Subject: POLITICO Huddle : CRUZ’S SECRET GOLDMAN BOOST — Think Tank Ryan pitches legislative agenda — again — GOP HEADS TO BALTIMORE — ’13 Hours’ reignites ‘stand-down’ debate — RYAN CRACKS WHIP ON VOTE TIME — McConnell dishes on Obama — WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WARREN?
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2016 07:46:15 -0600

01/14/2016 08:44 AM EDT

By Rachael Bade ([email-masked] or @RachaelMBade)

SIREN! "Ted Cruz Didn't Disclose Loan From Goldman Sachs for His First Senate Campaign." Leading the New York Times page A1 today, by Mike McIntire: "As Ted Cruz tells it, the story of how he financed his upstart campaign for the United States Senate four years ago is an endearing example of loyalty and shared sacrifice between a married couple. 'Sweetheart, I'd like us to liquidate our entire net worth, liquid net worth, and put it into the campaign,' he says he told his wife, Heidi, who readily agreed. But the couple's decision to pump more than $1 million into Mr. Cruz's successful Tea Party-darling Senate bid in Texas was made easier by a large loan from Goldman Sachs, where Mrs. Cruz
 works. That loan was not disclosed in campaign finance reports." 

"Those reports show that in the critical weeks before the May 2012 Republican primary, Mr. Cruz - currently a leading contender for his party's presidential nomination - put 'personal funds' totaling $960,000 into his Senate campaign. Two months later, shortly before a scheduled runoff election, he added more, bringing the total to $1.2 million - 'which is all we had saved,' as Mr. Cruz described it in an interview with The New York Times several years ago."

"A review of personal financial disclosures that Mr. Cruz filed later with the Senate does not find a liquidation of assets that would have accounted for all the money he spent on his campaign. What it does show, however, is that in the first half of 2012, Ted and Heidi Cruz obtained the low-interest loan from Goldman Sachs, as well as another one from Citibank. The loans totaled as much as $750,000 and eventually increased to a maximum of $1 million before being paid down later that year. There is no explanation of their purpose." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a282cad888cec4a7387eebe2db971c5dcd6a29dcc3347784517b 

THINK THANK RYAN - "How Paul Ryan is quietly shaping the presidential race." The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis interviews the new Speaker, reporting from the retreat in Baltimore: "All Republican eyes will be on South Carolina Thursday evening, where their presidential candidates will gather for the latest debate. But the more momentous GOP gathering may be here, 500 miles north in a waterfront hotel, where lawmakers will start plowing their own distinct path through this unpredictable year. Those are the marching orders of Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who has used his 11 weeks as House speaker to clarify that he and the Republicans he leads won't be wilting in the shadows as the presidential
 race dominates 2016. Quite the opposite: With the race for the nomination deeply unsettled, Ryan has moved to claim a central role in shaping the 2016 Republican agenda and promoting a high-minded vision for his party - one that is now threatened by the populist bombast of Donald Trump and other presidential candidates."

"Ryan has used just about every venue available to float his agenda - from the usual newspaper op-eds and a beefy schedule of television appearances to a Library of Congress address and a campaign forum on poverty that drew six of the GOP presidential hopefuls to South Carolina last week. For a self-styled 'ideas man,' the ideas the new speaker has promoted since claiming the speakership have tended toward the general than the specific, including tax , health care, and welfare reform." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a28295041778489efc7bad08a778d779f857e5e5761d1dc570d2 

--"Congressional Republicans Begin Annual Retreat to Define Their Agenda." Jennifer Steinhauer for the N.Y. Times: "The signal was visible on Wednesday afternoon, when Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader, was spotted strolling through the Capitol in a pair of jeans. Republicans have begun their annual retreat... which runs Thursday and Friday in Baltimore... The House and Senate begin in some disagreement. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, fresh off the aggressive recruitment effort that led to his ascendance, wants his members to come up with a bold policy agenda for 2016, while Mr. McConnell wants to focus on victories that remain possible in a divided
 government." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a2829ddcecd0a4cb0a026ff3bb71ef9fd9f60cc6b9047d2119d2 

 -- What Freedom Wants. The House Freedom Caucus is also rolling out its hopes and dreams for the year, per Lauren French: "[T]he group decamped to another retreat in Baltimore on Wednesday, determined to keep the heat on GOP leaders and push the conference further right... [T]hey intend to keep a close watch in 2016 on whether Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) follows through on his promise... delegating more power to committees.... wants to see welfare reform passed via ... reconciliation. It's pushing for a health care alternative to Obamacare and a vote on that plan... is agitating for tax reform legislation, too." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a282b37d72c6bfe578bcdfa82a84e56e9eb53d7354ab6386d045 

DEBATE DAY - IT'S THURSDAY, JAN. 14, 2016. Thanks for reading Huddle, where it's all quiet on the Hill front, with members skipping over to Baltimore and the nation turning attention to South Carolina's Thursday night GOP debate. But I'm around: [email-masked], or Tweet: @RachaelMBade. 

TODAY IN CONGRESS: Both chambers are out for the GOP Baltimore retreat. 

PREMIERING TODAY: '13 HOURS' REIGNITES 'STAND DOWN' DEBATE. Allegations of a 'stand down' order are popping once more as the creators of this new Hollywood blockbuster - written in part by the five surviving members of the CIA team that defended the compound that night- reassert their claim that they were held back that night. This sort of thing, of course, drives Democrats (and more than a few CIA-friendly Republicans) bonkers because there's been zero evidence of this, pitting lower-level contractors and heroes on the ground with upper -level CIA chiefs. 

