Tag Archives: Trump cabinet

Sec. Mike Pompeo Screamed F-Bombs At NPR Reporter: “Do You Think Americans Really Care About Ukraine?”

USA Today reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used the “F-word” and other expletives after a testy interview with an NPR host on Friday, the news outlet said Friday. Pompeo unloaded on NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly after an interview in which she questioned him on Ukraine and Iran, among other issues. He grew extremely irritated by Kelly’s Ukraine questions. “‘Do …

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DeVos: Being Pro-Choice Is Like Being Pro-Slavery

The Colorado Times-Recorder reports: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos weighed in on a host of issues during the Colorado Christian University’s annual president’s dinner Wednesday night at the Museum of the Bible, at one point drawing comparisons of the abortion rights debate to the ending of slavery. “Lincoln too contended with the pro-choice arguments of his day. They suggested that …

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HHS Sec: No Need Yet For Obamacare Replacement

The Hill reports: Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said Tuesday that “there’s really not a need” for the Trump administration to put forward an ObamaCare replacement plan at the moment. Azar was asked where the administration’s replacement for the health law is in an interview on the “Kevin Wall Radio Show.” He replied that there is not …

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NYC Bar Association To Congress: Investigate Bill Barr

Bloomberg News reports: The New York City Bar Association has asked Congress to investigate U.S. Attorney General William Barr, saying his recent actions and statements have positioned the Justice Department and its prosecutors as “political partisans willing to use the levers of government to empower certain groups over others.” The request disclosed on Thursday appears to be the first time …

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Trump Already Looking For Next Secretary Of State

The Washington Post reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he isn’t running for Senate next year. Those close to him say he hasn’t made a final decision yet. But that hasn’t prevented a barely concealed competition from breaking out within the administration over who might replace him as the nation’s top diplomat. President Trump has fueled the fire by …

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Transportation Sec Eyed For “Unfair” $67M Fed Grant

The Independent reports: Kentucky’s largest transportation grant application under the Trump administration benefited from a process that the government’s top watchdog said lacked “the assurance of fairness.” The $67.4 million grant application for Boone County — a rapidly growing suburban district of political importance to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the husband of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao — was initially …

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Former AG Eric Holder: Bill Barr Is Unfit For Office

From an op-ed by former AG Eric Holder: Virtually since the moment he took office, though, Barr’s words and actions have been fundamentally inconsistent with his duty to the Constitution. Which is why I now fear that his conduct — running political interference for an increasingly lawless president — will wreak lasting damage. The American people deserve an attorney general …

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Bill Barr: Keep Protesting Cops And They’ll Turn On You

The Washington Post reports: Speaking to a roomful of police officers and prosecutors on Tuesday, Attorney General William P. Barr drew a parallel between protests against soldiers during the Vietnam War and demonstrations against law enforcement today. But this time, he suggested, those who don’t show “respect” to authority could lose access to police services. “Today, the American people have …

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Pompeo Hits Up Sheldon Adelson To Back Senate Run

McClatchy reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reached out to Sheldon Adelson, the Republican Party’s largest donor, in recent weeks to “gauge interest” in his potential run for an open Senate seat in Kansas next year, three sources familiar with the matter told McClatchy. It is the latest evidence of Pompeo’s outreach campaign to rally donor support around a …

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Rick Perry Asked To Testify Before Impeachment Panels

The Associated Press reports: Energy Secretary Rick Perry is being called to testify in the House impeachment inquiry. Perry, the first member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet who has asked to appear before House investigators, is scheduled for Wednesday, according an official working on the impeachment inquiry but unauthorized to discuss it publicly. The person was granted anonymity. It’s unclear …

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Trump To Test Federal Law With DHS Appointment

Politico reports: The White House has imminent plans to name Homeland Security official Chad Wolf acting secretary, according to three people familiar with the situation. Wolf will replace acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan, whose last day in the job was Thursday. No successor was named as darkness fell on Washington. President Donald Trump called Wolf a few days ago and …

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Kansas Paper To Pompeo: Resign Or Stop Coming Here

From the editorial board of the Kansas City Star: If Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, then he should quit his rather important day job and do that. Or if, as he told The Star and The Wichita Eagle in a testy, credulity-straining interview on Thursday, he isn’t even …

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Betsy DeVos Held In Contempt Over Student Loans

The Washington Post reports: A federal judge on Thursday held Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in contempt for violating an order to stop collecting loan payments from former Corinthian Colleges students. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco slapped the Education Department with a $100,000 fine for violating a preliminary injunction. Money from the fine will …

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Trump Admin Gave Millions In Grants To Students At Unaccredited For-Profit Pentecostal-Run “Art Colleges”

The Washington Post reports: A trove of documents released Tuesday by the House Education and Labor Committee shows the Education Department provided $10.7 million in federal loans and grants to students at the Illinois Institute of Art and the Art Institute of Colorado even though officials knew the for-profit colleges were not accredited and ineligible to receive such aid. The …

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Trump Told Cuccinelli Ineligible For Acting DHS Sec

Politico reports: President Donald Trump has been notified by his staff that he can’t select two popular figures — Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Morgan — to serve as an acting secretary of homeland security because a federal law governing agency succession makes them ineligible. Instead, Sean Doocey, the White House director of presidential personnel, in recent days gave Trump a …

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Trump Nominates Rick Perry’s Deputy To Succeed Him

The Hill reports: President Trump announced Friday that he plans to nominate Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to replace outgoing Energy Secretary Rick Perry. In a series of tweets, Trump described Brouillette as a “total professional” and said his experience in the energy sector is “unparalleled.” Trump also praised Perry for doing an “outstanding job” and said he would leave …

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Perry Formally Notifies Trump Of Impending Resignation

Bloomberg reports: Energy Secretary Rick Perry notified President Donald Trump Thursday that he will soon be leaving the post, according to two people familiar with the matter. Perry, one of the administration’s original cabinet secretaries, enjoyed good rapport with Trump. The former Texas governor has recently come under scrutiny in the House impeachment inquiry over his discussions with Ukraine. Perry’s …

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AG Bill Barr Blames Drug Overdoses On Lack Of Jesus

Exactly what you want to nation’s top cop to believe: Attorney General William Barr blamed secularism in society for a series of problems such as drug overdoses, violence and poor mental health while speaking at Notre Dame’s law school. Barr, in a speech largely focused on the role of religion in law, decried what he described as an effort to …

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Dems Hit Rick Perry With Subpoena For Ukraine Docs

CNBC reports: House Democrats issued a subpoena to Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Thursday, the latest salvo in the party’s impeachment probe into whether President Donald Trump abused his power through his interactions with the leadership of Ukraine. The subpoena for a variety of Ukraine-related documents was issued by the Democratic chairmen of the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs …

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Chao Favored McConnell Backers Seeking Grants

Politico reports: In her first 14 months as Transportation secretary, Elaine Chao met with officials from Kentucky, which her husband Mitch McConnell represents in the Senate, vastly more often than those from any other state. In all, 25 percent of Chao’s scheduled meetings with local officials of any state from January 2017 to March 2018 were with Kentuckians, who make …

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