| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro On the Playbook Podcast this morning, Jack and Dasha discuss lawfare; lunch at the White House and yet another “Nazi” scandal.
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| Good Tuesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. In today’s Playbook … — Will Trump’s pick for Office of Special Counsel last the day? — The DOJ prosecution which Dems are watching like hawks — Senate Republicans head to the Rose Garden for a very special date.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Paul Ingrassia, who has been selected by President Donald Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel, arrives before Trump speaks during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Washington. | Alex Brandon/AP | WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT: President Donald Trump’s embattled pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel is in dire straits today as yet another “Nazi” text message scandal engulfs the Republicans. Senate Majority Leader John Thune last night urged Trump to pull his nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead the watchdog after POLITICO’s blockbuster revelations of a text chain that showed offensive messages Ingrassia sent last year. Tick tock: Ingrassia is due to have his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. But Thune told reporters last night: “He’s not gonna pass.” At least three other Republicans have also signaled they will oppose Ingrassia’s confirmation, per POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs — Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and James Lankford of Oklahoma. It’s far from clear if Ingrassia’s nomination even survives the day. And with glorious timing:Trump has invited Senate Republicans for a White House lunch today … to say thank you for clearing his nominees. Where it all went wrong: Ingrassia told a group of fellow Republicans in a text chain that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and said he has “a Nazi streak,” according to messages viewed by POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman. Ingrassia made the “Nazi” remark in a chat with a half-dozen Republican operatives and influencers on May 7, 2024 after a participant wrote, “Paul belongs in the Hitler Youth with Ubergruppenfuhrer Steve Bannon.” Ingrassia replied: “I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it,” according to the group chain. And there’s more: In January 2024 he texted the group, according to the messages seen by POLITICO: “MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.” One participant responded: “Jesus Christ.” Using an Italian slur for Black people, Ingrassia wrote in December 2023, the texts show: “No moulignon holidays … From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth,” then added according to the chat: “Every single one needs to be eviscerated.” The next month, the texts show Ingrassia wrote of Vivek Ramaswamy: “Never trust a chinaman or Indian,” according to the chat. Right of reply: A lawyer for Ingrassia, Edward Andrew Paltzik, wrote in a statement to POLITICO: “In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult. What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs. We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages.” Bannon did not respond to a request for comment, and Ramaswamy declined to comment. Reminder: This is the second “Nazi” text message scandal to engulf the Republicans in as many weeks. Last Monday POLITICO’s Jason Beeferman revealed dozens of deeply offensive messages in a group chat used by prominent Young Republicans, several of whom have since lost their jobs. Needless to say, it’s … not a great look. FURTHER READING: The WSJ has a must-read scoop on another Trump nomination battle now heating up: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy vs Elon Musk’s pal Jared Isaacman for head of NASA. Duffy is currently leading the agency after Isaacman’s nomination got vetoed earlier this year — but he now appears to be back in the picture, and both men want the job full-time, Emily Glazer and colleagues report. “This past weekend, advisers and lawmakers representing Duffy and Isaacman called contacts in the Trump administration — including the president himself — to make the case for their person running the agency.” Watch this space … if you’ll pardon the dreadful pun.
| | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance: In September alone, drugmakers poured nearly $200 million into direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads - a 14% surge since this summer - even as the Trump administration condemned #BigPharma's "misleading" marketing practices. With the majority of voters calling for stricter limits on Big Pharma's ads, it's clear that people AND policymakers have had enough. The bottom line? Americans want affordable prescriptions, not more pharmaceutical commercials. Read more. | | | | COURT IN THE ACT THE CASE AGAINST MCIVER: Yesterday it was James Comey. Today, Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) becomes the latest opponent of President Trump to try to have controversial federal charges against them thrown out of court. McIver is accused of three counts of assaulting or impeding federal agents following an incident outside a Newark immigration center in May. If convicted at trial next month, she faces up to 17 years in prison. This is one to watch closely: McIver’s supporters are billing her prosecution as another landmark moment for the U.S. justice system — essentially as a test case for how readily Trump’s DOJ can pursue Democratic members of Congress who seek to oppose and scrutinize his administration. Naturally, Trump and his supporters would dismiss any such characterization. The DOJ says McIver is guilty of assault, and that nobody is above the law. Helpfully, there’s