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Presented by ExxonMobil: Playbook is POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the day in Washington Aug 20, 2018 View in browser
By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
BREAKING ... AP/ISTANBUL: "Shots fired at gate of U.S. Embassy in Turkey, but no one hurt": "Unknown attackers fired shots at a security booth outside the U.S. Embassy in Turkey's capital early Monday, but U.S. officials said no one was hurt. [The] Ankara governor's office said six shots were fired from a moving white car towards the embassy compound at 5:30 am. Three of the bullets hit the gate and a window.

"The statement said the investigation was ongoing and the suspect or suspects have not yet been identified. U.S. Embassy spokesman David Gainer thanked police for their 'rapid response' and said no injuries had been reported." AP

SCOOP ... IVANKA TRUMP and JARED KUSHNER are in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where they are the headline speakers at SPEAKER PAUL RYAN'S annual retreat for top donors and political allies. They will appear tonight in separate conversations led by HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY. Ryan, McCarthy and HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP STEVE SCALISE will also headline a talk about achievements this Congress, and the 2018 midterm elections.
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-- ALSO ON THE SCHEDULE: Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, who will speak about tax reform, Condoleezza Rice, who will speak about foreign policy, and Mitt Romney, who will speak alongside Ryan.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- The Senate Leadership Fund, American Crossroads, One Nation and Crossroads GPS -- the four outside groups supported by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell -- have raised nearly $100 million this election cycle. That far exceeds the $68.3 million the groups had raised in 2016 over the same time period.
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SENATE LEADERSHIP FUND had its best July fundraising effort ever, raising $26 million. SLF and American Crossroads have $47.3 million cash on hand, and the four groups have $65 million in the bank. One Nation and Crossroads GPS have raised $38.5 million through the end of July and have $17.8 million cash on hand.

STEVEN LAW, SLF president and CEO, attributed the July uptick to Democrats' reactions to President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh, which "convinced our donors of the absolute importance of holding the Senate majority."

-- "Inside Trump's Judicial Takeover: How conservative operatives and Senate Republicans are helping the president pack the courts at a record pace," by Andy Kroll. Rolling Stone

BURGESS EVERETT and MAGGIE SEVERNS: "Liberals crushed in SCOTUS spending war"

NYT'S MIKE SCHMIDT and MAGGIE HABERMAN: "Trump Lawyers' Sudden Realization: They Don't Know What Don McGahn Told Mueller's Team": "President Trump's lawyers do not know just how much the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, told the special counsel's investigators during months of interviews, a lapse that has contributed to a growing recognition that an early strategy of full cooperation with the inquiry was a potentially damaging mistake."

"The president's lawyers said on Sunday that they were confident that Mr. McGahn had said nothing injurious to the president during the 30 hours of interviews. But Mr. McGahn's lawyer has offered only a limited accounting of what Mr. McGahn told the investigators, according to two people close to the president.

"That has prompted concern among Mr. Trump's advisers that Mr. McGahn's statements could help serve as a key component for a damning report by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, which the Justice Department could send to Congress, according to two people familiar with the discussions." NYT

WSJ EDITORIAL BOARD: "Trump Waives the Privilege: How to read Don McGahn's cooperation with Robert Mueller": "The bottom line is that readers should remain skeptical about what is reported about Mr. Mueller's probe, waiting to see the evidence he actually produces." WSJ

Good Monday morning. The Nationals lost to the last-place Marlins 12-1 yesterday afternoon. WAPO'S TOM BOSWELL: "After too many self-inflicted wounds, this Nationals season can probably be pronounced dead"

MANAFORT TRIAL PREVIEW -- DARREN SAMUELSOHN: "Manafort trial Day 15 begins Monday at 9:30 a.m. We expect a return of last week's carnival-like atmosphere as jury deliberations stretch into their third day and with Judge Ellis raising alarm bells Friday by talking generally about 'threats' coming his way and toward the jurors.

"Reporters will be camped out up in the courtroom reading newspapers, playing cards and just enjoying the brief serenity (I am at least, while the newbies still seem twitchy) of a cellphone-free existence. Others will be staked out in the grassy plaza, amid a wall of cameras that swivel back and forth between the courthouse's front entrance and the Westin hotel, where Manafort's attorneys and Mrs. Manafort are usually stationed waiting for the verdict.

