Staff Reports
After Bush farewell, Capitol Hill returns to reality
The week was rightfully dominated by the emotional farewell to former President George H.W. Bush, featuring the moving eulogy by his son, former President George W. Bush. Bitterness took a brief sabbatical as Capitol Hill and the nation praised the 41st President.
Retiring Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was one of those in attendance at the Wednesday service at Washington National Cathedral and shared some of her experiences via Twitter.
“I am so humbled to be here today @WNCathedral to honor former Pres. G.W. Bush, a bipartisan leader + compassionate man who served our country tirelessly & w dignity.” #NationalDayOfMourning
Outgoing Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson also lauded Bush as he prepared to attend the funeral service.
“Heading to the National Cathedral this morning to remember the life of George H.W. Bush, a true statesman who served the American people with honor and integrity,” he tweeted.
Yet, even on a national day of mourning, many in the national media could not take a break from making President Donald Trump a focus of coverage. For example, Fox News’ Chris Wallace spoke of the “chill” that came over the front row once Trump took his place among former presidents, while POLITICO had a piece discussing how the funeral was about Trump.
As the weekend approaches, the realities of 21st-century Washington have returned. Yet another looming fight on spending and a possible government shutdown was mixed in with overdue legislation, the Robert Mueller investigation and the migrant caravan.
The new norm in Washington is to miss spending deadlines with extensions followed by big spending bills. Friday was the deadline to avoid a government shutdown, but a two-week delay was in the final stages of approval.
Outgoing Republican House leadership instigated the delay, perhaps at the behest of those gearing up for a fight demanding $5 billion be included for the border wall demanded by Trump. The President has intimated through Twitter he might refuse to sign a spending bill without it.
Approval of a bill to protect the Mueller investigation in exchange for the spending bill is gaining traction among some Democrats. Outgoing Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona is demanding the Mueller bill in exchange for votes to confirm Trump-appointed federal judges.
Flake’s vote is needed to forward nominees from the Judiciary Committee, which has an 11-10 GOP majority. In response, committee chairman Chuck Grassley canceled the scheduled hearing, likely pushing confirmation votes into 2019.
Some legislation considered “must pass” is still awaiting final approval. Among those is the 2018 Farm Bill and the Violence Against Women Act.
Among the unknowns are the political roles of the migrant caravans, who continue to arrive in growing numbers along the borders of California, Arizona and Texas. What happens along the border will play a large role in Trump’s approach to demanding the funding for the wall.
It will also play a major role into who receives the blame for any government shutdown that might come at Christmastime. What a time we live in.
Rubio: ‘No doubt’ about Khashoggi
While resident Trump and members of his administration say there is no hard proof, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said there is “no doubt” that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in “directing” the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
“Just from what we know about Saudi Arabia, what we know about the crown prince and what we know about this murder leaves you with no doubt that the crown prince, at a minimum, knew about it and condoned it, and perhaps at worst was actually involved in directing it,” Rubio told CNN’s John Berman.
Rubio’s comments followed a made these comments a day after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed a small group of lawmakers on the murder, which happened in early October in the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Rubio was not one of those briefed.
Rubio was not present at the briefing but does sit on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said that he had existing knowledge of what was discussed during the briefing.
He took it further by joining four of his colleagues in offering a Senate resolution alleging bin Salman was “complicit” in the killing. Joining Rubio were fellow Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Todd Young of Indiana, along with Democrats Diane Feinstein of California and Chris Coons of Delaware.
Rubio said he understood the Trump administration’s desire to preserve a beneficial alliance with Saudi Arabia, but “all alliances have buffers, all alliances have limits.”
Scott puts off Senate oath to finish term
To the surprise of many, Gov. Rick Scott will serve out his full term as governor until the final day. With no lingering issues involving Florida Supreme Court justices, and the crisis from Hurricane Michael eased somewhat, many expected Scott to head to Washington to be sworn in as Florida’s newest Senator on Jan. 3.
“When Gov. Scott was elected governor of Florida, he promised to fight for Florida families every single day of his term. Gov. Scott will remain governor until Jan. 8,” John Tupps, the governor’s communications director, said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to allow Scott to be sworn in on Jan. 8, the same day incoming Gov. Ron DeSantis will take the office. Among the items on the downside of remaining was missing out on a plum committee assignment as well as office location.