a ton of video footage if you want to make up your own mind. POLITICO’s Ry Rivard was among the journalists on the scene in May and made this excellent Instagram video explaining the case, complete with his own iPhone footage. Certainly, Dems are in no doubt — this is one more case of Trump weaponizing the justice system. Since the president returned to power we’ve also seen Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Ca.) manhandled and handcuffed after he interrupted DHS chief Kristi Noem at a press conference; New York City’s Democratic comptroller Brad Lander arrested by ICE outside an immigration court; plus the high-profile federal charges brought against Trump’s sworn enemies Comey, Letitia James and John Bolton. Like Comey yesterday, McIver has filed for the case against her to be thrown out on grounds of selective and vindictive prosecution. Her lawyers question whether a Trump supporter would receive the same treatment, noting the president’s mass pardoning of Jan. 6 rioters after some of the most serious assaults on law enforcement imaginable. Intriguingly, McIver has also filed to have the case thrown out on grounds of “legislative immunity.” Essentially, her lawyers argue members of Congress should have broad legal protection as they carry out oversight duties. “Putting Congresswoman McIver on trial for exercising her constitutionally and statutorily vested duties … would deter other Members from conducting legitimate oversight,” her lawyers write. The kicker: One of the court rulings her legal team has cited as precedent for this request for immunity is … Trump v. United States (2024). Could Hill Democrats really end up benefiting from the same protections the president won last year? What a world. Crucially, McIver wants the charges thrown out before trial because, as a lawmaker, she is not allowed to accept pro bono legal support in the way other targets of Trump’s DOJ have done. And lawfare is an expensive business. Dems argue that unless politically-charged prosecutions are dismissed before trial, they will have a chilling effect regardless of their outcome. Counterpoint: Trump and his supporters say the idea he is the one weaponizing the DOJ is laughable — and that he himself was the central victim of multiple political prosecutions during his years out of power. Adding to the intrigue: The attorney pursuing the McIver case is Trump’s close ally and former personal lawyer Alina Habba, who is currently the acting top federal prosecutor in New Jersey. And she’s facing her own legal battles, given the contortions Trump pulled to crowbar her into the job. Federal appeal judges were asked to throw her appointment out yesterday … and certainly sounded skeptical about her position. THE OTHER BIG COURT CASE TO WATCH is of course in Portland, Oregon, where Trump won bigly yesterday at the court of appeal over his attempt to send in the troops, as POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein repor t. But whether we actually see the National Guard deployed this week remains unclear. The deets: A second blocking order remains in place for now — but likely not for much longer. However, state leaders have now requested a broader appeals court hearing, with support from the dissenting judge in yesterday’s case. Lawyers for both sides have until midnight tomorrow to file their arguments, the NYT reports. Ultimately, you’d imagine the Supreme Court is going to have to decide. MORE LEGAL BUZZ: Reuters reveals the secretive group of government officials “helping to steer President Donald Trump's drive for retribution against his perceived enemies.” … This “Lawfare” journalist’s Signal exchanges with top Virginia attorney Lindsey Halligan were going viral among liberal types last night … as was this (single-sourced) TMZ story suggesting Trump might pardon Sean "Diddy" Combs as soon as this week. Ulp. ON THE HILL SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: Senate Republicans will head to the Rose Garden for lunch with Trump at noon. Administration officials have been floating optimistic projections that Democrats will fold — National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the shutdown will likely end this week — but there’s no public sign of any breakthrough. Nobody budged in the latest Senate vote yesterday, per POLITICO’s Jordain Carney. Both Democrats and Republicans are hearing from their constituents that they should hold firm, MSNBC’s Kevin Frey reports. Next steps: Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the House may need to come back to D.C. to pass a new continuing resolution pushing funding past mid-November. (Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva — and advocates for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files — will be watching closely.) It’s a difficult dance for Republicans, who’ll have to figure out how long the next stopgap should run and how to pair it with an Obamacare vote, Jordain and Meredith Lee Hill report. The pay question: Thune said he’ll likely bring up legislation tomorrow or Thursday to pay some federal workers and troops during the shutdown — but Dems will likely block it because it doesn’t include all civil servants. Behind the scenes: Jeffries told reporters he talked to Speaker Mike Johnson this past weekend, but didn’t divulge any details. … The Trump administration is searching for pots of money that could be shuffled to pay air traffic controllers, POLITICO’s Sophia Cai and colleagues scooped. … And top Republicans are talking in earnest about what an ultimate post-shutdown deal on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies could look like, Meredith reports this morning. The impact: Meanwhile, shutdown pain continues to deepen. The Interior Department revealed in court that it’s planning more than 2,000 layoffs, per Axios, while the EPA sent out its most sweeping furloughs thus far, POLITICO’s E&E News’ Kevin Bogardus and Ellie Borst report for Pros. Come Nov. 1, dozens of Head Start programs serving some 65,000 preschoolers could be imperiled, AP’s Moriah Balingit reports. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: In a new letter obtained by Playbook, several state chambers of commerce are urging the Senate to vote for Republicans’ “clean” CR, warning of the shutdown’s economic fallout: “Using appropriations as leverage to collapse critical operations imposes real harm.” Read the letter ALSO HAPPENING TODAY: USTR Jamieson Greer will testify before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee at 10 a.m. | | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance:  
