| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's testified in yesterday's select committee hearing that President Donald Trump knew that some supporters on Jan. 6 were armed, and didn't care. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | It's hard to imagine how Tuesday's surprise hearing of the House Jan. 6 committee could've been more damning for President DONALD TRUMP. With vivid stories told in measured tones, CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, a former special assistant to the president and aide to chief of staff MARK MEADOWS, "stitched together every element of the panel's case against Donald Trump," our Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu write. "The Capitol riot committee has painted the former president's potential criminal culpability for his effort to overturn the election in stark hues: investigators have portrayed Trump fuming atop an increasingly conspiracy-addled West Wing and working to corrupt the peaceful transfer of power at any cost." Among the stunning revelations in Hutchinson's testimony: — Trump knew that some supporters on Jan. 6 were armed, and didn't care. In Hutchinson's recounting, Trump wanted the rally on the Ellipse to be packed for his speech. Warned by the Secret Service that some Trump supporters were choosing to watch from a distance because they didn't want to go through metal detectors and have their weapons (including AR-15s and handguns) confiscated, the president was allegedly unmoved. "I don't fucking care that they have weapons; they're not here to hurt me ," Trump said, according to Hutchinson. "Take the fucking [magnetometers] away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here, let the people in and take the mags away." If true, that means that Trump told the crowd to march to the Capitol to "fight like hell" knowing that some were armed. — Trump demanded his team take him to the Capitol. We knew Trump wanted to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6; he said so in his speech. But this was the first time that it was clear it wasn't a spur of the moment decision; it was an idea that some people in Trump World (notably, RUDY GIULIANI) knew about and advocated, and which White House Counsel PAT CIPOLLONE believed had concerning legal ramifications. Hutchinson recounted that Cipollone told her to ensure that the motorcade would not go to the Capitol: They'd get "charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen." "Pat was concerned it would look like we were obstructing justice or obstructing the electoral college count," she said. "And he was also worried that it would look like we were inciting a riot or encouraging a riot to erupt on the Capitol." — When the motorcade refused to go to the Capitol, Trump angrily grabbed the steering wheel and allegedly assaulted a Secret Service agent. Hutchinson recounted a secondhand story from TONY ORNATO, the White House deputy chief of staff at the time, about Trump's reaction when he realized that, for security reasons, the Secret Service was not taking him to the Capitol, as he wanted, after his speech on the Ellipse. "I'm the fucking president. Take me up to the Capitol now," Trump said, per Hutchinson. The president then reached up to grab at the steering wheel before the head of his detail, ROBERT ENGEL, "grabbed his arm and said, 'Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel.'" She says Ornato told her Trump then used his other hand to "lunge" at Engle's clavicle. Noteworthy pushback on this one: Per WaPo's Carol Leonnig, "Secret Service agents dispute that Donald Trump assaulted any agent or tried to grab the steering wheel on Jan 6. They agree Trump was furious about not being able to go to [the] Capitol with his supporters. They offer to testify under oath." And, per CNN's Gabby Orr, Ornato and Engel "are prepared to testify that neither incident occurred." — Trump agreed with rioters that VP MIKE PENCE "deserved" to be hanged. As Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanting "hang Mike Pence," Cipollone implored Meadows that the White House needed to "do something more" to stop the mayhem. "You heard him, Pat. He thinks Mike deserves