Fury over 'Anglo-Saxon' caucus

By Rachael Bade

Presented by Facebook

There are two developing stories you should watch this weekend that have Washington up in arms:

— A CONGRESSIONAL WHITE CAUCUS?: Reports that Reps. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) and PAUL GOSAR (R-Ariz.) are planning to launch a House caucus based on “uniquely Anglo-Saxon” (read: “white people”) traditions has GOP leaders and Democrats protesting the embrace of blatant racism by some in the chamber. All eyes are on House Republican Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY, who last night tweeted his disapproval of the proposed new group — but who will no doubt be called on to do more to stop it entirely. More on this below, including why this situation might be more complicated for McCarthy than it appears.

— A REFUGEE FLIP-FLOP: Hill Democrats and immigration advocates were dismayed Friday after the White House announced it would keep in place Trump-era caps on the number of refugees allowed into the country — contradicting a campaign promise. But following hours of strongly worded rebukes from prominent Democrats and allies, President JOE BIDEN abruptly reversed course. More on this below, too, including details of a late-night call to do damage control.

“THE USUAL ANTICS ARE BACK.” One of the things we’re trying to do with the new iteration of Playbook is to engage more with our readers. So we wanted to use today’s newsletter to share some of your thoughts from this week.

— HOW HAS WASHINGTON CHANGED UNDER BIDEN? We asked this question on Wednesday morning, and most of the answers read like sighs of relief over less stress: slowing wrinkles and hairlines that are receding a bit less quickly.

“I just know I’m sleeping,” writes one reader. “Politics as usual is ridiculous. Politics a la Trump alternatively broke my heart and brought a rage. Frankly, it’s nice to see the usual antics are back.”

“Remember waking up every morning to learn what batshit crazy tweet had come out of Trump? And what whoppers would be uttered in the White House briefing room? And who would get fired today?” asks reader Dave Elderkin. “Compare that to JEN PSAKI and RON KLAIN. Ahhh. I may not agree with them, but they’re honest and decent people who are trying hard.”

“Biden has returned a degree of … experience, empathy and honesty to the Office,” says Carl Hamm, of Golden, Colo. “People may not agree with what he is doing or the way he is doing it. However, the alternative — another four years of lies and poorly thought-out [policies] … was simply untenable.”

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— WE ALSO RECEIVED SOME COLORFUL FEEDBACK about Wednesday’s Playbook, which reported on the frustrations of the “G-10” moderate Republican senators with what they view as Biden’s insincere attempts to work with them.

Here’s a taste:

From the left: “I’m crying big crocodile tears for them,” writes Sara Warner from Florida. “We are in several national or global crises and these senators are all in a huff about their prom dates.”

“What DID the G10 expect?” asked Julie Helmrich. “Weren’t they a part of the GOP wall against all things Obama, and usually gutless when it came to Trump? Maybe by June, the other side will be ready to talk nice again. Cue up [that] Dixie Chicks song.” (She means this one.)

“I guess it hurts when the Republicans’ tactics are used against them,” wrote Sheri Williams of Juneau, Alaska. “President Biden is using his popularity … to get things done that the American people actually want.”

From the right: “Your article this morning is absolutely spot on! It is totally frustrating to see the lie of ‘bipartisanship’ believed by most of America, and all of the press,” wrote Lowrie Beacham of Elfan, N.C. “Biden will keep playing this same ploy — because it works. We the People are like someone escaping from a truly toxic relationship, leaping into whatever new arrangement is offered, ignoring the warning signs broadcasting from the ‘new love interest.’”

AND … from the people who don’t give a damn: “T[h]is ‘G-10’ appellation is the silliest I have ever read … such inside baseball, a classic example of those taking themselves way too seriously,” said Nelson Hammell, a self-described “very old congressional staffer.” “This Caucus, that Caucus … tea party, progressives, centrists, Appalachian, it’s all ratcheting up division, separateness and identity over Unity. … Glad I’m no longer there.”

Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook, where I’m trying to convince my husband to endorse the idea of a “comfort dog” for our own house — just as Capitol Hill has (keep reading). Drop us a line if you have a tip: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.

