Republicans' playbook for defending Donald Trump is likely to face its biggest test in the coming weeks, as special counsel Jack Smith appears set to indict the former president for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Why it matters: Jan. 6 is a proven political albatross for Republicans. Trump's refusal to accept the election results has allowed Democrats to paint the GOP as extremist and anti-democratic — a message that resonated in the midterms as Trump-backed election deniers were defeated across the board.
Driving the news: The GOP lawmakers who rushed to defend Trump today did not seek to rationalize his widely condemned behavior in the period after the 2020 election — instead painting him as the victim of political persecution.
What to watch: Convincing the public to ignore charges over Jan. 6 — a violent scene many Americans watched on national television — could prove to be an immense challenge, given that GOP leaders blamed Trump at the time for creating the conditions for the Capitol attack.
An Appleton clinic and its founder agreed to pay $175,000 to settle allegations that the clinic falsely submitted claims to Medicare for electrical muscle stimulation and vitamin injections, accord...