There was neither been an indication whether Scott needed to be present when committee assignments are doled out, nor has there been an announcement whether Scott will assume Nelson’s current office in the Hart Office Building on Capitol Hill.
Top GOP PAC names new leader
Two major Republican Political Action Committees have changed leadership after the midterm elections that saw the GOP lose 40 seats in the House of Representatives. The American Action Network (AAN) and its related Super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) have appointed media and messaging guru Dan Conston as president of both groups for the 2020 cycle.
Conston replaces Corry Bliss, who presided over an operation that saw record-breaking fundraising and established 40 field offices in trying to mitigate some of the Republican losses. Under Bliss, AAN-sponsored ads backing Brian Mast in Florida’s 18th Congressional District and Carlos Curbelo in CD 26 for most of 2018.
While Bliss raised big money, Conston is known as a savvy developer of message advertisements and was labeled a “wunderkind spinner” by the Miami Herald for his work as a spokesman. Bliss will remain in an advisory role.
“I’m honored to be a part of this effort and humbled by the opportunity,” said Dan Conston. “CLF is poised to play a decisive role in fighting to win back the Majority behind the strong leadership and vision of Leader Kevin McCarthy and Whip Steve Scalise.”
Conston is a former senior staffer at AAN and CLF. In the 2018 cycle, he launched the American Patriots PAC. His efforts featured the campaigns of military veterans Daniel Crenshaw in Texas and Michael Waltz, who won the District 6 seat formerly held by DeSantis.
“We are thrilled to welcome back Dan to AAN & CLF,” said former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman, chairman of AAN and co-founder of CLF. “Dan is one of the country’s best young operatives and we’ve seen it firsthand. He’s earned the trust of the staff, donors, and supporters of every group he’s been involved with and he’s helped elect a slew of star House Republicans.”
Delegation demands Acosta probe
Florida’s Democratic members of Congress are calling for an investigation into what was perceived as light punishment for Jeffery Epstein, a wealthy Palm Beach resident accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls.
Alexander Acosta, who currently serves as the U.S. Secretary of Labor under Trump, was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida at the time of the Epstein case. The Democrats want the Department of Justice Inspector General to look into the matter.
“Based on newly reported documents and a group of brave women coming forward to share their stories, it appears that, as a federal prosecutor, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta gave a sweetheart deal to a wealthy and well-connected serial sex offender, and hid it from dozens of victims, some of whom were still coming forward,” said Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston.
“The American people and the victims of these horrific crimes deserve to know why justice was not served in this disturbing case, and the lack of transparency still cloaking it is very troubling.”
All 11 delegation Democrats and four members from other states signed a letter addressed to Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Rep. Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach said if there is not a “good faith investigation,” she and her colleagues would use the power they’ll get next month when the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives. The next step would be asking congressional committees with jurisdiction over the justice system and human trafficking to investigate the matter. Those committees include Judiciary, Oversight, and Foreign Affairs.
Acosta is also a former dean of the Florida International University College of Law.
Soto eying cryptocurrency crooks
Democratic U.S. Rep. Darren Soto of Kissimmee wants to protect Americans from the prospects of cryptocurrency price manipulations, with two new bills he and Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Budd of North Carolina introduced Thursday.
The virtual currency Consumer Protection Act of 2018 and the U.S. Virtual Currency Market and Regulatory Competitive Act of 2018 get into the weeds of potential market manipulations involving bitcoin and other virtual currencies that are possible through blockchain technology, without trying to discourage the new forms of electronic cash.
“Virtual currencies and the underlying blockchain technology has a profound potential to be a driver of economic growth,” Soto and Budd said in a joint statement. “That’s why we must ensure that the United States is at the forefront of protecting consumers and the financial well-being of virtual currency investors, while also promoting an environment of innovation to maximize the potential of these technological advances. This bill will provide data on how Congress can best mitigate these risks while propelling development that benefits our economy.”
Will Dems deny Spano his seat?
The controversy swirling around Republican Rep.-elect Ross Spano is growing in intensity. Just days after admitting he took personal loans to beef up his campaign war chest, Florida Democrats want a full investigation.
