A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
Colorado And Now Maine
Maine’s Democratic secretary of state has declared Donald Trump ineligible for the presidency under the Disqualification Clause of the 14th Amendment for having engaged in insurrection against the United States.
Shenna Bellows immediately stayed the effect of her decision while the issue is appealed, meaning Trump isn’t off the GOP primary ballot just yet.
You can read her ruling here.
“No secretary of state has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on section 3 of the 14th amendment. But no presidential candidate has ever engaged in insurrection..” pic.twitter.com/7cb5IUvwIn
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 29, 2023
Trump Won’t Be Cut From California Ballot
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) declined to declare Trump ineligible for the 2024 ballot.
Remember: Each state has its own election laws, and they vary considerably in what they authorize election officials to do and the procedures they must follow.
Winners In CO DQ Case Want SCOTUS To Decide Quickly
The six voters who won the Colorado Disqualification Clause case against Trump are not opposed to the Supreme Court taking the case but they want the high court to consider it on an even faster timetable than the Colorado Republican Party was seeking.
CNN Has New Deets On The Fake Electors Scheme
Most of the new details from CNN come via former Trump campaign lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, who helped orchestrate the fake electors scheme. Chesebro pleaded guilty in the Georgia RICO case and is cooperating with investigators in multiple other jurisdictions.
USA Today Nails Trump Admin Staffer As Jan. 6 Rioter
A nice bit of work by USA Today confirming what appears to be the first known instance of a Trump administration employee illegally entering the Capitol on Jan. 6. The man was Oliver Krvaric, a GOP student leader and scion of a powerful GOP family from San Diego who was then working for the Office of Personnel Management:
Asked whether he was at the Jan. 6 riot, Krvaric initially told USA TODAY he was not. Pressed about the photos that online researchers say show him that day, Krvaric acknowledged he attended former President Donald Trump’s speech, but said he didn’t go inside the Capitol. Asked about images that appear to show him inside the Capitol, he then said he didn’t remember whether he went inside. Sent copies and links to the footage, he stopped responding.
Trump Loses Bid To Delay E. Jean Carroll Trial
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals declined to delay the defamation trial of Donald Trump set to begin Jan. 16. Trump was trying to use claims of presidential immunity to push off the second trial of E. Jean Carroll’s claims that Trump defamed her.
Bob Menendez Can’t Delay Either
A federal judge rejected the bid by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to delay the start of his trial by two months.
LOL At Nikki Haley’s Backtracking
Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) was forced into damage control mode Thursday, and it was not pretty.
First, she rushed out to say that of course the Civil War was about slavery:
Haley: Of course the civil war was about slavery. We know that. That is unquestioned, always the case, we know the civil war was about slavery, but it was also more than that. It was about the freedoms of every individual. It was about the role of government pic.twitter.com/leZIse9Shl
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 28, 2023
Second, she still managed to muddy the issue with a “but…”: “But it was also more than that. It was about the freedoms of every individual. It was about the role of government.” Whatever that means. Third, she blamed the original questioner: “It was definitely a Democrat plant.”
U.S. Murders Fell Dramatically In 2023
The pandemic surge in murders has ebbed with record or near record drops in murders expected nationwide this year.
One Man’s Dark Legacy
Austrian billionaire Gaston Glock, inventor of the eponymous handgun, has died at age 94. The story of the Glock is as much a marketing phenomenon of the 1980s as it is a firearms innovation.
Georgia’s GOP-Friendly Redistricting Maps Upheld
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones of Atlanta, who previously struck down Georgia’s congressional district map as violating the Voting Rights Act by diluting black votes, has ruled that the new map drawn by Republicans is legit.
The decision denies Democrats a much-needed pickup opportunity, and sends Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) scrambling to run in a different district than the one she represents now.
DOJ Threatens To Sue Texas Over Immigration Law
The Justice Department gave Texas a Jan. 3 deadline to provide assurance that it will not enforce its new law empowering state and local law enforcement to arrest, jail and prosecute undocumented migrants; otherwise, DOJ will file suit.
Happy New Year!
For anyone looking for a fresh start by getting their personal finances in order as the new year dawns, let me suggest that you first get a password manager. If you don’t have one already, it will change your life. Everything about your personal finances will fall into place more easily and simply if you have a good password manager. I use Dashlane. I love it. I’ve used it for years. I can’t imagine not having it. But there are other good options. You won’t regret it.
I’ll see you back here on Tuesday.
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