Playbook: Harris takes the gloves off in Arizona

Presented by the Financial Services Forum

With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine

DRIVING THE DAY

BIG PRETRIAL READ — “How Donald Trump Gets Special Treatment in the Legal System,” by James Romoser in POLITICO Magazine: “He denigrates prosecutors. He lies about his cases. He vilifies the judges overseeing them — and then vilifies their wives and daughters, too. Yet [DONALD] TRUMP has never faced the swift repercussions that … are routinely imposed on other defendants in America.”

STILL COMING — “Biden administration cancels another $7.4 billion in student loans,” by WaPo’s Danielle Douglas-Gabriel: “This latest round brings the total loan forgiveness approved by [President JOE BIDEN] to $153 billion for nearly 4.3 million people.”

TAKING AIM AT THE ‘ARCHITECT’ — Strictly speaking, VP KAMALA HARRIS has been on the attack defending abortion rights for nearly two years now, ever since POLITICO published a leaked draft of the Dobbs decision.

But today she’s honing her target: At an event in Tucson, Arizona, she’ll meet with women and doctors who have been affected by the state’s sudden and near-total ban on abortion — and she’ll explicitly blame Trump for all of it.

Here’s a taste of what Harris is expected to say:

  • “We all must understand who is to blame. It is the former president, Donald Trump. It is Donald Trump who, during his campaign in 2016, said women should be punished for seeking an abortion.”
  • “Donald Trump is the architect of this health care crisis. And that’s not a fact he hides. In fact, he brags about it.”
  • “And as much harm as he has already caused, a second Trump term would be even worse. If Donald Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban. How do we know? Look at his record. Congress tried to pass a national abortion ban before, in 2017, and then-President Trump endorsed it.”

It’s a campaign event, meaning she’ll be unencumbered by the ethics and niceties of official travel and free to play the aggressive role in what has become a bit of a good-cop-bad-cop act. Note that after the recent state Supreme Court rulings in Florida and Arizona, Biden’s more tempered reaction was sent from the White House, while Harris spoke via the campaign, directly knocking the former president.

“She’s not subject to the Hatch Act and she can say whatever the heck she wants,” one senior Harris aide said. “She knew we needed to pivot to more campaign-style and campaign-paid-for events so that we could really be unencumbered in how we tell the story and how we make sure that voters understand the connection of an 1864 ban in Arizona and what that means, why that’s Donald Trump’s fault.”

The gloves-off approach also reflects Harris’ personal obsession with making sure Trump doesn’t evade accountability for Dobbs and all of its aftermath, multiple aides said.

When word came down last week that Trump would be making a statement on abortion restrictions, Harris spoke up, according to a campaign official who quoted her saying: “I wouldn’t be surprised if he … tried to do something to muddy the waters. And so we need to be ready to make sure that no matter what his statement says, he’s on the hook for all the state bans that are in existence.”

The new strategy is part of a broader campaign effort to blame Trump for Dobbs, one that includes a seven-figure ad buy this week targeting women, young voters and Latino voters. The 30-second spot includes Biden saying direct to camera: “Your body and your decisions belong to you — not the government, not Donald Trump.”

Now it’s Harris who will be in the ring with Trump — thus inviting a new barrage of attacks on a figure who has seen ups and downs as a MAGA punching bag.

“It makes her more of a target, but she’s always been their target, right?” said ALENCIA JOHNSON, a senior adviser to the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign. She added that “it would be a bigger risk for us to not put her out there.”

Expect many more trips from Harris to Arizona, Florida and other key states where abortion rights — and the presidential race — hang in the balance.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in terms of people just viscerally angry that this has happened in our state,” said Rep. GREG STANTON (D-Ariz.), who appeared with Harris at a Phoenix reproductive rights event last month. “They are not going to walk to the polls in November. They’re going to run to the polls in November.”

