Dems start laughing off House GOP’s Trump protection push

A play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news

Aug 16, 2023 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz and Anthony Adragna Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) laughed off a GOP push to expunge former President Donald Trump's two impeachments. | Francis Chung/POLITICO FOUR INDICTMENTS AND AN EXPUNGEMENT?  House Republicans first flirted with nullifying Donald Trump’s impeachments back when the former president faced only two indictments. Now that number has doubled, and the manager of Trump’s second impeachment — Rep. Jamie Raskin — simply laughed when asked about the GOP’s case for trying to erase Trump’s record. “They could pass expungements, reversals, nullifications, apologies, pardons and valentines to Donald Trump, but it makes no difference,” the Maryland Democrat said in an interview. It’s an intriguing moment for Raskin, who built a national profile leading Trump’s post-Jan. 6 impeachment that nearly propelled him to a Senate bid while battling cancer. Now he’s in line to claim the Oversight Committee gavel if Democrats recapture the House next fall, a post that could put him again on the path to Trump accountability — even, and perhaps especially, if the former president claims a second term. But for now, as Raskin sees his post-Jan. 6 work borne out in the courts, the constitutional law expert appears content to let the judicial system work its will on Trump. Even if House Republicans did try to pass some kind of expungement — as some Trump allies say Speaker Kevin McCarthy has promised — Raskin shrugged off its impact. “Whatever they want to accomplish on the floor will have no bearing in any way on what takes place in court. And it should not,” he said. “We have an independent judiciary. And the legal process operates quite apart from whatever legislators say and do.” Expungement primer: McCarthy has denied that he promised Trump a House vote on symbolically erasing the two impeachments, but Republican lawmakers close to him have offered resolutions to do just that. House GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) teamed up earlier this summer on the measures. But any vote on absolving Trump remains nausea-inducing for Republican moderates, putting McCarthy in a familiar spot: balancing the interests of his Trump-loving right flank and MAGA-skeptic centrists. Who’s on the back foot? Now that Trump has more indictments than Troy Aikman has Super Bowl rings, Democrats like Raskin are more inclined to go on offense about House GOP attempts to block and tackle for the polarizing former POTUS. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) called the House push to expunge Trump’s impeachments a symptom of a “deeper problem within the Republican Party.” “The right-wingers in the House seem to want to impeach somebody else every day,” Van Hollen told reporters on Tuesday. “Some of them are talking about Biden now. In my view, this is another symptom of just how extreme right the House caucus has become. And the fact that they can't seem to get organized around doing the people's business.” Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), who represents the Fulton County area that delivered the latest charges against Trump, described his fourth indictment as “an important day, because Fulton County demonstrated that no one — not even a failed former president — is above the law.” Let’s not forget: During last year’s midterms, Democrats openly debated how much Trump should play into their campaign message. Many of them credited their better-than-expected performance to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and the spotlight it shined on the GOP’s abortion policies, not on Trump’s legacy. But four indictments later, with Trump potentially back on the ballot in November, all that has changed. – Daniella Diaz   STEP INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: POLITICO’s California Playbook newsletter provides a front row seat to the Golden State’s political power centers, from inside the state Capitol and governor's mansion in Sacramento, to the mayor’s office and City Council and Los Angeles, to the influence of Silicon Valley. Authors Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner bring you exclusive news, buzzy scoops and behind-the-scenes details that you simply will not get anywhere else. Subscribe today and stay ahead of the game!     GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, Aug. 16, where the humidity outside has us wishing for cooler weather in the swamp. DISASTER AID, MAYBE. UKRAINE AID, NOPE. House Republicans are starting to signal a clear preference as their leaders dig in on spending talks: Disaster relief money just might hitch a ride on a short-term spending deal, but aid to Ukraine won’t fare as well. Attaching money to a stopgap government funding patch “just for FEMA money, that might be rational, because we’re dealing with the United States,” Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) told reporters on Tuesday. “Ukraine money would not belong on a [continuing resolution], in my opinion.” Refresher: The White House delivered Congress an emergency spending request last week that seeks a total of $40 billion in new money: $12 billion to replenish FEMA coffers, $24 billion in aid to Ukraine and $4 billion for more resources at the southern border, including shelter and services for migrants and counter-fentanyl efforts. FEMA money could face an easier path to passage if it were decoupled from the Ukraine aid that many House Republicans have balked at – especially amid recovery from Hawaii’s deadly wildfire and with hurricane season coming up. But with lawmakers already girding for a fight to avert a shutdown on Oct. 1, any final action could be months away. “You got to have just about everybody — maybe not all 220-plus members of the Republican House — but you've got to have all the groups represented and a few others in the room trying to sort this stuff out,” Griffith said. “Otherwise, you’re going to run into a problem.” – Anthony Adragna, with Jordain Carney FIRST IN HUDDLE — ENDORSING IN OREGON The centrist New Democrat Coalition Action Fund is endorsing Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum in her bid to flip the battleground seat held by Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.). “Janelle has the skills, experience, and track record necessary to flip this crucial seat in 2024,” said the group’s chair, Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.). Bynum faces a crowded Democratic primary field, including progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who beat then-Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) in a primary challenge but narrowly lost to Chavez-DeRemer in the 2022 general election. – Anthony Adragna   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     HUDDLE HOTDISH  Bob Casey is still taking jabs at unsuccessful Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Oz as he wished John Fetterman a crudité-themed birthday. QUICK LINKS  House push to break up Silicon Valley giants is over, for now, by Steven Overly Dianne Feinstein’s bombshell new lawsuit alleges financial abuse over husband’s estate, from Shira Stein at the San Francisco Chronicle Attorney is dropping representation of Hunter Biden, by Andrew Zhang In Wisconsin, Biden Attacks a Far-Right Senator but Avoids Trump Talk, by Reid Epstein in The New York Times TRANSITIONS  Got a new gig on the Hill? Leaving for something else? Let us know! TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is out. AROUND THE HILL *Crickets* Trivia MONDAY’S ANSWER: Jack Howard was first to correctly pick out former President Gerald Ford as the star of a Cosmopolitan cover. TODAY’S QUESTION from Jack: Which current senator had the same desk as one future president and later moved into the same office as another president, both of whom became rivals for the presidency? Name the senator and the presidents. The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to huddletrivia@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Daniella and Anthony on X at @DaniellaMicaela and @AnthonyAdragna.   Follow us

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