| | | | | |  | | By Olivia Beavers | Presented by Facebook | House Democrats will officially kick off the Senate impeachment trial today by transmitting the article to the upper chamber, but the proceedings won't begin just yet. Ahead of the trial, Democrats have some big questions weighing on them: Can they hold a contentious trial and successfully pull off Biden's ambitious legislative agenda, which includes Covid relief and plans to revive the pandemic-stricken economy? More on that lower down, but first... SCOOP: House Republicans are looking for ways to connect with corporations and associate PACs amid the current halt on giving PAC money, your Huddle host has learned. Following the deadly insurrection, a long list of corporations put their PAC dollars on pause, with some explicitly ceasing their donations to GOP members who challenged the 2020 election results. One fundraising consulting company -- which represents six anti-certification members including Arizona GOP Reps. Andy Biggs, Debbie Lesko, David Schweikert -- is offering access to these GOP lawmakers, their clients, at no cost. While this isn't the first time free events like this have been offered, it offers a preview of how these members are going to try to adapt to this new, tough political environment. "My clients want to be accessible to you and garner your input with the goal of making 2021 a better year," the head of Twelve Oaks Consulting company wrote, per an email obtained by your Huddle host. "As a result, I will be hosting virtual discussions with each of my Members. No contribution is required or expected to participate in these events." Another email acknowledged the PAC ban, while trying to push donors to contribute to PACs of members of Congress who did not participate in the election objection vote. A WALK OUT: A senior staffer for Rep. Tom Cole has left his office after the Oklahoma Republican challenged the election results in Arizona, your Huddle host has learned. Cole's office says they don't comment on personnel matters. And while Maria Bowie, who worked for his office since 2011, did not return requests for comment as to why she left her role as Cole's deputy chief-of-staff, a GOP source familiar with the office dynamics said it came about as some staffers were upset that Cole sided with objectors. An email bounceback from her government email says she has retired from the House. Cole is a longtime establishment Republican , who formerly served as the NRCC chief and is currently the top Republican on the House Rules Committee. His vote challenging Arizona's Electoral College votes was surprising to many on the Hill. And he has suffered some blowback for this decision, including choosing to relinquish an honorary degree after students at Grinnell College began to petition to rescind it. There's also been other other staff dissenions, including a staffer for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) resigning shortly after Jan. 6. Your Huddle Host also hears there are likely more to come. | | | | A message from Facebook: We support updated internet regulations
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Learn More | | | TRIGGERED: House Democrats will transmit the article of impeachment charging Trump with willfully inciting a riot to the Senate tonight, triggering the start of the trial. BUT because Dems and Republicans struck an agreement, the actual trial arguments won't start until the week of Feb. 8. Democrats said yes to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's request for more time before the trial starts. And while they are doing it a week earlier than the Kentucky Republican initially proposed, McConnell's office has praised the agreement as a win for fairness. Both sides get some of what they want . McConnell says Donald Trump's defense team is getting the time to properly prepare for the trial. And Democrats will be able to push forward with confirming some of President Joe Biden's nominations as his administration seeks to get their footing amid the Covid pandemic, with Biden saying Friday this delay will help them "get up and running." The Schedule: -Today: House Democrats will formally walk over the impeachment article to the Senate at roughly 6:55 p.m. Then, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the lead impeachment manager, will read the article of impeachment on the Senate Floor. -Tomorrow: The senators will be sworn in, the summons will be issued to Trump. -Feb. 2: Trump's answer to the impeachment article and the House brief is due. -Feb. 8: Trump's pre-trial brief is due, and the House also needs to submit its response to Trump. -Feb. 9: The House must submit their rebuttal pre-trial brief...THEN the trial can begin. Marianne and Sarah with the story: http://politi.co/2MjPQMw THE SPEED BUMP: Democrats and Republicans have yet to reach a power sharing agreement on how the split 50-50 Senate will operate these next two years, which is creating its own set of complications as the Senate remains in limbo. And Biden is already facing early headwinds on his Covid stimulus plan, from both Democrats and Republicans (more on that just a wee bit down). Related Reads: Chuck Schumer's 99 problems by Burgess and Marianne: http://politi.co/3c2k15M | Fight over the rules grinds the Senate to a halt, imperiling Biden's legislative agenda by WaPo's Mike DeBonis and Seung Min Kim: http://wapo.st/2M1fcz0 | AP source: Lawmakers threatened ahead of impeachment trial by Michael Balsamo: http://bit.ly/2Ye4mrK | | | | THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO OFFICIAL WASHINGTON: The new Playbook team got off to fast start last week with a series of big scoops. The reporting foursome of Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Tara Palmeri will roam every corner of Washington, bringing you the big stories you need to know–and the insider nuggets that you want to know–about the new power centers and power players in Washington. "This town" has changed. And no one covers this town like Playbook. Subscribe today. | | | | | HAPPY MONDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this Jan. 25, where Mondays just feel like perfect days to focus on pups in politics. FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Post & Courier's story about Butch Bowers joining Trump's impeachment defense team was the big winner. COVID PAINS: A bipartisan group of senators told White House officials on Sunday that the $1,400 direct payments to Americans in Biden's coronavirus relief plan gives too much money to high-income earners, marking an early setback in the Biden administration's push to nail down another pandemic proposal with Congress. The senators, who requested the White House provide more data on how it filled out its plan, were on board with some things like more money for vaccine distributions, but they balked at the stimulus payments, instead encouraging the White House to focus that money towards people who are more in need. "I was the first to raise that issue, but there seemed to be a lot of agreement … that those payments need to be more targeted," Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in an interview, noting that she questioned why families making $300,000 would be eligible. Laura Barrón-López and Burgess with the scoopity scoop: http://politi.co/3pf3nUn Related Read: Moderates vow to 'be a force' under Biden by The Hill's Jordain Carney: http://bit.ly/3ptuBqt FILIBUSTED: Anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List is spending $200,000 in West Virginia to pressure Joe Manchin to keep the filibuster, according to details shared with Huddle. It will include radio, digital and a phone call campaign. The radio ad script thanks Manchin for "protecting the filibuster and the Supreme Court from abortion extremists." SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said this of Manchin: He "has been the voice of reason in his party, urging preservation of the filibuster. We thank him for his leadership." Related Reads: Bernie Sanders: Dems will use reconciliation to pass Covid relief 'as soon as we possibly can': http://politi.co/3prQSoc | Dick Durbin calls absolute protection of Senate filibuster 'a non-starter': http://politi.co/3plRtIo TAKE THAT: GOP Sen. Josh Hawley is hitting back at the seven Democrats who filed an ethics complaint against him last week over his and Sen. Ted Cruz's objections of the 2020 election certification by filing a counter ethics complaint on Monday against those Dem colleagues. He went after the Democrats for -- what he calls -- attempts to silence, censure and remove him over disagreeing with his view, calling their actions "utterly antithetical to our democracy. Quint Forgey with the story: http://politi.co/2LSrVnJ ANOTHER CEILING UNSHATTERED: Rep. Brenda Lawrence, who lost her leadership race by a single vote, is sounding the alarm that there still remains a ceiling in Congress for Black women, citing how it has been 44 years since a Black woman was last elected to sit at Dem's leadership table in the House. "When the vote is taken by our body, Black women don't win," Lawrence (D-Mich.) said in an interview. And other black women in the House say this matter needs to be addressed. Sarah and Heather with the story: http://politi.co/3sVRMM8 | | | |   | | | TEX IN THE 2022 MIX: Republicans are eagerly eying going after three traditionally deep-blue districts in the Rio Grande Valley in an effort to win back control of the House in 2022, after seeing a noticeable surge among Latinos and rural voters along Texas' southern border. Democrats spent millions trying to win more seats in Texas' suburbs, but they failed to win new seats. Rather, Republicans are tickled to see that these seats are in play over the big drop in support for Biden compared to Hillary Clinton a few years earlier. In the danger zone: Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, Filemón Vela and Henry Cuellar. Our Ally Mutnick has the details: http://politi.co/2NBE9BH CONCERNED CITIZEN?: GOP leader Kevin McCarthy in an interview with Gray TV's Greta Van Susteren over the weekend says he supports Rep. Liz Cheney but has "concerns" over her impeachment vote, claiming he didn't receive any heads up about her decision. Evan Semones has more: http://politi.co/3c3pzwS Related Read: Kevin McCarthy's rude awakening by Axios' Alayna Treene: http://bit.ly/3iKHxWe ON GUARD: The National Guard is planning to leave behind as many as 5,000 troops in Washington through mid-March as a result of security concerns tied to Trump's upcoming Senate impeachment trial, after federal law enforcement officials told lawmakers they needed the extra force. Andrew, Lara Seligman and Natasha Bertrand have more. http://politi.co/3iK0YhH A MEMBER YOU SHOULD KNOW: Just over a week and a half of