Congress grapples with guns — Nadler lays out potential impeachment timeline — McConnell's campaign in hot water for tweet Presented by

GUN GRIDLOCK -- President Donald Trump directed Congress to come up with “real bipartisan solutions” in response to a pair of horrific mass shootings over the weekend — but, unsurprisingly, Democrats and Republicans have vastly different views on what that might look like. And the president himself offered a conflicting vision on Monday, initially calling for tougher background checks tied with immigration reform but then outlining a string of vague proposals that instead focus more on mental health and so-called red flag laws. Here’s what both parties are weighing in the wake of the deadly massacres:

SOME DEMOCRATS, hoping to seize on the momentum for gun control, are pushing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to cut the House’s recess short so they can take up bills like an assault weapons ban. But Democratic leadership and others argued that coming back to Capitol Hill would muddle their own message — that they've already done their work and now it's on the Senate to act.


"The President and Mitch McConnell have to feel the public sentiment on this. We have a golden opportunity to save lives," Pelosi told Democrats on a Monday conference call. Pelosi did, however, promise to come back to Washington if the Senate passed an amended version of the House’s background checks bill (which McConnell has shown no willingness to do.) And she also said that several committees will hold hearings on gun violence and domestic terrorism. The dispatch from Heather, Laura and Sarah: https://politi.co/2YMbfP5 .

THE GOP, meanwhile, got some serious cover from Trump in the gun control debate. Most Republicans were relieved that the president seemed to abandon his earlier calls for tougher background checks, which is anathema to the GOP, and instead called for implementing so-called red flags — a far more modest proposal that allows local law enforcement officials to temporarily seize guns from people who may pose a risk to themselves or others.

Now, Republicans are quickly mobilizing to affirm Trump’s stance, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) vowing to introduce legislation encouraging more states to adopt red flag laws and McConnell directing his committee chairmen to “reflect on the subjects the president raised.” Your Huddle host, Marianne and Sarah have more: https://politi.co/33evPen .

WHAT ELSE? … Trump and his aides are exploring executive action on guns, reports Gabby Orr, as a way to circumvent Congress. And the president is expected to visit El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio in the wake of the shootings there — but not everyone will embrace Trump with open arms. "From my perspective, he is not welcome here. He should not come here while we are in mourning," Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes nearly all of El Paso, told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "I would encourage the president's staff members to have him do a little self-reflection. I would encourage them to show him his own words and his actions at the rallies."

Related reads: “Republicans Fear ‘Extinction in the Suburbs’ Over Gun Control,” by Bloomberg’s Sahil Kapur: https://bloom.bg/2KhhTJ5 ; and “Gun safety theatrics could come to Congress during Tuesday pro forma sessions,” from Roll Call’s Niels Lesniewski and Lindsey McPherson: http://bit.ly/2YxRi3m ; and “For these members of Congress, the gun debate is personal,” by WaPo’s Rhonda Colvin: https://wapo.st/2yFYquX .

GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, August 6, where you thought the “Bachelor/Bachelorette” references would finally end, but alas: “Bachelor in Paradise” season is now upon us.

MONDAY’S MOST CLICKED: Roll Call’s report on how Sen. Richard Shelby hasn’t raised any money for his reelection campaign was by far the big winner.

IMPEACHMENT WATCH -- House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said that his panel could recommend articles of impeachment by late fall, offering the most specific timeline to date for when Democrats could move to oust Trump from office if that’s the route they decide to take. “If we decide to report articles of impeachment, we could get to that late in the fall, in the latter part of the year,” Nadler said on MSNBC. “I think that we will probably get court decisions by the end of October, maybe shortly thereafter. We’ll have hearings in September and October with people we don’t — witnesses who are not dependent on the court proceedings,”

But, as Kyle notes, that timeline is incredibly ambitious “for a committee that has so far been nearly totally stymied in its effort to force Mueller's central witnesses to provide information to Congress.” As you’ll recall, McGahn and other key aides have refused to testify about the events they discussed with Mueller, and the Judiciary Committee still hasn’t even gone to court to enforce its subpoena for McGahn's testimony. Much more: https://politi.co/2yIh0CM .

