News: The Trump plot to subvert the DOJ

Thursday, June 23, 2022

The Trump plot to subvert the DOJ

Jun 23, 2022

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By Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels

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With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

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DRIVING THE DAY

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Our very own Playbook co-author Rachael Bade and Alex Bishop, a mechanical engineer turned stay-at-home dad, welcomed Skyla Ann Bishop on Wednesday. She came in at 7 lbs, 11 oz. Pic … Another pic

Programming note … Rachael will be on maternity leave to spend some well deserved time with baby Skyla. She'll be back in action shortly after the 2022 midterms.

EXCLUSIVE: A photo, obtained exclusively by Playbook, taken aboard Air Force One during one of filmmaker ALEX HOLDER's scheduled interviews of then-President DONALD TRUMP.

An Air Force One welcome pamphlet is pictured.

Though Holder's interview on the day this photo was taken was ultimately postponed, he recorded hours of footage of Trump and his inner circle that he has handed over to the Jan 6. committee. Holder is scheduled to be deposed by the committee at 10 am today.

EPISODE TWO: ATTACK OF THE CLOWNS — Recall that in the first hearing of the Jan. 6 committee, Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) said, "Donald Trump oversaw and coordinated a sophisticated seven-part plan to overturn the presidential election and prevent the transfer of presidential power."

Each day of hearings has been devoted to covering one or two of the seven dramatic episodes of that overall plot: (1) Trump's misinformation campaign, (2) his effort to find a pliable A.G., (3) his pressure campaign on then-VP MIKE PENCE, (4) his pressure campaign on state officials, (5) his legal team's effort to create fake slates of electors, (6) his assembling and directing the Jan. 6 mob, and (7) his refusal to call off the violent mob as it sacked the Capitol.

The committee has been presenting things out of order, sort of like the "Star Wars" saga. The hearings opened with granular details of Part 6 (the mob). The second hearing was largely devoted to Part 1 (misinformation). At hearing three, they explained Part 3 (Pence). Tuesday was devoted to Parts 4 (state officials) and 5 (fake electors). The full details of Part 7 (what Trump was doing in the White House on Jan. 6) seem likely to be explained in an eventual finale.

Today is devoted to Part 2, a deep dive into how Trump pressured Department of Justice officials to advance what committee members have repeatedly called an attempted coup.

Trump wanted acting A.G. JEFFREY ROSEN and Rosen's deputy, RICHARD DONOGHUE , to cast doubt on the election and give GOP-controlled state legislatures a pretense to appoint alternate presidential electors and prevent JOE BIDEN's victory. When these top DOJ officials wouldn't do his bidding, Trump threatened to replace them. In response, Rosen, Donoghue and STEVEN ENGEL, who ran a key DOJ office, threatened to resign — with the strong implication that they'd take an untold number of Justice officials with them. Trump backed down, and a constitutional crisis was averted.

Rosen, Donoghue and Engel will all be testifying today.

Kyle Cheney emails with this preview of what to watch for at today's hearing:

— "Many details of this portion of the investigation are well-documented by Congress. The Senate Judiciary Committee probed aspects of it last year, and released a report in October that included lengthy interviews with Rosen and Donoghue. The House Oversight Committee similarly talked to both men last year and obtained many of the same internal DOJ documents upon which the select committee has relied. Still, the DOJ pressure campaign is a complicated and little-understood piece of Trump's overall effort to stay in power, so the select committee's attempt to explain it all to a national audience will be a test of its communication skills.

— "I anticipate we'll hear a lot more about the role key members of Congress played in helping Trump advance this element of the scheme. Rep. SCOTT PERRY (R-Pa.) played a critical role in encouraging Trump to install little-known DOJ official JEFF CLARK atop the Justice Department. And the committee has previously teased evidence that Perry later sought a presidential pardon, which Perry has denied. The committee's evidence on this point could be illuminating.

— "We'll also hear the most granular testimony yet about how the DOJ pursued and debunked a torrent of election fraud claims that Trump advanced — often despite being presented with contrary evidence. The panel has attempted to show that rather than simply ignore the outlandish claims, DOJ pursued them vigorously and found them to lack merit.

