June 6, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: Rep. Darrell Issa: "We're representing the defenders of America; they're representing the invaders of America"

2. Heard on the Hill

3. EDITORIAL: Meet the First Four of the Washington Reporter’s D.C.’s Most Influential Lobbyist List

4. EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Chuck Grassley exposes millions of dollars the Biden DOJ sent to Soros' soft-on-crime groups

5. SCOOP: Democratic congressman apologizes for mourning wrong victims of anti-Semitic terror attack, constituents criticize his "performative sympathy"

6. SCOOP: GOP Navy SEALs pick their man in Minnesota

7. K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: American consumers would be crushed under the Durbin bill targeting credit cards

8. OPINIONATED: Toby Dershowitz and Saeed Ghasseminejad on keeping Tehran on the terror finance blacklist; and Roderick Law on illicit Chinese vapes

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INTERVIEW: Rep. Darrell Issa: "We're representing the defenders of America; they're representing the invaders of America"

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Recently, a Democratic member of San Diego’s progressive City Council called U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers “terrorists,” which prompted Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), who has had a front-row seat to America’s border crisis from his San Diego-based congressional district to fiercely criticize Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera in an interview with the Washington Reporter.

• Issa lambasted the “irresponsible behavior of the unaccountable city council” and blasted actions like theirs as reasons why he wants major reforms to America’s judicial system. Issa has led the way on the issue through the recently-passed No Rogue Rulings Act.

• A federal judge just temporarily prevented the Trump administration from deporting the illegal immigrant terrorist accused of firebombing a peaceful gathering of Jews in Colorado. To Issa, this ruling emphasizes the urgent need for the Senate to pass his bill and for President Donald Trump to sign it into law.

• Border hawks across America praised Issa’s work on securing the border to the Reporter. One said that “we need to update our conclusion that Democrats oppose deportation because of some high principle.”

Recently, a Democratic member of San Diego’s progressive City Council called U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers “terrorists,” which prompted Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), who has had a front-row seat to America’s border crisis from his San Diego-based congressional district to fiercely criticize Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera in an interview with the Washington Reporter.

“The actions of this person, someone who sits on a once-great city council, are emblematic of the challenges we’re facing: to enforce our immigration laws and not ignore them, as Democrats demand,” Issa said.

“Where Democrats have absolute power, absolute corruption follows,” he explained. “An all-Democratic city council thinks it’s accountable only to Democrats, and especially the ones who are physically assaulting ICE officers from one end of the country to the other.”

Issa lambasted the “irresponsible behavior of the unaccountable city council” and blasted actions like theirs as reasons why he wants major reforms to America’s judicial system. Issa has led the way on the issue through the recently-passed No Rogue Rulings Act.

A federal judge just temporarily prevented the Trump administration from deporting the illegal immigrant terrorist accused of firebombing a peaceful gathering of Jews in Colorado. To Issa, this ruling emphasizes the urgent need for the Senate to pass his bill and for President Donald Trump to sign it into law.

“Inappropriate and wrong-minded decisions by judges have led to Congress having to restate the obvious,” Issa said, calling his bill “the operational fix to the problem we have now, which is the sabotaging of the federal courts’ ability to function.”

“[They are] slowing down the ability to maintain a secure country,” he said. “People like a city councilman who calls ICE and Border Patrol [agents] doing their job ‘domestic terrorists’ are just one more bag of sand being poured into the gears.”

The stakes are high, Issa explained. The left’s war is not on “crime,” it is on “crime fighters.” While the Democrats are “representing the invaders of America,” he said that “we're representing the defenders of America.”

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Heard on the Hill

• BUDGET BATTLE: Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) and Rep. Kevin Hern (R., Okla.) are working to prevent foreign investment funds that back predatory lawsuits against American companies from scoring major tax breaks — and one GOP leadership aide told the Washington Reporter that the odds are looking good that they’ll succeed. “There is a great chance that closing this loophole gets in the budget bill. It will be a win for Tillis and for America,” we’re told.

• PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT: Rep. Joe Neguse (D., Colo.) lost a bet to Rep. Stephanie Bice (R., Okla.) about the NBA playoffs. Neguse now has to display a Bice’s Oklahoma Thunder flag outside his office following the Thunder’s dismantling of the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder are expected to win the NBA championship for the first time this year.

• FAUX-TRAGE: Earlier this week, we wrote a piece about how corporations are navigating DEI policies in an era of unified GOP control. Now, a new report shows that in Target’s case, much of the supposed online backlash was AI-generated. “The chorus of online voices trying to bully companies into doubling down on DEI are largely fake,” Will Hild, Consumers' Research’s executive director, remarked about this news.