BIDEN’S SATURDAY — The president and vice president have nothing on their public schedules.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : The Biden administration is quickly approaching 100 days in office — has it delivered on its early promises? What tactics and strategies are being debated in West Wing offices? What’s really being talked about behind the scenes in negotiations with Congress on the infrastructure plan? Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads for details that you won’t find anywhere else that reveal what’s really happening inside the West Wing and across the executive branch. Track the people, policies and power centers of the Biden administration. Subscribe today.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Joe Biden and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga leave a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House on Friday, April 16. | Doug Mills/Pool via Getty Images

THE WHITE HOUSE

REFUGEE CAP WHIPLASH — If you’re confused about what the heck is happening on this issue, you’d be entirely forgiven. On Friday morning, the administration announced it would keep the very low Trump-era cap in place, then backtracked — but still says it is “unlikely” to meet its previously stated goal of welcoming 62,500 individuals. It’s a total mess. WaPo’s Sean Sullivan, Seung Min Kim and Tyler Pager have the latest here.

The story includes details of a late-night phone call between White House officials and angry refugee advocates: “[D]eputy national security adviser JON FINER said the cap would likely be lifted well before May 15, according to two people on the call. Finer also said that the administration would try to resettle refugees as soon as possible, rather than spreading out the admissions until Sept. 30, the people said. White House officials plan to hold another meeting with advocates next week, people with knowledge of the plans said.”

— “Border fiasco spurs a blame game inside Biden world,” by Adam Cancryn, Anita Kumar and Sabrina Rodriguez: “Top White House officials have grown increasingly frustrated with Health Secretary XAVIER BECERRA over his department’s sluggish effort to house thousands of unaccompanied minors, as the administration grapples with a record number of children crossing the southern border. … ‘He did not fully appreciate the issue when he first came in,’ said one senior administration official. ‘It’s been a steep learning curve for him.’ …

“That scrutiny grew on Friday, after Biden opted to keep in place a historically low cap on refugee admissions. Some advocates blamed the decision on the administration’s struggles in processing unaccompanied minors, even though they are handled through a separate system.”

CONGRESS

ABOUT THAT WHITE-TRADITIONS CAUCUS — Framing their new organization around Trump, MTG and Gosar plan to call their group the “America First Caucus.” Documents first reported on by Punchbowl News show that the caucus would prioritize a return to an architectural style that “befits the progeny of European architecture.”

From the document: "History has shown that societal trust and political unity are threatened when foreign citizens are imported en-masse into a country, particularly without institutional support for assimilation and an expansive welfare state to bail them out should they fail to contribute positively to the country.”

What will McCarthy do? That’s the big question. As Mel Zanona reports this morning, the House GOP leader tweeted his disapproval on Friday without naming names: “America is built on the idea that we are all created equal and success is earned through honest, hard work. It isn’t built on identity, race, or religion. The Republican Party is the party of Lincoln & the party of more opportunity for all Americans — not nativist dog whistles.”

The idea has even received pushback from some in the Freedom Caucus, which has rebranded itself into something more Trumpian over the past four years. Rep. KEN BUCK (R-Colo.), for example, blasted the new group on Twitter: “The hatefulness of this statement is only surpassed by its ignorance of American history and values.”

Remember: A few years ago, McCarthy stripped then-Rep. STEVE KING (R-Iowa) of his committee assignments over repeated racist comments. Many House members will demand similar accountability for any lawmaker who joins MTG and Gosar in this “Anglo-Saxon” caucus. But is McCarthy willing to go there?

One problem for McCarthy: MTG has already been stripped of her committee assignments for controversial remarks in her past. So she has nothing to lose in bucking him.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are latching onto this as proof that the GOP has totally lost it. Rep. TED LIEU (D-Calif.), who is Asian American, tweeted at both MTG and Gosar, asking facetiously: “Will non Aryans be allowed to join? If so, do we have to sit in the back of the room because we’re not white? Can we have fried rice and nachos during the meetings? Asking for a friend.”

