Good morning. I'm James Holman from the Washington Post and this is the Daily

2002 for Wednesday, January 20. In today's news, uncertainty rains in the Senate as Mitch McConnell says President Trump provoked

the mob.

A dozen members of the National Guard are removed from inauguration duty.

And President-elect Joe Biden

honors those who have died from COVID

during his first event the big idea. On its final night in office at midnight,

President Trump granted clemency to 143 people including former White House Chief

strategist Steve Bannon, but he did not preemptively pardon himself or his family.

Trump also pardoned two former Republican members of Congress,

Rick Renzi of Arizona, and Randy Duke Cunningham of California.

Both had completed prison terms that stemmed from their corruption convictions.

A third, Robin Hayes of North Carolina was also pardoned after finishing a probation sentence

for making a false statement during a federal investigation.

Bannon was charged last year with defrauding donors to a charity

that was established to privately fund the building of a wall on the southern border.

Bannon insisted he wasn't getting paid,

but it turned out he and his associates allegedly

pocketed 25 million bucks.

Now Cunningham was one of the most brazenly corrupt lawmakers in modern US history.

He literally made a bribe menu for a defense contractor on congressional stationary that said to get a $16 million defense contract

you had to buy him a $140,000 luxury yacht and then you had to pay him

...