| | | | | |  | | By Olivia Beavers | Presented by the Alzheimer's Association | With Marc Caputo. WELCOME TO THE GAETZ SHOW: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) isn't acting like a guy who's guilty of sex trafficking a minor. Rather than laying low in light of a federal investigation, he's touring the nation with fellow firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who's embroiled in yet controversy (move over, Jewish space lasers, it's time to talk about the Holocaust). The two will headline another one of their pro-Trump events tomorrow, this time in Dalton, Ga. Who knows what they'll say… but here's what to expect from The Matt Gaetz Show: Gaetz is filling the void left by Donald Trump being booted off Twitter. Hundreds, if not thousands, came to see the two in Florida, Ohio and Arizona, eager to see the most controversial House Republicans go off on lawmakers who have been critical of Trump. Gaetz isn't avoiding votes in the House, nor is he passing up the chance to swipe at reporters or tout his friendships (including with those who have sought to distance themselves). He's still openly marketing himself as a man fighting back against the "Deep State," a message that resonates with a base deeply skeptical of the news media and the Justice Department. Gaetz for president? That's right. He's floating it. Several Republicans I've spoken to haven't gone that far, but they've pointed out Gaetz will grow stronger if A) he isn't ultimately charged or B) he is charged but isn't convicted, giving him a clear opportunity to blast it all as a "witch hunt" that failed to burn the witch. A more emboldened Gaetz... whatever would that look like? Insiders familiar with the investigation of Gaetz say that if July passes without an indictment, Gaetz will be more likely to survive without charges. Gaetz is being investigated for a litany of illegal acts, including sex-trafficking a minor, all of which he denies. His estranged "wingman," Joel Greenberg, pleaded guilty last week to six federal charges, including sex-trafficking a 17-year-old. Talk about a problematic witness. Then there's Gaetz's ex-girlfriend, a former Capitol Hill intern in another office, who would like an immunity deal from the feds in return for her testimony. She has told friends that Gaetz committed no sex crimes. CNN reported last week that the feds have "secured" her cooperation, but informed sources tell us that isn't true. "It's wrong at worst and premature at best," said one. The victim of Greenberg's sex-trafficking count appears to be talking with prosecutors. This is not a slam dunk case. Attorney General Merrick Garland could have the final say, if the case gets to his desk. And the feds often avoid bringing cases they think they will lose. Even if he's never charged or if he's acquitted, Gaetz's name will always appear in Google searches with sex trafficking a minor. But as long as the congressman has a say and a following, The Gaetz Show will counterprogram as best he can. What's beyond dispute is that he found a way to capitalize on an investigation that would've made many pols slink away into early retirement. It's a playbook we are seeing more and more. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | THE POWER OF M&M: No, I am not talking about the quick-to-disappear candy. Though Democrats may wish Mitch McConnell would disappear as they seek to get their legislative priorities passed. He is, after all, the one who wields the most influence over President Joe Biden's agenda right now with the evenly split Senate. "He believes that he should have a veto over anything that the president of the United States and the majority elected to Congress want to do. It's wrong," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), an advocate for gutting the filibuster, told Burgess. "This was his playbook when Obama was president, and he's dusted it off again." Per Burgess: "He has former President Donald Trump hanging over him, playing kingmaker and lobbing insults as McConnell tries to win back the majority. And Democrats are more aware of McConnell's tactics after living through them for Obama's two terms." But the Senate minority leader is banking on the moderate Dems to keep their pledges to protect the legislative filibuster sticking to their promises. With that process intact, he can leverage the process over Democrats' legislation. Take the Jan. 6 commission proposal: McConnell said Trump is "practically and morally responsible" for the attack on the Capitol, but the Senate GOP leader warned his colleagues yesterday behind closed doors that approving the commission could hurt the party's midterm election message, Burgess reports. McConnell then told reporters that a Jan. 6 commission is a "purely political exercise that adds nothing to the sum total of information." Such statements which are not sitting well with some moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who issued a rare joint statement asking their GOP colleagues to "work with us" to find a path forward on a commission. The Kentucky Republican will also be a primary player. McConnell told Burgess in an interview that he won't hesitate to wade into primary races if a Trump-backed candidate is threatening his chances of taking back the Senate. He only needs to gain one seat, making him a man on a mission: "The only thing I care about is electability," McConnell told Burgess over the phone. More here from Burgess: https://politi.co/3cd4UWz | | | | A message from the Alzheimer's Association: Alzheimer's disease is on track to cost our country $1.1 trillion annually by 2050. Beyond the emotional toll Alzheimer's takes on those living with the disease and their caregivers, it also threatens to bankrupt our health system. With millions of lives and trillions of dollars at stake, increased research funding and policies that improve care for those living with dementia will unburden their caregivers and relieve a crippling drag on our economy. Get involved here. | | | HAPPY HUMP DAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this May 26, where little birdies may chirp in reporters' ears all the time in the halls