— "I'm curious if the committee will shed light on Trump's knowledge of the [Rep. LOUIE] GOHMERT [(R-Texas)] lawsuit — whether he encouraged the Texas congressman to file it, or discouraged the DOJ from getting involved. Pence's team has always understood that Trump was upset that the DOJ helped Pence fend off the legal attack. For all of Trump's pressure to get the DOJ involved in his gambit, defending Pence was the Department's sole election-related court action between Election Day and Jan. 6."

JUST POSTED — Rosen's written statement obtained by the AP argues that the Justice department was presented with no evidence of fraud, Eric Tucker reports. "'Some argued to the former president and public that the election was corrupt and stolen,' Rosen's statement says. 'That view was wrong then and it is wrong today, and I hope our presence here today helps reaffirm that fact.'"

Further reading: "Subverting Justice: How the Former President and His Allies Pressured DOJ to Overturn the 2020 Election," by the Senate Judiciary majority staff … Transcript: Jeffrey Rosen interview … Transcript: Richard Donoghue interview … "Selected Documents, President Trump Pressure Campaign on Department of Justice," by the House Oversight Committee

Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook, where we are over the moon at the arrival of Skyla Ann. Drop us a line if you've ever seen a cuter baby: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

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FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — GOP announcements of opposition to the Senate gun bill are tumbling out of Congress. The latest to declare that he will vote against it is Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.). Scott, of course, is not just the junior senator from Florida; he's also the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In the wake of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Scott signed a bill that has some similarities to what's been drafted in the Senate. But it's not similar enough, according to Scott. So once again, on a major national policy issue, Scott is parting ways with Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL, who supports the gun bill.

This morning, Scott will release a lengthy statement explaining his no vote, which zeroes in on what he calls "the bill's unacceptably weak language on protecting due process and a provision to restore gun rights to convicted domestic abusers."

More from Scott: "In Florida, we used a thorough process that included meetings with mental health, education and law enforcement experts to get valuable feedback on our bill. At the conclusion of that process, I signed a bill that improved school safety and has kept guns out of the hands of dangerous people and those suffering with mental illness, all while ensuring strong due process protections that stop unlawful infringement on the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding Floridians.

"The bill the Senate is considering abandons Florida's model and allows even the most radical policies, like California's red flag law, to be implemented and supported with federal funding. Ironclad due process protections are essential to protecting the constitutional rights of Americans and we can NEVER compromise on that. This bill also allows convicted domestic abusers to have automatic restoration of their gun rights. People who have been accused, tried and convicted of beating their significant other would automatically get their gun rights back after just five years. I will not support soft-on-crime policies like this. …

"I was hopeful the Senate would follow an open and thorough process like we did in

Florida. That is unfortunately not the case with the current bill and why I will vote no." Scott's full statement

MEANWHILE, ON THE DEM SIDE — "Dems vow they'll do more on gun safety — but it could take years," by Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett

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BIDEN'S THURSDAY:

— 9 a.m.: The Bidens will welcome wounded warriors, caregivers and families to the South Lawn as part of the annual Soldier Ride, with VP KAMALA HARRIS and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF also attending.

— 10:30 a.m.: Biden will receive the President's Daily Brief.

The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 2:15 p.m. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 3:10 p.m.

THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. Fed Chair JEROME POWELL will testify before the Financial Services Committee at 10 a.m. DEBORAH BIRX will testify before an Oversight subcommittee at 10 a.m. The Jan. 6 committee will hold its latest hearing at 3 p.m.

THE SENATE is in, with a cloture vote to limit debate on the gun bill one hour after convening.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Vice President Kamala Harris plays basketball with schoolgirls during a Title IX 50th Anniversary Field Day event at American University on Tuesday in Washington, DC. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

PLAYBOOK READS

CONGRESS

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, GOP EDITION — The dynamic between Trump and House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY has strained a bit over the former's criticism that McCarthy didn't put Republican members on the Jan. 6 committee — and behind the scenes, "some GOP lawmakers view Trump's pique over their boycott of the committee as a sign that the Jan. 6 hearings are breaking through with the public," reports Olivia Beavers. McCarthy allies are defending him, as the conference splits over whose approach was more reasonable.

