The Note: Mr. Trump Goes (Back) to Washington
— -- NOTABLES
--TRUMP FACES WARY REPUBLICANS: Nearly two months after his first visit Capitol Hill to charm the GOP, Donald Trump is returning to Washington today for meetings with rank-and-file members of Congress grappling with the potential down-ballot effects of his controversial presidential campaign, ABC’s BEN SIEGEL and ALI ROGIN note. While Republican leaders spoke cautiously of party unity after huddling with Trump following his victory in the primaries, backlash to the real estate mogul's candidacy has complicated Republicans’ plans on Capitol Hill, and potentially endangered their House and Senate majorities. At one point, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, stopped taking questions about Trump at his weekly news conferences, and recently said he “clearly needs to change” to win in November. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, who quietly endorsed Trump in an op-ed in his hometown newspaper, has repeatedly criticized the presumptive nominee in the month since. http://abcn.ws/29k9JK2
--VOICES FROM THE HILL: “I expect to cringe a lot between now and November,” Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, one of Trump’s early Hill supporters, said in an interview. “I didn’t endorse a perfect candidate.” Vulnerable Republicans, like Reps. Bob Dold, R-Illinois, and Mike Coffman, R-Colorado, are scrambling to distance themselves from the New York billionaire. The warier GOP members -- many of whom are skipping the GOP convention in two weeks -- aren’t sure they’ll meet with him Thursday. “I haven’t looked at my schedule yet. I’m very wrapped up at the moment,” said, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. http://abcn.ws/29k9JK2
--FBI DIRECTOR TO FACE QUESTIONS ON CLINTON INVESTIGATION: FBI Director James Comey will be facing skeptical and angry Congressional Republicans this morning in a hastily called hearing on Capitol Hill, ABC’s JACK CLOHERTY notes. The criminal case against Hillary Clinton and her aides is closed, but top Republicans want to know why she was not prosecuted for mishandling classified information while using a private email server as Secretary of State. Tuesday, Comey harshly criticized Clinton and her State Department team for being “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly-classified information. But then, Comey announced that the FBI would recommend against charging Clinton or her aides criminally. http://abcn.ws/29o734k
--RYAN TO FORMALLY REQUEST THAT CLINTON BE DENIED CLASSIFIED INFORMATION DURING CAMPAIGN: House Speaker Paul Ryan will formally ask Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to deny Hillary Clinton access to classified information during the presidential campaign, ABC’s BEN SIEGEL reports. The Wisconsin Republican first proposed the idea in an interview Tuesday night, after FBI Director James Comey's announcement that the agency would not recommend criminal charges against Clinton over her private email use when she was secretary of state, which he also called "extremely careless." "There is no legal requirement for your to provide Secretary Clinton with classified information, and it would send the wrong signal to all those charged with safeguarding our nation's secrets if you choose to provide her access to this information despite the FBI's findings," Ryan wrote in a letter to Clapper obtained by ABC News. "I firmly believe this is necessary to reassure the public that our nation's secrets are secure." http://abcn.ws/29jUuFU
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
TRUMP SAYS NEWT GINGRICH ‘IS GOING TO BE INVOLVED IN OUR GOVERNMENT.’ Donald Trump stoked speculation about his potential vice presidential pick once again by giving Newt Gingrich a big shout out at a campaign event in Cincinnati Wednesday night. "Newt has been my friend for a long time. And I'm not saying anything, and I'm not telling even Newt anything, but I can tell you, in one form or another, Newt Gingrich is going to be involved with our government," he said. "That I can tell you." Trump said Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House is "smart" and "tough." The former Speaker of the House was on hand to introduce Trump at last night's event, and the pair hosted a brief Facebook Live video shortly before the start of the event, ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY and CANDACE SMITH note. http://abcn.ws/29zODdP
WHY THE NEW MAGIC NUMBER FOR ANTI-TRUMP GOP FORCES IS 28. The new magic number: 28. That’s how many rules panel members anti-Trump forces will need to force a vote on unbinding delegates on the floor of the Republican convention. Donald Trump has already far-surpassed the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination. But a last-ditch effort to change the rules and let delegates vote their consciences faces a steep uphill climb in Cleveland. The goal? Take a vote on unbinding the delegates on the convention floor. ABC’s ALANA ABRAMSON and RYAN STRUYK look at what would need to happen -- and how likely it is. http://abcn.ws/29PGLns
SANDERS, CLINTON CAMPAIGNS IN TALKS OF POSSIBLE ENDORSEMENT. Bernie Sanders’ and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns are in talks about a possible event at which Sanders would endorse Clinton, ABC News has confirmed, according to sources close to his campaign. Sanders’ endorsement of Clinton could come sometime next week, possibly at an event in New Hampshire, according to ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS. While the Vermont senator has said he would vote for Clinton in November, he has withheld his endorsement of the presumptive Democratic nominee as the two campaigns engage in negotiations over policy details for the Democratic Party’s official platform. http://abcn.ws/29nSNpy
NOTED: HOUSE DEMOCRATS ASK SANDERS WHEN HE'LL ENDORSE CLINTON. Sanders was peppered with questions about when he plans to suspend his presidential campaign and endorse Clinton in a closed-door meeting with House Democrats Tuesday morning, receiving a chilly reception from a group that has overwhelmingly backed Clinton’s White House bid. Nearly every member of the caucus -- which gave Clinton a warm welcome in a meeting two weeks ago -- has backed Clinton’s bid, ABC’s BENJAMIN SIEGEL reports. http://abcn.ws/29yGqsK
