Resistance HQ Bulletin 19, 12/5/24

… Joe Scarborough went on a long, angry rant today about critics of his visit to Mar-a-Lago: “You can do two things at the same time - you can say he had fascist rhetoric and still go in and talk to him! You know why I do that? To get the read of the man. So I can come back here and tell you what the hell is going on! And give you context, insight and background!”

… This comes the morning after frequent Morning Joe guest David Frum wrote an article in The Atlantic about getting kicked off the show yesterday for making a joke about Fox. He said that if Fox hosts were saying that Pete Hegseth had a drinking problem, then he must really have a drinking problem. Frum said he was then asked to leave the show while Joe & Mika read a statement on the air to Fox, since they said they know many people who work there and they should not be disparaged.

… Mika: “I just want to say that there’s a lot of good people that work at Fox News who care about Pete Hegseth.”

… Frum titled the article, ‘The Sound of Fear on Air'. He wrote that he believed Joe & Mika were too afraid of Trump and right-wingers to effectively do their job. Joe and Mika both went on lengthy rants in response to Frum’s article. It does seem like fear, paranoia, panic and circling the wagons is happening at Morning Joe.

… George Conway on Frum’s article: “This is the most-read piece on theatlantic.com. It should be the most-read piece. You should all read it, even though it may make you sad.” Scarborough then also ripped George Conway for making this post recommending Frum’s column on air today.

… Marc Elias: “I think the question is how much more their MSNBC audience will take of anticipatory obedience.”

… Adam Kinzinger: “Insane stuff from them.”

… Politico is reporting that Ric Grenell offered to pay MAGA influencers up to five figures to post on social media urging Trump to appoint him as Secretary of State - which ultimately went to Marco Rubio. Full disclosure - Grenell attacks me on a regular basis because he is a very sensitive snowflake. Don’t post about him on social media unless he is paying you - he doesn’t like criticism.

… Grenell also had his Log Cabin (LBGT) Republican group pay Melania Trump $250,000 a pop for brief appearances before their group, which was a handful of people. The guy was throwing the cash around all over the place hoping he would get the Sec of State gig because all the financial interests he had in the Balkans depended on it. But Ric is still waiting for a call.

… Nancy Mace continued to post about bathrooms today. I don’t know how many days we are up to now, but she hasn’t stopped.

… Mace also had her staffers running around today looking for a bullhorn. Mace was later seen walking down the hall holding one. It wasn’t clear why she wanted one.

… Then we found out. Transgender people came to protest her actions in the bathroom and were arrested, so Thirsty Nancy then had a staffer film her while she stood outside the Capitol Police HQ holding cell while she read them their Miranda rights through the bullhorn outside the window. Pathetic.

… Last night, Mace attended the Log Cabin Republicans Christmas Party. It appeared to be pretty much all gay men in attendance, so maybe the bathroom wasn’t an issue.

… House Republicans today voted down a privileged resolution brought by Democrats to release the House Ethics report on Matt Gaetz to the public. They are going to hide his misconduct to the bitter end.

… The final hearing of the committee reviewing the Secret Service’s handling of the shooting at the Trump rally in PA went completely off the rails today when Rep. Pat Fallon accused Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe of going to the 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero so he could suck up to Trump to try and save his job. The two started screaming at each other as loud as they could as things came completely unglued.

… Rowe said he attended the ceremony because he was at ground zero on 9/11 when it happened sifting through the ashes looking for people, and that is why he attends the ceremony every year. Fallon screamed at Rowe that there was no way Trump was going keep him on the job once he takes office.

… Trump Dep Chief of Staff Dan Scavino: “Hearing from friends in DC that the Secret Service is making some moves at the top, spreading around some promotions to Biden’s people before Trump takes office. Hmmmm - we know what’s up!”

… Vivek Ramaswamy said that it is likely that the DOGE committee run by himself and Elon Musk will recommend that the $6.6 billion loan to Tesla competitor Rivian be revoked. The loan is being made so Rivian can build a new plant in GA. Not too much of a conflict of interest here. Maybe GA Gov Brian Kemp will have something to say about this.

… AOC confirmed to Spectrum News that she is interested in the ranking member position on the Oversight Committee after Jamie Raskin left that position to replace Jerry Nadler as ranking member of Judiciary: "I’m certainly interested in the position. I'm having a lot of conversations with my colleagues. It's incredibly important that we prepare ourselves fully for an incoming Trump administration as well as fighting for everyday working Americans."

… Sen Markwayne Mullin said he thinks it is now more likely that Pete Hegseth will be confirmed after his mother did such a great job defending him yesterday.

… Dem Rep Dan Goldman: “Hegseth’s mom went on TV to make a self-serving correction that did nothing to discredit her email but instead argued that he’s changed in the last 7 years and now is not an abuser of women. We’re supposed to disbelieve a private email and believe a staged TV interview?”

… Hegseth also admitted to Megyn Kelly that he cheated on all 3 of his wives. Not that anybody cares about that stuff anymore but I thought it was worth noting.

… Sen Joni Ernst was asked if she is a “yes” vote right now for Pete Hegseth. She said she is not there yet and says “we need a very thorough vetting process” of his background, and that “several Senators” agree with her on that.

… MAGA was fuming at Ernst all day on social media, with many calling for Kari Lake to return to her home state of Iowa to run against Ernst in the primary. That would be fun to watch.

… Tommy Tuberville says all this vetting stuff is a big waste of time: “Donald Trump did all the vetting they needed to do on Pete Hegseth. I just can’t believe we have people on our side who are saying, well we need to look into this, we need to look into that. They’re insulting Donald Trump. They’re saying, we don’t believe you did the right vetting. That’s not our job.” It is though. It’s in the Constitution.

… Charlie Kirk: “Being told that Joni Ernst and Lindsey Graham are trying to end Pete Hegseth. Pete Hegseth is the red line. If you vote against him, primaries will ensue.” Threats and intimidation. That’s the MAGA brand.

… Rep. Andy Biggs: “GOP Senators are undermining Trump’s Cabinet picks. Republicans must work toward Trump’s goals or risk being voted out.”

… But Hegseth has lost Newsmax primetime host Greg Kelly. Kelly says that it is time for Hegseth to drop out and for Trump to replace him with Ron Desantis. Kelly says