• WHEELING AND DEALING: The Trump administration is working with GlobalFoundries and Qualcomm to invest $16 billion on expanded semiconductor manufacturing in New York and Vermont. Qualcomm’s CEO, Cristiano Amon, noted that “as a strategic supplier of Qualcomm, GlobalFoundries shares our vision for strengthening U.S. chip production capacity. This commitment from GlobalFoundries will help secure a resilient semiconductor supply chain to support the next wave of U.S. technology innovation, especially in areas vital to enabling power efficient computing, connectivity, and edge intelligence."

• DOUBLE STANDARDS: Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) became a national storyline with her comments about how we are all going to die. We couldn’t help but notice that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said almost the same thing and that it hasn’t taken off quite as much. “We’re all going to die” if the Trump tax cut passes, Schumer warned.

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EDITORIAL: Meet the First Four of the Washington Reporter’s D.C.’s Most Influential Lobbyist List

by the Washington Reporter Editorial Board

After receiving countless submissions, the Washington Reporter is excited to announce its first four winners of the Most Influential List.

Our winners received multiple submissions and were validated by Hill sources as a player that is respected, persuasive, and has moved or stopped legislation.

Part II of the list coming soon.

D.C.’s Most Influential Lobbyists: Part I

1. Michael Kennedy

Firm: Intuit

Why Selected: Michael has transformed Intuit into a bipartisan powerhouse on Capitol Hill. Despite operating at the intersection of tech and finance—a position vulnerable to criticism from both the left and populist right—Intuit has positioned itself as a champion of small business. Michael’s team has effectively highlighted the company’s financial literacy initiatives as a valuable public service.

Quote from The Hill: “Intuit has navigated challenging waters that tripped up other firms, and it’s no accident. Michael and his team are effective, approachable, and have offered to help our office better serve constituents. Their efforts make a difference.”

2. Lucia Lebens

Firm: Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

Why Selected: As the lead lobbyist and strategist for the association that represents Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), Lucia has played an instrumental role in stopping legislation that would restrict PBMs ability to operate. Last December, Congress was poised to pass legislation aimed at PBMs–and at the last minute, the legislation was pulled. Sources say Lucia’s work, especially on building conservative coalitions, played a big part.

Quote from The Hill: “The PBM issue is probably the most contentious lobbying fight besides swipe fees, and Lucia does a great job of calmly and persuasively making the case that PBMs lower costs. She’s a straightshooter too – will never BS you.”

3. Carl Holshouser

Firm: CoreWeave

Why Selected: Carl was initially recognized for his work at TechNet, a trade association, before joining CoreWeave as head of government affairs for the AI hyper-scaler. His extensive bipartisan connections on Capitol Hill helped defeat Senate antitrust legislation harmful to TechNet’s member companies. Notably, CoreWeave’s stock surged 21%—outpacing the S&P 500 and other AI stocks by 19%—on the day his hiring was announced. Now that’s a reputation.

Quote from The Hill: “Carl is a powerhouse. He understands the intersection of politics, policy, and third-party groups, and was the most effective opponent of the antitrust bills stopped in the Senate during the Biden administration.”

4. A.J. Bhadlia

Firm: Cohere

Why Selected: As head of government affairs, A.J. has rapidly elevated Cohere into a prominent AI player on Capitol Hill. He has built bipartisan relationships with key committees and represented Cohere at White House and Congressional events. Remarkably, as a private company, Cohere punches above its weight under A.J.’s leadership.

Quote from The Hill: “[From a Congressional staffer on Commerce issues] On AI policy, I hear more from Cohere and A.J. than from Nvidia or big tech firms. A.J. is sharp, personable, and never pushes unrealistic requests.”

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EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Chuck Grassley exposes millions of dollars the Biden DOJ sent to Soros' soft-on-crime groups

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused the Biden-era DOJ of “plac[ing] crime victims last” by sending money to organizations like the Vera Institute of Justice and Impact Justice. The Trump administration’s DOJ slashed these grants, which Grassley said is much-needed.

• In his report, Grassley noted that his findings “detail Vera’s connections to George Soros and the support Vera gave to Soros-backed district attorneys as they redesigned their offices around lenient progressive prosecution policies.”

• Steve Mulroy, a Democrat who represents Memphis as its DA, has been backed by Soros’s network for years. Vera partnered with Mulroy’s office, which slashed prosecutions for traffic stops by 65 percent.

• Grassley’s work immediately received praise from Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), who has been spotlighting the dangers of Soros-funded prosecutors for years.

The Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) doled out millions of dollars of grants to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that advocated soft-on-crime policies

Several of these groups pushed for defunding the police, and anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) organizations are tied directly to George Soros’s sprawling network of progressive prosecutors, according to a bombshell report obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused the Biden-era DOJ of “plac[ing] crime victims last” by sending money to organizations like the Vera Institute of Justice and Impact Justice. The Trump administration’s DOJ slashed these grants, which Grassley said is much-needed.

Several of the grants were earmarked by the Biden DOJ to run through the second Trump term, before they were canceled.

