MS NOW's Rachel Maddow previewed one of the side curiosities about President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address: the designated survivor, or the sole member of the Cabinet who is hidden in a safe room during the speech, to be sworn in as president in case there is an attack that takes out the Capitol building.
It's normally a fairly mundane Cabinet official, Maddow noted — but the problem for Trump is, even his most mundane Cabinet officials are steeped in scandal this year.
"The whole idea of it is very dystopian and weird, but they do it every year," said Maddow. "And, you know, you'd think, given the responsibility associated with being the designated survivor, you'd think they'd pick like the most widely respected person. They'd pick the person who everybody agrees would be the best choice to take over the country in the wake of an unimaginable disaster. You'd think it would be like a really high-profile person they picked every year. They don't do that, actually. Kind of the opposite. The person does get some attention for being picked as the designated survivor every year, but usually the person is kind of not well known."
"And so like in this Cabinet, you might expect that they'd pick maybe the Labor Secretary, right?" said Maddow. "Labor is not a particular area of interest for this president, or really for any Republican president. So maybe they just, you know, keep things quiet, pick somebody low-key, make the Labor Secretary the designated survivor this year. Could they do that? Oh no no no no no, can't do that. Trump's Labor Secretary is Lori Chavez-DeRemer. And if they pick Lori Chavez-DeRemer as the designated survivor, then people will Google Lori Chavez-DeRemer. And this is what they will find."
"Headline: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer under investigation for, quote, 'inappropriate relationship with employee,'" wrote Maddow. "These are reports that started with a complaint that was reportedly filed with the inspector general of the Labor Department. Trump Labor Secretary, quote, 'accused of drinking in her office during the workday' and committing travel fraud by having her chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, both of whom are now on leave, quote, 'make up official trips to destinations where Chavez-Deremer can spend time with family or friends on the taxpayer's dime.'"
"Do you want to put a spotlight on that hot mess right now?" Maddow said. "That absolutely radioactive scandal engulfing everything related to Trump's Labor Secretary? Yeah. Maybe not. Maybe it's not going to be her. Maybe instead you go with another, you know, low-profile department, one of those departments where only real government geeks even know what the department does. Like maybe you'd go with something really obscure, like the Commerce Department."
"Again, headline: New details from Epstein files reveal Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had yearslong business tie with sex offender," said Maddow. "Oh, yeah, that's the Commerce Secretary. So maybe we can't have the Commerce Secretary be the designated survivor either."