Subject: POLITICO Huddle, presented by the National Collegiate Athletic Association: EXCLUSIVE DETAILS ON GOP’S BENGHAZI REPORT – Dems call for new Zika talks – CORNYN SAYS NO TO ‘TEXIT’ – Thune dismisses VP chatter
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2016 05:55:49 -0600

06/28/2016 07:53 AM EDT

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

With assistance from Seung Min Kim

GOP BENGHAZI REPORT COMING THIS A.M. - Later this morning House Republicans will release their long-awaited, 800-page report on just what they think went wrong four years ago in Benghazi, leaving four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, dead. The report doesn't focus explicitly on then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, instead highlighting multiple failures across multiple agencies that Republicans say resulted in the attacks. 

Rachael reports that two of the panel's conservative members, Reps. Jim Jordan and Mike Pompeo, think the GOP report doesn't put enough blame on Clinton and will be releasing their own investigative wrap up today. 

The report does take aim at Clinton's use of a private email server while at State and criticized the administration's "shameful" stonewalling of the Benghazi investigation. 

What's accomplished in the end? "Their findings are unlikely to change the political narratives surrounding the attack. Republicans will surely use it to redouble their attacks on Clinton's leadership while Democrats, who released a rebuttal Monday, continue to dismiss the whole process as a political charade," Rachael writes. Much, much more on the meat of the report: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3ccaef86803674c1f45220df08a1b080aa610d1092e53076a0a9 

Other highlights: Accusations of stonewalling across the administration: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca20cbfbb1a5952ba21c759e14ad9d7e79a7cf6b02148f0ea6 Clinton's former chief of staff had undue influence over internal State review, GOP says: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca0947981ea031c052df105d376ab4e2d7fce52339071a1ec9 Weapons trafficking questions unanswered: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3ccae6956ecb73b8698b5ad5dd1902b90946ba978779ea848454 

Democrats clear Clinton- House Democrats were out with their own report on the attacks Monday, clearing Clinton of responsibility for any security lapses that led to the Americans' deaths. The Democrats' report chides the GOP for spending $7 million on the investigation and castigates Rep. Trey Gowdy, committee chairman, for the way he treated Clinton. 

Bres and Rachael: "For Democrats and Clinton, the political stakes over Benghazi are huge. Clinton is focusing her campaign on competence and experience, and any congressional finding that undermines her on that front is bound to impact her presidential run." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca4192c4771ba84607ac929f644d5b73dfafaa938963453c59

SENATE ZIKA VOTE TODAY-Senate Democrats are expected to reject the Zika funding bill today, setting Congress up for an "epic failure" to provide aid that could come back to bite Republicans in the fall, write Burgess Everett and Jennifer Haberkorn. "In 2014, Republicans blasted the Obama administration and Democrats' response to Ebola, contributing to a public perception in the midterm election of feckless Democratic rule. Republicans gained control of the Senate that year - but now find their playbook is being used against them." 

This could be it: "Republicans say there will be no do-over: Once the bill fails on Tuesday, the Senate will not revisit Zika funding, Cornyn said. They say Democrats got what they wanted and won't take yes for the answer." Read it: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3ccac39eb64f0f2c7e3c909a0f927e40ea918ba4eeba0b0c050c 

New this morning: Senate Democratic leaders are out with a letter calling for new negotiations over the Zika package. "In the interest of moving ahead as quickly as possible on a sufficiently and appropriately funded Zika response to support women and children, we are writing to urge your cooperation in quickly negotiating an agreement that rejects politicizing disaster response with extreme and unnecessary partisan priorities," Senate Democrats write in a letter this morning to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan. 

CORNYN: THUMBS DOWN TO 'TEXIT' -- On the heels of the last week's successful Brexit vote, there's been lots of speculation about whether Texas -- much like Britain -- will mount its own secession movement (appropriately dubbed "Texit"). Well, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas is pretty sure the "Texit" fire won't catch on. "Well, I would say it's been going on since 1845 when Texas was annexed to the United States," Cornyn told Huddle of the secession talk. "I don't take it seriously."

As for Ted Cruz, the junior senator from Texas? He just laughed at our question, and responded: "Just call our press office about that." As of press time this morning, no answer.

GOOD MORNING, IT'S TUESDAY, June 28. Good morning and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate gavels in at 10 a.m. with a procedural vote related to the Zika funding bill at 11 a.m. The House comes in for a 5 p.m. pro forma session. 

AROUND THE HILL- At 10 a.m. GOP members of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, led by Rep. Trey Gowdy, hold a press conference on their report in HVC Studio A in the Capitol. The Senate holds its weekly caucus lunches from 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

** 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. **

GOING RIGHT UP TO THE LINE-The Senate is on track to vote on final passage of the Puerto Rice debt bill this week, but just one day before the territory is set to default on a $2 million payment due July 1. Seung Min and Colin Wilhelm explain: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell "filed cloture on the House-passed measure Monday evening, which would set up a procedural vote as early as Wednesday morning. If the measure gets the 60 votes needed to advance, the Senate would be on track to send the bill on Thursday to President Barack Obama for his signature."

