| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and good Monday morning. Throwing it out there — Florida man and former President Donald Trump upended the political world again this weekend when he called on his followers to protest charges he expects will be leveled against him by a New York prosecutor as soon as Tuesday (even though there is still testimony being taken in the case). Response — Tons of Trump supporters chimed in, as did GOP Sen. Rick Scott, who said on Twitter that he supported a potential federal investigation of the process as suggested by House Speaker Kevin McCarty: “No federal dollars should be used to prop up this radical, Soros-backed activist attorney or his gross political attacks.” What about? — But Trump backers also started directing some of their ire at potential presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis because he has remained quiet about something that hasn’t happened yet. A Saturday social media post by DeSantis about helping out communities hit by Hurricane Ian was littered with angry jabs at DeSantis. Directive — Donald Trump Jr. — in his own social media post — said “Pay attention to which Republicans spoke out against this corrupt BS immediately and who sat on their hands and waited to see which way the wind was blowing.” Context — DeSantis did sound off on the FBI's search last year of Mar-a-Lago. But he doesn’t always comment on every controversy — such as his constant sidestepping of questions about the 2020 election. As noted previously in this space, DeSantis is usually quite calculating about what he says — and what he doesn’t say. One reaction — Now while DeSantis world did not respond to the barrage coming from Trump allies, they did respond to Nikki Fried. Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, tweeted out on Saturday that DeSantis "was awfully quiet about his kingmaker all of the sudden." Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, on her personal account, responded a couple of hours later “if only you would be awfully quiet, Floridians would appreciate it.” Going that far — Some of Trump allies urged DeSantis to use his power to block extradition in ways that run contrary to state law. It is worth noting that if Trump voluntarily surrenders (as his lawyers have indicated in several reports) then DeSantis has no role to play at all. The governor does become a factor if a person is fighting extradition, and could, according to some legal experts, delay someone getting handed over if the governor asks to “investigate” the demands. But again … extradition disputes typically center around the identity of the person being charged. That would not really be in question in this circumstance. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
| | | | 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. | | | | | |  | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | ‘DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING’ — Why an indictment may help Trump — and threaten the GOP, by POLITICO’s David Siders and Adam Wren: For the duration of the Trump era, Trump has sought to turn one seemingly disqualifying scandal after another into his benefit … The expected, coming indictment will test that once more; though, so far, the timing could hardly be better for him. If he is arrested this week, it will once more frame the early stages of the presidential primary around him, just as [former Vice President Mike] Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and several other high-profile Republicans consider launching their own campaigns. “It seems very evident that the left is trying everything they can to discredit former President Donald Trump,” said Bruce Cherry, chair of Seminole County Republican executive committee in Florida, who said the “best possible ticket this country could have” would be Trump as the presidential nominee alongside DeSantis, as his running mate. “The indictment, I feel, doesn’t mean anything.” | 
Former President Donald J. Trump watches the NCAA Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla. | Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo |
— If Trump is arrested, protests should be peaceful, GOP contenders say, by POLITICO’s Kelly Garrity
— McCarthy pushes back against Trump’s call for protests: ‘We want calmness out there,’ by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney ‘SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL SILENT’ — “Trump allies pressure DeSantis to weigh in on expected indictment,” by The New York Times’ Jonathan Swan and Patricia Mazzei: Former President Donald J. Trump’s political operation is trying to use the news of his expected indictment by a Manhattan grand jury to turn the strident base of the Republican Party against his expected rival for the 2024 presidential nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. Immediately after the former president predicted on Saturday that his arrest was imminent, Mr. Trump’s operatives and friendly media outlets began publicly pressuring Mr. DeSantis