POLITICO Playbook Power Briefing: Mueller indicts 12 Russians Presented by Amazon

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the indictments in a press conference Friday. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

BREAKING … 12 RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS INDICTED … First cut, by JOSH GERSTEIN, DARREN SAMUELSOHN and CORY BENNETT: “Special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian military officers on Friday, and accused them of hacking into the Democratic National Committee to sabotage the 2016 presidential election.

“The indictments, announced by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, come just days before a scheduled Monday summit in Helsinki between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. …

“Rosenstein said the Russians stole and released Democratic documents after planting malicious computer codes in the network of the DNC as well as the [DCCC].

“He said Russia’s GRU military intelligence service was behind online entities that disseminated and promoted the documents under the names Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks. The indictment dramatically shifts the context for Trump’s upcoming meeting with Putin, whom U.S. intelligence services have concluded was behind the 2016 election interference scheme whose goal was to elect Trump.” https://politi.co/2JkpCT5 … The indictment http://bit.ly/2zCxVtz

OTHER DETAILS …

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP knew about the indictment in advance -- Rod Rosenstein said he briefed the president earlier this week. The president this week has said he’ll bring up election meddling with Putin, but seemed to indicate he didn’t expect the Russian leader to admit to it.

A SECOND “RELATED CONSPIRACY”: The Russian GRU officers hacked a state election board and stole voter information.

THE NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION at DOJ is handling this.

AMAZING SPLIT SCREEN. As the indictment dropped, the PRESIDENT was walking with the queen of England into Windsor Castle.

WAPO’S CHRISTOPHER INGRAHAM (@_cingraham): “July 27, 2016, Trump: ‘Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.’ Indictment: That evening, Russian operatives targeted Clinton campaign emails ‘for the first time.’” http://bit.ly/2NfcNvv

JUST ASKING … Doesn’t Trump have to ask Putin to extradite these people when they meet next week?

JUST ANNOUNCED … SEN. MARK WARNER (D-Va.) just announced an on-camera availability in the 1 p.m. hour.

THE TRUMP/MAY SHOW …

-- ON WHAT HE SAID ABOUT MAY: “No, I said very good things about her. I didn’t think they put it in but that’s all right. They didn’t put it in the headline. I wish they put that in the headline. That’s one of those things. And she’s a total professional, because when I saw her this morning, I said ‘I want to apologize, because I said such good things about you.’ She said ‘Don’t worry, that was only the press.’ I thought that was very professional. …

“But I didn’t criticize the Prime Minister. I have a lot of respect for the Prime Minister. And unfortunately there was a story that was done which was you know generally fine but it didn't put in what I said about the Prime Minister and I said tremendous things. And fortunately we tend to record stories now so we have it for your enjoyment if you’d like it. But we record when we deal with reporters. It’s called ‘fake news’ and we solve a lot of problems with the good old recording instrument.”

NYT’S MAGGIE HABERMAN (@maggieNYT): “Trump is calling a taped interview that the Sun posted audio of ‘fake news.’”

-- ON HIS KNOWLEDGE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: “I understand nuclear. Look up my uncle Dr. John Trump at MIT. I used to talk nuclear with him many years ago.”

-- ON BREXIT: “Once the Brexit process is concluded, and perhaps the U.K. has left the EU, I don't know what they’re going to do, but whatever you do is ok with me. That's your decision.”

-- ON IMMIGRATION: “I think it’s been very bad for Europe. I think -- Europe is a place I know very well and I think that what has happened is very tough. It’s a very tough situation. I mean you see the same terror attacks that I do. We see them a lot. ... But I just think it’s, uh, changing the culture. I think it’s a very negative thing for Europe. I think it’s very negative. ... I think it’s very much hurt Germany. I think it’s very much hurt other parts of Europe. And I know it’s politically not necessarily correct to say that, but I’ll say it and I’ll say it loud.”

-- ICYMI: “I’M DOING A GREAT JOB. I am doing a great job, that I can tell you. Just in case you haven’t noticed.”

-- AXIOS’ JONATHAN SWAN (@jonathanvswan): “As Trump was leaving @Acosta shouted question: ‘Will you ask Putin to stay out of U.S. elections?’ Trump turned over shoulder and said ‘yes.’”

