'I need a drink'

Republicans have long been known for pro-police rhetoric, but the depth of that commitment was tested on Friday at a meeting among D.C. Metropolitan Police Ofc. Michael Fanone, Capitol Police Ofc. Harry Dunn, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The officers were there to discuss the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that occurred because of Donald Trump's repeated lie that the 2020 election was "stolen." Fanone, who was seriously injured in the attack, asked McCarthy to publicly denounce GOP members who had minimized the violent event and promoted conspiracy theories about it. Asked if McCarthy had agreed to do so, Fanone replied, "Not in my mind, no." —The Hill

• — "A dark day in the history of the United States." Former Vice President Mike Pence, whose life was among those imperiled on Jan. 6, is taking tentative steps away from the Trump fairy tale. Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library last Thursday, he credited "the swift action of the Capitol Police and law enforcement" for quelling the violence, and allowing him and lawmakers to resume the formal certification of the election results later that day. "There's more at stake than our party and our political fortunes in this moment," Pence said. "If we lose faith in the Constitution, we won't just lose elections. We'll lose our country." —Politico
•  
• — "It was all bullsh*t." Former Attorney General Bill Barr has revealed that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged him from mid-November on to publicly refute Trump's baseless claims of widespread fraud in the election. McConnell claimed they were hurting the country and the GOP, which was facing two runoff elections in Georgia that they ultimately lost. "If there was evidence of fraud, I had no motive to suppress it," Barr said. "But my suspicion all the way along was that there was nothing there." And indeed there was not. —The Atlantic
•  
• — "This is like WWF, in that it's entertaining, but it's not real." Sen. Mitt Romney is heartened by the likes of Pence, Barr, and others shifting gears and calling out Trump's election lies. "Where did he hear that the election had been fraudulently carried out? Did he hear it from the Justice Department? No. Did he hear it from the intelligence community? No," Romney said yesterday. "It's pretty clear the election was fair, it wasn't the outcome the [former] president wanted, but let's move on." —The Daily Beast

Eggleston: The best police reform? Intervention

"Police departments need to make clear in training that an arresting officer is much better served by the assistance from someone who acts as [former police officer Cariol] Horne did than from the type of actions taken by the Minneapolis officers. This may seem counterintuitive to leaders in law enforcement, who often promote a culture that expects police to 'have the backs' of their fellow officers. But Horne had her colleague's back when she intervened—more so, in fact, than the Minneapolis officers had [former police officer Derek] Chauvin's back when they failed to keep him from killing George Floyd." —W. Neil Eggleston in The Washington Post

W. Neil Eggleston, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, represented former police officer Cariol Horne pro bono in New York state litigation.

MORE: Minnesota AG urges Congress to pass police reform bill following Chauvin sentencing —The Hill

U.S. conducts airstrikes in Middle East

The U.S. conducted targeted, defensive airstrikes in Syria and Iraq last night against Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada—two Iranian-backed militia groups. The groups are responsible for at least eight drone attacks directed at U.S. forces in Iraq since April 14, including at operational and weapons-storage facilities near the Syria-Iraq border. "The United States took necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation, but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. The action was President Biden's second use of force in the region. —The Wall Street Journal

Geidner: Garland may be stronger than he seems

"While much has been written about whether Garland is the forceful attorney general the Justice Department needs in the wake of the Trump Administration, he is beginning to establish that at least on one front—the way the attorney general interacts with the Supreme Court—he is growing more comfortable in his role without the robe. ... Friday gave us the strongest sign yet that, free from his judicial constraints, Merrick Garland is preparing to do what he believes is needed to protect voting rights across the country in the years ahead." —Chris Geidner on MSNBC

Chris Geidner is the editorial director at The Appeal and the senior advisor for law and policy at the Justice Collaborative.

MORE: Republicans strip power from two secretaries of state who fought Trump's fraud claims —The Washington Post

Dire conditions for Hong Kong press

A Hong Kong editorial writer was arrested on charges of "collusion with a foreign power" at the Hong Kong Airport last night while trying to leave the embattled city. Fung Wai-kong was the chief editorial writer and managing editor of the English-language edition of the Apple Daily, which was the last pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong. While a number of independent news sources still publish on the internet, Apple Daily published its last paper on Thursday after pro-Chinese police and government agencies spent years cracking down on the paper by raiding its offices, arresting editors, and freezing bank accounts. Jimmy Lai, the paper's founder, was arrested last year and quickly given a 20-month sentence for taking part in "illegal assemblies." —New York Daily News

MORE: Hong Kong's Stand News removes op-eds after pro-democracy Apple Daily folds under pressure —Newsweek

Focus on Trump's legal problems

New York prosecutors have told lawyers for Donald Trump they must respond by today with any last arguments as to why criminal charges should not be filed against the Trump Organization. The deadline sends a strong signal that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and New York Attorney General Letitia James are seriously considering filing criminal charges against the Trump family business. Vance could announce charges against the company and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, as soon as this week.

• — Two probes. Vance's office is investigating "possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct" at the Trump Organization, including tax and insurance fraud and falsification of business records. James' office is investigating whether the company inflated the values of some properties to obtain better terms on loans, and lowered their values to obtain property tax breaks.
•  
• — A reason to sing. Court filings and records subpoenaed in the investigation show that Weisselberg and his son Barry have received corporate perks and gifts worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in their years with the Trump Organization. If they failed to account properly for that money on tax returns and other financial filings, they could be in legal jeopardy.
•  
• — No guarantees. Legal experts have said an indictment against the Trump Organization could bankrupt the company by undermining its relationships with banks and other business partners. But it's also still possible that no charges will be brought. Stay tuned. —U.S. News & World Report

Kristof: 'How can you hate me when you don't even know me?'

"There's a reason we try to solve even intractable wars by getting the parties to sit in the same room: It beats war. If we believe in engagement with North Koreans and Iranians, then why not with fellow Americans? At a time when America is so polarized and political space is so toxic, we, of course, have to stand up for what we think is right. But it may also help to sit down with those we believe are wrong." —Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times

Nicholas Kristof is a New York Times columnist covering human rights, women's rights, health, and global affairs.

I so agree about the Republican Party. It will limp along, the part that is Trump-deranged, as other real conservatives exert themselves and somewhat right the ship. But "conservative" in the true sense of the word will take decades.

As far as Trump's bootlickers go, they are not truly fighting for Trump. They are talking to keep the attention away from their part in the lawlessness of Trump's presidency, and trying to cover for their part in the insurrection. Emails, texts, Twitter posts, phone calls will tell their sad tale of chaos, lies, and criminal goings-on. —Donna C., California

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.