Lobbyists Boost Harris Despite Ban: What to Know in Washington

Lobbyists are backing Kamala Harris’ campaign — whether she likes it, or not. But first, you should know:

• Donald Trump is promising to go full-bore on tariffs if he retakes the White House.
• Georgia narrowed its criminal case against Trump for alleged attempts to overturn 2020 election results.
• The former president also declined more debates against Harris.

Lobbyists Boost Harris’ Ticket Despite Ban

Lobbyists looking to help Kamala Harris into the Oval Office need to get creative to boost the Democratic presidential ticket.

The Harris-Walz campaign bans donations from the K street crowd, like presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden before her. But that isn’t stopping influencers.

They’re using permitted avenues for political contributions to help Democrats maintain White House control. They’re giving to outside groups, like super PAC Future Forward, that spend money independently from the campaign. The Democratic National Committee, which pays limited campaign bills, is another route lobbyists said they’re taking.

The contributions signal that even as Harris works to distance her operation from Washington lobbyists, they won’t be completely excluded from opportunities to fund the ticket. Lobbyists on both sides of the aisle often use political donations to forge relationships with people in power. They also give to boost their party ideologies and policies.

“You can’t donate to the campaign, but you can donate to the DNC, which they tell you is just as helpful,” said Steve Elmendorf, a founder of the lobbying and messaging firm Avoq, and a longtime Democratic donor and lobbyist. “If you’re a Democrat, and you want to be helpful, there’s an unlimited number of ways to be helpful: Give to the DNC, give to state parties.” Read More

• Also Read: Doug Emhoff Is Kamala Harris’ Envoy for Persuading Jewish Donors

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Trump Touts a Mega-Tariff to Shield Dollar

Donald Trump pioneered the use of tariffs as a weapon of statecraft in his first presidency. He’s promising to go full-bore next time — and even deploy a jumbo version to protect the dollar.

Meanwhile, he’s talked down the utility of sanctions after a record-busting barrage of them failed to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine. Sanctions, he’s said, should be used “very judiciously” — but tariffs are “phenomenal.”

Tariffs will deliver all kinds of domestic gains, according to Trump, like stocking a new sovereign wealth fund or offsetting revenue loss from income-tax cuts. Economists are skeptical, saying the trade barriers will slow growth, raise prices and squeeze consumers.

But it’s on the international scene that the tariff threats will resonate most. As the world economy splinters, recent presidents have found new ways to weaponize America’s economic clout. Trump says he’ll dial back some of them — but only because he’s eyeing some new and perhaps more disruptive ones. Read More

A chart showing how much previous US presidents have utilized sanctions

Trump also pledged to eliminate taxes on overtime pay at a rally days after a shaky debate performance, as he looked to turn the page with a new populist tax cut proposal.

• The overtime plan would increase the value of hourly workers’ time-and-a-half earnings after 40 hours a week. That has the potential to motivate the blue-collar workers critical to his base of support to show up to vote for him on Election Day. “We will end all taxes on overtime,” Trump said Thursday at a rally in Tucson, Ariz. Read More

More News From the Campaign Trail:

• Trump, Harris Spar Over Debate as Candidates Return to Trail
• Trump Rules Out More Debates With Harris
• Brutal Heat Changes How Campaigns Woo Voters in Two Swing States
• Trump Allies Seek End to US Control of Freddie, Fannie, WSJ Says

Judge Narrows Trump’s Georgia Criminal Case

A Georgia judge narrowed the state’s criminal case against Donald Trump for alleged attempts to overturn 2020 election results.

Three counts were dismissed in the racketeering case against more than a dozen defendants, including two against Trump. He still faces eight charges, including participating in a scheme with 14 co-defendants to overturn his loss to Biden in the swing state. The Constitution’s Supremacy Clause barred state prosecutors from pursuing charges that the defendants filed false documents over so-called fake electors, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled.

McAfee also dismissed six counts against the defendants earlier this year, leaving counts including racketeering, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit computer theft, perjury, and forgery.

The case is on hold while the Georgia Court of Appeals considers Trump’s bid to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case. McAfee ruled in March Willis’ romance with special prosecutor Nathan Wade created an appearance of impropriety, and Wade resigned. Read More

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To contact the reporters on this story: Giuseppe Macri in Washington at gmacri@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com