| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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The biggest challenge for the committee is connecting the dots their investigators have spent months gathering, hoping to make the case to the American people that our constitutional democracy came close to collapsing. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | At 8 p.m., the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack plans to start unveiling the most complete and visceral dissection to date of the mob of DONALD TRUMP supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the results of a democratic election. Drawing on months of interviews and thousands of documents, the committee has thus far kept most of its findings close to its vest — so we expect a lot of new information and some of the most terrifying video from that day that hasn't been shown to the public yet. As one committee aide told reporters in a background call on Wednesday, they see their job as showing "that the violence of Jan. 6 was the result of a coordinated, multistep effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election and stop the transfer of power from Donald Trump to JOE BIDEN." The plan … — Chair BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) and Vice Chair LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) are going to run the hearings, beginning with opening statements. From there, they'll present the findings from the committee, outlining the themes of the future hearings and questioning two witnesses. — Committee aides are staying coy on the actual structure of the hearings but told reporters there will be a multimedia component (much like the impeachment hearings in January 2021) with unseen video and audio that the committee has obtained. — The biggest challenge for the committee is connecting the dots their investigators have spent months gathering, hoping to make the case to the American people that our constitutional democracy came close to collapsing — and that the threat is not over. Moreover, the committee will need to make that case in a way that breaks through the day-to-day concerns of Americans — ranging from high gas prices to empty formula shelves — and makes them care about an event from a year and a half ago. The witnesses … — Up first: U.S. Capitol Police officer CAROLINE EDWARDS, who cracked her head on the Capitol steps and suffered a concussion after being knocked down by people pushing back a barricade. "When will we be set free of the memories and scars of that day?" she asks in a prepared statement. "You have stolen moments away from me that I can't get back." — Another witness: NICK QUESTED, a documentarian who captured some of the most distressing footage of that day's attack while embedded with the Proud Boys. — Still, "most of their material from their witness interviews and document collection has been held very close," Nicholas Wu writes in, "and investigators are promising that the vast majority of the material they'll show hasn't been seen before." — Related read: "The Jan. 6 hearings' missing man: Mike Pence," by Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu
| | A message from Blackstone: Blackstone is delivering long-term value and helping build a more sustainable future by backing new infrastructure to bring hydropower to New York. This project will help the state reach its ambitious climate goals, decrease energy costs and create thousands of jobs. See how. | | | The view from Trump world … — At this point, details are scarce as to what the former president's team is planning as the hearings kick off. Our colleague Meridith McGraw reports that there is coordination happening "between aides to former President Donald Trump, GOP allies on Capitol Hill, and the Republican National Committee. But aides in those circles say that with the Jan. 6 committee having not yet revealed its witness list or the content to be unveiled, their actual plans for pushback remain TBD. " Among Trump allies, there is also a sense that the public's opinions on Jan. 6 are already baked in place and that even expertly produced hearings won't materially change that. … As a tactical matter, Trump and his allies are prepared to dismiss any new finding as a political distraction — not tied to the real concerns of voters." The view from Hill Dems … — There's a sense of fatalism among many Democrats as the hearings begin, our colleague Sarah Ferris reports: They know that there's likely little electoral benefit for them in these hearings, but contend that the stakes are much more important than electoral considerations — though they hope voters tune in anyway. And the view from the committee …
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The members of the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 attack are pictured. | AP | For months, our colleagues Kyle and Nicholas have followed the committee's investigation as closely as anyone in Washington. We asked them what "success" looks like to members of the panel. Here's what they said … — Nicholas: "I was mulling over what one panel member, Rep. ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.), told reporters Wednesday afternoon when asked about the panel's definition of success. He said his hope was that they could reach people with open minds and 'awake the American people to the threat that still exists to our democracy.' Let's see if they can do that." — Kyle: "The committee is hopeful that a compelling presentation, seeded with new and revealing testimony, will remind Americans of the outrage they felt in the days just after Jan. 6 — when there was near-universal condemnation of Trump's actions. And they want viewers to conclude that the threat did not end on Jan. 6, but has actually metastasized in ways that could reemerge in 2024." Related reads: "Jan. 6 committee's members are on diverging political paths," by AP's Farnoush Amiri and Kevin Freking … "Raffensperger could testify publicly before Jan. 6 committee," by Nicholas and Kyle … "Senior Pence adviser to testify before Jan. 6 committee," by Kyle Just posted: "Jan. 6 Hearings Will Put Trump at the Center of Plot That Resulted in Capitol Riot," by NYT's Luke Broadwater … "Jan. 6 hearing to provide opening argument, focus on far-right groups," by WaPo's Jacqueline Alemany Related opinions: "The Jan. 6 Committee Has Already Blown It," by NYT's David Brooks … "The Democrats Plan a Full Media Blowout Over Jan. 6," by Jack Shafer … "Fox News's blackout of Jan. 6 points to a hidden crisis for Democrats," by WaPo's Greg Sargent Good Thursday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | A message from Blackstone:   Blackstone is delivering long-term value by bringing renewable energy to New York City, strengthening the local economy and helping build a more sustainable future. | | | BERN NOTICE — Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) has a blunt warning for Dems: "Without a course correction, he sees the Democratic Party on track to get shellacked this fall," Burgess Everett writes . "As the progressive Vermonter, not one to mince words, put it in an interview on Tuesday: 'You really can't win an election with a bumper sticker that says: "Well, we can't do much, but the other side is worse."' … "With the majorities flashing before Democrats' eyes , the independent who caucuses with them is asking his leadership, from President Joe Biden on down, to acknowledge that the party can't actually do what it wants with two centrist senators as their deciding votes. After that real talk, Sanders wants Democrats to make the case for more Democratic power in 2023 — through a NEWT GINGRICH-style 'Contract with America.'" LATE-NIGHT BIDEN — On Wednesday, Biden joined ABC funnyman JIMMY KIMMEL to talk about everything from gun violence to the Supreme Court's expected ruling on abortion rights to why he feels his message isn't breaking through with voters. Some highlights:
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President Joe Biden speaks with host Jimmy Kimmel during a commercial break on Kimmel's show. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | - Biden isn't planning to issue a new executive order on guns: "I don't want to emulate Trump's abuse of the constitution and constitutional authority. I mean that sincerely because I often get asked — 'Look, the Republicans don't play it square, why do you play it square?' Well, guess what. If we do the same thing they do, our democracy will literally be in jeopardy."
- But he might on abortion rights if Roe is overturned: "There's some executive orders I could employ. We're looking at that right now. … If, in fact, the decision comes down the way it does and these states impose the limitations they're talking about, it's going to cause a mini revolution and they're going to vote a lot of these folks out of office."
- On why the White House message isn't getting across: "There's a lot of major things we've done. But what we haven't done is we haven't been able to communicate it in a way that … Look how the press has changed … With notable exceptions, even the really good reporters have to get a number of clicks, so instead of asking the questions … everything gets sensationalized." Full video
THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of the "Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act." At 1:30 p.m., the Senate will vote on confirmation of SAMUEL BAGENSTOS to be HHS general counsel. NTIA Administrator ALAN DAVIDSON will testify before a Commerce subcommittee at 10 a.m. The Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on domestic extremism and white supremacist violence at 10:15 a.m. THE HOUSE will meet at 9 a.m., with last votes expected at noon. PHOTO OF THE DAY
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Miguel Cerrillo, father of fourth-grade Robb Elementary School student Miah Cerrillo, tears up as he testifies during a House hearing on gun violence on Wednesday, June 8. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo, via pool | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | CONGRESS WHIP IT UP — Amid the early jockeying for a potential House GOP whip job opening up after the midterms, House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY is advising the would-be whips not to get out over their skis. "I think that would backfire on people, if they try to run for something that is not there yet," he told our colleague Olivia Beavers. "McCarthy didn't speak specifically about [Georgia Rep. DREW] FERGUSON , currently the GOP deputy whip, but took a subtle jab when asked about the only whip contender actively seeking backers: 'I think what people want to see is people who are doing their job.'" HOUSE PASSES GUN MEASURES — The House on Wednesday passed a bill including "some of the most aggressive gun-control measures taken up on Capitol Hill in years — including raising the minimum age for the purchase of most semiautomatic rifles to 21 and banning high-capacity ammunition magazines," WaPo's Mike DeBonis writes. "The 223-to-204 vote took place just hours after a House committee heard searing testimony from a young survivor of the May 24 shooting in Uvalde, Tex., as well as the parents of a victim and a pediatrician who responded to the tragedy that left 19 elementary-schoolers and two teachers dead." To state the obvious: It's unlikely to make any headway in the Senate, where negotiators are working on an alternative package. ALL POLITICS TAKING ON TRUMP — NIKKI HALEY is escalating her involvement in one of her home state's most contentious primary contests. The goal for the former governor is twofold: (1) Defend an incumbent Republican from Trump's wrath; and (2) plant a 2024 flag. "Haley is putting her political muscle behind South Carolina Rep. NANCY MACE, a freshman congresswoman who blamed Trump for the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot — and who is now facing a Trump-endorsed opponent, KATIE ARRINGTON, in next week's Republican primary," Alex Isenstadt writes this morning . "Haley's intervention in the primary represents a political bet: By throwing her political might behind Mace — a candidate derided by Trump as 'nasty, disloyal, and bad for the Republican Party' — and risking a defeat in her home state, Haley is taking steps to distinguish herself from a former president whom she served and who, like her, is weighing a 2024 bid." — Related read: "By phone, Trump urges South Carolina voters to get behind his 2 GOP picks for Congress," by the Post and Courier's Caitlin Byrd Rep. TOM RICE (R-S.C.): "We are the latest stop on the Trump Very Presidential Revenge Circus. This has nothing to do with policy. … It has everything to do with Trump's never-ending pettiness and spite. … Bring on the circus. I'm not afraid of clowns." DEMS BOOST MAGA SENATE CANDIDATE IN COLORADO — Democrats feel they have a safe seat in Colorado with Sen. MICHAEL BENNET. But they also don't want to take any chances, which is why the party is "aggressively advancing the campaign of a hardline MAGA Senate candidate in a last-ditch effort to elevate him over a moderate Republican who is viewed as a more serious threat," Natalie Allison reports this morning. MASTERS DABBLED IN JAN. 6 CONSPIRACY THEORIES — The who: Arizona GOP Senate candidate BLAKE MASTERS. The what: Raising baseless conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The where: An IHOP restaurant in Arizona. That's where Masters "met with conservative activists … and was asked whether he would support investigating US intelligence operations to uncover the federal government's 'nefarious activities,'" to which Masters replied: "Absolutely," before offering that the Jan. 6 events "actually may have been a false-flag operation set up by the FBI," CNN's Alex Rogers and Manu Raju scoop , drawing on audio of the exchange. MONTANA LATEST — If you're expecting a quick resolution in the Montana House race between RYAN ZINKE and AL OLSZEWSKI , you may want to temper your expectations. "Lincoln County has had to resort to counting all of the ballots cast in Tuesday's Montana Primary Election by hand. The hand count is underway because the ballots were cut too short and will not work in the automatic counting machines," per MTN News. THE WHITE HOUSE SCENES FROM THE SUMMIT — As Biden traveled to the Summit for the Americas on Wednesday, the White House "pushed back against the notion that the absence of several key leaders … amounts to a backslide for democracy as administration officials sought to play up efforts on food security, climate and other areas to be discussed at this week's summit," write AP's Elliot Spagat and Chris Megerian in Los Angeles. — JUAN GUAIDÓ has held firm as Venezuela's opposition leader for years, but now "in a sign of how far his political fate has fallen, and how quickly U.S. geopolitical calculations can shift, the 38-year-old wasn't even invited to this week's Summit of the Americas," AP's Megerian and Joshua Goodman write, "despite the Biden administration's persistent promotion of democracy and insistence it recognizes Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president." HOW IT HAPPENED — "Biden turns to his old friend Chris Dodd for a sensitive job," by WaPo's Karen DeYoung: "Biden needed to avoid embarrassment by ensuring a good showing at this week's Americas summit. Dodd, a former senator and lobbyist, went to work, visiting leaders in the hemisphere, listening to their concerns and, in some cases, offering enticements."
| | A message from Blackstone:   Blackstone and TDI: Driving Value and Powering NYC's Clean Energy Future | | | TRUMP CARDS THE INVESTIGATIONS — DONALD TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP JR. and IVANKA TRUMP have agreed "to sit for depositions as part of a civil investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office next month unless the state's highest court intervenes," ABC's Aaron Katersky reports. POLICY CORNER INFLATION NATION — Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN told the House Ways and Means Committee that the admin is "considering ways to reconfigure tariffs on imports from China as a means of helping to ease decades-high inflation," writes WSJ's Amara Omeokwe and Richard Rubin. Yellen said "she expected the administration to have additional information on its plans in the coming weeks, although there is no firm timeline." IN THE (THINK) TANK — The Brookings Institution placed its president, retired Gen. JOHN ALLEN, on administrative leave "amid a federal inquiry into whether he secretly lobbied for the government of Qatar," NYT's Mark Mazzetti writes. AMERICA AND THE WORLD WHAT OBAMA IS UP TO — Former President BARACK OBAMA is continuing his crusade for democracy, and he's taking the campaign across the ocean later this week. "Obama is speaking on Friday at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit in addition to holding a meet-up Saturday of more than 60 Obama Foundation leaders from across Europe," Sam Stein and Max Tani write. "It is the latest in a series of clarion calls he's made about challenges democracies are facing. But, unlike those past ones, the shadow of America's own political tensions will be especially pronounced this go-around. … It's unclear the degree to which Obama will reference Jan. 6 in his speech, or if he'll discuss it at all. He is a chronic, last-minute editor, making it impossible to confidently state the contents until near-delivery."
