By Bethany Irvine

As Fulton County prosecutors present their election interference case ahead of a possible fourth criminal indictment of Donald Trump, the former president took to Truth Social. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images

DeSANTIS DOWNLOAD — WaPo’s Josh Dawsey is up with a deep dive on how some Republicans who knew Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS well in Tallahassee say they fully anticipated his struggles to translate his success in the Sunshine State into a successful campaign for the White House. Some notable nuggets:

• On DeSantis’ negotiation style: “Florida Republicans described an aloof governor who believed in ‘sticks and no carrots,’ according to a senior Florida official, and whose idea of negotiating was ‘my way or the highway,’ in the words of another.”

• His “party of one” approach: “An insular governor who infrequently talked to some senior members in his own Cabinet, including his top law enforcement officials, or other leading Republicans. A congressman who seemed to avoid any opportunity to make friends with others in the delegation. A politician who rarely tried to connect with donors and supporters and seemed to not enjoy being around crowds or attending events. A governor who sometimes declined to participate in a lot of the customary niceties in politics, such as thank you notes and calls to donors.”

• A stinging quote from an old ally: “‘It’s kind of what I expected to see,’ Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.), whose backing of [DONALD] TRUMP stung DeSantis, according to people close to the governor, said of the DeSantis campaign. … ‘In presidential politics, you have to be able to engage and connect with people. It’s through TV, it’s through interviews, it’s charisma. You know it when you see it … I never felt like it was something the governor would be able to do or accomplish.’”

TRUMP TESTS THE CONDITIONS OF HIS RELEASE — As Fulton County prosecutors present their election interference case to a grand jury ahead of a possible fourth criminal indictment of Donald Trump, the former president took to Truth Social to suggest that one of the slated witnesses, former Georgia Lt. Gov. GEOFF DUNCAN, shouldn't testify before the grand jury as planned tomorrow.

“I barely know [Duncan,] but he was, right from the beginning of this Witch Hunt, a nasty disaster for those looking into the Election Fraud that took place in Georgia,” Trump posted.

Notably, Trump’s callout of Duncan comes after Federal Judge TANYA CHUTKAN — who is presiding over Trump’s most recent criminal case — repeatedly warned him that he is bound by laws preventing him from influencing witnesses, and that any “inflammatory remarks” that could influence a jury would hasten a trial.

That has done little to alter Trump’s pronouncements, as Kyle Cheney reports this morning:

“In a Truth Social post just before 1 a.m., Trump assailed U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan as ‘highly partisan’ and ‘very biased and unfair,’ citing as evidence a statement she made during the sentencing of a woman who participated in the mob that breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. ‘She obviously wants me behind bars,’ Trump wrote. …

“Trump’s conditions of release at his arraignment earlier this month included a vow — which Trump swore to uphold in court — that he would not intimidate or harass witnesses and officers of the court or threaten the administration of justice. It’s unclear what Chutkan will do if she determines Trump has violated those conditions.”

Related reads: “How Donald Trump tried to undo his loss in Georgia in 2020,” by WaPo’s Amy Gardner, Kati Perry and Adriana Usero ... “In Georgia, cameras could sharpen the focus on Trump in the courtroom,” by NBC’s Blayne Alexander and Charlie Gile

HUNTER’S LEGAL HEADACHE — HUNTER BIDEN’s legal team pushed back against the Justice Department in a court filing late last night, claiming that part of the initial plea agreement with the president's son and federal officials should still be in effect, WaPo’s Devlin Barrett reports.

The context: After an initial deal collapsed back in July, Biden’s team and prosecutors were renegotiating terms of a federal tax and gun charges deal last week up until prosecutors announced on Friday they believed the case “would not resolve short of a trial.”

What’s happening now: Biden’s legal team says prosecutors' original agreement that he could enroll in a “diversion program” for offenders with gun charges in exchange for immunity on broader charges did not have to be decided by a judge, and therefore still stands.

And while it’s unclear whether prosecutors are on the same page as Biden’s legal team when it comes to the diversion agreement, the lawyers “insisted they did not misunderstand the terms of the deal, claiming that prosecutors’ claims in court differed from what they said privately during negotiations.”

For reference: “Diversion deals are typically used in cases involving nonviolent defendants with substance abuse problems,” Barrett writes. “But unlike guilty pleas, a diversion deal is struck solely between prosecutors and a defendant and does not require a judge’s approval.”

Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: [email protected].

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2024 WATCH 

STRIKE OUT — Amid the ongoing strikes in Hollywood that have shut down the major studios, Biden’s big blue money machine out West is also on hold for the time being, N.Y. Mag’s Gabriel Debenedetti reports, as the president skips out on any in-person fundraising in California. “The decision — which has only been whispered about, never formally communicated — is the result of a calculation by Biden’s campaign that the president can’t risk raising money in person from the very people the strikes are aimed at, folks like Disney’s BOB IGER, Netflix’s REED HASTINGS, and Sony’s [TOM] ROTHMAN, especially since Biden’s been so open about supporting the walkouts.”

