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10/31/2017 07:58 AM EDT


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

THIS AFTERNOON, President Donald Trump meets with Speaker Paul Ryan in the Oval Office. The 2 p.m. meeting comes one day before House Republicans are scheduled to unveil their tax reform proposal. The big question: Does Trump, said to be fuming about special counsel Robert Mueller's probe, bring up the charges against his three former campaign aides? Vice President Mike Pence will be on the Hill meeting with House committee leaders and other GOP lawmakers on their tax code rewrite.

GOP leaders showed no appetite for answering questions about the Mueller probe yesterday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell "left a news conference on judicial nominations and religious liberty well before reporters could ask him about it," the Washington Post reports. And "in an interview with a Wisconsin radio station, Ryan did not discuss it except to promise that it would not affect the House's rollout of a sweeping tax bill this week."

RUSH, WHY RUSH? Senate Republicans aren't in a hurry to protect Mueller, despite lawmakers introducing two bills earlier this year aimed at shielding the special counsel if Trump did try to fire him. Several Senate Republicans said they don't need to pursue the legislation right now because they think there's no way Trump would try to fire Mueller. He "knows that'd be a stupid move, as far as I'm concerned," said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). "I don't think anybody in their right mind in the White House would think about replacing Mr. Mueller," added Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a co-author of one of the bills. Kyle, Elana and Seung Min with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ab49777dee8d55deb66580ef964f48491b351953d01de2c67e7a3686cd82ee604def3c17fb907d7c7fb1753d33ea7524


Trump has "no intention" of nixing Mueller, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday, reports the New York Times. But former White House strategist Steve Bannon is urging Trump to aggressively fight back against the special counsel, CNN reports, while the president's lawyers have encouraged him to cooperate with the investigation.

SO, what exactly happened yesterday? Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, and Rick Gates, a close associate of Manafort who also worked on the campaign, were indicted on 12 counts including money laundering, the first public action in Mueller's Russia probe. It was also revealed that George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy adviser to the campaign, secretly pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to the FBI and is now cooperating with investigators. The POLITICO team with the full wrap up: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ab49777dee8d55de3d82a52a5303cb303e4d9ace706e49b7324c2784726d4a01fca6c5abdd91f3ebcae25ae56030fd9b

Papadopoulos' plea "represents the most explicit evidence connecting the Trump campaign to the Russian government's meddling in last year's election," Matt Apuzzo and Michael Schmidt report for the New York Times. And by releasing the plea deal, which shows Papadopoulos tried to arrange a meeting between Trump's campaign and Russia, Mueller is likely sending the signal that there are more charges against others to come, Darren Samuelsohn reports.

Inside the White House, there's a simultaneous sense of relief about the indictments - Manafort's and Gates' charges aren't related to the campaign and Papadopoulos was a low-level adviser - and dread about what's next, Josh Dawsey writes. Trump, meanwhile, spent the morning upstairs watching the news unfold via cable TV, calling his lawyers repeatedly and "playing fuming media critic, legal analyst and crisis communications strategist," Robert Costa, Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker report for the Washington Post.

GIF du jour: Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) trying to make a quick exit during a press conference to avoid questions about the Russia probe, nearly knocking over several flags in the process. CNN: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=152f6bd671ee86adbea45eeb687974e770fe40652ae23ebd49a1eb949744d7873eb6ae8f591301ecc8bacb20c72d988a

More Russia news: The definitive Trump-Russia timeline of events, via Matt Nussbaum: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=defc282a9ea02b2aaa95881cf98421927bde3201035607ea95f08b59adcbfea1acb0ef0b46e465c288317ff1d7d2f065 Democratic powerhouse lobbyist Tony Podesta stepping down from firm amid Mueller probe: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=defc282a9ea02b2ac68abe6276d84c2d716b2ca9ca1e80fefccbed697961bf54a3f8d3de680ccce36eef8e38af11b49a Mueller blindsides congressional investigators, via Elana, Kyle and Ali Watkins: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=152f6bd671ee86ade3c0d8e7016368fa873ab98270c799deae6b26a23c664908f34d2ae6e182dc0eb868771aca6f62a6

GUYS, REMEMBER TAX REFORM? Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee meet again today for an all-day strategy session on their tax reform bill. Several members have privately complained they've been left out of the top-down approach GOP leaders have taken to crafting the bill. Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) is supposed to unveil the finished tax bill tomorrow but several issues remain outstanding. Adding to the mix, House Republicans are currently considering phasing-in a cut to the corporate tax rate over the next five years, Bloomberg reports.

