👋 Welcome back to Sneak Peek, anchored by Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba.
Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 1,278 words, a 5-minute read.
👋 Welcome back to Sneak Peek, anchored by Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba.
Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 1,278 words, a 5-minute read.
Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Beginning on election night and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol. This Axios series by Jonathan Swan and Zachary Basu takes you inside the collapse of a president.
President Trump was sitting in the Oval Office one day in late November when a call came in from lawyer Sidney Powell. "Ugh, Sidney," he told the staff in the room before he picked up. "She's getting a little crazy, isn't she? She's really gotta tone it down. No one believes this stuff. It's just too much."
It was clear that Trump recognized how unhinged his outside legal advisers were. But he was becoming increasingly desperate about losing to Joe Biden, and Powell and her crew were willing to keep feeding the grand lie that the election could be overturned.
Trump promoted Powell as part of his team, and even though he had privately admitted to aides that he thought she was "crazy," he still wanted to hear what she had to say.
Jenna Ellis (left), Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
"Off the rails," Episode 3, continues:
Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser Trump had fired and then pardoned, told Trump he couldn't trust his team.
Powell and Flynn sent Trump advisers documents they said contained the evidence of this far-reaching conspiracy. To the White House staff, it was gibberish — the rantings of a QAnon devotee.
By this point, Trump was mainlining conspiracies. Many of his longest-serving advisers had all but given up trying to reason with him.
Whether Trump was still in charge, or had ceded decision-making to the bottom feeders, was at least an open question.
Go deeper: Read the fly-on-the wall episodes in the Axios stream.
🎧 Listen to Jonathan Swan on Axios' new investigative podcast series, "How it happened: Trump's last stand."
National Guard troops at the U.S. Capitol. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Capitol is more secure but lawmakers are on edge and harbor concerns, Kadia Goba reports. This is how bad things are for elected officials and others working in a post-insurrection Congress:
Lawmakers aren't alone — congressional reporters were sharing tips over the weekend about the best place to buy helmets, body armor and gas masks, so they could cover the inauguration.
Trump confidant Matt Schlapp interviews Jared Kushner last February. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
A flood of convicted criminals has retained lobbyists since November’s presidential election to press Trump for pardons or commutations before he leaves office, Axios' Lachlan Markay reports.
What we're hearing: Among them is Nickie Lum Davis, a Hawaii woman who pleaded guilty last year to abetting an illicit foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of fugitive Malaysian businessman Jho Low. Trump confidant Matt Schlapp also is seeking a pardon for a former biopharmaceutical executive convicted of fraud less than two months ago.
Why it matters: With little in the way of remaining political capital, nullifying or curtailing sentences is one of the few official actions Trump still has at his disposal. And influence industry professionals have worked to ingratiate themselves with him to win clemency for paying clients.
Kyriaki Chris of Virginia near the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images
While most in the public can’t travel to Joe Biden’s inauguration, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will remember them Monday with an artistic 56 pillars of light illuminated on the National Mall, Axios' Glen Johnson reports.
What they’re saying: "The 'Field of Flags' represents the American people who are unable to travel to Washington and reflect the PIC’s commitment to an inclusive and safe event that everyone can enjoy from their home," the committee said in a statement.
Just five of Biden's Cabinet nominees are slated to have Senate confirmation hearings before Inauguration Day — far fewer than most recent presidents-elect, according to data from the U.S. Senate analyzed by Stef.
George H. W. Bush had only two nominees receive hearings before his inauguration in 1989.
The five hearings scheduled Tuesday for Biden — for State, Defense, Homeland Security, National Intelligence and Treasury — point to the importance of maintaining national security and economic confidence.
Members of the Florida National Guard walk near the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Sunday. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Biden will be sworn in as president of the United States at noon ET on Wednesday.
The House returns from recess Thursday.
The Senate returns from recess on Tuesday.
President Trump will leave Washington for Florida on Wednesday morning.
Vice President Mike Pence will attend the inauguration.
Via CNN
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) opened up today about the death of his 25-year-old son, saying suicide is "a permanent answer to a temporary condition" and he hopes he can help other Americans avoid feeling or causing the pain felt by his son Tommy, Glen writes.
What they're saying: Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union With Jake Tapper," Raskin acknowledged he's not a medical expert but said to those contemplating suicide: "You must speak to people in your family. You must speak to your doctor. You must call 911, if you're alone and that's necessary. Don't go down that road."
Tommy Raskin was a second-year student at Harvard Law School when he died by suicide on Dec. 31. His parents later wrote about their son's battle with depression in an essay also celebrating his sunny disposition, devotion to others and the horrific note he left behind. It said, "My illness won today."
Raskin told Tapper he felt compelled to address the "insurrection tailgate party" on Jan. 6 because it was vital to maintaining democracy.
☎️ You can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
🙇 Thanks for getting a line on this busy week from us. We'll be off tomorrow to mark the federal holiday but back Tuesday night. Remember, you can always sign up for Sneak here.