serving in Congress, Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) was asked to decide whether to impeach the president of his own party. Meijer, who replaced former Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), ultimately joined 10 other House Republicans in voting to impeach Trump. He was the only freshman to do so. Here are some highlights from your Huddle host's interview with him: -One big takeaway: Meijer puts a lot of emphasis on how serving his country drives him, citing his time in the military and relief missions abroad. His biggest fear? "Getting too absorbed and away from being able to operate with that sort of conscience grounding, and ultimately becoming a hypocrite." -Are you considering leaving the GOP: "I have no interest whatsoever in changing parties. This is the party of Lincoln, of Teddy Roosevelt." While he noted some are now calling on him to leave the party, he is focused on rebuilding the GOP into "a party that lives up to -- and is in a position -- to defend and promote the conservative values that have built this country." - What is the biggest misconception about you since you became involved in politics? "The sort of pigeonholing or stereotype of just being some rich kid." He acknowledged that he has had a fortunate upbringing (one side of his family started the midwest Meijer grocery store chain), but he says this has "made it impossible for me to just enjoy, without feeling that there was something earned rather than inherited." -What is your pet issue? Repealing the post 9/11 and subsequent authorizations for the use of military force. "The fact that our military has basically been on over pilot with minimal congressional approval or oversight for close to two decades, is worrying and troubling." -Which lawmaker do you look up to who is currently in the House or the Senate? "I've been strongly impressed by the leadership that Liz Cheney has shown," Meijer said, while also noting the "thoughtful" election certification arguments made by Reps. Chip Roy and Thomas Massie. ICYMI over the weekend: -Pennsylvania lawmaker played key role in Trump's plot to oust Acting AG by NYT's Katie Benner and Catie Edmonson: http://nyti.ms/2YbDkkY -Julia Letlow, widow of Luke Letlow, to run for husband's 5th Congressional District seat by The Advocate: http://bit.ly/3c7FhHp -GOP congressman who voted to overturn election results admits 2020 race not fraudulent by CNN's Kelly Mena and Caroline Kenny: http://cnn.it/3a1TaUQ -Menendez to renew push for protecting Venezuelans from deportation by our Sabrina Rodriguez: http://politi.co/39auHgO | | | | HAPPENING TUESDAY - DRAWING THE ETHICAL LINE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: As AI becomes increasingly ingrained in our everyday lives, there are concerns about biases in these systems and ethical standards to guide their fair use. Without an international framework or set of principles governing AI, the ethical guidelines for its use vary across countries and cities and sometimes even come down to individual policymakers, elected leaders, the private sector, and grassroots advocates' work. Join POLITICO for a conversation to explore the pace of global AI innovation and development and what it means for the future of ethical standards in this space. The virtual program features an executive conversation between POLITICO CEO Patrick Steel and Workday EVP of corporate affairs Jim Shaughnessy. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | TRANSITIONS | | Charli Huddleston is joining Rep. Jodey Arrington's office as his comms director. Huddleston most recently was the associate director of media affairs for the Trump campaign, and she is also a Jordan and Comer alum. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced her senior leadership team for this Congress. Steve Abbott, who has served as Collin's campaign manager, will be returning to serve as her Chief of Staff; Betsy McDonnell will also serve as her Deputy COS; and Katie Brown has been appointed as Collin's LD. Annie Clark will continue to serve as comms director, and Darci Greenacre will continue to serve as Director of Scheduling. | | TODAY IN CONGRESS | | The House meets at 1:30 p.m. in a pro forma session. The Senate is back in session at 3:00 p.m. | | AROUND THE HILL | | 3 p.m: The Senate is scheduled to convene at 3 p.m., where it will proceed to executive session to begin consideration of the nomination of Janet Yellen as Biden's Treasury secretary. The procession: At roughly 6:55 p.m., there will be the procession of the impeachment Article and House impeachment managers walking by Will Rogers, then Statuary Hall, and then the Rotunda. 6 p.m.: Senate Foreign Relations Committee is slated to have a full committee markup of pending business. | | TRIVIA | | FRIDAY'S WINNER: Jack Howard was the first person to guess that Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was defeated by William Hathaway. TODAY'S QUESTION: From Jack: There are a lot of quirky coincidences between Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln (both were elected to the House in years ending in 46 and to the Presidency in years ending in 60). What speaking invitation did JFK turn down to instead travel to Dallas in November 1963 and at whose request? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to obeavers@politico.com. 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