How Chairman Brady spends his evenings: "At his shared D.C. quarters, Mr. Brady usually sits on a duct-taped leather armchair in the living room with a baseball game on in the background, papers in his hands, and eating a low-budget meal," Richard Rubin writes for the Wall Street Journal. 'It's popcorn, some beer or wine, cheese packets you get at the airport and maybe hot dogs,' Mr. Brady said. 'This is not Bobby Flay's kitchen.'"


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WE HOPE YOU GET MORE TREATS THAN TRICKS TODAY. Welcome to Tuesday, Oct. 31, and thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

The Opioid Crisis: Crucial Next Steps - Opioid-related deaths are at a record high in the US, and President Donald Trump has called the crisis "a national emergency." Join POLITICO's live event as experts discuss the policy challenges around fighting the opioid epidemic and identify what states, regulators, payers and providers are that's working -- and where more resources are needed. Nov. 2 - 8am - The W Hotel. RSVP: here.

MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Tim Alberta's top-shelf profile of former Speaker John Boehner - appropriately titled "Boehner unchained" - was by far the winner yesterday.

RUSSIA'S REACH FAR WIDER THAN FIRST KNOWN - The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony from Facebook, Twitter and Google today - the first of three congressional hearings on the topic this week - about Russian attempts to influence the election using their sites. Facebook will tell lawmakers "that 126 million of its users may have seen content produced and circulated by Russian operatives, many times more than the company had previously disclosed," according to testimony obtained by the Washington Post. Facebook previously said that 10 million users had seen Russian-bought ads but has been silent about the impact of free content on the site. Craig Timberg and Elizabeth Dwoskin:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dc5eb695bf9f7acf03ecbf81c900679bfa6dca12ffe24439999b4f06093d54571bd4db5607c78c31dfffe598e0d92f39

Stat du jour: Since 2009, Google and its employees have contributed to all but three of the 55 lawmakers who now sit on the three panels holding hearings this week, Steven Overly and Nancy Scola report. Facebook and its employees gave to 40 of those lawmakers.

Tune in: The Judiciary Committee hearing kicks of at 2:30 p.m. and can be livestreamed here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dc5eb695bf9f7acf1da84d492d97897ca6ed9f1dbff18ff6d0f88dd94434a2b78db590c410129444fc6166a0d8256ef9

HILL COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE SEXUAL HARASSMENT - The House Administration Committee is reviewing whether Congress should do more to prevent harassment in Capitol Hill offices, Rachael reports. The panel will examine whether internal changes are needed to curb sexual harassment after news reports last week detailing the arcane and arduous process Hill staffers must undergo to report allegations and pursue recourse. Congress currently does not make sexual harassment training mandatory for lawmakers or staffers, contrary to other federal departments. Rachael with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dc5eb695bf9f7acf597167f33e0631795f6efc0ba329e19cb3fc9bdbb12836b755fbbf99c8ba677a3b726c7f766b8107

TRUMP JUDICIAL NOMINEE 'NOT QUALIFIED' - Leonard Steven Grasz, one of Trump's appellate court nominees, has been deemed "not qualified" to serve as a federal judge by the American Bar Association, Seung Min reports. Grasz, who has his confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, is the second Trump judicial nominee to receive that ABA rating. Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, Grasz's home-state senator, accused the ABA of "trying to drive a political agenda" with its ratings. Meanwhile, Republicans are moving ahead with their judicial confirmation blitz. "The Republican-controlled Senate has already installed four of Trump's appellate picks and is on track to confirm four more
in the next several days," SMK reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dc5eb695bf9f7acf1f611f9ac180be85274266efd881ea64b49f9f15f830f2cb7e361e77d212b30e98b0929c3d53b5fa

HILL STAFFERS, DON'T FORGET: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is hosting a "bipawtisan" costume contest tonight! Staffers and their cute pups should gather outside of Tillis' office (185 Dirksen) starting around 5:30 p.m. for the festivities. Both parties and many offices will be represented, according to his office. Huddle's two four-legged assistants won't be participating in the contest but they've already got their costumes ready for trick-or-treaing: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dc5eb695bf9f7acf73975df3c1b98677ce4c0ef212e21af26544402cb1f48796c869cffb75f9a49ad5b385f0553cc63b