In his report, Grassley noted that his findings “detail Vera’s connections to George Soros and the support Vera gave to Soros-backed district attorneys as they redesigned their offices around lenient progressive prosecution policies.”

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SCOOP: Democratic congressman apologizes for mourning wrong victims of anti-Semitic terror attack, constituents criticize his "performative sympathy"

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Rep. Danny Davis (D., Ill.) apologized to a constituent for wrongly identifying the names of two Israeli diplomats who were murdered in Washington, D.C., blaming his staff for the error while simultaneously “All Lives Matter”-ing the terrorist attack in a way that left constituents lamenting what they called Davis’s “performative sympathy.”

• The Washington Reporter previously reported how Davis’s office mourned the murders of “David Asher, an Israeli Embassy staff member, and Rachel Klein, a devoted museum volunteer.” The victims’ names were actually Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrim, as Davis noted in his apology letter.

• Several of Davis’s constituents told the Reporter that, while they appreciated the initial sentiment behind Davis’s apology, they were disappointed at how Davis linked the anti-Semitic hate crime to racism and Islamophobia, neither of which played a role in the double murder.

• “Let me be clear: this correction does not change our core message—hate has no place in our society,” Davis continued in his apology. “Whether it takes the form of antisemitism, anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, or any form of violence, we must condemn it together.”

Rep. Danny Davis (D., Ill.) apologized to a constituent for wrongly identifying the names of two Israeli diplomats who were murdered in Washington, D.C., blaming his staff for the error while simultaneously “All Lives Matter”-ing the terrorist attack in a way that left constituents lamenting what they called Davis’s “performative sympathy.”

The Washington Reporter previously reported how Davis’s office mourned the murders of “David Asher, an Israeli Embassy staff member, and Rachel Klein, a devoted museum volunteer.”

The victims’ names were actually Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrim, as Davis noted in an apology letter to a constituent, obtained exclusively by the Reporter.

“I am writing to issue a formal correction and to clarify details shared in a recent communication regarding the tragic antisemitic shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025,” Davis wrote.

“The original message from my office incorrectly identified the names of the two victims. I deeply regret this error and extend my sincere apologies to the families of the deceased and to the broader community,” the letter continued.

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SCOOP: GOP Navy SEALs pick their man in Minnesota

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Republican Navy SEALs in both the House and Senate are lining up behind one of their own in an open Senate race in Minnesota: Adam Schwarze.

• The veteran’s latest endorsement, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, comes from Rep. John McGuire (R., Va.), who spent years as a SEAL himself.

• In response to the endorsement, Schwarze told the Reporter that “Congressman John Mcguire and I have a lot in common: we are both Navy SEALs, pro-Trump, and we put America First.”

• Beyond the support from McGuire and Sheehy, Schwarze also rolled out an endorsement from the America First Veterans Association.

Republican Navy SEALs in both the House and Senate are lining up behind one of their own in an open Senate race in Minnesota: Adam Schwarze.

Schwarze is running for office following nine deployments in 70 countries during his 20-year military career.

The veteran’s latest endorsement, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, comes from Rep. John McGuire (R., Va.), who spent years as a SEAL himself.

Schwarze is “a constitutional conservative, he’s a Christian, he’s pro-gun, he’s pro-Trump, and he’s going to put America first,” McGuire explained.

In response to the endorsement, Schwarze told the Reporter that “Congressman John Mcguire and I have a lot in common: we are both Navy SEALs, pro-Trump, and we put America First.”

“He knows what it takes to get our country back on track. That’s why I'm grateful for his support in my campaign,” Schwarze said.

McGuire’s support for Schwarze, who is running to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D., Minn.) comes after Sen. Tim Sheehy (R., Mont.) endorsed Schwarze a few weeks ago. Schwarze has been leaning heavily on his military record in his campaign, and there are signs it’s paying off already.

Beyond the support from McGuire and Sheehy, Schwarze also rolled out an endorsement from the America First Veterans Association.

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K-STREET, 10,000 FEET:

American consumers would be crushed under the Durbin bill targeting credit cards

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• The controversial Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), being pushed by Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) and fellow Sen. Roger Marshall (R., Kansas), is being sold as a way to combat swipe fees, which the senators argue “are inflation multipliers.”

• Still, even as CCCA proponents argue swipe fees multiply inflation, the truth of the matter is much different. Inflation over the past five years under President Joe Biden rose by 21 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

• “CCCA would be a disaster,” a person close to President Trump told the Reporter. “Not only does it give Trump-hater Dick Durbin a win, it would be a win for woke retailers and crush American consumers.”

• A congressional aide previously explained to the Reporter that the CCCA “is a poison pill trick to kill the GENIUS Act.”

Americans carry trillions of dollars in credit card debt. While that may seem like a problem, it isn’t necessarily one, as credit plays an integral role in our economy.

