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(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Nearly 200 Democratic members of Congress agreed to file a lawsuit Wednesday against President Trump alleging that by retaining interests in a global business empire he has violated constitutional restrictions on taking gifts and benefits from foreign leaders.

The lead senator filing the complaint in federal district court, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), said Tuesday that the lawsuit has already drawn more congressional plaintiffs 196 than any legal action previously taken against a president. No Republicans had joined in the lawsuit so far, although they will be invited to do so, Blumenthal said.

An advance copy of the legal complaint reviewed by The Washington Post argues that those in Congress have special standing because the Constitutions foreign emoluments clause requires the president to obtain the consent of Congress before accepting any gifts.

The legal effort, led in the House by Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), is likely to escalate tensions between the White House and Capitol Hill, where at least five committees are investigating various issues related to the Trump administration.

News of the lawsuit emerged less than 24 hours after attorneys general in the District and Maryland, both Democrats, filed suit alleging that payments to Trump violated the Constitutions anti-corruption clauses. In another lawsuit filed against Trump by business competitors, the Justice Department recently defended Trumps actions, arguing that he violated no restrictions by accepting fair-market payments for services.

Legal scholars consulted by the congressional plaintiffs said their complaint is distinctive because of the special standing granted to Congress.

The Framers of our Constitution gave members of Congress the responsibility to protect our democracy from foreign corruption by determining which benefits the president can and cannot receive from a foreign state, said Erwin Chemerinsky, the incoming dean of the law school at the University of California at Berkeley.

When the president refuses to reveal which benefits he is receiving much less obtain congressional consent before accepting them he robs these members of their ability to perform their constitutional role, Chemerinsky said. Congressional lawmakers ... have a duty to preserve the constitutional order in the only way they can: by asking the courts to make the President obey the law.

Other legal scholars were skeptical, particularly since the lawsuit was filed only by Democrats, the minority party in both houses of Congress.

Just because they cant convince their peers doesnt mean you can go to court to get what you want, said Andy Grewal, a law professor at the University of Iowa.

Generally, a lawmaker can sue if he or she has suffered individual injury, Grewal said. In addition, Congress can sue as a body, as has happened in the past, such as with the lawsuit challenging President Barack Obamas health-care overhaul.

But a case like this is problematic, he said,

Because this is individual legislators who dont have any individual injuries, it will be hard for them to get standing, he said.

However, Norman Eisen who served as a co-counsel in the other two emoluments-clause lawsuits, said he thought the congressional plaintiffs in this case do have proper standing to sue. He pointed out that in the lawsuit filed on behalf of Trump competitors, the Justice Department argued that Congress had special capacity to deal with questions related to emoluments.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night, but on Monday, press secretary Sean Spicer dismissed the lawsuit filed by the two state attorneys general, saying its not hard to conclude that partisan politics may be one of the motivations.

The 37-page congressional complaint contends that the nations founders were concerned that foreign powers could interfere with American affairs. The suit says that the founders were particularly worried that foreign states would give benefits and rewards to the nations chief executive to subvert his loyalty.

As a result, they wrote the emoluments clause of the Constitution with language both sweeping and unqualified, the lawmakers lawsuit says.

The obscure clause in ArticleI of the Constitution says: [N]o Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. The language is interpreted as prohibiting any officeholder including the president from accepting a gift, payment or other benefit from a foreign state without the consent of Congress.

A memo prepared by the Senate plaintiff states that these benefits include any compensation for services rendered in a private capacity such as when a foreign government throws a party at a hotel owned by a federal official.

Although the emoluments clause has a complex history, the request by the lawmakers is rather simple. It asks the court to enjoin the president from accepting any benefits from foreign states without first obtaining Congressional consent.

View original post here:
Congressional Democrats to file emoluments lawsuit against Trump - Washington Post

(Amber Ferguson,Jorge Ribas,Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)

Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam won the Democratic nomination for governor of Virginia Tuesday by an unexpectedly wide margin, and Republican Ed Gillespie held off a surprising challenge from Donald Trump acolyte Corey A. Stewart for that partys nomination.

