| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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Mark Meadows’ sudden low profile is a serious change in dynamic for those of us who’ve covered him since he came to Washington. | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | When federal prosecutors this week singled out six allies of DONALD TRUMP as co-conspirators in the then-president’s alleged attempts to subvert democracy, one person was notably not included — one major player in all this and someone MIKE PENCE’s chief of staff MARC SHORT has now called a “ringleader” in the Jan. 6 effort, according to a new WSJ report: MARK MEADOWS. First, a few things worth noting: — Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, was on the line when Trump asked Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” him the 11,780 votes he needed to defeat JOE BIDEN, who lawfully won the state. — He privately cheered those Republicans appointing fake slates of electors, and connected Trump to JEFFREY CLARK, the DOJ official who came up with a blueprint to overturn Georgia’s election results. (Clark is now reportedly a co-conspirator.) — Extensive reporting has shown that Meadows simultaneously encouraged Trump’s conspiracies in front of the president even while he raised at least some level of skepticism about them behind the scenes. — Through it all — during the plotting to try and overturn the election, the direct lead-up to Jan. 6 and the violence itself — Meadows was by Trump’s side. But, but but: And yet, Meadows is barely mentioned in special counsel JACK SMITH’s 45-page indictment, as WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes notes this morning. So what gives? Could he be cooperating with prosecutors? Could he be indicted next? That’s unclear. Meadows’ sudden low profile is a serious change in dynamic for those of us who’ve covered him since he came to Washington as a baby North Carolina lawmaker. The former Freedom Caucus founder-turned-Trump-ally was always — and we mean ALWAYS — at the center of the action, often by his own design. Now, he’s quietly advising conservatives at the Conservative Partnership Institute, where he makes almost $600,000 a year, Hughes reports. SPEAKING OF … ICYMI, WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf and Josh Dawsey have a worthwhile story up about the awkward situation in Trump world, where at least seven current campaign advisers are potential witnesses at the boss’s upcoming trials. That poses complications for their ongoing interactions with Trump, as they walk a fine line “to keep Trump’s confidence in their loyalty while at the same time avoiding drawing prosecutors’ suspicions,” Arnsdorf and Dawsey write — especially as “there is no surefire way to fully separate [legal and political discussions] when his legal fate is almost certainly tied to his political fate, and vice versa.” JOHN KELLY, Trump’s former White House chief of staff: “In the world he grew up in, people would lie and cheat for him because you were theoretically loyal to him.” The aides referenced in the various indictments include, but are not limited to: — Senior adviser SUSIE WILES, who according to the WaPo story, “is one of the people to whom Trump is accused of improperly showing classified documents … The [Florida classified documents] indictment says Wiles did not have a security clearance … Wiles’s grand jury testimony blindsided others on Trump’s team when it appeared in the indictment, aides said … Wiles has privately told others she only testified because she was required to by law after receiving a subpoena and that she remains loyal to Trump.” — Press guru JASON MILLER. The most recent indictment “alleges that Miller spoke with Trump and informed him that election fraud claims, such as that votes were fraudulently cast in the name of dead people in Georgia, were not true,” the WaPo writes. “Those conversations could be critical to the prosecutors’ attempts to prove that Trump knew the claims were false, a required element of three of the four charges in the Jan. 6 case.” — And don’t forget about EVAN CORCORAN, Trump’s attorney in the documents case who is all but certain to be called as a witness to alleged obstruction attempts. “In one such conversation [with Corcoran], Trump allegedly praised a lawyer who had supposedly deleted HILLARY CLINTON’s emails. In another, Trump allegedly suggested Corcoran could take documents to his hotel room and pluck out anything bad before turning the records over to the FBI.” On a related note: Judge TANYA CHUTKAN is already signaling to Trump’s legal team that she won’t put up with shenanigans. After the Justice Department asked for a protective order following a recent Trump social media post (“If you go after me, I’m coming after you,” he wrote), Chutkan gave Trump’s lawyers until Monday to respond. Yesterday, the former president’s legal team asked for three more days — but hours later, Chutkan shot them down. HAPPENING THIS AFTERNOON — Hawkeye state Rep. ASHLEY HINSON hosts her annual BBQ Bash — and, of course, a number of Republican 2024 White House hopefuls looking to get an edge in Iowa will be there. Attendees include: RON DeSANTIS, NIKKI HALEY, ASA HUTCHINSON, VIVEK RAMASWAMY, DOUG BURGUM, LARRY ELDER and PERRY JOHNSON. Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): U.S. Oil and Natural Gas = American Security: Oil and natural gas made, moved and improved in America is the foundation of our nation’s energy security – today and for decades to come. Sadly, some in Washington muddle efforts to strengthen new production through bad policies and negative rhetoric. Let’s be clear: America’s energy security benefits from consistent policy support for oil and natural gas over coming decades. | | | SUNDAY BEST — Trump attorney JOHN LAURO, en route to a “Full Ginsburg,” on Trump’s defense strategy on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “President Trump believed in his heart of hearts that he had won that election. And as any American citizen, he had a right to speak out under the First Amendment.” On Trump’s threat to Georgia Secretary of State BRAD RAFFENSPERGER: “That wasn't a threat at all. What he was asking for is – is for Raffensperger to get to the truth. … That was an aspirational ask.” On former VP MIKE PENCE’s role, on ABC’s “This Week”: “[Pence] will be one of our best witnesses at trial.” Video of the exchange On his claim that Trump is being prosecuted for “aspirational asks,” on “Fox News Sunday”: “All of the examples in this indictment are core political speech, every single thing that President Trump is being prosecuted for involved aspirational asks, asking state legislatures asking state governors asking state electoral officials to do the right thing. In fact, even asking Vice President Pence was protected by free speech. None of that is illegal.” — Rep. JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.) on Lauro’s comment that “a technical violation of the Constitution is not a violation of criminal law,” on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “[T]here are people who are in jail for several years for counterfeiting one vote, if they try to vote illegally once. [Trump] tried to steal the entire election. And his lawyer's up there saying, ‘Oh, that's just a matter of him expressing his First Amendment rights.’ That's deranged. That is a deranged argument.” On Special Counsel JACK SMITH: “I think that [Trump’s] met his match now in a special counsel who is holding him to the letter of the criminal law.” — MIKE PENCE on Trump’s claims he could reject the 2020 election results, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “President Trump was wrong then and he's wrong now. I had no right to overturn the election. [It’s] very clear that under the Constitution of the United States, Article Two, my responsibility as vice president, as president of the Senate, was to preside over a joint session of Congress where the Constitution says the electoral votes ‘shall’ be opened and ‘shall’ be counted. And, you know, I really do believe that people all across this country are coming to realize that more every day.” — CHRIS CHRISTIE on his Ukraine trip, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “This is not a territorial dispute … This is an absolute authoritarian attempt by [Russian President] VLADIMIR PUTIN to overtake the free country of a neighbor. And it’s obscene what's going on there. And America is right to supply [weapons]. And I spoke with [Ukrainian] President [VOLODYMYR] ZELENSKYY for an hour. He never once asked to have American troops, American men or women there. All he wants is the ability to fight the war on an even basis.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
- “The Normal Paths to Beating Trump Are Closing,” by NYT’s Ross Douthat
- “On the Tragedy of Hunter Biden,” by Josh Barro
- “The Queasy Liberal Schadenfreude of Watching Trump Wreck DeSantis,” by The Atlantic’s David Graham
- “Why the Trump trial should be televised,” by Neal Katyal for WaPo
- “What if George Conway were Trump’s defense lawyer?” by Ruth Marcus and George Conway for WaPo
- “Don’t Expect Biden to Get Credit for the Economy Anytime Soon,” by Washington Monthly’s Bill Scher
- “The ‘Barbie’ movie’s radical message: We all need more ‘Kenpathy,’” by LA Times’ Jean Guerrero
- “Trump’s Jan. 6 Trial: We Owe It to History,” by WSJ’s Peggy Noonan
- “Europe Has Traded Technocracy for Drama,” by FP’s Caroline de Gruyter
- “Three words you won’t hear from today’s Supreme Court justices,” by Aaron Tang for the LA Times
- “January 6 Was a Crime,” by National Review’s Noah Rothman
- “The U.S. Housing Drought Is Ending. What Does It Mean for Prices?” by Bloomberg’s Conor Sen
- “My cousin just died from a fentanyl overdose. He was a person, not a statistic,” by Joseph Holsworth for SF Chronicle
- “Kübler-Ross 2024: The Trump vs. Biden Stages of Grief,” by Lance Morrow in WSJ
