Playbook PM: Giuliani pad raided by feds

From: POLITICO Playbook - Wednesday Apr 28,2021 05:05 pm

Apr 28, 2021

By Rachael Bade, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

Presented by

BREAKING: FEDS RAID GIULIANI’S APARTMENT — Scoop from the NYT’s William Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Maggie Haberman: “Federal investigators in Manhattan executed a search warrant on Wednesday at the Upper East Side apartment of RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI, the former New York City mayor who became President DONALD J. TRUMP’S personal lawyer, stepping up a criminal investigation into Mr. Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

“One of the people said the investigators had seized Mr. Giuliani’s electronic devices. Executing a search warrant is an extraordinary move for prosecutors to take against a lawyer, let alone a lawyer for a former president, and it marks a major turning point in the long-running investigation into Mr. Giuliani. … Under Mr. Trump, senior political appointees in the Justice Department repeatedly sought to block such a warrant … After MERRICK B. GARLAND was confirmed as President Biden’s attorney general, the Justice Department lifted its objection.”

— At the crux of the probe, investigators have been trying to figure out whether Giuliani lobbied Trump illegally for favors for Ukrainian oligarchs who were helping him sniff out Biden controversies. One of the key questions has been whether he was paid for trying to persuade Trump to oust U.S. Ambassador MARIE YOVANOVITCH.

Notably, House impeachment investigators chose not to pursue this financial angle as part of their investigation in the fall of 2019. But it may be the thing that lands Giuliani in the most trouble.

PELOSI PUSHES BACK ON MILLEY — Speaker NANCY PELOSI this afternoon contested Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. MARK MILLEY’S version of events about the National Guard’s response time on Jan. 6. NBC’s ANDREA MITCHELL played Pelosi a clip of Milley saying: “There was, to my knowledge, and I have pretty good personal knowledge on this stuff, there was no specific attempt to delay the deployment of the National Guard. I mean, that’s just false.”

Pelosi responded: “That isn’t false, and I was there and I can attest to what happened there. But let’s hear people talk about it in a commission to find the truth about Jan. 6. I have the highest regard for Gen. Milley, but he doesn’t know the full picture if he is presenting the characterization that you just presented. The fact is, is that they could have been there very much sooner, and it would have been much less destruction and the rest. But in any event, that's why we’re hoping to have a truth commission, a 9/11-type commission.”

TV THIS WEEK — President JOE BIDEN is sitting down with NBC’s CRAIG MELVIN for an interview marking his first 100 days in office. It’ll air Friday on the “Today” show, with parts appearing first on “NBC Nightly News” on Thursday.

THE NEXT BIPARTISAN MEETINGS — “Biden to invite lawmakers to the White House next week to discuss big spending packages,” by Quint Forgey

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NEW ACTION — “Biden administration expected to announce plan to ban menthol cigarettes,” WaPo: “The administration also is poised to say it will seek to ban menthol and other flavors in mass-produced cigars, including small cigars popular with young people … It could be years before such bans would take effect, but the administration’s announcement is likely to be hailed by antismoking organizations …

“Unlike many of the administration’s plans, a ban on menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars does not require congressional approval. But the FDA first must put out proposed rules and consider public comments. Any final regulation banning menthol cigarettes would almost surely be challenged in court by the industry.”

TONIGHT’S BIG SPEECH — “Biden will pledge to tackle immigration overhaul in address to Congress, while signaling openness to more targeted deal,” WaPo

WATCH: Biden will give his joint session speech later tonight, and Covid-19 restrictions are not the only thing that will be different. For the first time, the two people behind the president will both be women, and one of them, of course, VP KAMALA HARRIS, will be the first woman of color to take that seat. Biden is also giving this speech months later than his predecessors, so expect him to outline his accomplishments in greater detail. RYAN outlines what else you can expect to hear tonight, which he thinks will focus heavily on the president’s new policy push on health care and supporting American families.

