| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  Beyond the peripheral disputes is a more fundamental disagreement over who should truly be in charge: Ron DeSantis' campaign or the super PAC. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | JUST POSTED — “Meet ‘Da Vek’: Vivek Ramaswamy’s Eminem-inspired, rap artist alter ego,” by Alex Isenstadt: “For [VIVEK] RAMASWAMY, the dabbling in rap was an early indication of the kind of presidential candidate he would be — one who is experimental, outgoing and most comfortable in the spotlight.” Click through for video of “Lose Yourself.” DeSANTIS IN DiSARRAY — Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS’ presidential campaign proclaimed a “reset” yesterday as it laid off more than a third of its staff and promised a more focused message alongside a leaner operation. "Ron DeSantis loves being the underdog and he's ready to prove everyone wrong again," campaign spokesperson ANDREW ROMEO wrote in a messaging memo. But behind the scenes, there are serious doubts whether the layoffs will do anything to address a fundamental weakness of DeSantis’ presidential bid: the rising tension and distrust brewing between his campaign and the main super PAC supporting him, Never Back Down. The finger-pointing is in full swing, multiple people affiliated with both entities told Playbook, with each side blaming the other for tripping up the candidate they still believe has the best shot at beating DONALD TRUMP for the Republican nomination. The disconnect has occasionally come into view, such as when super PAC sources told RealClear Politics recently that they expected DeSantis to skip the upcoming GOP debate if Trump does. Yet a few days later, DeSantis said he planned to attend. Beyond the peripheral disputes, however, is a more fundamental disagreement over who should truly be in charge: the nominal campaign, which is under the direct control of the candidate and his closest advisers, or the super PAC, which can accept massive checks from wealthy donors but is barred from coordinating with DeSantis or the campaign. Because they can’t legally sit down and talk it out, the two poles of DeSantis world have instead tried to communicate through leaked memos and — more recently — testy background quotes in the media. Ironically, the tensions are playing out as DeSantis joins NBD as its “special guest” for an Iowa bus tour tomorrow and Friday. Whether the two entities can find a groove and work together while adhering to campaign finance law, however, is yet to be determined. “It’s clear that NBD is going to be taking on a bigger role given the publicly available finances, and they are busy making ads and building the Iowa bus tour this week,” said a person familiar with the super PAC’s plans. The campaign, meanwhile, disputed any disagreement: “Our campaign is laser-focused [on] electing Ron DeSantis president and we are nothing but grateful for groups like Never Back Down that are working to support this mission,” Romeo said in a statement.
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Explore more possibilities with the metaverse. | | | — INSIDE THE STRATEGY STRUGGLE: Top NBD officials have long operated under the impression that they would act as the de facto DeSantis campaign while the actual DeSantis campaign would be almost a shell operation. The financial imperatives for that division of labor were made clear in the Q2 campaign finance reports earlier this month: NBD raked in $130 million to the campaign’s $20 million, with big-fish donors showing a lot more enthusiasm for DeSantis than the small-dollar givers who can bulk up a traditional campaign’s war chest. NBD, meanwhile, has not been shy about claiming some traditional campaign turf. Under the direction of heavyweight strategist JEFF ROE, the group has made plans for a $100 million door-knocking effort and built up an in-house data and analytics shop. Yet the campaign went on to build out its own massive operation, employing more than 90 staffers by the end of June, and the bloat did not go unnoticed. At last week’s Christians United for Israel summit in Washington, most candidates brought a handful of staffers. DeSantis, however, came with an entourage that, according to an attendee not affiliated with any campaign, occupied an entire escalator — with the lead staffer stepping off the top before the final staffer had even boarded at the bottom. (The campaign disputes the description, saying only a half-dozen aides attended the conference, though Romeo’s memo yesterday acknowledged a need to aggressively “streamline operations.”) More broadly, multiple officials close to the DeSantis campaign rejected the notion that a super PAC should be taking