With more than 99 percent of precincts reporting, Gillespie edged past Stewart by just over a percentage point fewer than 4,500 votes. State Sen. Frank W. Wagner was a distant third.

The nation was watching Virginia as a political laboratory for how the political parties handle the deep divisions that followed last years election of President Trump. The establishment forces seemed to win out, as Virginia voters resisted efforts to pull further to the right or left.

Perriello channeled the energy and endorsement of progressive leader Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as he tried to shake up the Democratic Party, but fell short in his bid to bring in enough new voters from among the young and working class to overcome Northams command of the Democratic machine, including the endorsement of nearly every Democratic elected leader in state or federal office.

Celebrating at a restaurant in Arlington, Northam led a giddy crowd in a call-and-response chant, ending with a call to take back the Democratic majority in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates. He said he had spoken with Perriello and we agreed that were going to bring all Democrats under the tent starting tonight. This is too important an election. This is the bellwether of the country.

He said he planned to start campaigning right away with the newly minted Democratic ticket, including lieutenant governor candidate Justin Fairfax, who beat two opponents, and Attorney General Mark R. Herring, who was unopposed for the nomination.

Northam and Perriello planned to gather Wednesday with Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez at a unity rally but cancelled the event after a gunman shot and wounded House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La) and several others during a practice for a GOP congressional baseball team earlier in the morning in Alexandria.

The Republican ticket will be Gillespie; lieutenant governor candidate Jill Holtzman Vogel, a state senator from Fauquier County who beat two opponents; and attorney general nominee John Adams, who had no primary opponent.

But there was less unity among Republicans, with Stewart refusing to concede and saying he wouldnt support Gillespie, a man he derided throughout the campaign as Establishment Ed.

There is one word you will never hear from me, and thats unity, Stewart told supporters at a restaurant in Woodbridge. Weve been backing down too long. Weve been backing down too long in defense of our culture, and our heritage and our country.

Stewart huddled with his campaign staffers, who said they wanted to wait until all absentee ballots were counted and were weighing a request for a recount.

Stewarts strength on the Republican ballot was the biggest surprise of the evening. He had been running as more Trump than Trump, making provocative statements and campaigning on the issue of preserving Confederate monuments. Polls had shown him with a fraction of Gillespies support, but a low turnout among Republican voters gave Stewarts committed base an outsize influence, and Wagner drew significant votes in Hampton Roads that might otherwise have gone to Gillespie.

Overall, Democrats turned out in far greater numbers than Republicans. About 540,000 voters cast ballots in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, while just over 360,000 voters cast ballots on the Republican side, with nearly all precincts reporting.

Both showings outstripped the Democratic primary for governor in 2009, when about 320,000 voters cast ballots.

Gillespies support in Fairfax County cushioned his slight edge as final returns came trickling in. Stewart scored big wins in Washingtons exurbs Loudoun, Fauquier and his home base of Prince William County as well as in the rural central and southwest regions of the state.

Stewarts showing rattled Republicans at Gillespies party at a Hilton Hotel ballroom in the Richmond suburbs, where supporters who had expected a blowout were concerned to see Stewart running a close second.

Gillespie had remained upstairs at the Hilton most of the evening, but finally took the stage at 10:46 p.m. to chants of Ed! Ed! Ed!

Sorry to keep you waiting, he said with a small laugh.

He spun the squeaker as sign of fiscal prudence. I always tell our donors, obviously we did not waste a penny any more than we needed to win this nomination.

In his remarks, Gillespie reached out to Republicans who had supported Stewart and Wagner. We want you to know that we not only will listen to you, we will fight for you through November, he said.

He did not invoke Trump, who has cast a shadow over the governors race all year. The presidents approval rating in Virginia is even lower than it is nationwide: Just 36 percent of Virginians were satisfied with his performance in a poll conducted last month by The Washington Post and the Schar School at George Mason University.

