DEMS/EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A high-ranking political staffer at the Environmental Protection Agency has told lawmakers he faced retaliation after pushing back against outsized spending demands from Administrator Scott Pruitt and his top aides. House and Senate Democrats sent letters Thursday [4-12-18] to President Donald Trump and Pruitt describing a meeting they had with Kevin Chmielewski, […]
Category: A- Trump People
4/12/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/SENATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Senate on Thursday [4-12-18] is widely expected to confirm the Environmental Protection Agency’s second-in-command, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who not only shares the deregulatory zeal of Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. chief, but also his doubtful view of climate science. More notable, however, are the differences between the two men. […]
4/12/2018
MIKE POMPEO/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/SENATE/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Senators on Thursday [4-12-18] implored Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director nominated to be secretary of state, to stabilize the Trump administration’s erratic diplomacy by standing up to Russia and other adversaries and reinstalling American influence among allies. Under persistent questioning, Mr. Pompeo said that he had spoken to Robert S. Mueller […]
4/12/2018
CONGRESS/GOP/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “House speakers historically exit amid political intrigue, mounting scandal or humiliating rejection by the voters. By contrast, Paul D. Ryan’s disclosure on Wednesday [4-11-18] that he would step aside at the end of the year was quite calm and businesslike even as he gave that most Washington of reasons — more time […]
4/12/2018
LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/SENATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said Thursday [4-12-18] that the new bill that to protect special counsel Robert Mueller is an improvement, but he still has constitutional concerns about the measure to restrict the ability of the President to fire the special counsel. And a fight is already brewing ahead of an […]
4/12/2018
JAMES MATTIS/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Thursday [4-12-18] said the U.S. has enough proof to act in response to an alleged chemical attack in Syria, and President Donald Trump is looking at all his options…The Syrian government allegedly used chemical weapons on civilians in a suburb […]
4/12/2018
GOP/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When House Speaker Paul Ryan announced his retirement decision, he did so on his own terms. The political fallout may not be so easy to control. Ryan’s relinquishing of one of the most powerful positions in Washington left Republicans scrambling Thursday [4-12-18] over not only who will replace him, but whether he […]
4/12/2018
MIKE POMPEO/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Mike Pompeo, the CIA director nominated to be secretary of state, defended the Trump administration’s efforts to push back on aggression from Russia at his confirmation hearing Thursday [4-12-18] while suggesting more sanctions on Moscow are still needed. Yet he dodged repeatedly when Democrats tried to pin him down on President […]
4/12/2018
DEMS/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “DemocratIc U.S. lawmakers asked embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on Thursday [4-12-2018] to provide documents about ethics issues they said were revealed to them by a former agency official, including spending on bulletproof vests, weapons, and a contract with an Italian security service. The Democrats, including Senators Tom Carper, Sheldon […]
4/12/2018
FBI/MICHAEL COHEN/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The longest-serving Republican senator in history offered a sharp rebuke Thursday [4-12-18] to anyone recommending that President Donald Trump fire special counsel Robert Mueller. ‘Anyone advising the President — in public or over the airwaves — to fire Bob Mueller does not have the President or the nation’s best interest at […]
4/12/2018
GOP/JAMES COMEY/MEDIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s allies are preparing an extensive campaign to fight back against James Comey’s publicity tour, trying to undermine the credibility of the former FBI director by reviving the blistering Democratic criticism of him before he was fired nearly a year ago. The battle plan against Comey, obtained by CNN, calls […]
4/12/2018
2016 ELECTION/JEFF SESSIONS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Former federal prosecutor Joseph diGenova, who was set to join President Donald Trump’s legal team, on Wednesday [4-11-18] night called for the firing of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, telling Fox News that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has an obligation to dismiss his second in command. DiGenova joins a […]
4/12/2018
ENTITLEMENTS/PAUL RYAN/SPENDING/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When House Speaker Paul Ryan leaves Congress, the Republican party will lose its most influential advocate for changes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. As Budget committee chairman, a vice presidential running mate to Mitt Romney in 2012, Ways and Means chairman and finally House speaker, Mr. Ryan had pressed for curbs […]
4/12/2018
