A mystery on Capitol Hill

Dec 19, 2022

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Members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol are pictured during a hearing at the Capitol.

Members of the Jan. 6 committee. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

STARTING SOON — The Jan. 6 committee is set to meet at 1 p.m. for a meeting to vote on its final report and possible criminal referrals against former President DONALD TRUMP. More from Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu

Here's how Kyle summed it up on Twitter: "There's going to be a lot of stupid commentary today. The referrals aren't the big story. DOJ doesn't care about the prosecutorial judgment of 9 members of Congress. They care about evidence — some of which you will see today, much of which you won't." Follow Kyle … Follow Nick

PRE-MEETING READING — "Flynn deposition reveals questions about pressure on U.S. intelligence ahead of Jan. 6," by CBS' Robert Costa: "New audio files obtained by CBS News reveal how a congressional investigator pushed retired Lt. Gen. MICHAEL FLYNN, the former national security adviser to former President Donald Trump, to testify about his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and questioned Flynn about whether he pressured military and intelligence officials to assist him with that endeavor. …

"The committee's line of inquiry in the Flynn deposition appears to seek specificity about the extent to which Flynn sought out officials, as well as the motivation of any outreach, details on any recommendations he made or documents he circulated, and whether he was paid or acting at the behest of Trump or others." Listen to some of the testimony

Republican candidate for New York's 3rd Congressional District George Santos, right, talks to a voter while campaigning outside a Stop and Shop store, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Glen Cove, N.Y.

George Santos talks to a voter in Glen Cove, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 5. | Mary Altaffer/AP Photo

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? — "Who Is Rep.-Elect George Santos? His Résumé May Be Largely Fiction," by NYT's Grace Ashford and Michael Gold: "His campaign biography amplified his storybook journey: He is the son of Brazilian immigrants, and the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat as a non-incumbent. By his account, he catapulted himself from a New York City public college to become a 'seasoned Wall Street financier and investor' with a family-owned real estate portfolio of 13 properties and an animal rescue charity that saved more than 2,500 dogs and cats.

"But a New York Times review of public documents and court filings from the United States and Brazil, as well as various attempts to verify claims that Mr. Santos, 34, made on the campaign trail, calls into question key parts of the résumé that he sold to voters. … [N]ew revelations uncovered by The Times — including the omission of key information on Mr. Santos's personal financial disclosures, and criminal charges for check fraud in Brazil — have the potential to create ethical and possibly legal challenges once he takes office."

FOR YOUR RADAR — "Arctic blast this week brings the coldest Christmas in nearly 40 years for millions," by CNN's Jennifer Gray

CLICKER — "2022's Most Salient News Events," by Morning Consult's Eli Yokley and Cameron Easley

Good Monday afternoon. I'm still reveling in LIONEL MESSI's magical moment for Argentina — and my pre-tournament prediction. Drop me a line with your way-too-early call for the 2026 World Cup: gross@politico.com. Give me Brazil to lift its sixth Cup.

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THE WHITE HOUSE

YEAR IN REVIEW — MIKE DONILON , one of Biden's top White House advisers, has a rosy outlook for the new year given what he saw from the president in 2022. "We see the President's approval rating on the upswing, a resilient economic climate, and strong support for the President's agenda," Donilon wrote in a memo, per reporting from CNN's MJ Lee and Phil Mattingly.

"Donilon writes that one of the most important factors contributing to Biden's upswing is a 'resilient economy' as he cites jobs growth, the recent drop in gas prices and the moderation of inflation. … 'While it will take time to get inflation back to normal levels as we make the transition to stable and steady growth – and we may face setbacks along the way – we are moving in the right direction,' Donilon writes." Read the memo

It's safe to say we're taking this memo with a grain of salt. For much of 2022, the White House insisted that the midterms were a referendum on Biden vs. Trump, not Biden's policies. Meanwhile, Biden's average approval rating sits at 42.8%, per FiveThirtyEight — a number he has hovered around (but rarely above) since September — and the Fed is signaling that the inflation fight is far from over.

IMMIGRATION FILES — "White House pushes back on calls to extend Title 42: 'We have to follow the court order,'" by CNN's MJ Lee: "The upcoming end of Title 42 — which was invoked under former President Donald Trump to try to contain the spread of Covid-19 and continued by President Joe Biden as the pandemic waned — has created a surge of migrants arriving in border communities like El Paso, Texas.

"Some have called on the White House to find a way to extend the controversial policy and the administration on Monday confronted criticism over its handling of border security. 'We have to follow the court order,' a White House official told CNN. 'A court is requiring us to lift it on December 21. We are required to do it.'"

