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By Heather Caygle | 06/09/2017 08:02 AM EDT


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

SO, WHAT'S NEXT? The Capitol Hill hive is taking a collective breather today after former FBI Director James Comey's damning testimony against President Donald Trump Thursday. The former FBI chief accused the president of directing him to end the investigation into Michael Flynn, firing him to change the course of the Russia probe and then said the White House lied "plain and simple" about why he was dismissed. "I was honestly concerned that he might lie," Comey said when asked why he carefully documented his interactions with Trump, a practice he didn't do when working under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

The reality is the dynamic of the Russia probe on Capitol Hill isn't likely to change publicly, at least anytime soon. Senate Intel members on both sides of the aisle said Comey's testimony is just one piece of a much larger puzzle they're still working to put together. And there's no telling when the investigation being led by special counsel Robert Mueller will wrap up or release its conclusions. Republicans are trying to publicly downplay the impact of Comey's testimony and keep the focus on the legislative agenda, even if many are privately alarmed by what he said during the hearing.

Exhibit A: Republicans let out a collective yawn after the hearing, with GOP members saying the real focus should be on repealing Obamacare and tax reform. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) defended Trump, saying his behavior is excusable because he's "new" to politics. Other Republicans said there was no smoking gun during the Comey hearing, like some observers had hoped. "They were expecting a bombshell, what they got was a confirmation of what we knew already. There was very little new information," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Burgess and Seung Min with the details: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b38d2bef3ee39646c18c7029c74ae6260f9cdcc573a9b5b93f6218f5902c6191cf9ccbd4850c23ff2bb

Most Democrats, meanwhile, were still dodging any talk of impeachment after the hearing. But some lawmakers were clearly more comfortable talking up the possibility of an obstruction of justice case against the president down the road. "No one here is planning for impeachment," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). "But we theoretically don't need to wait for a Mueller product in order to have that conversation - if more evidence like that which was presented today continues to mount." Much more from Elana and your Huddle host: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b3824f9a6706ccca281bd1bdfc1a345cc2b247d15bf2f1f99f9b192130fe9137b7b4a4d18015d898774

President Trump chimed in this morning, after more than a 24-hour silence on Twitter: "Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!"

In case you haven't gotten enough Comey news: Carla Marinucci reports on how this week's Russia hearings could help bolster freshman Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.) 2020 presidential prospects. Read more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=67e9864faf2b0541954c108c5872102298271bcdcab424319d8f98bb5c31e9a2638b4863a73b04b460d15cb627abab27 Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) apologizes for his bizarre line of questioning during the Comey hearing, blaming it on staying up too late watching baseball the night before: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=67e9864faf2b05417257d4df40b081d95aa315fb757ebac422fcd71c6651a68e8a01822b3ebd2e7f2de5d0d480b7bcdb And Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney bring you five key takeaways from Comey's testimony: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=67e9864faf2b0541e3eb623b502197e39cca85e501b88ee6fd69dec40cd511238e0c2206ca24f1b9c50544a8feca551e

COMING NEXT WEEK - Attorney General Jeff Sessions is scheduled to testify before a Senate Appropriations panel Tuesday on DOJ's fiscal 2018 budget. Sessions will no doubt face questions about Comey's testimony and the Russia probe. In a closed-door session after the public hearing, Comey told senators it's possible Sessions could have had a third meeting with the Russian ambassador that he didn't disclose, CNN reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b38fe381eb43006428da57b999a2d3859f79c6e7bf8c132a6ddc892b8d75cc3e396a422533579e18860


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Sometime in June: The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected to meet with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, on Russia later this month, according to NBC News.

GUYS, WE SURVIVED THE WEEK. A round of high fives, y'all. Welcome to Friday, June 9, and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

THURSDAY'S MOST READ: Comey's written testimony, posted by the Senate Intelligence Committee, got the most clicks.

WE GOT 99 PROBLEMS - That burst of optimism Senate Republicans had earlier this week about their Obamacare repeal plan is seemingly all but dashed as senators struggle to agree on big outstanding issues like Medicaid, restrictions on abortion-related language and how to pay for the overall bill. "We've all got a better idea. But pretty soon, we're going to have to make a decision on a single bill," said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Reality check: "Majority Leader Mitch McConnell aimed to finalize a draft of the repeal plan within the next few days. But senators are only starting to grapple with potentially painful tradeoffs that could make or break the GOP's seven-year promise to repeal Obamacare," Adam Cancryn, Jen Haberkorn, Burgess and Rachana Pradhan report. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b389b00a938479f6f93c3f1863314fa944cd2938d855de953e132e6930113db0b162280df4f1f302718

