Mitt Romney after Ukraine/Russia Briefing: “The administration has done a really sound job in bringing together allies and friends from around the world and present a united front against a very evil, ambitious leader of Russia.”
McKayla Maroney and Simone Biles exit after testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
So much respect for these women. The strength and bravery they showed today to hold people accountable and to make sure it never happens to anyone again.
Chuck Grassley: "I think about the time that he [Trump Jr.] spent hours w/our staff & testimony...everything post the Mueller report coming out & its conclusions of no collusion or any crime. What more is there to do now? You'll have to ask the people of the Intelligence Cmte."
Chuck Schumer after reading whistleblower complaint: “Having read the documents in there, I'm even more worried about what happened than I was when I read the memorandum of the conversation. There are so many facts that have to be examined. It’s very troubling.”
Lindsey Graham: “When she [Nancy Pelosi] says the President wants to be impeached. I don’t buy that. When she says her caucus is not divided. I don’t buy that. She’s either delusional or misrepresenting where her caucus really is.”
Lindsey Graham on his way into Kavanaugh hearing:
@pdoocy
: Yesterday you said hearing might be taken advantage of by some 2020 Democrats?
Graham: “Wasn’t I right?”
Doocy: “You tell me?”
Graham: “I’ve been watching cartoons this morning so I could get ready for the hearing.”
Tim Kaine: "Why in God's name would anyone even contemplate the US should go to war with Iran to protect Saudi oil? I mean, it would be a blunder of colossal proportions for the United States to start another war in the Middle East to protect Saudi oil. It makes no sense."
Ted Cruz @ presser about the border before Mayorkas testifies Thursday: “I would say to the folks in the media anytime you're standing in front of the president or vice president, the very first question should be why haven't you gone to the southern border to see the crisis?”
With assistance tonight from Senators Cassidy and Hyde Smith, New York National Guard member Vincent Scalise now has photos with all 100 Senators.
#100
: Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley
Cory Booker: “This process is a sham. The American people regardless of your political perspective should be outraged that we have a process that is keeping critical documents hidden from the rest of the American public. Documents that could be revealing as we’re seeing.”
Lindsey Graham on Democrats tactics regarding Kavanaugh: “They played dirty and they lost.”
Graham says he’s never seen GOP as energized as it is today & told TN voters to keep the Senate seat in GOP hands and called Marsha Blackburn a worthy successor to Bob Corker.
Grassley to Cmte Dems: “This is but the latest and most serious of your side’s abuse of this confirmation process. There has been delay and obstruction of this process at every turn and with every argument available.” Adds he’ll view add’l complaints abt process very skeptically.
Sen. Blumenthal on Mueller’s letter to Barr:"I was floored & astonished & thought that our worst fears were confirmed our worst fears were that the attorney general of the United States deliberately & purposefully misled the American people & Congress & Bob Mueller confirmed it.”
Adam Schiff calls Kupperman not showing this morning more evidence of obstruction from the president and the White House. Schiff added he thinks if the White House believed Kupperman’s testimony would be good for the president, he would have appeared.
Cory Booker on John Cornyn raising prospect of Booker’s expulsion from Senate b/c he released Cmte confidential docs: “I think he was just like a lot of bullies are, a lot of talk and no action. And so let’s see what he does. I’m willing to accept responsibility for my actions.”
After Marjorie Taylor Greene’s floor speech she ignored questions from reporters including if she plans to formally apologize for her previous remarks.
Only comments were from a staffer who said “She doesn't answer to you.”
W/
@DaniellaMicaela
&
@emrwilkins
I joked to my dad on the plane, no internet the next nine hours from London to Washington, DC, how much news could I possibly miss? The answer = more than I ever could have imagined...
House Members sitting on an Air Force bus b/t the Longworth and Rayburn House Office Buildings waiting to see if they are still going overseas after Trump cancelled the trip.
Manchin:“A lot of Americans don't realize we're buying over 600,000 barrels a day of crude from Russia…we have to step up to the plate…basically reversing some of the decisions that have been made w/no leasing, not drilling & basically cutting back. We need energy independence”
Sen. McConnell on Sen. Floor: “The House gave themselves no assignments for two months except developing this proposal. Yet it still reads like the Speaker of the House pasted together random ideas from her most liberal members and slapped the word “coronavirus” on top of it."
Fusion GPS Co-Founder Glenn Simpson waiting on the sidelines as his lawyer announces a deal for him to return next Tuesday to speak behind closed doors to House Intel Cmte. Lawyer says Simpson will appear voluntarily & tell the truth.
Pelosi sends letter to Ryan to remove Nunes: “Nunes has abused his position to launch a highly unethical & dangerous cover-up campaign for the White House. Congressman Nunes’ deliberately dishonest actions make him unfit to serve as Chairman, & he must be removed immediately.”
None of the speakers at the RNC entered the room wearing masks and they are continuing not to wear masks as other people speak in this not very large room here at the RNC.
Q: Reaction to Breonna Taylor indictment?