it," Meadows said, per Hutchinson. "He doesn't think they're doing anything wrong." — Meadows and Giuliani were interested in pardons from Trump for their actions related to Jan. 6 and attempts to overturn the election. TRUMP WORLD REACTS — Though the former president took to Truth Social to deny the most damning testimony and attack Hutchinson — "bad handwriting, that of a Whacko?" he wrote after the committee exhibited a handwritten note of hers from Jan. 6 — much of Trump world has been quiet, and most Republicans aren't pushing back on the core of the testimony, even as some suggest that her most explosive allegations are "hearsay." NYT's Michael Bender and Maggie Haberman: "Current and former aides to Mr. Trump sent one another messages as the hearing took place, describing a series of disclosures that they conceded were potentially quite damaging, mostly politically but also, potentially, legally." Our own Kyle Cheney writes in: "Trump allies will seek out any potentially disputable aspect of her testimony and use it to discredit her entirely. … The select committee has also staked a lot on Hutchinson's credibility holding up — and there was lots of confidence from the panel after Tuesday's hearing that she had delivered effectively." Former White House chief of staff MICK MULVANEY : "This is explosive stuff. … I know her. I don't think she is lying." WHAT COMES NEXT? — Legally: "In Hutchinson's testimony, experts see 'nuggets' for Justice probe," by WaPo's Devlin Barrett … NYT's Peter Baker: "Did Trump commit a crime? 'This is the smoking gun,' SOL WISENBERG, a former deputy to KEN STARR, tells me about today's hearing. 'There isn't any question this establishes a prima facie case for his criminal culpability on seditious conspiracy charges.'" — For the committee: "Ginni Thomas lawyer has 'serious concerns' about Jan. 6 committee fairness," by Betsy Woodruff Swan and Nicholas Wu … "Eastman drops bid to block phone records from Jan. 6 committee," by Kyle Cheney — Politically: "The startling revelations from Hutchinson's testimony about Trump's erratic behavior and state of mind on January 6 could make it easier for Republican presidential hopefuls to challenge the former President in a primary should he run, [a] Trump ally added," write CNN's Gabby Orr and Pamela Brown. "'This is basically a campaign commercial for (Florida Gov.) RON DESANTIS 2024,' said the Trump ally." SCENES FROM THE HEARING:
|  Hutchinson testifies. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images | | 
Thompson and Cheney listen to Hutchinson's testimony. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | |  Cheney and Hutchinson hug after the hearing. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | | 
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) carries notes as he speaks with reporters after the hearing. | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo | Video highlights: "'They're not here to hurt me': Key witness says Trump OK'd weapons at Jan. 6 rally" … "'Irate': Aide says Trump grabbed wheel of The Beast from Secret Service on Jan. 6" … "Hutchinson: Trump threw his lunch when Barr said DOJ found no election fraud evidence" Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
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Learn how Meta is helping build the metaverse. | | | STATISTIC OF THE DAY — "The S&P 500 is on track for its worst first-half performance since 1970, down nearly 20% this year," per WSJ's Hannah Miao and Caitlin McCabe. ABOUT LAST NIGHT — "Donald Trump's legacy was on trial in Washington on Tuesday. But it was his future as the leader of the Republican Party that was being tested elsewhere in the country in the first primaries of the post-Roe v. Wade world," writes David Siders in his roundup of the key takeaways from yesterday's primaries. Here's what you should know: — In Colorado: "Colorado GOP rejects candidates who back Trump election lie," by AP's Nicholas Riccardi. Among those who lost their primaries last night: Mesa County Clerk TINA PETERS , who was running for secretary of state and "became nationally known after being indicted for her role in a break-in of her own county election system."
