Hillary Clinton secured her party’s nomination for president and we’d like to use this historic moment to denounce, in no uncertain terms, the word “clinch." Donald Trump's campaign released a statement about the Gonzalo Curiel matter, and not since Trump University has the candidate been associated with something so devoid of content. And maybe it's just us, but as congressional Republicans strain to find something redeeming in Trump, their statements are reminding us more and more of interviews with death row inmates' mothers. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, June 7th, 2016:
TRUMP RELEASES CURIEL STATEMENT - Not dictated, possibly not even read -- Donald J. Trump: "It is unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage. I am friends with and employ thousands of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent. The American justice system relies on fair and impartial judges. All judges should be held to that standard. I do not feel that one’s heritage makes them incapable of being impartial, but, based on the rulings that I have received in the Trump University civil case, I feel justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial."
MCCONNELL ADDS TO GOP CONDEMNATION OF TRUMP'S STATEMENTS ON MINORITIES - Sounds like his goal is to make Donald Trump a one-term president. Mike McAuliff: "For Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Donald Trump’s insults aimed at minorities and others the intemperate business tycoon considers enemies amount to a message problem. McConnell recently said that he voted against archconservative Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election because Goldwater opposed the Civil Rights Act. Goldwater’s racism cost the GOP the support of African-American voters for generations, and McConnell said that it could happen again with Trump and Latino voters. But asked Tuesday how he squared that with still supporting Trump, McConnell merely repeated his warning. 'I was worried that we would do to the Latino vote what was done to the African-American vote by defining our party in such a way that we could not reach out to what has become the nation’s largest minority group,' McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill. 'So I am worried about that. I said that last week and I say it again today.'" [HuffPost]
HUNT FOR POLITICO'S NEXT EDITOR UNDERWAY - [daenerys voice] Hot takes do not burn the dragon [/daenerys voice] Michael Calderone: "Several journalists have so far been considered for the job, one of the most influential in coverage of politics and policy in Washington. Candidates have included Politico national editor Kristin Roberts, Politico Europe managing editor Carrie Budoff Brown, Bloomberg News’ Washington managing editor (and former Politico managing editor) Craig Gordon, and Daily Beast executive editor Noah Shachtman, sources said. Gordon and Shachtman declined to comment. Management also approached former Politico reporter and current BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith early on in the search process, but Smith indicated he wasn’t interested in returning, according to sources." [HuffPost]
KIRK SAYS HE WON'T ENDORSE TRUMP - Too bad David French isn't running. Kirk's statement: "While I oppose the Democratic nominee, Donald Trump's latest statements, in context with past attacks on Hispanics, women and the disabled like me, make it certain that I cannot and will not support my party's nominee for president regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party."
Kirk previously sang a different tune.
@mkraju: MARK KIRK says he will write in "Petraeus" when he votes this fall and definitely won't vote for Hillary
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PAUL RYAN, THAT GUY I'M SUPPORTING SURE WAS BEING RACIST, HUH? - But it's cool, because the House speaker visited Anacostia that time! Matt Fuller: "House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) had harsh words Tuesday for Donald Trump‘s comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel, calling out the presumptive GOP nominee for racist comments while simultaneously reaffirming that his endorsement of Trump stands. At an outdoor press conference set up to discuss the rollout of an anti-poverty plan, Ryan was asked if Trump’s repeated statements that Curiel should be disqualified from overseeing a Trump University case because of his Mexican heritage had made him regret his recent endorsement of Trump. 'I disavow those comments. I regret those comments that he made,' Ryan said. 'Claiming a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment,' Ryan said. 'I think that should be absolutely disavowed. It’s absolutely unacceptable.'" [HuffPost]
Excellent surrogating: "Donald Trump may be doubling down on his controversial comments about a Mexican-American judge, but they’re causing significant heartburn for even his strongest supporters who are having to answer for them… Anderson himself invoked Trump’s comments about U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel; NPR host Renee Montagne did not specifically ask about them. But he then bristled when Montagne pressed him more on whether Trump’s remarks were racist and accused her of conducting an 'ambush interview.'" [HuffPost's Amanda Terkel]
