DRIVING THE DAY

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL ON MUELLER: CASE CLOSED … MCCONNELL will speak on the floor at 10 a.m. to deliver his final thoughts on the Mueller report. McConnell is expected to focus on three “buckets”: Russia’s interference in the U.S. elections, the work of ROBERT MUELLER and A.G. BILL BARR and his view that it is time to stop relitigating the 2016 election. Look for him to invoke the phrase “case closed.”

-- WHAT MCCONNELL WILL SAY: “This investigation went on for two years. It’s finally over. Many Americans were waiting to see how their elected officials would respond. With an exhaustive investigation complete, would the country finally unify to confront the real challenges before us? Would we finally be able to move on from partisan paralysis and breathless conspiracy theorizing?

“Or would we remain consumed by unhinged partisanship, and keep dividing ourselves to the point that Putin and his agents need only stand on the sidelines and watch as their job is done for them? Regrettably, I think the answer is obvious.”

MEANWHILE … SENATE DEMOCRATS are ramping up their messaging strategy of calling the Senate “Mitch McConnell’s legislative graveyard.” Look for SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER and others to focus on this talking point at the weekly stakeout after the caucus lunches. A new video Schumer will release today

THE TARIFF MAN … WSJ: “White House Ratchets Up Trade Fight,” by William Mauldin, Michael Bender and Josh Zumbrun: “Prospects for a speedy conclusion to the U.S.-China trade fight dimmed Monday after U.S. officials accused Beijing of reneging on its promises and vowed to implement President Trump’s threat to raise tariffs quickly on Chinese imports.

“‘Over the course of the last week or so, we’ve seen an erosion in commitments by China, I would say retreating from commitments that have already been made, in our judgment,’ said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, declaring tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports would rise to 25% starting Friday. … Mr. Trump’s threat rattled financial markets around the world, but also triggered speculation that it might be a negotiating tactic aimed at getting the best deal out of Beijing. …

“The briefing from Messrs. Lighthizer and Mnuchin, which took place after U.S. markets closed on Monday, made it clear there are deep concerns about the direction of the talks that go beyond negotiating style. In a show of unity by an administration often divided between trade-friendly officials and China hawks, the two officials were joined at Monday’s briefing by economic adviser Larry Kudlow and trade-and-manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro.” WSJ

-- WAPO’S DAVID LYNCH and BOB COSTA: “Despite the tough talk, Robert E. Lighthizer, the president’s chief trade negotiator, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration expects to host Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and a Chinese team for further talks in Washington on Thursday evening and Friday.” WaPo

-- MARKET PEEK … FT: “China’s stock market steadied on Tuesday after Washington and Beijing confirmed trade talks would continue this week despite new tariff threats from US President Donald Trump. The CSI 300 index of major stocks listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen closed up 1 per cent, buoyed by government efforts to avoid a second day of steep declines and reassurances that trade talks would continue.” FT

Happy Tuesday.

BEHIND TRUMP’S MUELLER TWEET … AP’S JONATHAN LEMIRE: “The president stewed for days about the prospect of the media coverage that would be given to Mueller, a man Trump believes has been unfairly lionized across cable news and the front pages of the nation’s leading newspapers for two years, according to three White House officials and Republicans close to the White House.

“Trump feared a repeat — but bigger — of the February testimony of his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, which dominated news coverage and even overshadowed a nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam.

“Trump has long known the power of televised images and feared that Americans would be captivated by seeing — and hearing — Mueller, who has not spoken publicly since being named special counsel.” AP

-- DARREN SAMUELSOHN, DANIEL LIPPMAN and ELIANA JOHNSON: “Surprised advisers downplay Trump's tweet about Mueller testimony”: “[M]ore than a dozen people from Trump’s close orbit downplayed in interviews the prospect that the president’s weekend tweet about Mueller should be taken as an official warning.

“Trump does not actually intend to assert executive privilege and block the special counsel from testifying as soon as next week, they said, before the one House committee with the power to begin impeachment proceedings against the president.” POLITICO

TALKER: “Mueller’s conclusion was a dereliction of his duty,” by David Kendall, longtime attorney for Bill and Hillary Clinton, in WaPo

THE INVESTIGATIONS …

-- HAPPENING WEDNESDAY … “Nadler and Barr steam toward a clash over contempt,” by Kyle Cheney and Andrew Desiderio: “The House Judiciary Committee will proceed with a vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress on Wednesday, Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) confirmed late Monday, as the Justice Department attempts to fend off the effort ahead of a negotiating session with the Democratic-led committee on Tuesday.