What is a problem is legislation that would cripple American consumers under the guise of making the market fairer.

Unfortunately, we are seeing such an effort come out of the Senate in the form of Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D., Ill.) controversial Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) — legislation taking aim at credit card swipe fees that is seeing resounding pushback on Capitol Hill.

The bill, being pushed by Durbin and fellow Sen. Roger Marshall (R., Kansas), is being sold as a way to combat swipe fees. Still, even as CCCA proponents argue swipe fees drive inflation, swipe fees have remained largely stagnant. Inflation over the past five years under President Joe Biden rose by 21 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The CCCA is seeing a push in the upper chamber as its proponents try to tie it to the GENIUS Act, a bill looking to impose regulations on stablecoins — cryptocurrencies tied to a government’s own currency. They argue that the CCCA’s inclusion in the GENIUS Act would somehow increase the vote count to pass the measure.

However, as is the adage of Washington, don’t overpromise and under-deliver. The CCCA’s inclusion as an amendment to the GENIUS Act is an overpromise that those in Trump World are warning carries disastrous consequences.

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OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Toby Dershowitz and Saeed Ghasseminejad: Keep Tehran on the terror finance blacklist

by Toby Dershowitz and Saeed Ghasseminejad

Less than a year ago, U.S. law enforcement uncovered a plot by the Islamic Republic of Iran to kill President Donald Trump. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been conspiring with hitmen to target and gun down Americans on U.S. soil for many years. “That simply won’t be tolerated,” the FBI said when it revealed the plot. Now is the time to ensure these words are matched by deeds.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — the group established to protect the world from serial terrorism financing and money laundering — meets in Strasbourg, France, beginning on June 10. The watchdog should resist any temptation to remove Iran from the blacklist — on which it placed Tehran in 2007 — until the regime ends its global malign activities.

President Trump knows he was not the only American Iran’s supreme leader sought to assassinate. The regime plotted to kill many more dissidents, journalists, diplomats, and regular citizens both in the United States and overseas.

Terrorism is only one tool Tehran uses to circumvent global sanctions and export its revolution to threaten America, our allies, and the global financial system.

For example, Iran operates a clandestine network of tankers known as the “ghost fleet” to move oil to sanctioned buyers, including China. Falsifying maritime documents to conceal the oil’s origin, Iran has illicitly facilitated the sale of hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian crude.

The proceeds fuel the Islamic Republic’s military and proxies like Hezbollah and the IRGC-Quds Force, which, in turn, destabilize countries and engage in terrorism.

Some say that FATF may offer Tehran concessions. This would be premature and a serious mistake.

FATF has already told Iran it must complete a series of action items before it can leave the blacklist. These include strengthening how banks verify customer identities, cracking down on unlicensed money transfer businesses, and ensuring that banks clearly identify who sends and receives funds.

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Op-Ed: Roderick Law: Nicotine prohibitionists flock together

by Roderick Law

In 2019, when the first Trump administration was deliberating the problem of youth vaping, President Donald Trump warned against outright prohibition of e-cigarettes. “You watch prohibition,” Trump was quoted in Politico. “If you don’t give it to them, it is going to come here illegally…They could be selling something on a street corner that could be horrible..They are going to have a flavor that is poison.”

Unfortunately, the Biden Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) didn’t heed the warning. Under CTP head Brian King, it failed in a core function: authorizing new products that would provide harm reduction. King was among the many deserving HHS bureaucrats fired in the new administration’s house cleaning. Where he ended up speaks volumes about the CTP’s problems. More on that in a minute.

To sell new nicotine products in the United States, companies must file a “premarket tobacco application” and receive a “marketing granted order” from the CTP. Companies pay “user fees” to the FDA to cover the cost of the research and testing on these products. E-cigarettes and vapes have been marketed as a healthier alternative to smoking, having helped many smokers quit. But for years, millions of applications languished at the CTP, and millions more were rejected. (In December, the Supreme Court heard a case against the FDA brought by several manufacturers whose products were rejected. A former CTP official recently told Fox News that under King, CTP authorized “about two products a year.”)

One result is that about 98 percent of the electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) sold in the nation are illegal products, and most of them are made in China. They are cheaper, more potent, and manufactured with far fewer health and safety regulations than American products, and many are flavored, branded and packaged to appeal to children.

King’s bosses at the FDA didn’t make interdicting the illicit vapes a priority. And King certainly didn’t make fulfilling his agency’s mission to approve new products a priority. Why not? Well, that former CTP staffer told Fox that King was an enthusiastic DEI booster who did a lot of “virtue signaling.” And there was the $60,000 trip to a Scottish conferencefor 10 CTP staffers to discuss how “anti-LGBTQ+ legislation impacts tobacco control research” and address “smoking cessation among transgender individuals in Argentina.”

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