Homeland Security chief Nielsen was close to resigning: New York Times
May 11, 2018 by admin
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told colleagues she was close to resigning after being criticized by President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing several current and former officials familiar with the incident.
Nielsen, a protegee of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, has drafted a resignation letter but has not submitted it, two of the officials said, according to the Times.
During the meeting, Trump blamed Nielsen for what he said was her failure to secure U.S. borders, the newspaper cited the officials as saying.
A senior administration official confirmed the incident to Reuters, saying: “He lit into her.”
A DHS spokesman said in a statement on Thursday that the New York Times story “alleging that the Secretary drafted a resignation letter yesterday and was close to resigning is false.”
Nielsen “is hard at work today on the President’s security-focused agenda and supporting the men and women of @DHSgov,” he added.
The White House declined specific comment on whether Trump berated Nielsen, her supposed resignation letter and on whether Trump retained confidence in Nielsen, who took over at DHS in December.
“The president is committed to fixing our broken immigration system and our porous borders. We are a country of laws and the president and his administration will enforce them,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Thursday.
Nielsen, in a statement on Thursday, said she shared Trump’s frustration that “existing loopholes and the lack of Congressional action have prevented this administration from fully securing the border and protecting the American people.”
“These are complex issues and I will continue to direct the Department to do all we can to implement the President’s security-focused agenda,” she added, without saying anything about resignation plans.
Nielsen is in charge of the 20,000 border agents who work at Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
One person at the meeting said Trump railed at the whole Cabinet over what he said was its lack of progress in keeping out illegal immigrants, the Times said.
Trump has become frustrated in recent weeks over growing numbers of illegal border crossings after a drop during his first year in office, the Times said, citing several officials.
Trump believes Nielsen and other DHS officials are resisting directives that parents be separated from their children when families cross illegally into the United States, to deter them from entering, the newspaper said, citing the officials.
Trump’s hard line against illegal immigration is a centerpiece of his presidency as he pursues an “America First” agenda that includes a proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying it was needed to stem the flow of immigrants and drug trafficking.
Reporting by Eric Walsh, Roberta Rampton and Dustin Volz; Editing by Mary Milliken and Peter Cooney
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Trump Feels Embarrassed by Mueller Probe as World Leaders Keep Asking About It
May 11, 2018 by admin
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Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election is causing embarassment for President Donald Trump who has to face questions about it from foreign dignitaries.
The president’s Chief of Staff, John Kelly, was asked whether the proble hangs like a cloud over the White House during an interview with NPR’s John Burnett. ”It may not be a cloud but certainly the president is, you know, somewhat embarrassed, frankly,” he replied.
According to Kelly, the topic of the ongoing probe is one that world leaders are keen to discuss when they visit the president, citing the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges at home, as an example.
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“When world leaders come in, it’s kind of like you know Bibi Netanyahu is here and he who’s under investigation himself and it’s like, you know, you walk in and you know the first couple of minutes of every conversation might revolve around that kind of thing,” Kelly said.
Kelly, who said he never considered leaving his job at the White House, avoided answering whether he agrees with Trump’s characterization of the investigation as a “witch hunt” but he believed that the probe will not unearth anything “relative to our president.”
The chief of staff isn’t the only member of the Trump administration who recently shared his thoughts about the probe. Vice President Mike Pence faced similar questions from NBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Thursday. While avoiding bombastic statements, the vice president said he thought it was time for Mueller to “wrap it up” in the “interest of the country.”
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Pence has so far been untouched by the probe, which has however encompassed several other members of the White House who were heavily involved in the 2016 presidential campaign, such Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, former chief strategist Steve Bannon and former communications director Hope Hicks.
According to The New York Times, Mueller provided Trump’s lawyers with a list of at least four dozen questions he wants to ask the president. The possibility of Trump being interviewed by Mueller’s team has been the subject of speculation for months, but an official decision has yet to be reached.
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