The Archive

IN THIS EDITION

Inside the leadership’s picks for the Trump assassination attempt task force

The Harris border ads hit the airwaves

Freedom Caucus holds its fire, despite unfinished business

Guthrie jolts to top of NRCC leaderboard amid Energy and Commerce run

THE TOP

Inside the leadership’s picks for the Trump assassination attempt task force

Happy Friday morning.

News: House Democrats are eyeing a number of former federal prosecutors and experienced lawyers for the newly created task force to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

While no decisions have been made — and trust us, we’ve been told that several times — senior members of the House Democratic leadership are considering the following lawmakers for the high-profile assignment:

– Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), a lawyer and former executive director of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, was elected to the House in 2018. Dean is seen as a lock for the panel. Fellow Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, an Air Force veteran, has also been mentioned as a potential pick.

– Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) gained a national profile as lead counsel during Trump’s first impeachment. Goldman was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. He’s a graduate of Stanford Law School. Goldman is seen as a strong candidate for the panel.

– Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) is a member of the Homeland Security Committee. He visited Butler, Pa., earlier this week with other committee members to observe the Trump rally site where the July 13 shooting occurred.

– Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) is a Harvard Law School graduate. Ivey served as chief counsel to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, as well as being an assistant U.S. attorney. Ivey was twice elected as state’s attorney for Prince George’s County before winning a House seat in 2022.

– Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), an attorney, was one of the House managers for Trump’s second impeachment trial. The Army veteran worked in private legal practice after attending law school at the University of Denver.

– Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), a lawyer who graduated from Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law in New York, has been in the House for a decade. She’s also quite close with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

– Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) is a veteran lawmaker who has been in the House for 21 years. She worked in labor law after law school at UCLA.

Democrats have six seats on the panel.

Republicans: On the GOP side, it seems extremely likely that the panel will be led by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) despite the fact that he’s not a lawyer. The shooting happened in Kelly’s district, and he sponsored the resolution creating the task force. Plus, Kelly is a big Trump booster.

– Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) is another likely pick for the commission. She’s a former federal prosecutor and serves on the House Homeland Security Committee. Lee was passed over for one of the open spots on the House Intelligence Committee, so this could be a way for Johnson to smooth things over with her.

– GOP leadership is also interested in tapping Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) for the panel. He sits on the House Judiciary Committee and is also a House Freedom Caucus member, which will want to have some representation on the panel. Cline is seen as an even-keeled and serious legislator.

– Another name that keeps coming up is Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), the chair of the Homeland Security Committee, though it’s unclear if he’d be willing to serve on the task force if not asked to lead it.

Johnson will get seven seats on the panel. He’ll likely want to fill it with some House Oversight Committee members as well.

Timing: Johnson initially planned to unveil his selections on Thursday. But we’re told he wanted to announce the panel’s roster in conjunction with Jeffries, who wasn’t quite ready. It’s clear both leaders are intent on putting on a united front here.

The panel will have less than five months to sort through mounds of evidence and produce a final report by Dec. 13. Already, a number of whistleblowers have started coming forward to House committees with information.

The House Homeland Security Committee has subpoenaed hundreds of pages of documents from DHS. Those documents are due by today.

Staff: The task force will also need to staff up quickly, since they’ll be responsible for a lion’s share of the behind-the-scenes work. It seems likely that some staffers from the relevant committees will be detailed to work on the commission as it takes the reins of the high-profile investigation. They’ll also likely bring in an outside law firm to help with the probe.

Both the speaker’s office and the minority leader’s office get to designate a leadership staffer for the panel. We expect Cassie Fields, chief oversight counsel for Jeffries, to play a prominent role. Fields, a Yale Law School graduate, has been Jeffries’ chief liaison for the various investigative committees this Congress.

New: Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The campaign released a video of the three speaking by phone.

— Jake Sherman, Heather Caygle and Melanie Zanona

MONDAY: There’s still time to join our conversation with Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore! On July 29 at 10:45 a.m. ET. Punchbowl News Founders Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman will sit down with Moore to discuss the small business ecosystem in Maryland and the state’s economic future. RSVP to attend in Baltimore or on the livestream.

The Harris border ads hit the airwaves

In the days following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, GOP ad makers scrambled to retool their attack lines to fit Vice President Kamala Harris.

In the initial batch of new ads, Republican groups are unsurprisingly tying Harris to Biden’s record.

The top line of attack by far? Harris’ record on immigration and border security. The issue has plagued the administration since it came to office. Harris played a role in trying to help stem migration to the U.S.-Mexico border.

This mirrors what we saw on the Hill this week when Republicans — joined by six Democrats — in the House passed a resolution “strongly condemning” Harris’ involvement in overseeing the administration’s border policy.

The Republican ads from this week all refer to the “Biden-Harris” administration, instead of just saying Biden as they have all cycle. Some examples:

– A new ad from the NRSC and Tim Sheehy’s campaign claims that “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris opened our borders and spent millions of our tax dollars to house illegal immigrants in fancy hotel rooms.” Sheehy is a Montana Republican running to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races. Notably, Tester hasn’t endorsed Harris yet.

– A super PAC backing a Republican candidate in Wisconsin’s 8th District hails that Roger Roth will oppose the “Biden-Harris border invasion” that is “destroying our communities.” Roth is running in the primary to succeed former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) in the solidly Republican district.