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| — In Illinois: Trump-endorsed Rep. MARY MILLER defeated Rep. RODNEY DAVIS in a GOP primary. More from Joseph Gedeon … Rep. SEAN CASTEN defeated Rep. MARIE NEWMAN in a Dem primary. More from Myah Ward … Trump-endorsed DARREN BAILEY won the GOP nomination to face Gov. J.B. PRITZKER. "His victory was assisted by more than $40 million in advertising by Pritzker and the Pritzker-supported Democratic Governors Association, which ran ads attacking Irvin while labeling Bailey as 'too conservative for Illinois,'" notes the Chicago Tribune. — In Mississippi: "GOP Rep. STEVEN PALAZZO loses primary amid ethics cloud," by Myah Ward — In New York: Gov. KATHY HOCHUL "sailed to victory" in the Democratic primary, write Bill Mahoney and Anna Gronewold. She'll face Rep. LEE ZELDIN, who easily won the GOP nomination over ANDREW GIULIANI and others. More on that race from Anna and Bill
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| See all the results: Colorado statewide and Colorado congressional districts … Illinois statewide and Illinois congressional districts … Mississippi runoffs … Nebraska special election … New York statewide … Oklahoma statewide and Oklahoma congressional districts … Utah statewide and Utah congressional districts
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| | | | | A message from Meta:   | | | BIDEN'S WEDNESDAY: The president has already participated in a greeting with NATO Secretary General JENS STOLTENBERG, participated in an official greeting with Stoltenberg and Spain PM PEDRO SÁNCHEZ , participated in a family photo and attended a meeting with NATO heads of state and government. Still to come (all times Eastern): — 8:25 a.m.: President JOE BIDEN will participate in a trilateral meeting with South Korean President YOON SUK-YEOL and Japanese PM FUMIO KISHIDA. — 9 a.m.: Biden will participate in another NATO meeting. — 11:45 a.m.: Biden will meet with Turkish President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOĞAN. — 1:05 p.m.: Biden will attend the Transatlantic Dinner hosted by Sánchez. VP KAMALA HARRIS' WEDNESDAY: — 2:45 p.m.: The vice president will depart D.C. en route to San Francisco. THE HOUSE and SENATE are out.
| | | | 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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President Joe Biden is received by King Felipe of Spain on Tuesday in Torrejon De Ardoz, Spain. | Spanish Royal Household via Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | ABORTION FALLOUT VP KAMALA HARRIS and First Lady JILL BIDEN sat for a pair of exclusive interviews on the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. — Biden to CBS News' Nancy Cordes: "This decision was so unjust — and so devastating. … My message is, let's not give up, let's keep working. And if that means getting out there, everyone has to get out there and work hard during the elections." — Harris to NPR's Asma Khalid: "We have to stand together in this fight, right — those of us who understand what's at stake. … There is no daylight among us who understand the seriousness of this moment and the real consequence to millions of women, and those who love them, around the country. … Now the question becomes, what can we do?" An answer to that question, at least in part, came from HHS Secretary XAVIER BECERRA, who said on Tuesday that there is "no magic bullet" for the administration to protect abortion rights, per NYT's Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Charlie Savage. Even so, HHS launched a new site to help people find contraceptives and abortion services, Sarah Owermohle and Lauren Gardner write , and the department is "taking steps to increase access to Food and Drug Administration-approved abortifacients though he did not provide many specifics on how that would be achieved." THE LATEST FROM THE STATES — NYT's Neelam Bohra and Shawn Hubler have the breakdown : "A state-by-state legal battle in the wake of the Supreme Court's abortion ruling widened on Tuesday as a judge in Texas temporarily blocked a statewide abortion ban, a federal court let Tennessee tighten existing restrictions, Iowa Republicans said they would ask courts to clear the way for a ban from the moment fetal cardiac activity could be detected, and Wisconsin Democrats announced they were filing suit to halt the resurrection of abortion laws dating to the 19th century." — The fallout is forcing some of the nation's abortion doctors to upend their lives. Some are moving states to continue providing the procedure, a potential migration that could worsen maternal health deserts and leave patients in a lurch, Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. — Names to know: Our colleague Megan Messerly has a helpful roundup of eight state lawmakers to keep an eye on as the issue returns to the states. JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH HOLDER SUBPOENAED IN GEORGIA — The investigation into Trump's effort to influence Georgia election results has a new point of interest: ALEX HOLDER's extensive Trump tapes. The Fulton County District Attorney's Office has contacted and subpoenaed Holder about "his potential cooperation with the grand jury" investigation, CNN's Jim Acosta scoops. According to a statement, Holder intends to comply with the request. — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: We got our hands on a copy of the subpoena. In it, investigators ask for Holder to appear before the grand jury on July 12, and request "All video footage and other materials related to the docuseries 'Unprecedented.'" Read the subpoena THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN — NYT's Glenn Thrush, Alan Feuer and Michael Schmidt have the download on THOMAS WINDOM, the man pulling the strings in DOJ's Jan. 6 inquiry. "He has been leading investigators who have been methodically seeking information, for example, about the roles played by some of Mr. Trump's top advisers, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, JENNA ELLIS and JOHN EASTMAN, with a mandate to go as high up the chain of command as the evidence warrants." What Windom is doing: "That element of the inquiry is focused in large part on the so-called fake electors scheme. … In recent weeks, the focus has shifted from collecting emails and texts from would-be electors in Georgia, Arizona and Michigan to the lawyers who sought to overturn Mr. Biden's victory, and pro-Trump political figures like the head of Arizona's Republican Party, KELLI WARD."
