The Hill’s Morning Report – Democrats frustrated by Hope Hicks’s silence

by Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver - 06/20/19 6:29 AM ET

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House Democrats were left shaking their heads on Wednesday after former White House communications director Hope Hicks appeared on Capitol Hill, but continued the White House’s ongoing stonewalling by declining to answer most questions during a day-long, closed-door interview before the House Judiciary Committee.

According to Morgan Chalfant and Olivia Beavers, Democrats were fuming after the White House blocked Hicks from answering any questions related to her time in the administration. A White House lawyer accompanying Hicks’ argued that she was immune from testifying on her time in the White House, something lawmakers immediately disputed. Nevertheless, Hicks did not answer White House related questions, including, where her office was in the West Wing, according to lawmakers.

“I’ve been watching obstruction of justice in action,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) told reporters. “You have their White House serving ‘absolute immunity,’ which is not a thing — it doesn’t exist.”

The move is a blow to Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee who thought they had won a major fight to even get her to comply with a subpoena and appear on Capitol Hill, as she was the first material witness to testify before the panel. The latest move from Hicks continues the stonewalling from the administration, as Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn have both declined to cooperate with subpoenas.

Additionally, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has been unable to strike a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller for him to appear on Capitol Hill after Mueller said in public remarks that his 448 page report would be his testimony.

Hicks’s lack of testimony also gives more ammo to lawmakers who support opening impeachment proceedings against President Trump. 65 Democrats back opening an impeachment inquiry, a number that continues to grow by the week as Democrats grow more frustrated with the president. However, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) continues to stand in the way of any effort toward impeachment, including on Wednesday after Hicks blocked and parried Democratic attempts for her testimony.

“I don’t think you should have an inquiry unless you’re ready to impeach,” Pelosi said, according to The Washington Post, adding that you need the Senate GOP to convict also.

Republicans panned the hearing, arguing they learned nothing from Hicks that they hadn’t already learned from Mueller’s report.

Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, congressional leaders, top appropriators and senior White House officials were unable to strike a spending and debt limit deal Wednesday after a meeting in Pelosi’s office earlier in the day, with Democrats laying the blame squarely on presidential interference for the lack of an accord.

“If the House and Senate could work their will without interference from the President, we could come to a good agreement much more quickly,” said Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a joint statement after the meeting.

According to Niv Elis, a senior administration official blamed the Democratic duo for their inability to negotiate on top-line spending numbers and argued the two are “playing press games.”

While lawmakers have time on their side because the new fiscal year does not start until Oct. 1, they are pushing for a deal and to wrap up the issue early. However, there are only 17 days in session before lawmakers leave for the August recess, giving them limited time to negotiate before times get tense if negotiations stretch into September.

House Democrats passed a partisan budget earlier on Wednesday, 226-203, with seven Democrats voting against the legislation. The bill is unlikely to be brought up in the Senate.

Mediaite: NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd knocked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for what he called her “tremendous disservice” after she referred to migrant detention facilities at the U.S. southern border as “concentration camps.” Ocasio-Cortez defended her use of the description and its definition.

The Washington Post: Pelosi warns Democrats that Republicans can exploit their words as controversy continues over Ocasio-Cortez “concentration camp” comments.

ABC News: As Senate appropriators pass $4.6 billion border package, House Dems express “concerns.”

CNN: Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) supports McConnell on not paying reparations for slavery.

LEADING THE DAY

POLITICS & CAMPAIGNS: Former Vice President Joe Biden sparked an intra party bonfire Tuesday night when he tried to make a point about his early experience in the Senate working alongside politicians whose opposition to integration and support for segregation he is on record as rejecting.

Biden’s remarks at a New York fundraiser were covered by the news media, turning the former Delaware senator into an instant social media target. By Wednesday, fellow Democratic presidential candidates weighed in, seeing openings to rebuke the current front-runner.

“I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland,” Biden said on Tuesday, speaking of the Mississippi senator, a Democrat. “He never called me ‘boy.’ He always called me ‘son.’ ” The late Sen. Herman Talmadge (D-Ga.) was “one of the meanest guys I ever knew,” Biden added. “Well guess what? At least there was some civility. We got things done,” he continued. “We didn’t agree on much of anything. We got things done. We got it finished. But today, you look at the other side and you’re the enemy. Not the opposition, the enemy. We don’t talk to each other anymore.”

