POLITICO Playbook: What Democrats and Republicans are telling us about Wednesday’s impeachment show
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DRIVING THE DAY
DAY ONE IS OVER, and it’s hard to encapsulate six hours of hearings in a single headline. We spent the evening in the Capitol chatting up lawmakers, aides and reporters, and here is how insiders are thinking about Wednesday -- and the next eight days of hearings:
-- THE SIX-HOUR HEARING presented unique challenges for both parties. Republicans didn’t get their first crack at the witnesses, BILL TAYLOR and GEORGE KENT, until about 1 p.m., after the opening statements and 45 minutes from House Intel Chairman ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.), who had a solid day, per members of both parties, along with Dem counsel DAN GOLDMAN. Democrats had to weave together what they believe to be an airtight tale -- they did so expertly -- interspersed with Republicans trying to blow gaping holes in everything they were saying.
-- TV, usually a boon for Republicans in the Trump era, seemed to cut against them this time. KENT and TAYLOR took pains to emphasize that they had no allegiance for or against President DONALD TRUMP, and they were believable, according to most every Democrat and Republican we spoke to. And one of the keys for Democrats was that both of them said linking aid to seemingly political investigations was wrong, and unusual.
-- THERE ARE A FEW WAYS top-level lawmakers and aides in both parties are looking at the Republicans’ performance. They dove headfirst down rabbit holes, regaling the crowd of millions of viewers with right-wing Twitter conspiracy theories. But they also did a decent job of muddying the waters, confusing the testimony and fighting the Democrats “to a draw.” We heard the “draw” language from many Republicans on Wednesday night.
-- IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Republicans did not change the narrative arc of what Democrats are alleging. They are only saying Democrats were relying on witnesses who did not have the firsthand knowledge to make the allegations. … NYT ED BOARD: “And those Americans who tuned in also learned that the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have set themselves a degrading task. Rather than engage the facts about Mr. Trump’s Ukrainian escapade, they are twisting them and eliding them and inventing new ones they’d prefer. They spent most of Wednesday stuffing straw men and then ostentatiously knocking them down.”
-- ONE SURPRISING THING WE HEARD A FEW TIMES from people of both parties: that the American public simply believes politics and government are dirty, and is not surprised that the president held up military aid to force an investigation into a political rival. In fact, there’s a theory that this is seen as business as usual.
-- TWO GOP HIGHLIGHTS people are talking about: Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) using testimony to weave together a narrative about how TAYLOR was relying on hearsay. “You’re their star witness,” Jordan said with incredulity to Taylor -- a bite that played over and over again on cable and on NBC and ABC evening news broadcasts. And Rep. DEVIN NUNES (R-Calif.) criticizing SCHIFF for his dramatic, exaggerated impression of Trump on the phone call -- something Democrats cringe at because it was a rare unforced error by Schiff.
-- UNDOUBTEDLY, the star for Democrats was GOLDMAN, who had a mastery of the material that seems completely foreign to most elected officials. Sharp questioning also came from Rep. ERIC SWALWELL (D-Calif.), who got both witnesses to say they were not “Never Trumpers,” and Rep. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-Texas), who tried to get Taylor to stipulate that an attempt to extort a country is a crime in and of itself, even if it’s not successful.
-- AS NBC’S KATY TUR POINTED OUT TO US, one of the Democratic highlights undoubtedly came from Vermont Democratic Rep. PETER WELCH. JORDAN was asking for the whistleblower to testify -- “the guy who started it all,” he said -- when WELCH said he’d welcome “the guy who started it all” coming forward, and that TRUMP could testify anytime.
-- HOW YOU CAN TELL REPUBLICANS ARE STILL FLAILING A BIT: The GOP keeps talking about how no one has firsthand information -- all while the administration is blocking almost everyone who has firsthand information.
