Pelosi to see Lightfoot twice next week: at Schakowsky Chicago fundraiser, in D.C.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touches base with Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot twice next week, on Monday, when the speaker headlines a giant fundraiser for Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., in Chicago and on Tuesday when they meet in the Capitol.

Pelosi returns to Chicago for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Chicago Issues Conference” running from May 17-19, where major DCCC donors attend briefings with top House Democrats and others. Pelosi is back May 18.

DCCC Chair Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., is hosting the event as well as Pelosi, according to the invitation obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Lightfoot will be in D.C. starting Tuesday for a series of meetings and fundraising during the week in advance of her May 20 swearing-in, a variety of sources in D.C. told me.

Schakowsky’s Power Lunch

Pelosi is keynoting Schakowsky’s 18th Annual Ultimate Women’s Power Lunch, an event that has grown to be a valuable networking event for women whether or not they are active in politics.

This year, Pelosi’s star power is such that the sold-out event is drawing 3,050 attendees, Schakowsky told me.

“I’ve never had anything bigger,” Schakowsky said.

Pelosi arrives in Chicago as a showdown looms between House Democrats and Attorney General William Barr, who refused to attend a Thursday House Judiciary Committee hearing. On Wednesday, he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Mueller Report.

Pelosi told reporters on Thursday, “I really lost sleep last night after watching over and over again the testimony of the Attorney General of the United States. How sad it is – how sad it is for us to see the top law enforcement officer in our country misrepresenting, withholding the truth from the Congress of the United States.”

Schakowsky’s “power lunch” will spread over two ballrooms at the Hilton Chicago International, 720 S. Michigan Ave. “We had to shut it down,” Schakowsky said.

Schakowsky backed Lightfoot’s rival, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, in the mayoral election. Looking ahead, Schakowsky told me Thursday, “I want (Lightfoot) to succeed. I’m happy and grateful she is coming on Monday.”

Lightfoot, Schakowsky said, will give a short welcome to the crowd. This will be no waste of Lightfoot’s time since Schakowsky’s backers include the Chicago-area’s top female donors.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former House member, chaired the DCCC when Democrats seized control of the House in 2006, with the historic result of Pelosi becoming the first female speaker in the nation’s history.

Emanuel, I am told, is not going to Schakowsky’s event Monday but is trying to find a mutual time with Pelosi so they can meet.

The tab for Schakowsky’s power lunch slides from $5,400 to $100.

Lightfoot in Washington

Lightfoot hits Washington on Tuesday, where she will huddle with the top three House Democrats. She will have a one-on-one with Pelosi and also meet with the Majority Leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and the Majority Whip, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.

“I’m looking forward to hosting Mayor-elect Lightfoot in D.C. and escorting her to meetings with congressional leadership,” said Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., an early Lightfoot endorser.

On Wednesday, Lightfoot will attend a Congressional Black Caucus lunch in the Capitol.

Later on Wednesday, Lightfoot is on the hunt for political cash, with her “Lori Lightfoot for Chicago” campaign committee throwing a fundraiser at Cornerstone Government Affairs, with ticket prices ranging from $250 to $5,000, according to an invite obtained by the Sun-Times.

Event hosts include Eric Fanning, who was Secretary of the Army under former President Barack Obama, and, like Lightfoot, openly gay.

Lightfoot is the first African American female openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city.

On Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., hosts his regular lunch session for the Illinois delegation with Lightfoot a likely guest.

New Trier grad Moore out as Fed nominee

Stephen Moore, the Winnetka-raised economist, on Thursday withdrew his name for consideration by President Donald Trump for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors when it became clear he would face confirmation problems in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Moore was a member of the New Trier East High School Class of June 1978. He honed his speaking skills as a member of the debate team. Moore’s comments about the role of women, plus some financial woes put his confirmation in jeopardy, setting the stage for his withdrawal.

“I’ve asked Steve to work with me toward future economic growth in our Country,” Trump wrote in a tweet.

“I’m not playing the victim here,” Moore told FOX’s Tucker Carlson on Thursday night. He said he was a victim of “character assassination” having nothing to do with his economic views.