Related: “Judge signals interest in removing Mueller report redactions,” via Darren Samuelsohn: https://politi.co/2ZCLqC2 .

SOCIAL MEDIA MITCH -- McConnell’s campaign is under fire for tweeting out a photo of satirical tombstones that included the name of his Democratic opponent Amy McGrath, hours after the deadly El Paso shooting. McConnell has leaned into the “grim reaper” nickname, taking pride in the fact that his Senate has become a legislative graveyard for the progressive policies passed by the Democratic-controlled House. So his campaign tweeted out a picture over the weekend of signs shaped like tombstones that said “R.I.P. Socialism”, “R.I.P Amy McGrath, November 3rd, 2020” and “R.I.P. Alison Lundergan Grimes, November 4th, 2014,” referring to his last Democratic challenger.

McGrath, however, said the picture was completely inappropriate after the mass shootings and called the tombstones “symptomatic of what is wrong with our system.” “Hours after the El Paso shooting, Mitch McConnell proudly tweeted this photo,” she tweeted. “I find it so troubling that our politics have become so nasty and personal that the Senate Majority Leader thinks it's appropriate to use imagery of the death of a political opponent (me) as messaging.” Matthew Choi with more: https://politi.co/2Ks1osx .

Related: “AOC rips McConnell over pic of young men in ‘Team Mitch’ shirts ‘groping & choking’ cutout of her,” via The New York Post’s Chris Perez: https://nyp.st/2YJfhrr .

HELLO, HUNTER -- Indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has officially drawn a GOP primary challenger, which comes as some Republicans fear they need a backup plan in case Hunter gets convicted of campaign finance violations after his trial next month. Former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio announced his candidacy on Monday, though he focused more on attacking Democrats than Hunter. “Fight to take back the state of California from one-party control that has been pursuing a socialist agenda,” DeMaio said. He warned that “if Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez get their way, our entire country will be like California.”

There is widespread concern in the party that Duncan, who faced a tough reelection battle in the general election last fall, could be in serious trouble next year, which has set off a scramble for his seat. And DeMaio’s campaign is already bracing for the possibility of other Republicans getting into the race, including former Rep. Darrell Issa, who retired last year after representing an adjacent House seat. Jeremy B. White with the story: https://politi.co/2OJhxzh .

RAND RECOVERING -- Both of Kentucky’s senators are on the mend. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he underwent surgery over the weekend to remove a portion of his lung, which was damaged in 2017 when he was assaulted by his neighbor. Paul also traveled to Canada earlier this year to treat a hernia related to the attack. “Unfortunately, I will have to limit my August activities. Part of my lung damaged by the 2017 assault had to be removed by surgery this weekend,” he wrote on Twitter. “The doctors, nurses, & staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were great. I should be able to return to the Senate in September.”

McConnell, meanwhile, is also at home recovering after he tripped on his patio and fractured his shoulder. But the majority leader is recovering and working from home, his office said. Caitlin Oprysko with the latest: https://politi.co/2YLZ8Wf .

SAYOC SENTENCED … “Cesar Sayoc, Who Mailed Pipe Bombs to Trump Critics, Is Sentenced to 20 Years,” via the NYT’s Benjamin Weiser and Ali Watkins: https://nyti.ms/2OEgccT .





TRANSITIONS

Elizabeth Ahrens is leaving Rep. Lucy McBath's (D-Ga.) office to run operations and scheduling for MJ Hegar.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House and Senate are out.

AROUND THE HILL

Tumbleweeds.

TRIVIA

MONDAYS WINNER: Gordon Gray was the first person to correctly guess that Dwight Eisenhower was the first POTUS to fly in a helicopter.

TODAY’S QUESTION: From Gordon: Six Secretaries of State later became President. How many of them were serving as Secretary of State when they were elected, and who were they? First person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: [email protected] .

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Follow us on Twitter Melanie Zanona @MZanona