A top Secret Service official urged that unflattering information the agency had in its files about Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), a congressman critical of the service should be made public, the Washington Post reports.
Archives for September 2015
Clinton’s Email Woes Pile Up
“About two months of emails from the start of Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state are missing, and federal officials haven’t been able to recover them,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“An archive of records that Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential front-runner, turned over to the State Department doesn’t begin until March 18, 2009, though she took office as secretary of state in late January of that year. The missing emails raise more questions about her stewardship of official documents during her tenure and whether there is a complete record of the early diplomatic efforts of President Barack Obama’s administration.”
Politico: “The controversy over Hillary Clinton’s use of personal email while she was secretary of state is showing no signs of easing, as the number of messages now deemed classified doubled with the State Department’s latest release and as more details emerged about the potential vulnerability of her account.”
Sanders Raises $24 Million
Sen. Bernie Sanders “raised more than $24 million for his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in the last three months, a significant sum that was fueled by a torrid pace of online donations: more than a million so far,” the New York Times reports.
“Sanders advisers, in announcing the fund-raising tally on Wednesday night, also said that the senator had more than $25 million in cash on hand.”
Biden Has 51 Days to File for New Hampshire
Vice President Joe Biden “has 51 days to decide on a presidential bid — that is, if he wants to appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“The filing period for candidates who wish to contest the nation’s first presidential primary will begin Nov. 4 and remain open until 5 p.m. on Nov. 20… Qualifying for the ballot is intentionally easy, as state tradition demands — a candidate or a representative simply needs to submit a completed declaration of candidacy form and provide the filing fee of $1,000, in cash or certified check. Any candidate who hasn’t filed by Nov. 20 must appear in person to do so, however.”
Sanders Campaign Hits One Million Donors
Sen. Bernie Sanders said his campaign reached its goal of one million individual online contributions, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“He is the first candidate of the 2016 campaign to announce it had reached this number – and he reached it faster than President Obama did in 2008 and 2012. The Sanders campaign has touted its goal of hitting one million online donations by tonight’s deadline to spur more individuals to donate.”
Feingold Has Big Lead in Wisconsin
A new Marquette University Law School poll in Wisconsin finds Russ Feingold (D) leading Sen. Ron Johnson (R) by 14 points, 50% to 36%.
Trump Still on Top
A new USA Today/Suffolk poll finds Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential field with 23%, followed by Ben Carson at 13%, Carly Fiorina at 13%, Marco Rubio at 9%, Jeb Bush at 8% and Ted Cruz at 6%.
John Kasich, Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee had 2% each, and Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham and Chris Christie had 1% each.
“The shifting landscape underscores an electorate that is fed up with politics-as-usual and willing to embrace contenders who promise to shake things up.”
Boehner Pressed Gowdy In Secret Meeting
Speaker John Boehner secretly met with Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) “to encourage him to jump into the race for House majority leader, a dramatic attempt by the chamber’s top Republican to try to influence the intraparty election,” Politico reports.
“The previously undisclosed meeting reveals new behind-the-scenes involvement by Boehner, who has not endorsed any candidates in the leadership race. That the Ohio Republican inserted himself in the contest underscores his concern about who succeeds him in GOP leadership.”
The Latest on Wonk Wire
America’s Political Dynasties
Coming soon: America’s Political Dynasties: From Adams to Clinton by Stephen Hess.
“America was founded in rebellion against nobility and inherited status. Yet from the start, dynastic families have been conspicuous in national politics. The Adamses. The Lodges. The Tafts. The Roosevelts. The Kennedys. And today the Bushes and the Clintons.”
Warren Takes Down Brookings Scholar
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “launched a surprise attack Tuesday against Washington’s most revered Democratic-leaning think tanks — and drew blood,” the Washington Post reports.
“Warren, stepping up her crusade against the power of wealthy interests, accused a Brookings Institution scholar of writing a research paper to benefit his corporate patrons. Warren’s charge prompted a swift response, with Brookings seeking and receiving the resignation of the economist, Robert Litan, whose report criticized a Warren-backed consumer protection rule targeting the financial services industry.”
Is Matt Bevin Trying to Lose the Governor’s Race?
Sam Youngman: “The Republican candidate’s sometimes bizarre behavior, oscillations on major policy issues and lack of advertising have all combined to make Bevin one of Democrat Jack Conway’s top allies with a month to go until Election Day.”
“That might help explain Bevin’s ill-advised and jaw-dropping decision to show up at Kentucky Democratic Party headquarters on Friday to complain to the receptionist about the sign KDP has outside its building questioning Bevin’s trustworthiness. It was Bevin’s second trip to the headquarters to complain about the sign.”
McCarthy Says Benghazi Committee Has Hurt Clinton
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) credited the House Benghazi investigation for driving down Hillary Clinton’s approval ratings, the Washington Post reports.
Said McCarthy: “Everybody though Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened, had we not fought.”
Lawmaker Says Gowdy Will Not Run for Re-Election
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) said that Tea Party favorite Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) “won’t run for a fourth term, and instead plans to retire at the end of the current Congress to return to his home state,” the Washington Examiner reports.
Said Fleming: “Trey wants to go back to South Carolina, and God bless him for that. At the end of his term, yes. He plans to go back home, and he wants to finish his work on the Benghazi special committee. But he loves South Carolina and he loves his family, and he wants to go back and spend the rest of his life there.”
Haley Approval Up Among Independents
A new Winthrop poll in South Carolina finds Gov. Nikki Haley (R) approval rating unchanged at 55% after removing the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds.
“But the potential vice presidential pick lost some backing from fellow S.C. Republicans. Haley received a thumbs up from 68% of Republicans in the latest poll, but that was down from 78% from February.”
First Read: “That means she’s getting more support from Democrats and independents – but less support from Republicans. Interesting — especially for whomever the eventual GOP nominee is as they begin their search for a running mate.”
Trump’s Tax Plan Would Cost $12 Trillion
Donald Trump’s tax plan would cost “an eye-popping $12 trillion” over the next decade, according a new estimate by the conservative Tax Foundation that “runs directly counter to the billionaire’s pledge not to increase the deficit with the proposal,” MSNBC reports.
Jindal’s Spending Hasn’t Worked
First Read: “Kasich has spent nearly $5 million in TV ads (all in New Hampshire), and he’s gone up in the polls. Jindal and his supporters have spent $2.5 million (all in Iowa), and he really hasn’t. As for the Bush spending, ALL of it has come this month, with $2.3 million coming this week alone. The right time to judge whether the money is working or not is in about a month. It took Kasich about a month of advertising to start seeing results in New Hampshire, let’s check in around Nov. 1 to see how much of a difference money is making for Jeb in the early states.”
Quote of the Day
“Well the thing about branding is, you don’t have to be — you can be fact-free.”
— Bill Clinton, quoted by CNN, on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
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