congress or the legal system for his actions as president? Everyone we reached out to agreed that perpetrators of last week’s Capitol Hill riot should be held accountable, but not everyone agreed about Trump’s role in the violence. Here are their edited answers: “In August 1974, Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, a step ahead of impeachment. A month later, President Gerald Ford offered Nixon a full pardon for his crimes. “Acceptance of the pardon, Ford noted, was an admission of guilt. But Democrats, liberals, and some Republicans, were outraged. Many had hoped to see Nixon in the dock — not as vengeance, they insisted, but as a warning to future presidents. “A week later, Ford offered amnesty to Vietnam War draft dodgers and deserters. Now it was the Right’s turn to voice its outrage. Ford stood firm, but his actions that fall were factors in his loss to Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976. “By 2001, there was an historic correction. Ford’s decision was applauded. He received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award, a prize presented to statesmen who follow their conscience no matter the cost. In presenting the award Senator Edward Kennedy noted: ‘I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right. His courage and dedication to our country made it possible for us to begin the process of healing.’ “Joe Biden faces circumstances far different from that which confronted Ford, but we have a similarly compelling need to put a disgraced president out with the trash and get on with national revival. It is hard to conceive of a political package like the one that Ford put together back then. A pardon, or censure for Donald Trump — in conjunction with amnesty for undocumented immigrants? Well, there’s poetic justice there. “The lesson of the tale is not in the specifics, but in how Ford’s actions, pleasing no one at the time, came to be valued. As Kennedy said, time has a way of clarifying past events. The right deal might one day be looked on as wisdom.” — John A. Farrell, author of biographies of Tip O’Neill, Clarence Darrow and Richard Nixon, and an upcoming book about the life of Ted Kennedy “The framers of the Constitution knew they were creating a powerful presidency with the potential to become tyrannical, so they created the impeachment process as a check on abuses of presidential power — including by trying to stay in office unconstitutionally. Our current president has been impeached twice — a historical first — for trying to cheat in an election. “President Ford was praised for ending the ‘long national nightmare’ by pardoning his predecessor. However, there needs to be accountability to prevent this from happening again. This president has utterly abused his power. He has become perhaps the most urgent threat to national security. It’s no accident that there are now more troops in Washington, D.C., than in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria combined. “If power isn’t taken away from him and consequences aren’t imposed, he will keep trying in his time remaining to foment violence and insurrection. His successors might learn from his mistakes and perfect his method of tyranny. We can’t go through this again. Remove him. Disqualify him from office. And, if there’s probable cause he committed crimes, indict him. The laws apply equally to everyone — don’t they?” — Olivia Troye, homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Vice President Mike Pence until her departure in August 2020 over the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. “Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers that the most necessary quality for a president is energy, which he argued is needed to bring forth the enthusiasm of the people. “President Trump did not incite a riot. He gave a speech. Every responsible American along with President Trump has condemned the storming of the United States Capitol and the violence caused by the mob. Overzealous crazy people acted recklessly and stupidly. They should and will be held accountable for their actions. “President Trump should not be impeached or face any consequences from the legal system after he leaves office. Instead, he should be granted the Medal of Freedom from President Biden for giving voice to millions of law-abiding citizens who have a right to have their voices heard and to peacefully protest their government. Anytime a president or political leader can mobilize public support behind a worthy cause he or she deserves praise not condemnation. “The cheapening of the impeachment process, the weaponization of criminal prosecutors, and the criminalizing of the necessary, routine and legal practices of government and politics threatens the separation of powers and the freedoms of the people.” — Rod Blagojevich, the governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, as told to Shia Kapos. Trump commuted Blagojevich’s 14-year felony sentence for corruption last year. “I absolutely think that Donald Trump should face serious consequences for what he has done. This applies to many actions, but particularly those since Nov. 3 when he relentlessly promoted the lie that the election was stolen, and then encouraged a mob to storm Congress. The Senate should try and convict him, and clearly bar him from ever running for President again. “The reason this is important concerns less Trump himself than future presidents and national leaders — the Josh Hawleys and Ted Cruzes who may wish to follow in his footsteps. We have to slam the Overton window shut and make clear that certain actions will never be acceptable on the part of a president, and that their historical legacy will be one of infamy.” — Francis Fukuyama, political scientist at Stanford and author of “The End of History and the Last Man” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Congrats to the new Playbook team ! Keeping my fingers crossed for a crossover episode! Nightly will be off Monday, Jan. 18. We’ll be back and better than ever Tuesday. Reach out at rrayasam@politico.com and mward@politico.com or on Twitter at @renurayasam and @myahward.
