NEWS AND OPINION:
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been an unflinching and positive force in President Trump’s administration from its earliest days.
Mr. Pompeo now has taken to Twitter with praise for those he has worked with, including diplomatic security, U.S. troops and American leadership in general. He also cited such signature messages as “America First,” and offered reminders that the Trump administration “changed the global conversation on China.”
He also advised his 3 million Twitter followers that his official U.S. government account would soon be archived, and that @mikepompeo would remain active. That could be a helpful resource in the future if a certain prediction holds true.
Miranda Devine, a New York Post columnist writes that “one of the greatest achievements of the Trump administration was resetting foreign policy: reducing our reliance on China and recognizing its threat, neutralizing ISIS, extracting us from the Iran nuclear deal and establishing the Abraham Accords. The unsung hero who made it all happen was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been a stalwart defender of the America First philosophy without the bluster.”
“He has been making a flurry of announcements as the Trump era draws to a close, including calling out China’s secrecy on the coronavirus. Few Republicans are better placed to lead the post-Trump revival,” she predicts.
Whether that revival involves GOP victories in the 2022 midterm election, or the emergence of a formidable Republican hopeful in 2024 remains to be seen. In the meantime, the 74.6 million voters who stuck by Mr. Trump in the 2020 presidential bout are still out there, looking for clues and waiting for the next chapter to emerge.
JOSH HAWLEY FINDS A PUBLISHER
It is a quick turnaround in the book publishing world. Sen. Josh Hawley lost a deal on Jan. 7 with Simon & Schuster for his forthcoming book “The Tyranny of Big Tech.” The Missouri Republican, however, already has signed a new deal to publish his book just 11 days later.
The New York-based publishing giant withdrew its offer to Mr. Hawley after he objected to the certification of the 2020 presidential election amid the deadly riot that raged at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Simon & Schuster severed ties with the lawmaker 24 hours later.
Regnery Books — well-known for backing such high-profile conservatives as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican; and columnists Michelle Malkin and Dennis Prager — sealed a deal with Mr. Hawley on Monday. His book will be on the shelves by May 4.
His new publisher offered a comment on the actions of Simon & Schuster.
“It’s discouraging to see them cower before the ’woke mob,’ as Senator Hawley correctly calls it. Regnery is proud to stand in the breach with him. And the warning in his book about censorship obviously couldn’t be more urgent,” Regnery president and publisher Thomas Spence said in a statement to The Federalist.
AMERICANS TEPID ABOUT TRUMP IMPEACHMENT
As the second impeachment of President Trump looms, a question lingers. Are Americans really interested in another investigation? A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released in late December revealed that only 2% of the public agreed that “further investigations of President Trump” should be a leading priority for the new administration.
Controlling COVID-19, job creation and preservation, improving access to health care, and even addressing climate change were bigger priorities when the poll of 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted Dec. 6-20.
Then there’s the expense. It also is of note that the Special Counsel’s Office spent $15,973,442 on their previous investigation of Mr. Trump, conducted May 27, 2017, through Feb. 25, 2020, according to the Justice Department.
Meanwhile, a FiveThirtyEight average of multiple polls conducted after the attack of the U.S. Capitol found that 52% of U.S. adults support “removing Trump” from office while 43% reject the idea.
“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is reported to believe that Trump has committed impeachable offenses, but McConnell has indicated that he thinks no final verdict will be reached in the impeachment trial until after Trump leaves office. Welcome, in other words, to the limbo period in the 2021 impeachment process,” the FiveThirtyEight analysis said.
A VICE PRESIDENT’S SUMMATION
“I’m proud to report with just a few days left in our Administration, our Administration is the first in decades that did not get America into a new war. That’s Peace through Strength,” Vice President Mike Pence tweeted on Monday.
His quote was part of a speech before members of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, on Sunday. The event was billed as the vice president’s “final official appearance.”
A SECRETARY’S REMINDER
Outgoing Health and Human Services Administration Secretary Alex M. Azar II reviewed his experiences in the Trump administration on Fox News during an appearance Monday.
Mr. Azar told the network that 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine are now available, and 31 million doses have already been distributed. Some 900,000 vaccinations are given daily, he noted — stressing that managing this outreach is best done on the local level.
Mr. Azar also gave his recommendation for productive work habits in the future.
“We’re all in this together. I just wish we could act more like — whether Democrat or Republican — we’re in this together, working together. It is not a place to score political points. Probably my biggest regret is how quickly it became point scoring between the parties instead of all just rowing together for the good of the American people,” Mr. Azar advised.
POLL DU JOUR
• 36% of U.S. adults are “very confident” that elections in America reflect the will of the people; 10% of Republicans, 25% of independents and 68% of Democrats agree.
• 23% are “somewhat confident”; 13% of Republicans, 29% of independents and 22% of Democrats agree.
• 11% overall are “just a little confident”; 18% of Republicans, 11% of independents and 6% of Democrats agree.
• 29% are “not at all confident” elections reflect the will of the people; 57% of Republicans, 33% of independents and 3% of Democrats agree.
Source: A CNN/SSRS poll of 1,003 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 9-14.
• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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