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When news broke last summer that the FBI raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and seized hundreds of classified documents that the former president had in his possession, it was shocking but not especially surprising. After all, absconding with materials that belong to the U.S. government isn’t much of a leap for a president that would lie about an election and incite an insurrection. But then came word that President Biden had classified documents from his vice presidential and Senate days improperly stored at a D.C. office and his home in Delaware. And today, we learned that classified documents were discovered at former Vice President Mike Pence’s home in Indiana, too. What the heck is going on? To be clear, both Biden and Pence voluntarily turned over their documents and fully cooperated with federal authorities, while Trump (again, not surprisingly) did not. But the careless storage of classified materials that do not belong to these federal officials should give us all pause. Thus far, instead of blaming the FBI or publicly alleging a conspiracy, congressional Democrats are publicly expressing appropriate concern. Lawmakers from both parties should be held to account for any violations of protocol, particularly those that could put our national security at risk. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor
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Half Moon Bay shootings: 7 dead in second California massacre in 3 days —Los Angeles Times
Former senior FBI official accused of working for Russian he investigated —The Washington Post
Ukraine purges officials and governors in biggest shakeup of war —Reuters
In reversal, U.S. poised to approve Abrams tanks for Ukraine —Associated Press
U.S. confronts China with evidence of companies aiding Putin’s war —Bloomberg
Doomsday clock moves closer to midnight than ever —The New York Times
Supreme Court punts on Texas and Florida social media law cases —CNBC
Justice Dept. sues Google over digital advertising dominance —Associated Press
Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark's daughter charged in police assault —WCVB
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Ranked-choice voting in a red state?
It could happen. Supporters of ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference, rallied at the Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, yesterday, saying the current election system is broken, and RCV is the solution. The event was headlined by Andrew Yang, co-chair of the Forward Party, who argued that horse-race ballots and the two-party system have helped lead to extreme polarization. “This is the only way to improve our politics, change the incentives, and make it so our leaders have to answer to us,” Yang said. “Half the time your vote doesn’t matter, and most Americans know that because they’ve been set up in a district where their vote doesn’t count.” —The Post and Courier
It’s practical too. Also in attendance at the rally was State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, who plans to introduce a ranked-choice voting bill soon. "I think ranked-choice voting will allow us to get rid of those dreaded runoffs we all deal with and allow us to save millions of dollars that we can put towards something else, like roads and infrastructure," said Johnson. According to South Carolina’s election commission, the cost of conducting a primary runoff can cost upwards of $1.5 million. —CBS News
Even in the Lone Star State? Yes, if State Rep. Vicki Goodwin gets her way. Like Johnson in South Carolina, the Texas congresswoman has proposed ranked-choice voting legislation in Austin. The voting system, if approved, would be used in municipal elections. "If we start with our municipal elections, people may see how it works and realize it has a lot of benefits," Goodwin said. —FOX 4 News
But not in Wyoming. A similar effort to let Wyoming municipalities run ranked-choice elections was rejected in committee on Friday. Jennifer Lowe, executive director of the Equality State Policy Center, said RCV addresses elections where the winning candidate didn’t receive a plurality of the vote. “I’m disappointed that the committee didn’t give cities the opportunity to try something that might work,” she said. “States and local governments and federalism are the laboratories of reform, and having cities experiment with a reform like ranked-choice voting gives us an idea of how it might work if you scaled it up.” —Cowboy State Daily
MORE: Brady Rivera: Ranked-choice voting—a better way to run Trenton elections —The Trentonian
Gerson: Democracy reform gives reasons for hope
“One hopes that congressional passage of the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act, and what appears to be the Supreme Court’s likely rejection of the independent state legislature theory, harbor a return to the stability and adherence to the rule of law that most Americans crave. The events of Jan. 6, 2021, punctuated by Benjamin Franklin’s admonition that the survival of our republic is no sure thing, show that we must be constantly attentive to the rule of law. That is especially true when elected officials arbitrarily act to limit the people’s voting rights and instead seek to impose anti-democratic authoritarian government.” —Stuart Gerson in The Hill
Stuart Gerson is a former acting attorney general of the United States, a member of Epstein Becker Green law firm, and a board member at the Campaign Legal Center.