That creates a challenge for Republican candidates this fall, because the partys base still supports the president, said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School. Virginias race, he said, will show whether a prominent Republican in a major campaign is able to separate himself in the publics mind from the unpopular policies and actions of the Trump administration, while at the same time not losing much of the Republican support a candidate is going to need to win a general election.

Gillespies narrow win, coming from a small and apparently unenthusiastic electorate, suggests that he faces a major challenge as he tries to both woo Stewart voters and attract moderates and independents while he fights a highly motivated Democratic opposition.

A former consultant to President George W. Bush and former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Gillespie played it down the middle during the primary campaign as Stewart kept trying to provoke him. He has been a lukewarm supporter of Trump, but cast himself as a true conservative who will cut taxes and promote business.

But Gillespie, apparently trying to conserve resources and cement his front-runner status, had avoided appearances with his campaign rivals in recent weeks, preferring smaller, more controlled settings. He never seemed to inspire as much passion as Stewart, for good or ill.

Steve Chapman cast a ballot for Stewart at Mullen Elementary School in Manassas. He said that Stewart may have gone a too far with his embrace of Confederate heritage, but figured it was just a campaign shtick.

Corey, he likes attention so I think he takes controversial stances and I dont know if he believes it, said Chapman, who is 39 and self-employed. Thats whats he does. Its a way to get earned media attention.

But that behavior, combined with the constant flow of controversy from the Trump administration in Washington, also energized Democrats.

Many voters said they were inspired to come out because of events in Washington. Alexandria resident Curt Arledge, 32, had never voted in a gubernatorial primary but decided this year that it was too important for him to miss.

[Live results: Virginia primary election]

Clothed in a T-shirt that displayed Smokey Bear wearing a resist hat, the Democrat voted for Northam because he thought he could win in November.

I cant recall any of the issues, I hate to admit, Arledge said. I want to nominate Democrats who can get elected.

Outside groups have poured money and attention into Virginia, and a vast army of new candidates have flooded the Democratic side of House races including a record number of female candidates.

Perriello drew national attention with his eloquent plea for a new kind of Democratic politics more aggressive, more about persuading others to change than about accommodating the realities of a Virginia legislature controlled by Republicans. He attracted outside money and endorsements from national political figures.

And more than any other candidate, Perriello made the governors race explicitly about standing up to Trump.

In Arlington, Matt Canella, 29, and Mariah Finkel, 30, were inspired to vote for Perriello in large part because they felt he had more aggressively attacked the president.

Finkels vote, she said, was mostly based off what I see on commercials.

But Northam responded in kind, calling Trump a narcissistic maniac and pledging to resist his policies. He and Perriello never really disagreed about many issues, with one notable exception: Perriello opposed a pair of natural-gas pipelines being built in rural parts of the state. Northam refused to condemn them.

That issue will continue to rise up during the general election; anti-pipeline protesters briefly interrupted Northams victory rally.

Perriello wasted no time conceding, making his statement to supporters about 90minutes after polls closed. To screams of Go, Tom, Go!Perriello addressed his supporters gathered at the State Theatre in Falls Church and urged unity against very scary Republicans ... We dont even know how scary that individual might be yet, referring to the down-to-the-wire fight between Stewart and Gillespie.

He credited his own campaign with a great victory for forcing issues of economic inequality into the political conversation. Together we helped elevate mainstream ideas that should have been there all along, he said, citing his support for a $15 minimum wage as an example. I think its movements that change the world, and politicians who work as allies to that movement.

But first, Perriello praised Northam for winning a great victory, and offered him my full and unequivocal support.

Long before Tuesdays voting took place, both Perriello and Northam had agreed to appear at a Democratic unity rally on Wednesday in Northern Virginia, along with Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Democratic National Party Chairman Tom Perez. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), who had endorsed Perriello, tweeted a congratulatory message to Northam on Tuesday night.

