V23, N16 Thursday, Dec. 7, 2016 Hupfer flexing GOP finance, muscle the party is in good Chairman says party, shape to defend Holcomb to report its seven-member congressional del- $2.75 million, takes egation despite a potential Democratic aim at Sen. Donnelly wave, believes it has a good chance of and Rep. Goodin defeating U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, as well By BRIAN A. HOWEY as picking up seats INDIANAPOLIS – While there in the Indiana House is speculation of an anti-Trump wave with a target firmly heading toward the 2018 mid-term affixed to new Mi- elections, the Indiana Republican nority Leader Terry Party is flex- Goodin. ing its super Hupfer points majority to internal polling muscles with that shows Donnelly the coordi- tied with a generic nated politi- Republican Senate cal wings of nominee at 40%. the Holcomb administration and state “Donnelly is not in party preparing to post $2.775 million strong position. He’s on its year-end reports. Republican Chairman Kyle Hupfer with Mindy Colbert, who heads In an exclusive HPI Interview the GOP and Eric Holcomb for Indiana committee finance. (HPI Continued on with Chairman Kyle Hupfer, he claims Photo by Brian A. Howey) page 5 Pence, coup and flame By BRIAN A. HOWEY MUNCIE – Mike Pence’s excellent adventure has now entered a stretch of rocky road. Joining Team Trump always promised to be a wild ride, but now Vice President Pence has found himself within the scope of Special Coun- “Senator Franken’s conduct and sel Robert Mueller, and serving with the current imprimatur of behavior are unacceptable and history’s most volatile president. he should resign. I believe there What comes next will be fasci- nating. is more work to be done to For the past year, Pence appeared to have success- protect victims of sexual harass- fully straddled the percolating ment and to reform the system controversies engulfing Donald Trump. In February, President of filing and settling claims in Trump fired national security Congress.” advisor Michael Flynn for lying - U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly Page 2 to Pence after just 25 days on the and Washington Post both reporting job. But on Friday, Flynn pled guilty to that Pence was in Oval Office meet- one count of lying to the FBI on two ings on May 8 regarding the original occasions. There is rampant specula- letter calling for Comey’s firing. tion that Flynn cut a deal with Special While Harvard Prof. Laurence Counsel Robert Mueller and the events Tribe and Fordham University law Prof. of Friday bring the Mueller probe Jed Shugerman have suggested Pence deeper into the Trump White House may have been legally exposed, the inner circle and the transition team. events of Friday and Saturday don’t ABC News is reporting that Flynn has even come close to smoking gun sta- Howey Politics Indiana promised special counsel “full coop- tus. But the fact is that in two areas WWHowey Media, LLC 405 eration” in Russia probe. ABC said that of interest to the Mueller Commis- Massachusetts Ave., Suite Flynn felt “abandoned” by Trump in sion, Pence was on the scene. Pence 300 Indianapolis, IN 46204 recent weeks. If Flynn has an axe to headed the transition committee and grind, it may be that’s where Flynn cre- www.howeypolitics.com with Pence as the ated legal jeopardy for sourced cause of himself. On transition Brian A. Howey, Publisher his firing. teams, there are figure- Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington On Nov. heads and then staff Jack E. Howey, Editor 11, 2016, Pence performing the tasks. replaced New Was Pence a figurehead Mary Lou Howey, Editor Jersey Gov. Chris who was out of the loop Mark Curry, photography Christie as head there? Or, as the photos of the transition of the era reveal with Subscriptions team. Christie Pence holding binders of said Wednes- papers, was he the main HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 day one reason man, fully in charge? On HPI Weekly, $350 he was booted Jan. 15, Pence told CBS Ray Volpe, Account Manager was because of about Flynn’s conversa- 317.602.3620 his opposition tions with the Russian email: [email protected] to Flynn joining ambassador, “They did the administration. “Suffice to say, I not discuss anything having to do with had serious misgivings, which I think the United States’ decision to expel Contact HPI have been confirmed by the fact that diplomats or impose a censure against [email protected] he pled guilty to a felony in federal Russia.” court,” Christie said. The Washington Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 Post reports that Prosecutor Brandon The Moyers timeline Washington: 202.256.5822 Van Grack said that Flynn spoke with Pence was also present in Business Office: 317.602.3620 Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak the Oval Office on May 8 when the about President Obama’s sanctions for original memo, a rationale for Comey’s © 2017, Howey Politics interfering in the U.S. election after a firing, was vetted. Comey was fired on phone call on the topic with “a senior Indiana. All rights reserved. May 9. Veteran journalist Bill Moyers official of the transition team at Mar- has created an extensive timeline on Photocopying, Internet forward- a-Lago.” According to the Post, Van the entire Russian collusion saga at ing, faxing or reproducing in Grack said, ”Immediately after that billmoyers.com. Here is the description any form, whole or part, is a phone call, the defendant called the of the May 8 meeting, two days after violation of federal law without Russian ambassador.” Trump had decided to fire Comey: Pence has lawyered up as permission from the publisher. On the Monday after his weekend at the probe expanded, hiring Richard Bedminster, Trump meets with senior Cullen, the chairman of the law firm White House officials, including White McGuire Woods last July, two months House counsel Don McGahn and after President Trump fired FBI Direc- Vice President Mike Pence. Accord- tor James Comey and Mueller was ap- ing to later reporting by the New York pointed special prosecutor. There has Times, Trump announces his decision been speculation in the legal blogo- to fire Comey and reads aloud from sphere that Pence may been legally the multipage termination letter that exposed, with the New York Times he had drafted with Stephen Miller Page 3 – described by sources to the Times and the Washington as false. When the content of those conversations was Post as a “screed” and a “rant.” McGahn counsels Trump later revealed, Flynn was fired for having misled the vice to delay dismissing Comey and begins an effort to stop the president. Friday’s revelation that Flynn lied to the FBI was letter, or at least pare it back. Jared Kushner, who had told seen in Pence world as additional evidence of the former Trump at Bedminster that he was in favor of firing Comey, national security adviser’s mendacity. It was the latest urges Trump to proceed. McGahn gives Miller a marked-up example of the Pence team deploying a playbook that has copy of Trump’s letter, highlighting sections that he be- kept the vice president clean so far. The strategy seems to lieves should be removed. According to ABC News, Jared have kept Pence out of the cross hairs of Robert Mueller’s Kushner, McGahn, Pence and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus Russia investigation. While he has retained outside coun- begin to prepare talking points about Comey’s planned sel, he has yet to be interviewed by investigators.” firing. Meanwhile, according to Then came the CNN interview The Times, McGahn arranges for between Chris Cuomo and former FBI Attorney General Jeff Sessions special agent Asha Rangappa, who now and Deputy Attorney General Rod teaches national security issues at Yale Rosenstein, who had also been University. She says the transition team considering firing Comey, to meet timelines don’t work for Pence. “Here’s with Trump in the Oval Office why it’s problematic either way,” Rangap- later that day. Trump reportedly pa said, with regard to Pence knowing or gives them a copy of his original not knowing. “The sanctions conversa- letter – the “screed”/“rant” – tions were a matter of normal, incom- and Rosenstein agrees to write ing transition policy. If that’s true, Vice a separate memo providing his views on firing Comey. President Pence is the head of the transition team and he’s Rosenstein later tells Congress that he is aware, when he the incoming vice president. So, you would think he would agrees to prepare his memo, that Trump intends to fire know about policy discussions taking place. So, if he didn’t Comey. know, then something about those conversations, if he’s On Monday, Politico offered up Team Pence’s Sgt. kept in the dark, something about those conversations was Schultz “I know noth-ing!” version of events: “As the White just not right.” House contends with questions about who knew about Cuomo asked, “If all of these people knew and it former national security adviser Michael Flynn lying to the was going on during the transition, how did the head of FBI, people close to Vice President Mike Pence are trying the transition not know?” Rangappa responded, “So, we to make clear that President Donald Trump’s No. 2 knew know that in the pleading documents, the statement of nothing at all. offense that Flynn pleaded guilty to – which means these Politico reported: “He was at a homeless shelter are facts that [Robert] Mueller can actually prove that he in Indiana, clad in an apron and doling out hot meals, the was in communication with senior transition officials.