CAPUTO-DIXON, AT IT AGAIN — “Gaetz ex-girlfriend feared alleged sex-trafficking victim taped call for feds,” by Marc Caputo and Matt Dixon: “MATT GAETZ ’s former girlfriend has told friends she’s worried that the woman who is key to the federal government’s sex-crimes investigation tried to get her to incriminate the Florida lawmaker on a recorded call. The revelation raises the possibility that federal prosecutors have two top cooperating witnesses: the woman who was an alleged sex-trafficking victim when she was a minor and the Gaetz associate already indicted for that crime, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg.”

FOLLOW THE MONEY — “Cash floods into battle for control of Congress,” by James Arkin and Ally Mutnick: “The four swing-state Senate Democrats likeliest to face the toughest reelection fights — RAPHAEL WARNOCK of Georgia, MARK KELLY of Arizona, MAGGIE HASSAN of New Hampshire and CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO of Nevada — each raised more than $2 million [in Q1 2021], posting higher totals than any incumbent senator two years ago. All four had over $4 million in the bank, a total only two senators had at this point in 2019.

“Meanwhile, House Democrats quickly assuaged any fears that they would struggle to keep up fundraising with their main antagonist, Donald Trump, out of office. Over two dozen of the 45 House Democrats that Republicans plan to target in 2022 raised over $500,000. Four of them, including California Reps. KATIE PORTER and JOSH HARDER, raised over $1 million — an impressive amount for the first quarter of an off-year.”

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TRUMP CARDS

POMPEO TAPS THE TAXPAYER CASH COW — “Pompeos violated rules on use of State Department resources, IG finds,” by Nahal Toosi: “By digging through emails and other documents and interviewing staff members, investigators uncovered scores of instances in which MIKE or SUSAN POMPEO asked State Department staffers to handle tasks of a personal nature, from booking salon appointments and private dinner reservations to picking up their dog and arranging tours for the Pompeos’ political allies. Employees told investigators that they viewed the requests from Susan Pompeo, who was not on the federal payroll, as being backed by the secretary. …

These details are mind-boggling: “On at least 30 occasions, Mike or Susan Pompeo tasked State Department employees with ‘making restaurant reservations for personal lunches and dinners with Pompeo family members or friends,’ the report states.”

Reminder: Pompeo is eyeing a possible presidential run in 2024. This is fresh fodder for his possible primary opponents, who can needle him for using employees — paid by taxpayers — to do his personal bidding.

THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP STAFFER YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF — “How Kash Patel rose from obscure Hill staffer to key operative in Trump’s battle with the intelligence community,” by WaPo’s David Ignatius: “In the Trump administration’s four-year battle with the intelligence community, a recurring character was a brash lawyer named Kashyap P. ‘KASH’ PATEL. He appeared so frequently, in so many incarnations, that he was almost a ‘Zelig’ figure in President Donald Trump’s confrontation against what he imagined as the ‘deep state.’

“Patel repeatedly pressed intelligence agencies to release secrets that, in his view, showed that the president was being persecuted unfairly by critics. Ironically, he is now facing [a] Justice Department investigation for possible improper disclosure of classified information, according to two knowledgeable sources who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the probe.…

“[T]here’s a riddle at the center of Patel’s many activities . Beyond the basic goal of advancing Trump’s personal agenda, was there a larger mission? Was there a systematic plan, for example, to gain control of the nation’s intelligence and military command centers as part of Trump’s effort to retain the presidency, despite his loss in the November 2020 election? Or was this a more capricious campaign driven by Trump’s personal pique and score-settling without a clear strategy?”

REMEMBER ROGER? — “Roger Stone Got A Pardon From Trump, But Now The Feds Are Suing Him For $2 Million In Unpaid Taxes,” BuzzFeed: “The government is alleging that Stone and his wife, Nydia Stone, owe more than $1.5 million in federal income taxes from 2007 to 2011 — an amount that includes hundreds of thousands of dollars in late penalties and interest — plus an additional $400,000 in unpaid income taxes and penalties from 2018 alone.

“Prosecutors are also accusing the Stones of placing more than $1 million into a corporate entity that their family controlled, Drake Ventures LLC, in 2018 and 2019 in order to keep it out of the hands of the IRS. The complaint alleges that the Stones used money from Drake Ventures to pay for personal expenses — ‘groceries, dentist bills, spas, salons, clothing and restaurant expenses,’ according to the government — as well as make a down payment on a home, resolve some of their tax debt and pay wages to relatives and other individuals without filing the required paperwork.”

