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Archives for 2019

Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 192

November Surprises

A new episode of Trial Balloon just dropped for Political Wire members. Log in or become a member

Trial Balloon · Ep. 192: November Surprises

Appeals Court Says Obamacare Mandate Unconstitutional

December 18, 2019 · 5:38 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“A federal appeals court has found the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate unconstitutional, but did not invalidate the entire law, which remains in effect,” CNN reports.

Washington Post: “The decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has little immediate practical effect because Congress already has removed the penalty for the insurance requirement as of this year. But the two-to-one ruling leaves the rest of the sprawling statute in limbo heading into a presidential and congressional election year.”

Health Care

Americans Split on Removing Trump

December 18, 2019 · 5:35 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, conducted as the House prepares to vote on two articles of impeachment against the president, shows a deadlock. Among American adults, 48% favor his impeachment and removal and 48% oppose it.”

“That represents a tiny shift in Trump’s favor since late October, when a 49%-46% plurality favored impeachment and removal.”

“Yet responses to other questions in the poll show larger numbers of Americans disturbed by the Trump’s behavior, which represents a warning sign for his 2020 reelection prospects.”

For members: Why Impeachment Polls Are Misleading

House of Representatives

McConnell Pushes Thru More Judge Nominations

December 18, 2019 · 5:09 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“While the rest of Washington focused on impeachment proceedings Wednesday, Mitch McConnell successfully pressed forward on a subject that has been the one knockout success for the Republican Senate and President Trump: judges,” CNN reports.

“Wednesday afternoon, the Senate majority leader forced a deal with Democrats to expedite 11 federal district judge nominations.”

Senate

Trump Battles New Sanctions on Russia

December 18, 2019 · 5:07 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration is quietly fighting a new package of sanctions on Russia, the Daily Beast has learned. A Trump State Department official sent a 22-page letter to a top Senate chairman on Tuesday making a wide-ranging case against a new sanctions bill.”

“Sen. Lindsey Graham—usually a staunch ally of the White House—introduced the legislation earlier this year. It’s designed to punish Russian individuals and companies over the Kremlin’s targeting of Ukraine, as well as its 2016 election interference in the U.S., its activities in Syria, and its attacks on dissidents.”

Foreign Affairs

Pelosi Watches

December 18, 2019 · 4:34 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Los Angeles Times: “Pelosi has sat in the back of the chamber for some time now. Occasionally a representative will stop by a chat for a few moments. For a while she sat alone, now she’s been joined by a staff member.”

“But for the most part she has sat silently and listened to the speeches.”

House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi

Hoyer Open to Delaying Senate Impeachment Trial

December 18, 2019 · 4:00 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking lawmaker in the House, said Wednesday that Democrats must discuss a last-ditch gambit to delay sending articles of impeachment to the Senate and prevent the Republican controlled chamber from summarily discarding the case against President Trump,” Politico reports.

Said Hoyer: “Some think it’s a good idea. And we need to talk about it.”

House of Representatives, Senate

Trump Delivers His Pelosi Letter to Senators

December 18, 2019 · 3:30 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) tweets:

“True story: there is a White House staffer going around the Senate delivering to each office, as a package, the incoherent, scathing Pelosi letter AND… wait for it… a giant 16×12 White House Christmas card (along with, implausibly, a second smaller Christmas card). What a day.”

Senate

Some Urge Pelosi to Force Delay of Senate Trial

December 18, 2019 · 3:18 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“A group of House Democrats is pushing Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders to withhold the articles of impeachment against President Trump that are expected to emerge on Wednesday, potentially delaying a Senate trial for months,” the Washington Post reports.

“The notion of impeaching Trump but holding the articles in the House has gained traction among some on the political left as a way of potentially forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to conduct a trial on more favorable terms for Democrats. And if no agreement is reached, some have argued, the trial could be delayed indefinitely, denying Trump an expected acquittal.”

