| | | | |  | | By Andrew Desiderio | Presented by Connected Commerce Council | NEW CAPITOL POLICE ALLEGATIONS — A group of former Capitol Police officials alleges that the department's intelligence-gathering unit went far beyond its intended purpose to safeguard members of Congress and might have violated First Amendment protections. Five people who worked in the Capitol Police's intel division during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection say that in the aftermath of that attack, they were ordered to conduct invasive searches on relatives of lawmakers as well as individuals attending events where lawmakers also appeared, according to their lawyer, Dan Gebhardt of Solomon Law Group. The Capitol Police unit in question has faced upheaval ever since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and lawmakers' safety has been a paramount concern in the year-plus since that day. Gephardt's clients say the efforts to protect lawmakers veered into troubling territory. "According to Gebhardt, the analysts were directed to start looking through the social media pages of people attending these events with members of Congress — including, at times, congressional staff," Betsy Woodruff Swan and Daniel Lippman write. The intelligence analysts filed their complaints internally as well as with certain congressional committees, and Capitol Police called the claims "misleading" in a statement. Much more here, from Betsy and Daniel. TITLE 42 PILE-ON — It continues. John Fetterman is just the latest Democratic Senate candidate to express concerns about the Biden administration's decision to end pandemic-era restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border. Fetterman, running in Pennsylvania, has touted his unflinching support for the Biden agenda, but Burgess and Holly Otterbein report that the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor is joining the chorus of Democratic Senate candidates demanding that the Biden administration draw up plans to prevent a border surge that could result from the scrapping of what's known as Title 42. The criticism "shows that even on the left there are few Democratic Senate candidates giving a full-on embrace to Biden's border policies," Burgess and Holly write. Several vulnerable Democratic senators have raised similar concerns, underscoring the tricky politics of the issue in battleground states. And in addition to Fetterman, five other Democratic non-incumbents, including Cheri Beasley in North Carolina and three major candidates in Wisconsin, have voiced similar criticisms. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who chairs the DSCC, echoed the views of those same endangered Democrats he is trying to protect in November. The Department of Homeland Security is on track to get rid of Title 42 by May 23 — but Peters suggested the termination should be put on hold. "Unless we have a well-thought-out plan, I think it is something that should be revisited and perhaps delayed," Peters told reporters after the Senate's pro forma session on Monday. "I'm going to defer judgment on that until I give the administration an opportunity to fully articulate what that plan is. I share the concerns of some of my colleagues." Peters, who also chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he's working to schedule a hearing on Title 42, as Republicans on the panel have asked for. Burgess and Anthony have more on that, via Congress Minutes.
| | | | DON'T MISS ANYTHING FROM THE 2022 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from the 25th annual Global Conference. This year's event, May 1-4, brings together more than 3,000 of the world's most influential leaders, including 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. "Celebrating the Power of Connection" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect influencers with the resources to change the world with leading experts and thinkers whose insight and creativity can implement that change. Whether you're attending in person or following along from somewhere else in the world, keep up with this year's conference with POLITICO's special edition "Global Insider" so you don't miss a beat. Subscribe today. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, April 19, where your fill-in Huddle host is still watching 76ers highlights from last night. MTG CHALLENGE MOVES AHEAD — A bid to kick Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) off the ballot this year cleared a key legal hurdle on Monday. Amy Totenberg, a federal judge appointed by Barack Obama, denied Greene's effort to dismiss charges from a group alleging that she should be removed from the ballot given her support for former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The case against Greene is similar to the one targeting Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), another Trump loyalist who supported the former president's efforts on Jan. 6, 2021. Neil Vigdor from the New York Times has more. CONGRESS CONFRONTS #METOO AGAIN — Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and more than a dozen other Democrats are unveiling legislation today to expand the congressional workplace protections that were passed into law in 2018 amid a national reckoning over sexual misconduct. The Congressional Accountability Act Enhancement Act builds on the 2018 law by requiring members of Congress to personally pay out settlements for discimination claims, too. The 2018 law only requires it for harassment and related retaliation. "The only way to enact real change is to ensure those who commit these vile acts are made to pay up," Speier said in a press release due out later this morning.
