The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Xi invites Putin to visit China

by Elizabeth Crisp - 03/21/23 12:30 PM ET

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

TALK OF THE MORNING

Xi invites Putin to China as their Russian confab continues:

New BFFs? China’s Xi Jinping has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit China as the two continue their three-day meeting in Moscow.

The Hill reports that Xi invited Putin to visit China for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation later this year, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Beijing has sought to position itself as a neutral arbiter in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but the country has recently appeared to be cozying up to Moscow.

It’s Tuesday, March 21. I’m Elizabeth Crisp, filling in for Cate, with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up.

Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Send me your tips, scoops and feedback ecrisp@digital-stage.thehill.com and follow me on Twitter @elizabethcrisp.

In Congress

😲 Comer admits leaking emails:

The New York Times headed deep into Kentucky (and the heart of the Bourbon Trail) to get the scoop on Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.).

But did anyone expect the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to admit to leaking emails in his 2015 race for Kentucky governor to counter his opponents?

The Times reports that Comer confirmed for the first time that he was behind the leaking of emails to The Lexington Herald-Leaderafter possibly swiping them from a server. The emails suggested coordination between a blogger and someone connected to the running mate of one of Comer’s political opponents.

Trump GOP allies demand testimony from Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg:

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) want Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to sit down with them for a recorded interview. They also want him to turn over additional materials from his investigation into former President Trump.

“Your decision to pursue such a politically motivated prosecution—while adopting progressive criminal justice policies that allow career ‘criminals [to] run the streets’ of Manhattan—requires congressional scrutiny about how public safety funds appropriated by Congress are implemented by local law-enforcement agencies,” the GOP trio writes in their letter to Bragg.

Legal experts have called the request a shocking insertion of lawmakers into an ongoing criminal investigation.

Bragg has been investigating an alleged $130,000 hush-money payment that Trump made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign through attorney Michael Cohen.

Read the full letter here via the Judiciary Committee.

1/6 redux? Some GOP senators worry as Trump arrest looms:
The anticipated arrest of former President Trump over his payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels has put some Republicans in a tricky position.

As The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports: Republican senators who want to move on from Trump are now worried about a replay of the violence seen during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol after Trump encouraged his supporters to stop the certification of the 2020 election.

🦠 In the White House

COVID-19 intel — Biden paves way for new document dump:

President Biden has signed off on legislation to declassify information on the origins of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and its possible ties to a lab in Wuhan, China.

The bill passed the House and Senate with unanimous support and sets in motion an effort to reveal what the U.S. has learned about how the pandemic started and spread across the world, killing millions.

The Washington Post reports that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence will “declassify all information relating to potential links between China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the coronavirus, with redactions only to prevent harm to national security.”

“I share the Congress’s goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin,” Biden said in a White House statement. “We need to get to the bottom of COVID-19’s origins to help ensure we can better prevent future pandemics.”

ON THE RADAR:

The Fed will make an interest rate announcement Wednesday: The Federal Reserve is set to decide Wednesday whether to again raise interest rates and by how much. Read more from The Hill’s Tobias Burns about the latest rate hike battle.

Related: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has assured bankers that “The situation is stabilizing.” More from The Hill here on what’s happening.

🏃 2024

Graham, Franken bet $20 on a Biden-Trump matchup in 2024:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has wagered $20 against former colleague Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) on the position that former President Trump will be in the White House again.

Graham said during an interview on “The Daily Show” with guest host Franken that Trump will beat President Biden in a possible 2024 rematch.

“I look at the policies of Trump, and I like the policies of Trump,” Graham said during the interview that aired Monday. “At the end of the day, he’s got to prove to people, not me, that he’s able to lead us again, and that will be a challenge for him. And that’ll be a challenge for Biden, to say, give me four more years after the last four. We’ll see what happens.”

“I think Biden wins that,” Franken shot back. The two shook hands on it, setting their $20 bet in stone.

Pence gets frosty reception from GOP voters:

The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins has examined what Republicans are saying about former Vice President Pence behind closed doors as the former Veep mulls a run for president. It’s pretty brutal!

Coppins had access to a series of focus groups conducted over Zoom that surveyed voters from across the country. A few of the choice quotes about Pence that Coppins features in his article:

“It’s over. It’s retirement time.”

“He just needs to go away.”

“He’s only gonna get the vote from his family, and I’m not even sure if they like him.”

Yikes. 😬

More from CNN here.

🔔 Philadelphia freedom: Who’s your cheesesteak fav?:

The Philadelphia Inquirer needs to know: Who makes the best Philly Cheesesteak? “Yes, cheesesteaks are a cliché, but they’re also a delicious source of pride,” the outlet writes.

Because we know there is a lot of Philly interest in D.C. (and in the White House in particular!), here’s where you can fill out your brackets.

🐥 Notable tweets

Lieu takes aim at McCarthy over Trump prosecution:

Rep. Ted Lieu, the California Democrat who is known to throw barbs at GOP opponents, set his sights on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) this week, calling out McCarthy’s opposition to probes into former President Trump:

“Are you opposed to the investigation of George Santos?,” Lieu tweeted directly at McCarthy.

“Did you oppose the convictions of these elected officials?

Chris Collins

Anthony Weiner

Dennis Hastert

Chaka Fattah

In America, no one is above the law. That includes political officials. Get it?”

🌈 The Hill set to examine LGBTQ issues for women:

The Hill’s Julia Manchester tweeted that she’s “looking forward to our conversation on issues impacting women in the LGBTQ community” during a Women Out Front event tomorrow with GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kateellis. Manchester leads the talk.

You can sign up to join virtually here.

⏱ On tap

The House is out today, and the Senate meets at 3 p.m. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in D.C.

9 a.m.: The president received his daily briefing.
10 a.m.: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen addressed the American Bankers Association’s annual Washington summit.
1:45 p.m.: The president delivers remarks at the White House Conservation in Action Summit at the Department of the Interior.
3 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a briefing.
4:30 p.m.: President Biden and first lady Jill Biden host an Arts and Humanities Award Ceremony. The vice president and second gentleman will also attend.
Today: House GOP wraps up its retreat in Florida.

All times Eastern.

📺 What to watch

1:45 p.m.: President Biden addresses the White House conservation summit. (Watch here)
3 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a briefing. (Watch here)
Former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) continues his guest stint hosting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” this week. Check local listings for time and channel.