Playbook PM: The blue speak

From: POLITICO Playbook - Tuesday Jul 27,2021 04:47 pm

Jul 27, 2021

By Rachael Bade, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

Presented by

The House select committee on Jan. 6 held its first hearing this morning, and all we have to say is, damn.

The compelling testimony from four police officers who put their lives on the line during the attack — grown men in uniform choking up on the witness stand while talking about protecting lawmakers, being physically assaulted by supporters of DONALD TRUMP, thinking they would die, then having the horrors of the day downplayed by some prominent Republicans — will hit home for anyone who watched.

For those of you who missed it, here are some key moments:

— Sgt. AQUILINO GONELL likened the violence to a “medieval battle” and said he could feel himself losing oxygen during the assault. He remembered thinking, “This is how I am going to die.” He paused to wipe tears away while talking about returning home at 4 a.m. the night after, and his wife attempting to hug him — he firmly turned her away because of all the chemical irritants on his body. He didn’t want her sick, too.

— Officer MICHAEL FANONE recounted getting dragged from the front line into the mob, where he was beaten and repeatedly electrocuted by a taser while rioters tried to disarm him and someone suggested they “kill him with his own gun.” He said he still hears those voices in his head. Fanone, a father of four, said he believes he survived only because he appealed to the rioters’ humanity by yelling, “I’ve got kids!”

— Officer DANIEL HODGES talked about being called a “traitor” by Trump supporters, and as he encountered violence, a rioter telling him, “You will die on your knees” and kicking him in the chest. He also recounted getting crushed in the door in that now-infamous video, and explained his mindset in not opening fire while being assaulted by rioters: After learning that bombs were found nearby, he feared that there were explosives in the Capitol. “I was wondering: How many bombs are there? Is there a cellphone? If we fire, is that the signal” to trigger the bombs?

— Officer HARRY DUNN asked for a moment of silence to remember Officer BRIAN SICKNICK, who was pepper-sprayed during the attack and died a few hours later following two strokes. Dunn, who is Black, gave a searing depiction of the racist abuse he endured that day. “No one had ever called me a ‘n-----’ while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer,” he said.

— “We are not asking for medals and recognition, we just want justice and accountability,” said Gonell.

— “What makes the struggle harder and more painful is to know so many of my fellow citizens — including so many of the people I put my life at risk to defend — are downplaying or outright denying what happened,” said Fanone, who suffered a traumatic brain injury that day.

— Fanone said the members who have downplayed the attack “betrayed their oath of office.” “The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful!” he shouted, pounding the table with his fists. Nicholas Wu has the recap: “‘This is how I’m going to die’: Officers describe horrors of Jan. 6 riot”

— Chair BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.): “While our institutions endured, and while JOE BIDEN is the legitimately elected president of the United States, a peaceful transfer of power didn’t happen this year. It did not happen. Let that sink in. Think about it. A violent mob was pointed toward the Capitol and told to win a trial by combat.” Thompson’s full opening statement

— Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.): “The question for every one of us who serves in Congress, for every elected official across this great nation, indeed for every American, is this: Will we adhere to the rule of law?” Cheney’s opening statement

— Rep. ADAM KINZINGER choked back tears while telling the four officers, “You guys won.” “Democracy is not defined by bad days. We’re defined by how we come back from bad days,” Kinzinger said. “This cannot continue to be a partisan fight.” From Maeve Sheehey: “Cheney and Kinzinger call out GOP leadership at first Capitol riot hearing”

— NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC): “During the opening video, Sgt. Gonell has wiped his eyes at least three times with a Kleenex. When the video of Ofcr Hodges jammed in the door, Hodges shifts slightly in his chair but doesn’t look away. At one pt, Fanone gets up and whispers to Gonell and squeezes his shoulder.”

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IN A REMINDER HOW these four officers spoke for many, NBC’s Haley Talbot tweeted this photo of U.S. Capitol Police officers watching the testimony from their posts around the Hill. Each one who was there has his or her own memories and traumas they carry to this day.

