🔥 Texas Dem's warning shot

Plus: Secret Service debacle | Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Zachary Basu · Jun 29, 2022 Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,004 words ... 4 minutes. ⚡ Situational awareness: The House Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone. Go deeper.     1 big thing — Exclusive: Border Dem tells progressives to back off Photo Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images   Rep. Henry Cuellar, a south Texas Democrat who narrowly survived a bruising primary challenge this month, lashed out at AOC and other progressives in an exclusive interview — insisting it's time for his party to "let me be me." Why it matters: Cuellar's nail-biter primary against Jessica Cisneros reflects a broader fight between moderates and progressives about the direction of the Democratic Party, Axios' Stef Kight writes. What they're saying: "Of course I have a place in the Democratic Party. The question is, do those people have a place in the Democratic Party," Cuellar said of progressives who championed his challenger. "AOC and those people don't know what the definition of 'progressive' means," he said. "Somewhere down the line, somebody came up with a standard that if you don't agree with me, then you're against me." "Go and open up a dictionary and see what the word 'progressive' means: Open to new ideas — not only their ideas." Behind the scenes: As one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress, Cuellar has broken with colleagues on issues ranging from abortion to immigration to gun rights. But despite Democrats' tilt left in recent years, Cuellar is confident of his place in the party, citing his endorsements from House Democratic leadership. The big picture: Cuellar believes national Democrats need to better understand potential voters in places like South Texas, and too often take a cookie-cutter approach to try to win over Latino voters in particular. Cuellar also pushed back against the idea that there's been sweeping political realignment among Latino voters starting in South Texas, but acknowledged: "[H]ave we lost some of those people? Heck yeah." Between the lines: Cuellar's narrow runoff win came despite an FBI raid of his home in January, a fundraising disadvantage and the Supreme Court's leaked opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. Cuellar is the lone congressional Democrat to oppose abortion. Cuellar said championing abortion rights can help Democrats in urban areas but that the party needs "to understand that there has to be a hybrid type of message" — especially in rural America. Share this story.     2. ❓ Jan. 6 committee's Secret Service debacle Cassidy Hutchinson with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) after yesterday's hearing. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images   Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony to the Jan. 6 committee painted a damning, firsthand portrait of former President Trump's mindset and actions on the day of the Capitol riot, Axios Alayna Treene writes. But a brewing controversy over an explosive detail in her account — that Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent and grabbed the wheel of the car when told he couldn't go to the Capitol — is causing problems for an investigation that has had its evidence buttoned up until now. Catch up quick: Hutchinson told the committee she was briefed on the altercation by Tony Ornato, a Secret Service agent who served as a Trump political adviser. She said Bobby Engel, the agent whom Trump lunged at, was in the room when Ornato was telling the story and did not dispute the account. Both Ornato and Engel have previously testified to the committee behind closed doors, but have yet to agree to testify under oath or speak on the record about this specific incident. Over the last 24 hours, Secret Service officials have anonymously told reporters both Ornato and Engel are willing to testify to the committee that the incident didn't happen. No one has said on the record that the testimony is false. It's unclear when Hutchinson first told the committee about the incident — she sat for four depositions — but a Secret Service spokesperson told Politico the committee did not reach out about the allegations before yesterday's surprise hearing. "The Select Committee found Ms. Hutchinson's testimony to be credible. The committee welcomes anyone who wishes to provide additional information under oath," a Jan. 6 committee spokesperson said in response to questions about the discrepancies. Asked if they have evidence corroborating the specific details of Trump lunging at Engel, the committee declined to comment.  Why it matters: Nobody is challenging the "central material facts" of Hutchinson's testimony, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) insisted on MSNBC — Trump knew his supporters were armed, encouraged them to march to the Capitol anyway, and was furious when his Secret Service prevented him from joining them. But the committee's decision to question Hutchinson on this explosive, secondhand allegation has handed a gift to its critics. Trump and his allies are now seizing on the inconsistency in an attempt to discredit Hutchinson's entire testimony, forcing a committee that has otherwise been scrupulous about its facts to go on the defensive. Share this story.     3. 🇨🇳 Scoop: Schumer's CEO gambit Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images   Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) summoned a dozen Senate Democrats to his office last week with firm marching orders: Call your closest CEOs and ask them to press GOP senators on the China competition bill. Why it matters: Schumer is trying to engineer an inside-outside pressure campaign to force Republicans to move faster on hammering out their differences with the House by mid-July, Axios' Hans Nichols reports. Congressional Democrats and top Biden officials are getting nervous that legislation to provide approximately $50 billion to produce semiconductors domestically — as well as more than $100 billion for technology investments by the National Science Foundation — could wither on the vine. The White House sees some version of the China competition bill — which has been known at various points as the Endless Frontiers Act, the COMPETES Act and USICA — as one of the president's last chances to pass a major bipartisan bill this year. Keep reading.     A message from Axios Recruit smart professionals     Reach over 800,000 smart professionals for your remote and local job opportunities. Axios now has job boards to get your openings in front of qualified candidates. Post your job opportunities on Axios.     4. ✈️ Left's new target Via Twitter Pennsylvania's Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a progressive Democrat running for Senate against Dr. Oz, called for the Biden administration to fine airlines $27,500 per passenger "for every flight they cancel that they knew they didn't have the staff to fly." Within hours, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) had upped the ante — literally — demanding Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg fine airlines $55,000 for every cancellation.     5. 🖼️ Parting shot Photo: Bertrand Guay/Pool/AFP via Getty Images   President Biden takes a selfie with Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife, Lydia, during a visit to the Prado Museum in Madrid, where NATO leaders dined tonight.     A message from Axios Recruit smart professionals     Reach over 800,000 smart professionals for your remote and local job opportunities. Axios now has job boards to get your openings in front of qualified candidates. Post your job opportunities on Axios.   📬 Thanks for reading! Send us feedback by hitting reply to this newsletter or emailing us at sneak@axios.com. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: