POLITICO Playbook: When Trump wins, he's nowhere to be found
Politicoby sherman@politico.com (Jake Sherman)
LOOK AT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S last two successes: USMCA and government funding. What’s the common thread? He had next to nothing to do with them. USMCA -- the president’s top legislative priority -- will sail through Congress after yeoman’s work by ROBERT LIGHTHIZER, the USTA, and the White House legislative affairs team, which kept close tabs on members of both parties in the House as it worked through changes on the bill.
GOVERNMENT FUNDING was captained by STEVEN MNUCHIN, the Treasury secretary, who has found his niche working with Speaker NANCY PELOSI and the appropriators crafting spending agreements -- an odd job for a Treasury secretary.
AND COMPARE THAT TO IMPEACHMENT, where TRUMP’S emotions, moods and whims have driven a downright bizarre process. Consider this: THE WHITE HOUSE has complained about not being represented in front of committees of jurisdiction, and only days later, chose not to be represented in front of those same committees when offered.
IT ALL ADDS UP to a dizzying environment in Washington. Trump’s team is notching victories. But the president’s behavior and ever changing impeachment strategy help solidify the impression of an erratic commander in chief.
CASE IN POINT: NYT’s Maggie Haberman is reporting this morning that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone may not be Trump’s lead impeachment representative after all. “Trump has still been quizzing people about who should do it, and has wondered about Cipollone's lack of experience on TV, said a person familiar with the talks,” she tweeted. We reported in Playbook last week that members of the House — Jim Jordan or John Ratcliffe — could be among those in the mix as additions to his legal team.
SIREN -- JOSH GERSTEIN: “Supreme Court to hear three cases seeking access to Trump's financial and tax records”: “The Supreme Court has agreed to hear three separate court cases involving demands for access to President Donald Trump’s financial and tax records, putting the justices in the position of making high-profile decisions on unlocking some of Trump’s closely-held secrets in the middle of the 2020 presidential campaign.
“The high court announced Friday afternoon that it will hear arguments in March on two cases involving House committees’ demands for Trump-related records in the hands of his banks and accountants, as well as a third case in which a Manhattan prosecutor is using a grand jury subpoena to demand similar records.
“During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to release his tax returns, but he later reversed course, citing ongoing audits. He has since vigorously fought efforts to obtain his returns. The justices are likely to rule on the cases by June.” POLITICO
ABOUT THAT CHINA TRADE DEAL … “China’s Hard-Liners Win a Round in Trump’s Trade Deal,” by NYT’s Keith Bradsher in Beijing: “The White House called the deal a win. It said China had agreed to buy large quantities of American agricultural goods, giving farmers hit by the trade war some needed relief. It also means the United States economy will not suffer from new tariffs threatened for Sunday on Chinese-made goods that Americans love to buy, like toys and smartphones.
“But the deal may be seen by Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, and his hard-line supporters as vindication of the intransigent stance they have taken since the spring, when a previous pact struck by Chinese moderates fell apart. Since then, China has asked that even a partial deal include tariff rollbacks. American officials resisted, debated, then relented.” NYT
-- “Winners and losers in Trump’s ‘phase one’ China trade deal,” by WaPo’s Heather Long
THE LATEST IN NORTH KOREA … “North Korea conducts another test at long-range rocket site,” by AP’s Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul, South Korea: “North Korea said Saturday that it successfully performed another crucial test at its long-range rocket launch site that will further strengthen its nuclear deterrent. The test possibly involved technologies to improve intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially reach the continental United States.
“The announcement comes as North Korea continues to pressure the Trump administration for major concessions as it approaches an end-of-year deadline set by leader Kim Jong Un to salvage faltering nuclear negotiations. North Korea’s Academy of Defense Science did not specify what was tested on Friday.
“Just days earlier, the North said it conducted a ‘very important test’ at the site on the country’s northwestern coast, prompting speculation that it involved a new engine for either an ICBM or a space launch vehicle.” AP |
