BTW … WE KNOW IT’S NOT AS SEXY AS IMPEACHMENT, however the government is slated to shut down in 27 days -- on Nov. 21. There are just 12 days in session between from time to time, so this is turning into an actual situation that Washington is going to start out specializing in soon. (Please don’t give us the “They gained’t shut down the government” thing. This stuff are never planned!)
WHAT THEY’RE FOCUSING ON AT MAIN JUSTICE … NYT’S KATIE BENNER and ADAM GOLDMAN: “Justice Dept. Is Stated to Open Felony Inquiry Into Its Personal Russia Investigation”: “Justice Division officials have shifted an administrative evaluation of the Russia investigation intently overseen by Lawyer Common William P. Barr to a felony inquiry, in line with two individuals accustomed to the matter. The transfer provides the prosecutor operating it, John H. Durham, the facility to subpoena for witness testimony and paperwork, to convene a grand jury and to file legal fees.
“The opening of a felony investigation is more likely to increase alarms that Mr. Trump is utilizing the Justice Department to go after his perceived enemies. Mr. Trump fired James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director underneath whose watch brokers opened the Russia inquiry, and has long assailed different prime former regulation enforcement and intelligence officers as partisans who sought to block his election.” NYT
-- WSJ: “An individual acquainted with the matter stated the time span coated by the inquiry had expanded to look at U.S. intelligence gathering from before the FBI formally opened its investigation in July 2016 to early spring of 2017. Mr. Mueller was appointed in Might 2017.”
THE PRESIDENT says he'll go to Nats Park for Recreation 5 of the World Collection between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros -- if the collection gets that far. The Nats should win tonight and Saturday to keep away from a Recreation 5 on Sunday night time.
-- WAPO’S DAVID NAKAMURA: “‘They’ve obtained to dress me up in a whole lot of heavy armor — I’ll look too heavy,’ he responded when a reporter requested him about whether he would take the mound. Trump seemed to be making a reference to a bulletproof vest that presidents typically are required to wear by Secret Service when they're amid giant crowds. A group official confirmed later that he won't participate in that on-field custom.” WaPo
-- DCist’s information to getting to the park. Read it here
A SHIFT … WAPO’S MIKE DEBONIS and RACHAEL BADE: “Democrats say whistleblower’s testimony is pointless as other witnesses come forward”: “The whistleblower who initially unmasked President Trump’s effort to strain Ukraine for political favors has moved steadily toward the periphery of the House impeachment inquiry as several Democrats stated Thursday they have ample testimony from senior Trump administration officers to again his claims.
“Democrats have been as soon as ready to take extraordinary steps to preserve the whistleblower’s id beneath questioning, considering him central to their investigation. But over the past month, they've grown cold to the thought of exposing him to further scrutiny after a number of witnesses described how Trump leveraged access and army help to secure a promise from Ukraine to launch investigations that would assist his 2020 reelection bid.
“‘I feel it’s quite clear we've a surfeit of proof that corroborates in full every facet of what happened and the policy they have been pursuing,’ stated Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), a member of the Oversight and Overseas Affairs committees. An individual accustomed to the discussions between the whistleblower and Home investigators, speaking on the situation of anonymity to debate personal talks, stated Thursday that there are not any lively efforts to arrange for the individual’s testimony.” WaPo
Good Friday morning. SPOTTED: Former Ohio State soccer coach City Meyer leaving Sen. John Thune’s (R-S.D.) office Thursday.
BEIJING LECTURES THE U.S. … BLOOMBERG: “China Fires Again at Pence, Says U.S. Should Get Home in Order”: “China fired again at Vice President Mike Pence’s criticism on human rights, calling his speech ‘lies’ and chiding him for ignoring U.S. issues like racism and wealth disparity.
“Pence on Thursday gave a long-anticipated speech in which he criticized China’s actions towards protesters in Hong Kong while calling for higher engagement between the world’s two largest economies. He stated the U.S. stands with demonstrators in Hong Kong and accused Beijing of curtailing the rights and liberties of the town’s residents.
“Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s overseas ministry, blasted Pence’s ‘vanity’ and stated no pressure would stop the country’s progress. She accused him of in search of ‘to disrupt China’s unity or inner stability’ and referred to as Hong Kong, Taiwan and the far west region of Xinjiang ‘inner affairs.’
