NRCC Weekly Rundown: Kerry admits Iran deal will fund terrorists, NRCC’s record fundraising, and more!
And here’s the blizzard edition of the Weekly Rundown:
National: Secretary of State John Kerry admitted that sanctions relief under the Iran Deal will result in funding for terrorist groups. This comes as the House prepares to vote on the Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act, which would avoid just that. How will House Democrats vote?
National: The latest revelations from Hillary Clinton’s email scandal revealed that she sent and received emails containing information classified above top secret on her personal server. This comes as national Democrats have begun fretting on the effect down ballot if socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders is nominated, and as polling shows that having Clinton at the top of the ballot will hurt Democrats running for Congress.
National: Democrats continued to try to hide their candidates from voters, as they scheduled yet another weekend debate. The NRCC highlighted their debate between a socialist and two candidates currently involved in criminal investigations.
National: The NRCC ended the last month of 2015 with its best cash on hand and best revenue figures of any off-year December. The committee raised $8.6 million in December, and heading into 2016, had $30.1 million in the bank — some $9 million more than at the same point in the midterm cycle.
CA-07: Rep. Ami Bera continues to face opposition from local Democrats over his votes in support of the TPP and halting acceptance of refugees from Syria and Iraq. Bera is in danger of not receiving his own party’s endorsement.
CO-06: Morgan Carroll opted against resigning her seat in the state legislature, showing how little confidence she has in her chances against Rep. Mike Coffman in November.
FL-26/ME-02: The NRCC highlighted Annette Taddeo’s and Emily Cain’s support of Obama’s Iran nuclear deal, which Secretary John Kerry admitted would fund terrorists.
IL-10: Sen. Dick Durbin announced his support for Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering in the Democrat primary. Rotering will fight it out in what will likely be an expensive, bloody primary against Nancy Pelosi and the DCCC’s choice, former Rep. Brad Schneider.
NE-02: Rep. Brad Ashford said this week that he didn’t know how embracing President Obama, who lost Ashford’s district by 7 points in 2012, would affect he reelection chances. The NRCC offered our opinion on the matter. (Spoiler: It’s not good for Ashford)
NY-03: An NRCC field memo underscored the difficulty Democrats will have in trying to retain retiring Rep. Steve Israel’s Long Island seat. A poll of the district released this week showed Republicans with a 4-point lead on the generic ballot question.
VA-10: The NRCC welcomed Washington, D.C. Ritz-Carlton resident LuAnn Bennett to her new home in Virginia by sending her a gift basket of items to help make her transition easier, including a map of the state, a “Virginia is for Lovers” t-shirt, and a Metro SmarTrip card to help ease her new commute.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Comstock Statement On Virginia ISIS Arrests
Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (VA-10) released the following statement after media reports surfaced that Joseph Hassan Farrokh from the Woodbridge area was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS. “Our federal law enforcement and national security agencies are working day and night to keep us safe from a radical Islamic threat that is constant. These latest arrests within the Commonwealth demonstrate the threat is real and we need our intelligence capabilities to be agile and vigilant. Just last year then-17-year old Ali Shukri Amin from Manassas was arrested and pled guilty for helping another teenager travel to Syria and providing other aid to ISIS. I commend the federal agents and our intelligence professionals who are operating in this difficult threat environment on a job well done.” READ
Jeff Denham: Boundaries of executive branch igonored
Throughout Barack Obama’s presidency, our nation has seen the boundaries of the executive branch disregarded over and over again. We have seen a President exert power that goes beyond the intentions of our Founding Fathers; power that ignores the natural system of checks and balances established in the beginnings of our government. READ
David G. Valadao: Bridging partisan lines
When I was elected to Congress, I promised my constituents I would do everything in my power to represent their best interest in Washington and that I would work with everyone, regardless of which political party they belonged to. While there is still much work to be done, this past year, members of Congress dedicated to truly doing what’s best for their constituents were able to accomplish several items on our national to-do list. READ
Davis: Future Supreme Court ruling beyond issue of immigration
Davis added the court’s upcoming ruling is something that goes beyond the issue of immigration. “It’s the issue of the constitutionality of the president utilizing executive actions, rather than trying to work, as the constitution states – the same constitution that he used to teach in law school, has not changed,” said Davis. “And we need to make sure that the legislative branch has an active role, and an active voice, in setting public policy.” READ