Political Wire

Jim Jordan Laying the Groundwork for GOP Leader Bid

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“When House Speaker Mike Johnson decided in September to send lawmakers home early to their districts ahead of the midterm elections, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan quietly made clear that he would have handled the situation differently, according to a source close to Jordan,” CNN reports.

“In a private conversation with one Republican lawmaker, Jordan said he would have kept lawmakers in Washington longer to hold more votes that would be politically challenging for Democrats.”

“The episode is part of a delicate dance Jordan and his allies are engaged in behind the scenes. Publicly, Jordan says he is solely focused on helping Republicans keep the majority and supporting Johnson as speaker. But many House Republicans believe that Jordan is laying the groundwork to run for the top leadership spot if they lose the chamber, according to half a dozen lawmakers and aides.”

Axios: Republicans brace for three-way leader fight if they lose.

Ilhan Omar Probe Aims to Revoke Her Citizenship

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“The Trump administration’s investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is aimed at building a case to strip her of her U.S. citizenship and ultimately deport her,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The multipronged effort is focused at least in part on how Omar obtained her citizenship after she arrived in the U.S. from Somalia decades ago. Investigators are focused both on the congresswoman and actions of her deceased father… Nur Omar Mohamed brought his daughter and other family members to the U.S. from a refugee camp in Kenya in 1995.”

Washington Sun: Ilhan Omar’s phone was seized and relatives were subpoenaed for criminal probe.

Subpoenas Issued in Probe of Ilhan Omar

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“The Justice Department on Friday issued about a dozen subpoenas as part of an investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar, including to members of her family,” NBC News reports.

“The congresswoman herself was not subpoenaed, the source said, adding that the orders seeking information are tied to a federal grand jury in Minnesota, Omar’s home state.”

Judge Limited Access to Ilhan Omar’s Records

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“The Trump administration pushed for an unusually aggressive search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s house in recent days in an immigration fraud probe that targets the congresswoman, possible false statements made on government documents, and a potential conspiracy, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation,” CNN reports.

“Prosecutors, however, first had to contend with a federal magistrate judge, in a prolonged back-and-forth that hasn’t previously been reported. Judge Matthew Sharbaugh of the DC District Court ultimately limited how the Justice Department could access Omar’s documents in Monday’s search, before he would approve the warrant, because of her role as a member of Congress and the Constitutional protections that affords.”

Top Republicans Believe the House Is a Lost Cause

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“Some top congressional Republicans have privately concluded that it is likely impossible for them to keep control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, and they are now focused on limiting the scale of the defeat and salvaging the party’s Senate majority,” Politico reports.

“Five senior Republican lawmakers, all granted anonymity to speak candidly about their party’s dire position, told Politico the House had all but slipped away.”

Ilhan Omar Investigation Focuses On Citizenship Papers

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“The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship,” the Washington Post reports.

”Omar — a Minnesota Democrat who was born in Somalia and fled civil war there with her family before eventually immigrating to the United States in 1995 — has repeatedly rejected such allegations, which have circulated in conservative media for years.”

New York Times: Justice Dept. issues subpoenas in Ilhan Omar investigation.

Democrats Fear More ‘October Surprises’

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“Congressional Democrats’ private text chains lit up with fear and anger on Monday after Department of Homeland Security agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) home in Washington, D.C,” Axios reports.

“The search came less than a month before the midterms, immediately setting off alarm bells among Democrats that ‘more October surprises‘ could be coming.”

Jake Auchincloss Is Making Moves in Other States

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“Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) is doing the things many Democrats do before seeking higher office. He’s hitting early presidential primary states. He’s stumping for candidates in swing districts. He’s trying to help craft what Democrats’ winning message should be,” the Boston Globe reports.

“So is this all the precursor to something more, something bigger, something, say, presidential in 2028?”

Said Auchincloss: “Zero percent chance.”

House Republicans In Triage Mode

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Punchbowl News: “For months, House Republican leaders have asserted that the polls have it all wrong and the GOP is poised to expand their razor-thin majority in 2026.”

“But this morning, the Congressional Leadership Fund and political groups associated with President Donald Trump began to abandon a pair of endangered Republican incumbents — all but conceding their races are lost. They are also paring back on offensive opportunities. It’s a sign that the Republican leadership’s predictions were off base, and they’re scrambling to limit their Election Day losses.”

Ilhan Omar’s Home Search Breaks Longtime DOJ Practice

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“The federal raid at Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home in Washington, D.C. on Monday prompted reactions that fell along party lines: celebration from conservative figures and outrage from the Minneapolis Democrat’s supporters,” the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

“It also caused some unease among some former federal prosecutors, who say the search appears to have broken a few longstanding political and legal norms within the highest level of government.”

“There has long been an informal DOJ practice to not engage in headline-grabbing investigations or raids for roughly 60 days prior to an election if the matter can wait without jeopardizing a case, so as to not influence voting.”

Trump Targets Ilhan Omar at Rally

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“An Ohio crowd chanted ‘deport’ as President Donald Trump blasted Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) during a campaign rally speech on Monday night,” Fox News reports.

Said Trump: “She’s a disaster. She comes in from a country without laws, without police, without military. All they do is shoot each other, and she comes into our country and she says, ‘I have a constitutional right.’ She’s got a constitutional right. She’s telling us about the Constitution and she’s coming from one of the worst countries anywhere on the planet.”

Mike Johnson Muddles the Race to Succeed Him

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Politico: “Republicans are reassessing the dynamics of potential leadership races after Speaker Mike Johnson‘s comments Monday that he would run for minority leader if the GOP loses the House — just days after he floated leaving Congress altogether in that scenario.”

“Many Republicans had predicted Johnson would step aside with a House flip, likely setting off a race between Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan for the top GOP spot. If Johnson stays put, his success may depend on if the severity of the party’s loss and if Trump weighs in for a certain candidate.”

Said one House Republican: “I hope he’s smarter than that. It would end very badly and cause unnecessary damage to the conference.”

Trump Says He Had ‘Nothing to Do with’ Ilhan Omar Raid

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“President Donald Trump told reporters Monday afternoon he had nothing to do with the raid on the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar conducted by the Department of Homeland Security,” the Washington Sun reports.

Said Trump: “I understand that they’re looking at her very carefully. I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me.”

He added: “I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ, I have nothing to do with it.”

Even Mike Johnson Opposes Livestreaming Execution

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“Even Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson disapproves of the Trump administration’s planned live execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan,” the New Republic reports.

Said Johnson: “The concern would be that it would create a video that would be a recruiting tool for future terrorists. I wouldn’t be watching it if it was aired … [but] that’s outside of my lane of course. But I need to tell the White House what some of my colleagues think about that, and not everybody’s in favor of the idea.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

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“What I was trying to say to them is that throughout my whole life, my number one objective is to be of my highest and best use to God and to my country, and that’s always what I’ve thought. But what I believe is, I’m going to be the speaker of the House for at least two more years.”

— House Speaker Mike Johnson, quoted by the Washington Post, walking back earlier comments that he would leave Congress if Republicans lost the majority.

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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