Nuclear bomb

The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Apr 05, 2024 View in browser   By Daniel Lippman, Eli Stokols, Lauren Egan and Ben Johansen Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren When the Department of Energy announced last week that the No. 2 official of its nuclear security agency, FRANK ROSE, was leaving, his boss issued an internal memo calling him an “empathetic, candid, and action-oriented leader who always thought of the whole team.” Left unsaid were the complaints about Rose’s behavior that had led to an internal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, according to eight current and former government officials familiar with the matter, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters. The investigation into Rose, the principal deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, was launched earlier this year by DOE’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, according to two of the officials, one a current and the other a former NNSA employee. West Wing Playbook also obtained an email from one of the investigators from the office, in which that person asked a former NNSA employee for an interview. The March email, which did not mention Rose by name, said the office “has been tasked with conducting an independent fact-finding review regarding allegations of harassment or hostile work environment at the NNSA.” According to three current and former NNSA officials, Rose made some women in the office feel uncomfortable. At least one employee warned female colleagues “to be cautious” about potential harassment when working with Rose’s office. One incident involving Rose was recounted by three of the current or former NNSA employees. At an agency-wide meeting in December with hundreds of NNSA employees in a DOE auditorium or watching virtually, Rose recounted how a female foreign government counterpart had complimented NNSA’s work to him. He responded by telling her: “I love you, will you marry me?” Some employees laughed at the remark, but it did not go over well with others who thought it was inappropriate. Complaints from women about Rose’s behavior have also been sent to the Department of Energy’s inspector general, according to two of the eight current and former government officials. MARK ZAID, a lawyer for Rose, said in a statement that Rose “denies he ever acted in a way that intentionally sought to make colleagues feel uncomfortable or harassed in any way and does not believe his actions would objectively be construed in such a manner. Obviously, individual perceptions can reasonably differ and the current climate sadly has often heightened sensitivities.” He also said that Rose hasn’t been notified of specific allegations against him or been afforded due process by the investigation. “We were generally aware of an internal inquiry into a vague accusation and offered to cooperate, but he has never been interviewed nor even offered an opportunity to defend himself,” Zaid said. A DOE spokesperson said the department doesn’t comment on personnel matters. The department declined to discuss the current status of the Office of Hearings and Appeals investigation. A spokesperson for DOE’s IG office also declined to comment. In last week’s announcement, JILL HRUBY, the administrator of NNSA and the under secretary for nuclear security at DOE, said Rose would be staying at the agency until the end of April, and he has continued traveling as part of his job, including to Space Command in Colorado earlier this week. Rose had told associates in the months prior to the announcement that he was planning on staying until the end of the Biden administration. The NNSA, while little-known outside of Washington, is in charge of maintaining America’s nuclear weapons and powering U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers as well as safeguarding nuclear material globally. It employs more than 60,000 people in labs and sites across the country, including the Los Alamos and Sandia national labs. Rose, 51, began serving as principal deputy administrator in August 2021 after being confirmed by the Senate. He served in the Obama administration at the State Department in offices involved in space and defense policy and has worked in the Department of Defense and on the Armed Services and intelligence committees in the House. He also had a stint in the think tank world. And some of the controversy surrounding him extends to his time there. One allegation against Rose was that he delayed extending an inter-governmental detail of an NNSA employee who had lodged a sexual harassment complaint against him when they previously worked together at the left-leaning Brookings Institution, according to interviews with that person and three current and former colleagues of hers, all of whom were part of the eight interviewed. A Brookings spokesperson said that it doesn’t comment on personnel matters but added in a statement: “Brookings takes allegations of misconduct very seriously. Harassment, including sexual harassment, is clearly prohibited by Brookings’ policies.” Zaid said Rose was never made aware of complaints filed against him at Brookings. Lara Seligman and Erin Banco contributed to this report. MESSAGE US — Are you FAITH RYNDA, public engagement coordinator? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!  MEA CULPA: In yesterday’s Oppo Book, we incorrectly referred to MEG WHITMAN as the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. She is the Ambassador to Kenya. It has since been updated with the correct title. We apologize to her for the error.   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     POTUS PUZZLER Why did MILLARD FILLMORE decline an honorary degree from Oxford University? (Answer at bottom.) Photo of the Week President Biden speaks on Friday after an operational briefing on the response and recovery efforts of Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. | AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta The Oval FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: The White House is taking aim at the Republican Study Committee’s budget proposal — again. An administration study of the impact of the plan in all 50 states, obtained by West Wing Playbook Friday, found that the GOP budget would cut investments in the social safety net by more than 30 percent, including funding for job training and employment services programs that would affect more than 900,000 people. Pointing to the proposed $5.5 billion tax cut for corporations and the wealthy, the White House accused Republicans of “rigging” the economy for the rich while “throw[ing] workers under the bus.” TOUCHING DOWN: President JOE BIDEN on Friday took an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, our