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, DEM EDITION — Biden's proposal for three-month gas tax suspension landed with a thud among Democrats on the Hill, even those who have been pushing him to get more aggressive on gas prices, Sarah Ferris, Adam Cancryn and Burgess Everett report. Not only is it unlikely to pass, but its supporters see three months as too little, too late.

Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-Mich.): "I just think we need more clarity. And we need to make it crystal clear that it's our No. 1 priority … If it were up to me, this would be one of the lead things in every White House briefing."

Reality check from our colleague Tanya Snyder: "Even if Congress was in a mood to cooperate with Biden's plan, most studies show that only a small portion of the savings from halting the tax would make its way to consumers."

LESS OF MO — Having just lost the Alabama GOP Senate primary runoff, Rep. MO BROOKS told Olivia Beavers that he's retiring from politics. The "bad guys won," he said.

JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

COMMITTEE LATEST — Every member of the House Jan. 6 panel is expected to get their own security detail after violent threats against them have ramped up this week, WaPo's Amy Gardner, Josh Dawsey and Jackie Alemany report.

— Rep. ADAM KINZINGER (R-Ill.) told CNN's Mel Zanona, Whitney Wild and Annie Grayer that he heard another voicemail with a death threat Wednesday morning. "It's not just us, but everyone around the country — there's an increased threat," he said of political violence. "That's what my concern is, that some day somebody's gonna take it to the next level."

— CBS' Robert Costa and Caitlin Yilek have two photos from the newly subpoenaed footage from Holder, showing IVANKA and Donald Trump talking to the documentarian.

— Chair BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) said he has "redone" the subpoena for Brooks after the committee proved unable to serve him for a month and a half, per Axios.

DOJ PROBE LATEST — Federal law enforcement subpoenas Wednesday appeared to hit BRAD CARVER, a fake Trump elector in Georgia, and THOMAS LANE, a Trump campaign staffer, as the DOJ investigation grows, WaPo's Spencer Hsu, Josh Dawsey and Devlin Barrett report. The moves "suggest the Justice Department is now moving to question at least some of those who allegedly agreed to pursue the effort."

— It also subpoenaed Georgia GOP Chair DAVID SHAFER, per CNN's Zachary Cohen, Sara Murray, Katelyn Polantz, Evan Perez and Marshall Cohen, along with fake Trump electors in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

— And FBI agents seized the cellphone of Nevada GOP Chair MICHAEL MCDONALD, part of the fake elector investigation, per KLAS' David Charns.

THE WHITE HOUSE

POTUS ABROAD — Biden's trip to Europe next week will pose a challenging test as the White House seeks to keep Western allies committed to helping Ukraine in what looks like a long-lasting war, Jonathan Lemire reports. Staying the course will be the message to allies in Germany and Spain, even as Europe grows wearier than it was for Biden's last visit. Also on the agenda: tamping down prices, supporting Finland and Sweden in joining NATO, infrastructure and possibly new Russia sanctions.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WON'T LIKE — Biden's approval rating hit 36%, tied for an all-time low, in the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling. His latest decline (for the fourth straight week in this poll) came largely among Republicans.

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ALL POLITICS

2024 WATCH — When Biden hangs it up (either in 2024 or 2028), an array of Democratic governors are positioning themselves for potential presidential runs and national prominence, Elena Schneider reports this morning. Among the names Dems are bandying about: Illinois' J.B. PRITZKER, New Jersey's PHIL MURPHY, California's GAVIN NEWSOM, Colorado's JARED POLIS, Michigan's GRETCHEN WHITMER and (potentially) STACEY ABRAMS in Georgia.

— More than a dozen states' pitches to be Democrats' first presidential nominating locales kicked off Wednesday with "aggressive" presentations from Nevada and New Hampshire, Brianne Pfannenstiel and Dylan Wells report in USA Today . In a lower-key pitch, Colorado made its case too.

POLL OF THE DAY — A new poll of likely Pennsylvania voters by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research finds JOSH SHAPIRO up by 3 over DOUG MASTRIANO, 49%-46%, in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race and JOHN FETTERMAN leading MEHMET OZ by 6, 50%-44%, for Senate. Democrats' stronger performance in the Senate race is largely due to Republicans not having unified behind Oz as much as behind Mastriano, even though the latter was broadly seen as less electable. Worth noting: The Democratic leads come despite Biden's approval rating of 36% in the state.