DEFENSE RESTS IN MENENDEZ TRIAL - Lawyers for Sen. Robert Menendez rested their case on Monday without the Democratic senator taking the witness stand, Matt Friedman reports from Newark. Dr. Salomon Melgen, Menendez's co-defendant, also declined to testify. "The case now moves to another crucial phase. On Tuesday, attorneys for both sides and Judge William Walls will spend the day grappling over what instructions Walls will give to the jury. The prosecution's case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence, with no documents or recordings showing there was a quid pro quo between Menendez and Melgen." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dc5eb695bf9f7acfd8589f742656fd2847b6f0e3702f926456d5f1d950e9cf3ecaaf3e1b6d02099696e85fcc9e07a578

DON'T LOOK TO ME FOR AN APOLOGY - White House Chief of Staff John Kelly revisited his feud with Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) Monday night, refusing to apologize for saying she was self-congratulatory during a ceremony to dedicate an FBI building in Florida. A video of Wilson's speech at the event has shown she didn't make the remarks Kelly said she did. But Kelly, who previously called her an "empty barrel," doubled down. "Well, I'll go back and talk about ... her comments and at the reception afterwards," Kelly told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. "Kelly said former FBI agents volunteered to come forward to back his account, but he said he waved them off," Brent Griffiths reports. Wilson
is supposed to return to D.C. today after staying in Florida last week following a series of threats made against the congresswoman, the Hill's Mike Lillis reports.

-- Also in the Fox interview, Kelly said the Civil War was caused by an inability to "compromise" and called Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee an "honorable man." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dc5eb695bf9f7acf250b4103896b32defc6a19dbda3a9e230bbafa8dcaf1fc5d71848c004d2e060b891d7936629935f2

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - "Florida Sen. Marco Rubio hit the trail for Virginia Republican Ed Gillespie on Monday night, defending him from Democratic criticism that he's running a racially tinged campaign a week before Virginia elects its next governor," Kevin Robillard reports from Arcola, Va. "Democrats have criticized Gillespie's ads, which have often featured photos of Hispanic gang members with face tattoos who are actually imprisoned in El Salvador." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2b4cfe0072266b72fcfa72a9ef1773d27e6d7d0976512984c2299692d4363ec8c0dc0996b8b3adb081ddeb56c712378

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate gavels in at 10 a.m. and will continue consideration of appellate court nominee Amy Barrett. The Senate will recess from 12:30 until 2 p.m. for weekly caucus lunches. More info: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=defc282a9ea02b2a11b0f6c4a47223c4225027bcb54010ae4c6e838965a8fc32732d36a96a3e77fe83243d356d43037d The House meets at 12 p.m. with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=defc282a9ea02b2a15b5b67127df97cb844d4c7191cc71c2e2b9327111571d34e3e44652390d47c140cce591c7ad1ad0

AROUND THE HILL - Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) hold a conference call on a bill to prohibit Trump from going to war with North Korea without congressional approval at 10:15 a.m. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will hold his pen and pad briefing at 11 a.m. in H-144.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) hold a press conference on potential tax changes to 401(k) accounts at 11 a.m. in the Senate radio/TV gallery.

Senate Republican and Democratic leaders hold separate press conferences after their weekly policy lunches starting around 2 p.m. in the Ohio Clock Corridor. Vice President Mike Pence will be on the Hill, participating in Senate Republicans' weekly lunch and meeting with GOP lawmakers and committee chairmen in the afternoon.

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - JD Grom was first to guess that John Quincy Adams' ghost has been seen floating around the Capitol, including haunting the old House chamber, Statuary Hall. Several readers also suggested Adams lurks around in the former speaker's room, now known as the Lindy Boggs Congressional Women's Reading Room, a good guess considering that's where he died in 1848 after suffering a stroke as his House desk.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - JD with today's question: What is the creature that haunts the Capitol at night, often seen between the crypt and the old Supreme Court chamber, and what D.C. sports team is named after this animal? Send your best guess my way: hcaygle@politico.com. The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle.

FLASH BRIEFING on Facebook, Google Hearings: POLITICO and The Information are partnering to offer an insider flash briefing for real-time analysis, key takeaways, and the impact of congressional testimony about Russian involvement in the Election by representatives of Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

Jessica Lessin will moderate a discussion and Q&A featuring POLITICO's Nancy Scola and The Information's Cory Weinberg on the hearings and their impact on legislation, the latest intel about possible connections to the Trump and Clinton campaigns, and insight into how these tech giants are responding to Russian propaganda arms like RT. Sign up for the Flash Briefing here and sign up for POLITICO's Morning Tech for the latest tech news in your inbox each morning here.

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