"The tension should build in the days ahead. The major television network and cable reporters have parachuted onto the scene, as have the neighborhood retirees, pro-Mueller protestors and even a Washington D.C. tour guide promoting his business. ... Lastly, I'll say this note is starting to feel like a letter from a desert island or a spaceship traveling further out of earth's orbit."

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NYT SCOOP -- "Cohen, Trump's Ex-Lawyer, Investigated for Bank Fraud in Excess of $20 Million," by William K. Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Maggie Haberman: "Federal authorities investigating whether President Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen, committed bank and tax fraud have zeroed in on well over $20 million in loans obtained by taxi businesses that he and his family own, according to people familiar with the matter. Investigators are also examining whether Mr. Cohen violated campaign finance or other laws by helping to arrange financial deals to secure the silence of women who said they had affairs with Mr. Trump.

"The inquiry has entered the final stage and prosecutors are considering filing charges by the end of August, two of the people said. Any criminal charges against Mr. Cohen would deal a significant blow to the president. ... Federal investigators in New York are seeking to determine whether Mr. Cohen misrepresented the value of his assets to obtain the loans, which exceed $20 million. They are also examining how he handled the income from his taxi medallions and whether he failed to report it to the Internal Revenue Service." NYT

-- "Michael Cohen's attorney says he's talking to lawyer who brought down Nixon," by Daniel Lippman: "Lanny Davis, an attorney for former longtime Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, said he has been reaching out regularly over the past few months to John Dean, the former White House counsel who helped bring down the presidency of Richard Nixon. ...

"'I reached out to my old friend John Dean because of what he went through with Watergate, and I saw some parallels to what Michael Cohen is experiencing. I wanted to gain from John's wisdom,' Davis told POLITICO." POLITICO

K-FILE CLAIMS ANOTHER ONE -- "Speechwriter who attended conference with white nationalists in 2016 leaves White House," by CNN's Andrew Kaczynski: "A speechwriter for President Donald Trump who attended a conference frequented by white nationalists has left the White House. CNN's KFile reached out to the White House last week about Darren Beattie, a policy aide and speechwriter, who was listed as speaking at the 2016 H.L. Mencken Club Conference. The Mencken Club, which is named for the early 20th century journalist and satirist whose posthumously published diaries revealed racist views, is a small annual conference started in 2008 and regularly attended by well-known white nationalists
such as Richard Spencer. ...

"The White House, which asked CNN to hold off on the story for several days last week declined to say when Beattie left the White House. Beattie's email address at the White House, which worked until late Friday evening, was no longer active by Saturday. 'Mr. Beattie no longer works at the White House,' White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told CNN on Friday night. 'We don't comment on personnel matters.' Beattie confirmed to CNN he spoke to the 2016 conference, saying his speech was not objectionable." CNN

-- WAPO'S BOB COSTA: "Once White House officials were informed about CNN's pending report, Beattie reportedly was confronted and urged to step down immediately. But he apparently refused to resign, arguing that he was not racist and that he had made uncontroversial academic points at the Mencken gathering. When it became clear that Beattie would not resign, the people familiar with the matter said, the White House terminated him." WaPo

L.A. TIMES' MARK Z. BARABAK and MICHAEL FINNEGAN in GREENFIELD, N.H.: "Donald Trump redefined what's possible in presidential politics. Enter Michael Avenatti": "'I think I want him for my attorney,' said Denise Clark, 64, a semi-retired teacher from nearby Milford, who took in the politicking and picnic beneath a safari hat and dark sunglasses. 'I'm not sure I want him as president of the United States.'

"The exertions of the 47-year-old Newport Beach lawyer could just be another publicity stunt or a way to buff his ego. 'I have not decided whether I'm going to do it,' Avenatti said of a full-fledged run for president. 'My life would be a lot better if I did not,' he added in an interview before leaving Los Angeles for New England, by way of a Saturday night fundraiser for Democrats in Tampa, Fla." LAT

-- AVENATTI sounds a lot like Trump.

2018 WATCH -- "Republican Rick Scott sends a bilingual message in Florida race: He's not Trump," by WaPo's Mike Scherer in Tampa: "In Florida, the efforts have had an impact, especially among the Puerto Rican community that felt neglected by the Trump administration after Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017, knocking out power and killing many.

"A June survey by Florida International University found that more than 7 in 10 Puerto Ricans in Florida had a negative view of Trump, but 55 percent of the same group had a positive view of Scott, who had a higher approval rating than his opponent, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).

