Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) “is quietly making clear to liberal advocacy groups that he’s available for a 2020 bid, even as the Democratic field of potential White House hopefuls fills with better-known progressives,” The Hill reports.
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Freedom Caucus Wants Concessions from McCarthy
“The Freedom Caucus is prepared to exact a price from Kevin McCarthy if he wants to be the next speaker of the House — three years after foiling his first bid for the job,” Politico reports.
“A survey of about 20 of the conservative group’s three dozen members found varying degrees of openness to the California Republican known as a deal-making pragmatist. But nearly all the hard-liners said he’ll have to make concessions to win their support. Without it, they could block his path to the speakership.”
Quote of the Day
“The Republican Party has left me and many others. I just think they’ve lost their way and I can’t be associated with it.”
— James Comey, telling ABC News that he no longer considers himself a Republican.
Republicans Blame Trump for Tax Law Unpopularity
President Trump “is undermining voter support for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with erratic messaging after it was gaining popularity, alarming Republicans counting on the law to save the party’s vulnerable House majority,” the Washington Examiner reports.
“Senior Republicans are declining to publicly finger Trump for the heralded tax overhaul’s sagging approval ratings. Views of the law steadily climbed during the first two months of the year on the strength of a unified push from the White House and Capitol Hill ahead of the midterm.”
“Privately, Republicans complain that the president’s sudden shift to tariffs, with threats of trade wars, distracted from the positive impacts of $1.3 trillion in tax cuts and allowed Democrats to regain the upper hand. Concluding that Trump is unreliable, Republicans say it’s their responsibility to turn public opinion around.”
Pompeo Secretly Met with Kim Jong Un
CIA Director Mike Pompeo “made a top-secret visit to North Korea over Easter weekend as an envoy for President Trump to meet with that country’s leader, Kim Jong Un,” the Washington Post reports.
“The extraordinary meeting between one of Trump’s most trusted emissaries and the authoritarian head of a rogue state was part of an effort to lay the groundwork for direct talks between Trump and Kim about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, according to the two people, who requested anonymity because of the highly classified nature of the talks.”
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Barbara Bush Is Dead
Former First Lady of the United States Barbara Bush has died, according to CBS News.
She was 92 years old.
White House Says Haley Was ‘Confused’ About Sanctions
The White House put further daylight between President Trump and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley as chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said she had gotten “ahead of the curve” in announcing new sanctions against Russia, the New York Times reports.
Said Kudlow: “She got ahead of the curve. She’s done a great job. She’s a very effective ambassador, but there might have been some momentary confusion about that.”
Bloomberg reports that Haley fired back at the criticism: “With all due respect, I don’t get confused.”
McConnell Rejects Trump’s Effort to Claw Back Spending
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “said he opposes a White House attempt to cancel billions of dollars in federal spending from last month’s 2018 appropriations bill, likely dooming the effort,” Bloomberg reports.
Blagojevich Appeals for Husband’s Pardon on Fox News
Chicago Tribune: “On Monday night, Patti Blagojevich appeared on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight,’ which airs on Fox — said to be Trump’s favorite news source. Carlson started the interview by asking her what ‘her pitch’ would be to the president for pardoning her husband.”
Said Blagojevich: “My husband is probably the only person in the entire history of the United States who is serving any kind of sentence for simply asking for campaign contributions.”
The disgraced governor was a contestant on Trump’s program “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2010 as he faced charges that he tried to sell off President Obama’s Senate seat.
Another Playboy Model Claims Affair with Trump
Former Playboy Playmate Barbara Moore told the Daily Mail how President Trump “cheated on his pregnant fiancée Marla Maples – who later became his second wife – during a steamy six-month affair.”
“Moore met Trump three months after she became Playboy‘s Miss December centerfold – and claims the president was a ‘great lover’ and a true ‘gentleman’. The pair embarked on a passionate love affair which saw Moore spending time with the billionaire at Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower behind Maples’ back.”
Wave Forming In Pennsylvania
A new Muhlenberg/Morning Call poll in Pennsylvania finds Democrats lead Republicans on the generic ballot across the state, 47% to 38%.
Other key findings: 55% of Pennsylvania voters disapprove of President Trump’s performance, while 39% think he’s doing a good job.
Pompeo and Haspel Face Confirmation Headwinds
Wall Street Journal: “Mike Pompeo, the current CIA director and Mr. Trump’s pick to be the next secretary of state, is in danger of receiving an unfavorable committee recommendation, over concerns that his past hawkish statements complicate his ability to conduct diplomacy. While the full Senate could still vote to confirm him, that would mark the first time in more than 70 years the chamber would have bypassed a committee to do so.”
“Gina Haspel, the nominee to lead the CIA and now the agency’s deputy director, is expected to face questions about her involvement in a post-9/11 interrogation program that detractors say amounted to torture. Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) said he would oppose her nomination over her role in the interrogation program, while Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.)—who was tortured while a prisoner of war in Vietnam—has asked for additional details about Ms. Haspel’s involvement. Several other Republicans have told The Wall Street Journal they have concerns about Ms. Haspel and haven’t decided whether to support her nomination.”
Why Blake Farenthold Resigned So Abrubtly
HuffPost: “The House Ethics Committee was about to rule against Farenthold in its investigation into whether he sexually harassed members of his staff, used official money for campaign purposes and lied in previous testimony to the committee.”
“The committee gave Farenthold a heads-up about its coming decision… By stepping down, Farenthold was able to avoid whatever punishment the committee would have handed down.”
Trump Says Kim Summit Could Happen ‘Soon’ or Never
President Trump “set wildly opposite expectations in one sentence for his possible summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, including that it could never happen,” Roll Call reports.
He first said his one-on-one meeting with Kim could happen “very soon,” before saying he expects negotiations will allow an “early June” summit to take place. But the president then moved up the possible date to “before that” before backpedaling.
Said Trump: “It’s possible things won’t go well and we won’t have the meetings and we’ll just continue to go on this very strong path we have taken.”
Trump Campaign Pays Legal Fees for Ex-Bodyguard
President Trump’s campaign “paid more than $66,000 to the law firm that represents Keith Schiller, his former longtime bodyguard,” NBC News reports.
“Schiller, who left a White House job in September, testified to the House Intelligence Committee in November that someone made an offer to send five women to Trump’s hotel room in Moscow in the lead-up to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant…. Schiller painted the incident in a light favorable to Trump, saying he turned down the offer on Trump’s behalf, treated it as a joke and no women ever came, as far as he was aware.”
Schiller is also paid $15,000 a month by the Republican National Committee.
Fox News Stands by Hannity
Fox News Channel says its management was unaware until it came out in court that host Sean Hannity shared a lawyer with President Trump, but that Hannity “continues to have our full support,” the AP reports.
Trump Told to Stay Out of Speaker’s Race
President Trump wanted to endorse House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to succeed outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan but is being advised not to back a candidate in the race, ABC News reports.
“A source close to the White House said Trump’s advisors are concerned that the endorsement could complicate the contest, and Trump’s future relationship with the next GOP leader should his preferred candidate lose or decide not to run.”