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said he respected Biden but called him “wrong,” while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined Booker in urging the former vice president to apologize. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said it was “past time for apologies or evolution” from Biden. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said “it’s never OK to celebrate segregationists,” while Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said Biden’s discussion of Eastland and Talmadge concerned her “deeply” (The Hill).

The former vice president bristled at Booker’s call for an apology, telling a reporter on Wednesday, “Apologize for what? He knows better. There’s not a racist bone in my body. I’ve been involved in civil rights my whole career. Period. Period. Period” (The Hill).

“Vice President Biden shouldn’t need this lesson,” Booker said on CNN as the back-and-forth continued. “This is deeply disappointing.”

Biden campaign spokeswoman Symone Sanders argued on Twitter that the former vice president did not praise segregationists but “basically said sometimes in Congress, one has to work with terrible or downright racist folks to get things done. And then went on to say when you can’t work with them, work around them” (The Hill).

Bottom line: Biden wants to set himself apart from the progressive left of his party in a way that appeals to voters beyond the Democratic base. But he has to clear a primary field first, and his Democratic opponents saw a misstep and pounced. Expect some back-and-forth about segregation, racial reparations and racial discrimination in the justice system during next week’s Democratic debates, to be held in Miami.

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s Political Insider: Parsing Biden’s relationship with Southern history.

Stephen Collinson: Biden gets in his own way on race.

SE Cupp: Biden is stuck in the wrong century.

David Leonhardt: Give Joe a break. Talking about compromise is smart.

Elizabeth Bruenig: Why Biden can’t take us back to normal.

Sara Boboltz, Black Voices: Biden fondly recalls segregationist senators from a time of more `civility.’

> Warren is nipping at Sanders’s heels in recent polls of likely Democratic voters, but advisers and allies who back the Vermont senator for the White House say they’re confident his supporters will emerge when the sprawling field of primary candidates begins to winnow, reports Amie Parnes. Sanders took a swipe at Warren on Wednesday.

> Twenty-one Democrats running for president were videotaped answering 18 questions posed by The New York Times. It’s worth taking the time to watch their answers. Biden declined to participate.

> In the wake of his reelection rally on Tuesday night, Trump’s argument for four more years was tinged with grievance and anger about Democratic foes, witch hunts, corruption and deceit. Niall Stanage explores whether incumbent presidents can appeal to voters as outsiders once they lead the very system they pledged to fix.

Perhaps part of the answer emerged on Wednesday morning when the Republican National Committee announced that Trump raised “a record breaking $24.8M in less than 24 hours for his reelection.”

Politico: Trump’s plan for Democratic debates: Make it about him.

> The Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman tweeted a fascinating and detailed 2020 scenario in which Trump could conceivably win reelection by one Electoral College vote but lose the popular vote by as many as 5 million ballots. Read Wasserman’s take HERE.

> House GOP and 2020: Republicans are growing pessimistic about recapturing the House majority next year. Trump’s approval ratings in key states put downward pressure on expectations, while the party’s 2020 campaign strategy may be heading for the operating room (The Hill). The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm for House GOP candidates, is the subject of much agitation among conservatives who think Chairman Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and his team need to step it up, and quickly. As one disgruntled GOP lawmaker put it, “His team is inept. They have no idea what they’re doing, and their strategy is not putting Republicans in a good position to take back the House.” (The Hill).

> House Democrats and 2020: Democratic primary challengers in House races are poised to challenge incumbents, eager to shrink the ranks of moderate Democrats in Congress. What’s a hot-button litmus test issue among progressives trying to take out moderate incumbents? You guessed it: Impeachment (The Hill).

The Associated Press: Alabama’s Roy Moore to announce U.S. Senate plans today.

The Washington Post: Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R) hasn’t ruled out a run for his old Senate seat from Alabama, says Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

WHITE HOUSE & ADMINISTRATION: Defense Department: Trump is feeling pressure from members of Congress to quickly nominate a new pick to take over the top job at the Pentagon on a permanent basis. Concerns in Washington about mounting global tensions, deployment of additional U.S. forces to Poland and to the Middle East and Trump’s avowed preference for temporary, “acting” Cabinet secretaries are being heard loud and clear in the West Wing. The Defense Department has not had a confirmed secretary since James Mattis departed in January following policy differences with Trump. After the abrupt withdrawal on Tuesday of the nomination of former acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan at the Pentagon following disclosure of past domestic violence incidents, senators expressed misgivings about the White House process to vet candidates and share relevant information before confirmation (Bloomberg).

