Tag Archives: Trump administration

CNN reports: As Alabama’s attorney general in 1996, Sessions attempted to stop the Southeastern Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual College Conference from meeting at the University of Alabama under a state law passed in 1992 that made it illegal for public universities to fund in any way a group that promotes “actions prohibited by the sodomy and sexual misconduct laws.” Fob James, …

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed: Rep. Steve Russell was disappointed that his religious freedom amendment was stripped from a federal defense-spending bill the House passed on Friday. But the Oklahoma Republican is encouraged he will prevail in the long-term, telling BuzzFeed News that the incoming Trump administration has given him “very good assurances” it would address the issue upon taking …

From Matt Baume: “Donald Trump’s the most pro-gay Republican president-elect in history, right? Well, no — he’s stacking his administration with people who’ve spent their entire careers going after queer people. Here are the ten most dangerous people Donald’s appointed, the harm that they could do in their new jobs, and what you can do to stop them.”

New York Magazine reports: If Donald Trump chooses former CIA director and retired General David Petraeus as the winner of his secretary of State reality show, he’ll want to throw in a pardon, too. In 2015, Petraeus pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information, which he shared with his mistress. That alone would reportedly require a pardon …

The Hill reports: President-elect Donald Trump has narrowed the field of contenders for secretary of State to four candidates, his transition team said today. Spokesman Jason Miller confirmed that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) are still under consideration. Miller would not reveal the names of the other two contenders, but …

Via Politico: President-elect Donald Trump is considering Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn for a senior administration job, possibly as director of the Office of Management and Budget, several sources close to the situation said on Wednesday. People familiar with the matter say Cohn’s meeting with Trump on Tuesday included talks about a potential job in the new administration, possibly to …

NPR reports: President-elect Donald Trump and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney continued their awkward reconciliation on Tuesday, dining together as Trump weighs whether to pick one of his onetime fiercest critics to lead the State Department. As Romney lobbies for the job, he made his starkest remarks yet unequivocally praising the incoming president as someone who “can lead us …

Politico reports: President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday morning that he will leave his “great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country” in the White House. The Manhattan billionaire made the announcement on Twitter and said he will hold a formal press conference to discuss it further on Dec. 15. Trump promised throughout the presidential campaign …

The Wall Street Journal reports: President-elect Donald Trump will name longtime banker and former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary, turning to a campaign loyalist and fundraiser for the incoming administration’s top economic cabinet post, a transition official said Tuesday. Mr. Mnuchin built his career sniffing out undervalued assets and converting them into massive profits. But perhaps his …

From the Pulizter-winning Center For Public Integrity: Donald Trump’s inaugural committee is offering huge perks — prime tickets, luxurious lodging, access to the president-elect himself — in exchange for six- and seven-figure contributions from individual and corporate contributors. Donors in the “$1,000,000+” category will receive four tickets to a “leadership luncheon” billed as an “exclusive inaugural event” for donors in …

Secretary of Spelling? ABC News reports: In an unexpected sighting Tuesday, former Vice President Dan Quayle showed up at Trump Tower to offer his “personal congratulations” to President-elect Donald Trump, who has been meeting with potential Cabinet picks this afternoon. “I was in the area and I stopped by to see the president-elect to offer personal congratulations to him. I …

Talking Points Memo reports: Donald Trump has chosen former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to lead the Department of Transportation, multiple sources told Politico Tuesday. Chao also served as deputy secretary of transportation under George H.W. Bush. She is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Chao was the first Asian-American woman to hold a Cabinet-level position. According to …

NBC News reports: President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate Georgia Rep. Tom Price to head the Department of Health and Human Services. The Cabinet-level pick, which requires Senate confirmation, inserts one of Obamacare’s most outspoken critics into the key position to dismantle it and help Republicans implement their own blueprint for health care reform. “Chairman Price, a …

Via Fusion: The President-elect’s newly-minted, Satan-praising chief White House adviser, Steve Bannon, once sighed longingly about the chance to strip unworthy black citizens of the right to vote in a conversation with a colleague, the New York Times reported on Monday. In the paper’s deep dive into Bannon’s personal and professional history, Julia Jones, who co-wrote a fawning 2004 Ronald …

Drain the swamp? Via Politico: Donald Trump campaigned as a champion of the “forgotten man” and won the White House on the strength of his support among the white working class. So far, he’s stacking his administration with masters of the universe. Beyond Trump himself, who claims a net worth of more than $10 billion, the president-elect has tapped businesswoman …

The Hill reports: Donald Trump’s supporters would be “enormously disappointed” if the president-elect nominates Mitt Romney to be secretary of State, Newt Gingrich said Sunday. Romney is reportedly at the top of the list to be the nation’s top diplomat in the new administration, but he was highly critical of Trump’s campaign, once calling him a “fraud” and a “con …

Her family is one of NOM’s most massive contributors. The Detroit News reports: President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he intends to appoint West Michigan GOP mega donor and philanthropist Betsy DeVos to be his education secretary, putting an ardent supporter of school choice in charge of the nation’s education policy. DeVos, 58, is seen as a national leader in …

The Charleston Post and Courier reports: President-elect Donald Trump is picking South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to become his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, The Post and Courier has learned. The move, expected Wednesday, continues the steep political rise of the daughter of Indian immigrants that started six years ago when the Bamberg native was elected as South Carolina’s …

ITV reports: In his first day as President of the US, Donald Trump will issue an executive action withdrawing America from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Speaking in a video posted to his Facebook page, the President-Elect outlined his plans for the presidential transition and his first 100 days in office. Mr Trump said he would direct the Labor Department to …

The Associated Press reports: Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr. has confirmed that he visited with President-elect Donald Trump in New York City. Falwell tells local media that he and Trump met Thursday at Trump Tower to discuss the U.S. Department of Education and Falwell’s potential role. He wouldn’t confirm or deny whether he was being vetted as secretary of …