The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Everyone’s bracing for word on Trump’s classified documents case

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

TALK OF THE MORNING  

Political world waits for word on Trump investigation:

Democrats and Republicans are generally on the same page in remaining silent while bracing for word on whether former President Trump will be indicted over his handling of classified documents after leaving office. 

Trump’s attorneys met with Justice Department officials earlier this week, including special counsel Jack Smith, to discuss the status of an investigation. A Florida grand jury is reportedly reconvening this week after a hiatus. 

“I suspect it’s near,” former Attorney General Bill Barr said Tuesday on “CBS Mornings.” “I’ve said for a while that I think this is the most dangerous legal risk facing the former president. And if I had to bet, I would bet that it’s near.” 

The Justice Department and a Trump spokesperson declined to comment on whether any announcement about the case is imminent. 

But Washington is watching closely for Smith’s next move, particularly after that meeting with Trump’s legal team. 

“There’s no purpose in having a meeting if the DOJ has already decided no charges. If they’ve already decided ‘no charges, we’re just going to write up a report’ then no meeting is necessary — no point to it,” said Tim Parlatore, who was part of Trump’s legal team on the Mar-a-Lago team until he left due to internal dynamics in May. 

Parlatore, who has argued Trump should not be charged in connection with the matter, told The Hill he puts the odds that the DOJ will bring charges at 50-50, because “I am under no false impression that they only charge people when they should.”

PLAYING DEFENSE: 

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and offered various explanations, including that there was nothing improper about him taking the documents and that he could unilaterally declassify them without going through normal channels. 

He’s also pushed the notion that he’s being targeted because he’s running for president again. 

“It’s all about ELECTION INTERFERENCE. They don’t want to run against me,” Trump wrote Tuesday. “I ran twice, I did much better the second time, getting millions and millions more votes than the first, a record for a sitting President, and am leading Biden in the polls, by a lot. They are the Party of Disinformation! They are using the DOJ & FBI against me to Rigg the 2024 Election.” 

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a staunch Trump ally, recently sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland seeking more information about Smith’s investigation. 

DEMS DISMISS PARTISAN CLAIMS:

“Law enforcement should be allowed to do its job. It is, frankly, outrageous that you have Chairman Jordan trying to interfere in an ongoing federal investigation,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said Tuesday. “And by the way, the Department of Justice is just going to ignore it.” 

More from The Hill. 

It’s Wednesday, June 7. I’m Elizabeth Crisp, filling in for Cate with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up.  

It’s a special time on Capitol Hill, as college officials and, more importantly, key sports figures are in town hobnobbing with lawmakers. Don’t be surprised to see NCAA football coaches Nick Saban (Alabama), Brian Kelly (LSU) or Hugh Freeze (Auburn) popping into and out of Capitol offices.  

Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Send me your tips, add me to your media list, share your funny animal videos and pass along your White House or 2024 campaign gossip: ecrisp@digital-staging.thehill.com and follow me on Twitter @elizabethcrisp. 

In Congress 

House GOP hopes to get bills moving after conservative revolt:

Second time’s the charm?: House GOP leaders are weighing whether to hold another vote later today to try again to advance legislation after a shocking conservative revolt blocked bills from moving to the floor Tuesday. 

It is still possible that leaders will pull the vote if the conservative impasse does not break this afternoon, though.  

Asked this morning if the House would try again today, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said: “I don’t know, we’ll find out.” (The Hill) 

House Republicans push DC resident voting restrictions:

The House Administration Committee and House Oversight Committee are holding a joint hearing today on an effort to change how D.C. residents vote — legislation dubbed the “American Confidence in Elections Act.” 

Those set to testify during the hearing include D.C. Board of Elections executive director Monica Holman Evans and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who was a top official in the Trump administration and is publicly backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s 2024 presidential campaign. Cuccinelli has drawn attention for his anti-immigration and anti-LGBT positions, among other hard right efforts. 

▪️ Opponents of the measure, including Mayor Muriel Bowser,have called it a strike against D.C. home rule. The proposal would mandate voter ID, put new restrictions on drop boxes and mail-in ballots and prohibit same-day voter registration — all conservative priorities, despite the city being overwhelmingly Democratic and without voting representation in Congress.  

▪️ The new GOP House majority is pushing the D.C.-targeted legislation as a conservative alternative to the “For the People Act” that Congress was unable to pass when Democrats led both chambers. It’s also seen as a potential model for conservative states to follow.  

But, but, but: Keep in mind, the Republican-led effort is unlikely to gain consideration in the Democrat-controlled Senate or with President Biden. 

🙋 In the White House 

Biden’s fall fuels GOP questions about his age:

President Biden’s tumble onstage at the Air Force Academy graduation last week has added to lingering questions about the president’s age and fragility, and it’s putting the White House in an increasingly tough spot. 