HOT ON THE RIGHT — NYT's Jacob Bernstein and Holly Secon have a dishy dive into PAUL PELOSI's DUI arrest and the Pelosis' life in Napa. Among the nuggets: The speaker's husband's car crash may have also been affected by recent cataract surgery; after his arrest, the couple quickly worked with LARRY KAMER, LEE HOUSKEEPER and JOHN KEKER, a crisis manager, PR executive and defense attorney, respectively. Their charmed life among the affluent of Napa includes a second home and a vineyard. Friends told the NYT that "they had never seen evidence that Mr. Pelosi drinks to excess," though "Mr. Pelosi has … had a history of car accidents over the course of his life."

DIANE WILSEY, a GOP friend and "society doyenne": "I feel just awful about what's happened because there was a time when if a thing like this happened, the cops would take you home."

HOT ON THE LEFT — John Harris on "The new battles roiling the left": "The Democratic Party's internal divisions usually are cast as disputes between centrists and the left. The intense focus on this dynamic, however, tends to obscure a growing and possibly more consequential argument within progressive ranks."

On one side are what John calls the "lumpers." For them, diverse issues, "from climate change to abortion rights to racial equity, are seen as intimately interwoven, and progress on one priority will only be achieved with simultaneous progress on other fronts." On the other are the "splitters," who "prefer to take one issue at a time. … In their view, the choice isn't sweeping progress versus incremental gains. It is incremental gains versus no progress at all."

JUDICIARY SQUARE

POLITICAL VIOLENCE WATCH — NICHOLAS ROSKE pleaded not guilty Wednesday to attempting to murder Justice BRETT KAVANAUGH. More from CNN

ANNALS OF INFLUENCE — A judge turned away TOM BARRACK's bid to have the illegal foreign lobbying charges against him dismissed Wednesday. Barrack has pleaded not guilty. More from Reuters

JUST POSTED — "EXCLUSIVE: Harris meets Democratic attorneys general as White House gears up for abortion ruling" by Reuters' Nandita Bose

MEDIAWATCH

BOOK CLUB — Hardly anybody wants to read memoirs from Trump administration figures. That's one of the takeaways from some meager publishing numbers that Daniel Lippman, Meridith McGraw and Max Tani report on this morning. Among those whose tell-alls have underperformed: Birx, MARK MEADOWS, SCOTT ATLAS, BEN CARSON, STEPHANIE GRISHAM, MARK ESPER and KELLYANNE CONWAY. PETER NAVARRO has been the most successful of late, with BILL BARR not too far behind. And books from Trump himself are selling well.

Richard Ben Cramer's "What It Takes" was published 30 years ago today.

Jon Tester and Cory Booker are tackling each other (and agricultural consolidation) all over the Capitol.

Monica Lewinsky reacted to Ron Johnson's explanation of how his chief of staff ended up in possession of a proposal on false presidential electors: "Dude. Don't blame the intern."

Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall are divorcing.

SPOTTED: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell walking slowly into Morini in Navy Yard on Wednesday evening.

OUT AND ABOUT — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer hosted "Showtunes with Steny" to celebrate Pride Month at Bobby McKey's on Tuesday night, with special guest Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and drag queen performances. SPOTTED: Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Brooke Lierman and Yvette Lewis. Pics

— Pinkston celebrated the expansion of their office Wednesday. SPOTTED: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Steve Forbes, retired Gen. John Kelly, retired Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro and Christian Pinkston.

— The New Republic hosted a happy hour at Firefly in Dupont Circle to toast the launch of its new campaign newsletter, The Run-Up. SPOTTED: Grace Segers, Daniel Strauss, Mike Tomasky, Kym Blanchard, Matt Ford, Ryan Kearney, Jennifer Holdsworth, Mollie Binotto, Raghu Devaguptapu, Julian Mulvey, Geoff Burgan, Farah Melendez, Andrew Bates, James Hohmann, Rebecca Pearcey and Remi Yamamoto.