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THE PRESIDENT WALKS HIS SUN INTERVIEW BACK -- LOUIS NELSON: “After criticizing May, Trump says relationship with U.K. ‘very, very strong’”: “The relationship between the U.S. and United Kingdom is ‘very, very strong,’ President Donald Trump said Friday at a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, whose negotiation tactics he criticized heavily in an interview published a day earlier.

“‘We arrived here last night and we had a dinner where I think we probably never developed a better relationship. We spoke for an hour – an hour and a half – and it was really something, and today we’re talking trade, we’re talking military,’ the president said in brief remarks to reporters before his meeting with May, who was seated to his left. ‘The relationship is very, very strong. We really have a very good relationship.’” https://politi.co/2KU4iJK

ANNIE KARNI at CHEQUERS: “Farage angling for a meeting with Trump”: “President Donald Trump may not be finished embarrassing British Prime Minister Theresa May … Nigel Farage, the right-wing British politician and Brexit mastermind, is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C., on July 19, two people familiar with his travel plans said, and is working to set up a meeting with Trump while he is there. …

“‘Nigel will be on hand for the president whenever Mr. Trump sees fit to talk,’ said a Farage associate who has been back-channeling with the White House about a potential meeting. Those plans, a second source cautioned, were still up in the air. But any meeting with Farage would be seen as another blow to May, delivered personally by Trump — especially after local newspapers here reported that Farage had been ‘banned’ from meeting with Trump during his two days in England.

“Coming on the heels of a visit where British officials tried to impress Trump with visits to castles and even a tea with the Queen, any tete-a-tete would be seen as more U.S. intervention into a fragile political situation here – and a tacit backing to one of May’s biggest detractors. …

“Farage has also been spending quality time with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon … Bannon met with Farage again on Friday morning, just as Trump headed out for his meeting with May, according to a source familiar with the meeting.” https://politi.co/2NcTTpf

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Good Friday afternoon. NEWS … HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI has sent a letter to Democratic colleagues saying this: “Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Ben Ray Luján and the work of so many of you, House Democrats are poised for victory. If the elections were held today, we would win many new seats, putting us into the Majority. This would mean more leadership positions, more committee assignments and a large freshman class.

“In that vein, I believe it is important that we follow the schedule for leadership elections that the Caucus set last cycle, allowing additional time for freshmen to get oriented. My recommendation to the Caucus would be to set leadership elections sometime after Thanksgiving, at a date to be determined by the Caucus. Thank you for your leadership, and onward to a great victory in November!”

-- LOTS OF TEA-LEAF READING can be done here. This gives people time to organize ahead of a leadership election. It also preempts someone calling for a delay first.

HOLLYWOOD FOR MCCASKILL … STEVEN SPIELBERG, JEFFREY KATZENBERG and J.J. ABRAMS gave SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D-MO.) $49,300 each. BARBRA STREISAND gave her $10,800. The donations came in late April and early May.

RACHANA PRADHAN and DAN DIAMOND: “Federal auditor orders Tom Price to pay $341K for flights”: “Former HHS Secretary Tom Price took 20 trips that did not comply with federal requirements, according to the department’s inspector general, who urged the agency in a Friday report to recover at least $341,000 from the former secretary.

“Price, who was forced out last year following a POLITICO investigation into his extravagant use of private and military aircraft, has already voluntarily repaid the government around $60,000. It was not immediately clear how or if he would repay the rest. A department spokesman said it will seek guidance from the Justice Department ‘whether there is legal basis for recoupment.’ Price could not be immediately reached for comment.

“The OIG review, which came about 10 months after Price’s resignation, found he spent more than $1.2 million on travel during his tenure at HHS, including use of chartered aircraft and government planes.” https://politi.co/2zyJPoz … The report http://bit.ly/2NNdQUE

-- @markberman: “Some of the examples in the IG report on Price are remarkable ... In one case, he took a chartered flight from Seattle to DC that cost $121K ... Average commercial fare would’ve cost $2,490 … There was also a chartered option that could’ve cost $45K less - but his office didn’t pick it.”

BORDER TALES -- “Detaining immigrant kids is now a billion-dollar industry,” by AP’s Martha Mendoza and Larry Fenn in San Antonio: “Detaining immigrant children has morphed into a surging industry in the U.S. that now reaps $1 billion annually — a tenfold increase over the past decade, an Associated Press analysis finds.

