Posted on 03/22/2016 1:31:50 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Washington, D.C. — It was billed as an attempt to win new supporters from the ranks of congressional Republicans. But after Donald Trump convened a handful of lawmakers and a number of party luminaries for lunch on Monday, the sole attendee not already backing Trump’s candidacy emerged as uncommitted as he’d gone in.
Held in D.C.’s high-powered Jones Day law firm, the confab was supposed to be a congressional outreach effort, but only one attendee — Senator Tom Cotton — was neutral on Trump’s candidacy. The others — including Senator Jeff Sessions and Representatives Chris Collins, Scott DesJarlais, Renee Ellmers, Tom Reed, Duncan Hunter, and Tom Marino — have all either endorsed Trump or voted for him in their state’s primary.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint were also on hand for the lunch. But no leadership member from either chamber joined the gathering, suggesting that Trump has yet to make inroads with those in the party’s highest strata.
Lawmakers in attendance, speaking with reporters afterward, emphasized the need for the rest of the congressional GOP to rally around Trump’s candidacy.
“It’s obvious that Mr. Trump will be our nominee,” Collins said. “This was the beginning . . . of a transition to bring the rest of the party in to unite with us against Hillary Clinton.”
“The best way to unify the party is to win, and to win big,” Collins added.
DesJarlais, attempting to snake through the throngs of reporters, said the gathering was geared toward “growing a coalition here for Mr. Trump.” He called the meeting “very interactive” with “dozens” of questions and opinions offered by attendees on everything from foreign policy to the Supreme Court.
Collins, DesJarlais, and Marino were the only lawmakers to descend the front staircase of Jones Day and take questions from reporters. Gingrich, holding hands with his wife, Callista, left from the front entrance, but refused to answer any questions. Off on the sidelines, a representative from #NeverTrump PAC, which is spearheading the anti-Trump movement, handed out red stickers emblazoned with the group’s #NeverTrump logo
The Jones Day meeting comes in advance of Trump’s highly anticipated speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual Policy Conference this evening. The real-estate mogul’s congressional supporters came away from the meeting assuring reporters of his foreign-policy prowess and his support for the Jewish state.
“Mr. Trump is . . . the one person who will stand up to Vladimir Putin, he is the one person who will not kowtow to Raul Castro,” Collins said. “If there’s one person we know is going to keep America safe and strong . . . it’s Donald Trump.”
Ultimately, the meeting garnered Trump no new support from sitting lawmakers — a spokesperson for Cotton said that the Arkansas senator has not yet made an endorsement decision. But it did emerge that the Republican front-runner had earned the backing of former Representative Bob Livingston, the man who was once slated to succeed Gingrich as Speaker of the House until an extramarital affair ended his political career.
Livingston told reporters that although he had voted for a different candidate in his state’s primary — he declined to name names — he was now wholly behind Trump. “The guy’s a bright, charismatic guy, and the American people like him,” Livingston said. “That ought to say enough.”
NY 27 Rep. Chris Collins R 48%
AL Sen. Jeff Sessions R 82%
TN 4 Rep. Scott DesJarlais R 92%
NC 2 Rep. Renee Ellmers R 54%
NY 23 Rep. Tom Reed R 36%
CA 50 Rep. Duncan Hunter R 72%
PA 10 Rep. Tom Marino R 53%
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Trump congressional supporters retired:
LA 1 Rep. Bob Livingston - During debate over the impeachment of Bill Clinton on December 19, 1998.. acknowledged that he had had an affair and withdrew his candidacy for Speaker.
GA 6 Rep. Newt Gingrich ...The day after the election, a Republican caucus ready to rebel against him prompted his resignation of the speakership. He also announced his intended and eventual full departure from the House in January 1999 - Gingrich is allowed to receive holy communion, despite being divorced, because his two earlier marriages were annulled by the Catholic church.
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Repeat recipients of Trump support:
FL 16 Rep. Mark Foley scandal, which broke in late September 2006, centers on soliciting e-mails and sexually suggestive instant messages sent by Mark Foley, a Republican Congressman from Florida, to teenaged boys who had formerly served as congressional pages.
PA Sen. R (1965- 2009) - D (before 1965, 2009-2012) Arlen Spector - 1989-90, Specter cited Scots law to render a verdict of "not proven" on Clinton's impeachment. However, his verdict was recorded as "not guilty" in the Senate records. - Specter voted in favor of the Senate's version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he was one of only three Republicans to break ranks with the party and support the bill, which was favored by President Barack Obama and was unanimously supported by the Democratic senators. As a result of his support, many in the Republican mainstream began calling for his removal from office; Specter was instrumental in ensuring that the act allocated an additional $10 billion to the National Institutes of Health over the next two years. After becoming a Democrat in the Senate, Specter was denied seniority on Senate committees by his Democrat colleagues
The succubus posts. Oh well.
Must feel good pushing for a BROKERED CONVENTION so that Romney (or Jeb or Linda) can be on our ticket in November...
>> “The guy’s a bright, charismatic guy, and the American people like him,” Livingston said. “That ought to say enough.”
Thanks, CW ;)
That ain’t gonna happen.
Donald Trump conducts impromptu job interview during press conference (C-SPAN)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imxz84h550o
You are certainly entitled to your own opinion...and always welcome to give it; but these obviously yellow hit pieces you proffer are tedious. And it is slightly disturbing to me that you offer them as useful information, rather that the snide slander they, in fact, are.
Write what you know; you’re letting others, who demonstrate their penchant for loathsom gossip, speak for you.
If you were to change my mind on my guy, it will not be with this dreck.
“That ain’t gonna happen.”
So you’re saying that her purpose, at this point, is to simply weaken Trump so that the Republicans lose in November?
You know, maybe you’re right and we should dump the guy who has won most of the primaries thus far. We could all get behind the solid conservative who is also extremely, extremely religious and loves to lecture and preach to us at the same time. He hasn’t won very many primaries either, but the American people might take a shine to him by November, so why not give it a shot? Anything’s possible, right?
/s
While the national review would like to play this down, it really was a big deal.
Those people who attended didn’t attend just for themselves. They came bearing questions and demands from the party and and others. Nothing might not have been settled yet, but it looks like Trump is going to get in and Cruz is left whining.
Looks to me like Trump is in.
Hey, do ya think today’s Muslim bombings in Brussels are going to increase support for unrestricted importation of Syrians, or for building the F’ing wall?
NRO.
A screed whose writers’ political analysis has been spectacularly wrong since the winter.
They’re full of blind Trump haters. Facing reality isn’t their strong suit.
CW touts NR
What a appointment :-(
RINO all the way......
TRUMP or secession!
NO GOPee
To deny a hypothesis isn’t to guarantee a particular outcome.
Sorry, it’s late. I’m being lazy... gn
but only one attendee — Senator Tom Cotton — was neutral on Trump’s candidacy.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Its a horse race. 1237 Babey! 1237!
Trump iz in yur head!
Totally agree. The National Review has become a piece of establishment trash. The only way to win is a Trump ticket. And only if the establishment ghouls support him. But the crony capitalist establishment would prefer a Hillary Clinton in the White House.
According to Newt Gingrich, the talks went well. Trump was a good listener and there will be more of these talks.
It has become clearly evident that the only way to disrupt the plans of the globalists (democrats and republicans) and their supporters is to vote Trump.
I’ll let you sleep then...
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