Subject: POLITICO Huddle, presented by the National Collegiate Athletic Association: WHITE HOUSE REBUFFS BENGHAZI QUESTIONS – Mum’s the word for McConnell – STUMP FOR TRUMP? EH, NOT SO MUCH – High times on Capitol Hill
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2016 05:31:04 -0600

06/27/2016 07:28 AM EDT

By Heather Caygle ([email-masked] or @heatherscope)

WHITE HOUSE REBUFFS GOWDY ON BENGHAZI- The White House and the House Select Committee on Benghazi are at a standoff over whether President Obama should answer questions about the deadly terrorist attack. Rachael Bade with the scoop: "Neil Eggleston, counsel to the president, blasted the committee for sending the president a list of questions about the attack - an inquiry the administration deemed inappropriate and a partisan attempt to frame the White House as uncooperative."

"Eggleston has encouraged Obama not to answer the committee's questions 'because of the implications of his response on the constitutional separation of powers,' according to a letter sent Saturday to Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and obtained by POLITICO." 

Shots fired: "It's no surprise President Obama would rather take questions from Derek Jeter than answer questions for the American people about the Benghazi terrorist attacks," said committee spokesman Jamal Ware, referring to Obama's chat a few days ago with the former New York Yankee. Don't miss it: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=81fa443377c795274866e02f9314e58ea59c01bdfec8faf70f6cdd3057f7574c 

MUM'S THE WORD FOR MCCONNELL-Your Huddle host has lost count of how many times in recent weeks Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has dodged or outright refused to answer questions about Donald Trump, the latest coming Sunday. McConnell wouldn't directly answer an ABC query about whether Trump was qualified to be president, saying he'd leave that up to the voters to decide. 

More from Elena Schneider: "McConnell added that he doesn't believe Trump can win the presidency with so little money in the bank. ...'I hope he won't have that kind of money deficit come fall,' McConnell said. 'There's a lot of work to be done to turn the campaign in a different direction. And one of those obvious flaws at the moment is cash on hand. He needs to catch up and catch up fast.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544ebfd95bda719e53ee32abd57e1324937326ea477f14341125 

IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? The GOP convention is less than a month away but organizers are having a hard time finding prominent (or even no-name) party members to stump for Trump. Alex Isenstadt with the story, fresh this morning: "House members often have to scrap to get national attention - and eagerly take whatever they can get. But taking the podium in Cleveland? No thanks. ... Many of the party's most prominent pols say they're flat-out uninterested - and that Trump should look elsewhere." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e47f7ee41de1ebc95484653be94fe92587c4ab7065734f569 

VICE PRESIDENT RUBIO AIN'T HAPPENING-For all those who thought there might be a chance Sen. Marco Rubio runs for VP on a Trump ticket (who are you people anyway??), the Florida senator cleared that right up: "The differences in policies that me and Donald have had are too big for something like that to work. It would be a distraction, quite frankly, to his campaign," he said Sunday on CBS. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544eece4dfb78cc3a0d325b7b8b13d6b4254f1222b265a94b79c 

But Rubio is facing a Trump-esque opponent in his Senate race. The Washington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e34403ff5d18ba68ad9f5582a974d902eb9f1d599b91ce3b9 

Related read- Another term in the Senate may not be Rubio's magic ticket to the White House, at least if history is any guide. POLITICO Magazine: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e92b1f93230442e16d3056dda66542f4367c084ba7ef0c47a 

MAKING MOVES THIS MONDAY, June 27. Good morning and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, where we're hoping this week is just a smidgen less crazy than the last. 

TODAY IN CONGRESS- The Senate gavels in at 3 p.m. with one roll call vote to confirm a district judge at 5:30 p.m. The House is dark until July 5.

AROUND THE HILL- I've got nothing for y'all.

** A message from the National Collegiate Athletic Association: In the last five years, the lives of college athletes have changed for the better, in some cases dramatically. But we've still got work to do. Find out what our member schools are doing to advance academics, fairness and well-being and the NCAA's commitment to this critical mission at NCAA.org/opportunity. **

NO REST FOR THE (RECESS) WEARY-The House chamber may be dark for the next week but House Democrats don't want to let the momentum ginned up from their gun control sit-in abate in the meantime. "The organizers of the daylong 'sit-in' protest, which effectively shut down the House earlier this week, are urging Democrats to participate in a 'national day of action' on June 29. The events across the country are intended to highlight the lack of House action to address what they call the 'epidemic of gun violence.'" 

