It was a point of pride and a line of applause for former President Donald Trump over the weekend: "I've never made concessions," he said, drawing one of the many big ovations he received on his return to Iowa on Saturday.
What Trump is less happy to talk about - and willing to go to court to prevent his loved ones from even speaking to a congressional committee - is his actions on and around January 6th.
New coverage suggests how much there is still to be learned or at least explained to Trump and his allies. A report by the Senate Judiciary Committee late last week documented the extraordinary pressure the defeated then president put on the Justice Department in a final attempt to overturn the election results just three days before the attempted Capitol uprising.
Former US President Donald Trump reacts during his speech during a rally at the Iowa States Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, October 9, 2021. REUTERS / Rachel Mummey
© Rachel Mummey / Reuters
Former US President Donald Trump reacts during his speech during a rally at the Iowa States Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, October 9, 2021. REUTERS / Rachel Mummey
As for Trump himself saying and doing on Jan. 6, ABC News’s Jonathan Karl reported that House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was initially dismissed by Trump when McCarthy told him he had to remove his supporters from the riot even though he did Trump shots reported were just fired from the house floor.
In revelations Karl details in his forthcoming book, "Betrayal," White House aides filmed several versions of the video message Trump would belatedly release that day. Earlier versions neglected to call on those rioting to disperse, according to Karl; the final version, of course, ended with Trump praising those who protested that day: "We love you. You are special."
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The discarded video messages are the kinds of records the Jan. 6 committee is seeking, and represent the kind of information subpoenaed individuals close to Trump might provide. That effort is headed for what seems to be an inevitable judicial showdown, with the Biden administration not shielding the records and testimony Trump wants kept private.
In case it wasn't already obvious, Trump's latest political flurries make clear his keen interest in resuscitating his lies about the 2020 election. And everything is not in the past: Trump is calling on his supporters to rally outside the Michigan state house on Tuesday, while his loyalists push for a "forensic audit" of the election that happened 11 months ago.
The RUNDOWN with Alisa Wiersema
Although the battle over the debt ceiling has been put off until December, lawmakers have yet to find a path forward on the president's priority infrastructure proposal. The ongoing impasse has this year's most high-profile Democrat political contender outside of Washington sounding the alarm about how the gridlock is seen by constituents heading to the polls this fall.
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"We have got frustration with Washington. Why haven't we passed this infrastructure bill? It passed the US Senate with 69 votes two months ago. I have been very straight on television. We're tired of the chitty chat up in Washington. Get in a room and get this figured out, "said Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.
Speaking in an interview on CNN's State of the Union, McAuliffe - a staunch ally of President Joe Biden - said he's "frustrated" with his own party. The former Virginia governor recently said that Biden is "unpopular" in the state and attributes the standstill over his administration's policy push as the reason for constituents' dissatisfaction.
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (R) (D-VA) debates Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin hosted by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce September 28, 2021 in Alexandria, Virginia.
© Win Mcnamee / Getty Images
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (R) (D-VA) debates Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin hosted by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce September 28, 2021 in Alexandria, Virginia.
"I'm traveling all over Virginia. They're worried about minimum wage. They want child care. They want elderly care. They want to see paid sick leave, family medical leave ... They want them to get their job done. They're paid to get up in Washington. Get this done, "McAuliffe said Sunday.
According to FiveThirtyEight's polling average, the race to lead Virginia indicates a close contest come November, perhaps too close for McAuliffe's comfort. In recent weeks, he's tried to distance himself from the president - during the last debate against Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin, McAuliffe said that the proposed $ 3.5 trillion cost of Democrats' reconciliation package was "too high." McAuliffe's latest comments are likely to add more pressure to a race that is already set to serve as a bellwether over how Biden's political brand could translate into next year's midterms.
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Trump tightens Jan. 6 vise for GOP: The Note
© Rachel Mummey / Reuters
Trump tightens Jan. 6 vise for GOP: The Note
The TIP with Quinn Scanlan
Over the weekend, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson remained defiant amid calls for his resignation, declaring he "will not back down" over comments he made calling "transgenderism" and homosexuality "filth" and asserting children should not be taught about LGBTQ topics in schools.
Robinson, a Republican, posted a video to social media defending his comments and accusing "the media and those on the left" and generalizing them to mean that he hates the LGBTQ community.
"However, the idea that our children should be taught about concepts of transgenderism and be exposed to sexually explicit materials in the classroom is abhorrent," Robinson said.
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"Abhorrent" is also how Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's press secretary described Robinson's "hateful rhetoric." State Sen. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, said Robinson's remarks were "open discrimination," and said he should step down.
But the lieutenant governor is rallying his defenders, launching a petition for them to sign in support of him and arguing this outcry is just "an attempt to once again change the argument and silence voices on the right."
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