Playbook PM: Trump’s troublesome deposition

Presented by

MORE THOMAS FALLOUT — Both defense and outrage rolled in after another blockbuster ProPublica story this morning revealed that GOP megadonor HARLAN CROW paid for the private schooling of a relative Justice CLARENCE THOMAS raised as a son.

  • MARK PAOLETTA, a friend of Thomas, put out a very lengthy statement lauding the Thomases’ generosity in raising the boy, confirming the payments and arguing that they “did not constitute a reportable gift.”
  • But Senate Judiciary Chair DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) said on Steve Scully’s SiriusXM show that he read the story with “a combination of sadness and rage” as the Thomas/Crow story “is getting worse by the day.” Talking to CNN later, Durbin warned, “The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here.”

‘WHEN YOU’RE A STAR’ REDUX — DONALD TRUMP’s videotaped bragging about sexual impropriety managed not to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, and it has long since become conventional wisdom that he’s politically immune to the many allegations of sexual misbehavior leveled against him.

But whether he’ll remain legally immune is another matter entirely. The “Access Hollywood” tape roared back into relevance today as part of the defamation/rape civil trial he’s now facing in NYC.

During a deposition aired today in court, the infamous tape in which Trump says, “When you’re a star, they let you do it,” was played back to Trump — and he showed no regrets: “Historically, that’s true, with stars,” he said in the deposition. “If you look over the last million years, I guess that’s been largely true — not always, but largely true, unfortunately or fortunately.”

Elsewhere in the deposition, Trump said plaintiff E. JEAN CARROLL, who accuses him of rape in the 1990s, is lying because she’s “not my type” while also mistaking a photo of Carroll for MARLA MAPLES, his ex-wife. He also made sure to tell Carroll’s attorney, ROBERTA KAPLAN, “You wouldn’t be a choice of mine, either, to be honest,” per Law & Crime’s Adam Klasfeld. Trump has completely denied Carroll’s allegations and lambasted the judge in this case.

Carroll’s lawyers are expected to rest their case later today as witness testimony wraps up, and Trump’s team isn’t anticipated to present a defense afterward. Trump tossed a last-minute wrench into the trial from across the pond: While playing golf in Ireland earlier today, he told Reuters’ Luc Cohen and Padraic Halpin that he would “probably” return to Manhattan to attend the trial in person for the first time.

But, but, but: Trump attorney JOE TACOPINA then said in court that wasn’t happening.

PROUD BOYS FOUND GUILTY — After nearly 15 weeks of trial, former Proud Boys chair ENRIQUE TARRIO and three other members of the extremist group were found guilty this morning on seditious conspiracy charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Tarrio and three other defendants — ETHAN NORDEAN, JOSEPH BIGGS and ZACHARY REHL — were also convicted of destroying government property and obstructing congressional proceedings. While a fifth defendant, DOMINIC PEZZOLA, narrowly avoided a sedition conviction due to a deadlocked jury, he was also convicted of obstruction and a slew of other felonies related to the breach of the Capitol. All five men were found guilty of a conspiracy to disrupt the duties of law enforcement and members of Congress.

It’s a notable victory for the Justice Department, which has now secured convictions against leaders of the two largest extremist groups involved in the attack, and could set an example for prosecutors in future sedition cases. More from Kyle Cheney

Related read: WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf, Meg Kelly, Rachel Weiner and Tom Jackman dive into the making of “Justice for All,” the Trump-touted song featuring Jan. 6 defendants. The Post’s investigation identifies five of the 15 or so men, who turn out to be some of the most violent rioters at the insurrection — including one who attacked Officer BRIAN SICKNICK, who died the next day.

Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop us a line at [email protected] and [email protected].

X MARKS THE FRAUGHT — MARK ZANDI, chief economist at Moody’s, told the Senate Budget Committee today that his best estimate for the “X date” — by which the U.S. needs to raise the debt ceiling or risk default — is June 8. That would be a week later than Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN’s most recent prediction (which Zandi noted is remains a possibility) but it’s considerably earlier than other forecasts had expected this spring. And it’s only a month away.

