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With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
DRIVING THE DAY
WHITE HOUSE JARGON WATCH — We heard a new term this week used inside the West Wing to describe President JOE BIDEN’s top five aides: “the quint.” The term refers to MIKE DONILON, STEVE RICCHETTI,ANITA DUNN,BRUCE REED and JEN O’MALLEY DILLON. Example of its usage: “We don’t know when POTUS is going to announce the reelect because the quint hasn’t decided yet.” Throw it around at your next D.C. dinner party to sound in the know!
DAILY SANTOS — “Santos was charged with theft in 2017 case tied to Amish dog breeders,” by Jacqueline Sweet
McCONNELL VS. SCOTT, PART LVII — Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL on Florida Republican Sen. RICK SCOTT’s“Rescue America” plan, which states, “All federal legislation sunsets in 5 years,” with no exceptions for Social Security and Medicare: “This is a bad idea. I think it will be a challenge for him to deal with this in his own reelection in Florida, a state with more elderly people than any other state in America.”
More McConnell: “Speaker [KEVIN] McCARTHY said Social Security and Medicare are not to be touched, and I’ve said the same. And I think we’re in a more authoritative position to state what the position of the party is than any single senator.” (h/t AP’s Seung Min Kim)
Scott world’s response,via longtime Scott spokesperson CHRIS HARTLINE: “Lol. Rick Scott knows how to win Florida a hell of a lot better than Mitch McConnell does. Some DC Republicans can keep parroting Democrat lies, but that won’t stop Rick Scott from fighting for conservative principles instead of caving to Biden every day.”
Reminder: After Biden called out “some Republicans” Tuesday for wanting to sunset Social Security and Medicare, Scott called the suggestion “a lie” but has not changed the wording of his plan.
THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: MAX BAUCUS — In Washington, there is now a bipartisan consensus around being tough on China.
This was happening even before the Chinese sent a spy balloon drifting across the U.S. Last month, by a vote of 365 to 65, the House created a new “Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.”
But the balloon incident has really brought Democrats and Republicans together in outrage about China. Yesterday, the House voted 419 to zero for a resolution condemning China for its “brazen violation of United States sovereignty.” In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans took turns scolding defense officials who came to Capitol Hill for a hearing on what the administration knew about the balloon and when they knew it.
With China hawks now dominating the thinking of both parties when it comes to Sino-American relations, we decided to check in with MAX BAUCUS, one of the leading voices warning that the hawks have things dangerously wrong.
Baucus watched the balloon incident unfold from a unique perspective. He’s a former Democratic senator from Montana and was in the state as the balloon drifted overhead and ranchers traded notes about what kinds of guns might be able to take it out. But more importantly, Baucus was the U.S. ambassador to China from 2014 to 2017.
He now runs a public policy institute in his home state and, since leaving office, has been a paid adviser to American and Chinese corporations. You can listen to the full conversation with Baucus on this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive.
Some key excerpts:
— On how the Chinese see Biden and DONALD TRUMP:
“I had some very good Chinese friends — high up in the government — and I talked to them before the [2020] election, and they said they hoped Biden would win the election and not Trump. Why? Because they said, ‘We could deal with Biden.’ They thought because he’s steeped in foreign policy and he was chairman of that Foreign Relations Committee, he’s reasonable, whereas … you never know where Trump is going to go. But they changed their mind afterwards because Biden’s rhetoric isn’t as anti-China as Trump’s, but his policies are more anti-China than Trump’s.”
— On Biden saying the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China invaded:
“I was a bit surprised. … He did overstate it, there’s no question. His staff had to walk it back two or three times. I think the wiser approach for him is to not have made those statements and maintained strategic ambiguity, because that has served us pretty well. There are some who think we should scrap that and … define red lines with Taiwan. I think that causes more problems than it solves. We should … let Taiwan be Taiwan.
“Don’t crank things up on the U.S. side, because then the Chinese won’t get too cranked up either. … China does not want war, but the more we provoke them … we’re getting closer to something like that.”
— On then-Speaker NANCY PELOSI’s trip to Taiwan:
“[W]hen I heard that Speaker Pelosi [was] thinking about going over, I said, ‘Uh oh, this is not a good idea. This is going to stir things up unnecessarily.’ … It couldn’t have been done to show our support for Taiwan. I think she went basically for herself — that she just wanted to go. And the fallout is what I expected. … China stopped talking to [Special Presidential Envoy for Climate] JOHN KERRY about climate change. … The hotline between China and the U.S. military was cut off, basically. …
“Now, Speaker McCarthy is in a box. He has to go because Speaker Pelosi went and because Republicans in the House will be outraged if he doesn’t. … I hope that President Biden figures out a way to kind of manage all this in a way so that McCarthy’s visit doesn’t just cause even more problems.”
