Tag: Trump bullying

Trump administration threatens furloughs, layoffs if Congress doesn’t let it kill personnel agency

The Trump administration is threatening to furlough — and possibly lay off — 150 employees at the federal personnel agency if Congress blocks its plan to eliminate the department.

The Office of Personnel Management is preparing to send the career employees home without pay starting on Oct. 1, according to an internal briefing document obtained by The Washington Post. The employees could formally be laid off after 30 days, administration officials confirmed.

The warning of staff cuts is the administration’s most dramatic move yet in an escalating jujitsu between Trump officials and Congress over the fate of the agency that manages the civilian federal workforce of 2.1 million.

View the complete June 19 article by Lisa Rein on The Washington Post website here.

Trump, Pelosi engage in 29-hour war of insults worthy of ‘Veep’ storyline

HBO series has wrapped, but president and speaker keep its spirit alive as relationship sours again

ANALYSIS — HBO’s hit series “Veep,” with its hysterically dysfunctional depiction of official Washington, wrapped its seven-season run earlier this month. Or did it?

The president called the speaker of the House “crazy” after she pleaded for White House aides and his family members to hold an “intervention” for the leader of the free world. No, that’s not a scene from the Julia Louis-Dreyfus-starring show. It’s just the latest shenanigans from two of the most powerful officials in Washington — and on the entire planet, for that matter.

President Donald Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi have never been on good terms, despite occasionally describing civil phone calls or a rare meeting where everyone stayed in the room or avoided bickering in front of reporters and television cameras. But since she took back the gavel in January, the two have yet to negotiate and pass any major legislation.

View the complete May 23 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.

Trump Urges Prosecution Of Kerry In Rambling Press Conference

On Thursday,  President Donald Trump gave a White House press conference that was intended, primarily, to address medical billing. But the president was all over the place during the briefing, using it for everything from attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller and former Secretary of State John Kerry to a defense of his China trade policy. Here are some of the wildest and craziest moments from Trump’s May 9 White House press conference.

1. Trump described his administration as generous to Puerto Rico

Trump has been widely criticized for his response to the Hurricane Maria tragedy in Puerto Rico; San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Roselló have been especially critical. But during his press conference, Trump vigorously defended his Puerto Rico policy — saying he “gave Puerto Rico $91 billion” and insisting “I think the people of Puerto Rico should really like President Trump.”

Continue reading “Trump Urges Prosecution Of Kerry In Rambling Press Conference”

White House proposed releasing immigrant detainees in sanctuary cities, targeting political foes

White House officials have tried to pressure U.S. immigration authorities to release detainees onto the streets of “sanctuary cities” to retaliate against President Trump’s political adversaries, according to Department of Homeland Security officials and email messages reviewed by The Washington Post.

Trump administration officials have proposed transporting detained immigrants to sanctuary cities at least twice in the past six months — once in November, as a migrant caravan approached the U.S. southern border, and again in February, amid a standoff with Democrats over funding for Trump’s border wall.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s district in San Francisco was among those the White House wanted to target, according to DHS officials. The administration also considered releasing detainees in other Democratic strongholds.

View the complete April 11 article by Rachel Bade and Nick Miroff on The Washington Post website here.

Trump Campaign Urges TV Producers To Silence His Critics

Talk about bad faith.

On Monday, the Trump campaign sent a memo to TV producers arguing that prominent Trump critics — including four Democratic members of Congress, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, and former CIA Director John Brennan — should be banned from appearing on news segments.

The reason? All six people have made comments about Trump and Russia that the Trump team disagrees with.

View the complete March 25 article by Emily Crockett on the National Memo website here.

Trump plots post-Mueller payback

President Trump and his allies on Monday sought to exact political revenge on congressional Democrats and the news media, seizing momentum generated by the end of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The clear signal from Team Trump is that they think they can go on offense by using Mueller’s findings to jam Democrats and juice Trump’s base in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential race.

