Playbook PM: Georgia becomes the center of the political universe

From: POLITICO Playbook - Monday Aug 15,2022 05:38 pm

Aug 15, 2022

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BREAKING — “Justice Department subpoenas former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann,” by Betsy Woodruff Swan

Rudy Giuliani speaks during a news conference.

Fulton County investigators are now targeting Rudy Giuliani in a criminal investigation, per the NYT. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

WHAT’S GOING ON IN GEORGIA — Three big stories up today put Georgia in the spotlight as the Fulton County investigation into DONALD TRUMP’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election heats up, and new information is uncovered about the Trump team’s efforts.

1. RUDY GIULIANI is the “target of a criminal investigation” in Georgia over Trump’s efforts to interfere with the election, NYT’s Richard Fausset and Danny Hakim scoop. “Mr. Giuliani, who spearheaded efforts to keep Mr. Trump in power as his personal lawyer, emerged in recent weeks as a central figure in the inquiry being conducted by FANI T. WILLIS , the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., which encompasses most of Atlanta. Earlier this summer, prosecutors questioned witnesses before a special grand jury about Mr. Giuliani’s appearances before state legislative panels in December 2020, when he spent hours peddling false conspiracy theories about secret suitcases of Democratic ballots and corrupted voting machines.”

“Mr. Giuliani is scheduled to appear before the special grand jury on Monday at a downtown Atlanta courthouse. His lawyer, ROBERT COSTELLO, disclosed in an interview that prosecutors told him Monday that Mr. Giuliani was a target. Mr. Costello said Mr. Giuliani would probably invoke attorney-client privilege if asked questions about his dealings with Mr. Trump. ‘If these people think he’s going to talk about conversations between him and President Trump, they’re delusional,’ Mr. Costello said.”

2. Where the Fulton County investigation is moving next: A federal judge has ordered Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) to testify in the Fulton County investigation. Graham had been fighting the subpoena, but this morning, “U.S. District Court Judge LEIGH MARTIN MAY ruled that there are ‘considerable areas’ of the grand jury’s inquiry that fall outside of the Constitution’s ‘Speech or Debate’ clause, which shields members of Congress from testifying about legislative business,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tamar Hallerman reports.

Graham’s testimony has been scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 23.

— What investigators want to hear about: “Investigators intend to query Graham about two phone calls with Georgia election officials, at the same time Trump was attempting to subvert his defeat, that included a discussion of the process for counting absentee ballots,” our colleagues Kyle Cheney, Nicholas Wu and Josh Gerstein write.

— What the judge said: “[T]hough other Georgia election officials were allegedly present on these calls and have made public statements about the substance of those conversations, Senator Graham has largely (and indeed publicly) disputed their characterizations of the nature of the calls and what was said and implied. Accordingly, Senator Graham’s potential testimony on these issues … are unique to Senator Graham.”

Graham released a statement through his Senate office that he intends to appeal the ruling.

3. New details on Trump’s efforts: “A team of computer experts directed by lawyers allied with President DONALD TRUMP copied sensitive data from election systems in Georgia as part of a secretive, multistate effort to access voting equipment that was broader, more organized and more successful than previously reported, according to emails and other records,” WaPo’s Emma Brown, Jon Swaine, Aaron Davis and Amy Gardner report.

— The details: “As they worked to overturn Trump’s 2020 election defeat, the lawyers asked a forensic data firm to access county election systems in at least three battleground states, according to the documents and interviews. The firm charged an upfront retainer fee for each job, which in one case was $26,000.”

— The path: “Attorney SIDNEY POWELL sent the team to Michigan to copy a rural county’s election data and later helped arrange for them to do the same in the Detroit area, according to the records. A Trump campaign attorney engaged the team to travel to Nevada. And the day after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol the team was in southern Georgia, copying data from a Dominion voting system in rural Coffee County.”

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Good Monday afternoon. We’re not really sure why the video of MEHMET OZ skewering President JOE BIDEN over the price of crudités is going viral right now ( it’s originally from April! ). But anyway, let us know your favorite part of a crudité platter: gross@politico.com. I’m always reaching for the carrots first.

ALL POLITICS

WHERE ELECTION DENIERS ARE RISING — WaPo’s Amy Gardner is up with a big look at the election deniers who are ascendant in some of the nation’s most critical swing states, like secretary of state candidate KRISTINA KARAMO in Michigan, and GOP gubernatorial nominees DOUG MASTRIANO in Pennsylvania and KARI LAKE in Arizona.

By the numbers: “Across the battleground states that decided the 2020 vote, candidates who deny the legitimacy of that election have claimed nearly two-thirds of GOP nominations for state and federal offices with authority over elections, according to a Washington Post analysis.”

The stakes: “Had those candidates held power in 2020, they would have had the electoral clout to try something that the current officeholders refused: overturning the vote and denying Biden the presidency. Whether they could have succeeded in practice is a matter of vigorous debate among scholars, who cite the potential for court challenges and other means of upholding the results.

“But the experts agree on one thing: A close presidential contest that comes down to the outcome in states where officials are willing to try to thwart the popular will could throw the country into chaos. It would potentially delay the result, undermine confidence in the democratic system and sow the seeds of civil strife on a scale even greater than what the nation saw on Jan. 6, 2021.”

DIVERGING DYNASTIES — Much has been written about Rep. LIZ CHENEY’s primary. The outspoken Trump critic is expected to go down to challenger HARRIET HAGEMAN in Tuesday’s primary. AP’s Becky Bohrer examines the different path of another Republican Trump critic who faces voters on Tuesday: Sen. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-Alaska).

