Nov 21, 2024

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THE CATCH-UP

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) walks at the U.S. Capitol.

“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle,” Matt Gaetz said on X. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

GAETZ CRASHER — MATT GAETZ has pulled out of contention to be AG, a major early blow to President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s effort to install firebrand outsiders in charge of key federal agencies.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” the former Florida congressman wrote on X. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle.”

Though Trump tapped Gaetz to have a surefire loyalist leading a Justice Department he mistrusts, his history of personal scandals and federal investigation — culminating in this week’s controversy around the House Ethics Committee’s report — jeopardized his future nomination from the start. Widespread opprobrium for Gaetz among his Hill Republican colleagues didn’t help. His withdrawal signals that despite broad support for Trump among congressional Republicans (and talk of recess appointments), there are limits to how much senators will acquiesce before flexing their power.

The latest bombshell detail comes from CNN’s Paula Reid and Sarah Ferris, who report that House Ethics was told of a second alleged sexual encounter between Gaetz and the then-17-year-old minor at the center of his probe. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, and DOJ’s investigation of the matter didn’t yield charges. But Reid said that Gaetz’s withdrawal came 45 minutes after CNN called to ask for comment on this.

Some as-yet unanswered questions:

— Will Gaetz rescind his House resignation? Yes, Gaetz resigned from the current Congress and said he did not intend to be sworn in to the seat he was elected to in the next Congress. But with no special election yet scheduled, Gaetz could conceivably change his mind and decide to serve. He might find it preferable, however, to lobby for another, non-Senate-confirmed administration job — which brings us to …

— Whither the House Ethics report? The secretive committee met yesterday and decided to postpone further deliberations on releasing its allegedly salacious findings until Dec. 5. Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing to force their hand on the House floor. Gaetz’s resignation could take the air out of that effort, but the answer to this question is related to the first: If he signals he wants to come back to the House — or assume another administration job — expect a renewed push for transparency.

— Whom will Trump nominate in his place? Trump now faces the unwelcome prospect of moving further down his maybe list, which he previously found sufficiently wanting that he tapped Gaetz. One possible pick, former Rep. JOHN RATCLIFFE (R-Texas), has been tapped for the CIA. Another, Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah.), reportedly wants to stay in the Senate. A third, MATT WHITAKER, was just announced as ambassador to NATO. Could Trump reassign former SEC Chair JAY CLAYTON, who is now tabbed to lead the DOJ’s high-profile Manhattan office, to Main Justice? Take a second look at Missouri AG ANDREW BAILEY? Or opt for a wild card like Texas AG KEN PAXTON?

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ADVICE AND CONSENT — Gaetz’s withdrawal comes as another Trump Cabinet nominee facing sexual misconduct allegations makes the rounds on Capitol Hill. Defense nominee PETE HEGSETH — who, like Gaetz, denies any wrongdoing — got a positive reception from incoming Senate Majority Whip JOHN BARRASSO (R-Wyo.), who said in a statement today that Hegseth is a “strong nominee.” Though Gaetz and Hegseth have taken up a lot of oxygen, there’s also fresh scrutiny being applied to the records and stances of a panoply of other Trump selections:

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. for HHS secretary: CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski dug up old comments in which Kennedy called Trump a “threat to democracy,” said he plans to “destroy the climate” and compared him to ADOLF HITLER and BENITO MUSSOLINI. (Kennedy says he regrets the comments now.) The Bulwark’s Andrew Egger dug up comments from just last year in which Kennedy said he was persuaded by the “chemtrails” conspiracy theory. On the Hill, some GOP senators are concerned about his pro-abortion-rights record, The Dispatch’s Charles Hilu reports. And despite Kennedy’s liberal views on some health issues, progressive groups are lining up to oppose him, Marcia Brown, Daniel Payne and Megan Messerly report.

TULSI GABBARD for DNI: Gabbard’s techno-libertarian skepticism of government surveillance and support for whistleblowers who expose secrets make her an unusual pick to lead the intelligence community, CNN’s Katie Bo Lillis, Jeremy Herb and Daniel Strauss report. It’s a longtime emphasis for Gabbard, dating back to her days as a Democrat, that goes way beyond Trump’s “deep state” attacks on the intelligence community. For her former House Dem friends, Gabbard’s political evolution has been baffling, NOTUS’ Shifra Dayak reports.

