Trump's appointees

[kscarbel2]

56 minutes ago, grayhair said:

Yeah, surprised me.  Hard to say if he has gotten some bad coaching, or shooting from the hip and accidentally candid, or what.  Clearly stepped in i though.

Rubio has some valid points in his questioning of Tillerson, but at times he comes across as a prick, frankly speaking. But not knowing him personally, I must give him the benefit of the doubt that he has good intentions.

Menendez, on the other hand, comes across in the video above as a very professional and reasonable employee of the people. Very calm and rational. If every congressman was the same caliber as Menendez appears to be, we'd be far better off.

[kscarbel2]

Tillerson, who joined Exxon in 1975, has been Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobile from 2006 thru 2016.

Now for example, I've read that ExxonMobil lobbied repeatedly on the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, the bill imposing sanctions on Russia’s oil sector after its 2014 invasion of Ukraine.

Based on that, it is impossible for me to believe that he as Chairman and CEO didn't know about his company's lobbying efforts.

[kscarbel2]

Here's ExxonMobil's lobbying disclosure that Menendez had in his hand, which includes where the company lobbied against H.R.5094 (the STAND for Ukraine Act), an event under Tillerson's tenure as ExxonMobil head. It's the tenth "Lobbying Activity" on the list.

https://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=getFilingDetails&filingID=6B7C97D3-08DB-456E-B05E-E22EF3C89AC2&filingTypeID=60

[kscarbel2]

Sam Clovis, Trump’s nominee for USDA’s top scientist, confirms he has no hard science credentials

Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post  /  November 2, 2017

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientist nominee, Sam Clovis, who now serves as the agency’s senior White House adviser, confirmed in an Oct. 17 letter obtained by The Washington Post that he has no academic credentials in either science or agriculture.

But the former Iowa talk radio host and political science professor contended in the letter to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee’s top Democrat, Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), that his time teaching and running for political office in the Hawkeye State steeped him in the field of agriculture.

The post for which President Trump has nominated his campaign co-chair — USDA undersecretary for research, education and economics — has traditionally been held by individuals with advanced degrees in science or medicine. The 2008 farm bill specifies that appointees to the position should be chosen “from among distinguished scientists with specialized training or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics,” given that the official is “responsible for the coordination of the research, education, and extension activities of the Department.”

Clovis, who possesses a bachelor’s degree in political science, an MBA degree and a doctorate in public administration, repeatedly acknowledged his lack of background in the hard sciences when responding to Stabenow.

“Please list all graduate level courses you have taken in natural science,”  the second of 10 questions requested.

“None,” Clovis replied.

“Please list all membership and leadership roles you have held within any agricultural scientific, agricultural education, or agricultural economic organizations,” the third question read.

“None,” Clovis replied.

“Please describe any awards, designations, or academic recognition you have received specifically related to agricultural science,” the fourth question read.

“None,” Clovis replied.

Then came the fifth question, which asked, “What specialized training or significant experience, including certifications, do you have in agricultural research?”

He answered: “I bring 17 years of agriculture experience integrated into both undergraduate- and graduate-level courses throughout my teaching career as reflected in my curriculum vitae as well as the Committee’s questionnaire.” And having twice run for statewide office, he added that “one cannot be a credible candidate in that state without significant agricultural experience and knowledge.”

Clovis, who has said the consensus scientific view that human-generated greenhouse gas emissions have driven recent climate change is “not proven,” has published and taught extensively about homeland security and foreign policy. He lists 17 examples of publications and scholarly activity on those two topics since 1992 on his CV, along with six teaching stints that cover those issues along with business administration.

None of those scholarly activities mentions the word “agriculture,” though he identifies “economic impact on agriculture of environmental and conservation public policy programs” among his research interests. He also lists agriculture and rural public policy as a topic on the conservative radio show he hosted from 2010 to 2013 and as one of his areas of interest as Trump’s campaign co-chair.

The USDA press office did not respond Wednesday to repeated requests for comment about the nominee’s agricultural experience.

Clovis is tentatively slated to have a hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Nov. 9. His confirmation hearing is likely to focus not only on controversial statements he has made in the past, including the suggestion that protecting gay rights could prompt the legalization of pedophilia, but on the revelation this week that he was one of the top officials on the Trump campaign who was aware of efforts by foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos to broker a relationship between the campaign and Russian officials.

Asked about the letter, Stabenow said in a statement that Clovis’s answers show why the Senate should not confirm him as USDA’s chief scientist.