Related read: “A near-total ban on abortion has supercharged the political dynamics of Arizona, a key swing state,” by AP’s Steve Peoples and Jonathan J. Cooper

THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: MICHAEL COHEN — We sat down yesterday with the star witness for Manhattan DA ALVIN BRAGG at the Trump hush money trial that begins Monday. You can listen to the full Deep Dive interview on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, and you can read an edited transcript. A few highlights:

1. Cohen wants Bragg to ask judge JUAN MERCHAN to sanction Trump after the former president called Cohen and alleged hush-money recipient STORMY DANIELS “sleaze bags” on Truth Social on Wednesday:

“I’m not the defendant in this case. The defendant in this case is the former president, Donald J. Trump. So what does he do? He starts to attack. And despite the gag orders that have been put on by the judges, he nevertheless continues to do what he wants. He will say whatever he wants. He violates the gag order. And like a petulant child, there appears to be no repercussion.”

— Do you want Bragg to ask Judge Merchan to enforce it, after Trump attacked you?

“Well, I think they should — specifically so as to ensure that the case, once it starts on Monday, operates in a respectful manner and one that does not place witnesses — myself included — in harm’s way.”

2. Cohen offered a preview of how he will fend off attacks on his credibility:

— Trump’s defense is going to be to paint you as an untrustworthy witness. He’s going to cite your guilty plea for lying to Congress … and he’ll say you’re out for revenge and that you have a financial incentive to see him convicted. So how do you defend yourself?

“I wish that when people state that ‘you lied to Congress,’ that you’d do me the courtesy — do yourself the courtesy — of finishing the sentence. What is the sentence? That I had done that, really, for the benefit of Donald J. Trump.”

3. Cohen says Bragg’s case is stronger than we think:

— Do you think we’ll be surprised by it — by some of the corroborating evidence?

“I do.”

— In other words: We don’t know everything that’s going to be presented?

“In fact, most people don’t really know anything. They only know what the headlines have been. And as you know very, very well, headlines do not necessarily tell the story.”

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY

On the Hill

The House will meet at 8 a.m., with last votes by 3 p.m.

The Senate is out.

3 things to watch …

  1. A suggested motto for the House GOP: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try again. In just a couple of hours, House Republicans will attempt to pass a rule teeing up a renewal of controversial foreign surveillance powers for a fourth time. The bet is that most of the 19 GOP members who voted no earlier this week will be satisfied with a shorter extension — two years rather than five years, potentially punting the issue to a reelected President Trump. More from Jordain Carney
  2. Sen. BOB MENENDEZ’s latest corruption trial is a go for May 6 after a federal judge agreed to hold a separate trial for his wife, NADINE, who is experiencing health problems. The New Jersey Democrat has left the door open to filing as an independent ahead of the June 4 deadline if he can clear his name by then. The timing is iffy: Menendez’s first trial, in 2017 on separate charges, lasted more than two months before ending in a mistrial. More from Ry Rivard
  3. Will next week be the moment the Ukraine aid debate comes to a head in the House? Well, not according to the Rules Committee schedule, which indicates that GOP leaders will be more focused on appliances than armaments. The Liberty in Laundry Act, Refrigerator Freedom Act and Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act are among the bills planned for floor action — though that list could always change.

At the White House

Biden will speak virtually at the National Action Network Convention at 2:45 p.m. (details from the AP), before heading to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, later in the day.

Harris and second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF will travel to Tucson for her abortion event, before continuing on to LA later in the afternoon.

On the trail

Trump is due to hold a joint event with Johnson today at Mar-a-Lago about “election integrity,” though it’s not yet clear what they’ll announce, NYT’s Annie Karni previews. Johnson could get a political boost with the GOP from appearing with Trump — on an issue that animates the MAGA base.

But the Biden campaign is counterprogramming, in details shared first with Playbook, by using the event to paint Trump as a threat to democracy. “The sham event at Trump’s country club should remind the American people of a dangerous truth: Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy and a danger to our Constitution,” Rep. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) said in a statement.

PLAYBOOK READS

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

MIDDLE EAST LATEST — As the world waits to see how Tehran will respond to an Israeli strike on top Iranian commanders, the U.S. is working hard to avoid a major regional conflagration. Army Gen. MICHAEL KURILLA, the leading military commander for the region, went to Israel to coordinate on security, NYT’s Cassandra Vinograd and Eric Schmitt report, as the U.S. government warned employees in Israel to limit their travel, per Reuters’ Simon Lewis.