In the House of Delegates, all 100 seats were on the ballot. Democrats caught up in anti-Trump fervor say they want to pick up enough seats to take over the majority, but that will be a tough task. Republicans have a 66 to 34 advantage.

Antonio Olivo, Jenna Portnoy, John Woodrow Cox, Fenit Nirappil, Laura Vozzella, Patricia Sullivan, Alejandra Matos, Reis Thebault, Sarah Robertson and Catherine York contributed to this report.

[Just tuning in to Virginia governors race? Well help you do your homework]

[To shake up Democratic Party, progressives turn to primary race in Va.]

[Road to Richmond: Va. governors race is early political test in Trump era]

[Democratic nomination for governor could depend on black voters]

Link:
Northam wins Democratic gubernatorial primary in Virginia - Washington Post

CGCN Group, a Republican lobbying firm with ties to the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, has formed a new strategic alliance with four Democratic firms that work closely with the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses. The odd quintuple said that despite wildly diverging politics on a slew of issues, they all have one thing in common: high levels of poverty back home.

Despite their ideological differences, members of the CBC, CHC, and conservative Republicans represent districts that need the most help jump-starting their local economies, according to a memo drafted to explain the budding partnership. Most of these districts have at least 20 percent of their populations living below the federal poverty line and are in desperate need of jobs, transportation infrastructure, outside investment, energy, and economic development.

Jennifer Stewart, of Stewart Strategies & Solutions, one of the Democratic groups involved in the partnership, cited transportation infrastructure, nutrition programs, education, and criminal justice as potential areas the crew could work together. The opportunities are limitless.

Entrenched, generational poverty has bred universal anger at Washington, Wall Street, and other elite institutions, which establishment Democrats have yet to figure out how to channel, according to the memo. That creates an opening for Republicans looking to exploit class politics, while using Democratic identity politics as leverage. The preponderance of white facesat Democratic lobby shops, meanwhile, puts such firms at a disadvantage in challenging the attack.

Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of conservative Republicans, was ready with praise for the new partnership.

The biggest problems facing our country demand solutions that transcend partisanship, Walker said in a statement to The Intercept. Whether its inter-generational poverty, national security crises, or criminal justice reform, we must bridge traditional political and cultural divides to find lasting resolutions with buy-in from all sides.

At the height of the Democratic primary between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, Clinton built her critique of Sanders on the argument that issues of class and the economy should not dominate the agenda and divert the focus from racism and sexism.

Not everything is about an economic theory, right? Clinton asked at one rally during the primary. If we broke up the big banks tomorrow and I will, if they deserve it, if they pose a systemic risk, I will would that end racism?

No! shouted the mostly union audience.

Would that end sexism?

No!

Would that end discrimination against the LGBT community?

No!

Would that make people feel more welcoming to immigrants overnight?

No!

Clinton was tilting at a straw-man. Sanders never pretended that breaking up the banks would end racism, but now that the Democrats class vs. race debate has moved from the hot-take corridors of the internet over to K Street, corporate America has a way to leverage the salience of liberal identity politics toward its own ends.

People listen as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Gala in Washington on Sept. 15, 2016.

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The new lobbying partnership takes this Clinton argument in a direction she was unlikely to have intended: Since breaking up the banks wont end racism overnight, lets not focus on breaking up the banks. Instead, lets find areas where we agree.

A source at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told The Intercept the lobbying powerhouse was aware of the new effort and supportive of anything that gets policymakers from both sides together to talk about how we can do more to grow the economy and create jobs.

The partnership may be a new one and, unusually, public but the strategy is not. In recent years, bank lobbyists have sought out members of the CBC to co-sponsor deregulatory measures, hoping that the caucuss imprimatur can markbills as OKfor progressives to support.

And corporate America has long relied partly on identity to lobby Congress. Different firms tend to specialize in their ability to lobby different factions, typically as a result of having partners who previously worked on Capitol Hill for someone in a particular orbit. A company looking to influence the CHC, for instance, might turn to Velazquez & Associates, one of the four Democratic firms in the partnership. CGCN has built much of its practice around an ability to reach the Freedom Caucus, but it also has close ties to House Republican leadership.