the lead and argued that the campaign needs to play the starring role. Campaign dollars go further than super PAC dollars in buying TV airtime, and campaigns face fewer restrictions on campaigning and coordinating with affiliated groups. On the other hand, DeSantis’s campaign appears to have drained its coffers on overhead, not advertising — to the point that some insiders believe it won’t be able to air TV ads for a long while yet, forcing NBD to fill the void. (The group, in fact, will have a new spot going live next week.) — ROE-ING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: The strategic dispute has been compounded by personal mistrust, particularly surrounding Roe — with some suspecting he’s angling for campaign manager GENERRA PECK’s job (though those close with him have firmly dispute the rumor) and others concerned he’s too eager to take credit for DeSantis’ successes and blame the campaign for his failures. “Jeff Roe and Co. want to be in charge,” one Republican political operative sympathetic to the DeSantis campaign said. “He is grasping for relevancy and wants to control everything … so if he can’t come over to the campaign, he’s going to try to control it from the back.” Earlier this spring, a series of Puck stories that centered on Roe as the architect of the governor’s political strategy raised eyebrows in DeSantis’s Tallahassee-based orbit, as did a mid-May Washington Post story illuminating how Roe made millions off his campaign clients. At least one would-be donor confronted DeSantis about the Post story and was so turned off by the situation that he ultimately decided to invest his money elsewhere, according to one Republican familiar with what happened. A Republican strategist close to DeSantis defended Roe: “This isn't high school — like we're not sitting in the cafeteria; it's not like, you know, the movie ‘Grease’ or ‘West Side Story.’ To say that there's tension between the campaign and super PAC just seems like really immature.” Related reads: “Ron DeSantis fires staffer who shared video with fascist imagery,” by Semafor’s Dave Weigel and Shelby Talcott … “DeSantis team fires aide who secretly made video with Nazi symbol,” by Axios’s Alex Thompson … “Ron DeSantis’s Campaign Crashes Into Reality,” by The Messenger’s Marc Caputo Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | AMONG THE REDWOODS — Yesterday we brought you a glimpse inside the Bohemian Grove, the secretive men’s-only haven tucked along California’s Russian River, where Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY recently held court. Also SPOTTED over the weekend sitting around campfires and sleeping in cabins: DAVID GERGEN, CHRIS MATTHEWS, KARL ROVE, former California Gov. JERRY BROWN, former Mississippi Gov. HALEY BARBOUR, former Florida Gov. JEB BUSH, former Arizona Gov. DOUG DUCEY, former Speaker PAUL RYAN, former Sen. BEN SASSE (R-Neb.), North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM, Sens. BILL HAGERTY (R-Tenn.) and PETE RICKETTS (R-Neb.), former Trump adviser DAVID URBAN, WSJ’s PAUL GIGOT, VICTOR DAVIS HANSON, Rep. DARRELL ISSA (R-Calif.) and MICHAEL BLOOMBERG. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Senate Leadership Fund and One Nation both pulled in record fundraising hauls for a non-election year in the first half of 2023. The Senate GOP-aligned groups together raised roughly $38 million — $10.1 million for SLF and $28.2 million for One Nation — giving Republicans a boost in their bid to flip the chamber next year. For SLF, that’s more than double what they brought in during the same time period last cycle. SLF ended the first half of the year with $11.4 million on hand, and One Nation had $31.3 million. JOIN US — POLITICO is hosting an event on “The New Energy Economy” this afternoon, featuring an interview with Rep. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-Mich.) and a panel about the Inflation Reduction Act and incentivizing consumers to go green. Manuel Quiñones is moderating the event from 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. today at Samsung’s D.C. office. RSVP here
| | BIDEN’S WEDNESDAY — The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9 a.m.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 1 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ WEDNESDAY — The VP has nothing on her public schedule.
THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m. HHS Secretary XAVIER BECERRA will testify before an Energy and Commerce subcommittee at 10 a.m. Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS will testify before the Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m. The Rules Committee will take up the Agriculture-FDA appropriations bill at 2 p.m.