NEW FROM DOJ: “Trump officials can testify in Jan. 6 inquiries, Justice Dept. says,” by NYT’s Katie Benner: “The Justice Department notified former Trump administration officials … Witnesses can give ‘unrestricted testimony’ to the House Oversight and Reform Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, the department said in a letter this week. …

“The decision runs counter to the views of former President Donald J. Trump, who has argued that his decisions and deliberations are protected by executive privilege. It also sets up a potential court battle if Mr. Trump sues in a bid to block any testimony. In that case, the courts could be forced to decide the extent to which a former president can be protected by privilege.”

— Asked before the hearing whether he still holds Trump responsible for Jan. 6, House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY pivoted and instead blamed Speaker NANCY PELOSI for security failures that day. Here’s an AP fact-check of that claim

Good Tuesday afternoon.

NEWSFLASH — ROBERT AARON LONG pleaded guilty this morning to four of the eight murders at spas in the Atlanta area in March that shocked the country. Live updates from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

INFRASTRUCTURE YEAR

BIDEN JUMPING INTO INFRASTRUCTURE TALKS — “Sinema meets with Biden as bipartisan talks teeter,” by Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett

PANDEMIC

INCOMING — As the delta variant of the coronavirus spreads, the Biden administration is stepping up its efforts to fight the virus.

— In an announcement expected at 3 p.m., the CDC will recommend wearing masks indoors in areas with high transmission/low vaccination rates, even if you’re vaccinated. More from NBC’s Shannon Pettypiece, Heidi Przybyla, Laura Strickler and Meg Tirrell

— Also being recommended: masks in schools, per @KaitlanCollins: “The CDC will also announce today that they are recommending everyone in K-12 schools wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, a health official tells me.”

— To increase vaccinations in underserved Black, Latino, Native American and rural communities, the White House announced $121 million in new grants paid for through the American Rescue Plan. More on that from CBS’ Weijia Jiang

OUR FRACTURING SOCIETY — “As Virus Cases Rise, Another Contagion Spreads Among the Vaccinated: Anger,” by NYT’s Roni Caryn Rabin: “[M]any inoculated Americans are losing patience with vaccine holdouts who, they say, are neglecting a civic duty or clinging to conspiracy theories and misinformation … The rising sentiment is contributing to support for more coercive measures. …

“For many Americans who were vaccinated months ago, the future is beginning to look grim. Frustration is straining relations even within closely knit families. … Some are even wondering how much sympathy they should have for fellow citizens who are not acting in their own best interest. … [B]ut experts warn that punitive measures and social ostracism can backfire, shutting down dialogue and outreach efforts.”

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.

POLITICS ROUNDUP

ONE OF THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS IN POLITICS — “Latino Voters Moved Toward Republicans. Now Biden Wants Them Back,” by NYT’s Jennifer Medina and Lisa Lerer: “For years, Latino activists and organizers complained that Democratic efforts to woo their community often seemed like an afterthought. … But after last year’s election, when Republicans peeled away significant amounts of Latino support across the country, Democratic leaders are trying a more aggressive approach.

“Led by a White House that recruited top Latino organizers to high-level staff positions, and with the first lady, JILL BIDEN, taking a particular interest in reaching out to Latino voters, the new effort bridges the party, encompassing policy, communications and political organizing. The outreach encompasses a broad number of community leaders and social media stars … Still, the effort falls short of what many Latino leaders hope to see.”

THE WHITE HOUSE

IMMIGRATION FILES — “As border crossings surge, new Biden immigration plan will speed up asylum approval and deportation,” by NBC’s Julia Ainsley: “In the [21-point] plan, to be released Tuesday, the administration calls for asylum officers to have full authority to rule on asylum claims for migrants crossing the border, allowing asylum seekers to bypass immigration courts, which now have a backlog of more than 1.2 million cases. The White House aims to send asylum cases that do go to court to a dedicated docket to be sure they are given priority, according to the document.

“Families seeking asylum would also have access to legal counsel, a goal dependent on Congress’s approval of a $15 million budget request for next year. Immigrants who are determined to be unqualified, meanwhile, or who do not claim asylum will be deported more quickly. … The White House did not place a timeline on when it might implement the changes.”

