| | |  | BY KYLE CHENEY | With help from Holly Otterbein
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Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio hugs a fellow member during a Proud Boy rally on Sept. 26, 2020, in Portland, Ore. | Nathan Howard/Getty Images | INTO THE FEVER SWAMP — A federal judge noted in February that there’s no evidence former President Donald Trump ever met or plotted with a Proud Boy or an Oath Keeper. But some conspiracies, he added, can be “tacit.” The Jan. 6 select committee’s next hearing is expected to delve deeply into that relationship, exploring all the subtle signaling between Trump’s orbit and the seamy underworld of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers that prosecutors and congressional investigators have been probing. Until now, the select committee has focused its public hearings on the high-level plotting by Trump to seize a second term by deploying an army of loyalist lawyers to promote fringe constitutional theories. On Tuesday, the committee will instead plunge into conspiracy-driven fever swamp, where groups like the Proud Boys flourished and strategized openly ahead of Jan. 6. The hearing is unlikely to produce explicit evidence of Trump’s approval of the groups’ tactics or plans, but the more important concept, according to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), is “convergence.” “Our investigation shows that there was a tremendous convergence of interests between the domestic violent extremist groups and the broader MAGA movement,” Raskin, who will lead next week’s hearing, told Nightly in an interview. “This hearing will be the moment when one sees both the convergence of efforts at a political coup with the insurrectionary mob violence. We see how these two streams of activity become one.” The select committee only recently obtained one of its most potent pieces of evidence on the nexus between Trump and the Jan. 6 violence from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified that Trump was informed early on that members of his rally crowd were armed. Hutchinson also testified that she heard the words “Oath Keepers” and “Proud Boys” when Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani was around. Tuesday’s hearing is of intense interest to the Justice Department, which is preparing to try sprawling seditious conspiracy cases against the leadership of both the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The department already agreed to delay the Proud Boys trial from August until December, citing potential “prejudice” created by the public hearings, as well as the likelihood that the select committee publicly dumps 1,000 witness transcripts into the public domain in September. DOJ has laid out a growing body of evidence that Trump’s words were seen by the group’s leaders as calls to action. Members of the Oath Keepers believed Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act, somehow lending legitimacy to an effort to violently stop the transfer of power. It’s unclear what new evidence the select committee will present. It has already featured elements of the Proud Boys’ involvement during an overview hearing on June 9, including a clip of its February closed-door interview with former Proud Boys national chair Enrique Tarrio, one of the five members of the group charged with seditious conspiracy. The group also interviewed Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, though he primarily pleaded the Fifth during his deposition. Committee members have sought out other current and former members of the groups to provide testimony. It’s unclear if they’ve been successful. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at kcheney@politico.com or on Twitter at @kyledcheney.
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| | DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | — Brittney Griner pleads guilty in Russia drugs trial, Russian media reports: Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling charges at today’s court hearing, according to the reports. They said that, speaking through an interpreter, Griner said she had acted unintentionally because she was packing in haste. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs. — Chauvin gets 21 years for violating Floyd’s civil rights: A federal judge today sentenced Derek Chauvin to 21 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, telling the former Minneapolis police officer that what he did was “simply wrong” and “offensive.” U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sharply criticized Chauvin for his actions on May 25, 2020, when the white officer pinned Floyd to the pavement outside a Minneapolis corner store for more than nine minutes as the Black man lay dying. — Dems’ climate and tax agenda to consume Congress in July: Democrats are taking tangible steps towards a deal on their party’s signature spending bill, expecting the proposal to dominate the rest of July and hoping it could reshape their political fortunes after six months of stasis. Talks between Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are beginning to yield concrete results on a potential climate, tax and prescription drugs package. — White House facing another major immigration decision: At issue is whether to extend Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan immigrants already in the U.S. The administration has until Monday to make its decision, but officials are still torn, juggling the benefits it could have on their political standing in Florida and the potential it brings to worsen the migrant build-up on the U.S. southern border. They’re also considering whether to expand the protections to an estimated 250,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. after TPS was granted in March 2021 and therefore were ineligible. — Secret Service Director James Murray to step down, head to Snap: Murray will retire after serving in the high-ranking post for three years, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden said in a statement today. Murray will begin a new position as chief security officer at Snap Inc., the company that owns Snapchat, at the beginning of August, a company spokesperson said.