THE SENATE is in. Louisiana Gov. JOHN BEL EDWARDS will testify before the Budget Committee at 9:30 a.m. on climate change and infrastructure. | | | | | | STOP SCROLLING (for just a minute!). Introducing a revamped California Playbook newsletter with an all-new team and a sharpened mission! Join Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner as they take you on an extraordinary journey through California's political landscape. From inside the Capitol in Sacramento to the mayor’s office in Los Angeles, and from the tech hub of Silicon Valley to even further beyond, we're your front-row ticket to the action. Subscribe for access to exclusive news, buzzworthy scoops and never-before-revealed behind-the-scenes details straight from the heart of California's political arena. Don't miss out — SUBSCRIBE TODAY and stay in the know! | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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President Joe Biden shakes hands with Rev. Wheeler Parker as Marvel Parker holds a signing pen at right, after Biden signed a proclamation to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, on Tuesday, July 25, in Washington. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 2024 WATCH MUCK READ — “Miami Mayor Under Fire for $500,000 Donation From Flower Shop With Chinese Ties,” by Bloomberg’s Felipe Marques and Bill Allison: “Miami Mayor FRANCIS SUAREZ received a $500,000 donation from an online flower shop that allegedly violated federal campaign financing laws, according to a complaint filed to the Federal Election Commission.” K STREET WAITS — “Fearing Trump’s wrath, GOP lobbyists stay on the ’24 primary sidelines,” by Hailey Fuchs: “While some lobbyists are doling out cash, others are fearful that any type of public opposition to the former president could make them persona non grata in D.C. should he get back to the White House.” MORE POLITICS LESS THAN MEETS THE EYE — Punchbowl reported yesterday that House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ second-quarter $29 million fundraising haul actually included money raised by the DCCC, inflating his individual haul. Comparing apples to apples, Jeffries did not outraise Speaker McCarthy. BATTLE FOR THE BALLOT — “‘Lose the courts, lose the war’: The battle over voting in North Carolina,” by The Center for Public Integrity’s Aaron Mendelson in New Bern, N.C.: “Republicans seized the state Supreme Court after changing how judges are elected. The political implications — and ramifications for everyday life — are huge.” CONGRESS CLEANUP ON AISLE 1 — McCarthy softened his remarks about impeaching Biden yesterday, telling reporters that his Monday night comments to SEAN HANNITY didn’t constitute a shift in approach, Jordain Carney reports. He was simply saying that the House “could” eventually open an impeachment inquiry into Biden, he clarified. But impeachment was nonetheless on everyone’s lips yesterday, as McCarthy has grown warmer on the idea of impeaching Biden in recent weeks, CNN’s Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Annie Grayer report. A senior House Republican and a conservative lawyer have both advised McCarthy to focus on impeaching Biden rather than a Cabinet secretary, and he’s also talked to NEWT GINGRICH about it. “There is clearly a greater chance of convincing people and more importantly senators that Biden himself committed a high crime than [DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO] MAYORKAS,” a top House Republican muses. COME TO YOUR CENSURES — Censure is everywhere these days in the House for partisans to take on their opponents over what they see as outrageous behavior, after Rep. ANNA PAULINA LUNA’s (R-Fla.) resolution against Rep. ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.) opened the floodgates, Axios’ Andrew Solender reports. Rep. BECCA BALINT (D-Vt.) introduced a censure resolution yesterday against Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.), and a drive against Rep. PAUL GOSAR (R-Ariz.) is underway. Rep. ROBERT GARCIA (D-Calif.) made the move last week against Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.). And Rep. ANDY OGLES (R-Tenn.) is working on a censure of Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.). HUNTER GATHERING — “Republicans in Congress Seek to Block Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal,” by NYT’s Luke Broadwater and Michael Schmidt: “The highly unusual legal maneuvering — which experts said was unlikely to succeed — illustrated the lengths that House Republicans and their allied groups have been willing to go to as they have tried to use [HUNTER] BIDEN’s legal and personal troubles to inflict political damage on his father.” Wait, what?: “Judge says member of Hunter Biden’s legal team ‘misrepresented her identity’ on eve of plea deal hearing,” by Josh Gerstein THE ECONOMY FED UP — The Fed is widely expected to return to raising interest rates at its monthly meeting today, as Chair JEROME POWELL prepares to “ruin the party” amid the bank’s persistent concerns about inflation, Victoria Guida previews this morning. Especially in service industries, where prices are still pushing higher, the central bank sees it as likely necessary to lift unemployment to cool down wages. Even within the Fed, though, there are plenty of divided opinions among the hawks, the doves and the centrists, as Bloomberg’s Steve Matthews, Kyungjin Yoo, and Dave Merrill break down. “The increasing split between them is clouding the outlook for rates and threatens the unity Fed Chair Jerome Powell has maintained during his tenure, which in turn could undermine the central bank’s credibility on inflation and communications with investors and the public.”
