Advertisement Updated NH Primary Source: Forrester says Trump asked about Russia-Comey controversy, other issues at White House meeting Also: Cordial rapport between Shaheen, Brown at confirmation hearing Share Shares Copy Link Copy

New Hampshire Primary Source covers breaking and behind-the-scenes news and analysis on all things political in the Granite State. John DiStaso is the most experienced political writer in New Hampshire and has been writing a weekly column since 1982. (Friday, May 19, update) TRUMP INTERESTED IN ‘WHAT NH IS THINKING.’ State Republican Chairman Jeanne Forrester said President Donald Trump “wanted to know what New Hampshire is thinking” about the Russian controversy, his firing of James Comey and local issues when she visited him in the Oval Office on Thursday. Forrester said she was one of 10 state GOP chairs who spent “10 to 15 minutes” with Trump. The group was also briefed by chief of staff Reince Priebus, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and the White House intergovernmental affairs staff. She said Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel was also in attendance at the briefings.At the separate meeting with Trump, she said the president “went around the room and asked us individually what our states are thinking and what could they be doing better.” “The mood at the White House was very upbeat,” Forrester said. “People were very positive and very excited.” “He did ask what people were thinking about Comey and Russia,” Forrester said, “and from my perspective, what I shared is that we are so focused on the budget and legislative issues that I’m not getting calls on Russia or Comey. We’re focused on special elections and what’s happening here.” Forrester said party chairs from Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Florida and Nevada were among those in the Oval Office meeting with Trump and attending the briefings.“The purpose was to talk about how we work with the White House and who to contact as we go forward,” Forrester said. “Kellyanne talked about how important all of our states are.” “One of the issues that came up was legalization of marijuana, and, like me, the White House is not supportive of national legalization when we’re in the middle of an opioid crisis,” Forrester said. “One of the staffers said that we know for sure that marijuana is a gateway drug.”After the briefings and meetings, Forrester said, she and Conway flew to New Hampshire on a commercial flight – “coach,” Forrester said – in time for the NHGOP’s “Spring to Victory” fundraiser in Nashua.(The full May 18 New Hampshire Primary Source follows.) JEANIE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. State Republican Party Chair Jeanie Forrester has kept a full, if not frantic, schedule since taking over the reins of the party in late January. Last week, Forrester was in San Diego for the spring meeting of the Republican National Committee. She told New Hampshire Primary Source on Wednesday that she’ll be at the White House Thursday afternoon as part of a small group of party officials to meet with President Donald Trump, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and officials of the White House Office of Political Affairs. Forrester said that on Thursday afternoon, she’ll fly home with Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, who will be the featured speaker at the NHGOP’s “Spring to Victory” evening fundraiser at the Nashua Radisson Hotel. That event, by the way, is closed to the media, which is unusual for the NHGOP. Forrester said the decision “was mutually agreed on by everyone involved.” Given the events of the past few weeks surrounding Trump and the Russians, the firing of James Comey as FBI director and the appointment of a special prosecutor, it’s not shocking that a recent decision was made to close the event. State Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley will hold a press conference Thursday at noon at NHDP headquarters in Concord to offer a prebuttal to the Conway visit. “The New Hampshire Democratic Party, unlike Kellyanne Conway and the NHGOP, will be available to the press,” the Democrats’ advisory said. He claimed the decision to keep the media out “reflects the NHGOP embarrassment at having to publicly promote and defend” the Trump administration. This visit to the state will be Conway’s second in as many weeks. She was in Manchester and Concord with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price on May 10. Meanwhile, Forrester said she was not sure who will be with her when she meets with Trump, but she said the meeting will be her first with him either as president or as a candidate. She said she attended a few of his campaign events in the Granite State prior to taking over as party chair in January but never spoke with him. It’s her second visit to the White House in two months. Forrester said that in late March, she was among hundreds of women who attended the White House Women Empowerment Panel, which was led by Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon and was addressed by Trump. Tickets remained available for the party fundraiser on Wednesday night, by the way, with prices ranging from $150 to $10,000 for a “Presidential Sponsor." It’s noteworthy that the lone “Presidential Sponsor” of the dinner as of Wednesday night was Patricia Humphrey. She’s the wife of former Sen. Gordon Humphrey, who, you may recall, was a leading “Never Trumper.” He referred to Trump as a “sociopath” and unsuccessfully tried to organize a movement to dump Trump as the GOP presidential nominee at last year’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Gordon Humphrey was a top supporter of Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s unsuccessful bid for the GOP presidential nomination. Other top fundraiser sponsors are state Senate President Chuck Morse, at $5,000; Stewart Levenson, Jack and Brenda Tulley and Republican National Committeeman Steve Duprey at $2,500 each; and former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, and Bob and Pat Nash, at $1,000 each. HORN CALLED FOR INDEPENDENT PROBE. Forrester’s predecessor, Jennifer Horn, on Wednesday, prior to the appointment of a special prosecutor, called for Trump to seek an independent probe of possible coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. Horn said on MSNBC that Granite State Republicans “are really starting to express concern about what's happening in the White House. I think that when Donald Trump became president, even those folks who perhaps were reluctant Donald Trump supporters or reluctant Trump voters came at it with the idea that he would be surrounding himself with good people and smart people, and you want him to succeed. And they were hoping against hope that things would go well.” Horn said that many in party leadership nationally “are starting to question now whether or not he is going to be able to step into this role as president and do an effective