| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  In its third public hearing, the House select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol will focus on the details of the aggressive pressure campaign against Mike Pence on Jan 6. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | Today's Jan. 6 committee hearing is going to be one for the history books, so tune in at 1 p.m. On Wednesday night, we caught up with today's star witness, MICHAEL LUTTIG , for drinks (he drank water, we had a Manhattan). Luttig had just finished a walk near the White House with his wife. The gravity of today's hearing was weighing on him. Usually quick to joke, he was in a serious and contemplative mood. Luttig said he "will be privileged and gratified to testify on behalf of and in honor of the many heroes of Jan. 6 who saved our democracy that day, including, most notably, the United States Capitol Police." "America is at war with herself," he will say. "One war is for the cultural heart and soul of America. The other is a war over America's democracy." He will say that "both of these wars must end in peace if America is to go forward." Luttig has impeccable conservative credentials. He is a former federal judge who spent the GEORGE W. BUSH years under attack by liberals who feared that Bush would put him on the Supreme Court. Senate Democratic Leader HARRY REID threatened to filibuster him; he was a runner-up for the nominations that ultimately went to SAMUEL ALITO and JOHN ROBERTS. Today, Luttig is appearing as a fact witness because of his role in the leadup to Jan. 6, when Luttig told then-VP MIKE PENCE to ignore the advice of JOHN EASTMAN, a former Luttig clerk who hatched the scheme to persuade Pence to overturn the results of the 2020 election by rejecting electoral votes from states former President DONALD TRUMP lost. Luttig first told the full story of his role on that day in our "Playbook Deep Dive" podcast in February. But what he is planning to talk about today goes beyond his views of the Electoral Count Act and his gripping account of his role on Jan. 6. WHAT THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WILL SAY — Today's hearing is about the details of the intense pressure campaign against Pence on Jan. 6. Much of today will be devoted to unpacking this line from Vice Chair LIZ CHENEY's (R-Wyo.) opening statement last Thursday: "Aware of the rioters' chants to 'hang Mike Pence,' the president responded with this sentiment: 'maybe our supporters have the right idea.' Mike Pence 'deserves' it." In what could be some of the most dramatic moments today, the committee will juxtapose these three things:
- Trump's comment about Pence deserving to hang.
- The increasingly frantic pleas from Pence aides that the vice president was in danger
- The details of Pence's whereabouts in the Capitol as rioters came extraordinarily close to him and his Secret Service agents searched for a safe route of escape.
One of the intended takeaways from today's presentation is that Trump — knowingly — almost got Pence killed. WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD WATCH FOR — Our own Kyle Cheney, who has been covering this story from the beginning, emails with his authoritative insights into what else you should be looking for: "In my view, Thursday's hearing is the most significant of them all — the one that stitches together the disparate elements of Trump's last-ditch effort to stay in power after all legitimate or even semi-legitimate means had failed. "The committee, which has been loath to bog down viewers with long lists of names they've never heard before, will make a big exception today in the case of John Eastman. … He theorized that state legislatures — particularly Republican-controlled ones in states Biden won — could simply appoint their own electors and cite amorphous fears about fraud or illegality to justify it. … Of course, no state legislature did this. And Pence dismissed the strategy as ahistoric and illegal. Nevertheless, Trump and Eastman pressed him to embrace various versions of it even as a mob bore down on the Capitol, where Pence and lawmakers fled for safety." Kyle's things to watch for:
- Criminal responsibility: "If the committee is going to make a bid to prove Trump bears criminal responsibility for Jan. 6, this is the most apparent way they're going to do it. A federal judge in California has already ruled that Trump and Eastman likely entered a criminal conspiracy to pressure Pence and obstruct Congress. The committee can lay out in brutal detail how Trump came under Eastman's thrall and used his theories to lean on his vice president. They'll exhibit video testimony from Pence's aides and others in the White House demonstrating that Trump was repeatedly told his plan was illegal and unconstitutional. And they'll show that when Pence refused to go along with it, Trump inflamed the mob that had already entered the Capitol by attacking him for lacking courage."