- “Actually, Most Americans Can Come Up With $400 in an Emergency,” by Bloomberg’s Allison Schrager
- “‘Jack Smith Has Made Sure That the System of Laws Still Holds,’” a roundup of 13 legal experts by Politico Magazine
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): Ensure Access to America’s Oil and Natural Gas Resources: Did you know the Biden administration approved fewer than 2,900 permits for oil and natural gas energy development onshore last year – down from more than 4,900 permits in 2021? Washington must remove barriers to developing American energy to meet growing demand. | | | | | BIDEN’S SUNDAY — The president has nothing on his public schedule.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ SUNDAY — The vice president has nothing on her public schedule. | | | | | | 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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United States' Megan Rapinoe reacts with her teammates following their loss to Sweden in their Women's World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Melbourne, Australia, today. | AP | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. THIS WEEK’S BIGGEST ELECTION: On Tuesday, Ohioans will decide whether to make it more difficult to amend the state’s constitution — a move that comes ahead of a November referendum that would enshrine abortion rights. WaPo’s Patrick Marley and Rachel Roubein: “Supporters of abortion rights and other advocates for keeping the citizen initiative process intact have accused Republican lawmakers of trying to thwart the will of the majority and weaken voters’ voices. Republicans and opponents of abortion have defended their call for the special election, arguing that there should be a high bar for amending the state constitution, just as there is for modifying the U.S. Constitution.” “In essence, Ohio voters are grappling with a confluence of two hot-button ideas: the fate of abortion rights and, when it comes to citizens’ ability to change the state constitution, the future of an important tool of democracy.’ The Senate angle: “High-stakes Ohio ballot measure sets the stage for another hostile Senate race,” by NBC’s Henry Gomez The local angle (and a good explainer): “Future of Ohio Constitution to be decided Tuesday,” by Dayton Daily News’ Avery Kreemer 2. THE KENNEDY CONUNDRUM: As ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. “polls at around 15 percent against Mr. Biden, [he] has roiled a family that wants nothing to do with his campaign and telephone lines between Kennedy homes burn with what-to-do agonizing," NYT’s Peter Baker writes in a buzzy piece this morning. “In interviews in recent days, several members of the Kennedy family, some of whom did not want to be named, sounded tortured about the situation. They talked of a brother, cousin, uncle who flashed some of the raw political talent of his famed father, but who has undergone trauma and is headed down a path they do not fully understand.” 3. FANCY FARM FALLOUT: The Louisville Courier-Journal’s Joe Sonka has a good readout from yesterday’s 143rd annual Fancy Farm picnic, which is worth your attention for two reasons: — FIRST, the Kentucky gubernatorial race between Democratic Gov. ANDY BESHEAR and his Republican opponent, A.G. DANIEL CAMERON, is perhaps 2023’s marquee electoral matchup. And the raucous annual gathering showed the contours of the campaign, as Beshear touted his economic record while Cameron attacked both it as well as Beshear’s stance on the rights of transgender youth. — SECOND, we got a glimpse of Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL out and active in public following his recent health scare. It was, Sonka writes, mostly a return to form: “[H]e did not have any apparent hiccups with his health and made the same biting lines that he's known for — though these lines were delivered noticeably slower and softer than usual.” McConnell: "Well, this is my 28th Fancy Farm, and I want to assure you, it’s not my last.” 4. BUSINESS DONORS SOUR ON DeSANTIS: “When Ron DeSantis unveiled his economic platform last week, he presented himself as a conservative populist; a skeptic of corporations inside a party often allied with them,” Sally Goldenberg and Gary Fineout write. And yet: “As governor, he has done his share to support corporations. And as a presidential candidate, he has relied on contributions from titans of the business world.” Those contributions may be increasingly hard to come by as business leaders “show signs of irritation” that DeSantis continues to tout his battles against companies like Disney and Bud Light on the trail. “‘DeSantis made a fatal error — his whole anti-Disney, anti-corporate stance is so foolish,’ said KATHY WYLDE, president and CEO of the Partnership for NYC — a trade organization that represents Wall Street executives. ‘I know a donor to him who sat him down, and told him what a mistake this was early on, and he didn’t care.’”
