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Trump Appointments Tag

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 13, 2017 17 Comments
The media has gone ballistic during the first week of confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees since the most of them have different views than Trump. Trump has shown thin skin with those who disagree with him so of course the press has attempted to stir the pot even more, but it has not worked.

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 12, 2017 17 Comments
The Senate Armed Services Committee passed a waiver by a vote of 24-3 allowing Gen. James Mattis to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense. Becuase he retired from the Marine Corps in 2013, he needed the waiver to bypass a rule stating an individual must be out of the service for seven years before serving a new appointment. Only Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, Richard Blumenthal, and Elizabeth Warren voted against the waiver. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said the committee should pass the legislation "because the U.S. is at war and the Trump administration needs Mattis as quickly as possible."

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 12, 2017 11 Comments
Former presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Housing and Urban Development Secretary, will have his confirmation hearing today at 10AM ET in front of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Carson turned down Trump's request to leads the Human and Health Services, but accepted the HUD nomination. He often fought with Trump in the primary and even said he would never work in Trump's administration. Trump chose Carson for "his 'brilliant mind' and passion about 'strengthening communities and families within those communities.'" Carson has said:
"I grew up in the inner city and have spent a lot of time there, and have dealt with a lot of patients from that area and recognize that we cannot have a strong nation if we have weak inner cities," he said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 12, 2017 44 Comments
Meow. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) came out with the claws during the hearing for former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state. Rubio started by asking Tillerson if he considers Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal. Tillerson, who ran a company that had many deals with Russian STATE OWNED companies, refused to take the bait:
"I would not use that term," Mr. Tillerson said.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 11, 2017 19 Comments
My favorite part of the confirmation hearings so far has been Ted Cruz's statement opening his questioning of Attorney General Nominee Jeff Sessions. It is some of the best 5 minutes of video I've seen in a long time, and reminds me of why I supported Cruz during the primaries. And would love to see him on the Supreme Court. Cruz used his time to skewer the Democrats on the committee for their false posturing (transcript via Conservative Review and IJR):

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 11, 2017 47 Comments
New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker made "history" today by testifying against a fellow Senator -- Jeff Sessions -- in a confirmation hearing. I noted yesterday that This must mean Cory Booker is running for President in 2020 This was the first time such Senator against Senator testimony had ever happened. Booker tried to make it seem as if he was doing something heroic, as if the choice was between remaining completely silent or taking the witness stand:

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 11, 2017 16 Comments
Former CEO ExxonMobil Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of State, will face the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today for his confirmation hearing. You can expect him to face questions about Russia since ExxonMobil has agreed to numerous deals with Russian state companies to drill in the Arctic. Questions will also include topics like climate change and human rights. You can watch the confirmation with us as I live blog.

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 11, 2017 5 Comments
General John Kelly, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, had his Senate confirmation hearing, which went off without a hitch. In fact, Kelly received massive praise from both sides of the aisle Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) considers Kelly a "good choice for Secretary of Homeland Security." https://twitter.com/clairecmc/status/818950860961103872

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 10, 2017 6 Comments
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) faced an all day confirmation hearing for attorney general in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The senators had a blast asking Sessions the same questions over and over. Some asked valid questions while others asked obscure questions that made you scratch your head. But overall, Sessions promised he would uphold all the laws, even those he opposed as a senator. He promised he would stand up to President-elect Donald Trump and keep politics out of his decisions.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 10, 2017 30 Comments
Does it get more craven than Cory Booker securing his place in history by becoming the first Senator ever to testify against a fellow Senator during confirmation hearing? It should happen on Wednesday. Are there not enough people already calling Sessions names that Booker has to add his voice? CNN reports:

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 10, 2017 33 Comments
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has begun his confirmation hearing for attorney general. We have a live stream in this post. This is expected to be one of the most tense confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet. The Democrats will ask Sessions about his record on civil rights and female rights. However, the GOP holds the majority in the Senate so more than likely he will receive confirmation.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 09, 2017 6 Comments
Jared Kushner, husband of Trump's oldest daughter Ivanka, was appointed a Senior Adviser to president-elect Trump, news outlets reported Monday afternoon. Kushner married Ivanka in 2009. The couple have three children together. Kushner owns the New York Observer and played a key role in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Before assuming the role of Senior Advisor Kushner must traverse two fairly significant hurdles -- federal anti-nepotism laws and his participation in Trump-family businesses that might be a conflict of interest to his tentative White House gig.

