GOP fumes at Dems' ‘clear hypocrisy’ on Cuellar

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Jun 07, 2024 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz and Nicholas Wu Presented by  With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) can count on a deeper well of support among House Democrats. | Francis Chung/POLITICO NEW YORK REPUBLICANS CALL FOUL ON CUELLAR When then-Rep. George Santos was indicted, his New York Republican colleagues were the first to call on him to step down. More than a year later, they want to know why Democrats haven’t done the same with Rep. Henry Cuellar. “I think there's no question there's clear hypocrisy on the approach, especially when you hear leader [Hakeem] Jeffries, for instance, say he's entitled due process,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said in an interview this week. “That's not what was afforded by Democrats to George Santos. They didn't even want an investigation by the ethics committee. They tried to expel him without any investigation.” Lawler’s take is echoed by several Republicans. They call Democrats hypocrites for repeatedly insisting that Santos resign when he faced a bevy of charges — including fraud, conspiracy and identity theft, many of which centered on how he conducted his election campaign — but not doing the same on Cuellar when he was indicted on bribery charges last month. The key differences between Santos and Cuellar: Critically, Santos wasn’t actually expelled from the House until after a damning Ethics Committee report. That bipartisan panel announced late last month it would open an investigation into Cuellar in light of his charges. Plus, Santos had already earned the reputation of a liar and a crook well before he was charged, and had little to no allies in Congress at that point. Cuellar, on the other hand, can count on a deeper well of support among House Democrats. The veteran lawmaker held a leadership position on the House Appropriations Committee and is part of the caucus’ Steering and Policy Committee. And party leaders have indicated — for now — that they’re not changing course while the legal process plays out and hope to keep his seat in Democratic hands. What Democrats won’t say: Santos’ case is a bit of a cautionary tale for the party. His expulsion opened up a battleground district, which Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi won handily in a special election, giving him the advantage of incumbency come November. Cuellar is also representing a purple district, and Democrats are loath to give up any edge in the narrow margins of the House. Suozzi defended Democrats’ stance, saying the circumstances between the two are different — a frequent refrain from the party. “I think everybody should be held to the same standard and the situation with Santos is very unique,” Suozzi said in a brief interview. “He went through an ethics process. It was a whole report written about him. He admitted to all the wrongdoing.” Lawler said that should the Ethics Committee report – if it’s out during a reasonable timeline – reveal anything about Cuellar’s wrongdoings, his Democratic colleagues should move to expel him: “I think Democrats, in the same way they were calling on Republicans to join the effort and lead the effort against Santos, they should do that.” When asked why Republicans haven’t moved on Cuellar, Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), who also led the expulsion effort against Santos, said it’s up to Democrats. “I was always a firm believer that if we were going to be the party of holding those accountable … that we should hold our own accountable,” he said. “I mean, the Democrats should do the same as the Republicans to handle their business.” Cuellar’s press secretary had left the office as of Friday, according to a bounceback email, but another spokesperson sent a statement from the congressman later, saying he serves “at the pleasure of the people of South Texas.” “I have a strong bipartisan track record in Congress and have consistently delivered for my district,” Cuellar added. “My only focus has been, and continues to be, serving the people of South Texas.” — Daniella Diaz and Nicholas Wu   A message from PhRMA: The 340B drug pricing program is supposed to help vulnerable patients access medicines at qualifying hospitals and clinics. It’s meant to be a safety net for those who really need it. So why is the 340B program padding profits for large hospitals, PBMs and chain pharmacies? Let’s fix 340B so it can help the patients that need it most. Let’s fix 340B.   GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, June 7, where we're a bit jealous of the members who got to skydive over Normandy, with the island Mont-Saint-Michel as a backdrop. SENATE DEM SWIPES AT TRUMP-RELATED BLOCKS Democrats aren’t fretting over a group of Senate Republicans who have vowed to block Democratic-led legislation and "political and judicial" nominees following Donald Trump’s felony conviction — at least not yet. After all, most of the 14 Republicans who have signed onto the pledge so far wouldn’t support those things anyway. Still, Democrats are arguing the logic of the move isn’t sound. “Senate Democrats don't control courts,” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) told Inside Congress on Friday when asked about the GOP retaliation. “Many of us thought it was ill advised to provide such an opportunity for celebrity that these trials have proven. So I don't see why this would be a cause for dysfunction of the Senate.” Hickenlooper added that a plethora of issues facing Congress are often bipartisan in nature — like apprenticeships, reducing