NRCC Weekly Rundown: State Department confirms Iran ransom, Zephyr Teachout’s billionaire friends, DCCC candidates sip wine in Napa with Pelosi, and more!

And here’s this week’s edition of the NRCC Weekly Rundown:

National: Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited a who’s who of struggling DCCC candidates and endangered Democrat members of Congress to Napa to hobnob with California’s liberal elite. Among those ditching their home district for Pelosi’s ritzy wine tasting were Raul Ruiz, LuAnn Bennett, Steve Santarsiero, Emily Cain, Bryan Caforio, Salud Carbajal, Jacky Rosen and Ruben Kihuen.

National: Aetna, one of the nation’s largest health insurers announced that it would pull out of the Obamacare exchanges in most markets, due to losses of $200 million related to their participation. This is just the latest evidence of the unsustainability of Obamacare, as rate hikes of up to 26% are set to hit consumers next year according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Despite the fact that this move will thousands of Arizonans with no health care options, Tom O’Halleran continues to support Obamacare.

National: The Obama administration made the largest transfer of GITMO detainees of President Obama’s presidency, releasing 15 terrorists from the facility to the United Arab Emirates. This transfer comes just two months after revelations that at least a dozen of the terrorists previously released from GITMO went on to engage in attacks on Americans.

National: After weeks of denial by President Obama that January’s $400 million payment to Iran was a ransom for Iranian-held American prisoners, the State Department confirmed that the payment was, in fact contingent on the release of those hostages.

National: In a debate with her primary opponent, disgraced former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz admitted that President Obama’s Iran deal may fund terrorism against Israel. Wasserman Schultz is not the first prominent Democrat to make this startling admission, as Secretary John Kerry said earlier this year that the some funding was likely to go to terrorist groups.

National: Former Pennsylvania Governor, and Hillary Clinton cheerleader, Ed Rendell said that the Clinton Foundation should be disbanded if Hillary Clinton is elected president. The NRCC asked if her Congressional allies, Raul Ruiz and John Delaney, agree that the scandal-plagued charity should be shuttered.

CA-07: As Ami Bera’s father was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for his illegal straw donor campaign finance scheme, the LA Times questioned whether Bera would have ever been elected without the illegal donations. Bera’s father funneled $270,000 to his campaigns in 2010 and 2012, an amount that may have been decisive in providing the resources needed to win. It remains an open question just how much Bera knew about his father’s schemes.

MD-06: John Delaney continued his quest to curry favor with Maryland Democrats in his effort to gain their support for a run for Governor in 2018. This week, after laughably claiming that he had a bipartisan record, Delaney took a trip to the Eastern Shore to rub elbows at a statewide conference of county officials, and shop his resume.

MN-08: Rick Nolan released a new ad, and took the opportunity to attempt to mislead Minnesota voters on his troubling record on national security. Nolan claims to have a “tough and smart strategy” on ISIS. Well, based on his voting record, that strategy includes cutting off funding to equip our Iraqi and Kurdish allies to fight ISIS, the halt of U.S. strikes, and limits on the ability of U.S. commanders to pursue and target ISIS.

NY-19: Despite her frequent criticism of the influence of billionaire donors on American politics, Zephyr Teachout sure doesn’t have a problem accepting their money! Teachout will be the beneficiary of a September fundraiser from none other than Jonathon Soros, son of left-wing megadonor George Soros.

NV-03: Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s admission that President Obama’s Iran deal could fund terrorism against Israel highlighted Jacky Rosen’s flip flop on the issue. Rosen initially supported the disastrous deal, and then reversed course once she realized how politically toxic it was.

NV-04: Ruben Kihuen was called out by NBC Las Vegas for lying about Rep. Cresent Hardy’s record this week. At a press conference, Kihuen accused Hardy of voting to defund DACA, while, in reality, Hardy actually voted the opposite way.

PA-08: Democrat Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane was forced to resign this week after being convicted of multiple felony charges, and Steve Santarsiero went to great lengths to hide his ties to her, deleting a video of a joint press conference the two held in 2013. But the video in question was not a campaign video, the video, which was deleted by Steve Santarsiero’s taxpayer funded House of Representatives website, was a government press conference held at the Capitol Media Center in Harrisburg, calling into question whether Santarsiero is using government resources for campaign purposes.

VA-10: D.C. resident LuAnn Bennett showed how clueless she remains about the district she hopes to represent in Congress. Bennett talked about the tremendous opportunity because of the new Metro stations that are about to open in Louden County. The only problem? Those stations are part of a project that won’t be completed for another four years.