"The effort suggests that while House Democrats' occupation of the chamber floor is over, their push for expanded background checks and prohibitions on firearm sales to suspected terrorists is not." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e7e490722202d41a38bf242cce5e1d623924b7aba292b9395 

Rep. John Larson, one of the leaders of the sit-in, said he wishes the DCCC hadn't used the occupation as a fundraising tool. The Hartford Courant: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e70e520f6c33f32d7e7fd5b05237e7dfb8ae30233284ed526 

A group of moderate House Republicans and Democrats on Friday introduced a companion bill to Sen. Susan Collins' gun control compromise. Roll Call: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544eac1d122e33ac1223087be8d693820c7b9a159d1372a8e3b0 

ON TAP THIS WEEK-With the House gone until after Independence Day, the Senate is trying to cross a couple of things off the to-do list before hitting the road. Morning Consult: "The Senate is slated to address Puerto Rico's debt crisis and funding for the Zika virus this coming week. But partisan gridlock could make it difficult to knock out both measures before lawmakers go home for a July Fourth long weekend. Zika, in particular, is not expected to advance." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544eeaf323dc7bd209331096fce3daed72fabc0c07b3ea03f20b 

Senate Democrats are calling to amend the Puerto Rico bill, even if that pushes finishing the measure past the territory's July 1 default deadline. Colin Wilhelm: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544ebe14d63923976864e0c85b0c61fca6ac3e715c202b7ceae2 

INBOX FLOOD-The Supreme Court is set to issue its first major abortion ruling today since 2007 so expect a flood of congressional reaction to land in your inbox shortly after. Reuters: "The court's decision on whether a Republican-backed 2013 Texas law placed an undue burden on women exercising their constitutional right to abortion is one of three remaining cases for the court to decide on Monday, the last day of its term. ...The last time the justices decided a major abortion case was nine years ago when they ruled 5-4 to uphold a federal law banning a late-term abortion procedure." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e0e4f1b80186cf772d1414f493761ecd3853d15926fc1fbf1 

TRUMP FUELS DEMOCRATS' SLIM HOUSE HOPES- "Party operatives increasingly believe that Trump's unpopularity could create a wave that would endanger Republicans' 30-seat edge in the House." Theodoric Meyer with the story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e366f1d1e6ed4a5ef7c02ca3bccf7e17d929a269813adb933 

HIGH TIMES ON CAPITOL HILL-- Things are getting mellow, real mellow man, on the Hill. Ben Weyl and Matthew Nussbaum with this dispatch: "Don't break out the bong just yet, but Congress is quietly chipping away at the federal ban on marijuana. It's not happening with a sweeping national law, but through modest provisions slipped into spending bills in recent weeks." Read it: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544eebb6fdc8c9333def7d055e0bcf2fdfd9cd5d4fac3ea13083 

BUCHANAN OFF THE HOOK-The House Ethics Committee has wrapped a years-long investigation into Rep. Vern Buchanan, concluding the Florida Republican has done nothing wrong after looking into claims of illegal campaign donations from employees of Buchanan's car dealerships. Bres: "Friday's announcement is a highly unusual one for Ethics as it was not publicly known that Buchanan was still under investigation by the panel, and there was no requirement that a report or statement clearing him be issued." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e7bd6095bda74ddd25e7e2988752f9463268882710e9ce1a2 

ATTACK DOG AUDITION-Sen. Tim Kaine, reportedly on Hillary Clinton's shortlist for VP, is already trying to show what a good foil he could be to Donald Trump. "This is a guy who will always put himself first. So of course he's going to interpret it about, 'Here's why I've done well,'" Kaine said on NBC's "Meet the Press" when asked about Trump's response to Brexit. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544eb4ae2603865407a556c91eca83581162e5f4c23b4381516a 

Vice President Vanilla? "I am boring. But boring is the fastest-growing demographic in this country," Kaine said. Roll Call: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e899828cedf575623b5a0245485a95746d7efea4b95661be9 

DUCKWORTH CASE SETTLED- Rep. Tammy Duckworth might have one less thing to worry about as she heads into her face-off with Sen. Mark Kirk in the fall: "A potentially politically embarrassing civil lawsuit against Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth, alleging workplace retaliation during her time as head of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, was settled Friday for $26,000 from the state, with no finding of wrongdoing." The Chicago Tribune: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544e1e6a4654af810afa53a987aa5d467a7aa22daede20d0d666 

ARRIVAL LOUNGE-House Speaker Paul Ryan has appointed Thomas Hungar, former deputy solicitor general of the United States, as general counsel for the House. Ryan also appointed Ernest Ballou, Jr. as the House's legislative counsel. 

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Eli Schechner was the first to answer that the Senate's two remaining bathtubs were uncovered in 1936. 

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Eli brings us today's trivia: Last week, Dennis Hastert began serving his 15-month sentence and Rep. Chaka Fattah resigned from Congress before his sentencing in October. Who was the first sitting member of Congress to be sentenced to imprisonment, when, and on what charge? The first person to send me the right answer gets a shout out tomorrow. Email me: [email-masked] 

HELP ME HELP YOU -- Know any hot gossip, scoops, tips or transitions happening on the Hill? Send 'em my way: [email-masked] 

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5793e5cb5ac1544eb88b5f936b351b62977bae10fb80db4eca9fc378af1b3d4d

** A message from the National Collegiate Athletic Association: Done right, college sports provide extraordinary benefits to college athletes that last a lifetime. And in the last five years, the lives of college athletes have changed for the better, in some cases dramatically. More college athletes are graduating from college than ever before. But we've still got work to do. That's why we're making sure all college athletes have a fair shot at taking advantage of the opportunities that lay ahead on and off the field. Find out what our more than 1,100 member schools across all three divisions are doing to advance academics, fairness and well-being and the NCAA's commitment to this critical
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