There are some signs that Iran doesn’t want to spark a larger war, even as it prepares major retribution: The U.S. has assessed that Iran wants to avoid a military response from Washington, Lara Seligman, Alex Ward and Nahal Toosi report. Iran told Germany it will keep its response somewhat limited, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports. Still, avoiding a retaliatory spiral isn’t guaranteed, with Iran expected to launch both missile and drone strikes, our colleagues write.

Meanwhile, the political fallout from the Israel-Hamas war continues to hound the Democratic Party. Progressives are planning a significant fight over Middle East policy in the party platform at this summer’s convention, NBC’s Mike Memoli and Alex Seitz-Wald report. On the Hill, at least a dozen progressives have balked at signing the discharge petition for the Senate foreign-aid bill over Israel funding, Axios’ Andrew Solender reports. And many Muslim and Arab American leaders are growing weary of White House outrage while Biden’s support for the war continues, AP’s Chris Megerian and Joey Cappelletti find.

More top reads:

TRUMP CARDS

THE CORCORAN GALLERY — “Trump attorney who became a crucial witness against him has departed legal team,” by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “[EVAN] CORCORAN’s quiet exit from Trump’s orbit could pose a significant issue for the former president, with the potential for prosecutors to call him as a key witness if the [classified documents] case goes to trial.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

COMING SOON TO A TRUTH SOCIAL NEAR YOU — “Man on terror watchlist remains in U.S. after being released by Border Patrol,” by NBC’s Julia Ainsley, Didi Martinez and Laura Strickler in San Antonio: “The Afghan national was arrested last month and then released again by an immigration judge who was not told he was a national security threat. MOHAMMAD KHARWIN, 48, is currently out on bond.”

FLORIDA’S ABORTION FIGHT — Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS said privately last weekend that he doesn’t think the abortion-rights ballot referendum can hit the 60% threshold to pass in November, though it’ll be tough for conservatives, National Review’s Audrey Fahlberg reports. But even if it does pass, anti-abortion groups are planning to sue and try to get the state Supreme Court to prevent its implementation, Arek Sarkissian reports from Tallahassee.

WHAT’S GIVING BEN WIKLER A HEADACHE — “Ann Walsh Bradley’s retirement sets the stage for another high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race,” by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Molly Beck and Jessie Opoien

2024 WATCH

MILLER TIME? — Trump is eyeing controversial Texas Ag Commissioner SID MILLER as a leading possibility to be nominated as Agriculture secretary in a second Trump presidency, Meredith Lee Hill reports. A Miller-led USDA would amount to a “seismic shift” for food and agriculture policy, with the Biden administration’s climate investments and nutrition programs at risk — and the huge farm bill potentially on the line if Congress doesn’t pass it this year.

Miller has been a lightning rod in Texas for years, brooking little compromise, accumulating legions of enemies (even on the right) and landing at the center of various controversies. He’s also proven pugnacious, politically resilient and — perhaps most important — very loyal to Trump. But he might struggle to win Senate confirmation; other potential USDA picks for Trump include KIP TOM and Nebraska Ag Secretary SHERRY VINTON.

More top reads:

  • Up for debate: Trump’s campaign yesterday asked for this year’s debates to take place earlier and more often. More from CNN
  • Friday watch: Several recent polls show Biden losing ground to Trump among Black and Hispanic voters. Alex Keeney and Krystal Campos are back dissecting what Trump is saying on the campaign trail when it comes to wooing minority voters.

JUDICIARY SQUARE

SHADES OF DICK CHENEY — “State prosecutor to investigate Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Trump Georgia case,” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Bill Rankin and David Wickert: “State prosecutor PETE SKANDALAKIS said Thursday that he will lead the investigation into Lt. Gov. BURT JONES’ alleged role in trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 presidential election … Instead of appointing a district attorney or a private lawyer, he appointed himself.”

