Today in Politics, Bulletin 43. 1/8/25

… Merrick Garland announced that he will release Jack Smith’s complete report on the J6 case but will not release the report to the public on the classified documents case since there are still pending charges against Trump’s co-defendants. This appears to be how Garland has decided to deal with Judge Aileen Cannon’s illegal attempt to block all reports from being made public.

… So, Garland will release the report dealing with the most important work Jack Smith did with the greatest amount of evidence and testimony that has never been seen before by the public - the J6 case - and ignore Cannon’s order on that since she clearly has no jurisdiction over it and just continues to go rogue.

… The biggest thing I want to see is Mike Pence and Mark Meadows’s testimony. I’m going straight to that, because that is going to be the good stuff. I would bet money that Meadows has been dreading this day because he BURIED Trump in his proffer, which he doesn’t want anyone to know about. Nobody knows what he said, but I guarantee you that Mark Meadows was interested in saving Mark Meadows’s ass, not Trump’s.

… Garland is, however, taking steps to ensure that the classified documents case report and evidence isn’t disappeared by Trump’s incoming AG Pam Bondi. Politico reports that he is providing a full copy of the report of that investigation to the House and Senate Judiciary Committee’s Chairs and Ranking Members. That means that Dick Durbin and Jamie Raskin will have that full report before Trump takes office.

… That lowered my blood pressure a few points.

… DOJ also filed an appeal with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals today of Judge Cannon’s ridiculous order. Again.

… President Biden gave a lengthy interview to USA Today as he winds down the final days of his presidency and 50+ year career in politics. He said that he has been considering preemptive pardons for people that Trump and MAGA have targeted for baseless criminal prosecutions, such as Liz Cheney and Dr. Fauci.

… Biden said in his meeting with Trump in the Oval Office that he asked Trump not to go there on his Retribution & Revenge Tour: “I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interests to go back and try and settle scores.” Biden was asked what Trump’s response to that was. It was silence: “He just basically listened.”

… My blood pressure went back up. I knew it wouldn’t last.

… Biden was asked if he thought he would have won if he stayed in the race: “It’s presumptuous to say this, but I think yes.” But when asked if he would have been able to serve out his full 4 year term he said: “I don’t know. I wasn’t looking to be president when I was 85-86 years old. So I did talk about passing the baton. But I don’t know. Who the hell knows?”

… He was asked how he hopes history will remember his presidency: “I hope that history says that I came in and I had a plan how to restore the economy and reestablish America’s leadership in the world. That was my hope. And I hope it records that I did it with honesty and integrity, that I said what was on my mind.”

… He was asked if his domestic policy agenda was too ambitious: “How in the hell in a changed world can America lead the world without having the finest infrastructure in the world, without having the best education system in the world, without the best health care system in the world? They’re just things I thought were necessary.”

… But he said he was frustrated that his Admin didn’t get credit for infrastructure projects because it took too long for them to start: “Historians will talk about how great the impact was, but it didn’t have any immediate impact on people’s lives. I think we would’ve been a hell of a lot better off had we been able to go much harder at getting some of these projects in the ground quicker.”

… Rep. Hakeem Jeffries was asked by Punchbowl if he agreed with Biden that he probably would have beaten Trump if he stayed in: “We’re looking forward, not backward.”

… Sen. Tom Cotton: “Whether or not Biden pardons the disgraced Tony Fauci, we still need to get to the bottom of Fauci’s relationship with China.” I guess lowering egg prices isn’t front and center anymore.

… Politico’s Alex Isenstadt has a book coming out called, ‘Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power’. He conducted over 300 interviews for the book and acquired internal memos and recordings from the Trump campaign. He reveals that Trump got the questions in advance from Fox before his big Town Hall with Bret Baier, which is something Trump always accuses Democrats of, going all the way back to his debates with Hillary Clinton.

… From the book: “About 30 minutes before the town hall was due to start, a senior aide started getting text messages from a person on the inside at Fox. Holy shit! the team thought. They were images of all the questions Trump would be asked and the planned follow-ups, down to the exact wording. Jackpot! This was like a student getting a peek at the test before the exam started.” He says the Trump team then started giving him suggested answers for each of the questions they received.

… Fox responded to the report by saying it has “no evidence” that this happened but it “will investigate.” Right. And OJ looked for the real killer.

… That was a time when Trump was on the campaign trail ranting and raving that he was going to get “retribution and revenge” on his enemies - a message that was polling badly but he couldn’t help himself. And Baier was planning to bring that up and press him on it. And Trump probably would have given a very bad answer to that question if he didn’t know it was coming. But his team prepared a line for him to deliver: “My retribution will be my success, that is how I will get my revenge - by doing a good job for the American people.” An answer he NEVER would have given on his own.

… This is one of a million reasons why no Democratic candidate should ever agree to participate in any debate where Fox is the host. Fox is an arm of the Republican Party and their campaigns - not a news organization, and no Democrat should ever consider giving it any credibility as anything other than that.