to condemn the law enforcement officials in New York, portraying his silence on the matter as bordering on treason. — Who said it: Ron DeSantis or Donald Trump? by POLITICO’s Anna Wilder AS THE PAGES TURN — “Judge orders more Trump lawyer testimony in Mar-a-Lago probe,” by Associated Press’ Eric Tucker: “Federal prosecutors investigating the potential mishandling of classified documents at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate will be able to again question a Trump lawyer before a grand jury, a judge has ruled in a sealed order. The order will require M. Evan Corcoran to answer additional questions as prosecutors pursue their investigation into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago as well as potential efforts to obstruct that probe.” — “The aide who stayed: Walt Nauta, key witness in Trump documents case,” by Washington Post’s Rosalind S. Helderman, Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Josh Dawsey, Shane Harris, Ashley Parker and Devlin Barrett — “Seffner man gets 4 ½ years prison for attacking police in Jan. 6 Capitol riot,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Dan Sullivan — “Trump-DeSantis drama casts a shadow over House GOP retreat in Florida,” by NBC News’ Scott Wong and Ali Vitali | | DESANTISLAND | | THE AGENDA — “With contempt for ‘corporatists,’ DeSantis pitches GOP voters on the power of the state,” by Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas and McClatchy D.C.’s Alex Roarty: "Gov. Ron DeSantis uses his new political memoir to describe how he views the future of the Republican Party, and he’s making a bet that most conservative voters are ready for it. It is a vision that jettisons the limited-government philosophy of the GOP of the past in favor of the aggressive use of state power to implant conservative values in government and society using what he has advanced in Florida as his template." JAG OFFICER — “DeSantis’s pivotal service at Guantanamo during a violent year,” by Washington Post’s Michael Kranish: “Ron DeSantis was a 27-year-old Navy lawyer fresh out of Harvard Law School when he arrived in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, amid an escalating crisis at the U.S. military base. Hundreds of ‘enemy combatants,’ held without charges, had gone on hunger strikes. As pressure grew to end the protests, DeSantis later said, he was part of a team of military lawyers asked what could be done. ‘How do I combat this?’ a commanding officer asked in 2006, as DeSantis recalled in an interview he gave years later to a local CBS television station.” WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS — “Florida’s century-old Sunshine Laws under duress as DeSantis tries to redefine them,” by Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas: “In 2022, the governor’s lawyers advanced an unprecedented interpretation that claims for the first time that he has an executive right to keep key government records secret from the public. And this year, the governor is urging the Legislature to make Florida the first state in the nation to weaken the legal precedent protecting the public and journalists who publish critical comments about public figures.” TREND LINES — “DeSantis, on defense, shows signs of slipping in polls,” by New York Times’ Nate Cohn: “Over the last two months, we’ve gotten about a dozen polls from pollsters who had surveyed the Republican race over the previous two months. These polls aren’t necessarily of high quality or representative, so don’t focus on the average across these polls. It’s the trend that’s important, and the trend is unequivocal: Every single one of these polls has shown [Gov. Ron] DeSantis faring worse than before, and [former President Donald] Trump faring better.” — Republicans slam DeSantis for calling war in Ukraine ‘a territorial dispute,’ by POLITICO’s Kelly Garrity — The new Red Scare for red states: Diversity programs, by POLITICO’s Bianca Quilantan — “As DeSantis targets diversity in education, FAMU students fear for future,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lauren Peace: — “DeSantis plays on America’s divisions as he readies 2024 campaign,” by Washington Post’s Dan Balz — “How Midwest roots shaped Ron DeSantis’ political values and perspectives,” by NBC News’ Henry J. Gomez
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COOKING — “New senator’s BBQ company got $5M from state for Ian relief,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Jeffrey Schweers: “The state has paid more than $5 million to a nonprofit BBQ catering service run in part by Sen. Jay Collins, who defeated longtime Democrat Sen. Janet Cruz of Tampa after an endorsement by Gov. Ron DeSantis and support from other GOP legislative leaders. Missouri-based Operation BBQ Relief was granted the contract on Oct. 14, more than three weeks before Collins defeated Cruz by 10 points, one of three state Senate seats flipped from blue to red to give Republicans a supermajority in the chamber. The money was distributed after he got elected.”
