| | | | | |  | | By James Bennet | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | LIKE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, the U.S. Capitol revealed itself on Wednesday to be far more vulnerable to attack than lawmakers, journalists or maybe even the Capitol Police imagined. Yet how could the Trump presidency possibly end any other way, with any less agonizing convulsion or any more fitting simile? After all, the president on Wednesday just did what he does, telling his followers, "You'll never take back our country with weakness." His collaborators in Congress did what they do, spreading his infecting, aggrieved falsehoods. And the police didn't do what they don't do — they didn't repel white protesters with anything like the degree of violence they used last year against Black protesters. The word "unprecedented" was used a lot on Wednesday. (And with reason: It's not every day you see a CNN chyron like: "SOON: TRUMP TO SPEAK TO SUPPORTERS IN DESPERATE COUP ATTEMPT.") As President-elect JOE BIDEN said, "Our democracy is under unprecedented assault." Unprecedented, yes, but should we really be surprised? This is a precedent toward which Washington has been descending for many years. On the Senate floor, before it was occupied by anarchists, Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL warned yesterday that democracy "would enter a death spiral" if his Republican colleagues succeeded in their attempt to overturn the election. "We must not imitate, and escalate, what we repudiate," he said, just minutes before the escalation began. It was a very good speech, and let us hope it did not come four years too late. As VAN JONES asked later on CNN, as the mayhem continued, "Is this the end of something — or the beginning of something?" To be unprecedented, after all, is to set a new precedent. I should probably pause for a programming note, since you might be wondering what I'm doing here. About a week ago, the editors of POLITICO kindly asked me to be the first in a rotation of outside writers honored with the chance to write this newsletter before the new Playbook team takes over on the day before the inauguration. You may have last seen me getting bounced out of The New York Times for running an opinion piece by Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) arguing for the use of military troops to prevent the rioting that accompanied some of the peaceful protests over the summer. As our editorials made clear, I disagreed with Cotton then (that's one reason I supported running the piece). And so I hope it doesn't make me a hypocrite now to say that I wish the military had been out in force Wednesday to stop the rioting and protect what Biden called the "citadel of liberty." Further full disclosure: My brother, Sen. MICHAEL BENNET of Colorado, was among the hundreds of public servants on Capitol Hill who came under threat from the mob Wednesday. Across the major networks, Trump's attempt to cling to power was taking a beating even before the coup attempt turned violent, before guns were drawn in the House chamber and congressmen frantically shoved furniture and filing cabinets across the floor to block doors. On Fox News, CHRIS WALLACE said of the challenges to the certification of the vote, "What's at stake is whether a bunch of insiders in the Congress can overturn the will of the American people." The thing is — although Trump never seemed like a candidate for Eisenhower-level revisionism — just a few days ago you could still pretty easily see the contours, however twisted, of the eventual contrarian argument for his presidency: that he created a new bipartisan consensus on China, that he presided over rising wages until the pandemic hit, even that his attempts to nullify an election and stay in power were just an act. Maybe a determined historian someday would even squint hard enough to find evidence that the president felt something more than indifference toward the Americans who died of Covid-19 on his watch, more than 359,000 of them as of yesterday. But Trump's encouragement of the rioters followed by his failure to command them to stop, along with his pressure on legislators to nullify the vote, confirmed the darkest views of his harshest critics. We should of course be humble about the judgment of history. But — like the Republican senators who stood up to the president on Wednesday, and like the Republicans blaming Trump for losing the Senate as well as the White House — historians will surely have a tough time shrugging aside the events of this week. As should we all, because it's not hyperbole to say America was on a precipice (and, with Trump in office for two more weeks, may still be). Imagine there was no Democratic majority in the House (it's easy if you try). Imagine that McConnell had turned out to be just as cynical as his own harshest critics have long thought. Or imagine that a critical handful of Republican state election officials hadn't had the courage to do their jobs properly — and it took courage, under this president. The National Guard could not have saved us then. Playbook editor Mike Zapler takes