A summary of the special counsel’s conclusions released Sunday by Attorney General William Barr said that Mueller had not found enough evidence to prove a conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Moscow. The special counsel did not make a determination on if the president had obstructed justice.

View the complete March 25 article by Jordan Fabian on The Hill website here.

‘Knock them in the teeth.’ How Trump turns crises into leverage.

President Trump walks to a helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 14, the 24th day of the partial government shutdown, which by then had already become the longest in U.S. history. Credit: Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post

The 800,000 federal workers who are expected to miss their second paycheck in the coming days are the most extreme example yet of a negotiating tactic President Trump has used repeatedly since taking office.

He creates — or threatens to create — a calamity, and then insists he will address the problem only if his adversary capitulates to a separate demand.

Trump has described this approach as creating leverage and negotiating, but Democrats and other opponents have said it amounts to “hostage taking.”

View the complete January 22 article by Damian Paletta and Josh Dawsey on The Washington Post website here.

DAY 24: Trump Shutdown Hurts Our Economy, Forces Worker To Ration Insulin

As the Trump Shutdown enters its record-breaking 24th day, the impacts continue to worsen. One federal worker, who missed her first paycheck, was forced to ration insulin. The Trump Shutdown is costing our economy billions of dollars and is creating problems for travelers at airports across the country. Here’s the latest:

One federal worker was forced to ration insulin because of the Trump Shutdown.

NBC News: “Federal worker forced to ration insulin because of government shutdown”

The Trump Shutdown curtails infrastructure projects and food-processing inspections.

Wall Street Journal: “The partial federal government shutdown that became the longest on record Sunday is curtailing infrastructure projects, food-processing inspections and economic data used by Wall Street.” Continue reading “DAY 24: Trump Shutdown Hurts Our Economy, Forces Worker To Ration Insulin”

Trump Wanted to ‘Order’ DOJ to ‘Prosecute’ Hillary Clinton, James Comey: Report

Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press

According to The New York Times, President Trump reportedly told then-White House counsel Don McGahn earlier this year that he wanted to “order” the Justice Department to “prosecute” 2016 presidential opponent Hillary Clinton and former FBI director James Comey. In a statement, McGahn’s lawyer denied the president “ordered that anyone prosecute Hillary Clinton or James Comey.”

Sources told the newspaper that McGahn informed the president in the spring that he had “no authority to order a prosecution.” McGahn also reportedly told Trump that while he could request an investigation, such an ask could “prompt accusations of abuse of power.” White House lawyers reportedly wrote a “several-page” memo to Trump—at McGahn’s direction—explaining how asking law enforcement to probe his political rivals “could face a range of consequences,” including impeachment. It is reportedly not clear if Trump read the memo. CNN reported later Tuesday that Trump asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and then-Attorney General Jeff Session’s chief of staff Matthew Whitaker if the DOJ was “progressing” in probing Clinton “multiple times.”

According to the Times, Trump has continued to discuss the matter—including the possible appointment of another special counsel to investigate Clinton and Comey. The president also reportedly called FBI director Christopher Wray “weak” for not “aggressively” investigating Clinton.

View the November 21 article on the DailyBeast.com website here.

Trump Blasts ‘Little Adam Schitt’ After He Questions Whitaker Appointment

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., will assume the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee in the new Congress, and will relaunch its Russia investigation. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call file photo

Incoming House Intelligence Committee chairman promises to revive its Russia investigation

President Donald Trump bestowed a juvenile nickname on Rep. Adam Schiff on Sunday, but the congressman responded with a barb of his own.

The president and the incoming House Intelligence Committee chairman taunted each other on Twitter, a preview of the coming months, since the rivalry is sure to intensify when Schiff resurrects the committee’s Russia investigation after Democrats assume control of the House of Representatives in January.

Trump lashed out at Schiff in a tweet, dubbing him “little Adam Schitt (D-CA).” He also diverted criticism of his appointment of acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker by questioning the appointment of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

View the complete November 19 article by Emily Kopp on The Roll Call website here.