Trump Administration

Courthouse News reports: Amplifying scrutiny on the recent firing of the State Department inspector general, one lawmaker revealed today that Steve Linick had been investigating not only Secretary Mike Pompeo but President Donald Trump as well. “I’ve learned there may be another reason for IG Linick’s firing,” Representative Eliot Engel tweeted this afternoon. “His office was investigating — at my …

Politico reports: More than 40,000 National Guard members currently helping states test residents for the coronavirus and trace the spread of infections will face a “hard stop” on their deployments on June 24 — just one day shy of many members becoming eligible for key federal benefits, according to a senior FEMA official. The official outlined the Trump administration’s plans …

The Washington Post reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Monday that he asked President Trump to fire the State Department inspector general because his work was “undermining” the department’s mission, but he declined to describe any specific concerns. In a telephone interview, Pompeo said the decision was not an act of political retaliation, because he did not know beforehand …

The Hill reports: The former drug company executive leading the Trump administration’s coronavirus vaccine initiative said he will divest all his shares in Moderna, one of the initiative’s leading candidates. At the time of his appointment to lead “Operation Warp Speed,” the shares were worth about $10 million. The announcement comes as Moderna’s stock soared almost 20 percent on Monday, …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump will nominate a new U.S. Attorney to oversee the D.C. office, which handles both local and national cases including several high-profile prosecutions of the president’s allies. Justin Herdman, the U.S. attorney in Cleveland, would take the position now filled by Timothy Shea, who came to the office in February. The nomination of Herdman comes …

Fox News reports: Attorney General Bill Barr said Monday he does not expect U.S. Attorney John Durham’s review into the origins of the Russia probe will lead to a “criminal investigation” of either former President Barack Obama or former Vice President Joe Biden — while noting that their concern of “potential criminality” in the conduct of that probe is “focused …

CNBC reports: Moderna’s closely watched early-stage human trial for a coronavirus vaccine produced Covid-19 antibodies in all 45 participants, the biotech company announced Monday. Each participant was assigned to receive a 25 microgram, 100 mcg or 250 mcg dose at both vaccinations, with 15 people in each dose group. Study participants received two doses of the potential vaccine via intramuscular …

NBC News reports: A Democrat aide told NBC news the inspector general “was looking into the Secretary’s misuse of a political appointee at the Department to perform personal tasks for himself and Mrs. Pompeo.” Pompeo is married to Susan Pompeo, who’s been known to travel with the Secretary of State and was listed as “Special Assistant to the Secretary of …

We should be so lucky: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Sunday that he was “glad Mr. Obama has a new job as Joe Biden’s press secretary.” The comment came after ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Navarro to respond to the former president saying during a commencement address that things are “screwed up” because leaders are doing “what feels good, …

Reuters reports: Authorities are not seeing spikes in coronavirus cases in places that are reopening but are seeing increases in some areas that remain closed, U.S. health secretary Alex Azar said on Sunday. “We are seeing that in places that are opening; we’re not seeing this spike in cases,” Azar said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “We still …

The Hill reports: Stephen Moore, a member of the White House coronavirus economic task force, said he thinks the “worst economic news” has passed and urged Democratic governors and mayors to expedite the reopening of their respective states and cities amid the pandemic. “The problem is we still have New York. And we have California. And we have Michigan and …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump fired the State Department’s inspector general on the recommendation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a White House official said Saturday. Trump fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick Friday night, notifying Congress of the decision in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump, who has targeted several government agency watchdogs in the past …

The New York Times reports: The acting intelligence chief announced a reorganization of the National Counter-Terrorism Center on Friday, part of an effort to reduce the size of the office overseeing the nation’s spy agencies. Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, has been racing against the clock to make changes to his office before his appointment ends and …

The Hill reports: President Trump told reporters at the White House Friday that his administration is “looking at” making coronavirus vaccines free to the public. “We’re looking at that actually,” Trump told reporters before departing for Camp David when asked if he thought vaccines should be free. He did not offer his personal opinion on the matter. The Trump administration …

Mediaite reports: During Friday’s White House press briefing, CBS News correspondent Steven Portnoy pressed Kayleigh McEnany on President Donald Trump’s comments about “Obamagate” crimes. “The president suggested people should be jailed for what he suggested earlier in the week was a very obvious crime,” he said. “You’re an attorney and the president’s spokesperson. Perhaps you could lay out the elements …

CNN reports: A top adviser and lawyer for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has a history of pushing anti-gay positions, including linking the legalization of same-sex marriage to bestiality and pedophilia. Jenna Ellis, an attorney who previously served as the director of public policy at the socially conservative James Dobson Family Institute, has also repeatedly attacked the Supreme Court’s 2003 …

Yahoo News reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ revised federal guidelines on how sexual assault allegations should be handled on college and K-12 campuses is the target of a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, claiming the changes would “inflict significant harm” on victims and “dramatically undermine” their civil rights. The suit, filed on behalf of four advocacy groups for sexual assault survivors, …

Mediaite reports: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Thursday blasted Dr. Rick Bright as a “deserter in the war on the China Virus” for criticizing the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. “He’s not just a disgruntled employee, in my judgment. He is a deserter in the war on the China virus,” Navarro said in an interview with …

The Washington Post reports: Weeks before a Republican donor and top White House ally becomes postmaster general, the U.S. Postal Service has quietly launched a review of its package delivery contracts and lost its last senior official who was not appointed by President Trump. The moves, confirmed by six people with knowledge of the Postal Service’s inner workings but not …

Politico reports: The administration sent a report outlining its transition activities to two congressional committees on Wednesday night, announcing it has created a transition planning group — the White House Transition Coordinating Council, which will advise executive departments and agencies on preparation for a potential transition — and detailing other aspects of a handoff between administrations. The administration has also …