“It’s clear from his own words that Sam Clovis does not meet the basic qualifications required for the job,” Stabenow said. “This fact alone should disqualify him, not to mention his long history of politically charged comments and the recent questions surrounding his time as co-chair of the Trump campaign.”

.

[kscarbel2]

Let me get this straight. If you've been a radio talk show host, run for office (unsuccessfully) and have degrees in political science and public administration, that equates to being an expert in agriculture and science. And, he said this all with a straight face (that alone confirms he's politician material). 

[HeavyGunner]

25 minutes ago, kscarbel2 said:

Let me get this straight. If you've been a radio talk show host, run for office (unsuccessfully) and have degrees in political science and public administration, that equates to being an expert in agriculture and science. And, he said this all with a straight face (that alone confirms he's politician material). 

Makes about as much sense as having welfare tied up in the farm bill. 

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

 

[41chevy]

Mr Bolton is a better fit for the job and will do fine.  Mr Tillerson had difficulty be able to deal with Trump. I never really felt he was accepted by Trump or a lot of his staff.

[BillyT]

While I am apolitical by choice, this is the first administration where I can't name any of top staffers,doesn't matter though he'll fire a couple more this week!

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

EPA's Pruitt resigns amid swirl of scandals

Eric Kulisch, Automotive News  /  July 5, 2018

WASHINGTON — Embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who led the charge to scale back Obama-era fuel economy standards for light vehicles, resigned following months of damaging revelations about his conduct in office and allegations of ethical lapses.

President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly affirmed his support for Pruitt but expressed concern about the swirling scandals involving alleged conflicts of interest and abuses of his position, announced the move in a Twitter message Thursday afternoon.

"I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency," Trump wrote. "Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this."

His deputy, Andrew Wheeler, now takes over as acting administrator. "I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda," Trump said.

Pruitt was aggressive on the deregulatory front. He worked to undo at least a dozen environmental regulations promulgated by his immediate predecessors, claiming they went beyond the letter of the law and didn't sufficiently account for economic costs to industry.

Critics say Pruitt, a vocal skeptic of human influence on climate change, was pushing rulemakings based on ideology and favoritism toward businesses, while ignoring scientific evidence that the emissions and other rules were effective.

"It would be hard to point to someone who has been less friendly to the environment than Scott Pruitt, and who has been less aware of the tremendous impact of rolling back the tremendous progress that was made in a negotiated set of standards with industry," said Jason Levine, executive director at the Center for Auto Safety.

Pruitt sided with automakers on April 1, saying the Obama EPA's goals for nearly doubling fleetwide fuel economy were too aggressive. His decision to reopen a feasibility review of 2022-25 model year standards was partly based on the perceived need for more recent data on sales trends, fuel prices, and the cost and availability of advanced powertrains and other technologies. A proposal to scale back the fuel efficiency standards is currently under review by the White House. It is unclear whether the resignation will upset the administration's timetable for a decision, or whether the agency will take action to rescind California's waiver to set air quality rules stricter than federal ones.

Under a 2011 agreement, the EPA, safety agency NHTSA, California and automakers are currently following the same program, although some technical inconsistencies between EPA and NHTSA remain. California and a dozen states that have adopted its standards have threatened legal action to preserve their rights.

The Senate's April 12 confirmation of Wheeler as EPA deputy administrator, however, lessens the chance of an administration shift on corporate average fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards. Wheeler faced stiff opposition from Senate Democrats who questioned his environmental commitment after working as a lobbyist for the coal industry and a staff member for Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., who openly opposes scientific consensus that greenhouse gases from human activity are to blame for global warming. During his confirmation, Wheeler questioned the extent of man's impact on the climate.

Pruitt has been under constant fire for months over allegations of conflicts of interest, wasteful spending and improper use of authority. There are at least a dozen federal investigations into his behavior.

The charges, first turned up in media investigations, include a sweetheart apartment rental from the wife of an energy lobbyist whose firm does business before the EPA; excessive spending on travel and security; ignoring White House instructions not to give raises to favored employees; using his staff to find work for his wife and handle personal business; reassigning or demoting aides who questioned whether certain decisions complied with laws and regulations; cozy relationships with and rewards for industry lobbyists; and asking his security team to use emergency sirens to get through Washington traffic for appointments.

A number of Pruitt aides and communications officers have resigned this year as scrutiny increased over his spending habits and conflicts of interest.

Last month, the EPA announced the resignation of Pruitt's senior legal counsel prior to her scheduled testimony before a House panel investigating allegations of ethics violations by Pruitt. His scheduler, Milan Hupp, who acknowledged to House investigators that Pruitt directed her to carry out personal errands for him, also resigned.

