I don’t think anyone here blogged it when it happened but acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney dropped one of the most mind-bending quotes of the Trump presidency a few days ago, before the SOTU. Remember now: Before he became POTUS’s right-hand man, Mulvaney was chief of OMB. And the reason he was chosen for OMB is because he was known during his time in the House as one of the most ardent, uncompromising fiscal hawks of the tea-party era. No one but no one would lay down the law in a debate about cutting federal spending like Mick Mulvaney.

But the tea-party era was a fraud, as we’re regularly reminded. Even Mulvaney now realizes it:

He’s the lead guest on “Meet the Press” and “Fox News Sunday,” where he’ll be asked about that quote and about the prospects of an immigration compromise in Congress as the three-week deadline for a deal approaches. Mulvaney has said lately that Trump might not declare a national emergency but rather could invoke “legal executive authority” if Congress doesn’t give him what he wants. Hopefully he’ll explain this morning what he has in mind.

Other names to watch this morning: Adam Schiff will follow Mulvaney on “Meet the Press” to discuss his plans to launch yet another round of Trump/Russia investigations while Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir will appear on “Face the Nation” to dissemble about the Khashoggi killing and deny any role by the Kingdom in the mysterious Jeff Bezos/National Enquirer brouhaha. The full line-up is at the AP.