— British Ambassador Dame Karen Pierce and Sir Charles Fergusson Roxburgh hosted a reception for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee last night at the British Embassy's residence gardens. Guests enjoyed drinks and horderves the UK and a performance from the Band of the Scots Guards. SPOTTED: Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Samuel Alito, Sens. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Jim Risch (R-Ind.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Susan Blumenthal, Monica Medina, Deputy AG Lisa Monaco, Adrianne Todman, Sec. Tom Vilsak, Heidi Shyu, Gilbert Herrera, Cindy Marten, John Tien, Cecilia Rouse, Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, Katherine Tai, Lonnie Bunch, Rachael Levine, Chris Inglis, Gabe Camarillo, Andrew Marshall, Jen Psaki, Eileen Medvey, Valerie Owens and Andrew Marshall.

— SPOTTED at the VIP grand opening Wednesday night of the new restaurant Il Piatto near the White House, hosted by Hakan Ilhan and John Arundel: Rahm Emanuel, David Tafuri, Hailey Fuchs, Andrew Libraty, Mica Soellner, Chris Harvin, Tom Quinn, Sam Feist, Julie Chase, Emily Goodin, Carl Hulse and Charlotte Clay.

— SPOTTED on Wednesday afternoon at a special screening at the White House of the new Ken Burns-produced PBS documentary "Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness," which first lady Jill Biden introduced (trailer): Patrick and Amy Kennedy, Sharon Rockefeller, Lawrence Di Rita and Patricia Harrison.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — GE is adding Micah (Johnson) Stockett as senior director of external comms and Treacy Reynolds as senior director of corporate comms and reputation. Stockett previously was COO, SVP and co-founder of Bridge Public Affairs, and is a Bob Corker alum. Reynolds most recently was at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

NEW NOMINEES — The White House announced a slate of new nominees, including Anjali Chaturvedi as general counsel at the VA, Patrice Kunesh as commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans at HHS, Kristina Kvien as ambassador to Armenia, Robert Forden as ambassador to Cambodia, Lucy Tamlyn as ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Randy Berry as ambassador to Namibia, Pamela Tremont as ambassador to Zimbabwe, Manuel Micaller Jr. as ambassador to Tajikistan, Kimberly McClain as assistant HUD secretary for congressional and intergovernmental relations, and Michael Schiffer as assistant USAID administrator for Asia.

MEDIA MOVE — Tracy Grant will be editor-in-chief of Encyclopaedia Britannica. She previously has spent decades at WaPo, including as managing editor for staff development and standards. More from Washingtonian

TRANSITIONS — Julie Nickson is leaving her role as chief of staff to Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) after more than two decades. She's joining the American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network. Joyce Kazadi will be Lee's new chief of staff. She previously was director of scheduling and advance for USAID Administrator Samantha Power, and is a Kamala Harris alum. …

… Stuart Dwyer is joining the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation as VP for strategic engagement. He most recently was acting chief of mission for the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen. … Kelly Hitchcock has joined Invariant, working with financial services and tax clients. She most recently was at the Investment Company Institute, and is a Hill GOP alum. … Justin Backal Balik is joining Evergreen Action as state policy director. He previously oversaw state and local policy for the electric school bus initiative at World Resources Institute.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Chasten Buttigieg … Justice Clarence Thomas … WaPo's Philip Bump … DOD's Usha Sahay … Kaelan Dorr of GETTR … State's Robert Palladino … POLITICO's Chris Ramirez, Daniel Han, Lauren Rutt, Ryan Kohl, Nadia Dawit and Samuel Parven … Protocol's Michelle Ma … Robert Kaplan of CNAS and Eurasia Group … Aaron Cutler of Hogan Lovells … Paul Tewes … Greg Hale … Meta's Amber Moon … J.P. Fielder … Judy Lemons … Steven Cheung of Solgence … Niskanen Center's Louisa Tavlas Atkinson ... Atanu Chakravarty ... Bradley Engle ... Harbinger Strategies' Steven Stombres … Joe Duffy … Emma Whitestone of Blueprint Interactive … Brian Pomper … Christopher Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition … former Reps. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), Bob Dold (R-Ill.) and Cresent Hardy (R-Nev.) … AU's Sylvia Burwell

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