“Nadler’s firm stance comes as he seeks punitive actions against the attorney general for defying a subpoena for special counsel Robert Mueller’s unredacted report on the Russia investigation and its underlying evidence. It also comes hours after the Justice Department put forward a last-ditch plea to negotiate with the panel, offering a Wednesday meeting but later agreeing to Nadler’s demand for a Tuesday sit-down.” POLITICO

-- BRIAN FALER: “You’re not getting Trump’s tax returns, Mnuchin tells Democrats”: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said their demands raise ‘serious constitutional questions’ and that lawmakers do not have a ‘legitimate’ reason for seeking President Donald Trump’s filings.

“‘The Supreme Court has held that the Constitution requires that Congressional information demands must reasonably serve a legitimate legislative purpose,’ he wrote in a one-page letter to House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass). ‘I have determined that the Committee’s request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose’ and ‘the Department is therefore not authorized to disclose the requested returns.’” POLITICO … Mnuchin’s letter

IT SEEMS NEARLY CERTAIN that Ways and Means will hold Mnuchin in contempt -- a symbolic move -- and then will have to go to court to try to compel the release of Trump’s tax returns.

-- BIG PICTURE: Democrats and the White House are rapidly moving toward a series of potential court actions that could help clarify Congress’ oversight role in a global sense. The White House is ignoring demands for documents and declining requests for testimony and records. It might take a while, but the courts are going to have to rule on some of this, which could help define the Hill’s role in oversight for years to come.

SPOTTED: Mnuchin having a long dinner at Cafe Milano as his decision to block the release of Trump’s tax returns played on the cable news TV screens at the bar.

ABOUT THE WALL … JOSH GERSTEIN: “Ex-House general counsels back House’s border wall suit”: “Seven former top lawyers for the House of Representatives are backing a House lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump from seeking to spend billions of dollars of federal funds on a border wall without any specific authorization from Congress.

“Attorneys who served a bipartisan set of speakers over the past four decades filed a brief Monday urging U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden to rule that the House has standing to pursue the border wall suit and that the dispute is a proper one for the courts despite the reluctance of many judges to weigh in on fights between Congress and the president.” POLITICO

CASH DASH … NYT’S ANNIE KARNI and MAGGIE HABERMAN: “Trump Embraces the Traditional Fund-Raising He Once Shunned”: “About 200 bundlers from across the country are expected to gather Tuesday at the Trump International Hotel for a series of meetings and workshops about the campaign’s new fund-raising program. Vice President Mike Pence will address the group. Brad Parscale, President Trump’s campaign manager, will play host. Stephen A. Schwarzman, the Wall Street billionaire, has R.S.V.P.’d yes.

“The group will be divided into tiers, based on success in raising money. The ‘Trump Train’ donors, or those who raise $25,000, will be given a lapel pin and access to a national retreat and leadership dinners. ‘Club 45’ members, or those who raise $45,000, will get all of that, as well as monthly conference calls with Republican Party leaders. And the ‘Builders Club,’ or those bundlers who raise $100,000 or more, will be given access to national campaign events.

“It is the kind of traditional campaign fund-raising apparatus that Mr. Trump thumbed his nose at during his 2016 run. And it involves some donors who only grudgingly accepted him once he was the Republican presidential nominee.” NYT

2020 WATCH -- “MIA from Mayor Pete’s events: Black voters,” by Nolan McCaskill in Orangeburg, S.C.: “Pete Buttigieg wants to have a conversation with African-American voters. But he can’t seem to reach them. He scheduled a meet-and-greet Monday in Orangeburg — a city that is 76 percent black — but only a dozen or so people of color showed up in a crowd of more than 100. At a town hall the night before — held at a North Charleston high school where minority enrollment is 97 percent in a city that is roughly half-black — it was another overwhelmingly white audience.

“The composition of his audiences is a familiar issue for Buttigieg, who’s surged in recent national and state polls but struggled to make inroads with one of the party’s most important constituencies.” POLITICO

-- SCOOP: CHRIS CADELAGO -- “Harris launches national organizing program”: “Kamala Harris's presidential campaign is quietly building out its national footprint. The California Democrat has taken a more methodical approach than some rivals in amassing ground troops. On Tuesday, Harris' team will take another step, launching a national training program designed to harness volunteer energy on the ground that it could later tap into, according to a preview of the plan shared with POLITICO.

“Democratic presidential candidates are using various techniques to enlist grass-roots support — from paying staffers to collect sign-ups to marshaling online networks to organize coffees and watch parties. The door-to-door outreach is a crucial, yet often overlooked, element of their efforts to gain an advantage in the early voting states.” POLITICO

-- “Harris unloads on pundits who say only a white man can beat Trump,” by Chris Cadelago

THE JUICE …

-- DANIEL NEWHAUSER is now covering politics -- including Congress and the 2020 campaign -- for Vice News. He was formerly at National Journal.

