| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | SCOOP: TRUMP MEETS BRITT — Former President DONALD TRUMP met with Alabama GOP Senate candidate KATIE BRITT at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, two sources familiar told Playbook. The former president has been having buyer's remorse after endorsing Rep. MO BROOKS for Senate, watching with frustration as Brooks has failed to catch fire with the MAGA base. Brooks, who has struggled with disappointing fundraising and poll numbers, recently hit the "reset" button on his campaign, hiring a new campaign team. But even as Brooks tries to recover, Trump, we're told, has complained to associates that Brooks has been working with anti-Trumpers and — worse, in his eyes — has been seeking the endorsement of JEFF SESSIONS, the former Alabama senator and A.G. Trump loathes Sessions for recusing himself from the Justice Department's Russia investigation. Brooks recently called Sessions "one of the best senators we ever had." Enter Britt, a former staffer to Sen. RICHARD SHELBY (R-Ala.). We're told we shouldn't expect Trump to switch endorsements anytime soon, if at all. But the fact that he met with her — something he rarely does after he endorses in a race — is telling about his current discontent with Brooks. Now for the real primary drama … INSIDE THE GOP'S MISSOURI CLOWN SHOW — For months, many Republican operatives across the political spectrum — from MAGA world and the RNC to the NRSC and Team Mitch — have privately whispered agreement on one thing when it comes to Missouri's crowded Senate GOP primary: They'd welcome any nominee except ERIC GREITENS. The disgraced former governor of the Show-Me State resigned in 2018 after a woman testified under oath that Greitens tied her up in his basement, stripped her naked and took photos of her to use as blackmail in their extramarital affair — before forcing her to have oral sex with him. Greitens maintains that the exchange was consensual. Despite that history — and despite a number of other prominent Republicans in the race — Greitens leads the pack in Missouri's GOP primary. Party operatives know that if they want to stop him, they need to clear the field so that the anti-Greitens vote isn't fragmented. But they're at a loss over how to do that. None of the prominent candidates shows any sign of dropping out anytime soon. — Over the weekend, Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) took a first stab, backing Rep. VICKY HARTZLER with an endorsement that many believe could make a difference. — But just as he did, another candidate, Rep. BILLY LONG, started attacking Hawley personally, going on a rant against him and having what some Republicans called a "public meltdown on Twitter" (see here and here). — On Tuesday, state A.G. ERIC SCHMITT locked down Sen. TED CRUZ's (R-Texas) endorsement, a sign that he's in the race for the foreseeable future. THERE'S ONE MAN WHO THEY ALL AGREE COULD CLEAR THE FIELD. Trump won the state by 16 points, and if he backed Hartzler alongside Hawley, many think this primary would be over. But Trump feels burned by some of his previously endorsed candidates who've fizzled out, and has been reluctant to wade in unless he's sure he's backing a winner. Trump is also hearing opposing perspectives from prominent figures in the MAGA world orbit. Former adviser KELLYANNE CONWAY is working for Long, while KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, who is engaged to DONALD TRUMP JR. and helps lead a pro-Trump super PAC, is national chair of Greitens' campaign. A few things to know about Trump and this race: — The former president, we're told, doesn't like Greitens. While Trump often sides with men accused of sexual misconduct over the women who accuse them — and has asked some associates if they thought Greitens' past sexual exploits could have been consensual — he's also shown contempt for him. "What kind of guy ties a woman up in the basement against her will?" Trump recently asked one confidant. — Even so, Trump has seen Greitens' internal poll numbers and asked those close to him if he should just endorse him and take the victory. And Greitens is certainly trying his best to get Trump's blessing: He's vowed to vote against MITCH MCCONNELL for GOP leader, regularly spouts the president's election conspiracies to earn points and, according to one source, even spent several days hanging around Mar-a-Lago last week. — People close to Trump and senior Republicans across the party have encouraged the former president not to back the former governor, arguing both that they can't have an alleged sexual predator in the Senate and that if he wins the primary he could lose a seat for Republicans in the general — a prediction backed by recent polling. (Greitens' campaign has pushed back on this conclusion, arguing that Trump's 2020 pollster, TONY FABRIZIO, has numbers showing otherwise.) IN FAIRNESS, IT'S NOT AS THOUGH TRUMP HAS DONE NOTHING SO FAR. In 2021, Trump and Conway told Long — an early Trump 2016 supporter — that he needed to boost his poll and fundraising numbers if he wanted Trump's endorsement. In December, after Long failed to do that, multiple sources tell us that Trump called Long and asked him to seek reelection to the House, gently suggesting he bow out of the Senate race. "We really need you in the House," Trump said, according to someone familiar with the call. Long didn't take kindly to the idea, ignored the advice and is still trying to gain traction — though even his adviser Conway has told him to lay off the Twitter rants and that he needs to do more. Indeed, when asked about whether GOP leaders have asked him to drop out, Long told our Alex Isenstadt in a text "they know that will NEVER HAPPEN." His campaign spokesperson told us last night that "Billy is working hard not only to get the endorsement of President Trump, but also the endorsement from the voters of Missouri on August 2nd."