— On why the House select committee on China concerns him:
“First, it has no legislative jurisdiction. … When you have legislative jurisdiction, it helps you be responsible because you’ve got to work on passing legislation — and to pass bills, you’ve got to have votes and a majority, and that kind of thing. … If Joe Biden runs again for reelection, House Republicans on that committee are going to look for ways to try to embarrass Joe Biden on China.”
— On whether war with China is inevitable:
“I think it’s highly unlikely there’ll be military confrontation with China. Highly unlikely. And I cringe a little bit when I see a lot of American generals say, ‘Oh, war is inevitable.’ That just makes things worse, because in my judgment, it’s not inevitable. But the more generals talk about war, the more it’s going to maybe become more likely.”
Listen to the full episode … Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line with your favorite bits of inscrutable West Wing jargon: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
TALKER — Michael Schaffer’s new column: “Doug Emhoff Gets to Sit at D.C.’s Cool Kids’ Table”
NO SUPER BOWL SITDOWN FOR FOX? — Since 2009, the president has almost always sat down for an interview with the network broadcasting the Super Bowl. But ahead of Sunday’s big game, Fox News is worried Biden is freezing them out, Variety’s Brian Steinberg scooped. Though Fox didn’t demand any conditions for the interview, the White House hasn’t committed, and “executives at Fox News are proceeding as if it will not” happen.
YIKES — POLITICO’s Tanya Snyder caught an awkward moment yesterday in Nevada, where Energy Secretary JENNIFER GRANHOLM received a pretty-little-lady’s welcome after announcing a $2 billion loan to a battery recycling company— and speaking in technical terms about the minerals in anodes and cathodes and what it takes to recycle them.
When Nevada Gov. JOE LOMBARDO followed her at the podium, he asked: “Do you actually understand that science, or did you just memorize that?” The crowd was silent.
But Granholm, a Harvard Law graduate, later tweeted: “Big words can be intimidating, I understand. All the Governor needs to know is that $2 BILLION and thousands of good-paying jobs are coming to Nevada thanks to @POTUS.”
PHOTO OF THE DAY
PLAYBOOK READS
ALL POLITICS
THE ENTITLEMENT DEBATE — CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck dug up comments from Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS’ 2012 congressional campaign in which he supported privatizing Medicare and Social Security.
Biden discussed the issue yesterday at a stop in Tampa: “I know that a lot of Republicans, their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare,” Biden said. “Well, let me say this: If that’s your dream, I’m your nightmare.” Biden’s staff distributed pamphlets with a version of Scott’s policy plan at the event, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Emily Mahoney.
VEEPSTAKES — Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa) told CBS’ Catherine Herridge that she does not want to be a VP nominee next year, but thinks Arkansas Gov. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS could be a good pick.
HEADLINE OF THE DAY — “Who Is @Catturd2, the Sh-tposting King of MAGA Twitter?” by Rolling Stone’s Miles Klee: “He’s in his late 50s, has multiple ex-wives but no children, and apparently lives alone except for his pets. From a rural [Florida] home, and behind the signature profile image of a smug-looking cat in glasses, he holds sway over the faction of the Republican base that idolizes Trump and DeSantis.”
2024 WATCH — New Hampshire’s CHRIS SUNUNU jabbed fellow Republican governors during a POLITICO event yesterday, criticizing DeSantis for being less fiscally conservative than him, and calling Sanders’s SOTU response “very politically driven” and “unhelpful” in its suggestion that “all Democrats are crazy.” (“That isn’t what she said,” says ALEXA HENNING, Sanders’ comms director, “so it’s actually Chris that assumes half the country is crazy.”)
NOT STICKING TO THEIR GUNS — “The NRA Has Lost Over a Million Members Since Corruption Allegations Surfaced,” by The Reload’s Stephen Gutowski
THE WHITE HOUSE
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM — As Atlanta, Chicago and NYC jockey for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Chicago advocates are telling Biden that organized labor won’t be happy if he sites the convention in the right-to-work state of Georgia, Axios’ Alexi McCammond reports.
BIDEN’S BIG CHALLENGE — “What climate law? Voters clueless about Biden’s top achievement,” by Zack Colman
CONGRESS
JUST POSTED — Some friends and family of freshman Rep. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-Fla.) are surprised by her conservative shift, stories of an impoverished childhood and “embrace of her Hispanic heritage,” WaPo’s Jacqueline Alemany and Alice Crites report. “A cousin who grew up with Luna said she was regularly included in family gatherings. Her roommate in Missouri had no recollection of the ‘home invasion’ Luna detailed. … And three years before her first congressional bid as a conservative, Luna registered to vote as a Democrat in Washington state, voting records show.”
