Mike Pence revamps Trump's transition team, purging lobbyists

[zenkai]

Source

President-elect Donald Trump continues to shake up his transition with only 65 days until he assumes the Oval Office.

Mr. Trump’s advisers were coming and going from Trump Tower Tuesday amid a flurry of changes to his transition team. The Trump transition is revamping almost everything. Vice President-elect Mike Pence -- who now heads the transition -- purged the team of the many registered lobbyists, leaving them short-staffed but closer to Trump’s campaign promise to “drain the swamp.”

On Twitter last night, Mr. Trump seemed to be responding to reports of internal chaos, saying the process of choosing his Cabinet is “very organized,” and only he knows “who the finalists are.”

On Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump took to Twitter to deny a New York Times story that depicted chaos in the transition process.

Advisers insist stories of infighting are overblown, but agree there is an amateur look and feel to their first week on the job, reports CBS News correspondent Major Garrett.

The president-elect tried to sneak out of Trump Tower for dinner Tuesday, after staff told reporters he was in for the night. His meal was captured by fellow diners, instead of the traveling press.

Earlier, Mr. Trump and advisers met with Vice President-elect Mike Pence for more than six hours to get the transition back on track, discussing Cabinet nominations and early legislation.

Former Goldman Sachs partner and Trump loyalist Steven Mnuchin is the frontrunner for treasury secretary.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is now favorite to serve as attorney general.

Also at Trump Tower was one-time campaign rival Ted Cruz and retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a national security adviser during the campaign.

Also joining the national security transition team is Frank Gaffney Jr. -- labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “one of America’s most notorious Islamophobes,” and who last year defended Trump’s proposed Muslim ban as “common sense.”

Questions are being raised about Mr. Trump’s top picks for secretary of state – Rudy Giuliani, whose private team reportedly held contracts with the government of Qatar.

Giuliani has also given paid speeches to an Iranian opposition group that was once on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.
Trump's Cabinet: Giuliani, Bolton among secretary of state contenders


After defense hawk John Bolton’s name surfaced as another possible head of state, Republican Sen. Rand Paul objected, calling him “unfit” for the job.

“You want to have a diplomat in charge of diplomacy, you don’t want a bomb thrower,” Paul told CNN. “I think Giuliani and Bolton are very similar, Bolton just has a more extensive cheerleading background with regard to war in the Middle East.”

Republicans currently have just a narrow one-seat majority in the Senate, meaning any defection -- by senators like Rand Paul -- could pose a serious roadblock to confirming Mr. Trump’s top Cabinet picks.

Mike Pence heads to Washington Wednesday to tour his new home and have lunch with Vice President Joe Biden at the Naval Observatory

A lot of established Republicans did not like Trump, it will be an interesting 4 years.

[StayTuned]

Wants to drain the swamp

By flooding it

I wish you guys lots of luck. You're going to need it. Now you've got four years to survive and come up with a candidate that isn't a comic figure and also isn't a corrupt warmongerer.

Tough, I know.

[Belize]

So who's going to be President?

Trump, or everyone around him telling him what to do and taking the reins?

[Varaben]

Wants to drain the swamp

By flooding it

I wish you guys lots of luck. You're going to need it. Now you've got four years to survive and come up with a candidate that isn't a comic figure and also isn't a corrupt warmongerer.

Tough, I know.

I think what I will miss the most is that Obama seemed to not take himself too seriously. He's saying things like "Thanks, Obama" and reading tweets and stuff like that. I get the impression that Trump will try to sue someone if a meme of him goes viral. And that's really just sad that someone would take themselves that seriously. I think we're used to our presidents being able to do that going back to Bush Jr. and Clinton.

[StayTuned]

I think what I will miss the most is that Obama seemed to not take himself too seriously. He's saying things like "Thanks, Obama" and reading tweets and stuff like that. I get the impression that Trump will try to sue someone if a meme of him goes viral. And that's really just sad that someone would take themselves that seriously. I think we're used to our presidents being able to do that going back to Bush Jr. and Clinton.

On the other hand that damned Clinton and Bush dynasty is now finally over. I was sick and tired of those two houses.
Trump will clown around for 4 years, his most ridiculous ideas will be denied anyway and you've got time to fix it with your next president.

[alexw]

A lot of established Republicans did not like Trump, it will be an interesting 4 years.

Who needs lobbyists when you turn the presidency into a family business?

[Kathandira]

So who's going to be President?

Trump, or everyone around him telling him what to do and taking the reins?

He is a business owner, not a worker. He will run things just like a business owner does. He will hire those he feels is best to do the job the way he wants it done.

