Political Wire

What Turkey Wants to Let Finland and Sweden Into NATO

June 23, 2022 at 8:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “NATO was so confident that the invitation to both countries would go smoothly that it choreographed a series of events around a vote accepting the applications in May, which the alliance had to cancel when Turkey suddenly objected.”

“Mr. Erdogan has made numerous demands, mostly centering on nationalist issues with domestic impact, like Kurdish separatism and terrorism, and the extradition of some followers of an exiled opposition leader, Fethullah Gulen. Mr. Erdogan blames Mr. Gulen, who lives in the United States, for a failed coup attempt against him in 2016.”

Labor Shortage Hits Democratic Campaigns

June 23, 2022 at 7:37 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democratic candidates nationwide are struggling mightily to hire enough qualified people to run their campaigns, according to interviews with party political operatives, a staff shortage many of them say is the worst — and most frustrating — in recent memory,” the Miami Herald reports.

“In an election year when Democrats are already grappling with high inflation and an enthused Republican Party, the hiring troubles amount to a behind-the-scenes headache when the party can least afford it.”

The job listings are pouring in at Political Job Hunt.

Bonus Quote of the Day

June 23, 2022 at 7:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Dude. Don’t blame the intern.”

— Monica Lewinsky reacting to Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-WY) explanation of how his chief of staff ended up in possession of a slate of fake electors.

Biden’s Approval Ties Record Low

June 23, 2022 at 7:13 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds President Biden’s approval rating hit 36%, tied for an all-time low.

A new Gallup poll shows Biden’s approval holding steady at 41%.

Mo Brooks Calls It Quits

June 23, 2022 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Having lost the GOP Senate primary in Alabama, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) told Politico that he’s retiring from politics.

Said Brooks: “The bad guys won.”

Axios reports Brooks is about to be served a “redone” subpoena by the January 6 Committee.

Quote of the Day

June 23, 2022 at 6:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Some argued to the former president and public that the election was corrupt and stolen. That view was wrong then and it is wrong today, and I hope our presence here today helps reaffirm that fact.”

— Former Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, quoted by the AP, in prepared testimony before the January 6 Committee.

Trump Close to Screaming at TV During Hearings

June 23, 2022 at 6:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former President Donald Trump “has tuned into every hearing and has grown increasingly irate — to “‘the point of about to scream at the TV,’ according to a close adviser — with what he views as the lack of defense by his Capitol Hill allies,” the Washington Post reports.

“Trump has said privately for months that McCarthy’s decision to pull pro-Trump Republicans from sitting on the Jan. 6 select committee was a mistake, one that has become clearer as Trump watches the hearings that are working to build the case that he should be criminally charged for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election.”

Biden Loses His Own Aides on Gas Tax Holiday

June 23, 2022 at 6:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “The notion of a gas tax holiday was met with instant criticism — not only from members of both parties on Capitol Hill, but even from many officials within the administration who said privately that it would probably do little to significantly lower gas prices.”

“Top Treasury Department officials expressed doubts about the gas tax holiday, and at least two top White House economists also privately conveyed reservations, according to two people familiar with the internal deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose sensitive conversations.”

Politico: “Biden’s break-glass moment on gas prices fell flat in the Capitol, with Democratic leaders keeping their distance and even those who support the idea privately wondering whether the White House has a longer-term plan. Even if the holiday had a chance of becoming law, lawmakers in Biden’s party say it’s far too limited a remedy.”

Panel Has New Evidence of Trump’s Pressure on Justice

June 23, 2022 at 6:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans to unveil new evidence on Thursday about how President Donald Trump tried to manipulate the Justice Department to help him cling to power after he lost the 2020 election,” the New York Times reports.

“At its fifth public hearing this month, scheduled for 3 p.m. on Thursday, the panel plans to hear testimony from three former top Justice Department officials who are expected to lay out the ways in which Mr. Trump tried to misuse the attorney general’s office to overturn his defeat, an extraordinary instance of a president interfering with the nation’s law enforcement apparatus for his own personal ends.”

