Dems could vote on impeachment before Christmas Presented by

THE IMPEACHMENT WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS — It looks like all House Democrats want for Christmas is ... impeachment. While Democratic leaders refuse to commit to a timeline for impeachment, there have been several signs in recent days that the caucus is moving quickly to wrap up their probe and could vote on articles of impeachment before the end of the year. Let's explore …

—The first round of public hearings will start as early as next week, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) signaled in a letter to the GOP that they don’t plan to haul in every witness that they deposed. (Speaking of witnesses … Republicans have until Saturday to submit their desired witnesses, and the whistleblower is at the top of their list , reports Kyle.)

—House investigators are moving on without securing the testimony of John Bolton, per Andrew. While the former national security adviser would have been a big get for Democrats — and he could have had serious sway with the right — Democrats aren’t interested in waiting around for a court battle to play out and feel like they have enough evidence without Bolton.

—House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has warned Democrats that they may need to stay in Washington longer than scheduled in December, so they can work on a government funding bill. But that could also give them more time to vote on articles of impeachment just before the holidays. While that timeline is ambitious, it’s certainly within the realm of possibility, reports CNN. More from Manu Raju and Jeremy Herb: https://cnn.it/2oX6hTD .

Related reads: “Congressional Watchdog Reviewing Hold on Ukraine Aid,” via WSJ’s Andrew Duehren: https://on.wsj.com/2WWq3eL ; and “GOP senators request records related to Hunter Biden influence at Obama State Dept.,” from Alex Swoyer and Jeff Murdock of the Washington Times: http://bit.ly/2NuGGen .

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KENT OUT OF SHAPE — George Kent, a top U.S. diplomat, told impeachment investigators he was deeply alarmed by Rudy Giuliani’s role in shaping Ukraine policy and the “campaign of lies” that took down a longtime ambassador, according to his transcript that was released yesterday. Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, will become one of the first impeachment witnesses to testify publicly next Wednesday.

Other takeaways: Kent testified that Gordon Sondland relayed that Trump “wanted nothing less than President Zelensky to go to microphone [sic] and say investigations, Biden, and Clinton.” … Republican Sens. Jim Inhofe, Rob Portman and Mitch McConnell called Trump and asked him about the hold on military aid to Ukraine just before the hold was lifted, according to Kent … And Kent once raised concerns about Hunter Biden's role on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. The latest from Nahal Toosi, Andrew and Natasha: https://politi.co/32uK1hA .

Related: “Pence aide said Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine was political and not a normal diplomatic call,” by CNN’s Rene Marsh, Lauren Fox and Manu Raju: https://cnn.it/33rzCEU ; and “House committees subpoena Mick Mulvaney,” from Alayna Treene of Axios: http://bit.ly/2Q5oYQp .

MUST READ — Are there any Republicans who will betray Trump on impeachment? Tim Alberta explores: "The administration, working in concert with its allies on Capitol Hill, has been hard at work identifying potential turncoats in the party and monitoring their activities to catch any sign of slippage. Believing that a unified party-line vote is needed in the House to prevent any narrative of Republicans abandoning Trump when action moves to the Senate, the president's allies are determined to stay one step ahead of any lawmaker who might be going soft, gaming out scenarios for who could desert and why.

"It amounts to a preemptive game of political whodunit, with Trump's enforcers seeking to solve a mystery of political betrayal before it occurs. Naturally, there is no bigger fan of this game than the president himself." The dispatch for POLITICO Magazine: https://politi.co/33xnkus .

Related: “Pat Toomey vowed to be an ‘independent voice.’ Trump’s impeachment could raise the stakes,” via Jonathan Tamari of the Philadelphia Inquirer: http://bit.ly/2pRHqkw .

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., speaks during a news conference with other Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

HAPPY FRIDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this November 8, where your host thinks it’s cute that Rep. Matt Gaetz believes reporters eat “kale and quinoa” (guess he hasn’t seen our post-stakeout vending machine dinners?)