[Belize]

He is a business owner, not a worker. He will run things just like a business owner does. He will hire those he feels is best to do the job the way he wants it done.

Except every time he picks someone, others around give him a slap on the wrist saying "No Donald!" and choose someone for him.

[alexw]

He is a business owner, not a worker. He will run things just like a business owner does. He will hire those he feels is best to do the job the way he wants it done.

Yes he will hire his family members and turn the presidency into a family business, something he is already trying to do. The same family members who are in charge of managing the Trump companies via a "blind" trust. Lets make nepotism and corruption great again!

[jackofwind]

He is a business owner, not a worker. He will run things just like a business owner does. He will hire those he feels is best to do the job the way he wants it done.

Trump is going to be that dingy Subway manager who sits in the back room stuffing double meat footlongs into his mouth while making outrageous demands while his employees at the front counter struggle with even the most menial of tasks because they're grossly undertrained. Meanwhile the customers will grow more and more irritated at the manager's lack of interest in actually getting them their food, as well as the incompetence of the people he has hired.

Eventually the Subway is forced to close down and is replaced by yet another glossy-countered Starbucks.

[Paranoid Android]

He is a business owner, not a worker. He will run things just like a business owner does. He will hire those he feels is best to do the job the way he wants it done.

This is seriously how naive some people are when they voted for him. The government is not like a business. You cannot hire/fire people or more importantly make decisions that are the law of the land. Yes, technically he has executive decision, but he cannot say "build a wall" and construction starts the next day.

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If Trump wants to help rebuild infrastructure, or improve NASA, I think the Democrats will work with him... Even if some Republicans say no.

At least that is my hope... that the Democrats and Trump can work on issues they agree on. Not everything he says is horrible.

I have a real problem with this. Funny how Obama got little if no help from the Republicans. Now the Democrat pussies said they will work with him.

I'm torn and don't want to be that asshole. If we do say get infrastructure bills passed, I am for it. Funny, this is one thing Republicans are hesitant on.

[Paranoid Android]

A lot of established Republicans did not like Trump, it will be an interesting 4 years.

You have nothing wrong with having his son-in-law in cabinet. Plus you can just feel the nepotism in that Trump family.

[Draco-Onis]

If Trump wants to help rebuild infrastructure, or improve NASA, I think the Democrats will work with him... Even if some Republicans say no.

At least that is my hope... that the Democrats and Trump can work on issues they agree on. Not everything he says is horrible.

Unless something changes anything other than obstructionism from democrats will be seen as capitulation, democrats have spent 8 years compromising and that has not sat well with the base.

[Bathory]

Funny how Obama got little if no help from the Republicans. Now the Democrat pussies said they will work with him.

Soooo, to not be "pussies" they should obstruct and continue 4 to 8 years of gridlock? No thanks.

[zenkai]

Unless something changes anything other than obstructionism from democrats will be seen as capitulation, democrats have spent 8 years compromising and that has not sat well with the base.

wait... what? Neither of them hardly compromised, this is why we had the do nothing congress

[Paranoid Android]

I want the Democrats to work with him to the extent that it is productive for left interests. I don't really think it's a desirable trait in a politician that they be so unwavering in their public beliefs that they refuse to do their job or allow things to function just on principle.

What is funny is way back in many, many threads ago when he had debate about some Obama policy, especially Republicans not even meeting in the middle. Now if the Dems just play the petulant child. I wonder how it would be covered. If the Dems cut off their nose to spite the face. Who gets the backlash?

[Draco-Onis]

wait... what? Neither of them hardly compromised, this is why we had the do nothing congress

Democrats compromised plenty by putting forth policies republicans advocated for, Obamacare is a the brain child of the heritage foundation. Merrick Garland was a republican favorite before Obama picked him, there is a rather long list of this.

[Paranoid Android]

Soooo, to not be "pussies" they should obstruct and continue 4 to 8 years of gridlock? No thanks.

Didn't the Republicans, more of the Tea Party, cheer for that the past 8 years. The rallying cry of the Tea Party was the government actually worked. "Too many laws passed", is what I remember.

We passed the least bills since 1990.

[Draco-Onis]

What is funny is way back in many, many threads ago when he had debate about some Obama policy, especially Republicans not even meeting in the middle. Now if the Dems just play the petulant child. I wonder how it would be covered. If the Dems cut off their nose to spite the face. Who gets the backlash?

The elections have proven there is no price to be paid for obstructionism but more downside from working with the other side.

[Paranoid Android]

The Democrats, of course. It's the way the game is played.

When Obama was in office we had the leas bills passed since 1990. So obstructionism is now dead since we have a Republican Prez. Funny.