HOUSE PASSES DODD-FRANK REPEAL - "House Republicans on Thursday united to pass a comprehensive bill that would dismantle the landmark banking regulations enacted after the 2008 financial crisis," Zachary Warmbrodt reports. "The legislation, approved without a single Democratic vote, represents the GOP's opening salvo in the debate over easing the rules on the financial system, a move sparked by the election of President Donald Trump and Republican control of Congress." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b388b59dfa482547221548cc9987057f48b056966562a0dfb26333d37d33d768d6cc5acaf710948f447

DEM DEMANDS PROBE OVER GOP STOCK TRADING - New York Rep. Louise Slaughter, top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, is calling for a federal investigation into reports that Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) privately urged fellow Republicans to make a "big profit" by investing in an Australian biotech firm. Collins, already the subject of an Office of Congressional Ethics probe related to his investments in the biotech company, has denied any wrongdoing. The Hill's Scott Wong with the scoop: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b3856da9feec2127c2cdf325ead90797493293aed93bd95492925902e29b689e818ce473217b04abe8a

OSSOFF'S MONEY MACHINE - Jon Ossoff raised $15 million for his House campaign over the last two months, according to the latest report, a jaw-dropping amount that puts total spending in the Georgia race over $40 million, making it the most expensive House race in history. Ossoff has raised nearly $24 million for his campaign so far. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein with more on the latest numbers: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b385e7bf46554dd0d546f8c2e2d75585f2ebb0c07b3b098b23c22019edb46129c8ef9581c126236bebf

New this morning: An AJC poll released today has Ossoff up seven points over Republican Karen Handel, 51-44. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b3895623a8724472d34b96a6cdbbe65e7f5697eeb88cc3af4ed9612041424450da6bf622a707a918bf8

GOWDY TAPPED FOR OVERSIGHT GAVEL - The House GOP Steering Committee picked Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) to be the next Oversight Committee chairman on Thursday. Gowdy was seen as the clear front-runner for the prominent post and Rachael has been reporting for weeks he was likely the next chairman. Gowdy's chairmanship won't be official until ratified by the full Republican Conference but that step is more of a formality than anything else. Rachael with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b38c55f75f4fb4159b9ed575c5e2659684688f367176fdcb39278f0916520bbd1a121e70000c0645ea0

Bonus points: Fellow GOP Rep. Mark Meadows tweeted congratulations to Gowdy yesterday and even posted a photo calling out the new chairman's "impeccable fashion sense." Oh yeah, there's a bucket hat involved. See it: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d668d7c5f1d4b38f22f114678f2bd9e6bf62f7838559a1ef4fc906d79b19d7ede9b467315efd8ec69196f605fe7499e

OFF MESSAGE PODCAST BONUS EPISODE: On the eve of LGBTQ Pride marches around the country, president of the Human Rights Campaign Chad Griffin and Indecent playwright Paula Vogel join Isaac Dovere for a special bonus episode of Off Message. The two activists share their anxieties about the future of the LGBTQ community under the Trump administration. "Do I feel right now that we're at a volatile moment? Absolutely," Vogel tells Dovere. "Do I feel we're going to lose these rights? I think it's a real possibility." Listen and subscribe: iTunes | Panoply | Stitcher

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House and Senate are both out. But don't worry guys, they'll be back next week.

AROUND THE HILL - House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-S.C.), and fellow HFC Reps. Dave Brat (R-Va.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) participate in a conversation on tax reform at the Heritage Foundation starting at 9:30 a.m.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Nick Falvo correctly guessed that Kentucky's Happy Chandler was the governor who appointed himself to fill a vacancy in the Senate and then went on to win re-election. But as Ziad Ojakli points out, technically Chandler stepped down as governor and the lieutenant governor appointed him to the Senate seat.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Constantino Brumidi's beautiful Capitol frescoes don't just feature the Founding Fathers and other people critical to the development of the U.S. Brumidi also often featured plant life and birds in his paintings. Who can tell me how many different avian species are depicted in Brumidi's designs throughout the Capitol? Send answers my way: hcaygle@politico.com

NERDCAST PODCAST: James Comey made his first public appearance as the former director of the FBI Thursday. POLITICO's Scott Bland, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel and Eliana Johnson break down what he said and what it means for the Russia investigation. Plus, the latest on New Jersey and Virginia's gubernatorial races and what they say about the future of the Democratic Party - and what's new in Georgia's intense special House election. Listen and subscribe: iTunes | Panoply | Stitcher

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