PETE’S WAKE? — With Trump’s controversial pick to head the FBI, KASH PATEL, on track to get confirmed, the biggest outstanding question remains whether PETE HEGSETH will survive the vetting process to become Defense secretary amid a stream of less-than-flattering reports. Here’s the latest download from Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa), a veteran herself whose support Hegseth will need to secure confirmation. In an appearance on Fox News this morning, Ernst said she had a “frank and thorough” conversation with Hegseth yesterday. But when host Bill Hemmer intuited that she's not yet ready to vote yes on Hegseth amid allegations of sexual misconduct and troublesome drinking, Ernst replied: “I think you are right.” “A number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that's why we have to have a very thorough vetting process,” Ernst said. “The vetting will continue, I am certain, through the next month or so until we approach that hearing date.” More from Anthony Adragna FWIW: Ernst told reporters that she has no plans to meet with Hegseth again today or tomorrow. More on Ernst’s outsized role in Hegseth’s fate, via Joe Gould, Connor O’Brien and Anthony The latest drip: Hegseth’s religious beliefs — specifically, his reverence for the Crusades as a model for Christianity today — are under the microscope. “As he embraced a combative brand of Christianity in recent years, he wrote that people who enjoy the benefits of Western civilization should ‘thank a Crusader,’” NYT’s Mike Baker and Ruth Graham write. “Hegseth’s interest in the Crusades — campaigns that featured so many atrocities that many Christian leaders today view them as a shameful stain on the religion’s history — is linked both to his Christian beliefs and worldview.” WALKING THE DOGE — Senators filed out of the first meeting of the new DOGE Caucus this morning with few details on what the so-called Department of Government Efficiency planned to do, Katherine Tully-McManus reports. The meeting was attended by VIVEK RAMASWAMY and multiple appropriators, but Sen. THOM TILLIS (R-N.C.) said it was “way too early” to identify key priorities of the caucus and emphasized that it would be an ongoing effort throughout Trump’s presidency. Meanwhile, ELON MUSK was spotted heading into incoming Senate Majority Leader JOHN THUNE’s office this morning, telling reporters on his way out, “We need to make sure we’re spending public money well.” ON BACKGROUND — “Some Trump Cabinet picks may have trouble getting clearances. Trump can grant them anyway,” by Erica Orden FOR YOUR RADAR — “Secret Service head acknowledges ‘failure’ in House task force hearing,” by Jordain Carney AFTERNOON READ — “We don’t know Jack,” by WaPo’s Kara Voght: “JACK SCHLOSSBERG is trying to carry the Kennedy banner forward. At least, we think that’s what he’s doing.” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com.
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1. THE FAMILY BUSINESS: With Trump returning to power in D.C., the “family business is poised to capitalize on his presidency with a variety of new ventures,” NYT’s Eric Lipton, Ben Protess and David Yaffe-Bellany report. “And unlike in his first term, the people said, the Trump Organization aims to issue a more limited ethics plan that is unlikely to significantly curb its growth. “As the inauguration approaches, ERIC TRUMP, Mr. Trump’s second son and the company’s de facto leader, is expected to forgo deals directly with foreign governments. But he is not planning to revive the promise the company made eight years ago to swear off all other foreign deals while his father occupies the White House. Without that guardrail — the centerpiece of the Trump Organization’s 2017 ethics plan — the company would be free to profit from an array of business in countries essential to American foreign policy interests.” 2. TRUMP’S LEVERS OF POWER: When it comes to some of Trump’s most ardent campaign promises — like pushing transgender athletes out of women’s sports, curbing classroom lessons about gender and race, and punishing schools for antisemitism — the power lies in the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights, “which wields a potent tool Washington has not used in decades: pulling federal funds from schools,” Bianca Quilantan writes. “That legal muscle — which does not require congressional review — makes the office’s investigations incredibly persuasive to colleges and K-12 schools that rely on the money to operate. Even if the 550-person office targets a few districts and universities, it likely would rattle institutions across the country and influence how they function.” 3. KNOWING PAM BONDI: “Pam Bondi’s Journey From Traditional Republican to Warrior for Trump,” by NYT’s Patricia Mazzei: “Over the last eight years, as Florida became Mr. Trump’s home, a cradle of right-wing politics and a solidly Republican state, Ms. Bondi went from being a traditional Republican to a Trump loyalist. Acting as confidante, impeachment lawyer and adviser, she ascended in the president-elect’s inner circle thanks to the combination of charm, savvy and a light touch that characterized her career as a telegenic prosecutor and a politician. … Perhaps no one better reflects the political evolution of the state and its once-establishment leaders than Ms. Bondi, 59, whose small risk in endorsing Mr. Trump early in 2016 paid off in a big way, making her the relatively safe pick after [MATT] GAETZ’s selection collapsed.”
