REPUBLICANS TO AOC: NICE TRY — Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's tweet over the weekend demand for "Trump sycophants" to be held accountable once he leaves office in January struck fear into even some "some normally unflappable" Trump officials, POLITICO's Ryan Lizza, Daniel Lippman and Meridith McGraw report. But now they're brushing off the liberal firebrand's threat. — "Many top Trump advisers now say they're not worried, and they point to the aftermaths of similarly controversial administrations as reassurance. They argue that if the Bush-era politicians and staffers who led the country to war in Iraq survived without being purged from politics, media and corporate America, then Trump's advisers won't either." — "Interviews with numerous current and former Trump officials reveal that while the talk of lists and permanent cancelation bubbling up on social media is worrisome, few are taking it seriously. Most Trump officials feel that the president's better-than-expected showing in the election, the history of Bush-era 'warmongers' (as one Trump official called them) easily re-integrating into polite society, and the myopia of both the news media and the loudest voices on the left will all conspire to allow even the most controversial Trump aides to continue working in politics and the private sector. None of the Trump officials interviewed for this story seriously believed that Trump would prevail in the election, and it was taken as a given that they would all soon be looking for work outside the administration." BUT: The Hill's Alex Gangitano reports that "most lobbying firms aren't eager to snatch up Trump staffers, since in the eyes of employers they carry more risk than reward, several veteran lobbyists told The Hill. The job market will be even more difficult for younger aides with little previous experience." — "'The folks in this administration, especially the folks without a previous career to fall back on, are going to have to figure out a way to reinvent themselves — do something different or go somewhere different,' said Julian Ha, a partner at Heidrick & Struggles , an executive search firm. Another lobbyist said Trump aides need something other than the 45th president on their résumés." GYMS WANT IN ON ANY POST-ELECTION STIMULUS: The Community Gyms Coalition, which represents more than 15,000 local gyms, launched a push today for up to $30 billion in relief for the fitness industry in any coronavirus stimulus package struck in the lame duck. The group, whose members include CrossFit, Orangetheory Fitness and Pure Barre, says that gyms are at higher risk than restaurants for pandemic-related closures, and is pushing for a grant program similar to that enacted for restaurants. The coalition has hired Holland & Knight to lobby for the gym relief. THE SECOND GENTLEMAN-ELECT: The elevation of Sen. Kamala Harris to vice president has shattered gender and racial barriers, but it will also shine a spotlight on her husband, Doug Emhoff, whose career as a lawyer at DLA Piper is sure to come under scrutiny after four years of the same for members of questions about the ethics of the Trump family's business interests, Bloomberg Law reports. — "The types of cases Doug Emhoff handles as an entertainment and commercial attorney aren't likely to generate White House intrigue, but his partnership at DLA Piper poses broad conflict-of-interest questions. The firm's federal lobbying clients including Qualcomm Inc., Comcast Corp., Raytheon Co. and the government of Afghanistan." Emhoff took a leave of absence from DLA Piper in August, when Harris was named as Biden's running mate. — The president and vice president are exempt from federal conflict of interest laws, and "theoretically, Emhoff could take a salary only from DLA Piper and not share in any of the firm's profits, but the perception problem would remain, according to Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration." "'I think it would be nuts for him to stay at the firm,' Painter said. 'She would consistently be faced with the allegation that people are hiring the firm to get something out of the administration.'" — The Trump administration, of course, has been dogged by its own complaints from critics that the president has repeatedly crossed ethical boundaries by refusing to divest from his real estate empire, repeatedly patronizing his businesses and spending taxpayer dollars there as a result. That the president remained tied financially to his businesses also opened the door for those seeking to curry favor with the administration, including foreign governments, to do so by patronizing Trump hotels properties. The president has steadfastly denied any conflict of interest even as his business entanglements have remained a subject of much scrutiny. ICYMI: BANKERS BREATHING A SIGH OF RELIEF: The prospect of a divided government now that Biden has been declared president-elect and control of the Senate is still up in the air is likely a comfort to the nation's bankers, POLITICO's Zachary Warmbrodt wrote last week. — "Industry representatives say they welcome the possibility of the Republicans maintaining control of the Senate in a Joe Biden presidency, saying a split government could still deliver much-needed relief for the economy while avoiding a regulatory crackdown that would loom if Democrats won everything." — "A Republican Senate would reject Biden's attempts to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy. It would also be a major obstacle for Democrats seeking to reverse Trump-era deregulation, rein in credit reporting firms by establishing a government-run alternative, cap high-interest rate loans, or put new restrictions on leveraged buyouts." If the upper chamber remains in Republicans' hands after a pair of run-offs in Georgia in early January, that is sure to impact Biden's picks to lead key financial positions as well. — "'The worst ideas on the progressives' policy and personnel wish lists — including government competing head-to-head with the private sector — will be shelved,' said Peter Freeman, a principal at FS Vector and a former House Republican aide." | 
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