— Meanwhile, the administration is "narrowing in on a plan that would combine Trump-era limits on asylum claims at the border with a new system for asylum seekers to apply to enter the U.S. legally," WSJ's Michelle Hackman reports. "Though officials are still finalizing specific policy elements, the overall plan they are moving toward would enact a new series of carrots and sticks to deter would-be asylum seekers from attempting to cross the border illegally and let them apply for admission into the U.S. instead."

— Related read: "Faith leaders prep for border changes amid tension, hope," by AP's Giovanna Dell'Orto

FIGHTING ANTISEMITISM — "At Hanukkah reception, Biden to condemn rising antisemitism," AP: "Biden is condemning growing antisemitism in remarks for a Hanukkah reception at the White House that will include a menorah lighting and blessing. The Democratic president will tell guests at the Monday night event that silence is complicity, according to White House officials, and will add that it's imperative that hate, violence and antisemitism are condemned."

STOP US IF YOU'VE READ THIS ONE BEFORE — "Biden's bullish 2024 talk does little to tamp down chatter," by AP's Will Weissert and Zeke Miller

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CONGRESS

McCARTHY'S MESS — House GOP Leader KEVIN McCARTHY is trying to turn up the heat on the band of conservatives who aim to sink his bid to become speaker. Axios reports that 54 GOP lawmakers have signed "statements of unqualified support" backing "Kevin Only" to ascend to the top of Republican ranks. It's part of a more approach to squash the rebellion, a McCarthy lieutenant tells Axios: "Now there's going to be more of an effort to expose the craziness of what they're doing." Read the 54 statements

ALL POLITICS

BUT CAN HE SCALE IT? — "The Rise of the DeSantis Democrats," by The Free Press' Olivia Reingold in Miami: "It's unclear how many DeSantis Democrats there are: [Florida Gov. RON] DeSANTIS' vote count jumped from roughly 4 million in 2018 to 4.6 million in 2022. Lots of those voters are presumably independents or Republicans who didn't vote last time. But some are disaffected Democrats alienated from the party they once belonged to. That's evident from the longtime Democratic strongholds that DeSantis flipped, including Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade, where DeSantis skyrocketed from a 21-point loss in 2018 to an 11-point win in 2022 — a net gain of more than 30 percentage points."

POLICY CORNER

FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — "DOJ Preps Charges Against Former ABC News Producer," by Rolling Stone's Tatiana Siegel: "More than seven months after ABC producer James Gordon Meek was the subject of a dramatic Federal Bureau of Investigation raid, an indictment is being prepared by the Department of Justice to present to a grand jury, according to two sources familiar with the matter."

NOT QUITE A VICTORY ROYALE — "Epic Games reaches $520 million FTC settlement over Fortnite privacy violations, unintended purchases," by The Verge's Emma Roth

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

THE HOMLESSNESS CRISIS — "U.S. homeless numbers stay about the same as before pandemic," by AP's Janie Har and Geoff Mulvihill: "The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that in federally required tallies taken across the country earlier this year, about 582,000 people were counted as homeless — a number that misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they do not have a place of their own. The figure was nearly the same as it was in a survey conducted in early 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit the nation hard. It was up by about 2,000 people — an increase of less than 1%. The administration aims to lower that by 25% by 2025."

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

CLIMATE FILES — "Nations promise to protect 30 percent of planet to stem extinction," by WaPo's Dino Grandoni in Montreal: "Close to 200 countries reached a watershed agreement early Monday to stem the loss of nature worldwide, pledging to protect nearly a third of Earth's land and oceans as a refuge for the planet's remaining wild plants and animals by the end of the decade. A room of bleary-eyed delegates erupted in applause in the wee hours after agreeing to the landmark framework at the U.N. biodiversity summit, called COP15. The hope is to turn the tide on an ongoing extinction crisis."

THE LATEST IN CHINA — "From Zero Covid to No Plan: Behind China's Pandemic U-Turn," by NYT's Chris Buckley, Alexandra Stevenson and Keith Bradsher

— "China Records First Deaths After Easing Covid-19 Policy, With Many More Likely," by WSJ's Austin Ramzy

WAR IN UKRAINE

THE LATEST — "Nighttime drone attack hits Kyiv as Putin heads to Belarus," by AP's Hanna Arhirova and Vasilisa Stepanenko

PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTED at Brian and Angie Mistretta's holiday party on Saturday, where guests enjoyed a charcuterie board, music from the Unified Jazz Ensemble and raised $2,500 to benefit ALIVE, an Alexandria-based nonprofit: Tiffany Taber, Katie Cissel Greenway, Peter and Suzanne Farrand, Christine Matthews, Lonnie Henley and Sara Hanks.

TRANSITIONS — Mike Martin is now chief of staff for Rep.-elect Mark Alford (R-Mo.). He most recently was deputy chief of staff for Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas). Luke Holland has now joined The Nickles Group. He previously was chief of staff for Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.).

BONUS BIRTHDAY: RNC's Danielle Alvarez

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