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Trump will use election fraud claims to stay relevant through 2021
Get insights on the latest news in US politics from Jon Lieber, head of Eurasia Group's coverage of political and policy developments in Washington:
The Electoral College has voted. Why is Trump still refusing to acknowledge defeat?
Well, the President has a long history of criticizing people who lose elections as losers, who quote, "choke like a dog." And I don't think the President wants to admit to himself that he is a loser who choked like a dog. In addition, he's building a pretty impressive political operation based off claims that the election was stolen from him. He's raised over $200 million in the month since the election, and that political operation is going to keep him relevant in the media and in Republican politics for at least the rest of 2021. I think that the claims of election fraud are really central to that operation. So, don't expect Trump to concede anytime soon, even after Republicans start broadly acknowledging his loss.
Why is Attorney General William Barr resigning?
Barr had been one of the President's biggest loyalists. He'd used the Department of Justice in order to advance many Trump causes. And after the election, it looked like he was moving in a different direction. Ostensibly, he's doing it to spend time with his family around Christmas, which is what President Trump said. But in recent weeks, it's come out that Barr didn't acknowledge the DOJ was investigating Hunter Biden before the election; and also, he's been disputing the President's claims of voter fraud. So, I think that relationship just wasn't tenable anymore. Barr's on his way out in the closing days of the administration.
How will the US respond to recent Russian cyber attacks?
Well first, the US has to be sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that the perpetrators of these attacks were Russian. It's possible that there's a false attribution, although it looks very likely these things were carried out by the Russian government. Second, the US is likely to respond with sanctions targeted at the people who did the deed, unless it turns out that this was more than just an intelligence gathering operation and, in fact, targeted US critical infrastructure or was an attempt to damage some US companies or the government. In that case, you may see something much, much broader than sanctions, up into and including cyber attacks back on the Russians to make sure that they pay a price for having done this. Third, a lot of this may not happen until the Biden administration. With the transition of government happening now and going til January 20th, the Biden people may want to reset their approach to Russia altogether, and you may see a much more aggressive response to Russia that goes beyond targeted sanctions starting in the new year.
Barr pressures DOJ to bring antitrust suit against Google
Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, discusses technology industry news today:
What's the deal with Google and antitrust?
Well, we've long known that the Department of Justice is likely bringing an antitrust suit against Google. What we've just learned this week is that William Barr, the attorney general, is pressuring them to bring it really quickly, and the career lawyers don't like that idea. Why is he doing that? Maybe because he thinks they're going slowly, maybe because he wants a political victory for Trump before the election.
Should we be worried about the decline in stock for Apple, Amazon and Tesla?
No, we should not. Those stocks, well, tech stocks swing wildly. All three companies are totally fine. Their stocks were quite inflated.
What is the controversy over Disney Plus's new movie, Mulan?
Amazing thing is that about five minutes ago, I got an e-mail saying my kids had purchased it and are watching it. The controversy is, what I saw, which is, "I've already paid for Disney Plus and I have to pay $30 more?" If they like it, it's worth it, but it's still a lot.
Who is Attorney General William Barr?
President Donald Trump has asserted executive privilege over materials special counsel Robert Mueller used to assemble his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Attorney General William Barr, who faces growing backlash from House Democrats after refusing a subpoena that called for the release of those very materials, has long been an advocate of broad executive power. Barr's past may offer some insights into the present situation.
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What will Attorney General William Barr reveal about the Mueller Report when he testifies on the Hill?
I don't think very much he'll defend his summary and say that more will be revealed once the redaction period is over and you can put out the full report. So he'll probably evade a lot of tough questions.
Will DHS go in a tougher direction now that Secretary Nielsen is gone?
Trump certainly hope so. More zero-tolerance policy at the border, fewer asylum refugees let in, and he certainly wants to go much tougher with Secretary Neilsen gone.
Can Dems stop the logjam on emergency aid on Capitol Hill?
Well they'll try with a bill that adds money for disaster relief in the Midwest. But the issue of Puerto Rico disaster funding is still going to be a problem in the Senate. So I'm not sure the logjam is over.
Can the New York State legislature force the release of President Trump's tax returns?
Well they're certainly going to try with a new bill to do that. Democrats control the state so you'd think that they could but there's still a lot of questions about whether this would be a bad precedent to force the release of a single person's tax return. So the effort will be there. I'm not sure it'll be successful.
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