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05/24/2016 07:09 AM EDT


By Rachael Bade (Rbade@politico.com or @RachaelMBade)

With help from Burgess Everett.

CORKER & TRUMP - A LOVE STORY? Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) passed up President Barack Obama's invitation to join him on a historic trip to Asia this week, citing a busy congressional work schedule. But apparently he made time to meet with Donald Trump Monday in New York's Trump Tower, their first face-to-face. Was this a VEEP audition? Maybe Secretary of State? Corker dismissed the speculation, of course, but Burgess has a fun read about the two men's similarities - and there's actually quite a few of them.

"Trump and Corker share an independent streak rooted in business. Corker came up building shopping centers in the South while Trump was working his real estate business in New York. But that same independent flair might make Corker a reluctant surrogate for Trump - he's not the kind of politician to take up pro-Trump talking points unabashedly and demurs when asked to defend the real estate mogul's soundbite of the day.... Corker also wouldn't be a traditional vice presidential pick and might make more sense serving as a foreign policy adviser or, perhaps, a secretary of State. Corker is from Tennessee, safe Republican territory, and does not bring a swath of younger voters or a different
demographic with him - something Trump is likely looking for in a running mate. He does, however, have good relationships with senators in both parties as perhaps Congress's most influential foreign policy lawmaker

"Pragmatic deal-making isn't the only shared interest that Corker and Trump have: Corker loves the limelight, often holding long media gaggles that bounce from topic to topic. While aides sought to keep his post-Trump availability short, he ended up going for 12 minutes. And he's not huge on manufactured talking points either. He likes to call things as he sees them, all with his trademark Tennessee twang." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bbcec652c9589349b7ce5faffc676bbaec25a3140b80c91dacfa5f2eef4b40fd

ABOUT LAST NIGHT - "TSA security head removed from position" Alicia Caldwell for the AP: "A House committee said Monday that the head of security operations at the Transportation Security Administration has been replaced. 'Kelly Hoggan has been removed from his position as head of security at TSA,' the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform posted on Twitter. Meanwhile, The Associated Press obtained a memo sent by TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger that does not mention Hoggan but names a temporary replacement. ... The oversight committee said Hoggan received more than $90,000 in bonuses over a period from late 2013 to late 2014. About a year later, a report from the Homeland
Security Inspector General's office revealed that agency employees failed to find explosives, weapons and other dangerous items in more than 95 percent of covert tests at multiple U.S. airports." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bbcec652c95893493678175e14a5f3d952efa276d6a9c2effbe727a0afa40c63

SPEAKING OF HEADS ROLLING...

CONSERVATIVES HOST FIRST 'MISCONDUCT' HEARING. The House Judiciary Committee today is bringing in Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and his subcommittee chairman Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) to make the case that IRS Commissioner John Koskinen should be impeached. The key question isn't whether he had anything to do with the IRS's mistreatment of conservative nonprofit applications, which happened well before Koskinen arrived at the agency, but whether he lied to Congress and failed to turn over documents they asked for. An IRS watchdog found that the IRS (namely Koskinen) misinformed Congress when investigators requested Lois Lerner's email, telling them back-up tapes of her messages had
been erased. They hadn't been - and were only a few weeks later after Congress made a huge to-do about them... Republicans think this was intentional destruction of documents. They blame Koskinen, who they say failed to comply with a congressional subpoena.

Koskinen to skip hearing. The tax chief who says he's innocent is skipping the hearing because he wasn't given enough time to prepare for it, the IRS told me in a statement yesterday morning. Now, from a lawyer's standpoint, this is probably a smart move. Technically these Judiciary hearings are just to appease conservatives who want to talk about this matter - they're not actually authentic impeachment hearings, per se, which typically come after Judiciary, not another panel like Oversight, has done a thorough investigation on its own. So, Koskinen must be thinking: Better to hold out while you can. My read with Pro Tax's Katy O'Donnell on his pass:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bbcec652c958934976bed16121ebe7f935be58e5db2a4d07018b7a14e133300d

"IRS wounded long before effort to impeach Koskinen," more from Katy on the political backdrop of today's hearing: "Tuesday's House Judiciary hearing on alleged misconduct by IRS Commissioner John Koskinen - arising from the 2013 nonprofit targeting scandal - is little more than a sop to House conservatives. Impeachment won't go anywhere in the Senate, if it makes it that far. If anything, it obscures Republicans' real gains in their fight against the IRS, waged through budget cuts and new agency restrictions over the last six years. Congress has repeatedly hit the IRS where it hurts - its wallet. The IRS budget has been cut by 17 percent since 2010, even as the agency has been tasked with
implementing new programs mandated by Congress."