… The book also revealed that Trump was dead set on picking Fox host Maria Baritromo as his running mate over JD Vance, but his inner circle talked him out of it. Trump reportedly wanted her because “she was great with the big-donor Wall Street types and she knew how to do TV.”

… Rudy Giuliani filed a motion with the court to appear virtually instead of in-person at the next hearing on the contempt of court motion on Friday, where he is likely to receive his punishment or sanctions. He complains that he can’t make it because he has a chronic and “severe knee condition” and is in a lot of pain.

… Oh, and “a lung condition that requires an inhaler.”

… Oh, and he “has had two heart stents.”

… Oh, and Iran is trying to assassinate him: “There have been a number of credible death threats against Mayor Giuliani. As one of the most outspoken critics of the current Iranian regime, a time of heightened terrorism concerns following the recent events in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, it is reasonable to take extra precautions for Mayor Giuliani’s safety.”

… I couldn’t make this shit up on my best day.

… Republicans were all over Fox and Newsmax talking about Trump’s insane press conference yesterday by adding a few layers of lunacy to it. Tommy Tuberville: "We've gotta take the Panama Canal back. We've gotta do something because if we were to happen to go to war with China over Taiwan and they were to shut the Panama Canal down, we'd have to go 8-10,000 miles just to get things back to the war zone."

… Sen. Rick Scott was asked this on Fox: “Taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal isn't a realistic proposal, is it? It's just a negotiating tactic, isn't it? Scott: “Well, it would be pretty exciting.”

… I really want one of those aliens in a drone to take me to another planet.

… Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) told Fox he is introducing a bill to buy the Panama Canal: “I think this is a Teddy Roosevelt moment. And frankly, America used to run this canal, and it was very well run under American leadership.”

… House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked by Fox what he thought about Johnson’s proposed bill: “Dusty who?”

… A strung-out looking Candyman Ronny Jackson was on paid Russian asset Benny Johnson’s podcast to talk about it: “NATO, Europe, Denmark - they should all be applauding our efforts to be involved in Greenland, to take over Greenland.”

… Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) on Fox: “If I'm a Greenland citizen, I would love to be under the banner of the greatest country in the world. It's also a very strategic for us, given the relations that we are dealing with with Russia and other European countries and our adversaries. And by the way, naming the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America’ again, as an American, that's one hell of an idea.”

… Trump’s former NSA Keith Kellogg: “When you look at what the president’s doing, he’s really kind of thinking out of the box.”

… Fox host Ainsley Earhardt, who recently announced her engagement to Sean Hannity, had this to say this morning on Fox & Friends: “Greenland, strategically it makes sense because it’s the halfway point between our country and the UK. So it would make sense to have that for war purposes if we ever got to that point.”

… My head hurts.

… Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) on Fox: "Listen, I think that the people of Panama, I think that the people of Greenland, I think that the people of Canada for that matter should be honored that President Trump wants to bring these territories under the American fold. Trump is bringing us into a golden age of America. This is the new Manifest Destiny. Reacquiring the Panama Canal, acquiring Greenland, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. This is the light of America expanding.”

… It hurts more.

… Don Jr reports everyone in Greenland came up to him (big strong men with tears in their eyes) during the couple of hours he flew in and had lunch there: “So many of these young kids coming up and telling us, ‘when we go to Denmark we’re treated like 2nd and 3rd class citizens.’ There seems to be quite a bit of racism in Denmark. From what I saw on the ground, everyone was really into this concept. They loved it. They loved America. They love MAGA. They love Trump.”

… I just made a very strong cocktail. There is no other way to get through this.

Onward!

… Sen. Majority Leader John Thune makes it obvious that this foolishness is the last thing he needs right now. To CNN: “I expect to hear more about it in the days ahead. Obviously, there are a number of issues that he’s raised that we’ll get a chance to consider.” That’s basically the new version of, “I didn’t see the tweet.”

… But former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel wasn’t amused. He told WSJ: “We just haven’t seen anything like this, at least in my lifetime, from a president of the US. This is very, very autocratic, and that is why it is so concerning what Trump is saying and how he’s acting. When our strongest allies and partners lose confidence in us, no good is going to come from all of that. China and Russia are looking at all this, like, ‘Go ahead, Mr. Trump, keep talking.’”

… MAGA talk show host David Reilly, representing many right-wingers who don’t get what Trump is doing right now: “Nobody asked for Greenland. Nobody asked for Canada. Nobody asked for Panama. We asked for a wall. We asked to deport them all. We asked for America First. Hello? Bueller?”

… Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum went on TV to talk about how Mexico was now going to refer to the southwestern United States, which used to part of Mexico: “We are going to call it, ‘Americana Mexicana.’ It sounds pretty, no?”