| | DISPATCH FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL |
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Pennsylvania candidates for U.S. Senate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz speak. | Keith Srakocic/Matt Rourke/AP Photo | PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE HEATS UP — Nightly editor Marty Kady caught up with Holly Otterbein, POLITICO’s Pennsylvania-based reporter covering the hot Senate race between Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz. Here’s what we discussed over Slack this afternoon: For our Nightly readers tuning in to this race just now, what’s the buzz on the campaign trail — can you give us a flavor of what you’re hearing as you criss-cross Pennsylvania? Both Democrats and Republicans in the state are a little anxious. This is a pivotal race that could determine which party controls the Senate, and things aren’t ideal for either campaign. Fetterman has been off the trail since he had a stroke in mid-May, and while Democrats want him to take the time he needs to recover, they’re also eager for him to get back on the road. Oz, meanwhile, is still suffering the aftershocks of a highly competitive primary. Fetterman said yesterday he’s going to get back out there soon, but what’s his health like after his stroke earlier this spring, and what are you hearing from his campaign? Back in June, Fetterman’s campaign released a letter from his physician saying that “he should be able to campaign and serve in the U.S. Senate without a problem” as long as he follows doctor’s orders. But his stroke was serious enough that he hasn’t held any public events in nearly two months in order to recover. And there are still unanswered questions about his health. It does seem like the team is getting ready to get him back into the mix, though. Earlier this week, a tipster shared with me an invite to a fundraiser with Fetterman in August. The Philadelphia Inquirer got its hands on a similar invitation for a fundraiser later this month. You’ve got a story today on POLITICO’s homepage that shows Oz struggling — what’s the vibe inside his campaign, and are top Republicans worried yet about this seat slipping away if Oz doesn’t right the ship? There is definitely finger-pointing among Republicans in the state over the Senate race, but I wouldn’t say they’re panicking yet. Oz is behind Fetterman in the polls, and they want him to make some changes before it’s too late. The celebrity doctor has high unfavorable ratings after facing tens of millions of dollars’ worth of attack ads in the GOP primary. Some think he should get up on TV ASAP in order to define himself and Fetterman. Others argue he should contribute more to his campaign and be more responsive to the needs of local Republican leaders. If the election were held today … you know the rest of this question. Predictions? And you know I’m going to dodge it! Pennsylvania is a knife’s-edge state politically speaking. Both Biden and Trump won it by fewer than two percentage points. The polls show Fetterman is currently ahead of Oz by anywhere from four to nine percentage points, but even Democrats think the race will tighten in the months ahead.
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| | Magnifying the Innovation Need – July 21 Event : We’re teaming up with MeriTalk for the inaugural MerITocracy 2022: American Innovation Forum, which will feature bipartisan Congressional and agency leaders and technology’s leading edge of thinkers. Join America’s most innovative minds as we look under the magnifying glass to examine some of the largest and most enduring problems around policy and technology. Save your seat by clicking here. | | | | | | | | |
5.3 percent The average 30-year mortgage rate reported by Freddie Mac today, down from 5.7 percent last week. A year ago, the long-term mortgage rate was 2.9 percent. The decrease comes as the Federal Reserve looks likely to again hike interest rates in its ongoing battle to contain inflation. |
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| BOJO AND BIDEN — The so-called special relationship that binds the United States and the United Kingdom has survived wars, Trump and Brexit, writes Nahal Toosi. It will survive the departure of Boris Johnson. It might even improve. And if his no-name-check statement on the matter is any indication, Biden is ready to move on. Johnson’s resignation as the U.K. prime minister today is a jolt to the Washington-London alliance, not to mention the Western partnership backing Ukraine in its war with Russia. The calculating, floppy-haired British leader, a man of enormous ambition, announced that he was quitting after a string of scandals led most of his Conservative Party allies to abandon him, although he’s hoping to stay on as a caretaker prime minister until a replacement is selected. Outwardly, U.S. officials are playing it cool even as the resignation has rattled the U.K. If the clamor surrounding Johnson’s myriad scandals fades and a more solid prime minister emerges, that could work to Washington’s benefit. FOOD FIGHT — A showdown over Ukraine’s trapped grain threatens to overshadow the G-20 foreign ministers’ meetings in Bali this week, write Meredith Lee, Sarah Anne Aarup and Gabriela Galindo. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to mount a pressure campaign on Russia to allow food exports to reach hungry populations across Africa and the Middle East, an effort that’s been complicated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s attendance at the gathering of top diplomats from the world’s leading economies. Western officials are also planning to push back on Moscow’s insistence that Western sanctions are to blame for the growing global food crisis. Moscow denies it’s weaponizing food to pressure other countries to stay silent about the war, but has frequently suggested it will only send food exports to “friendly” countries. The dueling diplomatic campaigns mean the G-20 group is unlikely to issue any unified call to condemn Russia’s role in the food security crisis. But rising tensions could upend already fragile talks to end Russia’s naval blockade of Ukraine’s ports and free more than 20 million tons of grain exports.
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President Joe Biden awards the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona today. Giffords was gravely wounded when she was shot in the head in January 2011 during a constituent event in Tucson. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. | |
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