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | ALL POLITICS The latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll offers a good snapshot of voters' opinions on two pressing midterm issues not related to the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe:
- Gun control: Two-thirds (66%) of voters support "stricter gun control laws," including 87% of Democrats, 66% of independents and 43% of Republicans. On the new bipartisan gun law: A plurality (39%) of voters believe the bipartisan gun safety bill signed by President Biden doesn't go far enough, while 25% believe it is just right and 12% believe it goes too far.
- Gas taxes: Seventy-two percent of voters support a temporary break on gasoline taxes, including 79% of Democrats, 70% of independents and 68% of Republicans.
And a pulse check of the country's outlook:
- Biden's approval rating: 39% of voters approve of the job Biden is doing as president, while 58% disapprove.
- Right track/wrong track: 22% of voters believe things in the country are going in the "right direction," while 78% say things are on the "wrong track." Toplines … Crosstabs
SCOTUS RULES ON LOUISIANA MAP — The Supreme Court on Tuesday "blocked a lower court's order for Louisiana to draw a new congressional map adding a second Black district to its six seats, clearing the way for the state to hold November elections under the boundaries passed by the Legislature," the Lafayette Daily Advertiser's Greg Hilburn reports. AMERICA AND THE WORLD BIG INTERNATIONAL NEWS — Sweden and Finland's applications to join NATO won a major round of support on Tuesday as Turkish President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOĞAN said he would drop his opposition to the countries' requests to join the international partnership. "Turkey's reversal is a blow to [Russian] President VLADIMIR V. PUTIN, who in justifying the invasion of his neighbor bitterly protested previous expansions of NATO — and Ukraine's efforts to join the alliance — as a threat to his country's security," NYT's Steven Erlanger, Valerie Hopkins, Anton Troianovski and Michael Shear report from Madrid. LEADING FROM BEHIND — "Biden, Macron, Scholz, Johnson: Allies abroad, struggling at home," by WaPo's Ashley Parker, Matt Viser, Rick Noack and Karla Adam: "Four leaders seeking to forge a powerful alliance against Russia face serious political weaknesses at home." LIKE A G-7 — Our colleague Ryan Heath writes a sharp analysis of the G-7 confab from Elmau, Germany: "This year's G-7 summit may have been held in the Bavarian Alps, but the results of the high-profile gathering of leading democracies looks a lot more like Swiss cheese — full of gaping holes. … Sometimes the problem was a lack of ambition. … Other times it was a lack of detail."
| | | | INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Ted Cruz criticized "Sesame Street" for having Elmo "aggressively advocate for vaccinating children under 5" while citing "ZERO scientific evidence for this." Joe Biden opened an event with King Felipe VI of Spain with an anecdote about Claymont, Delaware. (h/t Bloomberg's Josh Wingrove) Eric Adams suggested that prosecutors should look into Rudy Giuliani for claiming that a grocery worker's slap on the back was an assault akin to being hit by a bullet or boulder. "To falsely report a crime is a crime." Clarence Thomas' adjunct professorship at George Washington University will not be terminated, despite calls from some members of the GW community protesting his opinion in the Dobbs case. Anthony Fauci is experiencing rebound Covid symptoms after taking Paxlovid. Lauren Boebert said she's "tired of this separation of church and state junk that's not in the Constitution." Fifteen years ago today, Apple released the first iPhone. OUT AND ABOUT — VP Harris hosted a pride reception at the Naval Observatory for more than a hundred people, including a couple whose wedding she officiated after the Supreme Court ended Proposition 8. SPOTTED: Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Secretary Deb Haaland, Gautam Raghavan, Jessica Stern, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Shangela, Dyllón Burnside, Henry R. Muñoz III, Earl Fowlkes, Jonathan Capehart and Nick Schmidt, Tim Perry, Edgar Estrada, Gerren Gaynor, Sergio Gonzalez, Nate Evans, Anthony Coley, Malcolm Kenyatta, John McCarthy, Kara Swisher and Amanda Kalz. — Gloria Dittus hosted an event for human rights attorney and author Julie F. Kay around her book "Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now To Save Reproductive Freedom" ($29), where Kay engaged in a discussion with Karen Finney on how women's health advocates must navigate a world without Roe. SPOTTED: Jennifer Tapper, Steve Clemons, Monica Dixon, Larry Duncan, Nicole Elkon, Anne MacMillan, John McCarthy, Blair Watters, Amy Dacey, Phyllis Greenberger, Melissa Moss, Alexandra Tillman, Kimball Stroud and Jaime Horn. MEDIA MOVES — Rosmery Izaguirre is joining POLITICO as a data reporter. She previously was an Esserman Investigative Fellow for the Miami Herald. … Nihal Krishan is joining FedScoop as a tech reporter. He most recently was the Big Tech reporter for the Washington Examiner and is also a Mother Jones alum. … Natalie Munio is joining NBC as a publicist. She previously was a publicist at Warner Bros. Discovery. TRANSITIONS — Charlotte Robertson is now digital director for Evan McMullin's Utah Senate campaign. She most recently was digital director for Abby Finkenauer's Iowa Senate campaign, and is a Maggie Hassan alum. … Walt Cronkite is now a public relations manager at Latham & Watkins. He most recently was a director at FTI Consulting and is a former CBS News congressional producer. … Kiran Malone is now VP of government & industry affairs at Anterix. She previously was senior director of federal government affairs at Consumers Energy. … … Stephanie Strategos Polis is now VP of comms at the Plastics Industry Association. She previously was assistant VP of public affairs for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. … Christopher Gaspar has joined the BAE Systems government relations team as a director of legislative affairs. He most recently was director of legislative affairs at Textron and is a Dianne Feinstein and Jim Moran alum. … Lauren Brown is now scheduling assistant/assistant to the chief of staff for Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). She most recently was a congressional intern for Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.). HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook's own Garrett Ross … Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) … Macon Phillips of Starling Strategy … Laura Rozen … Josh Meyer … CNN's Evan Pérez … Carl Forti … Ben Jarrett … Jennifer Pett Marsteller of the Independent Petroleum Association of America … Christina Pearson … Don Verrilli of Munger, Tolles & Olson … Robin Colwell of BGR Group … Max Virkus … Christian Marrone of Lockheed Martin … CMS' Tony Salters … Jordan Davis … Tamera Luzzatto of Pew Charitable Trusts … BerlinRosen's Cathy Rought … Marie Policastro … The Hill's Hanna Trudo … H&R Block's Kaya Singleton … Gabriella Demczuk … RNC's Adam Brauns … Hal Brewster … Google's Brian Gabriel … Katie Zirkelbach … Vijay Menon of Sen. Josh Hawley's (R-Mo.) office … Lee Jackson of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office … Owen Kilmer … Kia's Christopher Wenk … POLITICO's Caitlin Bugas… Bobby Watson … former Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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