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Presented by Blackstone: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. | | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Eli Okun | | | |  As the Jan. 6 committee prepares for a public hearing tonight, a key source is changing counsel. | J. Scott Applewhite, File/AP Photo | With just hours to go before the inaugural public hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, we have some pre-hearing reading for you today: — CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, the former MARK MEADOWS aide who’s been a key source for the committee, has switched lawyers from STEFAN PASSANTINO to JODY HUNT, our Betsy Woodruff Swan scooped. What it means: The counsel change-up signals an even greater willingness to cooperate with the investigation: Passantino has significant Trump world connections, while Hunt was JEFF SESSIONS’ chief of staff while the A.G. was clashing with DONALD TRUMP. Hutchinson is a key witness because of her closeness to Meadows, the final chief of staff for Trump who refused to be interviewed by the panel, though he handed over texts and documents. Some context: Members of the committee have given Hutchinson praise for her extensive testimony so far — she’s sat for three depositions under two separate subpoenas — and are considering calling her for live testimony during an upcoming public hearing. — Former Education Secretary BETSY DEVOS, speaking out for the first time about her resignation in the wake of Jan. 6, tells USA Today’s Ingrid Jacques that her “line in the sand” was Trump’s behavior that day, and she hasn’t been in touch with him since. DeVos on the prospect of invoking the 25th Amendment: “I spoke with [VP MIKE PENCE ] and just let him know I was there to do whatever he wanted and needed me to do or help with, and he made it very clear that he was not going to go in that direction or that path.” — House and Senate Democrats are taking different approaches to watching today's hearing, Anthony Adragna and Nancy Vu write for Congress Minutes . “House Democrats we chatted with indicated they largely planned to tune in live — but their Senate counterparts largely won’t, citing busy schedules and plans to get briefed afterwards.” — House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY is still lashing out at the committee, telling reporters today that it has “permanently damaged the House.” MI GOP GOV CANDIDATE ARRESTED ON JAN. 6 CHARGES — The Michigan GOP’s gubernatorial field keeps getting roiled: Just weeks after some candidates were booted from the ballot over fraudulent signatures, the FBI today arrested contender RYAN KELLEY at his home in Allendale, which agents are searching, the Detroit News’ Robert Snell, Craig Mauger and Beth LeBlanc report. He was slapped with four misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection, which could carry up to 10 years in prison. “Federal court records describe Kelley as being an active participant in the riot, climbing onto portions of the Capitol, encouraging yelling, gesturing to participants and removing a covering from a temporary structure outside the Capitol,” per the News. Kelley has previously drawn attention for encouraging people to tamper with voting machines. Though he entered the race largely unknown, a recent poll taken after the GOP frontrunners were kicked off the ballot found Kelley leading a very fluid Republican field to take on Democratic Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER. Good Thursday afternoon. MEDIA MOVE — Seung Min Kim is joining AP’s White House team, covering its relationship with Congress. She currently is a White House reporter for WaPo, and is a POLITICO alum.
| | A message from Blackstone: Blackstone is delivering long-term value and helping build a more sustainable future by backing new infrastructure to bring hydropower to New York. This project will help the state reach its ambitious climate goals, decrease energy costs and create thousands of jobs. See how. | | | CONGRESS GREAT SCOTT — Democrats may need a new boogeyman. After months of criticism, Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) today is revamping his policy agenda for a Republican majority, softening his original plan for all Americans to pay some income tax, WSJ’s Alex Leary and Richard Rubin scooped. Scott blames “the establishment from both parties in Washington” for seeking to “twist it into campaign-style attack fodder”; his new proposal calls for all able-bodied Americans under 60 without small children or certain dependents to work. Also new in Scott’s revamp: making the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, and forcing any new tax increases to get a congressional supermajority. MANCHIN IN THE MIDDLE — Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) said today that he’ll support STEVE DETTELBACH’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a potentially pivotal vote after Manchin’s opposition helped sink the previous nominee, DAVID CHIPMAN. That leaves Sen. JON TESTER (D-Mont.) as perhaps the most significant outstanding