| | A message from Connected Commerce Council: Nine in ten small businesses use digital tools to find customers, operate more efficiently, and grow revenue. Fulfillment by Amazon provides fast and easy shipping, allowing qualified third parties to sell as Prime. Google Business Profile provides businesses' key information at the top of the search page for free. Don't wreck the tech that 87% of small businesses use to succeed. Learn why wrecking Tech is not the answer. | | | AIPAC THROWS WRENCH IN DEM RACE — The pro-Israel group AIPAC's moves in a North Carolina congressional race are sparking a progressive revolt. After AIPAC endorsed and bundled cash for state Sen. Valerie Foushee, the North Carolina Democratic Party's Progressive Caucus withdrew its endorsement of Foushee, citing AIPAC's support for Donald Trump's Middle East policies as well as its endorsements of candidates who voted to overturn the 2020 election results. Foushee is vying for the Democratic nod in the Durham-area district where Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) is retiring. One of her opponents is Nida Allam, a county commissioner who is Muslim and has criticized the Israeli government. "[AIPAC has] endorsed a huge number of Republicans and given a lot of money to those who supported the Jan. 6 insurrection," Ryan Jenkins, the caucus' president, told the News and Observer. "That's just spitting on the Constitution. That's abhorrent. And secondly, the track record of Palestinian human rights is even more abhorrent to us." AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann said: "We never base our support or opposition to a candidate based on their religion or any other personal characteristic. Our focus is exclusively based on the candidate's views on the U.S.-Israel relationship. Valerie Foushee is a proud supporter of that relationship and Nida Allam is not." Read more from the News and Observer. POLITICO'S ELECTION FORECAST — Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, we predicted how every single midterm race will go — and things are looking good for the GOP. Want to see how your state is looking? Use our Election Forecast to see which races you need to watch this year — and who we think will win each one. Check it out here .
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| | | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | A TALE OF TWO FETTERMANS — The aforementioned Pennsylvania lieutenant governor and Democratic Senate candidate made an appearance at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday and looked like he was having a not-so-great time, per Bloomberg's Nancy Cook, who snapped this photo. Fetterman, who was donning his trademark hoodie and a pair of dark jeans, later tweeted a smiling selfie with his wife and kids in front of the White House. GHOSTED — It's no secret that Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is becoming lonelier by the day within his own party. In an interview with HuffPost , Kinzinger said it's "like a slow ghosting." Here's how he explained it: "It's like how you stop dating somebody without breaking up with them. You do a week between dates and then three weeks. It's like a slow ghosting. It's the same in Congress. I just sort of ghost having friendships."
| | | | A message from Connected Commerce Council:   | | | QUICK LINKS Eastman shielding 37,000 pages of Trump-related email from Jan. 6 committee, by Kyle Ron Johnson pursues a scorched-earth path to reelection, by Holly Otterbein Billionaire Peltz draws GOP megadonors to $5,000-a-plate fundraiser for Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, by CNBC's Brian Schwartz A Democrat challenging Marjorie Taylor Greene outraised her by more than double last quarter, by Anthony for Congress Minutes A Departing House Democrat Traces 30 Years of G.O.P. History, by The New York Times' Blake Hounshell TRANSITIONS Bryan Doherty is now national press secretary for the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. He most recently was comms director for Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.). Jeff Bishop has been promoted to be deputy chief of staff for Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.). He most recently was legislative director for Stauber. Ernie Jolly is now SVP for government relations at Truist Financial. He most recently was chief of staff for Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). Arielle Devorah has been promoted to be Arizona press secretary for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). She most recently was deputy press secretary for Kelly. Christopher D'Aloia is now press secretary for Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). He most recently was a senior account executive at PR firm LEVICK. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are out. AROUND THE HILL Zzzzzzz.
| | | MONDAY'S WINNER: Paul Kumar correctly guessed Chuck E. Grassley and Chuck E. Schumer were the two sitting U.S. senators who had the same first name and middle initial as a cartoon mouse — Chuck E. Cheese. TODAY'S QUESTION, from George Alderman: Which sitting senator had a cameo in a 2009 movie starring Sandra Bullock? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to mlevine@politico.com GET HUDDLEemailed to your phone each morning. Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AndrewDesiderio
| | A message from Connected Commerce Council: Small businesses can act big with the right tools. Online tools help every aspect of business from finding new customers and communicating with employees to fulfilling and shipping orders all over the world. They help small companies compete with global brands and unlock new opportunities for minority entrepreneurs. And during the pandemic businesses that embraced digital tools earned twice as much revenue and hired twice as many employees compared to digitally skeptical businesses. Wrecking tech is a big deal for small businesses. Learn about all the ways Tech helps support Small Biz. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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