-- THE GORDON SONDLAND HEARING -- which is set for next Wednesday -- now carries added weight. The political donor was the subject of so much of the questioning Wednesday afternoon. According to testimony, he spoke to the president repeatedly about what are being described as politically motivated investigations. Sondland even spoke with the president on his cellphone from a restaurant in Kyiv -- he was surely spied on, experts say -- and had the volume up loud enough that an aide to Taylor heard the phone call, during which the president quizzed Sondland about the Biden probes. Both sides tell us they will be sharpening their knives for Sondland, though one Republican cautions that he’s flaky and underwhelming, and will be good for neither party.
-- ANOTHER BIG ONE … Friday’s deposition by DAVID HOLMES will also be crucial. Holmes, the counselor for political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, was the Taylor aide who overheard the Trump/Sondland cellphone call. He is a firsthand witness.
TO WIT … WAPO: “Ambassador’s cellphone call to Trump from Kyiv restaurant was a stunning breach of security, former officials say,” by Ellen Nakashima: “‘The security ramifications are insane — using an open cellphone to communicate with the president of the United States,’ said Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior director of the White House Situation Room and a former chief of staff to the CIA director. ‘In a country that is so wired with Russian intelligence, you can almost take it to the bank that the Russians were listening in on the call.’” WaPo
NYT’S PETER BAKER made a point that was rattling around our heads for the last 24 hours … “It was not clear that minds were changed. Certainly they were not inside the room, and most likely not elsewhere on Capitol Hill, where Republicans and Democrats were locked into their positions long ago. Nor were there any immediate signs that the hearing penetrated the general public. While major television networks broke into regular programming to carry it live, there was little sense of a riveted country putting everything aside to watch à la Watergate.” NYT
SO, ODDLY ENOUGH, perhaps evening news might have a special relevance in this phase of the Trump administration. Millions of people still watch the evening news, and we doubt as many stuck around to watch the full six hours of hearings.
ABC’S DAVID MUIR and CBS’ NORAH O’DONNELL both broadcast their shows from D.C. on Wednesday night. NBC’S LESTER HOLT was in New York. Here’s what they said:
-- MUIR was on the Capitol campus, and introduced the issue like so: “Tonight, from Washington, the new evidence revealed. The impeachment surprise on Day One. Tonight, history made here in Washington. The televised hearings begin. The drama and the stakes inside that room. The first two witnesses. And the new evidence, the alleged phone call involving President Trump we did not know about. And the person who heard that call already summoned to Capitol Hill. President Trump’s response -- just in tonight.”
-- O’DONNELL, from the top of the Jones Day building near the Capitol: “Breaking news tonight, a bombshell revelation, as historic public hearings begin in the impeachment inquiry. A top diplomat, for the first time, revealing a phone call tying the president directly to a pressure campaign against Ukraine.”
-- HOLT, from 30 Rock: “Breaking news tonight. The historic showdown on Capitol Hill. The first public impeachment hearing in more than 20 years. Millions across the country watching it all play out on live TV. The two key witnesses testifying about President Trump and pressure on Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. The explosive new revelations about a second phone call involving the president.
“Tense moments in the room between Democrats and Republicans. [Schiff]: ‘If this is not impeachable conduct, what is?’ [Jordan]: ‘What you heard did not happen. It didn’t happen.’ The president calling the hearing a sham while welcoming Turkey’s leader for a controversial White House visit. Our powerhouse political team breaking it all down.”
POLITICO’S COVERAGE: “Democrats land damning new evidence in impeachment testimony,” by Kyle Cheney and Andrew Desiderio … Highlights … “Democrats survive day one of impeachment slog,” by John Bresnahan, Sarah Ferris, Melanie Zanona and Heather Caygle … JOHN HARRIS’ COLUMN: “Trump exposed: A brutal day for the president”
NATIONAL FRONT PAGES: NYT: “ENVOYS REVEAL SCOPE OF TRUMP UKRAINE PUSH… Testimony Cites a ‘Highly Irregular’ Policy Channel … A Return of Old Washington In Defiance of a Raucous Era … Witnesses Embody the Power of the Moment” … WAPO: “Testimony puts Trump closer to scandal”
NYT’S MARK LEIBOVICH on A1: “On Capitol Hill, Old-School Washington Keeps Circus at Bay”: “After so much noise, a formal feeling fell upon the Capitol. The civil servants had entered the room.