WI-08: Tom Nelson sent a fundraising email this week touting his promise to protect Social Security, but his record tells a different story. During his time in the State Assembly, Nelson voted against phasing out a tax on Social Security that would have saved Wisconsin seniors $95 million annually.

NEWS AND NOTES:

Political notebook: How bipartisan is Delaney?

“Well, it looks like Delaney took a visit to fantasyland, because that statement is completely false,” Camille Gallo, director of TV and Radio for NRCC, said in an email to Herald-Mail Media and a blog posted on the political action committee’s website. “According to the (Congressional Quarterly) Party Unity Score, John Delaney votes with Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democratic Party over 90 percent of the time. READ

Suozzi petition for ballot spot included forged signatures

A petition that put congressional candidate Tom Suozzi on the ballot for Rep. Steve Israel’s seat included forged signatures, some of whom are from deceased residents. Suozzi needed 3,500 signatures in order to run under the “Fix Washington” party line – in addition to the Democratic Party. READ

 Ryan to Cover 12 States Campaigning for House Candidates in August

While that has been the case since Ryan was named the 2012 vice presidential nominee, the interest in using him as a campaign asset has only increased since he became speaker of the House, said Rep. Greg Walden, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. “He is sought after in the congressional districts and is fully engaged with the members and our candidates,” the Oregon Republican told Roll Call. “I think people see in Paul a leader with a vision and a future that they want to get to know and hear more from.” READ

Congresswoman Hosts Roundtable On Transportation Issues

Congresswoman Stefanik of the 21st district noted that she helped pass the legislation because she knows that the FAST Act provides economic stability for the transportation sector across the North Country.   “In over a decade we have not had a multi-year highway bill.  We have had 6 month extensions.  We have had year by year extensions. And one of the pieces of feedback that I heard early on when I would visit Nova Bus or Bombardier or other transportation manufacturers is that lack of certainty causes an ebb and flow in jobs numbers…” READ

Rep. Young talks budget, education and veterans at the Fair

He went on to say that he started a bipartisan congressional task force to prevent identity theft and fraud and it’s helping people bring awareness to those situations. Reaching out to veterans and to families and friends of veterans, Young addressed Veterans Affairs and the issues he sees, especially with the crisis line. Young says that 1-out-of-3 calls or text messages to the VA Crisis Line go unanswered. He said that he has a bill that is simply called the “No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act.” He said that they have had hearings on it and are hoping to have action taken on it in September. READ

Valadao hosts small business workshop

On the topic of ADA lawsuits, Valadao said business owners should be proactive and resolve issues to avoid a lawsuit. He said the federal government can assist with this. “This will not only prevent small businesses from closing down because of frivolous litigation, but it will also ensure folks with disabilities are treated fairly,” he said. “As your representative, I am the closest link between my constituents and the federal government. Unlike the President or our Senators who represent much larger populations, I get to actually speak to my constituents directly. This provides me with unique insight on the issues that impact our valley most.” READ

Dold sponsors bill to exempt Olympians’ prize money from federal taxes

U.S. Rep. Bob Dold (R-Dist. 10) is sponsoring legislation that would exempt Olympians and Paralympians competing in Rio from paying federal taxes on their winnings. This includes the value of their medals. Dold said these athletes typically work low-paying side jobs to allow time for training. “We want to say, ‘Thank you,’ as opposed to, ‘In case you didn’t know, here’s a tax bill for several thousand dollars.’” Dold said READ

Ernst, Johnson, Coffman react to report on ISIS intelligence manipulation

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), meanwhile, questioned the Obama administration’s potential role in intelligence manipulation. “Since the Obama administration denies that we are a nation at war with radical Islamic extremists, it only makes sense that they would direct their senior military leaders to mislead Congress and the American people about the status of this threat,” Coffman said. READ

Stefanik announces Clinton County endorsements

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, announced more than 40 elected officials from Clinton County endorsed her re-election bid. Those endorsing include Clinton County Clerk John Zurlo, Plattsburgh Mayor James Calnon, Rouses Point Mayor Daniel Letourneau, Dennemora Mayor Michael Bennett and various other town and village officials and county legislators. READ

New FTA report calls for further action from Metro to prevent red-signal overruns

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) called the FTA’s findings “disturbing,” and urged Metro to move quickly to incorporate the regulatory agency’s suggestions. “Safety must be the number one priority at Metro,” Comstock said. READ