BUDGET/CONGRESS/ELECTION/SPENDING/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as Thursday [4-12-18] on a balanced budget amendment that would prohibit federal spending from exceeding federal revenues, but it is seen as a largely symbolic gesture.The vote is meant to show Republican voters that their party cares about fiscal responsibility, but […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/ELECTION/GOP/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday [4-11-18] he would retire at the end of the term, delivering an unexpected jolt to the battle for control of the House in the midterm elections and setting up a new scramble among House Republicans to replace him. The Wisconsin Republican said he had decided to […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/ELECTION/GOP/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Alone, no single retirement can do much to shift the national race for House control. But after a year full of them, it seems Republicans can’t afford too many more. Each new departure, including the retirement of House Speaker Paul Ryan, narrows the Republican path to retain the House. That path is […]
4/11/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When Scott Pruitt wanted to refashion the Environmental Protection Agency’s “challenge coin” — a type of souvenir medallion with military origins that has become a status symbol among civilians — he proposed an unusual design: Make it bigger, and delete the E.P.A. logo. Mr. Pruitt instead wanted the coin to feature some […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/ELECTION/GOP/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Fifteen months after Republicans took full control of Washington, the man once seen as central to the party’s upbeat and inclusive future is abandoning one of the most powerful jobs in the capital, imperiling the G.O.P. grip on the House and signaling that the political convulsions of the Trump era […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/ELECTION/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Speaker Paul D. Ryan announced Wednesday [4-11-18] that he will not seek re-election in November, ending a brief stint atop the House and signaling the peril that the Republican majority faces in the midterm elections. Mr. Ryan said he will serve until the end of this Congress in January, which will mark […]
4/11/2018
LEGAL/MEDIA/MICHAEL COHEN/TRUMP BUSINESS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump has long had ties to the nation’s major media players. But his connections with the country’s largest tabloid publisher, American Media Inc., run deeper than most. A former top executive of Mr. Trump’s casino business sits on A.M.I.’s four-member board of directors, and an adviser joined the media company […]
4/11/2018
ELECTION/GOP/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Fifteen months after Republicans took full control of Washington, the man long seen as central to the party’s future is abandoning one of the most powerful jobs in the capital, imperiling the G.O.P. grip on the House and signaling that the political convulsions of the Trump era are taking a grave toll […]
4/11/2018
GOP/MIKE POMPEO/STATE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Mike Pompeo won’t have his Senate confirmation hearing until Thursday [4-12-18], but the Republican National Committee has already launched a pressure campaign aimed at coaxing politically vulnerable red-state Democrats to support his nomination for secretary of state. Pompeo won votes from 15 Senate Democratic caucus members last year for his nomination […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Honored to have Republican Congressional Leadership join me at the @WhiteHouse this evening. Lots to discuss as we continue MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” https://t.co/b9z5Nfdkcl –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 11, 2018 5:59 pm […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/DEVIN NUNES/FBI/GOP/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The latest fight between congressional Republicans and the Justice Department over FBI documents has Republicans threatening to hold Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in contempt of Congress — and openly floating the notion of impeaching him — which could provide a new pretext for President Donald Trump to potentially fire Rosenstein […]
4/11/2018
EU/MIKE POMPEO/REX TILLERSON/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Mike Pompeo, the hard-charging CIA director picked to be the next secretary of state, will tell the Senate on Thursday that years of soft U.S. policy toward Russia are ‘now over.’ Drawing a sharp contrast with predecessor Rex Tillerson, Pompeo will vow to promote democracy and human rights while ending ‘demoralizing’ […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan will not seek re-election and will leave his post at the start of 2019, further unsettling a Republican Party rocked by Donald Trump’s tumultuous presidency ahead of November’s pivotal congressional elections. Ryan, who has had an often-strained relationship with Trump but helped the president achieve […]
4/11/2018
ELECTION/PAUL RYAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Speaker Paul Ryan is a truly good man, and while he will not be seeking re-election, he will leave a legacy of achievement that nobody can question. We are with you Paul!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 11, 2018 8:50 am […]