The Associated Press: Iran Revolutionary Guard shoots down U.S. drone amid tensions.

MORNING REPORT EXCLUSIVE: Republican governors have released a joint letter urging Congress to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The letter, addressed to the four leaders on Capitol Hill, is signed by all 27 GOP governors and says it is “critical” for the Congress to act. The note to lawmakers comes less than a day after Mexico became the first of the three countries to ratify the agreement. The president is also scheduled to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday. Trudeau is also expected to hold meetings with Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to discuss the USMCA. Read the letter HERE.

Federal security clearances: The president’s decision to transfer authority over federal security clearances for employees from the Office of Personnel Management to the Defense Department is behind schedule and disorganized, impacting employees and government programs and projects, according to a new report. Trump ordered the change as a way to strengthen and streamline the process of deciding who is permitted to know U.S. secrets (Reuters).

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Immigration officials on Wednesday said they want to deport recently arrived families who are in the United States illegally to discourage the surging numbers of Central Americans arriving from Mexico. The message they want Central American migrants to hear: “You will be removed” (Reuters).

The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-stage.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-stage.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!

OPINION

Addressing climate change is a win for Republicans — why not embrace it? by Shane Skelton, opinion contributor, The Hill. https://bit.ly/2XZqwMJ

The ‘blue wall’ is real; GOP should back national popular vote before it’s too late, by Saul Anuzis, opinion contributor, The Hill. https://bit.ly/2KqeZ63

WHERE AND WHEN

Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) talking about news the day at 9 a.m. ET at http://digital-stage.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10 a.m. at Rising on YouTube.

The House convenes at 10 a.m. The House Judiciary Committee will hold its second hearing at 10 a.m. focused on the special counsel’s Russia investigation and findings, “Lessons from the Mueller report: Bipartisan Perspectives.” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) holds a news conference at noon on Capitol Hill.

The Senate meets at 10 a.m.

The president welcomes Prime Minister Trudeau to the White House for bilateral meetings. In a break from recent custom with visiting heads of government, Trump and Trudeau are not scheduled to hold a joint news conference.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks at 9 a.m. at the State Department about findings of the 2019 Trafficking in Persons report.

The Hill invites you to the “Future of Healthcare Summit” June 26 to discuss some of tomorrow’s biggest questions in health care with policymakers, health officials and industry leaders. Speakers include Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.); Dr. Amy Abernethy from the Food and Drug Administration; Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who advised the Obama administration during enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; and Steve Papermaster, the CEO of Nano Vision. The event happens at Long View Gallery in Washington, D.C. To RSVP, take a look HERE.

ELSEWHERE

➔ Federal Reserve: The nation’s central bank signaled a readiness to cut interest rates for the first time in a decade, concluding a two-day meeting on Wednesday with a policy statement that attempted to navigate economic “cross-currents,” including slowing global growth and trade tensions with China. Chairman Jerome Powell said the Fed wants to wait for more economic data in order to gauge trends. Responding to a reporter’s question, Powell said that despite public criticism from Trump, he intends to serve out his four-year term (The Hill).

➔ Tech: Facebook is experiencing scrutiny from lawmakers and consumer advocates about its new cryptocurrency project, which is slated to launch next year and could change the world of e-commerce. Facebook’s digital currency project, “Libra,” which is backed by an array of powerful companies including Mastercard and Uber, is likely to invite regulatory inspection (The Hill). … YouTube is under Federal Trade Commission investigation over allegations it violates privacy with its handling of children’s videos (The Washington Post).

➔ State Watch: People’s emotional support animals are on a tighter leash in various states (The New York Times). … In Kentucky, an unusual feud between Gov. Matt Bevin (R) and his own lieutenant governor is throwing the state into political turmoil. Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton says she is battling “dark forces” in Bevin’s administration (The Hill).

➔ Congressional spouses: Here’s an interesting, head-shaking read for the morning. The influx of women serving in Congress has given the spouses club a makeover (The Wall Street Journal).

THE CLOSER

And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for this week’s Morning Report Quiz! Inspired by the Friday release of “Toy Story 4” in theaters, we’re eager for some smart guesses about the famed Disney-Pixar series.

Email your responses to asimendinger@digital-stage.thehill.com and/or aweaver@digital-stage.thehill.com, and please add “Quiz” to subject lines. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday.

In which year was the original “Toy Story” movie released in theaters?