Trump appeal to be heard after Thanksgiving in fight over Jan. 6 documents

Meadows to defy subpoena for his Capitol Attack testimony

The Jan. 6 probe is slowed by a lawsuit from Donald Trump. One of his top aides is refusing to testify as well. And the SALTY reception continues for part of the House reconciliation bill. This is “Regular Order” for November 12, 2021.

TRUMP DOCUMENTS. President Trump has won a temporary reprieve in his effort to block a special House committee from getting access to documents from his time in the White House, which might shed light on how he dealt with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The documents were to have been turned over to Congress today by the National Archives.

• D.C. CIRCUIT. A three-judge panel will hear arguments on the matter on November 30. Trump argues that he should be able to declare executive privilege and restrict these documents. President Biden says the National Archives should turn over the information to Congress.

• CAPITOL ATTACK. The arguments before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals at the end of this month might not be the last stop for this case - as it could still reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

• TICK TOCK. This court battle and other legal fights over subpoenas just mean more delays for the special House Jan. 6 committee. Republicans hope they can take charge of the House in the 2022 midterms, and end this panel’s work soon after.

MEADOWS. While Trump fights in court, his former White House Chief of Staff is refusing to comply with a subpoena for his testimony about the Capitol Attack. Mark Meadows was supposed to show up today to answer questions. His lawyer told the Jan. 6 panel that Meadows feels 'duty bound' to ignore the subpoena.

• COMMITTEE. In a letter to the lawyer for Meadows on Thursday, Jan. 6 panel chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) threatened the possibility of finding Meadows in contempt of Congress - as was done with former Trump aide Steve Bannon. But that move hasn't forced Bannon to turn over documents or testify.

• REFUSAL. We have now seen multiple examples of witnesses refusing to testify, along with the legal effort by Donald Trump to block documents from going to the special House committee. Your comments are welcome on what conclusion you draw from those actions.

GOSAR. As a group of Democrats officially introduce a censure resolution today against Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), House Republicans for the most part remain silent about the Arizona GOP lawmaker - keeping quiet about Gosar's video which simulated him attacking and killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

• GOP. "A party with leaders like Kevin McCarthy, that cannot stand up to the insanity from people like Greene, Gaetz, Gosar, etc., is going to have a hard time standing up to countries like China," said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) has also criticized McCarthy for saying nothing in public about Gosar.

MANCHIN MARKER. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Thursday singled out another provision of a sweeping tax and social spending bill that he does not support, registering his public opposition to a $4,500 tax break for U.S. electric vehicles made by union labor.

• TAX BREAK. Manchin's note came as he spoke at an event held by Toyota in West Virginia, where the automaker is investing $240 million. The Senator amplified his opposition to the tax credit with comments to Automotive News on Thursday. "This is wrong. This can't happen," Manchin said.

• ELECTRIC VEHICLES. Democrats already want to provide tax breaks for people buying electric vehicles - this provision would provide an even bigger tax break if they’re made by certain companies in the U.S. which use union labor (GM, Ford, and Chrysler).

SALT. There were more slings and arrows for a provision in the reconciliation bill to increase the cap on the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes. The Tax Policy Center was the latest outside group to label it a tax break for the rich. "Despite what its promoters say, raising the cap to $80,000 would provide almost no benefit for middle-income households," the group wrote in a new report.

• CURRENT LAW. Under a change from the 2017 Trump tax law, taxpayers cannot deduct more than $10,000 a year in state and local income or property taxes. This provision would raise the cap to $80,000 a year.

• SALTY. If you are paying $80,000 a year in state and local taxes - not *making* $80,000 a year in income, but *paying* $80,000 a year just in state and local taxes - that means you’re probably not in the middle class. That’s my weekly column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

BRAUN-FEC. Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) is locked in a battle with the Federal Election Commission over how he funded some of his bid for the U.S. Senate. FEC investigators allege that Braun accepted over $8.5 million in 'prohibited loans and lines of credit,' saying there was no guarantee the money would be repaid by Braun.

• REBUTTAL. Braun's lawyers disputed the FEC assertion that the loans 'did not appear to be made in the ordinary course of business,' saying the FEC was not applying election laws correctly to the Indiana Republican. The Braun campaign blamed a former treasurer for the troubles.

• MORE. There is also a dispute over the source of $1.5 million in money accessed by Braun. The Senator's campaign says it was money owed to the candidate by his company, Meyer Distributing. But the FEC says the "$1,500,000 appears to be from a prohibited source."

CODELS. This is not only a week for lawmakers to be back home with their constituents, but it's also a time for official overseas trips. The shorthand for them on Capitol Hill is 'CODEL' - which stands for Congressional delegation.

• DETAILS. Often the trips go unannounced for security reasons, but the window of social media now allows us to find out about them. That was the case when the Prime Minister of Israel tweeted out of a photo of himself with a delegation of U.S. lawmakers.

  

• ISRAEL. In Jerusalem were Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), and Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ).

CHRISTMAS LIST. If you need an extra gift idea for the holidays, I have an easy option - and it won’t get stuck on a ship or lost in the mail (like my check to the plumber). Give someone the straight news from Capitol Hill with ‘Regular Order.’

MUSE OF HISTORY. November 12, 1918. The day after the Armistice ended fighting in World War I, Senators expressed relief on Capitol Hill. "In this hour of joy at the cessation of bloodshed, the triumph of liberty, all fair-minded men should be ready to concede that the diplomacy of President Wilson, criticized by some during the past 60 days, has really saved the world from 12 months more of war and sacrifice," said Sen. Hoke Smith of Georgia. Meanwhile, Sen. Park Trammel of Florida introduced a bill to give all officers and enlisted personnel a month of paid furlough before being discharged from the U.S. military.

LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House has no votes until November 15.

The Senate next has votes on November 15.

President Biden’s daily schedule link.

Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree. Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com