The Daily 202: West Wing infighting has ripple effects across the government
By James Hohmann April 26 at 8:42 AM
THE BIG IDEA: The continuing intrigue inside the West Wing is so much more than just a wild soap opera. Whoever has Donald Trump’s ear at any given time has immense power over the trajectory of this country. Another consequence of the dueling power centers is that it’s taking longer than usual to staff up the executive branch.
Lisa Rein has a fascinating story on the front page of today’s paper about Cabinet secretaries who are growing increasingly exasperated with how slowly the White House is moving to fill top-tier posts. They believe the vacancies in their departments are hobbling efforts to oversee basic government operations and promote Trump’s agenda.
It turns out that one important explanation for the sluggish process is that lots of people inside the White House have veto power over who gets even junior jobs. Trump, who fancies himself a decisive leader, is in many ways governing by committee, something Republicans often attacked Barack Obama for.
“Prospective nominees … must win approval from competing camps inside the White House," Lisa explains. "Around the table for weekly hiring meetings are chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, representing the populist wing; Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, leading the establishment Republican wing; White House Counsel Don McGahn; Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Josh Peacock; and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, representing a business-oriented faction. ... For economic appointments, Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, also sits in, as does the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, when a hiring decision piques her interest."
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/04/26/daily-202-west-wing-infighting-has-ripple-effects-across-the-government/58ffef4ae9b69b3a72331ecd/?utm_term=.289a887a12c8&wpisrc=nl_daily202&wpmm=1
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