Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and four associates were indicted Wednesday on racketeering charges “involving several schemes that were intended to further the political and financial interests” of them all, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
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How Gerrymandering Has Hurt Democrats
A Smart Politics analysis finds there are 16 U.S. Senators who currently serve states with a majority of its U.S. House seats held by the opposing political party; only one of these 16 is a Republican – Mark Kirk of Illinois.
Over the last eight cycles dating back to 2000, only 14 Republicans have been elected to the U.S. Senate from states in which the opposing party won a majority of U.S. House seats that cycle.
The Latest on Wonk Wire
Koch Brothers Freeze Out Donald Trump
“The Koch brothers are freezing out Donald Trump from their influential political operation — denying him access to their state-of-the-art data and refusing to let him speak to their gatherings of grass-roots activists or major donors,” Politico reports.
“Despite a long and cordial relationship between the real estate showman and David Koch, as well as a raft of former Koch operatives who are now running Trump’s presidential campaign, the Koch political operation appears to have concluded that Trump is the wrong standard-bearer for the GOP.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“If you’re getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it. As of January 2017, I will enforce the federal laws.”
— Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by Politico.
Trump Hides Divisions in Republican Party
Rick Klein: “You can thank Donald Trump for taking away the attention from the clashes that could leave the GOP with more battle scars than anything the Donald has to offer. On Capitol Hill, talk of Reagan’s 11th Commandment is well past over, amid some of the worst intraparty fighting in this current era of Republican control of Congress. Sen. Ted Cruz is accusing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of lying to his colleagues. McConnell is accusing Sen. Mike Lee of secret alliances with outside groups aimed at pressuring fellow GOPers. And in the House, a surprise move by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) leaves a rare formal motion to oust House Speaker John Boehner lingering through the August recess.”
“At a minimum, the breakdowns mean that we can pretty much close the books on meaningful accomplishments by the current Congress, with about three-quarters of the term still to go. It’s worth remembering that these divisions – the establishment wing’s continued never-ending struggles with tea party-aligned and a growing network of outside groups – are likely to impact the presidential primaries more than any damage Trump might do to his Republican rivals.”
Trump’s Lead Widens in GOP Presidential Race
A new Morning Consult poll finds Donald Trump has extended his lead over the Republican presidential field with 24%, followed by Jeb Bush at 13%, Scott Walker at 9%, Ben Carson at 8%. No other candidate tops 5 percent of the vote.
Facebook Seeks to Play Big Role in 2016
New York Times: “While it is no surprise that campaigns are devoting a greater share of their budget and energy on digital initiatives, Facebook, already a major player in past cycles, has been working to expand its digital dominance in the political realm.”
“Facebook — which has 189 million monthly users in the United States — has pitched its tools and services to every presidential campaign in the 2016 race, not to mention down-ballot races, to showcase new features as candidates seek to reach and recruit new supporters and potential donors. Some estimate that 2016 will usher in roughly $1 billion in online political advertising, and Facebook says it is on track to increase its revenue from previous cycles.”
GOP Lawmaker Seeks to Oust Boehner as Speaker
NBC News: “A House Republican often at odds with John Boehner launched a bid Tuesday to kick the speaker of the house out of his job — an almost unheard-of rebellion but one that has been simmering for months. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) filed a motion to ‘vacate the chair’ — a parliamentary maneuver that could be used to depose Boehner. The motion accuses Boehner of having ‘endeavored to consolidate power and centralize decision-making, bypassing the majority of the 435 Members of Congress and the people they represent,’ and of using ‘the power of the office to punish Members who vote according to their conscience instead of the will of the Speaker.'”
Quote of the Day
“I’m the one person who will say you do have the right to be left alone and that we really don’t want President Obama collecting all of our phone records.”
— Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by the Boston Globe.
The Trump Effect Reshapes GOP Field
“Donald Trump’s explosive rise in the polls has come at the expense of every other GOP presidential candidate except for Jeb Bush and Scott Walker — who arguably have been helped by the businessman’s rise,” The Hill reports.
“The media storm surrounding Trump is starving other candidates of oxygen — including major contenders such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has seen his polling numbers plummet 3.2 percentage points since Trump’s entry. Bush, in contrast, has seen his support rise by 2.9 percentage points, while Walker gained 1.1 percentage points. Trump has risen by 14.6 percentage points since launching his campaign.”
Taliban Leader Is Dead
“Mullah Mohammad Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban, is dead, according to three Afghan officials and two people close to the Taliban,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“His death, if confirmed, raises questions about who will lead the movement that allied with al Qaeda, fought a war with the U.S. and is now divided over whether to pursue an elusive peace deal with Afghanistan’s new government.”
Trump Would ‘Love’ Palin In His Administration
Donald Trump says that he’d “love” to have Sarah Palin join his administration should he be elected president, The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “She really is somebody who knows what’s happening, and she’s a special person. Everybody loves her.”
Why Is There a Two-Month Gap in Clinton’s Emails?
Daily Beast: “Among the approximately 2,000 emails that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has released from her private account, there is a conspicuous two-month gap. There are no emails between Clinton and her State Department staff during May and June 2012, a period of escalating violence in Libya leading up to the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that left four Americans dead.”
“That two-month period also coincides with a senior Clinton aide obtaining a special exemption that allowed her to work both as a staff member to the secretary and in a private capacity for Clinton and her husband’s foundation. The Associated Press has sued to obtain emails from Clinton’s account about the aide, Huma Abedin.”
The Wilderness
Here’s a must-read: The Wilderness: Deep Inside the Republican Party’s Combative, Contentious, Chaotic Quest to Take Back the White House by McKay Coppins.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“You guys should know by now that the Monmouth University poll was created just to aggravate me. There couldn’t be a less objective pollster about Chris Christie in America.”
— Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by the Washington Post, complaining about a national poll that showed him with just 4% support in the GOP presidential primary.
Mark Cuban Says Donald Trump is Best Thing for Politics
Billionaire Mark Cuban told Business Insider that Donald Trump is “probably the best thing to happen to politics in a long, long time.”
Said Cuban: “I don’t care what his actual positions are. I don’t care if he says the wrong thing. He says what’s on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years.”
Walker Says GOP Primary Could Drag on for Months
Gov. Scott Walker “suggested that Republican primary could drag on for months, driving up the importance of states that vote later in the spring — states like Pennsylvania, which doesn’t vote until the end of April,” Politico reports.
Said Walker: “We’re not just running an early-state campaign. We think with the quality of the field it’s very likely that even states like [Pennsylvania] later in April will play a role. It may go as far as — it could be close to the convention before we know who the ultimate nominee is.”