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

WHAT’S NEXT — “With a sense of betrayal and relief, Afghans eye a future without U.S. troops,” WaPo: “For some, the U.S. invasion created opportunities that would have been unimaginable just years before. But the same forces and the policy that guided them also ripped communities apart, led to thousands of civilian casualties, and ultimately left the Taliban a more formidable force than the group was before its overthrow. … Afghanistan’s elected government remains shaky, the country’s military struggles to hold and retake territory without close U.S. support, and many U.S.-funded infrastructure projects lie in ruins, destroyed by conflict and neglect.”

TO THE MOON AND BEYOND — “Elon Musk’s SpaceX wins contract to develop spacecraft to land astronauts on the moon,” WaPo: “In winning the $2.9 billion contract, SpaceX beat out JEFF BEZOS’s Blue Origin, which had formed what it called a ‘national team’ by partnering with aerospace giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper. …

“The defeat is a huge blow to Blue Origin, and to Bezos, who has long been fascinated by the moon and has for years wanted to be part of the effort to return there. … Blue Origin has been pitching its landing system, known as Blue Moon, since 2017, and Bezos has said he would invest in it heavily himself.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

LATEST IN INDIANA — “FBI says it interviewed FedEx mass shooter last year,” AP… “Indianapolis police identify the 8 FedEx shooting victims, still investigating motive,” IndyStar

ONE TO WATCH — “Newsom recall gives Antonio Villaraigosa risky road to political comeback. Will he take it?,” LA Times: “Three years after his underwhelming performance in the California governor’s race, [former Los Angeles Mayor] ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA is being talked about as a possible Democratic candidate in the likely recall election of Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM. …

“Some political analysts argue that a well-known Democrat should appear on the ballot to blunt the chances of a Republican or fringe candidate winning. Others, including state Democratic leaders, urge a united front and are discouraging Democrats from running. Villaraigosa … has criticized the recall. But he’s not publicly ruled out a run, prompting speculation about his plans.”

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 14 keepers

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza:

— “In My Hometown, Opioids Are Still Stealing Lives,” by Shawn McCreesh, NYT: “A decade ago, it was already a crisis. But it feels as if it’s getting worse.”

— “A 23-Year-Old Coder Kept QAnon Online When No One Else Would,” by William Turton and Joshua Brustein, Bloomberg Businessweek: “Nick Lim provides tech support to the U.S. networks of White nationalists and conspiracy theorists banned by the likes of Amazon.”

— “Out of thin air: the mystery of the man who fell from the sky,” by Sirin Kale, The Guardian: “In 2019, the body of a man fell from a passenger plane into a garden in south London. Who was he?”

— “A Kidnapping Gone Very Wrong,” by Brendan I. Koerner, The Atlantic: “In 1974, John Patterson was abducted by the People’s Liberation Army of Mexico — a group no one had heard of before. The kidnappers wanted $500,000, and insisted that Patterson’s wife deliver the ransom.”

— “How Becky Lynch Became 'The Man,’” by Molly Langmuir, Elle: “On the eve of another WrestleMania, go inside the WWE Superstar's brutal, bloody fight to shape the world to her will.”

— “‘I Felt Hate More Than Anything’: How an Active Duty Airman Tried to Start a Civil War,” by Gisela Pérez de Acha, Kathryn Hurd and Ellie Lightfoot, ProPublica: “Steven Carrillo’s path to the Boogaloo Bois shows the hate group is far more organized and dangerous than previously known.”

— “The GOP-Big Business Divorce Goes Deeper Than You Think,” by Zack Stanton, POLITICO Magazine: “It’s not just about voting rights; it’s that businesses and the Republican Party increasingly care about incompatible things.”

— “The Redemption of Justin Bieber,” by Zach Baron, GQ: “He made every mistake a child star can make, including the ones that nearly destroyed him. Now — fortified by God, marriage, and a new album, ‘Justice’ — Justin Bieber is putting his life back together, one positive, deliberate step at a time.”

— “When the Techies Took Over Tahoe,” by Rachel Levin, Outside: “Locals bemoan the pandemic-induced migration of Bay Area residents to the mountains. But there are two sides to the Zoom-town story.”