4/11/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MEDIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “So much Fake News about what is going on in the White House. Very calm and calculated with a big focus on open and fair trade with China, the coming North Korea meeting and, of course, the vicious gas attack in Syria. Feels great to have Bolton & Larry K on board. […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Republican head of the U.S. House of Representative’s oversight committee told Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on Wednesday [4-11-18] his agency has not provided requested documents about expensive air travel, including documents related to any threats that had been made on Pruitt. Representative Trey Gowdy, the oversight committee chairman, said […]
4/10/2018
FBI/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WOMEN: “The F.B.I. agents who raided the office of President Trump’s personal lawyer on Monday [4-9-18] were looking for records about payments to two women who claim they had affairs with Mr. Trump, and information related to the publisher of The National Enquirer’s role in silencing one of the women, several people […]
4/10/2018
FBI/LEGAL/MICHAEL COHEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/WOMEN: “The F.B.I. agents who raided the office of President Trump’s personal lawyer on Monday [4-9-18] were looking for records about payments to two women who claim they had affairs with Mr. Trump as well as information related to the role of the publisher of The National Enquirer in silencing one […]
3/10/2018
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser was abruptly forced out of his job on Tuesday [4-10-18] after months of internal frustration with his leadership and the arrival of a new national security adviser moving to establish power in the White House, according to people familiar with the matter. The departure […]
4/9/2018
BETSY DEVOS/EDUCATION/MELANIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “First lady Melania Trump started a conversation on emotions at the White House on Monday afternoon, hosting 13 local middle school students in the Blue Room for an intimate listening session on the issues they face at school, at home and with their friends. Joined by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who briefly […]
4/6/2018
2016 ELECTION/FBI/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The man sat at a restaurant table, grasping a glass of white wine. His sandy hair was close cropped, he wore a cardigan sweater and in the afternoon bustle he looked like just another office worker at lunch…Yet in Washington these days, the man, Konstantin V. Kilimnik, has turned up in […]
4/6/2018
EPA/JOHN KELLY/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told President Donald Trump last week that he is convinced Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt needs to step down after a series of negative reports about his spending habits and management style, a White House official said Friday [4-6-18]. Though Mr. […]
4/6/2018
CHINA/ECONOMY/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow apparently didn’t get much advance notice of President Donald Trump’s threat to impose an additional $100 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports. Asked by reporters Friday [4-6-18] when he first learned of the president’s decision to instruct his top trade official to consider the new […]
4/6/2018
CHINA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s tough policy on China trade took shape in a White House meeting last August—and at the center was an often-overlooked man. Decades of quiet negotiations had gotten nowhere, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told senior White House advisers and cabinet officials gathered in the Roosevelt Room…U.S. Ambassador […]
4/6/2018
CHINA/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When Liu He, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser, came to Washington in late February, he was expected to make arrangements for restarting trade talks that President Donald Trump had put on ice. But just as Liu arrived, the Trump administration announced global steel and aluminum tariffs aimed at […]
4/6/2018
DEMS/NANCY PELOSI/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, on Friday [4-6-18] called for Scott Pruitt to resign as head of the Environmental Protection Agency amid a growing scandal involving a condo he rented at well-below-market rates from a lobbyist’s wife as well as his spending […]
4/6/2018
MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Do you believe that the Fake News Media is pushing hard on a story that I am going to replace A.G. Jeff Sessions with EPA Chief Scott Pruitt, who is doing a great job but is TOTALLY under siege? Do people really believe this stuff? So much of the media is […]
4/6/2018
JEFF SESSIONS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump floated replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Scott Pruitt as recently as this week, even as the scandal-ridden head of the Environmental Protection Agency has faced a growing list of negative headlines, according to people close to the President. ‘He was 100% still trying to protect […]
4/5/2018
2016 ELECTIONS/CONGRESS/DEMS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Corey Lewandowski had a blunt message for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee: He wasn’t going to answer their ‘fucking’ questions. Lewandowski, President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, was the final witness in the yearlong House investigation that descended into vitriol and back-biting — ultimately resulting in two separate partisan […]
4/5/2018