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See how we're working to help you connect safely. | | | SO WHAT ABOUT OTHER REPUBLICAN LEADERS? — In the past, the NRSC has waded into these sorts of fights to try to ensure the candidate who wins the nomination can win the general. But NRSC Chair RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) has made clear he's not getting involved in any — any — internal GOP races. — Some have wondered why McConnell world or the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund haven't done more. But around Washington, other anti-Greitens Republicans say that McConnell's involvement could actually backfire and help the former governor, which is why they're hoping he stays out of this for now. — Instead, many seem to be looking to Hawley, who is influential within the state GOP, hoping that his endorsement will help narrow the field. These Republicans are crossing their fingers that Trump will follow the senator's momentum and lean in for Hartzler, whom the former president has met but doesn't know well. A double Hawley-Trump Hartzler endorsement, these Republicans say, may be the only thing that puts Greitens away for good, though one person told us Trump has called Hartzler "a nice lady, but not a fighter." Still, we're told Trump considers Hawley's counsel, often asking people "what does Hawley think?" when it comes to anything Missouri-related. While Hawley hasn't flat-out asked Trump to back Hartzler, after endorsing the congresswoman, Hawley called Trump to make the case why she would be the strongest candidate. Sources also said that Hawley — who investigated Greitens as state A.G., and was one of the first Republicans to ask for him to resign — has made the case to Trump in the past that having Greitens as the nominee would be a serious problem for the party. Meanwhile, Trump isn't weighing in. Greitens feels like he's sitting pretty, and has a good chance at becoming Missouri's next senator. "Missouri political consultants and establishment swamp creatures are terrified that a Trump candidate like Governor Greitens will flip the trough over," Greitens' campaign manager, DYLAN JOHNSON, told us Wednesday night.
| | | |   | | | Good Thursday morning. Thanks for joining us this morning in the Missouri GOP primary rabbit hole. Which primary should we tackle next? Drop us a line with requests and any good nuggets you have on the midterms: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels , Ryan Lizza. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S THURSDAY: — 8:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 9:10 a.m.: Biden will leave the White House, arriving in Cleveland at 10:40 a.m. — 12:15 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks about the bipartisan infrastructure law at The Shipyards in Lorain, Ohio. — 1:45 p.m.: Biden will depart Cleveland, arriving back at the White House at 3:15 p.m. Principal deputy press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will gaggle with EPA Administrator MICHAEL REGAN on Air Force One on the way to Cleveland. VP KAMALA HARRIS' THURSDAY — The VP will leave Washington at 7:30 a.m. for Munich, where she'll remain overnight. THE SENATE will meet at 10:30 a.m. to take up the motion to proceed to the stopgap government funding bill, with a cloture vote at 1 p.m. CECILIA ROUSE, JARED BERNSTEIN and HEATHER BOUSHEY will testify before the Banking Committee at 10 a.m. HEADS UP: Top White House officials RON KLAIN, LOUISA TERRELL, CEDRIC RICHMOND and KATE BEDINGFIELD will head to the Hill today to speak to Senate Democrats about the agenda after the State of the Union. THE HOUSE is out. Rabbi CHARLIE CYTRON-WALKER, who survived the Colleyville, Texas, hostage situation, will be among those testifying before a Judiciary subcommittee on violence against minority institutions at 10 a.m. USAID Administrator SAMANTHA POWER will brief the Foreign Affairs Committee behind closed doors at 12:30 p.m. U.S. Capitol Police Inspector General MICHAEL BOLTON will testify before the Administration Committee about Jan. 6 at 3 p.m.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) holds stacks of money as he speaks during a press conference on inflation at the Russell Senate Office Building on Wednesday, Feb. 16. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | ALL POLITICS WELCOME TO PRIMARY SEASON — David Siders has a curtain-raiser worth your time this morning: "Republicans are embarking on a primary season that is poised to reshape the GOP for a generation, and that journey begins in Texas. In less than two weeks, the first primary election of 2022 will take place in the nation's second-most populous state, and it's a blockbuster: The state's Republican governor, attorney general and agriculture commissioner all face spirited challenges, as do several GOP House incumbents. "From there, fractious primaries will unfold across the electoral map in the coming months, cementing a more populist orientation for the GOP and Donald Trump's status as the party's lodestar, or setting a more traditionally conservative course. "These aren't simple match-ups between Trump and anti-Trump forces , or isolated intraparty feuds. Safely ensconced Republican officeholders are being bombarded by challengers from coast to coast, in many cases spurred on by Trump directly. Redistricting and retirements have further scrambled the established order in many places, opening up seats and drawing fields filled with combative candidates eager to move the party in a different direction. Combine that with high levels of energy — and anger — in the party base, and it's a recipe to remake the party from the ground up." — One of those primaries: the Georgia gubernatorial race, where DAVID PERDUE's Trump-backed effort to oust BRIAN KEMP "has been a big flop," report CNN's Michael Warren and Gabby Orr. "'I think Perdue is on life support and knows it,' said one neutral GOP operative who requested anonymity to speak freely. 'The Kemp momentum is palpable.'" 'WHAT AOC LEARNED FROM TRUMP' — New this morning, our founding editor John Harris has some thoughts on ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ's recent interview with the New Yorker. His takeaway? Sure, while AOC sounds different than a lot of her centrist Democrats, if you look closely, she and those nemeses actually have a lot in common. "What divides AOC and her allies from others in the party is above all a theory of power: How to gain it, how to use it, how to keep it. It is a difference grounded in a cultural mindset about how politics should look, sound and feel. It is a difference grounded much less in ideology than meets the eye." DEMS' DILEMMA — "'The brand is so toxic': Dems fear extinction in rural U.S.," by AP's Steve Peoples: "The party's brand is so toxic in the small towns 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh that some liberals have removed bumper stickers and yard signs and refuse to acknowledge their party affiliation publicly. … The climate across rural Pennsylvania is symptomatic of a larger political problem threatening the Democratic Party ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Beyond losing votes in virtually every election since 2008, Democrats have been effectively ostracized from many parts of rural America, leaving party leaders with few options to reverse a cultural trend that is redefining the nation's political landscape." EMPIRE STATE OF MIND — New York Gov. KATHY HOCHUL's "transformation from accidental governor to unquestioned front-runner will culminate on Thursday," when she's expected to receive the Democratic Party's endorsement for a full term, NYT's Nicholas Fandos reports. "HILLARY CLINTON plans to introduce her as the party's new standard-bearer at a convention in Midtown Manhattan." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DESANTIS NABS BOOK DEAL — As he prepares for a potential presidential run in 2024, Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS has agreed to a lucrative book deal with HarperCollins, two people familiar with the matter tell Daniel Lippman. One source in the conservative publishing world said he was miffed he didn't get a chance to bid on DeSantis' book, and was "really surprised that [DeSantis'] team has not talked to all the major publishers, especially conservative ones. I would have aggressively made a play for that." According to one publishing insider, DeSantis previously had a handshake deal with Simon and Schuster worth nearly $2 million, but backed out once he realized that the publisher shared a parent company — Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) — with CBS News' "60 Minutes," which ran a controversial piece in spring 2021 sharply criticizing Florida's vaccine rollout. (By contrast, HarperCollins is a subsidiary of RUPERT MURDOCH's News Corp.) Spokespeople for DeSantis and HarperCollins declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Simon and Schuster didn't respond to a request for comment. This would be DeSantis' second book. In 2011, he published "Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama." RUSSIA-UKRAINE LATEST SCOOP — This morning, our Andrew Desiderio reports that a bipartisan group of senators led by Sens. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.) and ROB PORTMAN (R-Ohio) will unveil their attempt at a symbolic reprimand of Russia today. The legislation will take the form of a non-binding resolution calling on Biden to "impose significant costs" on Russia if it invades Ukraine. RUSSIA ADDS 7K TROOPS — "Ukrainians defied pressure from Moscow with a national show of flag-waving unity Wednesday, while the U.S. warned that Russia had added as many as 7,000 troops near Ukraine's borders despite Kremlin declarations that forces were being pulled back from the region," AP's Vladimir Isachenkov, Yuras Karmanau, Lorne Cook and Aamer Madhani report.
