CITIZENSHIP/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Ken Cuccinelli had virtually no hope of getting a Senate-confirmed job, having spent years leading conservative efforts to oust incumbent Republican senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But in the six weeks since President Donald Trump named him as acting head of the relatively obscure U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Cuccinelli has become one of the president’s top lieutenants for his aggressive immigration agenda. The outspoken immigration hard-liner enjoys a direct pipeline to Trump, according to four people briefed on the arrangement, and has met multiple times with the president and with White House senior adviser Stephen Miller to discuss the administration’s plans to stem the tide of migrants across the U.S. border. Cuccinelli, who has also spoken with Trump by phone, has been told he’ll be involved with top immigration decisions, even those that are outside the scope of his agency, two of the people said.”
–Ted Hesson and Anita Kumar, “Cuccinelli bores his way into Trump’s inner circle,” Politico, July 18, 2019 9:58 am