"KENNETH STARR, WHO TRIED TO BURY BILL CLINTON, NOW ONLY PRAISES HIM," Amy Chozick for the New York Times: "An unlikely voice recently bemoaned the decline of civility in presidential politics, warned that 'deep anger' was fueling an 'almost radical populism' and sang the praises of former President Bill Clinton - particularly his 'redemptive' years of philanthropic work since leaving the White House. The voice was that of Kenneth W. Starr, the former Whitewater independent counsel, whose Javert-like pursuit of Mr. Clinton in the 1990s helped bring a new intensity to partisan warfare and led to the impeachment of a president for only the second time in the nation's history."

"The presumptive Republican nominee, Donald J. Trump, increasingly seems to be trying to relitigate the scandals that Mr. Starr investigated, dredging up allegations of sexual transgressions by Mr. Clinton to accuse Hillary Clinton - the likely Democratic nominee - of having aided and enabled her husband at the expense of Mr. Clinton's female accusers. But Mr. Starr expressed regret last week that so much of Mr. Clinton's legacy remains viewed through the lens of what Mr. Starr demurely termed 'the unpleasantness.' His remarks seemed almost to absolve Mr. Clinton, if not to exonerate him." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bbcec652c95893493db2822880dcddf53ff43f5eada409b6d8673f9e86906af4


** A message from Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America: America's wine and spirits wholesalers are the key link in the hospitality industry and a major economic engine-our employees and businesses rely on safe, modern and efficient transportation. Congress should continue to protect public safety by supporting programs to address impaired driving, especially driving under the influence of drugs. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38340bef00b162c02bdea8d8474d7a26d8cca74c5038965bd81e664cb5740108 **

BUSY DAY ON THE HILL. It's May 24, 2016, and this is Huddle, you're wrap-up of all things Congress. We've got some exciting news about the future of Huddle (scroll down a bit). Send Heather a note when you read it and introduce yourself: HCaygle@politico.com. I'm here in the meantime: rbade@politico.com, or tweet me here @RachaelMBade

TODAY IN CONGRESS. The House returns at 10 a.m. First votes expected: 2:15-3:15 p.m. Last votes expected: 5:30-6:30 p.m. The Senate is back at 10 a.m.

AROUND THE HILL. At 9:30 a.m., in the Senate studio, Sens. Manchin, Heitkamp, Shaheen, Klobuchar, Baldwin and King discuss opioid abuse. At 10 a.m., Democratic Caucus Chair Becerra and vice chair Crowley hold their weekly press avail. Topic: Zika. Across the street at the RNC, Speaker Ryan, and GOP leaders hold theirs. At 11 a.m. at the House Triangle Reps. Veasey, Beatty and Butterfield will launch a new congressional voting rights caucus.

At the same time, Sens. Gillibrand and Grassley (R-IA) are leading a bipartisan press conference at 11 a.m. to urge the Senate to pass a bill to overhaul the military justice system for sexual assault as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. A birdie tells Huddle they're expecting a vote on the measure that removes the decision-making authority out of the chain of command and into the hands of independent prosecutors.

At 11:30 a.m., House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer is hosting a pen and pad briefing. At 1 p.m. at the House Triangle, Rep. Conyers will talk water infrastructure. At 2:30 p.m., Sen. Nelson hosts a viewing on NOAA drone technology to be used during hurricane season. At 3 p.m. at the House Triangle, Rep. Chris Smith will discuss human rights and President Obama's trip to Vietnam while Reps. Hudson and Butterfield hold briefing with NASCAR team owner Richard Childress to launch the congressional pediatric trauma caucus. At 4 p.m. Reps. Jones and Nolan will speak on a Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United

HUDDLE NEWS: WELCOME ABOARD! My boss, POLITICO Congress editor Mike Zapler, blasted this Huddle development email out our newsroom this morning at 6:25 a.m.: "Heather Caygle, a stalwart on Pro Transportation for the past two years, will bring her reporting and writing chops to the Congress team starting on June 6. She'll take the lead in writing our morning Huddle newsletter from Capitol Hill, and she's already made a great pitch to us about her plans for ensuring that the best daily newsletter about Congress will get even more indispensable under her stewardship."

