| | | |  | | By Irie Sentner | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Makayla Gray
|  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna told reporters “President Clinton is being very cooperative.” | AP | ‘THE CLINTON RULE’: When Bill Clinton’s motorcade arrived this morning at a quaint performing arts center in Chappaqua, New York, presidential precedent changed forever. As this newsletter hits your inbox, Clinton is being deposed before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — the first time a former president has been compelled to testify before Congress. “A new precedent has been set in America today,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told reporters this morning ahead of the deposition. “Before this we had the ‘Trump Rule.’ Trump defied, as all of you know, a congressional subpoena with the January 6th Committee. He said presidents don’t have to testify. Now we have the ‘Clinton Rule,’ which is that presidents and their families have to testify when Congress issues a subpoena.” That “Clinton Rule” now sets the stage for Democrats to force Trump to testify if they win back the House in November — and they’re chomping at the bit to do so. “We are now asking and demanding that President Trump officially come in and testify in front of the Oversight Committee,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the panel’s top Democrat, told reporters ahead of the deposition. “He appears in the Epstein files, next to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, almost more than anybody else.” The current president isn’t happy. “I like Bill Clinton and I don’t like seeing him deposed,” Trump told reporters today as he departed the White House en route to Texas. He surely wouldn’t like to see himself deposed, either. During today’s deposition, Garcia asked Clinton “Should President Trump be called to answer questions from this committee?” to which Clinton replied: “That’s for you to decide,” going on to say that Trump “has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved … with Epstein,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the Oversight Committee, told reporters during a break in the testimony. (Garcia disputed Comer’s description of the back and forth and called for the release of the full transcript.) Today’s deposition follows testimony yesterday from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told the panel she did not know Epstein and lacked any insight into his relationship with her husband, who appears to have interacted frequently with the financier both during his presidency and as he built his Clinton Global Initiative after leaving office. Bill Clinton has said he cut ties with Epstein before his 2008 sex abuse conviction, and said in today’s opening testimony, “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,” according to a copy of his remarks posted to X. Neither Clinton has been formally accused of wrongdoing in connection to Epstein. In yesterday’s deposition, Hillary Clinton confirmed Epstein had been to the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president, Comer told reporters today. Comer added that Bill Clinton had flown on Epstein’s private plane at least 27 times. The former secretary of state in her testimony also punted at least a dozen questions to her husband, according to Comer. “We already had a big portfolio of questions for him, and that increased yesterday,” he said. That Hillary Clinton — who said she cannot recall ever meeting Epstein — was called to testify at all was a sore spot for Bill Clinton (this is, after all, only the latest instance over several decades of Hillary gritting her teeth and “standing by her man”). “I have to get personal. You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. … Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right,” Bill Clinton said in his opening statement. Although the depositions are private, Comer has committed to publicly releasing the footage from both hearings. After today’s deposition began, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) walked outside the performing arts center to update the press. “President Clinton is being very cooperative,” she said. NEXT TO TESTIFY? “Democrats say they have the votes to subpoena Lutnick in Epstein probe,” by POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs: ““I believe we will have the votes to subpoena [Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick],” Khanna said … Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) also said Friday that she would ask for Lutnick’s appearance before the panel as part of its Epstein investigation, after materials released by the Justice Department revealed the extent of the former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO’s relationship with the disgraced financier.” Good Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. This is Irie Sentner, and I think I join everyone in Washington when I say TGIF. Drop me a line at isentner@gmail.com.
| | | | A message from AHIP: 35 Million Seniors Could See Reduced Benefits and Higher Costs. Health plans welcome reforms to strengthen Medicare Advantage. However, a proposal for flat program funding at a time of sharply rising medical costs and high utilization of care will directly impact seniors' coverage. If finalized, this proposal could result in benefit reductions and higher costs for 35 million seniors and people with disabilities when they renew their Medicare Advantage coverage in October 2026. Learn more. | | | | | | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. IRAN WATCH: The U.S. Embassy in Israel today authorized non-essential staff to “consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available” ahead of a potential military strike on Iran, POLITICO’s Gregory Svirnovskiy reports. The embassy also encouraged State Department employees to refrain from traveling to certain parts of the country, including the Old City of Jerusalem and the West Bank. Those advisories come as Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Israel next week to “discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.” Consider this: “Iran Is Far From Building ICBMs, Experts Say, Despite Trump Warning,” by WSJ’s Michael R. Gordon and colleagues: “The assessment raises questions about the Trump administration’s rationale for urgent military action against Iran, which looks increasingly likely barring a major diplomatic breakthrough.” Playbook preview: Mitch Landrieu and Mercedes Schlapp are on tonight’s episode of C-SPAN’s “Ceasefire” with Dasha, where they discuss the political implications if Trump decides to take action against Iran. “If the administration moves toward a, what you would say more military tactics, a more aggressive posture into Iran, I think that could be detrimental for Republicans going into the midterm elections,” Schlapp said. “The MAGA base will make it very loud and clear to the president that they will not necessarily agree, if it becomes a situation that becomes a prolonged war.” Watch the clip 2. ANTHROPIC LATEST: “Altman Says OpenAI Is Working on Pentagon Deal Amid Anthropic Standoff,” by WSJ’s Keach Hagey: “Altman in a memo to staff said that the company was working with the Defense Department to see if its models could be used in classified settings in a way that kept the same safety guardrails that have brought its rival Anthropic into a stalemate with the government.” 3. DR. OZ HAS A SHOW AGAIN: CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, a famed former television host, is back in front of the camera — this time, in a growing cadre of videos about “fraud busting” as the GOP seeks to take back the message on health affordability, POLITICO’s Cheyenne Haslett and Robert King report. “The premise of the Democrats’ political messaging on health care is we’ll fight for you, the underdog,” an administration official told Cheyenne and Robert. Fraud-busting “takes the whole thing back,” the official added. 4. WE ARE CHARLIE KIRK: “Charlie Kirk is all over GOP campaign ads,” by POLITICO’s Andrew Howard and Samuel Benson: “Candidates across the country, from Kentucky to Iowa to Arizona, are promoting their endorsements from [TurningPoint USA], hoping to use it to appeal to the swath of young, mostly male, voters that he influenced and brought to the Republican Party in recent years.”