EPA/LEGAL/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “An Environmental Protection Agency lawyer said he wasn’t provided the full facts when he ruled there was no ethics violation in Administrator Scott Pruitt’s lease of a bargain-priced Capitol Hill condo with ties to a fossil fuels lobbyist. In the meantime, White House officials sounded increasingly doubtful Thursday [4-5-18] about […]
4/5/2018
DEVIN NUNES/FBI/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The House Intelligence Committee may have concluded its Russia investigation, but the panel’s Republican chairman, Devin Nunes, is not finished grilling the FBI over its probe into Kremlin election meddling. In a letter to the Justice Department, Nunes is demanding an unredacted copy of the document that initiated the FBI’s investigation […]
4/5/2018
JEFF SESSIONS/LEGAL/MINORITIES/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday [4-5-18], asking a federal court to overturn his December decision to revoke legal guidance designed to protect minorities, the indigent and disabled. City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement that his lawsuit focuses on six […]
4/5/2018
CONGRESS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: The White House said late Thursday [4-5-18] that President Donald Trump intends to nominate a top auto-safety agency official to run the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as regulators debate reducing planned fuel efficiency increases through 2025. Heidi King, who was named deputy administrator in September, is slated to run the […]
4/5/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump said on Thursday [4-5-18] he has confidence in Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, even as the White House investigates whether a condo rental by Pruitt was ethical… Pruitt is facing a White House probe for renting a room in a high-end Washington neighborhood for $50 […]
4/5/2018
BUSINESS/REX TILLERSON/STATE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “It was one of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s core goals: radically reshaping the State Department to make it leaner, cheaper and modernized to the standards of a former private-sector CEO. Now that Tillerson has been fired, the vaunted ‘Redesign’ initiative he launched faces an uncertain future, but at least one […]
4/4/2018
BETSY DEVOS/EDUCATION/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos held sessions with supporters and detractors of an Obama-era school-discipline policy on Wednesday [4-4-18] amid signs the department is weighing the rule’s repeal. The 2014 discipline policy, developed jointly by the Education and Justice departments, directed schools to ensure that they didn’t disproportionately punish black and Hispanic […]
4/4/2018
INTELLIGENCE/SENATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A former business associate of President Donald Trump who worked as an informant for U.S. government agencies met with representatives of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday [4-4-18], according to three people familiar with the meeting. The sources said committee officials spoke with Felix Sater, a long-time government informant and businessman who […]
4/4/2018
CABINET/GOP/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump may be relishing the chance to shake up his administration. But the Senate is threatening to upend his plans. After using Twitter to abruptly oust his secretaries of state and veterans affairs and promote his CIA chief, the president is counting on the Senate GOP’s slim majority to […]
4/3/2018
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A federal judge tore into all of the legal arguments that a lawyer for President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort made on Wednesday [4-4-18] in his long-shot civil case to convince her that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has run amok and should be reined in…Manafort filed a […]
4/3/2018
EPA/OBAMA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “It should have been Scott Pruitt’s finest moment. Mr. Pruitt, the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, has sought to make his name as the Trump administration’s most effective eraser of regulations on American industry. On Tuesday [4-3-18], he formally announced his most sweeping regulatory rollback to date: a plan to weaken […]
4/3/2018
IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Anticipating an unpredictable president’s next moves, U.S. officials have started actively planning for the likelihood that Donald Trump will announce next month that the U.S. is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. But no one knows exactly what would happen next or how Iran would respond. Still, with less than […]
4/3/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A lawyer who pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators probing alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election was sentenced Tuesday [4-4-18] to 30 days in prison and a $20,000 fine. Alex van der Zwaan admitted in February he had misled investigators about his last contact with former Trump campaign aide […]
4/3/2018
ANDREW MCCABE/FBI/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Jill McCabe on Monday [4-3-18] called President Donald Trump’s attacks on her family, culminating in her husband’s firing, a ‘nightmare.’ The wife of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe called out the President for his public attacks, centered on her 2015 run for the state Senate in Virginia, in a Washington Post […]
4/3/2018
CABINET/ENERGY/RICK PERRY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Energy Secretary Rick Perry once called for abolishing the agency he now runs — though he forgot its name. His biggest policy initiative of the past year went down in resounding defeat. And he was photographed in a bear hug with a coal magnate seeking a special break from the White House. […]
