With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
THE SPIN CYCLE — “‘I’ve never seen a worse hearing’: College presidents debacle meets PR blame game,” by Hailey Fuchs and Michael Stratford: “Who got paid to give advice on one of the most disastrous public relations moments in modern memory?”
JUST POSTED — “Hunter Biden Text Cited in Impeachment Inquiry Is Not What G.O.P. Suggests,” by NYT’s Adam Entous: “A 2019 message from the president’s son alluded to giving his father half his salary. The back story offers unflattering insights into the Biden family but does not support assertions of corruption.”
ANOTHER ‘PERFECT’ PHONE CALL? — Stop us if you’ve heard this before. Then-President DONALD TRUMP personally pressured election officials not to certify the 2020 presidential election.
No, we’re not talking about Georgia.
Last night, Craig Mauger of the Detroit News published a blockbuster story reporting that Trump tried to convince two Republicans on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers not to add their John Hancocks to the certification of the heavily Democratic county’s 2020 election results — and Mauger has receipts to back it up.
The reporter got his hands on audio from a Nov. 17, 2020, phone call that took place within 30 minutes of a Wayne County Board of Canvassers meeting. On the call, Trump reportedly insisted to officials MONICA PALMER and WILLIAM HARTMANN that it’d look “terrible” if they signed. The two Republicans had voted earlier to approve the certification after they’d initially voted against the move.
What Trump reportedly said: “We’ve got to fight for our country … We can’t let these people take our country away from us. … Everybody knows Detroit is crooked as hell.”
Also on the call? RNC Chair (and fellow Michigander herself) RONNA McDANIEL, a Wayne County resident who reportedly told the two officials: “Do not sign it. … We will get you attorneys.”
As Mauger writes, “Palmer and Hartmann left the canvassers meeting without signing the official statement of votes for Wayne County, and the following day, they unsuccessfully attempted to rescind their votes in favor of certification, filing legal affidavits claiming they were pressured.”
If this is giving you deja vu, we can’t blame you. We’ve already seen how recordings such as these can have serious legal implications: Trump is facing charges in Georgia for pressuring officials there to “find” him more than 11,000 votes so he could be declared the winner in the Peach State. He’s also facing criminal conspiracy charges at the federal level for trying to overturn the election.
We reached out to Michigan AG DANA NESSEL and her team last night to see if they, too, will bring charges against Trump. No response yet. But the office has been investigating efforts to upend the 2020 election results for a while now.
Meanwhile, you can expect this news to roil the political world. According to CNN’s Zachary Cohen, the recording “was NOT among the materials handed over to [special counsel] JACK SMITH by the Michigan Secretary of State’s office.”
Speaking of Michigan …
TAKE SOME TIME TO READ THIS ONE TODAY — You may not know Macomb County, Michigan, by name, but what happened there has likely affected you without you realizing it.
There’s a story you might know about this place. It goes something like this: Macomb has been a top target for presidential hopefuls for almost a half-century now, operating as something like the de facto capital of white suburban America. It was the most heavily Democratic suburban county in the U.S. in the 1960s — then underwent a radical political shift in the decades that followed, breaking for Republicans.
They called the voters here the “Reagan Democrats,” and the battle for them became central to BILL CLINTON’s electoral coalition, to Trump’s efforts to puncture the Dems’ Midwestern “blue wall” — and to JOE BIDEN’s effort to rebuild it.
That’s the familiar story. But behind that is a story that’s never been told until now.
This morning, Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton publishes a magnum opus — one we’ve been hearing about for months! — on how Macomb, where he grew up, became such a political force. It is, in essence, a secret history of the American suburb.
Zack traces it all back to one mixed-race family that moved into Warren, Michigan, in 1967, when mixed marriages were still illegal in a third of the country. Over the course of two weeks after moving in, the family, the BAILEYS, faced rioting and harassment by their white neighbors — and local officials doing the bare minimum to protect them.
Over time, their story faded. But there was one official who remembered — and was determined to do something about it.