Senate

GOP Lawmaker Compares Impeachment to Pearl Harbor

December 18, 2019 · 3:14 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) compared the forthcoming impeachment of Donald Trump to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in World War II.

Fact check: On December 7, 1941, more than 2,400 Americans died in the attack on Pearl Harbor, so not exactly a good comparison.

The Washington Post reports Kelly previously compared the Obamacare birth control mandate to Pearl Harbor.

House of Representatives

Facebook Won’t Remove a False Ad About McConnell

December 18, 2019 · 2:57 pm ET · Leave a Comment

BuzzFeed News: “Facebook will not be removing an ad falsely claiming that Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell endorses the impeachment of Republican President Trump from its platform.”

“The ad was posted and promoted by leftist activist Adriel Hampton, who registered as a California gubernatorial candidate in October and began running bogus political ads in an effort to test the limits of Facebook’s fact-checking policy.”

Political Advertising

GOP Lawmaker Says Jesus Got Better Treatment

December 18, 2019 · 2:29 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) claimed that Pontius Pilate gave more rights to Jesus during his trial than Democrats have given President Trump in the impeachment process, NPR reports.

Pontius Pilate presided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his crucifixion.

House of Representatives

GOP Poll Shows Democrat-Held Trump Districts Close

December 18, 2019 · 1:59 pm ET · Leave a Comment

A new Fabrizio Lee (R) poll tested House Democrats running in districts carried by President Trump in the 2016 election and found the race within the margin of error.

The poll was conducted for the Trump campaign.

2020 Campaign

The GOP’s New Defense Is Denying Basic Facts

December 18, 2019 · 1:55 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Aaron Blake: “It’s often been said that the two sides in the current impeachment debate can’t even agree on basic facts. But increasingly for the GOP, that’s also true of well-established and indisputable facts.”

“Some Republicans have said President Trump’s actions were bad but not impeachable. But a few of them have set out to argue for an alternate reality: One in which it’s not conceivable Trump did something wrong, because the things that happened didn’t actually happen.”

House of Representatives

Member feature

Why Impeachment Polls Are Misleading

December 18, 2019 · 1:21 pm ET · Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

According to the polling averages, American voters are nearly evenly divided on impeaching and removing President Trump from office, 47.1% to 46.5%.

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House of Representatives, Members

Nadler Reminds Republicans Who Would Become President

December 18, 2019 · 1:20 pm ET · Leave a Comment

With Republicans suggesting Democrats were just trying to overturn the 2016 election by impeaching President Trump, House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler reminded his Republican colleagues during the debate that Mike Pence would become president if Trump were impeached, not Hillary Clinton.

This acknowledgement was met by laughs and then cheers by Republicans.

House of Representatives

Impeachment Unlikely to Impact 2020 House Races

December 18, 2019 · 12:59 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“When the dust clears, the result is most likely to look more like a draw than a victory, say political strategists from both sides,” the Washington Post reports.

Democratic pollster Geoff Garin: “I am confident that not a single Democrat anywhere in the country next year will lose their seat because they voted for impeachment.”

Republican pollster Glen Bolger: “I am not convinced that anybody is in significant danger but the small number that represent the other team’s area, and there are a lot fewer than there used to be.”

2020 Campaign

Convicted Russian Spy Will Host TV Show

December 18, 2019 · 12:34 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Maria Butina, recently released from a U.S. prison, will become the host of a program for Russia’s state-owned propaganda network RT, CNN reports.

“Butina, who was convicted of conspiring to act as an agent for a foreign state in the United States, was deported to Russia in October after serving more than 15 months behind bars in Florida.”

Foreign Affairs

Bonus Quote of the Day

December 18, 2019 · 12:32 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“It is a matter of fact that the president is an ongoing threat to our national security and the integrity of our elections, the basis of our democracy.”

— Speaker Nancy Pelosi, quoted by Axios, calling for the impeachment of President Trump.

House of Representatives

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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