Why Donald Trump’s impeachment lawyers are fundraising for Sean Dougherty, a Northeast Philly Democrat

They say money can’t buy happiness. But in Philly politics, it can at least buy friends.

Clout is thinking Democratic candidate for state representative Sean Dougherty at least has some new pals.

After kicking off his campaign last month to replace incumbent Democratic State Rep. Kevin Boyle, Dougherty — son of State Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty, nephew of labor leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty — had his first big fundraiser Thursday night in Center City.

It was hosted by a cast of prominent Philadelphia lawyers (and Democratic donors) like Jim Beasley, Brian J. McMonagle, and Fortunato Perri Jr., the latter of whom represented one of Johnny Doc’s closest allies.

But two other lawyers on the list especially piqued Clout’s interest.

The list of hosts also included criminal defense attorneys Bill Brennan and Michael van der Veen, who are both registered Republicans and who represented former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. They also represented the Trump Organization in the New York criminal case.

Brennan told Clout he couldn’t recall his voter registration status and noted that he previously ran for office in Philly as a Democrat. He said party doesn’t matter in his support for the young Dougherty, who he said has impressed him in the courtroom in his past position as an assistant public defender.

”At this point, I just want to see the right people in the right positions,” Brennan said. “Whether [Dougherty] was an ‘R,’ a ‘D,’ or an ‘I,’ I would still support him.”

“Seany Doc” will need all the support he can get. He’s running in the April 23 primary to represent a Far Northeast district that’s especially important for Democrats to hold onto if they want to maintain control of the state House.

Dougherty’s campaign defended the Republican donors as longtime personal and professional friends.

“As a lifelong Democrat and resident of this district, he is singularly focused on making public safety and creating good union jobs a top priority,” Dougherty’s campaign manager Donaldo Elias said. “He’ll work with anyone, regardless of their party registration, to finally get results for local families.”

But this isn’t the first time a Dougherty has been connected to Trump world. In 2019, Johnny Doc — under indictment at the time — visited Trump’s White House to meet with economic advisers.

Bipartisanship is alive and well.

What do David McCormick, Vivek Ramaswamy, books, and bongs have in common?

Besides all being what Clout would like to see at a party, those people and discussion topics can be found on the agenda for this weekend’s Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, the state’s own version of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a.k.a. CPAC.

At a hotel in Camp Hill, conservatives gathered Friday and Saturday to schmooze at networking events with titles like “Freedom Breakfast” and learn at panels called things like “Books, Bongs, and Abortion: Protecting Children from the Left’s Agenda in PA.”

There were some big names in the state GOP on the schedule, include U.S. Reps. Scott Perry and Dan Meuser, treasurer Stacy Garrity, and attorney general contenders Dave Sunday and Craig Williams. McCormick, the presumed GOP nominee for Senate, was the most high-profile candidate scheduled to attend.

The rest of lineup comes mostly from the decidedly MAGA wing of the party, and the agenda featured a number of speakers big in the election denial movement, including Heather Honey, an activist whose erroneous work has been cited by national figures, including Trump.

In fact, McCormick spoke right before Dinesh D’Souza, the right-wing provocateur who peddled a documentary and book filled with 2020 election disinformation. He alleged a conspiracy of “ballot trafficking” and wrongly claimed groups were stuffing vote-by-mail drop boxes with fake ballots.

Also in attendance, Ramaswamy, the erstwhile presidential candidate who has called for “single day voting,” meaning no more early voting or mail ballots.

McCormick’s view is ... not that. The Senate candidate has said he’s supportive of a large effort to encourage mail voting in battleground states, and Politico recently reported that McCormick said on a call with other campaigns that Trump is “gonna have to come out” in support of mail voting more forcefully.

Something McCormick and Trump do agree on? Cheesesteak Vegas is where they get their nosh on.

McCormick took the popular campaign pilgrimage to the neon lights at Geno’s Steaks on Wednesday and beneath an awning — shielding him from a chilly rain — ordered a cheesesteak.

There were a few pitfalls. McCormick’s huge campaign bus struggled to navigate the narrow streets, so McCormick, former Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, and National Republican Senate Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R., Mont.) had to hop off and walk a few blocks in the rain.

“Joe Biden screwed up the weather,” McCormick said to a crowd of supporters and reporters awaiting his visit.

After accidentally ordering at the fries-only window, McCormick ordered four sandwiches “wiz wit,” for him and his entourage, avoiding the fate of 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who is immortalized for asking for Swiss cheese in 2003.

Post-chow down, McCormick put on an apron to grill some steak. Toomey, who retired from the Senate last year, said he’s also retired from flipping steaks.

McCormick has faced persistent attacks for living part-time in Connecticut and he got a few “outsider” accusations for the cheesy photo op, with some noting on social media that it’s mainly tourists who traverse the popular stretch of Passyunk Avenue.

But Geno’s, and rival shop Pat’s King of Steaks, are a frequent draw for candidates seeking Philly flavor and voter favor. Geno’s has been a haven for GOP candidates. The shop for 10 years displayed a sign that said “This is AMERICA. When ordering, speak English.” It was quietly removed in 2016.

Former Senate candidate Mehmet Oz broke Liscio’s bread at Geno’s last year, though his visit to Pat’s did not go as well. Trump visited in 2016 and then returned to the block last year for a surprise visit to Pat’s.

Pat’s has more often been the choice of Democrats. Biden ordered a “wiz widdout” there as vice president in 2010. Sen. Bob Casey, the Democrat whom McCormick is challenging, said he had his first-ever cheesesteak at Pat’s “sometime in the ‘90s.” Asked for his favorite place to get a cheesesteak, Casey said Pat’s until an aide noted it was a pretty touristy response.

“Dalessandro’s is also very good,” Casey said.

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.