it from here with a rundown of an historic day of news in which the Democratic takeover of the Senate was an afterthought. Just after 3:30 a.m. this morning, a joint session of Congress, with VP Mike Pence presiding, certified the election of Joseph R. Biden. … Trump released a statement minutes later, amid growing calls to invoke the 25th Amendment: "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th." NYT : CONGRESS CONFIRMS BIDEN'S WIN, DEFYING MOB ATTACK … WaPo: CONGRESS AFFIRMS BIDEN'S WIN … WSJ: CONGRESS CERTIFIES BIDEN WIN AFTER MOB STORMS CAPITOL HAVING SEEN THE FATAL CONSEQUENCES of lying to the public about the November election, eight Republican senators and the majority of House Republicans voted to block Joe Biden's victory, anyway. THE DAY IN IMAGES … | 
Win McNamee/Getty Images | | 
People in the House gallery took cover as protesters tried to break in. | AP Photo/Andrew Harnik | | 
Win McNamee/Getty Images | | 
Drew Angerer/Getty Images | FOUR DEAD — "Family says woman fatally shot in U.S. Capitol was Ocean Beach resident," San Diego Union-Tribune: "Her husband confirmed to KUSI that the woman, whose shooting was caught on video, was 35-year-old Ashli Elizabeth Babbitt, and said she was an Air Force veteran. … Videos showing the encounter quickly spread online. … A person started to climb through a broken window. A single gunshot cracks and the person — a woman — falls back to the floor. Others surround her and some shout for help." — AP: "Three other people died after suffering 'medical emergencies' related to the breach, said Robert Contee, chief of the city's Metropolitan Police Department. Police said 52 people were arrested as of Wednesday night, including 26 on the Capitol grounds. Fourteen police officers were injured, Contee said." SCENE SETTER … TINA NGUYEN and DANIEL LIPPMAN: "How a sparse protest became a Capitol Hill riot" : "The crowd, once in the hundreds early in the morning, swelled into the tens of thousands, exhilarating the Capitol protesters. Trump supporters, some armored in ill-fitting Kevlar and waving every brand of flag, grew furious that the police were trying to control the crowd. And circulating through the crowd was an insistence that the Capitol was for them and them alone. "A video circulated on Twitter showing hundreds of Trump supporters breaking down a barricade at the back of the Capitol Building, chanting and marching toward the domed complex. Rumors ripped through the crowd about the breach, and people started suggesting they do the same: 'Why should we listen to law enforcement?' one asked." SHAWN MCCREESH: "What the MAGA Mob at the Capitol Had to Say for Itself," New York mag THE BIG PICTURE — "'He screwed the country': Trump loyalty disintegrates: Wednesday's Capitol Hill riot will reverberate for years, shaping Trump's legacy and pushing Republicans to confront the GOP's future," by Gabby Orr, Anita Kumar and Meridith McGraw … "The day Trump broke the GOP," by Burgess Everett, Marianne LeVine and Melanie Zanona This is what some of the chaos looked like, captured by reporters and others on the scene: Just after 1 p.m., rioters began clashing with police on the Capitol steps and pushing toward the entrances to the building. They battered the doors and shattered windows. Within an hour, they had breached the secure complex and throngs of rioters were freely roaming around the building. Some began pushing toward the Senate chamber, where senators were still inside debating the election results. Outside, they continued to wreak havoc. One police officer was caught on video taking a selfie with a rioter who had entered the building. Police barricaded the doors in the House chamber as rioters attempted to bust through after members were evacuated, leading to an armed standoff. In the Senate chamber, rioters made their way onto the floor and were taking pictures. They tore through the office of the Senate parliamentarian. READ THIS ORAL HISTORY of the day from our colleagues Burgess Everett, Tina Nguyen, Sarah Ferris, Olivia Beavers, Melanie Zanona and photographer Steven Voss, who were on the scene yesterday. IT WASN'T JUST THE CAPITOL … "An explosive device is found at the R.N.C., and the D.N.C. is evacuated," NYT BEYOND THE BELTWAY — Right-wing demonstrators breached the Kansas statehouse and made it to the front porch of the Washington governor's mansion. SOCIAL MEDIA FALLOUT — "Twitter, Facebook lock Trump's accounts in confrontation over Capitol breach posts," by Cristiano Lima: "Twitter also threatened to permanently suspend Trump from the platform if he violated its rules again … It marked the most severe actions taken by two social media platforms against Trump yet. … YouTube removed the video." THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IN TURMOIL … These were just some of the reverberations that followed the Capitol siege: Some Cabinet members had preliminary discussions about the 25th Amendment … The National Association of Manufacturers said Pence should "strongly consider" the 25th … Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger resigned … Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao considered resigning … Dozens of Democratic lawmakers called for Trump to be impeached anew … Melania Trump's chief of staff, the White House social secretary and a deputy White House press secretary resigned … Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott called for Trump's resignation or removal … Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) planned a resolution to call for the expulsion of all lawmakers trying to overturn the election … The Kansas City Star declared Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) "has blood on his hands" … Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said leaders of the attempt to object to certification should resign … A top House appropriator vowed Capitol Police firings 'After all the things I've done for Trump': Pence reportedly reached his limit with Trump. "I've known Mike Pence forever," Sen. James Inhofe said, via the Tulsa World . "I've never seen Pence as angry as he was today." Inhofe added: "I had a long conversation with him. … He said, 'After all the things I've done for [Trump].'" CNN's congressional ace Manu Raju caught up with Hawley last night and asked whether he viewed Trump as at least partly responsible for what unfolded. "I don't think urging people to come to the Capitol was a good idea," Hawley said, before adding: "The responsibility of violent criminal acts is with violent criminals." AS STUNNING AS WEDNESDAY WAS, it's worth remembering that a siege of the Capitol does not materialize out of thin air. The FBI has considered QAnon a domestic terrorism threat since 2019. Whole swaths of the country have been submerged in alternate reality disinformation bubbles for years. The Capitol Police seemed either unprepared or undermanned — or both. WAPO: "Capitol breach prompts urgent questions about security failures": "'It's like watching a real-life horror movie. I mean, we train and plan and budget every day, basically, to have this not happen,' said Kim Dine, who was chief of the Capitol Police from 2012 to 2016. 'How it happened, I can't figure that out.'" U.S. INFLUENCE EVAPORATING IN REAL TIME — "World leaders appalled by U.S. rioting, urge peaceful transfer," AP STRIKING DETAIL — THE DISPATCH: "At approximately 7 p.m., [Rudy] Giuliani called newly sworn-in Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a staunch Trump ally, imploring him to stall the process. … The problem for Giuliani? He left his message on the voicemail of another senator, who shared it with The Dispatch." REMEMBER THESE NAMES: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) voted to object to certifying Arizona's and/or Pennsylvania's electoral votes. In the House, 121 Republicans voted for the Arizona objection and 138 Republicans voted for the Pennsylvania objection. MEANWHILE, DEMOCRATS NOW HAVE UNIFIED CONTROL OF WASHINGTON — Democrats captured the Senate as JON OSSOFF was officially declared the winner of his Georgia runoff against GOP Sen. David Perdue. McConnell allies were quick to lay the blame squarely on the doorstep of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Alex Isenstadt reports. — And with the security of an unimpeded path through the Senate, Biden is set to tap Judge Merrick Garland for A.G., our Tyler Pager, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney scooped Wednesday afternoon. AP: "Biden is expected to announce Garland's appointment on Thursday, along with other senior leaders of the department, including former homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general and former Justice Department civil rights chief Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general, the No. 3 official. He will also name an assistant attorney general for civil rights, Kristen Clarke, the president of Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, an advocacy group." TRUMP'S THURSDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule. — BIDEN will deliver remarks in Wilmington. VP-elect KAMALA HARRIS will meet with transition advisers. | | | | GET THE BIG PRE-INAUGURATION SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: Inauguration Day is quickly approaching. Is the Biden administration ready? Transition Playbook brings you inside the transition and newly forming administration, tracking the latest from Biden world and the transition of power. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | STAFFING UP … "Biden taps intelligence veteran for new White House cybersecurity role," by Natasha Bertrand: "Anne Neuberger, who joined the NSA more than a decade ago and has been serving as the agency's director of cybersecurity since 2019, will be named deputy national security adviser for cybersecurity in the incoming NSC … Neuberger's hiring indicates that the Biden White House intends to re-elevate cybersecurity as a key national security priority." … AND STAFFING DOWN: "Biden to phase out Operation Warp Speed co-leader," by Rachel Roubein: "The leaders of the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed will continue working on the vaccine rollout during the Biden administration, a transition