job.” “The best thing that could happen to President Trump is to have some sort of independent entity take over this investigation, fully investigate what is happening and not just some of the entanglements between some of his associates and Russia, but also some of these very dangerous and inappropriate leaks that are taking place as well.” AMBASSADOR BROWN? Amid the turmoil and partisan battles on Capitol Hill, a quiet, noncontroversial and downright friendly hearing was held on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Scott Brown went before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a confirmation hearing on his nomination by Trump to become the next U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and American Samoa. And Brown is fully expected to be confirmed to the post in the next few weeks. Among those who serve on the Foreign Relations Committee is Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who, of course, defeated Brown in 2014 after a bitter campaign. According to former Brown campaign adviser Ryan Williams, who attended the hearing, Shaheen was “gracious and cordial” in her comments to, and questioning of, Brown. “She went out of her way” to recognize Brown’s wife Gale Huff, and their daughters, Arianna and Ayla. eAlso attending the hearing were former Brown campaign manager Colin Reed and former Senate staffer Lindsey Barrington. CIVICS IN SCHOOLS. It’s hard to believe, but not all schools teach civics anymore. And according to state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D-Manchester, they should. And now, they will. D’Allesandro this year sponsored Senate Bill 545, which requires all public and private schools in the state to have “regular courses of instruction in the history, government and constitutions of the United States and New Hampshire, including the organization and operation of New Hampshire municipal, county and state government and of the federal government.” The bill passed the House on May 4 and received final approval from the Senate a few days ago. It is now on its way for a signature into law by the governor. “After years of hard work, we have a mandated civics program in the state,” he said. “People will be more informed about their government, and that’s good.” D’Allesandro is a former civics teacher. Among his students was Bill Gardner, the current secretary of state. “That’s right,” D’Allesandro said. “I taught Bill Gardner civics.” ECKERD KIDS. When Gov. Chris Sununu testified before the Legislature’s Special Joint Committee on the Division for Children and Youth Services Tuesday, he mentioned that the division is about to begin working with Eckerd Kids, a nationwide nonprofit organization child and family service organization. Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers said afterwards that Eckerd Kids will handle two main projects for DCYF. It will conduct of a review of 100 closed, high-risk cases, at a cost of $100,000. And it will provide software and training on the DCYF Rapid Safety Response program, which is aimed at ensuring that high-risk cases don't fall through the proverbial cracks -- at a cost of $250,000 and an additional annual payment. Sununu said the contract will be brought before the Executive Council at its June 7 meeting. Eckerd Kids describes itself on its website as “an established leader that has assisted nearly 200,000 children since 1968. Eckerd Kids helps public and private organizations by sharing best practices and advocating for system reform.” The organization appears to have roots in religion. Its mission statement begins with: “We base our concepts upon a belief in God and respect for all.” MORE FOR EDWARDS. Eddie Edwards continues to roll up endorsements as the only Republican candidate for the 1st District U.S. House seat in 2018. This week, he has been endorsed by state Rep. Mike Sylvia, R-Belmont; Greg Mahanna, president of Armstrong Asset Management in Portsmouth; Margaret Lavender, a former Bartlett Planning Board member; and Louis Lavender, a former police sergeant. Sylvia called Edwards “an outsider who truly understands that limited government, less spending and lower taxes in Washington will grow our economy.” The Lavenders cited Edwards’ background in military service and law enforcement, while Mahanna noted that Edwards is an entrepreneur and “knows that when government gets out of the way, the economy grows, new jobs are created and take-home pay increases.” 21 FOR BOUTIN. In the District 16 state Senate special election, Republican former Sen. David Boutin has picked up endorsements from 21 elected GOP officials from communities in the district. The list is headed by Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas, former Mayor and Executive Councilor Ray Wieczorek and Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur. Endorsements from Boutin’s home town of Hooksett include Reps. Frank Kotowski, John Leavitt and Tom Walsh and town councilors James Sullivan, James Levesque, Donald Winterton, John Giotas, Adam Jennings, Rob Duhaime and Marc Miville. Backing Boutin from Candia are Rep. Yvonne Dean-Bailey and selectmen Carleton Robie and Scott Komisarek, along with Dunbarton selectman David Nault. Bow officials endorsing Boutin are state Rep. Bill Kuch and selectmen Eric Anderson, Benjamin Kiniry and Christopher Nicolopoulos. SUPREME COURT NOMINEE? In less than two months, Carol Ann Conboy will be required to step down as an Associate Justice of the state Supreme Court when she reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. The first name to emerge at the State House as a possible Sununu nominee to succeed her is veteran attorney David Vicinanzo of Nixon Peabody LLP. He is a former federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., New Hampshire and Massachusetts. SPECIAL ELECTION SET. The Executive Council Wednesday set the date of a special election for the Grafton County District 9 House seat. If there is no primary, the general election will be held on July 18. If more than one candidate files from either party, then the primary will be held on July 18 and the general election will be held on Sept. 5. The election will be held to fill the unexpired term of Jeff Shackett, who resigned in February. As we’ve reported, 2014 GOP candidate for governor Andrew Hemingway intends to run for the seat. The filing period is May 22-23 at the town clerk offices in the district and May 22-26 at the secretary of state’s office. CLOSE-UP. This week on “CloseUP,” WMUR political reporter Adam Sexton will discuss recent events in Washington with former White House Chief of Staff and former Gov. John H. Sununu. He will also host discussions of PFC water contamination and changes at the state Division for Children and Youth. The program airs at 10 a.m. Sunday. (John DiStaso can be reached at jdistaso@hearst.com or distasoj@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jdistaso and on Facebook: Facebook.com/JohnDiStasoWMUR.)