As the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes has recently been in the spotlight for his pro-Trump support during recent impeachment inquiry hearings. But like all members of Congress, he has an election coming up in 2020 and his Democrat challenger says his campaign has seen an outpouring of support since the hearings began.
"We've received over $300,000 in contributions since the beginning of this impeachment hearing from over 10,000 individual contributions," said Phil Arballo, who is trying to win the seat for California's 22nd District — a seat which Nunes has held since 2003.
Arballo, a Mexican-American businessman, entered the Democratic primary for the seat in June but said his campaign has seen a "groundswell of support" since attention shifted to Nunes during the hearings last week.
"As a constituent of his, and I can tell you from talking to a lot of people every day here on the ground, it's embarrassing, that he's our representative, here. He does not represent us here," Arballo said of the Central Valley.
Nunes defeated his Democratic challenger in 2018, but Arballo thinks the tide will turn in 2020.
"It's a very winnable seat," he said. "Everything is trending in the right direction for our race next year."
Nunes is not the only Republican whose role in the hearings may be helping Democratic challengers. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York's 21st Congressional District played a prominent role in the hearings. Her 2020 challenger Tedra Cobb, who unsuccessfully challenged Stefanik in 2018, announced her campaign raised $1 million the weekend after the impeachment hearings.
Lead House Manager Adam Schiff in Trump's impeachment trial brought a little incredulous humor into the proceedings when he pointed out the Justice Department's contradictory position on subpoenas being presented in federal court on the same day.
The Committee met twice last week but held off making the designation that allows the organization to ramp up the international response to the coronavirus.
The attorneys for advice columnist E. Jean Carroll say they want to determine whether Trump's genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter. They served a legal notice Thursday to one of Trump's lawyers demanding the sample.
As Republicans gain in confidence that they can block a vote on witnesses, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Cheddar he still thinks Democrats can prevail in tomorrow’s expected witness vote.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, January 30, 2020.
The president has argued he has absolute immunity to bar testimony, an issue Minnesota's Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar would like to question.
The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a low level Wednesday amid an economy that looks solid but faces potential global threats.
Senators began submitting questions as the next phase of President Trump's impeachment trial opened Wednesday, including Republican Susan Collins on behalf of herself and colleagues Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney.
The Democratic senator from Virginia expressed concern that the impeachment trial of President Trump also puts to question the impartiality of the entire American system of justice as well.
President Donald Trump has signed into law a major rewrite of the rules of trade with Canada and Mexico.
