Hunter's Hill stunt

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Jan 10, 2024 View in browser   By Bethany Irvine Presented by TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT — “Everything is on the line for Haley and DeSantis at Wednesday night’s debate,” by CNN’s Stephen Collinson … “Fox is airing a Trump town hall live. Can its moderators maintain control?” by WaPo’s Jeremy Barr Hunter Biden leaves a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 10. | AP HUNTER THE HUNTED — HUNTER BIDEN made a surprise appearance on the Hill today as the House Oversight and Judiciary committees gathered for two separate votes to hold him in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena requiring him to sit for a closed-door interview. Surprising no one, chaos ensued. During his short cameo, the president’s son sat silently in the front row of the Oversight Committee room as members spoke. Some, like Rep. NANCY MACE (R-S.C.) used the opportunity to fling insults and accusations at the president's son. “You are the epitome of white privilege, coming into the Oversight Committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed,” Mace said. “What are you afraid of? You have no balls.” “If the gentlelady wants to hear from Hunter Biden, we can hear from him right now,” Rep. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-Fla.) interjected. “Let’s take a vote and hear from Hunter Biden.” Video of the exchange “Biden left the meeting shortly after he arrived, when Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) tried to start questioning him,” Jordain Carney and Anthony Adragna report. “‘Apparently you’re afraid of my words,’ she said.” As a PR stunt, the move showed some savvy: As MTG spoke, the cable news networks went from carrying the hearing to instead showing Biden’s lawyer, ABBE LOWELL, speaking in the hallway outside the hearing room. Lowell said the House GOP was motivated by “improper partisan motives” and called the subpoena for a closed-door deposition "a tactic that the Republicans have repeatedly misused in their political crusade to selectively leak and mischaracterize what witnesses have said,” NBC News’ Sarah Fitzpatrick and Summer Concepcion report. ICYMI: Eugene and Betsy Woodruff Swan on Hunter Biden’s new counter-offensive strategy So what now? Should the votes move forward as expected the contempt resolution would head to the House floor for a full vote. If the House votes to hold Biden contempt, it will be up to the Department of Justice to decide whether to prosecute. MEANWHILE, IN CANNON — The House Homeland Security Committee held their first hearing this morning in their longstanding efforts to impeach DHS Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS for his handling of the immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Prior to the hearing, Rep. CHIP ROY (R-Texas) sent a letter calling on his colleagues to support ousting Mayorkas, arguing “the case has never been stronger.” More from Katherine Tully-McManus: "The GOP's move to impeach Mayorkas without evidence of criminal or other improper activity beyond its policy dispute with him is unprecedented. Republicans argue that Mayorkas is not upholding existing immigration laws, but Democrats counter that the entire affair is designed to appeal to their base in an election year." On the right: During opening remarks, Chair MARK GREEN (R-Tenn.) described the hearing as a “solemn occasion,” saying that Mayorkas “has brazenly refused to enforce the laws passed by Congress that knowingly made our country less safe. What we are seeing here is a willful violation of his oath of office.” On the left: Democrats on the panel repeatedly pushed back against the GOP’s claims, with Ranking member Rep. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) called the House GOP’s impeachment push a “pre-planned, predetermined political stunt,” adding “this is not a legitimate impeachment.” SPENDING STATE OF PLAY — Despite weeks of deadlock, House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON maintained an optimistic outlook on the Senate's ongoing deliberations over border security policies today during an appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, Anthony reports. Johnson noted that while he's yet to see the text of the latest proposal he’s “cautiously optimistic” on a deal. Johnson said he’s planning on calling former president DONALD TRUMP today to “talk him through the details of” of the spending framework proposed over the weekend. Still, a solution still seems pretty far off. KTM reports that while Senate Republicans are now “resigned to the fact that they’ll need another stopgap measure,” to keep the government’s lights on, their House colleagues aren’t on board with the idea: Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.   A message from Instagram: New federal legislation will give parents a say in teen app downloads. According to a new poll by Morning Consult conducted in November 2023, more than 75% of parents believe teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps without parental permission.1 Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done. Learn more. 1"US Parents Study on Teen App Downloads" by Morning Consult (Meta-commissioned survey of 2,019 parents), Nov. 2023.   6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW President Joe Biden will make campaign stops Michigan and Nevada this month. | Stephanie Scarbrough/AP   A message from Instagram:   1. HIT THE ROAD, JOE: This month, Biden will visit Michigan and Nevada as he works to “prioritize the [Democratic] party’s more diverse coalition” of voters, NBC News’ Mike Memoli reports this morning. Just one problem: “In doing so, though, Biden is also having to confront directly some of the biggest political challenges he faces within his party.” The gist: “Biden could be courting Latino voters in Nevada while simultaneously negotiating a border funding bill that includes stricter immigration policies that are opposed by Hispanic leaders. And the campaign concedes it needs to take a delicate approach in Michigan, as the state’s sizable Arab American population has been critical of his staunch support for Israel.” 