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08/22/2018 07:56 AM EDT


By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill)

HUNTER'S SEAT IN JEOPARDY -- California Republicans have a problem. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and his wife were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of misusing hundreds of thousands of campaign funds to pay for personal expenses. Though Hunter's San Diego-based district is solidly Republican, the indictment could cost House Republicans a critical seat as the GOP fights to stave off a Democratic takeover. As Bres and Rachael explain: "Unless Hunter were to pass away in the next [9] days -- Aug. 31 -- there is no way to replace him on the ballot this November, according to the California Secretary of State's office. There is also no write-in option under state law."

Hunter will be removed from his committee assignments, said Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who called the charges "deeply serious" but didn't push for Hunter's resignation. The indictment portrays the Hunters as a cash-strapped couple who dipped into a quarter-million dollars' worth of campaign funds to pay their expenses. "The Hunters allegedly overdrew their joint checking account more than 1,100 times during a seven-year period, leading to more than $37,000 in overdraft charges, according to the indictment," they write. "Their credit cards were also maxed out, leading to more than $24,000 in additional charges."

The indictment alleges the Hunters "knew that many of their desired purchases could only be made by using Campaign funds" and conspired "to enrich themselves" and others by converting campaign cash for personal expenditures. Hunter's attorney, however, claims the prosecution is politically motivated. Gregory Vega complained to DOJ that two of the prosecutors involved attended a 2015 fundraiser for Hillary Clinton. Hunter and Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) were the first congressmen to endorse President Donald Trump. Collins, who was indicted earlier this month on charges of fraud in an alleged insider-trading scheme, suspended his reelection campaign. Much more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a3229b2da71c3cd8080cb69a982d883db4dc8a4d253ca9dba1c80c6352e7e2e4ce1c9fdc7772fc5fd08e

CAPITOL HILL REACTS TO MANAFORT, COHEN CONVICTIONS -- Tuesday was a rough day for Trump allies: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted on eight felony counts of tax and bank fraud, and Trump's former longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to charges that included violating campaign finance laws. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) acknowledged that anyone who breaks the law should be held accountable for it. "But this doesn't add anything to the allegations of misconduct relative to the Russia investigation," he told reporters. Democrats, of course, reacted differently. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
both warned against a potential pardon, while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) cast both cases as "further evidence of the rampant corruption and criminality at the heart of Trump's inner circle." More on Manafort: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a322215843702806c2b49de1090d6efc1c09abd0e04f78de046f08ca4a2c47d372681d44f4a16a22adde and Cohen: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a322e525ce72e4fe1ad0976fd83a98d6f3095d412cdff84512626ba4c7258b5ffb509593b1850719c1c2

Related: "'It's the only excuse they'll need': Legal blows fuel impeachment fears," by Christopher Cadelago, Andrew Restuccia, Nancy Cook and Daniel Lippman: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a322b5af8d3d6e36c6a8d61868bb4bd13427dff1b0ded2f06fe1ed303315833a345f8dfce4aa6b41790d

DEMS PREP EMERGENCY PLAN -- Democrats have drafted a wide-ranging contingency plan in case the president fires special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein -- or pardons key witnesses. Their top concern in the immediate aftermath of such a move is the preservation of Mueller's documents. "Almost immediately, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would consult with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while Democrats would demand a floor vote on a bill retroactively protecting Mueller and protecting his materials," NBC News' Josh Lederman and Mike Memoli report. "In both the Senate and House, rank-and-file Democrats would contact a list of sympathetic
Republicans who have signaled privately that they'd be willing to act should Trump pull the trigger."

If Mueller is fired before 2 p.m. on a given day, rallies would be scheduled for 5 p.m. across the country. If he's fired after 2 p.m., protests would occur at noon the following day. "The Democratic group MoveOn.org has been organizing 933 such rallies, with locations picked out and sponsors enlisted to handle logistics," they write. "It's unclear how many people would actually turn out, but more than 350,000 people have RSVP'd online to attend." But any success in protecting Mueller would require cooperation with Republicans, who have largely dismissed legislation to protect Mueller as unnecessary. Much more on the Democrats' strategy: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a322b1a967cd83bc0bae679c1a4016bb02ffabb079d328304af1793b2a1a7e7ced83e104b7c51fc5c3b7

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Aug. 22.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Heather's report on this summer's lack of town halls was the winner.

What is it really like for women hitting the campaign trail in 2018? Women Rule's three-part podcast series, entitled "Women Rule: Tracking the candidates," focuses on the gritty realities of running for office. Tune in each Wednesday in August to hear from three women running for office, the challenges and opportunities they face and the lessons other women can take from their campaigns.

THE BRIGHT SPOT -- Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh left a positive impression on Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a key swing vote on whether Kavanaugh will be confirmed. Collins met with Kavanaugh for more than two hours Tuesday morning. "Collins sounds increasingly positive on Kavanaugh's nomination," Burgess writes. "She refuses to say she's even leaning in favor of Kavanaugh, but on topics from health care to abortion to the special counsel, the nominee placated her with his answers. ... Collins' relative warmth toward Kavanaugh has Republicans on the precipice of confirming the Supreme Court nominee before the 2018 midterm elections."