TRUMP’S TUESDAY -- The president will attend first lady Melania Trump’s “Be Best” anniversary celebration at 11 a.m. in the Rose Garden. He will have lunch with VP Mike Pence at 12:15 p.m. in the private dining room. Trump will meet with Senate Republicans in the Cabinet Room at 3 p.m.

-- ANITA KUMAR: “Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a key Trump ally, as well as Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are expected to attend, according to two people familiar with the meeting.

“The meeting comes as Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, gears up to release an immigration plan he has spent months crafting, which is expected to boost security at the southern border and implement a merit-based system for immigrants.” POLITICO

PLAYBOOK READS

ALEXANDRA GLORIOSO in Tallahassee: “Trump directs Azar to work on Florida drug import plan”

KNOWING PETE BUTTIGIEG … THE NEW YORKER’S CHARLES BETHEA: “‘There was a book on the shared toilet,’ [his old Oxford roommate Jeremy] Farris, who is now the general counsel at New Mexico’s Department of Finance & Administration, said, ‘called Teach Yourself Norwegian.’ One day, as the flatmates were walking along the Thames, a young man wearing a soldier’s coat with a Norwegian flag appeared. ‘Peter stopped him,’ Farris said, ‘and they had a conversation while we politely waited. I realized that Peter had taught himself Norwegian on the toilet.’” The New Yorker

-- MAYOR PETE’S THEORY OF THE CASE: “If you’re playing [Trump’s] game, you’re losing. Nobody’s going to play his game better than he does and so we’ve got to do something completely different. The good news is Americans as a rule tend to go for the opposite of whatever they just had in a presidential election.” NBC

SPEAKING OUT -- “Inaugural Official Disputes White House Account of Her Departure,” by NYT’s Maggie Haberman and Ben Protess: “Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a leading contractor for President Trump’s inaugural committee and a former adviser to the first lady, Melania Trump, has publicly disputed accounts of her departure from the White House last year, rejecting claims from officials that she was dismissed. Ms. Winston Wolkoff specifically took issue with suggestions by White House officials that she had been forced out because of reports that she had profited excessively from her role in helping organize inaugural events.

“She gave her account of what happened in a statement to The New York Times more than a year after she parted ways with the White House, where she had served as an unpaid adviser to Mrs. Trump after the inauguration. ‘Was I fired? No,’ Ms. Winston Wolkoff said in the statement. ‘Did I personally receive $26 million or $1.6 million? No. Was I thrown under the bus? Yes.’” NYT

ATTACK OF THE CHINA OP-EDS -- STEVE BANNON, WAPO: “We’re in an economic war with China. It’s futile to compromise.” ... MICHAEL PILLSBURY, WSJ: “Why Trump Is Raising Tariffs on China”

FOR YOUR RADAR … NAHAL TOOSI and BRYAN BENDER: “Trump inches toward military confrontation with Iran”

VALLEY TALK … FP’S ELIAS GROLL: “The Future Is Here, and It Includes Hackers Getting Bombed”: “After blocking a cyberattack that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said was launched by operatives working on behalf of the militant group Hamas, the IDF carried out an airstrike in Gaza targeting the building in which the hackers worked, partially destroying it. The strike appears to be the first time that a nation’s military has responded in real time to a cyberattack with physical force.” Foreign Policy

-- “Alexa has been eavesdropping on you this whole time,” by WaPo’s Geoffrey Fowler

SPY GAMES -- “How Chinese Spies Got the N.S.A.’s Hacking Tools, and Used Them for Attacks,” by NYT’s Nicole Perlroth, David Sanger and Scott Shane

MEDIAWATCH -- “Two Reuters reporters freed in Myanmar after more than 500 days in jail,” by Reuters’ Simon Lewis and Shoon Naing in Yangon: “Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after they were convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act walked free from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon on Tuesday after spending more than 500 days behind bars. The two reporters, Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, had been convicted in September and sentenced to seven years in jail ...

“They were released under a presidential amnesty for 6,520 prisoners on Tuesday. … Swamped by media and well-wishers as they walked through the gates of Insein Prison, a grinning Wa Lone gave a thumbs up and said he was grateful for the international efforts to secure their freedom. ‘I’m really happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues. I can’t wait to go to my newsroom,’ he said.” Reuters

-- BACKSTORY: The letter by former federal prosecutors that went viral Monday after it got picked up by The Washington Post has its origins in a recent op-ed in The Daily Beast by Mimi Rocah and Renato Mariotti, “If Trump Weren’t President, He Would Already Be Charged,” we’re told.