4/2/2018
SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House is conducting a review of Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt’s activities after reports that he had rented accommodations in Washington at below-market rates from the family of an energy lobbyist, a White House official said Monday [4-2-18]. While there is no sign yet that Mr. Pruitt’s job is […]
4/2/2018
ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP PEOPLE: “In many parts of the country, Republican candidates are trying to put distance between themselves and President Trump. In the Indiana Senate primary, the bruising fight is over which candidate is the more authentically Trumpian. As the May 8 primary election approaches, the race here has taken a nasty turn, with candidates attacking […]
4/2/2018
IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When President Trump began railing against the current state of American immigration measures over the weekend, it was hard to tell where his thoughts ended and Brandon Judd’s began. Mr. Judd is the president of the National Border Patrol Council, a frequent guest on Fox News and a reliably vocal supporter […]
4/2/2018
ECONOMY/STEVE MNUCHIN/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump on Monday [4-2-18] will tap Justin Muzinich, a top aide to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, as the Treasury Department’s deputy secretary, a powerful role that includes overseeing a broad portfolio of policy matters like taxes, financial regulation, trade and economic sanctions. The nomination fills a void in the […]
4/2/2018
CONSUMER PROTECTION/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The head of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau asked Congress on Monday [4-2-18] to trim the agency’s power to write rules and spend money. Mick Mulvaney, the head of the CFPB, said the agency has the kind of power that should only rest with Congress. President Donald Trump tapped Mulvaney to […]
4/2/2018
CALIFORNIA/STATES RIGHTS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Trump administration is all in favor of states’ rights. Except when it’s not. Attorney General Jeff Sessions brushed aside state autonomy to sue California over its so-called sanctuary policies that shield undocumented immigrants from deportation. He also unleashed federal prosecutors to go after marijuana businesses in the states that […]
4/1/2018
DEMS/GOP/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Even for Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican who has emerged as one of his party’s most fervent critics of President Trump, the warning he issued recently that firing the special counsel could lead to the president’s impeachment was extraordinary… But it is anything but clear that the long-speculated dismissal […]
3/30/2018
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/NATIONAL SECURITY/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Before taking his new job as White House national security adviser in 10 days, John Bolton will have to wind down his multimillion-dollar political operation that is already in the thick of the 2018 election, according to the White House and an independent federal watchdog agency. Under the […]
3/30/2018
DAVID SHULKIN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/VA: “Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin isn’t going anywhere. In the hours since President Donald Trump fired Shulkin, announcing in a signature tweet that he planned to replace him with White House physician Ronny Jackson, the former secretary has waged a scorched earth campaign, sitting for a slew of TV […]
3/30/2018
TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump has wondered aloud over the past weeks — to pretty much anyone listening — who would occupy the singular role of confidant and conspirator that long-time top aide Hope Hicks was leaving behind. The answer, at least in come capacity, will be Dan Scavino, the social media director who this […]
3/30/2019
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “An American academic who supports U.S. President Donald Trump and is a strong advocate of Britain’s exit from the European Union will testify next month before the federal grand jury considering evidence in the investigation into possible collusion between Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russia.Theodore Malloch, the author of […]
3/30/2018
BETSY DEVOS/BUDGET/CONGRESS/GOP/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Congress just gave Education Secretary Betsy DeVos everything she didn’t want: a bigger budget and a guarantee that certain department offices wouldn’t be cut. Mrs. DeVos had sought significant cuts to both the department’s budget and staff. But Congress didn’t go along with her plans in the big spending bill that it […]
3/29/2018
2016 ELECTION/BUSINESS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “In July, David J. Pecker, the chairman of the company that owns The National Enquirer, visited his old friend President Trump at the White House. The tabloid publisher took along a special guest, Kacy Grine, a French businessman who advises one of Saudi Arabia’s richest men and sometimes acts as […]
3/29/2018
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Hope Hicks, the White House communications director who worked behind the scenes to direct the president through multiple professional crises — and decided to resign after she found herself exhausted by them — has left the building. Those left behind are wondering what happens now. Thursday [3-29-18] was the last day […]
