BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN

THE TOP

Punchbowl behind the scenes: President Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy got into a screaming match Wednesday as an enraged mob of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol, according to a source familiar with the episode.

McCarthy, one of the president’s closest allies in Congress, demanded that Trump release a statement denouncing the mob. Initially, Trump would not agree to do it.

As protestors were smashing their way into the Capitol in an unprecedented act of political violence, Trump — also under pressure from top aides to act — finally relented and said he would send a tweet. That wasn’t good enough for McCarthy, who wanted more. Trump later issued a tepid video statement that criticized the protestors while still insisting he won the election. On Thursday night, Trump issued another video, finally conceding he would be out of office soon, but he never mentioned Joe Biden by name.

The heated exchange between Trump and McCarthy was one of the sharpest between the two men. It shows how badly Wednesday’s deadly attack on the Capitol has damaged Trump’s relationship with GOP leaders on the Hill. The Republican leadership has put up with a lot. Most recently, they went along with Trump’s quixotic challenge to the presidential election. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is "basically done with him,” said a source close to McConnell. Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly to certify Biden’s Electoral College win in the aftermath of Wednesday’s Capitol riot.

Important context: House Republicans are stuck in a trap. The majority of their membership is loyal to Trump, which leads the leadership to stick by the president. But it’s a Catch-22: Many people in the conference say that the only reason the majority is loyal is because McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise refuse to split with him.

One interesting dynamic: Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming —  the No. 3 House Republican — has publicly denounced Trump many times, setting herself apart from McCarthy and Scalise. 

Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns of the NYT do a good job here with this dynamic on the front page of the paper this morning: “Republicans Splinter Over Whether to Make a Full Break From Trump”

And David Gelles of the NYT hits on the point we made yesterday — how will big business, which funds the GOP, deal with the party going forward.

THE PUNCHLIST: A LOOK AROUND THIS MESS

New: Brian Sicknick, an officer with the U.S. Capitol Police, died from injuries sustained during the mob violence at the Capitol. Sources say he was struck in the head during the protest and later died from his injuries. Five people have now died as a result of Wednesday’s melee – one officer and four protestors.

Education Secretary Betsy Devos resigned.

Hill leaders have forced the resignation of or fired much of the Capitol security’s leadership. Mitch McConnell asked for and received the resignation of the Senate sergeant at arms, while Pelosi secured the resignation of the House sergeant at arms. The chief of the Capitol Police has resigned, as well. Burgess Everett and Heather Caygle for POLITICO 

WaPo’s Phil Rucker, Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey: “Though not necessarily enjoying himself, [Trump] was ‘bemused’ by the spectacle because he thought his supporters were literally fighting for him, according to a close adviser. But, this person said, he was turned off by what he considered the ‘low-class’ spectacle of people in ragtag costumes rummaging through the Capitol.”

WSJ ed board: “Donald Trump’s Final Days”: “In concise summary, on Wednesday the leader of the executive branch incited a crowd to march on the legislative branch. The express goal was to demand that Congress and Vice President Mike Pence reject electors from enough states to deny Mr. Biden an Electoral College victory. When some in the crowd turned violent and occupied the Capitol, the President caviled and declined for far too long to call them off. When he did speak, he hedged his plea with election complaint.

“This was an assault on the constitutional process of transferring power after an election. It was also an assault on the legislature from an executive sworn to uphold the laws of the United States. This goes beyond merely refusing to concede defeat. In our view it crosses a constitutional line that Mr. Trump hasn’t previously crossed. It is impeachable. … 

“If Mr. Trump wants to avoid a second impeachment, his best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign. This would be the cleanest solution since it would immediately turn presidential duties over to Mr. Pence. And it would give Mr. Trump agency, a la Richard Nixon, over his own fate.”

WILL THEY GET RID OF TRUMP?

Dems inching toward impeachment

The House Democrats will hold a noon conference call today to discuss whether they can get rid of Trump. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on Trump’s Cabinet to force him out of office through the 25th amendment, and she said she will move to impeach him if they refuse. 

Pelosi’s play here is to make it clear to Trump that his time is up — even before Jan. 20. The 25th amendment is a long shot, so Democrats are hoping that he steps down. If not, the House will impeach him. Make no mistake: this is not an idle threat. Pelosi is angry, and her caucus is furious. Her leadership team recognizes that and told us after a call Thursday that her anger was palpable. 

Impeachment will pass the House. The question is will 16 Senate Republicans vote to get rid of him — and is there time to hold a speedy trial before Jan. 20. We don’t have a good sense of either at the moment. Republicans are angry at Trump and cannot wait until he’s gone. 

The Democratic call will also touch on the security of the Capitol complex.

FOUR CORNERS — BEHIND THE SCENES

Big 4 chats with SecDef, Milley

Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy and Chuck Schumer Thursday evening spoke with Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark A. Milley about the federal response to the mob assault of the Capitol. They also discussed the military’s plans to help protect the Capitol complex and federal facilities downtown on Inauguration Day.

2024

Tracking Cotton and Hawley

Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) — two 2024 hopefuls — are heading in completely different directions of late. Most notably, Cotton opposed objecting to the election results, and Hawley led the charge.

Let’s take stock of the result:

Simon and Schuster canceled Hawley’s book (NYT). Hawley says he’s going to sue.  … Hawley’s mentor, former Sen. John Danforth says he regrets mentoring him after the Capitol riots…. The Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post-Dispatch both say Hawley should resign. … Cotton has an op-ed in the WSJ talking about the violence. Cotton split with Trump this week and is beginning to move on from him.

CLIP FILE

NYT’s Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman: “Capitol Attack Leads Democrats to Demand That Trump Leave Office”: “Ending a day of public silence, Mr. Trump posted a 2½-minute video on Twitter on Thursday evening denouncing the mob attack in a way that he had refused to do a day earlier. Reading dutifully from a script prepared by his staff, he declared himself ‘outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem’ and told those who broke the law that ‘you will pay.’

“While he did not give up his false claims of election fraud, he finally conceded defeat. ‘A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20,’ Mr. Trump acknowledged. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.’”

… “Now It Can Be Told: How Neil Sheehan Got the Pentagon Papers,” by Janny Scott

After action reports … 

WaPo’s Peter Hermann, Carol Leonnig, Aaron Davis and David Fahrenthold: “How the U.S. Capitol Police were overrun in a ‘monumental’ security failure”: “Those failures began days before the attack, when law enforcement agencies across Washington failed to prepare for an assault on the Capitol — even as Trump supporters openly plotted one online. They were compounded by the slow response on the day of the siege, when Capitol Police and other federal agencies did not head off a mass of Trump supporters who descended on the Capitol, egged on by the president himself, and command within the complex broke down."

… “Trump’s failures this week open rifts in a Republican Party he has controlled,” by Josh Dawsey, Michael Scherer and Matt Viser in Amelia Island, Fla.

AP: “Police officer’s death intensifies Capitol siege questions,” by Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Daly

MOMENTS

Trump, who was scheduled to travel to Camp David this weekend, has canceled those plans and is expected to remain in Washington.

Joe Biden will make a transition announcement and receive the daily intelligence brief.

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