| CONGRESS: House Democrats are moving forward with their vote to hold Barr in contempt as House Judiciary Committee Democrats pushed for a release of the unredacted version of Mueller’s report and its underlying evidence from the Justice Department. The two sides fell short of an agreement and set the stage for the scheduled vote Wednesday morning to hold Barr in contempt as Democrats continue to fume about the attorney general, whom they view as an extension of Trump and not an impartial arbiter (The Hill). According to Politico, the Justice Department dangled multiple carrots in negotiations to ward off the looming vote: “In an attempt to head off the contempt vote, the Justice Department offered some concessions to allow more congressional aides access to a less-redacted version of Mueller’s report. The department also offered to allow a select number of senior lawmakers to keep their handwritten notes on the report; just 12 members of Congress have been allowed access to the less-redacted version. “But the offer did not include allowing additional lawmakers to view the document, and those who can see it would still be forbidden from discussing it or sharing their notes with colleagues — leaving a key demand from Democrats unresolved. “According to two sources familiar with Tuesday’s negotiating session, the Justice Department offered to allow each of the lawmakers to bring two staffers — instead of just one — to view the less-redacted version.” > Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) waded back into the impeachment discussion Tuesday during an appearance at Cornell University where she argued that the president is trying to “goad” Democrats into impeaching him for political purposes. She says he sees possible proceedings as a 2020 winner for his reelection campaign (The Hill). "Trump is goading us to impeach him,” Pelosi said. “Every single day, he's just like, taunting, taunting, taunting, because he knows that it would be very divisive in the country, but he doesn’t really care. [He] just wants to solidify his base.” Pelosi said that Trump is “making a case” for impeachment as he publicly says certain individuals should not testify, and said he’s obstructing justice “every day.” 
The Washington Post: FBI director tells Congress he has no evidence of “spying” on the Trump campaign. Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing for spin-off investigations after the completion of Mueller’s probe as they look for answers they believe they have not received yet. As Jordain Carney reports, Democrats, although limited by their minority status, are urging the Department of Justice’s inspector general to investigate Barr and his handling of Mueller's report. Democrats say they need the IG to pick up their investigation plans because Graham has not exhibited any plans or appetite to further investigate the Trump administration. The Hill: Democrats re-propose legislation that would fine credit agencies for data breaches. > Senate Republicans from agriculture-heavy states sounded the alarm about the impact of the president’s trade agenda during a lunch with Vice President Pence on Tuesday (The Hill). > As Alexander Bolton reports, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said that he had a "candid" conversation with White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney before the meeting on disaster relief. There's frustration that this is dragging on, along with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and China talks, which are also hurting the Midwest. McConnell is eyeing an end-of-month deadline as disaster aid legislation hit new “obstacles” (The Hill). > Republican senators met with Trump and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on Tuesday about a West Wing plan to change legal immigration. Trump's plan would not reduce legal immigration levels, where roughly 1.1 million people receive legal status annually in the United States, and it would not address undocumented migrants. The new proposal would try to shift the federal government's preference for granting green cards from family-based immigration, often assailed by Trump as “chain migration,” to applicants with certain job skills (The Hill). Meanwhile, in a victory for the administration that could wind up before the Supreme Court, a federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled the government can make asylum seekers wait in Mexico rather than in the United States while their immigration court hearings proceed (The Associated Press). *** Spotted by The Hill’s Rafael Bernal on Tuesday at Polish Ambassador Piotr Wilczek's residence for the celebration of Poland’s Constitution Day and the centennial of Poland-U.S. diplomatic relations: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and former Rep. Martin Frost (D-N.J.) *** *** POLITICS & CAMPAIGNS: There are 50 days until Democrats hold their first presidential primary debate and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has some tough decisions to make. Democrats interviewed by The Hill say the DNC has been as transparent and inclusive in the process as can be expected, but the massive field of contenders vying for the 20 guaranteed spots on stage has the DNC in a tough spot, according to reporting by Jonathan Easley. Most of the 22 candidates running for the Democratic nomination appear to have hit the low polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for the debate, although the DNC will not announce the line-up until two weeks before. A couple of big-name candidates could still join the race, including New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio (D) and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D), so the DNC may be forced to resort to tiebreakers to keep the number on stage at 20. The debates are viewed as the first make-or-break moment in the primary contest as candidates criss-cross the country in early primary states, key general election states and elsewhere to win support and gain momentum. The New York Times: Joe Biden, stressing Obama ties, has support from older black voters. Is it enough? Peter Hamby: ‘This is do-or-die’: Joe Biden’s ‘electability’ argument is how Democrats lose elections. The Hill: Timeline in Ukraine probe casts doubt on Rudy Giuliani’s Biden claim. Politico: Trump campaign distances itself from David Bossie over alleged scam. > Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is learning that he'll need to run a very different race than he did against Hillary Clinton in 2016 to topple former Vice President Joe Biden and a horde of other Democratic heavyweights to win the Democratic nod next year. As Amie Parnes reports, Sanders will likely face Biden, an establishment behemoth who served eight years as vice president to a popular president and decades in the Senate before that. However, while Sanders was able to run as the revolutionary challenger in 2016 against Clinton and a handful of minor candidates, he’s facing a multi-pronged challenge. While he’s forced to run against Biden, he is also facing headwinds from others who can compete with him for the liberal mantle. This means the direct attacks that often worked well on Clinton might not have the same effect on Biden. The Hill: After losing 2016 superdelegate fight, Sanders maintains well of superdelegate support. > While Republicans in Alabama are bracing for a prolonged primary fight, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) might have to also, as state Rep. John Rogers (D) announced a primary bid Tuesday. The bid comes after a private back-and-forth emerged in which Jones reportedly told Rogers he “agreed” with comments made by the state lawmaker, which made national headlines, despite having publicly denounced the remarks. Jones’s seat is among the top pick-up opportunities for Republicans in 2020, with Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) considered the front-runner for the GOP. Judge Roy Moore, who famously lost to Jones in 2017, is also considering a bid for the seat. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment