“I was left for dead on the street, and now I’m headed for Air Force One.”
— White House communications directory Anthony Scaramucci, quoted by the New York Times.
Scaramucci Confirms Trump Wants Sessions Gone
White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci told radio host Hugh Hewitt that “you’re probably right” President Trump wants to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Said Scaramucci: “I have an enormous amount of respect for the Attorney General, but I do know the president pretty well and if there’s this level of tension in the relationship that, that’s public, you’re probably right.”
Quote of the Day
“I go to Washington and I see all these politicians, and I see the swamp, and it’s not a good place. In fact, today, I said we ought to change it from the word ‘swamp’ to the word ‘cesspool’ or perhaps to the word ‘sewer.’”
— President Trump, quoted by ABC News.
‘This Is Not the Mooch I Know’
William Cohan: “Anthony has the skills to make a big difference in this White House. He is smart, generous and funny, open-minded and ambitious — but not in an obnoxious way. He cares about being able to disagree without being disagreeable.”
“But the Anthony Scaramucci I know and admire was not the Anthony Scaramucci who stepped up to the lectern in the White House briefing room on Friday afternoon. Dressed to the nines in a navy blue power suit, he was sycophantic. He professed his ‘love’ for Mr. Trump over and over again — six times, by one count. It was painful and embarrassing to watch.”
Trump Keeps Blasting Sessions
President Trump continued to berate Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a series of tweets this morning, including this one:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!
Senate Will Take First Vote Today on Health Care Bill
Sam Baker: “Stranger things have happened, but Sen. John McCain probably isn’t taking a break from his brain-cancer treatments to travel 2,300 miles across the country so he can torpedo a bill about an issue he’s never been especially invested in, which he could have torpedoed just as easily by staying in Arizona.”
“If McCain is a ‘yes’ on today’s motion to proceed — and, sure, take nothing for granted, but if — then Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is in a considerably better position.”
“Sen. Susan Collins is a ‘no.’ But it sounds like Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee will get their request to begin the voting with a modified version of the 2015 straight-repeal vote. If those two support the motion to proceed, it would take two more moderates to join Collins and prevent a vote-a-rama.”
David Nather: “It’s impossible to overstate how incredible this is: The Senate is planning to vote today to begin debate on a health care bill. No one knows which one — which means no one knows what it would do.”
Why McConnell Is Forcing a Health Care Vote
Said one GOP strategist to Playbook: “It has been abundantly clear that policy disagreements are not the ultimate barrier to moving forward. They’ve had months to work that out. There is a contingent of GOP senators who refuse to accommodate their concerns in negotiations in the hopes of avoiding a vote altogether. The only way to change that dynamic is to hold a vote that provides the opportunity to put every senator on record as to whether they are willing to debate Obamacare.”
“A yes vote brings an open amendment process where every senator will have the opportunity to amend, improve, and ultimately decide whether the final product is worthy of their support. Conversely, if some Republicans are more comfortable dealing President Trump a loss than debating Obamacare, this vote will provide the opportunity to make that clear to their constituents since most have represented otherwise for the past seven years.”
Recess Appointment for Attorney General?
Washington Post: “Another scenario is that Trump could make a recess appointment… Under that plan, Trump could choose an attorney general during the August recess who would serve until the end of the next Senate session, which would run to Jan. 3, 2019. That person would have the same authority as someone who is confirmed by the Senate.”
“Among the names being floated as possible Sessions replacements are Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, according to people familiar with the conversations.”
McClatchy: “Such a move would infuriate Republicans, who control 52 of the Senate’s 100 seats. Many GOP senators reacted in classic Senate fashion to the treatment of Sessions. They were not visibly angry but clearly annoyed and often upset. And with what could be construed as a few veiled warnings to be careful.”
Trump Pick for Justice Department Worked for Russia Bank
“President Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s criminal division, Brian Benczkowski, has disclosed to Congress that he previously represented Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s largest financial institutions, whose owners have ties to President Vladimir Putin,” the New York Times reports.
“Alfa Bank was at the center of scrutiny last year over potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia after computer experts discovered data suggesting a stream of communications between a server linked to the Trump Organization and a server linked to the bank. Reports about the mysterious data transmissions fueled speculation about a back channel.”
