|
|
| |
 |
By Irie Sentner |
Presented by |
 |
|
|
|
 |
THE CATCH-UP |
|
|
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to fill the post permanently on Capitol Hill on July 15, 2026. | Francis Chung/POLITICO |
Todd Blanche appears on track to become Donald Trump’s permanent AG. The president’s former personal lawyer cleared a major confirmation hurdle to lead the country’s enforcement operations today after a key Senate panel advanced his nomination to a final floor vote, likely before the chamber leaves for August recess at the end of the week. Today’s vote is the latest step in a precipitous rise for Blanche, who represented Trump in multiple cases between his first and second terms. He’s faced sharp criticism from Democrats, who say he’s helped Trump undermine the independence of the Justice Department and used it against the president’s perceived enemies. But the pressure will only increase in the wake of Trump’s firing of former AG Pam Bondi over his perception that she failed to adequately prosecute his rivals. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines, capping a week of bipartisan backlash that almost saw Trump yank Blanche’s nomination. Two retiring “YOLO Republicans” on the panel, Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (N.C.), made their votes contingent on Blanche yanking the DOJ’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Blanche and Cornyn reached a deal on Sunday after the acting AG officially rescinded the fund, which critics feared would give the Trump administration nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money to dole out to political allies.
|
| |
Introducing Canberra Playbook POLITICO is coming to Australia. Canberra Playbook, our new daily briefing on the people and power shaping federal politics, launches 17 August. Free, daily, in your inbox before Canberra's day starts.
Subscribe free. |
| |
| |
Ahead of the vote, Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said their concerns about the fund “were shared by many, including this senator.” He added that Blanche’s move this weekend to officially claw it back “put[s] this issue to bed once and for all.” Both Cornyn and Tillis voted with the rest of the Republicans on the committee. More from POLITICO’s Chris Marquette Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he hopes to put Blanche’s confirmation up for a vote before lawmakers leave Washington for their annual August recess. Blanche can only afford to lose two Republicans given Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) absence. Four GOP senators have yet to commit to voting for Blanche: moderates Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine), fellow YOLO Republican Bill Cassidy (La.) and John Curtis (Utah), who clashed with Blanche over public lands. Murkowski, Collins and Cassidy have all indicated they would speak to Cornyn and Tillis and follow their lead, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Chris report. But as one Trump ally rises in the administration, another is clinging to her job. U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro appears to be on the rocks with the White House after Trump sharply criticized her for dropping criminal charges against a former Olympian he baselessly charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Pirro was photographed leaving an Oval Office meeting with Trump yesterday holding a briefcase and a white box — an image that caught fire online as rumors swirled about the status of her job. So what was inside the boxes? Pirro was armed in the “sometimes heated private meeting” with files that contained evidence from the Interior Department that cut against the vandalism claims Trump pushed, CBS’ Sarah Lynch and Jennifer Jacobs report. Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at isentner@politico.com.
|
A message from Anthropic: How a small shop finds new ways to create using Claude
New ways to create start with new ways to solve problems. Joe Bacus and Leef Armontrout, founders of BLA Studios in St. Louis, are doing both with Claude—from welding machinery, to a steel-saving program, to community improvements. Learn more. |
| |
|
|
|
6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW |
|
1. WAR REPORT: As Trump pushes for further negotiations to end the war with Iran, Reuters’ Erin Banco and colleagues report that the U.S. has used “virtually all” of its long-range precision missiles — the Army’s principal surface-to-surface weapons — over the course of the war effort thus far. The depleted stock raises concerns about the military’s readiness for potential future conflicts and also means the U.S. may have to rely on piloted strikes in Iran if Trump restarts a bombing campaign. 2. ON THE ROAD: Trump is traveling to California and Nevada, where he’ll speak at an RNC fundraising dinner in the Los Angeles area tonight and an event at Red Rock casino in Las Vegas tomorrow. He’s expected to take aim at California Gov. Gavin Newsom and discuss the economy, an issue in which he has struggled to improve his standing among voters ahead of the midterms. More from AP’s Darlene Superville 3. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — In the Sunshine State: Move over Cubans. Florida Democratic Senate candidate Alex Vindman is mounting a new push to win over Florida’s swingiest Latino bloc: Puerto Ricans. Vindman will visit San Juan tomorrow to meet with local leaders and honor Puerto Rican veterans, Playbook’s Ali Bianco scoops. Vindman is also planning a slew of radio interviews he’s hoping will reach Florida’s 1.3 million Puerto Ricans, many of whom remain heavily connected to the island and still listen to its local stations while stateside.