His name was GEORGE ROMNEY. And when Romney became RICHARD NIXON’s HUD secretary, he pursued an ambitious national policy to desegregate America’s suburbs — starting with Warren in Macomb County as a sort of Ground Zero for his efforts.
Unfortunately for Romney, his efforts backfired — both locally and nationwide — and the entire national effort fell apart. The controversy, all triggered by the Baileys’ story, forced a reckoning in the GOP that still impacts the party today.
“On one side was Romney … who imagined a Republican Party that added Black, Jewish and Hispanic voters to the GOP coalition — embracing civil rights and assembling a diverse coalition of middle-class Americans,” Zack writes. “The other side … embraced the so-called ‘Southern strategy,’ capitalizing on racial and cultural concerns among white voters who’d long voted for Democrats.”
For the GOP, it was a time for choosing. And the rest, as they say, is history.
There’s so much more to this article, and you’re going to want to make the time to read every word — which is long, but gripping and surprisingly moving. Spend some time with it today or over the holidays. It’s worth it. Trust us.
Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
TALK OF THIS TOWN — Michael Schaffer’s latest column: “Are D.C. Democrats Scared of Their Employees?: On the left, fear of underlings shapes decisions, while the right quivers in fear of its own base.”
THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: ARTHUR BROOKS — Most people come to Washington seeking power — over policy, over elections, over law, over the stories that shape people’s minds.
But the oldest story in Washington is how the quest for power almost always comes at the expense of what everyone says they really want: happiness.
Of course, it’s not just a Washington story; it’s part of a much bigger dynamic afflicting the country.
A few years ago, Arthur Brooks traded away his job running the American Enterprise Institute for a career as a full-time happiness scientist. He’s also a bestselling author on this subject and recently published a book with OPRAH WINFREY called “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier.”
On today’s show, he’s going to share a secret at the heart of his research that we hope you’ll find a worthy idea to reflect on over the holidays. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
On the Hill
The Senate and the House are out.
What we’re watching … If you’ve ever wondered why senators often seem so reluctant to criticize their colleagues — even those in serious ethical or legal trouble — consider this: Two non-controversial Biden nominees, to the USDA and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, were left out of the Senate’s end-of-year confirmations package this week at the behest of Sen. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.).
According to the senator’s office, the holds were placed due to the administration’s “lack of responsiveness” on the pending immigration talks. But Meredith Lee Hill reports that some are seeing a different motive: The two nominees are under the jurisdiction of the Senate Agriculture Committee, whose chair, DEBBIE STABENOW (D-Mich.), was among the first Democrats to call for Menendez’s resignation following his recent corruption indictment.
It’s a reminder that, in the Senate, comity isn’t just for comity’s sake. It’s also because any one senator has the power to make you miserable at any moment.
At the White House
Biden will stop by Children’s National Hospital with first lady JILL BIDEN for a holiday visit with patients and families at 3:45 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff.
POLICY CORNER
KHAN’S RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK — LINA KHAN, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, has been the subject of many stepback pieces and profiles as she leads an agency that has been at the forefront of much of Biden’s regulatory agenda — earning her plenty of scrutiny and criticism from both sides of the aisle.
Her lofty ambitions for the agency to cut back on corporate power could wind up being a large part of Biden’s legacy in the White House — “but time is running short on Biden’s first term, meaning a clock is ticking for Khan as well if he’s not reelected,” our colleague Josh Sisco reports in an insightful look at Khan’s tenure.
“She’s in a race to lock in as many wins as possible before next year’s election — while also courting major blowback. In Washington, that means she’s been consolidating power at the agency and pushing the boundaries of its legal limits in a flurry of headline-generating activity.”
The woman behind the curtain: “Khan has a reputation as introverted and press-averse — one that extends inside her agency, where many employees have worried that her circle of confidants is too small, and she hasn’t reached out to build the alliances that effective agency heads require, according to current and former agency personnel.”
But Josh spent some time observing Khan’s interactions with a host of people across the country who don’t typically get an intimate audience with D.C. power players, finding that she has a different side, “displaying a level of engagement and curiosity not typically seen on the Washington conference circuit.”
