POLITICO Playbook: Inside the Democrats’ impeachment schism

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE to truly make an informed judgment or assessment about how HOUSE DEMOCRATS' JUDICIARY hearing with COREY LEWANDOWSKI went Tuesday. Because no one has any idea what the party's end goal is.

YOU HAVE ONE CAMP OF PEOPLE -- the Democratic leadership -- holding out against impeachment, saying that the party would pay a political price for proceedings to remove the president, almost no matter what the evidence shows. And another camp -- House Judiciary Chairman JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.) chief among them -- that believes the committee and the public have the information they need to begin the process of getting rid of President DONALD TRUMP.

THE FOLLOWING THINGS came out Tuesday: Lewandowski testified under oath that the president asked him to pass a message along to JEFF SESSIONS about ending the Mueller investigation -- something we knew from the Mueller report, but is nonetheless significant when coming from Lewandowski's mouth. Lewandowski also offered a master class in declining to answer questions from Congress -- raising the specter of obstruction.

NADLER also accused Lewandowski and the White House of a cover-up. Barry Berke -- an outside Democratic counsel -- skillfully painted Lewandowski as dishonest, and tripped him up repeatedly during a staff questioning segment tucked at the end of the hearing.

IF DEMOCRATS WERE LOOKING TO IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT, or were clear-eyed in what they were trying to accomplish, Tuesday would have gone a long way in helping build a case. Some Democrats privately told us that Lewandowski's stonewalling was certainly enough to hold him in contempt. But the party is so deeply divided on what they should do next that, to many Dems, it all seemed like a circus without a clear purpose.

THE QUESTION IS THIS: Will any of these moments have a crystallizing effect in either direction? Right now, Democratic insiders say 175 of their members would vote for impeachment today on the House floor. Will that ever tick up, in the face of a leadership that's looking to tamp it all down? Remember: Dems would need 218 votes on the floor to impeach the president.

RIGHT NOW, DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS continue to work at cross-purposes. So, at the moment, many Democrats feel listless, hapless and lost on this subject.

TRUMP, meanwhile, has found a strategy with little immediate downside: His aides and former aides are either not showing up for congressional hearings or, in Lewandowski's case, stonewalling and appealing directly to Trump, because, why not? Democrats are not beginning impeachment, or otherwise punishing the administration.

HOW IT PLAYED … ‘POSSIBLY OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE' IN THE LEDE! … NYT'S NICK FANDOS on A15: "Corey Lewandowski, one of President Trump's most loyal political confidants, confirmed in congressional testimony on Tuesday that the president had once asked him to help curtail the scope of the Russia investigation, possibly obstructing justice." NYT

-- WAPO'S RACHAEL BADE, COLBY ITKOWITZ and JOHN WAGNER: "Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Trump's former campaign manager, hoping to learn more about his testimony to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III in the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Instead, they got a front-row seat Tuesday to the Lewandowski Show — a performance aimed at an audience of one: his former boss." WaPo

-- ANDREW DESIDERIO and KYLE CHENEY: "House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) suggested that Lewandowski's refusal to answer questions about his conversations with Trump — at the behest of the White House — bolsters Democrats' case to impeach the president, even as Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains opposed to the idea.

"‘When you refuse to answer these questions, you are obstructing the work of our committee. You are also proving our point for the American people to see: The president is intent on obstructing our legitimate oversight. You are aiding him in that obstruction,' Nadler told Lewandowski. ‘And I will remind you that Article 3 of the impeachment against President [Richard] Nixon was based on obstruction of Congress,' Nadler added." POLITICO.

MUST READ … THE RELATIONSHIP DRIVING THIS CONGRESS -- "‘Feel free to leak this': Inside the Pelosi-Nadler impeachment schism," by Sarah Ferris, Heather Caygle and John Bresnahan: "In a closed-door meeting last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi stunned lawmakers and aides with a swipe at Democratic staff on the House Judiciary Committee.

"Pelosi criticized the panel's handling of impeachment in harsh terms, complaining committee aides have advanced the push for ousting President Donald Trump far beyond where the House Democratic Caucus stands. Democrats simply don't have the votes on the floor to impeach Trump, Pelosi said.

"‘And you can feel free to leak this,' Pelosi added, according to multiple people in the room. Pelosi's office declined to comment on the meeting. It was the latest sign of the widening schism between Pelosi and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, two longtime allies who are increasingly in conflict over where to guide the party at one of its most critical moments." POLITICO

SPOTTED: Lewandowski in a back room at Ocean Prime after his Judiciary testimony Tuesday night.