- The Eastman emails: "The committee spent six months battling Eastman in court to obtain thousands of emails he exchanged related to his work for Trump. Most of those emails have remained closely held by the committee, including a batch that was just received on Monday afternoon that shows some of Eastman's machinations in mid-December with high-profile allies and members of Congress. They could become explosive pieces of never-before-seen evidence that also roped in other prominent Washington players who have not yet been connected to the plot. Some of those emails were the basis for the judge to conclude crimes were committed."
- The testimony of former Pence counsel GREG JACOB: "[He] has the potential to be a powerful witness. He has largely operated outside the public eye and political fray, and his composed but livid email exchanges with Eastman — even as the Capitol was in chaos — have already made a mark on the Jan. 6 investigation. 'Thanks to your bullshit,' Jacob wrote to Eastman that afternoon, 'we are now under siege.' But even then, he engaged Eastman in an intense and detailed debate about the legality of Eastman's plan, and ultimately fended it off for good. Hearing this story from him live could be a real moment for the select committee." More from Kyle and Nicholas Wu
| | | | A message from Amazon: According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, "paid leave – at a child's birth or adoption and as they grow – improves outcomes for the entire family, including parents and caregivers." Amazon's paid leave policy provides up to 20 weeks for new parents like Elizabeth, who welcomed her first child last summer. | | | The latest Jan. 6 committee news: — Just posted: Our colleague Betsy Woodruff Swan scoops the details of a 2020 email from KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE that shows just how far Liz Cheney has come within her own party: "In a previously unreported email obtained by POLITICO, Guilfoyle — the former Fox News host now engaged to Donald Trump's elder son — thanked the Wyoming Republican for supporting Trump's 2020 bid as a 'congressional co-captain' and asked her to do more." — WaPo's bombshell: "GINNI THOMAS corresponded with John Eastman, sources in Jan. 6 House investigation say," by Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Emma Brown: "The emails show that Thomas's efforts to overturn the election were more extensive than previously known, two of the people said. … The committee's members and staffers are now discussing whether to spend time during their public hearings exploring Ginni Thomas's role in the attempt to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election, the three people said." — NYT's Luke Broadwater and Maggie Haberman late-breaking overnight scoop: "Trump Lawyer Cited 'Heated Fight' Among Justices Over Election Suits: In an email weeks after the election, another lawyer advising the Trump campaign responded that the prospect of '"wild" chaos' on Jan. 6 could lead the Supreme Court to take up a case." — Quite the scene-setter: "Photo shows Vice President Mike Pence, family in hiding on Jan. 6," by ABC's Jonathan Karl: "Taken just minutes after the mob had breached the Capitol and as Pence and his family were evacuated from chamber by his Secret Service detail, the photo shows KAREN PENCE hurriedly closing the curtains in the room, as her daughter looks on with fear." — A federal judge on Wednesday rejected STEVE BANNON's request to dismiss the contempt of Congress charges against him, CNN's Katelyn Polantz reports. Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels , Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message form Amazon:   Up to 20 weeks of paid leave gave Amazon employee Elizabeth extra time with her son, without missing her paycheck. | | | BIDEN'S THURSDAY: — 10:30 a.m.: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. — 3:10 p.m.: Biden will sign the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 into law. VP KAMALA HARRIS' THURSDAY: — 10 a.m.: The vice president will participate in a press call about maternal health and expanding postpartum coverage. — 1:40 p.m.: Harris will deliver remarks announcing the launch of the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 12:15 p.m. THE SENATE is in. CDC Director ROCHELLE WALENSKY and FDA Commissioner ROBERT CALIFF will testify before the HELP Committee at 9:30 a.m. THE HOUSE will meet at 9 a.m. to consider the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, with first/last votes expected between 10:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The Jan. 6 select committee will hold a hearing at 1 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