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 06, 2017 33 Comments
The Senate Republicans have ticked off the Senate Democrats because they scheduled six Cabinet confirmation hearings next Wednesday. Oh, and President-elect Donald Trump will also hold his first press conference next Wednesday. Plus, the confirmation schedule includes the nominees the Democrats planned to target the most: attorney general, secretary of state, CIA director, education secretary, and transportation secretary. The Democrats wanted to drag out the process, make it as hard as possible to confirm Trump's Cabinet. On January 1, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told The Washington Post that his party would "resist" any attempts by the Republicans to rush through the process.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 04, 2017 48 Comments
We have covered many times how Democrats laid the foundation for Republicans to use the Nuclear Option for a Trump Supreme Court nominee. That Nuclear Option would construe Senate Rules to only require 51 votes for cloture, effectively eliminating the filibuster, the 60-vote requirement to close debate. The foundation was laid in 2013, when Democrats, who then controlled the Senate and presidency, used the Nuclear Option to eliminate the filibuster for almost all Obama nominees. Harry Reid was gloating about going nuclear. Republicans warned that Democrats would regret the day.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 03, 2017 18 Comments
Mike Barnicle learned a lesson the hard way this morning: don't challenge Kellyanne Conway without having all your ducks in a row. It won't end well. On Morning Joe, the subject was the Trump plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Barnicle snidely asked Conway "now, do you or do you not have a replacement plan ready to go, ramped up, ready to go, say tomorrow?" When Conway pointed out that there wasn't a confirmed HHS Secretary in place and that she hoped that the Senate Democrats would cooperate on timely and fair hearings, Barnicle sarcastically responded: "so you're asking the Democrats to be as fair as the Republicans were" at the beginning of the Obama administration? Conway pounced. Interjecting "they were very fair," Conway had at her fingertips the fact that President Obama had seven of his cabinet nominees confirmed on the day he was inaugurated in 2009, and five more within the week. She also cited chapter and verse on the numerous cabinet appointees that were promptly confirmed at the beginning of George W's administration. It was a bravura performance, and Barnicle was heard no more on the subject.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 26, 2016 37 Comments
We've written many times about the Democrats' destruction in 2013, under the leadership of Harry Reid, of the filibuster for judicial nominees below the Supreme Court level. Most of the columns written recently, including by us, discuss whether Republicans will extend that "Nuclear Option" to the current Supreme Court vacancy. And certainly, that's very important. But there is another way in which Harry Reid's gambit is going to hurt Democrats.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on December 22, 2016 4 Comments
Trump's Campaign Manager, Kellyanne Conway will join the Trump administration in a new role -- Counselor to the President. Conway turned down an offer to function as Press Secretary but will work closely with that individual who will be announced soon. As counselor to the president, Conway will still have a hand in communications and said that while her role will be similar to that of Valerie Jarret with President Obama and Karen Hughes with President Bush (43), she will not compare herself to any other individual.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on December 15, 2016 6 Comments
Thursday, a Trump Advisor confirmed CNBC business analyst Larry Kudlow has been chosen to lead the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Kudlow served as an advisor to Trump's campaign. Reports suggest the announcement will be official sometime in the next two days. The Detroit News reports:
Conservative economist Stephen Moore, who advised Trump’s presidential campaign on economic policy, disclosed Kudlow’s appointment to the influential post during a lunchtime speech to the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce’s economic club.
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