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4. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: Could California — a longtime liberal bastion out West — provide a map for Democrats’ journey out of the wilderness? The party’s successes in California — and New York, another reliably blue coastal outpost, for that matter — “showed that the party’s relentless coastal focus paid some dividends,” Melanie Mason, Mia McCarthy and Emily Ngo write. “Democrats lavished far more attention, and crucially, money, on key races in those states compared to two years ago, enabling them to prevail against stiff political headwinds, sometimes by the barest of margins.” “While precinct-level deep dives are still to come, [Third-ranking House Democrat Rep. PETE] AGUILAR sketched out in broad strokes what he saw as the Democrats’ successful formula in his home state: better candidates, more resources and driving a message on ‘quality of life issues.’ That combination helped reverse two consecutive cycles of setbacks for California Democrats, who swelled their ranks in the 2018 blue wave, only to lose four seats two years later and fail to reclaim them in 2022. Another perspective: Sen. LAPHONZA BUTLER (D-Calif.) has some parting words for her party in an interview with NYT’s Lisa Lerer. On what Democrats need to do now: “It’s going to have to start with a whole lot of authentic listening outside of Washington, D.C. Not just going somewhere to give a speech, but really listening to people and the lives that they are trying to navigate.” 5. JOHNSON’S CHALLENGE: Although Republicans secured a commanding trifecta of power in Washington, Speaker MIKE JOHNSON isn’t ignoring the difficulty that a slimmer-than-expected majority in the House presents. “Do the math; we’ve got nothing to spare,” he told reporters this week. It all amounts to growing concern among GOP lawmakers and staffers that Johnson’s struggle to wrangle the party will continue, WaPo’s Marianna Sotomayor writes. “House Republicans hope that Trump’s tendency to strong-arm lawmakers could be an asset. If lawmakers balk at certain policy proposals, House Freedom Caucus Rep. RALPH NORMAN (R-South Carolina) said, ‘We’ll call President Trump.’ Many pragmatic Republicans have faith that Johnson will use his strong relationship with Trump to protect vulnerable incumbents.” 6. WHAT MIKE CRAPO AND JASON SMITH AREN’T READING: “How One of the World’s Richest Men Is Avoiding $8 Billion in Taxes,” by NYT’s Jesse Drucker: Nvidia CEO JENSEN HUANG “is not only an engineering genius and Silicon Valley icon whose company, the world’s second-most valuable, makes the chips that power much artificial intelligence. He is also the beneficiary of a series of tax dodges that will enable him to pass on much of his fortune tax free, according to securities and tax filings reviewed by The New York Times. … It likely ranks among the largest tax dodges in the United States.” 7. THE KREMLIN’S LONG REACH: “After Trump’s win, Russian disinformation aims to drive a wedge between the US and Ukraine,” by AP’s David Klepper: “Since the U.S. election on Nov. 5, the Kremlin has used state-run media and its networks of fake news sites and social media accounts to push divisive narratives about the war and America’s Republican president-elect.”
