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Trump Claims Executive Privilege on Census Question

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President Trump “asserted executive privilege to shield documents about the administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, a move meant to try to undercut an expected vote by a House panel to hold his attorney general and commerce secretary in contempt for failing to turn over the materials to lawmakers,” the Washington Post reports.

Axios: “The House Oversight Committee is preparing to vote to hold Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt Wednesday for refusing to turn over subpoenaed materials. The committee is investigating whether the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census was politically motivated, a controversy that could have major implications for future federal funding and redistricting.”

Elizabeth Warren Quietly Moves Into Second Place

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who stumbled badly last year when she opened her presidential campaign with a genetic test to prove her Native American heritage, has quietly moved into a dead heat for second place in the race for the Democratic nomination.

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Why Trump Isn’t Likely to Win a Second Term

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Josh Kraushaar: “Trump’s clearest path to victory relies on Democrats making a series of self-destructive decisions. But even if Democrats turn leftward and nominate a weak challenger, they’d still have a credible chance at unseating Trump. The country’s rampant polarization guarantees that anyone—no matter how extreme—would be well-positioned against the president.”

“Just as Trump rallied enough skeptical Republicans to support him against Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders would likely win over reluctant Democrats to his side against Trump.”


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Harris Would Prosecute Trump After He Leaves Office

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Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) “says that if she’s elected president, her administration’s Department of Justice would likely pursue criminal obstruction of justice charges against a former President Trump,” NPR reports.

Said Harris: “I believe that they would have no choice and that they should, yes.”

She added: “There has to be accountability. I mean look, people might, you know, question why I became a prosecutor. Well, I’ll tell you one of the reasons — I believe there should be accountability. Everyone should be held accountable, and the president is not above the law.”

Trump Denies Leak of Internal Polling

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President Trump took to Twitter to deny reports of internal polling that show him losing to Joe Biden in key states he needs to win re-election.

Said Trump: “The Fake (Corrupt) News Media said they had a leak into polling done by my campaign which, by the way and despite the phony and never ending Witch Hunt, are the best numbers WE have ever had. They reported Fake numbers that they made up & don’t even exist. WE WILL WIN AGAIN!”

Big Warning Signs for Trump

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Yesterday’s Quinnipiac poll showing President Trump trailing every top tier Democrat running for president got big headlines, but it’s important to note that it’s a national poll. If Trump’s weakness is heavily concentrated in states like California and New York, it’s still very possible he could find the 270 electoral votes he needs to win re-election.

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Trump Has Received Money from 22 Foreign Governments

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“Representatives of at least 22 foreign governments appear to have spent money at Trump Organization properties, an NBC News review has found, hinting at a significant foreign cash flow to the American president that critics say violates the U.S. Constitution.”

“The extent and amount of foreign spending at Trump’s hotels, golf clubs and restaurants is not known, because the Trump Organization is a private company and declines to disclose that information.”

Does Biden Really Believe He Can Break the Fever?

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Kevin Drum: “I have no idea what Joe Biden ‘really’ believes about working with Republicans. But I will say this: he’s a politician. There’s zero reason to think he truly believes what he’s saying here. There’s also zero reason to think he doesn’t believe it. The fact that he said it is simply a null input.”

“At the same time, Biden isn’t an idiot. Of course he knows what the modern Republican Party is like. But like Obama before him, he also knows that lots of people really like to hear paeans to bipartisanship. We political junkies may hate it, but ordinary people who don’t inhale cable news are suckers for the idea that we can all get along if we just give it a try—and there are way more of them than there are of us. Biden knows this, so that’s what he tells people. Whether he really believes it or not matters not a whit.”

Biden Once Voted to Restore Citizenship to Jefferson Davis

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Joe Biden once voted to restore the U.S. citizenship of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the Washington Examiner reports.

“The former vice president was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that unanimously approved a bill in 1977. The measure was sent to the full Senate, where it was approved without dissent and later signed into law by President Jimmy Carter.”

“The initiatives, which generated relatively little controversy at the time, highlights the cultural and political shifts that have taken place during Biden’s nearly five-decade political career.”

2020 Democrats Struggle to Be Heard

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New York Times: “The bloated Democratic primary field is aggrieved, available and aggressively thirsty. Of the 23 candidates running, only eight routinely break 1 percent in national polls. Most have not yet qualified for the fall debates. And cable news channels, which have emerged as an early driving force in the race, have only so many hours of programming each day.”

“That has moved the campaign into a new, yet familiar, phase: the ritual airing of grievances. Weeks’ worth of pent-up frustration is beginning to trickle into the public arena, as a way for candidates to explain their lowly positions — both to themselves and to the voters.”

Trump’s Net Worth Rises

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“President Trump’s net worth rose to $3 billion, a 5% gain over the past year, thanks to a jump in the value of an office-building deal he once sued to prevent,” Bloomberg reports.

“The increase in Trump’s wealth reverses two years of declines and brings his net worth back to 2016 levels.”

Cheney Battles With NRCC Chief

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“Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, privately battled with the chairman of the NRCC Monday night, where she raised concerns from members about the direction of the party’s campaign arm as they try to win back the chamber,” Politico reports.

“Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota used a members’ only leadership meeting Monday night to press lawmakers about their party dues and contributions to the party committee. At one point, he questioned whether Cheney would continue to contribute campaign cash to the NRCC.”

Playbook: “The No. 3 House Republican going after the chairman of the NRCC in such sharp terms is certainly unusual. Cheney is questioning Emmer’s stewardship of the organization 17 months before the election, and Emmer is wondering if he could count on Cheney to continue to dole out money.”

Hoyer Faces Storm Over Pay Hike

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“House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer led the charge this week in pushing the first pay raise for members of Congress in a decade. But now he’s paying for it,” Politico reports.

“The No. 2 House Democrat is taking fire from across the caucus after trying to enact the salary hike, a move some vulnerable Democrats fretted would be politically disastrous and could even cost them their seats next year.”

“Hoyer is now waging war on multiple fronts — an ugly public relations battle, a fraught fight with Republicans, and fierce criticism within his own party, including some close allies — in an effort to give lawmakers a cost-of-living boost.”

GOP Leader Concedes Tax Cuts Won’t Pay for Themselves

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Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), a lead architect of the GOP tax bill, suggested the tax cuts may not fully pay for themselves, contradicting a promise Republicans made repeatedly while pushing the law in late 2017, the Washington Post reports.

Pressed about what portion of the tax cuts were fully paid for, Brady said it was “hard to know.”

“The federal government’s deficit typically shrinks during strong economic times, but the deficit is up nearly 40 percent so far this fiscal year, according to the latest Congressional Budget Office report released Friday.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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