— “A ‘Worst Nightmare’ Cyberattack: The Untold Story Of The SolarWinds Hack,” by NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston: “NPR’s months-long examination of that landmark attack … reveals a hack unlike any other, launched by a sophisticated adversary who took aim at a soft underbelly of digital life: the routine software update.”

SUBSCRIBE TO “THE RECAST” TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION : Power dynamics are changing in Washington and across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. Our twice-weekly newsletter “The Recast” breaks down how race and identity shape politics and policy in America, and we are recasting how we report on it. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don’t miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

COMFORT DOGS TO THE RESCUE — For Capitol Hill lawmakers, their staff and — especially — the police officers who protect them every day, 2021 has been heavy. So this week, staff imported “comfort dogs” to cheer everyone up.

Read CNN’s Kristin Wilson for more on OFFICER CLARENCE, the 160-pound St. Bernard stealing all the attention this week: “Lawmakers, staff, law enforcement and journalists on Capitol Hill found one thing they could all agree on this week: Clarence is a very good boy. The Greenfield, Massachusetts, Police Department pup is the first Official Police Comfort Dog, and spent the week roaming the halls of Congress with Keeva, an Akita, and chocolate lab Hank, capturing the hearts of even the most stoic folks on the Hill.”

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE — “The GOP’s big bulk book-buying machine is boosting Republicans on the bestseller lists,” by WaPo’s Paul Farhi: “Rep. DAN CRENSHAW ’s memoir and social critique, ‘Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage,’ soared to the top of the bestseller lists when it was published last year. The book helped raise the former Navy SEAL’s profile and burnished his credentials as a rising star among freshman congressmen.

“As it happens, Crenshaw and his publisher, Hachette Book Group, got a little help from the Texas Republican’s friends. The National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to elect GOP candidates to Congress, spent nearly $400,000 on bulk purchases of the book. The organization acquired 25,500 copies through two online booksellers, enough to fuel ‘Fortitude’s’ ascent up the bestseller lists. The NRCC said it gave away copies as incentives to donors, raising $1.5 million in the process.”

“The NRCC wasn’t the only outfit providing a big-bucks boost to conservative authors. Four party-affiliated organizations, including the Republican National Committee, collectively spent more than $1 million during the past election cycle mass-purchasing books written by GOP candidates, elected officials and personalities, according to Federal Election Commission expenditure reports.”

IN MEMORIAM — “Shawn G. Kennedy, Times Reporter in a Vanguard, Dies at 73,” NYT

SPOTTED: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) having drinks in the Trump Hotel Washington on Friday afternoon. Pic … Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) on an Acela train to NYC on Friday afternoon.

STAFFING UP — The White House announced Biden plans to nominate Pamela Melroy as deputy NASA administrator, Sarah Bianchi and Jayme White as deputy USTRs, Robin Ashton as CIA IG, Robert Bonnie as a USDA undersecretary, Gwen Graham as an assistant Education secretary, Mara Karlin as an assistant Defense secretary and Taryn Williams as an assistant Labor secretary.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (6-0) … Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) … CNN’s Jim Acosta (5-0) … NYT’s Julie Hirschfeld Davis … Jessica Ehrlich … Dean Lieberman of DKL Strategies … Chris Durlak … Venable’s Jim Tyrrell (4-0) … Ieva Augstums … Manhattan GOP Chair Andrea Catsimatidis ... Jane Oates of WorkingNation … Greg Lemon … Jackie Whisman of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation … Jennifer LaTourette … E&E News’ Ev Crunden … Greg Cairns … NatGeo’s David Lindsey … Michael Myers … Leslie Dach of Protect Our Care … Jon Simons … Ed Gilroy … Shaunna Thomas of UltraViolet … Jonathan Brodo … Rachel Pryor … NTSB’s Sean Dalton … Benjamin Runkle … Gabi Porter … Eric Sayers of Beacon Global Strategies … Ken Jost … POLITICO’s Michelle Bocanegra and Angelica Botlo … Marty Obst of MO Strategies … Brandon Howell of Repubclick … former Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.) …

THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):

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