Inspired by the article, a loose network of attorneys drafted the letter and enlisted the help of the relatively new NGO Protect Democracy, which then blasted it out to its list of DOJ alums and vetted the respondents. The Cambridge-based group was founded in 2017 by two former associate counsels in the Obama White House, Justin Florence and Ian Bassin, and now has a bipartisan staff of around 30 that works to promote the rule of law and fight what it sees as rising authoritarianism in the U.S.

As for the letter, the list of what is now well over 500 signatories includes people like Jeff Harris, a former Rudy Giuliani deputy; Republicans such as former SDNY judge John Martin and retired prosecutor Donald Ayer, both former George H.W. Bush appointees; and many other former line prosecutors who aren’t especially political.

-- DEADLINE: “More Than 100 CNN Workers Take Voluntary Buyouts Amid Move To Hudson Yards”

-- David Lat is leaving Above the Law after 13 years and joining legal recruiter Lateral Link as a managing director. He was the editor at large and founding editor of the site. The announcement

-- PER MORNING MEDIA: “TONIGHT: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is holding its annual Freedom of the Press Awards Dinner. Honorees include Atlantic chairman David Bradley, Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou, NBC News host and correspondent Andrea Mitchell, and American Urban Radio Networks White House correspondent April Ryan.”

PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTED: Stephen Moore holding court at Morton’s on Connecticut Ave. He stepped out several times to take phone calls. ... James Comey in first class on American’s 7:30 p.m. DCA-to-Boston shuttle. Pic

TRANSITIONS -- Andrew Gillum will be a senior fellow at People for the American Way. The Nation … Brad Elkins has been named campaign manager for Rep. Ben Ray Luján’s (D-N.M.) Senate campaign. Elkins most recently was campaign manager for Sen. Martin Heinrich’s (D-N.M.) reelection campaign and is an alum of Democrat Jason Kander’s Senate campaign and Martin O’Malley’s presidential campaign. …

... Patrick Hester is the new chief of staff to Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). He most recently was deputy legislative director.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Brian Kilmeade, co-host of Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” is 55. How he got his start in journalism: “My first broadcast job was a reporter on Sports Phone (pre-dating all sports radio) which was instant updates, eight hours a day, every seven minutes. Then I worked for Silver King affiliate in Ontario, Calif., where we shot, edited, loaded and rolled prompter, booked guests and lined up stories. Dan Perkins gave me a huge break and daily coaching to jump start any success I would achieve.” Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Mark Murray, NBC News senior political editor ... Noelle Garnier of the White House … Patrick MacDonnell ... Vincent Harris, CEO of Harris Media ... Keith Stern, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s floor director ... Caitlin Carroll, comms director for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) (h/t Katy Summerlin) ... Bruce Haynes, managing director and vice chairman of public affairs at Sard Verbinnen, is 52 ... Scott Conroy (h/t Peter Hamby) ... Sally McDonough ... John Scofield, partner at S-3 Group, is 46 ... Liz Savage (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is 37 ... Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) is 53 ... Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) is 67 ... former Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) is 65 ... POLITICO’s Cole Edwards ... Mel Raines, a Dick Cheney alum and now SVP of the Indiana Pacers … Joe Bill Wiley ... Kristina Johnson is 62 ... Colm O’Comartun, principal at 50-State … Maury Lane, president of Burson Campaigns (h/t Bill McQuillen) … Jim Steinberg is 66 ... Daniel Shak is 6-0 ... Cliff Maloney … Kimball Thomas is 4-0 (h/t Peter Watkins) ...

… Rob Saliterman, head of strategic accounts for North America at Stripe, is 37 (h/ts Blain Rethmeier and Tim Burger) … Artie Mandel ... Thomas Piketty is 48 … Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is 72 ... Regina Kim ... Andrea Purse … Cara Munn ... Jordan Stark ... John Stubbs (h/t Kelley McCormick) ... Shelia Wright ... Johanna Neuman ... Scott Lindlaw … Chris Kennedy, senior director of strategic comms at U.S. Travel ... Alma DuVall ... Wiley Norvell ... Kelly Bergeron is 35 … Christian Schaeffer, digital political director at the RNC ... Julia Payne ... David Huebner, former U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa ... Sally McDonough ... Alan Bernstein ... Cathleen Farrell, comms director at National Immigration Forum ... Katarina Baiano (hubby tip: Lucas) ... Brad Wolters ... Blake Roberts ... Dayo Olopade ... Jeff Schechtman ... Nicholas Harrer is 39 … Cathy Duvall … Heather Handyside ... Stephanie Sanchez (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)