JENNIFER HABERKORN reports. He was joined on Marine One by Gov. WES MOORE before motorcading to the Maryland Transportation Authority for a briefing on efforts to remove the bridge wreckage and restore commerce to the port. Biden later met with the family members of the six people who died in the collapse. Biden announced over $8 million in grant funding for nearby Sparrows Point port, to help ease disruptions. “I’m here to say the nation has your back,” the president said during his remarks. “We’re going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible.” He reiterated that the government would pay for all of the repairs, but added that the administration is committed to pursuing damages from “the parties responsible.” NOT QUITE THERE: Israel announced that it would expand the flow of aid into Gaza by reopening the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza, but Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN said Friday that it might not be enough to meet U.S. demands, AP’s MATTHEW LEE reports. Blinken said the U.S. will need to see tangible steps taken to protect civilians and aid workers. “We welcome these steps that have been announced by Israel,” Blinken said. “These are positive developments but the real test is results and that’s what we’re looking to see in the coming days and the coming weeks." WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: The Labor Department’s March jobs report, which shows that the U.S. economy is continuing to steamroll through expectations. Employers added 303,000 jobs in March, marking the 39th straight month of job growth. The unemployment rate remained under 4 percent in March — the 26th consecutive month of sub-4 percent unemployment — and down to 3.8 percent, from 3.9 in February. The gains also mean there has now been over 15 million jobs added since Biden took office. “That’s 15 million more people who have the dignity and respect that comes with a paycheck,” the president said in a statement. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by our ANTHONY ADRAGNA and Jennifer Haberkorn, who report on comments made by Sens. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) and TIM KAINE (D-Va.) pushing Biden to get tougher on Israel. On the podcast “Pod Save America,” Sanders called Biden’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war hypocritical. “One day the president is angry at [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, the next day he’s very angry. And the next day he’s very, very angry, you know. So what?” Kaine, a leading Democrat on foreign policy, said in a statement that America’s position towards Israel is “not working.” WHEN YOU’D RATHER NOT MAKE THE TRIP THERE: President Biden plans to welcome Kenyan President WILLIAM RUTO to the White House in May, AP’s WILL WEISSERT reports. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE announced on Friday that the May 23 state visit will mark the 60th anniversary of U.S.-Kenya diplomatic relations and “celebrate a partnership that is delivering for the people” of both countries. Biden promised to visit Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, which would have been the first trip to the continent by a U.S. president in a decade. But, no, you didn’t miss it. The trip has yet to happen. DID YOU FEEL THAT??? A 4.8-magnitude earthquake rattled the East coast on Friday, hitting northern New Jersey (which no one seemed to want to admit, cc. KATHY HOCHUL). To our West coast elitists readers, we get it. This is your thing. But New Yorkers desperately need to make everything about them. Get over it. And don’t worry, we have an answer to your most burning question. Was President Biden briefed on this? Yes, and all his confidence is in Jersey Gov. PHIL MURPHY. “He thinks everything’s under control,” Biden told reporters. “He’s not too concerned about it … So things are alright.” Phew. As for the best coverage of the quake, we nominate: this. CAMPAIGN HQ MORE PEACH: The Biden campaign on Friday announced that it’s expanding its operations in Georgia, hiring nine additional staffers and setting up seven offices across the state, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s GREG BLUESTEIN reports. The campaign said the offices will be open in mid-April. THE BUREAUCRATS MAKING US LOOK GOOD: Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN landed in China this week for a series of meetings with senior Chinese officials. But what caught the attention of spectators the most was her chopsticks finesse, WaPo’s LILY KUO reports. “Watching Yellen use chopsticks, it’s clear she’s a chopsticks master. She definitely eats Chinese food on a regular basis,” one user wrote on the microblog Weibo after news outlets posted this clip of Yellen showing off her chopsticks prowess. Yellen was served a menu of over a dozen dishes, including roast goose and barbecued pork, shrimp dumplings, iced sweet and sour pork and egg tarts. “What she ordered was very representative of Cantonese dishes,” a staffer at the restaurant said. Agenda Setting GIVING IT THE OLE COLLEGE TRY, AGAIN: The Biden administration will make a second attempt at a large-scale student loan forgiveness proposal, WSJ’s ANDREW RESTUCCIA reports. The new proposal would reduce or eliminate student loan balances for millions of borrowers, which is expected to come as soon as next week. Biden is planning to outline parts of the proposal during a speech Monday in Madison, Wisconsin. The president has taken steps to tackle student debt in small increments after the Supreme Court last year overturned the administration’s first sweeping forgiveness plan. What We're Reading What Are We Told About the Health of Biden and Trump? They Decide. (NYT’s Michael D. Shear) Unmask Donald Trump (Brian Beutler via Substack) Biden allies dust off Bush's 2004 playbook, subbing abortion for gay marriage on the ballot (NBC’s Sahil Kapur and Adam Edelman) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER In 1855, Fillmore was offered an honorary degree from Oxford, but declined, claiming to have “neither literacy or scientific attainment.” He was also a bit concerned about jabs from the Oxford snobs, according to the New York Times. “They would probably ask, ‘Who’s Fillmore?’” the former president said. “‘What’s he done? Where did he come from?’ And then my name would, I fear, give them an excellent opportunity to make jokes at my expense.” We get it. A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Sam Stein.   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.       Follow us on Twitter Eli Stokols @EliStokols Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Ben Johansen @BenJohansen3   Follow us

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