Playbook PM: Two arrests, an unmasking and a sentencing

From: POLITICO Playbook - Thursday Aug 04,2022 05:23 pm

Aug 04, 2022

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The FBI arrested former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez today and charged her with bribery. | Carlos Giusti, file/AP Photo

The gears of the criminal justice system are turning today, as a suite of high-profile arrests, criminal charges and verdicts led the day’s news across the country and abroad.

— Puerto Rico: The FBI arrested former Puerto Rico Gov. WANDA VÁZQUEZ today on corruption charges, El Nuevo Día’s Carlos Tolentino Rosario and Alex Figueroa Cancel scooped . Vázquez, who served from 2019 to 2021, was charged with bribery relating to her 2020 campaign, along with two other people. A rash of public corruption scandals has rattled Puerto Rico lately.

Striking detail, in the write-up from AP’s Dánica Coto : “Shortly after she was sworn in, Vázquez told the AP that her priorities [included] to fight corruption … During the interview, she told the AP that she had long wanted to be in public service: as a girl, she would stand on her balcony and hold imaginary trials, always finding the supposed defendants guilty.”

— Louisville: The FBI today arrested four former and current Louisville, Ky., police officers in connection with the 2020 killing of BREONNA TAYLOR. A.G. MERRICK GARLAND announced the federal charges against JOSHUA JAYNES, BRETT HANKISON, KYLE MEANY and KELLY HANNA GOODLETT, which variously include using excessive force, civil rights violations and obstruction. More from the Courier-Journal

— Syria: The Air Force revealed the identity of the service member accused of an insider attack in Syria in April: DAVID DEZWAAN JR. was charged today with dereliction of duty, aggravated assault and more for the explosion that injured four Americans. His first hearing is set for later this month. More from the AP

— Russia: American basketball player BRITTNEY GRINER was found guilty on drug charges and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony by a Russian court on Thursday, per the NYT . The WNBA star’s sentencing marked the end of a closely watched trial that spotlighted the tense relationship between Moscow and the U.S. “The verdict, virtually preordained in a legal system in which defendants are rarely acquitted, leaves Ms. Griner’s fate subject to diplomatic bargaining between Russia and the United States.”

MONKEYPOX LATEST — The Biden administration is working on plans to declare monkeypox a public health emergency, which would grant officials tools to accelerate the distribution of the vaccine, Erin Banco, Betsy Woodruff Swan and Adam Cancryn scooped . An HHS memo laying the groundwork for such a decision “has circulated through U.S. health agencies and secured broad support from agency heads.” WaPo’s Dan Diamond adds that the declaration (along with a related HHS move) could come as soon as today.

THE LATEST ALEX JONES TWIST — After the shocking revelation that Jones’ attorneys had accidentally sent years of his messages to the lawyers for Sandy Hook plaintiffs, the plaintiffs’ counsel said today in court that he does plan to turn over the messages to the House Jan. 6 committee, per CNN’s Oliver Darcy . He said “various federal agencies and law enforcement” had asked for them. And he revealed that they include “intimate messages to ROGER STONE,” per Vice’s Anna Merlan .

Meanwhile, Jones’ legal team asked that the messages be erased and that the judge declared a mistrial. That didn’t sit well with the presiding, who said it was “like the 17th time” they’d requested a mistrial, per Darcy.

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE — South Korean President YOON SUK-YEOL didn’t meet with Speaker NANCY PELOSI as she visits Seoul because he’s taking a staycation, WaPo’s Min Joo Kim reports . The snub stirred up domestic criticism that Yoon is trying to “placate China,” particularly after photos surfaced of him hanging out with theater actors, though his office denied that and said his plans were set before Pelosi scheduled her trip. Yoon and Pelosi spoke by phone instead. While in South Korea, Pelosi visited the demilitarized zone on the North Korea border, as well as Osan Air Base.

Good Thursday afternoon.

PRESIDENTIAL HEALTH UPDATE — President JOE BIDEN is still testing positive with his rebound coronavirus case, though his “occasional cough … is improving” and he feels “very well,” per the latest memo from physician KEVIN O’CONNOR.