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➡️ Subscribe Now | | | | | 5. HEADIN’ FOR TEXAS: Sen. John Cornyn, who Trump has not endorsed for the Texas GOP Senate primary despite the Republican freak out over the race, is included as a “special guest” on Air Force One today, POLITICO’s Alex Gangitano writes in. Cornyn was spotted going through security at Joint Base Andrews, where Air Force One will depart from, and then going into a private room to wait for Trump. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) and state AG Ken Paxton, whom Cornyn is running against, will also attend Trump’s event. On the gubernatorial front, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is endorsing Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor. Gallego plans to travel to Houston on Sunday for a campaign rally with Hinojosa, Playbook’s Adam Wren writes in. 6. BLOCK GROK: “Government Agencies Raise Alarm About Use of Elon Musk’s Grok Chatbot,” by WSJ’s Shalini Ramachandran and colleagues: “GSA Administrator Ed Forst … in recent months sounded an alarm with White House officials about potential safety issues with Grok, people familiar with the matter said. Other GSA officials under him had also raised safety concerns about Grok, which they viewed as sycophantic and too susceptible to manipulation or corruption by faulty or biased data—creating a potential system risk.” 7. TRADING SPACES: Following the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down Trump’s tariffs one week ago, administration officials have been doing damage control with foreign countries, part of an effort to preserve trade pacts forged using tariffs that the court had invalidated, POLITICO’s Daniel Desrochers and colleagues report. “For all Trump’s threats and public bluster, a number of key advisers and U.S. envoys are privately taking a more conciliatory approach in the hope of averting further setbacks to Trump’s trade agenda.” 8. FIFA FRACAS: “A former FIFA president lashes out at his successor’s Trump ties,” by Berries Bossman for the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network: “Now 89 and suspended by FIFA from official soccer, [Sepp] Blatter has emerged in a new role: as a gadfly critic of his successor, Gianni Infantino, who has assiduously courted President Donald Trump ahead of the first World Cup that will be spread across three countries. … ‘So far, I have not heard or read of a single occasion on which Infantino stopped Trump from doing anything — even though his policies cry out to heaven.’”
| | | | A message from AHIP:  
| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | ‘TOP-NOTCH HATER?’ — “Why I Got Thrown Out of a Jasmine Crockett Rally,” by Elaine Godfrey: “[A] staffer looked at her phone and read dutifully: ‘They just said, ‘Elaine from Atlantic, white girl with a hat and notepad. She’s interviewing people in the crowd. She’s a top-notch hater and will spin. She needs to leave.’ … [F]our guards, including at least one who was armed, escorted me out of the building … Crockett told CBS News there is “no evidence” that a reporter had been removed from an event.” TWO TRUTHS — "Trump’s Truth Social Could Become Its Own Company As Parent Firm Floats Spin-Off" by Forbes’ Ty Roush: “President Donald Trump’s Trump Media & Technology Group on Friday announced it might spin off its Truth Social platform as a separate, publicly traded business after completing a $6 billion merger with TAE Technologies.” SPOTTED: Former President Joe Biden waiting at DCA on his way to South Carolina for the SC Democratic Party event tonight. Pic MUST READ — “Continuing Chaos at DC’s Troubled Psychiatric Hospital,” by Washingtonian’s Luke Mullins: “Former workers at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington are making disturbing new allegations about violence and misconduct at the facility—painting a portrait of even greater dysfunction.” THE SHOW MUST GO ON — Being held at an alternative venue, “[t]he Kennedy Center Honors will go on after the center closes, around July 4, and will now be called the “Trump Kennedy Center Honors,” WaPo’s Travis Andrews writes. AND THE WINNER IS — WaPo has won the 2026 Toner Prize for national political reporting, Syracuse University's Newhouse School announced today. “[F]or a series of stories that examined President Donald Trump’s sweeping efforts to dismantle the federal government and its far-ranging consequences for the country.” The award will be presented March 23. IN MEMORIAM — “Colman McCarthy, who preached peace as a Post columnist and teacher, dies at 87” by Harrison Smith: “Colman McCarthy, who trained as a Trappist monk before embracing a more worldly calling as a journalist and teacher, championing peace and nonviolence in a long-running Washington Post column and in classes he taught at high schools, colleges and a juvenile prison, died Feb. 27 in La Romana, a city in the Dominican Republic. He was 87.” TRANSITIONS — TJ Ducklo is now leading communications for the office of former President Joe Biden. He most recently worked at the NYC crisis communications firm HELLER and is a Biden White House alum. … Kai Hirabayashi is now senior director of government relations at TKO Holdings. He most recently worked at Amazon. … Brian Montgomery is joining NewDay USA as vice chairman of its advisory board. He previously worked as deputy secretary for HUD under Trump. … Reed Westcott is now director of federal government affairs for the Plastics Industry Association. He most recently worked at the Small Business Exporters Association. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Emily Mellencamp Smith 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 editor Giuseppe Macri and deputy editor Garrett Ross.
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