"Heather has been a standout on the transportation team. She started as the lead writer of Morning Transportation then attacked a beat reporting job with great sourcing and tons of scoops, from the highway bill to the FAA bill, striking fear into the hearts of competitors and at least one agency administrator. Before coming to POLITICO, Heather was a congressional reporter for Bloomberg BNA. She got her start as an intern in the Hearst Washington bureau, where her first assignment - and very first time in the Capitol - was to cover the State of the Union (no pressure). She is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and received her master's degree from American University."

MAYDAY! SANDERS OPPOSES FRAGILE PUERTO RICO DEAL. Now, the major question becomes: Which Democrats will follow his lead? At least a handful of conservatives, including Reps. Dave Brat (R-Va.) and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), told your Huddle author yesterday they're still against the compromise, signaling that Ryan could need as many Democrats as he can get. But if Sanders starts picking them off... ? Nick Timiraos with the read for the Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Sanders and Wall Street bondholders have very different reasons for opposing the legislation, but the episode illustrates the challenge of getting Congress to agree on how to address the island's debt and economic crises. The Obama
administration and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) have engaged in delicate negotiations for the past month on a bill that would allow Puerto Rico to restructure its $70 billion debt load, and they finally settled on a compromise last week."

"Democrats have been pushing for broader latitude for the commonwealth to write down its debts. Unlike municipalities in some U.S. states, public entities in Puerto Rico don't have access to bankruptcy courts because Puerto Rico is not a state. The Treasury Department says without any debt-restructuring ability, Puerto Rico faces larger defaults and a creditor brawl that will make it even harder for the island to escape a recession that has lasted for most of the last decade." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bbcec652c9589349bdd6d5b52eb2bb473812e7eefb22b056b30b6944dc7f648d

STAYIN' PUT: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin is shooting down the chatter in Springfield, Ill., that he might run for governor in 2018. "That is a recurring rumor in Illinois. I'm always running for something. I've got a great job and keeping a great job. no plans to do anything else," Durbin said on Monday.

PAYCHECK: Sen. Rob Portman is dinging Ted Strickland for his comments in a recent POLITICO interview, launching a new web ad that says Strickland "wants a new job. And why does he think he deserves it? Strickland said: 'I probably need the paycheck more." Of course, the ad leaves out the second part of the quote, when Strickland said that Portman is "quite wealthy." Watch the ad here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bbcec652c95893491f3b4528846afd2afecf383f0a9be8cccb6d5d2b0c4727ca

THE 'HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH' IS NOT MCDONALD'S OFFICE. Let's face it: these comments were cringe-worthy. Just, oof. ICYMI: "VA Secretary McDonald compares health-care lines to Disney," Matthew Daly for the AP: "Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald said Monday that the VA should not use wait times as a measure of success, comparing waits for VA health care to the hours people wait for rides at Disney theme parks. 'When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what's important? What's important is, what's your satisfaction with the experience?' McDonald said during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast on Monday. 'And what I would like to move to,
eventually, is that kind of measure.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bbcec652c9589349521d77d2e1a260efb4fee4fd6b6c8ce75ed3a123e6572aee

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER: Anthony Moretti was the first to answer that John Boehner is the former member of Congress who just received the Laetare Medal, Notre Dame's highest honor.

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Comes from our winner: Name the current U.S. Senator who graduated from the University of Southern California. He was born in the Golden State, but he doesn't represent California. Who does he rep? Email me: rbade@politico.com

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Friday's edition of Huddle included Tom Cotton's 2015 race time in a 5k, instead of this year's. "Tom ran the race at 18:35, not 19:12 (last year's time). Improvement of 12 seconds per mile, on pace to break 18:00 next year," writes in a Republican who takes running times quite seriously.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says "Sign Up." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38340bef00b162c088380069074c563c68572b05d7ce47df2ac78c05552298cd


** A message from Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America: While neutral on the issue of legalization, WSWA believes states that legalize marijuana need to ensure appropriate and effective regulations are enacted to protect the public from the dangers associated with the abuse and misuse of marijuana.

23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medicinal marijuana while Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and D.C. have legalized possession and recreational use. In the years since the state legalized medicinal use, Colorado law enforcement officials have documented a significant increase in traffic fatalities in which drivers tested positive for marijuana.

Congress should fully fund Section 4008 of the FAST Act (PL 114-94) in the FY 2017 Appropriations process to document the prevalence of marijuana impaired driving, outline impairment standards and determine driving impairment detection methods. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38340bef00b162c02bdea8d8474d7a26d8cca74c5038965bd81e664cb5740108 **

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