“‘The U.S. has already deserted and forged apart its morality and credibility,’ Hua stated. ‘We hope these People can take a look at themselves in the mirror to repair their own problems and get their own house in order.’” Bloomberg
SO, HE’S NOT BRINGING THE TROOPS HOME … WSJ: “U.S. Weighs Leaving More Troops, Sending Battle Tanks to Syria,” by Gordon Lubold and Nancy Youssef: “The White House is considering choices for leaving about 500 U.S. troops in northeast Syria and for sending dozens of battle tanks and other gear, officials stated Thursday, the newest in an array of situations following President Trump’s determination this month to remove all troops there.
“The choices, introduced by army officials, would symbolize a reversal from the American withdrawal Mr. Trump needed. It also would modify U.S. goals—from countering Islamic State extremists to also safeguarding oil fields in japanese Syria with further troops and new army functionality. Washington sees the fields as potential leverage in future negotiations over Syria.” WSJ
IMPEACHMENT CLIP PACKET …
-- DARREN SAMUELSOHN: “Giuliani probe snowballs”: “The scrutiny [of Rudy Giuliani] isn’t simply coming from the previously recognized probes by FBI agents and the U.S. lawyer’s workplace based mostly out of Manhattan, in response to two individuals familiar with the investigation. The felony division of the Justice Division in Washington has taken an interest within the former New York mayor, too, which means an enlargement of assets that signifies the politically sensitive probe into the president’s private lawyer is both broader and shifting at a quicker pace than beforehand understood.” POLITICO
-- AP: “Trump confronts the bounds of impeachment protection technique,” by Zeke Miller, Jill Colvin and Jonathan Lemire: “Requested about criticism that the White House lacks a coordinated pushback effort and could do a greater job delivering its message, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham stated, ‘It’s exhausting to message something that’s happening behind closed doors and in secret.’ ‘It’s like you’re preventing a ghost, you’re preventing towards the air. So we’re doing the most effective we will,’ she stated on Fox News.” AP
-- NEWSY NUGGETS FROM MIKE SHEAR, MAGGIE HABERMAN AND NICK FANDOS’ NYT IMPEACHMENT LEDEALL: “Impeachment investigators have negotiated in current days with a lawyer for [John] Bolton a few date for him to be deposed behind closed doors, according to 2 individuals briefed on the matter. …
“White Home aides are planning to add communications aides devoted to impeachment, a move that Jared Kushner, the president’s senior adviser and son-in-law, has pushed for. Among those into account to assist lead the brand new group is Tony Sayegh, who lately left the Treasury Division where he was the top spokesman. White House aides have also discussed bringing on in some capability Pam Bondi, the previous lawyer common of Florida and a favorite of Mr. Trump’s, a person accustomed to the conversations stated.”
-- CNN: “White House official anticipated to back up diplomat’s testimony over Trump push for Ukraine probe into Bidens”: “Tim Morrison, a prime Russia and Europe adviser on President Donald Trump's Nationwide Safety Council, is predicted to testify earlier than Home impeachment investigators subsequent week and corroborate key parts of a prime US diplomat’s account that Trump was pressing for Ukraine to publicly announce investigations into the Bidens before he would greenlight US safety assistance, in line with sources. …
“Morrison’s testimony is predicted to be vital as a result of he is a present White Home official whose identify was cited 15 occasions in Taylor’s opening statement, which Democrats view as damning for Trump. Morrison also listened to the July 25 call between Trump and the Ukrainian leader, CNN reported earlier this month. His testimony can be the first from somebody who heard the name immediately.” CNN
-- IMPEACHMENT TESTIMONY UPDATE … Saturday: Philip Reeker, appearing assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs; Monday: Charlie Kupperman, former deputy nationwide safety adviser; Tuesday: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, NSC Europe chief;
Wednesday: Kathryn Wheelbarger, appearing assistant secretary of Defense for worldwide safety affairs; Thursday: Morrison.
JOHN BRESNAHAN: “Rep. Katie Hill threatens legal action over nude pictures”: “Attorneys for Rep. Katie Hill on Thursday threatened to deliver authorized action towards a British tabloid for posting what it claims are nude pictures of the freshman California Democrat. Hill’s authorized workforce — Marc Elias and Rachael Jacobs of the agency Perkins Coie — also steered Hill was defamed over allegations by the Day by day Mail that she has a Nazi-inspired tattoo on her physique.