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| | A NEW YEAR, A NEW CONGRESS, A NEW HUDDLE: It was an ugly and heartbreaking week inside the Capitol, particularly for all of those who work on the Hill. How are lawmakers planning to move forward? How will security change? How will a new Senate majority impact the legislative agenda? With so much at stake, our new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings you the most important news and critical insight from Capitol Hill with help from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the essential guide to understanding Congress. It has never been more important. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | THE TRUMPS’ FUTURE — When Trump incited a mob riot on Capitol Hill last week, he didn’t just complicate his own political future — he scrambled the political career arcs of his kids as well . At least three Trump family members are either considering runs for office or being urged to do so, according to well-connected GOP operatives and Trump family allies, write Meridith McGraw, Sam Stein and Marc Caputo. The president’s eldest son, Don Jr., is eyeing a future in politics, though allies say it’s unclear when or what office he’d seek after he passed on running for the Senate in Wyoming this last cycle. He and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle have also been scoping out real estate in Florida. Top party officials say that Lara Trump, wife of the president’s son Eric, is actively contemplating a run for the Senate in North Carolina, where an open seat awaits in 2022. A person close to Lara said that she has not made any decisions on entering the race in North Carolina, although consultants have been “poking around” for her in the state. “With Lara,” said the operative, “I get the vibe she is ready to go.” The newest and most-buzzed about possibility surrounds the president’s daughter Ivanka. The senior White House adviser is set to decamp to Florida after her father’s presidency comes to a close. And though talk of her launching a primary challenge to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has given off the faint whiff of political fanfic, in reality, Trump officials say, there have been machinations behind the scenes. Most tellingly, in the last week, Bannon, as he was renewing his contacts with Trump himself, began talking up Ivanka’s political resume.
| | STORM CLOUDS — The FBI arrested a Florida Army veteran today on charges of plotting to violently disrupt protests at the state Capitol leading up to Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, writes Bruce Ritchie from Tallahassee. Daniel Baker, 33, wanted to encircle protesters at the state Capitol and confine them with guns, U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe and the FBI said. Baker, a former U.S. Army Airborne infantryman who was kicked out of the service in 2007, had issued “a call to arms” seeking others to join him on Sunday, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court. Armed protests in opposition to the election results are planned for all 50 state capitals this weekend.
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| | KEEP UP WITH THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WITH TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: It was a dark week in American history, and a new administration will have to pick up the pieces. Transition Playbook brings you inside the last days of this crucial transfer of power, tracking the latest from President-elect Biden and his growing administration. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | FAR AND WIDE — The U.K. Covid variant could become the main form of the virus in the U.S. by March, according to a CDC report published today . The agency reported 76 cases of the variant, known as B.1.1.7, across 10 states as of Jan. 12. But it’s probably safe to assume a far wider spread nationwide, Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunology at Yale School of Medicine, told Myah. “If we had more surveillance, we would know better, exactly where the variants are,” she said. People are more likely to catch the virus variant because it’s able to replicate at higher levels in the upper respiratory tract. This means that every time a person breathes, coughs or talks, more virus is emitted. The good news: The variant doesn’t seem to be evading the vaccine. But the bad news, Iwasaki said, is that vaccine rollout is slow, so the only protective measure most people have right now is to avoid exposure — something she knows everyone is “sick of.” For essential tasks like grocery shopping, that means staying in the store for the shortest time possible, or having your food delivered if possible. And it would probably be wise to wait on other nonessential tasks, like getting a haircut. (Iwasaki is cutting her own hair.) Right now, there’s a huge wave going on in many parts of the country,” Iwasaki said. “Right now is not the time to be thinking about getting color in your hair, or whatever. I know it’s very important for mental health, absolutely. I’m not saying don’t ever do it, but it’s bad timing.” Researchers are working with limited data to learn about new — and potentially more contagious — variants popping up across the globe. There’s the South African variant, which is also more contagious and shares mutations with the U.K. variant. And now researchers are studying a variant from Brazil, which is suspected to have similar characteristics, though they can’t say yet whether it’s more contagious. “It’s a matter of time we find out we have more of these things,” Iwasaki said. “People have this comfort, ‘Oh well, it’s not more severe, it’s just going to kill as many people as the normal variant that’s out there.’ But if it spreads faster, it’s going to cause more death and severe disease.”