PAGING BERNIE SANDERS — “Biden Administration Moves to Tilt Pay and Power Toward Workers,” by WSJ’s Amara Omeokwe: “The rule changes, most of which are still in progress, would affect workers such as federal contractors, tipped employees and workers who are jointly employed, such as those with jobs at franchised brands. … The rule-making process has drawn opposition from business groups and some Republicans.”

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Biden expected to visit NYC’s 9/11 memorial site for 20th anniversary of attacks,” by Daniel Lippman and Chris Cadelago

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

TOO CLOSE FOR NEWSOM’S COMFORT — “Likely California voters now almost evenly split on Newsom recall, poll finds,” by L.A. Times’ Phil Willon in Sacramento: “[It’s] evidence of how pivotal voter turnout will be in deciding the governor’s political fate … The findings dispel the notion that California’s solid Democratic voter majority will provide an impenetrable shield for [Gov. GAVIN] NEWSOM, and reveal a vulnerability created by a recall effort that has energized Republicans and been met with indifference by many Democrats and independent voters.

“The poll found that 47% of likely California voters supported recalling the Democratic governor, compared with 50% who opposed removing Newsom from office — a difference just shy of the survey’s margin of error. Conservative talk radio host LARRY ELDER, who last week won a court battle to appear on the Sept. 14 recall ballot, leads in the race to replace Newsom.” The poll

— “California Democrats anxious as support to recall Gavin Newsom grows,” by the Washington Examiner’s David Drucker

THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — “States that cut unemployment early aren’t seeing a hiring boom, but who gets hired is changing,” by WaPo’s Heather Long and Andrew Van Dam: “The 20 Republican-led states that reduced unemployment benefits in June did not see an immediate spike in overall hiring, but early evidence suggests something did change: The teen hiring boom slowed in those states, and workers 25 and older returned to work more quickly. …

“The findings suggest hiring is likely to remain difficult for some time, especially in the lower-paying hospitality sector. The analysis also adds perspective to the teen hiring boom, revealing that more generous unemployment payments played a role in keeping more experienced workers on the sidelines, forcing employers to turn to younger workers.”

MUST-READ — “Inside a KKK murder plot: Grab him up, take him to the river,” by AP’s Jason Dearen in Palatka, Fla.: “It was 11:30 a.m. on March 19, 2015, and the klansmen were celebrating what they thought was a successful murder in Florida. But the FBI had gotten wind of the murder plot. A confidential informant had infiltrated the group, and his recordings provide a rare, detailed look at the inner workings of a modern klan cell and a domestic terrorism probe.

“That investigation would unearth another secret: An unknown number of klansmen were working inside the Florida Department of Corrections, with significant power over inmates, Black and white. … [T]he state’s Department of Corrections says it found no reason to investigate whether other white supremacists were employed in its prisons.”

PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTED at an event Monday night for Joe Cunningham’s South Carolina gubernatorial campaign: Reps. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.).

MEDIA MOVE — Theo Meyer is joining WaPo to co-author the Power Up newsletter. He most recently co-authored West Wing Playbook at POLITICO. Announcement

TRANSITIONS — Penny Lee will be the first CEO of the Financial Technology Association. She most recently headed the public affairs practice group at Invariant, and is a 1776 and Harry Reid alum. … Omar Vargas will be VP and head of global public policy at General Motors. He most recently was SVP and chief government affairs officer for 3M. … Julia Albertson will be comms director for Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.). She currently is deputy comms director for Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). …

… Jason Ortega is now VP of public affairs at the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association. He most recently was a VP at Lobbyit, where he was NWPCA’s external lobbyist. … Sydney Simon is joining the Center for a New American Security as senior comms officer. She most recently was press lead at the German Marshall Fund.

WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Rachel Vogelstein will be senior adviser to the White House Gender Policy Council, heading its global portfolio. She currently is a senior fellow and director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations.

STAFFING UP — Alicia Phillips Mandaville has been appointed VP of the Department of Policy and Evaluation at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. She currently is SVP for global programs and Covid recovery operations at the International Research & Exchanges Board.