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House affirms peaceful transfer of power, except for 5 Republicans

Rep. Matt Gaetz during a House hearing in July on Capitol Hill. Photo: Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images

The House voted 397-5 Tuesday to adopt a resolution in support of a peaceful transfer of power after President Trump last week refused to commit to it if he loses the election to Joe Biden.

The big picture: Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, Steve King, Thomas Massie and Clay Higgins voted against the bipartisan measure, authored by Rep. Eric Swalwell. A similar measure passed unanimously in the Senate last week.

What they're saying: "This resolution is a way for Democrats to attack the president and disguise the fact that they will refuse to accept the election results unless they win," Trump ally Gaetz said.

  • "Professional loser Hillary Clinton has told Joe Biden that he should not concede, and I'm quoting, 'under any circumstances.'"

Context: Clinton said in August she believes the only way Trump could win re-election is "by either suppressing or stopping voting, or outright intimidating people into feeling that they have to go with the strong guy."

  • "Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances, because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don't give an inch, and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is," the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate said, per NBC News.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more comment from Gaetz and further context.

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Jan 7, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Republicans enabled Trump. Then, a few strangled him

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the joint session of Congress resumed. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

It is an ironic, poetic ending to the raucous reign of Donald J. Trump: Enabled — and enabling — Republicans put the final knives in their beloved, besieged, beaten president:

  • It was often conservative judges appointed by Trump who rejected his desperate lawsuits to overturn the election results state by state.
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Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences — and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — stopped it.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: Coronavirus deaths reach 4,000 per day as hospitals remain in crisis mode — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution — Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead Operation Warp Speed amid rollout of COVID plan — Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
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