Trump Administration

Acting Homeland Security Sec. Chad Wolf To Resign

Axios reports: Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf will step down from his position, Fox News first reported and Axios has confirmed. Word of Wolf’s departure comes a week before the inauguration and the massive security concerns following the Capitol siege. Wolf’s announcement follows last week’s departure of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, among numerous administration …

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Treasury Dept Sanctions Giuliani’s Ukraine Cronies

Politico reports: The Treasury Department announced a new spate of sanctions on Monday targeting the “inner circle” of Andrii Derkach, the pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker who aided Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to probe unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing by President-elect Joe Biden and his family. The department had previously designated Derkach himself for sanctions related to foreign interference in the 2020 election in …

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Mulvaney Can’t Believe Rioters Took Trump Literally

USA Today reports: Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” TV show Sunday that he doesn’t currently know “what’s going on inside the Oval Office now” and “inside the president’s head” following riots this week in Washington, D.C. Mulvaney announced his resignation Thursday as President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Northern Ireland after …

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REPORT: Pence Hasn’t Ruled Out 25th Amendment

CNN reports: Vice President Mike Pence has not ruled out an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and wants to preserve the option in case President Donald Trump becomes more unstable, a source close to the vice president says. The source said there is some concern inside Pence’s team that there are risks to invoking the 25th Amendment or even …

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WH Forced Out Federal Prosecutor Over GA Election

The Wall Street Journal reports: White House officials pushed Atlanta’s top federal prosecutor to resign before Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoffs because President Trump was upset he wasn’t doing enough to investigate the president’s allegations of election fraud, people familiar with the matter said. A senior Justice Department official, at the behest of the White House, called Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Byung …

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Birx Behind False Reports Of New US COVID Strain

The New York Times reports: Reports of a highly contagious new coronavirus variant in the United States, published on Friday by multiple news outlets, are based on speculative statements made by Dr. Deborah Birx and are inaccurate, according to several government officials. The erroneous report originated at a recent meeting where Dr. Birx, a member of the White House coronavirus …

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US Daily COVID Deaths Exceed 4000 For First Time

CNN reports: The US reported more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths Thursday — the most virus-related deaths the country has reported in one day since the pandemic’s start. It’s the third day in a row of record daily deaths from the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, while the number of people who have been infected topped more than …

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DeVos Quits, Cites Trump’s “Unconscionable Behavior”

The Wall Street Journal reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos submitted her resignation to President Trump on Thursday night. “We should be highlighting and celebrating your Administration’s many accomplishments on behalf of the American people,” she wrote in a letter to the president. “Instead we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protesters overrunning the U.S. Capitol in …

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WH Officials Discuss Need To Resist Unlawful Orders

Axios reports: Some top remaining administration officials are preparing to resist any unlawful or dangerous orders in the closing days of Trump’s presidency, senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the sensitive conversations tell Axios. Why it matters: After Trump incited protesters to storm the Capitol on Wednesday, there’s a near universal view among top officials that he is unfit …

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Pence Planning To Attend Joe Biden’s Inauguration

Politico reports: Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration later this month after overseeing Wednesday’s chaotic certification of the president-elect’s Electoral College win. Three sources close to Pence said he would likely make an appearance at the Jan. 20 event in a show of support for the peaceful transition of power. The decision to attend, …

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Transportation Sec. Elaine Chao To Resign Over Riots

USA Today reports: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will resign from her position, according to a source with knowledge of the decision. Chao, who is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is the first Cabinet secretary to resign after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday in an attempt to halt the counting of Electoral College votes. “Yesterday, our …

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Barr: Trump’s Incitement Of Rioters Is “Inexcusable”

Business Insider reports: Former Attorney General William Barr said Thursday that President Donald Trump inciting a violent insurrection on Capitol Hill the previous day was a “betrayal of his office and supporters.” In a statement to the Associated Press, Barr said that “orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable.” Barr also substantially broke with Trump in an interview with …

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Mulvaney Quits State Dept Over Rioting: “I Can’t Stay”

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff and current special envoy to Northern Ireland said Thursday that he’s resigning from his diplomatic post. “I called [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo last night to let him know I was resigning from that. I can’t do it. I can’t stay,” Mick Mulvaney told CNBC in an exclusive interview. “Those …

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US Again Breaks Record: Nearly 4000 COVID Deaths

CNN reports: As the United States reported its highest single day of Covid-19 deaths, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned the overall toll could exceed 430,000 by the end of the month. The US reported 3,963 coronavirus deaths Wednesday, bringing the overall toll to 361,123 people in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In …

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Melania’s Chief Of Staff Quits Over Today’s Rioting

CNN reports: Stephanie Grisham, the former White House communications director and press secretary and current chief of staff for first lady Melania Trump, submitted her resignation Wednesday afternoon, effective immediately, in the wake of the violent protests, a White House official says. Grisham was one of the longest-serving Trump administration officials, having begun her tenure working for then-candidate Donald Trump …

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Pence Defies Trump: “The Constitution Constrains Me From Claiming Unilateral Authority On Electoral Votes”

The Associated Press reports: Vice President Mike Pence is defying President Donald Trump, saying he does not have the unilateral ability to discard electoral votes that will make Joe Biden president on Jan. 20. Pence, in a statement issued minutes before he was to begin presiding over a joint session of Congress to count electoral votes, said, “It is my …

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DOJ Launches Move To Roll Back Minority Rights

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration has embarked on an 11th-hour bid to undo some civil rights protections for minority groups, which could have a ripple effect on women, people with disabilities and L.G.B.T. people, according to a draft document, in a change that would mark one of the most significant shifts in civil rights enforcement in generations. …

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WH Doesn’t Deny Report On “Escape” To Scotland

Fox News reports: Scotland’s Sunday Post, citing unnamed sources at the country’s Prestwick airport, reported that U.S. military surveillance planes have been in place there for a week. The source told the paper that there has also been a booking of an “American military version of the Boeing 757 on January 19.” The source told the paper that the plane …

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Pence “Welcomes” Attempt To Overturn Election Result

The Insider reports: Vice President Mike Pence is supporting the efforts of Republican lawmakers to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s win by opposing the certification of Electoral College votes. “Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election,” Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “The vice president …

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Pompeo: America Now Has “Swagger” Thanks To Me

The Independent reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted out a series of upbeat posts on Friday about how America is full of “swagger” since he’s been top diplomat, furthering speculation he’s eyeing a run for president in 2024. “We’re so much safer today than four years ago,” secretary Pompeo began. “Over the coming days, I’m going to lay out …

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