inflation, etc. And that he doesn’t “see the connection” between those efforts and the Trump conviction. A spokesperson for Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who is leading the effort, said 14 Republicans have signed on as of Friday, the latest being Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn). The pledge has drawn some leadership backing from no. 4 Republican Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who signed on this week. Ernst said she joined in an effort to “restore integrity in our government after Democrats’ clear weaponization and politicization of our justice system.” Lee has said that “those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable.” There’s already been some hiccups, however: one cosigner, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), voted for a Biden nominee this week, despite the pledge’s mandate. Marshall said he felt the nominee was not "political." But that doesn’t mean the effort couldn’t cause problems for Democrats down the line. The Senate regularly relies on unanimous consent to advance legislation and nominees, and there are a handful of must-pass bills this term for which every vote will count. If Lee’s effort amassess a loftier following, whip counts for those bills could get iffy. — Ursula Perano   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     POL-JUMPERS: A group of House members safely made the jump from an airplane over Normandy on Friday as part of a commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. Some had warned the members against jumping, fearing that injuries or worse could impact the House GOP’s already thin two-seat majority. The group of mostly House Republicans jumped out of one of the original C47 planes that flew in the invasion. The leapers were proud to report that they landed without issue. Rep. Keith Self (R-Texa) described it as an “almost perfect jump.” He listed off the recipes for a good jump, nodding to a strong exit, having the island Mont-Saint-Michel as a beautiful backdrop for their fall, low winds, a large drop zone and, perhaps most importantly, a soft landing. Still, members got one scare before the jump. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) told us they were on the plane heading into the drop zone when their guide, known as a jumpmaster, announced that “somebody fell out of one of the other planes.” He said he almost had a “heart attack” before remembering that “all the congressmen were with me on the same plane.” “The speaker will be relieved,” he quipped. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) reported another hiccup: Rep. Rich McCormick’s (R-Ga.) helmet blew off when he exited the aircraft. Van Orden said he has GoPro footage of it falling off and smashing to the ground. And Van Orden said he almost had his glasses blown off my face, but “caught them and put them back.” The landing spot also had some visitors: “There were like 250 sheep in the drop zone,” said Van Orden, remarking that they all didn’t run away as the members landed. “The only place that had more shit involved in it, other than that drop zone, was Congress.” — Olivia Beavers   A message from PhRMA:   HUDDLE HOTDISH Ronny Jackson posts a video from that D-Day jump. QUICK LINKS  James Comer Attacked Joe Biden for Using Email Aliases. He Used Two Himself from Roger Sollenberger at The Daily Beast Sean Patrick Maloney offered to withdraw from 2022 NY-17 primary, but Mondaire Jones turned him down, from Timmy Facciola with City & State New York Judge Dismisses Attempted Murder Charge Over Attack at Pelosi Home, from Soumya Karlamangla at The New York Times Netanyahu to address Congress on July 24, from Jordain Carney   A message from PhRMA: Hospitals that participate in the 340B program contract with more than 33,000 pharmacies to dispense the program’s drug prescriptions. More than 40% of these pharmacies have financial ties to one of the three largest PBMs – CVS Health, Express Scripts and OptumRx. 340B hospitals and the PBM-owned pharmacies they contract with are profiting off discounted medicines while uninsured patients are left paying full price for their medicines. Let’s fix 340B so it better helps patients.   TRANSITIONS  Mike Franc is joining the House Budget Committee as policy director. He previously was chief research officer at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity and is a Kevin McCarthy and Heritage Foundation alum. MONDAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are out until Tuesday. MONDAY AROUND THE HILL Quiet.   JOIN US ON 6/12 FOR A TALK ON THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY: As air travel soars again, policymakers and airlines are grappling with a series of contemporary challenges to the industry's future. Join POLITICO on June 12 for a topical and timely conversation with government leaders and aviation stakeholders about the state of the airline industry. From what passengers want to what airlines need amid the high demand for air traffic, workers and technology solutions. What can Washington do to ensure passengers and providers are equipped to fly right? REGISTER HERE.     TRIVIA THURSDAY’S ANSWER: Albert Wolf was the first to correctly guess that Eva Clayton was the first African American woman to represent North Carolina in Congress. TODAY’S QUESTION, from our editor and resident trivia expert Tyler: In June 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making Juneteenth a federal holiday. In what year, on this date, did Texas become the first state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening.   Follow us

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