“In a sense, seriousness itself stood trial on Wednesday as William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, and George P. Kent, a top State Department official, strode into the velvet-draped hearing room just after 10 a.m. They wore stern stares and were seemingly oblivious to the discord that brought them there. …
“It helped that he and the bow-tied Mr. Kent presented as traditionalists of an ilk distinct from any Trumpian vintage. With his wire-rimmed glasses and up-arrow eyebrows, Mr. Taylor in particular resembled a prep-school headmaster, tough but fair and near impossible to discredit. …
“This collision was probably inevitable from the second the 45th president took his hand off the Bible in January 2017. It was a clash between Trump Washington and old Washington, the disrupter and disrupted, the bull and the china shop. But by appearing, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Kent offered a salvo in a new phase — the impeachment spectacle that no doubt will last months, heading wherever it does.” NYT
A NEW GOP STRATEGY? -- “Republicans discuss a longer Senate impeachment trial to scramble Democratic primaries,” by WaPo’s Bob Costa, Michael Scherer and Seung Min Kim: “Some Republican senators and their advisers are privately discussing whether to pressure GOP leaders to stage a lengthy impeachment trial beginning in January to scramble the Democratic presidential race — potentially keeping six contenders in Washington until the eve of the Iowa caucuses or longer.
“Those conversations about the timing and framework for a trial remain fluid and closely held, according to more than a dozen participants in the discussions. But the deliberations come as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) faces pressure from conservative activists to swat back at Democrats as public impeachment hearings began this week in the House.” WaPo
YES! … WAPO’S ROBIN GIVHAN on JACKETLESS JIM JORDAN: “For dignity’s sake, Jim Jordan, put on a jacket”
Good Thursday morning. DEVAL PATRICK is set to enter the 2020 presidential contest this morning on “CBS This Morning.”
-- THE BOSTON GLOBE’S VICKY MCGRANE and MATT STOUT: “A person familiar with Patrick’s plans said he is slated to travel to New Hampshire on Thursday to file papers at the State House to appear on the ballot there. He then will travel to California before heading to Nevada, Iowa, and South Carolina — three other crucial early nominating states.” Globe
BRIEFLY NOTED … SEN. TOM CARPER (D-Del.) at a fundraiser for JOE BIDEN on Wednesday night in Alexandria: “They say the third time’s a charm. And I think this might just be it.” (via pooler Molly Nagle of ABC)
HAPPENING TODAY, MAYBE: Trump said he would release the transcript of his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as Democrats have demanded. This one happened in April.
ATTN. PRESIDENT TRUMP … BURGESS EVERETT HAS NEWS FOR YOU … “Don’t count on the Senate to save Dreamers”: “President Donald Trump says young undocumented immigrants have nothing to worry about from the Supreme Court. The Senate begs to differ.
“Minority Whip Dick Durbin has been on the front lines of the Senate’s immigration battles for decades, including trying unsuccessfully to work with Trump over the last three years. And he says after so many stalemates, there’s no reason to believe Trump’s optimism this time around.
“‘The man is not looking for a solution. Stephen Miller and his gang are in his ear and his mind with their hate-filled approach to immigration. He crumbles every time his heart starts moving to’ the Dreamers, the Illinois Democrat said. And that won’t change ‘unless in a moment of desperation he thinks it’s his only way to get reelected.’ …
“Since passing a comprehensive immigration overhaul in 2013 that was ignored by the House, the Senate has been unable to put 60 votes together for any substantial immigration bill. The chamber did pass a spending bill delivering aid to the border this year, but Democrats battled each other so fiercely over the matter that it only made the party more skittish to deal with the Trump administration.”
UH-OH … WSJ: “U.S.-China Trade Talks Hit Snag Over Farm Purchases,” by Chao Deng and Lingling Wei in Beijing, and William Mauldin: “Trade talks between the U.S. and China have hit a snag over farm purchases, as officials seek to lock down the limited trade deal President Trump outlined last month.