– And a spot from MAGA Inc., a top super PAC backing former President Donald Trump’s campaign, says Harris is directly responsible for the “border invasion.” The MAGA Inc., spot was the first ad to run on television targeting Harris immediately after Biden’s withdrawal.

We’ve covered how Republicans are trying to define Harris and how several Republicans continue to use racist and sexist language, such as calling the vice president a “DEI hire.” Speaker Mike Johnson has pleaded with his conference to avoid personal attacks and focus on policy differences, such as Harris’ handling of the U.S-Mexico border policy. So far, that’s where the GOP ads are heading.

Thanks to our friends at AdImpact for compiling these spots for us. It’s still early and we expect much more investment in Harris-focused ads in the coming weeks. We’ll continue to track what’s on the airwaves for you.

— Max Cohen

HOUSE REPUBLICANS

Freedom Caucus holds its fire, despite unfinished business

House Republicans left for an extended six-week recess on Thursday after passing just five appropriations bills this year. This week alone, GOP leadership pulled three funding bills from the schedule after internal disagreements.

In a previous iteration of the House Republican Conference, this would have led to howls of anger and threats to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, especially from hardline conservatives.

But not this week. After punting on more than half of the FY2025 funding bills, GOP conservatives basically shrugged their shoulders once their leadership decided to send members home until mid-September. Instead of slamming Johnson’s decision-making, the conference’s right flank was ready to acknowledge how tough the speaker has it. In large, that’s because of the House Freedom Caucus.

We’re sure former Speaker Kevin McCarthy is loving this.

“I want us to address some of our major issues that aren’t being addressed. But I also understand at the same time how difficult of a job he has,” Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) said of Johnson. “And he doesn’t have a conference that is serious about these things.”

When Johnson ran for speaker in October 2023, he promised that the House wouldn’t go home for August recess unless the chamber passed all 12 appropriations bills. That obviously didn’t happen, causing a few members to grumble this week.

But overall, there’s a widespread acceptance among Republicans that lawmakers will pass a continuing resolution in September, punting the government funding fight until after the election.

“The ideal thing to do would be to do something short term that gets us into the first quarter of [Donald] Trump’s presidency,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) told us. “I think [Johnson] will be speaker next year. If there’s any chatter that he might not be, no one’s talking about that.”

It’s a marked shift in tone from the spring. Back in May, 11 Republicans backed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) effort to oust Johnson. But the vast majority of Democrats joined with Republicans to table the push after Johnson passed a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine.

Many of the same members who wanted to kick out Johnson are now admitting that their problem is with their fellow Republicans rather than the speaker.

“I was frustrated with the speaker, but my frustration really is a reflection of the conference,” Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) said. “And when the conference doesn’t want to reform FISA, maybe the speaker reflects where the conference stands.”

Even Johnson’s detractors, like Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), said of Johnson “He’s always been a very likable guy.”

“So in the hour of crisis, we’re hoping he’ll make stronger decisions than in March and April,” Davidson added.

Things may be quiet now because members are eager to go home and campaign. But hardliners are nonetheless gearing up for a big fight in September with some demanding the SAVE Act — a controversial GOP bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections — be attached to a CR. Stay tuned!

— Max Cohen and Mica Soellner

THE MONEY GAME

Guthrie jolts to top of NRCC leaderboard amid Energy and Commerce run

News: Kentucky GOP Rep. Brett Guthrie has vaulted to the top of the NRCC’s internal fundraising leaderboard, amid his race to run the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Guthrie delivered a $550,000 check to the NRCC Thursday. Guthrie has now contributed and raised $2,186,000 for the party committee, according to internal fundraising data.

Guthrie raised $1.3 million across all his fundraising entities last quarter.

The Energy and Commerce Committee’s chair opens up at the end of this Congress as Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) is retiring. Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) is seeking the gavel. The darkhorse is NRCC Chair Richard Hudson, who could try to lay claim to the position if Republicans keep the House.

The rest of the NRCC’s leaderboard is sprinkled with ambitious pols seeking gavels.

Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), who is seeking the House Financial Services gavel, is ranked second on the NRCC’s leaderboard. He’s given and raised $1.9 million. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), also seeking the Financial Services gavel, has also given and raised $1.9 million.

Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) clocks in at fourth, with $1.8 million raised or transferred to the NRCC. House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) is fifth at $1.5 million. House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) is sixth with $1.5 million as well.

McMorris Rodgers has raised or given $1.4 million, a big sum for a chair heading out the door.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) has given or raised $1.3 million. Fleischmann is the Energy and Water appropriations cardinal. Two Texans round out eighth and ninth spots – House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), who has given or raised $1.1 million, and Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), who has given or raised $1.1 million. Pfluger is the vice chair of the NRCC.

– Jake Sherman

THE CAMPAIGN

News: Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid has energized Latino voters, per data from Voto Latino.

The organization has seen a 117% increase in Latinos registering to vote in the days since Harris announced her bid, compared to the previous week. Voto Latino registered more than 15,000 voters from July 21-25.

The top states represented in the new registrations are the presidential battlegrounds of Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona, in addition to Florida and Texas.

Also: Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) raised $1.5 million in the first 17 days of July for her Senate bid. She has $8.7 million on hand. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) raised $767,615 for his reelection campaign in the 13th District — $400,000 of which is from his own pocket. He has $4.8 million on hand.

— Max Cohen and Jake Sherman

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