More top reads:
2024 WATCH
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Republican Accountability PAC is rolling out a six-figure ad campaign to take Trump to task, titled “Dictator Donald,” hitting the former president for his recent comment that he wouldn’t be a dictator if he returns to the White House “except for Day One.” The 60-second ad compares Trump to the likes of BENITO MUSSOLINI, HUGO CHÁVEZ, AUGUSTO PINOCHET and Hungarian PM VIKTOR ORBÁN.
In your home for the holidays: The ad will begin running nationally today on CNN and MSNBC. It will also be shown on the Hallmark Channel and during TBS’ “A Christmas Story” marathon in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Watch the ad
More top reads:
- No Labels, the centrist organization that has pushed a unity ticket for the 2024 election, is now “openly floating the prospect of a ‘coalition government’ forming after the 2024 election if no candidate reaches the 270 Electoral College votes necessary to win the White House,” NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard and Dan Gallo report. “Officials with the group are mapping out an unlikely and largely unprecedented scenario where they could be in a position to cut deals on policy, Cabinet posts or even the vice presidency if their still-unformed ticket manages to win electoral votes and blocks a major-party nominee from winning the presidency outright.”
AMERICA AND THE WORLD
BREAKING THE BANKS — The White House is “quietly signaling new support for seizing more than $300 billion in Russian central bank assets stashed in Western nations, and has begun urgent discussions with allies about using the funds to aid Ukraine’s war effort at a moment when financial support is waning,” NYT’s David Sanger and Alan Rappeport report.
Despite previous arguments against the move over its legality, the administration, “in coordination with the Group of 7 industrial nations, has begun taking another look at whether it can use its existing authorities or if it should seek congressional action to use the funds.”
THE STATE OF PLAY — As Biden and Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU continue to present differing visions for the post-war Gaza, WaPo’s Yasmeen Abutaleb, John Hudson and William Booth have the latest readout on the divide: “While the Biden administration seeks to contain the war to Gaza, and end intensive combat there soon, some Israeli officials are pressing to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon next, a move U.S. officials have worked for weeks to head off. And American and Israeli officials disagree on how harshly to punish militant Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
“In other words, Biden and Netanyahu are at odds on virtually all the major questions that will become critical the moment Israel winds down its ‘Swords of Iron’ military campaign.”
PUT IN PERSPECTIVE — “Israel’s military campaign in Gaza seen as among the most destructive in history, experts say,” by AP’s Julia Frankel in Jerusalem
ON YOUR FOR YOU PAGE — “How TikTok Brings War Home to Your Child,” by WSJ’s Sam Schechner, Rob Barry, Georgia Wells, Jason French, Brian Whitton and Kara Dapena: “Within hours after signing up, TikTok began serving some accounts highly polarized content, reflecting often extreme pro-Palestinian or pro-Israel positions about the conflict. Many stoked fear.”
IMMIGRATION FILES — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN will travel to Mexico this week for a meeting with Mexican President ANDRÉS MANUEL LÓPEZ OBRADOR to “discuss further actions that can be taken together to address current border challenges,” per the White House. More from the WSJ
MORE POLITICS
BATTER UP — STEVE GARVEY is stepping up to the plate. “The baseball legend, who’s running as a Republican to represent California in the U.S. Senate, is rising in polls — giving the state’s marginalized GOP new hopes of having a candidate on the ballot in November. It’s also handing his Democratic competition a much-welcomed political foil,” Lara Korte reports.
BIG INVESTIGATION — “More Adams donors with ties to Turkey emerge amid FBI corruption probe,” by Jason Beeferman and Joe Anuta: “An extensive POLITICO investigation of campaign finance records uncovered several current and past [ERIC] ADAMS donors who have strong ties to KSK Construction, a Brooklyn-based general contractor whose offices were raided by the FBI last month amid an ongoing investigation into the mayor’s past campaign. The bureau is examining the campaign’s potential collusion with the Turkish government, according to a search warrant reported on by the New York Times.”