NOT ON BRAND — “Why Is a Pro-Democracy Beltway Hero Defending Machine Politics in New Jersey?” by Michael Schaffer: “NEAL KATYAL plays the role of democracy defender — just not in the Garden State.”

POLICY CORNER

OIL AND WATER — “Environmentalists protest as Biden administration approves huge oil export terminal off Texas coast,” by AP’s Matthew Daly: It “would be the largest of its kind in the United States.”

MORE POLITICS

CASH DASH — The NRCC pulled in more than $33 million in the first quarter of the year, Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind scooped. About half the money came in March as fundraising ramps up. House Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE says the GOP is eyeing more than 20 seats it hopes to flip across the country. The campaign committee ended the quarter with $55.9 million in the bank. That marked its largest monthly jump of the cycle so far and was higher than its 2020 cash-on-hand number in Q1 — but way lower than two years ago, when the NRCC had $94.7 million on hand.

Down ballot, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and its affiliates raised $6.9 million in the first quarter, The Daily Beast’s Mini Racker scooped. That’s a first-quarter record for the group, though its leaders are advocating for Democrats to prioritize statehouse races way more.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK I: The conservative super PAC Sentinel Action Fund and its 501(c)(4) affiliate pulled in $7.8 million in the first quarter. The group is focused on targeted ground game operations, and says it will use the money to reach more than 2 million low-propensity voters in Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. SAF ended the quarter with $7.5 million on hand.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK II: Ahead of the April 23 primary in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, MIKE O’BRIEN raised $321,000 in the first quarter. His campaign says that places him narrowly atop the Dem field seeking to challenge GOP Rep. SCOTT PERRY. But rival JANELLE STELSON said she led the field in cash on hand.

More top reads:

  • What the DSCC is reading: “US Senate candidate DAVE McCORMICK led Bridgewater Associates as the hedge fund steered millions of dollars of investments into Chinese companies that produce fighter jets, bombers, planes equipped to jam enemy radars, and the country’s first domestically built aircraft carrier,” Bloomberg Government’s Jonathan Tamari reports this morning.

CONGRESS

BRIDGE TO SOMEWHERE — Maryland’s congressional delegation introduced legislation yesterday that would put the full onus for replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the federal government, The Baltimore Sun’s Jean Marbella reports. But the size of the task ahead could completely draw down the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief fund, leapfrogging other projects and pressuring lawmakers “into urgent action to replenish the agency’s coffers,” WaPo’s Jacob Bogage reports.

PULLOUT FALLOUT — “The Biden probe that House Republicans are most eager to talk about,” by Axios’ Juliegrace Brufke: “Republicans argue the Afghanistan probe has yielded evidence that’s hard for the White House to ignore.”

TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week,” guest-moderated by Franklin Foer: Lisa Desjardins, Susan Glasser, Ryan Lizza and Domenico Montanaro.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) … Will Scharf. Panel: Harold Ford Jr., Dana Perino, Karl Rove and Shelby Talcott. Sunday special: Senate Pickleball Caucus.

NBC “Meet the Press”: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Panel: Carol Lee, Peggy Noonan and Eugene Robinson.

CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) … Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). Panel: Scott Brown, Paul Begala, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Karen Finney.

MSNBC “The Weekend”: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) … Rep. David Trone (D-Md.).

CBS “Face the Nation”: Kristalina Georgieva … Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) … David Sanger.

NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). Panel: Sabrina Siddiqui, Daniella Diaz, Bob Cusack and Noah Rothman.

ABC “This Week”: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu … Fareed Zakaria. Trump legal panel: Dan Abrams, Norm Eisen and Melissa Murray. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Julie Pace and Marianna Sotomayor.

PLAYBOOKERS

Leonard Leo isn’t complying with Dick Durbin’s subpoena.

Donald Trump will appear at a big bundler retreat in Palm Beach.

Tom Cole has to make a tough call on House Approps’ Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Seth Magaziner and Rob Wittman launched the Congressional Toy Caucus.