“Mr. Trump has said that China has agreed to buy up to $50 billion of soybeans, pork and other agricultural products from the U.S. annually. But China is leery of putting a numerical commitment in the text of an agreement, according to people familiar with the matter. Beijing wants to avoid cutting a deal that looks more favorable to the U.S. than to China, some of the people said, and also wants to have flexibility within the agreement should trade tensions escalate again. ‘We can always stop the purchases if things get worse again,’ said one Chinese official.
“The dispute over farm purchases is one of several issues that have delayed completion of the limited trade accord announced by Mr. Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Oct. 11. Both sides are also at odds over whether—and by how much—the U.S. would agree to lift tariffs on Chinese imports, Beijing’s core demand that is linked to its offers on other issues.
“Chinese officials also have resisted U.S. demands for a strong enforcement mechanism for the deal and curbs on the forced transfer of technology for companies seeking to do business in China—all of top importance to the international business community—according to people familiar with the talks.” WSJ
ALEX ISENSTADT: “RNC plunges into Louisiana gov’s race amid signs of trouble”: “The Republican National Committee is pouring another $1 million into the Louisiana governor’s race ahead of Saturday’s runoff — a move that comes amid mounting GOP concerns about losing a second major election in a conservative state in as many weeks.
“The last-minute spending doubles the committee’s investment in the race, where Republican Eddie Rispone is trying to unseat Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards. President Donald Trump is set to headline a rally for Rispone in Louisiana on Thursday evening, barreling ahead despite worries within the GOP that Edwards is a slight favorite to win.
“Trump had bet that a GOP sweep in three gubernatorial races this fall would project political strength in the face of impeachment. But after Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s apparent defeat in Kentucky last week, and with Rispone locked in a neck-and-neck race, the president is facing the possibility of losing two out of three.” POLITICO
2020 WATCH …
-- NEW via EUGENE DANIELS: The Andrew Yang campaign is spending seven figures on two new ads that are going up in Iowa and New Hampshire on Friday. Devine Mulvey Longabaugh produced the spots. It’s the first time the campaign has gone up in New Hampshire and comes as the campaign spent another seven figures in Iowa on an ad buy last week. The ads: Our Son … Paycheck
-- “Castro to miss November debate,” by Zach Montellaro: “Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro won’t qualify for the next Democratic presidential primary debate, the only candidate still in the race who participated in the October debate to miss out on November’s.”
TRUMP’S THURSDAY -- The president will host NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at 2 p.m. in the Oval Office. He will depart the White House at 4:10 p.m. en route to Louisiana. At 6:35 p.m. Central time, Trump will arrive at CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, La. He will hold a campaign rally at 7 p.m. Afterward, he will travel back to Washington, returning to the White House around 12:30 a.m.
PLAYBOOK READS
ANOTHER TERM … UTAHPOLICY.COM: “Jon Huntsman will announce his entry into the 2020 Utah governor’s race on Thursday”
FOR YOUR RADAR -- “New Gaza rockets disrupt Israel, Islamic Jihad cease-fire,” by AP’s Fares Akram and Tia Goldenberg in Gaza City: “Gaza militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Thursday, hours after a cease-fire was declared to end two days of intense fighting between Israel and the Islamic Jihad group, the heaviest escalation in months that killed at least 34 Palestinians, including three women and eight children, and paralyzed parts of Israel.
“No one immediately claimed responsibility for the new wave of rockets and it wasn’t clear how this would affect the fate of the cease-fire.
“Israel had hailed the Gaza operation as a victory, defending its policy of targeting militants in their homes despite civilian deaths and vowed to continue the tactic. Islamic Jihad said it had succeeded in getting Israel to agree to a cease-fire based on several demands, including a halt to Israeli targeted killings of the group’s leaders.” AP
FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK -- “Trump-Erdogan Meeting Yields Little Progress,” by WSJ’s Vivian Salama and MIchael Gordon: “A long-awaited meeting between President Trump and Turkey’s leader ended Wednesday without a resolution of key issues on which the two sides have been divided, including Ankara’s purchase of a Russian air-defense system and the U.S. partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
“The chemistry between Mr. Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dominated the visit. Mr. Trump volunteered that he was a ‘big fan’ of Mr. Erdogan. The Turkish leader called for a new chapter in relations between the two countries.
