Say what? – The Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, said Monday he will investigate whether department officials “engaged in an improper attempt” to overturn President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
The announcement comes after The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other outlets reported that former President Donald Trump considered moving to replace the acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen with Jeffrey Clark, a man ready to pursue unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, and that he pushed the Justice Department to ask the Supreme Court to invalidate Mr. Biden’s win.
This is the second known investigation into the actions of top Justice Department officials during the final weeks of the Trump administration. Earlier this month, Mr. Horowitz opened an investigation into whether Trump administration officials improperly pressured Byung J. Pak, the U.S. attorney in Atlanta, who abruptly resigned after Trump complained about alleged-but-virtually-non-existent voter fraud in Georgia. Separately, the Senate Judiciary Committee said this weekend that it has initiated its own oversight inquiry into officials including Mr. Clark. I swear, you can’t make this stuff up. (New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, Fox News)
Campaign season is over! Oh wait. Just kidding. – Three U.S. Senators have announced they are not running again and Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her run for Alabama governor. Ohio Senator Rob Portman (R.) announced yesterday that he will not be running in 2022. In his statement, he noted that he has “consistently been named one of the most bipartisan Senators.” “I’m proud of that,” he said, but continued, “it has gotten harder and harder to break through the partisan gridlock….this is a tough time to be in public service.”
The political game of “guess who is going to run” has begun. Initial names on the GOP side include Rep. Jim Jordan, a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump, J.D. Vance, author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” Josh Mandel and Jon Husted, the state’s LG. Portman joins Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) who announced he would not run for reelection in 2022, nor would he run for governor and Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina who said in 2016 that he would not run again. Senator Ron Johnson is rumored to be thinking about retiring as well. Midterm elections could be verrrry interesting.
In the meantime, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary, announced she was running for governor in Arkansas and was promptly endorsed by Donald Trump.
(CNN, NBC, Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, AP)
Warm more than hearts – This is a great opportunity to make a difference. The “We Are Navajo” organization is asking for your help in providing new coats and gloves to as many Navajo families as possible. Their website notes that the Navajo communities “face many barriers including poverty at a rate of 43%, more than a third of our population live without electricity, paved roads, cell phone service, landlines, safe housing or other essentials of modern life.” There are a couple of ways to donate: Go to their Amazon wish list and send coats directly to the organizers, or go to the Patagonia Outlets in Sugar House on Saturday, from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. This Iina Bihoo’ah and Dine Bikeyah’s coat drive is a youth-led initiative to gather warm clothing for the Montezuma Creek community’s infants, children and teens. Pinyon Cafe will also be selling coffee and pastries at Saturday’s event, then donating the proceeds to Utah Diné Bikéyah Traditional Foods Program. (Fox13)
