| | | | |  | | By Jordain Carney , Andrew Desiderio and Marianne LeVine | Presented by GE | THE NEXT CHAPTER—The House committee investigating the Capitol attack turned its attention to what came after the gruesome hours of Jan. 6 during the eighth public hearing on Thursday night. As Kyle and Nick report , the hearing, which is expected to be the committee's final for now, made clear that the House panel is also focused on the two weeks after — and the evidence that Donald Trump spent his dwindling days in office resisting the reality that he lost to Joe Biden. "I don't want to say the election is over," Trump said in outtakes from the evening of Jan. 7, which were played during Thursday night's hearing. Members of the committee told POLITICO that they've been digging into the period after Jan. 6, looking for what the actions reveal about the attack. And Thursday night's hearing included clips from former officials discussing how to manage Trump's final days in office amid a swirl of discussion about the 25th Amendment. Beyond Trump's actions, the committee has been poring over public remarks and details revealed in private depositions from Trump-world officials to try to draw a stark contrast between Trump's response to the attack and some of his advisors and allies. On Thursday night they included a new video of congressional leaders, from a secure location on Jan. 6, urging then-acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller to clear the Capitol so that members of the House and Senate could return to counting Biden's Electoral College win. In another clip former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told the committee in recorded testimony that while rioters smashed through police lines at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Trump asked aides for a list of senators to call as he continued to pursue paths to overturn his defeat. Nick and Kyle have more on the hearing here. For a full recap of the hearing's biggest moments, catch up with Anthony, Jordain and the rest of the team who provided real-time updates over on Congress Minutes or follow us over on Twitter @politicongress . SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER— The committee wrapped up its final hearing—for now. Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney made clear they will be back in September, driving the panel's work closer toward the November midterm elections. Thompson (who appeared by video from Covid quarantine) said that the committee "will reconvene in September to continue laying out our findings to the American people." The committee has been receiving new information throughout their hearings, according to Cheney. The vice chair said that the committee will spend August, when the House is expected to be out of town, pursuing "emerging information on multiple fronts." Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) also teased that they "anticipate further testimony under oath and further new information in the coming weeks" related to the Secret Service. RELATED: Top Trump lawyers briefed in detail on alternate elector plot on Dec. 13, 2020 from our POLITICO colleague Betsy Woodruff Swan. Liz Cheney, Front and Center in the Jan. 6 Hearings, Pursues a Mission by The New Times's Peter Baker. First on CNN: DHS inspector general tells Secret Service to stop investigating potentially missing texts due to 'ongoing criminal investigation' by CNN's Whitney Wild and Jeremy Herb.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today . | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, July 22, where Marianne, Andrew and Jordain are combining their powers to (temporarily) take the helm while KTM is out for the day. Hit us up on Twitter at @marianne_levine , @AndrewDesiderio and @jordainc. TRUMP 2024? GOP LEADERS WON'T GET IN THE WAY— Congressional Republicans aren't doing much to keep Donald Trump from making a third White House bid – and many plan to approach him the way they did in 2016: by allowing a crowded primary field to sort out who will be the GOP nominee. Of the more than 12 GOP leaders Olivia and Burgess spoke to, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) went the furthest, saying she supports Trump running in 2024 and would endorse him over other GOP candidates. But there's a key difference between 2024 and 2016: Trump is now a known quantity. "He was more of a blank slate back then," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who is eyeing a spot in Senate leadership next year. "As in any candidate, you pick up good and bad as you're serving. And so he's going to have that dimension that he didn't have before." As Trump mulls a presidential announcement ahead of the midterms, many Republicans are hoping he holds off, fearing he will weigh down the GOP's chances of retaking the House and Senate by making the midterms about himself. We've got the story here. ZELDIN ATTACKED AT CAMPAIGN EVENT—Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), the GOP nominee for governor of New York, was attacked Thursday by a man with a knife at a campaign event. In a tweet shortly after the incident, Zeldin wrote: "Someone tried to stab me on stage during this evening's rally, but fortunately, I was able to grab his wrist and stop him for a few moments until others tackled him." He added that he and the other attendees are safe, and that his attacker is now in custody. A witness captured video of the attack. More here. WH VS. PELOSI ON TAIWAN — It's become crystal clear that the Biden administration doesn't want Speaker Nancy Pelosi to travel to Taiwan next month. But the disagreement between the two camps is now spilling out into the open. Behind the scenes, White House and Pentagon officials were already quietly conveying their hesitations to the speaker's office, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions, even before Biden said Wednesday that the military "thinks it's not a good idea right now." Pelosi on Thursday suggested the military might be worried about the Chinese shooting down her plane, but pushed back on the notion that she shouldn't travel to the island at a time of increasing tensions with Beijing. "It's important for us to show support for Taiwan," she said. Republicans are backing her up; here's what Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), ranker on House Foreign Affairs, had to say: "I don't always agree with her, but on this one I applaud it." Lara Seligman and Andrew have much more. ICYMI (literally)—Democrats spent months haggling over President Biden's $550 billion infrastructure bill — but only 24 percent of voters are aware it's now a law, according to new polling by the center-left think tank Third Way and Impact Research shared first with Sarah. Some Democrats lamented to POLITICO that the party didn't do enough to sell the legislation. Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) said Democrats "were so focused on passing the next thing, we forgot to tell people about it. And that's a huge mistake." There's still time though, according to pollsters, who said that the trend could be reversed before this fall's midterms if the party can harness the right message.