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE BIG IMMIGRATION DECISION — A federal judge yesterday threw a major wrench into Biden’s immigration plans, blocking the administration’s asylum restrictions, though he stayed the decision for two weeks, Reuters’ Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke report. The rule was Biden’s answer to the end of Title 42, and “presumes most migrants are ineligible for asylum if they passed through other nations without seeking protection elsewhere first.” But the judge in California found that the regulation broke U.S. law by denying legally guaranteed pathways to asylum. The administration has already appealed the ruling, which could upend the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, where crossings have remained shockingly lower in recent months. LEONARD LEO’S LAMENT — “Conservative legal activist rebuffs Democratic request for information on fishing trip with Justice Samuel Alito,” by CNN’s Ariane de Vogue: “In a scathing letter Tuesday to key Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leo’s lawyer said the congressional inquiry ‘exceeds the limits placed by the Constitution on the Committee’s investigative authority’ and is tainted by partisan politics.” DEMOCRACY WATCH — “The Group Tormenting Trump’s 2020 Lawyers Is Not Done Yet,” by POLITICO Magazine’s Ankush Khardori: “Inside the push to bring accountability to the lawyers that tried to overturn the election.” BIG DAY FOR ‘SERIAL’ SEASON 2 LISTENERS — “U.S. judge chides Trump, tosses Bowe Bergdahl desertion conviction,” by WaPo’s Spencer Hsu and Alex Horton MEDIAWATCH TALKER — “Inside the Battle for CNN: Jeff Zucker, David Zaslav, Chris Licht and 18 Months of Crazy Backstabbing,” by Variety’s Tatiana Siegel HOLOCAUST FILES — “Fox Insiders Shudder at Gutfeld’s Latest Holocaust Controversy: ‘Yikes,’” by The Daily Beast’s Justin Baragona: “The White House called [GREG] GUTFELD’s comments ‘dangerous and extreme’ while the Auschwitz Museum rebuked his observation about Holocaust survivors as an ‘oversimplification.’ … Fox News has not responded to a request for comment.” VALLEY TALK CONTEMPT CONTRETEMPS — “House Judiciary Committee to vote on whether to cite Zuckerberg in contempt of Congress,” by CNBC’s Lauren Feiner ANTITRUST THE PROCESS — “FTC readies lawsuit that could break up Amazon,” by Josh Sisco: “[T]he coming case would be one of the most aggressive and high-profile moves in the Biden administration’s rocky effort to tame the power of tech giants. The wide-ranging lawsuit is expected as soon as August.”
| | | | HITTING YOUR INBOX AUGUST 14—CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Jon Finer will remain at the NSC instead of becoming deputy secretary of State, at the president’s request. Timothy Shea was sentenced to five years for his We Build the Wall fraud. John Hoeven encountered some strict Capitol security. Tim Walz is a fan of diet Mountain Dew. John Fetterman is innovating with the hallway interview. Alicia Menendez will be mistress of ceremonies for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual awards gala. OUT AND ABOUT — Warner Bros. Discovery hosted an advance screening of “Blue Beetle” last night at the Motion Picture Association, with Warner’s Asif Sadiq delivering remarks about the importance of diversity in media. SPOTTED: Alexa Verveer, Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, Felix Sanchez, Cid Wilson, Sedika Franklin, Daniel Avila, David Inoue, John Gibson, Maria Cardona and Estuardo Rodríguez. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Chanel Rion is moving into a new role as chief national investigator at One America News Network, with a new longer-form show called “Looking Glass” among other projects. She’ll be replaced on the White House beat by new correspondent Monica Paige Luisi, a former Newsmax producer. Rion will remain president of the National White House Correspondents’ Association, a rival to the White House Correspondents’ Association. MEDIA MOVE — Brent Scher is joining the Daily Wire’s investigative team. He previously was executive editor at The Washington Free Beacon. NEW NOMINEES — The White House announced that Biden will nominate Derek Chollet as undersecretary of Defense for policy, in the latest high-profile test of Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) blockade of Pentagon nominations, and Jon Holladay as CFO at the Department of Agriculture. TRANSITIONS — Ben Harris has been appointed VP and director of economic studies at the Brookings Institution. He most recently was assistant secretary for economic policy and chief economist at the Treasury Department. … Ayodele Okeowo is now director of intergovernmental affairs for CHIPS for America at the Commerce Department. He previously was an intergovernmental affairs adviser for the Internet for All program at the National Telecommunications & Information Administration. ENGAGED — Andrew Moore, chief of staff to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, proposed to Virginia Boney, senior manager for public policy at Amazon, last week in Aspen. They met two years ago at Schmidt Futures’ International Strategy Forum in Aspen, where Virginia was a fellow and Andrew was working the event. Pic WEEKEND WEDDING — Joe Gilson, a legislative assistant for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Lauren Sullivan, chief of staff at the Home Builders Institute, got married Saturday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, with the reception at Columbia Country Club. They met working at the Department of Agriculture for then-Secretary Sonny Perdue. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) … Center for American Progress’ Patrick Gaspard … Maura Corbett of Glen Echo Group ... Erin Gloria Ryan ... Dan Harris … Bill Raines … Nick Muzin of Stonington Global … Namrata Kolachalam … Mike McConnell (8-0) … Andrew Romeo … Sonny Bunch … Richard Buangan … Allison Dong of Sen. Mike Braun’s (R-Ind.) office … David Mayorga … Shakila Khalje … PJ McCann … Emily Kane of Sen. Maggie Hassan’s (D-N.H.) office … David Rees … Dan Rees … Oscar Goodman … Julie Anbender … Scott Sforza of Scott Sforza & Associates … Andrew Gillum … POLITICO’s Lara Costello … former Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) … Jonathan Davidson … Ashley Allison … former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern 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 DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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