2. EYES ON THE HAWKEYE STATE: As GOP presidential candidates vie for votes ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucuses, WaPo’s Danielle Paquette and Sabrina Rodriguez are out with a look at how GOP ads and Trump’s volatile rhetoric surrounding immigration have filled the state’s immigrant population with dread: “The fire hose of campaign vitriol targeting ‘undocumented’ or ‘illegal’ migrants crushes room for nuanced debate, some say, threatening to demonize anyone who looks foreign. … [An]nd even those who agree with cracking down on unauthorized entry are disturbed by the relentless condemnation of people they see as fleeing danger or seeking a better life.”   GLOBAL PLAYBOOK IS TAKING YOU TO DAVOS! Unlock the insider's guide to one of the world's most influential gatherings as POLITICO's Global Playbook takes you behind the scenes of the 2024 World Economic Forum. Author Suzanne Lynch will be on the ground in the Swiss Alps, bringing you the exclusive conversations, shifting power dynamics and groundbreaking ideas shaping the agenda in Davos. Stay in the know with POLITICO's Global Playbook, your VIP pass to the world’s most influential gatherings. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     3. BACK TO SCHOOL: The Republican-controlled House Ways and Means Committee has launched an investigation into Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University’s alleged “failure to adequately protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment,” The Washington Examiner’s Gabe Kaminsky scoops. “News of its existence comes as conservatives take aim at schools for seemingly being late to condemn the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks against Israel, while promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion policies that lawmakers argue ‘raise questions about moral clarity,’ according to a letter the GOP-led panel’s chairman, Rep. JASON SMITH (R-MO), sent Wednesday to the presidents of the four universities.” 4. KNOWING RASHIDA TLAIB: “Rashida Tlaib gave Palestinian Americans a voice. Then came the war,” by WaPo’s Kara Voght: “How does it feel to be [Rep. RASHIDA] TLAIB right now? The Michigan Democrat, born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrants, is the first and only Palestinian American member of a Congress — a body that is, like the rest of the U.S. government, very pro-Israel. … During her five years in Congress, her vocal criticism of Israel has led to accusations of antisemitism by colleagues — accusations that, according to Tlaib and her allies, reflect a misreading of who she is and what she means. … For Tlaib, having a powerful voice is complicated. If people are listening, there’s no guarantee that they will really hear her. At least, not how she wants them to.” 5. SURVEY SAYS: Recent AP-NORC polling data show that Americans across racial backgrounds cite economic concerns as a main priority this year, AP’s Matt Brown and Linley Sanders report, “making it the most commonly mentioned issue for each [racial] group, as well as for U.S. adults overall at 76%.” More on the numbers: “About 3 in 10 adults who are white, AAPI or Hispanic list inflation as an important focus for 2024. About 2 in 10 Black adults also listed inflation as a top concern. … Immigration was named as a top priority for government action by 43% of Hispanic adults, 36% of white adults and 29% of Asians and Pacific Islanders, but only 19% of Black adults.” 6. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: As the United States and China concluded two days of military talks in Washington yesterday, Chinese officials maintained they would “never compromise” on their country’s claims of sovereignty over Taiwan just days before the Taiwanese presidential election, NBC News’ Larissa Gao reports from Hong Kong. Related read: “The Next Front in the U.S.-China Battle Over Chips,” by NYT’s Don Clark and Ana Swanson   Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Please take a 1-minute survey about one of our advertising partners   PLAYBOOKERS Pramila Jayapal made quite an embarrassing flub during today’s Oversight hearing. Mike Johhnson wants his colleagues to leave him alone on social media. TRANSITIONS — Morgan Viña is now a principal at Invariant. She previously was VP of government affairs at the Jewish Institute for National Security and is a Nikki Haley and Bob Corker alum. … Anastasia Apa is joining the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee as VP of development. She previously was at the States Project and is a longtime fundraiser. … Nick Tortorici is now manager of federal government relations for LyondellBasell. He most recently was legislative director for Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND). Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.   POLITICO AT CES® 2024: We are going ALL On at CES 2024 with a special edition of the POLITICO Digital Future Daily newsletter. The CES-focused newsletter will take you inside the most powerful tech event in the world, featuring revolutionary products that cut across verticals, and insights from industry leaders that are shaping the future of innovation. The newsletter runs from Jan. 9-12 and will focus on the public policy-related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the show.       Follow us on Twitter Rachael Bade @rachaelmbade Eugene Daniels @EugeneDaniels2 Ryan Lizza @RyanLizza Eli Okun @eliokun Garrett Ross @garrett_ross   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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