* “There’s no evidence that somebody purposefully tried to harm somebody. Nobody is saying that these people didn’t experience some event, but there’s no evidence that that was a deliberate attack by somebody, either the Cubans or anybody else.”–Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, saying the U.S. has found no evidence that American diplomats in Havana were the victims of attacks with an unknown “sonic” weapon.
* “As an institution we have to make it clear that we are dealing here with a scalpel not a sledge-hammer. Because you can’t have a situation where people say, ‘Oh, you can’t trust the FBI.’ That creates a spirit of anarchy.”–Congressman Peter T. King, R-N.Y.
* “From his reputation and everything I know about him, I remain convinced that when this is all said and done, Mueller is going to only pursue things that are true, and he will do it in a fair and balanced way. I think the best thing that can happen for the president, for the country and for everyone is that he be allowed to complete his investigation as thoroughly and as completely as possible and that we allow the facts from that investigation to lead where they may.”–Sen. Marco Rubio.
* “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”–Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
* “To serve in this White House isn’t to be elevated to public service. It’s to be debased into toadyism.”–Brett Stephens, New York Times.
* “Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. … (He) was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books.”–Donald Trump.
* “We are at risk of a coup d’etat in this country if we allow an unaccountable person with no oversight to undermine the duly elected president of the United States.”–Congressman Matt Goetz, R-Fla., in calling for special counsel Robert Mueller to resign or be fired.
* “Mr. Trump’s opponents hate him more than his supporters love him. That’s a huge problem for the GOP and the president.”–Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush.
* “Some combination of Trump’s personality and temperament and advancing age leave him constantly undone by the obligations of the presidency.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.
* “As it turns out, electing a president with literally no relevant experience is a lot like asking someone who didn’t attend dental school to perform a root canal.”–Bess Levin, Vanity Fair.
* “Senate Republicans have spent a year writing bills without any Democratic input that hurt the middle class and pleased their wealthy, hard-right benefactors. There is a chance for bipartisanship, but only if Senate Republicans reverse course, tell their hard-right benefactors they can’t dictate policy and genuinely work with Democrats.”–Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
* “Let’s go back in time (1787), and we’re in Philadelphia, we’re trying to hammer out the Constitution. Tell me how the 24-hour-hour news cycle would have affected writing the Constitution.”–Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
* “Nobody is better at producing clean, quality, responsible energy than the U.S. Clean, reliable, abundant and affordable energy is what’s driving our economy.”–Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
* “A new day is on the horizon!”–Oprah Winfrey.
* “Good evening, ladies and remaining gentlemen.”–Opening line by Golden Globes host Seth Meyers.
* “Bitcoin is a massive experiment and there are many ways that the experiment can go wrong. People should consider this as a form of gambling.”–Christian Catalini, founder of MIT’s Crypto-economics Lab.
* “We have a tax bill that provides short-term massive benefits to the extremely wealthy. This bill ignores the pressing issue of climate change and further exacerbates inequality.”–Stetson University economist Alan Green.
* “While Ron DeSantis has dedicated himself to protecting Trump and becoming a Fox News star, we look forward to a debate on the issues that affect Florida families.”–Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham.
* “Our goal is to pass a budget that’s a lower dollar amount than the governor.”–Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, the lead budget writer in the Florida House.
* “It’s going to be a great showcase of a hockey city.”–Steven Stamkos, on Tampa hosting the Jan. 28 NHL All-Star Game.