“Health and Human Services grants for shelters, foster care and other child welfare services for detained unaccompanied and separated children soared from $74.5 million in 2007 to $958 million in 2017. The agency is also reviewing a new round of proposals amid a growing effort by the White House to keep immigrant children in government custody.

“Currently, more than 11,800 children, from a few months old to 17, are housed in nearly 90 facilities in 15 states — Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington.” https://bit.ly/2zHoNnQ

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FIGHTING KAVANAUGH -- “Progressive group launches ad campaign urging Democrats to oppose Kavanaugh,” by NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell and Frank Thorp: “A progressive group working to sink President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee is launching its first round of advertising Friday in three key states to pressure Democratic senators to vote against Brett Kavanaugh.

“Demand Justice is spending a portion of its $5 million budget on the ads aimed at Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and urging them to oppose Kavanaugh by warning that the nominee could rule to eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions. The ads, obtained by NBC News, are complimentary of the Democratic senators’ efforts to preserve the Affordable Care Act but caution that those actions could be nullified by the next high court justice.

“[The group] is already airing ads in Maine and Alaska, targeting Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), both senators who are pro-choice and voted to uphold Obamacare.” https://nbcnews.to/2mcYXy9 … The ads -- Donnelly: http://bit.ly/2JlU1A7 ... Heitkamp: http://bit.ly/2NcM3vG ... Manchin: http://bit.ly/2uxjTDI

2018 WATCH -- ZACH WARMBRODT: “Bankers poised to pour money, ads into contested races”: “Republicans and Democrats facing competitive midterm races this year are getting an early burst of support from bankers, who are riding high off the passage of a sweeping financial deregulation bill.

“The American Bankers Association, which has spent months overhauling its political operations, for the first time is running television ads in support of incumbent lawmakers from both parties who have backed industry-friendly policies. Another group organized as a super PAC, Friends of Traditional Banking, is calling on its 22,000 members — mostly from red states — to give to the campaign of Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) — the first time it has backed a Democrat.” https://politi.co/2L5j5QT

FOR YOUR RADAR -- “Analysis: Iran role in Syria key item at Trump-Putin summit,” by AP’s Zeina Karam in Beirut: “When President Donald Trump meets Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday, the Syrian conflict will be one of the most immediately pressing issues on a wide-ranging and colorful agenda. As fighting wanes after seven years of war, the U.S. has made curtailing Iran’s influence in post-war Syria a strategic objective — one strongly backed by Israel. Ahead of the much-anticipated meeting, officials from the U.S. and Russia have signaled that a broad framework for such a deal is likely to be the main outcome. …

“[D]iscussions are likely to be centered more on limiting Iran’s presence rather than ending it, analysts say. … President Bashar Assad, with crucial military and political assistance from Iran and Russia, has recaptured around 60 percent of the country, including its main cities, putting an end to any serious talk of regime change in Damascus. And, amid a consistently declining U.S. role, Russia has emerged as an uncontested power broker in the country.

“Still, both Russia and the U.S. have an interest in working together in Syria and beyond, and while Russia and Iran have been on the same side of the war, their interests do not always converge. Russia also has maintained warm ties with Israel and has demonstrated a readiness to take the Jewish state’s security interests into account.” https://bit.ly/2ukMih3

IF YOU READ ONE THING -- “The Mystery Firm That Became the NRA’s Top Election Consultant,” by The Trace’s Mike Spies in the Friday cover of POLITICO Magazine: “To get its message out [in the 2014 cycle], the NRA turned to an unknown consulting firm, Starboard Strategic, paying it $19 million. … It was not unusual for the NRA to spend large sums of cash in an election cycle. What was odd was where the money was going. Before 2013, Starboard Strategic had never appeared in [FEC] reports. … [A]t a moment when the stakes were high—Republicans needed six seats to claim a majority—the firm had come out of nowhere to become the NRA’s top election contractor. …

“Acquiring business of this magnitude would be an incredible feat for a firm with no reputation. The question is whether it was really accomplished by Starboard, or another outfit called OnMessage. Well-established and well-connected, OnMessage is as transparent as Starboard is opaque. What the [FEC] and the public do not know is that the two entities appear to be functionally one and the same. … As far as the FEC and the public know, OnMessage did no campaign work for the NRA in 2016 — the firm is nowhere mentioned in the group’s filings.