NIGHT OF THE HUNTER — Here comes ABBE LOWELL: HUNTER BIDEN’s attorney told the House Oversight GOP yesterday that he wouldn’t provide the records their investigation seeks, and “questioned the legitimacy of the Republican-led inquiry into the president and his family, arguing that the investigation lacked a valid legislative purpose,” WSJ’s C. Ryan Barber reports.
FOLLOWING THE MONEY — “Ilhan Omar’s campaign cash to consultants dipped by millions after halting payments to husband’s firm,” by Fox News’ Joe Schoffstall
TRUMP CARDS
BIG MOVES FROM JACK SMITH — The special counsel in charge of the Justice Department’s Trump investigations subpoenaed former VP MIKE PENCE, ABC’s Katherine Faulders and John Santucci scooped, and former national security adviser ROBERT O’BRIEN, CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Paula Reid scooped. The moves signal a more aggressive and advanced phase of the probes.
In Pence’s case, Smith’s demand for testimony and docs comes after months of back-and-forth negotiations. “It’s not immediately clear to what extent the former vice president might seek to invoke claims of executive privilege,” per ABC. O’Brien has already claimed executive privilege, per CNN.
GETTING THE GANG BACK TOGETHER — On the Trump 2024 campaign, meanwhile, it’s starting to feel like 2020 again: JASON MILLER leaving GETTR, the conservative Twitter competitor, and returning to the fold as senior adviser, Meridith McGraw reports.
MOVE FAST AND BREAK THINGS — Trump officially regained access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts yesterday as Meta lifted his yearslong suspension, the company said. More from Reuters
POLICY CORNER
IMMIGRATION FILES — The Biden administration is working on major legislation to overhaul the country’s asylum system, Reuters’ Ted Hesson scooped. Though still in its early phases, the bill would create big centers at the southern border to hasten the processing of asylum claims. Migrants would be placed in different types of housing or detention, as the system aims to speed up deportations for asylum-seekers who lose their cases.
WAR IN UKRAINE
MORE STRIKES OVERNIGHT — “Russia fires missiles and drones in waves to evade air defense systems,” by NYT’s Marc Santora
HOW THE WAR IS WAGED — From Kyiv, WaPo’s Isabelle Khurshudyan, Dan Lamothe, Shane Harris and Paul Sonne scoop a deeper U.S. military involvement in the war than was previously known: The Pentagon provides Ukraine coordinates for almost all of its rocket strikes.
AMERICA AND THE WORLD
SCHUMER EYES AUMF REPEAL — Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER said yesterday that he would schedule a vote on repealing the 2002 authorization for the use of military force that paved the way for the Iraq War, per AP’s Mary Clare Jalonick.
SHOCK DEVELOPMENT — “Nicaragua frees 222 political prisoners, sends them to U.S.,” by the L.A. Times’ Kate Linthicum, Tracy Wilkinson, Patrick McDonnell and Leila Miller
JUST POSTED — “‘It just rang’: In crises, US-China hotline goes unanswered,” by AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
THE CULTURE WAR’S GENERAL — “GOP lawmakers follow Florida’s lead with DeSantis copycat bills,” by WaPo’s Tim Craig
MEDIAWATCH
POINT OF SALE — “Forbes, Russia hawks, and an $800 million deal in peril,” by Semafor’s Liz Hoffman and Ben Smith
KNOWING SHARI REDSTONE — “‘She Won’t Be Manageable,’ They Said. Now She’s in Charge,” by NYT’s James Stewart and Rachel Abrams
VALLEY TALK
MUSK READ — “Elon Musk fires a top Twitter engineer over his declining view count,” by Platformer’s Zoë Schiffer and Casey Newton: “One of the company’s two remaining principal engineers offered a possible explanation for [ELON] MUSK’s declining reach: just under a year after the Tesla CEO made his surprise offer to buy Twitter for $44 billion, public interest in his antics is waning. … Musk did not take the news well.”
TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Peter Baker, Nikole Killion, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Errin Haines.
SUNDAY SO FAR …
ABC “This Week”: Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) … Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.). Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Julie Pace and Susan Page.
NBC “Meet the Press”: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox … New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy … Mark Pomerantz. Panel: Leigh Ann Caldwell, Jonah Goldberg, Garrett Haake and Symone Sanders-Townsend.
CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) … Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). Panel: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs … Myron Rolle. Panel: Bill Hemmer and Clay Travis. Panel: Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long and Michael Strahan.
PLAYBOOKERS
Angie Craig defended herself during her assault by tossing hot coffee at her attacker. Suspect Kendrick Hamlin was arrested last night.
John Fetterman did not have another stroke, though he’s still in the hospital.
Gisele Barreto Fetterman said their son got concerned about her morning latte.
Joe Biden’s Super Bowl plan includes guacamole and chocolate chip ice cream (separately, we hope).
Kamala Harris got excited about a bus again.
Rob Menendez picked a bagel fight with Dan Goldman.
David Axelrodlearned what a “Karen” is.