OUT AND ABOUT — The Patriotic Millionaires hosted a reception, “Taxation and Libations,” at Wild Days on Wednesday night to wrap up its annual spring meeting. SPOTTED: Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Erica Payne, Morris Pearl, Abigail Disney, Stephen Prince, Fatima Goss Graves, Natalie Foster, Raul Alvillar, Diane Blagman, Gene Haigh, Bruce Kieloch, Kevin McDonald, Matt Morrison, Steve Rochlin, Christina Sevilla, Elizabeth Thorp and Jamie Whitehead.

— SPOTTED at The Henri for a small dinner last night in advance of the launch of The Budget Lab, a new nonpartisan policy research center: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Cecilia Rouse, Jason Furman, Michael Strain, Kimberly Clausing, John Lettieri, Maya MacGuineas, Jay Shambaugh, Heidi Shierholz, Natasha Sarin, Danny Yagan and Martha Gimbel.

— The Conservative Climate Foundation held a reception at Bullfeathers last night celebrating Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) becoming the new chair of the House Conservative Climate Caucus. Pic … SPOTTED: Heather Reams and Reps. John Curtis (R-Utah), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Garret Graves (R-La.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) and Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.).

— “Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s War on Democracy” hosted its D.C. premiere at the U.S. Navy Memorial Museum last night. SPOTTED: Stephen Ujlaki, Chris Jones, Alec Baer, Mike Steed, Rev. William Barber II, Steve Schmidt, Anne Nelson, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Jill Zuckman, Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) and Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Holly Mitchell, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Sahil Kapur, Hugo Lowell, Jennifer Simpson, Libby Lewis, Molly Wilkinson, Sharon Pinkerton, Kimball Stroud, Kemba Walden, Peter O’Keefe, Jay Dunn, Bruce Kieloch and Brian Jones.

— SPOTTED last night at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s annual founders conference at the Ritz-Carlton, featuring conversations between Jon Finer and Michael Singh, and Dina Powell McCormick, Tom Nides and Robert Satloff: Wolf Blitzer, Jim Jeffrey, Jim Steinberg, Dennis Ross, Hady Amr, Rana Abtar, John Hannah, Felicia Schwartz, Stuart A. Bernstein and Rob Danin.

MEDIA MOVES — Aja Whitaker-Moore is taking over as editor-in-chief of Axios. She previously was executive editor. The announcement … Amara Omeokwe is joining Bloomberg as a Fed and U.S. economy reporter. She most recently was an economics reporter at the WSJ.

NEW NOMINEES — The White House announced that Biden is nominating Amanda Jacobsen as ambassador to Equatorial Guinea and Christophe Tocco as ambassador to Mauritania.

TRANSITIONS — Jessica Gail is now senior director of media and comms at American Trucking Associations. She most recently was comms director for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). … William “Chip” Rogers is now a senior adviser at Ervin Graves Strategy Group. He previously was president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

WEDDING — Krystal Ka‘ai, executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and Alex Hetherington, administrative director for Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), got married March 30 on their home island of Oahu. Pic … SPOTTED: Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Hawaii state Senate President Ron Kouchi, Moh Sharma, Mike Inacay, Linda Shim, Nisha Ramachandran, Madalene Mielke, Christine Chen, Naomi Tacuyan Underwood, Sonali Desai, Erika Moritsugu and Phil Kim.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook’s own Callan Tansill-Suddath (3-0) … Reps. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Chuy García (D-Ill.) … Fred Ryan … former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) … Christian Datoc … Mindy Myers ... Brad Elkins ... CBS’ Rita Braver ... Jack Pandol Jr. … Katherine Rodriguez of DoorDash ... Gretchen Andersen … Sindy Benavides ... Anthony Bellmon … Peter Scher of JPMorgan Chase … Corry Robb … Laly Rivera Perez … Nick Iacovella … National Student Legal Defense Network’s Aaron Ament … Audra McGeorge … Chris Gorud of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s (D-R.I.) office ... Reed Galen … ABC’s Eric Ortega … Shalla Ross … WaPo’s Carrie Camillo … AARP’s Timothy Gearan … CNN’s Greg Clary … Woody Johnson … Eric Leckey … Youssef Jajili … Zach Weidlich of Rep. Jerry Carl’s (R-Ala.) office

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 Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.