THE LONG VIEW — “‘Part of the fabric’: Democrats say Biden’s sweeping changes will be hard to undo,” by Megan Cassella: “President Joe Biden is taking more steps to expand the government’s role in public life than any U.S. leader since LYNDON B. JOHNSON — and, unlike LBJ, he’s doing it with the slimmest of ruling majorities. Now his challenge is to enact changes that will last as long as his predecessor’s have. …

“It won’t be easy. Much of what Biden has achieved so far, from expanded child tax credits to broader access to Medicaid, are temporary measures … But Democrats say they are bullish that with polls showing broad public support — even among Republican voters — for Biden’s moves, the president will ultimately be able to sign much of his redistributive agenda into law and change Americans’ views of what they expect from their government at the same time.” Bloomberg: “Big Government Is Set for a Rerun With Biden’s Economic Plan”

PROTEST AT CASA DE BEZOS — Ahead of tonight’s speech, the group Patriotic Millionaires will be driving a billboard around Washington that declares, “TAX THE RICH. SAVE AMERICA. Yes, it really is that simple.” The mobile ad will include pictures of MARK ZUCKERBERG, ELON MUSK and JEFF BEZOS and intends to stop at the Amazon tycoon’s house. Between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., the group will also make stops at Business Roundtable’s headquarters, the Chamber of Commerce, the Treasury Department, the White House, the IRS and Congress.

CLIMATE FILES — “Senate to Reinstate Obama-Era Controls on Climate-Warming Methane,” NYT: “The vote will be the first time congressional Democrats have used the law, called the Congressional Review Act, which prohibits Senate filibusters and ensures one administration’s last-minute regulations can be swiftly overturned with a simple majority vote.”

SHOW ME THE MONEY — House Majority Leader STENY HOYER and Democratic Caucus Chair HAKEEM JEFFRIES (N.Y.) today wrote to top Dem appropriators urging an increase in House staff pay of 20% for fiscal year 2022. The letter

— WaPo’s Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) has some context: “Smart move by @LeaderHoyer @RepJeffries to publicly call for House Approps to boost congressional staff $$$. A 2011 pay cut got coupled with sequestration, as DC cost of living soared, left staff $$$ down by 20%. Big pay hike is much needed.”

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AT THE BORDER — “Covid on the Border: Migrants Aren’t Tested on Arrival in U.S.,” NYT: “As the United States vaccinates larger numbers of people and several states begin to reopen after seeing lower infection rates, the failure of U.S. authorities to test adult migrants for the coronavirus in jam-packed border processing centers is creating a potential for new transmissions, public health officials and shelter operators warn, even among migrants who may have arrived healthy at America’s door.

“More than 170,000 migrants crossed the border in March — many coming from countries still grappling with high infection rates — but the Border Patrol is conducting no testing for the coronavirus during the several days that the newly arrived migrants are in U.S. custody except in cases where migrants show obvious symptoms.”

2022 WATCH — “With monster trucks and a key PAC’s support, Republican Ted Budd joins NC Senate race,” Charlotte Observer: “[Rep. TED] BUDD, 49, announced his candidacy Wednesday morning with the launch of a website. Budd touts himself as a family man, small businessman and ‘liberal agenda crusher.’

“His launch video includes a monster truck running over cars labeled the ‘liberal agenda.’ It also includes a clip of former President Donald Trump touting Budd at two rallies. He includes mentions of DR. SEUSS and defunding the police … Club for Growth PAC endorsed Budd on Wednesday morning.” Launch video

VERY COOL INTERACTIVE JOURNALISM — “How Pfizer Makes Its Covid-19 Vaccine,” NYT

JOE ROGAN’S DEADLY ADVICE — “White House blasts Joe Rogan for discouraging vaccination on his podcast,” by Quint Forgey: “Rogan made those remarks on last Friday’s episode of his eponymous show.”