3/29/2018
FBI/GOP/JEFF SESSIONS/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions is not naming a new special counsel to investigate Republican-driven accusations against the FBI — at least for now. Instead, Sessions revealed Thursday [3-29-18]that Utah’s top federal prosecutor, John Huber, is looking into allegations that the FBI abused its powers in surveilling a former Trump campaign adviser, and […]
3/29/2018
ARIZONA/ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/WOMEN: “With allegations of sexual misconduct swirling around President Trump, Debbie Lesko — a Republican candidate for Congress — sat down recently and clicked on ’60 Minutes.’ There was Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic film actress known as Stormy Daniels, saying that she had hidden a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump out of […]
3/29/2018
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump made a personal phone call on Wednesday [3-28[18] to a political supporter with a huge megaphone — Roseanne Barr. Mr. Trump called Ms. Barr to congratulate her on the revival of her comedy, “Roseanne,” and to thank her for her support. The call was confirmed by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, […]
3/29/2018
DAVID SHULKIN//TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/VA: “Capitol Hill lawmakers reacted guardedly to President Donald Trump’s nomination of the White House physician to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, with key members noting that they know little about him. Dr. Ronny Jackson, a U.S. Navy rear admiral who has served as a White House physician during the […]
3/29/2018
KELLYANNE CONWAY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Kellyanne Conway’s husband has begun deleting a series of tweets he posted in the last month that are critical of President Donald Trump. George Conway, a conservative lawyer Trump once considered nominating as solicitor general, deleted several tweets that called attention to Trump’s legal woes, his difficulty in finding his next communications […]
3/29/2018
MIKE POMPEO/SECRETARY OF STATE/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “As President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, prepares to face lawmakers for his second major confirmation hearing as a Trump nominee, scores of former diplomats are urging lawmakers to ‘focus public attention on the urgent need to restore the power and influence of American […]
3/29/2018
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Several of President Donald Trump’s outside advisers have told him over the past week he requires neither a chief of staff nor a communications director, at least in the traditional definition of those jobs, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Trump has absorbed the advice, but offered little indication […]
3/29/2018
DAVID SHULKIN/TRUMP PEOPLE/VA: “Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin used an op-ed late Wednesday [3-28-18] to blast ‘the environment in Washington’ that ‘has turned so toxic, chaotic, disrespectful and subversive that it became impossible for me to accomplish the important work’ of his job. ‘As I prepare to leave government,’ he wrote in an op-ed […]
3/29/2018
2016 ELECTION/DEVIN NUNEZ/GOP/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Devin Nunes had recently graduated from the tiny College of the Sequoias when he won his first election, defeating a popular incumbent on the college’s board of trustees. That election marked the start of a political rise by the young Republican from dairy farmer to chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, […]
3/29/2018
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/MICHAEL FLYNN/PAUL MANAFORT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “On Wednesday [3-28-18] , The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump’s former lawyer John Dowd floated the possibility that Trump might issue pardons to Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort with their attorneys last year. Meanwhile, CNN has learned there was a discussion within the Department of Justice last […]
3/28/2018
JARED KUSHNER/NATIONAL SECURITY/REX TILLERSON/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s shake-up of his national-security team is likely to reshape the role played by Jared Kushner, who has been a key counselor but whose global portfolio created friction with departing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, administration officials and others close to him said. But the arrival […]
3/28/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A top Trump campaign official had repeated communications during the final weeks of the 2016 presidential race with a business associate tied to Russian intelligence, according to a document released on Tuesday 3-27-18] by the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the election. The campaign official, Rick Gates, had […]
3/28/2018
LEGAL/MICHAEL FLYNN/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A lawyer for President Trump broached the idea of Mr. Trump pardoning two of his former top advisers, Michael T. Flynn and Paul Manafort, with their lawyers last year, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. The discussions came as the special counsel was building cases […]
3/28/2018