official confirmed on Wednesday. But Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific adviser to the government's vaccine accelerator, won't stay on for long. Slaoui will take on a reduced role as a consultant for four to six weeks before departing." THE TSUNAMI HEADED FOR US — "U.S. Is Blind to Contagious New Virus Variant, Scientists Warn: It's not too late to curb the contagious variant's spread in the U.S., experts say — but only with a national program for genetic sequencing," NYT THE NEW MAJORITY LEADER — "Chuck Schumer finally breaks through," by Burgess Everett: "One difference between Schumer and the tight-lipped McConnell is that Schumer is in constant contact with his members, calling them constantly on his flip phone, which rang several times at Wednesday's press conference. That won't change, allies say, and Schumer fielded calls from Democrats all morning on Wednesday. … "But Democrats did say they expected the Senate floor to look very different — and more active — than it did under McConnell, who prioritized judicial nominations and legislation he could pass with majority votes. … How far the party will go remains to be seen. … But as he figures out his agenda and how to get Biden's Cabinet confirmed, the Senate map will always be on Schumer's mind." IT KEEPS GETTING BIGGER — "SolarWinds Hack Breached Justice Department System," WSJ: "About 3% of the Justice Department's Microsoft Office email accounts were potentially accessed in the attack, the department said Wednesday. … There is no indication classified systems were affected … Even unclassified email accounts, though, can contain sensitive information about investigations and potentially national security related issues." — "Widely Used Software Company May Be Entry Point for Huge U.S. Hacking," NYT: "Officials are investigating whether [JetBrains], founded by three Russian engineers in the Czech Republic with research labs in Russia, was breached and used as a pathway for hackers to insert back doors into the software of an untold number of technology companies." | | | | A NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW HUDDLE IS HERE: Huddle, our daily congressional must-read, has a new author! Olivia Beavers took the reins this week, and she has the latest news and whispers from the Speakers' Lobby. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. MEDIAWATCH — "Reuters editor-in-chief Adler to retire after decade at the helm," Reuters: "Stephen J. Adler, editor-in-chief of Reuters for the past decade, said he would retire from the world's largest international news provider on April 1. A search for his successor will begin over the next few days." TRANSITIONS — Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) is adding Robert Kuhlman as a senior adviser and Haley Brady as deputy chief of staff for operations. Kuhlman most recently was press secretary at OMB, and Brady most recently was chief of staff for Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.). … Tom Alexander is now director of marketing and strategic comms at Husch Blackwell Strategies. He's previously managed his own consulting firm, Alexander Strategic Communications. BIRTHDAYS: Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is 6-0 … Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is 58 … Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) is 55 … Katie Couric … Yohannes Abraham … Jordan Karem … Dave Banks, chief strategist for the House Climate Crisis Committee GOP … The Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf is 41 … Jon Clark … Alex Milofsky, DCCC Midwest/South finance director … Fox Business Network anchor Dagen McDowell … Linda Douglass … Maura Keefe, founder of Keefe Strategies (h/ts Jon Haber) … Joel Rivlin … Bill Scheel … John Reiss, EP of NBC's "Meet the Press" (h/t Justice Green) … Bill Shoehigh (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Cherie Short, DHS deputy assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs … Stewart Boss, DSCC national press secretary … Megan Clarke, SVP of booking at Fox News … Lauren Harmon Murphy, deputy executive director at the Association of State Democratic Committees … … Facebook's Nick Clegg is 54 … CMS' Ernie Tai is 67 … Rishi Sahgal (h/t Kate Balcerzak) … APCO's Tim Kraus … Holly Shulman … Jann Wenner is 75 … Max Mallory, creative director at Hamilton Place Strategies … Adam Chernicoff … Matt McKinney … Sarah Youssef Wright … Jamie Lovegrove … former Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) is 61 … Axios' Ben Geman ... Greg Bury … Taylor Gee … Zoya Raynes … Ashley Callen ... Conor Skelding ... Britta Ritter-Armour ... Monica Lee ... Ira Berkow ... Alex Pazuchanics ... Meghan Cline … Cory Crowley ... Garth Spencer ... Michael Longo is 28 ... Chris McCreight ... Andrea Elizabeth Hailey … Eric Pfeiffer ... Brianna Labuskes … Jim Bohannon ... Jeff Gulko ... William Flynn ... Brett Shogren ... Brian Summers ... Neal Osborne is 32 ... Yvonne Conza ... Diane Roberts … Judge Paul D. Borman … Peter Vaghi | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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