| | | | TRAIL MIX RED-LIGHT REDISTRICT: The Ohio Redistricting Commission will finally meet at 9 a.m. to work on a new congressional map for the state, as the Ohio Capital Journal’s Susan Tebben previews. But if the bipartisan group can’t agree by end of month, as expected, Republicans in Columbus will be able to push through their own map — despite voters passing constitutional amendments to block gerrymandering several years ago. CASH DASH: The DCCC pulled in $26.2 million in the third quarter, besting the NRCC’s haul of $24 million, which Fox News’ Liz Elkind scooped. But they each went into October with roughly $46 million on hand. NEW ON THE SCENE: Former Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) will jump back into the game with a bid for Senate this week, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky reports. Some Senate Republicans are hoping he’ll clear aside former Sen. Scott Brown to take on Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, NOTUS’ Reese Gorman reports. … Arizona GOP Chair Gina Swoboda is running for a swing congressional seat, and launched with Trump’s endorsement, per the Arizona Republic’s Laura Gersony and Ray Stern. … And in Maine, former state CDC leader Nirav Shah is the latest Democrat to run for governor, per the Portland Press Herald’s Rachel Ohm. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) will head to Overland Park, Kansas, for a VoteVets Action Fund town hall on Nov. 12, Lisa writes in. The nonprofit arm of the Democratic group that works to elect veterans is billing this as the first major political event after the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections. SPEAKING OF NOVEMBER ELECTIONS: In the NYC mayoral race, anti-Zohran Mamdani groups are trying to squeeze Republican Curtis Sliwa harder to drop out, WSJ’s James Fanelli reports … But if Mamdani does win, his ascent will present a major test for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s relationship with Trump, with whom she’s retained open lines of communication, POLITICO’s Nick Reisman reports from Albany. One to watch: Jeffries said yesterday that he finally plans to wade into his hometown mayoral race this week. SURVEY SAYS: A new Alaska Survey Research poll finds Democrat Mary Peltola just ahead of Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), 48 percent to 46 percent, if she runs. THE MAINE PROBLEM: Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said he thinks the worst of what he wrote on social media has already been made public, but he did invite his opponents to “go find more stuff.” Key quote: “There is nothing that I can remotely think of that is out there that is any worse, or really any different, than what has come out,” Platner said in a “Pod Save America” interview, per POLITICO’s Aaron Pellish. “I mean, if that is their concern, then they can go find more stuff.” BEST OF THE REST DEVELOPING: Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Budapest could be delayed, CNN reports. Trump has said he expected to meet the Russian president within a couple of weeks — but it sounds like initial talks between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergey Lavrov have not gone well. MIDDLE EAST WATCH: VP JD Vance landed in Israel overnight and is touring the U.S.-run civil-military coordination center alongside U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper. It’s the first high-profile visit to the brand-new intel gathering hub which is monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, POLITICO’s Paul McLeary writes in. The facility — set up in an empty warehouse and manned by 200 U.S. troops — is equipped with real-time monitoring equipment pulling in feeds from U.S. and Israeli drones and surveillance planes. A fragile peace: Vance arrives a day after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner — the trio tasked with holding the ceasefire together amid fears that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu might be the one to end it, NYT’s Katie Rogers and Luke Broadwater report. MORE PEACE PUSHES: U.S. senior envoy Massad Boulos said the administration is trying to push forward on peace negotiations for Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo/Rwanda and Libya, per Bloomberg’s Donato Paolo Mancini. PAGING SCOTT BESSENT: “U.S. Banks Are Hunting for Collateral to Back $20 Billion Argentina Bailout,” by WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy and Santiago Pérez: “A group of banks including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs is struggling to put together a $20 billion loan to Argentina without leaving themselves too exposed … The group of banks, which also includes Citigroup, is seeking some type of guarantee or pledge to ensure they will get their money back.” THE RESISTANCE: Cancellation rates for Disney+ and Hulu doubled last month, in the wake of the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show, per the WSJ. Meanwhile, the “No Kings” protests this weekend yielded zero arrests in several major cities, Axios’ April Rubin notes. The organizers will lead a call at 8 p.m. to plot out what comes next. | | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance:  
| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Kenny Loggins isn’t happy with Donald Trump using “Danger Zone” in the AI video he posted of poop being dumped on liberal protesters, asking the president to take the song out. Joe Biden rang the bell as he finished radiation treatment for cancer. Doug Burgum photobombed Mark Halperin during a live show. Michael Fassbender will play Joseph Kennedy Sr. in a forthcoming Netflix series on the lives of the Kennedys, which has previously been tabbed as a potential American version of “The Crown.” Gayle King and Jesse Watters were surprised to be seatmates on a plane: “A good time was had by all!” she said. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Two more teens charged in DOGE staffer attack,” by WaPo’s Olivia George: “Laurence Cotton-Powell, 19, and Anthony Taylor, 18, face charges including robbery and assault for their alleged roles in the Aug. 3 attack of Edward Coristine — a 19-year-old software engineer known as ‘Big Balls’ — and of a group of friends in a separate incident at a nearby gas station minutes before, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Monday.” ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST — Demolition work kicked off yesterday at the White House’s East Wing in preparation for Trump’s grand ballroom, contradicting the president’s earlier claim that the ballroom wouldn’t necessitate changing the existing building, per WaPo. The N.Y. Post had exclusive photos. And then Treasury (right next door) told its staffers not to publicize photos of the destruction, WSJ’s Natalie Andrews and Alex Leary scooped. OUT AND ABOUT — The Center for New Liberalism hosted an opening reception to kick off this year’s New Liberal Action Summit last night at Solace Outpost in Navy Yard, where Doug Jones and D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto spoke to a crowd of center-left Democrats focused on a market-friendly path for the party. SPOTTED: Francis Fukuyama, Colin Mortimer, Corrine Jeffries, Tobin Stone, Jeremiah Johnson, Baillee Brown, Tom Erb, Ian O’Keefe, Gillian Pressman, Max Kaplan, Stu Malec, Santiago Mayer, Olivia Julianna and Riya Misra. MEDIA MOVES — Brandon Carter is joining the NYT as a staff editor on the opinion desk. He previously worked at WaPo and is an NPR alum. … Sudiksha Kochi will be a House reporter at The Hill. She previously worked at USA Today. TRANSITIONS — Conner Brown is now head of strategy at the Bitcoin Policy Institute. He most recently worked for Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). … Dwayne Carson has launched Carson Consulting, a public affairs firm focused on pro-growth policies and regulatory reform. He most recently worked at Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, and is a BlueCross BlueShield and Republican Study Committee alum. … Doug MacGillivray is now a partner at Continental Strategy. He most recently worked at Venn Strategies. … … Samantha Wiesneth is now comms director of the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council. She previously worked for the House Homeland Security Committee. … Sarah Morgenthau is now president and CEO of the “I Have A Dream” Foundation, a national education nonprofit. She previously worked at the State Department. … Ken Nunnenkamp is now a partner in Blank Rome’s international trade practice group. He previously worked at Morgan Lewis. WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Marcia Brown, a food and agriculture reporter for POLITICO and American Prospect alum, and Shiva Sethi, a labor attorney, got married Saturday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, with a reception at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. They started dating in 2019 after being introduced by a mutual friend. Pic — Matthew McClellan, president of JMM Strategy Group, and Yong Lee, a nurse practitioner at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, got married Saturday at their home in D.C. They met three years ago. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) … Rep. Nick Begich (R-Alaska) … POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre, Rachel Jongerius, Connie French and Rachel Gartlan … Hope Hicks … U.S. News and World Report’s Dafna Linzer … CNN’s Mikayla Bouchard … Cate Martel of The Hill … Bob Charrow … Hannah Edwards … Eric Heighberger of LA28 … Kaitlyn Dwyer of Rep. Mike Carey’s (R-Ohio) office … Jamari Torrence … Megan Smith of shift7 … CBS’ Anna Schecter Zigler … Alison Baker of Straus/Baker … Matt Ide … Joe Franco … K&L Gates’ Andrew Tabler … FCC’s Jonathan Uriarte … Jon Rawlson … former Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) … Will Baldwin of the House China committee … Lauren Waldron … Maggie McKean of Thorn Run Partners Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. | | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance: Big Pharma prioritizes marketing over medicine, spending more of its budget promoting expensive drugs than researching new, innovative medications. In September, the industry spent nearly $200 million on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising – a 14% increase since this summer. This surge in spending flies in the face of the Food and Drug Administration's sharp criticism of Big Pharma's "misleading ads" and the Trump administration's commitment to ensuring transparency in pharmaceutical advertising. It also ignores the vast majority of Americans who have called to restrict Big Pharma's DTC ads. The takeaway? Americans want lower costs, NOT more pharmaceutical ads. It's time for Big Pharma to listen. | | | | | | | | Follow us on X | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Canada Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
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