The Maine Republican told reporters immediately after her meeting with Kavanaugh that the conservative jurist had confirmed to her that the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade was settled law, suggesting he wouldn't vote to overturn abortion rights if confirmed. Democrats, however, were unimpressed by what Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called a "typical judicial dodge." Schumer argued that the more important question was not whether it's settled law -- because it is, unless or until the court changes that -- but whether Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood were correctly decided. In his 90-minute meeting with Kavanaugh, "He would not say yes" to that question, Schumer noted.
Burgess' writeup: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a32279a4636fed8f5107151fb2eda32ec2e53a3dee0f81e5545dd6352164988b0217256b79bda6a69da3

Related: "Schumer after meeting with Kavanaugh: Roe v. Wade is in jeopardy," from your Huddle host: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a322fe024225b2a39567d8413d691e9176b00a35b0fa54b71f098387da9c528192efb0a99848a21202de

THAT WAS EASY -- There were no surprises in Tuesday's House and Senate primaries. Reps. Don Young (R-Alaska), the dean of the House, and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) easily won the primary races for their state's at-large district. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) also cruised to victory, despite a challenge from businessman Dave Dodson, who "fueled his outsider campaign with over $1 million of his own money and attacked Barrasso for accepting contributions from PACs in Washington," Daniel Strauss and Scott Bland report. "But Barrasso hit back, publicizing Dodson's past donations to Democrats and votes in Democratic Party primaries." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a32218c218db7a1a500835b7b8f687de57491c4d0b474e6caa622ddf3dcd83090fc28142909f4c6ba2d4

MIDTERM TRUMP LOOK AHEAD -- White House officials say President Donald Trump will visit at least seven states over the next six weeks as he campaigns for House and Senate Republicans. Before the president's Tuesday night rally in West Virginia for GOP candidate Patrick Morrisey, the state attorney general, "officials outlined what they said was an aggressive midterm campaign effort that would capitalize on the president's ability to draw crowds to rallies -- held largely in deeply conservative states where he is already popular -- and put his muscle behind the Republican National Committee's fund-raising efforts," The New York Times' Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Katie Rogers report.

Officials said Trump will hold at least eight rallies and as many as 16 fundraisers over the next six weeks. Trump will visit North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Kentucky and Tennessee in the coming weeks. "Most are not traditional battleground states, but several are home to Democratic senators who face difficult re-election fights," they write. "At recent campaign rallies, in stops in places like Indiana and North Dakota, the president has seemed to relish taking punches at those vulnerable Democrats, with the constant rallying cry that they are obstructing his agenda. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a322527d6c072490553edf7a7405a41f8265eba58a39da4dd224697a7ea75146d584f657b5f60f02ea05

BREDESEN'S RED-STATE BATTLE -- Phil Bredesen doesn't want his race to be seen as the contest that could hand power to Senate Democrats. "It's not pessimism but self-preservation that tinges Bredesen's assessment of the Senate landscape," James Arkin explains. "An upset win in Tennessee could, in fact, put Bredesen's party in the majority, and the former governor's path to victory depends on convincing voters that they wouldn't be handing power to national Democrats and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer." The odds are against him. Trump won the state by 26 points, and Democrats haven't won a Tennessee Senate seat since 1990.

Bredesen concedes he would lose if the ballot asked voters whether they wanted to send a Republican or Democrat to Washington. But if it's Bredesen vs. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), he said, "I think I can win that." The avowed centrist and former two-term governor's biggest negative is his party affiliation. He'll need to win over independents and Republicans to beat Blackburn. And though he says his job isn't to pick a fight with Trump, the president may be spoiling for a brawl. Blackburn has invited Trump to rally in Tennessee and is hopeful he will make multiple stops there. Much more on the race: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a3220916a6730a915fbd21b0da49a5f3dd848739ee25278e9ada478aeb42c0f3ef2ba798864597f32e9f

WARREN UNVEILS LOBBYING CRACKDOWN -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed sweeping anti-corruption legislation she said would tackle the widespread "crisis of faith" in how Washington works. "The bill would ban elected officials from lobbying for life, restrict stock ownership by lawmakers and Cabinet secretaries and try to stop Americans from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments and companies," Zachary Warmbrodt reports. The legislation is the latest in a series of policy proposals Warren has unveiled, fueling speculation of a potential 2020 White House run. "People don't trust their government to do the right thing because they think government works for the rich, the powerful
and the well-connected and not for the American people," Warren said. "And here's the kicker: They're right." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a322574330220f0fa6706c9b06733dd54d827e300f8fc0b5165be72925f6d1b171d065b4c164c31e9f0f

NOT THE FATHER -- Levi Sanders insists to voters he's not his father, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Yet he, too, supports single-payer health care, a $15 minimum wage and tuition-free public college. And, like his father, he also blasts corporate PAC money and has asked supporters to contribute $27. His website even includes a front-and-center photo of his father. Nevertheless, he told The New York Times' Sydney Ember, "I'm not a clone of my father." Levi is running for Congress in New Hampshire. But his campaign "has puzzled everyone from the most enthusiastic Bernie supporters to his 10 Democratic opponents, more than a few of whom seem all too eager to dismiss his candidacy," Ember
writes.

"Some people view him as a firebrand, with a quick fuse and a sharp tongue," she continues. "Others describe him more as a nuisance, who has only gained notice because of his name. Because he lives outside the district, on the other side of this outsider-averse state, he has even been accused of carpetbagging." He's also an underdog with no political experience outside of working for his father's campaign. He doesn't have his father's endorsement and has raised less than $30,000 through June. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=59e7f4460300a3227cfece297914cc2c4031f37291996f53c92ce7eee5b9e077002741794e1b811c583cb47eccb55b10

TRANSITIONS -- Akash Chougule has started as a professional staff member for the House Education and the Workforce Committee. He was previously policy director at Americans for Prosperity.

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of the Defense-Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act of 2019. The chamber will recess from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a members-only briefing. The House is out.

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Natalie Pavlatos was first to correctly guess that Ripon, Wisconsin, is the birthplace of the Republican Party.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Natalie: Which first lady was instrumental in the planting of more than 3,000 cherry trees around the Tidal Basin and Capitol grounds? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: nmccaskill@politico.com.

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