THURSDAY’S MOST CLICKED: The Daily Beast’s report on how a House GOP lawyer tried to out the whistleblower during a closed-door deposition was the big winner.

READY FOR A JAM SESSIONS — Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions has officially jumped into the race for his old Senate seat in Alabama, joining a crowded field of GOP candidates who are vying to take on vulnerable Democrat Sen. Doug Jones. But before he wins back the voters of Alabama, Sessions has someone else he needs to woo: Trump. The president has privately and publicly trashed Sessions over the years, having never forgiven him for recusing himself from the Russia probe, and has power to make or break his Senate bid.

Sessions is keenly aware of that reality. So he tasked Trump political lieutenants Bill Stepien and Justin Clark to take the temperature of the White House to see how the president would respond to a bid. And White House senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was also involved in back-channel conversations with the Sessions team, report James Arkin, Alex Isenstadt and Marianne. The story: https://politi.co/32pRIpj .

Watch … Sessions’ campaign launch video, where he praises Trump and doesn’t mention he’s running for Senate: http://bit.ly/2Cm0iLl .

MEADOWS TO REPLACE MULVANEY? — There is growing chatter on Capitol Hill that Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), one of Trump’s closest allies, is angling for the White House chief of staff job, reports the Washington Examiner. The speculation comes amid reports that Trump is unhappy with his current acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney. And Meadows may be looking for his next move: he just stepped down as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus last month. “Of course that’s what he wants,” one GOP lawmaker told the publication.

Meadows has been traveling with the president an awful lot lately, accompanying him to a UFC match and a World Series game and popping up frequently at the White House amid impeachment drama. But Meadows, who has been on the short list before for the COS gig, insists there’s nothing unusual about his time with Trump. “He is not feeling me out for chief of staff,” he said. The latest from David Drucker: https://washex.am/2WTECQd .

BYE BYE BIPARTISANSHIP — Bipartisan talks over legislation to renew the Violence Against Women Act have fallen apart in the Senate, prompting Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) to push ahead with her own bill. “Just this week, after months of work and mountains of effort toward a bipartisan bill, it all came to a screeching halt,” Ernst said. “Once again Democrats are putting politics ahead of people.”

The House passed their own VAWA legislation earlier this year, but most Republicans were not on board with that version because of a gun-related provision. The landmark legislation authorizes federal programs and grants designed to combat domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. It was first signed into law in 1994 and has been reauthorized ever since, but Congress has been struggling to get it over the finish line this year. More from Michael Macagnone and Katherine Tully-McManus: http://bit.ly/2CqHFG2 .

Related: “Senate fight derails bipartisan drug pricing bills,” by The Hill’s Peter Sullivan: http://bit.ly/2Q1q0wC .

WEEKLY WINNERS & LOSERS — The fact-finding phase of Democrats’ impeachment probe may be coming to an end, but don’t worry: we’ll have plenty of news next week when the public phase kicks off. In the meantime, here is a look at some of the biggest political victories and failures in Washington this week:

W: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who confirmed his 150th Trump judge this week. Now, one in every four judges on the federal courts of appeals will have been nominated by Trump and confirmed by the GOP Senate, per Doug Andres.

L: Rudy Giuliani, who had to lawyer up this week and saw one of his indicted associates express willingness to cooperate with the House’s impeachment probe. And not to mention, the half a dozen transcripts released this week paint a consistent and damning portrait of Giuliani’s efforts to pressure Ukraine.





TRANSITIONS

Brad White will lead the transition for Mississippi Gov.-elect Tate Reeves. He is currently COS to Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), where he will be replaced by Doug Davis.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House and Senate are out.

AROUND THE HILL

Zilch.

TRIVIA

THURSDAY’S WINNER: Zack Marshall was the first person to correctly guess that Sen. Susan Collins is the only current Republican senator who voted "not guilty" on both impeachment charges against President Clinton.

TODAY’S QUESTION: From Zack: What four House members went on to become President without being elected to the highest office in the land? 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