“And he’s going methodically, state by state, at races from, you know, state Senate races all the way down to county commissioner races trying to get the people who the Republicans — the RINOs, in his words — who stopped this, who stopped him from stealing the election,” he said.
The Republicans who supported impeachment and are not retiring all face primary challenges from pro-Trump Republicans.
“To me, there’s not even really a choice or a calculation. It’s just what is the right thing here and what has to be done,” she said. She made clear that she intends to run and win again.
Alyssa Farah is Trump’s former communications director. She watched the insurrection unfold from the White House. She told Tapper that what frightens her is the focus by Trump supporters on taking over state-level roles — the people who run elections.
“I think that there is a concerted effort to try to recruit loyalists to put into those chambers,” she said.
In Arizona, another pro-Trump Republican, state Rep. Mark Finchem, is seeking the secretary of state position.
“He’s already received the endorsement of Donald Trump. He has said over and over again that this was a fraudulent election. He’s called for decertification. He’s got a decent chance to win this primary,” Bill Gates, a Republican on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, told Tapper. “If we had people like that in these key positions moving forward, I think we are in danger.”
Georgia’s Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is not seeking reelection because he doesn’t want to appease Trump.
“I don’t want to have to do and say the things I have to do and say right now to win a primary with Donald Trump trying to play the games he’s playing,” Duncan said.
We continue to learn more about the insurrection, but questions remain.
- US Attorney General Merrick Garland has not yet decided if he will pursue a criminal contempt case sought by the House against Trump ally Steve Bannon, who has ignored subpoenas.
- Trump’s legal battle involving the House January 6 committee and the National Archives to keep documents and communications related to the insurrection under seal continues.
- Jeffrey Clark, a key Department of Justice official and Trump ally during the period leading up to the insurrection, met with committee members behind closed doors Friday.
- CNN reported Friday about an overhaul at the US Capitol Police’s intelligence unit that created confusion ahead of January 6.
You’ve read that a lot — that Trump tried to overthrow the election — but this in-depth piece looks at the specific and methodical steps he took.
Here are some excerpts from Cohen’s timeline:
Later that night, after the meeting, Trump calls (Rosen’s deputy, Richard) Donoghue to tell him about new fraud claims.
The House and Senate investigations are on a timeline themselves. Legal efforts to compel testimony from additional Trump aides would take time, but if the elections in Virginia and New Jersey are any indication, Democrats may control Congress only until January 2023.