Today’s notice: Congress has drama this week, the DOJ may have drama in January and the only drama at Mar-a-Lago is over covering the president-elect’s transition.
Trumpworld’s DOJ Revenge List
Donald Trump’s victory last month was a kind of ultimate “F-you” to the legion of federal prosecutors trying to convict him over the past few years. The cases are now effectively over, and Trump has vowed to put loyalists in top Justice Department jobs.
But NOTUS’ Jose Pagliery reports that may not be the end of it for federal prosecutors who worked on Trump cases. Jose reports on the specific beefs Trumpworld is nursing with specific government lawyers that his team may be preparing to turn into specific vengeance.
Take the current counterintelligence chief in the DOJ’s national security division, Jay Bratt, for example. Jose reports that Bratt’s aggressive style in the classified documents case angered Trump’s legal team. “If I was Jay Bratt, I’d be a little worried,” a source told Jose.
The massive implications of Trump’s approach to the DOJ have the potential to be felt across the justice system.
The story is also about norm shattering, but from a more petty perspective. Among the prosecutors on Trumpworld’s list are J.P. Cooney and Molly Gaston, from the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, who assisted in the conviction of Steve Bannon.
“Sources who spoke to NOTUS did not point to any particular instance of alleged wrongdoing on their part,” Jose reports, “but merely noted the enthusiasm they displayed” in their work on the cases against Trumpworld.
Mike Johnson’s Spending Bill Dramedy
In Mike Johnson’s ideal Wednesday, the House would have passed the 1,547-page, three-month spending bill and lawmakers would have headed home early for the holidays. Instead, Johnson’s spending bill is falling apart and his grip on the speakership feels looser than ever.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Rep. Kevin Hern told reporters. “I think what we’ve seen today is that the speaker tried to get the votes and the necessary votes weren’t there. And then we saw what happened on social media, and a lot of folks have, you know, had second thoughts. And so now we got to recalibrate.”
Spending-wise, that recalibration looks increasingly like a scaled-back funding bill. But a potential recalibration of House GOP leadership remains to be seen.
At least one House Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, already said he won’t back Johnson’s bid next Congress to be speaker. And conservative Rep. Cory Mills said he expects members to join Massie.
That’s a problem for Johnson, since he can only afford to lose two Republican votes. “I would be wagering to bet that he won’t be the only one,” Mills told NOTUS.
Front Page
- Josh Hawley Says RFK Jr. Is ‘Open’ to Restricting Abortion Pill Access: As Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary makes the rounds on Capitol Hill, some Republican senators are asking about his views on abortion.
- Foes Join Forces to Pass ‘No-Brainer’ Anti-Hazing Bill: An unlikely partnership helped usher the bill to unanimous consent in both chambers.
- Senate Republicans Suggest Trump’s Call to Renegotiate the Government Funding Deal Is Unrealistic: Republicans are uneasy with Trump’s demands to include a debt ceiling extension in a continuing resolution, and they want the disaster aid included in the bill.
It’s Elon’s Congress and We’re All Just Living in It
All of Washington knew that Trump would be a problem for Johnson. On Wednesday, we learned that Elon Musk could be just as much of a headache.
The billionaire owner of X and incoming co-czar of the pseudo-official Department of Government Efficiency spent Tuesday and Wednesday arguing against Johnson’s proposed spending legislation, calling for any member who votes for the bill “to be voted out in 2 years!”
With the legislation now in shambles and an imminent threat of shutdown, some members told NOTUS’ Haley Byrd Wilt and Violet Jira they nonetheless welcomed this 536th unofficial member getting involved.
“Elon Musk is going to cause problems in Congress,” said Rep. Troy Nehls, a Texas Republican. “But it’s really, really good.”
I Went to Mar-a-Lago and All I Got Was This Lousy Pool Report
Reporters hoping to cover Trump’s presidential transition are being left out in the cold — or, rather, the 74-degree, partly sunny weather enveloping Mar-a-Lago.
NOTUS flew down to West Palm Beach this week as part of the transition print pool to see just how much access reporters were getting. The answer? Very little.
There were, of course, signs of Trump everywhere: MAGA posters and law enforcement officers lining the streets for over a mile away from the clubhouse. Your pooler had hardly taken his seat on the flight to West Palm Beach before spotting senior Trump adviser Jason Miller on the plane. (Miller, man of the people that he is, rode in coach and took a selfie with a fan.)
But the day as a pooler was almost entirely spent parked on a bench outside Mar-a-Lago while getting the news like everyone else: endlessly scrolling X as Congress descended into madness (see rest of newsletter).
Still, even with the nonexistent access, the takeaway from the trip was that if your editors offer to fly you to Palm Beach for two days, say yes.
—Mark Alfred, reporting from West Palm Beach, Fla.
California vs. Trump Update: The Coming EV War
Joe Biden’s EPA is leaving Gavin Newsom with the opportunity to prod the Trump administration over greenhouse gas emissions.
NOTUS’ Anna Kramer reports on a late Biden admin move to allow California and a coalition of other states to ban the sale of new gas cars by 2035. The move cannot be easily reversed by the GOP trifecta next year. “The coming fight is likely to be long and aggressive,” Anna reports.
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by… not us.
- Past Democratic presidential wannabes? Sign most Senate Republicans up. By Anthony Adragna and Ursula Perano for Politico
- Republicans struggle to unify heading into a high-stakes 2025 by Kadia Goba for Semafor
- How much abuse can a local newspaper reporter take? By Erik Wemple for The Washington Post
- Walz-Flanagan partnership on ice since governor’s failed vice presidential bid by Rochelle Olson and Ryan Faircloth for The Minnesota Star Tribune
Be Social
The way this is solely based on vibes and not actual birthdays … maybe Rep. Susan Wild has the right idea.
Who’s your congressional zodiac twin…? Check here to find out ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nFCVCj7bYF
— Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (@RepSaraJacobs) December 18, 2024
No!!!!
— Susan Wild (@wildforcongress) December 18, 2024
Tell Us Your Thoughts
Can you still call a 1,547-page bill a “continuing resolution”?
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