.

[kscarbel2]

Market Watch  /  November 7, 2018

Jeff Sessions is resigning as attorney general and will be replaced by his chief of staff Matthew Whitaker, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.

The departure of Sessions after the midterms was widely expected. Trump had repeatedly expressed anger with Sessions for recusing himself from the investigation into Russian election meddling.

Sessions is resigning at Trump's request, he said in a letter.

[kscarbel2]

Trump picks Heather Nauert as new US envoy to UN

US President Donald Trump has picked state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to be America's new UN ambassador.

The president also nominated William Barr as the new attorney general.

Ms Nauert, a former Fox News presenter, was made state department spokeswoman in April 2017, her first government position.

Her predecessor at the UN, Nikki Haley, announced in October that she would leave the post by the end of the year.

Ms Nauert's appointment to the UN role now has to be approved by the US Senate.

After making the announcement, President Trump told reporters: "She's very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she's going to be respected by all."

The 48-year-old was also appointed acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs in March this year.

She worked for Fox News from 1998 to 2005 and, after two years away during which she worked for ABC, she returned to Fox in 2007, later becoming a presenter for Fox & Friends.

Fox News has been a consistent supporter of the president and he often cites its news.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The skills to sell 'America first'

By Nada Tawfik, BBC UN reporter

Heather Nauert's meteoric rise is remarkably unusual considering that she has been in government for less than two years, and has never specialised in international relations.

Past ambassadors have been scholars, diplomats or prominent politicians. The role has often gone to skilled negotiators and leading names in US foreign policy, such as Adlai Stevenson and Madeleine Albright.

But President Trump values her loyalty and her TV skills. He trusts her to effectively sell America First over multilateralism. Diplomats at the UN will know she is held in high regard by the president, his daughter and the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.

They will also be aware of how her resume sharply contrasts with theirs. It will be interesting to see how those dynamics could play out during this tumultuous time on the Security Council, with the most challenging crises being Yemen, North Korea and Syria.

.

[kscarbel2]

Yet another bad appointee.

[kscarbel2]

So Mattis has resigned.....big news. (but hey, we now have a FOX News presenter, Heather Nauert, as our new UN ambassador)

From a distance, Mattis seemed okay.

I'm all for our troops coming home. It's not our neighborhood. It's up to the locals to stand up and fix their homeland, rather than run away to Europe and the US as economic migrants.

It appears that we partnered with many questionable groups in the war on terror, including the one squad that decapitates young boys on the back of pickup trucks.

The Soviet Union couldn't sort out Afghanistan.....we thought we could?  The French couldn't sort out Vietnam.....we thought we could?  And we were marvelous with the Iraq show.....what a costly mess.  What have we gained by trying to be the world's policeman?  Over the last 20 years or so, our reputation around the world has crashed (recall how good our reputation was post-WW2).

We had a chance to work with Russia against ISIS and improve the relationship. We shared a common goal, but threw that opportunity out the window.

[Red Horse]

1 hour ago, kscarbel2 said:

So Mattis has resigned.....big news. (but hey, we now have a FOX News presenter, Heather Nauert, as our new UN ambassador)

From a distance, Mattis seemed okay.

I'm all for our troops coming home. It's not our neighborhood. It's up to the locals to stand up and fix their homeland, rather than run away to Europe and the US as economic migrants.

It appears that we partnered with many questionable groups in the war on terror, including the one squad that decapitates young boys on the back of pickup trucks.

The Soviet Union couldn't sort out Afghanistan.....we thought we could?  The French couldn't sort out Vietnam.....we thought we could?  And we were marvelous with the Iraq show.....what a costly mess.  What have we gained by trying to be the world's policeman?  Over the last 20 years or so, our reputation around the world has crashed (recall how good our reputation was post-WW2).

We had a chance to work with Russia against ISIS and improve the relationship. We shared a common goal, but threw that opportunity out the window.

Well as I see the Syria situation, we had a bit over 2000 troops there who were providing the direction for the Kurds and everyone else.   Without that co-ordinated direction it sounds like things will go downhill fast.  There are far to many knowledgeable high ranking military types besides Mattis who think this is a mistake.  Once again it seems this is another campaign promise that regardless of what the facts/experts say,   Trump will play to the galleries with another..."I said I was going to do it and I did".   Factual situation has nothing to do with it.

As for Nauert, I could not believe it when I heard that news.  No doubt she is a very good presenter but........My guess is Bolton will be in the background pulling the strings that make her arms and mouth move.

As for Tillerson, now he is .."dumb as a rock".  Well so much for Donald's selection skills.

