Playbook PM: Dual developments in Biden investigations

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GET SMART — “How a more efficient IRS is speeding up the debt deadline,” by Brian Faler: “It’s not just weaker-than-expected tax receipts that are pushing up the drop-dead deadline for raising the legal cap on borrowing. It’s also that the IRS is processing people’s tax returns faster. Because of its newfound efficiency, the government will run out of money to service its debts earlier than it expected.”

INVESTIGATION INVENTORY — A pair of stories up this morning offer the latest details on two ongoing investigations into President JOE BIDEN and, separately, his son HUNTER — both of which Republicans are watching closely for any signs of wrongdoing that they can use to their political advantage.

Biden’s docu-drama: CNN’s Annie Grayer, Sara Murray, Paula Reid and Zachary Cohen have new details — the first in months — on the investigation into Biden’s handling and possession of classified documents dating back to his time serving as vice president.

KATHY CHUNG, Biden’s former executive assistant, “said she wasn’t aware that any classified documents were among the papers she packed for the then-vice president as he was leaving office, according to excerpts from her transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee,” CNN reports. She also said she “did not notice any classified documents when she unpacked boxes at the Biden’s private office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, DC, saying she didn’t sort through or closely examine the contents that included family photos, policy papers and challenge coins.”

“In addition to her interview with the committee, Chung spoke to federal prosecutors during an initial review. Her lawyer has also been contacted by the office of special counsel ROBERT HUR, who is now overseeing the criminal investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents found at an office in Washington and his home in Wilmington, Delaware.”

Hunter gathering: A decision from federal investigators on whether to charge HUNTER BIDEN “with tax- and gun-related violations” could be coming soon as the investigation appears to be wrapping up, WaPo’s Devlin Barrett, Matt Viser, Josh Dawsey and Perry Stein report, though they note that there is no expected timeline as of yet.

“Biden’s attorneys met at Justice Department headquarters in downtown Washington last week to discuss the case with U.S. Attorney DAVID WEISS of Delaware, according to the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation. Typically, that sort of meeting — in which defense lawyers urge prosecutors not to seek an indictment of their client, or to seek reduced charges — comes toward the end of an investigation.”

NEWSOM ON DIFI — California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM addressed the furor over Sen. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-Calif.) as Democrats wait to see if she will return to Congress amid a recent decline in health and questions over her capacity to serve.

Fox 11 Los Angeles’ Elex Michaelson asked Newsom whether he would “potentially appoint a ‘caretaker’ who vows not to run in 2024” should the situation call for it. Newsom was fairly noncommittal. “It’s not an academic conversation like it was a year ago. If she does resign, and I hope she doesn’t, obviously that’s a more difficult question of, what you do?” Newsom said, adding: “For those that say ‘Enough of Newsom making these picks’ — I get it. … It’s just the nature of what it is, and I’m not going to abdicate that responsibility, but I’m sensitive to that concern.” Watch the full interview

Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: [email protected].

TOO SOON TO TELL — After Russian officials accused Ukraine of attempting to kill Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN in a late-night drone strike, officials say that the U.S. had no advance knowledge of the purported attack while “Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN said he’d take anything coming from the Kremlin with a ‘large shaker of salt,’”Alexander Ward and Jonathan Lemire report. Meanwhile, “Biden administration officials are still working to confirm whether the suspected attack was ordered by Kyiv, conducted by a rogue pro-Ukraine group, or a false flag operation by Russia, two U.S. officials said.”

THE NOT-SO-FREE PRESS — In recognition of World Press Freedom Day, WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff ticks through some of the depressing global statistics in light of Russia’s detainment of WSJ reporter EVAN GERSHKOVICH and the many other journalists imprisoned and working in hostile environments around the world.

  • “The number of journalists imprisoned worldwide has reached a 30-year high as of the end of last year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.”
  • “An updated World Press Freedom Index released Wednesday by Reporters Without Borders found that journalists are operating in poor environments in seven out of every 10 countries.”
  • “The U.S. fell three places in the ranking from the previous year, though still has a status of a ‘satisfactory environment for reporting.’ The killings of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter JEFF GERMAN and television reporter DYLAN LYONS hurt the U.S. ranking, the report said.”

The WSJ is up with an ad in Times Square this morning calling for Gershkovich’s release

2024 WATCH

THE DEBATE DEBATE — Former New Jersey Gov. (and consistent 2024 flirt) CHRIS CHRISTIE appeared on HUGH HEWITT’s radio show this morning, where he jabbed at former President DONALD TRUMP’s reported disinterest in appearing alongside other candidates for a Republican primary debate.

“I’m sorry to see that Donald Trump feels like if he gets on the stage, he’s at risk of losing his lead,” Christie said. “If, in fact, his ideas are so great, if his leadership is so outstanding, then his lead will only increase if he gets on the stage, not decrease. But obviously, he’s afraid. He’s afraid to get on the stage against people who are serious.”