Like Cheney, Murkowski supported Trump’s impeachment following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Unlike Cheney, she’s expected to win reelection — benefitting, in part, from a new voting format in her state this year. In Alaska, “[w]inner-take-all party primaries, like the one Cheney is facing, have been replaced by a voter-approved process in which all candidates are listed together.”

How it’ll work: “The four who get the most votes, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election in which ranked voting will be used. Murkowski benefits from avoiding a Republican primary, ‘which she would have had a zero percent — I mean zero percent — chance of winning,’ said Alaska pollster IVAN MOORE.”

INDIANA ENDORSEMENT — DEAN SWIHART, husband of the late Rep. JACKIE WALORSKI (R-Ind.), has endorsed RUDY YAKYM for her seat representing Indiana’s 2nd District, he said in a statement released by her office. “Outgoing State Representative CURT NISLY, former State Representative CHRISTY STUTZMAN and former Indiana Attorney General CURTIS HILL are also reported to be considering runs for Walorski’s seat,” reports MNC.

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.

POLICY CORNER

CLIMATE FILES — AP/NORC have some interesting new polling on how Americans view the climate crisis. ( One note: The survey was conducted before the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.)

Level of concern: “Overall, 35% of U.S. adults say they are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ concerned about the impact of climate change on them personally, down from 44% in August 2019. Another third say they are somewhat concerned. Only about half say their actions have an effect on climate change, compared with two-thirds in 2019.”

Who bears responsibility: “Roughly two-thirds of Americans say the U.S. federal government, developed countries abroad and corporations and industries have a large responsibility to address climate change. Fewer — 45% — say that of individual people.”

— CNN’s Casey Tolan has an investigation on the heels of the devastating flooding in Eastern Kentucky that offers “a warning for other communities around the US that once-unthinkable floods are becoming more common due to climate change.”

The stepback: “Federal flood zone maps used by the insurance industry substantially underestimate the risk in many parts of the country, and the nation as a whole is underprepared for the financial ruin left in the wake of powerful floods, experts say.”

— “New climate deal spurs hopes of more carbon storage projects,” by AP’s Mead Gruver

— “Tensions grow over lack of a water deal for the shrinking Colorado River,” by L.A. Times’ Ian James: “Interior Department officials have warned they are prepared to impose cuts if necessary to protect reservoir levels. Managers of water agencies say they have been discussing proposals and will continue to negotiate in hopes of securing enough reductions to meet the Biden administration’s demands, which would mean decreasing the total amount of water diverted by roughly 15% to 30%. But some observers worry the talks could fail, saying they see growing potential for federal intervention, lawsuits and court battles.”

— “In America’s fastest-growing metro, a rising fear water will run out,” by WaPo’s Karin Brulliard in Leeds, Utah

— “Northeastern farmers face new challenges with severe drought,” by AP’s Jennifer McDermott

WHAT WALL STREET IS READING — “Biden’s Regulators Take a Harder Look at Wall Street Deals,” by WSJ’s Dave Michaels and Ryan Tracy: “Under Chairwoman LINA KHAN , the Federal Trade Commission is questioning mergers that likely would have gone unchallenged in years past — a change Ms. Khan says is needed to prevent companies from building up too much power and stifling competition.”

BIG COURT CASE TO WATCH — “Whole Foods’ Battle Against Black Lives Matter Masks Has Much Higher Stakes,” by Bloomberg’s Josh Eidelson: “ JENNIFER ABRUZZO, general counsel at the NLRB, is seeking a ruling that would give U.S. workers something more like free speech.”

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THE ECONOMY

THE VIEW FROM WALL STREET — “Investors Are Betting Yet Again That Inflation Will Cool,” by WSJ’s Matt Grossman

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

MONKEYPOX LATEST — The rollout of the monkeypox vaccine has been choppy and riddled with missteps in communities all across the country. Local and state officials are placing the blame squarely at the feet of the federal government, NYT’s Apoorva Mandavilli writes. “Officials in at least 20 states and jurisdictions have complained about the delivery of the vaccine, called Jynneos. (More than half are led by Democrats, including California, Washington, Connecticut and Michigan, suggesting that their grievances are not politically motivated.)”

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AMERICA AND THE WORLD

AFGHANISTAN LATEST — U.S. officials have decided not to “release any of the roughly $7 billion in foreign assets held by Afghanistan’s central bank on U.S. soil and has suspended talks with the Taliban over the funds” after the killing of al Qaeda leader AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI, report WSJ’s Jessica Donati in Washington and Margherita Stancati in Rome . “The decision reverses early indications of progress in talks between the U.S. and the Taliban and deals a blow to hopes of an economic recovery in Afghanistan as millions face starvation a year into the group’s rule.”

GRINER LATEST — “Brittney Griner appeals her conviction on drug charges in Russia, her defense team says,” by NYT’s Ivan Nechepurenko

RUSHDIE LATEST — “Iran denies involvement but justifies Salman Rushdie attack,” by AP’s Jon Gambrell

FOR YOUR RADAR — “China’s surprise rate cut, economic slowdown send oil prices plunging,” by WaPo’s Hamza Shaban

HEADS UP — “U.S. reports drone strikes on Tanf base in Syria, no casualties,” by WaPo’s Sarah Dadouch

PLAYBOOKERS

MEDIA MOVE — John Yearwood is now editorial director for diversity and culture at POLITICO. He previously was global news editor.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Vanessa Santos is launching a new firm called Red Renegade Public Relations. She previously served as director of media relations at Javelin for nearly 10 years.

TRANSITIONS — Siran Faulders has joined Cozen O’Connor’s state attorneys general group. She most recently was at Troutman Pepper. … Jonathan Bond has rejoined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher as a partner. He previously served as an assistant to the Solicitor General in the Office of the Solicitor General.