| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Tara Palmeri | Presented by |  | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | BREAKING OVERNIGHT — LINCOLN PROJECT MELTDOWN: Late Thursday night, the Lincoln Project published what appeared to be the private Twitter messages of its recently departed co-founder JENNIFER HORN, including correspondence with a reporter who contacted her for a story. How did the anti-Trump group have access to her Twitter account? Horn tweeted that she did not give them consent. Did the organization already embroiled in scandal just expose itself to a lawsuit? The Lincoln Project removed the tweets a few minutes after posting them, but we grabbed a screenshot of one of them. More below … MITCH'S BIG DECISION — If one were to conduct a poll of congressional reporters and Capitol Hill denizens, we'd guess at least 90% would say there's no way Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL will ever vote to convict DONALD TRUMP. But indulge us for a moment to play out the extremely unlikely scenario that he does. McConnell clearly sees Trump as a danger to the Republican Party. The two haven't spoken since December, and McConnell has accused Trump of "provoking" the Capitol siege. McConnell is also 78, and there's chatter already underway about whether he'll retire in 2026 rather than face reelection at age 84. So, could he be viewing this impeachment vote as a legacy-defining moment? Consider this about the man Democrats deride as the ultimate power-hungry, calculating pol: Among his idols are HENRY CLAY, the famous Kentucky senator known as the "Great Compromiser" for trying to keep the Union together before the Civil War. In his memoir, "The Long Game," McConnell also fondly recalls how his one-time boss, Sen. JOHN SHERMAN COOPER, took a politically unpopular stand on civil rights. "There are times you follow, and times when you lead," Cooper told the 20-something McConnell, then a Senate staffer, when he inquired about how Cooper squared his support for the Civil Rights Act with stacks of angry letters from pro-segregation constituents. McConnell called it a lesson he'd "never forget": that "a true leader is one who doesn't take a poll on every issue." "There are some matters of concern where constituents are right and others where the best representative does what he or she thinks ought to be done," he wrote. Another thing to remember: McConnell regards himself as a proud institutionalist. It's hard to tell what that means for McConnell in this moment. Does he see conviction as a worthy punishment for a president who inspired an attack on a co-equal branch of government? If so, maybe it's not such a long shot. Or does "protecting the institution" mean acquitting Trump, because a post-presidential impeachment is unconstitutional in McConnell's view? There are complicating factors McConnell is surely taking into account as he makes his decision: A vote to convict could make winning back the Senate in 2022 more difficult. It might also trigger calls from the GOP base for McConnell to step aside as leader, forcing his own members to choose between him and their voters. Still, even McConnell's closest advisers admit they have no idea what he'll do. Senate Republicans close with him say they're genuinely in the dark — though they predict he will acquit. McConnell has said little, maintaining his poker face throughout the impeachment managers' presentations, just as he did during the last impeachment. One reporter said he's looked like a statue throughout the trial, hands folded in his lap and listening intently. McConnell's office declined to comment, but the will-he-or-won't-he parlor game goes on. Our best guess — it's nothing more than that — is that McConnell will vote to acquit, then issue a blistering rebuke of Trump. We'll see. | | A message from Amazon: Amazon has stepped up our testing, safety measures, vaccination efforts, and economic relief to ensure the safety and well-being of our workers.
Now, we're supporting the national effort to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days of his presidency. Our recent pop-up clinic in Seattle has already vaccinated thousands.