| | | |   | | | THE WHITE HOUSE BIDEN'S COVID PROBLEM AND THE SOTU — "President Joe Biden is hoping to use his upcoming State of the Union address to nudge the pandemic into the nation's rear-view mirror. But it could turn into yet another disruptive display of national tensions and frustration over trying to move past COVID-19," AP's Zeke Miller and Lisa Mascaro write. Capitol Hill, the authors note, is "ground zero" for the pandemic culture war, where mask mandate fines are still issued on lawmakers and proxy voting is a regular thing. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS READING — STEVEN RATTNER, former counselor to the Treasury secretary in the Obama administration, has some harsh words for Biden this morning in his op-ed, "Biden Keeps Blaming the Supply Chain for Inflation. That's Dishonest." He calls the claim "both simplistic and misleading." CONGRESS COUNTDOWN TO SHUTDOWN — "Senate leaders are racing to land a deal that would thwart a government shutdown by appeasing a Republican blockade before funding runs out Friday night," Jennifer Scholtes and Connor O'Brien write . "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is demanding that the chamber first vote on cutting off federal cash to schools and child care centers that require kids to get Covid vaccines. Republicans are also seeking a vote to bar funding from being used to provide crack pipes and another that would make it harder for Congress to raise taxes or increase the nation's borrowing limit." JUDICIARY SQUARE SHERPAS, ASSEMBLE! — The top three contenders for Biden's Supreme Court pick are enlisting Democratic operatives to help handle the process, particularly media inquiries, report Chris Cadelago and Sam Stein. ROBERT RABEN and TJ DUCKLO are working with KETANJI BROWN JACKSON; AMANDA LOVEDAY is helping J. MICHELLE CHILDS; and TRACY SCHMALER is on board with LEONDRA KRUGER. But it's a delicate endeavor: "The mere presence of a communications hand on a prospective Supreme Court candidate's team could give off the whiff of that candidate actively jockeying for the post — a perception that would directly counter the classic D.C. tradition." CLYBURN'S NON-ULTIMATUM — "Although House Majority Whip JIM CLYBURN's unabashed advocacy for U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs has quietly irked colleagues with differing opinions, the congressman insisted in an interview with the Washington Post that his push is more suggestion than ultimatum," WaPo's Cleve Wootson Jr. and Marianna Sotomayor report. Said Clyburn: "I don't believe in ultimatums. I don't want nobody giving me one, and I'm not going to give anybody else one. I may be disappointed for the rest of my life, but I'm not going to give an ultimatum." BEYOND THE BELTWAY FOR YOUR RADAR — "Texas Sues U.S. Over Airport Mask Mandate," by WSJ's Talal Ansari and Camille Furst NEW LEGAL BATTLE ON GUNS — The Justice Department sued Missouri on Wednesday over a state law that essentially invalidates federal gun laws and forbids local authorities from enforcing them, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joel Currier. DOJ said it was unconstitutional for a state law to usurp federal law; Missouri officials said the Biden administration was attacking the Second Amendment. TRUMP CARDS FUZZY NUMBERS — "Trump, rattled by news that his longtime accountants had declared that years of his financial statements were not reliable, issued a statement of self-defense with new claims about his wealth. These, too, did not add up," NYT's Mike McIntire notes. — In the statement, Trump referred to a "June 30, 2014 Statement of Financial Condition" showing his net worth as $5.8 billion. — But "when he declared his candidacy in 2015, he produced what he called his 'Summary of Net Worth as of June 30, 2014' with a very different number: $8.7 billion. A month later, he upped the ante, releasing a statement pronouncing that his 'net worth is in excess of TEN BILLION DOLLARS.'"