And more: Examinations of chief of staff SUSIE WILES’ experience as a lobbyist from AP’s Brian Slodysko, Joshua Goodman and Alan Suderman and NYT’s Kate Kelly and Ken Vogel … Reuters’ Alexandra Alper on China conflict-of-interest questions for Commerce secretary pick HOWARD LUTNICK … Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel on Qatar conflict-of-interest questions for special envoy to the Middle East pick STEVE WITKOFF

BIG MEDIA MOVE — ELISABETH BUMILLER is leaving her role as Washington bureau chief for the NYT after nearly a decade, she announced. She’s returning to reporting.

Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.

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7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses lawmakers in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem. Monday Nov.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A war crimes arrest warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu drew condemnation in Washington. | Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo

1. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: The Biden and future Trump administrations aren’t happy about the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for crimes against humanity for Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU and former Defense Minister YOAV GALLANT (as well as Hamas leaders) today. The White House told Axios’ Barak Ravid it’s figuring out next steps and believes the ICC lacks jurisdiction here. “You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January,” threatened Rep. MICHAEL WALTZ (R-Fla.), Trump’s pick for national security adviser.

The reaction on Capitol Hill has been similarly withering so far: Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader JOHN THUNE called the move “outrageous, unlawful, and dangerous,” and it will increase pressure for a Senate vote on sanctions against the ICC in the coming weeks.

2. STATE OF THE UNIONS: One of the federal agencies most in danger under the Trump administration may be the National Labor Relations Board. Amazon and SpaceX argued in court this week that the NLRB’s setup is unconstitutional, and it faces many other legal challenges to its remit. And now Trump advisers are weighing “the exceptional step” of firing the board’s Democratic members, WaPo’s Caroline O’Donovan and Lauren Kaori Gurley report. That could significantly rein in the board’s recent pro-union actions, altering the country’s balance of power between workers and employers.

3. THE COIN OF DOGE: “Comer to create DOGE subcommittee chaired by Marjorie Taylor Greene to work with Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy,” by Fox News’ Brooke Singman: “Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, R-Ga., will chair the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, which will focus on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. … [House Oversight Chair JAMES] COMER had a meeting with [VIVEK] RAMASWAMY and his incoming DOGE team.”

4. TREASURY ISLAND: Trump is still undecided about whom to pick for Treasury secretary, Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook, Saleha Mohsin and Joshua Green report. His meetings Tuesday and yesterday with SCOTT BESSENT, MARC ROWAN, KEVIN WARSH and Sen. BILL HAGERTY (R-Tenn.) didn’t yield anybody Trump saw as perfect for the role, he has told associates. That could open the door to a dark-horse pick.

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5. IMMIGRATION FILES: Immigration will be the central focus of Trump’s first day in office, with as many as five executive orders coming immediately to tee up mass deportations and more, NBC’s Peter Nicholas, Matt Dixon and Carol Lee report. (He’s also expected to end the Pentagon’s abortion travel reimbursements and gender-affirming care for transgender troops.) His team is also sketching out a hard-line approach to Latin America, aiming to force countries to accept deportees and crack down on the roots of migration to the U.S., CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez reports. Mexico, El Salvador and Panama are expected to be key partners, while Trump could threaten more Venezuela sanctions if the country doesn’t accept deportation flights.

The ramifications from Trump’s coming immigration crackdown are already sowing hope and worry around the country (and beyond). Near the border in Nogales, Arizona, ranchers and other locals are looking forward to Trump taking action, CNN’s David Culver, Norma Galeana and Rachel Clarke report. But fear is rampant in communities with many undocumented workers, CNN’s Alicia Wallace reports. The agriculture industry is scrambling to stave off a major labor disruption, WSJ’s Patrick Thomas reports. And Canada is bracing for a major knock-on effect if migrants flood north instead, NYT’s Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Hamed Aleaziz report.

6. RECRIMINATION STATION: Some Democrats have knives out for Future Forward, the massive pro-Harris super PAC, for airing most of its ads too late in the presidential race, not going more negative early on Trump and failing to reach Black and Latino voters, WSJ’s Tarini Parti and Ken Thomas report. Outside critics say Future Forward didn’t coordinate with others enough or show a willingness to deviate from its data-driven strategy. But the super PAC says it stands behind what it did, and some other Democrats doubt that its decisions are why Harris lost.

