Tag: Trump White House

White House Job Requirement: Signing a Nondisclosure Agreement

The following article by Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Maggie Haberman, Michael D. Shear and Katie Rogers was posted on the New York Times website March 21, 2018:

A swearing-in ceremony for members of President Trump’s administration in January 2017. Credit: Al Drago, The New York Times

As a real estate executive and reality TV star, Donald J. Trump tightly controlled his image by insisting that everyone around him sign nondisclosure agreements threatening steep monetary penalties if they revealed anything about him or his company.

A few months into his presidency, Mr. Trump — infuriated by leaks about everything from staff rivalries to his bathrobe-wearing, TV-viewing habits — ordered Reince Priebus, then his chief of staff, to do the same thing in the West Wing. Continue reading “White House Job Requirement: Signing a Nondisclosure Agreement”

White House staffer left email passwords on official stationery at bus stop: report

The following article by Morgan Ostalter was posted on the Hill website March 17, 2018:

A White House staffer left the password to his encrypted email account at a bus stop in Washington, D.C., according to a new report.

Ryan McAvoy left his ProtonMail passwords and email address on a piece of White House stationery at a bus stop near the White House, The Intercept reported Saturday.

Someone reportedly found the piece of paper and turned it over to The Intercept, which said that it confirmed its authenticity. The aide, who works as a staff assistant in the White House, did not return The Intercept’s requests for comment.

House Intelligence Committee Democrats said Wednesday they are interested in filing a subpoena to see how Trump campaign officials used WhatsApp, a messaging service. 

Democrats said they want to see how how senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and other campaign employees are using the messaging app and others such as iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Signal, Slack, Instagram and Snapchat on the encrypted networks. 

The committee may consider adding ProtonMail to that list, The Intercept reported.  Continue reading “White House staffer left email passwords on official stationery at bus stop: report”

Trump is making one thing clear: He likes surrounding himself with people who like him

The following article by Amber Phillips was posted on the Washington Post website March 16, 2018:

President Trump announced on March 22 that national security adviser H.R. McMaster will be replaced by former U.N. ambassador John Bolton on April 9. (The Washington Post)

If there’s a clear trend in President Trump’s recent decision to remove key advisers, it’s this: He gets rid of them because he doesn’t get along with them. As he replaces them with people who seem to be more appreciative of his style, it’s apparent that Trump is sharpening his focus on loyalty. But some critics worry that comes at the expense of people who can best do the job.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired because he is too establishment for the president and disagreed with too many of his decisions. They just never clicked, the president acknowledged when he fired him earlier this week. Continue reading “Trump is making one thing clear: He likes surrounding himself with people who like him”

White House announces Tillerson’s ouster just hours after he criticizes Russia for poisoning people

The following article by Zack Ford was posted on the ThinkProgress website March 13, 2018:

President Trump announced Tuesday morning that Rex Tillerson is out as Secretary of State. The White House claimed it informed Tillerson he was being asked to step down on Friday, which may explain why he broke from the White House Monday when he condemned Russia for the poisoning of a British spy. Conversely, CNN also reported that Tillerson said that he only learned he was out from Trump’s tweet Tuesday morning.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Tulia, were poisoned last Sunday with a nerve agent developed in Russia, and remain in critical condition. Prime Minister Theresa May responded by saying it’s “highly likely” that Russia is responsible for the attack, noting that the country is capable of producing the chemical and has a history of state-sponsored assassination, including defectors. Continue reading “White House announces Tillerson’s ouster just hours after he criticizes Russia for poisoning people”

The trouble with the White House’s spin on Trump and guns, in one exchange

The following article by Callum Borchers was posted on the Washington Post website March 12, 2018:

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on March 12 said President Trump “hasn’t backed away” from previous proposals to help prevent mass shootings. (Reuters)

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders did her best on Monday to argue that President Trump is not backing down but rather prioritizing on gun control.

A newly released administration plan calls for improving reporting to the existing background-check system for gun buyers and training some educators to carry firearms in schools, but it does not propose raising the minimum purchasing age for military-style rifles from 18 to 21, an idea Trump previously endorsed. Instead, the plan directs a commission led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to “study and make recommendations” on “age restrictions for certain firearm purchases.” Continue reading “The trouble with the White House’s spin on Trump and guns, in one exchange”

Turmoil takes toll on White House

President Trump says he thrives on conflict, but the turmoil engulfing the White House has GOP lawmakers more concerned than ever about the direction of his administration.