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JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

BREAKING — “DHS to stop wiping phones without backup,” by CNN’s Whitney Wild

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The 65 Project, the group that’s trying to secure consequences for lawyers who sought to overturn the 2020 election, is filing new complaints against WILLIAM OLSON and KURT OLSEN in Virginia and Maryland, respectively. They’re asking the offices of bar counsel to investigate both men’s actions. The Olson complaint … The Olsen complaint

— Meanwhile, a hearing on whether RUDY GIULIANI should be stripped of his D.C. law license was scheduled for October, Josh Gerstein reports .

ALL POLITICS

AFTER ALL THAT — Rep. PETER MEIJER (R-Mich.) introduced JOHN GIBBS, who defeated him in a contentious primary this week, at a GOP unity event today, per WOOD’s Jacqueline Francis . Yet Meijer told Sirius XM’s Julie Mason he has no regrets about voting to impeach DONALD TRUMP.

IMMIGRATION FILES — Texas Gov. GREG ABBOTT and Arizona Gov. DOUG DUCEY have now bused thousands of migrants to D.C. in protest of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, with hundreds more arriving every week — creating a significant strain on the capital’s resources, NYT’s Miriam Jordan reports . The new arrivals, many of them Venezuelan, “are overwhelming immigrant nonprofits and other volunteer groups, with many ending up in homeless shelters or on park benches.” A significant number are traveling on to NYC. And the finger-pointing among the governors, the mayors, the federal government and the aid organizations is reaching a fever pitch.

— “As El Paso struggles to heal, Walmart shooter's rhetoric builds in GOP,” by the El Paso Times’ Martha Pskowski: “Politicians from Brackettville to Austin to Amarillo have embraced the language of a border invasion, language that El Paso leaders fear could inspire another attack on the majority Latino community.”

BEHIND THE AIPAC BONANZA — Having had significant successes in their first primary season, AIPAC PAC Director MARILYN ROSENTHAL and United Democracy Project CEO ROB BASSIN tell Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod that the pro-Israel group has helped several candidates to victory by emphasizing “the issues that are foremost on the minds of voters,” as Bassin says. The PAC hasn’t made a decision yet on whether it’ll play in the general election. And they’re not sweating blowback from progressives: “Bassin and Rosenthal said they’re not concerned that AIPAC’s involvement in electoral politics will impact its reception on Capitol Hill or among Democrats.”

DOWN BALLOT — Challengers are increasingly taking on incumbent GOP state legislators, arguing that they’re not conservative enough and especially not committed enough to false election fraud claims. And it’s having an impact: “With more than half the state legislative primaries concluded, Republican incumbents this year have been losing at nearly twice the average rate of the past decade,” report AP’s Todd Richmond and David Lieb . A whopping 30% of Idaho GOP lawmakers who sought reelection lost their primaries. The Democratic incumbent loss rate hasn’t changed nationwide, meanwhile. Next up: Nine Wisconsin GOP legislators, including Speaker ROBIN VOS, have contested primaries next week.

AD WARS — In Arizona, GOP Senate nominee BLAKE MASTERS is wasting no time in tacking to the center: His first general-election ad calls him a “true independent” and doesn’t mention his party affiliation, per WaPo . … Meanwhile, Senate Majority PAC launched a new $1.2 million ad campaign calling Masters “extreme” and focusing on abortion.

The campaign between Masters and Democratic Sen. MARK KELLY kicks off as Kelly enjoys some incumbency advantages while Masters benefits from a more favorable environment, NBC’s Sahil Kapur reports from Chandler, Ariz.

PRIMARY COLORS — It’s Election Day in Tennessee, where the most notable races include a crowded GOP congressional primary and a partisan battle for DA in the county that contains Memphis. Details from The Tennessean

BATTLE FOR THE SENATE — The latest assessment from Sabato’s Crystal Ball’s Kyle Kondik declares the Senate a toss-up, as Republicans’ favorable environment balances out their very untested candidates. The landscape looks like “a stoppable force versus a movable object,” he writes.

GABBY GIFFORDS SPEAKS — The former congresswoman and gun safety advocate takes part in Esquire’s “What I’ve Learned” feature , via Mark Warren: “I get asked a lot if I’m bitter about what could have been. I can honestly say that I’m not. This acceptance has taken me a while to come by, and I won’t pretend it’s been easy, but that’s been one of the keys to my recovery.”