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Work crews install razor wire on top of the fencing surrounding the U.S. Capitol ahead of the inauguration in Washington. | Getty Images | | | CONSEQUENCES CONTINUE — Democrats stepping into the Senate majority this month are weighing stiff penalties for Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz over their objections to the 2020 presidential election results, Andrew Desiderio writes. Hawley (R-Mo.) and Cruz (R-Texas) spearheaded objections to Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes even after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol demanding that the election be overturned, prompting Democrats to accuse them of inciting violence for political gain — claims the senators have vigorously denied. The House impeached Trump earlier this week for inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol, and Democrats argue that Hawley and Cruz should face similar consequences. Some have called on them to resign or be expelled from the Senate altogether, which is unlikely to happen; but others are coalescing around an official rebuke in the form of a censure.
| | IN THE WORDS OF BARENAKED LADIES — It’s been one week since Trump’s last tweet, after Twitter and several other tech giants banned the president because of the fallout from last week’s insurrection. In the latest POLITICO Dispatch, senior technology reporter Nancy Scola takes us inside Big Tech’s decision to dump Trump — and looks at how Silicon Valley’s influence in politics could come under sharper scrutiny in the coming years.
| | | | Nightly asked you: What are you most hopeful about in 2021? Select, lightly edited responses are below: “That the Biden administration will be successful in quickly and efficiently vaccinating everyone who wants a vaccination, and that our lives will get back to ‘normal.’” — David Herta, retired, Burton, Mich. “This might sound pollyannaish, but I hope for a return to a modicum of civility in our discourse. Or maybe just the ability to have discourse. I long for the return of the small kindnesses sometimes found in human interactions.” — Mary Happ, law firm administrator, Winnetka, Ill. “Getting vaccinated and getting out of my man cave. I’m incredibly fortunate being able to work from home since last March, but really want to get out of here and resume some semblance of a ‘normal’ life.” — Scott Rost, insurance sales, Sedona, Ariz. “Live music, baseball fans in the stands, wide vaccine distribution, acceptance and forgiveness.” — Richard Piombino, small business owner, Atlanta “I just want to be able to go to a coffee shop, get a cup of coffee, and sit there for an hour reading my book. If that happens in 2021, I will consider my year a success.” — Susie Margaret Ross, retired, Franklin, Tenn. “Relaxing on vacation with a book that has nothing to do with current events or politics. And that’s coming from a civics teacher.” — Tim Woods, high school teacher, Philadelphia “I’m hopeful at age 78 with many pre-existing conditions that I will be able to get the vaccine and resume my life as a swing dancer with my partner. We haven’t danced since last February and miss the socializing, the exercise and the wonderful bands we followed.” — Diane Fjelstad, retired, Chetek, Wis. “Grassroots strength. Communities are rediscovering that they are neighbors, and that neighbors can do a lot to make life better for themselves and others. While civic life may look bleak from the Washington point of view, I believe we are starting to see its revitalization at the very local level. I’m also optimistic that we are ready to tackle racism at a deeper level than we ever have been.” — Susan Kuhn, marketing strategist, Falls Church, Va.
| | ‘THIS AIN’T AMUSING ANYMORE’ — Matt Wuerker delivers another weekend wrap, in the latest episode of Punchlines.
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| | | ENTSCHEIDUNG 2021 — The three candidates vying to lead Germany’s main governing party have a lot in common — but they’re not as similar as they may seem. And they’ll face their moment of truth at an online-only party congress on Saturday. Securing the party chair would give them a good shot at succeeding Angela Merkel as chancellor later this year. Armin Laschet, Friedrich Merz and Norbert Röttgen are all white, male baby boomers from the same state, North Rhine-Westphalia. But they are making distinctly different pitches to lead the center-right Christian Democratic Union. Laurenz Gehrke takes you through what you need to know about the top contenders.
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| | | NEVER TOO EARLY — Trump’s would-be Republican successors see an opening. As the politically diminished president prepares to leave office following a deadly pro-Trump riot at the Capitol and an impeachment vote backed by 10 GOP House members, ambitious Republicans are taking steps to burnish their own profiles and present themselves as future leaders of the party, Alex Isenstadt writes. While some are gradually separating themselves from the president, others are publicizing plans to bolster the party as it heads into the post-Trump era. Some are even sparring with other potential 2024 rivals in plain sight, marking a strikingly early start to public presidential maneuvering. In the last week, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said that Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s objection to certifying the Electoral College was “dumbass.” Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton went after Hawley and Cruz for fundraising at the same moment the insurrection was happening. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo upbraided former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley for criticizing the president. The jockeying illustrates how potential future candidates are beginning to look past Trump, who’s been banned by Twitter, has seen his approval numbers drop and faces the prospect of a Senate conviction process that would legally bar him from running again. After operating in a Trump-owned-and-operated GOP for the past four years, Republicans are calculating that the outgoing president is leaving a vacuum — and that there’s room to fill it without waiting to see if Trump mounts a 2024 comeback. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. | |
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