WHAT LLOYD AUSTIN IS UP TO — “The unexpected Pentagon chief,” by Lara Seligman: “Never comfortable in the spotlight, Austin has assumed a behind-the-scenes role in the Biden administration, providing his counsel but ultimately carrying out the decisions made by the president and a close coterie of longtime aides. Nowhere has that dynamic been more apparent than in Biden’s decision this month to end the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan …

“[Sources] described an introverted family man who earned respect for his calm demeanor, steady leadership in difficult situations, and personal courage. While the president does not always take Austin’s advice, he considers and values it, they said. … He is often the voice of reason in difficult discussions, and has a defusing effect on his colleagues.”

ON THE GROUND — “U.S. Built the Afghan Military Over 20 Years. Will It Last One More?,” NYT: “For nearly two decades, the United States and NATO have engaged in the nation-building pursuit of training, expanding and equipping Afghanistan’s police, army and air forces, spending tens of billions of dollars in an attempt to build government security forces that can safeguard their own country.

“But interviews with two dozen security and government officials, military and police officers and militia commanders across the country describe a bleak result: Despite this enormous effort, the undertaking has only produced a troubled set of forces that are woefully unprepared for facing the Taliban, or any other threat, on their own.”

TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today.

FOR YOUR RADAR — “U.S. Navy fires warning shots in new tense encounter with Iran,” AP: “An American warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday. It was the first such shooting in nearly four years.

“The Navy released black-and-white footage of the encounter Monday night in international waters of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf near Kuwait, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In it, lights can be seen in the distance and what appears to be a single gunshot can be heard, with a tracer round racing across the top of the water.”

THE NEW WORLD ORDER — “Navy SEALs to shift from counterterrorism to global threats,” AP: “The new plan cuts the number of SEAL platoons by as much as 30% and increases their size to make the teams more lethal and able to counter sophisticated maritime and undersea adversaries. And there will be a new, intensive screening process for the Navy’s elite warriors, to get higher-quality leaders after scandals that rocked the force and involved charges of murder, sexual assault and drug use.

“Rear Adm. H. WYMAN HOWARD III, top commander for the SEALs, laid out his plans in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. … Howard is adding personnel to the SEAL platoons to beef up capabilities in cyber and electronic warfare and unmanned systems, honing their skills to collect intelligence and deceive and defeat the enemy. … [T]he goal is to better integrate the SEALs into the Navy’s missions at sea.”

KNOWING FRANCIS SUAREZ — “The Trump-rejecting Florida Republican who has a plan to fix the GOP,” by Sabrina Rodríguez in Miami: “Suarez, who is up for reelection this year [as mayor], isn’t writing off the possibility of getting into national politics. ‘I would never say never to any sort of possible scenario in the future,’ the 43-year-old Republican said in a lengthy interview with POLITICO. …

“For now, Suarez says he’s focused on the Miami community, his reelection and his work in the U.S. Conference of Mayors. But he does wish political leaders in Washington would take more cues from local officials like him on how to lead.”

BOOK CLUB — “Retired Washington Post editor Martin Baron has book deal,” AP: “Flatiron Books announced Wednesday that it had acquired Baron’s ‘Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post.’ … Baron will explore his eight years with the paper and look into larger issues of the press and its role in democracy. … Flatiron has not set a publication date.”

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Holocaust survivor and Jewish author Elie Wiesel engraved into Washington National Cathedral,” WaPo

TRANSITIONS — Carol Fowler is now a manager of federal government affairs at Marriott International. She was previously a senior policy adviser to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). … Shanetta Paskel and Katelyn Bunning are joining Cornerstone Government Affairs. Paskel previously was senior director of federal and state government relations at Navient. Bunning previously was legislative director for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. …

… Evan Ross is joining Purple Strategies as a paid media strategist. He most recently has been a managing supervisor at FleishmanHillard. … Sheerica Ware Wilkins is now deputy scheduler for Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). She most recently was C-Suite engagement coordinator at POLITICO. … Billy Rielly is now associate VP for media relations at the Consumer Bankers Association. He previously was comms director for Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.).

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