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12/19/2016 07:47 AM EDT


By Heather Caygle (hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope)

With an assist from Daniel Lippman

TOP SENATORS DOUBLE DOWN ON RUSSIAN PROBE- Sens. Chuck Schumer, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Jack Reed are doubling down on their calls for a separate investigation into Russian election hacking, dialing up the pressure for GOP leaders to act through a series of Sunday show appearances, a news conference and a letter. The four influential senators, including the incoming Democratic leader, released a letter Sunday calling for a Senate select committee to focus "not only on Russian meddling but also potential threats from other countries, including China and Iran," Seung Min and Rebecca Morin report.

Too many cooks in the kitchen: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already rejected the idea of a special committee to examine Russian election tampering but the senators are insistent, saying too many Senate committees have jurisdiction over the issue. The Senate Armed Services Committee, Intelligence Committee, Judiciary Committee, Commerce Committee, and Homeland Security Committee all currently have some cybersecurity jurisdiction.

"We share your respect for, and deference to, the regular order of the Senate, and we recognize that this is an extraordinary request. However, we believe it is justified by the extraordinary scope and scale of the cyber problem," the senators wrote. Schumer also held a press conference in New York and McCain talked about the issue on CNN's State of the Union. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a09202f30e93603a74179f7e33e6a35d10585eb74dd2b6e31becd512723e832c

Field trip: Members of the House Intelligence Committee will take a field trip to visit U.S. intelligence agencies in January to learn more about Russian hacking, the panel's chairman, Devin Nunes, said Friday. Martin Matishak: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a09202f30e93603a9f5f811566fe020dda4798aa7001fbe6de511a63555f85f7

HAPPENING TODAY: ELECTORS MAKE IT OFFICIAL- The Electoral College meets today to officially pick Donald Trump for president, even after a group of restive Democrats made a longshot attempt to stop Trump from winning. "Those rogue electors aren't likely to succeed in preventing Trump's election Monday, but they could succeed at something even more significant: sowing enough distrust of the Electoral College to set in motion a movement to do away with it, to be replaced by popular election of the president," Kyle reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a09202f30e93603a52729f544798e90f69279167fa3666bf3cbb1a1c187cea0b

Guess who: Wondering just who these 538 people are and how you even become an elector in the first place? Kyle again: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a09202f30e93603a788eb6aff1cc2d9bd9d0801ff4c2983d8bca7f5d6b5a0da3

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS- ExxonMobil successfully lobbied against a bill that would have made it harder for President-elect Donald Trump to roll back sanctions against Russia, Isaac Arnsdorf and Elana Schor reported over the weekend. Since the Senate left town without acting on the bill, Trump will have a much easier time easing Russian sanctions if he chooses. And ExxonMobil's outgoing CEO Rex Tillerson will be a key adviser on the decision if he's confirmed as secretary of state. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a09202f30e93603a109bd344e7e50b8e81292653d91337ec5b2187c85ae971ab

Call me maybe- Former President George W. Bush may not have been a Donald Trump fan but that didn't stop him from recently lobbying in favor of Tillerson, calling Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker to gin up support for the nominee. "Bush's call caps a full-court press from the most recent Republican White House. Former Vice President Dick Cheney is lobbying skeptical senators like Marco Rubio of Florida, while Condoleezza Rice and Bob Gates' support for Tillerson has buoyed independent-minded GOP senators like Jeff Flake of Arizona," Burgess reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca44c5630b6118be8e54e2a32869b4e3a963d46a74d14971c6d

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Sunday he's "100 percent confident" Tillerson gets confirmed by the Senate, saying the transition team has been working with skeptical Republicans including McCain, Graham and Rubio to bring them on board. "And, you know, the Good Lord didn't put oil in all freedom, democracy-loving countries," Priebus said on Fox News Sunday. "As being an executive of ExxonMobil, he had to go there and have these relationships. I think that's a total positive and win for our country and President-elect Trump."

THE NEW YOU- Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions, dogged by allegations of racism from 30 years ago, is trying to revamp his image ahead of what's expected to be a heated confirmation process in January. Seung Min and Nancy Cook: "The core message: The charges that sank Sessions' bid to become a federal judge in 1986 don't represent who Sessions is now, or even who he was at the time. Delivering it is a lineup of prominent black leaders and others with personal ties to Sessions enlisted by Trump's transition team." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca4f51f7f487c8036386288b7fed89bb4bf078253a99cfe1e0c

CONGRATS, YOU MADE IT TO MONDAY, DEC. 19. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Programming note: Huddle will be taking a holiday break from Friday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Jan. 2. We'll be back to chronicle all things new Congress Jan. 3.

FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED- Kristen Orthman's picture of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid admiring this gnarly beard was Friday's winner.

TODAY IN CONGRESS-Next vote: Jan. 3.