“This should disqualify Spano from serving in Congress,” said Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo. “This matter needs to be fully investigated, and appropriate actions taken.”
Spano acknowledged last weekend in a letter to the Federal Elections Commission that he financed his campaign for Congress using four personal loans from associates totaling upward of $180,000. The District 15 Congressman-elect said he did not knowingly violate campaign finance laws, blaming his actions on bad advice.
He is in little danger of having his election overturned but could face some stiff fines if any violation is deemed willful. The matter would normally end there, but with Democrats set to take charge in the House, there could be a push to deny Spano his seat until the matter is fully heard.
Some Democrats are already talking about denying Rep.-elect Mark Harris of North Carolina his seat as accusations of voter fraud grow louder. The U.S. Constitution provides the house with “express authority to be the judge of the ‘elections and returns’ of its own members.”
Such a denial would be a stretch in the Spano case, since there are no accusations of problems with the election itself in. In the end, anything’s possible, but Spano is gaining a reputation of approaching, or crossing the line of what is legal.
During the primary, he was accused of buying votes by former state Rep. Neil Combee, whom Spano defeated in the Republican primary for the District 15 seat.
Mast to lead DeSantis environment, agriculture group
Throughout his campaign for Governor, DeSantis was confronted with the algae bloom and red tide issues. Both were signature issues of the re-election campaign of Republican Rep. Mast of Palm City.
Mast, who frequently fought with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over their policy of releasing polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into local rivers, touted his efforts on behalf of his constituents. DeSantis must have been watching and listening carefully.
This week, he announced a 40-member environment and agriculture transition team and named Mast as the chair. The list is comprised of policy experts, state leaders and executives who will advise the administration and help shape the future of Florida’s policies to restore and protect the state’s unique environment, natural resources and agriculture industry.
“I look forward to working with Governor-elect DeSantis again, as we did in Congress, to protect Florida’s natural environment,” Mast said in a prepared statement. “We will work tirelessly to help start his administration off on the right foot.”
DeSantis previously tapped another former colleague for his transition team. Soon after the election, he named Fort Walton Beach Republican Matt Gaetz as a co-chair of the overall transition team.
Rooney cheers ‘soft power’
At a time when international relations seems driven by strongmen, U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney took a moment to cheer the strength of “soft power.” He took part in Washington D.C. in a conversation series at the United States Institute of Peace.
The former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See said that even in a world of force and coercion, the power of persuasion in certain environments remains one of the greatest tools in seeking stability. After World War II, many nations became familiar with U.S. values through exchange programs and media efforts like Radio Free Europe and Voice of America.
He still sees efforts like the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which enjoys a 7-percent market share in Iran, as one of the most important long-term tools in struggles with that growing Middle Eastern power.
“We need to show the Iranian people that when the time comes that they are ready for us, we’re ready for them,” Rooney said. That should work in the Middle East the same as it did former Warsaw Pact nations.
The Naples Republican engaged in conversation with Virginia Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, a U.S. former Ambassador to Switzerland, who said he’s concerned how other nations use “sharp power” and deception to impact international relations, including spreading fake news stories in American media to influence elections.
Rooney acknowledge the balance of the world remained unsteady and may be getting worse, but stressed a conscious exposure of American values around the globe would result in positive change
“If we’re the best,” he said, “you’d think the more the people of the world could experience us the better it would be in the long run.”
Wasserman Schultz looking out for ‘Moms in the House’
A recent trend on Capitol Hill has been the establishment of caucuses that focus on an issue or a cause. For example, Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch and outgoing Republican Rep. Curbelo have co-chaired the Climate Change Caucus while Frankel has co-chaired the Congressional Women’s Caucus.
Wasserman Schultz is involved with a new caucus for members with children. She is helping launch an informal caucus called “Moms in the House.” The purpose is to make House leadership fully aware of the difficulty in balancing the needs of their children along with the needs of key votes.
“We don’t want to have divorces or kids who are dropping off the edge in school,” Wasserman Schultz said in an interview with POLITICO. “Your family is always your No. 1 priority. And you can structure your schedule, I tell members, around your life to make it work. It just requires a lot of organization and a lot of family cooperation.”
