Trump Calls Club Members 'The Special People' in Leaked Audio

Trump invited club members to 'come along' for Cabinet interviews
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2017 4:49 PM CST
Trump Invited Club Members to 'Come Along' for Cabinet Interviews
In this Nov. 19, 2016 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump gives the thumbs-up as he arrive at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Leaked audio obtained by Politico appears to show President Trump inviting members of one of his golf clubs—who he calls the "special people"—to "come along" to interviews with potential Cabinet members. The audio was recorded during a party at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, back in November. "We're doing a lot of interviews tomorrow—generals, dictators," Trump can be heard saying. "You may want to come around. It'll be fun."

Trump specifically mentioned interviews for secretary of State, Treasury, and "people that will form our government." Over the following two days, Trump interviewed Mitt Romney, Betsy DeVos, Chris Christie, and many more at the club. In the audio, Trump can also be heard asking a club member for "some recommendations" about who he should put in charge of the FCC. The leaked audio, which the White House says is being taken out of context, comes on the heels of criticism lobbed at the president last weekend for discussing an official response to a North Korean missile test while surrounded by Mar-a-Lago members. (More Donald Trump stories.)

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