Tag: Trump White House

Secret Memo Hints at a New Republican Target: Rod Rosenstein

The following article by Nicolas Fandos, Adam Goldman and Sharon LaFraniere was posted on the New York Times website January 28, 2018:

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein at a hearing in December. Mr. Rosenstein is said to have approved an application for surveillance of a former Trump associate. Credit Pete Marovich for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — A secret, highly contentious Republican memo reveals that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved an application to extend surveillance of a former Trump campaign associate shortly after taking office last spring, according to three people familiar with it.

The renewal shows that the Justice Department under President Trump saw reason to believe that the associate, Carter Page, was acting as a Russian agent. But the reference to Mr. Rosenstein’s actions in the memo — a much-disputed document that paints the investigation into Russian election meddling as tainted from the start — indicates that Republicans may be moving to seize on his role as they seek to undermine the inquiry. Continue reading “Secret Memo Hints at a New Republican Target: Rod Rosenstein”

Trump moved to fire Mueller in June, bringing White House counsel to the brink of leaving

The following article by Rosalind S. Helderman and Josh Dawsey was posted on the Washington Post website January 26, 2018:

President Trump denied reports on Jan. 26 that he had ordered special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to be fired in June 2017, calling them “fake news.” (Reuters)

President Trump sought the firing of Robert S. Mueller III last June, shortly after the special counsel took over the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and he backed off only after White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn threatened to resign over the move.

The extraordinary showdown was confirmed by two people familiar with the episode, which was first reported by the New York Times. Continue reading “Trump moved to fire Mueller in June, bringing White House counsel to the brink of leaving”

Flynn kept FBI interview concealed from White House, Trump

The following article by Carol E. Lee was posted on the NBC News website January 24, 2018:

Then-national security adviser Michael Flynn at the White House in February. Credit:
Carolyn Kaster, AP

WASHINGTON — A year ago today, President Donald Trump’s newly sworn–in national security adviser, Michael Flynn, met privately in his West Wing office with FBI investigators interested in his communications with Russia’s ambassador, without a lawyer or the knowledge of the president and other top White House officials, according to people familiar with the matter.

Flynn’s FBI interview on Jan. 24, 2017, set in motion an extraordinary sequence of events unparalleled for the first year of a U.S. presidency. Flynn was fired as national security adviser after 24 days on the job, the acting attorney general was fired 10 days after the president took office, the FBI director was allegedly pressured by the president to let go of an investigation into Flynn, and then eventually fired himself. Continue reading “Flynn kept FBI interview concealed from White House, Trump”

White House shutdown strategy: Keep Trump contained

The following article by Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey was posted on the Washington Post website January 22, 2018:

President Trump arrives to speak to “March for Life” participants from an event at the White House on Friday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

As negotiations to keep the government open stalled Friday evening, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called President Trump and told him he should prepare for a shutdown.

Trump, ever eager for a deal, responded by asking who else he should call and suggested he dial Democrats or try Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) again, one person familiar with the conversation said. Continue reading “White House shutdown strategy: Keep Trump contained”

How Trump’s TV habits raised the risk of a shutdown

The following article by Eliana Johnson and Burgess Everett was posted on the Politico website January 18, 2018:

White House aides say the president woke up spoiling for a fight and focused his attention on the spending deal after it came up on his favorite cable news show.

President Donald Trump, with his tweet, increased the likelihood of a government shutdown, sending Republican congressional leaders into chaos and White House staff careening to correct the record. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

If the government shuts down on Friday, President Donald Trump’s television habits may be partly to blame, according to two White House aides.

The president began the day on Thursday by blasting out a tweet that threatened to derail a GOP legislative package designed to keep the government open, arguing that the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known by its acronym, CHIP, “should be part of a long-term solution, not a 30-day, or short-term, extension.” But that is precisely the package House Speaker Paul Ryan was trying to persuade skeptical Republicans to agree to in order to keep the government open. Continue reading “How Trump’s TV habits raised the risk of a shutdown”

Mr. President, stop attacking the press

The following commentary by John McCain was posted on the Washington Post website January 16, 2018:

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders takes questions during a press briefing at the White House on Jan. 11. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

John McCain, a Republican, represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate.

