Tag Archives: Wilbur Ross

Ross Faces Calls To Resign Over Threat Against NOAA

Reuters reports: The news that a cabinet member in the Trump administration had threatened to fire politically-appointed staff at the agency in order to force the NOAA to contradict the advice of its own scientists prompted immediate condemnation. The head of the environmental group the Sierra Club, Michael Brune, called on Ross to resign to “maintain the dignity of the …

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REPORT: Sec. Wilbur Ross Threatened To Fire Top NOAA Staffers For Contradicting Glorious Leader On Dorian

The New York Times reports: The Secretary of Commerce threatened to fire top employees at NOAA on Friday after the agency’s Birmingham office contradicted President Trump’s claim that Hurricane Dorian might hit Alabama, according to three people familiar with the discussion. That threat led to an unusual, unsigned statement later that Friday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration disavowing …

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REPORT: Commerce Dept In Upheaval, Ross Sleeps Through Meetings When He’s Not Kissing Trump’s Ass

Politico reports: Constant infighting among top officials. Sudden departures of senior staffers without explanation. A leader who is disengaged and prone to falling asleep in meetings. The Commerce Department has reached its apex of dysfunction under Wilbur Ross, according to four people with knowledge of the inner workings of the department. The 81-year-old Commerce secretary, who has for months endured …

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House Vote Holds Barr And Ross In Criminal Contempt

CBS News reports: The House voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for obstructing a probe into the administration’s failed bid to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The House scheduled the vote after Barr and Ross withheld documents that had been subpoenaed by the Oversight and …

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ACLU Seeks Sanctions For Lies About Census Question

Talking Points Memo reports: The ACLU has won its legal war with the Trump administration over a census citizenship question, but it’s not backing down from its demand that certain administration officials be sanctioned for allegedly false testimony in the case. In a court filing Tuesday evening, the ACLU alleged that top Trump administration officials in the Justice Department and …

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Judge’s Order Permanently Blocks Census Question

Bloomberg Law reports: A federal judge in New York on Tuesday signed an order permanently blocking the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census, days after President Trump gave up on his efforts to get such a question on next year’s census. New York and immigrant advocacy groups successfully sued to block the question. But even …

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REPORT: Wilbur Ross On Chopping Block Over Census

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump has told aides and allies that he is considering removing Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross after a stinging Supreme Court defeat on adding a citizenship question to the census, according to multiple people familiar with the conversations. While Trump has previously expressed frustration with the 81-year-old Ross, in particular over failed trade negotiations, Ross’s long …

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House To Vote On Contempt Charges For Barr And Ross

Politico reports: House Democrats will vote next week on criminal contempt charges against Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena over the 2020 census, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday. The vote — the second time a sitting attorney general would be found in criminal contempt by the House — has …

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BREAKING: Trump Administration Surrenders On Census Citizenship Question After Supreme Court Ruling

The Hill reports: The Trump administration said Tuesday that it was dropping a citizenship question from the 2020 census, days after the Supreme Court ruled against the question’s inclusion. Former Obama White House lawyer Daniel Jacobson made the revelation in a tweet Tuesday, sharing a screenshot of an email he received from a Justice Department lawyer confirming the decision. DOJ …

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BREAKING: SCOTUS Swats Down Census Citizenship Question For Now, Remands Case To Lower Court

Raw Story reports: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dept. of Commerce v. New York, where the state of New York sued over the question the Trump administration placed on the census asking about legal citizenship. The Court decided that they agreed with lower court decisions and that the reason for putting the question on the census was “invalid.” …

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Ross Aide Refused To Answer Questions On US Census

Politico reports: A former senior Commerce Department official refused to answer more than 100 questions during an interview with the House Oversight and Reform Committee that centered on the Trump administration’s controversial decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, according to a transcript released Tuesday. Commerce Department lawyers instructed James Uthmeier, who served as senior adviser and …

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House Panel Votes To Hold Barr And Ross In Contempt

Talking Points Memo reports: The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday approved of a resolution recommending that Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross be held in contempt for not complying with subpoenas in the committee’s census citizenship question probe. The 24-15 vote came some six hours after the meeting to consider that measure started. Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) …

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Trump Asserts Executive Privilege Over Census Docs

ABC News reports: President Donald Trump has asserted executive privilege over materials related to the House Oversight Committee’s census investigation as the committee moved forward with a planned Wednesday vote to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress. The move marks the latest escalation in the battle between the Trump Administration and House …

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House Panel To Vote On Contempt Charge For Bill Barr And Wilbur Ross For Defying Subpoenas On Census

Talking Points Memo reports: The House Oversight Committee will vote to hold Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in civil contempt for their defiance of subpoenas in the committee’s Census citizenship question investigation. Chairman Elijah Cummings sent Barr and Ross letters Monday informing them the committee was scheduling the contempt vote. The letters give the two officials …

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AOC Eviscerates Wilbur Ross Over Claim 2020 Census Citizenship Question Was Requested By DOJ [VIDEO]

Axios reports: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross defended his decision to add a citizenship question to the 2o20 census, telling lawmakers on Thursday that he acted solely at the request of the Justice Department to enhance the Voting Rights Act, denying it was intended to influence the allocation of congressional seats across the country. His testimony before the House Oversight Committee …

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Second Court Blocks 2020 Census Citizenship Question

Courthouse News reports: The Trump administration’s push to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census suffered a major setback late Wednesday when a federal judge issued a second nationwide injunction against the policy, finding it would “threaten the very foundation of our democracy.” U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg is the second federal judge in less than two months to …

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Ethics Office Rejects Wilbur Ross’ Financial Disclosure

Politico reports: The head of the Office of Government Ethics has refused to approve Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s 2018 financial disclosure report, citing an inaccuracy concerning the former investing mogul’s holdings of BankUnited stock. The action is the latest blow for Ross, who has repeatedly drawn scrutiny over his personal finances since he was nominated for the Commerce job. He …

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SCOTUS To Hear Census Citizenship Question Case

Talking Points Memo reports: The Supreme Court announced Friday that it will decide whether the Trump administration can add a citizenship question to the 2020 census form. The Supreme Court’s move is the latest dramatic turn in a case that has proceeded in a remarkable way. The Justice Department appealed the decision directly to the Supreme Court — bypassing an …

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Pelosi Rips GOP’s “Let Them Eat Cake Attitude” [VIDEO]

Mediaite reports: Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi lit into Donald Trump and his administration, accusing them of having a “Let them eat cake attitude” about federal workers and contractors who are going without pay. “What do they have? They have Wilbur Ross saying he doesn’t understand why oh, when he was asked about people going to food lines …

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Man Worth $700 Million “Doesn’t Quite Understand” Why Unpaid Federal Workers Are Using Food Banks

The Hill reports: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday that he was confused why thousands of federal workers, who’ve already missed one paycheck, are relying on food banks during the partial government shutdown. Ross he didn’t understand why some of the more 800,000 unpaid federal workers have flocked to food banks for meals instead of taking out loans against back …

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