DAVID SHULKIN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/VA: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [3-28-18] said he had ousted his Veterans Affairs secretary, David Shulkin, and tapped the White House physician, Ronny Jackson, as his replacement…Dr. Jackson is a U.S. Navy rear admiral who has served as a White House physician during the past three administrations. In that role, […]
3/28/2018
DAVID SHULKIN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/VA: “….In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 28, 2018 4:31pm […]
3/28/2018
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Omarosa Manigault Newman once predicted that ‘every critic, every detractor will have to bow down to President Trump.’ Now the question for the former White House aide and Apprentice contestant is whether that counts for her, too. Starring in another reality TV show after resigning from the West Wing, Manigault Newman […]
3/28/2018
ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When President Donald Trump lashed out against Robert Mueller by name earlier this month, the president’s supporters sprang into action — treating the chief Russia investigator to political campaign-style opposition research. Within hours, the Drudge Report featured a story blaming Mueller, the special counsel leading the Justice Department’s Russia probe, […]
3/28/2018
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/VA: “I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs….” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 28, 2018 4:31pm […]
3/28/2018
2016 ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A Trump campaign adviser was in touch in the weeks before the 2016 election with a person he said was a Russian former spy, a lawyer who worked with both men told special counsel Robert Mueller’s office. Richard Gates, the campaign adviser, told London-based lawyer Alex van der Zwaan […]
3/28/2018
CIA/DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY/JAMES MATTIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Defense Secretary James Mattis is doing his best to downplay notions that he is concerned about working with President Donald Trump’s hawkish new national security adviser John Bolton despite signs of a shifting power dynamic at the highest levels of the administration and strong indications that the two men […]
3/27/2018
2016 ELECTION/DEMS/GOP/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A Republican senator behind a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s job joined his Democratic co-author on Tuesday [3-27-18] in a bipartisan call for President Donald Trump to let Mueller’s investigation proceed ‘without impediment.’ Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) aligned with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) after weeks of downplaying […]
3/27/2018
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday [3-27-18] that President Donald Trump has no plans to bring back former aide Rob Porter, who resigned from the administration last month amid allegations of spousal abuse… The remarks came in response to a New York Times report published Monday [3-26-18] that […]
3/27/2018
PAC/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump is slated to attend a dinner at a private residence in Virginia on Tuesday [3-27-18], giving top supporters of a pro-Trump super PAC face time with the commander in chief. White House officials and the head of America First Action, the super PAC hosting the event, contend that […]
3/27/2018
CIA/HEARING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to lead the CIA, is waging a behind-the-scenes effort to win over lawmakers amid concern from some in the Trump administration and Republican circles that she may have trouble winning confirmation, according to multiple sources familiar with her work. Haspel, who is under scrutiny […]
3/27/2018
LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A pair of veteran white-collar lawyers have turned down President Donald Trump’s offer to help lead his defense in the Russia probe, marking another setback for a legal team that’s seen its numbers dwindle over the past week while it prepares for a potentially critical interview between the president and […]
3/27/2018
IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday [3-27-18] he had no reservations or concerns about President Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser, John Bolton, a hawk who has advocated using military force against North Korea and Iran. Mattis said he would meet Bolton for the first time later […]
3/27/2018
CYBERWAR/PAUL RYAN/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The United States and its allies should condemn Russia for meddling in elections and launching cyber attacks, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Tuesday and commended unity shown over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain. Ryan was speaking in the Czech Republic, whose government was one […]
3/26/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MUSLIMS/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/ TRUMP PEOPLE: “The latest shifts on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy team, including his choice of John Bolton as national security adviser, have rekindled fears among lawmakers and activists that the White House will further damage America’s precarious standing in the Muslim world. Bolton chairs an organization that produces harshly […]
3/26/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Former President Jimmy Carter sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint John Bolton as national security adviser, calling the move ‘maybe one of the worst mistakes that President Trump has made since he’s been in office’ in an interview with USA Today. Trump named Bolton, a former US […]