Related reads: WaPo’s Jeff Stein on how President JOE BIDEN expected the Washington establishment to rally behind him on the debt limit — “establishment Republicans, the business lobby and nonpartisan budget hawks” — and has, at least so far, been proven sorely wrong. … CBS’ Sarah Ewall-Wice on a new survey that finds 65% of small business owners would be negatively affected by default.

The ad wars: WaPo’s Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theo Meyer scoop $1 million in new Unrig Our Economy ads hammering Reps. JOHN DUARTE (R-Calif.), MARC MOLINARO (R-N.Y.) and BRANDON WILLIAMS (R-N.Y.) for voting for Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY’s debt limit/spending cuts bill. … On the flip side, Nancy Vu scoops $500,000 in new American Action Network ads hammering Reps. YADIRA CARAVEO (D-Colo.), WILEY NICKEL (D-N.C.), GABE VASQUEZ (D-N.M.) and MARCY KAPTUR (D-Ohio) for voting against it.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A new letter from more than 100 small business owners and small business organizations urges Congress to raise the debt ceiling “without arbitrarily cutting spending that would hurt fellow entrepreneurs, veterans, retirees, and curtail our economic recovery.” Read it here

2024 WATCH

SO MUCH FOR THAT — Democrats’ attempt to reorder their 2024 presidential nominating calendar continues to run into state-level obstacles: Georgia Secretary of State BRAD RAFFENSPERGER is setting its primary date for March 12, a week after Super Tuesday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein and Mark Niesse report. That “appears to end, for now, the dream from national Democrats who voted earlier this year to make Georgia the fourth state.”

BIDEN’S CHALLENGE WITH LATINO VOTERS — As Democrats try to stem the migration of some Hispanic voters to the GOP, they’re emphasizing a reversal of Biden’s 2020 campaign mistakes, Vox’s Christian Paz reports. Many Democrats think 2020 Latino outreach got a very late start and was cramped by the pandemic and insufficient funds, giving Trump inroads with an economic narrative. JULIE CHÁVEZ RODRÍGUEZ’s selection as campaign manager has given many Latino Dems renewed confidence, but Biden’s reelect will have to step it up on everything from localized ground operations to national messaging.

BIDEN’S CHALLENGE WITH YOUNG VOTERS — Young progressive activists are telling the White House that Biden has work to do to win their support, especially after approving the Willow oil drilling project, CNN’s Gregory Krieg and Eva McKend report. Prominent youth groups and activists say the Biden team asks for their advice but rarely takes it, and they warn that young liberals, while obviously opposed to the GOP, still feel that the president needs to earn their vote for reelection. It’s “a hyper-engaged and idealistic generation that, in a break from the past, has become remarkably savvy about how to wield its power.”

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE — “Donald Trump’s dig at Ron DeSantis over Disney wasn’t a random attack,” by Semafor’s Shelby Talcott: “[I]t’s expected to be a recurring focus as part of a broader plan to undermine [Florida Gov. RON] DeSANTIS’ strengths before an expected run.”

MEDIAWATCH

TUCKER’S NEXT BIG THING? — TUCKER CARLSON is already mulling over ways to establish himself as a leading figure in the 2024 cycle, including moderating his own GOP candidate forum outside of the official RNC debates, WaPo’s Jeremy Barr, Sarah Ellison and Isaac Stanley-Becker scoop. Carlson has already broached the debate idea with Trump, who has “expressed interest,” though “the setup — as well as Carlson’s availability to take on that kind of role, given the noncompete constraints of his contract with Fox — remain unclear.”