“But there was no indication of headway on Turkey’s purchase of the sophisticated S-400 air-defense missile system from Russia, which has been a major concern for the Pentagon, or on other issues that have led to a deteriorating view of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally among most U.S. lawmakers.” WSJ
TRUMP TAXES UPDATE -- “Congress can seek 8 years of Trump’s tax records, court order indicates,” by WaPo’s Ann Marimow: “Congress can seek eight years of President Trump’s tax records, according to a federal appeals court order Wednesday that moves the separation-of-powers conflict one step closer to the Supreme Court.
“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit let stand an earlier ruling against the president that affirmed Congress’s investigative authority on a day when the House was holding its first public impeachment inquiry hearing. Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said in response to Wednesday’s decision that the president’s legal team “will be seeking review at the Supreme Court.”
“The D.C. Circuit was responding to Trump’s request to have a full panel of judges rehear a three-judge decision from October that rejected the president’s request to block lawmakers from subpoenaing his longtime accounting firm.” WaPo
STONE TRIAL WRAPS -- “Roger Stone’s defense: MAGA, God and Donald Trump,” by Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein: “For once, Roger Stone is letting others do the talking.
“The political provocateur has spent decades verbally sparring with almost anyone who is willing to engage. But as his trial over lying to Congress and tampering with a witness nears its end, Stone has left his defense in the hands of external factors: lawyers, God, the race card, a coterie of MAGA-world figures and, if all else fails, President Donald Trump.
“Given the chance to tell his side of the story, Stone chose not to take the witness stand. Given the opportunity to call witnesses, his attorneys opted instead to simply play portions of the congressional testimony in question.” POLITICO
-- For those following: Jury deliberations in the Stone trial begin this morning.
BOOK CLUB -- Donald Trump Jr.’s “Triggered” debuts at No. 1 on the NYT nonfiction bestseller list, edging out “Finding Chika” by Mitch Albom and “Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers” by “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade. As the Times notes, a chunk of the sales came as bulk orders. The RNC has also blasted out the book to its lists -- in exchange for a $50 donation, you can get yourself a signed copy.
MEDIAWATCH -- “McClatchy Seeks to Have U.S. Take Over Pension Fund,” by WSJ’s Lukas Alpert: “McClatchy Co., the third-largest newspaper publisher in the U.S. by circulation, said it has begun talks with its creditors and federal authorities about a possible government takeover of its pension fund as it tries to relieve considerable liquidity pressure due to its pension responsibilities and debt load.
“The 162-year-old company, which publishes 30 newspapers around the country, including the Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer, Sacramento Bee and Kansas City Star, said it would be unable to make a required $124 million contribution next year to its pension fund.” WSJ
-- Deborah Acosta is now a reporter for a new digital magazine by the WSJ. She previously was with the NYT. Talking Biz News
-- HOW IMPEACHMENT PLAYED on late-night TV: CNN
-- NOTE: MSNBC hosted two interesting guest commentators on air Wednesday: George Conway, the spouse of White House aide Kellyanne Conway known for his scorching Twitter takedowns of his wife’s boss. and Andrew Weissmann, a top member of special counsel Bob Mueller’s legal team who is now an NBC legal analyst.
PLAYBOOKERS
Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at [email protected].
SPOTTED: Rod Rosenstein and Bob Ehrlich at BLT Steak on Wednesday night.
OUT AND ABOUT … SPOTTED at the Top of the Hay for Donald Trump Jr.’s book signing event for “Triggered” ($17.98 on Amazon) on Wednesday night: Kimberly Guilfoyle, HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Kellyanne Conway, Reince Priebus, Brad Parscale, David Bossie, Pam Bondi …
… Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.), Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Greg Pence (R-Ind.), Andy Surabian, Arthur Schwartz, Avi Berkowitz, Sergio Gor, Joe Grogan, Pat Cipollone, Tony Sayegh, Katrina Pierson, Paula White, Joe Kernen, Jessica Ditto and Frank Luntz.
