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The feud between Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., and former President Donald Trump is showing no signs of waning.
Since Trump rescinded his endorsement of Brooks in the Alabama Senate primary earlier this week, the lawmaker has been publicly telling anyone within earshot how Trump begged — even after Jan. 6 — for help in his doomed and yet allegedly ongoing quest to overturn the election. After making the allegation to NBC News, Brooks' press tour continued on local news Thursday.
As the squabble unfolds, I have some burning questions I need answered.
What’s going on with all that Trump donor money?
Now that we have even more evidence to suggest Trump is still actively agitating for insurrection, I’m very curious about how his mountain of donations is being used. I know Trump isn’t naturally a giver, and he’s reportedly spent very little of his war chest on other candidates. But I’m warming up to the idea that he might offer some kind of financial incentive to current lawmakers — assuming they promise to help reinstall him in the White House.
How expansive was this plot?
I don’t imagine Brooks — Kevlar vest and all — was the sole lawmaker Trump asked to “rescind” the election results. As woefully self-assured as Trump is, I suspect he also understands the limitations of what Brooks could accomplish on his own. Does that mean he was making similar requests of other lawmakers? And if so, are there unnamed politicians out there still enabling Trump's delusions?
What will Garland do?
Aah, yes, one of the most consequential questions of our time: Is Attorney General Merrick Garland doing or going to do literally anything about this? It's true that the House's Jan. 6 committee has subpoena power, and it can make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice. But what we’re talking about here might be a new attempt to overthrow a duly elected leader, separate from last year’s Capitol riot.
Merrick, my guy, how much of a recommendation do you need? And the fact that Brooks, in his admission to NBC News, only said Trump wanted him to “rescind” the election leads to even more unanswered questions. How that would be achieved? It's not a question we — meaning the attorney general — should leave hanging.