SENATE GOP WARNS AGAINST A TRUMP VERDICT-FOCUSED 2024 On both sides of the Capitol, most Republicans say former President Donald Trump’s criminal conviction in New York is politically motivated rather than a substantive case. And the GOP racked in fundraising after Trump was found guilty. Yet just as Democrats weigh how much to talk about Trump on the trail this fall, Republicans are deep in their own open debate about just how much the verdict will matter on Election Day. Many GOP senators want to talk about the economy and President Joe Biden’s record — not litigate the first felony conviction of a former president. The GOP has spent months upon months laying the groundwork to make this fall’s election a referendum on Biden, talking relentlessly about stubborn inflation and spiking migration. Quite a few Republicans see those issues as more advantageous ground than defending the party’s nominee after a conviction on 34 counts of falsifying records related to hush money payments to a porn star. In Sen. Jerry Moran’s (R-Kan.) view: The best campaign in 2024 is to point out the economic circumstances that we’re in. And the policies of the Biden administration.” And Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) put it this way: “The big mistake that we make is to shift our attention away from a failing economy of failing global stature all the way back to retrograde in Afghanistan,” adding that “Trump wins if we focus on those issues.” They’re not necessarily going to win the day in the party, though. Some Republicans want Trump’s conviction to be a central element of the party’s message over the next five months, seeing the potential for more fundraising bumps and base-motivating political gold. “If anything, it’s going to have a positive impact,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said. “You don’t have to look further than the fundraising. Set that aside: This is firing people up.” Several GOP senators went up to New York to show solidarity with the former president during the trial, and many issued rancorous statements last week backing up Trump. Yet in the end, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) predicted the trial verdict will be a “blip” on the national conscience come November, with the election being fought over the border and the economy, among other issues. Marshall suggested Trump’s vice presidential pick would have a greater impact on the election than the felony convictions. “That's a bigger deal than at this point than what this verdict is. There’s this 15 to 20 percent of people in primaries who are still voting for Nikki Haley. How do we reach out to that group?” Marshall said. “That’s a bigger issue than this verdict.” Of course, even if GOP senators who want to focus elsewhere win the messaging battle here, they can’t escape the trial entirely – congressional Republicans and Trump still have to share a ticket in November. It’s clear where Trump’s head is at, as he decries his treatment by the court and his party fundraises off the issue. If Trump keeps that up, it’s going to be hard for Republicans to talk only about the economy, immigration and Biden’s record. “Absolutely, we should talk about it,” said Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) of Trump’s guilty verdict. Red-state campaign watch: In two key Senate races, Republican candidates are moving to make the guilty verdict a central issue on the trail. Tim Sheehy in Montana and Bernie Moreno in Ohio both launched ads Monday hitting Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, asserting they support the “witch hunt” against Trump. The Moreno spend is a five-figure digital ad, part of a larger seven-figure buy. Tester responded to the Montana ad by saying that Sheehy has a “problem with the truth” and said that he “paid no attention” to the trial while it was happening. “Like everybody else, President Trump has the ability to appeal it and in the end the final arbitrator will be the voters in November. It doesn’t matter what I believe,” Tester said. – Burgess Everett and Anthony Adragna GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, June 3, where our Red Line woes are only beginning. GARLAND IN THE HOT SEAT Attorney General Merrick Garland will find himself facing Republican scrutiny on Tuesday — even as the GOP keeps trying, without success yet, to lock down the near-unanimous support needed to hold him in contempt of Congress. Garland’s Judiciary Committee appearance will put him face-to-face with some of his biggest conservative critics in the House GOP. Many of those same members are itching to use this year’s government funding debate to rein in the prosecutors currently involved in criminal cases against former President Donald Trump. We caught up with Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) who gave us a preview of what Republicans on the panel will ask about (expect fireworks):
- Expect Republicans to bring up former special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden after Garland defied two DOJ subpoenas to turn over the audio. The DOJ has turned over the transcripts but warned that sharing the audio would have a chilling effect on future investigations.
- They are also likely to press Garland on any potential interactions between the DOJ and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. After Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to a porn actress, Jordan invited Bragg to testify before his committee on the case. (Reminder: The date for his response is Friday at 5 p.m.)
- Garland is also likely to get questions on two long-running topics of interest: claims of whistleblower retaliation and GOP allegations, which Garland has long denied, that the FBI and DOJ were targeting parents at school board meetings. (The AG has repeatedly noted that the DOJ's concern was specifically about when there was violence or threats of violence.)
On the funding front: We got a copy of a letter Jordan sent today to Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) outlining recommendations for DOJ and immigration-related funding restrictions or changes. One of Jordan’s suggestions is cutting off any federal funding for Bragg and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis – who’s trying Trump in her home state of Georgia right now on charges related to his efforts to overturn his loss in 2020. Jordan also pitched zeroing out funding for special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the federal investigations into Trump. – Jordain Carney
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