BERNIE'S DONOR LIST TOTALLY IN TOP ONE PERCENT - A lot of people giving $27. Shane Goldmacher: "For all the chatter about who will get ahold of Bernie Sanders’ powerful email list of donors, one group already has it — along with the names, credit card numbers and addresses of the vast majority of his nearly 2.5 million donors. It’s called ActBlue, a nonprofit little known outside the cloistered world of digital political circles that serves as the unsung central hub of donating via the Web for Democrats everywhere. And the fact that Sanders used the platform — and that ActBlue gets to keep a database of Sanders supporters who collectively pumped more than $200 million into his campaign — is expected to redound to the benefit of down-ballot Democrats, from small-town council candidates to incumbent U.S. senators, all across the country." [Politico]
REPUBLICANS HAVING HARD TIME ATTRACTING TALENT - As long as the GOP doesn't lose Scott, we're sure its outreach efforts will be fine. Adrian Carrasquillo: "Last week, news about the Republican National Committee’s struggles hit in quick succession. First, the RNC’s Hispanic media director left to work on down-ballot races because of discomfort with Donald Trump. Then, the person filling the role, Helen Aguirre-Ferre — a seasoned journalist and commentator — had spent months slamming Trump for his comments about Latinos and immigrants, violence at his rallies, and past positions out of step with conservative values. But Aguirre-Ferre wasn’t the only person approached for that job, according to a source familiar with the proceedings. Mario Lopez, president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, was spoken to regarding the role. He decided it wasn’t a good fit, the source said." [BuzzFeed]
Explaining away your nominee's racist statements with the same tone you would use to explain away the behavior of someone who just had back surgery is not a good sign: "Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Tuesday defended Donald Trump as a "first-time candidate" amid swirling criticism from Republicans of the presumptive GOP nominee's racially charged rhetoric. 'Be nice to him, he's a first-time candidate,' Hatch told members of the media in Washington, according to reporters, adding that Trump is 'going to make mistakes.'" [The Hill's Jesse Byrnes]
WHY DIDN'T THIS HAPPEN SOONER? - A Donald Trump / Dick Morris partnership has all of the cosmic predetermination of a lousy romcom. Gabriel Sherman: "According to two sources with direct knowledge of the talks, the Trump campaign is in discussions with Dick Morris, the former Clinton adviser turned Clinton nemesis, about joining the campaign as a strategist. Morris would 'join the Hillary unit,' one source explained. 'It’s on the table,' a senior Trump adviser added. 'Some of the most important info about the Clintons is 20 years old.' Whether a deal is imminent isn't clear. Morris did not respond to requests for comment. Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks did not respond to a request either." [NYMag]
WHO PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD APPOINT TO THE SUPREME COURT - Stephanie Mencimer: "If a Republican (even Donald Trump) appoints the next Supreme Court justice, he won't be looking for another Roberts, Kennedy, or even Scalia. Instead, he will seek another Samuel Alito—whose rulings on issues from abortion to unions to affirmative action never deviate from the conservative line. 'They'd like to have another justice who is perceived as having the intellect of Scalia, the writing skills of Scalia,' explains Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California-Irvine law school, who testified against Alito's nomination. 'But in terms of votes, they'd like to have Alito. He is in every case, in every area, a conservative. If you want to know his judicial philosophy, just look at the Republican Party platform.'" [Mother Jones]
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here's a hungover baby.
GARY JOHNSON WON'T GET STONED IN THE WEST WING - Besides, coke leaves your system WAYYY faster. Jonathan Easley: "[Johnson] talked openly about his own marijuana use, telling The Hill that he has used the drug recreationally 'as recently as a month ago.' But he said he wouldn’t be using it going forward during his campaign or if he wins the White House. 'The notion of getting that call at midnight or two o’clock — people need to know there’s a firm voice on the other side,' he said. Johnson, who does not drink, argued that legalizing marijuana would lead to less substance abuse overall because it’s a 'a safer alternative than everything else out there, starting with alcohol.'" [The Hill]
COMFORT FOOD
- The most poetic Guy Fieri video you're going to see this week.
- Elephant is a bold crossing guard.
- Guys, stop placing your hands over your crotch.
TWITTERAMA
@KenJennings: Hey California, the rest of us voted months ago. I finally saw Deadpool but I'm not tweeting about it all day.
@JuddLegum: Not a GOP strategist but I'd pick just one of these messages:
1. Trump is a racist
2. I support Trump
he's a birther!"
"PC libtard"
"mexican rapists!
"meh"
"banning muslims!"
"it's only temporary"
"mexican judge."
new phone who dis
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