Amazon is working to help vaccinate front-line workers and community members providing essential services during the pandemic. | | | MORE ON THE SWIRLING LINCOLN PROJECT SCANDAL … | 
| — The NYT's Maggie Astor and Danny Hakim reported late Thursday night that "six former employees and associates called on the Lincoln Project to waive nondisclosure agreements that block them from sharing information about the organization's handling of Mr. Weaver." — "The Predator in the Lincoln Project," New York mag: "Former employees faulted the Lincoln Project for continuing to hire the interns recommended by [John] Weaver after receiving a warning he would dangle job opportunities to potential victims. 'It's just enraging to know that they were enabling and they perpetuated this kind of behavior. And didn't take action until it just came out,' said one former employee. 'There was knowledge of Weaver and his history, and yet there were people directly brought on who were recommended by him, so I still don't know what to say why that was the case.'" — National Review, weighing in on a "devastating" AP story: "Yes, the Lincoln Project Is an Ugly Grift" The Lincoln Project issued a lengthy statement, reading in part: "Recently published stories about The Lincoln Project are filled with inaccuracies, incorrect information, and reliant exclusively on anonymous sources. However, there is a central truth in all of them that must be reckoned with and that is John Weaver's appalling conduct and the abuse he inflicted on people. "The Lincoln Project Board decided this afternoon to retain a best-in-class outside professional to review Mr. Weaver's tenure with the organization and to establish both accountability and best practices going forward for The Lincoln Project. Out of respect for that process, we will have no further comment on issues related to Mr. Weaver during the review's pendency." | | A message from Amazon: From providing COVID-19 testing to advocating for vaccinations for front-line workers, Amazon is working to protect the health and safety of our employees and their communities. We've also enhanced safety measures and increased paid time-off in an effort to support those who have long supported us. | | | IMPEACHMENT FRIDAY — Trump's defense will take the floor at noon to rebut charges that their client incited an insurrection. Lawmakers predict they'll only use one day — rather than two — to make their case. That means we could see final arguments and questions as well as a final vote as early as Saturday. Kyle Cheney and Andrew Desiderio with the latest SINEMA: NO MINIMUM WAGE HIKE IN RECONCILIATION — We've spent a lot of time writing about Sen. JOE MANCHIN'S (D-W.Va.) veto power over the Biden agenda. But it's another moderate Democrat who is flexing right now — and Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) won't be pleased. … In an interview with our Burgess Everett, Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) had this message for the Democratic Party: That minimum wage hike you want to include in the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill? Forget it. "What's important is whether or not it's directly related to short-term Covid relief. And if it's not, then I am not going to support it in this legislation," Sinema said in a telephone interview this week. "The minimum wage provision is not appropriate for the reconciliation process. It is not a budget item. And it shouldn't be in there." This is a big deal. Without her vote in the 50-50 Senate, the relief bill fails. FRIDAY WATCH — EUGENE and OLIVIA BEAVERS, author of Huddle filling in for TARA, talk all things Congress and look back at a wild week of political theater. When the country thought the news cycle would rest solely with the impeachment trial, we got pleasant surprises ranging from a lawyer using a cat filter to a senator explicitly paraphrasing Neera Tanden's Twitter. It was an entertaining week to say the least, and Eugene and Olivia are here to break it down … with a few laughs, of course. | 
| BIDEN'S FRIDAY — President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President's Daily Brief at 9:30 a.m. They'll meet with governors and mayors from both parties to talk Covid relief in the Oval Office at 11:15 a.m. They'll have lunch together at 12:45 p.m. and get an economic briefing with Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN at 1:30 p.m. Biden will leave the White House for Camp David at 5:30 p.m. — Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 12:30 p.m. | | | | TRACK FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: The Biden administration hit the ground running with a series of executive orders his first week in office and continues to outline priorities on key issues. What's coming down the pike? Find out in Transition Playbook, our scoop-filled newsletter tracking the policies, people and emerging power centers of the first 100 days of the new administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Joe Biden greets Kizzmekia Corbett, an immunologist, during a visit to the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory at the NIH in Bethesda, Md., on Thursday, Feb. 11. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | WHITE HOUSE WHAT FEDERAL DEFICIT? — "Democrats Push to Borrow More Money as Deficit Is Set to Shrink Slightly in 2021," NYT: "As top Democrats continued to push a $1.9 trillion economic aid package through the House, some lawmakers and aides to President Biden raised the prospect of borrowing even more money to finance the president's next set of spending plans, on infrastructure, buoyed by new projections that showed the nation's fiscal picture was not as dire as officials feared in the fall." A key line on the administration's thinking on infrastructure: "Mr. Biden proposed tax increases to pay for those plans during the campaign, but in recent days, some of his economic aides have hinted privately that some or all of the infrastructure package could be deficit financed." MUCK READ — "Dealmaker, now awaiting sentencing, tried to work his way into Biden's inner circle," by Josh Gerstein. "A trove of newly released court filings provides new insight into how a high-flying businessman and prolific political donor pushing multibillion-dollar deals related to Libyan riches amassed under Moammar Gadhafi's regime tried to maneuver his way into Joe Biden's inner circle. … "Among the most intriguing revelations are text messages from [Imaad] Zuberi describing outreach to Fran Person, who spent eight years as a personal aide or so-called body man to then-Vice President Biden before leaving the White House in 2014. Soon thereafter, Zuberi embarked on a frenzied effort to help new leaders in Libya unlock as much as $30 billion worth of government assets frozen in the chaos that followed the fall of Gadhafi's ill-fated regime. But the deal to release the assets of the Libyan Investment Authority required the blessing of U.S. officials. "The WhatsApp messages show Zuberi discussing a potential deal on the Libya funds involving Person and others, as well as arranging meetings on the topic in Washington and Paris." POLITICS WATCH TIM ALBERTA PROFILES NIKKI HALEY: Tim started the reporting of this piece last summer and spent six hours interviewing Haley across three sitdown interviews. There's a ton in this 15,000-word piece, so read the whole thing, but two nuggets stand out: 1) A patently sexist comment from disgraced former Gov. Mark Sanford, who makes it clear to Tim that he despises Haley, shamelessly blames his staffers for his key donation of $400,000 to her gubernatorial campaign — "They talked me into it" — and bizarrely seems to take credit for creating her: "And then she cut me off. This is systematic with Nikki: She cuts off people who have contributed to her success. It's almost like there's some weird psychological thing where she needs to pretend it's self-made." The lack of self-awareness on Sanford's part about why Haley separated herself from Sanford, whose reputation was destroyed by his sex scandal, is just one fascinating detail about the long-running psychodrama between these two politicians, one whose career is over and one who may one day be president, that Tim expertly documents. 2) Haley's latest framing of how she sees the Trump legacy: "We need to acknowledge he let us down," she said. "He went down a path he shouldn't have, and we shouldn't have followed him, and we shouldn't have listened to him. And we can't let that ever happen again." NO FUN — "Caitlyn Jenner bats down rumors she'd run for California governor," by Alex Isenstadt: "With momentum for the recall growing, top Republicans from California to Washington were abuzz that Jenner was the kind of candidate who — like Arnold Schwarzenegger nearly two decades earlier — was a celebrity figure with the crossover appeal needed for a Republican to win in the liberal state. But on Thursday evening, Jenner's manager, Sophia Hutchins, moved to swat down the speculation." K STREET CORNER INSIDE THE U.S. CHAMBER'S IDENTITY CRISIS — "The Chamber embraces Biden. And Republicans are livid," by Theodoric Meyer and Caitlin Oprysko: "Over the past month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has taken a series of steps that have enraged its traditional Republican allies. It applauded much of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion plan to Covid relief bill; cheered Biden's decision to rejoin the Paris climate agreement; backed the former leader of the liberal Center of American Progress, Neera Tanden, for Office of Management and Budget director; and expressed openness to raising the minimum wage, though not to $15 an hour. "That's left the Chamber, a K Street institution known for its bruising battles with past Democratic administrations, occupying an increasingly lonely political center, caught between angry Republicans who feel the trade group has abandoned them and Democrats who are pursuing policies anathema to many of their members. "Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who publicly bashed the Chamber's endorsement of Tanden, said in an interview that the Chamber 'has forgotten Main Street America' and would have to decide what it wanted to be in Biden's Washington. 'Do they really care about the bottom line of companies and small businesses and growth, or do they care more about social justice?' Smith asked." | | A message from Amazon: Amazon is stepping up to help ensure that our employees and their communities have access to COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. We've helped vaccinate thousands through pop-up clinics, and quickly ramped-up onsite COVID-19 testing for employees thanks to the ingenuity of our fast-moving response team.
