If it’s WEDNESDAY… President Biden travels to Westchester County, N.Y., to criticize GOP in debt-ceiling standoff at 1:30 pm ET… New York jury finds Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages… NBC News confirms federal prosecutors are set to charge Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., with the congressman expected to appear at a federal courthouse on Long Island, N.Y…. And Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is set to return to Senate after nearly three-month absence, per NBC’s Garrett Haake.
But FIRST... It normally would be shocking — and campaign-ending — if the clear frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination was found liable by a jury for sexually abusing and defaming a woman over an incident back in the 1990s.
And it would be even more shocking if some of the frontrunner’s competitors (or likely competitors) gave him a pass over the news.
Or others stayed silent.
Yet here we are in Year 7 of the Donald Trump Era in Republican Party politics.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, in an interview Tuesday with NBC’s Dasha Burns, suggested that voters wouldn’t care about the verdict against Trump.
“I think that’s a question for the American people,” Pence said when asked if the verdict changed his view if Trump was fit to serve as president again. “But I really can’t comment on a judgment in a civil case. I have no knowledge of those matters. And I’m sure the president will defend himself in that matter.”
Pence continued, “But it strikes me that we — it’s just one more instance where at a time when American families are struggling, when our economy is hurting when the world seems to become a more dangerous place, almost every day, that it’s just one more story, focusing on my former running mate that I know is a great fascination to members of the national media. But I just don’t think it’s where the American people are focused.”
Vivek Ramaswamy was more direct. “[T]his seems like just another part of the establishment’s anaphylactic response against its chief political allergen: Donald Trump,” he said, per NBC’s Allan Smith.
Meanwhile, we’ve so far seen no comment from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Now former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did criticize Trump. “The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.”
And so did several sitting GOP senators, though largely through a political lens, not a moral one. “The fact is, I do not think he could win the presidency,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, per NBC’s Capitol Hill team.
But the reaction — or non-reaction — from Trump’s actual and likely 2024 opponents tells the real story here: The Republican Party, which once impeached a president over an affair with an intern, no longer finds moral wrongdoings disqualifying.
We first learned that after “Access Hollywood” seven years ago. And we got another reminder of it yesterday.
Quote of the day: “Today, the world finally knows the truth”
“I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth.”
E. Jean Carroll said in a statement Tuesday.
Data Download: The number of the day is … 83.
That’s the number of days since Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., cast a Senate vote, which she is expected to do Wednesday when she returns after an absence related to her recovery from shingles.
She’s missed 91 floor votes over that time, and her absence frustrated some Democratic judicial confirmation efforts because of her seat on the Judiciary Committee. That impact on judicial confirmations prompted some to criticize Feinstein, and she pushed back in a statement last week, saying there had been “no slowdown” of judicial nominees.
“After talking with her multiple times over the past few weeks, it’s clear she’s back where she wants to be and ready to deliver for California,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said about Feinstein’s return in a statement.
Feinstein was not the only senator to miss time this year — Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman missed 61 days in the Senate after spending more than a month being treated for depression, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., missed 41 days after falling and suffering a concussion and a rib fracture.
Other numbers to know
130: The number of advocacy groups urging Democrats to vote against House Republicans’ border bill, Politico reports.
$1 million: That’s how much a Democratic group plans to spend on messaging, digital and research efforts to highlight House Republicans’ position on the debt ceiling and spending cuts, Roll Call reports.
40: The age at which women should start getting annual screenings for breast cancer, down from earlier guidance of age 50, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
4: The number of years a military veteran was sentenced to prison on Monday for his actions during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
$12 billion: The value of military benefits set to be disbursed on June 1, which could be in jeopardy if the U.S. defaults on its debt.
$24 million: The amount that California will pay to the family of a man who died in police custody in 2020 after screaming “I can’t breathe,” while he was restrained.
$300 billion: The amount that wages could increase annually in the U.S. if non-compete clauses were banned, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Eyes on 2024: Biden heads to swing district amid debt limit standoff
President Joe Biden is hitting the road Wednesday, heading to a swing House seat outside of New York City as he works to pressure Republicans on the debt ceiling. NBC News’ Mike Memoli writes that the trip “illustrates an early campaign strategy of highlighting Biden’s job as president instead of fast-forwarding to an election that’s still 545 days away.”
The Republican who represents the competitive district, Rep. Mike Lawler, told NBC News’ Scott Wong that he will attend Wednesday’s event, even though Biden is expected to sharply criticize Republicans amid a standoff over raising the country’s borrowing limit.
Lawler, who picked up a Democratic challenger on Tuesday, is one of 18 Republicans representing districts Biden would have won in 2020 had the new congressional lines been in place.
“I welcome the president to the Hudson Valley and look forward to hearing what he has to say,” Lawler said. “It will be a great opportunity to convey to the president the need to negotiate with Speaker McCarthy in good faith to lift the debt ceiling, rein in spending, and bring down inflation. My constituents expect us to work together and that’s why I will be there.”
The event comes after Biden held a tense meeting with congressional leaders from both parties on Tuesday, as both sides of the debt limit fight dug in — with Republicans demanding spending cuts and Democrats refusing to negotiate on the debt ceiling itself.
“Everybody in this meeting reiterated the positions they were at. I didn’t see any new movement,” McCarthy said. The group will meet again on Friday.
In other campaign news…
Debating the criteria: Time Magazine reports that the Republican National Committee is debating setting the criteria for its first presidential debate at either 1% in the polls or 40,000 donors.
Good for DeSantis: Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good endorsed Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ expected presidential bid on Tuesday.
Make money moves: Politico spotted that DeSantis’ political committee no longer lists him as an “associated person,” a sign that the group could be readying to transfer tens of millions of dollars to an outside group that could support his expected presidential run.
Threading the needle: NBC News’ Jonathan Allen and Dasha Burns report on how former Vice President Mike Pence has to navigate frustration from both the right and the left as he considers a presidential bid.
Not just Georgia on his mind: NBC News’ Ryan Nobles reports that Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has been raising millions for political action committees so he can play in next years’ elections, even though he’s ruled out a presidential bid himself.
Alsobrooks also running: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is running for Senate in Maryland, looking to become the only woman in the state’s congressional delegation and the only Black woman in the Senate.
There is another: Texas Democratic state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who has gained prominence advocating for more gun safety after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, which is in his district, is expected to jump into the race for Senate, The Washington Post reported.
Coming soon: Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., told Punchbowl News that he’ll likely announce whether or not he’s running for Senate this summer. (His team later walked the comments back, telling Axios Tiffany, “plans to make a decision this summer on whether or not he’s running.”) And Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is telling GOP donors he’s planning to launch a Senate run “soon,” NBC News’ Henry J. Gomez reports.
Kentucky endorsement derby: Businessman and presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has endorsed Kelly Craft’s bid for governor of Kentucky, as did former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Move over Duke v. UNC: Former North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Walker will announce on May 20 whether he’s running for governor in a GOP primary that includes controversial Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.
Charges for Santos: NBC News’ Justice reporters confirmed that embattled New York Republican Rep. George Santos faces federal charges and will make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world:
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel looked into using the 14th Amendment to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling under the Obama administration, but has never shared its legal advice on the issue publicly, NBC News’ Ryan J. Reilly reports.
Republican donor Harlan Crow declined to give a Senate panel a list of gifts he’s given Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