James Hohmann: “Benczkowski, who helped manage Trump’s transition team for the Justice Department, has signaled that he plans to be evasive when questioned about the specifics of his work for the Putin-linked bank.”
House Democrats Surprise GOP by Sinking Two Bills
Politico: “House Democrats sank two key bills on the House floor Monday, embarrassing Republican leaders who were banking on the noncontroversial legislation sailing through — in a new sign of the opposition party’s frustration with the majority’s approach. Kicking off a busy week in the House, most Democrats and a handful of Republicans joined forces to deny GOP leaders big-enough majorities to pass an annual intelligence policy bill and legislation to restore funding for a key veterans health care program.
“Both bills came to the House floor Monday under suspension of the rules, an expedited process that allows for less than an hour of debate and no amendments but also requires a two-thirds majority for passage. The suspension process is typically used for noncontroversial bills that have broad bipartisan support. One suspension bill failing on the House floor is a rarity, but two back to back is extremely rare.”
Unrest Bubbles Among Trump’s Foreign Policy Team
“Frustration is mounting among leading foreign policy officials in President Donald Trump’s administration as they chafe at some policy and bureaucratic defeats and complain they lack independence to do their jobs,” Reuters reports.
“The clash between internationalists urging the traditional U.S. leadership role in the world and advocates of an ‘America First’ approach has worn down foreign policy and intelligence professionals inside the government.”
“Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has told friends he will be lucky to last a year in his job, according to a friend, while two officials said national security adviser H.R. McMaster was frustrated by what he sees as disorganization and indiscipline on key policy issues inside the White House.”
Boehner Says Republicans Won’t Repeal Obamacare
Former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told a business gathering last week that Republicans are “not going to repeal and replace Obamacare” because “the American people have gotten accustomed to it,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Boehner: “Here we are, seven months into this year, and yet they’ve not passed this bill. Now, they’re never — they’re not going to repeal and replace Obamacare. It’s been around too long. And the American people have gotten accustomed to it. Governors have gotten accustomed to this Medicaid expansion, and so trying to pull it back is really not going to work.”
Scaramucci Moves to Purge Disloyal Staff
“Anthony Scaramucci, the flashy financier President Trump hired to overhaul the White House communications operation, is exercising a broad mandate from the president and intends to follow through on threats to purge aides he believes are disloyal to Trump and leaking to the press,” the Washington Post reports.
“Just four days into the job, Scaramucci has moved into Trump’s inner sanctum and is now described by some colleagues as almost family to the president — in contrast to his predecessor, outgoing press secretary Sean Spicer, who was described more like the help.”
McCain Will Return for Health Care Vote
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will return to the Senate on Tuesday after being diagnosed with brain cancer, giving the GOP push to repeal and replace Obamacare a boost of momentum, The Hill reports.
Republicans are expected to vote to take up the House-passed healthcare bill on Tuesday afternoon.
Trump Threatens to Dump Price If Health Bill Fails
President Trump threatened to fire Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price if Congress does not repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Daily Beast reports.
Said Trump at an event for Boy Scouts: “Are you gonna get the votes? He better get them. He better get them. Oh, he better, otherwise I’ll say, ‘Tom, you’re fired.’ I’ll get somebody.”
Cornyn Floats Conference for Health Care Bills
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said the House and Senate might conference their Obamacare repeal-and-replace bills, The Hill reports.
Said Cornyn: “Initially there was some thought that maybe the House would take up the bill that we passed, but that may not be the case.”
“Cornyn’s first problem is getting an Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill through the Senate, something that seems increasingly unlikely.”
Giuliani Says Sessions Was Right to Recuse
Trump Steps Up Talk of Firing Sessions
President Trump and his advisers “are privately discussing the possibility of replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and some confidants are floating prospects who could take his place were he to resign or be fired, according to people familiar with the talks,” the Washington Post reports.
“Members of Trump’s circle, including White House officials, have increasingly raised the question among themselves in recent days as the president has continued to vent his frustration with the attorney general.”
Associated Press: “He has speculated aloud to allies in recent days about the potential consequences of firing Sessions, according to three people who have recently spoken to the president. They demanded anonymity to discuss private conversations.”