We're also heavily invested in supporting our employees, customers, and communities during the pandemic—from enhancing safety measures to increasing paid time-off. We provided more than $2.5 billion in bonuses and incentives for our teams globally in 2020.
Since the beginning of this crisis, we have worked hard to keep our employees safe. We are committed to vaccination efforts as we work together to protect our employees and continue to provide essential services during the pandemic. | | | CONGRESS DEMS' NEXT MOUNTAIN — "'It would be very difficult': Dems prepare for heartburn over Biden immigration plan," by Heather Caygle, Sarah Ferris and Laura Barrón-López: "Facing a rapidly approaching April deadline to act, Democrats are instead coalescing around a targeted effort to pass popular immigration bills that already have bipartisan backing, including legislation to provide a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented group known as Dreamers and immigrants from war-torn areas. "The plan is sure to anger some Democrats, who have long pushed for a massive revamp of the nation's immigration laws and see quick action under Biden as their most likely chance. But several Democrats told POLITICO they're confronting the political reality — two chambers with very narrow margins — and don't see a clear path to passage for a major bill." IMPEACHMENT II PETER BAKER FROM 30,000 FEET — "If Convicting Trump Is Out of Reach, Managers Seek a Verdict From the Public and History." NYT: "If Mr. Trump is not convicted, the managers want to ensure that he remains so politically radioactive that he cannot be the same force he once was — if not the pariah they think he ought to be, then at least a figure that many mainstream Republicans and their corporate donors keep at arm's length. In effect, if the Senate will not vote to formally disqualify him from future office, they want the public to do so." HOW TRUMP'S SPENDING THE WEEK — "Trump plays golf as Democrats continue impeachment prosecution," Washington Examiner WOW — "Military officials were unaware of potential danger to Pence's 'nuclear football' during Capitol riot," CNN: "Military officials overseeing the authorization process to launch nuclear weapons were unaware on January 6 that then-Vice President Mike Pence's military aide carrying the 'nuclear football' was potentially in danger as rioters got close during the violent Capitol insurrection, according to a defense official. … "US Strategic Command became aware of the gravity of the incident after seeing a video played at the Senate impeachment trial Wednesday showing Pence, his Secret Service agents and a military officer carrying the briefcase with classified nuclear launch information running down a flight of stairs inside the Capitol to get to safety, the official said." PANDEMIC TRACKER: The U.S. reported 3,885 Covid-19 deaths and 103,000 new coronavirus cases Thursday. BIG NEWS — "U.S. secures enough vaccine for 300 million people by the end of July," WaPo: "President Biden, in remarks capping an afternoon tour of the National Institutes of Health, announced the deals for 100 million more doses from Pfizer and German company BioNTech and 100 million more from Moderna. The expectation, Biden said, is that the additional doses will be delivered by the end of July. "The purchases increase available supply by 50 percent, bringing the total to 600 million doses. Because both products are two-dose regimens, that would be enough to fully vaccinate 300 million people." — BUT, BUT, BUT … NYT: "President Biden warned that logistical hurdles would most likely mean that many Americans will still not have been vaccinated by the end of the summer." ARRIVING TODAY — "CDC considering classifying schools into color-coded zones for reopening," CBS: "The Biden administration's guidelines for reopening schools [are] expected to include recommendations for phased reopening based on rates of community transmission, according to a draft internal summary by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention obtained by CBS News on Thursday. … "For all levels of community transmission, universal mask-wearing and testing of symptomatic individuals and their close contacts is required. … If schools put these mitigation measures in place, access to vaccinations should not be a precondition for reopening schools, the draft guidance says, which is in line with recent statements by CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky." SIGN UP! — Democrats are having to balance pushing their agenda through Congress with making their case against Trump in his second impeachment trial. How are House Democrats