decision-maker on Dettelbach. SCOTUS PROTECTION LATEST — Republicans today blasted House Democrats for not passing a bill to add police protection for Supreme Court justices’ families more quickly. McCarthy spoke out angrily on the House floor in the wake of the arrest of a man Wednesday for attempting to murder Justice BRETT KAVANAUGH. But House Dem leaders said they were putting the finishing touches on tweaks to the Senate-passed bill and intend to pass it shortly. Related: “House won’t vote this week on plan to boost Supreme Court security,” by Sarah Ferris, Anthony Adragna and Nicholas Wu THE PANDEMIC JABS ARE FOR KIDS — The White House today laid out its plan for vaccinating children under 5 against Covid-19, saying the first jabs could come by June 21, pending signoff from regulators. The administration has made 10 million doses available for order, though officials warned that it could take a few weeks for parents to be able to schedule their kids’ appointments. The White House will also work to publicize and promote the shots. More from CBS THE WHITE HOUSE FORMULA FUROR — How did the White House not see the baby formula shortage crisis coming? Meredith Lee digs into what happened behind the scenes and finds that the administration “did not have complete data on retail stock rates for infant formula,” while formula companies tapped into their reserves, obscuring the extent of the problem. It wasn’t until early May that staffers elevated the matter to top White House officials. “There were a million crises going on,” one Domestic Policy Council official said. THE GREAT SHRINKING AGENDA — Congressional Democrats want President JOE BIDEN to be bolder, frustrated by feeling like they’re on the back foot even while in power. But the White House is looking for successes at the only scale it seems to be able to achieve these days: small. “Any progress is progress,” one official tells WSJ’s Ken Thomas and Natalie Andrews about gun reform.
| | | | WIN A VIP TICKET TO JOIN POLITICO’s CONGRESS TEAM FOR COCKTAILS AND CONVERSATION: Our reporters spend each day firing off questions to elected officials and their staff – so we figured it’s time to return the favor and give lawmakers a chance to turn the tables on us with a (short!) reverse press conference, featuring Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Representative Julia Letlow (R-LA) followed by cocktails & conversation. Enter for a chance to join newsmakers at this exclusive event on June 15th at The Observatory at America’s Square on Capitol Hill. Winners will be notified by June 10th (travel and accommodations not provided, this is a widely attended event pursuant to House & Senate ethics rules). ENTER HERE. | | | | | POLICY CORNER KNOWING ROHIT CHOPRA — The CFPB director has amassed major regulatory power in Biden’s Washington, deploying “a network of former staffers” and “rhetoric and tactics some other bureaucrats view as out of bounds” to drive aggressive change beyond just his bureau, WSJ’s Ryan Tracy and Andrew Ackerman report. From the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to the FTC, Chopra’s influence now “reaches nearly every U.S. business, bank and consumer.” Republicans and bankers call him a runaway regulator; Chopra says regulators need to actually enforce the law fully. WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN — A slate of bold-faced tech and national security names — including ERIC SCHMIDT, PETER THIEL, ASH CARTER and H.R. MCMASTER — are supporting the America’s Frontier Fund, a new group promoting domestic manufacturing of crucial semiconductor chips, NYT’s Ephrat Livni reports. Led by GILMAN LOUIE, the fund is pushing Congress to invest taxpayer money in the endeavor, to the tune of $1 billion. They say it’s crucial innovation in the competition with China. “But the Schmidt-Thiel-backed organization is also raising more than a few eyebrows, and questions: What is it the billionaires want? Will they steer government dollars toward companies they’ve invested in or will benefit from?” TAKING CHARGE — The Biden administration is announcing new proposed regulations for electric vehicle charging stations, seeking to build standards for states to create major networks of infrastructure for the coming wave of EVs. More from CNBC TRANSPARENCY WATCH — The government’s classification rules for national security secrets could be in for some changes, as the Biden administration has launched a review amid criticisms that too much information is being kept from the public, WSJ’s Dustin Volz scooped. It’s not yet clear how broad or narrow the assessment will be. THE ECONOMY THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — The number of new jobless applications rose last week to 229,000, though the overall level remains low, per the AP. ABORTION FALLOUT IN THE STATES — Alice Miranda Ollstein reports from Michigan, which is “one of more than 20 states with a law on the books that would outlaw nearly all abortions if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade” — a reality that has “added urgency” to a campaign this summer