memeorandum: The Morning Briefing: J6 Commies Opt for Weaponizing Trump With Political Martyrdom (Stephen Kruiser/PJ Media)

10:35 AM ET, December 20, 2022

Top Items:

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:

A Diminished Trump Meets a Damning Narrative — Former President Donald Trump's current woes extend beyond the report by the House Jan. 6 committee, but the case the panel laid out against him further complicates his future. — As the summer and the House Jan. 6 committee's hearings began …

Discussion: CBS News, National Review, Orlando Sentinel, The Moderate Voice, Raw Story, Washington Times, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, NPR and VICE

Politico:

The Jan. 6 committee's big reveal hasn't happened yet — The Jan. 6 select committee's last — and most important — act won't happen in a hearing room. — It will come when one of the panel's last, beleaguered staffers hits the “publish” button on its collection of evidence compiled …

Discussion: The Independent, Los Angeles Times, CBS News, The Daily Beast, DNyuz, Washington Examiner, NBC News, New York Post, Raw Story, TalkLeft, Insider, Select Committee … and NBC News

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Many Senate Republicans aren't protecting Trump after Jan. 6 panel's nod to criminal charges — Senate Republicans are stepping out of the way of the House Jan. 6 committee's recommendation that the Justice Department prosecute former President Trump for crimes related to the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, HuffPost, The Atlantic, New York Post, Insider, Deep Midwest, Raw Story, Washington Times, WPRI-TV, Just The News and TMZ.com

Wall Street Journal:

The Jan. 6 Inquiry's Not-So-Grand Finale — Criminal referrals of Trump add nothing but political complication. — By The Editorial Board — The House Jan. 6 committee decided Monday that the best way to cap its 18 months of work would be a political gesture.

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

DOJ cares about the evidence, not the criminal referrals — The historic criminal referral the House Jan. 6 committee issued urging the Justice Department to pursue charges against President Donald Trump is unlikely to sway many minds among prosecutors already pursuing multiple investigations, former DOJ officials said.

Discussion: Verdict, New York Post, The Federalist, The Newsletter, HotAir, Power Line, HuffPost, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, The Wrap, CNBC, Political Wire, The Hill, Bloomberg, Just The News and Raw Story

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The Jan. 6 report will draw blood even if Trump faces no charges

Discussion: CNN, pjmedia.com, Denver Post, New York Times, TheBlaze, The American Independent, Mother Jones, New York Post, Associated Press, Balkinization and Breitbart

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
The Jan. 6 committee lowered the boom on Trump. Now the ball is in DOJ's court.

Discussion: The Bulwark, Slate, Mediaite, Lawyers, Guns & Money, CBS News, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Associated Press, The Atlantic, American Greatness, Las Vegas Review-Journal, CNN, Rolling Stone, DNyuz, New York Times, Washington Post, E&E, Washington Times, New York Times, Occupy Democrats, The Mind Shield, PoliticusUSA, PBS NewsHour, Mitchell Epner on Law, NBC News, Law & Crime, Queen City News, NPR, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, Roll Call, CNN, Japan Times, Politico, Voice of America, ABC News, UPI, The Guardian, CBS News, Washington Examiner, Althouse, The Hill, PBS NewsHour, PolitiFact, PoliticusUSA, Bloomberg, Fox News, Talking Points Memo, Florida Politics, Wall Street Journal, Insider, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Root, New Republic, The Hill, Truthout, Washington Post, One America News Network, DNyuz, Slate, Al Jazeera, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, RedState, New York Daily News and Semafor

Stephen Kruiser / PJ Media:
The Morning Briefing: J6 Commies Opt for Weaponizing Trump With Political Martyrdom

Discussion: One America News Network and Fox News

J.D. Capelouto / Semafor:
Secret Service seized 269 knives from Trump supporters hours before Jan. 6 attack

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill, Mother Jones, NBC4 Washington, Washington Post, The Bulwark, USA Today, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Just The News, National Review, Political Wire and NBC News

Ryan Goodman / Just Security:
How Jan. 6th Committee's Revelations of Interference in Their Investigation Can Enable the Special Counsel

Discussion: New York Times, MSNBC, Just Security, Insider, USA Today, Raw Story, UPI, Civil Discourse …, Occupy Democrats, HuffPost, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian and Mediaite

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: What's next for the talented Mr. Santos? — With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — JUST POSTED —A major scoop from Heidi Przybyla, POLITICO's national investigative correspondent: “Longtime judicial activist LEONARD LEO appears to have helped facilitate …

New York Times:
George Santos Dodges Questions as Democrats Label Him ‘Unfit to Serve’

Discussion: Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New Republic, Axios, RedState, New York Magazine, Forbes, Washington Post, PoliticusUSA, New York Magazine and New Republic

Zoë Richards / NBC News:
George Santos responds to report that accused him of misrepresenting credentials on campaign trail

Discussion: HuffPost, The Signorile Report, Raw Story, Breitbart, Occupy Democrats, The American Independent, Mediaite, ABC News, PIX11, Insider, New Republic, CNN and The Hill

Karoline Leavitt / Fox News:

I am a Gen Z Republican and my time in the trenches taught me this about 2024 — Republicans failed during midterms on issues that Gen Z cares about. — New Hampshire congressional candidate Karoline Leavitt: American dream ‘never been more unattainable’