“More than half of the money the NRA paid Starboard that year, about $25.7 million, was spent in the service of electing Donald Trump to the presidency. … [In February 2017] OnMessage received a Reed Award for an NRA spot it had created the previous year … [which] features a woman in bed who is awoken by a burglar. In one hand she grips a phone, and with the other she opens a gun safe, which suddenly disappears before her eyes. ... Currently, the ad can be viewed on OnMessage’s website, by clicking the tab labeled ‘Our Work.’” https://politi.co/2mdwpoc

HMM -- “Here’s How Ukraine’s Ousted Government Got Away With $40 Billion,” by Tanya Kozyreva and Jason Leopold in BuzzFeed: “After then-president Viktor Yanukovych fled his palace during Ukraine’s bloody 2014 revolution, law enforcement agents across the globe focused on one question: How did the Kremlin-backed politician and his cronies make $40 billion in state assets disappear? The U.S., the UK, Latvia, and others pitched in to help the new Ukrainian government answer that question, and they traced how Yanukovych and his top lieutenants — including President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort — used shell companies in offshore havens to move $700 million between 2008 and 2014.

“The 345-acre presidential palace itself displayed the extent of his regime’s plundering. But documents obtained by BuzzFeed News show that Ukrainian law enforcement officials rarely followed up on what investigators found and have let Yanukovych’s associates — known as ‘The Family’ — escape prosecution.” https://bzfd.it/2JoOKIo

MEDIAWATCH -- NIRVI SHAH returns to POLITICO from POLITICO Europe as senior deputy editor for POLITICO Pro. She’s spent the last two years as Europe’s Pro editor. … Brendan Greeley is now U.S. editor for the Financial Times’ Alphaville section, based in DC. He is the former economics correspondent and features writer for Bloomberg Businessweek and is also an alum of The Economist. …

… Jake Goldman is leaving Vice Media, where he served as VP for comms, to become COO at Risa Heller Communications later this summer. … Trish Wilson, who most recently spent five years leading investigations at the AP in Washington, is joining the Washington Post as environment editor (h/t Morning Media).

TV TONIGHT -- Bob Costa sits down with NYT’s Peter Baker, CNBC’s Kayla Tausche and BBC’s Katty Kay on PBS’ “Washington Week” at 8 p.m.

SPOTTED last night at a party for James Crabtree’s book “The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age” co-hosted by McLarty Associates and the Young India Policy Forum – ($22.20 on Amazon https://amzn.to/2uvvq6H ... NYT review https://nyti.ms/2uxabRS ): former Ambassador Bob Blake, Nelson Cunningham, Rob Shapiro, Ed Luce Liaquat Ahamed, Sadanand Dhume, Alyssa Ayres, Nihal Krishan, Richard Reeves, Kartik Das, Krishna Guha and Dinesh Das Gupta.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- TREASURY DEPARTURE LOUNGE -- JASON CHUNG will be the U.S. alternate executive director at the Asian Development Bank and be based in the Philippines. Friday is his last day at Treasury, where Chung, an RNC alum, worked in public affairs and international affairs.

TRANSITIONS -- Tyler Brace is now strategic adviser for the Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia. He previously was legislative assistant for Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and advised him on foreign relations and defense. … Lani Short will be deputy comms director for the House Small Business Committee. Short most recently was press secretary to Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.). …

… Deirdre Manna started on Monday as head of government and industry affairs at Zurich North America. Manna was previously at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. … Aurelian Craiutu is now a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center. Craiutu is an author and professor of political science at Indiana University, Bloomington.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Rita Hite, EVP at the American Forest Foundation and a House Agriculture and Bob Goodlatte alum, and Matt Hite, VP of government affairs for GPA Midstream Association and a U.S. Chamber, Senate EPW and Jim Inhofe alum, welcomed Jackson Riley Hite, 6 lbs 14 ounces and 21 inches long. Pics http://bit.ly/2ztCdU6 ... http://bit.ly/2JlXChE ... http://bit.ly/2Lf2VBs

-- Jamie Fleet, Democratic staff director for the House Administration Committee, and Courtney Fry, member services director for House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, welcomed a new baby girl, Harriet Fleet, at 6:01 p.m. on Thursday, weighing in at 7Ibs, 15oz.

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