Wasserman Schultz has reached out to incoming Democratic colleagues, including Rep.-elect Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who has three children, to offer advice on balancing the competing priorities. Among the things the group plans to convey to House leadership is the need to not have any votes later than 6:30 p.m. to better facilitate family requirements.
Could Curbelo’s next gig be Miami-Dade Mayor?
Curbelo, who lost re-election to Mucarsel-Powell for Florida’s 26th Congressional District, is considering running for Miami-Dade mayor in 2020. While considering a run, Curbelo is far from ready to make any final decisions on any future runs for office.
He added that supporters have also encouraged him to run for Congress again after the loss to Mucarsel-Powell. Additionally, he plans to “find a way to keep my voice on the big issues I care about,” including immigration, the environment, and the national debt.
“I have a passion for public service and I’m not discarding any possibility right now,” Curbelo said. “I have always thought about the idea of serving another two years here and then serving as county mayor. This work is certainly not easy on the family.”
If Curbelo were to run for mayor, he would be competing to succeed fellow Republican Carlos Gimenez who is leaving office due to term limits. Even though the mayoral post is nonpartisan, Democrats see an opportunity to use the presidential election to take back the mayor’s office in Miami-Dade for the first time since Alex Penelas in 2004.
Penelas is also considering a 2020 comeback.
Ros-Lehtinen, Deutch again press Iran
During her three decades on Capitol Hill, Ros-Lehtinen spent several years in the foreign policy arena. Some of that time was spent as Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
As the chair of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, she often teamed with Deutch, the subcommittee’s ranking member, on issues involving the region, especially Iran.
In one of her final acts, she is joining again with Deutch and two other members to press Iran to return Iranian political hostages. This week family members of several imprisoned or missing individuals wrote an open letter to world leaders urging action to free their loved ones, including Coral Springs resident Bob Levinson.
Ros-Lehtinen and Deutch, as they have frequently in the past, joined the call.
“We strongly support this letter urging world leaders and global actors to apply pressure to the Iranian regime,” the representatives said.
“All responsible governments should be prepared to use sustained and strategic diplomacy against Iran to reunite these families. We are committed in Congress to push the administration to do all they can for the Levinsons, the Namazis, and the others unjustifiably held in Iran.”
The lawmakers, joined by Texas Republican Ted Poe and New York Democrat Nita Lowey, filed a resolution demanding the release of those held. In the past, both have repeatedly urged Trump to do all that is possible to release Levinson.
Joining as co-sponsors of the resolution are Republican Reps. Ted Yoho of Gainesville, Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami and Tom Rooney of Okeechobee. Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson of Miami Gardens is also a co-sponsor.
On this day in the headlines
Dec. 7, 1991 — President George Bush is joining with most Americans in recognizing the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces. He has called for “a day of healing.”
Bush will speak at multiple events today and vowed not to apologize for the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The President did indicate that he intended to express remorse for the U.S. internment of Japanese-Americans during the war, “a very shameful chapter in an otherwise glorious achievement” of the American victory.
Dec. 7, 2017 — President Trump shattered decades of unwavering U.S. neutrality on Jerusalem, declaring the sorely divided holy city as Israel’s capital and sparking frustrated Palestinians to cry out that he had destroyed already-fragile Middle East hopes for peace. He also said the United States would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, though he set no timetable.
“We cannot solve our problems by making the same failed assumptions and repeating the same failed strategies of the past,” Trump said brushing aside the appeals for caution from around the world. One of Trump’s biggest allies in Congress on this issue is Republican Rep. DeSantis of Ponte Vedra.
Bush eulogy left viewers laughing and in tears
Former President George W. Bush (Bush 43) gave a final tribute to his father and former President, George H.W. Bush Wednesday that included a tribute that was part moving, part humorous. Through the years, many of the humorous stories featuring the Bush family were often rooted in former First Lady Barbara Bush.
During his eulogy, one of Bush 43’s biggest laugh lines dealt with his father’s well-publicized skydiving exploits at an advanced age. It described both of his parents.
“At 90, George H.W. Bush parachuted out of an aircraft and landed on the grounds of St. Ann’s by the Sea in Kennebunkport, Maine — the church where his mom was married and where he’d worshipped often,” he recalled. “Mother liked to say he chose the location just in case the chute didn’t open.”
