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Bredesen Says He Won’t Back Schumer for Majority Leader

September 26, 2018 at 8:43 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen said at a debate Tuesday that if he is elected to the Senate, he would not back Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to continue as Democrats’ leader. Bredesen made the announcement during the opening statements of his first debate with the Republican nominee, Rep. Marsha Blackburn. Bredesen said Washington had become ‘hyperpartisan’ and blamed current leadership in both parties.”

“The pledge is functionally useless — unlike in the House, where the speaker is chosen by a majority of the chamber in a floor vote, Senate party leaders are chosen by a majority in a private caucus vote. While there might be enough Democratic House candidates to deny Pelosi the 218 votes she needs to become speaker again, there is virtually no chance of Schumer being dethroned by the Democratic Caucus after the election.”

Republicans Don’t Have the Votes Yet on Kavanaugh

September 26, 2018 at 8:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “Senate Republicans don’t yet have the votes to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, even as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is projecting a public face of certainty.”

“But while vote-counters are closely watching a few GOP senators considered to be most threatening to the confirmation, several more Republicans are monitoring events as they unfold and want to see how the hearing with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexual assault in high school, will play out on Thursday.”

Said Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN): “I know the media keeps characterizing three or four people, but I feel like it’s a large number of them that want to see firsthand the accusation and the rebuttal, and again, will be looking at it in a very sober way. So I think it’s much larger than you think.”

Politico offers a whip count: “Here’s whip count according to senators + aides: Tester, Jones and Nelson viewed as firm no votes. Heitkamp now more likely to vote no with Cramer comments. Manchin ‘open’ to Kavanaugh and Donnelly a wild card. Donnelly said at caucus today many in Indiana still support Kavanaugh.”

Anonymous Writer Could Get Huge Book Deal

September 26, 2018 at 8:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A book deal for the “senior Trump administration official” who wrote the anonymous New York Times op-ed could be worth $10 million, literary agent Keith Urbahn tells the Washingtonian.

Literary agent Larry Weissman adds that the most lucrative deal would likely be struck before Anonymous’s identity is leaked, intentionally or unintentionally.

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Second Kavanaugh Accuser Is Willing to Testify

September 26, 2018 at 8:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

John Clune, the attorney for Deborah Ramirez, Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s second accuser, told the Today Show that Ramirez would be willing to testify about her allegations: “She would be willing to testify but we can’t even talk with the Senate Judiciary Committee about what that would look like and they certainly haven’t invited her, so at this point it’s a moot question.”

He added that his client would prefer an FBI investigation first: “It’s the only intelligent way to get to the truth of what happens.”

Axios: “Emails show negotiations between Ramirez’s attorney and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are at an impasse. Republicans have requested that Ramirez provide evidence of her allegations before moving forward, while her legal team has requested an FBI investigation.”

Republicans Start to Pull the Plug on Members

September 26, 2018 at 8:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The House GOP’s campaign arm pulled the plug on its remaining ad buys last week for the Pittsburgh media market, where Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA) is desperately fighting to hang on to his seat in a race against Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA),” The Hill reports.

“It’s grim news for Rothfus, who has largely been seen as a dead man walking since redistricting left him with a Democratic-leaning district and a difficult opponent in Lamb.”

“For the GOP, it’s likely a sign of things to come as the party seeks to target its money toward the races most likely to save its majority. Democrats need 23 seats to take back control of the House, and the GOP is defending dozens of seats that are seen as vulnerable.”

Race for Ohio Governor Is Tied

September 26, 2018 at 7:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new NBC News/Marist poll in Ohio finds Richard Cordray (D) and Mike DeWine (R) deadlocked in the race for governor, 47% to 47%.

Democrats Have Had No Contact with Kavanaugh Accuser

September 26, 2018 at 7:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Tens of millions of people will be watching Christine Blasey Ford when she appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a potentially history-shaping hearing on Thursday,” Politico reports.

“Yet Ford has had no apparent contact with the people who could help her most through the ordeal: Senate Democrats.”

“That lack of communication underscores the political minefield both Democrats and the 51-year-old college professor are crossing ahead of the hearing… Ford has a team of well-connected attorneys with Democratic ties to lean on — as well as a veteran Democratic strategist — but Democratic senators acknowledge they’re standing behind her with little certainty about how she’ll fare.”

Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) told Fox News: “I have no way of knowing” if Dr. Ford is actually going to show up to the hearing on Thursday, if outside counsel is asking the questions.

GOP Ground Game Focuses on Abortion

September 26, 2018 at 7:16 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans desperate to juice base turnout in a brutal election cycle are weaponizing abortion against incumbent Democratic senators in more than a half-dozen races that could determine control of the chamber,” Politico reports.

“The issue is getting a fraction of the attention of President Donald Trump, health care and immigration. But Republican and anti-abortion groups have made it a major part of their ground game: Organizers for Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, ran a series of events in red states in August and early September and have had more than 500 canvassers knock on doors at more than 1.6 million homes in Ohio, Florida, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia and North Dakota.”