MORE POLITICS

BATTLE FOR THE SENATE — Sen. MARTIN HEINRICH (D-N.M.) announced today that he’s running for reelection, giving Democrats an incumbent in a state that usually leans blue but can be competitive, the Carlsbad Current-Argus’ Adrian Hedden and Damien Willis report. Heinrich focuses on the green energy transition as a key policy area in his launch remarks. His video announcement

— Having just beaten cancer, Rep. JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.) tells Time’s Eric Cortellessa that he’s taking this month to consider whether to jump into the open Senate race. Time also reports that Montgomery County Councilmember WILL JAWANDO will ditch the Senate race to run for Raskin’s seat if the congressman makes a play for the upper chamber.

DOWN-BALLOT — TRAVIS BRIMM will be the next executive director of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, Zach Montellaro scoops. The former North Carolina Senate campaign manager for CHERI BEASLEY will look to build on the group’s 2022 success as the secretary of state races become increasingly pitched and consequential battles for the administration of democracy.

KNOWING ANDERSON CLAYTON — At 25, the North Carolina Dem chair is the youngest state party leader in the country. Her plan is to re-engage the party in rural, blue-collar areas as well as with Gen Z voters and college students, NYT’s Andrew Trunsky reports from Charlotte. Clayton and her staff are getting more aggressive about ground organizing early, trying to replicate the success of Michigan Dems. And she’s candid about trying to address Dems’ toxic brand in many small towns.

WAR IN UKRAINE

THE BLAME GAME — Russian officials are accusing the U.S. of organizing yesterday’s alleged drone strike on the Kremlin, with spokesman DMITRI PESKOV telling reporters this morning that the U.S. “bore responsibility for the attack because it provided targeting information to Ukraine,” NYT’s Anton Troianovski reports. “The White House quickly rejected Mr. Peskov’s accusations. On MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ on Thursday morning, JOHN F. KIRBY, a White House spokesman, brought up the Kremlin’s accusation and said that ‘Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple,’” and that “we still don’t really know what happened.”

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

IMMIGRATION FILES — “The End of Title 42 Border Policy Puts Migrants in a Quandary,” by WSJ’s Juan Montes in Mexico City and Kejal Vyas in Metetí, Panama: “Next week’s expiration of Title 42 border policy has altered the plans of many U.S.-bound migrants, with some now aiming to cross into the U.S. illegally ahead of the policy change and others planning to follow a new, slower process for seeking asylum. … Misinformation about access to the U.S. has spread.”

Incoming: “Sinema and Tillis to introduce bipartisan bill to address Title 42,” by Daniella Diaz and Jordain Carney: “Sens. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.) and THOM TILLIS (R-N.C.) are working on legislation that would grant a temporary two-year authority to expel migrants from the United States similar to what is currently allowed under Title 42 … [It] does not rely on a public health order, making it functionally different from the Trump-era program that Biden kept in place.”

THE ECONOMY

THE UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE — New jobless claims in the U.S. last week increased by 13,000 to 242,000 — but continuing jobless claims saw their biggest drop since last July, per Bloomberg’s Augusta Saraiva. The mixed bag reflects some softening as worries about a recession grow, but it also demonstrates the labor market’s overall ongoing strength, especially relative to other parts of the economy.

THE NEXT DOMINOES TO FALL? — “Regional-Bank Shares Dive as Investors Fret About Contagion,” by WSJ’s Gina Heeb: “The continued pressure is a sign that concerns about the industry may run deeper than a few troubled banks.”

PLAYBOOKERS

MEDIA MOVE — Will Sommer is now a media reporter at WaPo. He previously was a politics reporter at The Daily Beast.

TRANSITIONS — Jacob Leibenluft has been named incoming executive associate director of OMB. He currently is chief recovery officer at the Treasury Department. … Ariel Marshall is now chief of staff in the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation at the Department of Energy. She previously was legislative director for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). …

… Caitlin Krutsick is now director of health comms at Waxman Strategies. She previously was a director at Crosscut Strategies. … Katherine Borg Hoffman is now scheduler for Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.). She most recently was associate for external affairs at the Global Business Alliance.

BONUS BIRTHDAY: Mike DuHaime

Send Playbookers tips to [email protected] or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.