The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Cheney’s political future as chief Trump critic

by Cate Martel - 08/17/22 12:36 PM ET

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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

Donald Trump says you can’t sit with us, so you’re out:

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) unsurprisingly lost her primary on Tuesday to Trump-backed candidate, attorney Harriet Hageman, after becoming a leading Republican Trump critic and serving on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Watch Cheney’s remarks after the polls closed

Watch Hageman’s victory speech

WHAT’S NEXT FOR CHENEY?:
In an interview with NBC’s “Today” on Wednesday, Cheney said she is “thinking about” running for president.

The full quote: “That’s a decision that I’m going to make in the coming months, and I’m not going to make any announcements here this morning. But it is something that I am thinking about, and I’ll make a decision in the coming months.”

CHENEY’S LOSS IS MUCH MORE SYMBOLIC THAN JUST A HOUSE REPUBLICAN LOSING HER SEAT:
The Hill’s Max Greenwood has a helpful list of takeaways:

1. “Trump’s grip on GOP as strong as ever.”

2. “Pro-impeachment Republicans are dwindling.” Only two (!) of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump survived their primaries.

3. “There are limits to the anti-Trump GOP strategy.”

4. “Cheney may be bruised, but she’s undaunted.”

5. “Focus shifts to Trump’s general election appeal.”

Short explanations for each

TIDBIT RIGHT AFTER CHENEY LOST:
Business Insider’s Sinéad Baker and Dave Levinthal report that “Liz Cheney converted her House campaign-finance committee to a leadership PAC hours after losing her primary, filing shows.” Details

IT’S WEDNESDAY. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

🗳 On the campaign trail

It wasn’t a bloodbath for all incumbents:

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is projected to advance to the general election for her Senate seat.

Why I said ‘advance’ instead of ‘won’: In Alaska, the top four finishers in the primary — regardless of party — advance to the general election.

Keep in mind: Former President Trump endorsed a challenger to Murkowski. That challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, also advanced to the general election. But Murkowski is expected to perform better in a general election.

🍊 In Mar-a-Lago

Trump claims he declassified everything he took from the White House. Legally, can that be true?:

U.S. presidents have the power to declassify a wide range of documents, but The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch spoke with legal experts who explained that there are limits to what a president can take — and there would be a trail of documents to do so.

Plus: “The broad power also likely wouldn’t permit Trump to store tranches of presidential records in his post-presidential home.”

Ah, that is interesting — from Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors, a nonprofit law firm specializing in national security law,: “When you declassify a document, it’s declassified everywhere. The CIA’s copy is declassified, the NSA’s copy is declassified, the National Security Council’s copy is declassified … And so when you declassify a document, even with a wave of your hand, you have to say that to someone, so that they mark it or propagate a memo out to people that this document is now declassified.”

More on the legal implications of Trump’s defense that he declassified the docs

🐘 In the GOP

No one should doubt Trump’s hold on the Republican Party:

Via The Hill’s Brett Samuels, “The conservative outcry over the FBI’s search of formerPresident Trump’s estate in Florida has seemingly cemented Trump’s grip on the GOP electorate.”

How so?: “Both allies and Republicans less inclined to back a new run for the White House by the former president believe the outcry over the search effectively blunts any path for a challenger to run to the right of Trump. Would-be rivals in a 2024 primary, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), have fallen in line to back Trump and attack the FBI.”

Couldn’t Trump face legal ramifications for taking documents from the White House?: Yes, it’s still possible. “But in the short term, those close to Trump believe the search and subsequent outcry make it even likelier he will be the Republican nominee in 2024.”

What this FBI search has meant for Republicans — and for Trump

Mike Pence said he’d consider testifying in the Jan. 6 investigation:

Former Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday morning that he would consider speaking with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In what context did Pence say this?: Speaking at an event at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.

In Pence’s words: “If there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it. But you’ve heard me mention the Constitution a few times this morning. Under the Constitution, we have three co-equal branches of government. Any invitation to be directed to me, I would have to reflect on the unique role I was serving in as vice president.”

ANOTHER TIDBIT:
Former Vice President Pence condemned attacks on the FBI following the search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

Pence said during the same event in New Hampshire: “I also want to remind my fellow Republicans we can hold the attorney general accountable for the decision that he made without attacking the rank and file law enforcement personnel at the FBI.”

🎃 Getting traction

There are no rules anymore:

The return of pumpkin spice season is upon us.

Today: Dunkin’ rolled out its fall menu on Wednesday.

What about Starbucks?: Starbucks hasn’t announced when its pumpkin drinks will return.

🦠 Latest with COVID

➤ THE COVID-19 NUMBERS

Cases to date: 92.8 million

Death toll: 1,032,560

Current hospitalizations: 32,805

Shots administered: 606 million

Fully vaccinated: 67.3 percent of Americans

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets

Tbh, this is also me on a hammock:

CBS News tweeted a video of a family of bears attempting to sit on a hammock. Watch

⏱On tap

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Delaware. Vice President Harris is in Hawaii.

📺What to watch

1:30 p.m.: State Department spokesperson Ned Price holds a press briefing. Livestream

All times Eastern.

🍨 In lighter news

Today is National Vanilla Custard Day.

News you can use:

There’s a new Girl Scout Cookie on the block. It looks just like the Thin Mint but is filled with a raspberry cookie instead of mint.

When it will be available: Jan. – April 2023. Details from ABC7

Here’s a review of the new cookie, from USA Today

And because you read this far, here’s a dog who is definitely not dramatic.