A partner at CGCN, Sam Geduldig, was a top aide to former House Speaker John Boehner. Geduldig has spent years blasting Democrats both publicly and privately for their lack of diversity on K Street, in leadership positions and in the Senate, going so far as to give money to then-Rep. Donna Edwardss failed bid for the Senate in Maryland.

For Geduldig, the lack of diversity exposes Democrats and, more generally, liberals as hypocrites. As satisfying as the new partnership may be, it could also prove effective, he said.

If you have minority Democrats and conservative Republicans in support of an issue, whether it is infrastructure, access to capital, or lowering your energy bill, you are well on your way to legislative success, he said. This partnership was born out of that concept.

Top photo: Members of the Congressional Black Caucus arrive on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 27, 2016.

Read more:
GOP Lobby Shop Courts Black and Hispanic Democrats in Vacuum Left by Liberal Establishment - The Intercept

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For months now, many congressional Democrats have been obsessed with Russian interference in the American electoral process. That tendency was on full display this week, as they reportedly refused demands from liberals that they gum up the works of Congress in an attempt to stop the passage of TrumpCare. Their reason? That it would hinder their efforts to achieve a bipartisan deal on new Russia sanctions.

Investigation into Russian meddling is, to be clear, a vital necessity. But Democrats will not get there by an appeal to Republican patriotism and an obsession with Russia risks obscuring a far more urgent issue, the onrushing approach of TrumpCare. Only by fighting the odious Republican agenda will Democrats get the political success necessary to get to the bottom of the Russia story.

A case in point was Attorney General Jeff Sessions' testimony Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Through suspicious excuses, angry defiance, and evasion, Sessions revealed almost nothing of substance about the firing of FBI Director James Comey, much less possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. And Republicans let him get away it.

For instance, Sessions claimed that he only recused himself from the Russia investigation to follow the letter of the regulations around federal investigations which is nearly impossible to believe given that he recused himself the very day after The Washington Post reported that, contrary to his confirmation testimony, he had had meetings with Russian officials during the campaign. His justification of being involved in the Comey firing, which he characterized as a simple personnel matter, not anything to do with Russia, was similarly non-credible.

But more fundamentally, anytime the questions veered towards anything really sensitive about Trump, Sessions simply refused to answer. He weirdly even wavered on whether or not he was invoking executive privilege in his refusal to answer, which infuriated Sens. Angus King (I-Maine) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). It seemed to my non-legal eye to border on contempt of Congress. Yet Republicans were basically happy to accommodate him.

Meanwhile, the TrumpCare bill the House version of which will throw 23 million people off their insurance over a decade is rushing towards a vote in the Senate. Liberals have been demanding that Senate Democrats use every procedural tool to slow down the process, but Senate Democrats have been resisting. Why? In part, because:

During the Bush and Obama years, referencing Peanuts' "Lucy and the football" became a shorthand in the liberal blogosphere for how Democrats continually underestimated the cynicism and deception of Republicans. Left-wing activists tried to warn of the futility of things like trying to negotiate in good faith with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) over the Affordable Care Act, but centrist Democrats, obsessed with trying to obtain bipartisan support, refused to listen. As a result, Grassley strung them along for months, eating up weeks of precious time and making the bill markedly worse, and then voted against it anyway.

Democrats are somewhat less credulous now than they were years ago (if only because many of the most dimwitted centrists were wiped out in successive Republican wave elections). But they are still trying to appeal to norms like the sanctity of elections which most Republicans in office are either too corrupt or too poisoned by right-wing agitprop to actually observe, or are actively undermining themselves. Only a handful of congressional Republicans, and none in positions of high influence, seem to care at all about the integrity of America's electoral system. They might sign on to some small-bore sanctions on a foreign power. They will not impeach or remove a Republican president so long as that president continues to support Republican priorities.

