Tag: Trump loyalists

Trump loyalists at VA shuffling, purging employees before new secretary takes over

The following article by Lisa Rein was posted on the Washington Post website July 18, 2018:

Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Peter O’Rourke attends a House Veterans Affairs subcommittee hearing about the Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin, AP

Ahead of Robert Wilkie’s likely confirmation to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump loyalists at the agency are taking aggressive steps to purge or reassign staff members perceived to be disloyal to President Trump and his agenda for veterans, according to multiple people familiar with the moves.

The transfers include more than a dozen career civil servants who have been moved from the leadership suite at VA headquarters and reassigned to lower-visibility roles. The employees served agency leaders, some dating back more than two decades, in crucial support roles that help a new secretary.

None said they were given reasons for their reassignments.

View the complete article on the Washington Post website here.

Trump Groups Raised Millions, Then Paid It Out to Loyalists and a Trump Hotel

The following article by Kenneth P. Vogel and Rachel Shorey was posted on the New York Times website January 24, 2018:

Trump International Hotel in Washington has emerged as the spot for those seeking to rub elbows with those closest to the president. Credit Alex Wroblewski for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — A pair of groups supporting President Trump say they raised $30 million last year, then spent tens of thousands of those dollars at the Trump International Hotel here and on payments to a few Trump loyalists like the former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and the former Milwaukee County sheriff David A. Clarke Jr., according to new campaign finance reports and news reports.

Of the millions raised, at least $1 million came from a coal company that has gained extraordinary access to the Trump administration to push for pro-coal policy changes.

The campaign finance reports shed light on a network of groups that were formed to support Mr. Trump, but have spent less than other groups bolstering his agenda, while steering money to the president’s businesses and his most ardent surrogates. Continue reading “Trump Groups Raised Millions, Then Paid It Out to Loyalists and a Trump Hotel”

Trump loyalists rush to defend the indefensible — and get left holding the bag

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website January 12, 2018:

President Trump referred to African nations and Haiti as “shithole” countries on Jan. 11. Here’s how hosts on CNN and Fox News reacted. (Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)

For some Americans, nothing President Trump says or does would prompt them to withdraw their support. Trump has been aware of this for a while; his infamous “I could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue” comment was an acknowledgment of that reality. In part, this is a function of the passion many people feel for Trump. In part, it’s a function of Trump’s having pushed past so many different boundaries already. Once you’re miles into the wilderness, what’s another 10 feet?

A handful of the people who fall into this camp happen to work about a block from Fifth Avenue at Fox News. And in the aftermath of revelations that Trump had referred to African countries and Haiti as “shitholes” on Thursday, they quickly offered rationalizations. Continue reading “Trump loyalists rush to defend the indefensible — and get left holding the bag”