|
| |
A message from Anthropic:  
How a small shop finds new ways to create using Claude
New ways to create start with new ways to solve problems. Learn more. |
| |
|
4. MAX MILLER LATEST: Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) is asking the House Ethics Committee to investigate the domestic abuse allegations against him lodged by his ex-wife in an effort to “to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy reports. In a post on X, Miller said he would provide “the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail[ed] examination” and is “looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.” The extraordinary move comes one day before a key deadline for Miller to withdraw from his reelection race and hours after new images published by Phillip Nieto in the Daily Mail appear to show a syringe in Miller bedroom and depict the congressman holding a bag of extremely potent THC gummies. The photos appear to be taken by his ex-wife Emily Moreno, according to the Daily Mail, and if authentic could corroborate her claim that she found needles beside Miller’s bed. The Daily Mail said it had contacted Moreno and Miller's legal representatives for comment. 5. FOR YOUR RADAR: The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a vote Thursday morning on whether to hold former Covid czar Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he appeared last week before the panel, which longtime rival Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) chairs, but refused to answer any questions, invoking the Fifth Amendment, POLITICO’s Sophie Gardner reports. If Paul’s resolution passes committee Thursday, there are several routes that he could take — but the legality of how the maneuver proceeds from there is another question. 6. ON THIN ICE: “How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics,” by WSJ’s Hannah Critchfield and Shane Shifflett: “ICE has deployed a round-the-clock digital dragnet to scour the public internet … for speech that could endanger the agency’s mission. The government has paid millions to private contractors to surface everything from potential threats to agents to activities that could disrupt ICE’s operations … The program has ensnared U.S. citizens and activist groups that alert community members about ICE activity.” DHS argues it’s trying to protect agents from “coordinated campaigns of violence,” but experts and former DHS staffers warn it could encroach on First Amendment rights.
|
|
TALK OF THE TOWN |
|
REFLECTING ON THE SAGA — “How Trump’s claims of vandalism at the renovated Reflecting Pool crumbled,” by WaPo’s Dan Diamond and colleagues: “The Reflecting Pool project, intended as a showcase for [President Donald] Trump’s ability to quickly get things done, has instead become a speed bump in his second term. … The pool’s problems had sparked tirades from Trump inside the White House.” PRICE TAG — Trump’s indefinite deployment of the National Guard to D.C. will cost an additional $1.4 billion through the end of his term, WaPo’s Theodoric Meyer and colleagues report. That’s according to an estimate Jules Hurst III, Trump’s nominee for Pentagon comptroller, provided to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as part of his confirmation process.
|
| |
Follow the politics of rising power demand POLITICO Surge launches August 31. This free global newsletter tracks how AI, data centers, electrification and grid pressure are reshaping energy policy, infrastructure and climate politics.
Subscribe Now. |
| |
| |
TRANSITIONS — Katie Scally is now senior director of comms at the Latino Community Foundation. She most recently worked at Common Cause. … Erin Miller has joined the Governors Public Health Alliance as policy director. She most recently worked at Community Catalyst and previously held roles at HHS and the Colorado Children’s Campaign. … … Jessica Aune has joined Lilette Advisors as senior VP of federal government affairs. She most recently was at Platinum Advisors and has worked for Joe Biden, Jaime Harrison, Lauren Underwood, Haley Stevens, the DSCC, DCCC and House Majority PAC. … Mustafa Ostrander has joined McGuireWoods in Washington as partner. He most recently was at Rock Creek Energy Group and is a FERC alum. BELATED BIRTHDAY: Jackson Gross of Rep. John James’ (R-Mich.) gubernatorial campaign 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.
|
| |
Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Please take a 1-minute survey about one of our advertising partners. |
| |
|
|
| |
Follow us on X
|
| |
Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Canada Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook | Playbook Paris | Berlin Playbook | Madrid Playbook | Canberra Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters |
Follow us
|
| |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment