Matthew Travis, the former deputy director of the nation’s top cybersecurity agency, on Tuesday defended former top cybersecurity official Christopher Krebs after a lawyer for President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump alludes to possible 2024 run in White House remarks Trump threatens to veto defense bill over tech liability shield Tiger King’s attorney believes they’re close to getting pardon from Trump MORE’s reelection campaign called for violence against Krebs.

Travis’s comments came after Joe diGenova said during an interview this week on “The Howie Carr Show” that Krebs, who was fired by President Trump last month after pushing back against Trump’s claims of voter fraud during the recent election, should be “drawn and quartered” and “taken out at dawn and shot.”

“It’s egregious, I’m at a loss for words at how absurd those and offensive those comments were, I think that’s got to violate some type of code of professional conduct for the DC Bar, and I hope they look into it,” Travis, the former deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said at the Aspen Institute’s virtual Cyber Summit on Tuesday. 

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“He’s a small man with a small mind and bad mustache,” Travis said of diGenova, adding that he hoped diGenova would “take back those words, apologize and recognize that maybe the hot lights of the studio got to him.”

Krebs on Tuesday also responded to the threat from diGenova, saying during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” that he and his legal team were “taking a look at all our available legal opportunities” as a result of diGenova’s comments.

“We are a nation of laws, and I plan to take advantage of those laws,” Krebs said. “I’ve got an exceptional team of lawyers that win in court, and I think they’re probably going to be busy.”

The Trump attorney, diGenova, has since said that his remarks were meant as a joke and hyperbole, and that he wished Krebs no harm, according to a report in National Review.

“It was obvious that my remarks were sarcastic and made in jest,” diGenova said, according to remarks attributed to him by the Trump campaign, according to National Review.

Travis was forced by the Trump administration to step down the same night that Trump fired former CISA Director Krebs through a tweet, citing concerns over Krebs’s stance that the 2020 election was secure and accurate. 

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Travis confirmed Tuesday that Krebs did not know he had been fired until he saw Trump’s tweet, and that before Trump’s tweet, CISA had been “business as usual” that day following a busy election season. 

“He was not called, he learned it, Chris keeps an eye on Twitter regardless of what is going on, so I think he did see it himself when it came across,” Travis said of Trump’s tweet removing Krebs from leadership of the agency.

Travis said Krebs encouraged him that night to not resign and to “stay and finish the fight with the team,” with Travis the automatic successor to lead CISA. 

Travis was subsequently told by acting DHS Secretary Chad WolfChad WolfFormer cyber official condemns Trump attorney for threats against Krebs, details ouster Biden picks first Latino to lead Homeland Security Republican senators urge Trump to label West Bank goods as ‘Made in Israel’ MORE that while the White House was not asking him to resign, it did not want Travis to run CISA, which led in less than two hours to Travis being asked to step down to clear the way for current acting CISA Director Brandon Wales to take over.

“It was a pretty frenetic Tuesday evening,” Travis said. 

CISA, along with election officials at state and local levels, put out a statement last month declaring the 2020 election as “the most secure in American history,” and unequivocally stating that there was “no evidence” that any voting system was compromised or votes lost.

Trump and other Republicans have challenged this assertion, with Trump repeatedly citing concerns around votes being changed or other election meddling, and refusing to concede the election. 

Travis noted that if Trump had won his campaign for reelection, “I suspect that Chris would have been paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue and we’d be pointing to him saying this was a legitimate election.”

The agency leadership shakeup also included former top CISA official Bryan Ware resigning after being asked to step down by the White House the same week. 

Travis noted that Wales was brought in as executive director by Krebs in case both top the agency’s top Senate-confirmed officials were removed.

“To Chris’s credit, I think he was playing in his head how this could unfold in a bad way, which is one of the reasons why we wanted to bring in Brandon Wales and create this executive director position, so if there was some quick removal of political leadership that it would stop pretty quickly,” Travis said. 

Wales, who is set to speak at the Aspen Institute summit later this week, sought to reassure CISA employees in an email obtained by The Hill sent last month.

“A change in leadership is not a change in mission,” Wales wrote in the email. “It is vital for all of us to remain focused on our mission.”

Happy Thursday and welcome back to On The Money. I’m Sylvan Lane, and here’s your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line.

See something I missed? Let me know at slane@thehill.com or tweet me @SylvanLane. And if you like your newsletter, you can subscribe to it here.

Write us with tips, suggestions and news: slane@thehill.com, njagoda@thehill.com and nelis@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @SylvanLane, @NJagoda and @NivElis.

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THE BIG DEAL—COVID-19 relief picks up steam as McConnell, Pelosi hold talks: Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiBiden backs 0B compromise coronavirus stimulus bill US records over 14 million coronavirus cases On The Money: COVID-19 relief picks up steam as McConnell, Pelosi hold talks | Slowing job growth raises fears of double-dip recession | Biden officially announces Brian Deese as top economic adviser MORE (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellBiden backs 0B compromise coronavirus stimulus bill US records over 14 million coronavirus cases On The Money: COVID-19 relief picks up steam as McConnell, Pelosi hold talks | Slowing job growth raises fears of double-dip recession | Biden officially announces Brian Deese as top economic adviser MORE (R-Ky.) held talks on Thursday about reaching a COVID-19 relief deal before Christmas, with both expressing a desire to quickly pass legislation, according to a senior aide to Pelosi.

“The Speaker and Leader McConnell spoke at 12:45 p.m. today by phone about their shared commitment to completing an omnibus and COVID relief as soon as possible,” Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, said Thursday afternoon.

Fresh momentum: 

• Earlier in the day, Pelosi told reporters “we will have an agreement” on coronavirus package funding by Dec. 11, the date government funding is set to expire.
• McConnell told reporters Tuesday that additional COVID-19 relief funding would likely be added to the expected $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package that would fund the federal government beyond Dec. 11 through fiscal 2021, which ends on Sept. 30.
• Shortly before that conversation, McConnell met with a group of Senate Republican moderates who support a compromise $908 billion coronavirus relief bill that would include $160 billion in funding for state and local governments, a sticking point for many conservatives, including McConnell.

McConnell on Thursday morning said on the Senate floor “compromise is within reach.”

“We know where we agree. We can do this. Let me say it again. We can do this. And we need to do this,” he said.

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The Hill’s Alexander Bolton brings us up to speed here.

The revival of coronavirus relief talks comes as the U.S. economy faces serious risks of falling into another recession. We’ve got more on that below.

 

LEADING THE DAY

Slowing job growth raises fears of double-dip recession: A weakening labor market is raising fears of a double-dip recession heading into the winter.

• New figures on Wednesday showed job growth in the private sector last month fell to its slowest pace since July as coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths hit record highs.
• The Labor Department’s release of the November jobs report on Friday will provide the broadest view of just how much the U.S. workforce has weakened eight months into the pandemic. 
• While U.S. employers are expected to have added roughly 400,000 jobs last month, economists fear that the progress made since April could slip into reverse without more help from the White House and lawmakers.

Scott Clemons, chief investment strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., warned that a failure to bridge the gap between the coronavirus-ridden economy and the imminent promise of a post-pandemic future could deepen a cycle of layoffs, declines in consumer demand and business closures.

“We’ll still add half a million jobs or so [in November]. But that still leaves a pretty big hole from earlier this year, and the pace of recovery is kind of stagnated,” he said.

I explain why here.

Read more: Weekly jobless claims dip to 712,000 in last week of November

 

Biden officially announces Brian Deese as top economic adviser: President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden says GOP senators have called to congratulate him Biden: Trump attending inauguration is ‘of consequence’ to the country Biden says family will avoid business conflicts MORE on Thursday officially tapped former Obama administration official Brian Deese to lead the National Economic Council, his latest announcement to round out his economic team.

• Deese, who was widely expected to get the role, formerly served as the deputy director of the council and as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
• He was a key player in negotiations for the auto industry bailout during the Obama administration and aided in talks to join the Paris climate accord.

“Brian is among the most tested and accomplished public servants in the country — a trusted voice I can count on to help us end the ongoing economic crisis, build a better economy that deals everybody in, and take on the existential threat of climate change in a way that creates good-paying American jobs,” Biden said in a statement.

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Here’s more from The Hill’s Brett Samuels.

 

GOP blocks effort to make payroll tax deferral optional for federal workers: Sen. Chris Van HollenChristopher (Chris) Van HollenOn The Money: COVID-19 relief picks up steam as McConnell, Pelosi hold talks | Slowing job growth raises fears of double-dip recession | Biden officially announces Brian Deese as top economic adviser GOP blocks effort to make payroll tax deferral optional for federal workers Democratic senators unveil bill to ban discrimination in financial services industry MORE (D-Md.) on Thursday attempted to get the Senate to immediately pass his bill to make President TrumpDonald John TrumpBiden says GOP senators have called to congratulate him Biden: Trump attending inauguration is ‘of consequence’ to the country Biden says family will avoid business conflicts MORE’s payroll tax deferral optional for federal workers and military members, but Republicans blocked the effort.

• Van Hollen’s bill would allow the payroll tax deferral to be optional for employees of any employer that chooses to participate in the deferral, including the federal government. 
• Most businesses have not been deferring their workers’ payroll taxes, but the deferral has been mandatory for civilian employees at federal agencies and members of the armed forces.

Van Hollen argued on the Senate floor that his bill is a matter of “fundamental fairness,” and that passing the measure would limit the amount of deferred taxes that federal workers and military members would have to pay early next year. But Sen. Steve DainesSteven (Steve) David DainesOn The Money: COVID-19 relief picks up steam as McConnell, Pelosi hold talks | Slowing job growth raises fears of double-dip recession | Biden officially announces Brian Deese as top economic adviser Government used Patriot Act to gather website visitor logs in 2019 GOP blocks effort to make payroll tax deferral optional for federal workers MORE (R-Mont.), objected to Van Hollen’s request for the Senate to unanimously pass the bill, arguing that Congress should instead forgive the deferred payroll taxes.

The Hill’s Naomi Jagoda explains here.

 

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GOOD TO KNOW

• The Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Christopher Waller to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, adding another moderate Republican who favors low interest rates to the central bank.
• Rep. Rosa DeLauroRosa Luisa DeLauroOn The Money: COVID-19 relief picks up steam as McConnell, Pelosi hold talks | Slowing job growth raises fears of double-dip recession | Biden officially announces Brian Deese as top economic adviser Overnight Defense: Lawmakers release compromise defense bill in defiance of Trump veto threat | Senate voting next week on blocking UAE arms sale | Report faults lack of training, ‘chronic fatigue’ in military plane crashes Rep. David Scott wins House Agriculture Committee gavel MORE (D-Conn.) will be the next House Appropriations Committee chairwoman following a Thursday vote by the House Democratic Caucus.
• Stocks closed relatively flat Thursday, stalling after setting new records earlier in the week.
• Broad legislation to combat the use of shell companies by criminals and foreign adversaries is nearing the finish line after more than 10 years of lobbying and negotiations.

 

ODDS AND ENDS

• The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed a complaint against Google Wednesday alleging that the company illegally spied on and then fired two employees for organizing.
• UPS has reportedly told drivers across the country to stop picking up packages from six retailers, including Gap, Nike and Macy’s, as the shipping company attempts to keep up with a record-breaking online shopping season amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

The U.S. House passed a bill that prohibits people from owning big cats like lions and tigers after Netflix released the documentary series “Tiger King.”

The chamber voted 272-114 to pass the measure, which also makes it illegal for exhibitors to allow people to touch cubs, late Thursday. 

The bill appears in the documentary and was backed by Carole Baskin, the nemesis of the show’s star Joe Exotic, and her husband Howard. 

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On the same day that the bill passed, a volunteer was injured at Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue after being attacked by a tiger. 

Baskin told The Hill in an email that the volunteer saw a door leading to the tiger was “clipped shut” which is the rescue’s signal “NOT to open a gate without the coordinator coming to assist.”

She said that the volunteer “said she just wasn’t thinking when she reached in to un clip it” and that the tiger “grabbed her arm and nearly tore it off at the shoulder.”

“The fact that, despite our intense safety protocols and excellent record of safety, an injury like this can occur just confirms the inherent danger in dealing with these animals and why we need the Big Cat Public Safety Act to eliminate having them untracked in backyards around the country and ending up in sanctuaries,” Baskin added. 

The news comes after the Department of Justice in November filed a complaint against Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park and Tiger King LLC, alleging that the businesses had violated the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act.

Exotic had previously owned the animal park, and it was one of the main animal attractions featured in “Tiger King” where tourists could view tigers and lions and play with big cat cubs. 

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Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe, the now-owners of the animal park assumed ownership of the business after Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in prison after being convicted of trying to hire a man to kill Baskin. 

The legislation heads next to the Senate. In the House vote, the passage was bipartisan, though it was supported by all Democrats who voted and just 48 Republicans. 

It was sponsored by Reps. Mike QuigleyMichael (Mike) Bruce QuigleyThis week: Congress races to wrap work for the year GSA offers to brief Congress next week on presidential transition Democrats debate fate of Trump probes if Biden wins MORE (D-Ill.) and Brian FitzpatrickBrian K. FitzpatrickDemocrats were united on top issues this Congress — but will it hold? Divided citizenry and government — a call to action for common ground OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Down ballot races carry environmental implications | US officially exits Paris climate accord  MORE (R-Pa.). 

“Big cats are wild animals that simply do not belong in private homes, backyards, or shoddy roadside zoos,” Quigley said in a statement. “Too often, law enforcement and first responders are the ones who end up in danger from these animals and… we owe it to them to limit the additional dangers they face on the job.”

The legislation also received praise from the U.S. Humane Society, with the group’s president Kitty Block saying that the legislation would “put an end to this cycle of misery, abuse, and danger once and for all.”

Block said that the group estimates that there are hundreds of tigers in the U.S. that are “kept as pets and money-making props by roadside zoos, pseudo-sanctuaries and cub-petting operations.”

Updated 10:48 a.m.

On Friday evening at their home base in Orlando, Florida, TNA taped additional content for next week’s edition of Impact Wrestling on Pop TV.

Combined with matches and segments taped in addition to the One Night Only pay-per-view and semi-live Impact Wrestling on Pop TV on Thursday night, below are the remaining spoilers for the second Impact Wrestling episode of 2017.

TNA Impact Wrestling Spoilers (Air Date: Thurs., Jan. 12th)

The following are results of the first-half of the content taped for next week’s Impact Wrestling on Pop TV episode (1/12) from Thursday night’s tapings in Orlando, Florida. The below comes from our spoilers posted earlier this week here at Rajah.com (via WrestlingINC.com).

* Aron Rex and Rockstar Spud have been re-branded as a “Liberace + valet” type of unit. Spud is sporting a powder blue doorman suit; Rex in a floor length white fur coat with oversized, sparkly rings on most fingers. Rex cuts a flamboyant promo claiming that Spud has been “reborn” and “it’s not about violence in 2017.” Robbie E interrupts and gets the double attack in ring. Rex will apparently be using his oversized rings as a brass-knuckle type ploy.

* Braxton Sutter defeated Mike Bennett. Allie comes out midway through match as an equalizer against Maria Kanellis. It appears the real-life couples will be continuing this storyline.

* TNA Knockouts Champion Rosemary cuts a promo in the ring on how there’s no more challengers for her to take on. Jade, now sporting short hair, interrupts and requests another shot. Rosemary challenges Jade to a Monster’s Ball match (Red vs. Blue). Rosemary goes on the attack after Jade accepts.

* The Hardys defeated The Wolves to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles. Excellent match with lots of high spots, near falls, 1 on 2 submissions, and 2 on 1 spots. Dissension between The Wolves starts brewing to set up a Davey Richards heel-turn on Edwards.

* Jessie Godderz defeated Bad Bones via submission in a match taped for Xplosion. Godderz is no longer wearing Bro-Mans trunks.

PART TWO (The Remaining Spoilers From 1/6 Taping):

* Aron Rex and Rockstar Spud defeated Robbie E and Swoggle in tag-team action. As noted, the duo debuted a new gimmick / character in the first-half of the show taped on Thursday (read above). The finish in this one saw Rex score the pinfall on Swoggle for the victory.

* Crazzy Steve and Abyss defeated Eddie Kingston and Bram via Disqualification in another tag-team contest. This one saw the match called off when James Storm hit the ring and blasted Abyss with a beer bottle, leading to a big post-match brawl. The official result had Crazzy Steve and Abyss winning due to the interference from Storm.

* Jade defeated Laurel Von Ness in a match taped for a future episode of the syndicated TNA television show Xplosion.