I voted for the guy and from my perspective, my no.1 objective ( Supreme Court) has been met.  Given fact he won't change his ways in spite of having some good advisers,  I have lost faith in his ability to accomplish much more.  If he could not do it controlling  Congress, think of the next two years☹️

[GA_Dave]

10 hours ago, Red Horse said:

I voted for the guy and from my perspective, my no.1 objective ( Supreme Court) has been met.  Given fact he won't change his ways in spite of having some good advisers,  I have lost faith in his ability to accomplish much more.  If he could not do it controlling  Congress, think of the next two years☹️

Two more years should give him enough time to replace Ginsberg!

[Red Horse]

27 minutes ago, GA_Dave said:

Two more years should give him enough time to replace Ginsberg!

Hah-exactly my thought today when I saw the news pop on the screen. I truly believe however that for sure that has been his most critical accomplishment-just think of the forward years that would have been in jeopardy had crooked Hillary been in the Whitehouse in terms of the SC make up.

[grayhair]

23 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

The Soviet Union couldn't sort out Afghanistan.....we thought we could?  The French couldn't sort out Vietnam.....we thought we could?  And we were marvelous with the Iraq show.....what a costly mess.  What have we gained by trying to be the world's policeman?  Over the last 20 years or so, our reputation around the world has crashed (recall how good our reputation was post-WW2). 

Well said!

[66dc75]

Ginsberg will probably arrange for her aides to do a Weekend at Bernie's and tie her upright in a chair and hope nobody notices.

[Mack Technician]

If the United States would become the isolationist nation Ron and Rand dream of this globe would look a lot different in short order. Congress was full of non interventionist “Paul’s” at the beginning of WW2 and when it was over they became the new interventionists via hard lessons. It’s an inviting thought to just wash hands and go home to make babies. Problem is China/Russia/Iraq/ISIS/etc/etc are poised and ready to fill any and all vacancies we create.

Realistically, our greatest security threat isn’t what’s going on outside our borders, it’s that Americans have failed to identify what the characteristics of good leadership look like and then general Agnosticism. Can’t wait till Kid Rock or P Diddy are president. Maybe we can have a rap music curriculum in our schools and pot application course for home Ec. 

Edited December 22, 2018 by Mack Technician

[Mack Technician]

1 hour ago, 66dc75 said:

Ginsberg will probably arrange for her aides to do a Weekend at Bernie's and tie her upright in a chair and hope nobody notices.

Bless that old feminist for her firecracker zeal, but how many times can she be jump started before her battery shorts out? Hopefully Chuck and Nancy will donate one of their bilateral internal organs if need be. 

[kscarbel2]

1 hour ago, Mack Technician said:

If the United States would become the isolationist nation Ron and Rand dream of this globe would look a lot different in short order. Congress was full of non interventionist “Paul’s” at the beginning of WW2 and when it was over they became the new interventionists via hard lessons. It’s an inviting thought to just wash hands and go home to make babies. Problem is China/Russia/Iraq/ISIS/etc/etc are poised and ready to fill any and all vacancies we create.

Realistically, our greatest security threat isn’t what’s going on outside our boarders, it’s that Americans have failed to identify what the characteristics of good leadership look like and then general Agnosticism. Can’t wait till Kid Rock or P Diddy are president. Maybe we can have a rap music curriculum in our schools and pot application course for home Ec. 

I'm a deep admirer and scholar of history. I'd argue that the situation today is different from our 1930s posture, apples and oranges.

We should be "known" as strong with a global reach, but doing a good bit less reaching.

We need to stop trying to be the world's policeman. Clearly, that path has failed, again and again. Where did we succeed? Iraq? Somalia?

Europe collapsed in the face of German aggression because nobody would stand up to them.

Japan was starved for raw materials. Japan should have been chased out of China by a League of Nations army, but it was gutless and the western world didn't care that Asians were dying. There was a huge problem brewing, but in those days, Asia was regarded as a place far, far away. Today with real-time news via the internet and 9-12 hour flights, Asia is just a step away.

I've long felt that we need to fix our own problems before we run around the world lecturing other sovereign countries on how they should change. We were taught that principle as children.

Until we prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country (and milking our tax money), until we eradicate foreign (and domestic) drug cartels in our country (and schools), until we fix our "cultural decay and declining standards of behavior", we obviously are in no position to be a global role model.

[Mack Technician]

The best thing a man could invest himself in......where did you study or teach?

Agree on last para, except our Republic is theoretically the best roll model on Earth if it’s people have inhibitions and impulse control which takes us right back to “Decay”.