The Note: The Senate Intel Committee steps up to the plate

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March 30, 2017

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The Senate Intel Committee steps up to the plate

The Big Story

The message from the top two senators on the Senate Intelligence Committee was unmistakable: Here come the grownups. The committee's public hearing on Thursday is likely to outline the scope of alleged Russian influence attempts in the campaign – or, at least, what lawmakers who have seen the intelligence suspect at this point. "We will get to the bottom of this," said Sen. Mark Warner, the intelligence committee's top Democrat. The panel's Republican chairman, Richard Burr, said the investigation will go "wherever the intelligence leads," and promised an answer to the biggest question: whether President Trump himself had any link to Russia's election-interference efforts. This marks a big moment in what looks like a longer path than was appreciated even when FBI Director James Comey came to Capitol Hill last week. The senators are now charged with not only learning what happened but also reestablishing public confidence in congressional oversight. The White House maintains that there's nothing for lawmakers – or the FBI – to discover. That assertion will be tested, and these are the senators in the middle of that effort.

The Sleeper Story

The path away from a possible government shutdown over the budget may require a detour away from the planned border wall. And the wall may have to wait. The White House is making clear that while it is maintaining its request for funding for the border wall, it may not let the wall be a deal-breaker. That's positive news if you want the lights of the federal government to stay on, considering that Republican senators have already signaled that their budget proposal is unlikely to include the $1.5 billion down payment on Trump's wall. So even as contract bids are being accepted to build the wall, which could cost $20 billion or more – and yes, we know, Mexico is supposed to pay for it – actual construction is likely to wait awhile. As with so many things that are pushed early in an administration, delays have consequences.

The Shiny Story

"I have heard the concerns," Ivanka Trump said in a statement announcing that she will become a staff member at the White House after all, in an unpaid capacity. There's no way this move would have happened without the outcry from Democrats and ethics watchdogs, who pointed out that volunteering to comply with ethics regulations means nothing at all. But concerns of possible Trump family conflicts of interest, with Ivanka's two brothers running the business – and eyeing an expansion inside Washington, D.C. – and a president who likes to frequent his properties, aren't going anywhere. The bottom line for Ivanka and Jared Kushner is that the president values their input. There's no reason to be cute about their influence or about their roles, and the new arrangement acknowledges that.

TLDR

It's the Senate Intelligence Committee's time in the Russia probe spotlight, with a public hearing Thursday after the committee's chairman and top Democrat came together to promise a thorough and aggressive investigation.