In just the past month, Trump has lost three of his closest advisers and lashed out at others on the ropes, including his attorney general and national security adviser. Continue reading “Turmoil takes toll on White House”

What Trump calls ‘conflict,’ many Americans call ‘chaotic’

The following article by Eugene Scott was posed on the Washington Post website March 6, 2018:

President Trump spoke about the “energy” in his administration March 6, saying everyone wants to work there. “They all want a piece of the West Wing,” he said. (Reuters)

President Trump likes conflict.

It’s fair to say that many Americans already knew this, or were not surprised to see him confess that during a news conference featuring the Swedish prime minister.

One of the main responses from his surrogates and supporters when called upon to defend Trump’s latest attack against his political opponents — and sometimes even those within his own party — is that the president likes to “punch back.” Continue reading “What Trump calls ‘conflict,’ many Americans call ‘chaotic’”

Trump says steel imports are a threat to national security. The defense industry disagrees.

The following article by Aaron Gregg and Christian Davenport was posted on the Washington Post website March 5, 2018:

Vice President Pence, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and National Trade Council adviser Peter Navarro listen as President Trump speaks during an executive-order signing ceremony in the Oval Office on March 31, 2017, regarding trade. Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

President Trump rattled markets and irked U.S. allies last week when he moved to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, insisting such imports are a threat to national security. Now, a growing chorus from the defense industry has come out against the move.

In an interview on CNBC Friday, the head of one of the largest industry associations said the tariffs have the potential to increase costs for the military and hurt U.S. exporters.

“This is going to impact companies big and small in the aerospace and defense world [and] more importantly we’re worried about retaliation,” said Eric Fanning, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents more than 300 aerospace and defense manufacturers and suppliers.

Fanning went a step further when he argued that the tariffs could indirectly hurt U.S. national security by putting a damper on economic growth. The strong U.S. economy has long been a primary driver of the country’s military pre-eminence, with the U.S. government spending more on defense than any other country. Continue reading “Trump says steel imports are a threat to national security. The defense industry disagrees.”

Donald Trump’s bubble presidency

The following article by Nancy Cook and Andrew Restuccia was posted on the Politico website March 4, 2018:

He has largely done away with the political optics of rubbing shoulders with members of the public, instead cloistering himself in the White House and at his clubs.

As president, Donald Trump has traveled often, but Trump has only stayed once overnight domestically at a place he doesn’t own or operate. Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

When President Barack Obama felt he needed to show off his common touch, he’d go for cheeseburgers at Ray’s Hell Burger — where he treated the Russian president to an onion-jalapeño-and-mushroom-topped patty — or to Five Guys, where he ordered burgers for his staff in front of gawking lunchtime diners in May 2009.

President Donald Trump’s decision to stick to the restaurant inside his Pennsylvania Avenue property two blocks from the White House underscores his deep and growing isolation.

In his 14 months as president, Trump hasn’t yet followed his predecessors’ habit of dropping by local watering holes (even though he’s made no secret of his love for junk food) or public service events either at home or on the road. He hasn’t gone to a baseball game or stopped at a soup kitchen. On Saturday, he ventured out of the White House to attend the annual Gridiron Dinner, taking a baby step into Washington’s elite social scene. But his appearance at the white-tie event did little to bring him closer to ordinary Americans. Continue reading “Donald Trump’s bubble presidency”

‘Off the rails’: House Russia probe hits new low

The following article by Kyle Cheney was posted on the Politico website March 3, 2018:

Some House Republicans want to end their Russia investigation soon, even as Democrats insist many crucial questions about Kremlin meddling remain unanswered.

The House Intelligence Committee was thrown into turmoil last month after Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) orchestrated the public release of a classified memo alleging anti-Trump bias on the part of FBI and Justice Department officials. Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Mistrust, anger and charges of skulduggery between Democrats and Republicans have hobbled the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia investigation for months.

Hope Hicks and a pair of frustrated senators may have finally broken it.

There are new signs that Republicans may soon conclude a probe that Democrats call far from complete following Wednesday’s testimony by President Donald Trump’s confidante, Hicks. Leaks revealed that Hicks had admitted to sometimes telling white lies on Trump’s behalf — a fact that Republicans called an unfair distortion of the departing White House communications director’s testimony. Continue reading “‘Off the rails’: House Russia probe hits new low”