Even amid impeachment probe, both sides cheer for the Nats

WASHINGTON (AP) — As he took the podium last week in the White House briefing room, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was a familiar Washington figure — a former congressman and D.C. transplant who cheers for the team that calls Capitol Hill home.

"I did want to come out here with my Nationals hat on, but they told me that that would violate some type of rule, so I couldn't do that," Mulvaney said. "I was also going to wear my Montreal Expos hat, and then they said that would be foreign interference in the World Series, so I can't do that either."

The joke fell flat, and many were shocked by the bizarre news conference that followed, in which Mulvaney acknowledged a quid pro quo involving military aid to Ukraine. But nobody questioned Mulvaney's Nationals fandom, even though he grew up in North Carolina and represented South Carolina in Congress — Atlanta Braves territory.

From members of Congress to city leaders, Supreme Court justices to TV pundits, cheering for the Nationals is one thing Washington politicos can agree on. Nationals Park, 1½ miles south of the Capitol, has long been considered a bipartisan oasis where Republicans and Democrats can set aside their differences while dissecting the manager's bullpen moves. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Democratic predecessor, Harry Reid, have said the Nationals were one subject they could discuss without things getting heated.

"I think it's the only safe haven in D.C. that's a politics-free zone," said Tom Davis, a Republican former congressman from northern Virginia and a season ticket holder. "Everybody's sitting there rooting for the same team, unless you're from Houston."

That bipartisan comity could be tested on Sunday by President Donald Trump, who faces an impeachment inquiry to determine whether he violated his oath of office by...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Even-amid-impeachment-probe-both-sides-cheer-for-14562554.php