He-said, she-said. I called one of them to talk, then ran their comments by some Democrats on the Benghazi panel: "There is no sensationalism in that: We were told to 'stand down," said former Special Forces Officer Kris Paronto, one of the CIA contractors who fought that night. "Those words were used verbatim - 100 percent." Compare that with this: "If the film portrays them as having ordered a stand-down, it's clearly at odds with the facts," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), whose district includes Hollywood and who sits on the committee. "It may make for good entertainment; it doesn't make for a well-informed public." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a28260209425177583fdbb418e5a523f0982475b43e0d6c389ab

RYAN CRACKS THE WHIP ON MEMBERS, VOTE TIME. The Speaker on Wednesday closed the Iran sanction bill vote after just 297 members had voted. The rest were trickling in late, a no-no for Ryan. Dan Newhauser for National Journal: "[I]nstead of holding the floor open for members who were running behind, House leaders closed the vote and moved on to the next bill. Speaker Paul Ryan is notoriously punctual, and has been warning members that when a vote is called, they should hustle to the cham&shy;ber. That's not much of a surprise from someone who told reporters in November that he is "really weird about time management and punctuality." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a2828e61d569854d60e6eaacee6fd6017ba4b512897f6faeb590

--They'll get a do-over-this time, that is. WSJ: "When it was clear that a significant number of lawmakers from both parties were upset to have missed the vote, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) asked to vacate it. Because no one objected to Mr. McCarthy's request, the House agreed by unanimous consent to consider the vote 'null' and re-do it the week of Jan. 25." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a2822a9e8433abdb61c60278d4716a6bdc753971a592bb744e8a 

MITCH: OBAMA'S 'A LITTLE PREACHY.' Olivier Knox, Yahoo! chief Washington correspondent, has the readout on the Majority Leader's take on Obama's final State of the Union - and the president in twilight, himself: "Reflecting on nearly eight years of negotiations with Obama, McConnell also described him as 'a very smart guy' but 'a little preachy,' and said their 'bourbon summit' never got past the planning stage. McConnell, in an exclusive interview with Yahoo News on Sirius XM, predicted action in Congress this year to battle the alarming national heroin epidemic and foresaw progress on overhauling America's criminal justice system - two priorities Obama cited in what may be his last speech
 to a joint session of Congress. The Kentucky Republican also criticized the president's record on the economy and put in a plug for his state's signature liquor, bourbon." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a2822969cffc509e0787270d69d81ad5bb9d32ded05aa675edbc 

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WARREN (ON 2016)? Your guess is as good as just about anyone's. And with Sanders gaining ground on Hillary in the polls, right before the early, key states cast the first votes, people, it seems, are growing antsy about where she'll come down. Gabriel Debenedetti and Burgess Everett with the read: "Democrats in Washington and New Hampshire - especially the ones supporting Hillary Clinton - want Elizabeth Warren to end the wait and endorse a candidate soon. But most of them are too nervous to say it publicly for fear of getting on the wrong side of the liberal hero and fundraising juggernaut."

"The Massachusetts senator's political plans have been the subject of behind-closed-door discussion among Democratic senators, but her colleagues - almost all of whom are backing the former secretary of state, and none of whom are behind the Vermonter - have almost universally decided to keep concerns about her hold-out private. They worry that too much chatter about it will dissuade Warren from making a move, and just as important, no one wants to alienate the figurehead of the party's energetic progressive wing." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a282fe33891e4308ab9d976f5e663c93fd209f441a47295a4229 

"THE UPSIDE AND DOWNSIDE OF ELECTION 2016 FOR CONGRESS." The plus is also the minus: Lack of deadline drama. Kristina Peterson explains for the Wall Street Journal: "Lawmakers scrambled at the end of 2015 to clear the decks for a quiet election year, passing legislation to fund the government through September and effectively raise the debt ceiling through mid-March 2017. That's good news for party leaders who want to avoid partisan standoffs ahead of the presidential and congressional elections in November. Thirty-four Senate seats and all House seats are up for election. The downside is that Congress doesn't do much serious work without a deadline, and the lack of big legislative packages
 will make it hard for rank-and-file lawmakers to get lower-profile bills signed into law...."

"The absence of must-pass bills could complicate efforts to resolve some thorny debates, including how to address Puerto Rico's debt crisis...Last year, for instance, lawmakers struggled to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank-despite bipartisan support in each chamber. The bank's charter expired in July, but wasn't revived until December." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=44ec37c81bc6a28262aa8bd4777a804e06fde4abdad6958d847e491eef158de8

OFF TO RUBIO-LAND. We saw a pair of announcements yesterday (h/t Burgess) of legislative aides ditching the Hill for the campaign trail. Kristine Michalson, Sen. Dan Coats' coms director on the Joint Economic Committee, will become the director of press advance for Marco Rubio for President, "where you will find me in a variety of excellent states asking venues if they have Wi-Fi for the incoming media," she writes. "Please direct future press inquiries or comments about IU basketball to Communications Director Matt Lahr at [email-masked]," she continues. Micah Johnson in Sen. Bob Corker's press office is also hitting the road to be a regional spokeswoman Rubio's campaign. 

More transitions: Per a release forwarded to Huddle yesterday: "Edelman today announced that Cheyenne Hopkins, a former reporter at Bloomberg, is joining Edelman's Washington, D.C. office as a vice president in the firm's Financial Communications practice. She will advise clients on financial regulatory issues as well as media relations, investor relations and communications surrounding mergers and acquisitions."

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER. Jon Dueser was the first to answer that Senator Grassley treats himself with Dairy Queen after running a "Full Grassley" (we're also told by former staff that he carries Dairy Queen coupons in his pocket). I know, I know - it was an easy one. 

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Which comes from our winner and follows the Iowa theme: Attending the state fair and visiting the booth of the famous Butter Cow Lady is a political rite of passage. In 2015, what legendary board game was the subject of one of her sculptures? Email [email-masked]. 

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