MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 13: Former U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he makes a visit to the Cuban restaurant Versailles after he appeared for his arraignment on June 13, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges including possession of national security documents after leaving office, obstruction, and making false statements. (Photo by Alon Skuy/Getty Images)
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Trump has denied wrongdoing in both cases and said they are politically motivated.
Who was in the room: Along with Trump himself, Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the investigation, was reportedly in the courtroom Tuesday.
Federal Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman presided over the proceeding. Going forward, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, whom Trump appointed, is set to preside.
Trump was reportedly ordered not to talk with aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta about the case. The aide was spotted with the former president shortly after the hearing when Trump made his stop at the restaurant after leaving the courthouse.
What sentence would the charges carry?As The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch and Brett Samuels noted, “Violations of the Espionage Act carry up to 10 years in prison, while some of the obstruction of justice charges carry up to 20.” Trump faces 31 counts of violating the Espionage Act, concerning the retention of national defense information.
Up next:Trump is scheduled to give remarks from New Jersey at 8:15 p.m. ET tonight.
Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.
CATCH UP QUICK
A George Washington University report says a lawsuit challenging a provision of the Affordable Care Act could eliminate or restrict benefits for three-quarters of preventive services the provision includes.
Outgoing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky testified before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on the government’s successes and failures during the pandemic. It may have been Walensky’s last appearance before Congress in her role as director.
Rock band Everclear will perform at the Bullpen ahead of the Congressional Baseball Game onWednesday. The pre-game concert is hosted by the nonprofit Power to the Patients.
Here are some of the statements Republican lawmakers made about former President Trump‘s indictment Tuesday:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said when asked about the indictment: “I’m not going to start commenting on the various candidates we have running for president. There are a lot of them, it’s going to be interesting to watch.”
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio)said he’ll block all of President Biden‘sJustice Department nominees: “Donald Trump is merely the latest victim of a Department of Justice that cares more about politics than law enforcement.”
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.): “Today is a dark day for our country as Joe Biden continues to fully weaponize the federal government against President Trump, his leading opponent for the White House in 2024.”
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) told CNN’s Dana Bash: “If he is convicted of these charges of mishandling this information, of knowingly concealing his actions, I don’t think, I certainly won’t support a convicted felon for the White House.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.): “Where is the discussion about a sitting president, that his Justice Department just indicted the top candidate that is going to run against them in less than two years?”
Biden faces his own investigation related to documents found in his possession from his time as vice president, something McCarthy and several other GOP lawmakers have brought up.
“A separate special counsel was assigned to investigate the documents found in Biden’s possession,” The Hill’s Emily Brooks wrote. “While Trump is accused of seeking to obstruct the investigation, Biden has apparently cooperated with returning documents.”
See The Hill’s live blog for a compilation of statements and other news on the arraignment.
CONGRESS
Debt limit deal debates linger in House
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) accused House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) of going back on the debt limit deal he made with President Biden after Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas) said she’d mark up 2024 appropriations bills at 2022 levels.
The Hill’s Mike Lillis recaps: “McCarthy and Biden set caps on federal spending for fiscal 2024 — when outlays are essentially frozen at 2023 levels — and 2025, when a 1 percent increase would be in place.”
MEANWHILE…The House is set to vote Tuesday on several bills that got held up last week as 11 Republicans joined Democrats to oppose the rule that would have allowed the bills to reach the floor. Those Republicans rebelled partly because McCarthy compromised with Democrats on the debt limit deal.
Lillis, Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks reported that on Monday, the GOP defectors “announced they would allow votes on party-line measures to proceed on the House floor as they negotiate a new ‘power-sharing agreement'” with McCarthy, while moderate House Republicans “continue to maintain that no such agreement exists.” Read more about the stalled floor proceedings here
Introducing The Hill’s Future of Health Care Summit, Thursday, June 22, 2023 | 8-11 a.m. ET | National Press Club Ballroom, streaming online nationally
Join us for The Hill’s largest health event of the year, bringing together policymakers and health experts for a discussion on advancing access, health equity, preparedness and resetting the care paradigm in the U.S.
Speakers include former Surgeon General Jerome Adams (appearing virtually), former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, George Washington University Hospital emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen and more. REGISTER NOW
Consumer prices are up 4 percent over the past year, according to the latest Labor Department data. “The drop in inflation will likely keep the Federal Reserve on track to pause its aggressive run of interest rate hikes Wednesday,” The Hill’s Sylvan Lane reported. Read more on the data here
Factors contributing to likelihood of cancer survival
Office of Special Counsel says Jean-Pierre violated Hatch Act
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) sent the White House a warning letter saying press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in campaign activity in their official capacity. The office pointed to the timing and frequency of Jean-Pierre’s references to “MAGA Republicans.”
The OSC is not pursuing disciplinary action. A White House spokesperson said they’re reviewing the opinion.
This is one of several Hatch Act violations OSC has reported in recent administrations. Read more on the report here
PUNDIT CORNER
“Could a congressional dorm bring legislators together?” — Kevin R. Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and co-editor of “Congress Overwhelmed: Congressional Capacity and Prospects for Reform.” (Read here)
“Feehery: The limits of bipartisanship” — John Feehery, a partner at EFB Advocacy who served as spokesman to former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), communications director to former House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and a speechwriter to former House Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.). (Read here)
⏲️ COUNTDOWN
511 days until the presidential election.
🗓 ON TAP TOMORROW
10 a.m.: The House Homeland Security Committee holds a hearing called “Open Borders, Closed Case: Secretary Mayorkas’ Dereliction of Duty on the Border Crisis.”
2 p.m.: The Federal Open Market Committee meets to set interest rates.
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights holds a hearing to examine the
Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2023 (S.359).
7:05 p.m.: The Congressional Baseball Game starts at Nationals Park.
UNDER THE RADAR
There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ALaTour@digital-stage.thehill.com
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