Senator & Dem VP Nominee Kamala Harris: “You know I haven’t read it fully yet, but there’s no question Breonna Taylor and her family deserve justice yesterday, today, and tomorrow, so I’ll review it and then I can say more.”
Mitch McConnell on Sen. Floor: “Kim Jong Un now has a long train ride home, and he will have time to reflect on the future that is still within North Korea’s grasp. But the president has demonstrated that such a future must be accompanied by real de-nuclearization.”
Ted Cruz: “I’m very encouraged about the growing momentum & indeed consensus behind repealing the individual mandate & using those savings to lower tax rates for working Americans.” & “We’re seeing growing support among Republicans for doing that in this tax bill.”
Rep. Mark Meadows: “Newsflash Chuck Schumer is going to come down and say that there's a cover up, even if John Bolton were to be called & we've seen this over and over again. We've seen this playbook and that they run off of right tackle every single time, and they get tackled.”
Kimberly Salter, wife of security guard Aaron Salter killed in Buffalo mass shooting, w/a moving statement @ presser: “My husband cared for the people at Tops…and he showed that in giving his life for everybody…I am asking, pleading that the Senate do all that they can.”
Kamala Harris on Joe Biden’s remarks about working with segregationists in the Senate: “It concerns me deeply. If those men had their way I wouldn’t be in the United States Senate and on this elevator right now.”
Sen. McConnell: “I think the Trojan horse will be called infrastructure. But inside the Trojan horse will be all the tax increases…my suspicion is they [Democrats] will try to jam everything they can into that [reconciliation] bill, and call it an infrastructure bill.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when asked what she thought of President Trump mentioning socialism in his SOTU address: “I thought it was great. I think he’s scared.”
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin on Tanden nomination:
- “We’re working hard to make sure she’s out of trouble.”
- “We're doing a kind of a full scale effort, including the White House and others to find support.”
Mitch McConnell on Senate Floor on Coronavirus bill negotiations:
- “Eleventh hour demands Democrats have decided are more important.”
- “They ought to be embarrassed…talking about this like some juicy political opportunity.”
Lindsey Graham: “I don't like using reconciliation to fundamentally change America to a socialist spending agenda. So why the hell would I make it easy for them to raise the debt ceiling through regular order. We had a strategy, we've abandoned this.”
Sen. Manchin on Neera Tanden: "They [Biden Admin] have a chance to make it bipartisan...I was very clear where I was on it...I think she’s, I don’t know her, probably a very very good person, just basically a little bit toxic right now.”
Senate Intel Vice Chair Mark Warner continued: “I give these comments about 24 hours before he once again slams the investigation, before he once again sides with authoritarians like Vladimir Putin.”
Sen. Mitt Romney: “Republicans and Democrats have come together along with the White House and we’ve agreed on a framework [on infrastructure] and we’re gonna be heading to the White House tomorrow.”
Senator Inhofe on Trump/McCain flag controversy: “Frankly, I think John McCain is partially to blame for that because he is very outspoken that he disagreed with the President in certain areas and wasn’t too courteous about it...”
John Kennedy:“If the Special Counsel has changed his mind w/the respect to his conclusions then he needs to step up to the plate...Otherwise his opinion of Mr. Barr’s letter is an opinion just like you have one. Just like I have one. Opinions are just like elbow we all have them”
Officer Liebengood was a Tottenham Hotspur fan like myself. We’d always talk about Spurs.
He was such a kind person. I always enjoyed chatting with him in the hallways.
This is just so heartbreaking.
R.I.P. Officer Liebengood.
I’ll really miss our convos about Spurs.
SECOND OFFICER DEATH.
Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood, 51, who worked Wednesday during the siege, has died by suicide, according to the former Capitol Police Chief.
He labels it a “line of duty casualty,” per Nancy Cordes.
(📸 Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham on Sondland: "I find him ever changing...I was a prosecutor and a defense attorney, when somebody fundamentally recalls something different you need to ask why? Is he worried about him? Is he now telling the truth when before he was shading the truth?"
Mark Warner on Acting AG Whitaker saying Mueller probe was nearing completion: “This is exactly why acting Attorney General Whitaker should have recused himself. We know he has negative views on Mueller and we don't know the motivations for his his comments yesterday..."
Rep. Ilhan Omar: “I would actually like them [Manchin & Sinema] to make their demands clear so that we can engage with that. It is saddening to see them use Republican talking points. We obviously didn't envision having Republicans as part of our party.”
Lindsey Graham says he’s not heard back from Mueller:“I don’t know if I will. It’s just an offer b/c there is nothing in the report abt the phone call...I just want to make sure that Mr. Mueller knows that if there's any dispute w/what Barr said in the committee I'd like to know”
VP Harris: “We're talking about the right to vote. It is not a Republican concern or a Democratic concern, it is an American concern…the President and I are very clear, we support S.1. We support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the fight is not over.”
AOC on NY Post/Ilhan Omar front page: “We are getting to the level where this is an incitement of violence against progressive women of color and if they can’t figure out how to get it back to policy, we need to call it out for what it is because this is not normal.”