"A more recent head-to-head poll by several Democratic-leaning groups found Scott and Nelson locked in a statistical tie, with 46 percent approval for Scott among Florida Latinos, compared with 34 percent approval for Nelson. Notably, Scott was leading among Puerto Rican men and those without a college degree." WaPo

-- "North Dakota nasty: GOP makes Heitkamp top target for defeat," by Elana Schor in Bismarck, North Dakota: "Major GOP groups have written him off. His Democratic opponent has more than twice as much cash in the bank, was interviewed for a job in the Trump administration, and has paid more than a half-dozen visits to the White House. But Rep. Kevin Cramer just might get elected to the Senate, anyway.

"Despite the poor electoral environment for conservatives, the political talents of incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and Cramer's own flaws, top Republicans routinely rank him as one of their best prospects to seize a Democratic-held Senate seat in 2018. And the reason is simple: North Dakota remains Trump country, and Cramer's unflinching support for the president might be a more popular play with voters than Heitkamp's vow to rein him in when she feels she has to." POLITICO


ELENA SCHNEIDER: "Sex, lies and DUIs: GOP dumps oppo on Dem House hopefuls Republican ads are getting personal in the fight for the House majority"

-- THE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND is running four ads, criticizing Democrats for not joining the National Organization for Women in calling for Keith Ellison to drop out of the AG race after his ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence. They are targeting Minnesota's first, second, third and eighth congressional districts.

TRUMP'S MONDAY -- The president will have lunch with VP Mike Pence and will host "the Salute to the Heroes of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection."

PLAYBOOK ON THE ROAD -- Tweet or send us a photo of you, your friends and companions reading Playbook this August to @playbookplus using hashtag #PlaybookLoyal or email them to Daniel at daniel@politico.com for the chance to be featured on Friday each week this month.
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PHOTO DU JOUR: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) boards Air Force One on Sunday after golfing with President Donald Trump in New Jersey. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "North Korea alludes to confrontation with U.S. over secret nuclear sites during negotiations," by Japan Times' Jesse Johnson: "The United States has explicitly confronted North Korea about suspected secret nuclear weapons facilities during ongoing denuclearization negotiations, a commentary published over the weekend by the North's state-run media has appeared to show.

"In the commentary released Saturday, the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, blasted 'those opposed to dialogue' in the U.S., saying that officials both inside and outside the White House had 'provided the negotiating team with a truncheon called (the) 'theory of suspected north Korea's secret nuclear facilities,' a fiction, driving it to derailing dialogue." Japan Times

-- "U.S. Rebuffs Effort to Tether Bank Fine to Pastor's Release," by WSJ's Mike Bender: "The Trump administration has rejected an effort by Turkey to tie the release of a U.S. pastor with relief for a major Turkish bank facing billions of dollars in U.S. fines, telling Ankara other issues are off the table until the minister is freed, a senior White House official said. ... The rejection of a possible trade sets the stage for the U.S. to impose another round of penalties against Ankara as soon as this week. ... 'A real NATO ally wouldn't have arrested Brunson in the first place,' the senior White House official said." WSJ

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THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "As Trump Dismantles Clean Air Rules, an Industry Lawyer Delivers for Ex-Clients," by NYT's Eric Lipton: "As a corporate lawyer, William L. Wehrum worked for the better part of a decade to weaken air pollution rules by fighting the [EPA] in court on behalf of chemical manufacturers, refineries, oil drillers and coal-burning power plants.

"Now, Mr. Wehrum is about to deliver one of the biggest victories yet for his industry clients - this time from inside the Trump administration as the government's top air pollution official. On Tuesday, President Trump is expected to propose a vast rollback of regulations on emissions from coal plants, including many owned by members of a coal-burning trade association that had retained Mr. Wehrum and his firm as recently as last year to push for the changes." NYT

HOLLYWOODLAND -- "Asia Argento, Who Accused Weinstein, Made Deal With Her Own Accuser," by NYT's Kim Severson: "The Italian actress and director Asia Argento was among the first women in the movie business to publicly accuse the producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. She became a leading figure in the #MeToo movement. Her boyfriend, the culinary television star Anthony Bourdain, eagerly joined the fight.