SANDERS’ SUPPORTERS GRAPPLE WITH FBI DECISION ON CLINTON EMAILS. For months, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ backers had held out hope -- some vocally but mostly behind closed doors -- that a criminal indictment of Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server would pave the way for him to become the next Democratic presidential nominee. Now that the FBI has decided not to recommend charges against her, Sanders supporters’ emotions are running high. ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS and ALANA ABRAMSON have more. http://abcn.ws/29yw3Tj
CAMPAIGN CASH: CLINTON STILL AHEAD, BUT TRUMP'S OPERATION KICKS INTO GEAR. Hillary Clinton is still leading Donald Trump when it comes to fundraising, according to claims by each campaign, but Trump’s money operation is showing signs of life. The campaigns have not yet filed their latest mandatory campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission, but each announced fundraising totals for June, as is common once campaigns finish counting their checks at the end of each month. Official reports aren't due until the 20th of each month. The unofficial totals reveal a strong showing for Clinton, but they also reflect a marked improvement for Trump, whose first full month of active fundraising yielded significantly better results after the self-funder's paltry showing in May, ABC’s CHRIS GOOD reports. http://abcn.ws/29lgXhP
BOB CORKER OPTS OUT OF BEING CONSIDERED FOR TRUMP TICKET. Sen. Bob Corker is removing himself from the pool of potential vice president picks for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to Corker’s office. Corker, R-Tenn., met privately with Trump for the first time in May at Trump Tower. The senator also met with Trump’s family before the candidate’s campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Tuesday night, where Corker appeared onstage to introduce Trump. As the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a two-term senator, Corker seemed a promising potential Trump running mate, ABC’s ALI ROGIN writes. However, Corker has been critical of Trump’s rhetoric and foreign policy proposals. http://abcn.ws/29hX3nc
DEMOCRATS POISED FOR HEATED DEBATE ON ISRAEL, FREE TRADE AT FINAL PLATFORM MEETING. Democrats are gearing up for a final showdown over the party platform on Friday, where a committee will meet to approve a draft that will outline the party’s goals for the next four years. All signs are pointing to a contentious meeting, specifically over positions on free trade and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even though the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee has finalized a version of the platform, the full Platform Committee will meet this week in Orlando to approve a final version that will be ratified at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia later this month. More battles between Clinton and Sanders supporters are likely, ABC’s NOAH FITZGEREL writes. http://abcn.ws/29umh5H
JARED KUSHNER DEFENDS FATHER-IN-LAW DONALD TRUMP AFTER ANTI-SEMITISM CLAIMS. Jared Kushner, who is married to Donald Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka, has come to his father-in-law's defense over claims that he is anti-Semitic. A 1,326-word op-ed that Kushner wrote for the newspaper that he owns is the latest in a back-and-forth with one of the reporters at his paper, The New York Observer. Kushner described Trump as being "an incredibly loving and tolerant person who has embraced my family and our Judaism since I began dating my wife." One person who spoke out was Dana Schwartz, an entertainment writer at The Observer, the weekly newspaper that Kushner has owned for the past decade, according to ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY. She wrote an open letter that was published on The Observer's website on Tuesday and addressed to Kushner. http://abcn.ws/29rNX9S
5 CONTROVERSIAL DICTATORS AND LEADERS DONALD TRUMP HAS PRAISED. Donald Trump's favorable mention of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on Tuesday is just the latest in a string of compliments he has paid to global strongmen. Trump regularly mentions Saddam on the campaign trail, and his use of kind words for controversial leaders extends beyond the Middle East. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY notes some of the compliments he has paid to dictators or their work. http://abcn.ws/29nKJ9l
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
CONGRESSMAN AND IRAQ WAR VET BLASTS TRUMP’S 'PRAISE' OF SADDAM HUSSEIN. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.-- an Iraq War vet -- blasted Donald Trump’s praise of Saddam Hussein at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Tuesday. "Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, right?...But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good," Trump said. "They didn't read 'em the rights. They didn't talk. They were a terrorist, it was over." In a statement, Moulton said he takes Trump’s “latest piece of bile personally.” Moulton said that "praising the leadership of an enemy combatant directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American service members" is beyond the pale, ABC’s ELIZABETH MCLAUGHLIN notes. http://abcn.ws/29zDwUu
WHO’S TWEETING?
@carolynryan: Powerful piece by @Sulliview It’s time for Hillary Clinton to face the music — and the media - http://wapo.st/29wGczV
@ShaneGoldmacher: From @kyledcheney: How Cruz could end up speaking at convention even if Trump doesn't ask him to http://politi.co/29oFBSq
@ColinTReed: .@washingtonpost: "@AmericaRising to help Republicans make inroads with independent female voters" http://wapo.st/29wEFek
@CNNPolitics: Sen. Mike Lee could play a king-maker role at the GOP convention http://cnn.it/29sNp4M via @TalKopan
@etchaStech: Sources close to Elsa and Anna's thinking confirm they, too, have rejected the opportunity to be vetted as Trump's VP.