On the ground: “In New Mexico, a Democratic stronghold battling poverty and fentanyl backs Trump,” by Reuters’ Andrew Hay and Jorge Garcia in Socorro

Top-ed: “Democrats, It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Our Neoliberal Era,” by New York Lt. Gov. ANTONIO DELGADO in the NYT: “Faced with a global economic crisis, leaders of both parties worked to perpetuate a neoliberal order that people no longer trusted. … Biden should never have run for a second term. It betrayed our party’s collective will to be bold and fresh. Clamoring to be the savior of democracy, the Democratic Party engendered disdain from the very people it sought to serve.”

7. THE LATEST AT COP29: “Coalition to boost climate efforts moves ahead without US,” by Karl Mathiesen, Sara Schonhardt and Zia Weise in Baku, Azerbaijan: “The European Union teamed up with 11 countries Thursday in announcing a commitment to ‘ambitious’ new climate plans — but the U.S., an architect of the initiative, did not join them. Each of the governments said they would soon set new targets to cut greenhouse gas pollution by 2035 that are aligned with stopping the climate from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. … [The U.S. dropping out] appeared to reflect the new political realities in Washington.”

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PLAYBOOKERS

Alejandro Mayorkas and Christopher Wray refused to testify publicly on the Hill.

Jamie Raskin is considering a challenge to Jerry Nadler on the Judiciary Committee.

Randall Terry is running for Congress.

Dan Eggen is being “removed” as senior politics editor at WaPo.

OUT AND ABOUT — Ilyse Hogue hosted an election debrief event yesterday at New America focused on men, with strategists, pollsters and political scientists examining how men voted and outreach efforts to them. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) addressed the group. Also SPOTTED: John Della Volpe, Richard Reeves, Angelo Carusone, Chuck Rocha, David Hogg, Ari Wallach and Christine Emba.

— SPOTTED at a party last night hosted by Chris Gillott to celebrate Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) chairing the Senate HELP Committee: Aliza Silver, Amanda Lincoln, Anne DeCesaro, Danielle Janowski, James Quinn, Katie Hadji, Kristen Shatynski, Margie Almanza, Michael Sinacore, Parker Reynolds, Blake Schindler, Courtney Lawrence, Darien Flowers, Derek Theurer, Jamie Cummins, Jennifer Haynes, John Cummins, Mary Johnson and Robb Walton.

— Paramount and the Motion Picture Association hosted an advanced screening of “Gladiator II” last night at MPA. SPOTTED: U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, DeDe Lea, Charlie Rivkin, Gail MacKinnon, Keith Murphy, Tasia Jackson, Chris Crawford, Mel Farrah and Matt McMurray.

— A “Songs for Havel” event last night at the Czech Embassy celebrated the 10th anniversary of the dedication of the Vaclav Havel bust in the U.S. Capitol, which Elliot Berke helped to lead, and the 10th anniversary of Berke Farah LLP. His band the DePlorables played with special guests Buck Dharma of Blue Öyster Cult and Jan Havránek. SPOTTED: Ambassador Miloslav Stašek, Erik Huey, Joel Theros, Stevie McKeever, Buddy Speir, Mike Sommers, Dave Tamasi, Matt Epperly, Jimmy Kemp, Kelle Strickland, Paul Vinovich, Matt Rhoades, Chuck Cogar, Debran McClean, Stewart Jeffries, Tim Kronquist, Steve Roberts, Jim Trusty, Bill Farah, Tom Farah, Justin Russell, Zeke Roeser, Sandy Roeser, George Roeser and John Roeser.

— SPOTTED at an American Clean Power Association and Clean Grid Alliance event yesterday celebrating the energization of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line: Eric Beightel, Alex Herrgott, Krista Tanner, Mark Thomas, Ben Porath, Beth Soholt and Nick Weber.

WEDDING — Jessica Jennings, federal affairs director for Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Brennan Hart, a government consultant, got married recently in Anniston, Alabama. They met while working at the General Services Administration in the Trump administration.

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