Tag Archives: Trump cabinet

Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke To Resign Amid Ethics Scandal

Bloomberg reports: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has notified the White House that he intends to step down amid federal investigations into his travel, political activity and potential conflicts of interest, according to three people familiar with the matter. Zinke’s decision, expected to be announced on Wednesday, comes as Democrats, who’ve vowed to grill the him over his conduct, are about …

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Trump Confirms Bill Barr Will Be AG Nominee, Former Fox Host Heather Nauert Will Be Ambassador Nominee

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump said Friday he will nominate former Attorney General William Barr to again lead the Justice Department, a move that could have ramifications for the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The attorney general for President George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993, Barr in recent months has criticized aspects of the …

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AG Under GHWB Is Leading Candidate For Trump’s AG

The Washington Post reports: Former attorney general William P. Barr is President Trump’s leading candidate to be nominated to lead the Justice Department — a choice that could be made in coming days as the agency presses forward with a probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to multiple people familiar with the deliberations. Barr, 68, a well-respected …

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Former AG Jeff Sessions Hints That He’s Now Done With Politics: I Could Go Back And Spend Time In The Woods

Politico reports: Jeff Sessions doesn’t sound eager to run for his old Senate seat in 2020. “I’ve been clearing my brain. I think that’s a fair statement,” he said during a ride on the Senate subway following George H.W. Bush’s funeral. “I’ll go to Alabama, do some things and then that will clarify things a little more before I worry …

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Mike Pompeo In Brussels: Trump Is “Rallying The Noble Nations To Build A New Liberal Order” To Prevent War

Reuters reports: U.S. President Donald Trump is building a new world order upheld by American leadership and democracy, his secretary of state told diplomats at an event in Brussels on Tuesday, blaming Iran and China for instability in the world. “In the finest traditions of our great democracy, we are rallying the noble nations to build a new liberal order …

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Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Reacts To Multiple Ethics Allegations By Calling Democratic House Rep A “Drunk”

Politico reports: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Friday accused the House Natural Resources Committee’s top Democrat of “drunken” behavior and paying “hush money” after the Democrat called for the secretary to resign for his series of ethics scandals. “It’s hard for him to think straight from the bottom of the bottle,” Zinke wrote on his official Interior Department Twitter account …

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Zinke Blames Wildfires On “Radical Environmentalists”

Via Breitbart: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke backed President Donald Trump on the years of forest mismanagement that led to the California fires as Zinke joined Breitbart News Sunday radio with host Amanda House. “Forests need active management,” he went on speaking of beetle kills and drought. “The amount of fuel in the forest is at historic highs.” He said “radical …

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Trump: I Might Fire Up To Five Cabinet Members

The Hill reports: President Trump said Sunday he’s considering making a change to as many as five Cabinet positions amid speculation that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kirstjen Nielsen and White House chief of staff John Kelly could depart imminently. “I have three or four or five positions that I’m thinking about. Of that, maybe it’s going to end up …

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Top Republicans Back House Rep For Attorney General

The Hill reports: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and other top Republicans are calling on President Trump to name Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) as the next attorney general. “Look, it’s the president’s choice but one thing I know is John Ratcliffe probably has the best abilities to do the job and most knowledge to do the job,” McCarthy told …

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Betsy Devos Sued For Blocking Student Debt Relief

Courthouse News reports: Despite a court order voiding efforts to delay Obama-era student borrower protections, the U.S. government continues to collect money from borrowers who are entitled to automatic debt relief, a consumer advocacy group claims in a new lawsuit. In September, a federal judge in Washington D.C. found the Education Department’s delays in implementing the rule unlawful. One month …

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REPORT: Trump Plans To Fire Homeland Security Head

The Washington Post reports: President Trump has told advisers he has decided to remove Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and her departure from the administration is likely to occur in the coming weeks, if not sooner, according to five current and former White House officials. Trump canceled a planned trip with Nielsen this week to visit U.S. troops at the …

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Trump Cabinet Exodus Likely After Midterm Elections

Politico reports: President Donald Trump could see up to six Cabinet officials depart in the weeks after next month’s midterm elections, according to interviews with a half-dozen current and former Trump officials and Republicans close to the White House. For a president who has already shed or shuffled up eight Cabinet officials, that would make for the highest turnover rate …

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Steve Mnuchin To Attend Saudi Anti-Terror Conference

The Washington Post reports: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has decided to take part in an anti-terror finance meeting with Saudi security officials and their Middle Eastern counterparts in Riyadh later this month, opting to attend despite growing global outrage over the suspected murder of a U.S.-based journalist at the hands of Saudi operatives, according to three people familiar with his …

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Mnuchin Bails On Saudi Arabia Finance Conference

Talking Points Memo reports: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Thursday that he will not attend an upcoming conference in Saudi Arabia amid the fallout from the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Mnuchin has been facing mounting pressure to pull out of the conference following the disappearance of Khashoggi, a U.S..-based Saudi journalist, after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul …

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Betsy DeVos’ Security Detail To Cost $7.7M In 2019

Politico reports: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ security detail is projected to cost up to $7.74 million from now through the end of September 2019, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service told POLITICO on Tuesday night. The Marshals Service said the final cost of protection for DeVos in fiscal 2018 was $6.79 million. That’s more than the $6.54 million officials …

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Pompeo Declares Midterms Safe From Interference

“I have no doubt that the Russians have every intention of making life difficult for every American. This has been going on for decades. So please know, the American people should know, that the U.S. government is actively engaged in efforts to ensure the Russians, Chinese, Iranians, North Koreans – all of those – with malintent for America, will not …

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Dems Vow To Investigate Zinke If US House Flips

Politico reports: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will face a barrage of congressional inquiries into his business dealings, travels, political activities and relations with industry if Democrats win the House in November, according to lawmakers who hope to lead the chamber next year. Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, has already unsuccessfully demanded a …

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Pompeo Cracks Down On Improper Use Of Commas

CNN reports: Iran, North Korea, Syria and … commas. While Mike Pompeo is focused on a number of key geopolitical concerns, an email obtained by CNN suggests that the secretary of state also appears to have had it, up to, here, with, the rampant, improper use of commas by State Department staff. In the last few months, two emails have …

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CHICAGO: Sessions Blames ACLU For Spike In Murders

CNBC reports: Attorney General Jeff Sessions blamed a number of activist groups on Wednesday for a rise in violent crime in Chicago, saying that “if you want more shootings, more death, then listen to the ACLU, Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and groups who do not know the reality of policing.” “If you want public safety, then listen to the police …

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REPORT: Def Sec. Mattis May Be Out After Midterms

The New York Times reports: Back when their relationship was fresh and new, and President Trump still called his defense secretary “Mad Dog” — a nickname Jim Mattis detests — the wiry retired Marine general often took a dinner break to eat burgers with his boss in the White House residence. But the burger dinners have stopped. In the second …

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