of Congress, but this time there really was one hanging out in the Senate. TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Roll Call's story on how Democrats' backroom clashes over military justice erupted onto the Senate floor was the big winner. ON TAP THIS WEEK: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is aiming to hold a vote before the Memorial Day recess on whether to form a bipartisan commission to investigate the events of Jan. 6, several senators tell Marianne and Burgess. More here: https://politi.co/3vo7T5Y WHAT ROUND ARE WE ON?: Senate Republicans have another infrastructure counteroffer for the White House, which they will roll out tomorrow even as hopes for bipartisan agreement sink. The two sides right now remain $1.5 trillion apart, a whopping gap to bridge. Per Marianne: "After a Zoom call with White House officials Friday, Senate Republicans said both sides were only getting further apart. And they appear to be making little progress on how to pay for it, as they approach the Biden administration's informal deadline of Memorial Day." And deadlines are meant to be broken, right? (Don't tell my editors I said that.) Though Schumer yesterday said he wouldn't move on infrastructure until July, which gives them a little breathing room. While they aren't giving up, Senate Republicans feel they are at a standstill with negotiations and are privately acknowledging that Democrats will likely give up trying to get Republicans on board and move forward -- the left flank certainly is pushing them to do so. But some moderates are signaling that they aren't ready to give up bipartisan talks. Asked about proceeding with a reconciliation package, Manchin all but challenged Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Senate Budget Chairman, to move forward without him: "If you think you got it then go for it." Challenge accepted? CNN scooped that the GOP counteroffer is supposed to be around $1 trillion because, according to Capito and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Biden apparently told Senate Republicans that is a number he could get behind. That price tag is significantly lower than what his administration counter offered most recently to Republicans, but it's TBD on how much of the funds in the Republican offer represent new spending and how much are shifted from elsewhere. And even at $1 trillion, some GOP senators don't seem totally on board. More here from Marianne: https://politi.co/34gZIfL … And more here from Burgess on how Manchin wants more time for a bipartisan infrastructure deal: https://politi.co/3oTtVv0 Related: Coons, Biden's eyes and ears in the Senate, reaches for bipartisanship, by NYT's Luke Broadwater: https://nyti.ms/2StszdY ALSO HOPING FOR A DEAL: Floyd family expresses hope for tough police reform after meetings with Biden and lawmakers, by our Nick Niedzwiadek: https://politi.co/3vg2Nsl | | | | DON'T MISS OUT ON OUR NEW PLAYBOOK DEEP DIVE PODCAST: Washington is full of whispers, colorful characters and little-known back stories that even D.C. insiders might not know. Playbook Deep Dive is a new, weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the stories behind the power. From Congress and the White House to bar stools and backrooms, POLITICO's top reporters and Playbook authors bring you the most compelling and confounding stories that explain what's really going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | GOT 99 PROBLEMS AND MTG IS ONE: GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other Republicans are yet again in a position where they have to condemn comments by Greene, this time while she is in Congress. The Georgia congresswoman is doubling down on her comparison between the Holocaust and requirements for Covid vaccinations and mask requirements. To state the obvious, one is about the murder of millions of people and the other is about trying to save lives from a dangerous virus. McCarthy, who previously defended Greene when Democrats voted to boot her off her committee assignments over her incendiary rhetoric before she came to Congress, called the Georgia Republican's latest comments "wrong" and "appalling" and said the GOP conference was behind him. Some members issued their own separate statements. "Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling. The Holocaust is the greatest atrocity committed in history," the California Republican said in a statement. "The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling." These are not the type of comments Republicans want to be responding to as they accuse Democrats of defending Hamas, but here we are. Your Huddle host previously explored what McCarthy can do. The short answer: Not much. And Greene is not afraid to attack McCarthy…(even if she did delete the tweet a few minutes later). More here from Melanie and Sarah: https://politi.co/3yDn0KM Related: Kinzinger calls for Marjorie Taylor Greene to be kicked out of GOP conference over Holocaust remark, by our Ben Leonard: https://politi.co/3hT9UTR FIREWORKS: A group of moderates led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) are condemning a series of comments made by members of their own party that they deem anti-semitic "at their core." On one hand, they are going after Greene and her recent Holocaust comments, but they are also going after comments made by various members of the progressive Squad. They did not name any member specifically , but it was pretty clear who they were talking about. They pointed to Greene's recent Holocaust comments as well as comments by members that claim Israel is an "apartheid state" and committing "act[s] of terrorism." Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) described the Israeli airstrikes against the Hamas as an "act of terrorism." And members like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) both tweeted: "Apartheid states aren't democracies" amid the growing Middle East conflict. They write: "These statements are antisemitic at their core and contribute to a climate that is hostile to many Jews," they argued. "Sadly, we have learned from our history that when this type of violence and inflammatory rhetoric goes unaddressed, it can fuel increasing hatred and violence, and lead to unspeakable acts against Jews...Antisemitism is wrong, and it deserves to be unequivocally condemned by all." They led the letter by calling on Biden to take a "united, all-of-government effort" to respond to the rising antisemitic incidents unfolding across the country, which have spiked amid the conflict. Dem Reps. Elaine Luria (Va.), Dean Phillips (Minn.), and Kathy Manning (N.C.) also signed the letter. Read the letter here: https://politi.co/2RDuYTF Related: Tom Friedman's latest NYT Op-Ed: How the Mideast Conflict Is Blowing Up the Region, the Democratic Party and Every Synagogue in America: https://nyti.ms/3foxC8R EXTREMISM GOT WINGS?: Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) is leading a group of House conservatives -- including multiple members of the House Freedom Caucus -- in raising concern to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about "the growing trend of left-wing extremism and politicization in our armed forces," which comes as the Pentagon is reviewing extremism within its ranks after Jan. 6. "[I]t appears that political actors such as Bishop Garrison, the head of the working group tasked with defining extremist views for the Department of Defense, have been given broad freedom to both catechize and root out servicemembers who will not affirm far-left doctrines. Your order for a 'stand-down' to ideologically assess servicemembers appears to have been connected to these efforts," they write. So, Republicans are trying to flip this review on its head by calling for Lloyd to "fight back against the creeping left-wing extremism in the U.S. military." Let's see if this letter lands anywhere besides Lloyd's trash bin. Read the letter here: https://politi.co/3wqvFOO BOOK CLUB: Rep. Jim Jordan will publish a political memoir in November, by Cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton: https://bit.ly/2ROmjOb CAMPAIGN CENTRAL: Cortez Masto helped Dems flip the Senate. Now she needs to defend her turf, our James Arkin reports: https://politi.co/3oSPvzq | Democrats try to counter attack ads over drug prices, by Roll Call's Jessica Wehrman: https://bit.ly/3wAdmXr | Florida's Ayala jumps into race for Demings' seat, our Gary Fineout reports: https://politi.co/3yEoUL0 | | | |   | | | TRANSITIONS Trevor Pearson is now a senior associate director for energy policy at APCO Worldwide. He most recently was a policy adviser for Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) and is a Paul Gosar alum. Francisco Carrillo has left the Hill to join Pfizer's Washington office. He'll be a senior director of federal government relations and will concentrate on lobbying House Democrats, according to the company. He was previously district director for Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate convenes at 10:30 a.m. AROUND THE HILL 10 a.m.: The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on David Chipman for ATF director and other nominations. Expect Chipman to be grilled by senators on the right. 10 a.m.: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, will separately testify before House Appropriations subcommittees today. SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman will testify before the Small Business Committee. (Guzman will also testify before the Senate Small Business Committee at 1:30 p.m.) 10 a.m.: DNI Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns and NSA Director Paul Nakasone, Anthony Fauci and NIH Director Francies Collins are testifying before Senate Appropriations subcommittees today. 11 a.m.: Actor Nick Offerman, from NBC's "Parks and Recreation," will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. 11 a.m.: Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair, and other members of the panel will unveil legislation to address toxic exposure, featuring comedian Jon Stewart and political activist John Feal. 2 p.m.: SEC Chair Gary Gensler will testify before a House Appropriations subcommittee. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Mayorkas will testify before Senate Appropriations subcommittees. 2:30 p.m.: USAID Administrator Samantha Power will testify before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. TRIVIA TUESDAY'S WINNER: Diana Deem was the first person to correctly guess that the U.S. President who lectured to the Agricultural Society of Albemarle County, Virginia, on the importance of soil management for agriculture and society was James Madison in 1818. Many guessed Thomas Jefferson, who helped found the group as well as UVA (go Hoos go!). TODAY'S QUESTION: From Diana: As we start the annual budget cycle, one wonders when "Regular Order," specifically passing all 12 Appropriations bills individually, will be possible again. When was the last time all Appropriations bills passed on time? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to obeavers@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Olivia on Twitter: @Olivia_Beavers | | | | A message from the Alzheimer's Association: More than six million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease. Without a medical breakthrough, that number is projected to reach nearly 13 million by 2050. In 2021, Alzheimer's and other dementias will cost taxpayers $355 billion. Though federal research funding has made great strides from where it stood just a few years ago thanks to bipartisan Congressional champions, continued momentum will allow us to meet the national goal of effectively treating and preventing Alzheimer's by 2025. While researchers work toward treatments, we need a better path to dementia care. With the bipartisan Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer's Act (S. 1125/H.R. 2517), Congress has the potential to streamline today's complicated health care maze for people living with dementia and their caregivers. With increased research funding, we can ensure researchers have the resources needed to discover critical medical solutions. Congress must act now. Click here to learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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