TUNE IN- House Speaker Paul Ryan will join Wisconsin radio legend Charlie Sykes for his last show this morning at 10:35 a.m. ET. Listen: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca4ade59d5986dfcfc1de12f2832004c33cabd2c458c3eff4d1

STAFFING UP- Senate Republicans' campaign arm is staffing up, with a several new hires and some familiar faces announced for the 2018 roster. Kevin Robillard with the scoop: "Sarah Morgan will reprise her role as political director in 2018 and Jon Adams will continue as the committee's digital director. ... Katie Behnke, who was new NRSC chairman Cory Gardner's deputy campaign manager in 2014, will be the finance director. ... Katie Martin, the NRCC's communications director in 2016 and a regional press secretary in 2014, will become the NRSC's communications director ... Jessica Furst Johnson will be the NRSC's general counsel." More for Pros: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca4b6f342336598b1fadb346defb1e268eddc78e9aa4d951330

THE BEST LAID PLANS- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had his eye on Rep. Ryan Zinke long before he was tapped as Trump's Interior nominee. McConnell approached the freshman lawmaker over the summer about challenging Sen. Jon Tester in 2018, the New York Times reports. And once Trump became interested in Zinke for his Cabinet, McConnell tried to stop the appointment, to no avail. "With just one appointment, Mr. Trump snubbed the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House, [Rep. Cathy] McMorris Rodgers, imperiled the party's chances in a key Senate race and likely triggered a special election for Mr. Zinke's House seat." More from JMart and Alex Burns:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca42da230b78dbcb01f7c3aa1521efb02525368c94b49018feb

LAWMAKERS, THEY'RE JUST LIKE US- Serving as a member of Congress can seem like a glamorous job but as retiring Rep. Steve Israel points out, the end ain't so pretty. Outgoing lawmakers lose their offices weeks before the session officially ends, forced to slum it in cubicles with the common folk. But Israel says getting the boot from his fancy office with the view of the Washington Monument is actually refreshing, calling it a "vital reminder that we are, after all, citizen legislators. We're Capitol Hill tenants with two-year leases." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca4219bd4a127c9ecc75702682f7ce2d7caa2bfeb63bff39471

JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM- The Senate set a modern record for the fewest confirmations of lifetime judicial nominees this session, giving Trump major sway from the Supreme Court on down, Burgess reports. "The Senate left town last week with 99 judicial vacancies covering district and appeals courts, as well as the current Supreme Court opening. There are 52 Obama nominations to those courts pending, with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland the most prominent nominee still waiting for action." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca440f4b8156bc8fb9b574340bc5ef241afbffe388bdc8f8eed

SPOTTED- Sen. John Barrasso grocery shopping in the produce aisle at the local Casper, Wyoming Albertsons Saturday evening

MULVANEY TAPPED FOR OMB- Trump picked fiscal hardliner Rep. Mick Mulvaney to lead his Office of Management and Budget over the weekend. Mulvaney, one of the founding members of the House Freedom Caucus, is fiercely conservative on fiscal issues, pushing for cuts to both domestic and defense spending in the past. If approved, Mulvaney will help oversee the crafting of Trump's budget and approval of major regulations, including efforts to roll back President Obama's regulatory policies. More from Ben Weyl and Alex Isenstadt: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca4f59daeb28827be4cd3a7b8e1429ab94e50e51689b22fb889

ARRIVAL LOUNGE- Alberto Martinez, Sen. Marco Rubio's chief of staff since 2014, is moving to senior adviser for Rubio. Clint Reed, campaign manager for Rubio's reelection campaign, will succeed Martinez as chief of staff. More from Florida Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca49e57983615be4abb216f7b85f1ed91fb8c95ba27211895b6

IF YOU WANT A FRIEND IN WASHINGTON...Everybody knows the old adage about getting a dog if you want a friend in D.C. But some members actually take that advice to heart. NPR's Ailsa Chang (who frequently brings her pup to work) on the history of furry friends on Capitol Hill: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca4749119f3ef39515653ce5124a5860f677479b5819654d3a0

WEEKEND WEDDING- Kaitlin Vogt, a budget analyst on the Senate Budget Committee (and also on the leg affairs/confirmations on the transition team) and Alex Stoddard, the chief administrator on the House Budget Committee, recently got married at a gorgeous historic home in Birmingham, Alabama, her hometown, with about 80 people. They met five years ago when she was working at a staff assistant on the House Ethics Committee (where Alex's father Cliff is currently counsel to the chairman) and he was an intern on House Budget. See the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5a0f3a1fbafaca43b0860b9e3c82cdbbf713aa7c4e6b314b78b41886562aba1

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER- The Tax Foundation's Scott Greenberg was the first to correctly guess Andrew Mellon as the richest Cabinet member of all time with an adjusted net wealth of $50 billion. Mellon served as Treasury secretary under Presidents Harding, Coolidge and Hoover.

TODAY'S TRIVIA- Scott with today's question: Which senator once had an aide ask a newspaper to correct an article that incorrectly reported his/her height, saying, "When you're my height, you need every inch you can get?"

The first person to correctly guess the answer to today's question gets a mention in tomorrow's Huddle. Send suggestions for trivia questions my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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