Jonathan Swan of Axios has got same story as Haberman & Martin at NYT:

Appears as a man desperately trying to salvage his narcissistic pride; there are no real campaign offerings so far.

Flynn allies plotted to get dirt on Republicans to blackmail them into backing election audits to bolster Trump’s debunked charges that Biden’s win was fraudulent

Reed Galen of the Lincoln Project:

Whether I'm right or whether I'm wrong...I gotta be me, I've gotta be me...What else can I be but what I am...

Trump under fire over Tennessee primary nod

By Max Greenwood @ TheHill.com - 02/01/22 06:00 AM EST

Former President Trump is under fire — including from some of his most ardent supporters — for his preliminary endorsement of a former State Department spokesperson over a steadfast ally in a Tennessee congressional primary.

In an unexpected move last week, Trump threw his support behind Morgan Ortagus, who served as a spokesperson for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and hasn’t yet announced a bid to represent Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. In doing so, Trump snubbed Robby Starbuck, a conservative filmmaker who has been running for the seat since June.

The former president’s announcement sparked intense backlash across Republican circles, with even the most aggressive Trump boosters questioning — and in some cases outright condemning — his decision.

“Nope. Trump has this completely wrong,” Candace Owens, a conservative commentator and staunch Trump rally, tweeted. “@robbystarbuck is the correct pick for Tennessee’s 5th district and Tennesseans have his back.”

“I endorsed @robbystarbuck months ago and I stand by my endorsement,” Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) tweeted. “He is the best candidate in the country right now. The MAGA movement needs him in Congress!”

In another blow to Trump’s endorsement, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of Trump’s most high-profile supporters in Congress, announced that she would back Starbuck’s House bid, telling the Washington Examiner that he “has been a champion for 'America First' for a long time.” [.....]

Trump creates new Jan. 6 headaches for GOP

By Jordain Carney @ TheHill.com - 01/31/22 06:32 PM EST

Former President Trump is creating new headaches for Republicans after he floated pardons for Jan. 6 attack participants and lashed out at former Vice President Mike Pence for not overturning the 2020 election.

Trump’s comments — made separately during a rally in Texas on Saturday and in a statement on Sunday — injected back into the spotlight the attack on the Capitol, carried out by a mob of the former president’s supporters, and a rehash of the 2020 election. 

GOP lawmakers, including allies like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), immediately distanced themselves from comments by Trump, who is flirting with a 2024 comeback bid as he falsely claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. “I just think people who broke the law on Jan. 6 need to be held accountable, period,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said, "Those people that that came into this building, defiled this place, threatened not only the institution itself, deserve to be in jail, they don't deserve to be pardoned."  [.... ]

Graham, during an interview with CBS News, warned that pardoning individuals tied to the attack would be “inappropriate.” 

"I don't want to send any signal that it was okay to defile the Capitol," Graham added. "There are other groups with causes that may want to go down to the violent path that these people get pardoned."

Graham’s pushback is notable because he’s remained one of the president’s most vocal allies in the Senate GOP caucus, including publicly warning Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) that he needs to be able to work with the former president. Graham recently visited Trump, and has predicted that he’ll be the party’s 2024 presidential nominee if he wants to be. 

Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, said he aligned with Graham’s view. I just don’t think you want to encourage unlawful behavior,” Thune said [....]

Bill Press: Trump is running out of gas

Op-ed @ TheHill.com, Feb. 1

Pssst. Did you hear? Donald Trump held another rally last week. Saturday night. In Conroe, Texas. 

What? You didn’t even know about it? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Almost nobody, except for the most die-hard Trump supporters, heard about it ahead of time. Like his earlier MAGA event on Jan. 16 in Arizona, Trump’s Texas rally was one of the best-kept secrets in American politics. 

Of course, the faithful turned out in big numbers. But that’s all. Trump was simply preaching to the choir. You couldn’t watch it on TV, either. None of the networks carried the rally live. Neither did CNN or MSNBC. Not even Fox News. Only Fox Nation, the streaming service, and Newsmax, the 24/7 Trump cable channel, bothered to air the rally. And [....]