Dead Drop: January 20

HIRE AN INTEL VET?  Tea leaf readers noticed that former 3-term congressman and CIA clandestine service veteran Will Hurd, is scheduled to make some speeches in New Hampshire later this month.  The Granite State, of course, is traditionally the site of the first Republican presidential primary each cycle. Could Hurd be thinking about running for president? Last year, he published a book, American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done.  That is another customary signal that a politician is thinking of throwing their hat in the ring. If Hurd joined the fray, he might come up against former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whose own book with the obligatory inspirational title, Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love is scheduled to come out later this month. (The book reportedly tells of a heretofore secret trip Pompeo took to North Korea while CIA Director.)  What other signs might people look for to see if either is planning a run?  Let us know if you spot them searching their garages or basements for classified documents that they might have accidentally taken home when leaving government.

HIRE AN AMERICAN VET: Representative Jim Banks (R, IN) has announced that he is running for Senate.  Banks is a Navy Reserve supply corps officer who took leave from a past gig in the Indiana State Senate for a tour of duty in Afghanistan. In making the announcement, BanksforSenate.com posted a nearly three-minute-long video which includes him pledging to keep critical race theory and anti-Americanism from being “pushed on our troops.” Politico reporter Dave Brown pointed out however, that some of the supposed American troops shown in the video are actually actors from Estonia that are included in stock video that’s available for purchase.  Oops.