Tag: Trump White House
Sarah Sanders forced to admit total hypocrisy on protecting Dreamers
The White House press secretary complained simultaneously that House Democrats has not acted to help undocumented kids.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed on Thursday that House Democrats have done nothing to help Dreamers — undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children — while simultaneously admitting that President Donald Trump’s own immigration plan offered them zero protections.
In a rare CNN appearance, Sanders echoed Trump’s claim a day earlier that it would be impossible for Congress to both pass legislation on the issue and carry out their constitutionally required oversight role — investigating potential wrongdoing by the president — at the same time.
“Democrats have been unwilling to work with him,” Sanders claimed. “We’ve laid out a number of plans. You say that the Democrats want to fix the thing with Dreamers. They’ve done nothing. They’ve literally done nothing.”
View the complete May 23 article by Josh Israel on the ThinkProgress website here.
US could be at war by the time Congress returns from recess, Udall says
Democrats force votes on approving war with Iran, but come up short in the Senate
Democrats on both sides of Capitol Hill have been forcing votes on President Donald Trump’s military powers this week amid the ratcheting up of tensions with Iran, getting predictably disparate results.
In the latest test, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday turned back a Democrat-led effort to move legislation designed to thwart preemptive military action against Iran.
On a 9-13 vote, with only Republican Rand Paul crossing party lines in support, members of the committee rejected an amendment to Syria-related legislation offered by Tom Udall of New Mexico with the backing of Christopher S. Murphy of Connecticut.
View the complete May 22 article by Niels Lesniewski on The Roll Call website here.
Judge delivers second blow to Trump over financial records
A federal judge in New York on Wednesday ruled that Deutsche Bank and Capital One may provide President Trump‘s financial records to House Democratic lawmakers after the administration attempted to block the move.
U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, an Obama appointee, made the ruling in a New York courthouse Wednesday afternoon after hearing arguments from both parties in the case.
The ruling is the second setback for the president this week in his fight to stop lawmakers from gaining access to his financial records as part of their sweeping probes into him, his administration, his private businesses and his family.
View the complete May 22 article by Jacqueline Thomsen on The Hill website here.
Judge rejects Trump’s request to halt congressional subpoenas for his banking records
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request by President Trump to block congressional subpoenas for his banking records, dealing another blow to the president in his bid to block Democratic investigations into his personal finances.
The decision by District Court Judge Edgardo Ramos could clear the way for Deutsche Bank, the president’s biggest creditor, and Capital One to hand over years of financial records from Trump, his three eldest children and the president’s company to two House committees. Trump’s attorney told Ramos they were likely to appeal the decision.
This is the second court defeat for Trump this week in his fight to keep his finances secret. On Monday, a federal judge in Washington rejected Trump’s effort to block the House Oversight Committee’s demands for records from Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA. Trump’s attorneys notified the judge on Tuesday that they have appealed “all aspects” of that ruling.
Before Trump meeting, Hungary hired a powerhouse K Street firm
The government of Hungary hired a powerhouse K Street firm just before the country’s controversial and authoritarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, had a meeting last week with President Donald Trump in the White House.
Lobbying and law firm Greenberg Traurig signed on to represent the Embassy of Hungary for $100,000 for six months of work, new Justice Department documents show. The disclosures included a contract for work dated April 26, just on the cusp of the meeting that took place May 13.
The disclosure says the firm will provide “advice and counsel related to foreign relations issues, as well as educating government and opinion leaders regarding the same. The signed contract was received by Greenberg Traurig on May 8, 2019 via Email.”
View the complete May 22 article by Kate Ackley on The Roll Call website here.
Trump cuts off talks with Democrats after Pelosi accuses him of cover-up
NOTE: Anyone besides us wonder how a spontaneous press conference can come with signage and handouts? That leads us to doubt the issues was Speaker Pelosi’s comment and more about not being able to pull an infrastructure plan together that would he’d be able to get through Congress.
President Trump on Wednesday cut off infrastructure talks with congressional Democratic leaders after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said he was engaged in a “cover up,” then lit into Democrats and declared he would not work with them until their investigations are over.
After their meeting abruptly ended, Trump appeared in the White House Rose Garden and demanded that Democrats “get these phony investigations over with” before talks resume.
“I’ve said from the beginning that you probably can’t go down two tracks,” Trump said. “You can go down the investigation track or you can go down the investment track … We’re going to go down one track at a time.”
View the complete May 22 article by Jordan Fabian on The Hill website here.
Power Up: Trump’s new immigration coordinator has a lot to coordinate
NOT A CZAR BUT: Former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli II finally found his way into the Trump administration: the hard-right firebrand will serve as Trump’s immigration policy coordinator at the Department of Homeland Security, three administration officials told my colleagues Josh Dawsey and Nick Miroff on Tuesday.
The appointment of the hawkish conservative comes on the heels of major upheaval at DHS after Trump ousted Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, replacing her with acting DHS secretary Kevin McAleenan — all while the administration scrambles to contain a record number of Central American families overwhelming U.S. immigration authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border.
- “Cuccinelli will work at DHS in a senior role and will report to acting DHS secretary Kevin McAleenan, while also providing regular briefings to President Trump at the White House, according to two officials briefed on the appointment,” per Josh and Nick.
View the complete May 22 article by Jacqueline Alemany on The Washington Post website here.
Ben Carson misheard a housing term as ‘Oreo,’ and other tense moments at a congressional hearing
When a freshman congresswoman asked Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson at a congressional hearing Tuesday whether he knew what the housing term “REO” was, Carson thought she was referencing the similar-sounding cookie.
“An Oreo?” the secretary asked.
No, said Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), her tone firm. She spelled it back to him, twice.
View the complete May 21 article by Colby Itkowitz on The Washington Post website here.
Democrats talk subpoena for Mueller
House Democrats are stepping up calls for testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller — even if it takes a subpoena to obtain it.
Issuing a subpoena to compel testimony from Mueller, who has yet to reach a deal to appear before the House, carries risks for Democrats. It could be viewed as divisive, has the potential to generate negative headlines and is a step most would like to avoid.
But as the spring days slip away with no agreement to hear from the special counsel, frustrated lawmakers are saying they should use whatever means are necessary to hear from Mueller.
View the complete May 21 article by Olivia Beavers and Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.