• Former senator David Perdue of Georgia, who has been endorsed by defeated former president Donald Trump in his state’s Republican primary for governor, kicked off his debate with incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp on Sunday with this lie: “First off, let me be very clear tonight. The election in 2020 was rigged and stolen.” It was not. This is an insult to democracy and an indication that he is incapable of comprehending the oath of office he would take if elected.
  • House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was caught lying about his conversations about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection that Trump instigated and his prior statements that he wanted Trump to resign. Trump rewarded McCarthy’s lies and subsequent sycophancy with praise.
  • Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis retaliated against Disney for speaking out against his “don’t say gay” law by enacting what amounts to a massive tax hike on Floridians. Right-wing pundits cheered this deployment of government power to punish political opponents. This is a page straight out of Hungarian leader Viktor Orban’s playbook.
  • Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) asked then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for “something to work with” on Nov. 20, 2020, to overturn the will of the voters and justify throwing out electoral votes for Joe Biden.
  • As my colleague Aaron Blake reports, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Meadows, testified that the White House Counsel’s Office made clear that the plot to overthrow the election was not “legally sound” and that Meadows had been warned about the potential for violence on Jan. 6.
  • CNN reports on a tranche of 2,319 text messages between Meadows and other Trump allies, including “texts with Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania about a scheme to replace Justice Department leaders who opposed Trump’s claims of election fraud.” CNN adds: “Beginning on Election Day, Meadows was in the middle of it all, from connecting activists pushing conspiracy theories to strategizing with GOP lawmakers and rally organizers preparing for January 6.”