-- SPOTTED at Republican Main Street Partnership’s Annual Amory Houghton Jr. Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on Wednesday night: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who received the Houghton Award for Public Service; Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.). Pic
-- SOFTBANK’S government affairs team -- led by Ziad Ojakli -- hosted a party at their office to mark the Japanese-based tech investment company’s first year in D.C. SPOTTED: Mick Mulvaney, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Jeff Duncan (D-Calif.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.) and Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Matt and Mercedes Schlapp, Paul Kane, Bruce Andrews, Zeke Miller, Brian Conklin, Christin Baker, Julie Davis and Natalie Andrews.
WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE -- Jalen Drummond is now associate director of research in the White House communications office. He previously was an aide to HUD Secretary Ben Carson and is a lance corporal in the Marine Corps.
TRANSITIONS -- Lisa Stark is now assistant VP for communications and media at American University. She previously was a broadcast correspondent for Education Week and PBS NewsHour. … Sam Ricketts will be a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He previously was climate director for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s presidential campaign. …
… Spenser Merwin will be executive director of the Montana Republican Party. He previously was director of coalitions and outreach for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.). … David Marchick is now director of the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition. He previously was managing director and global head of external affairs at the Carlyle Group.
WEEKEND WEDDING -- Ethan Porter, a professor at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, and Ronit Zemel, the assistant director for Jewish life at Georgetown University, got married in D.C. on Sunday. … SPOTTED: Aaron Keyak, Frank Chi, Josh Keating, Jake Levine, Josh Handelman, Ben Weyl, Daniel Nichanian, and Ellen and Don Walker.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Natasha Walsh and Brian O. Walsh, president of America First Action, recently welcomed identical twin boys: Augustus Jonathan Walsh and Wellington Arthur Walsh. Instapics
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Peter Lattman, managing director of media at Emerson Collective and vice chairman of The Atlantic, is 49. What he’s been reading lately: “‘The Survivors’ is a beautifully written, deeply moving and crazily compelling new memoir by my Emerson colleague Adam Frankel. Also, the just-out December issue of The Atlantic is fire, as my three teenagers would say. It’s built around a single theme, ‘How to Stop a Civil War,’ and you’ll notice a beautiful redesign of the print magazine, as well an elegant new look for our website and app.” Playbook Q&A
BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.) is 63 … Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) is 61 … Condoleezza Rice is 65 … Valerie Jarrett … Ben Rhodes is 42 … Prince Charles is 71 … P.J. O’Rourke is 72 … photographer Tony Powell … Jacob Freedman, senior adviser to the chair at Albright Stonebridge … Charlotte Riggs … Liz Jarvis-Shean, VP of communications at DoorDash … Frank Kelly, managing director and global coordinator of government and public affairs at Deutsche Bank … William Black … WaPo’s Paige Winfield Cunningham is 35 … Sarah Binder of GWU and Brookings … John Jameson … POLITICO’s Lauren Lanza and John Lockett … Rachel Noerdlinger …
… Jonathan Landman, managing editor of Bloomberg Opinion, is 67 … Taylor Griffin, press secretary for Speaker Nancy Pelosi … Joshua Friedlander of the Brunswick Group … Sally Sterling (h/t Jon Haber) … Liz Morrison, VP of No Labels (h/t Margaret White) … Randolph Court, COO of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (h/t the ITIF team) … Julie Hanus … Sarah Holbrooke ... Vanessa VandeHey ... Kate Coyne McCoy ... Ed Reno ... Ashley Yehl … Brianna Manzelli ... Shawn Willis … Lana Fern ... Madeleine Weast ... Tommy Schultz … Rob Gulans ... Tricia Miller Klapheke ... Airbnb’s Josh Meltzer … Michael Collier ... Mark Gyorfy ... Daniel Alders … Hugo F. Sonnenschein
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