The Money Pit of GOP-Aligned Super PACs.
Plus: Appeals Court Decisively Smacks Down Trump’s Immunity Claim for Jan. 6th.
Recently in The Bulwark:
CHARLIE SYKES: A Perfect Storm of GOP Dysfunction
MARC CAPUTO: Fabrizio: “Haley’s Magical Mystery Tour of the Unknown”
You can support The Bulwark by subscribing to Bulwark+ or just by sharing this newsletter with someone you think would value it.
TIM MILLER: The Money Pit of GOP-Aligned Super PACs.
TWO PERCENT.
That is the share of their funds that the heavily capitalized super PACs supporting Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Tim Scott allocated to targeting the man who schlonged (or in one case, is schlonging) them in the Republican nominating contest.
Much can be said about about the incompetence, self-dealing, and cowardice of the Republicans who were charged with challenging Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign. Marc Caputo covered it colorfully and thoroughly earlier this week.
MONA CHAREN: Tucker Carlson’s Fatal Attraction
THE TITLE OF MY 2003 BOOK, Useful Idiots, was a reference to a perhaps apocryphal quote sometimes attributed to Lenin to the effect that gullible liberals in the West would prove useful idiots for the Soviet Union. Too many Democrats fulfilled that cynical prediction, and 12 years after the hammer-and-sickle flag was lowered from the Kremlin for the last time, I attempted to preserve the record.
Twenty-one years later, the epithet belongs wholeheartedly to the GOP.
🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧
Bulwark Podcast with Charlie Sykes: Tom Nichols: Citizen Trump [Ad-Free🔐]
Tim’s Takes: Ronna McDaniel Resigns and the Mayorkas impeachment blows up in the GOP’s face.
Did you know? Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice.
Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
KIM WEHLE: Appeals Court Decisively Smacks Down Trump’s Immunity Claim for Jan. 6th.
ON TUESDAY, THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS for the D.C. Circuit issued a decision affirming the lower court’s denial of former President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss the January 6th indictment against him on grounds of absolute immunity. Trump argued that, because he was still president on January 6, 2021, anything he did while president—even if it amounted to a crime—is beyond the reach of the rule of law. The decision was unanimous and “per curiam,” meaning no single judge on the three-judge panel is identified as the primary author. Trump will undoubtedly appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, a move that could continue to delay the trial date, which was originally set for March 4 but remains on hold pending resolution of the immunity issue.
A.B. STODDARD: Nancy Mace Is a Hot Mess, Not VP Material
BEFORE REP. NANCY MACE ARRIVED at the “Team Trump” press conference she was hosting last Friday in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, local media knew she was going to trash her friend and supporter, former Palmetto State Governor Nikki Haley.
To build interest and attendance, Mace had previewed her attack in a press release, stating she would be “highlighting the repeated failures of Nikki Haley.”
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Wednesday! Be sure to tune in tomorrow night for TNB as our new colleague Marc Caputo joins JVL and Joe Perticone to talk about the GOP’s Hell Week.
Democrats have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win the border fight… will they take it? (Max Burns / The Hill)
Days of Darkness… How one woman escaped the conspiracy theory trap that has ensnared millions. (AP)
Inside the Space Shuttle Discovery… At the Smithsonian.
Support Omar's Widow and Afghan Teammates… From the 1208 Foundation, a heartbreaking story and a family you can help.
What makes a good federal agency logo? Hunter Schwarz investigates.
Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.