MORE: ‘Election denial took it on the chin’: Americans bailed out democracy—for now —Vanity Fair
Et tu, Mike Pence?
A lawyer for former Vice President Mike Pence discovered about a dozen documents marked as classified at Pence’s Indiana home last week, and he has turned the classified records over to the FBI. The documents were discovered in the wake of the revelations about classified material discovered in President Biden’s private office and residence. The Pence documents appear to have been packed up along with Pence’s personal papers from the vice president’s residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, which has a secure facility for handling classified material. The documents are now under Justice Department review. —CNN
MORE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS NEWS:
Five questions about the documents recovered from Biden —The Washington Post
Cruz calls for DOJ to investigate Biden documents at University of Delaware —The Hill
White House offers response to key Republican on classified documents —The Hill
Biden’s handling of secret documents complicates the case against Trump —The New York Times
Is it fair to compare Biden’s and Trump’s classified documents scandals? —FiveThirtyEight
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Beyer: Can the GOP marginalize its extremists?
“There are reasonable people in the House Republican Conference, but as long as they continue to acquiesce to a leadership that is dominated by the extreme fringe of their party, they can’t do anyone any good. The Congress—and far more importantly, the country—may soon depend on those reasonable Republicans to stand up to the radical right. There may be enormous consequences for American families and the future of our democracy if they don’t.” —Rep. Don Beyer in The xxxxxx
Rep. Don Beyer represents Virginia’s 8th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
MORE: How Kevin McCarthy forged a bond with Marjorie Taylor Greene —The New York Times
‘They claimed to wrap themselves in the Constitution, but they trampled it’
Four members of the far-right Oath Keepers group were convicted of seditious conspiracy yesterday, joining founder Stewart Rhodes in being found guilty of plotting to keep Donald Trump in power by force. Of the nearly 1,000 people charged with committing crimes at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, fewer than 20 were charged with seditious conspiracy, meaning they were not just participants in a violent mob but also leaders who used brutality to further a political plot. The convictions underscore that the attack was not a peaceful protest gone awry but a planned assault on democracy. Also found guilty yesterday of eight federal crimes was Richard Barnett of Arkansas. Barnett was infamously photographed putting his feet on a desk inside then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the insurrection. —The Washington Post
MORE: Georgia DA investigating Trump for 2020 election interference says charging ‘decisions are imminent’ after grand jury report —CNBC
Haass: Saving democracy is up to us
“What will matter most for America’s future is what ordinary citizens do. Calls for political reforms—even sensible ones—will largely fail if voters are not prepared to first get informed and then get involved in the political process, rewarding those candidates who are prepared to make necessary compromises, reject violence, work across party lines, and put the country first. We get the government and the country we deserve. Getting the one we need, though, is up to us.” —Richard Haass in The Boston Globe
Richard Haass is president of the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens.”
MORE: Rajiv Vinnakota & Louise Dubé: Preparing the next generation of citizens requires bringing back civics —The Hill
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I agree that extremism is bad for the Republican Party, especially when it comes to the demands to which Congressman McCarthy gave in to become Speaker of the House. But to say that Trump created this extremism is not correct. Nicole Hemmer of CNN has written various columns and at least one book analyzing the extremism. It, unfortunately, has been part of the Republican Party for several years. Trump attached his wagon to it and amplified it, but he didn't create it. —David V., Utah
When I think about the vote for House Speaker, I wonder where the real power will lie. I still like the idea of a nonpartisan Congress. As for Biden's problem with the documents, let's see what the special counsel turns up before jumping to any conclusions. —John C., Florida
Hey, Kevin McCarthy! If George Santos is removed from Congress and David (Son of Sam) Berkowitz is released from prison and wants to run as the Republican candidate to replace him, would he have your support?
Yes, he has had 'problems.’ But in New York he would have virtually universal name recognition. —Jim V., New York
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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 Renew America Foundation.
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