| | | | DON'T MISS CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO's new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. CHECK OUT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Britney Spears shared a letter she received from Charlie Crist and Eric Swalwell congratulating her on the end of her conservatorship and inviting her to share her story on Capitol Hill. Said Spears: "Because of the letter, I felt heard and like I mattered for the first time in my life!!!" Martin Heinrich was presiding over the Senate while "rocking the rare senatorial goatee," writes Burgess Everett. Lachlan Murdoch will be the honorary starter of this season's Daytona 500. Melania Trump's first NFT auction appears to have been won by, uh, her own wallet. Kevin McCarthy joined other national Republicans in praising the recall of three San Francisco school board commissioners. Fun fact: One pocket of strong support for the recall was San Franciscans who are not U.S. citizens, who were eligible to vote in the city's Tuesday election. Mike Lindell , "as well as a truck full of 10,000 pillows destined for protesters, were denied entry into Canada Tuesday evening," according to the National Post. Ron Klain, Louisa Terrell, Cedric Richmond, and Kate Bedingfield will head to the Hill today to speak to Senate Democrats. WHITE HOUSE MOVES — With Eric Lander gone, Biden announced that Alondra Nelson will step up to act as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Francis Collins will act as science adviser to the president until permanent replacements are named. Nelson currently is deputy OSTP director for science and society, and Collins is the most recent NIH director. STAFFING UP — Christopher Garcia is joining the Interior Department as an adviser in the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs. He most recently has been a senior legislative affairs adviser in the White House, and is a Deb Haaland alum. … Alexandra Caffrey is starting as deputy press secretary at the Department of Transportation. She most recently was press secretary for Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), and is a Florida Democratic Party alum. TRANSITIONS — Mark Lippert will be EVP and head of North America public affairs at Samsung Electronics America, leading the D.C. office. He most recently led public policy for YouTube in the Asia-Pacific region, and is a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea. … Two longtime leaders at Third Way are heading to other Democratic politics posts: Senior political analyst David de la Fuente will help run the DCCC's Independent Expenditure, and director of education Tamara Hiler will move to Denver to drive Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' education policy. … Brian Hale is joining FTI Consulting as a managing director in the cybersecurity practice. He previously was assistant director in the Office of Public Affairs at the FBI. … … Tamika Turner is joining the New York Civil Liberties Union as deputy comms director. She previously was national comms director for the 2020 Census Counts campaign and is a Planned Parenthood and Sherrod Brown alum. … Jones Day is adding seven former Supreme Court clerks from the most recent full term to its offices in Chicago, New York, San Diego and Washington: James Burnham, Brendan Duffy, Harry Graver, Madeline Lansky, Jack Millman, Krista Perry Heckmann and David Phillips. … Maggie Madsen is now a scheduler for Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.). She previously was an intern for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). ENGAGED — Irvin McCullough, press officer for the German Marshall Fund of the U.S., proposed to Allegra Harpootlian, a comms strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union, at Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence, Italy, at sunset. They originally met at a roundtable on endless war hosted by Open the Government. Pic … Another pic — Tom Grossinger, director of business development at Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, proposed to Gigi Sukin, associate editor at Axios Local, on Saturday at the top of an early-morning mountain hike when they came to a snow-covered alpine lake. They originally met on an app.Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) (6-0) and Jake LaTurner (R-Ohio) … Brian Jack … DHS' Sam Vinograd … Betsy Fischer Martin … Axios' Lachlan Markay … Keegan Goudiss … McClatchy's Kristin Roberts … Ashley Berrang … CNN's Dianna Heitz … Cara Camacho … Boeing's Fred Schwien … Edith Honan … AARP's Barbara Shipley … Danielle Most … POLITICO's Kelsey Tamborrino and Baker Landon … Annamarie Rienzi … Mark Shriver of Save the Children … Drew Cantor … Frederick Hill of FTI Consulting … Steven Grossman … Preston Mizell of Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) office … James Lynch … Alison Kutler … Mike Sager of EMILY's List … Allison Hunn … David Carreiro … NAICU's Emmanual Guillory … Shana Marchio … Skyla Freeman … Stephanie Young of When We All Vote … Cliff Sims … Surya Gunasekara … former Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) (7-0) … Robert Giuffra Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com . Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.
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