“In a cease-and-desist letter to Candace Trunzo, government editor of the Day by day Mail, Elias and Jacobs demanded that ‘you remove these photographs from publication directly.’ The newspaper ran a collection of intimate photographs of Hill and a former campaign staffer whom it stated she had an affair with earlier than Hill gained her seat in Congress. Hill, who's going via an acrimonious divorce, has admitted to an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with a female campaign staffer and apologized to her constituents over the matter.” POLITICO
2020 WATCH …
-- FUN ONE: “How South Florida became headquarters of the Trump-Industrial Complex,” by Marc Caputo
-- “Senate Dems on Hillary Clinton 2020: ‘Absolutely not,’” by Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine
-- L.A. TIMES’ MICHAEL FINNEGAN: “California’s tough-on-crime past haunts Kamala Harris”
-- @DanielStrauss: “Rep. Tulsi Gabbard WILL NOT search re-election. She announced the move in an e-mail and video. ‘I won't be in search of re-election to Congress in 2020,’ she stated. She was dealing with a critical main problem from Hawaii state Sen. Kai Kahele.” The video
TRUMP’S FRIDAY -- The president will depart the White House at 11:40 a.m. en path to Benedict School in South Carolina. He will give a speech on judicial reform at 2:15 p.m. Afterward, Trump will head to Camp David.
SUNDAY SO FAR …
LINDSEY’S LATEST -- “Senate Republicans toughen on impeachment after Trump gripes,” by Marianne LeVine and Melanie Zanona: “Sen. Lindsey Graham, an in depth Trump ally, introduced a decision on Thursday that condemns the Democrat-led impeachment probe. The South Carolina Republican has attacked Democrats for his or her dealing with of the impeachment process. His resolution — backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — calls on the House to carry a vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry and to offer Republicans the identical authority as Democrats to challenge subpoenas.” POLITICO … The resolution … 46 co-sponsors thus far, per Graham
-- KCRW’s JOSH BARRO (@jbarro): “It’s exceptional, the textual content of the decision is all process complaints, no substantive protection of the president’s conduct.”
-- Axios’ @jonathanswan: “Very a lot by design. If it have been the latter, the number of signatures can be... not splendid.”
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT DEPT. OF ED -- “DeVos held in contempt for violating decide’s order on scholar loans,” by Michael Stratford: “A federal decide on Thursday held Schooling Secretary Betsy DeVos in contempt of courtroom and imposed a $100,000 nice for violating an order to stop amassing on the scholar loans owed by students of a defunct for-profit school. The exceedingly rare judicial rebuke of a Cabinet secretary got here after the Trump administration was pressured to confess to the courtroom earlier this yr that it erroneously collected on the loans of some 16,000 borrowers who attended Corinthian Schools regardless of being ordered to cease doing so.
“U.S. Justice of the Peace Decide Sallie Kim wrote that ‘the evidence exhibits solely minimal efforts to comply with the preliminary injunction’ she issued in Might 2018 ordering the Schooling Department to halt its assortment of the loans.” POLITICO
HAPPENING TODAY … ANNABELLE DICKSON: “EU ambassadors will meet in Brussels at 9 a.m. U.Okay. time (10 a.m. local time) this morning to discuss the U.Okay.’s request to increase its Brexit deadline. Diplomats will mull how much longer to provide the U.Okay. to type Brexit out. But the discussions will happen towards the backdrop of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s newest Brexit gamble — a menace to MPs to tug the Withdrawal Settlement Invoice wanted to take the U.Okay. out of the EU with a deal, and to effectively put his government on strike, until MPs vote on Monday to allow him to maintain a common election on December 12.” London Playbook
MEDIAWATCH -- “Trump to Tell Federal Businesses to Minimize New York Occasions, Washington Submit Subscriptions,” by WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia: “‘Not renewing subscriptions throughout all federal businesses shall be a big value saving—a whole lot of hundreds of taxpayer dollars shall be saved,’ White Home press secretary Stephanie Grisham stated in an e-mail Thursday.