Now, the idea of Russian interference in the election has gotten more credible than I initially supposed. Just recently Bloomberg reported that some 39 states found evidence of attempted penetration of their election systems (most of which are, naturally, outdated and horribly insecure) by what seem like Russian hackers. Clearly this investigation is a vital priority.

Therefore, Democrats should of course continue with Senate Intelligence Committee hearings, and watch closely to see that Special Counsel Robert Mueller can conduct his investigation properly. But they cannot rely on the slightest scrap of decency from any elected Republican to achieve this end. They must assume that every single one, from President Trump on down, is corrupt until proven otherwise.

Secondly, Democrats must realize that the best way to actually get to the bottom of the Russia story is by winning electoral victories by running against the absolutely odious Republican agenda above all the monstrous TrumpCare bill. The Republican strategy of jamming this thing through in secret is working it is receiving virtually no media coverage compared to when it was first introduced. But that very secretiveness reveals they understand the bill is grossly unpopular and could not be passed if it got close attention.

Democrats must shout themselves hoarse about this thing, and should it pass anyway, use it to crush them at the polls. Only then can they begin to restore and protect American democracy.

See more here:
Democrats: Your Russia obsession is blinding you from what really matters - The Week Magazine

Update: 10:20a.m. EDTVirginia GovernorTerry McAuliffe issued a statement on the shooting Wednesday in Alexandria at a Republican Congressional baseball practice that left five injured, amongthem Representative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip.

"Dorothy and I are shocked and deeply saddened by this horrible act of violence against members of congress, law enforcement and other innocent people who were simply enjoying an early morning baseball practice," the governor said in a statement."We are praying for swift recoveries for those who were injured and we are thankful for the bravery and quick action of U.S. Capitol Police and local first responders to stop the attacker and treat those who were wounded. Virginia public safety officials are coordinating with local responders and we will continue to monitor this situation and make every resource available."

Police said they detained the suspected gunman.

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Update: 10:10a.m. EDT As details surface Wednesday on the shooting at a Congressional baseball practice that left five injuredamong them Representative Steve Scalise, the House Majority WhipNewsweek's Matthew Cooper notes:

Attempts on the lives of members are rare. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona Congresswoman, was shot in 2011 and that was a stunning event. A mass attack on members of Congress is even rarer. The 9/11 Commission concluded that Flight 93 may have been heading for the Capitol or the White House. A mentally ill man took a pistol in the Capitol in the 90s, killing a Capitol Police officer and came perilously close to reaching the offices of House Majority Leader Tom DeLayan incident that sparked a major revamp of security on Capitol Hill. The details of today's incident are still sketchy but Rep. Mo Brooks, who was at the baseball field in Virginia that became a hunting ground, described a scene with a gunman firing multiple rounds using a rifle in a strategic fashion that seems more calculated than crazed.

Update: 10:04a.m. EDTGeorge Washington University Hospital confirmed to CBS News that it had received two individuals who wereinjured in Wednesday's shooting in Alexandria, Virginia ata Republican Congressional baseball practice. Both patients were in critical condition, according to CBS.

At least five people were injured after a gunman opened fire at the field, including Representative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, who reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Update: 9:57a.m. EDTTwo Capitol Police officers who were injured in a Wednesday morning shooting are expected to survive, reported NBC News' Pete Williams. A gunman opened fire at a Republican Congressional baseball practice, reportedly injuring five people, includingRepresentative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, whose injuries were apparently not life threatening.

Update: 9:50a.m. EDTSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement Wednesday responding to a shooting at a baseball field that left five injured, includingRepresentative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, who reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

"My prayers are with those wounded this morning & their families. Continued appreciation to Capitol Police & first responders," McConnell tweeted.

Police said they detained the suspected gunman. The condition of those injured in the shooting has not yet been disclosed.

Update: 9:44a.m. EDT"He was hunting us," Michigan RepresentativeMike Bishop told the New York Timesabout the gunman who opened fire on Republican Congressmen and aides at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia Wednesday.

