Trump Administration

Reuters reports: U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn is in self-quarantine for a couple of weeks after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, an FDA spokesman told Reuters late on Friday. Hahn immediately took a diagnostic test and was tested negative himself for the novel coronavirus, FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said in an emailed …

Yahoo News reports: Former President Barack Obama, talking privately to ex-members of his administration, said Friday that the “rule of law is at risk” in the wake of what he called an unprecedented move by the Justice Department to drop charges against former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. In the same chat, a tape of which was obtained …

The Associated Press reports: The decision to shelve detailed advice from the nation’s top disease control experts for reopening communities during the coronavirus pandemic came from the highest levels of the White House, according to internal government emails obtained by The Associated Press. The files also show that after the AP reported Thursday that the guidance document had been buried, …

The New York Times reports: A federal investigative office has found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the Trump administration was retaliating against a whistle-blower, Dr. Rick Bright, when he was ousted from a government research agency combating the coronavirus, and said he should be reinstated for 45 days while it investigates, his lawyers said Friday. Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports that …

Talking Points Memo reports: During a White House press briefing Friday, PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor asked McEnany whether she still believed the comments Trump made in 2015 on the campaign trail were “racist.” “In 2015, shortly after the president said that some Mexican immigrants were rapists and criminals, you said that that language was racist and hateful. Do …

Politico reports: Katie Miller, a spokesperson for Vice President Mike Pence, has tested positive for coronavirus, according to two people with knowledge of Miller’s diagnosis. Miller’s positive diagnosis for Covid-19 puts the potential threat of the infection squarely into the president’s inner circle. Miller serves as the vice president’s top spokesperson, traveling with him frequently and attending meetings by his …

Forbes reports: Trump’s newly appointed press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, opened her first press briefing on Friday with a promise: “I will never lie to you, you have my word on that.” Sean Spicer, Sarah Sanders, and Stephanie Grisham have all served under Trump as press secretary. McEnany follows Grisham, who is now returning to the East Wing to work as …

CNBC reports: An aide to Vice President Mike Pence has tested positive for coronavirus, a senior administration official confirmed Friday to NBC News. The confirmation comes a day after news broke that President Donald Trump’s personal valet had also tested positive. A spokeswoman for Pence did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Pence was scheduled to travel to …

CNN reports: New White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was a harsh critic of then-candidate Donald Trump before she became a fierce advocate for him, including calling comments he made about Mexican immigrants in 2015 “racist.” Before becoming a prominent pro-Trump commentator during his first campaign, McEnany said it was “unfortunate” and “inauthentic” to call him a Republican. McEnany made …

The Daily Beast reports: Of the nine senior Trump administration officials, campaign staff, outside advisers, and longtime associates of the president reached on Thursday, all said that they wanted Flynn to assume some public-facing role, including potentially as an official Trump surrogate. One even compared the ex-general, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian …

Talking Points Memo reports: Attorney General Bill Barr defended the Justice Department’s bombshell move to drop its case against Michael Flynn Thursday, telling CBS News that it was an “easy decision.” “I think easy because once I saw all the facts and some of the tactics used by the FBI in this instance and also the legal problems with the …

ABC News reports: Secretary of State Pompeo is leaning even harder into his attacks on the Chinese government over the novel coronavirus pandemic — even as he further walks back his claim that the U.S. has “enormous evidence” a biomedical laboratory in Wuhan, China, is responsible for the outbreak. The change comes as an intelligence official says there is no …

The Hill reports: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Thursday slammed an anti-Trump super PAC co-founded by her husband, D.C. lawyer George Conway. Kellyanne Conway echoed President Trump’s criticism of the conservative-led group, The Lincoln Project, saying that the strategists that run the group have all failed at electing a president. “[They] never achieved what I achieved, which is success …

“This is outrageous! Flynn PLEADED GUILTY to lying to investigators. The evidence against him is overwhelming. Now, a politicized DOJ is dropping the case. “The decision to overrule the special counsel is without precedent and warrants an immediate explanation. “Due to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency, I worked with DOJ to postpone our scheduled hearing with AG Barr as attentions and …

Mediaite reports: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was asked about a valet to President Donald Trump who has been infected with the coronavirus, and she used the occasion to insist that reporters should “show respect” for Trump by wearing protective masks in the briefing room. On Fox News’ Outnumbered Overtime, anchor Harris Faulkner asked Conway about the report that a …

The Associated Press reports: The Justice Department on Thursday said it is dropping the criminal case against President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, abandoning a prosecution that became a rallying cry for Trump and his supporters in attacking the FBI’s Russia investigation. The move is a stunning reversal for one of the signature cases brought by special …

Politico reports: The country’s top health official downplayed concerns over the public health conditions inside meatpacking plants, suggesting on a call with lawmakers that workers were more likely to catch coronavirus based on their social interactions and group living situations, three participants said. HHS Secretary Alex Azar told a bipartisan group that he believed infected employees were bringing the virus …

The Associated Press reports: A set of detailed documents created by the nation’s top disease investigators meant to give step-by-step advice to local leaders deciding when and how to reopen public places such as mass transit, day care centers and restaurants during the still-raging pandemic has been shelved by the Trump administration. The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease …

The Daily Beast reports: If you were wondering what else the year 2020 could throw at us, Wednesday night brought us the spectacle of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin embroiling himself in a Twitter beef with Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose. The “Paradise City” singer kicked things off by blasting the former movie mogul, tweeting: “It’s official! Whatever anyone may …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump on Wednesday said his administration will urge the Supreme Court to overturn Obamacare, maintaining its all-out legal assault on the health care law amid a pandemic that will drive millions of more Americans to depend on its coverage. The administration appears to be doubling down on its legal strategy, even after Attorney General Bill Barr …