What Democrats are saying: "'I think it will pass because it's the only game in town,' said Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, whose state has seen an influx of Puerto Ricans fleeing the financially beleaguered island." 

But not everyone is on board yet and Democrats have made clear it's up to Republicans to round up the votes necessary for passage. In a Monday night letter, Sen. Bob Menendez said he would push for amendments related to the makeup of the oversight board that will help guide the nation out of financial ruin. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca8f596df6d7d05dd32ece20bf51451ac70e45af73446e7ee2 

DEMS FACE ETHICS QUESTIONS OVER SIT-IN- A right-leaning watchdog group has filed an ethics complaint over Democrats' using last week's House occupation to raise campaign dollars. USA Today: "The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, a conservative-leaning ethics watchdog group, filed a complaint with the House Office of Congressional Ethics on Monday arguing that lawmakers violated ethics rules by fundraising around specific legislation and by using House resources for political purposes." Full story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca8f09b6d1958265da65bd3af213c2f372381cd07fe7a91f74 

SANCHEZ SKIPS SIT-IN FOR SPAIN- Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who's vying for California's open Senate seat, missed the House Democrats' historic sit-in last week, deciding instead to stay in Spain after a trade trip wrapped up. The L.A. Times: "Sanchez's staff initially said that the Santa Ana Democrat missed the sit-in because she was returning from a trade mission to Ourense, a city in northwestern Spain. While Sanchez participated in a trade mission this month, the trip ended June 17. The sit-in took place from midday Wednesday mid-day to midday Thursday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3ccad0eee023658657ed1c607c4ed72b72ca5ba8c602ddfdc008 

THUNE DISMISSES VP CHATTER- Sen. John Thune-No. 3 in Republican leadership-says he hasn't heard anything from Team Trump, dismissing water-cooler chatter about a possible Trump-Thune ticket, reports NBC's Kelly O'Donnell. But would he answer the phone if approached by the campaign? "'Well, I think you always take the call.' ...To do otherwise, said Thune, 'would be rude, you know. In South Dakota, we're not rude.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca9b91e31d0a40e12371df060a4ae9f45d85a7cd3c7e065e75 

TWEET DU JOUR- Erica Werner @ericawerner: "No. I've got to mow my lawn." -Sen Flake on whether he's attending GOP convention.

TROLLED BY DOLE-Speaking of Twitter, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention one of its newest users, former GOP Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. The one-time presidential candidate wasted no time engaging in one of Twitter's favorite pastimes, trolling, by taking a swipe at Rep. Tim Huelskamp, who has Dole's old House seat, and skirting the social media site's character limits in the meantime. Without mentioning Huelskamp by name, Dole said the current congressman should "focus on the issues rather than misleading attacks on his primary opponent." Check it: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca748d2c2f7c03ecb240967855223d2d4963c808e25e4821d5 

Related: Huelskamp blames former House Speaker John Boehner for kicking him off of the House Ag Committee, and promises to return, as his race heats up: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca2ab3ad0ec9eb78bd05e464b1385349abeb3b028afef68347 

BROWN TELLS WARREN TO TAKE DNA TEST-Well, just when you thought this election couldn't hit a new low, here's this: "Former Sen. Scott Brown on Monday stepped into the attack dog role for Donald Trump, saying his former Senate opponent Elizabeth Warren should 'take a DNA test' if she wants to prove her Native American heritage." CNN: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca51593c482be8707bb18512727d21a8e3813e5db3e711a8d5 

THE POWER OF ONE - The Senate can be a frustrating place if you want to actually get things done because just a single senator, with the lift of his or her finger, can block action. Cases in point: Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden is holding up an FBI surveillance bill he says goes too far (Reuters: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3ccaf6bcf1406741ee40129e58fa0c14a97ba91d544483fa193c while, across the aisle, GOP Sen. Richard Shelby continues his one-man effort to prevent the Ex-Im Bank from operating (New York Times: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=310309d9fd3b3cca1e54e89cecda63373d376186aefc761582dfeaf0e9d4b71f 

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Phillip Bianchi and Grant Dubler bother emailed at the same time to say that Matthew Lyon was the first sitting lawmaker sentenced to prison in 1798 for violating the Alien and Sedition Acts. 

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Grant brings us today's question: In honor of LGBT Pride Month, who was the first openly LGBT candidate to run successfully for public office in the United States, for what position did he or she run, and in what year? The first person to correctly answer will get a mention in the next day's Huddle. E-mail [email-masked].

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

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