IN MEMORIAM — Greg Means, a founding principal of the Alpine Group and a Hill alum, died Sunday, the firm announced: “One of his favorite statements was that a guy from the small town of Hampton, Arkansas, who had a tattoo of his home zip code on his ankle to remind him to never forget his roots, had created one of the Top 20 government relations firms in the Nation’s Capital.”
— “Bob Orben, comedy writer who crafted Gerald Ford’s speeches, dies at 95,” by WaPo’s Brian Murphy
HAPPENING TODAY — Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security is hosting an event, open virtually to the public, aimed at uniting the often fractious Iranian diaspora following the recent historic anti-regime protests. It brings together several prominent Iranian activists, from actress Golshifteh Farahani to former crown prince Reza Pahlavi to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi — some of whom have never shared a stage before.
“It’s time to put our differences aside and come together for the sake of Iranian people,” participant Masih Alinejad, the target of an alleged Iranian assassination plot, told Nahal Toosi. “I’m in touch with many activists and opposition leaders inside Iran, and this is what they want: unity.”
TALKING TRASH — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly exchanged some friendly pre-Super Bowl fire at a D.C. presser yesterday, per Shia Kapos. “I’m supporting the Eagles,” Shapiro said. “And I wanted to just begin by offering my condolences on what I know is about to happen on Sunday,” he said, turning to Kelly, who responded, “You’ll eat those words.” Pic
OUT AND ABOUT — The Canadian Embassy held a welcome party for the new Congress on Wednesday night, featuring a traditional Canadian sugar shack prepared by Le Mont Royal, an ice wine luge on the embassy roof, pan-Canadian food and drink, and maple leaf mittens as swag. SPOTTED: Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Reps. BillHuizenga (R-Mich.) and Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Canadian Minister of Defense Anita Anand, Canadian Minister of Industry François-Philippe Champagne, James Rajotte, JF Hould and Scotty Greenwood.
— SPOTTED at the Edison Electric Institute’s welcome back reception for Congress Wednesday night at Hawk ’n’ Dove: Reps. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Rick Allen (R-Ga.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), William Timmons (R-S.C.) and Darren Soto (D-Fla.).
TROUBLE AT THE CHC — Jacky Usyk, executive director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was fired by Chair Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.) yesterday after just a month in the job, leaving the group with “no political staffers on the active payroll” and “a worst-case scenario for Barragán,” per The Hill.
WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Zach Butterworth is leaving his role as White House liaison to the private-sector business community today, Axios’ Sophia Cai reports.
TRANSITIONS — Dan Cox, who ran unsuccessfully for Maryland governor last year, is now chief of staff for Doug Mastriano, who ran unsuccessfully for Pennsylvania governor last year, Holly Otterbein scooped. … Jason Houser, the chief of staff at ICE, is preparing to depart the agency after a period of leave for family-related matters. He was the highest-ranking political appointee at the agency in the absence of a Senate-confirmed director. He’s still figuring out his next steps. … Barbara Slavin is now a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center’s Middle East & North Africa program, leading the Middle East Voices forum. She previously was with the Atlantic Council and founded and directed its Future of Iran Initiative. …
… Tyler Moran is now managing director of policy and government affairs at Emerson Collective. She left the White House last year as deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser for migration, and is a Harry Reid and Obama White House alum. … Gordon Holzberg is now legislative director for Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio). He previously was acting legislative director for Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.). … Aaron Cohen is now VP of government affairs at Neurocrine Biosciences. He previously was a partner at Capitol Counsel, and is a John Ensign alum.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) … George Stephanopoulos … Glenn Beck … POLITICO’s Greg Mott, Melissa Rosales, Kaitlyn Tibbetts and Selby Schnobrich … The Atlantic’s Margy Slattery … Reuters’ Aram Roston … Emily Horne … Izzy Klein … Mindy Finn … Curt Levey of the Committee for Justice … Susan Crabtree … John Yang … Kyle Trygstad … Cathy Gillespie … CNN’s Mallory Thompson … WSJ’s Michael Gordon … WaPo’s Marisa Kashino … Merck’s John Cummins … L.A. Times’ Erin Logan … Cavan Jones of the American Society of Anesthesiologists … Alex Davidson of the Beer Institute (3-0) … Jo-Marie St. Martin … Jake Silverman of Rep. Nikema Williams’ (D-Ga.) office … Joanna Belanger … Natalie Knight of House Judiciary … Eric Storey … Tim Graham … Matt Holt … Steve Beynon … Kylie Toscano … Jessica Meyers … Jim Cramer … Bob Iger … Crooked Media’s Tanya Somanader … Jeff Jacoby … Scott Sendek … Bruce Gates … John Sturm … Maddilyn Harris … Jim Pfaff … Franco Ripple of Direct Impact (4-0)
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Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled the name of German Ambassador Emily Haber.