After leaving office, President Ronald Reagan created the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award to recognize individuals who have fought to spread liberty worldwide. Nancy Reagan continued the tradition after her husband’s death, and in 2008 she bestowed the honor on human rights icon Natan Sharansky, who credited Reagan’s strong defense of freedom for his own survival in Soviet gulags. Reagan recognized that as leader of the free world, his words carried enormous weight, and he used them to inspire the unprecedented spread of democracy around the world.

President Trump does not seem to understand that his rhetoric and actions reverberate in the same way. He has threatened to continue his attempt to discredit the free press by bestowing “fake news awards” upon reporters and news outlets whose coverage he disagrees with. Whether Trump knows it or not, these efforts are being closely watched by foreign leaders who are already using his words as cover as they silence and shutter one of the key pillars of democracy. Continue reading “Mr. President, stop attacking the press”

White House Fuels Immigration Debate With Terrorism Statistics

The following article by Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Ron Nixon was posted on the New York Times website January 16, 2018:

Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary, called the report’s findings “truly chilling data” during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. Credit Erin Schaff for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday released a report attempting to link immigrants to terrorism, presenting statistics showing that the vast majority of people convicted of international terrorism charges in the United States over the past 15 years were born in foreign countries.

The report came amid a politically charged push by the Trump administration to enact new restrictions on immigration, in part by arguing that the current system puts the country at risk. The 11-page report, parts of which were confusing and in some respects misleading, highlighted cases in which immigrants were linked to terrorism plots after being admitted to the country as part of the diversity visa lottery, or because they were related to American citizens or legal residents. Continue reading “White House Fuels Immigration Debate With Terrorism Statistics”

Trump set a record for White House staff turnover in the first year

The following article by Kathryn Dunn Tenpas was posted on the Washington Post website January 16, 2018:

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former chief White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon and former chief of staff Reince Priebus are among the people no longer working in the White House. (AP)

Every new president loses top staff during the administration’s first year in office. Political scientists have long noted that the skills needed to campaign are strikingly different from those needed to govern. And adjusting to Washington, D.C., norms — and the press scrutiny that comes with presidential power — has a steep learning curve, especially for those without government experience.

Compared to President Trump’s five predecessors, however, the Trump White House has seen a record level of staff turnover amid truly unusual circumstances.

Here’s what we can conclude about White House turnover during Trump’s first year in office.

This is how I measured top-level staff turnover

Between 1981 and 2015, National Journal writers compiled lists of presidential staffers deemed to be the most influential working within the executive office of the president and the White House for each presidential administration, with one each in 1981, 1989, 1993, 2001 and 2009 for a total of five. Let’s call these top staffers the “A Team.” I used use the old National Journal lists to compare Trump staff turnover to that of previous presidents. (Note: These are in print, not online.) Continue reading “Trump set a record for White House staff turnover in the first year”

Trump does more damage to himself than his opponents ever manage to do

The following article by Dan Balz was posted on the Washington Post website January 13, 2018:

As President Trump denied calling Haiti and African countries ‘shithole countries,’ Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) confirmed and condemned his language. (Video: Jenny Starrs/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

As the new year heads into its third week, President Trump remains on a personal political losing streak. None of his opponents — not the Democrats, not the Never Trumpers, not any of the others — can damage him as badly as he hurts himself.

It was only a few days ago when he opened up an immigration negotiating session with bipartisan members of Congress to the cameras and was lauded in some quarters for doing so. He was described in some accounts as a president doing the real business of the country. That proved to be a one-off moment. Continue reading “Trump does more damage to himself than his opponents ever manage to do”

A Question of Mental Fitness

The following article by Kenneth T. Walsh was posted on the U.S. News and World Report website January 12, 2018:

President Trump and his advisers are lashing out at the press after questions about his mental health.

Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Official Washington is buzzing about whether Donald Trump is mentally fit for the presidency. This concern has plagued him since he emerged as a major candidate for the White House in 2016. It has persisted since he became president in January. And the question took on fresh urgency this week because of a new book, “Fire and Fury” by author Michael Wolff, that argues Trump is a dysfunctional leader who is too erratic, angry, unstable and disruptive to do the job.

“We didn’t disparage the press or the critics. The president let himself be defined by his deeds”

Continue reading “A Question of Mental Fitness”