helping Biden move his agenda — from Covid relief to the vaccine rollout? Join RACHAEL on Tuesday at 9 a.m. for a live conversation with Assistant House Speaker KATHERINE CLARK (D-Mass.) on the most pressing legislative priorities and her approach to getting things done as the fourth highest-ranking member of the House. Register here MEDIAWATCH ANOTHER BLOW TO LOCAL NEWS — "Alden Is in Talks to Buy Tribune Publishing," WSJ: "A hedge fund that owns a big stake in Tribune Publishing Co. is in talks to buy the newspaper chain behind titles including the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News. … A deal for Tribune could be reached this month, the people said, though they cautioned that the negotiations are far from over and could still fall apart. … "Tribune, one of the biggest newspaper chains in the country by circulation, publishes nine larger-market dailies including the Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel and Hartford Courant. … The hedge fund has a reputation for making deep cost cuts at titles it acquires." DEPLATFORMING DIGEST — "Twitter suspends Project Veritas account," by Anna Kambhampaty: "The group's founder, James O'Keefe, had his account temporarily locked, also for violation of the private information policy." TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week," guest-hosted by Jonathan Karl: Rachael Bade, Julie Pace, Philip Rucker and Rachel Scott. SUNDAY SO FAR … | CBS | "Face the Nation": British PM Boris Johnson … Heyward Donigan … Scott Gottlieb. | Gray TV | "Full Court Press": Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) … Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) … Jon Decker. | MSNBC | "The Sunday Show": Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.). | FOX | "Fox News Sunday": Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Panel: Marc Thiessen, Gillian Turner and Charles Lane. Power Player: James Patterson. | ABC | "This Week": Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Sara Fagen and Yvette Simpson. | CNN | "Inside Politics": Maggie Haberman … Manu Raju … Rachael Bade … Charlie Dent … Alice Stewart. | NBC | "Meet the Press": Panel: Audie Cornish, Carlos Curbelo, Kasie Hunt and Claire McCaskill. | | | | | | TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | HILL STAFFERS WORRY ABOUT GETTING COVID — In Playbook PM on Thursday — following news that a member of the congressional press corps tested positive for the coronavirus — we wrote about how lawmakers and Hill staff had access to the coronavirus vaccine while reporters did not. We heard from Hill staff, however, that in fact few aides have received their shots and that there is a growing concern about lawmakers pressuring staffers back to work without that protection. One staffer told us that some offices have been told by their bosses — who have been vaccinated — that aides should be coming back to work "soon." This person said people are scared given the tight quarters of the Hill. It's a sticky situation because Congress doesn't have a human resources department per se. Each office operates as its own fiefdom, adopting its own rules and best practices. If your boss is pushing you to come to work without the vaccine and you're worried, drop us a line and we might write about it. TRANSITIONS — Dan Webber will be president of Edelman's D.C. office, succeeding Lisa Osborne Ross, who'll focus full-time on being COO. Webber has most recently been managing director of Edelman's D.C. operations throughout 2020. … David Broome will be EVP for government relations at the Professional Services Council. He previously was SVP of government relations for Israel Aerospace Industries, and is a Bush alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: EUGENE DANIELS (65, probably) … Justice Brett Kavanaugh … Susan Page … Jeff Schlagenhauf … POLITICO's Marc Caputo, Chris Suellentrop, Maya King and Kristen East … Charlotte Sellmyer … Chris Hodgson … NBC News' Marianna Sotomayor … Ali Lapp … David Reid … WSJ's Rachel Feintzeig … Christina Mandreucci … CBN's David Brody … Adam Webb … Ben Sherwood … former Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) (5-0) … former Israeli PM Ehud Barak … Nancy Foster … Trish Hoppey … Robert Zeliger … Lauren Craig Nedeau … Jeremy Iloulian ... Facebook's Ryan Beiermeister … Thomas Peterson … Christine Jacobs … Elizabeth Baker Keffer … the extraordinarily patient and understanding Andrew Chavarria Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Do you know how the Lincoln Project got those DMs? Drop us a line at playbook@politico.com or individually: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