Wall Street Journal:

Sam Bankman-Fried's Lawyers Hash Out His Transfer to U.S. After Confusion in Court — The FTX founder has agreed to be extradited, with lawyers drafting documents, according to a person familiar with the matter — Watch: Sam Bankman-Fried Closer to Extradition After Bahamas Hearing

Discussion: BBC, New York Times, Bloomberg, Semafor, The Daily Caller, CBS News, Eye Witness News, Washington Post, New York Post, NewsNation, DNyuz, Barbados Today and Gizmodo, more at Techmeme »

John Solomon / Just The News:

DOJ snooped on House Intelligence Committee investigators during Russia probe, subpoenas show — In an extraordinary intrusion on congressional oversight, the Justice Department used grand jury subpoenas to secretly obtain the personal email and phone data of at least two top House Intelligence …

Discussion: American Greatness and DNyuz

Roll Call:

Omnibus text delayed over FBI headquarters issue — Release of a massive $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package with all manner of unrelated add-ons was taking longer than expected, with text still being finalized Monday evening. — The chief holdup appeared to be language Democrats …

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart and DNyuz

Kevin Freking / Associated Press:
Lawmakers unveil bill to avoid gov't shutdown, boost Ukraine

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Politico, Associated Press, Washington Times, Axios, E&E, CNN and Responsible Statecraft, more at Techmeme »

Washington Post:
Lawmakers put Electoral Count Act, crafted as response to Jan. 6, in omnibus bill

Discussion: USA Today, The Hill, RedState, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Roll Call, Breitbart, CBS News, Bloomberg and CNN

Wall Street Journal:

The Stanford Guide to Acceptable Words — Behold the school's Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative. — By The Editorial Board — WSJ Opinion: Free Speech and the Push to Shut You Up — YOU MAY ALSO LIKE — Created with sketchtool. — Parodists have it rough these days …

Discussion: Twitchy

Jacob Bogage / Washington Post:

Postal Service will electrify trucks by 2026 in climate win for Biden — Agency plans to spend almost $10 billion for 66,000 electric vehicles and related infrastructure — The U.S. Postal Service will buy 66,000 vehicles to build one of the largest electric fleets in the nation …

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

An ‘Imperial Supreme Court’ Asserts Its Power, Alarming Scholars — Several new studies document the current court's distinctive insistence on its dominance and the justices' willingness to use procedural shortcuts to achieve it. — WASHINGTON — The conventional critique of the Supreme Court …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story, Commentary Magazine, Washington Examiner, The Advocacy Newsletter and The Bulwark

Washington Post:

Uvalde records reveal chaotic medical response as victims lost blood — Previously unreleased video, audio and interviews for the first time show helicopter and ambulance delays after police finally confronted the Robb Elementary shooter — UVALDE, Tex. — Bullets had pierced Eva Mireles's chest …

James Herron / Bloomberg:

Russian Gas Flows to Europe Unaffected After Pipeline Blast — Russian gas flows are continuing via alternative links after an explosion occurred at a pipeline that goes to Ukraine for further supplies to Europe. — “Transportation of gas is provided to consumers in full through parallel gas pipelines …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, Empire, Communication … and DNyuz

CNN:

House Ways and Means Committee to meet on future of Trump's tax returns — The House Ways and Means Committee will meet Tuesday to discuss former President Donald Trump's tax returns and weigh whether to release the information to the public, the end to a years-long effort from Democrats …

Discussion: DNyuz, CBS News and Raw Story

Washington Post:
Post Politics Now: Another headache for Trump as House panel weighs release of tax returns

Discussion: The Guardian, The Hill, USA Today and Political Wire

Punchbowl News:

12/20/22 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … THIS DECISION HELPS ROUND OUT JEFFRIES' LEADERSHIP TABLE FOR HIS FIRST STINT ATOP THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS. — DELBENE HAS BEEN IN THE HOUSE FOR A DECADE AND MOST RECENTLY CHAIRED THE NEW DEMOCRAT COALITION, A GROUP OF CENTRIST AND MODERATE DEMOCRATS.

Discussion: Breitbart

Washington Post:

Chief justice temporarily keeps pandemic-era Title 42 border policy in place — GOP governors have asked Supreme Court to stop Biden administration from allowing all border crossers to seek asylum — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Monday temporarily left in place a pandemic-era policy …

Ariane de Vogue / CNN:
Title 42 to remain in place for now as Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily freezes order meant to end it

Jake Pearson / New York Magazine:

For 11 years, Karl Ashanti defended the NYPD in civil-rights cases. Then he was arrested for a crime he didn't commit. — By the time Karl Ashanti neared his office in the New York City Law Department's headquarters in March 2018, the police were shutting down Park Place.

Emily Birnbaum / Bloomberg:

Big Tech Divided and Conquered to Block Key Bipartisan Bills — A passionate and bipartisan legislative effort to rein in the country's largest technology companies collapsed this week, the victim of an epic lobbying campaign by Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta.

Discussion: Washington Examiner and The Verge

Heidi Przybyla / Politico:

While advising Trump on judges, Conway sold her business to a firm with ties to judicial activist Leonard Leo — Longtime judicial activist Leonard Leo appears to have helped facilitate the sale of former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway's polling company in 2017 …