OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Graham suggests Olympic boycott over Snowden

by Jeremy Herb - 07/16/13 10:44 PM ET

“There’s many things we can do, but I think the experience
of canceling the Olympics the last time around wasn’t very good,” said Sen.
John McCain (R-Ariz.), a close ally of Graham’s.

He called instead for expanding the number of people covered
by legislation sanctioning Russian human rights abusers and reversing Obama’s
plans to scrap a missile-defense shield in Eastern Europe.

{mosads}Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)
said that he didn’t want to get into possible U.S. responses should Snowden
receive asylum, which he said would be a “direct affront” to the United States.

“Snowden still has access to very sensitive information, and
so our national security is at risk as well,” Menendez said. “If a country
gives him asylum, then we have to look at our relationship at that country in a
whole new way.”

The U.S. and Soviet Union both boycotted the Olympics in the
1980s during the Cold War.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that
Obama had no plans to boycott an upcoming trip to Russia in September.

“This should not be something that causes long-term problems
for U.S.-Russia relations,” Carney said.

Gillibrand sexual assault
bill gains support: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) proposal to make
major changes to the military’s judicial code picked up three new
Senate supporters Tuesday.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the most noteworthy new backer,
as he joined Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to give the bill support from conservative
Tea Party Republicans.

Cruz backed Gillibrand’s proposal in committee last month.

“I see no reason why conservatives shouldn’t support this,”
Paul said at a Tuesday press conference. “The only thing I think standing in
the way is just sort of the status quo.”

Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) also joined the bill Tuesday, and
newly sworn-in Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) was added as a co-sponsor. Markey
supported the House version of the bill.

Gillibrand’s bill, which would remove the decision to
prosecute serious felony cases from the chain of command, now has 35
co-sponsors.

But the measure is opposed by military leaders, as well as
senior leaders on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including Chairman Carl
Levin (D-Mich.).

Gillibrand plans to bring her bill to the floor as an
amendment to the Defense authorization bill.

Rules Committee takes
up Defense appropriations: The Defense Appropriations bill is going before
the Rules Committee on Wednesday, where House Republicans might restrict the
amendments that will get votes on the House floor.

The panel already indicated it could limit the number of
amendments to the bill, which is being done out of concern for amendments on
the National Security Agency, Syria and Egypt.

The bill has been considered under an open rule in recent
years under which any amendment can be considered.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) vowed this week to bring forward
amendments to defund the NSA’s Internet and phone surveillance activities. He
submitted two similar
amendments
to the bill to restrict funding on the programs, according to the list posted on the Rules
Committee website.

Amash was also a co-sponsor of two amendments from Rep. Thomas
Massie (R-Ky.) to prevent military funds being used in Syria
or Egypt
without approval from Congress first.

Defense
appropriations amendments by the numbers: In all, there were 151 amendments
submitted to the Defense appropriations bill. A number of them could be exactly
what House GOP leaders are hoping to avoid having votes on. Here’s the
breakdown:

• Eight amendments involved restricting funds to Syria
without congressional action or limiting military action and boots on the
ground. Three were bipartisan amendments, two were Republican and one was
Democratic.

• Three amendments, all Republican, dealt with Egypt. They
included one to restrict U.S. military involvement and two that placed limits
on providing U.S. military equipment to Egypt.

• Amash’s two National Security Agency amendments appear to be the only ones that
deal with the NSA’s surveillance programs. They are both co-sponsored by Reps. John
Conyers (D-Mich.), Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Massie.