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API):   Policies Matter: To increase energy supplies, our leaders must remove leasing bans and permit delays. | | | 5. DO THE INDICTMENTS MAKE A SHUTDOWN MORE LIKELY?: “Trump indictments add to pressure on government funding bills,” by WaPo’s Paul Kane: “House Republicans are governed by a small band of far-right conservatives who traditionally hate such short-term continuing resolutions … And the most recent charges against former president Donald Trump have angered those lawmakers, some of whom are threatening to block any bill that provides funding to the Justice Department unless they get to chisel away at money that in any way contributes to special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations.” 6. THE ‘WAR ON WOKE’ GOES STALE: New NYT/Siena College polls suggest that Republican voters may be tiring of GOP candidates' frequent invocations of battling “woke” ideologies on the campaign trail, NYT’s Jonathan Weisman reports. “When presented with the choice between two hypothetical Republican candidates, only 24 percent of national Republican voters opted for ‘a candidate who focuses on defeating radical ‘woke’ ideology in our schools, media and culture’ over ‘a candidate who focuses on restoring law and order in our streets and at the border. Around 65 percent said they would choose the law and order candidate. “Among those 65 and older, often the most likely age bracket to vote, only 17 percent signed on to the ‘anti-woke’ crusade. Those numbers were nearly identical in Iowa, where the first ballots for the Republican nominee will be cast on Jan. 15.” Related read: In something of a messaging pivot, DeSantis is ramping up his warnings to GOP voters in early-voting states that “any focus except on defeating” Biden in 2024 would be “dire” for the GOP, AP’s Thomas Beaumont reports from Vinton, Iowa. “If that is the choice, we are going to win and we are going to win across the country,” DeSantis said. “If the election is a referendum on other things that are not forward-looking, then I’m afraid Republicans will lose.” 7. THE NEW SUPPLY CHAIN X-FACTOR: “America’s Truckers, Cargo Pilots and Package Carriers Are Fed Up,” by WSJ’s Esther Fung: “Surging demands on transportation workers are fueling labor standoffs at companies critical to U.S. supply chains. … The renewed activism comes on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, when demands on train operators, package carriers, and truckers surged to handle a deluge of business. Transportation workers said they are entitled to a larger share of the corporate profit generated during the pandemic and better pay and recognition for showing up through the health crisis when other staff was able to work remotely.” 8. ON THE ROAD AGAIN: “Clarence Thomas’s $267,230 R.V. and the Friend Who Financed It,” by NYT’s Jo Becker and Julie Tate: “Justice [CLARENCE] THOMAS who in the ensuing years would tell friends how he had scrimped and saved to afford the motor coach, did not buy it on his own. In fact, the purchase was underwritten, at least in part, by ANTHONY WELTERS, a close friend who made his fortune in the health care industry. He provided Justice Thomas with financing that experts said a bank would have been unlikely to extend.” “The two men’s silence serves to obscure whether Justice Thomas had an obligation to report the arrangement under a federal ethics law that requires justices to disclose certain gifts, liabilities and other financial dealings that could pose conflicts of interest.” 9. FOR YOUR RADAR: “Russia and China Sent Large Naval Patrol Near Alaska,” by WSJ’s Michael Gordon and Nancy Youssef: “A combined Russian and Chinese naval force patrolled near the coast of Alaska earlier this week in what U.S. experts said appeared to be the largest such flotilla to approach American shores. Eleven Russian and Chinese ships steamed close to the Aleutian Islands, according to U.S. officials. The ships, which never entered U.S. territorial waters and have since left, were shadowed by four U.S. destroyers and P-8 Poseidon aircraft.”
| | | | 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 | | Roy Wood Jr. is a fan of Florida Avenue Grill. Kathy Manning is recovering at home after breaking her sternum and foot in a three-vehicle car accident. Raul Ruiz and Brad Wenstrup’s “decadelong friendship” could be under threat due to disagreements about the Covid-19 pandemic. Perry Johnson claims he has reached the RNC donor threshold for the primary debates. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: EPA Administrator Michael Regan … Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter … Russ Anello of the White House counsel’s office… WaPo’s Dan Diamond, Pat Reap and David Maraniss … Axios’ Neil Irwin … WSJ’s Julie Bykowicz … former VA Secretary Robert Wilkie … Malika Saada Saar … Erin Karriker … Jonathan Riskind … DoD’s Corey Jacobson … Jill Farrell of Judicial Watch … CNN’s Mike Melia … Steptoe’s Elizabeth Burks … Doug Stafford … Marta Hernandez … Tom Brandt of Sen. Jerry Moran’s (R-Kan.) office … Andrew Eisenberger … Amanda Brown Lierman … Adjoa Adofo Kyerematen … McClatchy’s Ben Wieder … Lindsay Bednar … Viktoria Seale ... Melissa Beaumont ... Klon Kitchen ... Nicole Cohen ... Rem Rieder ... former Rep. Parker Griffith (D-Ala.) ... Nathan Baca of WUSA9 … EEOC’s Stacia Smith … Democratic strategist Jeff Person … Everytown’s Morandon Henry … Anna Sekulow ... Allyson Gale … Ashley MacLeay … Cherie Paquette Gillan … Dan Tomanelli 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.
| | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): Plan for Production: Geopolitical events remind us that American oil and natural gas are critical to U.S. energy security.
Today oil and natural gas supply 68% of America’s energy. To continue meeting demand as population grows, America requires sound policy and planning – supported by Washington’s acknowledgement that oil and natural gas are strategic assets that take years to develop. Decreasing reliance on foreign suppliers while increasing our self-sufficiency provides immediate economic benefits and American jobs in communities from coast to coast.
America needs:
• More access to federal onshore resources through increased leasing. The administration’s record in onshore leasing runs counter to America’s energy security needs.
• A new offshore leasing plan. To date the Biden administration has leased the fewest offshore acreage than any president in recent history.
• Permitting reforms to allow energy infrastructure to move forward in a timely manner.
• Regulatory policies that encourage U.S. oil and natural gas investment. | | | | | | | 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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