Arizona Republican Jeff Flake is notorious for attending events with live animals. On Monday, he got another chance at a briefing with Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on wildlife trafficking.  

The stars of the show were a live cheetah and an Australian shepherd. This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee marks up Flake’s bill, aimed at ending wildlife trafficking and co-sponsored by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.  

Earlier this month, HOH saw Flake take a selfie with a pig . No word if he took one with the cheetah, but we’ll post it if he did.

Clinton scandal

Cast members from ABC’s “Scandal” are fundraising for Hillary Clinton in Washington on Wednesday at a closed-door reception with Huma Abedin, Clinton campaign vice chairwoman, and Jake Sullivan, a senior policy adviser.  

We hear Kerry Washington will not attend, but Guillermo Díaz (Huck) and #ImWithHer tweeter Tony Goldwyn (President Fitzgerald Grant III) will. Also look for Katie Quinn Lowes (Quinn Perkins),  Jeff Perry (Cyrus Beene) and Bellamy Young (Mellie Grant) who are scheduled to attend.  

A $250 donation will get you into the fundraising event, slated for 7 p.m., while $1,000 gets you behind closed doors with the cast. “Scandal” returns on Thursday, May 12.

Tillis tricked at chili cook-off

All participants thought that the chili cook-off dinner last night was a blind tasting, but Sen. Thom Tillis’, R-N.C., staff decided to have a little fun with their boss.  

The staffers tipped off the guest judges — Senators Al Franken, D-Minn., Charles E Grassley, R-Iowa, Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska — on which dish was Tillis’. The judges harshly critiqued it at the Hill event.  

Sources tell us that one judge even delivered a 1 out of 10 and asked, “was this from a can?”  

Tillis ended in last place but once the prank was revealed, staffers admitted that their boss’ chili was actually very good.  

‘Veep’ is back

Tony Hale (“Veep” body man extraordinaire Gary Walsh) told Julie Mason on SiriusXM’s “The Press Pool” that the comedy has turned into a “bit of a documentary” with today’s political landscape.  

“[D.C.] people really appreciate and like the show because they see behind the scenes what we’re trying to maybe satirize,” Walsh said.  

“Veep,” starring D.C. native Julia Louis-Dreyfus as President Selina Meyer, returned to TV on Sunday night for its fifth season.  

Hale said he has a new take on politicians: “I do have huge respect and admiration for someone with honest motives, wanting to make a change, wanting to step into that environment,” he said. “That takes guts, man.”  

The actor was in town last week with the International Justice Mission, which was lobbying on Capitol Hill to combat sex trafficking and slavery.

Party City

It’s White House Correspondents Dinner week and HOH wants to know what you think are the week’s best parties.  

There are two surveys on Roll Call’s Twitter. We’d like to hear what you think the best parties are — based on either celebrity guest list , or location . Venues this year include the W’s POV, the Hamilton, the Renwick, the Colombian embassy and — of course — the Hilton.  

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