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | John Kennedy said it would be "cheaper to buy cocaine and just run everywhere" than buy gas in his home state of Louisiana. (FWIW: Louisiana is among the states with the lowest average gas prices across the country, per AAA.) Jack Del Rio, defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, called the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol a "dust-up." Lisa Murkowski learned about Alaska's role in the new season of "Stranger Things" from Lisa Desjardins . After hearing that the show involves "creepy monsters from another dimension," Murkowski said: "I can deal with creepy monsters." The View took on the Washington Post drama of the week. To put it lightly: The hosts were quite one-sided in their critiques. Sydney Sweeney will play Reality Winner in a film adaptation of the notorious whistleblower's life. The Livingston Awards named the winners of its annual prizes: Alex Stuckey, Jose A. Del Real, Erika Lantz and Elin Lantz Lesser. The late Fred Hiatt was also honored with an award recognizing his mentoring. The Bipartisan Policy Center honored Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Reps. Young Kim (R-Calif.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) with Legislative Action Awards. Judy Woodruff was given the first-ever Freedom Award in recognition of outstanding journalism. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Cafe Milano to celebrate the release of Kellyanne Conway's new memoir, "Here's the Deal," ($30) on Tuesday night: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Billy Long (R-Mo.) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, Elaine Chao, Alex Azar, Robert Lighthizer, Robert Wilkie, Chad Wolf, Pat Cippilone, Newt and Callista Gingrich, Kevin O'Leary, Rima al-Sabah, Raul and Jean-Marie Fernandez, Jordan Ambassador Dina Kawar, Greta Van Susteren, Laura Ingraham, Bret and Amy Baier, Susanna Quinn, Adrienne Arsht, Chris Christie, Keith Kellogg, David Bossie, Lisa Spies, Don Graham and Barby Allbritton. — SPOTTED on Wednesday morning at the Yale CEO Summit at the New York Public Library, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by video for an hour and took questions: Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Jane Fraser, Albert Bourla, Lloyd Blankfein, Dina Powell McCormick, Hamdi Ulukaya, Farooq Kathwari, Danny Meyer, Ralph Reed, Lally Weymouth, Jonathan Greenblatt, Marc Ein, Brad Karp, Richard Edelman, Bob Diamond, Mark Penn, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya and Joel Meyers. — SPOTTED: Mick Mulvaney and Terry McAuliffe watching former Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Joe Hockey talk about his new book "Diplomatic" on Wednesday at a party hosted by FTI Consulting and Bondi Partners. Pic FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.) will be president of the U.S.-Qatar Business Council. TRANSITIONS — Emily Norman is joining the Democratic Data Exchange as CEO. She previously led analytics and product for New York City's Covid response team and is a DNC, Obama, Cory Booker and DSCC alum. … Michael Mansour is now director of global government affairs for SK Hynix America. He previously was deputy COS for Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). … Samantha Boyd has joined the comms team at Amazon, where she's focusing on customer trust. She most recently was comms director for the Washington bureau of Bloomberg News. WEEKEND WEDDING — Zack Colman, a climate and energy reporter at POLITICO, and Kim Hassell, senior health comms manager at CommunicateHealth, got married this weekend at The Toolbox Pilates Art Studio in Dupont Circle. The two met in 2015 when Zack was living in Cambridge, Mass., while doing the Knight Science Journalism fellowship at MIT. POLITICO alum Laura Barrón-López officiated the wedding. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Liz Mair … Ray Salazar of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office … Joe Curl … POLITICO's Susannah Luthi … Marvin Kalb (92) … Axios' Margaret Talev … Newsweek's Ramsen Shamon … Department of Energy's Charisma Troiano … Yonathan Teclu of Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) office … DSCC's Laura Matthews … Jess O'Connell of NEWCO Strategies … Jeff Solnet of Precision Strategies ... Delve's Jeff Berkowitz … Ashley Lowerre of Opn Sesame … Dante Atkins … Candi Wolff of Citi … Google's Ria Bailey-Galvis … Alexandra Toma … former Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) … Ken Adelman … Betsy Mullins … Zac Petkanas of Petkanas Strategies … Lori Lodes of Climate Power … Democracy Forward's Skye Perryman … DNC's Parker Butler 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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