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AMERICA AND THE WORLD

AUTOCRAT IN AMERICA — Hungarian PM VIKTOR ORBÁN will deliver the opening speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas today. Preview from NPR

IRAN LATEST — As countries meet today to try one more time to revive the Iran nuclear deal, Iran has stepped up its rhetoric about building a nuclear weapon, reports AP’s Jon Gambrell . “The remarks could be bluster to force more bargaining-table concessions from the U.S. without planning to seek the bomb. Or … Iran could reach a point like North Korea did some 20 years ago where it decides having the ultimate weapon outweighs any further international sanctions.”

WILD STORY — For U.S. aid worker and veteran DAN SMOCK, the killing of AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI included an extra element of surprise: It happened at his old house, reports The Guardian’s Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul. “Reports said the CIA had intelligence that he liked to stand on the balcony, and I thought, ‘Of course he would, it was a nice balcony.’”

THE ECONOMY

THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — New jobless claims ticked up last week to 260,000, the highest level since November and another sign of a red-hot labor market beginning to cool. Details from CNBC

THE TRADE PICTURE — The trade deficit shrunk 6.2% in June, dipping just below $80 billion, as U.S. energy, food and gold exports rose and lower consumer demand pulled down import numbers. More from MarketWatch

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

FORMULA FUROR — A whistleblower at the embattled Abbott baby formula plant in Michigan says the place had “constant roof leaks, lax food safety and recordkeeping, and a culture of fear, raising new questions about why such problems were allowed to continue and the FDA did not discover them earlier,” Helena Bottemiller Evich reports for POLITICO . The former frontline supervisor describes troubling practices that were papered over when inspectors rolled around.

GUNS IN AMERICA — The Supreme Court ruling striking down a New York gun law has reshaped the legal landscape for firearm restrictions around the country, report AP’s Lindsay Whitehurst and Alanna Durkin Richer . “And given the sheer number of cases now working through the courts, a lot more time will be spent in courtrooms no matter who wins.”

— “Gun Trafficking Surges Across State Lines: One Pistol’s 1,200-Mile Journey to a Boston Homicide,” by WSJ’s Dan Frosch and Zusha Elinson: “More firearms are being brought illegally from states with loose gun laws into states with tighter restrictions.”

DESANTIS’ CULTURE WARS — Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS today suspended a prominent Democratic state attorney who’s been an outspoken criminal justice reform advocate. DeSantis said the “woke” ANDREW WARREN wouldn’t enforce particular laws and “cited positions Warren has taken on abortion laws, gender confirmation surgery and other issues,” per the Tallahassee Democrat .

PLAYBOOKERS

OUT AND ABOUT — The White House’s Adrian Saenz had a going-away celebration Wednesday night on the Eaton rooftop, where friends toasted him with tequila and tacos. Earlier in the day, his send-off toast at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building included a surprise mariachi performance. SPOTTED at the Eaton: Cedric Richmond, Julie Rodriguez, Jennifer Molina, Nathaly Arriola Maurice, Carlos Sanchez, Natalie Montelongo, Angela Ramirez, Gabe Amo, Howard Ou, Erika Dinkel-Smith, Carlos Paz, Eduardo Lerma, Carli Kientzle, Melody Gonzales, Mariel Saez, Stephanie Valencia, Marcela Urrutia Zamora, Mark Maurice, Sandra Alcala, Sam Jammal and Joan Gregory Saenz.

MEDIA MOVES — Grid is adding Leah Askarinam and Justin Ray. Askarinam previously co-authored the On Politics newsletter at the NYT. Ray previously wrote the Essential California newsletter at the L.A. Times.

NSC ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Maxwell Hamilton is now director for North America in the Western Hemisphere affairs directorate at the NSC. He most recently was chief of staff to the assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs.

STAFFING UP — Jake Rubenstein is now special assistant to the representative for global partnerships at the State Department. He previously was senior adviser and chief of staff for Terry McAuliffe.

TRANSITIONS — Derek Lyons has been named president and CEO of Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections. He previously was counselor to the president and White House staff secretary in the Trump administration. … Mayealie Adams is now VP and head of government affairs at Danaher. She most recently was managing director for government and external affairs at Phillips.

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