Tag: Trump Administration

10 unanswered questions after Michael Flynn’s resignation

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch was posted on the Washington Post website February 14, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: President Trump should thank his lucky stars that Republicans control both chambers of Congress, because Democrats would be announcing a Benghazi-style inquest today if they could.

Reince Priebus, Mike Pence, Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer and Michael Flynn listen at Trump speaks by phone with Vladimir Putin on Jan. 28. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Michael Flynn lost his job as national security adviser after just 24 days less because he offered potentially-illegal secret assurances to Russia’s ambassador, an adversary of the United States, but because he gave an inaccurate accounting of those conversations to his colleagues in the White House, particularly Vice President Mike Pence. Continue reading “10 unanswered questions after Michael Flynn’s resignation”

Warren calls for probe into Trump White House Russia Ties

The following article by Martin Finucane was posted on the Boston Glub website February 14, 2017:

In a series of tweets posted in the wake of national security adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation, Massachusetts US Senator Elizabeth Warren called for a bipartisan inquiry into the Trump administration’s contacts with Russia, saying national security was at stake.

Trump’s voracious appetite for cable news is troubling. But that’s not stopping him.

The following article by Chris Cillizza was posted on the Washington Post website February 12, 2017:

(Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images)

In the heat of the 2016 campaign, “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd asked Donald Trump whom he spoke to for military advice.

“Well, I watch the shows,” Trump responded. “I mean, I really see a lot of great — you know, when you watch your show and all of the other shows, and you have the generals.” Continue reading “Trump’s voracious appetite for cable news is troubling. But that’s not stopping him.”

Trump knew Flynn misled officials on Russia calls for ‘weeks,’ White House says

The following article by Abby Phillip was posted on the Washington Post website February 14, 2017:

President Trump was aware that his national security adviser Michael Flynn had misled White House officials and Vice President Pence for “weeks” before he was forced to resign on Monday night.

Trump was briefed by White House Counsel Don McGahn that Flynn had discussed U.S. sanctions with the Russian ambassador “immediately” after McGahn was informed that Flynn had misled Pence, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday. Continue reading “Trump knew Flynn misled officials on Russia calls for ‘weeks,’ White House says”

Here’s Why Flynn Was a Trump Failure

The following article was posted on the trumpaccountable.org website February 14, 2017:

Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser, a key post in the administration and integral to US security, resigned abruptly after 24 days on the job. Michael Flynn had sensitive conversations with Russian officials even as President Obama was enacting sanctions following Russia’s interference with US elections. Flynn misled Vice President Pence and President Trump about the nature of the conversations which led to his ouster. This is the shortest tenure of a National Security Adviser in US history and presents a problem for Donald Trump for three reasons: Continue reading “Here’s Why Flynn Was a Trump Failure”

From Trump’s Mar-a-Lago to Facebook, a National Security Crisis in the Open

The following article by Michael D. Shear and Maggie Haberman was posted on the New York Times website February 13, 2017:

President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday. He and his aides coordinated a national security response there in full view of diners instead of moving to a private location. Credit Al Drago/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump and his top aides coordinated their response to North Korea’s missile test on Saturday night in full view of diners at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida — a remarkable, public display of presidential activity that is almost always conducted in highly secure settings.

The scene — of aides huddled over their computers and the president on his cellphone at his club’s terrace — was captured by a club member dining not far away and published in pictures on his Facebook account. The images also show Mr. Trump conferring with his guest at the resort, Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister. Continue reading “From Trump’s Mar-a-Lago to Facebook, a National Security Crisis in the Open”

Trump’s Watered-Down Ethics Rules Let a Lobbyist Help Run an Agency He Lobbied

The following article by Justin Elliott was posted on the ProPublica website February 10, 2017:

President Trump’s executive order on ethics also cites a section of the law that doesn’t exist.

President Trump speaks as Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) listens at a Republican retreat on Thursday in Philadelphia. (Pool)

Geoff Burr spent much of the last decade as the chief lobbyist for a powerful construction industry trade group. Burr sought to influence a host of regulations of the Department of Labor, opposing wage standards for federal construction contracts and working against an effort to limit workers’ exposure to dangerous silica dust.

In the Obama administration, someone like Burr would have been barred by ethics rules from taking a job at an agency that he had lobbied. Continue reading “Trump’s Watered-Down Ethics Rules Let a Lobbyist Help Run an Agency He Lobbied”

Trump’s TV Star Fades: He’s No Longer A Ratings Magnet

The following article by Eric Boehlert was posted on the Media Matters website February 10, 2017:

President Donald Trump might have been cheering the New England Patriots’ historic comeback on Super Bowl Sunday, but he couldn’t have been happy about his own contribution to the day. His sit-down interviewwith Bill O’Reilly, which aired during Fox’s pre-Super Bowl coverage, turned out to be something of a ratings dud. And for a president who obsesses over TV ratings and uses them to validate his own identity, the Sunday interview seemed to be the latest example of his fading personal appeal.  Continue reading “Trump’s TV Star Fades: He’s No Longer A Ratings Magnet”

Stephen Miller’s bushels of Pinocchios for false voter-fraud claims

The following Fact Checker article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website February 12, 2012:

White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller appeared on ABC’s “The Week” on Sunday, spouting a bunch of false talking points on alleged voter fraud. (He also repeated similar claims on other Sunday talk shows.) To his credit, host George Stephanopoulus repeatedly challenged Miller, noting that he had provided no evidence to support his claims. But Miller charged ahead, using the word “fact” three times in a vain effort to bolster his position.

Here’s a guide through the back and forth. Continue reading “Stephen Miller’s bushels of Pinocchios for false voter-fraud claims”