“Ms. Grisham declined to offer further details, and it wasn’t instantly clear how the White Home meant to compel businesses to cancel the subscriptions or how quickly the order would take impact. The White House was still engaged on implementing the directive as of Thursday morning, an administration official stated. …
“Mr. Trump is an avid shopper of the news, and he often reads the Occasions and the Publish, in accordance with aides who privately acknowledged that they anticipate him to proceed doing so regardless of the directive.” WSJ
-- NATASHA BERTRAND and DARREN SAMUELSOHN: “Lawyers for Ukrainian oligarch have another client: The columnist who pushed Biden corruption claims”
-- “CNN’s Jeff Zucker Says He’s Interested in Hiring Former Fox News Host Shepard Smith,” by The Hollywood Reporter’s Jeremy Barr
-- NBC’S KELLY O’DONNELL received the profession achievement award on the RTCA dinner Thursday night time at the Anthem. Her line of the night time: “Ours is a enterprise of questions and I've another … Might I ask this of the RTCA board, might we name this the ‘Mid-Career Achievement Award’? As a result of I’d wish to assume I’m simply getting started.”
Ship tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.
SPOTTED: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) taking selfies on the airport in Manchester, N.H., on Thursday, after flying in from D.C. Pic … Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Ambassador to the U.Okay. Woody Johnson at Cafe Milano on Thursday night time. … Toby Keith at Cafe Milano on Thursday night time.
SPOTTED at a party Thursday night time for Richard Obscure’s new guide, “A Temporary History of Doom: Two Hundred Years of Monetary Crises” ($20.43 on Amazon), hosted by Steve Clemons at Cafe Milano: Kurt and Ia Volcker, Grover Norquist, Molly Ball, Brian Bartlett, Barton Gordon, Heather Podesta, Josh Eastright, Sudeep Reddy, Suzanne Smalley, Melodie Thomas, Michael Tomasky, Ryan Heath, Nihal Krishan, Greta and Bill Brawner, Paul Brown …
… Paula Stern and Paul London, Michael Powell, Brandon Riker, Niharika Acharya, Lyndon Boozer, Tom Omestad, Justin Cooper, Michael Sexton, Tara McKelvey, Shilpi Niyogi, Christina Sevilla, Kelsey Glover, Fred Hochberg, Campbell O’Connor, Walt Slocombe, David Fuscus, Jerry Hagstrom, Tom and Gretchen Toles, Daniel and Amelia Bob, Alex Yergin and Jessica Reinis, Harrison Grafos, Christopher Colford and Isabel Sawhill.
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Patrick Butler, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, is 7-0. A development that he thinks doesn’t get sufficient consideration: “While our politics appear poisonous, I’m impressed by the quiet civility and random acts of kindness that so many people exhibit in their day by day lives. President Eisenhower used to say, ‘America is great as a result of America is sweet,’ and I nonetheless assume that’s true. I see Chief Justice Roberts at my Starbucks every so often, standing in line with everyone else in a politics-free zone until ‘John’s’ espresso is ready. That’s the actual us, and that’s the best way it ought to be.” Playbook Q&A
BIRTHDAYS: Ed Barron … James Carville is 75 (hat ideas: Jon Haber) … Bill Purcell is 66 … Phil McNamara … Eric Anthony (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Louis Burgdorf … Rachel Craddock, White Home press assistant … Nate Hodson … Geoff Burr, policy director at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck … CBS’ Jan Crawford … POLITICO’s Invoice Kuchman … Bryan DeAngelis, managing director at Hamilton Place Methods … Debora Pignatelli … Gordon Johndroe, VP of government operations comms at Boeing, is 45 (h/t Tim Burger) … JPMorgan Chase’s Irene Baker ... Brian DeBose … Margaret Reid Windham ... Josh McElveen ... Matt Resch of Resch Strategies ... Gary Regenstreif ... Charles Chamberlain, Democracy for America’s chair ...
… Albert Somit, a political scientist generally known as the father of biopolitics, is 100 (h/t Tom Busch) … Elizabeth Crisp … Alisha Prather … Chuck Conconi ... Brigid Ueland of the Senate Finance Committee … Sam Dulik ... Adam Ukman … Nick Iacono … Kendall Evans Heath … Samantha Bisogno, communications manager for presidency affairs on the Ocean Conservancy ... Trey Hodgkins ... Joe Christinat, VP of communications at Nasdaq … Lauren Dunn ... Lon Deckard … Aaron Saunders … Richard Goldstein ... Corey Weaver ... Jeremy Redmon is 48 ... Jeff Pace ... Garrison McMurtrey ... Matt LoParco ... Russell Pandres ... Kiki Setterlund … Suzanne Reichardt of McLarty Associates … Stefano Giustiniani
Article initially revealed on POLITICO Magazine
Src: POLITICO Playbook: When impeachment meets a looming shutdown
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