NotedDC

NotedDC — GOP rushes to delegitimize FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search

by Elizabeth Crisp and Kelsey Carolan - 08/09/22 6:07 PM ET

Republicans are quickly laying the groundwork to dismiss any potential federal charges against former President Trump, just hours after the FBI searched his Florida estate.

Top party officials, including Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), suggested Monday’s search of Mar-a-Lago was a partisan abuse of the FBI’s power after Trump decried it as a political “assault.”

But there is not much known about the search right now. As our colleagues report, what is known is that officials found probable cause to obtain the warrant and that it concerns his failure to turn over some presidential records.

Nevertheless, the GOP’s vocal backing of Trump suggests the strong grip he still has on the party might only grow as he edges toward a 2024 bid, with our colleagues reporting that it could advance his timeline.

“Some pundits speculated that Trump could use the FBI search to announce his candidacy at a time when Republicans are rallying in his defense and when it would allow him to maximize the argument that any investigations are politically motivated,” The Hill reports.

“If it’s seen as some sort of massive overreach and not something incredibly serious, this is a very good day for Donald Trump,” Alyssa Farah Griffin, former White House communications director, said.

There are already a slew of Trump-endorsed candidates who have focused their campaigns on attacking the Jan. 6 House select committee and falsely claiming that Trump won the 2020 election, with this likely only ramping up their rhetoric ahead of November.

What we’re watching: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declined to publicly comment on the search at a press conference in Kentucky on Tuesday, showcasing the split between the reactions of the Trump-aligned House and the establishment-based Senate.

Welcome to NotedDC: Your guide to politics, policy and people of consequence in D.C. Have some news, juicy gossip, insight or other insider info? Send us tips: Elizabeth Crisp and Kelsey Carolan.

📨 Encourage your friends to sign up here: digital-stage.thehill.com/noted.

Republicans have Trump’s back….

IN BEDMINSTER, N.J., a group of House Republicans is meeting with the embattled former president.

While the meeting was planned a few weeks ago, it is likely that the members of the Republican Study Committee, led by Rep. Jim Banks (Ind.), will express their support for Trump following the search.

As our colleague Emily Brooks notes, the meeting comes just weeks after members applauded former Vice President Mike Pence for showing courage on Jan. 6, 2021 after he addressed the group about his political agenda as he mulls his own 2024 White House bid.

But the visit is just the latest development in how the group still shows support for Trump, with Banks continuing to call the Jan. 6 House select committee’s probe a “political witch-hunt” after he and other members voted to overturn the 2020 election results.

MEANWHILE, IN FLORIDA, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is getting ready to campaign for several Trump-endorsed candidates while still keeping some distance from his potential opponent.

DeSantis will stump for Ohio Senate nominee J.D. Vance, Pennsylvania gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, Arizona Senate nominee Blake Masters and Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, our colleague Max Greenwood writes.

Why it’s notable: “DeSantis’s travel plans are the latest evidence of his growing sway among Republican voters nationally amid speculation that he could mount a 2024 bid for the GOP presidential nomination,” Greenwood says.
The 2024 of it all: DeSantis has shied away from interacting with Trump as hypothetical polls continue to pit them head-to-head, with Trump leading most of them. Our colleague Amie Parnes reported on Monday that Democrats view DeSantis as the “scarier” opponent, though President Biden remains fixated on Trump.

What we’re watching: The trajectory of the Jan. 6 investigations could change whether Trump becomes the party’s nominee or even runs, with DeSantis’s decision-making directly affected.

DEMOCRATS TRY NOT TO LET THEIR VICTORY LAP GET OVERSHADOWED

AT THE WHITE HOUSE, President Biden is still riding the wave of his recent victories, signing the chips and science bill into law on Tuesday, despite the public discourse shifting to the former president.

Last week’s achievements, including the Inflation Reduction Act passing the Senate on Sunday, were no easy feat for the president, now giving his party accomplishments on tax reform, domestic manufacturing and climate change to tout ahead of midterms.

“And I, honest to God, believe that 50, 75, 100 years from now, people who will look back on this week, they’ll know that we met this moment,” Biden said on Tuesday, per our colleagues Morgan Chalfant and Alex Gangitano.

Biden needed a pep in his step after some Democrats, including Reps. Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.), cast doubt on whether he would run for another term, while others such as Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) declined to say whether they would support him if he ran again.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who revived the party’s reconciliation bill by negotiating with Manchin, is touting it as a reason Biden should be celebrated by the party.

“All of these things that we have done — every single one of them — wouldn’t have been possible without his steadfast, dedicated leadership and vision,” Schumer said Tuesday.

It’s worth noting that despite the discourse, at least on social media, shifting to the Mar-a-Lago raid, Schumer and Biden have declined to publicly comment on it, signaling they want to stay on course with what they now see as their winning message.

Worth reading: Our colleague Julia Machester writes that the GOP is beginning to temper expectations of winning back the Senate as some candidates stumble.

House extends proxy voting

House members will get to vote by proxy at least through Sept. 26, after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) extended the pandemic-prompted emergency order that’s been in place for two years.

The option for members to designate stand-ins for votes would have otherwise expired this week.

Pelosi has repeatedly cited the advice from the Office of Attending Physician in implementing proxy voting, but Republican leaders have opposed the process.

The Senate doesn’t allow proxy voting, and the Capitol largely has resumed normal operations.

“From the get-go, we warned that proxy voting would be misused as a means of convenience rather than as a precaution for health — and it has been, by members of both parties,” House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) told lawmakers in a Rules Committee hearing earlier this year.

“Anecdotally, members have used proxy voting as a means to attend fundraisers, conventions, ribbon cuttings, bill signings, personal events and more — both inside and outside D.C.”

McCarthy, who unsuccessfully filed a legal challenge opposing the new voting system, has vowed to put an end to proxy voting if Republicans take control of the House in the midterm elections.

WHITE HOUSE EMBRACES ‘DARK BRANDON’

If you’ve heard “Let’s Go Brandon” this week, it might not be because the GOP is using the phrase to make fun of President Biden, rather the White House is reclaiming it to celebrate their wins.

First, what does “Let’s Go Brandon” mean? Our colleague Sarakshi Rai writes that the phrase became popular among Trump supporters after a NASCAR commentator mistook “f— Joe Biden” for a cheer in support of NASCAR racer Brandon Brown.

The White House decided to “lean into it” and turn it into a Terminator-esque meme with red lasers coming out of Biden’s eyes dubbed “Dark Brandon”

“After a year of bad news for Democrats, the past two weeks have seen the Biden administration get more wins than any other period of his presidency, and like many other Democrats, I’ve wanted to celebrate,” Tobin Stone, who first posted the “Dark Brandon” meme, told The Hill.

The White House might be taking a page out of Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman’s book, whose campaign’s online-ness is causing them to energize Dems across the country, our colleague Hanna Trudo reported earlier this month.

What’s on tap for recess

Senators are out until after Labor Day for August recess. We plan to highlight how they’re spending their time away from Washington:

Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is “holding town halls in New York City and she is excited for her annual trip to the New York State Fair,” according to her office.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is on a “summer road trip” to meet stakeholders and elected officials around the Garden State, stopping at the Harriet Tubman Museum on Monday.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) is hosting the annual Lake Tahoe Summit in Nevada next week, where she’ll be joined by Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Dianna Feinstein (Calif.) and Alex Padilla (Calif.).
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) is touring the North Dakota State Penitentiary this week, meeting with participants in the Prison Fellowship Academy program.