MARK YOUR CALENDARS — “Chris Christie readies to barnstorm Miami,” by Gary Fineout and Kimberly Leonard: “[Former New Jersey Gov. CHRIS] CHRISTIE will visit South Miami this Friday for a Florida town hall, which he will follow up with a meet-and-greet at Versailles, the iconic Cuban restaurant in Little Havana that remains a required stop for Republicans who swing through South Florida. Oh, and Versailles is about nine miles from Trump National Doral Miami.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY — The Atlantic’s Elaine Godfrey, a native Iowan, on the “ritual humiliations” of the Iowa State Fair: “‘[MIKE PENCE is] a dweeb, and so is DeSantis,’ a young man from Cedar Rapids named Jacob, who declined to give his last name, told me. ‘You just want to take their lunch money. It’s instinct.’”

MORE POLITICS

THE MONTANA MESS — As Republicans wait to see whether Rep. MATT ROSENDALE will jump into the already populated GOP primary to take on Sen. JON TESTER — which would defy the wishes of the Republican establishment — the trickle-down effect could also shake things up back home.

Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction ELSIE ARNTZEN opened up an exploratory committee for a congressional run in Rosendale’s district, but told KULR-8 NBC’s Bradley Warren and Noah Corrin that she would run only if Rosendale gets into the Senate race. Ditto for Montana Commissioner of Securities & Insurance TROY DOWNING, who announced the exact same intentions this morning, Warren writes for KULR-8.

FWIW: Rosendale seems likely to mount a Senate campaign, our colleague Ally Mutnick has previously reported, though it’s unclear when that decision may come. In a text to Warren at KULR-8, a spokesperson for Rosendale reiterated that the congressman has not yet made a decision, though they continued: “Montana voters will make their decision over the next few months over who will replace [Tester], not MITCH McCONNELL and the DC cartel.”

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All made possible by President Biden’s clean energy plan that invests in America.

THE WHITE HOUSE 

YOU BE THE JUDGE — The White House is doubling down on its judicial confirmation efforts after an unexpected slow down in the Senate earlier this year, WaPo’s Theodoric Meyer, Tobi Raji and Leigh Ann Caldwell report this morning. “Tradition — not a Senate rule — allows senators veto power over a president’s nominees for district court judges in their home states, using a form known as a ‘blue slip.’ Most of the district court judges confirmed in Biden’s first years in office were in states with two Democratic senators, who worked with the White House relatively easily. But those vacancies are drying up. Of the 56 current and future district court vacancies without nominees, 40 are in states with at least one Republican senator.”

POLICY CORNER

THE TAXMAN COMETH — “Biden wants rich companies to pay higher taxes. Some are fighting back,” by WaPo’s Tony Romm: “Nearly a year after its enactment, the U.S. government still has not yet fully implemented the new corporate alternative minimum tax, as the Biden administration races to finalize a complex and critical element of Democrats’ broader economic agenda. … In the meantime, major lobbying organizations that represent companies like AT&T, Amazon, Duke Energy, Ford and FedEx have seized on the uncertainty to press for changes that may reduce their tax bills.”

BLOW THE WHISTLE — WSJ’s Mengqi Sun is up with one of the first media interviews with SEC’s whistleblower award program chair NICOLE CREOLA KELLY as she works to manage the increasingly popular resource for tipsters and the scrutiny that comes along with it: “The SEC’s award program has given out more than $1 billion in total to whistleblowers as the number of tips it receives has steadily risen. … The SEC program’s process of determining who receives awards has come under the spotlight in recent years in both circuit courts and law studies.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY 

THE LATEST IN MAUI — “Maui Undertakes Its Own Wildfire Relief Efforts: ‘We’re Not Going Anywhere’” by WSJ’s Alicia Caldwell

DEEP IN THE HEART — “Gen Z influencers, quietly recruited by a company with deep GOP ties, rally to impeached Ken Paxton’s aid,” by Texas Tribune’s Robert Downen

AMERICA AND THE WORLD 

WATCH THIS SPACE — “Kim Jong Un Calls for Sharp Rise in North Korean Weapons Production,” by WSJ’s Dasl Yoon: “[North Korean leader KIM JONG UN] ordered increased production of artillery shells for front-line units to be ‘fully prepared for coping with any war at any moment’ … The U.S. and South Korea are set next week to begin major military drills, which North Korea routinely refers to as rehearsals for invasion.”

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PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTED at Cafe Milano yesterday evening for a get-together: Dionne Warwick, Dan Meyers, Margery Kraus, Brandon Neal and Tammy Haddad. Pic, with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Wolf Blitzer, who were also there separately

MEDIA MOVES — CNN has announced a new programming lineup, including new anchors for the networks morning, dayside, primetime and weekend programs and a swath of new shows. Some key moves: Abby Phillip will anchor a new primetime show out of New York, Laura Coates will anchor a new primetime show for CNN out of D.C., Kasie Hunt will anchor Early Start and Phil Mattingly will join “CNN This Morning” as a co-anchor. Read the full announcement 

TRANSITION — Taylor Gehrcke is now director of events at The Messenger, leading logistics and operations for D.C.-based events. He most recently was director of events with the United Nations Foundation. … Tuyet Duong is now chief policy and government affairs officer at the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum. She previously was with the management and public diplomacy sections of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.

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