Trump administration

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Pence Answers on Whether He's Endorsing Trump

Ex-VP says he can't 'in good conscience' give his former boss a thumbs-up for November

(Newser) - Mike Pence hasn't shied away from criticizing his old boss, former President Donald Trump, especially regarding the debacle of Jan. 6, but many have been waiting to see if the ex-vice president would offer his thumbs-up to Trump for the upcoming election. Now, we have our answer—and it'...

Melania Had 'Power Struggle' in WH With More Than One Trump

Book on America's first ladies features numerous nuggets on her private clashes with Donald, Ivanka

(Newser) - A new book on contemporary US first ladies is out, and within its pages are some nuggets on Melania and Donald Trump's clashes while the latter was in the Oval Office. People notes that while Melania Trump "was always publicly supportive of her husband ... the two often felt...

John Kelly Confirms Trump Remarks on Veterans

Former WH chief of staff says ex-boss 'has no idea what America is all about'

(Newser) - John Kelly, who served as chief of staff to former President Donald Trump, went on the record Monday to confirm "a number of damning stories" about Trump in a statement to CNN . And what a statement it is. Kelly described Trump as "a person who is not truthful...

Of 44 Trump Cabinet Members, 4 Give Ringing Endorsement

Most hedge or don't answer when asked

(Newser) - They might take the plunge later in the presidential campaign, but so far, few people who served in Donald Trump's Cabinet are publicly committing to supporting their former boss for another term. NBC News tried to contact 44 former Cabinet members to ask if they endorse Trump. Most wouldn'...

Fauci: Trump's White House Did Oppo Research on Me

Doctor tells David Axelrod he faced 'outright hostility' from that administration over COVID

(Newser) - Dr. Anthony Fauci has become an unwilling headline-maker once again after being targeted earlier this week by Twitter owner Elon Musk, whom Fauci said he generally tries to ignore. "I don't respond to him," Fauci told CNN commentator David Axelrod in a snippet of a podcast aired...

2 Trump Aides Who Resigned After Jan. 6 Expected at Next Hearing

Sources: Ex-NSC official Matthew Pottinger, ex-deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews to testify

(Newser) - An ex-National Security Council official and former White House comms official who served under former President Trump—both of whom resigned shortly after the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol—are said to be on the docket for Thursday's hearing on the matter. Sources tell CNN that Matthew...

Bolton: I Planned Coups, and Trump Wasn't Capable of One

'It takes a lot of work' and 'that's not the way Donald Trump does things'

(Newser) - Planning a coup d'etat "takes a lot of work," according to John Bolton. He should know "as somebody who has helped plan coups d'etat" outside of the US, the former national security adviser to President Trump told CNN on Tuesday. While it's no secret...

IRS Grudgingly Requests Investigation of Officials' Audits

Comey, McCabe faced intensive tax scrutiny under agency led by Trump appointee

(Newser) - Update: This file has been updated throughout with new information. Despite calling it "ludicrous and untrue to suggest" that two top officials then-President Trump clashed with were chosen any way but randomly for intensive tax audits, the agency announced Thursday there will be an investigation. The IRS said in...

We Probably Didn't Have a Meat Shortage After All

House panel report: Tyson, other meat-processing companies made 'baseless' claims of scarcity

(Newser) - Workers at meat-processing plants were forced to clock in to work during the early days of the pandemic, thanks to an executive order out of the Trump administration deeming them essential workers amid what was said to be a beef and pork shortage. Except now it seems that last part...

Watchdog: Zinke Misused Position Then Lied About It

Feds say former Interior Secretary didn't break from foundation as promised

(Newser) - Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused his position to advance a development project in his Montana hometown and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement, according to a report from federal investigators released Wednesday. The investigation by the Interior Department's inspector general found that Zinke continued working...

Feds: Trade Aid From Trump Overpaid Corn Farmers by $3B

Farmers in the South were paid more per acre than those in the West, Northeast

(Newser) - The Trump administration overpaid corn farmers by about $3 billion in federal aid in 2019 and farmers in the South were paid more for the same crops than those elsewhere in the country, a federal watchdog agency has found. The Government Accountability Office said in a report released Monday that...

House Panel: Trump Tried to Undermine COVID Response

Congressional subcommittee interviewed former officials over several months

(Newser) - A report from Congress released Friday says officials in the Trump administration deliberately undermined the public health response and messaging around the coronavirus pandemics, CNN reports. The findings are a result of months of interviews with former officials, and some of the information has been released before. But there’s...

Trump's Ex-DOD Chief Sues Pentagon Over Memoir

Mark Esper says Defense Department is blocking parts of his manuscript it thought were 'too candid'

(Newser) - Mark Esper's memoir, A Sacred Oath, is due out in May from William Morrow, but readers may not see everything he originally included in its pages, thanks to the Pentagon. The former defense secretary in the Trump administration is now suing the agency he once led, claiming that sections...

Rolling Stone: Jan. 6 Leaders, Trump Team Used Burner Phones

Those communications could be difficult for House investigators to trace

(Newser) - Organizers of the "Save America" rally on the White House Ellipse that preceded the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol communicated with former President Trump's team using burner phones purchased with cash, according to a report from Rolling Stone . Kylie Kremer—a top official with the March for...

Birx: More Than 100K Died After Trump Ignored Advice

She says election distracted White House officials from COVID crisis

(Newser) - Donald Trump's failures during the pandemic cost more than 100,000 American lives, former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx told lawmakers earlier this month, according to newly released testimony. Birx told the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in hearings Oct. 12 and 13 that...

Under Trump, Foreign Gifts Went Missing, Unrecorded

Agencies are still looking for gift bags meant for G7 leaders

(Newser) - The government has a specific, detailed process for handling gifts to administration officials from other nations. During President Trump's term, it often was ignored, the New York Times reports, starting with the requirement to log in and report the gifts. So the State Department’s inspector general is still...

Unflattering Trump Details Surface From Grisham Memoir

Former press chief says he only pretended to get tough with Putin in front of cameras

(Newser) - The new memoir by Stephanie Grisham , a press chief under then-President Trump and a top aide to Melania Trump, is now in the hands of journalists. Some of the details making waves:
  • Putin: Grisham writes that when Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Japan two years ago, he leaned in
...

Aide With Top Access to Trump, Melania Is Releasing Memoir

'Hard to articulate how much anxiety' Stephanie Grisham's book will cause

(Newser) - Another memoir from a former member of the Trump White House is coming, and Jonathan Swan of Axios notes that it has the potential to be the most damaging one so far. That's because Stephanie Grisham is the only person who worked in top positions for both former President...

Biden to Trump Allies on Military Academy Boards: Resign or Be Fired

Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer were among 18 who received letters Wednesday

(Newser) - The Biden administration moved Wednesday to oust 18 allies of Donald Trump who were named to US military academy boards in the final months of the Republican president's term in office. Cathy Russell, director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, sent letters to 18 people named to the...

Capitol Riot Investigators Make a Big Move

Panel issues wide-ranging request for records

(Newser) - The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol attack made a big move Wednesday, issuing requests for records from government agencies including the National Archives, which has custody of records from the Trump White House. A letter from committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson to agencies shows the investigation will be wide-ranging,...

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