FL Sen. Rick Scott on Warren visiting Homestead detention center: "Elizabeth Warren didn’t go down there in 2014. It was opened under Barack Obama. She didn’t go down there and complain about how Barack Obama was doing. No, she uses it now as a prop for her presidential race."
Brett Kavanaugh smiles as he walks back into the committee room after a break during his confirmation hearing. He didn’t respond to questions about how it was going so far.
Former CA Senator and now Vice President Kamala Harris:
Q: How’s it going so far?
Harris: “So far, so good. Working every day.”
Q: What did it feel like to sit in that chair [presiding over Senate] as Vice President?
Harris: “Amazing.”
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan after leaving a meeting w/Senate Armed Services Chairman Inhofe this AM.
Q: “Will the Defense Department build the border wall Mr. Acting Secretary?”
Shanahan: “Hi, how are you.”
Pool Producer
@AllisonMPecorin
: So you resigned your chairmanship. Why did you decide to make that decision?
Sen. Burr: “This is a distraction to the hard work of the committee and the members and I think the security of the country is too important to have a distraction.”
Senator Roy Blunt:
Q: What do you want to hear from President Trump tonight?
A: “I don't want to hear anything.”
Q. Do you think he bears some of the responsibility?
A: “I don't have anything to say about it. I think it was a tragic day and he was part of it.”
Sens. Roger Marshall, Mitch McConnell, and Mitt Romney were the only three Republicans inside the Senate Chamber for the delivery and reading of the Article of Impeachment.
DHS comes out strongly against the bipartisan compromise: “The changes proposed by Senators Schumer-Rounds-Collins would effectively make the United States a Sanctuary Nation where ignoring the rule of law is encouraged.”
Highlights of bipartisan immigration proposal introduced by 16 Senators (8 GOP, 7 Dems & 1 Independent) who have been part of the 25 Senators meeting in Collins’ office. The lead sponsors are Mike Rounds (R-SD) & King (I-ME).
Raskin on Banks sending letters asking for info calling himself ranking member of 1/6 cmte: “I understand that there are letters out there where Representative Banks is misrepresenting himself as the ranking member of our committee. That's not only delusional and fantastical…”
Sen. Murkowksi on Schiff's quoting rpt GOP Sens. head would be on pike if they voted against Trump:
- “He was doing fine with moral courage until he got on the head on the pike.”
- "He got to a couple of places and it’s just, it was unnecessary.”
Sen Foreign Relations Cmte Chair James Risch & Sens. Marco Rubio, Ben Cardin, Rick Scott & Ted Cruz met w/newly appointed Venezuelan Chargé d’affaires Carlos Vecchio.
Vecchio: “this is the moment to do change in Venezuela” & called it a “fight between democracy and dictatorship.”
Graham: “I don’t understand why we're folding here at the end. This is a complete capitulation and the argument made yesterday was well this may be more pressure than two Democratic senators can stand regarding changing the filibuster rules. That to me is not a very good reason”
Asked if VP Biden was now President-elect after electoral college voted:
Inhofe: I’m not going to comment on that.
Kennedy: said he didn't have anything for us
Paul: "I think that we let it play out.”
Johnson: “That’s something to be resolved, isn’t it?”
Cruz: Ignored Q 2x
WI Sen Ron Johnson on his phone call w/in the last hour w/PresidentTrump on tax reform & his current No vote: He was “just kind of wondering you know what the concern is and I think he shares the concern and so I’m dedicated to work with him and his White House staff.
Senate Intel Vice Chair Mark Warner after reading whistleblower transcript: “I'm still processing this...and again, you know it’s gonna make the testimony received tomorrow [from IC IG & Acting DNI] all that more important to get some questions cleared up.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, known for his 9pm bed time and 4am hour runs four times a week, is present for the Cmte’s closed session w/Brett Kavanaugh.
Lindsey Graham on SCOTUS travel ban ruling: "I thought it was a sound decision. This is not a religious ban. The first order was poorly written. The third iteration of the executive order made a lot of sense to me.."
Trump letter to Pelosi: “Your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over...if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.”
Mark Warner doesn't accept Trump's comments today: "If he wanted to make those comments, he should have had the strength to make them in front of Vladimir Putin. This was a president who basically acted weak in front of the Russian leader, acted weak in front of the whole world.”
House Intel Ranking Member Adam Schiff:
- Bannon is still under subpoena & he’ll be back.
- Bannon was “Instructed by White House to refuse to answer questions”
- The scope of this privilege is “breathtaking” & goes beyond anything I've seen.
- Schiff called it “unacceptable”
Scalise on NY AG suing Trump: “I haven’t seen the details…she ran on a platform of just going after Donald Trump & carrying out a political vendetta. She should be spending time putting criminals in jail in NY, which crime is out of control. Clearly, she's not focused on that.”
Michael Cohen leaves Capitol Hill after leaving the offices of the Senate Intelligence Cmte.
He’s due back on the hill next Tuesday (Senate Intel), Wednesday (House Oversight) & Thursday (House Intel). Only Wednesday’s appearance will be open. The other two behind closed doors.