to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot protecting abortion. “Should the ballot campaign succeed, the state could become a blueprint for abortion-rights groups fighting similar battles across tHe country and looking ahead to what could be done in 2024,” Alice writes. ALL POLITICS HISTORY LESSON — In the wake of various RONALD REAGAN-related events in Washington recently, WaPo’s Roxanne Roberts takes stock of where the conservative icon stands in today’s political landscape. At the opening of the new D.C. office of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute on Tuesday, she notes, McCarthy’s decidedly partisan speech — in contrast to other political leaders’ remarks — “caused raised eyebrows around the room and whispered critiques for such pointed remarks during a celebration of civility and cooperation.” WAR IN UKRAINE MUSK READ — Starlink, the satellite communication system that ELON MUSK’s SpaceX shared with Ukrainian forces, has played a major role in their successes on the ground, Christopher Miller, Mark Scott and Bryan Bender report. The technology helps troops communicate with each other (and their loved ones), often facilitating attacks while enabling Ukraine to stay connected with the rest of the world. The network “has become an unexpected lifeline to the country: both on the battlefield and in the war for public opinion.” LATEST DEVELOPMENTS … — Ukraine’s defense minister said that while he was grateful for assistance from the West, his forces desperately need more heavy weaponry. — Two Brits and a Moroccan who were fighting for Ukraine were sentenced to death in Russia after being captured, in what critics called a sham trial. More from The Guardian
| | | | 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. | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS OUT AND ABOUT — The Former Members of Congress’ 25th annual Statesmanship Awards were held Wednesday night on top of the Hall of States, where Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Kay Granger (R-Texas), who could not attend in person, were honored. SPOTTED: Reps. John Curtis (R-Utah) and Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), Spanish Ambassador Santiago Cabanas, Liechtensteiner Ambassador Georg Sparber, Albanian Ambassador Floreta Faber, Doug Jones, Blanche Lincoln, Tim Hutchinson, Jim Blanchard, Dan Glickman, Charlie Dent and Barbara Comstock. — Economic Liberties hosted its Rethink Trade launch party Wednesday at the Roof Deck Observatory at America’s Square. Speakers included Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Roxanne Brown and Ellen Dorsey. SPOTTED: CFPB Director Rohit Chopra and Robert Lighthizer. — Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions PAC hosted a reception to celebrate CRES President Heather Reams and CRES Forum senior policy fellow George David Banks as two of Washingtonian’s “Most Influential in Energy, and Climate & Environment” at its office Wednesday night. SPOTTED: Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.). — SPOTTED at a party Wednesday night for Martha Coven’s new book, “Writing on the Job: Best Practices for Communicating in the Digital Age” ($14.95), hosted by Barbara Pryor at the Board Room: Cecilia Rouse, Elisabeth Donahue, Robert Gordon, Bob Greenstein, Sharon Parrott, Ellen Nissenbaum, Larry Haas, Becky Salay, Andrew Mayock, Paul Frick, Dan Sallick, Maura Keefe and David Medina. NEW NOMINEES — The White House announced several new nominees, including Doug McKalip as chief agricultural negotiator at USTR, Kenneth Merten as ambassador to Bulgaria, Jessica Davis Ba as ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Robert Faucher as ambassador to Suriname and Daniel Maffei to the Federal Maritime Commission. TRANSITIONS — Former Solicitor General Don Verrilli is joining Grayscale as a senior legal strategist. … Caleb Graff is now senior director for federal government affairs at Genentech. He most recently was a senior minority health policy adviser for the Senate Finance Committee. … Bella Grabowski will be government affairs manager at Intelsat US. She most recently was a consultant at Systems Planning and Analysis, and is a DOD alum. … … Lola Oduyeru is now state government relations specialist at Chime Financial. She previously was senior manager for state and local government affairs at the Center for American Progress. … Tony Lowden is now VP for reintegration and community engagement at ViaPath. He previously was White House executive director of the Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry in the Trump administration. … Ryan McCrimmon is now a senior strategist at strategic comms and crisis comms firm Miller Ink in LA. He most recently was a night policy editor for POLITICO. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Cari Fike, executive director of the House Republican Policy Committee, and Hugh Fike, chief of staff for Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas), welcomed Hugh Davis Fike III on Tuesday. Pic BONUS BIRTHDAYS: Aftan Snyder … Kelsey Glover … Matthew Martini
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