PRIMARY COLORS — “Trump looms over key Montana Senate race as hard-right Rosendale may upend GOP plans,” by CNN’s Manu Raju and Alayna Treene: “If Trump stays neutral, as some of his advisers believe he may, it could give an opening to [Rep. MATT] ROSENDALE, who is likely to face a deluge of attack ads from groups aligned with GOP leaders but who might benefit from outside organizations now pummeling [TIM] SHEEHY on the airwaves.”
MISCELLANY
NEWS YOU CAN PROBABLY USE — “Need a Last-Minute Gift? This Lobbying Group Has a ‘Made in America’ Holiday Catalog for You,” by WSJ’s Bob Tita
SUNDAY SO FAR …
ABC “This Week”: Deputy AG Lisa Monaco … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Trump legal panel: Sarah Isgur and Preet Bharara. Panel: Asma Khalid, Alex Burns, Ruth Marcus and Ramesh Ponnuru.
MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge … Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova … Olivia Troye … Michelle Norris.
FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.). Panel: Alex Hoff, Howard Kurtz, Marc Thiessen and Kevin Walling.
CNN “State of the Union,” with a climate change special: Al Gore … Ray Dalio … Katharine Hayhoe. Panel: David Axelrod, Mia Love, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
CBS “Face the Nation”: Panels: Jan Crawford, Jeff Pegues, Robert Costa, Major Garrett, Catherine Herridge, Ed O’Keefe, David Martin and Nikole Killion.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump visited the site of a Hamas attack in Israel yesterday.
Hanan Elatr, the widow of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, was granted political asylum in the U.S.
Tim Burchett has an, uh, interesting explanation for how some members of Congress vote.
All Joe Biden wants for Christmas is to give Mariah Carey a White House tour.
TRANSITIONS — Jacob Long is now a VP of public affairs at SKDK. He previously was comms director for Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.). … Pat Garrett is joining the Nikki Haley campaign as Iowa press lead, the Des Moines Register’s Stephen Gruber-Miller reports. He’s a Kim Reynolds and Brenna Bird alum.
ENGAGED — Hannah Bristol, senior adviser in the White House Office of Public Engagement, and Marie McGrath, director of development at O, Miami, got engaged Dec. 2. Pic … Another pic
— Emma Newburger, a news editor at Bloomberg, and Tucker Higgins, a third-year student at Yale Law School who is joining Davis Polk’s litigation department next year, got engaged Dec. 2 in their Park Slope apartment after Emma opened up a journal Tucker had gotten her early on in their relationship with a note that he read to her ending with “Will you marry me?” They met when they were both working at CNBC. Pic … Another pic
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Andrew McIndoe, founder and president of Invictus Strategies, and Haley McIndoe welcomed Harrison Graeme McIndoe on Monday morning. He came in at 6 lbs and 19 inches, and joins big siblings Lottie and Augustus. Pic
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) … Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) (6-0) … Diane Sawyer … Jamie Kirchick … Mike Needham of America 2100 … DJ Nordquist … Venable’s Rich Ward … Matt Manda … Heather Holdridge of Real Voices Media … Adam Verdugo … Libby Rosenbaum of the American Council of Young Political Leaders … Maria Thorbourne … Zack Carroll … ACB Ideas’ Rachel Manfredi … Beau Phillips, who is one year older than Robb Watters, celebrating in Prague … Jake Perry of Jake Perry + Partners … BerlinRosen’s Karen Defilippi … NPR’s Michele Kelemen … McGuireWoods Consulting’s Mark Bowles … Paul Wolfowitz (8-0) … former Rep. Bill Lipinski (D-Ill.) … POLITICO’s Kristin Longe and Daniella Diaz … Eugene Steuerle … Andrew Egger … WTOP’s Matt Small … former Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz … Maeve Coyle … Mary Kirtley Waters … Landon Heid … Hank Sheinkopf … Justin Duckham … Scott Sadler … Mary Baskerville … Matt Cohen of HBS+ … Marc Raimondi … Chris Austin … Tyler Barth … Matthew Mazzone
Send Playbookers tips to [email protected] 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.