|  Human rights activists reveal the new street sign for Jamal Khashoggi Way during an event celebrating the renaming of the street outside the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia yesterday in Washington. | Nathan Howard/Getty Images | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | GUNS TALKS LATEST Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL is, perhaps surprisingly, offering up his support for one of the most polarizing and vexing issues that has come before Congress. "Once known as the Senate's 'guardian of gridlock,' the GOP leader is publicly endorsing the chamber's bipartisan framework on gun safety, wading into a topic so volatile with his base that it ended one Republican lawmaker's career this month," Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett write . "While McConnell's position didn't surprise his GOP colleagues, it continues a pattern of cutting against his reputation and easing up, ever so slightly, in his push to stop the Democratic agenda." KNOWING THE GUN LOBBY — Hailey Fuchs is up this morning with a fascinating look at firearms attorney and lobbyist MARK BARNES, "the rare Washington power broker with close relationships in the industry and its regulators." (In fact, DAVID CHIPMAN said his failure to pick up a phone call from Barnes may have been what torpedoed his nomination to lead the ATF.) — Speaking of lobbying: MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY is turning to K Street, Caitlin Oprysko reports. "Following a spate of recent mass shootings including the massacre last month in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers, the award-winning actor has retained a team of lobbyists at D.C. firm Avisa Partners to represent him in the nation's capital." ALL POLITICS KNOWING THE NEW MEMBER — Meet the newest incoming member of Congress: MAYRA FLORES, "a Mexican-born Republican woman from the Rio Grande Valley" who flipped Texas' 34th Congressional District in a special election on Tuesday. "Flores immigrated from Tamaulipas, Mexico when she was six years old and grew up in the Rio Grande Valley region," Marissa Martinez writes. While most of her family voted Democratic, "she eventually realized her views on religion, abortion and border security were more in line with the Republican Party." Meanwhile, local Dems blame the national party — and the DCCC in particular — for the loss. COLLIN STEELE, the campaign manager for Flores' opponent DAN SANCHEZ, per the Texas Tribune's Patrick Svitek: "The DCCC, DNC, and other associated national committees have failed at their single purpose of existence: winning elections," he said, calling the loss "a complete and total abdication of duty." Rep. VICENTE GONZALEZ (D-Texas), who is set to face off against Flores in a newly drawn district this fall: "I hope the DCCC learns their lesson with this before it happens across the country. … They have just forgotten about the brown people on the border. … I'm not going to try to sugarcoat it anymore. They are taking Latinos in South Texas for granted." More from Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris on Latino Dems' outrage FIELD SET IN ALASKA — "Former Alaska Gov. SARAH PALIN, Republican NICK BEGICH and independent AL GROSS have advanced to the August special election for the state's only U.S. House seat," AP's Becky Bohrer reports. "The top four vote-getters in the special primary advance to a special election, set for Aug. 16, in which ranked choice voting will be used." FIELD SET IN CALI — GOP challenger BRIAN MARYOTT has advanced to the general election to face Democratic Rep. MIKE LEVIN in California's 49th District, which the GOP sees as a potential pickup opportunity. "After redistricting, Democrats here have a little more than a 2-point voter edge," per the L.A. Times' Seema Mehta. REDISTRICTING READ — Dems' primary redistricting organization is expanding its scope ahead of the midterms, Zach Montellaro scoops this morning. "The National Democratic Redistricting Committee's '2022 democracy targets,' shared first with POLITICO, includes midterm races across 17 states. In addition to state legislative and gubernatorial elections … the NDRC plans to get involved