"'Pop, pop, pop, pop.' It's a sound I'll never forget," Bishop said, according to the Twitter account ofTimesreporterEmily Cochrane.

Update: 9:39a.m. EDTFirst lady Melania Trump tweeted a statement on the shooting at an Alexandria, Virginia baseball field that left five people injured, including Representative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, who reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

"Thank you to the first responders who rushed in to help protect those who were hurt in Alexandria, VA. My thoughts & prayers to everyone!" Trump tweeted.

Update: 9:31a.m. EDTRepresentativeMo Brooks (R-Alabama) tweeted he was "Praying for those injured at this morning's practice", while adding"I'm especially thankful to the US Capitol Police who risked their lived to protect us," after being present at the scene Wednesday morning when a gunman opened fire and reportedly injuredfive people, including Representative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip.

Police said they have detained the suspected gunman.

Update: 9:25 a.m. EDTWitnesses have described a frighteningscene Wednesday after a gunman opened fire on a Republican Congressional baseball practice. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) described on MSNBC the gunman firing off dozens of rounds on a wide open field before Capitol Police were able to stop the shooter. Police reported that five people were injured, including Representative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, who reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

"In the field, I see Representative Scalise is shot but moving, and hes trying to drag himself through the dirt and out into the outfield," Paul said. Before police were able to apprehend the shooter, there was little place to hide, Paul said.

"The people in the field unfortunately didnt have much of a chance because nobody could get to them and they couldnt get to us and it was a wide open field,"he said on MSNBC. "There was no way to get to people like Scalise until the firing had stopped."

Update: 9:13a.m. EDTFive people were transported off the scenetheir injuries and location undisclosed at the momentafter a gunman opened fire as Republican Congressmen practiced Wednesday on a baseball field ahead of the annual Congressional baseball game scheduled for Thursday. Among the injured was RepresentativeSteve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, who was reportedly shot in the hip area and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

"Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a true friend and patriot, was badly injured but will fully recover. Our thoughts and prayers are with him," tweeted President Donald Trump Wednesday morning.

Police said they detained the suspected gunman but have not released his identity. Early reports have suggested a man asked the Congressmen if they were Republicans or Democrats before shooting.

"A guy...walked up to us that was asking whether it was Republicans or Democrats out there,"RepresentativeRon DeSantis told Fox News Wednesday morning. "And it was just a little odd then he walked towards the area where this all happened."

Original story:

A gunman opened fire Wednesday as Republican congressmen practiced at a baseball field. Early reports indicate RepresentativeSteve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, was shot as were several aides.

Police said they detained the shooter who opened fire on the congressmen. The lawmakers described a harrowing scene.

"I was on deck about to hit batting practice on the third base side of home plate, and I hear a loud bam, RepresentativeMo Brooks, an Alabama Republican, said onCNN. "And I look around and behind third base, in the third base dugout, which is cinder blocks, I see a rifle and a little bit of a body, and then I hear another blam, and I realize there is an active shooter."

Brooks, who saidthe shooter appeared to be a white man, said that he heard Scalise screamas he was shot near second base.

President Donald Trump quickly responded to the reports of the shootingin a statement. "We are deeply saddened by this tragedy," Trump said. "Our thoughts and prayer are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders, and all other affected."

The shooter's motive was not immediately known. A man on the scenereportedly asked the men if they representedRepublicans or Democrats before he began shooting.

Katie Fillus of Alexandria told The Washington Post she was walking her dog nearby when she heard very very loud popping sounds. And a I knew a baseball team was practicing, and everybody started screaming: Hit the ground hit the ground!

The gunshots grew louder, she said, like he was walking across the field toward all of us, the gunman, and I was screaming: Can someone help me? I have my dogs. and I cant get behind anything."

Read the original:
Congress Shooting Live Updates: Man Asked About Republicans Or Democrats During Alexandria Baseball Practice - Newsweek