"But in the months that followed her revelations about Mr. Weinstein last October, Ms. Argento quietly arranged to pay $380,000 to her own accuser: Jimmy Bennett, a young actor and rock musician who said she had sexually assaulted him in a California hotel room years earlier, when he was only two months past his 17th birthday." NYT
PLAYBOOKERS
WHAT BARACK OBAMA IS READING THIS SUMMER -- He posts on Facebook: "Tara Westover's 'Educated' is a remarkable memoir of a young woman raised in a survivalist family in Idaho who strives for education while still showing great understanding and love for the world she leaves behind. Set after WWII, 'Warlight' by Michael Ondaatje is a meditation on the lingering effects of war on family. With the recent passing of V.S. Naipaul, I reread 'A House for Mr Biswas,' the Nobel Prize winner's first great novel about growing up in Trinidad and the challenge of post-colonial identity.

"'An American Marriage' by Tayari Jones is a moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple. 'Factfulness' by Hans Rosling, an outstanding international public health expert, is a hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases." The Facebook post

SPOTTED at Bangor, Maine, airport on Sunday: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and OMB Director Mick Mulvaney (separately) ... at Caves Valley Golf Course, Maryland, on Sunday: Australia Ambassador Joe Hockey, Coach Kathy Kemper, Tom and Ann Friedman.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - James Quinn, chief of staff for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Shannon Quinn, a teacher at Randolph Elementary School, welcomed Grace Frances Quinn on Wednesday. She weighed 6 lbs 9 oz. Pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Oliver Darcy, CNN senior media reporter. A fun fact about Oliver: "I am a man of routine. I go to the same diner, at the same time, on the same day every week. [Darcy declined to say which diner.] When I come to D.C., I enjoy brunching at Firefly. It's a fantastic establishment and I'm lucky enough to have friends who relish in dining there with me. Looking at you Kaitlan Collins, Michelle Fields, and Olivia Nuzzi." Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Fox News' Fin Gomez ... Lea Berman ... Jenny Backus ... Amb. Michael Froman, vice chairman and president of strategic growth at Mastercard and former USTR, is 56 (hat tip: Andrew Bates) ... Brad Fingeroot ... Politico's Doug Palmer ... Scott Rothrock ... BPI birthday twins: partner Ben LaBolt and COO and partner Ann Marie Habershaw ... Al Roker is 64 ... former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is 83 ... former Sen. George Mitchell (D-Maine) is 85 ... Targeted Victory CEO Zac Moffatt ... Connie Chung ... Rae-Lynn Ziegler, director of social media and outreach for the Washington Free Beacon (h/t Anton Vuljaj) ... Rachel Thomas, strategic communications director at ACRONYM + Lockwood
Strategy and an IBM and EMILY's List alum ... Susan Aspey ... Gina Keeney ... Brianna McCullough ... Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) is 57 (h/t Josh Brown, filing from Aspen) ... Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) is 52 ... Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is 56 ... former Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Tex.) is 78 ... Tarrah Cooper, partner at Rise Strategy Group ... Matt Shapanka is 31 ... Morgan Murtaugh ... Elyse Medvigy ...

... Jim Hock, SVP of external affairs at PSP Capital and former Commerce COS ... Edelman's Jeffrey Norfolk ... Jody Serrano (h/t Amy Sisk, filing from Pittsburgh) ... Alice Frost Richardson ... Madison Gouveia, communications associate at Vox Media (h/t Sujata Mitra) ... Targeted Victory's Ryan Meerstein (h/t Zac) ... Michael Montelongo ... Meghan Grant ... Madeline Shepherd, associate director of federal policy at Council for a Strong America (h/t Rachel Wein) ... Gordon Neal ... Hayley Peterson, senior correspondent at Business Insider ... Patrick Drahi is 55 ... Matthew Gould is 47 ... David Ryan Adelman is 37 ... Pat Collier IV, policy director at JB Pritzker for Governor ... Jeff
Morehouse is 38 ... Angelica Alatorre ... Nicholas Himebaugh ... Kenny Swab ... Jordan Kittleson ... Shannon Travis ... Linnea Dyer Hegarty ... Katie Peters, communications director at Giffords ... Casey Badmington ... Eleni Roumel ... Steve Pfrang ... Shannon Harris ... Ari Goldberg, director of advocacy comms at CARE, is 45 ... Faryar Shirzad ... Jen Brown ... Lona Valmoro ... Bob Hudek ... Ryan O'Keefe.

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