THE NEXT FIGHT -- "Schiff: Top intel official has refused to turn over ‘urgent' whistleblower complaint," by Kyle Cheney: "The nation's top intelligence official has refused to comply with a House Intelligence Committee subpoena to provide the contents of a whistleblower complaint that a government watchdog deemed ‘urgent' and credible, Chairman Adam Schiff said late Tuesday, warning that the agency may be acting to conceal high-level wrongdoing by President Donald Trump or his immediate advisers.

"‘The Committee's position is clear – the acting DNI can either provide the complaint as required under the law, or he will be required to come before the committee to tell the public why he is not following the clear letter of the law, including whether the White House or the attorney general are directing him to do so,' Schiff said.

"‘He has yet to provide the complaint in response to the committee's subpoena, so I expect him to appear on Thursday, under subpoena if necessary,' he added." POLITICO

-- WSJ'S WARREN STROBEL and SIOBHAN HUGHES: "In a letter reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the DNI's general counsel told Mr. Schiff the agency ‘has complied fully with all applicable law' in handling the whistleblower's complaint, adding ‘we are disappointed' by the subpoena and demands for Mr. Maguire to testify.

"The general counsel, Jason Klitenic, wrote that it would be premature, at this juncture, for Mr. Maguire to appear at a congressional hearing Thursday, as Mr. Schiff demanded. He also wrote that the DNI wouldn't be able to turn over documents to the panel by Mr. Schiff's Tuesday deadline because the office needed to consult with other parts of the executive branch.

"The Office of the Director of National Intelligence ‘remains committed to working with the Committee to reach an acceptable accommodation,' he wrote." WSJ … The letter

REPLACING BOLTON … WAPO'S ANNE GEARAN: "Trump's short list for national security adviser includes no household names": "U.S. hostage negotiator Robert O'Brien; Army Maj. Gen. Ricky Waddell, the assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who also has served as deputy national security adviser; Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, Energy Department undersecretary for nuclear security; Former Bolton chief of staff Fred Fleitz; Retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who serves as the national security adviser to Vice President Pence.

"Trump praised O'Brien, with whom he has worked to try to free Americans held overseas. … Trump's list does not include two names that current and former Trump administration officials had previously said were in circulation: Iran policy chief Brian Hook and Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell. … Grenell attended a dinner with Trump on Saturday amid speculation that he was in the running for Bolton's job. A senior administration official said, however, that Grenell was in Washington because he ‘has been in discussions for weeks about another role the president wants him to play.'" WaPo

THE DHS PURGE … NYT'S ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS and MAGGIE HABERMAN: "The White House on Tuesday fired John Mitnick, the general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, after months of shake-up at an agency responsible for carrying out President Trump's immigration agenda. … A Trump administration official said Tuesday evening that Chad Mizelle, an associate counsel to the president, would replace Mr. Mitnick. But a Department of Homeland Security official said later that Joseph B. Maher, the department's principal deputy general counsel, would be taking over." NYT

-- FROM MORNING SCORE: "The DCCC announced it raised $7.21 million in August, the best off-year August in committee history. The party committee has raised more than $76 million in 2019."

-- HAPPENING TODAY: Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will lead the third American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington. Execs expected to attend: Juanita Duggan of NFIB, Marillyn Hewson of Lockheed Martin, Barbara Humpton of Siemens USA, Al Kelly of Visa, Jay Timmons of NAM and Ginni Rometty of IBM, among others.

SHOT: "Jimmy Carter says he couldn't have managed presidency at 80,"by AP's Bill Barrow … CHASER: Both Bernie Sanders (78) and Joe Biden (76) would turn 80 during their first term if elected president.

TRUMP'S WEDNESDAY -- The president will deliver remarks at a joint fundraising committee breakfast in Los Angeles at 11:50 a.m. Eastern time. Afterward, he will head to the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego to participate in a roundtable at 3:10 p.m., followed by a lunch fundraiser. He will then head to Otay Mesa, Calif., where he will visit the border wall at 5:35 p.m. Trump will then fly back to Washington.

L.A. TIMES: "Is Trump trying to make this historic building a homeless shelter? Locals are ‘baffled,'" by Dakota Smith: "A week after hearing about federal officials swinging through a vacant office building close to Los Angeles International Airport, Hawthorne City Manager Arnold Shadbehr is still confused.

"Shadbehr hasn't heard from the federal government or anyone else — other than reporters — about the visit to study homelessness in California. The Washington Post last week reported that officials with the administration of President Trump had ‘secretly' toured the one-time Federal Aviation Administration facility in Hawthorne as part of discussions about turning it into a government-run homeless shelter.

"The glassy building at 15000 Aviation Blvd. is in the process of being sold to a commercial developer and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, raising even more questions about why the Trump delegation supposedly chose it." LAT

BIBI ON THE BRINK? -- "With Israel Election Results Too Close to Call, Netanyahu Appears in Peril," by NYT's David Halbfinger and Isabel Kershner in Jerusalem: "Israel's election was too close to call early Wednesday, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his chief rival, the former army chief Benny Gantz, a centrist, immediately commanding enough support to form a majority coalition, according to exit polls.