Biden’s supporters argue that the 80-year-old POTUS remains physically and mentally up to the job, but a number of high-profile Republicans have warned that a vote for Biden in 2024 would be a vote for Vice President Harris to take over. 

Biden would be 86 years old by the end of a second term. 

The White House has pushed back by focusing on Biden’s record in office, even as it faces increased questions after incidents like the graduation ceremony fall. 

“Things happen,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday. “Other presidents have had similar situations…This is a president that delivers and will continue to deliver for the American people, and that’s what he cares about.” (The Hill) 

🏃 2024 

RFK Jr.’s candidacy puts Dems on edge: 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s profile is rising amid his 2024 Democratic primary bid against President Biden, and that has some Democrats nervous as they hope to keep the White House out of the GOP’s hands. 

Kennedy, the heir to the political dynasty, has been generating media attention after better-than-expected polling. Aside from his famous family, he’s known primarily as an anti-vaccine proponent. 

▪️ It’s not that Kennedy realistically has a chance at winning the presidency: Democrats are concerned that, rather than the president sailing smoothly through the primary as allies had hoped, his team will have to walk a fine line to keep the base together when things head to the main event on Nov. 5, 2024. 

“Democrats would be foolish to mock or belittle RFK Jr. Every time we make fun of those who hold fringe positions, we lose,” said Michael Ceraso, a Democratic strategist and former campaign aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Democratic Party acting smug never works.” 

▪️ 2016 redux? “Take RFK seriously, Biden,” Ceraso said. “If you don’t, we can create a stronger Republican Party that beats us in 2024. Like Bernie did in 2016, RFK has the potential to activate fringe anger if we mock them.” 

The Hill’s Hanna Trudo has more. 

MORE ON THE 2024 FRONT:  

• Who the heck is Doug Burgum? The low-profile North Dakota governor is taking on an increasingly crowded 2024 GOP presidential race. (The Hill) 
• Former Vice President Mike Pence released a video Wednesday, formally launching his campaign on a pitch for “new leadership” as the GOP field continues to grow. (The Hill) 
• With focus on beating former President Trump, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie goes after Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner‘s “grift.” (The Hill) 

📺 In other news

Licht’s out: Embattled CNN boss leaving network: 

CNN CEO Chris Licht will leave the network after a series of controversies, capped offed by a scathing 15,000-word profile in The Atlantic over the weekend, that reportedly have hampered morale. 

The news was announced to staffers on the network’s morning editorial call, a source told The Hill, just before CNN announced the move on-air during the CNN News Central morning show. (The Hill) 

Wildfires lead to air warnings across the US:

Canadian wildfires have left dangerous smoke blanketing D.C. and other parts of the U.S., prompting air quality and health warnings.  

The Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern parts of the U.S., the areas hardest hit, have reported air quality categorized as “unhealthy,” according to airnow.gov. 

The situation’s so bad that 10 school districts in New York have canceled outdoor activities. (The Hill) 

🐥 Notable tweets 

Fired from Fox, Tucker still has fans in Congress: 

Tucker Carlson‘s new bare-bones Twitter-based show, which he launched after being booted from Fox News earlier this year, opened Tuesday night to mixed reviews — mostly along party lines. 

But you can definitely count Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) among the fans of the new show. All three tweeted about the first 10-minute installment of the streaming program. 

• “Looking forward to Ep. 2!” Massie tweeted alongside a photo of himself watching the show in his Congressional office. 
• “This is great and he’s just getting started,” Greene tweeted. 
•  “Tucker Returns!” Gaetz tweeted.  

🛸 The truth is out there… ~cue up X-Files theme song~: 

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) says she’s “very happy” to take the lead, along with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), on the House Oversight investigation into UFOs, after Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) assigned them the task. (Tweet) 

⏱ On tap 

The House and Senate came in at 10 a.m. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in D.C. 

• 10 a.m.: President Biden received the Presidential Daily Briefing.  
• 10 a.m.: The House Administration Committee and House Oversight Committee are holding a joint hearing on an effort to change how D.C. residents vote — legislation dubbed the “American Confidence in Elections Act.”  
• 12:15 p.m.: Biden and Vice President Harris are having lunch at the White House. 
• 1 p.m.: Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. 
• 2 p.m.: House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on border enforcement. 

Full schedule of today’s committee hearings. 

All times Eastern. 

🍫🍨 In lighter news 

Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!It’s been well documented that President Biden’s favorite ice cream is chocolate chip. Well, today celebrates my favorite – classic chocolate ice cream. Grab a pint or cone and enjoy! There are plenty of places locally to indulge.

And because you made it this far, check out this video of a sweet orangutan that just wanted to see the baby!