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Nancy Mace was on the hunt for a bullhorn. Kevin Roberts was spotted at Mar-a-Lago this morning. IN MEMORIAM — “Sam Fox, self-made entrepreneur, civic leader and former U.S. Ambassador, dies at 95,” by STL Jewish Light: “Moderate-to-liberal on social issues but conservative on fiscal ones, Mr. Fox was a prominent supporter of the Republican Party and served as chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition from 2001 to 2006, and — from 2007 to 2009, by appointment of President George W. Bush — as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium. … [A]t the behest of Belgium’s King Albert II, he became just the third American to receive the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown, Belgium’s highest award for public service.” — “Kelly Powers, Fox News Commentator Who Shared Her Health Crises With Viewers, Dies at 45,” by NYT’s Sara Ruberg: “Kelly Powers, a Fox News commentator and a podiatric surgeon who offered health tips and discussed medical news with viewers, with whom she also shared her own experiences with cancer, died on Sunday at her home in Colts Neck, N.J. She was 45. The cause was brain cancer, her mother, Joan Powers, said.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the American Defense International annual holiday reception last night: Speaker Mike Johnson, Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), Don Davis (D-N.C.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Pat Fallon (R-Texas), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Jerry Carl (R-Ala.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), Steve Horsford (D-Nev.), Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Keith Self (R-Texas), Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), Dale Strong (R-Ala.) and Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas), Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Reps.-elect Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) and Mark Messmer (R-Ind.). — SPOTTED at Echo Canyon Consulting’s first annual holiday reception at the Landini Brothers Restaurant in Old Town last night: Jon Seaton, Ryan Price, Matt Kenney, Rick Davis, David Carney, James Mckay, Robert Wasinger, Ned Ryun, Howard Opinsky and Mike McSherry. — SPOTTED at the American Trucking Associations’ holiday festivities at their Navy Yard headquarters Tuesday night: Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), Mike Collins (R-Ga.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Michael Guest (R-Miss.). — The California State Society held its annual holiday reception last night, returning after a number of years to the Cannon Caucus Room, for an event celebrating the season with the California congressional delegation and staff. SPOTTED: Reps. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Young Kim (R-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Kevin Mullins (D-Calif.), Juan Lopez, Jeremy Marcus, Jeremy Tittle, Mark Denim, Rebekah Solem, Robert Edmonson, Kate Kenworthy, Jack Lincoln, Jonathan Gilbert and Sonali Desai. — The National Taxpayers Union hosted FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak yesterday evening for a fireside chat at AFP’s Freedom Embassy for a discussion centered on consumer protection and fair marketplace competition. SPOTTED: Josh Levine, Marco Vestuti, Jack Gigante, Tom Blanford, Robert Wagener, Kevin Glass, Christine Goss, Victoria Jeffries, Morgan Kennedy, Jeff Tomkowitz and Sean Decker. — SPOTTED at the Alliance to End Hunger’s holiday reception on the rooftop of the DoorDash office in D.C.: Reps. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), Sylvia García (D-Texas), Russell Fry (R-S.C.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Krysta Juris, Eric Mitchell, Minerva Delgado, Josh Protas, Nicole Cooper, Monica Gonzales, Mike Curtin, John Horton, Katherine Rodriguez, Jose Mercado, Taylor Bennett, Keith Fernandez, Keenan Hochschild and Daniel Riff. TRANSITIONS — Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno is joining RepresentUs as CEO in January. She currently is senior legal advisor at Human Rights Watch. … Christyna Thompson is now state and regional press secretary at Giffords. She was previously a spokesperson for the Harris campaign and is a Patty Murray and Laphonza Butler alum. … Jeff Dressler is now head of government affairs at SoftBank after stepping in on an interim basis in August following the retirement of Brian Conklin. Dressler joined SoftBank in 2019 and more recently also served on the Afghanistan War Commission. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Harrison W. Fields, assistant director for media and PR at the Heritage Foundation and a Trump White House and Byron Donalds alum, and Caitlin Fields, senior director at FP1 Strategies, recently welcomed their first child, McCoy Luz Fields. 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 Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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