"But Mr. Gantz's Blue and White party appeared to have come out ahead of Mr. Netanyahu's conservative Likud, giving a small third party the power to decide the outcome. And his avowed desire to force a unity coalition including both their parties made it likely that, if the projections held, Mr. Gantz would be given the first chance of forming a government.

"The murky outcome itself was a humiliating blow to Mr. Netanyahu, 69, the nation's longest-serving prime minister, who forced the do-over election when he failed to assemble a coalition in May, rather than let Mr. Gantz have a try. For the second time in a row, his onetime deputy, Avigdor Liberman, denied Mr. Netanyahu a majority, this time urging the formation of a unity government." NYT

-- AND/BUT: "Israeli exit polls have often proven unreliable, and the official results, expected to trickle in overnight, could change the picture sharply."

-- IF THIS ELECTION IS NOT DECIDED by next week, will Netanyahu come to New York for the U.N. General Assembly?

IRAN LATEST -- "Saudi Arabia promises ‘material evidence' linking Iran to oil attack," by Reuters' Stephen Kalin and Michelle Nichols: "The Saudi Defense Ministry said it will hold a news conference on Wednesday at 1430 GMT to present ‘material evidence and Iranian weapons proving the Iranian regime's involvement in the terrorist attack.' Riyadh has already said preliminary results showed the attack did not come from Yemen.

"A U.S. official told Reuters the strikes originated in southwestern Iran. Three officials said they involved cruise missiles and drones, indicating a higher degree of complexity and sophistication than initially thought." Reuters

-- BUT THEY'RE STILL CHECKING? … NYT: "To Find Clues in Saudi Oil Attacks, U.S. Examines Missile and Drone Parts"

-- TO WIT … NYT'S DAVID SANGER, with a "News Analysis" bug: "Trump's Challenge: Can His Word on Iran Be Trusted?": "For a president with a loose relationship with the facts and poisonous relationships with allies, the attack on the Saudi oil fields poses a challenge: how to prove the administration's case that Iran was behind the strike and rally the world to respond.

"President Trump must now confront that problem as he struggles with one of the most critical national security decisions of his presidency. Over the next few days or weeks, he will almost certainly face the reality that much of the world — angry at his tweets, tirades, untruths and accusations — could be disinclined to believe the arguments advanced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others that Iran bears responsibility for the attack.

"If Mr. Trump tries to gather a coalition to impose diplomatic penalties, tighten sanctions to further choke off Iranian oil exports or retaliate with a military or cyberstrike, he may discover that, like President George W. Bush heading into Iraq 16 years ago, he is largely alone." NYT

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN: From Tuesday night's Biden pool report by Yahoo's Brittany Shepherd, in Potomac Falls, Md.: "He continued by quoting columnist David Brooks, saying that an ‘invisible moral fabric' holds the country together. He then joked that his campaign doesn't like him quoting Brooks: ‘You know, the conservative columnist, my staff doesn't like me quoting but I think he's [a] pretty damn smart guy.'"

TOP-ED -- NBC'S AL ROKER (!): "Climate change is not ignorable. It's time to stop debating what is staring us all in our faces"

HEADS UP -- "Trump administration to revoke California's power to set stricter auto emissions standards," by WaPo's Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis: "The Trump administration plans this week to revoke California's long-standing right to set stricter air pollution standards for cars and light trucks, the latest step in a broad campaign to undermine Obama-era policies aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change, two senior administration officials said.

"The move threatens to set in motion a massive legal battle between California and the federal government, plunge automakers into a prolonged period of uncertainty and create turmoil in the nation's auto market." WaPo

MEDIAWATCH -- The NYT is closing its Spanish-language edition, the paper announced. In a tweet, NYT's Paulina Chavira wrote: "Con mucha tristeza y pesar les informamos que hoy cierra operaciones @nytimeses. Para NY es una decisión «corporativa», pero para nosotros … fue un proyecto al que le pusimos todo el corazón." ("With great sadness and regret, the NYT announced they're suspending operations. For New York this is a corporate decision. But for us … this was a project in which we put in all of our heart.")

-- Bianca Quilantan is now a higher education reporter for POLITICO Pro. She previously was a web producer for POLITICO and was part of a Pulitzer-finalist team at the Chico Enterprise-Record.

-- Brad Heath will be an investigative reporter for Reuters' D.C. bureau. He previously was justice and investigations editor at USA Today. Talking Biz News

-- Angela Moon is joining Bloomberg as managing editor for breaking news. She previously was a tech correspondent at Reuters.

-- THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB SPELLING BEE … ROLL CALL'S HERB JACKSON (@HerbNJDC): "That was fast. After @ericgeller misses on ‘noctidiurnal,' @ChrisPappasNH wins with ‘occision' and ‘beckmesser' to become #NPCBee champ for 2019."

IN MEMORIAM -- "Veteran television newsman Sander Vanocur dies at 91," by AP's Andrew Dalton: "Sander Vanocur, a television newsman who for decades covered momentous events from political campaigns to assassinations, the Vietnam War to the civil rights movement, has died, his son said Tuesday. Vanocur died Monday night in Santa Barbara, California, said Chris Vanocur. He was 91. He had been dealing with dementia in recent years.

"As national political correspondent at NBC in the 1960s, Vanocur was a questioner at the first presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960, then covered Kennedy's administration as a White House correspondent." AP

SPOTTED: Rod Rosenstein eating lunch at Del Frisco's on Tuesday. … Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) at Charlie Palmer on Tuesday. … Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) talking at General Mitchell Airport on Tuesday before a Southwest flight from Milwaukee to DCA.

OUT AND ABOUT … SPOTTED at an '80s-themed celebration for Rep. Veronica Escobar's 50th birthday at the DNC: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) and Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Grisella Martinez and Zuraya Tapia. Pic

-- SPOTTED at Hamilton Place Strategies' 10-year anniversary party Tuesday night: Tony Fratto, Molly Ball, Neil Irwin, Paul Kane, Ed Gillespie, Jon Kott, Sean Coit, Kevin Fromer, Matt Dawes, Patrick Cave, Penny Lee, Rob Runyan, Ted Halstead and Tim Adams.

-- SPOTTED at the 19th annual Dining Away Duchenne at Eastern Market, hosted by Joel and Dana Wood to benefit the Foundation to Eradicate Duchenne: José Andrés straight off the plane from the Bahamas, Joel Buben, Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Reps. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), George Holding (R-N.C.), Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- Scott Mulhauser is joining Bully Pulpit Interactive as a partner. He previously was a founding partner at Aperture Strategies, which is being acquired by BPI.

-- Diana Banister is now a senior adviser to the director at USCIS. She previously was president at Shirley & Banister Public Affairs.

-- Jonathan Bronitsky is now chief speechwriter for the A.G. and senior adviser for strategic communications at DOJ. He previously was director of strategy at Javelin.

WEEKEND WEDDING -- Kevin Benacci, director of external affairs at CISA at DHS and a Dave Joyce alum, and Jessica Rodek, an attorney at Cardinal Health, got married in Cleveland last weekend.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Alexis Weiss, a VP at Edelman and a CNN and NBC alum, and Daniel Gould, director of content acquisition at Roku, welcomed Vivienne Amber Gould on Sept. 4. She came in at 8 lbs and 20 inches. Pic… Another pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: HUD Secretary Ben Carson. An interesting book he's reading: "I am currently reading ‘Coming of Age in the Other America,' by Stefanie DeLuca, who is a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins. The book tells the stories of young black men and women growing up in public housing in Baltimore and the challenges they face in their journey to adolescence and adulthood."Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: U.S. Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell is 53 … Corey Lewandowski is 46 … Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) is 35 … Rep. Steve Watkins (R-Kan.) is 43 … Sara Haines, co-host of "Strahan, Sara and Keke" ... Gilead Science's Kacy Hutchison … Jackie Calmes, White House editor of L.A. Times' D.C. bureau … Luis Navarro … Gilberto Ocanes … Cathy Jury … Karl Struble … Chuck Supple … Monica Mills (hat tip: Teresa Vilmain) … WaPo's Griff Witte and Darryl Fears … Jeff Sadosky, partner at Forbes Tate Partners … Liz Natonski is 3-0 … Katrina Bishop ... Nicole Duran ... Eric Terrell ... Tina Stoll, president of Campaign Finance Consultants (h/ts Jon Haber and Teresa Vilmain) ... Mark Walsh ... Safiya Ghori-Ahmad, director at McLarty Associates ... Dayna Cade, president at DC Strategies ... Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble is 77 ...

... Joan Walsh, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and CNN political contributor … Daniel Burnett, assistant director of comms for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, is 31 ... Jess Morales Rocketto, political director at the Domestic Workers Alliance ... Erin Buechel Wieczorek, director at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, is 41 … Laura Plack (h/t Molly Jenkins) … Adam Keiper (h/t Alice Lloyd) … Monica Pampell ... Erin Madigan White ... Isabelle Taylor Kenyon … AP's Desmond Butler ... Edelman's Andrew Church ... The Guardian's Chris Taylor ... Will Tienken ... Ben Dye ... Scott MacFarlane ... Angela Flood, principal at Cove Strategies ... Joe Davis ... Devika Koppikar ... Cyndi Pederson ... Kristen Crowell