Trump Open to Keeping Rosenstein

September 26, 2018 at 7:13 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump told advisers he is open to keeping Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on the job, and allies of the No. 2 Justice Department official said Tuesday he has given them the impression he doesn’t plan to quit,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“That raised at least the possibility that a roller coaster of a week could end with no major shake-up in the top ranks of the Justice Department, even as White House and Justice officials cautioned that it was impossible to know for sure what Mr. Trump would do.”

The Two Brett Kavanaughs

September 26, 2018 at 7:11 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Call them the two Brett Kavanaughs: One was a rowdy frat boy who once bragged about ‘100 kegs.’ The other was a studious rule-follower who spent his free time going to church, volunteering and remaining chaste. Making the contrast even stranger is the fact that both versions have been offered by Kavanaugh himself.”

“As the battle over Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination places his adolescence and young adulthood under the microscope, critics are asking which version of the man is real — and whether the conservative judge has represented himself to the public honestly. The war over the nomination has produced neck-snapping moments of cognitive dissonance.”

Washington Post: “On Monday night, Kavanaugh said in a nationally televised interview that in his younger years, he was focused on sports, academics and ‘service projects.’ But it was his comments about drinking that rankled some Yale University classmates, prompting them to speak out for the first time.”

No One Is Sure If Trump Will Sign Spending Bill

September 26, 2018 at 7:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “The White House and Hill Republicans say they think President Trump will sign the spending package that the House will pass today to avert a partial government shutdown. But there is a palpable fear lingering in the Capitol that Trump will want to distract from the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, and will do so by vetoing the bill, plunging the nation into crisis 41 days before Election Day. A few White House sources say the fear is unfounded, but a lot of people are on edge at the moment and that fear won’t lift until Trump’s signature is on the bill.”

“Watch for the Trump press conference this afternoon at 5 p.m., where we’re sure to get some additional clarification.”

Christine Blasey Ford Offers Four Potential Witnesses

September 26, 2018 at 7:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In documents sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee and obtained by USA Today, Ford’s attorneys present declarations from Ford’s husband, Russell, and three friends who support the California college professor’s accusation that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her and attempted to pull off her clothes while both were high school students in 1982.”

Arizona Prosecutor Will Question Kavanaugh Accuser

September 25, 2018 at 9:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Washington Post reports that Rachel Mitchell, an Arizona county sex crimes prosecutor, is the choice of Senate Republicans to question Christine Blasey Ford about her allegation of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when they were teenagers.

Trump Thought Kavanaugh Was Weak

September 25, 2018 at 8:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Mr. Trump’s aggressive comments on Tuesday came after privately expressing concern that Judge Kavanaugh had been too weak during an interview on Monday night on Fox News. The judge denied the allegations against him in a calm way, growing a little emotional at the end, but the president and some of his advisers worried that he was not forceful or indignant enough. Judge Kavanaugh repeated some of the same scripted lines repeatedly, to the point that some of his allies believed it came across as robotic.”

Rosenstein Likely to Leave After Midterm Elections

September 25, 2018 at 7:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Rod Rosenstein’s departure seemed so certain this week that his boss’s chief of staff told colleagues that he had been tapped by the White House to take over as second-in-command of the Justice Department, while another official would supervise the special counsel probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election,” the Washington Post reports.

“But by Monday afternoon, the succession plan had been scrapped. Rosenstein, who told the White House he was willing to quit if President Trump wouldn’t disparage him, would remain the deputy attorney general in advance of a high-stakes meeting on Thursday to discuss the future of his employment.”

“While it remained possible that Rosenstein could still resign or be fired imminently, people inside and outside the department said it seemed increasingly more likely that Rosenstein would stay in the job until after November’s elections and then depart, probably along with the attorney general.”

Kavanaugh Vote Set for Friday

September 25, 2018 at 7:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled its vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court for Friday morning at 9:30 am, CNN reports.

Politico: “According to committee rules, Judiciary must schedule a committee vote three days in advance. But the committee said the vote will only proceed if a ‘majority of the members’ of the 21-member committee are ready to vote on Friday.”

Steyer to Spend Millions Backing Gillum in Florida

September 25, 2018 at 6:31 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Tom Steyer, the billionaire investor and Democratic activist, has directed his political operation to spend more than $5 million aiding Andrew Gillum’s campaign for governor of Florida, an enormous investment that will test whether fired-up Democratic voters can flip control of a state long dominated by Republicans,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Steyer said in an interview that he would spend more money in Florida this fall than any other state. He endorsed Mr. Gillum in the Democratic primary, and hailed him as a model for the national Democratic Party.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

September 25, 2018 at 6:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“We are sleepwalking in a very dangerous era, when split-second decisions can kill hundreds of millions of people and people don’t seem to give a damn — or even know about it.”

— California Gov. Jerry Brown (D), in an interview with the New York Times.