THE NEXT STEP — “Florida bill would ban young girls from discussing periods in school,” by Washington Post’s Timothy Bella: “As Florida Republicans are introducing and advancing a wave of bills on gender and diversity that are likely to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), one GOP lawmaker acknowledged this week that his proposed sexual health bill would ban girls from talking about their menstrual cycles in school.” POWER PLAY — Senator says power companies told him they don’t want to acquire Gainesville utility, by POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie: State legislators representing Alachua County voted 4-1 on Friday to file a bill that would move Gainesville's city-owned utility under a board appointed by the governor. But legislators, who met in a House committee room on Friday, also downplayed the possibility of the operation being sold, with state Sen. Keith Perry (R-Gainesville) even stating that two leading energy companies were not interested because of the city's $1.7 billion utility debt. — “Why two Parkland parents spoke out against Florida lawmakers’ tort reform bill,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower — Florida House passes universal school choice, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury
| | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | ‘WHY AREN’T WE MOVING ON?’— “Covid politics leaves a Florida public hospital shaken,” by The New York Times’ Patricia Mazzei: “An internal review last month found that Sarasota Memorial did far better than some of its competitors in saving Covid patients’ lives. But that did little to quell detractors, whose campaign against the hospital has not relented. By then, the hospital had become the latest public institution under siege by an increasingly large and vocal right-wing contingent in one of Florida’s most affluent counties, where a backlash to pandemic policies has started reshaping local government.” |  FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic looks up during the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 1, 2023. Djokovic has pulled out of the Miami Open because he can’t travel to the United States as a foreign citizen who is not vaccinated against COVID-19. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File) | AP |
— “Novak Djokovic to miss Miami Open due to COVID vaccination status, tournament says,” by CBS News Simrin Singh
— “New COVID cases plunge to April 2020 levels as hospitalizations remain steady,” by Palm Beach Post’s Chris Persaud | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | AT THE BALLPARK — “‘This is a trap.’ Protesters slam Cuban national team as the World Baseball Classic begins,” by Miami Herald’s Grethel Aguila and Jimena Tavel: “The tension was palpable outside the ballpark as some carried protest signs, featuring expletive-heavy messages directed at Cuban leader Miguel Díaz Canel. One included a José Martí quote: ‘Cuando un pueblo emigra, sus gobernantes sobran,’ which roughly translates to ‘When a country migrates, their rulers are leftover.’ It even made its way to the field, with a man rushing the field carrying an anti-Cuban government sign.” — “Mayoral candidates’ views on Confederate monuments split on party lines,” by Florida Times-Union’s David Bauerlein — “UCF professor who tweeted ‘Black privilege is real’ sues school for investigating and firing him,” by Florida Politics’ Gabrielle Russon — “Repercussions of failed FIU bridge in 2018 on key players and where they are now,” by Miami Herald’s Andres Viglucci — “Farmworkers use Florida march to pressure other companies,” by The Associated Press’ Mike Schneider — “Miami Beach imposes midnight curfew in South Beach after two shootings on Ocean Drive,” by Miami Herald’s Aaron Leibowitz | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
— “Cooper City woman seeks $6.3 billion in revenge-porn lawsuit, $10K for each of her social media fans,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Rafael Olmeda: “A Cooper City woman is suing her ex-boyfriend for more than $6 billion, accusing him of seizing control of her racy social media accounts, posting sexually suggestive and explicit photos and videos after they broke up last year. Mikayla Saravia, 25, and Nicholas Hunter, 27, had been in a volatile relationship over a five-year period that appears to have ended last October, according to court records. In a lawsuit filed in federal court this week, Saravia alleges that Hunter changed the passwords on her Twitter and OnlyFans accounts, then started posting pictures and videos without her consent.”
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