… Ontario Premier Doug Ford was asked about Trump wanting to take over Canada: “You know something, to the president - I’ll make him a counter-offer. How about if we buy Alaska and Minnesota? I know he likes to make these comments, but I take this seriously. Under my watch, that will never, ever happen.”

… Rep. Eric Burleson (R-MO) talked to Fox about his bill co-sponsored by Lauren Boebert to abolish the ATF, which was created in 1886: “The Constitution makes it very clear that when it comes to the federal government, there shall be no laws restricting firearms.”

… Federal prosecutors filed an objection to former Rep. George Santos’s attempt to delay his sentencing next month, where he is facing significant prison time. The excuse he is using is that the money he is making from his new podcast and Cameos will allow him to pay off all $600,000 in restitution if he just gets another 6 month delay. The truth is that he wants the delay to give him time to work on his contacts close to Trump for a pardon.

… Prosecutors say that Santos made $400,000 last year from Cameo, plus his $174,000 salary from Congress, plus $400,000 for the rights to his life story to a documentary company, and they want to know what happened to all that money while the victims have gotten nothing from him: “He fails to provide any accounting of his current financial condition and fails to offer any explanation of his dissipation of assets (including personal spending) in the months since his guilty plea.”

… That’s a fancy way of saying he spent it all on himself or has it stashed away somewhere.

… Late in the day, Santos filed his response: “The government’s motion reads more like a press release - replete with references to sensational media coverage and personal attacks, yet devoid of any sound or legal factual basis to reject a straightforward scheduling request. The government seeks to rush to sentencing. Its abrupt pivot is nothing short of disingenuous, politically motivated, and antithetical to actual justice.”

… I apologize. I’m willing to take the abuse. But Santos cracks me up. I still want him to go to prison next month, but he has me laughing all the way to his cell.

… Republicans are blaming Democrats for the devastating wildfires in CA. Unfortunately for LA Mayor Karen Bass, she was on a trip to Africa when this happened, which they using against her. Rick Caruso, who lost the mayor’s race to Bass in 2022, told local Fox 11: "This is like a 3rd World country. There’s no water in the Palisades. There’s no water coming out of the fire hydrants. This is an absolute mismanagement by the city. We’ve got a mayor that’s out of the country, and we’ve got a city that’s burning, and there’s no resources to put out fires."

… Trump, who revels in seizing upon every opportunity to score political points in the wake of a tragedy, blamed Gavin Newsom: “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water, but didn’t care about the people of CA. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is to blame for this. No water for fire hydrants, no firefighting planes. A true disaster!”

… Don Jr blamed it on the LA Fire Department having a gay Chief: “Can we rename DEI to DIE, since that’s what seems to happen to the people downstream of those who place woke virtue signaling far above competency!!!”

… Trump posted on Truth Social: “NO WATER IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS, NO MONEY IN FEMA. THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN IS LEAVING ME. THANKS JOE!”

… Elon Musk blamed it on Ukraine, citing the fact that we have provided firefighting equipment to them over the years: “What about California?”

… Movie/TV Critic Peg Aloi: “The reason there is ‘no water’ available in fire hydrants in LA is because the water lines have been broken or burned by the fire, so there is no water pressure, in addition to low water pressure due to 8 months of drought. Resist politicized accusations and conspiracy theories. Loss of power means that pumping stations don't have electricity which also is needed for water pressure. People blaming the Mayor (like racist ignoramus Elon Musk and the real estate mogul who lost the mayoral race) are just stupid, uncaring people with agendas.”

… Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX): “I’m so heartbroken at the devastation that’s continuously inflicted upon our country and the world, and elected ‘leaders’ are ignorant, impotent, or just incompetent to doing the smart thing - which is to acknowledge that climate change is real and start to solve it. CA, stay safe. First responders, we thank you for your selflessness. I join the chorus of prayers for all, but as an elected, I want to actually work!”

… MAGA actor James Woods, whose house burned down: “This fire is not from ‘climate change,’ you ignorant assholes. It’s because liberal idiots elect liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass. One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs.”

… The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that Matt Gaetz is considering a run for governor of FL in 2026. Gaetz took a shot at Desantis in the story: “I have a compelling vision for the state. I understand how to fix the insurance problem, and it’s not to hand the keys to the state over to the insurance industry. If I run, I would be the most pro-consumer candidate on the Republican side.”

… Gaetz was asked whether he thought the House Ethics report would hurt him if he runs: “Those lies have been told about me for years. They’ve never affected my ability to win elections.”

… Gaetz’s district in NWFL is overwhelmingly Republican. Literally anyone with an R next to their name on the ballot would win it by 30 points. Plus, Gaetz’s daddy was a State Senator in the district for many years and Gaetz used his name and vast fortune to put his flunky nepo baby Matt in Congress. So this isn’t exactly a flex. But he acts like he is wildly popular outside his district in the rest of Florida when he is not.

… Gaetz said, “I will address this report on my show tonight.” And that is exactly what this is about. He isn’t running - this is all BS. He’s just desperate to get people to