in five secretary of state races, including in states where the chief election officer doesn't have a direct role in the mapmaking process." SAY YES! TO MICHIGAN — Michigan Dems are stepping up their efforts to move up on the presidential nominating calendar, Elena Schneider scoops . "In a letter obtained by POLITICO, the Michigan Democratic congressional delegation is making the case to Democratic National Committee members that the state's diversity, competitiveness and ability to represent 'the full range of experiences of the rest of our country' make it a worthy early presidential state." JUST POSTED — "Democrats' Risky Bet: Aid G.O.P. Extremists in Spring, Hoping to Beat Them in Fall," by NYT's Jonathan Weisman
| | | | A message from Amazon:   Amazon's parental leave policy allowed Elizabeth to be there for the big and little things. | | | THE ECONOMY
| 
Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | FED UP — The Fed on Wednesday "pulled the trigger on its largest interest rate increase in nearly three decades and signaled that it would raise borrowing costs this year more than anticipated, with blistering-hot inflation showing no signs of abating," Victoria Guida writes. The deets: "The Fed's aggressive actions have raised fears that the central bank might cause a recession in its bid to tamp down the worst price spikes in four decades, though the policymakers themselves are hoping to avoid that outcome. … The Fed's moves are expected to darken an already grim national mood and could lead to a more serious electoral throttling for Democrats in the midterms. But the central bank is betting that more assertive steps now will prevent even more economic pain later." — Helpful explainer from WaPo: "The Fed is raising interest rates again. What's next?" THE PANDEMIC VAX POPULI — An FDA advisory panel voted on Wednesday to recommend vaccines for children under 5 years old, a long-awaited step in fighting the coronavirus pandemic that could now see all of the population eligible to receive shots, NYT's Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland write. Related read: "Every state but Florida pre-ordered COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5," by the Miami Herald's Michael Wilner. ABORTION FALLOUT FIRST PERSON — "I Had an Abortion and Kept Silent No More," by Jennifer Burton for Washington Monthly: "I'm speaking out now because, as a political consultant and a woman, I believe sharing abortion stories publicly is essential to reclaiming our endangered reproductive rights." POLICY CORNER IMMIGRATION FILES — Crossings at the border are spiking again, as "authorities stopped migrants more often on the southern border for a fourth straight month in May, apparently unaffected by expectations that pandemic-era limits on asylum may be lifted," per the AP. "Migrants were stopped 239,416 times in May, up 2% from 235,478 in April and up 33% from 180,597 in May 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday." — For POLITICO Magazine, the Marshall Project's Anna Flagg and Julia Preston have a deep dive into new data that reveals a whole new immigration reality at the border. "Since early 2017, one of every three people held in a Border Patrol facility was a minor . … Out of almost 2 million people detained by the Border Patrol from February 2017 through June 2021, more than 650,000 were under 18, the analysis showed. More than 220,000 of those children, about one-third, were held for longer than 72 hours, the period established by federal court rulings and an anti-trafficking statute as a limit for border detention of children." WAR IN UKRAINE — "The U.S. announced it will send an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, as America and its allies provide longer-range weapons they say can make a difference in a fight where Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and outgunned by their Russian invaders," AP's Lolita Baldor and Mike Corder write. — "Two U.S. veterans who volunteered to fight in Ukraine have gone missing , their families said on Wednesday," NYT's Alex Traub, Maham Javaid and Anushka Patil report. "One man was named ALEX DRUEKE, 39, a former U.S. Army staff sergeant who served two tours in Iraq, his family said in a statement. The other was named ANDY TAI NGOC HUYNH, 27, a former Marine … The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that it was 'aware of unconfirmed reports of two U.S. citizens captured in Ukraine.'"
| | | | DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | Anthony Fauci has Covid. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was seen on Capitol Hill trying to get interviews with Marjorie Taylor Greene and Louie Gohmert. Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Commanders, has declined to appear before the House Oversight Committee for a hearing centered on the franchise's workplace conditions. But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will testify (remotely), WaPo's Mark Maske, Liz Clarke and Nicki Jhabvala report. George Washington University is dropping its "Colonials" moniker. Send us your best ideas for the new mascot. Bill Clinton played "Ask a President" with James Corden last night. OUT AND ABOUT — Since our Congress team spends every moment of their lives chasing lawmakers and firing off questions, they decided to flip the script Wednesday night at a happy hour. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Reps. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Julia Letlow (R-La.) played the journos. Phillips pressed our colleague Sarah Ferris on the ethical challenges posed by her closeness to the ice cream lobby (her family owns a popular Connecticut creamery), and Letlow asked bureau chief Burgess Everett a question that some women in politics wish men faced more often: How do you balance your demanding job and your family? SPOTTED: Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Goli Sheikholeslami, Matt Kaminski, Matt Gorman, Kaitlan Collins, Sam Feist, Josh Dawsey, Kelly Hudak, Lauren French, Andrew Kovalcin, Heather Podesta, Doug Andres and Eugene Daniels. — All In Together hosted its annual Black Women Lead Conference at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Wednesday. The event, which celebrates and honors Black women's achievements across politics, art and more, featured panels on maternal health and health equity, art as activism, justice reform and a special keynote with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in conversation with April Ryan. SPOTTED: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Edda Collins Coleman, Tara Hogan Charles, Nicole Austin-Hillery, Tanya Lombard, Celeste Warren, Fatima Goss Graves, Karen Finney, Nichole Francis Reynolds, Tara Setmayer, Alexi McCammond, Michell Persaud, Rachel Adams, Errin Haines, Blair Watters, Tasha Cole, Kimberly Myers, Monique Dorsainvil, Michele Jawando, Maya Wiley, Amanda Seales, Mumu Fresh and Lauren Leader. — Sandy Hook Promise held its annual Promise Champions Gala on Wednesday at the National Building Museum. The event honored Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) for their gun violence prevention efforts, as well as the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary and Robb Elementary school shootings. Ambassador Susan Rice was the keynote speaker. SPOTTED: Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Val Demmings (D-Fla.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.). — Run for Something held its annual Party for Something at Metrobar Wednesday night, featuring a keynote speech from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). He touted the importance of grassroots organizing, wryly noting "it ain't easy, and it ain't glamorous," and acknowledged the difficulty behind reaching out to voters "who've given up on the electoral process." SPOTTED: Danica Roem, Anna Eskamani, Cynthia Mendes. Pic … Another pic TRANSITIONS — Pete Boogaard is joining Snap to lead its policy comms team in D.C. He previously led comms at FWD.us and is an Obama White House, NSC and DHS alum. … Alissa Brenner and Alex Bradley are joining Crosscut Strategies. Brenner will be an SVP and previously was at FGS Global. Bradley will be a strategic comms manager and previously was a speechwriter for Pennsylvania A.G. Josh Shapiro. … Millan Robinson is now a policy programs associate with Meta. She was previously associate director for the Department of DNC Leadership. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook's own Zack Stanton … Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) … Don McGahn … Yahoo News' Michael Isikoff … Phil Singer of Marathon Strategies … Treasury's Liz Bourgeois … NPR's Steve Inskeep … POLITICO's Madison Fernandez … Phil Cox … PBS NewsHour's Rachel Wellford … Cook Political Report's Jessica Taylor … Demand Justice's Colin Diersing … Michael Quibuyen … Matt Gruda … Shelley Husband … Indira Lakshmanan of National Geographic … Matthew Bartlett … Mark Tapscott … Frank Sánchez of CNS Global Advisors ... Jared Kamrass … James Kim of the American Cleaning Institute … Rocky Deal … former Rep. Robert Hurt (R-Va.) … Reid Wilson … Ryan Yeager 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. Correction: Wednesday's Playbook misspelled Caitlin Byrd's name.
| | | | A message from Amazon: The more than 75% of working Americans without paid leave are often faced with an unfair choice: being with their family or continuing to earn a paycheck. At Amazon, Elizabeth was able to do both. The company's paid leave policy gave her 20 weeks to get ready for her new son and bond.
"He's only going to be really little once," she said. "Spending that extra time with him just meant so much to me." | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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