INSIDE D.C. WITH JOHN GIZZI NEWSMAX WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
Gowdy Unafraid • Donald Trump, as both The Washington Post and New York Times recently noted, has had diffi culty recruiting a high-powered attorney with a strong background in criminal law. Reasons for such “super lawyers” declining overtures from Mar-a-Lago range from being “too busy” to fear of being blackballed by the legal community for association with Trump. But one lawyer who is
not discouraged by any of this is former Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. The South Carolinian, a former prosecutor and trial lawyer, was anxious to replace Rudy Giuliani on Trump’s legal team in October of 2019 but was barred from doing so by “lobbying rules and regulations.” Gowdy, who recently set up his own practice, is reportedly eager to take on the role that passed him by in ’19.
New GOP Face • Ronna McDaniel is widely expected to seek an unprecedented fourth term as chair of the Republican National Committee following the midterm elections, and will almost certainly win. But should McDaniel instead decide to step down, the list of possible successors at the party helm is long. One name that has recently drawn some
48 NEWSMAX | NOVEMBER 2022
attention is that of Justin Hwang, 37, who was elected Oregon’s new state GOP chairman earlier this year. The son of South
Korean immigrants and owner of 31 restaurants, Hwang’s future may depend on whether Republicans can capture the governorship for the fi rst time in a quarter- century and gain a new U.S. House seat. Hwang is considered a strong conservative and says of Donald Trump, “I love him.”
Manchin’s Last Days • With polls showing him the least-popular politician in West Virginia for his vote to enact President Biden’s Infl ation Reduction Act earlier this year, Sen. Joe Manchin is expected to announce in early 2023 that he will not seek reelection next year. Manchin, the only Democrat left in statewide offi ce, was shown by a WMOV/Triton poll to have a negative rating of 66% among voters in the Mountain State, compared to only 26% who rated him positively. The same survey showed Manchin losing by double-digits to any of the three possible Republican 2024 opponents: Gov. Jim Justice, Rep. Alex Mooney, and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who lost a squeaker to Manchin in 2018. So far, no well-known Democrat is mentioned for the race.
GOP Leadership Wars • In a surprise move, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., recently said he will take on House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. This is the No. 3
position in the House GOP hierarchy, and Stefanik is the lone woman in a top leadership position. Fellow conservative
stalwart Donalds is one of two Black House Republicans. With present House Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., sure to move up to majority
leader, a three-way battle will ensue for his present position as whip. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., heads up the conservative House GOP Study Committee and has a strong following among its 156 members. However, National Republican Congressional Committee head Tom Emmer of Minnesota will have helped many incumbents and challengers win and will be a formidable opponent to Banks.
Rounding out the race
will be Georgia Rep. Drew Ferguson, also considered a strong conservative.
JEAN-PIERRE
KIRBY White House Shake-Up
• Regardless of the outcome of the November elections, watch for Joe Biden’s White House to begin major shake-ups in the president’s most offi cial family. It is taken for granted that press secretary Karine Jean- Pierre is living on borrowed time and will be replaced sooner rather than later — most likely by National Security Council coordinator John Kirby, who gets high marks for his briefi ngs. Also rumored to be on the outs is chief of staff Ron Klain, considered to be a close friend of Biden’s but nearly invisible in terms of crafting and executing policy. When and if Klain goes, the name most mentioned for his job is that of White House counselor Susan Rice. One of Barack Obama’s closest advisers, Rice served as the 44th president’s national security adviser and U.N. ambassador. Under Biden, however, she reportedly has a hand in every major part of the domestic policy agenda.
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