Washington Post: “Unbeknown to the public at the time, a handful of Justice officials scrambled to prevent Trump from ousting the acting head of the department, Jeffrey Rosen, if Rosen didn’t agree to have the agency publicly suggest the 2020 election results were invalid.”

Rick Scott Breaks with McConnell on Gun Bill

June 23, 2022 at 6:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “GOP announcements of opposition to the Senate gun bill are tumbling out of Congress. The latest to declare that he will vote against it is Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). Scott, of course, is not just the junior senator from Florida; he’s also the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.”

“In the wake of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Scott signed a bill that has some similarities to what’s been drafted in the Senate. But it’s not similar enough, according to Scott. So once again, on a major national policy issue, Scott is parting ways with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who supports the gun bill.”

FBI Seized Nevada GOP Chairman’s Phone

June 22, 2022 at 11:03 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

FBI agents seized the cell phone of Nevada Republican chairman Michael McDonald, reportedly as part of an investigation into the fake elector scheme initiated at the end of the 2020 presidential election, KLAS reports.

A second search warrant was issued for state party secretary James DeGraffenreid.

Mo Brooks Says He’s Willing to Testify in Public

June 22, 2022 at 10:51 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) — one of the Republican lawmakers facing calls from the January 6 committee to testify about his interactions with former President Donald Trump — said Wednesday that he is willing to testify but only in public,” CNN reports.

Inflation Complicates Biden’s Decision on Student Debt

June 22, 2022 at 7:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The soaring cost of food, gasoline and other staples is further complicating a fraught debate among President Biden and his closest advisers over whether to follow through on his campaign pledge to cancel thousands of dollars of student loan debt for tens of millions of people,” the New York Times reports.

“While Mr. Biden has signaled to Democratic lawmakers that he will probably move forward with some form of student loan relief, he is still pressing his team for details about the economic ramifications of wiping out $10,000 of debt for some — or all — of the nation’s 43 million federal student loan recipients.”

Pence to Endorse Lee Zeldin for New York Governor

June 22, 2022 at 6:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday was expected to announce his endorsement of Rep. Lee Zeldin for governor of New York, days before the congressman faces Rudy Giuliani’s son and two other candidates in a Republican primary on Tuesday, the New York Times reports.

Flashback Story of the Day

June 22, 2022 at 4:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

From Roll Call and the Iowa Capital Dispatch on January 5, 2021: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told reporters that Vice President Mike Pence wouldn’t be available on January 6 to count the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.

Said Grassley: “Well, first of all, I will be — if the Vice President isn’t there and we don’t expect him to be there, I will be presiding over the Senate.”

There’s got to be a bigger story here.

GOP Senator Mulls Blocking School Meal Funding

June 22, 2022 at 4:47 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) “is thinking about blowing up a bipartisan deal to extend school meals funding because of a Biden administration policy banning discrimination against LGBTQ students who participate in lunch programs that receive the money,” Politico reports.

“Democratic leaders are rushing to pass the legislation and get it to President Joe Biden’s desk before current funding runs out June 30, triggering a hunger cliff for millions of children.”

Herschel Walker Says There Are 52 States

June 22, 2022 at 4:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker (R) told the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show that there were 52 states in the country while attempting to criticize Stacey Abrams (D) for saying Georgia is “the worst state in the country to live.”

Said Walker: “If you don’t believe in the country, leave and go somewhere else. If it’s the worst state, why are you here? Why don’t you leave ― go to another? There’s, what, 51 more other states that you can go to?”

Judge Delays Proud Boys Trial

June 22, 2022 at 4:26 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The trial for five Proud Boys leaders — facing seditious conspiracy charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — will be postponed until at least December, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, citing the ongoing publicity and uncertainty surrounding the Jan. 6 select committee,” Politico reports.

Wall Street Journal: “In a rare instance of agreement, prosecutors and defense lawyers in the case had asked for a postponement, saying they wanted to avoid a scenario in which the committee releases potentially relevant evidence mid-trial.”

New York Times: “It was perhaps inevitable that tensions would arise between the two investigations that are being conducted at the same time.”