| | | | A message from GE: GE plans for three new industry-leading companies–GE HealthCare, GE Vernova, and GE Aerospace– which will mark the beginning of something new. Building off a 130-year heritage of innovation, these planned companies will amplify elevated missions for precision health & connected care, a cleaner future, and flight & defense. This new era will transform a world that works into a future that does too. Learn more. | | | RONJOHN COULD BACK SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL—Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), one of the most vulnerable GOP senators this midterm cycle, suggested to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he could support House-passed legislation that codifies marriage regardless of sexual orientation, ethnicity or country of origin. "Even though I feel the Respect for Marriage Act is unnecessary, should it come before the Senate, I see no reason to oppose it," Johnson said in a statement to the paper. When asked by POLITICO to clarify whether he would actually vote for the legislation, Johnson referred back to his statement. For those keeping track at home, GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Rob Portman (Ohio), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) are "yes" or viewed as likely yes votes. GOP Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters he thought it could potentially get the 10 GOP votes necessary to break a filibuster. GET 'ER DONE — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing for the chamber to prioritize the ratification of Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO ahead of the August break. In an interview with Andrew , McConnell said it was "absolutely essential" to get it done before the recess — putting pressure on Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as he navigates some rocky terrain ahead. Even though the NATO resolution will win north of 95 votes, it'll take time to make its way through the morass. A hotline for a time agreement on the NATO resolution has cleared on the Democratic side, and the Foreign Relations Committee has transmitted its official report to the Senate floor. Senators hope this can get done next week. It's worth noting that the Senate is staring down a crowded calendar before the August recess, between this, wrapping up a semiconductor manufacturing bill, passing a party-line health care bill and potentially considering the House-passed same-sex marriage legislation. DEMS' GUN GAMBLE—House Democrats are facing their (potentially) final week in town before a lengthy break and struggling to answer a crucial question: Do they have the votes to pass an assault weapons ban in a matter of days? Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Jordain and other reporters that they are still working the vote, amid opposition from some in their own party. Hoyer initially said it was his "expectation" that the bill would be on the floor next week; he then hedged and qualified it as a "maybe." Democrats are also looking at putting other police funding bills on the floor next week amid pressure from their frontliners. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) is predicting he'll have the votes once the assault weapons ban is brought to the floor, but told Jordain he wasn't sure if that will be next week. AUGUST PSA— House Democrats (and much of Washington) are waiting to find out if their Senate counterparts are going to be able to close a deal with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and pass a narrow bill focused on ObamaCare subsidies and drug negotiations. If they do, Hoyer during a back-and-forth with Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) that the House could have to come back in August. Hoyer stressed that he would try to delay a return until after the first two weeks of August, so lawmakers could spend time with their family before school starts. A MILLEY-ON PROBLEMS — The nation's top military officer met on Wednesday with Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), the first and only Ukraine-born congresswoman, amid mounting concerns about her fervent criticisms of the Zelenskyy government. Andrew, Lara Seligman and Connor O'Brien scooped that the meeting took place in Spartz's Longworth office, and just a few days after Spartz was briefed by intelligence officials who said her claims had no merit. That hasn't deterred Spartz, though, from continuing to defend her accusations even as her fellow Republicans plead with her to cut it out.
| | | | INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY . | | | | | | | | HUDDLE HOTDISH FLY ON THE WALL — Per CNN's Manu Raju , Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) was on the same elevator that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was walking into when he said voting to codify same-sex marriage is a "stupid waste of time." Baldwin, who is gay, joked with Manu that "you probably would have loved to be on the elevator to see the exchange after," but declined to say whether she was offended by Rubio's comment. "I'm counting votes," Baldwin said. QUICK LINKS 'Long overdue': Pelosi affirms support for labeling Russia a sponsor of terrorism , by Andrew Desiderio Fetterman inching back onto campaign trail, 2 months after stroke by Holly Otterbein and Marianne LeVine Senators seek to clear procedural hurdles on unfinished business by Roll Call's Lindsey McPherson TRANSITIONS Sidney Johnson is now press assistant for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). She most recently was a communications associate at S-3 Group.
| | | | A message from GE:   | | | TODAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are out. AROUND THE HILL Sit back and enjoy a (very swampy) Friday.
| | | THURSDAY'S WINNER: Bruce Mehlman correctly answered that 1978 (the 96th Congress) was the most recent year when the number of elected women to Congress decreased from the previous election? The number dropped from 23 to 17 women elected. TODAY'S QUESTION from Bruce: How many bathrooms does the White House have? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to ktm@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow us on Twitter at @jordainc, @AndrewDesiderio and @marianne_levine .
| | | | A message from GE: GE announces plans for three industry leading companies: GE HealthCare, GE Vernova, and GE Aerospace. Each with an elevated vision to lead us into the future. This will be a new era of precision health & connected care, a cleaner future, and flight & defense, built off of a 130 year-old heritage of innovation. Continuing to build a world that works and ensuring our future does too. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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