Christie also told Hewitt that he would make a formal decision on whether he will enter the race “in the next two weeks.” Read the full transcript

Related read: “Will Hurd makes the case for his possible presidential run: ‘No one is taking on Trump effectively,’” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser

MORE POLITICS

DEEP IN THE HEART — Rep. COLIN ALLRED (D-Texas) is aiming to unseat Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas), formally announcing a 2024 challenge this morning after months of speculation. “The third-term congressman made the announcement in a three-minute video posted on social media. The video touted Allred’s life story and congressional record — and took multiple shots at Cruz, including over his role leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection and the trip to Cancun during the 2021 winter freeze,” the Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek writes. Watch the announcement video

A nugget of insight from our elections guru Steve Shepard: “In 2020, Donald Trump won Texas by 5 points, while JOHN CORNYN won reelection by 10. Step 1 for any Democrat is to close the delta between the increasingly bluer Trump-era presidential results and lingering downballot affinity for Republicans.”

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS — Rep. JIM CLYBURN (D-S.C.) announced this morning that he is backing Rep. BARBARA LEE (D-Calif.) — a fellow former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus — in the Democratic primary to replace Feinstein. Clyburn’s endorsement is also a break from Rep. NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.), who is supporting Rep. ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.), as the two adjust to new roles among the caucus after years of serving together in leadership. More from WaPo’s John Wagner

PHILLY SPECIAL — “Bernie Sanders endorses Helen Gym for Philly mayor,” by the Philly Inquirer’s Anna Orso: “The backing from [Sen. BERNIE] SANDERS, an independent, comes two days after Gym won a high-profile endorsement from U.S. Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ and is another indication that Gym occupies a clear lane as the progressive ahead of the May 16 Democratic primary election.”

AFTERNOON READ — “Column: How tech and the great outdoors transformed Oregon and the fight for the White House,” by LA Times’ Mark Barabak: “Over the last two decades, the West has gone from a Republican stronghold … into a bastion of Democratic support. The transformation has remade the nation’s political map and reshaped the fight for the White House, helping Democrats win three of the last four presidential elections and offsetting the drift of certain states — Florida, Missouri, Iowa among them — toward the GOP.”

POLICY CORNER

TOP-ED — FTC Chair LINA KHAN pens an op-ed for NYT Opinion on the topic du jour: “We Must Regulate A.I. Here’s How”: “The trajectory of the Web 2.0 era was not inevitable — it was instead shaped by a broad range of policy choices. And we now face another moment of choice. As the use of A.I. becomes more widespread, public officials have a responsibility to ensure this hard-learned history doesn’t repeat itself.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

MEGATREND, PART I — “It’s Not Just Math and Reading: U.S. History Scores for 8th Graders Plunge,” by NYT’s Sarah Mervosh: “Just 13 percent of eighth graders were considered proficient — demonstrating competency over challenging subject matter — down from 18 percent nearly a decade ago.”

Try it yourself … NYT: “Can You Pass an 8th-Grade History Test?”

MEGATREND, PART II — “More U.S. Women Are Avoiding Unwanted or Mistimed Pregnancies,” by NYT’s Claire Cain Miller

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

MIAMI HEAT — “Juan Guaidó says he felt U.S. pressure to get on plane to Miami,” by WaPo’s Samantha Schmidt in Bogotá, Colombia

IMMIGRATION FILES — U.S. and Mexican officials have announced a new “five-point plan” tightening immigration policies, anticipating a surge of migrants after COVID-19 restrictions lift next Thursday, AP’s Colleen Long reports: “Under the agreement, Mexico will continue to accept migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua who are turned away at the border, and up to 100,000 individuals from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador who have family in the U.S. will be eligible to live and work there.”

UH-OH — “Bolsonaro’s vaccine status forged before entering U.S., police say,” by WaPo’s Terrence McCoy and Marina Dias report from Rio De Janeiro

JAN 6. AND ITS AFTERMATH

FORMER AGENT ARRESTED — “Former F.B.I. Agent Charged in Jan. 6 Riot,” by NYT’s Adam Goldman and Alan Feuer: “[JARED WISE] faces four misdemeanor counts, including disrupting the orderly conduct of government and trespassing, after agents received a tip in January 2022 that he had been inside the Capitol …. When violence erupted, he shouted in the direction of rioters attacking the law enforcement officers, ‘Kill ’em! Kill ’em! Kill ’em!’”

PLAYBOOKERS

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Metro to increase Red Line train frequency to help alleviate overcrowding,” by WaPo’s Justin George

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the anniversary celebration last night for the Georgetown Journalism Program at the university’s Alumni House, featuring remarks from CNN’s Alex Marquardt (a Hoya alum): Doyle McManus, Karen Travers, Jill Dougherty, Eugene Scott, Jesús Rodríguez, Karoun Demirjian, Saeed Ahmed, Chris Megerian, Suzanne Kianpour, Jon Decker and Julia Jester.

WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Erika Poethig has now joined the advisory committee of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy. She previously was special assistant to the president for housing and urban policy. The announcement

TRANSITIONS — K&L Gates has added Jamie Jackson as a partner, Thomas “Finch” Fulton as a government affairs adviser and Leonard Bickwit as an of counsel in the firm’s public policy and law practice. Jackson previously was senior counsel to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Fulton previously was VP of policy and strategy at Locomation and Bickwit previously was a member at Miller & Chevalier Chartered. … Becca Salter is now director of operations at Convergence Media. She previously was director of operations for Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.).

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